#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.

[zedreh]

I said in my description that I plan to do stop-motion videos on YouTube. So I kinda want to actually talk about that.

I mostly want to do fanfilms/fanseries on Marvel and DC, and I've been working on them for some time. I don't have much out besides a short that sort of acts like a screen test. I'm still working on writing and getting the things I need to make them. But I wanted to share a few of the things I'm using for my Batman projects. I take pride in them and would like to share them and some of my thought process on everything.

First, we have my work in progress, Batcave moc. I wanted something very simple that could be easy to film in and moved if needed. I also intend to tell as much as Batman's history, as I reasonably can, so I made designed it so that things can easily be taken away or added. Here, we have a very simple setup, with the Batcomputer (I intend to add more screens), a table/desk next to it, a space for the Batsuit, and next to it, a display case for Joe Chill's gun.

Next, we have my Batmobile moc. As you can tell by looking at it, the design from the Animated Series was a bit of an influence for it, yet it's still also doing its own thing. Which is sort of something I aim for as a whole with my Batman projects, mostly in tone and style. I also built it to seat two minifigures and gave it a trunk.

As you can see, here we have Bruce Wayne and Alfred. With Bruce, I just used the same head and hair combo from the 2012 batcave set and a plain black torso and dark bluish gray legs. I based it on one of the TNBA designs. Alfred is just the Lego Batman Movie minifigure.

Pictured next are classic Batman, Alfred again, Robin (Jason Todd), Nightwing, and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon). Batman is the 2012 gray suit minifigure, with the blue swapped out for black. My reasons for this were one, as a B:TAS reference, and two the UCS Adam West Batmobile had yet to come out, so dual molded gray/dark blue legs didn't exist yet (although now I want to use them instead). I intend to have Jason wear the same outfit as Dick, just like he originally did. The difference is that Dick will use the 2012 head and hair Tim had. Nightwing the minifigure that came with Gotham City Breakout, but with different hair. If I get get a Disco-wing suit, he'll start out in that and eventually change to this one. I'm also considering a different hair piece (I am genuinely considering bringing back his mullet). I'm not sure about my current Batgirl. Currently, it's using the Lego Batman Movie minifigure to resemble her purple outfits, but I might swap for her black or gray ones. Also pictured is Jason's memorial. Like Chill's gun, I placed it next to the Batsuit display. The idea is that every time Bruce puts on his suit, he wants to be reminded of both the reason he became Batman and what he considers his greatest failure.

Then, in this one, there's Nightwing again, iconic gray and black Batman, Robin (Tim Drake), and my work in progress Batgirl (Cassandra Cain). The accessory pack Batman was basically perfect, I just prefer the longer eared cowl. I also thought to have it, so as time goes on, Batman changes his suit every now and then, starting with his first appearance outfit then progressing through various other looks he's had over the years. Tim has a Jokerland Robin torso, but I might swap it for the original Robin torso if I can get one. His legs are CMF Aquaman legs with the printing removed. The current all black cape is temporary, I'm debating if I want to go black with yellow lining or full yellow. Cass is a work in progress/ stand-in. The torso is temporary until I can get or make one based on her actual outfit, and given the less pronounced nose of her mask, I feel a different one may be better. Like a modified version of one of the official Batgirl masks. Ideally, I'd just get the Batbricks Silent Bat minifigure, but I can't seem to find that for sale anywhere.

I've also done a short that has been uploaded to YouTube. It could be considered something of a pilot, I suppose. I feel it could be better, but I think it's still alright.

I hope people enjoy this post, and if anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to give them.

[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.

[styrmwb]

I Beat ENA: Dream BBQ (for now)

I AM DRATULA

2025 might be the year I have played the most indie games, ever. I almost feel like I'm padding my "games beaten" list at this point.

