#king olly and olivia's symbols

[sarahvilelaheart]

This is an art of King Olly and Olivia's symbols celebrating the game Paper Mario: The Origami King's 3 years of release. So… Happy 3rd anniversary, Paper Mario: The Origami King! 🥳 And enjoy! 🙂

[marupunch]

Hello! May I please know what exactly are your thoughts on the craftsman and why you hate him so much? /genq

(I do agree with you but I want to know why so much hatred if you don't mind)

Don't worry and thank you for asking! Sorry this took so long but I wanted to deliver something complete and objective (I had to write this 3 times because the first one looked like a rant...)

Even though I don't like Craftsman, it's not like a "I hate the character" kind of hate, more like "I don't think he's a good person but I'll try to reflect that on my art instead of downright hating the whole character" kind of hate. There's actually some background on why I think like this so I'll try to be as objective as possible with my arguments to make my point clear.

Remember, this is just a personal opinion and it's okay if someone doesn't agree with me!

These are video game characters and we're all allowed to have different perspectives about them.

(...)

⚠️WARNING OF LOOOONG TEXT AND SPOILERS FOR ORIGAMI KING⚠️

It's important that we understand that Origami King is a game that relies a lot on Japanese culture to tell a story and that's why there's a lot of misunderstanding in the western part of the fandom about Olly and his character, motivations, etc. We must also understand that origami is a highly respected and important art form in Japan, therefore, its creation entails different guidelines rooted in the culture of this country.

Let's start with the most basic. According to the rules of this art, you are not supposed to write over origami. To be honest, you are not supposed to use any type of tool on origami other than the paper and your hands. I'm not saying that it is completely prohibited but this reduces the value of a work. See it as a form of "cheating."

Writing over origami gives an aspect of informality to your piece. And it greatly influenced how Olly perceived himself, since he took Craftsman's writing as something that reduced his value as origami and even ruined him, as a work of art.

In Japan, a very important aspect of society is how people perceive you, the image you give to those around you. Olly was supposed to be a king, immaculate and perfect, but he was tainted by the very creator of him. His image was ruined and his appearance became a symbol of shame.

Hence his fury towards his creator, which is more highlighted in the Japanese version of the game and is not hidden behind a joke of "All Toads are the same", as in the American version.

At the end of the game it is revealed to us that the message were words of encouragement and good wishes. But again, these are only visible once Olly is on the brink of death, as they were inaccessible in his normal state. They were good intentions, but they did a lot of damage, in the end.

It makes me wonder how the Origami craftsman, being someone who practiced this art every day, did not know such a basic rule. Or maybe he ignored it, but this also leads him to be a bit indifferent, since it doesn't seem like he had the implications of creating a life in general in mind, much less ruining an origami work.

Which also brings us to his motivations. In the game, Craftsman mentions, and I quote, "I don't get to celebrate my craft very often, so I might have gone a bit... overboard."

(Note: I'm the Spanish version, he says "Because people don't compliment my work very often." Yeah, that doesn't help my view of him.)

Although the general perception leaves us with a father-son relationship, Craftsman never refers to Olly as such, since from the beginning, he had created him as a craft, a way for people to praise his abilities, never having in mind a family or considering what responsibility it had to create a new life.

I think he never fully understood the concept of what it was to bring origami to life beyond them being talking dolls, a striking party trick, because also, seeing what Olly has done, he mentions to Olivia that he should never have used the Fold Of Life.

The reason she and Olly are alive in the first place. Even Olivia herself understands the implication of this comment, responding to her creator "Don't say that, I love being alive!".

It almost seems that for Craftsman, the Fold Of Life was just a creative choice about whether or not to put more detail into his creations. But for Olly and Olivia, that technique was their entire lives, literally. The choice of whether they existed or not.

Clearly until now there is a certain objectification on the part of Craftsman towards his creations, seeing them as just this instead of real children. And although there are vain attempts like the doodle on Olly or giving Olivia a weapon to defeat her brother, we can agree that they were not the most optimal tools to try to guide two children who he was supposed to protect. Not like his creations, but like his children. But so far everything is normal.

At least until the end.

Craftsman's first reaction upon seeing Olly's body is to appreciate the material with which he had made it. Yes, perhaps a bit of nostalgia in the creation of it, but ultimately it's a bit insensitive to mention that given that there is a life that has been taken, his son's life, again, showing the aforementioned objectification.

Even worse when, even if he's watching Olivia's expression, he congratulates her for "using the weapon he implemented in his design." At this point I'm trying to be objective, but this is a completely off-base comment. Not only does he not come close to comforting Olivia in a situation that is probably difficult for her, but he is too focused on what HE did to her that he barely does anything to support her beyond teaching her how to make a paper crane.

She just killed her own brother PLEASE just for once be a little emphatic

By the time the ending arrives, Mario seems much more affected by the loss of Olivia than Craftsman himself, who seems much happier for someone who should be mourning his creations.

I think that the scene in the Secret Ending is the closure of why I hate this character, because as I mentioned before, it dehumanized Olly and Olivia a little, treating them only as creations that served a purpose (making him gain recognition) only for them to end...

...being that. The key problem was never acknowledged, Olly and Olivia ended up being exactly what he wanted them to be.

As I mentioned before, this is my PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE about him. It's okay if people don't see him this way but the idea of Craftsman being this kinda insensitive and irresponsable parent makes a lot of sense to me. It just feels correct, specially after how Olly shows symptoms of trauma, like not wanting to see Craftsman's face again being the reason why he wants to get rid of all of the Toads, as mentioned on the Japanese version.

I'm not justifying Olly at all because I know he's wrong with a lot of things but the game tells you he's wrong. He gets his punishment and the whole character of Olly revolves around being a young, irrational king. On the other hand, the image the game gives you about Craftsman is a poor victim who didn't do anything wrong.

I think the worst part is that he never got a single punishment after this. Maybe being trapped in his basement but considering he was the one who started everything in first place, he doesn't seem guilty or even affected. I guess creating two gods, then having them both die in front of you it's just another day for Theofold.

TLDR; Craftsman is an irresponsable, insensitive and negligent father who traumatized Olly. Also a poop head. (?)

[celestialpaperhaze]

Relating to my last color symbolism post, I wanted to talk a little more about the use of color symbolism in the Origami King.

