#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.

[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.

[cristal-m-3-th]

I think there might be an option for those who don't want to pay for the watcher streaming service.(Like me)

LET'S COMMIT PIRACY

Reason 1: piracy is free.

Reason 2: the watcher streaming service is stupid.

Reason 3: those stupid mother fuckers aren't letting paying users share passwords with more than three devices.

Reason 4: it's fun being a pirate. (Yargh)

How do we commit piracy?

First method:

There are a lot of methods and forms of piracy. I mean, there's a whole reddit dedicated to piracy. Personally I use a third party browser, an ad block, and a VPN when I watch shows. There are websites that host "definitely paid content" I literally use three of them. (And yes I am gatekeeping these websites, I've seen what happens when they get distributed. Mainly through tiktok.)

So, first method (summarized)

Third party browser

Ad block

VPN

Readily available piracy websites.

Pros:

It's easy!

Cons:

Pesky pop up ads! (I'm not interested in boobs or hot women in my area! I just want to re-watch Bob's burgers!)

There's a heightened risk of obtaining a virus on your device.

Second method:

The second method is a little easier and has a reduced risk of downloading a virus on your device.

Google drive video downloads.

So I found out about this method back in 2022 when I was trying to find a way to watch season 3 of Lego monkie kid early. (I know it's cringe and embarrassing) Basically, on the monkie kid Reddit, there were users distributing a Google drive file with all the season 3 lmk episodes, I downloaded the file and watched all the episodes. I would consider this method pretty risk free since it involves downloading content (in this case the pay walled watcher content) and uploading it to a Google drive. The only con I can think about in regards to this method is the potential lack of constant updates.

So, the second method (summarized)

Google drive file

Download videos from streaming service.

Upload downloaded videos to the Google drive file.

Distribute the Google drive among interested users/viewers.

Pros:

Reduced risk of obtaining a virus on your device! :D (yippee!)

Reduced watcher streaming service profits! (This reason can apply to both methods)

Cons:

Potential lack of constant updates. (This can probably be avoided if the Google drive is treated as a community effort among users.)

Anyways, just in case the FBI or whatever monitors Tumblr sees this, this is just a satirical post, I have never committed piracy. I pay for all the content I watch. This post is quite literally a written yapping session.

[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

On Blog Plots

AO3 list

Like this and join my ask network

[somelegobird]

Jackdaw(s) at Lego Land real not clickbait

this was a sign, my arrival was predicted there were so many jackdaws i loved it

I'm not gonna share all of my photos since I'm at a 30 image limit and I don't really wanna share everything, just know I had a very fun time

Lots of images below, added a cut so as to not clog if you don't wanna see

I took my Cole plush with me

That last one is him climing on something called "Cole's Rock Climb", by the end of the day it was quite empty and going across it was very fun. It was quite small though, since majority of the other kids there were, like, 10 lol and there I was, going to LegoLand for my 18th birthday,,,

The way I saw where the Ninjago area was was via this laughing Wu, he looks strange here

We went on the Ninjago Ride, it was very fun, though we waited 45 minutes for a ~5 minute experience lol, all of those images are from waiting. Standing in the line also made me really want a red paper lantern of that kind for the big light in my bedroom. I never use my big light, so I might as well do something cool with it.

I also took a 2 minute video of the ride, but:

I don't know the rules on posting videos of rides like this

It has my voice in it and I don't want that to be public at this point in time

In the outside section, they were just playing Ninjago episodes. I correctly identified an episode as s1ep12 and I was so proud. Still am

The general area had me jumping from foot to foot, I was so happy

The boyfriends <33

Me with the green guy that I project a totally healthy amount of myself onto (my outfit was inspired by him hehe)

Also seeing Ninjargon made almost squeal! Dragon Power!!! Hell yeah!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna reblog later with the loot I got, yesterday was very exciting and I still need to cool off lol

[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.