Anyways: ENA. I remember watching the videos a while back, getting it in my recommended list on youtube, and I had two thoughts: 1. This is weird as shit what the fuck is going on; and 2: This feels like a video game

Well, lo and behold, a game is real! While I wouldn't say I was like, actively looking forward to it, I was quite surprised and happy to hear that it dropped, and it was something that I wanted to get my hands on, even after watching a friend play it. It's not a long experience, as it only took me a couple hours to beat it, and a little over 6 to 100% it, but it IS only the first of a few chapters.

WHAT is this (+ Gameplay)

You ever seen LSD: Dream Emulator? Imagine that, with quests, talkable NPCs, and an equally confusing story. That's what ENA is. I remember when I first watched the videos (I believe I first saw Extinction Party) my thoughts started at the egglikes Vinny Vinesauce used to play YEARS back, just very strange walking simulator, OCCASIONALLY interrupted by a CD-I cutscene; animation splayed over the 3D landscape. Playing Dream BBQ, it feels like just that. To make it more of a game, they also added in quests, and multiple paths, on top of just exploring the world and meeting the wacky characters. I think they successfully translated the feel of the videos into video game form, plus extra. Which is funny, cause the videos had video game feel. It's like a weird, reverse engineering or something. Reminds me of my favorite game: LEGO Prince of Persia: The Game. The video game based off the toy set based off the movie based off the video game.

Because of what the videos are, and how the video game managed to translate that, while the gameplay might be simple, it's EXACTLY what I expected, in a good way. The multiple paths and how they intersect, as well as the openness of the world leading to you Not necessarily having to start quests before you can progress them leads to quite a bit of replayability, which is only enhanced by the achievements and supporter edition collectables. Speaking of...

Bonus Content

There's a certain vibe Undertale has. You remember all of the odd secrets, like Gaster, or hallways that would only sometimes appear? That same vibe is what Dream BBQ's achievements and collectables give off in how they work. You're probably never going to get most of the achievements in a first, casual playthrough because of how WEIRD and SPECIFIC they are; and the collectables are usually hidden in very strange corners of the world, some that are a little more reasonable, others that are just like... WHY would you go there. For a game like this, it's perfect. Even if I got really frustrated at some of the parkour needed, or how some bits are just like "stare at the roof for 10 actual real life minutes". It's incredible what game devs can have players do with the promise of achievements. "Please jump off the edge of the map multiple times until a dog randomly appears" < statements generated by the absolutely insane

Beyond the Gameplay

I'm hesitant to just call this section "story", since I can't really do a deep dive in how the story was written or anything. ENA is a very artistic series, and the game is no different. It's not very... straightforward. It is, kinda in a way. It's enough for you to be able to follow everything to play the game. I'm not really sure exactly how to say it, but there's more than what's just said, and it's up to you to interpret it. Kinda like other indie projects that might get eaten up by Game Theory, there MIGHT be implied "lore?" behind everything, and other bits might be like more traditional art, where the meaning depends on the consumer (player in this case). That's part of the fun of the videos. That's part of the fun of the game.

The plot is centered around finding "THE BOSS". Many people exclaim they are THE BOSS, before being denied said title, and we learn to get to THE BOSS, we gotta find these genies to clear away the smoke blocking the island THE BOSS is on. I think that's as simple as I can make it. Chapter 1, which we have access to, is centered around finding one of what seems to be 3 genies. Here comes the part where it gets weirder. The genie is the bathroom. The bathroom has many lines where it sounds like a religious experience. There are people searching for the bathroom, which you need to create life to get to, but others go to a party known as the purge event where they turn into dog creatures and get eaten, where if you do this and take the wrong path the g-bathroom is dead. Make sense? No? Awesome. But there's meaning here! Even if I'm not smart enough to get all of it! When you reach the genie the right way, she gives you a desire. There is the correct option of clearing the smoke, but the others are asking for forgiveness, for happiness. And she speaks like a church chant. The bathroom has 2 stalls with a confessional window. The whole thing clearly is an allegory for like, seeking forgiveness, what people do to find god (the bathroom), how going down the wrong path LITERALLY makes it so you cannot get forgiveness. I'm not the person to really deep dive this, that's Game Theory's job, but there is something here for interpreting art, and that's kinda awesome. It's also why I can't really be traditional about talking about the story. Something I'm very interested to see if the next chapters expand on are the themes of war; how ENA seems to be connected to being an east Asian war veteran? The outfit, the intro seeming like a bombed village, some of the music, how everyone seems to absolutely hate her (even the genie saying she does not deserve forgiveness). There's something here for both in-universe lore, and what it artistically represents. Something about the horrors of war, something about the pain a soldier inflicts and what that does to them, as well as what others think of that. They're cooking something.