We all know Olly is more purple because it represents his rulership and his ambition for power. It also represents how he projects himself, regal and full of pride. (I always thought the stapler part where he just says “Bind them” was the epitome of these traits in him lol). Olivia is yellow because that’s the color that is known to stimulate happiness! It’s the color of sunlight, warmth, and cheer.

My favorite part of this: what relationship do purple and yellow have to one another?

They oppose each other. Sort of like how Olly and Olivia oppose each other until the end of the game…?

But wait, there’s more…!

The interesting thing about complimentary colors, and in this case complimentary siblings, is that while they oppose each other, they also bring out the vibrancy of one another, using contrast. Olivia’s cheer makes Olly’s darker composure more noticeable, and vice versa. This is part of why the interplay between them in certain scenes is so fascinating to watch—and why writing their scenes in my own stories was so much fun!

It’s the fact that they have completely different ways of thinking, they view the world in an entirely different light from each other. They are opposites, but they couldn’t exist without one another.

[ink-flavored]

ask game ask game! 🐙🧠👩‍💻

thank you! gonna do P&J since it's what I've worked on most recently

🐙 share a snippet where the character is being a brat/smartass

Envy narrowed her eyes, ashy smoke pouring over her flawless platinum curls. “Listen, I didn’t come here to bitch, but I’m great at it.” “Oh, please,” Pride scoffed. “I can bitch way better than you. I’m the bitchiest. I can bitch you in circles. Bitch.”

I used to have a joke about "the Bitch King of Angmar" in there before I realized Pride wouldn't know what Lord of the Rings is.

🧠 share a snippet where the character realizes something important

“I also have a good time goading people into public arguments. Come on, you knew who you were inviting.” “I know, I guess I…” Justice leaned against the wall, brow furrowed. “I was trying to prove something to myself.” “Like what?” He didn’t answer right away, picking at his nails. “I know you don’t want a relationship with God,” he said, slow and deliberate, “and that’s fine. I would never ask you to. But I don’t think that means you have to be abandoned by me—by us. We can still get along, we don’t have to be separate to coexist. Does that make sense?” Pride worked his jaw for a second or two. “Not really.” Justice slumped, wearing a resigned smile, and he rushed to add, “But thanks. You know. For trying.”'

Pride realizing people care about him for real <3

👩‍💻 share a snippet that you worked on for a long time or struggled with

Problem is that most P&J things I have written are in a partial state of completion—but here's the most recent thing I've written that I've wanted to write for a long time but for some reason just didn't until like last night lmao

Pride rolled the offered cigarette between his lips, letting his lack of lungs make up for the fact that he didn’t know what to do with it. The woman slouched back, sighing a cloud of smoke, and carded a hand through her short, electric blue hair. He inspected her a little more, up close and personal with a human he didn’t immediately despise for the first time. Sitting next to her, the blunted tips of spikes on her the shoulders of her jacket came into view. All the colors and odd shapes were patches sewn into the leather. A flag with rainbow stripes sat on top of her shoulder. Another flag on the opposite shoulder had pink, blue, and white stripes. A small white circle on her chest read SHE/THEY in black thread. He scanned the collection of patches he could see—ACAB, read one. NAZI PUNKS FUCK OFF, read another. PROTECT TRANS KIDS, “QUEER” AS IN “FUCK YOU”, symbols with arrows, fists, and a large “A” in a circle. Pride had only the vaguest idea what any of it meant. “What?” she asked, guarded. “Nothing,” Pride replied. He tried to copy her, blowing a cloud of smoke. “I like your jacket.” Whatever she’d been guarding behind her intensity, it melted away. “Thanks. I made it myself.” “All of it?” “Most of it—basically anything with a picture I had a friend help me with, I can’t draw for shit.” She pointed to the patch with the drawing of a fist, raised to the sky. Pride nodded along. “Cool.” “Yeah, thanks.” She stuck out a hand suddenly. “I don’t think I ever got your name. I’m Olivia, friends call me Ollie.” He took the hand to shake. “Pride.” It must have been a weird thing to say. Olivia gave him a funny look. “’Pride’ like—” “Like the sin.”

[send me a snippet ask]

[endofherwildsideau]

᯽~🫒ᴏʟɪᴠᴇ🫒~᯽

Her Voice by Bliss

| Animal Mode | Bioluminescent Mode | Royal | Arrival | Old-Self | Causal | Hunter | Her weapons |

Deadname: Olivia Omenma

Name: Chief/Queen Olive the Savanna & Cheetah Alpha

Name Meaning: Olive Or From The Olive Tree. Kind one. Peace. Symbol of Peace.

Nicknames: Ollie, Liv, and Livie.

Birthday: June 24

Cause of Death: Dehydration and Starving

Age: 189 (dies in the age of 16)

Species: a hybrid of human and King cheetah

Race: African

Gender: Female ♀

Relationship status: Single/Soon to be in Relationship

Sexuality: Lesbian

Home World: Earth (Formley) Miracle Region (Currently)

Kingdom: The Deep Savanna; Agboloa, Cullfield, Southern town, The Prideland, Wakanda City, and Golden Mound, and Daggerwash Bay.

Home: The Prideland; African hut house 🛖

Role or Job: Cheetah Alpha. Goddess of Speed. Queen of Savanna Tribe. Ruler of The Deep Savanna; Agboloa, Cullfield, Southern town, The Prideland, Wakanda City, and Golden Mound, Daggerwash Bay, & Savanna Alphas. Holder of Crow Jewel pieces. Master of taming Savanna animals. Tribal warrior/hunter. Herbalist and herbs shop owner.

Companion Pet:

Mandla the Giant Vulture

Spirit Animal/Sibling:

Lindiwe Elder Long-Tusker (Spirit Sister)

Makena the Long-Tusker (Spirit Sister)

Jabari the Long-Tusker (Spirit Brother)

Ada the Baby Long-Tusker (Spirit Sister)

Bonding Partner:

???

