#lego might be using the video as an ad

[agenericplaceholdername]

The trailer for Dragons Rising Season 2 just hit FOUR MILLION VIEWS.

To put that in perspective, the Crystalized teaser that got on the Youtube trending tab has just 1.3 million views.

As far as I can tell, not a single piece of Ninjago season promotional media (that is, clips, teasers, or trailers released to promote a season ahead of its release) has accumulated this many views on YouTube since the SDCC Sons of Garmadon teaser (which has 5.6 million), which first debuted the post-movie design for Lloyd.

Limiting this comparison to other season trailers only, only the Rebooted trailer (8.2 million) beats out DRS2 over a decade ago.

Does this mean anything for Dragons Rising's popularity? Not necessarily -- the S2P2 trailer has far fewer (even accounting for the fact that it released more recently). But it certainly seems positive!

(It's also a very good trailer and reminds me of the stellar S2P1 hype period)

[basicallyjaywalker]

Wanna ramble about a moment/character in ninjago you think people need to talk about more?

I don't know who you are anon, but I'm glad you asked!

I am desperate for people to character-analyze Wu. I'm desperate for a lot of character analysis including Nya but since I got a lot of my Nya feelings out with some lovely folks the other night (edit: the other night was a month ago dw about it. this took a minute) I'm going with Wu this time

Master Wu to me is such an interesting case of a character who it is so easy to ignore the bits of the show that hint at his wider issues and traumas. He is a man defined heavily by his family and by his past. A lot of criticism he gets, I think, is due in part to that.

I've mentioned before that I've been rewatching S1 with a friend of mine and intermittently pausing to infodump on them about interesting character things I notice from that season. A lot of that has been Wu-focused because despite having seen RotS dozens of times throughout my life (watching it on CN, watching it on Netflix when only it and Legacy were around, rewatching it with friends) I have only just started noticing the seeds of character written in.

I might also just be reading too much into things, but hear me out

In S1 (and by extension, the pilots), Wu is characterized as your typical old wise teacher. In the first few minutes of EP1: Rise of the Snakes, he is chewing out the Ninja for playing video games instead of training. The line he uses? "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."

It's a line that gets repeated throughout the series. In fact, it gets repeated that very episode when the ninja go (pun not intended) to fight the Hypnobrai and a literal pre-teen. At first, it seems to just be a piece of wisdom. Some old proverb Wu's picked up over the years, possibly one he even coined himself. However, in EP7: Tick Tock, Wu tells the story of who, possibly, first told him this.

(Source: Tick Tock/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added.)

It was Garmadon. Now, I'm not gonna dwell too long on Garmadon, if you spend five minutes talking to me you'll learn he was the first character whose story I obsessed over and I want this essay to be about Wu, but I think he plays a role in Wu's overall story, as does Wu's family as a whole.

Prior to this, Wu and Garmadon's relationship has been more of a sibling rivalry taken to a good vs. evil extreme. We didn't know why Garmadon was evil and we didn't know about Wu and his relationship as kids. However, this scene establishes the backstory. They were, as Wu puts it, "the best of friends." That is, until Garmadon gets bit by the Devourer going to get the katana Wu lost.

Now, I know the Devourer bite was destined to happen because of the Overlord or some shit, but Wu doesn't. As far as he's concerned, Garmadon getting bit was a direct consequence of both his mistake and his cowardice. He lost the katana. He was too scared to get it. Garmadon went over instead. Garmadon got bit.

The scene goes on to show the FSM tending to Garmadon in the aftermath. Wu is watching from behind the door, likely told to stay back, but concerned. And in his POV, we get this intense moment, where Garmadon turns, looks directly at him (his eyes turning bright red for the first time), and says "It's all Wu's fault!"

(This clip should begin at the start of Wu eavesdropping. If it doesn't, skip to 0:58. I highly recommend also paying attention to Wu's body language during this scene.)

The camerawork does a great job of showing how this probably felt for Wu. It zooms in, Garmadon's voice echoes, and the background blurs. We see in the flashback that this is a moment Wu has etched into his memory. Not to mention, he was likely a very young child when this happened. LEGO characters' ages are weird, but Wu in this scene has the Big Eyes, which always seem to be used for characters under 12. We don't know exactly how much older Garmadon is to my knowledge, but he doesn't have the Big Eyes, so he's probably closer to 12 and a few years older than Wu for sure.

Imagine that. Being in elementary school and your older siblings gets hurt. They're acting strange. They're lashing out at your father. Then, they blame it all on you. They're hurt because of you. Wouldn't you internalize that?

I could go on about Wu's relationship with Garmadon, but again, I think I've spent enough time on it and I don't want to only focus on that. It's an important part, but there are others.

Let's talk about Wu's relationship with his dad.

Now, I have not yet read the Spinjitzu Brothers series. I cannot speak to any development of Wu and the FSM's relationship in there. I have, however, read The Book of Spinjitzu and blogged some of my thoughts on it here, including some of what it says about Wu.

For those who haven't read it, first, there is a Google Drive folder floating around with all of the canon spinoff books/graphic novels in it. Here's the link if you wanna read them!

The FSM is an... intriguing figure. I mean, in the series he's basically god? He made the entire world. That's already a very high bar to live up to. Then, in Book of Spinjitzu, there's a few specific parts that, when I read them, signaled that Wu internalized a specific message when he was young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 3).

Wu does not want to disappoint his father. It is up to him (and Garmadon until he turns evil) to "uphold the legacy of Spinjitzu" and, by extension, his family. He says he was "very young" when this was explained to him. Considering he seems to already be training at an elementary age, "very young" means VERY young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 16).

Here, we again see Wu being very aware that he has some large burden to carry. Something else interesting here is that the thought of the Green Ninja Prophecy is already weighing on him too. His considering if he might be the Green Ninja is of extra interest because of how the Green Ninja Prophecy and the--I wouldn't call it obsession, possibly fixation?--with who it is factors into his later actions, but we'll get to that later.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 19).