Very Strange Characters

Here's something I can be a little more confident on talking about. The cast of idiots this world is inhabited with. 70% of the joy of this game is walking around and talking to new weirdos. I won't talk about Everyone, cause that's... a lot. But I'll mention some of my favorites.

ENA is a different entity than the ones in the videos, being part salesperson and part "meanie"; but the base concept of the character remains and is still just as enjoyable. I really like her visual design, especially that strange "realistic" form; curious to see where they go with it.

Froggy is a very fun support character; mostly his voice acting and animation style is what gets me. He looks 90% smoother than anything else and it's slightly unsettling but in an awesome way. Can't wait to go get beers with him after work

DRATULA! 1: he's funny. I love how annoyed Froggy gets with his constant insistence that he is Dratula. 2: my mans is voiced by Vinny Vinesauce himself, and that's half the joy I get from this character

The fucking CD-I Shaman that lives inside the seal house is the best character in the game. His voice acting is outstanding, he's essentially a literal representation of what I think of when I think this series, and he's Quite Funny (as well as like, the only dude nice to ENA)

There is a secret character hidden behind a wall. A blue polygonal gorilla named Nonkey Jong; he has like, over 100 lines of dialogue, and an achievement if you read them all. He Talks Like This All The Time And It Is Very Funny His full name is very special, and his life story is fascinating.

I think the last character I really have any kind of large opinion on is Theodora, the gen[bathroom]ie. Such a cool representation of a godly figure, with her speaking greek in like a... church-y choir style? I have no idea what the word is and my light googling didn't help, but it really adds to that religious vibe. The creepily smooth animation when it shows her full statue form, with the hollow eyes is some of my favorite animation in the entire game.

All of the characters in this game are very creative, each with a (mostly) unique animation style, each speaking a different language; it's weird, it's enthralling, it's amazing.

Art and Music

I mean, as I've said, the art of this game, both literally and... educationally? interpretationally? metaphorically? is the most important part of the game. I'd say it IS the reason to play it. I feel like I've already pretty much said how special the visuals of the game are, but just to kinda summarize, I love the fusion of 3D and 2D, I love the wide variety of animation styles, the vastly different landscapes and textures used; it's a chaotic mishmash, and it works.

The music I believe is made by the same people that made the tracks for the videos, and their work is still very good. It's just as all over the place as the visuals are, yet still matches the vibes perfectly. I'm quite partial to the title screen, the music that plays as you climb up to the bathroom, the music that plays in Seal House that sounds like Zelda and increases the similarities, and the song that plays in the dying area post turning off the smoke (that's also a callback to the first video Auction Day)

All It Takes Is A Place And The Right Food

My 4th indie game in a year; what have I become?

This was a "simple" experience, but one I quite enjoyed. Honestly, the main complaint I had is I didn't think it was a Deltarune situation going in, and I was kinda sad it ended where it did. I'm excited for the rest of the game to be opened up. A good short walking simulator with lots to explore is good for the soul.

I'm glad that an actual video game was finally made; it feels like this was the inevitable direction with how playable the videos felt. I linked two of em up above, but also check out Temptation Stairway (the longest one) and Power of Potluck, the last two videos. You'll get the vibes of the game right by watching them, honestly.

10/10. A perfect playable representation of some very, very strange videos. I just wish more was available now.

[askthechronoverse]

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.

Wanna read the story for yourself?

