#in my personal opinion bruce should be not the greatest parent but not as bad as he is in canon

[kaocat-tatatat]

DC Writers not use child abuse for shock value challenge (impossible)

Even if your favourite character isn't Dick, the fact that this keeps happening (mainly to him, if I'm not mistaken) but then almost never brought up again apart from a few lines where they forgive each other like in the Court of Owls story (and I think one where Dock said he hit first? I can't remember that one specifically though) is so annoying and imo it's poor writing. You can't make a show of an element like this where it would pretty significantly effect their relationship but then just never deal with it, because then what was the point of having it in the first place? If we are not supposed to assume that they've dealt with it/made up offscreen (because that's lazy writing) I have to assume that it's not addressed in universe either, which COULD be an interesting way to then write about it, as it is realistic to how it happens with the way people repress it as a one time thing (even if it happens more than once), and force themselves to move on even if they are still deeply hurt- while the parent figure forgets it even happens at all/keeps letting their emotions get the better of them and failing to improve. It'd be a really good way to write and develop their relationship and could then link into more aspects of their character and relationship with others.....

But it almost never happens! Not in any meaningful capacity, anyway. **it has been attempted to be addressed at certain times, for example the latest comic arc with Zur-an-arth, but not explicitly. Its done in more abstract terms rather than directly, and the small times it is addressed when it is directly mentioned, the way its dealt with is done to various levels of success (see: Jason instantly forgiving Bruce for the Fear toxin procedure thing, I get in context it was more like a mind control situation, but its a really good example of this problem, that and the talk between Bruce and Dick at the end of the Court of Owls book that mentions Bruce punching Dick in the face, again I understand it was to punch the tooth with the owl o it or whatever, but their are at least 5 different things Bruce could have done to shoe Dick the tooth without punching him and somehow managing to knock the exact one out??? I'm not so much mad about it as I am confused about why the hell would that be the solution you'd come up with lmao it's almost funny how unnecessary that punch was)

I'm not even saying you have to chose between a good dad or bad dad Bruce, but if your gonna put it in there, deal with it! Use it as character development as I think it could be used for a lot of interesting stories and plot points that would not only actually address it properly (which would be good in of itself) but like I said previously, it could really bring a lot of introspection into characters and their development, which could do a lot for certian characters at the moment.

Conversely, if they aren't going to deal with it, then they should just stop putting it in there. Bruce is not that great of a parent ignoring the physical abuse already, so its not like we'd really be missing anything considering it never goes resolved or even mentioned most of the time anyways. Its like they feel the need to prove Bruce's flaws in the most obvious way possible, it its done so poorly it feels more like shock value or shoehorned in to add drama or tension. Like, DC, you've provided more than enough evidence of the fact that this man, while he loves his children, fails as a father from time to time, on multiple occasions. You don't need to try and add anything else to 'prove' it, it's already evident in the way he's written regardless. That's assuming of course it's supposed to mean anything in the first place, which considering it's almost immediately forgotten and never brought up again, makes me think it's isn't.

Basically, DC is trying to have its cake and eat it too by having these elements written into the stories but not really addressed properly, either just cause other writers don't want to have to deal with them, or because they're for raising the stakes in a story or whatever- and that and it ruins a lot of their comics and ignores a lot of story potential.

This is like the 5th essay post I've done about this but I will always, ALWAYS, hate how Bruce is written hitting his kids like this. I get people think of Bruce as a parent in different ways, but I personally will always dislike it as an element in the story, and I just don't see why they have to put it in. It never adds anything meaningful and it lessens my enjoyment for a story sometimes, and since they never do anything with it I'd rather they'd stop doing it entirely.

The thing about that scene is that it's never brought up outside of Dick's story.

Bruce never gets any flack from anyone from this in-universe because that happened with no one else around and out-of-universe because Bruce is written by different writers who have different ideas about Bruce's parenting which is fine in itself but so frustrating when your favorite character is Dick.

He's being blamed for a child's death, kicked out and hit while having a broken leg and we are just supposed to move away from that ?

And the problem becomes even more frustrating when there are other instances where Bruce is straight up abusive to Dick in canon and they do the same things again, and never talk about the fact that Bruce hit Dick again.

I'm still bitter about the Nightwing (2016) issue 40 and the Court of Owl stuff, like...why was that even necessary if you are not going to do something with it both times.

[bigskydreaming]

You said Dick Grayson prompts so uh, Dick+being righteously angry?

There's a lot of people that talk about him having a temper but I don't really think they focus on What he gets angry about.

LMAO oh boy this is like, my favorite rant to end all rants and yes I have opinions on this. I’m gonna need a follow-up prompt here for like, gimme something specific for Dick to get mad about because there’s sooooo much material to work with. 

Are we talking reactions to his time as Ric, reactions to his time with Spyral, being blamed for faking his death when like helloooooo, he was comatose at the time of Bruce spreading the word and fully embedded undercover before his own funeral even, like, his say-so never actually got said in any of that OR we talking like, his annoyance about people constantly making jokes about the name he keeps because its what his parents called him and meanwhile Alfred’s like “SWEAR JAR” every time a Batkid says “hell” in a fic but supposedly has no opinion on all of Dick’s siblings and Babs and teammates all making “Dick” into their insult of choice as though that’s all its good for....

OR are we talking about how even in the Christmas issue of Nightwing before the Future State event happened like, Bruce has lost most of his money during Joker War and still the comics are like oh here’s a cute scene, Dick pretending to be Bruce’s driver who like works for him rather than him introducing the people they’re helping to Bruce by being like “hey I want you to meet my dad, he’s gonna help you out here” or at the very least like introducing him as the man who raised him, what the fuck even was that chaffeur bit even, I don’t understand the impetus for making that choice BUT WHATEVER....

or OR are we talking Dick getting angry because people want to give all the credit to Tim for getting him and Bruce to talk to each other again after Jason’s death as though the credit shouldn’t go to Dick himself for choosing to put aside his personal hurt and resentment about how he DID go to Bruce after Jason’s death, without prompting, and Bruce’s response had been to blame Dick for Jason’s death and kick him out of the house, OR are we gonna talk about the many times and many ways that even Dick’s teammates on the Titans and the Outsiders like to make everything his fault as though none of them ever make choices in all of that ever or like most of Dick’s greatest hits mistake wise aren’t made when he’s literally brainwashed but nobody cares to bring that context up even when giving him shit about stuff that happened years ago and oh yeah, while he wasn’t even in full control of himself

OR should we talk about Dick getting pissed at all the other Robins basing so much of themselves around their time in that role and using it to take potshots at each other and fight and resent him but without any of them ever respecting him for his time as Robin or thanking him for what Robin actually brought to their lives which presumably it did do at least something there or else it wouldn’t matter so much to all of them in the first place and again oh yeah its not like it would even exist to impact their lives in the first place if not for his hard work and precedent in establishing that mantle

OR are we gonna talk about Dick getting pissed because everyone always seems to notice when he’s not around to help them with their problems but how often do they pop down to his city just to check in with him and how he’s doing and guest star in order to help him with his issues or bad guys (like seriously, its like once a decade, and even then they usually only make the trip down to his city in order to vent to him about Bruce or what’s going on in their lives)

OR are we gonna talk about how Dick apologizes for something practically every time he interacts with a family member but when was the last time anyone apologized to him for anything, like even in allegedly iconic storylines like Batman and Robin Eternal where we have every single one of Dick’s brothers hitting him, he still ends up apologizing to each and every one of them for like, giving them reason to hit him and be mad at him when holy shit nooooooo that is so fucked up what is WRONG with that logic, not to mention all the fics that are like “every time Jason’s mad at Dick which is always, he gets one free punch to feel better” like oh hey, that’s definitely a choice being made there.....

Anyway. I mean. I barely have any thoughts on this subject ever, so I’m obviously going to need another prompt to stir up some ideas and passion on this particular topic, otherwise like I would definitely be at a complete loss here.

[damian-wayne-soft-boy]

Is Damian overpowered in the new 52 animated films??

Answer: No. 

I recently watched a youtube video called Damian Wayne’s Top 5 Overpowered moments, and I was very sad and frustrated by some of the comments made during the video. I left a very long comment, but I felt compelled to share my opinion on here as well.

I understand why people believe that Damian seems to be overly-capable, especially in the first two films. You would be right to think that an average 10-year old human would not be able to do what he does. But the point of Damian's character is to be a genetically-perfect solider. 

Bruce Wayne only goes off to train with various masters around the world from the ages of 19 to 24. By the time he returns to Gotham, while he lacks the experience he has in his later years, he is one of the deadliest humans on the planet. This would be impossible if we were basing these characters abilities on real life statistics, which the video creator does as a way to disparage Damian's abilities. And before people start to say, "well, Bruce was an adult. It makes more sense," it is factually less difficult to learn martial arts (and other physical disciplines) as a child than it is as an adult. A child who is trained in ballet from the ages of 5 to 10 will be a better dancer, on average, than someone who trains from the ages of 10 to 15. But, that's on average. What if the child has a innate talent for whatever discipline it is they practice? 

While in the womb, not only was Damian genetically enhanced to be as physically superior as possible (meaning his body was designed to be as strong as it could possibly be, enhanced bone strength, increased red-blood cells to strengthen muscles, infallible immune system, etc.), so was his mind. He has elevated hand-eye coordination, he processes information at the rate of a super-computer (which is why he is capable of reading his opponents movements and reacting accordingly) knows multiple languages and can memorize new types of fighting styles simply by seeing them demonstrated once. So, taking all that into account, plus the fact he was being train by master assassins and other highly-trained tutors every moment of his life until he goes to live with his father, it doesn't seem that huge a leap in logic that Damian is as strong and capable as he is portrayed. 

Let me put it another way: Dick Grayson is trained be to a vigilante by Bruce from the ages of 14-19 (according to the New 52 comics). Then he becomes Night wing and leaves Batman's tutelage, probably only doing self-study and gaining experience by fighting crime in Bludhaven.  When Damian comes to live with Bruce, it is estimated that Dick is abut 23-24 years old. So, Dick has been training for, at most, 10 years (the same as Damian: it is cannon that Damian first held a sword before his first birthday) and of those 10 years, only 5 were spend with Bruce and even then Dick still had to go to school and had down-time. He did not spend every minute of his conscious life being groomed as a warrior, like Damian was. Yes, Dick was also trained by his parent in acrobatics from a young age, but acrobatics are not martial arts. It certainly helped, but it did not make him a prodigy, like Damian was genetically designed to be. 

Damian's flaw is not physical but emotional. He does not have emotional maturity, is overly aggressive and lacks a moral-compass, until his father tries to teach him one (poorly, I might add). 

If Damian was constantly defeating high-level opponents, then I might have agreed with that video, but that is most certainly not the case. Damian does lose to Nightwing, Batman, Deathstroke, The Heretic, etc. He does not defeat every single person he fights. He wins some and he loses some, as do all the characters in the DC Universe. 