This one in particular gets me because it comes after Wu mentions Garmadon becoming more evil. It is a statement of power. Wu knows that the legacy of Spinjitzu now rests in his hands alone. He cannot let himself fall the way Garmadon did. He cannot disappoint his father. Whether or not the FSM intended it, Wu always knew the fate of the world rested, at least in part, upon his shoulder. He knew this from the time he was a young boy and it remains in his mind to this day.

Now, these quotes are indirect, but they all point to one clear idea: As a child, Wu internalized the idea that he alone is responsible for keeping Ninjago safe. He will play a pivotal role in its history.

There's not evidence in this book that the FSM's was a bad father, per se. However, just because one doesn't set out to harm their children, doesn't mean they won't. I often say Wu has an "Atlas complex," which I have no idea if it is an actual concept but use it to refer to this idea. Wu feels as though he is responsible for holding up the world, much like Atlas. He must keep the balance, he must solve the Green Ninja prophecy, he must make his father proud.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 61).

I'm going to get further into what this means for Wu as a teacher to the current Ninja Team, but for now let's look at Wu's first foray into teaching.

Morro. Wu's Biggest Mistake.

That might seem like an overstatement, but it's not.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

Okay he says regret, not mistake, but I was paraphrasing.

Let's turn back to his quote about his destiny. Wu writes, "Is my life's mission to be the Green Ninja? Or maybe it will be to find the Green Ninja and protect him (or her)??"

From a very young age, Wu was not only aware of the Green Ninja but prophecy but also thinking about his place in it. We see this again when he takes Morro in and trains him.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added)

A big thing Wu is criticized for here is making Morro believe he is meant to be more. That he is the Chosen One. And Morro, being a young homeless orphan just now given some semblance of power and protection, latches onto that. And I can see it, but when you take into account the above that he was trained from (likely) a younger age than Morro and given a similar level of responsibility, it becomes more understandable. Wu is just doing what he was taught. He doesn't believe that he is harming Morro until it is too late.

This is the entire story, but I'm specifically going to be discussing 1:36 onwards here. I also wanted to add that rewatching this scene made me lay down on the floor! What the fuck! But I digress.

There's a lot going on in this scene. For one, Wu washing his hands of Morro in some ways, but not others. He turns his back on Morro when he tells him that destiny has decided, but looks at him again when Morro storms out. He goes to save Morro from the Grundal, but decides that he cannot "teach those who would not listen." Most importantly, when Morro leaves to go find the Tomb of the FSM, Wu leaves the door open. He waits for Morro to return, but never goes after him. And Morro never comes back.

Wu gives Morro's fate a dismissive response at the end of his ghost story ("I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm") but it's clear he still cares deeply about him in the finale of the season.

Wu's VA in this is phenomenal btw. That "Please Morro!" and "MORRO!" make my heart ache.

Morro believed Wu stopped caring, but he didn't. Even after all he's done, even after trying to destroy all of Ninjago--destroying what Wu had spent his life trying to protect--Wu tries to save him. He begs for Morro to come with him. Morro refuses, Wu watches him perish.

Someone else Wu is close to is gone. Wu again considers himself responsible. Everything is his fault.

And finally, we reach Wu today. A cautious, secretive man. He loves his students, this much is clear. Even as early as the pilots, he drops his wise teacher persona to joke around with them.

As with Morro, he trains them like his father did him. He even uses the same methods his father used when he trains them.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 32)

While he is hard on the Ninja, wanting them to succeed and training them to help defend the Realm, he lets his guard down more than it seems he did with Morro. He also learned a valuable message from his experience with Morro when he hides the Green Ninja Prophecy from the Ninja, getting angry when they start to push themselves in the same way Morro did upon learning about it. It's clear he doesn't want a repeat.

Now, I can't speak for later seasons (I will eventually) but this fear of repeats, his students going down a dark path because they're tempted by power or greatness, losing someone else, likely drives Wu not telling them other important information. That is just a passing thought though.

Final notes:

I'm currently in the process of rewatching S7: Hands of Time. I actually got this ask right after finishing EP68: Scavengers, which opens with Wu having a nightmare. In it, he and Misako are walking outside of Yang's temple. While walking, Misako delivers this line in response to Wu reminiscing about the time they've spent together:

(Source: Scavengers/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

This line, to me, is Wu's subconscious trying to tell him something he needs to hear. It's hinting at what might be his greatest flaw. Wu is haunted by his past, by his mistakes. He finds it difficult to tell others because of both his guilt and his desire to not put that worry upon them. In this very season, he makes the mistake of trying to face his past on his own, and he nearly dies for it.

In the same episode, you see Wu trying to make sure Lloyd doesn't make the same mistakes.

(Source: Prev)

Wu stresses the important of the team. It's as if he sees Lloyd blaming himself for what happened to Wu, sees him doing the same thing Wu has, and is trying to prevent him from doing the same thing. This is further emphasized when, after Wu falls asleep (well, fakes falling asleep), Lloyd says "Wu's mistake was going in alone. So was mine."

Master Wu is, like many characters in this show, someone who is more complex than meets the eye. He is not just a wise, old teacher. He is a man who, throughout his life, has made mistakes and carries the weight of each of them on his shoulders. He is a man who tasks himself with making up for those every day. He is a man who wants better for his students, his family.

Until the day he dies, he will guide and protect his students. And possibly? Even after death too.

[hylianane]

An OFFICIAL Lego x One Piece (Live Action) collab was JUST announced and though I know for now we’ll only get a few build sets, as someone who has played and loved almost every LEGO video-game ENTHUSIAST, I can’t help but PRAY that this opens the door for a One Piece collab game. Genuinely on my knees praying for it fr, in fact here’s my ideas for it:

In my ideal world the story mode would be modeled after the animanga, but since the collab is technically with OPLA, I’ll settle for just the East Blue and Alabasta Saga with each level modeled after an LA episode.

But they could TOTALLY have unlockable levels for arcs that haven’t been adapted yet (or might never be adapted). Similar to how in Lego Marvel you could find hidden Deadpool levels around the overworld, you could run into different manga NPCs that would take you to a level based around the arc they belong to. It remains relatively spoiler-free and optional for LA onlys, but also feeds us greedy anime fans (me).