Parents:

Unnamed parents

Partner:

Liza the Panda Alpha (friend; secret crush)

Sibling:

Rudy the Rhinoceros Alpha (Older sister)

Biff the Heyna Alpha (Middle brother

Otto the Elephant Alpha (Younger brother)

Atlas the Lion Alpha (Youngest brother)

Relative:

Unnamed uncle and aunt

Edmund the Giraffe Alpha (Cousin)

Laura & Beatricia the Guardians of Brazil (cousins)

Abilities:

Alpha Physiology

Apex Predator Physiology

Cheetah Physiology

Felinae Physiology

Feline Physiology

Human Physiology

Hybrid Physiology

Aim Dodging

Ally Empowerment

Animal Companionship

Animal Creation - only the Savanna animals

Animal Imitation

Animal Training Mastery - only the Savanna animals

Animalistic Vocalization

Avian Companionship

Bioluminescence

Camouflage

Canine Companionship

Ceiling Walk

Claw Retraction

Companion Allegiance

Creature Studies Mastery - only the savanna animals

Dachtylídikinetic Combat

Dashing

Declaration Aging

Enhanced Agility

Enhanced Balance

Enhanced Flexibility

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Leap

Enhanced Reflexes

Enhanced Running

Enhanced Senses

Enhanced Smell

Enhanced Speed

Enhanced Stealth

Enhanced Strength

Expressive Ears

Feline Manipulation - only on cheetahs

Glowing Eyes - only when the power is active or glows in the dark.

G-Force Adaptation

Hair Growth

Infinite Digestive System

Magic Ring

Mind Control - to control other savanna alphas

Mind Link - to control other savanna alphas

Mobile Tasking

Mode Switching - Companion Form and Animal Mode

Night Vision

Object Summoning - via using the rings

Omnilingualism

Plains Adaptation

Plains Magic

Plains Manipulation

Pointed Ears

Powerful Bite

Predator Instinct

Prehensile Tail

Regeneration Healer Factor

Riders Aptitude - only the Mandla

Ring Proficiency

Spear Proficiency

Sudden Activity

Tail Manifestation

Taming - only the Savanna animals

Trap Evasion

Tapetum Lucidum Manifestation

Unique Eye Coloration

Vertical Pupils

Wallrunning

Weapon Summoning - via using the rings

Zoolingualism

Zoological Mastery

Powers:

Accelerated Metabolism

Accelerated Perception

Accelerated Tasking

Accelerated Thought Process

Acceleration Immunity

Electric Aura

Electric Discharge

Electric Trail

Electrically Enhanced Speed

Electricity Generation

Focused Time Perception

High-Speed Agility

High-Speed Leap

High-Speed Reflexes

Hyper Acceleration

Hyper Chasing

Hyper Deceleration

Hyper Fleeing

Hyper Relative Speed

Molecular Acceleration

One-Speed Maintenance

Ring Attacks

Ring Manipulation

Ring Portal Creation - via using the rings

Ring Projection

Slow-Motion

Speed Arts

Speed Combat

Speed Disassembly

Speed Flicking

Speed Maintenance

Speed Perception

Speed-Based Strength

[celestialpaperhaze]

I love everything about this!!! The color schemes, the symmetry and parallels, the overall attention to detail...

(art analysis coming in 3, 2, 1...)

Olly's sets a very neutral tone, as if to indicate how he begins as a clean slate. He's shown holding himself (in non-humanized form), but the way his hands are folded (heheh) over each other makes it look almost like a guarded gesture, in the same way one might hold their hands over their heart to show their passion for something. He's being crowned, presumably by the Craftsman, as a parallel to how he was created into the role of a king. And of course, my little experience in translating Japanese lends me the knowledge that the words "origami king" are written where the crown is, as if the crown itself carries the "king identity" that Olly is born to become.

Meanwhile, Olivia's piece is much more emotional, seen clearly from both the vibrant shade of purple used to set the tone, and the pained expression/tears drawn on her face. She's clasping her hands in desperation as she makes her final wish on the crane handed to her by her brother. And speaking of the crane, the wisps of paper surrounding Olly's hands are such a nice touch! Plus the way he's almost translucent to show how he's passing on as he gives Olivia the power of the 1,000 cranes technique ("senbazuru" I think).

When viewed together, the parallels are astounding! The way the top third of both pieces shows them being given something, a crown and a crane. With the game's plot in mind, both items can be synonymous to a burden, they're both symbols of unfortunate events to come, so the visual link works really well. Disregarding the context of the scenes for a second, the way the siblings are characterized in the art seems to also emphasize their overall personality differences, with Olly showing significantly less emotion than Olivia, who's more expressive. Also, Olly seems to be wearing a yellow brooch, while Olivia wears a purple bowtie, further cementing their connection to one another. Overall, the two pieces naturally complement each other, much like Olly and Olivia do.

...All that's to say, this is very good art!

Beginning and End.

(Twitter: One | Two)

[pkmn-nextgenadventures]

As many of any of your kids as you want for #1 >:3

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

For the sake of brevity I’ll just do the main 10 kids for this ask (i.e. the ones who actually have profiles up). That said, I am a huge etymology nerd and it’s something I think about a lot when coming up with most character names, especially in a universe like Pokémon where canon characters often have names which are symbolic in some way or relate back to their family/role/profession! You’ll probably notice more stuff like this on the kids’ profiles as I update them and (someday) add more characters.

Fern: From the plant of the same name, mirroring how Ash’s name also comes from a kind of tree. I always wanted her to have some sort of name relating back to nature to reflect the fact that she’s an outdoorsy kind of person, but I did cycle through a few early in this AU’s development before I found one that stuck.

Rory: Anglicised form of the Gaelic Ruairí/Ruairidh, meaning ‘red (headed) king.’ Similar to Fern, I just went for something with a similar meaning to his dad (Red)’s name - colour and/or nature related names are generally a theme among the Kanto protags’ kids. That said, Rory was originally conceptualised as a Red/Yellow kid, so if Red/Green had been endgame from the outset perhaps he’d have been named something else!

Olivia: From the Latin oliva, meaning ‘olive’ or ‘olive tree’. Along similar lines to Fern, I wanted her to have some sort of botanical name to reflect her love of plants. Olivia is one of the characters I really struggled to decide on a name for to begin with, so she went through quite a few name changes in the beginning (though otherwise she’s actually stayed pretty much the same personality/design wise, unlike some other kids).