I find it sad that so many fans would rather dismiss his character, simply because he was designed to be unlikable. Damian is meant to be a brat and rude and pretentious and willful. He is young and has no idea what his place is in the world. To me, Damian represents the greatest idea in the DC mythos: Redemption. Heroes do not kill villains because they believe they deserve a second chance to change their actions and make "the right choice." Damian is the embodiment of that struggle. He was trained from birth to de-value human life, trained to kill and feel no remorse. By all rights, he should be a psychopath. But instead, he chooses to learn the value of human life and strives to be a good person, even though he does not natural understand what that means. He chooses every day to practice "justice, not vengeance." And yes, he makes mistakes and poor judgments, but he redeems his bad deeds by trying to do good. He may be young, but he is not a child. And if DC has any sense, Damian will grow to be one of the greatest characters within the entire franchise.

Do you agree or disagree? Fell free to add your thoughts in the comments.

(P.s. I am not making the claim that Damian is the best character or the best hero or even the best sidekick. His character has a very, VERY, long way to go, but I do think he has the most potential)

[hellyeahheroes]

My (Many)Problems with Damian Wayne

Rape tw

I will be upfront and say that I have never liked Damian Wayne from the jump. The idea that Batman has a son through rape(and yes, it is rape to drug someone and then sexually assault them) and he was forced to take care of the little asshole never sat well with me. But as a character, I hate little shit asshole characters especially the ones that Grant Morrison creates as this edgy jerk, but their jerkiness is somehow endearing when it is really not like his other detestable creation Quentin Quire.

Now I am coming around to the idea that every character can be redeemed from a baseline standpoint, but Damian sits in the category for me as characters that were fucked from the jump right next to Cindy Moon and Alpha. These are characters that should be scrapped and rebuilt. Just throw the whole fucking character away, sis, and start over. You can’t develop a character if everything he is supposed to convey and represent was completely misplaced. Let me explain what I mean.

What is the point of Robin? Robin is a vehicle for kids to feel apart of Batman. Batman is cool so why not give him a kid sidekick. And each of these kid sidekicks were relatable. Dick Grayson was from a family of Romani acrobats that traveled in a circus which got on the wrong side of Gotham gangsters. Jason Todd was a street urchin. Tim Drake is fan of Batman who had parents involved in his life who were the same social class as Bruce so Tim trained himself to be the next Robin(a bit on the nose). 

The only Robins that are outliers to the relatable rule are Stephanie(who was created to be killed anyways) and Damian.

Damian is the son of Batman via rape. His entire purpose was concocted through an eugenics experiment by Ra’s Al Ghul because Batman’s genes and heritage and other physical traits were seen as desirable so Ra’s raised his daughter, Talia, to either lure Batman through seduction to produce a worthy heir. Damian never suffered nor never intentionally had to suffer in a way that was not part of his character building as being honed to be the leader of the League. He trained to be the greatest and made well aware of the fact that he will be the greatest because of his lineage through Ra’s Al Ghul and Batman, the greatest detective of all time as well as one of greatest mortal fighters in the world. There is nothing in the world that Damian could not have and everything was always available to him.Damian knows he is better than you could ever be and there is rarely a moment that he doesn’t remind you that he is not like the reader or any other ordinary person. 

Damian is not a character created in the same way that the other Robins were created. You, the reader, are not to allowed to relate to Damian. The appeal in Damian has little to do with appealing to kid readers, but a ton to do with relating to adult readers who are also parents or  people who regularly have to deal with kids, particularly bad kids.

Damian’s snotty attitude could have been applied to any of the other Robin’s(in fact, that was what Jason was supposed to be personality wise), but Damian’s personality is supposed to bring out the parent in Batman. When you read Morrison’s Batman and Robin, Damian is this know it all little brat while Dick represents the very patient adult who has to deal with this know it all little brat.When Batman interacts with Damian, he has to constantly admonish him or teach him from right or wrong which, let me get into for a little bit. Most parents do teach their child from right or wrong shit like not taking things from the store without purchasing them, but most do not have to tell their 8 year old that no, it is not alright to kill people which is a lesson that Damian sucks his teeth at.

Now you can sit there and say that is what makes him fun or whatever, but Batman is about a kid who lost his parents in a dark alleyway. I am sorry. They were not to lost. They were killed. Batman is about a kid who took his suffering and all of his pain and turned it into something positive so no one else has to be that kid whose parents were taken away from him. Dick Grayson understood this. Jason Todd did not understand and strayed from this.  Tim Drake understood this and tries his best to live up to Batman’s example. Cassandra Cain has taken life and understood how terrible murder was and lives her life trying to redeem herself. Damian is thematically against Batman as a concept.

And Damian sucks his teeth at it and sees it as a hindrance. And not in the same way that Jason does who was horrible killed by the Joker and then later learned that Batman let him live thus creating a sense of betrayal and abandonment. Damian just feels like it is easier to just kill people and right or wrong is irrelevant. There is no talking to a person who can’t fathom why murder might not be the modus operandi of a vigilante that regularly works with civilization. 

All of these things would be okay if Damian was not constantly being written as the heir to Batman or the next successor to Batman when for all intents and purposes, he is the least worthy of all Batman’s sidekicks and family. He is not from Gotham yet he deems that he should be it’s protector just because his father is? He is sneers his nose to being decent and good and is rather okay with keeping a blacksite of prisoners so he can interrogate and torture them. And god forbid you say Damian is ever wrong?

All in all, Damian does not want to learn or grow. He has been the same character for years and there is no development in his personality. And him unlearning to not be an assassin and not killing people seems like shit he should inherently know not to do and why it is wrong. Damian does not kill because his daddy told him not to. And yeah, he could learn a lesson, but honestly that lesson should not have to be learned in the first place for a character in the Batfamily. They should intrinsically know and have strong feelings against and somehow they make an exception for Damian.

Then there is identifying Damian as a person of color which...okay, I caught some heat when I called Damian white but the ambiguity of Damian’s and therefore Ra’s and Talia’s cultural heritages allows for writers to not actually address culture or race. Ra’s Al Ghul’s ambiguity whether he is ethnically Arabic, semitic, or both allows for an interpretation that he could be white and people generally are okay with that read as him and never discourages it. Talia is the same way and while Damian might were the clothes, and eat the food(yes, I know Damian likes Lebanese cuisine because it reminds him of home), but it is wholly on the writer to address his racial identity because of what the League of Assassins is. It is not like Simon Baz where his ethnic and therefore religious identity must be upheld because it is part of his core character or a Luke Cage where race and racial issues must be ascertained when writing his character or even Miles Morales. Damian is from a made up cult of based off the Middle Eastern Hashashin’s of the Crusades. That fantastical element allows the writer to have a brown character without actually relating to brown people. And that is even if writer or artists makes Damian Brown which is not too far out of the realm of possibility because again, Ra’s and Talia’s ambiguous ethnic identities allows for that possibility.

I know people hate reboots. But Damian should be rebooted. That is just my opinion of the character. Feel free to discuss.

@ubernegro

[leighlikesthing]

“Being Robin Gives Me Magic!”

If you’re not a comics fan, or someone who maybe has read sporadically, or only certain things, the character of Robin is a divisive subject. 

You see, there is an entire subset of people who think that the character of Robin in any incarnation is lame. A foil for Batman that drags the Dark Knight away from his brooding depths and into something more comical and wholesome.

And sometimes, that’s true. Robin does get used to lighten things up sometimes when things get too gritty; too dark, and there are people who see that as a bad thing; who think that Bruce Wayne should be this crazed loner bent on justice with nothing but his money, his toys, and his weary butler. 

But let’s be honest here. 

There’s only so many stories you can tell in that vein before things start to get really, really boring.

Think about it! Batman has been around for 80 years. That’s a very long time.

Here’s how a classic Batman story goes: 

Bruce Wayne finds out, through being a billionaire playboy and having connections with the Gotham police, that trouble is afoot. He dons the cape and cowl, does the detective work, gets nabbed by the bad guy, figures a way out of it and turns the tables, turns the bad guy in and goes home to his big empty house and his sassy butler. 

That’s gonna get old fast, right? Even with a decent rogues gallery, and Jim Gordon hanging around, and maybe a couple of fair-weather girlfriends, that’s not a lasting premise. If you want 80 years of storytelling, you have to give Bruce Wayne more to fight for. 

Avenge parents: Check

Fight for the soul of the city that he loves: Cheeee-yeck.

But let’s be honest. Despite Batman’s status as a symbol, and a spooky myth of Gotham, at his core, Bruce is still a person. And people need other people, or else they’re just some weird guy sitting in a big drafty cave talking to themselves about JUSTICE while their butler hangs out upstairs and dusts his dead parents’ belongings.

Enter: Robin.

And not just Robin, but the idea that because Bruce Wayne lost his parents at such a young age, he’s spent one half of his life training and studying to be the greatest detective on earth to avenge their deaths and keep a similar fate from befalling other people in his city, and the other half building a new family. Because deep down, he’s still that scared little kid who lost his parents, and needs people.

And that might very well be the most human thing Bruce and Batman have ever done. He didn’t just train partners. He didn’t just take in strays. He built, for better or for worse, an entire family and network of people. 

Don’t get me wrong. Bruce is bad at stuff. He’s emotionally distant, pretty cold, and he can be a pretty terrible father (See: Every time he’s punched one of his children. Included on this list are, at minimum: Dick, Jason and Tim).

However inadvertently though, Bruce did something else as well. Not only did he collect these troubled youths and orphans to be his babies, he gave them each other. These characters now have an entire baseball team of siblings to bicker with, tease, rely on and hug it out with.

They’re family.

The Batfamily, to be precise. And they are broken and weird as all get out, but they, in my opinion, much more than Batman, are endlessly entertaining to read about.

And theorize about. One of the great joys that exists on the internet is the massive pile of head canon, fan art and fan fiction all relating to what it’s like to be part of this huge, dysfunctional family.

Tim Drake snapchatting his and Bruce’s trip to Walmart? Thanks to @unpretty You bet your batt butt. 

Lists of bizarre offenses perpetrated within Wayne Manor’s walls on any given Sunday? Gimme.

Tumblrs that depict fake Instagram feeds for these dummies? Delightful!

And the fan art. 

If you’re not following @doc-squash, whose fan comics are breathtakingly pure and funny, showing the entire family as the passel of weirdos we all know they are, I don’t know what you’re waiting for.

Heartwarming Dick and Babs content with a side of salty Damian? @laquilasse is the human you want to follow.

Goofy love for Jason Todd? Check out @inkydandy. 

Warm, snuggly family time? @kaylabeemarie has everything you need. 

Yes, Bruce Wayne and Batman get the most attention out in the greater world. Yes, everybody knows Robin is a thing, and everybody’s got opinions and feelings on that fact, good and bad.

But those of us who can name all the kids who have come and gone and come back to the cave again, I feel, are the happiest of Batman fans. Because there is a corner of the bat-sandbox that we get to roll around in that the anti-Robin crowd doesn’t.

And we have way more fun than they do.

[ellana-ravenwood]

True blood son...and daughter - Damian Wayne x Sister!Reader

Summary : Your first meeting with your half-brother didn’t really went well, both of you being quite hot headed...Slowly but surely however, you guys warm up to each other. 

It’s meh, I’m so dissatisfied with my writing lately...hope you’ll still enjoy it :

You can find my masterlist here : @ella-ravenwood-archives

_______________________________________________________________________

-Don’t forget I’m the true blood son ! 

-Oh yeah ? That’s funny because you know what ? I’m the true blood daughter ! So your argument is invalid. Do you think before you speak ?

Your father looked between you and Damian, not knowing what to do...This wasn’t going how he wanted it to go at all. 