You could have a little figure of Oda’s fish-man sona play the role of ‘Citizen in Peril’, like Stan Lee and Adam West for the Marvel and DC games. In fact, you could include so many kinda niche but overall fun characters in the game’s roster. Like the little Sunny Klabautermann in Film RED. In terms of unlockable characters, I cant stop thinking about Perona specifically, and how fun her gameplay would be… personalized flight animations where she’s doing her laying down pose…… idols where she hugs a kumashi doll…… oh…. my shayla………

ALSO! You know how, when you’re taken to the over-world between levels, the game will leave a trail of blue coins to tell you where on the map you can start the next level? Have that feature still present when you’re playing Zoro, but have it lead you through a completely different, nonsensical route. It still gets you there but my god.

And keep the trend of videogame Sanji being unable to hit women- with added LEGO heart eyes and twirly animations if you attempt it.

I’ll be thinking about this for the rest of time.

[peoplesrazor]

Sorry for the long screenshot, wanted to get it all in.

Not going to address everything, but wanted it available to view. Also, I have that complete transparency policy thing. I get itchy if I don't post honestly.

Just for edification, I present the real definition of allegory. It goes thusly: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

I have not played Her Tears Were My Light so I cannot speak to that game's allegorical themes. However, the title alone surely hints at hidden meanings. Tears aren't normally described as actual light most of the time. I also know that the characters are Time (the player), Space and Null. That feels like that might not just be a naming convention. I'd have to see someone else's interpretation of it to know for sure, because I don't trust yours, Lily.

Can we just, for once, leave Tolkien out of this. At the end of the day he was a brilliant linguist who created an amazing world for the language he created to live in. He just got tired of beatniks and bohemians getting wasted and going on about Tom Bombadil and trying to add anti-war and environmental messages were he didn't intend them. Either "death of the author" his works and talk about what you see in them, or abide by his wishes and don't bring up those works. Trying to do both is cringe.

The real definition of metaphor: a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

The real definition of a proverb: a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

Every rose has it's thorns is a literally a proverb.

A rose among thorns is the metaphor you were looking for. The rose themes and images around Rose Quartz is this metaphor and not the improperly attributed every rose has it's thorns proverb. But, hey, you were right about it being metaphorical. A metaphorical theme, in fact.

I think you are only half-right about fusions though. This is just my take, mind you. I think the act of fusing; the two component gems coming together, sure, that's just the relationship. But the fusion itself, the way it looks, the way it operates. The actual being with a name like Garnet or Alexandrite or whatever. I think that's the metaphor.

Like Garnet is generally calm and somewhat easy going without being frivolous because the two component gems inside her are a couple who are happy and content to work as one. That reads metaphorical to me.

Lastly, Lily, something can absolutely be explicit in the text, while also being an allegory, a metaphor, a theme, a simile and a dozen other things. It can even be, as I hope I explained with fusion, the exact thing and a metaphor of the thing at the same time. Especially, when part of the audience is expected to be children.

You know who once did a good job discussing the allegory of a show's source material? Mikailia. @that-one-kiddo-in-the-back recently posted about Mikalia's video on Lego Monkie Kid and I'll let that post speak to how she did on the rest of the video, but she understood that Journey to the West is an allegory for the facets of the human mind.

I'm not even going to complain that she probably only knows that because of Overly Sarcastic Productions videos. That's why I know that. I've also never read the source material and am mostly familiar with adaptations. That's an acceptable way to learn something.

See, Lily, you can listen to what other people say, build on that, and not only will people not call you dumb, they might even praise you for your effort.

Works the same with criticism.

Addendum: Look at that, I became Lily's English teacher for a second, anyway. Cleaned it up. Added a few tags.

[askthechronoverse]

This is the dedicated blog for the Chronoverse (chrononaut universe) au.

After Rex Dangervest was defeated and peace was restored to the shared Lego Universe, the queen of the Systar System brought Unikitty to her new kingdom, a place known as the Unikingdom. She made new friends and began to rule over the kingdom for about a year. One of her new friends, a fox by the name of Dr Fox, accidentally used her science to bring back the man who threatened the world a year prior. The return of this potential threat to all brickkind is the catalyst for changes that threaten to shake the world Unikitty is ruling over to its core.

Check in the links list for a synopsis of the rest of the story found in the Chronoverse trilogy of fanfictions.

After a series of events, the gang has settled down. They have lived in harmony and peace for decades and a new generation of adventurers is ready to learn about the world around them.

I do not tolerate hate speech of any kind. Any hateful comments get the block.

I do not want anything to do with TLM shipping culture. There is a specific ship in The Lego Movie fandom that is incredibly divisive. No Chronoverse content contains that ship. The only ships I care to deal with are either established in canon or raptorclip. Keep me out of the shipping drama.

Please tag anything that references Inanimate Insanity or any other Object Show. This isn't a DNI situation. I just don't want to see that fandom for personal reasons.

The person behind the screen doesn’t exist beyond this and occasional administrative posts. I’m here to run a blog for my AU. I will not answer non-AU related questions.

Just be respectful. I block rarely, but I usually only blocked because I don’t want to interact. To me, blocking is defensive.

My upload schedule when actively uploading fics is, unless announced, Friday evenings. I am in Eastern Standard Time.

All uploads are going to be simultaneously released on Tumblr and AO3.

Once the next chapter is uploaded, time moves to reflect that chaper.

Anyone found in the characters section is a viable character to ask questions! Just make sure you put somewhere in your ask which character the question is addressed to. I reblog ask memes to make things easier for people to get involved!

If you're going to reblog these ask memes, either send me an ask if you're re-blogging directly from me or reblog from the source. I will do the same for you.

This blog takes place 25 years after the events of Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. As such, characters may not act like you might expect. I promise I understand the characters I write.

This blog does accept magic anons. However we are also a PG blog. I will not do any m!a or answer any questions that are of a not safe for work nature.

I do also rp! Your interactions change the story.