Isabelle: This is one I actually did choose pretty much entirely based on aesthetics over meaning since I just think it’s a nice name! But in-universe, she’s named after Paul’s late mother Isabella (Bella for short), since they look very similar. Originally her name was Violet, but I changed it after fleshing out her family’s backstory more and also because there’s already a canon pokeani character with that name. I do still like the name Violet, so I decided fairly recently it can just be her middle name instead!

Lena: Her full name, Alena, is a Slavic form of ‘Helen’, which is thought to be derived from the Greek for either ‘torch’, ‘light’ (following the theme of the DPPt protags’ names, since she’s kind of the next gen Sinnoh protag) or ‘moon’ (linking back to the etymology of Cynthia’s name and her adopted hometown of Celestic). This is something I found out long after I named her, but it’s also a type of flowering plant native to Hawaii, which is a fun coincidence since I envision her becoming a professor someday, and plot-wise Alola is a place that’s important to her character development!

Osbert: Medieval name incorporating the Old English for ‘god’ and ‘bright’. This has literally nothing to do with his character development or symbolism and everything to do with the fact that I came across the name by chance in a book I was reading and was like “haha funny bert name to match Hilbert” since someone from Unova had to carry the dorky protag name torch. His beta name was Oleander (Ollie for short), but similar to Isabelle I just made that his middle name after it got retconned since I still have a soft spot for it.

Harper: From harp, since her mother Lyra’s name is derived from a similar musical instrument (lyre). Not much more to this one, although her name was originally Sylvia until I realised that sounded too much like Silver’s name 😅

Tristan: Most likely derived from the Celtic Drustan (‘noise’, ‘tumult’), and probably also influenced by the Old French triste (‘sad’). While I went with Tristan purely because I just like the name and thought it was the sort of thing Dawn and Paul would name their kid, the meaning behind it does actually suit him just by coincidence! As a sidenote, his middle name is Reginald, after his Uncle Reggie :’)

Maddie: ‘Madeleine’ is a French form of Magdalene, which has absolutely nothing to do with her as a character - this is just another one I thought was a nice name. However, there is a type of cake called a petite madeleine, which does fit with the fact that Maddie is exactly the sort of girl to spend all her money in high-end pastry shops.

Alyssa: After the alyssum flower, partly because I am not immune to the trap of wanting to name at least one Drew kid after a flower and also just because I always felt like it suited her! Hilariously, the etymology for the plant itself apparently comes from the Greek for ‘without rabies’ (reflecting its early medicinal use). Good for her.

Question from this list - feel free to send in more!

[hopeaterart]

Mario Odyssey: Paper Kingdom AU

Or: The AU where I adapt Paper Mario characters into a kingdom in Mario Odyssey because while my brain is small, it has a big mind that keeps thinking up new ideas. This tackles the kingdom’s backstory, it’s travel brochure, why Mario ends up going there, and the frankly ridiculous political context he stumbles into. I might tackle the characters in another post.

Backstory

A long time ago, a creature made out of shadows and thin as paper rose out of an island. Calling itself- or herself- the Shadow Queen, the malevolent spirit could wield the power of seven stars, and her heart was pitch-black and full of chaotic hatred. She reigned over the land with an iron fist, terrified painted shadows at her command.

Until one day, a small faction of her own people turned against, led by four heroes and eight mages. They studied her magic, and turned it against her, folding themselves like paper get close to her and stealing her stars to destroy her body, the eight mages using their magic to separate her heart from her spirit

Enraged, her spirit lashed out, cursing the four heroes into suffering the same fate as her, reduced to spirits enclosed in coffins just as she unleashed the full power of her heart. But before she could turn her wrath on the other rebels, the eight mages sacrificed themselves, turning their souls into pure energy and setting it on the Shadow Queen’s heart, ripping it out and sending both the heart and the soul of the Shadow Queen into a deep sleep.

The only thing left was a prophecy- a warning. If a cruel monster and a gentle maiden marry each other in a farce, the Chaos Heart will rise again. If this happens, the Shadow Queen’s rise is imminent, and she will take over the body of the maiden. The only way to stop her is to find her Seven Stars, and use them to destroy her soul once and for all.

The throne of the Paper Kingdom is left symbolically empty, and the country is ruled by a council.

-

Travel Brochure

Population: Sparse, but plentiful

Size: Wide

Locals: Shapeshifters

Currency: Paper fortune teller shaped

Industries: Construction, stories

Temperature: Average  73 °F

A craft for the ages

Multi-level: The Paper Kingdom is made of multiple levels carved within the plateau, and all of them have something to offer. From the charming beach town of Rogueport to the looming Castle of Chaos, this place is vibrant and full of carefully crafted layers.

Rich History: The Paper Kingdom’s history is something for the ages: A demon rising out of the earth, her own people standing up against her, a battle ending in tragedy, and a prophecy! And they know it too! Their own history is so rich and captivating, they transformed telling people about it into a spectacle. If you’re ever in the need of someone to give a grandiose speech, a Paper Kingdom storyteller is what you need!

Origami Festival: If you visit the Paper Kingdom during their fall season, you might bear witness to the Origami Festival! While considered unorthodox and dangerous, Shapeshifters recognize origami as an incredibly powerful type of magic, allowing one to become anything their heart wish. As such, they have festivities centered around this concept that lasts a week, where they put up tons of different and incredible origami displays celebrating the concept.

-

How it fits in the game

For it’s location, it would be a decently sized island between the Luncheon Kingdom and Snow Kingdom, and would be the last place you go to before Bowser’s castle. From above, it would look rectangular, and most of it would be very elevated (think of a plateau, but in the middle of the ocean.) While it would seem small at first glance, the truth is that most of the earth is hollowed out, and there’s a lot of communities that live underground. You would be able to visit the two surface ones (Rogueport at the base of the plateau, and Castle of Chaos (Equivalent to Castle Bleck) on top of it) from the start, and at least one additional area under Castle of Chaos would unlock after the main story.

As for it’s place in the story, a wedding needs an officiant, and Bowser decided to get a storyteller from the Paper Kingdom because they’re known to give quite touching speeches. Bowser was originally planning to make his announcement of his marriage to Peach, take someone by force if he got denied, and leave the kingdom in disarray as punishment for denying him.

So you can imagine his surprise when not one, but two storytellers volunteered to be his officiant: Dimentio, royal jester and local agent of chaos who’s starting to find the current situation in the Paper Kingdom boring because it’s stagnating (albeit because they want to stop the hostilities temporarily for the upcoming Origami Festival), and the Beldam, eldest of the shadow Sirens and actively trying to resurrect the Shadow Queen. 