******************

Your first encounter with your half-brother Damian was...tense, to say the least. One day your dad came home with the boy, and boom, I guess you had a new brother. You were super excited. At least at first. You quickly realized that he wasn’t really...the nicest. 

Even before your father explained where he came from and all, you knew he was definitely your brother. He looked almost exactly like your dad when he was a kid. Almost exactly, because his eyes weren’t blue but green, and his skin was way darker than your father’s pale complexion. Other than that...it was like seeing a mini-Bruce. You hoped he wasn’t like your dad mentally too, because that was gonna be a nightmare...And he wasn’t. He was worst. Oh my god so much worst. 

The first words he uttered to you were full of disdain : 

-You look weak. 

Your father stiffened, ready to intervene. He knew that with you, this could go only two ways : you’d loose all control and fight Damian, or ignore him completely, much like your mother would. Your mother, Catwoman, champion in ignoring people that annoy her since the day she was born. You took the second option, and with a little smile that made Damian fumed, you turned away from him, going back to the work you were doing on the bat mobile before your dad emerged with your brother. Hum. Half-brother. 

But Damian wouldn’t have it. He already met the other batboys, and he made sure they knew that Batman’s TRUE son was home. He went too you, under your father’s gaze. Your dad was still ready to lunge forward between you two. 

-Did you hear me ? 

-Yes.

Damian was confused. Even Dick, who seemed like the most collected one, reacted to his provocations. And here you were, kinda ignoring him, a smug look on your face. He had to assure his superiority on you, and you had to react for it to work !! 

-You look very weak. 

-You already said that. Redundant. 

-You look like you...

-Hey, listen, I know what you did to Dick, Jay and Tim ok ? Won’t work with me, I don’t care about your little need to feel better than us. So here we go, I’m gonna tell you know : hey, you’re better than me. Cool right ? I bet you feel great now. 

-Well at least you know your place. 

Oh damn. You were doing such a good job. You were being so calm and collected, like your father taught you. You should have kept ignoring him, just like your mom did to people she didn’t like...You knew he was eventually going to say something that’d make you mad. And here. “Know your place” ? “KNOW YOUR PLACE” ? How dare he ?!  

You stood up to face him. He was almost as tall as you, even though he was definitely years younger, no more than 10, and you were already (your age). You were kinda short. Like your mom. In the corner of your eyes, you could see your father coming towards you, but you made him understand with your eyes that he shouldn’t intervene. You needed to do this. And so he stopped, and looked at you two. 

-Do you want me to teach you your place ? 

-Tt, I’ve been raise by the greatest martial arts masters in the World, you stand no chance against me. 

-I’ve been raised by the Batman and Catwoman, sure they’re not the best, but I heard they’re pretty decent. 

-I won against your other...”brothers”. 

You didn’t like the way he said the word “brother”, and thought you should specify something very quickly. 

-They’re my brothers’ more than you are. 

This seemed to take him aback a bit, but he regained his countenance fast. You almost felt bad, almost, because that guy, no matter who he was, was coming in your house and insulting you. So yeah, maybe he was your brother...err, Half-brother, but damn, how dare he ? 

You looked at your father and he nodded, gesturing towards the training weapons. He knew a fight wasn’t avoidable, so at least, if you guys did it while he was here, he could probably intervene if need be...

He didn’t need to intervene. The fight wasn’t long, yet quite violent. You both ended up with blood on your faces and bruises, but...you won. He was on the floor and you were still on your feet. 

-Well I guess that settles it uh ? The “true blood daughter” is better than the “true blood son”. 

He scoffed at you, and you turned around to go back to your work. Suddenly, your father was behind you, Damian’s wrists in his hand, forcing him to let go of the baton he had in his hand. The little fucker was going to hit you while your back was turned ! You glared at him, and he glared back. 

Damian knew that what he just did was wrong, but he had been raised to win, and his defeat made him see red. However, when his eyes met his father’s, he looked down, ashamed...You had won fair and square, and taught him his first lesson : humility. 

On that day, you owned Damian’s respect, but he would never admit it, and things between the two of you didn't get better before a long time. Because you were very hot headed, and he was too. 

***************

-I mean, I get it mom, you know ? He wants to prove his worth to dad, and the only way he found to do it is to discredit all of us. To prove he’s the best amongst us. It’s kinda cute, how desperate he is for Dad’s attention...but that doesn’t make him any less of a brat. And I want to punch him on a regular basis.

You were sitting on one of Gotham’s highest rooftop, eating ice cream with your mother, Selina Kyle. It was your weekly date with her. She was a busy woman, even more than your father, and you rarely got alone time with her...but she always managed to spent at least one night with you. Always. You cherished those times dearly, she always had the best advices...

She helped you understand your father more, explained to you how Bruce Wayne was, and why he acted the way he did. She helped you on numerous occasion about numerous topics. 

-Are you jealous ? 

-Jealous ? What ? Nooooo. 

She gave you the look, the one that meant : “I don’t buy it kiddo”.

-Ok maybe I’m a bit jealous. It’s just that...lately, dad have time only for him you know ? I get it too, he’s trying to show him that his mother was wrong, that killing is bad and all that shit but...

-I know sweetheart, and I’m sorry. I think your father...Your father feels guilty about your brother’s behavior, about your brother’s...

-Half brother. 

-You know honey, it’s not by calling him that that you’re gonna get any closer. 

-I don’t wanna get any closer, I already have three wonderful brothers, I don’t need a brat that thinks he’s better than anyone else in my life. 

-Now you sound a bit like a brat. 

You glare at her, but you know she’s right...

-(Y/N), I don’t think he’s the way he is. 

-That doesn’t make sense mom. 

-Let me finish. I mean that maybe...behind his cockiness and such, there’s a little boy that just wants his father to be proud of him. And you know how your dad is, to make him say something, to make him talk about his feelings it’s...

-Difficult, yeah, I know. I had to almost die for him to tell me he loved me.

-You get my point then ? 

Reluctantly, you nodded. 

-You gonna make some effort then kiddo ? 

Again, against your better judgement, you nodded. Maybe your mom was right...

******************

Your mom was right. You discovered that the day you walked in on Damian crying. He didn’t notice you, or he would have reacted quicker. And even though you thought he was awful, you still had a heart, and seeing him in that state made said heart tightened. Especially since you knew his tears were because he was trying really hard to please your dad, but felt like it still wasn’t enough...You understood him more than anyone else on that topic. 

-Are you...are you ok ? 

He stood up from his sit and looked at you, trying to dry his tears with the back of his hand. 

-Yes, what do you want ?! 

-Well ok then. 

And you were about to leave, not in the mood to argue, but something in his eyes stopped you...Did he want you to stay ? 

You two stared at each other for a few minutes, no knowing what to do, until you made the first step. 

-I’m sorry. 

He looked up at you, curious and confused. 

-You’re...sorry ? 

-Yes Damian, I’m sorry. Because...Because I didn’t give you a chance. 

-I don’t understand. 

You sighed. 

-You see Damian, I...I might be a bit too much like dad. Sometimes, I’m too judgmental and opinionated, and I always think I’m right. 

A small smile appeared on his lips. 

-Yeah, I’m a bit like that too...

-Well, we’re his children you know. Hum...Anyway, I try not to be too much like him. Dick helps a lot, he’s...different you know. 

-I know, Grayson is great. 

You smile, yeah, your brother is great. And you thought that Damian admitting such a thing was already pretty big...

-What I mean is...What I’m trying to say, very badly, is that...I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to show me who you really are ok ? 

-I’m still not sure I understand. 

-Well, that first encounter we had, I...

-I’m sorry about that. I know I’m not the easiest person to be around. I’m really trying though, and I regret those first things I told you. You’re not weak at all. 

Your heart melted. Damn you and your over-sensiteveness sometimes. 

-Apologize accepted. And...I’m sorry I didn’t try more to get to know you after that. I’m a bit...stubborn. Like my parents really. Dick tried to convince me that you weren’t that bad and I didn’t listen. Hell, even Jay scolded me about my behavior...So. Yeah. I’m sorry...Little brother. 

His eyes shot up to you, and you melted a bit more. Was it hope you saw in his green orbs ? 

-Not...half-brother ?

-No. I’m sorry about that too...I can be such a bitch. 

-You can’t take all the blame. I...Wasn’t the best person with you either. I...I’m just...jealous. You’re so...Cool. You’re the best fighter, you have father’s respect and he’s clearly proud of you, and you...You got to grow up with him. Normally. 

You approached him and chuckled, sitting next to him on the couch. 

-”Normally” ? Yeah right. You know, it wasn’t easy either. Growing up with the Batman as your dad, and Catwoman as your mom. I spent a lot of time on my own. But I guess it’s...selfish of me to think that, I know your childhood was...not a childhood at all. At least, I had my brothers and I had some fun and...Damian, I’m just so sorry. 

He smiled at you, and again, you could see the resemblance with your father. His white teeth contrasting with his dark skin. It was the first time you saw him truly smile, and just like with your father’s, you decided you loved this smile. You decided you were going to try to make him smile more often, after all, you always succeeded in making your dad laugh and smile...Why not the brat ? I mean, why not your brother ? 

-I’m sorry too. I just admired you a lot. And my jealousy got the better of me. But...if I’m being honest...I...

He hesitated, and you encouraged him to say more :

-You what ? 

-I just...

-What ? I’m not going to eat you, you can tell me ? I’m actually pretty nice once you get to know me too...

-I know, Dick told me. That’s why I...I just want you to consider me your brother. I want...Hum..I want to truly be part of this family. I’m really trying to fit in and...

Your hug surprised him. 

-Oh Damian, I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren’t part of the family...Because you are. You’re my little brother. And anyone who would say otherwise...Well I’m gonna kick his ass. Uh that sounds super cheesy, but..;let’s try to be less assholes OK ?

He smiled a bit more, and hugged you back. 

-Yeah, I guess we can try. 

*************

The sudden change in the relationship you had with Damian didn’t surprise any of your family members. They knew you’d both come around, they knew you were both very much alike. They knew at some point, you’d realize it. They knew you had a big heart, and that Damian was more sensitive than he looked (as the gift he gave your father proved it..the kid went threw Gotham sewers just to find a pearl from your grandmother’s necklace !). 

You regretted those months spent bickering at each other, those months spent fighting, and tried to make up to him...All he wanted was for you to love him. He would never admit it, but since the beginning, all he wanted was...To have a family, a real one. 

The lesson your father taught him about the value of life, and all of that, helped him a lot understand what he really wanted. What he was craving for. It wasn’t just his father being proud of him that he wanted, it was...love. Being loved. And to love in return. Because he never had that. 

You fulfilled his wishes easily. You were more alike than you initially thought. Both of you looked a lot like your father, mentally and physically, and both of you realized it pretty fast. You became so close that many people often said that you were twins that weren’t born at the same time...

You’d both agree. 

The first encounter with your half-br...with your brother was tense to say the least...and years later, you were still wondering why. You guys were almost the same person, how come one day, long ago, you hated each other so much ? 

It didn’t make sense. 

Fin

[psyniac]

Answer all even numbers!! Have funnnn >:3

Only just seen this… oops. Here we go!2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?Dan Aykroyd. I’m not sure what to say to make me sound normal. But probably just “basically the Ghostbusters films raised me so you’re like an Uncle to me. Uncle Danny. So… have fun with that. P.S. You owe me 27 years of Christmas presents.4: What do you think about most?Probably music; be it how good stuff is, history, trivia, what to listen to and explore next, making playlists, discussing stuff, wishing I was still on radio and fantasising what I’d do, writing and recording my own, structuring Album #4, writing pieces for colleagues.