My tag list is in the links, but the main tag I use for the chronoverse is #thechronoverse or #Chronoverse AU. Not terribly catchy, I know. The Chronoverse is a name for a series of classic video games (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, ect) ad I don’t want to flood their tags with my stuff.

The Players

Tags - tags will contain spoilers.

The Story So Far

Wheel of the Year (uk/sps)

AO3 list

Like this and join my ask network

[steampaul]

i've started a little series of weekly posts documenting every MoC i made (digitally) over the last few years:

Week 10: 2023

for the galaxy explorer, Some GWP ideas, the bricklink designer program,my gripes with an ideas set, being abandoned, some potted blocks, classic defender mini and a bit more Rock Raiders stuff

this is the last week.

i got the 10497 galaxy explorer as a christmas present in 2022 and i wanted to make a base for it. this is of course based on the printed baseplate that was included in the original 928 (or 497) galaxy explorer in 1979. its build atop a 50x50 baseplate.

my first idea of a possible GWP inspired by the trend of GWPs being remakes of older sets, like 40567 forest hideout, 40580 blacktron cruiser, 40601 majisto's magical workshop and 40581 tahu and takua was this MoC.

I chose 7708 Uplink from Exo-Force to base my GWP MoC on even though 7701 Grand titan was my first Exo-Force set (and the first one i got from shop@home), because it's a smaller set and thus more suited as a GWP (also i think that joker hair looks better in purple and would be more fitting as a modern version of the Exo-force rubber hairpieces for Ryo and less for takeshi imho)

the original Tumblr App-icon. but in lego.

i made this to be my current Phone background. the grey greebles are my lockscreen and the Ace flag is my homescreen, so that unlocking my phone imbues the background with colour.

this is my First MoC i posted on Tumblr at the same time i posted it on reddit.

i love 21340 tales from the space age, but i had a few gripes with the added fourth art piece and i felt the need to analyse why exactly i thought it wasn't as good as the others and how i would try to fix it.

Bricklink opened their designer Program to the public with series 1 in that year and i wanted to add something based on one of my favourite MoC ideas i ever had. the abandoned factory i posted back in week 2. i hd the idea of an old, abandoned industrial building that you could give walls using your (probably huge) collection of brick seperators. i cannot remember if i posted it anywhere or not. and why i didn't if i didn't.

yipieeee! it's Tbh, the autism creature. my first MoC iv'e only posted to tumblr.

oh god, this one. someone asked me to build them a MoC based on a house they wanted to buy on zillo. i made it for them, took a bit longer than i thought it would and even though i've been pretty transparent about this, they ghosted me.

oh well.

cheesy brick studios made a Video where he made some minecraft Potted plants inspired by 10329 tiny plants.

this then inspired me to make some bigger versions of (almost) all minecraft potted plants.

40650 creator land rover classic defender released that year and i wanted to make it look more like it's Icons counterpart (10317).

i think it looks nice. even though it is not on par with the 8 wide speed champions sets....

some More Rock raiders!!! this time in the style of another possible GWP, so no neon green or orange, sadly, because those colours were discontinued just as i finished building this MoC.

an who are these little guys?, you might ask. well they're also Rock Raiders MoCs, based on the a little one person Mining transport that i cannot find the reference i used. and i cannot remember what they're called.

this is it. the final week. i have no idea what to do to continue with my MoCs, maybe something yearly? making at least óne MoC every week? i dont know. but i know i'll make a master post sometime later this week where i'll link every one of these Ten weeks.

see ya!

first week last week

[boxturret]

Art Bot

I don't know, I got interested in this guy yesterday, and then when looking it up I...couldn't really find anything? I remember seeing it in catalogs all the time but when I found the set its from it wasn't in the instructions, its only on a CD and even then it didn't actually have full instructions, only a few photos of the build in progress. I couldn't get the CD working but luckily managed to find a video from the CD on youtube that happened to show all the steps for this one, though they were tiny. The only videos I could find on the set also didn't feature this build.

Its an odd feeling, having to build an actually released model that was in catalogs using similar processes to trying to reverse engineer a Voodoo Head. As a kid the RCX stuff seemed like the coolest things ever, so its odd how really obscure and sparsely documented they feel now. The CD image I downloaded that I couldn't get working was only uploaded in the first place by some people trying to preserve stuff to do with lego harry potter of all things. I guess it might have had an ad in there for it?

[imaginethat0327]

Get to know us!

Hey everybody!  IJustLiveHere and I decided it might be kinda nice to share some info about us, so we can all be a little more personal with each other. We each made a little list of stuff we thought might be kinda fun to share :D 

ImagineThat 🦜: 

21 years old, pronouns she/her

Lives in the USA

Loves to sing, and enjoys pretty much all genres of music (from the Oh Hellos to the All-American Rejects, from cinematic instrumental to rap :D)

I’m an ENFJ and an Enneagram 9. My top love languages are Quality Time and Words of Affirmation.

Likes: Chocolate, coffee, sunshine, animals (especially cats and birds!), talking with people, having long, complex conversations, encouraging others, drawing (mostly digital art), all types of food (Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Greek, Halal, Indian, American, Mexican…. It goes on and on), Christmas (THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR), sharing my interests with other people, and watching movies (All the movies, all the movie quotes, lets goooo.) 

Dislikes: Sweet potatoes, most types of squash, mushrooms, disrespect towards others (HUGE pet peeve, especially when it’s directed towards parents or elders), bugs (unless in a documentary), rudeness, hypocrites, cold temperatures, unnecessary/over-the-top gore or crass language (unless I’m writing Bakugo or a character for which swearing is normal for them), horror films (they give me nightmares. I like a good psychological thriller, though) being ignored or otherwise deemed unimportant *sad face*, upsetting others. 