Let’s be clear, here: Neither of them are really interested in Bowser’s marriage, but both are after the power of the Chaos Heart, which has the potential to arise from this union: Dimentio to create even more chaos, and Beldam to harness it’s power and bring the Queen back to life. He picked the storyteller who had actual experience with being an officiant: Dimentio, who officiated multiple noble weddings- and left a fuming Beldam behind. In her rage, she decided to make the King of Koopas not choosing her as an evil marriage officiant everyone else’s problem and promptly started freezing everything in sight.

And that’s where Mario and Cappy come in, looking for Power Moons...

-

What’s going on?

A few weeks before Bowser shows up, the wedding of Blumiere, the son of an important count, and his human girlfriend Timpani (I don’t know from where she could be, probably New Donk CIty), was happening. However, in part due to a sinister prophecy that foretold the rebirth of the Chaos Heart if a furious monster lord (Blumiere is not human, and he has quite the unstable temperament) and a fair and lovely maiden (Timpani is a bit shy, cares for everything around her, and is nothing but kind) got married, and in part due to being a racist fuck, Blumiere’s father tried to stop the marriage by lethally attacking the bride.

Big mistake.

Blumiere ended up flying into a rage, messily killing his father with his bare hands and the assistance of a surge of magic, and destroyed the wedding venue. He then took Timpani, who was dying, to the origami craftsman, who earned himself a reputation of defying nature’s law by creating Olly and Olivia for an Origami festival, which was. Not planned. He then more or less forced him to heal his bride. 

The craftsman was absolutely able to say no: Olly brought to life multiple office supplies and all of them are ready to attack on sight, but he still went and healed up Timpani, albeit altering her physical appearance permanently due to having to heal her up using Origami Magic. Olly does not take his father being threatened into helping someone well, and barges into Castle of Chaos two weeks later and self-proclaim himself king with the assistance of the office supplies, which he dubs his Legion of Stationery, because of a perceived disrespect toward his family.

He is twelve.

Blumiere- who renamed himself Count Bleck following his father’s death- is understandably outraged, and denounces Olly with the support of his companions. Said companions are: his wife lady Timpani whom he (and most of the kingdom) adores, a small bat-like woman and his spokesperson Nastasia, the strong but dimwitted warrior and champion O’Chunks, the robotic but emotional Mimi who works in banking, and local shit-bastard jester Dimentio. This is due to Bleck being a direct descendant of one of the eight mages that sacrificed themselves, and he’s forced to make a claim to the throne to be taken seriously in trying to stop Olly.

He does not want to take the throne.

So now, there’s a twelve years old and a pissed off count who murdered his father in a blind rage fighting over the throne of the Paper Kingdom, neither of them know what they’re going to do next, and no one is happy about this situation. The instability allows a third party to make an appearance and grab for the throne: The X-Nauts, a race of robotic aliens led by the tyrannical Sir Grodus. Their goal? Resurrect the Shadow Queen and use her power to remake the Paper Kingdom, and eventually the planet, in their image.

The good news is that neither Olly nor Bleck want the X-Nauts to succeed. Bleck because he knows they’re planning on resurrecting the Shadow Queen and he does not want that to happen, and Olly because Grodus’ second in command was mean to Olivia once. This means that they are able to put their difference aside, which means there’s still hope an all-out civil war can be avoided.

Speaking of Olivia, poor girl think her brother went evil and wants to reign over the Paper Kingdom like a tyrant. This is understandable, as he’s a irritable twelve years boy with six killing machine at his command and also starting his emo edge lord phase, and she’s a literal ray of sunshine. As such, Olivia decided to find other people willing to stop Olly, Bleck and Grodus from burning the country to the ground in their squabble, not realizing that, as the leader of this group, she is also making .a claim for the throne.

She is also twelve.

And now, there’s Beldam losing her shit over being turned down and freezing everything into unmoving sheets on the walls. Ironically, this common enemy might just be what’s needed to calm everyone down.

[gstqaobc]

CBC THE ROYAL FASCINATOR

Friday, October 23, 2020

Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox.

Janet DavisonRoyal Expert

The lessons of becoming Diana in The Crown

(Ollie Upton/Netflix)

For Emma Corrin, preparing to take on the role of Diana, Princess of Wales, in The Crown was something of a psychology lesson. The 24-year-old actor assumed the part knowing full well those watching her arrival next month in Season 4 of the Netflix drama will already have well-established impressions of a member of the Royal Family who grew from "Shy Di" to one of the most photographed celebrities and fashion icons of recent times. Those existing impressions made assuming the role “incredibly daunting,” Corrin said in an interview from London. It helped once she got the script and saw the story. But there was also considerable work with a coach on “understanding the psychology behind a lot of what was happening.” And a lot of what was happening to Diana was “incredibly unnatural and quite intense,” Corrin said. At the age of 19, Diana Spencer moved from an apartment she shared with friends in West London into Buckingham Palace after her engagement to Prince Charles, the heir to the throne and a man 13 years her senior. Diana thought “it was going to be the best event of her life and that they were going to live happily ever after, but then [she discovered] he was with another woman,” Corrin said. Along with that, there was the pressure that comes from being a royal in the public eye.   “All of these are very extraordinary circumstances, really, for someone to be operating in,” said Corrin. “These things that she was exposed to come with a whole lot of pressures that affect someone’s mentality, and that was really interesting.” Even so, there are still all those impressions viewers will have before they catch their first glimpse of Diana when the new season of The Crown starts streaming on Nov. 15. And what if Corrin’s portrayal doesn’t match those impressions? Does that matter in trying to create a successful portrayal of such a well-known person? Not necessarily. “If you talk to actors who have to play a real person ... especially somebody that is so world famous and familiar as Diana — [the challenge comes] because audiences are expecting that actress to look and sound just like the real thing,” said Bill Brioux, a longtime television columnist and commentator. He looks no further than the actor holding the central role on The Crown for Seasons 3 and 4 as an example of overcoming that challenge. “I think Olivia Colman [as Queen Elizabeth] has shown that you don’t have to be a carbon copy, that you might capture a nuance or an essence of someone,” Brioux said. “Certainly, Colman spent a lot of The Crown looking surprised and perplexed, you know, aghast at times.” And we certainly aren’t used to seeing the Queen looking that way in public. “So I think it will be interesting to see how Diana is received,” Brioux said. As she prepared for the role, Corrin said she became overwhelmed “by the amount of factual information out there about her and also … the thought that I would be portraying someone so well-known." Corrin said she “started work on her mannerisms and her behaviour and figuring out why she did the things she did or what she would feel about certain situations that I was going to be acting. “ Corrin also spoke to Patrick Jephson, Diana’s private secretary. “He knew her very well and was able to provide a lot of insight, which was wonderful.” With Diana, Brioux suggested, there may be more pressure on an actor than if the portrayal was of a person not so well-known. “People all have their own expectations of Diana in their minds,” he said. “You’re going to disappoint a lot of people no matter what you do, so hat’s off to this actress for taking it on. “I think that there’s potential, though, if you come close, to get a lot of rave reviews because everyone knows the subject and that’s how they’ll judge it."