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?Pants only, no items, Final Destination (or something).8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)Girls rule. Boys drool. Something like that?

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?Yesterday night. I did a weird salsa jig to Dillinger Escape Plan in a lift too. I’m weird.12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?HAHAHA. Excuse me? I’m remiss to remember something specific but I’m sure of it.14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?Walking.16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?Every Time I Die. They’re the best band of all time. What’s complex about that? 18: Do you believe in karma?I think so, yeah.20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?Weakness: girls in hats.Strength: recognising pieces of game music in less than five seconds.22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?Yes, just the once I think.24: Do you have a collection of anything?I have unfinished collections of stuff. I guess my biggest is a “games collection” but even then that’s only in it’s hundreds, rather than thousands like an actual “collector”.

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?Not entirely. I’m funny and good-looking so it’s not all bad.28: What’s your biggest “what if”?Easy. What if I figured out what the hell I was feeling when I was young instead of burying it and had the courage to say “well, I think I’m probably a girl???” to my parents. Hah.30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.Dead air. I’m in the living room. (”Dead air”? Listen to me. Entertainer until the day I die I guess.)32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?I honestly have no serious answer for this. Lucky me.34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?Avril Lavigne, before she died and was replaced with a robot. That’s the conspiracy, right?36: Define Art.Something from someone’s soul, mind, heart made to challenge the soul, mind or heart of others.

38: What’s the weather like right now?Grey. England innit.40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?No. No.42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?Yes.

44: What was the last film you saw?Bruce Almighty; to make up for watching the theatrical cut of Alien 3. Icky.46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?I don’t believe so, but then I haven’t tried.48: What’s your sexual orientation?Pansexual.50: Do you believe in magic?It’s friendship. Wait, that’s not right. I mean… I dunno. Something like that.52: What is your astrological sign?Scorpio, aka the best.

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?Aside from food, because that’s boring, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Xbox store. (REVIEW DUE OUT THIS FRIDAY KLAXON KLAXON KLAXON)56: In a relationship?I’m getting married in just over five weeks so… lil’ bit.58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?No but I can touch - nevermind.60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?Every Time I Die poster, CDs.

62: What’s your favourite animal?Doggo.64: Where is your best friend?Which one? Actually “I don’t know” is the answer to any of those.66: What is your heritage?English… and I don’t know? Hard to trace.

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?Trump-Hopkins-May.

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?Yes; the kind that is always passionate about DOING and MAKING stuff instead of going “LETS DO THE THING” and then jumping ship after someone has put in all the work.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?A. Yeah, I probably do. I don’t want it to just end and still to be left hanging.B. I’m not sure at all. That’s… Oh wait. It’s like a Birthday. I’d spend most of the time crying because I can’t think of anything I care enough about doing. HAH.C. Probably less so than I should be.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?Limp Bizkit - “Living it Up”76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?Trust, sense of humour and give and take.78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?Without a shadow of a doubt, really.80: What size shoes do you wear?11 or so?

82: What is your favourite word?Apropos.84: What is a saying you say a lot?“Swings and roundabouts” is the first thing that comes to mind. Exciting, I know.86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?Green.

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?A former colleague comes to mind. Several actually so it’ll be a roll of a very morbid dice.90: Turn offs?Bad hygiene I guess? Ignorance, hatred, anti-hippy shit like that.92: where are your parents from? Same as me, we are not exactly a travelling family.94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?I know my fiancé has given me a hall pass for a certain female professional wrestler, I’d have to ask if Avril would be fine (if she was found alive).96: Do you have any relatives in jail?Not that I know of.98: Ever been on a plane?A few times. As someone who hates heights… I love it. Weird how that works.This was fun. Thank you!

[bluescarabguy]

THE AMAZING SPIDER-RANT

Spider-Man is a pretty important character to me. Back when I was a wee little lad, a handful of things happened. In 2002 (I would have been about six years old), Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie came out. I don’t remember if I went to see it in theaters or not, but I certainly remember seeing it many times on cable not too long afterward. Around the same time, to keep my hyperactive ass entertained for a little while, my mom bought me my first (and for quite a while, only) comic book, issue #8 of Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Growing up, I suppose I was mainly a DC kid, with two of my favorite cartoons being Justice League and Teen Titans. But even back then, Spidey was almost undoubtedly my favorite superhero, and I’m pretty sure I saw Spider-Man 2 in theaters (and I very clearly remember seeing Spider-Man 3 the day it premiered).

Through most of middle and high school, I fell away from a lot of my geekier obsessions, more out of pressure to fit in than disinterest. Sure, I was still INTO comics and cartoons and stuff, but aside from browsing my quickly-outdated copy of the Marvel Encyclopedia every once in a while, I didn’t read comics or really actively seek out superhero cartoons. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe was my first videogame, but other than that? Not really all that much. Even the emerging Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Dark Knight movies didn’t hugely bring me back into the genre except as a casual fan of superhero characters and a sizable movie buff. Just as high school was ending, though, I started getting really huge into anime, which was my gateway back into hardcore geek culture as a whole.

Then, during my freshman year of college, after hearing about how good it apparently was through the internet (I suppose I’ll credit Nostalgia Critic Doug Walker, since he marked it as the greatest nostalgic cartoon of all time), I started watching Batman: The Animated Series. This was around the same time I started playing through the first two Batman Arkham games, so all that together made me get REALLY big into Batman. I went back and watched the Michael Keaton movies for the first time, checked out all of the recent direct-to-video animated films, and finally started reading actual comic books again (other than my copy of Watchmen, I really hadn’t read the actual stuff) by picking up some of the more recognizable and well-regarded Batman collections (Dark Knight Returns, Killing Joke, Long Halloween, and Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s then-ongoing New 52 run among them). For a little while, I was ALL about Batman. Best superhero, hands down, no one’s as cool as ol’ Brucey.

Out of curiosity, I started checking out Superman’s direct-to-dvd movies as well, and reading some of his more prevalent comics. Stuff like All-Star Superman and Superman: Red Son, along with movies like Superman vs The Elite, Chris Reeve’s original 1978 performance, and so on, and let’s not forget to factor in Max Landis’ outstanding American Alien that was running at this time. And as I looked into Supes more, I started to realize that indeed I found Clark Kent to be a far more meaningful and relatable character than Bruce Wayne. You see, I don’t really have some big tragedy that defined my path in life. Much like Clark, I was adopted from infancy by two amazing parents who taught me to be an upstanding and moral person, even if I didn’t realize it. So for a while after that, Superman was my favorite hero: the paragon of what a hero should be, someone who doesn’t need to extrapolate some personal tragedy to motivate them into doing good, but who just innately understands (though both instinct and good parenting) that one should use the talents they have to better the world.

But here’s the thing about Superman. Remember what I said about extrapolating tragedy to motivate doing good? Clark Kent doesn’t really have that. Clark didn’t know that he was an alien until he was a teenager (depending on the version), and while it’s sad in theory that he’s (initially) the last of his kind, Clark identifies FAR more as a human being from Kansas than he does as an alien super-god, at least in my interpretation (once again perfectly summed up in American Alien: “I’m not from Krypton–I’m from Kansas.”). In terms of a big tragedy, that’s what I like about the character: that he doesn’t need to have someone important in his life die in order to motivate him to do good (though the death of Jonathan Kent CAN be done and done really well, as in Superman: The Movie, or really poorly, as in Man of Steel), and therefore is a hero out of selflessness and good nature, not at all out of guilt. But the thing is, life isn’t really about big tragedies, it’s about small ones. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the difference between fiction and reality, it’s that real life is ANTICLIMACTIC. There’s no orchestral swell to back you up when you really need courage, and there’s no sad piano theme to confirm that you’re correct to be feeling down when you do. Life continues on, and sometimes you get over horrible incidents within hours, and yet the smallest grievance or “maybe if I’d done this” can swirl around in your mind for years.

Superman doesn’t really tend to have a lot of small interpersonal problems to deal with. Clark Kent wasn’t bullied in school for being geeky and weird, he didn’t lack social graces, he was (as far as those he grew up with knew, though how he felt on the inside about hiding his powers depends on your interpretation) relatively popular, handsome but not a model, strong but not a jock or bully, intelligent but not a nerd, his main attribute as a person being his good nature and willingness to stand up for people. Good role model? Hell yes. Incredibly relatable to the everyday person(or more specifically, the average comic book reader in the modern age), despite being the textbook definition of average? Not really.

Enter Spider-Man. It’s well-known that Stan Lee’s direction with Spidey, that he have real-life problems like money and socialization as well as villains and strange happenings, was initially looked upon with skepticism by publishers who thought to themselves “all the people want to see is the hero fighting the villain and other stuff they can’t experience in real life. Why would they want to read about a superhero doing stuff THEY have to deal with too?”. But that’s the genius of this character. Lee (and Ditko, and whoever else was involved in Spider-Man’s initial conception) thought of Peter Parker as a real human being first and as a set of interesting super-powers second, and even with the very hokey writing style of silver-age comics (with characters narrating their every thought out loud and everything ending in an exclamation point!) that still shines through even today.

Now just to warn you, I MAY steal a lot of my upcoming points from Bob Chipman, aka MovieBob, and his “Really That Good: Spider-Man 1 & 2″ video (which is excellent and you should go watch it). But anyway.

One of the bigger things I take umbridge with in the two most recent solo Spidey films, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is that Peter Parker, simply put, just doesn’t seem nerdy enough. Or to be a little more complex, watching this film, I don’t get the feeling that this kid, based on what we know of him, would have been bullied as heavily in high school as the film seems to imply. He’s relatively attractive and doesn’t seem to be suffering from the ill effects of puberty (obviously partially due to being played by a 25 year old) and other than having trouble finding the courage to ask out the girl he likes, he doesn’t seem to lack the ability to socialize with others his own age.

In contrast, Tobey Maguire’s Peter from Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy (though moreso the first two films) is positively pathetic. He’s soft-spoken and lacking in confidence unless he’s directly passionate about a subject (such as in Spider-Man 2 where he’s excitedly conversing with Otto Octavius about nuclear physics). He’s not UGLY, but there’s something about his face that doesn’t exactly scream “handsome” either. When his bosses are yelling at him (whether that be J. Jonah Jameson in all the movies or Aasif Mandvi’s pizza shop owner from the start of SM2) he’s very quiet and just like “ok. yes. I apologize” and has an air of confusion and “please don’t hurt me yelling man” that’s unmistakable. Not only does he not really get how to talk to Mary Jane even though they’re friends and he’s deeply in love with her, he doesn’t seem to really know how to talk to anyone unless it’s something he’s personally passionate about. Some might criticize Maguire’s somewhat monotone delivery in some scenes as bad acting, but you’ll notice he only ever really does it to a degree that’s distracting in a scene where Peter is clearly, visibly uncomfortable.