Fav Fandoms: My Hero Academia, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Stranger Things, How to Train Your Dragon (films), Lord of the Rings (films and books), Owl House, Avatar the Last Airbender, Star Trek TNG and DS9, Disney (especially pixar, but like the older movies cause the most recent ones are sorta meh), Marvel (not as much any more, gotta admit, although Guardians of the Galaxy 3 SLAPPED) and Hermitcraft 

Other fun stuff: I have a fairly big family, two dogs, and I’ve moved seven times in my life. I’ve traveled to nearly every US state and several other countries. I know how to passibly juggle, was once on a swim team (my record for breath holding about 4-5 years ago was 2 minutes!), and I rode horses for a while. My personal mission statement for life is to fight cynicism and negative views, always try to be open-minded and wise, and to always keep improving myself. 

IJustLiveHere 🍓:

20, she/they

Based in the USA 

I’m a theater person, and love both acting and working behind the scenes. (Like ImagineThat, I also appreciate all music genres)

INFP and Enneagram type 2. My top love languages are Physical Touch and Quality Time, although I appreciate all of them in my own way

Likes: Video games, dnd (playing and streams), sweet things, watermelon (my favorite fruit -despite what my sona may tell you- and I can eat entire melons in one sitting), snow, pretty much all animals, baking, platonic displays of affection, getting clear directions about something, talking about things I love, and listening to people rant about things they’re passionate about

Dislikes: Horror films (I’m really squeamish unless it’s animated or drawn, and spook super easily), pork and things that sneak food dye into it (allergic and makes me sick), the sun (also makes me sick), hot temperatures (haha makes me sick too), making on the spot decisions, and watching things that give me second-hand embarrassment

Fav Fandoms - Anime/Manga: One Piece, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, Haikyuu, Dr. Stone, Fire Force, Hunter X Hunter, Chainsaw Man, Dorohedoro, Assasination Classroom, Mob Psycho 100, Hell’s Paradise, Kaiju no.8… (a whole lot more but the list would be waaaayyy too long if I added them all. Name it and I most likely will be into it)

Fav Fandoms - Cartoons/Shows: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (but I like the other iterations too), Lego Monkie Kid, Avatar the last Airbender, OG Teen Titans, Marvel (more of a casual fan), Dimension 20 (most definitely not a casual fan… it’s a problem), Critical Role, and Firefly 

Other Fun Stuff: Ok some fun facts about me. [1] I tend to get injured in weird ways. For instance: I once cut myself on the round orange part of a pumpkin, and I've accidentally cut myself on a box cutter… by falling onto it face first. (She also somehow managed to stab herself in the hand with a knife while cutting a bagel, then drop the knife on her foot blade-first -ImagineThat). [2] I also rode horses! It was very fun. Unfortunately I had to stop when COVID rolled around 🙁. [3] My favorite number is 13, mostly because I just think it’s neat but also I was 13 years old when I moved out of my home state. [4] I love to bake, but I honestly know nothing about cooking lol. [5] I am a dice gremlin and have more dnd dice sets than any one person probably should, and the same goes for earrings! I love funky dangly earrings and probably have somewhere in the hundreds of pairs. [6] I want to go to Ren Fair or a Cosplay Convention one day but I don’t have the stylish outfits to do so *sigh*. [7] I honestly had never heard of Hermitcraft or Empires until I started beta-ing for Imagine. I’m hooked on those silly little guys now and even though I don’t actually watch the streams Imagine keeps me updated on everything that goes on with them (which I look forward to hearing every time)

[theyellowroseofsodor]

🎁 I come bearing gift ideas 🎁

- Thomas strikes me as one of those people who has a wishlist of games he’s been meaning to play but hasn’t gotten around to actually buying for himself, and he just keeps adding to it so some of those games have been on that list for years and he’s pretty much forgotten about them being on it at all. So somebody giving him anything on that list would be a pleasant surprise (source: I am one of those people, my friends have done this multiple times)

- Edward seems like the type who’d appreciate something homemade or handcrafted, no matter what it is or how it looks. He’d treasure it because it was made with love and it’s from someone he cares about.

- Henry might appreciate some new gardening tools, like a new trowel or a set of good gardening gloves. Another idea for him is a bulb for an amaryllis, a large lily-like flower that grows well indoors during winter. They’re gorgeous when they bloom, and I’m sure he’d love to help it grow!

- Gordon… is tricky. He seems like the sort to say he doesn’t want/need anything, but you know he’d feel hurt if he didn’t get something meaningful. Personally, I have a headcanon that he really likes butterscotch candy, but that’s not something he goes around telling people. After all, he’s an engine, engines don’t need food, it isn’t proper… but he can’t help popping one in his mouth when he needs a pick-me-up and thinks no one he knows is around to notice. And if a certain someone did notice, well…

- James would probably like things he can use to spoil himself. A specific shade of nail polish from his favorite brand, a warm blanket he can wrap himself in, a pair of nice slippers to wear around the house, things like that.

- Percy is someone I headcanon as being really into Lego. Like, he’s got completed builds set up all over his room and is always on the lookout for a new challenging set to build in his spare time. Can’t go wrong with a cool Lego set for Percy.

- Emily is another tricky one, because she seems like the kind of person who just goes out and gets most of the things she wants herself, just in general. So a good gift for her might be an experience rather than an object; a gift certificate to a new local restaurant, tickets to a concert, vouchers for a spa day, something like that. She’d probably love it even more if it were something she could do with the person who gave her the gift in the first place.

🎁 I put way too much thought into this okay bye 🎁

Oh my gosh, I LOVE these! I don’t know, anon, if you’ve read my fic but I totally made Thomas a video game nerd (also like me) and the idea of getting him a game off his wishlist is BRILLIANT! Like he has a Switch and I’m sure his wishlist is humongous!

Edward is definitely a homemade gift guy, I’m taking that and running with it.

I know nothing about flowers, I could kill a cactus I’m such a bad green thumb. The bulb sounds like something his special someone would know.

OK OK you totally read my mind about Gordon and sweets so I’m gonna run with that one too 😂 but I also think he’d totally tear up with a homemade gift right? Cause he’s all prideful and a bit vain but like actual affection crumbles all the walls. Like he has a lot of good self-esteem but when others genuinely compliment him or make something for him he gets super emotional, but tries to hide it. Oh my gosh, thank you for this brain storming session!