For more on Corrin’s experiences preparing for the role, click here.

A rare day out for the Queen — and no mask

(Ben Stansall/Reuters)

Royal visits can typically give the royal guest the opportunity to see some cutting-edge technology or to meet individuals being recognized for their work or volunteer efforts in helping others in their community. But Queen Elizabeth’s first major public engagement since the coronavirus pandemic struck in March offered more than a chance for her to visit a new defence research centre west of London and check out the latest in explosives detection. The visit to Porton Down, where scientists are also helping in the response to the pandemic, seemed designed to offer a larger symbolism. “I think it was a really important message for her to send that even though … we’ve been in lockdown and we’re facing new restrictions, the Queen was still able to meet people involved in the COVID response,” Roya Nikkhah, a royal correspondent for the Sunday Times newspaper, told the CBC’s Renee Filippone. Still, the visit, which the 94-year-old carried out alongside her grandson, Prince William, sparked questions — and criticism — because neither of them was wearing a mask at a time when Britons must wear face coverings in stores and other indoor spaces. Those involved in the visit were physically distanced, and Buckingham Palace said safety protocols were followed. Reuters reported that staff at the research centre had been tested for COVID-19 before the visit. “Every precaution that could be taken was taken,” said Nikkhah. “That’s why the Queen didn’t have to wear a mask.” Royal author Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that Elizabeth was sending a “message of confidence to the people.” “She’s going back to work, she'll go about her business in the usual way, but without taking chances. She is reassuring the public that things must go on as normal, wherever it is safe to do so.” The Queen has spent much of the time since the pandemic struck in isolation at Windsor Castle, considered to be her favourite residence. She has returned there recently after spending a few weeks with Prince Philip at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and a shorter period on her Sandringham estate northeast of London. Throughout the pandemic, Elizabeth has conducted official duties via video or over the phone, and made two appearances within the walls of Windsor Castle — one for a considerably scaled-down recognition of her official birthday in June, and one to bestow a knighthood on Capt. Tom Moore, a 100-year-old honoured for his charity fundraising. Still, it’s unlikely there will be many other outings like her trip to Porton Down anytime soon. “I think [it] was probably a bit of a one-off,” Nikkhah said. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing a lot more of her on public engagements.”

A new portrait for Canada

(Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Government of Canada)

There is also considerable symbolism on display in Queen Elizabeth’s new official Canadian portrait. While the portrait is new to the public, the photo itself was taken more than a year ago, in March 2019 at Windsor Castle, by royal photographer Chris Jackson. He shared it on social media late last week. In the portrait, the Queen is wearing her Canadian insignia as sovereign of the Order of Canada, Jackson said, along with the Order of Military Merit. The diamond and blue sapphire necklace and earrings she is wearing were a wedding day gift from her father, King George VI, in November 1947, and were worn during her five-day trip to Canada in 1990. Jackson said on Instagram that it was an “incredible honour” to have the opportunity to photograph the Queen for the portrait. “I’ve been lucky enough to have visited Canada many times now with members of the Royal Family and have the fondest memories of the people I’ve met.”

Royally quotable

"My family and I knew nothing about it and were at a loss to know how we could help alleviate the terrible pain she suffered."

— Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,

reflects on her mother’s death from osteoporosis

26 years ago, and went on this week to note the “huge strides” made since then in treatment and research into the disease.

Royals in Canada

(Hans Deryk/The Canadian Press)

When Charles and Diana came to Canada in late October 1991, it was the last trip they made to the country together. And in ways it was two visits in one for the couple, whose collapsing marriage was under intense media scrutiny at the time, as they went their separate ways for much of the seven-day sojourn.

One stop for Diana in Toronto took her to Casey House, a hospice for people who have AIDS.

“Diana had just begun to venture into the issue of AIDS, then repellent to much of society, but it was still surprising that she chose to see a hospice full of very ill people rather than some less harrowing AIDS setting,” Casey House founder June Callwood

wrote in Maclean’s magazine

after Diana’s death in 1997.

Callwood had a mixed view of Diana, but that visit to Casey House, where she sat and visited with hospice residents, left a lasting impression.

Diana “wanted nothing less than to change the world for the better,” Callwood wrote. “And perhaps she did. On that lovely afternoon … she made everyone at a small AIDS hospice in Toronto feel worthwhile. That’s quite a gift.”

Our friends at CBC Archives have taken a closer look at the 1991 visit, which was also the first time both William and Harry went with their parents on a foreign trip.

Royal reads

1. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says she

avoids speaking about controversial topics

in an attempt to ensure she doesn’t put her family at risk. She also says she’s been told that in 2019, she was the

“most trolled person in the entire world.”

[BBC, The Guardian]

2. More than 60 years after Queen Elizabeth gave a pair of swans to a city in Florida,

it has sold off three dozen of their descendants

in a bid to ease a crisis in overpopulation of the birds. [The Independent]

3. Thirty years after Diana laid a ceremonial foundation stone for a cancer hospital, her son William

did the same

. [The Daily Mail]

4. Dutch King Willem-Alexander says he

regrets going to Greece for a holiday

after he and his family were criticized for taking a trip during the pandemic. [BBC]

Cheers!