Now, some people might say that this stereotype of the wimpy nerd who has trouble connecting to people is just that, a stereotype, and needs to be excised from popular culture in favor of more nuanced portrayals. But here’s the thing:

I was that stereotype. For a long time, that geek who couldn’t make friends and was tormented by schoolmates WAS me. Hell, even though I think I’ve improved a lot, in a lot of ways it still IS me. And I’m not conceited enough to think that that kind of life experience ended with me. So to downplay this idea of nerdiness in favor of some idea that “yay! we’re all nerds now!” is, in my opinion, foolish. Just because once nerd-only things like superheroes or anime are now more culturally acceptable in a broad sense doesn’t mean that shy, awkward nerds who turn to escapist fiction to ease their problems don’t still exist. Not saying there’s anything WRONG with being well-adjusted and sociable and popular and being a huge geek too, or that they lack “nerd cred” or something, but you get what I mean.

Perhaps all that is why @hannahblumenreich ‘s Spidey-Zine comics really struck a chord with me. The “high school sucks but sometimes you get to be Spider-Man” comic is poignant enough, and yeah, that’s definitely high school, but the one that really got to me was the Cowboy Bebop one. Spidey gets asked by a girl on the street to walk her home because some guys are following her. As they start moving, he awkwardly asks “sooooo…you ever see Cowboy Bebop?”, to which she replies “What’s that, like…a band?”. We cut to Spidey and the girl on the subway halfway there, and he’s just rambling excitedly as he’s just finished RECAPPING IN GREAT DETAIL THE FIRST EPISODE OF COWBOY BEBOP. AND GOING STRAIGHT INTO THE NEXT ONE. And then after he drops her off at home, he puts in his headphones, puts on Tank! (the Cowboy Bebop opening theme), and swings off to do some more superheroing. Not only is rambling like a madman about something I’m into to somebody who quite honestly probably couldn’t care less, but they’re with me and it passes the time, a thing I do CONSTANTLY, I’m more or less certain I’ve done it about THIS EXACT SAME SHOW. And putting on Tank! in the headphones to make the journey to wherever I’m headed more epic that it really is? I’ve done that a billion times too. See that’s the genius of this character, when he’s written well as a teen and young adult (writing him as a full-on adult is another set of issues): He’s one of us. He has all of our problems, our quirks, our fears. And while the mask he puts on to hide his true self and make others feel better is a literal one, it’s one we all wear metaphorically.

It’s why, despite forgetting it for a while, he’s my favorite super-hero, hands down, and up near the top of my favorite characters in anything, ever. Because you know what? Peter Parker is me. Who am I?

I’m Spider-Man.

(btw like I said earlier you may want to check out MovieBob’s Really That Good on Spider-Man 1 and 2 :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD3h_bT0Mfg )

[mayacatmaster]

“Student”(solar): “My Master, why we need ‘Unfuckwithable’ and  what ‘The Most Simple Formula For Living’ is?”; *** *** *** "Master"（Mr. Bean）:” Well…:

【The Most Simple Formula For Living】is…:

Just don’t kiss any kind of dark-tyrant-ruler’s-ass by blind-obey. *** *** *** No matter of it’s on religion, morality-belief-system, political, education, social-family-belief-system, personal-belief-system or in country, in home, in one’s body-mind-heart-belief-system. *** *** *** Just don’t kiss any kind of dark-tyrant-ruler’s-ass by blind-obey. *** *** *** Because…: The spirit of the individual is determined by his domination thought habits. ~Bruce Lee Kushandwizoom  *** *** *** No matter it’s in a world, a country, a home, a mind-body. *** *** ***

Why we need ‘Unfuckwithable’ ? My dear solar…:

"Remember when we were kids and wanted to grow up what were we thinking…!" "Solar, ...Your happiness cannot be dependent upon any other, it has to be self-discovered, it has to be self-assigned. You were born happy; you were born as extensions of Source Energy, you were born knowing your worthiness, you were born knowing your value, you were born feeling that connection. ...But unfortunately, little by little, you let it erode as people around you said, “Look at me and please me.” Your parents say it, your teachers say it, your lovers say it."  *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Via and Thanks for “Abraham” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

So…:

No matter how many people may lose faith in you, think you're not good enough or don't believe in you, never stop believing in yourself.

No one else can live your life, make your decisions or go after your goals, only you can!

Train your mind to let that negativity better you, but never break you.

The moment you take control of your life, nothing can stop you! ~ Vivek Mehra

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Via and thanks “Spiritual Awakenings ”:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

My dear solar, in this world…:

The greatest teacher will send you back to yourself. The greatest teacher always send you back to yourself. Let your Life itself can Source-like function, working in every area, in every topic, in every leverage, in outer world, in inner world. Let your Life itself can Source-like Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area…: And as alignment-deliberate-creator. *** *** ***  If you can not find one, be one for yourself, for your life itself…. By follow your “Inner-Ultimate-Guru”(Source; Tao; True Self; Brahma). *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Via and thanks “The Wobble Free Zone”:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Now, sometimes you all have the good fortune of meeting someone else who is a “steady one”(who can as an alignment-deliberate-creator, let their life can Source-like Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area…: ). And when you meet someone who is a steady one - who, no matter what you do, they remain steady - you're really attracted to that, because your dominant desire is to be tuned-in, tapped-in, turned-on, and when they stay that way, it's easier for you to stay that way. But don't assign that responsibility to anybody else - you be that one, which means you're going to have a good time no matter what they're doing. You're going to feel good because you're going to have clarity, and don't you want clarity? When you are in a state of clarity, you can see down the road, you can feel how much of this relationship as it is in the state of becoming is satisfying the majority of intentions that are in your Vibrational Reality. It's really a delicious thing to be all tuned-in, tapped-in, turned-on, and to have such clarity that you can feel, almost from the beginning of an encounter with anyone, whether it fits or whether it doesn't. And if it doesn't, then don't pursue it - there's no point in trying to teach someone how to get into alignment who has been practicing not being in alignment. And of course, as uplifters you want to influence as many as you can into alignment, but just don't let it be everybody that you date (Fun) - it's so tiring. You can be under the influence of loneliness and have the impulse to go find a partner, but that's not a good idea. Or you can be under the influence of alignment and have an impulse to find a partner, and that's a much better place to be coming from, yes? Q: I felt that way - I felt like I was doing pretty good on my own and I wasn't feeling that... A: Alright now, is this story going to put you under this influence or this influence? Yeah, you probably don't want to tell that story. (Fun) Right? There's this wanting to explain where you are that holds you right there. "I'd like to explain to everyone how I've been doing and where I am." And we say then get used to where you are because that's where you're staying - if that's what's coming out of your mouth all the time, then nothing else can change. Q: So leave when it's not fun anymore. A: Yeah, at the very beginning of it not being fun. But do you know where that beginning is? Before you even meet the person. That's what we just encouraged you to do, leave that story before it isn't fun, leave that conversation before it isn't fun, leave the retelling of this story and the recounting of this relationship - leave it all - because when you tune in to who you really are, you change the past. And this is because when you see through the eyes of Source, you see every bit of that past as your advantage because it was growing your Vortex, so you don't feel bad about any of those fractured relationships or relationships that blew up because you know that every one of them helped you to realize who you are and what you want, and you're appreciative of every one of those. ~Abraham speaking on the Caribbean Cruise in March 2018

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

My dear solar, if you realized need others approval is Al Qaeda for your alignment...so you need became unfuckwithable, never consider your alignment with your “Source”(True Self; Tao; Brahma) product or don’t product from another, you need do it by yourself, no more need others approval.

*** *** ***

So...You need do it for yourself, became unfuckwithable, became one who can as an alignment-deliberate-creator, let you life can Source-like Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area…:. *** *** *** 【Unfuckwithable】: ***  [adj.]  When you're truly at peace and in touch with yourself,  When you're truly alignment with your "True Self"(Source; Tao; Brahman),  When you're truly love and alignment with your “Source”(True Self; Tao; Brahma),  And as a deliberate-alignment-creator  To help yourself get rid of painful & misery-vicious circle-life fruits,  To help yourself beautiful-dream-come true, to help yourself to get Sweet-fruits of life.…! *** *** *** No long as or became a brainwash sheep, no long let your mind been “indoctrinate”(brainwash) into, believe in…: Obey and you can't question it, self-inquiry it,...no matter what, just Kiss-any kind of Dark Tyranny Ruler’s-Ass. *** *** *** 【Unfuckwithable】: ***  [adj.]  No matter it’s in a world, a country, a home, a mind-body….: Nothing anyone says or does bothers you, no negativity of drama can touch you. Never have to follow anyone’s rules. No expectations of who you should become. No rules to abide by.  *** *** *** And you just know this, realized this…: ***  Follow the force that is guiding the whole universe is in you.  Pledge allegiance to your "Source"(God; True Self; Tao; Logos),  everything is done! ~Huangdi Yinfujing 「觀天之道，執天之行，盡矣！」: 黃帝陰符經； *** *** ***

Because…: You are never along or helpless.  The force that is guiding the whole universe is in you too! *** *** ***

Because…:

No matter how many people may lose faith in you,…:

***

The depth in someone's eyes reflects how long and how far their soul, their heart has traveled. *** *** ***

Because…:

No matter how many people may think you're not good enough or don't believe in you,…:

*** People can only meet you as deeply as they have met themselves. *** *** *** If they don’t understand who or what-really-they-are, you only a mirror reflect them. If they can’t alignment with their “Source”(True Self; Tao; Brahma), and as an alignment-deliberate-creator you only a mirror reflect them. *** *** *** And most important is if they just only know how to Kiss any kind of Dark-Tyrant-ruler’s-ass, no matter of it’s in a country, in a family, in a body-mind, in a religion-belief-system, or in a morality-belief-system, ….: Maybe they also want you to do something, just like them. *** *** *** Specially when they all said blind-obey and Kiss any kind of Dark-Tyrant-ruler’s-ass is my fate and my life itself only meaning and the most highest value …: *** *** *** Are only built to Kiss-any kind of Dark Tyranny Ruler’s-Ass, And I follow orders like a dog, it's what made me a "man"(woman; children). *** *** *** Because…: Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. ~Qscar Wilde *** *** ***  You get what you expect, have you noticed that?  And so, how have you been programmed to expect?  *** *** ***  The spirit of the individual is determined by his domination thought habits. ~Bruce Lee Kushandwizoom  *** *** *** The most dangerous creature on this earth is a fake "friend"(no matter of it’s in country; family; mind-body-belief-system or religion, morality, education, political-belief-system). *** *** *** But no matter of outer-world what it look seem to be…: Make sure yourself is your true-honest-sincerely-heart-friend, because you will company yourself in every lifetimes, in every day, in every area ….^^ *** *** *** Because…: Humankind is the only virus cursed to live with the horrifying knowledge of its host's fragile mortality. *** *** *** And ~~~! The host kills the virus, or the virus kill the host. *** *** *** Because…: If this is all a dream, a Maya, a mirage, it's long as fuck....: Because lesson repeats until it is learned….: It has 5000 years in China. It has 7,000 years in India.  *** *** *** I consider I am the giant stone statue of Easter Island. As seer…. Observing the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the planet, human beings, billions of years. *** *** *** And…: I don't know you through your past, I know you through your heart. ~Mooji *** *** *** Between egoism and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between man-made-rules and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between desires and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between your-origin-face and "Source"(Tao; True Self); *** *** *** Between your heart, my heart and another heart; *** No matter what... You learn more about someone at the end of a relationship than at the end beginning of it. *** *** *** Life is "Tao"(True Self；Brahman) back to itself. I observed the sun, moon, stars orbit operation life. *** *** *** Because…: "Nature"(Tao；Ma-at；Logos; Source) never did betray the heart that loved her. *** *** ***

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include the design of Klei's Oxygen Not Included, a look at Nintendo's Arms, and much more.