James with like a Minky Couture blanket is now engraved in my mind. That luxury blanket in like a moulin rouge red, oh my Lady I’m living for it.

Percy is totally a LEGO guy! How have I not seen it?? Now I have to find a series to go with it. Like he has to have an entire collection whether it’s Lego City, Star Wars, Harry Potter, LotR, YES!!

Emily having a gift card and a ticket to experience something is also an amazing idea anon, I may need you for future advice because you are brilliant! It is my personal headcanon that Emily loves books. She’s basically Belle from Beauty and the Beast. So, maybe tickets to the theatre? I feel like that would like brighten her world.

Thanks for brainstorming with me anon, this has been amazing! I’m going to start working on it right away but I always welcome more! ♥️💙💜💛💚

[petrorabbit]

I recently decided to watch all Batman movies. Then I saw how many movies that was, and added a bunch of qualifiers. It’s still too many movies but, you know, we do what we can.

I’m going to be posting about each movie after I watch it. I don’t expect this to be interesting to anyone who isn’t me but I might as well document the process. More rambling details under the cut.

The full list of theatrical and direct-to-video movies that feature Batman was 83 movies long, 84 if you count Catwoman (2004) which I do intend to watch for reasons of historical significance even though Batman doesn’t appear in it. For purposes of this list, a movie counts as a Batman movie if Bruce Wayne, or another character acting as Batman, has at least one line of dialogue. Crowd scenes like Space Jam 2 don’t count but baby Bruce in the Joker does. 

The first qualifier that I tried was that I wouldn’t watch anything with a runtime under 1 hour, or anything that was just episodes of a TV show edited together, but this didn’t pare down the list nearly as much as I hoped. I really didn’t want to use different qualifiers for direct-to-video movies versus theatrical releases, but I made it about 10 minutes into Mask of the Phantasm before I was forced to confront the fact that I don’t actually care about Bruce Wayne The Man Himself that much. So for direct-to-video movies, at least one of his children has to be in it as well. Theatrical movies get to skip this requirement because otherwise I wouldn’t be watching uh, almost any of them. 

These qualifiers only mark which movies are mandatory - I’ll probably end up watching a bunch that break these rules, but at least this takes the pressure off a bit lol

I haven’t gone back through and culled the list yet, so here is the full list of 84 movies.

Batman (1943 serial)

New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder (1949 serial)

Batman Dracula (1964 Warhol)

Batman: The Movie (1966 Adam West)

Batman (1989 Keaton)

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman Forever (1995)

Batman & Robin (June 20, 1997)

Subzero (1998)

Return of the Joker (2000)

Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Catwoman (Jul 19, 2004 no batman)

Batman Begins (2005)

The Batman vs. Dracula (2005)

Justice League: The New Frontier (Feb 26, 2018)

Batman: Gotham Knight (July 8, 2008)

The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008)

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (Sep 29, 2009)

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (Feb 23, 2010)

Under the Red Hood (July 27, 2010)

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Sep 28, 2010)

Batman Live (July 19, 2011 stage show)

Batman: Year One (Oct 18, 2011)

Justice League: Doom (Feb 28, 2012)

Holy Musical B@man! (Mar 16, 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (Jul 20, 2012)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 1 (Sept 25, 2012)

The Dark Knight Returns - Part 2 (Jan 29, 2013)

DC Super Heroes Unite (May 21, 2013)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (Jul 30, 2013)

Justice League: War (Jan 21, 2014)

The Lego Movie (Feb 1, 2014)

Son of Batman (Apr 22, 2014)

Assault on Arkham (Jul 25, 2014)

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (Jan 13, 2015)

Batman vs. Robin (Apr 7, 2015)

Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (May 12, 2015)

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (Jul, 21, 2015)

Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem (Aug 18, 2015)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Attack of the Legion of Doom (Aug 25, 2015)

Batman: Bad Blood (Jan 20, 2016)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash (Feb 9, 2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Mar 25, 2016)

Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Mar 29, 2016)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout (June 21, 2016)

Batman: The Killing Joke (Jul 22, 2016)

Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants (Jul 24, 2016)

Suicide Squad (Aug 5, 2016)

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (Oct 6, 2016)

Justice League Dark (Jan 24, 2017)

The Lego Batman Movie (Feb 10, 2017)

Batman and Harley Quinn (July 21, 2017)

Batman vs. Two-Face (Oct 8, 2017)

DC Superheroes vs. Eagle Talon (Oct 21, 2017)

Justice League (Nov 17, 2017)

Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Jan 6, 2018)

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (Jan 12, 2018)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash (Feb 13, 2018)

Batman Ninja (Apr 24, 2018)

The Death of Superman (July 20, 2018)

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (July 22, 2018)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis (July 22, 2018)

Reign of the Supermen (Jan 13, 2019)

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Feb 2, 2019)

Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (Mar 29, 2019)

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mar 31, 2019)

Batman: Hush (Jul 19, 2019)

Lego Batman: Family Matters (Jul 21, 2019)

The Joker (Aug 31, 2019)

Superman: Red Son (Feb 25, 2020)

Lego DC: Shazam!: Magic and Monsters (Apr 28, 2020)

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (May 5, 2020)

Batman: Death in the Family (Oct 13, 2020)

Batman: Soul of the Dragon (Jan 12, 2021)

Zack Snyder's Justice League (Mar 18, 2021)

Injustice (Oct 19, 2021)

Batman: The Long Halloween, Parts 1 and 2 (Jun 22, 2021)

The Batman (Mar 4, 2022 Pattinson)

DC League of Superpets (Jul 22, 2022)

Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (Oct 7, 2022)

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (2022)

The Flash (2023)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

[disappointingyet]

Piece By Piece

Director Morgan Neville Stars Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo USA 2024 Language English 1hr 33mins Colour 

Brilliant gimmick adds magic to otherwise standard pop doc 

Quick two-part question:

a) Do you find the idea of Missy Elliott or Snoop Dogg rendered in Lego computer animation inherently delightful?

b) Are you reasonably tolerant of documentaries about musicians? 