I’m always happy to hear from you. Send your ideas, comments, feedback and notes to

royalfascinator@cbc.ca

. Problems with the newsletter? Please let me know about any typos, errors or glitches.

[entergamingxp]

The Origami King Review — The Legion of Stationary

July 24, 2020 1:00 PM EST

As a longtime fan of the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King has its trademark humor and charm, but misses its appealing RPG gameplay.

Paper Mario: The Origami King tries its darndest to straddle the line between what fans of the original games love and a desire to move the franchise in a new direction. In many ways, it succeeds. However, there are countless misfolds along the way that makes it a tough game to give a full recommendation.

In The Origami King, a tiny origami man named Olly has turned the Mushroom Kingdom into an origami world. Princess Peach is a soulless zombie doing Olly’s bidding, and Mario must save her and the world from his evil creases. Joining you is Olivia, Olly’s sister, and a powerful origami folder in her own right. Your journey takes you all over the Kingdom, letting you explore exotic locales and meeting interesting people.

The biggest talking point of Paper Mario: The Origami King is the new battle system. It’s a tough thing to describe with just words, but essentially, each fight takes place on a battleground you can twist and move. This allows to you set up fights in a way that lets you easily manipulate the positioning of Olly’s minions as you see fit.

Once you set the folded fighters up, you have two basic attacks; Mario can stomp and he can swing a hammer. There are a few other special items and attacks, but these two are the plumber’s bread and butter. Or wrench and plunger, if you want to get technical. There’s also a bit of active time button pressing that lets you deal extra damage, but it never seems that important. For the most part, every single battle against minor minions works exactly the same. There are a few enemies that spice things up, just not in a meaningful way.

“Paper Mario: The Origami King tries its darndest to straddle the line between what fans of the original games love and a desire to move the franchise in a new direction.”

And that’s one of Paper Mario: The Origami King’s biggest problems: there’s no leveling up. You can get somewhat better shoes and hammers to make your attacks stronger, it just never feels like a big deal. Thus, the battles feel like at worst a way for the developers to steal your good items and at best a waste of time. After the first hour or so, I was doing everything I could to skip them. Fortunately, most minions are easier to dodge than a 90-year-old grandma.

All that being said, there is a very important caveat to all of this; while the normal enemy encounters are dreadful, the boss battles are inspired. Instead of Mario being at the center of the board and you rotating the enemies into place, these flip the script. Mario is on the outside and while using different symbols on the board, you need to trace his path to the different members of the Legion of Stationary. That’s an all-time great pro wrestling stable name if I’ve ever seen one.

“Paper Mario: The Origami King doesn’t respect your time with combat. There seems to be little to no point in engaging with minion battles.”

They really go all out with these. Every boss has their own mechanic to tease out, with some of the early ones being spectacular. The boss fights do lose a little steam as you move toward the end, particularly with a boss that can kill you in one hit and force you to replay their entire section before trying again. I pray it doesn’t happen to you because it was so frustrating to make one wrong decision and be sent back 20 minutes of progress. That said, the final boss fight ramps it back up in a way I can appreciate. I won’t spoil it, but seeing a former nemesis join the fight in a “big” way was great. Make sure you bookmark that last sentence so you can come back and appreciate my awesome pun.

Even still, Paper Mario: The Origami King doesn’t respect your time with combat. There seems to be little to no point in engaging with minion battles. Along with that, the time between bosses stretches out to hours. Unless you’re a kid on a summer break, it’s a hard game to recommend based on the combat alone.

Fortunately, that’s not all The Origami King brings to the table. The series is well-known for its humor and exploration; both of those are here in spades. Personally, I gave up on exploring much after the first few hours because it just felt like collecting things for the sake of collecting. And the game constantly asks you to backtrack anyway. It all just got old quick. However, if you can actually take your time and not play under the constraints of needing to get a review out, I can see this being an excellent podcast game. You can just veg out and find some Toads. And truly, isn’t that all you can ask for.

“I genuinely laughed out loud more times than I can count in my 30 or so hours with the game.”

The Origami King also mostly nails the funnies. I mean sure, when you’re launching one-liners with every other line of dialogue, a few are bound to hit. That said, I genuinely laughed out loud more times than I can count in my 30 or so hours with the game. Kamek, in particular, does an exceptional turn as Bowser’s underlooked right-hand wizard. There’s also a secret coffee shop where you can meet up with some of Bowser’s other henchman, which might be the best part of the game. If you pick up Paper Mario’s latest journey, seek it out.

Here’s the thing though: The Origami King also takes a few surprisingly dark turns. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are quite a few story beats that made me wonder if this really is a kid’s game. If you’re a parent picking this up, be ready for some potential waterworks and tough conversations coming your way.

“The puzzle-based nature of the combat seems like a fun direction to take the gameplay in, but divorcing it from progression kills any desire to engage with it.”

At the end of my time with Paper Mario: The Origami King, I’m wondering who exactly this game is for. Classic Paper Mario fans will be left wanting due to the game’s combat and lack of RPG progression. People looking for a fun romp with a silly story might bristle at the game’s length and padded out content.

And kids? In so many ways, this seems like a great game for younger gamers; however, I can’t help remember several moments that would have left me in tears as a little dude. If you’re a parent who thinks your kid can handle it, this is an excellent pick-up. You’ll certainly get your money’s worth from a time perspective. Just don’t come to me if you also have to pay some psychiatrist bills in a few years.

I’m mostly joking (pour one out for Bobby). However, it really does feel like a game that doesn’t completely know what it wants to be. The puzzle-based nature of the combat seems like a fun direction to take the gameplay in, but divorcing it from progression kills any desire to engage with it.

“At the end of my time with Paper Mario: The Origami King, I’m wondering who exactly this game is for.”

Paper Mario: The Origami King is far from a bad game; it’s just not one that meets its potential. This feels like a solid first step from Intelligent Systems to finally find a new groove for the franchise. Hopefully the team continues to iterate on the design and deliver a follow-up that finally mixes that classic Paper Mario tone and feel with quality gameplay that fans love. It can, and arguably should, be different from the original games, but it needs to be more than this.