Another early newsletter this week, since I'm off to Los Angeles for both PrE3 (Sony, Microsoft and Bethesda press events) and E3 itself. Always interesting to see what's going on with the massive games and platform holders at the show, even if the focus has drifted somewhat towards announcements and away from the LACC itself.  

And in a 'winner take all' world, at least some of the games announced or showcased at the event will be multi-million sellers. (Not to be sniffed at, when it's difficult to burst through the insane mass of games jockeying for attention nowadays.) Until next time, and I'll try to have something for you despite E3sanity...

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

The Art Of Creating A Game (Brandon Martynowicz / CGSociety) "My name is Brandon Martynowicz. I have been working in the game and film industry for the past 10 years, primarily as an Environment Artist. Recently I completed production as the Art Lead for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch... This article will be a high-level brain dump about how we, as a small art team, created the massive amount of content for What Remains of Edith Finch."

Building replayability into the intricate architecture of Tokyo 42 (Chris Priestman / Gamasutra) "In the opening minutes of Tokyo 42, you’re accused of murder and have to flee your cramped flat with a stampede of bullets hot on your tail. Before long, you find yourself hustling to survive in the cloud-piercing heights of its futuristic city."

Level Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Jolie Menzel / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC talk, Ubisoft's Jolie Menzel explains why a shared understanding of narrative gives a level designer a guide for everything from the pace of their level to an understanding for which assets should be placed where to tell a convincing story using physical space."

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer (Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku) "Game Freak is best known for one thing: Pokémon. But while they created the iconic franchise, Game Freak isn’t afraid to let its developers get their sea legs making non-Pocket Monster games on non-Nintendo hardware. That’s why, in the past few years, Game Freak has released a number of totally original titles on platforms you might not expect."

The Art Of Everything (Laura Parker / California Sunday) "On a recent Wednesday afternoon, David OReilly stopped by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to set up an installation of his new video game, Everything. OReilly — who, as a child in Ireland, dropped the apostrophe from his name, partly because it’s more visually appealing — was dressed entirely in black and white."

We Are Not Alone - Developers Respond To The 1000 Game Makers Thread (Joel Couture / IndieGames) "After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work."

Arms' Creators On Twintelle's Popularity And The Strange Lore Of The Game's World (Kyle Hilliard / Game Informer) "Ahead of its release, we spoke with Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki and art director Masaaki Ishikawa about the game. We discussed a number of topics, like what it means to wake up with extendable arms one morning, why everyone is already obsessed with Twintelle before the game even is even out, and whether or not we can ever expect to see a cameo by Luffy of One Piece fame (we won't)."

The 50 Worst Games Of All Time (Miguel Lopez, John Davison, Simon Cox, Jody Macgregor / Glixel) "We've all played games that are bad. If you've been a gamer for more than a few years, you've no doubt been exposed to your fair share of genuinely awful experiences – but which of them can be counted as the worst of all time? [SIMON'S NOTE: in general, I'm against 'worst' lists, but this one has some pretty obscure AND interesting games in there.]"

Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues (Michael Lev-Ram / Fortune) "Activision Blizzard built a videogame empire around bestselling titles like Call of Duty and Warcraft. Now it wants to become the ESPN of competitive gaming. Will audiences play along?"

The Tyranny of Kawaii | Tokyo 42 (Toussaint Egon / Heterotopias) "Of this we can be certain: the first, last, and greatest protagonist of cyberpunk is no “console cowboy”, but the city itself. Tokyo 42 understands this intuitively, its isometric perspective situating the genre’s debt to the lineage of modern architecture at the forefront of the player’s perspective."

Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "For three years now, Ars’ Steam Gauge project and the public sampling projects it has inspired (such as Steam Spy) have provided an important behind-the-scenes look at what kinds of games are popular on PC gaming’s most popular marketplace. Today, after years of work, we’re ready to unveil a new effort that similarly uncovers what’s popular among Xbox Live users on the Xbox One and Xbox 360."

Classic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's Civilization (Game Developers Conference / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC classic game postmortem, Civilization creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley tell the story of how Shelley's background in board game design and Meier's history of sim game development blended together perfectly to create what is perhaps the biggest and longest-running strategy game franchise in the world."

The Story Behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's Troubled Five-Year Development (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "In 2012, as work on Mass Effect 3 came to a close, a small group of top BioWare employees huddled to talk about the next entry in their epic sci-fi franchise. Their goal, they decided, was to make a game about exploration—one that would dig into the untapped potential of the first three games. Instead of visiting just a few planets, they said, what if you could explore hundreds?"

Sunder - Interview with Rakuen developer Laura Shigihara (Sunder / YouTube) "Sunder is joined by Laura Shigihara to talk about her new game, Rakuen, as well the development process of creating and releasing an indie game."

How Dangen Aims To Connect Indies With The Devs That Inspired Them (Cam Shea / IGN) "Formed by a group of ex-pats who have been embedded in the Japanese games industry for many years – working at places like Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, Q-Games and Playism - Dangen is the latest small-scale publisher to emerge focused solely on indies."

Video Games Aren't Mindless - Or Heartless - Entertainment (Matthew Smith / Salon) "In 1991 before I was even born, my father purchased a Super Nintendo Entertainment System for my older sister. That system spawned plenty of long play sessions of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Donkey Kong Country.” And while my sister regarded it more as a distraction than a marvel, I was entranced from the moment the 16-bit curtain rose."

We asked a landscape designer to analyse The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored (Rob Dwiar / Eurogamer) "Whether you're traversing an expansive open world, climbing crumbling ruins or sneaking between shadowy city corners, the landscapes and environments we see in games have never been better. Gone are the days of miracle-growing trees popping up at certain draw distances."

The Unusual Excellence Of Halo's Most Iconic Level (GB Burford / Kotaku) "Soon to see its third re-release, Halo: Combat Evolved remains not only one of the best shooters ever made, but also one of the best video games. That's a pretty big claim to make, but Halo's got the levels to back it up."

Hirokazu Yasuhara - How to make a game "fun" (Digital Dragons / YouTube) "There are so many fun games nowadays. And it is getting easier to make games by using various engines and tools. But it is hard to make them “fun” without game design, like as people can’t build high risen building without architecture. [SIMON'S NOTE: the codesigner of Altered Beast and Sonic in a rare design talk with my buddy Brandon Sheffield!)"

Layering challenges in Klei's survival sim Oxygen Not Included (Joel Couture / Gamasutra) "With Oxygen Not Included, Klei Entertainment, developers of harrowing, sometimes-hilarious survival game Don’t Starve, tasks players with surviving in an even more inhospitable environment: outer space. Oxygen, minerals, water, entertainment, and a place to just exist within provide all new-challenges to players."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include the design of Klei's Oxygen Not Included, a look at Nintendo's Arms, and much more.

Another early newsletter this week, since I'm off to Los Angeles for both PrE3 (Sony, Microsoft and Bethesda press events) and E3 itself. Always interesting to see what's going on with the massive games and platform holders at the show, even if the focus has drifted somewhat towards announcements and away from the LACC itself.  

And in a 'winner take all' world, at least some of the games announced or showcased at the event will be multi-million sellers. (Not to be sniffed at, when it's difficult to burst through the insane mass of games jockeying for attention nowadays.) Until next time, and I'll try to have something for you despite E3sanity...

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

The Art Of Creating A Game (Brandon Martynowicz / CGSociety) "My name is Brandon Martynowicz. I have been working in the game and film industry for the past 10 years, primarily as an Environment Artist. Recently I completed production as the Art Lead for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch... This article will be a high-level brain dump about how we, as a small art team, created the massive amount of content for What Remains of Edith Finch."

Building replayability into the intricate architecture of Tokyo 42 (Chris Priestman / Gamasutra) "In the opening minutes of Tokyo 42, you’re accused of murder and have to flee your cramped flat with a stampede of bullets hot on your tail. Before long, you find yourself hustling to survive in the cloud-piercing heights of its futuristic city."

Level Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Jolie Menzel / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC talk, Ubisoft's Jolie Menzel explains why a shared understanding of narrative gives a level designer a guide for everything from the pace of their level to an understanding for which assets should be placed where to tell a convincing story using physical space."

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer (Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku) "Game Freak is best known for one thing: Pokémon. But while they created the iconic franchise, Game Freak isn’t afraid to let its developers get their sea legs making non-Pocket Monster games on non-Nintendo hardware. That’s why, in the past few years, Game Freak has released a number of totally original titles on platforms you might not expect."

The Art Of Everything (Laura Parker / California Sunday) "On a recent Wednesday afternoon, David OReilly stopped by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to set up an installation of his new video game, Everything. OReilly — who, as a child in Ireland, dropped the apostrophe from his name, partly because it’s more visually appealing — was dressed entirely in black and white."

We Are Not Alone - Developers Respond To The 1000 Game Makers Thread (Joel Couture / IndieGames) "After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work."

Arms' Creators On Twintelle's Popularity And The Strange Lore Of The Game's World (Kyle Hilliard / Game Informer) "Ahead of its release, we spoke with Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki and art director Masaaki Ishikawa about the game. We discussed a number of topics, like what it means to wake up with extendable arms one morning, why everyone is already obsessed with Twintelle before the game even is even out, and whether or not we can ever expect to see a cameo by Luffy of One Piece fame (we won't)."

The 50 Worst Games Of All Time (Miguel Lopez, John Davison, Simon Cox, Jody Macgregor / Glixel) "We've all played games that are bad. If you've been a gamer for more than a few years, you've no doubt been exposed to your fair share of genuinely awful experiences – but which of them can be counted as the worst of all time? [SIMON'S NOTE: in general, I'm against 'worst' lists, but this one has some pretty obscure AND interesting games in there.]"

Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues (Michael Lev-Ram / Fortune) "Activision Blizzard built a videogame empire around bestselling titles like Call of Duty and Warcraft. Now it wants to become the ESPN of competitive gaming. Will audiences play along?"

The Tyranny of Kawaii | Tokyo 42 (Toussaint Egon / Heterotopias) "Of this we can be certain: the first, last, and greatest protagonist of cyberpunk is no “console cowboy”, but the city itself. Tokyo 42 understands this intuitively, its isometric perspective situating the genre’s debt to the lineage of modern architecture at the forefront of the player’s perspective."

Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "For three years now, Ars’ Steam Gauge project and the public sampling projects it has inspired (such as Steam Spy) have provided an important behind-the-scenes look at what kinds of games are popular on PC gaming’s most popular marketplace. Today, after years of work, we’re ready to unveil a new effort that similarly uncovers what’s popular among Xbox Live users on the Xbox One and Xbox 360."

Classic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's Civilization (Game Developers Conference / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC classic game postmortem, Civilization creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley tell the story of how Shelley's background in board game design and Meier's history of sim game development blended together perfectly to create what is perhaps the biggest and longest-running strategy game franchise in the world."

The Story Behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's Troubled Five-Year Development (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "In 2012, as work on Mass Effect 3 came to a close, a small group of top BioWare employees huddled to talk about the next entry in their epic sci-fi franchise. Their goal, they decided, was to make a game about exploration—one that would dig into the untapped potential of the first three games. Instead of visiting just a few planets, they said, what if you could explore hundreds?"