If you answered yes to both, you might be the audience for this film.

According to Piece By Piece itself, director Morgan Neville had pitched a standard doc, and it was Pharrell who suggested the story would be best told using Lego, or rather the computer animated version of it.

And certainly, if this had been filmed in a trad manner, I wouldn’t have bothered seeing it. There’s nothing that compelling about the history of Pharrell’s life and work… But make these Lego characters and suddenly, it’s all massively cute and, just as importantly, the film is free to recreate the memories that Pharrell, his friends and collaborators are sharing. 

Which means we can watch a Stevie Wonder record trigger Pharrell’s synaesthesia or a marching band entering the high school canteen. And that during the inevitably duller chunk after Pharrell has made it big, at least we get famous videos recreated in Lego-style and that’s usually fun.*

As with any authorised story, some people or events are noticeably absent. One is Kelis – her debut album was a big moment for The Neptunes (the production duo of Pharrell and Chad Hugo). They had worked on some high-profile singles but this was a whole, very distinctive LP. Turns out Kelis accused Pharrell of the classic shady music biz of adding his name to the credits of songs he didn’t write. So that explains her absence from the film.

Then there’s the question of at what point Pharrell became the headline act. Because all the famous production work – Britney’s I’m A Slave 4 U, Snoop’s Drop It Like It’s Hot, the Jay-Z stuff, the Justin Timberlake stuff – is credited to The Neptunes. And when they put out their own music, it was as N.E.R.D. Even Pharrell’s first solo single – Frontin’ – came from an album billed as The Neptunes Present…

But because Pharrell sang falsetto hooks on a lot of those productions, he happened to be/got himself prominently featured in the videos while Chad stuck to a more traditional back-room role. And so a lot of the artists interviewed here talk about working with Pharrell, rather than The Neptunes. We don’t hear Chad’s thoughts on that – but presumably after his interviews for Piece By Piece were done, he sued Pharrell, accusing him of making a trademark grab.

So the new music for the film is unadulterated Pharrell and it’s really not good. Charitably you might say occasionally it leans towards Todd Rundgren but more often it’s Elton John at his gloopiest. 

But the basic conceit of the film – showing us a childhood in a seaside city and then the hip-hop/r’n’b world of the 1990s/2000s as it would have looked in Lego – remains a winner, especially when it’s at its most Legoish, eg, the way waves washing in and out on the beach are depicted. And, yes, that’s rather delightful.

*Although not as fun as watching bands performing recreated with actual Lego?

[321spongebolt]

"Mii Nintendo World" Video Game idea

With Nintendo planning to release their next console sometime between next year or 2026, I have this idea for something Nintendo could do. Like how the PlayStation 5 gave us "Astro's Playroom" as a free game built into the console, maybe Nintendo could have a free game built in to their upcoming console.

TITLE

"Mii Nintendo World"

ESRB RATING

Probably E or E10+, you decide.

PREMISE

You can play as your Mii created from the Mii Channel and put them in your little play zone. Depending on the games you play (particularly 1st party titles by Nintendo, with some 3rd party titles supported.), you can unlock assets from those games to create your own game just like the "Disney Infinity" trilogy, Xbox One's "Project Spark", PlayStation 4's "Dreams", and maybe even "Minecraft".

AMIIBO SUPPORT

Unlike "Skylanders", "Disney Infinity", and "Lego Dimensions" which all required figures to play as them in-game by putting them on a portal, the use of Amiibo figures from the Wii U and Switch era are completely optional. Maybe it's possible they could unlock exclusive assets (like Invincibility Cat Mario from "Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury", which could give your Mii the cat suit that would make them permanently invincible. Just as an example.) or even just costumes and assets based on those characters (ex. The "Banjo-Kazooie" Amiibo from "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" unlocking the two N64 games' themes and assets, the Sora Amiibo from "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" unlocking the Keyblade as a weapon, any of the Diddy Kong Amiibos unlock the Rocket Barrel Pack as a pack that grants players flight mode, the Charizard Amiibo from "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" allowing him to be an unlockable mount to ride on and fly over your custom levels with, etc.). But you can still purchase assets, themes, and other in-game content the normal way by spending Nintendo Achievement points (which I'll get to later).

IF NINTENDO HAS AN ACHIEVEMENT SYSTEM FOR THEIR NEXT CONSOLE

Unlike what we've seen from the PlayStation's trophy system and the Xbox's achievement system, I was thinking that Nintendo's achievement system would be different than those two by unlocking free points you can spend at the eShop or the online service for purchasing Virtual Console titles like NES, Super NES, the Game Boy lineup, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, and (hopefully) Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Wii U, and 3DS/2DS.

I wasn't sure if they should be ranked by Super Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, and 1-Up Mushroom, or if different Mario power-ups should be used instead as far as ranks. I know for rare achievements on the Xbox consoles, they play a harmonious version of the achievement sound.

Achievement points unlocked from games can also be used for "Mii Nintendo World" by spending them at some in-game shop full of content available for purchase. Adding eShop money you bought at general retailers works as good too. The points can be spent on 1st party content like costumes with and without special abilities, vehicles, mounts, enemies, hazards, and also tools and packs.

LOCAL AND ONLINE PLAY

"Mii Nintendo World" can be played locally in 4-Player split-screen co-op, allowing 3 other players to help you build your own sandbox level or 2D platforming level, depending on your preference.

Like "Minecraft", "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate", and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe", I was thinking the game could support up to either 8, 12, or 16 players for online play depending on the capacity the system would have.

This is all I can think of for right now, but hopefully you guys understand where I'm going with this. As ambitious as this might be, I'm kinda hoping someone from Nintendo will read this post an get idea on what to do with my concept.

[tejkamble]

Industry Practice 9

I was really amazed by this post, "Building a Mediaeval Castle with 3ds Max, Substance 3D Painter, and Unreal Engine 5"! It delves deeply into the construction process of this amazing mediaeval castle, from the first concept to the final product in the game. Being an art enthusiast and a game designer (particularly of open-world games), I was eager to see how they accomplished it all.