July 24, 2020 1:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/the-origami-king-review-the-legion-of-stationary/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-origami-king-review-the-legion-of-stationary

[aion-rsa]

Paper Mario: The Origami King Review – Innovative Turn-Based Combat

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Turn-based RPGs have been around since the ‘80s and have offered many different variations on combat. Since this genre is one of the oldest in video games, it’s become increasingly rare to see new innovations in turn-based combat.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is one of those rare titles that brings something wholly unique to the genre, offering turn-based combat that’s ostensibly simple but over time reveals itself to be deceptively complex and mind-numbingly challenging, particularly later in the game. Nintendo is known for introducing new, innovative concepts in its games, and Paper Mario: The Origami King’s combat is one of their very best contributions in recent memory.

This is how combat works: Mario is positioned inside a circle, from which four concentric circles (or rings) radiate out. Each of those rings is divided into twelve segments, making for a total of 48 tiles surrounding the paper-made plumber. Enemies are positioned on the tiles in jumbled formation and…this is where things get interesting.

Each turn is essentially a puzzle. Your primary task is to slide the tiles around in order to line up the enemies neatly so that Mario can attack them in groups. Mario attacks in various shapes (lines, squares) depending on which weapon you choose (boots for stomping, hammers for smashing or throwing), and there are often multiple ways to slide enemies into the correct formations.

Check out how this works in the video below:

You’re given a limited number of moves and a very limited amount of time to figure out your plan of attack, but if you align the enemies perfectly and press A at the right when Mario attacks to earn extra damage (a trademark feature for the series), it’s possible to take every single enemy out at once while taking no damage yourself. If you aren’t able to align your enemies correctly, however, they’ll have their turn to attack. When your turn comes around again, the enemies are re-scrambled and you’re faced with a new sliding-tile puzzle to solve.

The brilliant thing about the puzzle mechanic is that it raises the stakes of combat. In other words, the puzzles aren’t arbitrary. If you aren’t able to solve the puzzle, there are consequences, and the battle will be much more difficult to win. If you don’t improve your puzzle-solving skills, you’ll have a tough time with Paper Mario: The Origami King. You won’t be able to simply brute-force your way through the enemies in the game. This makes combat more intellectually stimulating than most turn-based RPGs, and I found myself looking forward to even the most common enemy encounters just to give my brain a workout.

The combat system seems relatively simple at first glance, and in certain respects, it is. Mario is your only controllable character, which is highly unconventional for a turn-based RPG, and there’s really only one way to approach normal enemy encounters — line ‘em up! But there are nuances that bubble to the surface and make combat engaging and addictive, and it all elegantly ties into the game’s exploration sections.

As you traverse an origami-invaded Mushroom Kingdom with Olivia, whose brother, Olly, has kidnapped Princess Peach, seized her castle, and sent his origami minions to loot and pillage the rest of the kingdom, you’ll uncover dozens of Toads hiding from Olly’s troops, folded up and tucked away across the game world. As you rescue them, they become the “audience” to Mario’s fights, sitting in the stands surrounding the circular battlefield. During the battle, you can pay them coins to cheer extra loud and get involved in the fight, causing damage to your foes, which can be useful when a puzzle is particularly tricky to solve. And in certain sections of the game, you’re joined by an ally who will do extra damage to enemies should you fail to solve a puzzle.

Coins can be spent in other ways to aid you in battle, too. You can spend them to add to the puzzle countdown clock (I used this feature with embarrassing frequency), and you can, of course, spend them on items and weapons before battle to give you an extra boost. Needless to say, using coins during battle is definitely helpful.

Release Date: July 17, 2020 Platform: Nintendo Switch Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Action-adventure

I tried to avoid all forms of extra, in-combat help, only using them as a last-ditch effort. Sure, the Toads and allies’ attacks could help me in a pinch, but having to use them meant that I’d failed to solve the puzzle, which ate me up inside. This forced me to improve my puzzle-solving skills, which is by far the most enjoyable thing about the game. This isn’t a knock on the game’s other strengths, of which there are many.

The art design is delightfully whimsical and imaginative, with environments and set pieces that made me laugh out loud and drew me into the story. And the characters and dialogue are fantastic as well. I even got a little choked up when one of the allies you meet early in the game does a particularly selfless act to save another. I enjoyed this game in myriad ways, but I can’t emphasize enough how much I adore the combat.

Since the game’s release, the combat system has been a point of contention among critics and fans alike, with some loving the puzzle-infused combat and others claiming it’s too repetitive and suffers from a lack of a traditional RPG character progression system. I can certainly understand why one would itch for a leveling system, But I couldn’t agree more with Nintendo’s decision to omit a leveling system from the game (you can improve your max HP and strength stats when you find and equip special items, but that’s the extent of it). 

Combat in Paper Mario: The Origami King was engaging and rewarding enough to compel me to finish the game, and I felt a traditional progression system was unnecessary because you do make progress as a player as you play through the game — it’s just not tracked onscreen in the form of extensive stat menus. Getting progressively better at the puzzle aspect of the game is addictive in the same way that playing, say, Tetris or traditional Mario platformers might be. No, you don’t level up in-game. But you do improve as a player, and this is enough.

There is also an additional layer of depth to combat in the form of the game’s boss fights, which are grueling and can take upwards of 20 minutes per try. They use the same radial battlefield as normal fights except that the bosses occupy the center circle and Mario must work his way from the outside circle to the center. Tiles feature various symbols that cause different effects. Arrows cause Mario to run in a certain direction, attack tiles allow you to, well, attack. Magic tiles allow you to use various special abilities that Mario acquires throughout the game, though you must step on an “On” button tile in order to turn them on. The objective is to slide the tiles around in an arrangement that gets Mario into an advantageous position to attack the boss where it’s weak. Sometimes, it’s in your best interest to set Mario up for a normal or special attack. Other times, it’s more advantageous to use a special ability defensively to avoid an impending boss attack.

The boss battles are the most challenging puzzles in the game, and there were many times when I felt incredibly frustrated because I couldn’t figure out the best plan of attack, let alone line up the tiles to implement them. But when I did finally suss out how to best dispatch each boss, it felt deeply rewarding.

There are perhaps better overall entries in the Paper Mario series than The Origami King (The Thousand-Year Door is tough to beat as it’s a masterpiece), but this installment easily boasts the best combat system in the series, and for my money, one of the best combat systems of any turn-based RPG in recent memory.

The post Paper Mario: The Origami King Review – Innovative Turn-Based Combat appeared first on Den of Geek.

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