Sunder - Interview with Rakuen developer Laura Shigihara (Sunder / YouTube) "Sunder is joined by Laura Shigihara to talk about her new game, Rakuen, as well the development process of creating and releasing an indie game."

How Dangen Aims To Connect Indies With The Devs That Inspired Them (Cam Shea / IGN) "Formed by a group of ex-pats who have been embedded in the Japanese games industry for many years – working at places like Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, Q-Games and Playism - Dangen is the latest small-scale publisher to emerge focused solely on indies."

Video Games Aren't Mindless - Or Heartless - Entertainment (Matthew Smith / Salon) "In 1991 before I was even born, my father purchased a Super Nintendo Entertainment System for my older sister. That system spawned plenty of long play sessions of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Donkey Kong Country.” And while my sister regarded it more as a distraction than a marvel, I was entranced from the moment the 16-bit curtain rose."

We asked a landscape designer to analyse The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored (Rob Dwiar / Eurogamer) "Whether you're traversing an expansive open world, climbing crumbling ruins or sneaking between shadowy city corners, the landscapes and environments we see in games have never been better. Gone are the days of miracle-growing trees popping up at certain draw distances."

The Unusual Excellence Of Halo's Most Iconic Level (GB Burford / Kotaku) "Soon to see its third re-release, Halo: Combat Evolved remains not only one of the best shooters ever made, but also one of the best video games. That's a pretty big claim to make, but Halo's got the levels to back it up."

Hirokazu Yasuhara - How to make a game "fun" (Digital Dragons / YouTube) "There are so many fun games nowadays. And it is getting easier to make games by using various engines and tools. But it is hard to make them “fun” without game design, like as people can’t build high risen building without architecture. [SIMON'S NOTE: the codesigner of Altered Beast and Sonic in a rare design talk with my buddy Brandon Sheffield!)"

Layering challenges in Klei's survival sim Oxygen Not Included (Joel Couture / Gamasutra) "With Oxygen Not Included, Klei Entertainment, developers of harrowing, sometimes-hilarious survival game Don’t Starve, tasks players with surviving in an even more inhospitable environment: outer space. Oxygen, minerals, water, entertainment, and a place to just exist within provide all new-challenges to players."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include the design of Klei's Oxygen Not Included, a look at Nintendo's Arms, and much more.

Another early newsletter this week, since I'm off to Los Angeles for both PrE3 (Sony, Microsoft and Bethesda press events) and E3 itself. Always interesting to see what's going on with the massive games and platform holders at the show, even if the focus has drifted somewhat towards announcements and away from the LACC itself.  

And in a 'winner take all' world, at least some of the games announced or showcased at the event will be multi-million sellers. (Not to be sniffed at, when it's difficult to burst through the insane mass of games jockeying for attention nowadays.) Until next time, and I'll try to have something for you despite E3sanity...

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

The Art Of Creating A Game (Brandon Martynowicz / CGSociety) "My name is Brandon Martynowicz. I have been working in the game and film industry for the past 10 years, primarily as an Environment Artist. Recently I completed production as the Art Lead for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch... This article will be a high-level brain dump about how we, as a small art team, created the massive amount of content for What Remains of Edith Finch."

Building replayability into the intricate architecture of Tokyo 42 (Chris Priestman / Gamasutra) "In the opening minutes of Tokyo 42, you’re accused of murder and have to flee your cramped flat with a stampede of bullets hot on your tail. Before long, you find yourself hustling to survive in the cloud-piercing heights of its futuristic city."

Level Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Jolie Menzel / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC talk, Ubisoft's Jolie Menzel explains why a shared understanding of narrative gives a level designer a guide for everything from the pace of their level to an understanding for which assets should be placed where to tell a convincing story using physical space."

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer (Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku) "Game Freak is best known for one thing: Pokémon. But while they created the iconic franchise, Game Freak isn’t afraid to let its developers get their sea legs making non-Pocket Monster games on non-Nintendo hardware. That’s why, in the past few years, Game Freak has released a number of totally original titles on platforms you might not expect."

The Art Of Everything (Laura Parker / California Sunday) "On a recent Wednesday afternoon, David OReilly stopped by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to set up an installation of his new video game, Everything. OReilly — who, as a child in Ireland, dropped the apostrophe from his name, partly because it’s more visually appealing — was dressed entirely in black and white."

We Are Not Alone - Developers Respond To The 1000 Game Makers Thread (Joel Couture / IndieGames) "After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work."

Arms' Creators On Twintelle's Popularity And The Strange Lore Of The Game's World (Kyle Hilliard / Game Informer) "Ahead of its release, we spoke with Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki and art director Masaaki Ishikawa about the game. We discussed a number of topics, like what it means to wake up with extendable arms one morning, why everyone is already obsessed with Twintelle before the game even is even out, and whether or not we can ever expect to see a cameo by Luffy of One Piece fame (we won't)."

The 50 Worst Games Of All Time (Miguel Lopez, John Davison, Simon Cox, Jody Macgregor / Glixel) "We've all played games that are bad. If you've been a gamer for more than a few years, you've no doubt been exposed to your fair share of genuinely awful experiences – but which of them can be counted as the worst of all time? [SIMON'S NOTE: in general, I'm against 'worst' lists, but this one has some pretty obscure AND interesting games in there.]"

Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues (Michael Lev-Ram / Fortune) "Activision Blizzard built a videogame empire around bestselling titles like Call of Duty and Warcraft. Now it wants to become the ESPN of competitive gaming. Will audiences play along?"

The Tyranny of Kawaii | Tokyo 42 (Toussaint Egon / Heterotopias) "Of this we can be certain: the first, last, and greatest protagonist of cyberpunk is no “console cowboy”, but the city itself. Tokyo 42 understands this intuitively, its isometric perspective situating the genre’s debt to the lineage of modern architecture at the forefront of the player’s perspective."

Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "For three years now, Ars’ Steam Gauge project and the public sampling projects it has inspired (such as Steam Spy) have provided an important behind-the-scenes look at what kinds of games are popular on PC gaming’s most popular marketplace. Today, after years of work, we’re ready to unveil a new effort that similarly uncovers what’s popular among Xbox Live users on the Xbox One and Xbox 360."

Classic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's Civilization (Game Developers Conference / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC classic game postmortem, Civilization creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley tell the story of how Shelley's background in board game design and Meier's history of sim game development blended together perfectly to create what is perhaps the biggest and longest-running strategy game franchise in the world."

The Story Behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's Troubled Five-Year Development (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "In 2012, as work on Mass Effect 3 came to a close, a small group of top BioWare employees huddled to talk about the next entry in their epic sci-fi franchise. Their goal, they decided, was to make a game about exploration—one that would dig into the untapped potential of the first three games. Instead of visiting just a few planets, they said, what if you could explore hundreds?"

Sunder - Interview with Rakuen developer Laura Shigihara (Sunder / YouTube) "Sunder is joined by Laura Shigihara to talk about her new game, Rakuen, as well the development process of creating and releasing an indie game."

How Dangen Aims To Connect Indies With The Devs That Inspired Them (Cam Shea / IGN) "Formed by a group of ex-pats who have been embedded in the Japanese games industry for many years – working at places like Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, Q-Games and Playism - Dangen is the latest small-scale publisher to emerge focused solely on indies."

Video Games Aren't Mindless - Or Heartless - Entertainment (Matthew Smith / Salon) "In 1991 before I was even born, my father purchased a Super Nintendo Entertainment System for my older sister. That system spawned plenty of long play sessions of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Donkey Kong Country.” And while my sister regarded it more as a distraction than a marvel, I was entranced from the moment the 16-bit curtain rose."

We asked a landscape designer to analyse The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored (Rob Dwiar / Eurogamer) "Whether you're traversing an expansive open world, climbing crumbling ruins or sneaking between shadowy city corners, the landscapes and environments we see in games have never been better. Gone are the days of miracle-growing trees popping up at certain draw distances."

The Unusual Excellence Of Halo's Most Iconic Level (GB Burford / Kotaku) "Soon to see its third re-release, Halo: Combat Evolved remains not only one of the best shooters ever made, but also one of the best video games. That's a pretty big claim to make, but Halo's got the levels to back it up."

Hirokazu Yasuhara - How to make a game "fun" (Digital Dragons / YouTube) "There are so many fun games nowadays. And it is getting easier to make games by using various engines and tools. But it is hard to make them “fun” without game design, like as people can’t build high risen building without architecture. [SIMON'S NOTE: the codesigner of Altered Beast and Sonic in a rare design talk with my buddy Brandon Sheffield!)"

Layering challenges in Klei's survival sim Oxygen Not Included (Joel Couture / Gamasutra) "With Oxygen Not Included, Klei Entertainment, developers of harrowing, sometimes-hilarious survival game Don’t Starve, tasks players with surviving in an even more inhospitable environment: outer space. Oxygen, minerals, water, entertainment, and a place to just exist within provide all new-challenges to players."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include the design of Klei's Oxygen Not Included, a look at Nintendo's Arms, and much more.

Another early newsletter this week, since I'm off to Los Angeles for both PrE3 (Sony, Microsoft and Bethesda press events) and E3 itself. Always interesting to see what's going on with the massive games and platform holders at the show, even if the focus has drifted somewhat towards announcements and away from the LACC itself.  

And in a 'winner take all' world, at least some of the games announced or showcased at the event will be multi-million sellers. (Not to be sniffed at, when it's difficult to burst through the insane mass of games jockeying for attention nowadays.) Until next time, and I'll try to have something for you despite E3sanity...

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

The Art Of Creating A Game (Brandon Martynowicz / CGSociety) "My name is Brandon Martynowicz. I have been working in the game and film industry for the past 10 years, primarily as an Environment Artist. Recently I completed production as the Art Lead for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch... This article will be a high-level brain dump about how we, as a small art team, created the massive amount of content for What Remains of Edith Finch."

Building replayability into the intricate architecture of Tokyo 42 (Chris Priestman / Gamasutra) "In the opening minutes of Tokyo 42, you’re accused of murder and have to flee your cramped flat with a stampede of bullets hot on your tail. Before long, you find yourself hustling to survive in the cloud-piercing heights of its futuristic city."

Level Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Jolie Menzel / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC talk, Ubisoft's Jolie Menzel explains why a shared understanding of narrative gives a level designer a guide for everything from the pace of their level to an understanding for which assets should be placed where to tell a convincing story using physical space."

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer (Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku) "Game Freak is best known for one thing: Pokémon. But while they created the iconic franchise, Game Freak isn’t afraid to let its developers get their sea legs making non-Pocket Monster games on non-Nintendo hardware. That’s why, in the past few years, Game Freak has released a number of totally original titles on platforms you might not expect."

The Art Of Everything (Laura Parker / California Sunday) "On a recent Wednesday afternoon, David OReilly stopped by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to set up an installation of his new video game, Everything. OReilly — who, as a child in Ireland, dropped the apostrophe from his name, partly because it’s more visually appealing — was dressed entirely in black and white."

We Are Not Alone - Developers Respond To The 1000 Game Makers Thread (Joel Couture / IndieGames) "After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work."