I was really interested in how they combined a number of different programmes, sort of like Legos for grownups! They made use of Unreal Engine 5, Substance 3D Painter, and 3ds Max. Because each one of them had a unique ability, when combined, they were able to build this amazing-looking fortress far more quickly than if they had done it by hand. It piques my curiosity to find out more about these instruments and how I may use them to my own work!

The most amazing feature of this castle is how lifelike it appears. Like any authentic mediaeval builder, they were extremely meticulous. Everything appears to be from that era, from the enormous walls to the minute engravings on the stones. It gives you the impression that you are actually there, exploring a genuine castle. I want to instill the same kind of commitment to accuracy in my own gaming worlds.

The textures of the castle were painted using a programme called Substance 3D Painter. It's far more detailed than giving the castle a skin. They might create a rusted appearance for the metal, a worn-out look for the stone, and any combination in between. The little touches are what give the castle a more authentic sense than merely a large model. This inspires me to study more about Substance 3D Painter in order to achieve that level of realism in my own works.

The final piece of the jigsaw is how the castle was able to have a realistic feel thanks to Unreal Engine 5. The warm glow of torches and the way shadows extend from the tall towers are examples of the lights and shadows they added. It really alters the atmosphere of the location. It's now more than simply a model; you may enter and explore this environment. I want to get really good at using lighting to create that type of wonder in my own game designs.

The amount of skill and effort that goes into creating the incredible settings we see in video games is demonstrated in this article, "Building a Mediaeval Castle in 3ds Max, Substance 3D Painter & Unreal Engine 5." They created a castle that is mind-blowing and a testament to what can be accomplished by drawing inspiration from history and utilising the newest techniques. Projects like these will serve as motivation for me as a game artist as I continue to learn and develop. They encourage me to build even more immersive environments that gamers won't soon forget.

Reference: Aisa, H. (2022b, August 3). Creating a medieval castle in 3DS Max, Substance 3D Painter & Unreal Engine 5. https://80.lv/articles/creating-a-medieval-castle-in-3ds-max-substance-3d-painter-unreal-engine-5/

[notasocialismjoke]

t-break: day 2, somehow

wrote up all of yesterday's at once, instead gonna add to this as a draft throughout the day and post before going to sleep (if i remember to)

head still feels foggy. not quite in the same way as yesterday? depersonalization isn't as bad at least. i've also been really badly dehydrated as a result of how much weed i'd been having so i've been guzzling water. idk what effect it's having.

already extended my k-safe's timer until tomorrow evening so i'm forced off until then i guess.

idk if i'll still keep it up past then. this is my second t-break attempt since starting this blog and i was going to post a log for the last one and didn't bc i figured i'd get to day 3 and then false alarm! t-break cancelled! maybe actually making posts about it will help me commit, idk.

had a dream last night - the shed in my backyard had been extended into a full house. at another point there was a dragon i was fighting? in the sky, and for some reason it had to assemble at the start of the fight??? and i tried to kill it before it attached its front legs so the fight would be easier because it coildn't fly as fast????? idfk

having trouble eating, probably not helped by the fact that i'm using phentermine for adhd at the moment and it's an anorectic lol

no idea if it's weed related or not but for the life of me i can't get to the right fucking temperature. always just too hot and i'm sweating or just too cold and i'm chilly.

cravings are stronger today than yesterday. extended my k-safe's timer by a day in response, so now it opens tomorrow night. too fuckin scared to lock it longer than that.

fucking adding to it through out the day lol ALREADY WROTE THAT DUMBASS. case in point: memory's still pretty fucked, brain's still too foggy.

i also stopped drinking coffee about a week ago and thank fuck, no withdrawals that i can discern (furious wood-knocking). anytime in the past i've stopped caffeine i've gotten brutal migraines and nausea, probably the worst kind of drug withdrawal i've had.

the thing that really... messes with me? scares me? is that i've seen a bunch of people repeat that while a good chunk of the brain fog should clear up within a few weeks, it takes months for it to go away it's entirety and... just the thought that it will take half a year or longer? and i don't know how much of this i'm going to have to feel until then?

i added another day to my k-safe. as in it's at two days now, this isn't just me forgetting that i mentioned it already again. it now opens monday night (today being saturday.)

might skip my adhd meds tomorrow, see if it makes eating any easier

...not sure i feel like this is definitely going to end prematurely? probably will but like... it doesn't feel like a forgone conclusion

saw a new video was up in a youtube series i'm watching (brickcrafts's lego city) and managed to correctly guess that i'd missed a video bc it had been too long since i last remembered seeing one and, fuck me that's a little bit of hope.

[squidthesquidd]

haha what if i used this post to liveblog the making of the vid

haha just kidding.... unless

update 1: currently recording subway sounds 😎😎😎😎😎 taking forever cus itll be four hours long or so

also can imovie upload four hour videos??? will i go insane???

update 2: i am just sitting here not doing anything recording train sounds. i just want to add the voice lines already!!! but i gotta get train sounds!! aaaagh!!

Update 3: finally done recording the train sounds!!!! now time to get the boys voicelines 😎 might do the soundtrack first tho

update 4: desperately searching for a clean voice line of emmet and ingo saying “all aboard” together

update 5: got the voiceline, now im just adding a couple random ones throughout the vi

update 6: taking a break to do legos cus i dont have the attention span for this

Update 7: finished the lego 😎 now onto collecting Ingo voice lines to use!!

Update 8: uuaaaaghh having problems with parts of the train audio skipping a bit,, im just gonna cover those parts with pokemon sounds

Update 9: adding joltik sounds absolutely everywhere

Update 10: downloading just a crap ton of pokemon sounds rn

Update 11: exporting the wip so i can listen to it on my phone. its taking forever :(

Update 12: its done!!!! now i just gotta figure out how to upload it

hey what if i made a several hour “youre on a train in gear station” ambience video with emmet and ingos voicelines and faint pokemon calls and the subway theme

what if i did that

who wants this please tell me im not the only one that wants this