(If you are on mobile, click here)

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.

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.

I rp! Your interactions change the story.

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 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.

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

Mobile AU designator list

Every Little Thing That You Do... is ALWAYS gonna come back to you.

Rob (@robsreallyossumblog) won the annual Bunny Day egg hunt... somehow? His wish has sent the whole Chronoverse, except robots and RJ, into Undar.

RJ's quick thinking saved the universe, but he didn't appreciate the attack on his home turf. Now he and Batman (@supercoolbatmansblog123) are going to find Rob and confront him.

________________

Doctor Fox is building a body for an anon and helping the Lucy of another world hopefully find her Emmet by seeing if he's in the Emmetverse.

Richard is currently has a female body and acting president for @officialoctan .

[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?

[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! ♥️💙💜💛💚

[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.

[thenonbinarydetective]

As I've said/supported before, Barbara shouldn't be Batgirl. And Gotham Knights shouldn't have had her be Batgirl, as it falls into the ableist trope.

However, I do understand why she is Batgirl in this game. She is the most recognizable Batgirl to the general audience. This is where we lose some people because this game is not actually meant for just batman/batfam fans like some people believe. It's meant for anyone remotely interested in buying video games, like every other video game in existence. I know some people might find that condescending, but I don't mean it that way. It's important to remember who buys video games, even specifically "Batman" ones.

Meaning they made the safe bet because money is the driving force. Barbara is a safe bet. But honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a bet they didn't have much of choice in making. Either because it's not really made by an independent studio or evaluating the loss between a number of fans not purchasing a game because of Barbara no longer being a full-time wheelchair user and the number of potential buyers not wanting to buy a "Batman-oriented" game while not knowing who any of the characters are. Additionally, the potential strain of resources in adding more than the current cast of characters we have. They settled on the safest, known characters attached to Batman, probably for monetary reasons.

That being said, Cass and Steph could've been good additions to this game. I don't think Duke would have; he is still too new. The batgirls here have more of a footing and deserve to exist in more than just Scribblenauts and LEGO Batman games. However, I can see how introducing them with Batman might be a better bet for all three of them than Gotham Knights ever would have been. It creates an association for the general audience, which is more important to developers than specifically Batman fans (the general audience is larger and gives more money). Yes, they should be used more in games for more recognition, but for that idea to succeed, there needs to be a plan that actually promises audience growth.

People are allowed to have boundaries towards the reliance on an ableist trope and dislike the game for it.

People are also allowed to acknowledge that Barbara Gordon in Gotham Knights is still a disabled character and the fact that they worked with a charity focused on disabled representation in gaming (AbleGaming) to represent spinal disabilities in a respectful/realistic way that isn't relying upon on "magical/scientific cures."

Wheelchair users are valid for being upset that Barbara Gordon isn't one as well, the same way that people with other disabilities can still feel represented by this version.

None of these things are mutually exclusive and can exist at the same time.

Me being able to rationalize their actions doesn't mean that I agree with everything they do, as I have shown in the past. I just don't believe that a piece of media or a studio is unsalvageable or irredeemably evil for falling into a bad trope. Media is flawed. This constantly happens. If we view media that way, then we'd have to abandon literally every piece of media in existence.

Me acknowledging that the game made an effort to include aspects of disability doesn't mean that I don't believe there are no ableist aspects to this game. That's just a stupid assumption.

People are also flawed. Playing Gotham Knights, someone isn't a terrible evil person who is irredeemable and should die. That isn't a productive view. People can recognize how they interact with media and address how it exists in their lives and the lives of others.

This article has a pretty good explanation of how I feel and how some others feel. I've basically paraphrased it multiple times: https://halfglassgaming.com/2022/08/gotham-knights-lets-talk-about-barbara-gordons-spine/.

I won't say more because I don't have much more words than there are multiple ways to look at things other than everything is either fully correct/good or wrong/evil. It's fine to acknowledge that things can exist in a combination of multiple factors, and morality is something defined by each individual human.