Arms' Creators On Twintelle's Popularity And The Strange Lore Of The Game's World (Kyle Hilliard / Game Informer) "Ahead of its release, we spoke with Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki and art director Masaaki Ishikawa about the game. We discussed a number of topics, like what it means to wake up with extendable arms one morning, why everyone is already obsessed with Twintelle before the game even is even out, and whether or not we can ever expect to see a cameo by Luffy of One Piece fame (we won't)."

The 50 Worst Games Of All Time (Miguel Lopez, John Davison, Simon Cox, Jody Macgregor / Glixel) "We've all played games that are bad. If you've been a gamer for more than a few years, you've no doubt been exposed to your fair share of genuinely awful experiences – but which of them can be counted as the worst of all time? [SIMON'S NOTE: in general, I'm against 'worst' lists, but this one has some pretty obscure AND interesting games in there.]"

Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues (Michael Lev-Ram / Fortune) "Activision Blizzard built a videogame empire around bestselling titles like Call of Duty and Warcraft. Now it wants to become the ESPN of competitive gaming. Will audiences play along?"

The Tyranny of Kawaii | Tokyo 42 (Toussaint Egon / Heterotopias) "Of this we can be certain: the first, last, and greatest protagonist of cyberpunk is no “console cowboy”, but the city itself. Tokyo 42 understands this intuitively, its isometric perspective situating the genre’s debt to the lineage of modern architecture at the forefront of the player’s perspective."

Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "For three years now, Ars’ Steam Gauge project and the public sampling projects it has inspired (such as Steam Spy) have provided an important behind-the-scenes look at what kinds of games are popular on PC gaming’s most popular marketplace. Today, after years of work, we’re ready to unveil a new effort that similarly uncovers what’s popular among Xbox Live users on the Xbox One and Xbox 360."

Classic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's Civilization (Game Developers Conference / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC classic game postmortem, Civilization creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley tell the story of how Shelley's background in board game design and Meier's history of sim game development blended together perfectly to create what is perhaps the biggest and longest-running strategy game franchise in the world."

The Story Behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's Troubled Five-Year Development (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "In 2012, as work on Mass Effect 3 came to a close, a small group of top BioWare employees huddled to talk about the next entry in their epic sci-fi franchise. Their goal, they decided, was to make a game about exploration—one that would dig into the untapped potential of the first three games. Instead of visiting just a few planets, they said, what if you could explore hundreds?"

Sunder - Interview with Rakuen developer Laura Shigihara (Sunder / YouTube) "Sunder is joined by Laura Shigihara to talk about her new game, Rakuen, as well the development process of creating and releasing an indie game."

How Dangen Aims To Connect Indies With The Devs That Inspired Them (Cam Shea / IGN) "Formed by a group of ex-pats who have been embedded in the Japanese games industry for many years – working at places like Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, Q-Games and Playism - Dangen is the latest small-scale publisher to emerge focused solely on indies."

Video Games Aren't Mindless - Or Heartless - Entertainment (Matthew Smith / Salon) "In 1991 before I was even born, my father purchased a Super Nintendo Entertainment System for my older sister. That system spawned plenty of long play sessions of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Donkey Kong Country.” And while my sister regarded it more as a distraction than a marvel, I was entranced from the moment the 16-bit curtain rose."

We asked a landscape designer to analyse The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored (Rob Dwiar / Eurogamer) "Whether you're traversing an expansive open world, climbing crumbling ruins or sneaking between shadowy city corners, the landscapes and environments we see in games have never been better. Gone are the days of miracle-growing trees popping up at certain draw distances."

The Unusual Excellence Of Halo's Most Iconic Level (GB Burford / Kotaku) "Soon to see its third re-release, Halo: Combat Evolved remains not only one of the best shooters ever made, but also one of the best video games. That's a pretty big claim to make, but Halo's got the levels to back it up."

Hirokazu Yasuhara - How to make a game "fun" (Digital Dragons / YouTube) "There are so many fun games nowadays. And it is getting easier to make games by using various engines and tools. But it is hard to make them “fun” without game design, like as people can’t build high risen building without architecture. [SIMON'S NOTE: the codesigner of Altered Beast and Sonic in a rare design talk with my buddy Brandon Sheffield!)"

Layering challenges in Klei's survival sim Oxygen Not Included (Joel Couture / Gamasutra) "With Oxygen Not Included, Klei Entertainment, developers of harrowing, sometimes-hilarious survival game Don’t Starve, tasks players with surviving in an even more inhospitable environment: outer space. Oxygen, minerals, water, entertainment, and a place to just exist within provide all new-challenges to players."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include the design of Klei's Oxygen Not Included, a look at Nintendo's Arms, and much more.

Another early newsletter this week, since I'm off to Los Angeles for both PrE3 (Sony, Microsoft and Bethesda press events) and E3 itself. Always interesting to see what's going on with the massive games and platform holders at the show, even if the focus has drifted somewhat towards announcements and away from the LACC itself.  

And in a 'winner take all' world, at least some of the games announced or showcased at the event will be multi-million sellers. (Not to be sniffed at, when it's difficult to burst through the insane mass of games jockeying for attention nowadays.) Until next time, and I'll try to have something for you despite E3sanity...

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

The Art Of Creating A Game (Brandon Martynowicz / CGSociety) "My name is Brandon Martynowicz. I have been working in the game and film industry for the past 10 years, primarily as an Environment Artist. Recently I completed production as the Art Lead for the game: What Remains of Edith Finch... This article will be a high-level brain dump about how we, as a small art team, created the massive amount of content for What Remains of Edith Finch."

Building replayability into the intricate architecture of Tokyo 42 (Chris Priestman / Gamasutra) "In the opening minutes of Tokyo 42, you’re accused of murder and have to flee your cramped flat with a stampede of bullets hot on your tail. Before long, you find yourself hustling to survive in the cloud-piercing heights of its futuristic city."

Level Design Workshop: A Narrative Approach to Level Design (Jolie Menzel / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC talk, Ubisoft's Jolie Menzel explains why a shared understanding of narrative gives a level designer a guide for everything from the pace of their level to an understanding for which assets should be placed where to tell a convincing story using physical space."

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer (Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku) "Game Freak is best known for one thing: Pokémon. But while they created the iconic franchise, Game Freak isn’t afraid to let its developers get their sea legs making non-Pocket Monster games on non-Nintendo hardware. That’s why, in the past few years, Game Freak has released a number of totally original titles on platforms you might not expect."

The Art Of Everything (Laura Parker / California Sunday) "On a recent Wednesday afternoon, David OReilly stopped by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to set up an installation of his new video game, Everything. OReilly — who, as a child in Ireland, dropped the apostrophe from his name, partly because it’s more visually appealing — was dressed entirely in black and white."

We Are Not Alone - Developers Respond To The 1000 Game Makers Thread (Joel Couture / IndieGames) "After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work."

Arms' Creators On Twintelle's Popularity And The Strange Lore Of The Game's World (Kyle Hilliard / Game Informer) "Ahead of its release, we spoke with Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki and art director Masaaki Ishikawa about the game. We discussed a number of topics, like what it means to wake up with extendable arms one morning, why everyone is already obsessed with Twintelle before the game even is even out, and whether or not we can ever expect to see a cameo by Luffy of One Piece fame (we won't)."

The 50 Worst Games Of All Time (Miguel Lopez, John Davison, Simon Cox, Jody Macgregor / Glixel) "We've all played games that are bad. If you've been a gamer for more than a few years, you've no doubt been exposed to your fair share of genuinely awful experiences – but which of them can be counted as the worst of all time? [SIMON'S NOTE: in general, I'm against 'worst' lists, but this one has some pretty obscure AND interesting games in there.]"

Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues (Michael Lev-Ram / Fortune) "Activision Blizzard built a videogame empire around bestselling titles like Call of Duty and Warcraft. Now it wants to become the ESPN of competitive gaming. Will audiences play along?"

The Tyranny of Kawaii | Tokyo 42 (Toussaint Egon / Heterotopias) "Of this we can be certain: the first, last, and greatest protagonist of cyberpunk is no “console cowboy”, but the city itself. Tokyo 42 understands this intuitively, its isometric perspective situating the genre’s debt to the lineage of modern architecture at the forefront of the player’s perspective."

Xbox Unleashed: Our deep-dive study of how millions use Xbox Live (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "For three years now, Ars’ Steam Gauge project and the public sampling projects it has inspired (such as Steam Spy) have provided an important behind-the-scenes look at what kinds of games are popular on PC gaming’s most popular marketplace. Today, after years of work, we’re ready to unveil a new effort that similarly uncovers what’s popular among Xbox Live users on the Xbox One and Xbox 360."

Classic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's Civilization (Game Developers Conference / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC classic game postmortem, Civilization creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley tell the story of how Shelley's background in board game design and Meier's history of sim game development blended together perfectly to create what is perhaps the biggest and longest-running strategy game franchise in the world."

The Story Behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's Troubled Five-Year Development (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "In 2012, as work on Mass Effect 3 came to a close, a small group of top BioWare employees huddled to talk about the next entry in their epic sci-fi franchise. Their goal, they decided, was to make a game about exploration—one that would dig into the untapped potential of the first three games. Instead of visiting just a few planets, they said, what if you could explore hundreds?"

Sunder - Interview with Rakuen developer Laura Shigihara (Sunder / YouTube) "Sunder is joined by Laura Shigihara to talk about her new game, Rakuen, as well the development process of creating and releasing an indie game."

How Dangen Aims To Connect Indies With The Devs That Inspired Them (Cam Shea / IGN) "Formed by a group of ex-pats who have been embedded in the Japanese games industry for many years – working at places like Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, Q-Games and Playism - Dangen is the latest small-scale publisher to emerge focused solely on indies."

Video Games Aren't Mindless - Or Heartless - Entertainment (Matthew Smith / Salon) "In 1991 before I was even born, my father purchased a Super Nintendo Entertainment System for my older sister. That system spawned plenty of long play sessions of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Donkey Kong Country.” And while my sister regarded it more as a distraction than a marvel, I was entranced from the moment the 16-bit curtain rose."

We asked a landscape designer to analyse The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored (Rob Dwiar / Eurogamer) "Whether you're traversing an expansive open world, climbing crumbling ruins or sneaking between shadowy city corners, the landscapes and environments we see in games have never been better. Gone are the days of miracle-growing trees popping up at certain draw distances."

The Unusual Excellence Of Halo's Most Iconic Level (GB Burford / Kotaku) "Soon to see its third re-release, Halo: Combat Evolved remains not only one of the best shooters ever made, but also one of the best video games. That's a pretty big claim to make, but Halo's got the levels to back it up."

Hirokazu Yasuhara - How to make a game "fun" (Digital Dragons / YouTube) "There are so many fun games nowadays. And it is getting easier to make games by using various engines and tools. But it is hard to make them “fun” without game design, like as people can’t build high risen building without architecture. [SIMON'S NOTE: the codesigner of Altered Beast and Sonic in a rare design talk with my buddy Brandon Sheffield!)"

Layering challenges in Klei's survival sim Oxygen Not Included (Joel Couture / Gamasutra) "With Oxygen Not Included, Klei Entertainment, developers of harrowing, sometimes-hilarious survival game Don’t Starve, tasks players with surviving in an even more inhospitable environment: outer space. Oxygen, minerals, water, entertainment, and a place to just exist within provide all new-challenges to players."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]