[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! ♥️💙💜💛💚

[stellawolfe30]

How does one join a fandom space on here? Asking cause I'm not very good at socializing, I mean I reblog but most of my commentary is in the tags cause I don't want to be rude. I want to start creating stuff but I don't know if it's going to be any good. You don't have to answer this if you don't want to

So heres how tumblr works ,theres no algorithm.

actually well there is. You.

you make your space, to join a fandom space you follow people, you reblog things. its a community where we pass things from one person to the other. you look through notes of other posts to find accounts that reblog alot.

some people dont reblog alot and some people do, this main account of mine here is a reblog account. i reblog a bunhc of stuff all the time. it helps push posts (especially posts that took alot of hard working making like art,writing videos stuff like that)

Reblogs>likes isnt entirely true. people say seeing more likes then reblogsis disheartening but onlt because the reblog button is the algorithm. the like button is nice and everything but the reblog button is what pushes posts through this site. so even if u dont have any comments to add in the tags pressing that reblog button doesnt hurt either

comments in the tags are in my opinion the best way to send ur opinion on something, there are comments under a post as well in the notes but adding commentary on the post as well isnt rude actually. i'd say. when you have something to add to the conversation add ur own post below it if its compliments then the tags are best for that.

then again im sure youve heard all about that from other tumblr users

its also interacting with people outside of reblogs and likes. likes asks. exactly what ur doing here, asks are imo the best thing on tumblr, i like sending and recieving them. its a fun way to interact with creators on here and sometimes you make some really cool friends. hell i adopted like three brothers on here bc i kept sending em asks and then they stormed into my dm's *cough* Kai-sand *cough*

regarding your content.

GO FOR IT.

post it, i bet you anything someone on here is going to like it. just dont look at the numbers. ignore them. tumblr is slowbc theres no algorithm and its hard for blogs with no followers to gain followers and activity on ur blog.

but once people start rebloggging ur stuff its spread with thier followers and then more ppl see it.

so your blog might stat off slow not bc ur content isnt good but bc tumblr is slow for new blogs. hell even my blogs get slow from time to time.

so go for it man! im sure your content is great and if anything it will improve as time goes on, just dont focus on numbers too much. its nice to see people like it but dont make that ur main focus. make it bc your passionate about it and want to make it. my entire lmk (lego monkie kid) blog is stuff i made for myself and decided to post. people just happened to like it :)

anyways yeah, dont be afraid to reblog, send asks, or post your content. you never know whats gonna happen. i certainly never guessed id make a bunch of friends just through a bunch of asks or fanart i made for them (this doesnt always happen)

sooooooooo yeah, have fun, interact with people. especially creatives. also make sure to look for FAQ links in thier blogs. for boundries cause some ppl might not be looking for friends.

let it happen, dont force it.

aaaaaaaaaaaaand yeah thats all i got for ya.

the fandom space you choose is curated by you, so use the tools tumblr gives you and make it. also if u like a specific topic you can find the tags in the post like for example i like lego monkie kid.

I find a post with lego monkie kid in it and look through the tags. then click on #lego monkie kid.

that takes you to a page with ALL kinds of lmk content tagged with that and then on the right side you can choose the option to follow that tag and then tumblr will show u stuff from that tag from time to time. you can follow as many as you want.

there ya go all my knowledge for tumblr fandoms. and remember to have fun!

[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)

[an-aussie-button-masher]

A Whole New (Open) World - Five of the Best Open-World Maps in Games

   The best stories give you a sense of adventure and discovery, and no medium can sell that feeling better than video games. Controlling your character in their journey and deciding their course on your own is the next best thing to actually being there yourself, and it’s in open-world games that this feeling really shines. Exploration is the name of the game here, with the best open worlds being vast and full of content to discover. What could be hidden around this corner? Or up that mountain? It’s easy to get lost in these grand adventurous maps, and that’s why I’ve gathered up a handful of great examples of the best open worlds in gaming. Sit back and enjoy the journey!

Sable    Do you like the idea of driving around the outback just to see where you could end up, but would rather do it from the comfort of your own home? Sable is the game for you. The game is just about you, your bike, and the vast open desert. It’s as relaxing and non-linear as it gets, and the desert itself has enough variety in the environment to avoid feeling same-y. There are a handful of side missions to carry you between the small settlements scattered about, as well as collectables that are spread out across the map without being too hard to find. Climbing up the sheer cliffs and mountains dotting the desert is incredibly impressive and satisfying, and gliding safely down to the ground is a great way to scout out new locations to investigate. There’s also plenty of cool lore and worldbuilding spread throughout the game, making Sable both a relaxing and fascinating open world to explore at your own pace.

Red Dead Redemption 2    Red Dead Redemption 2 proves that size really does matter - at least when it comes to maps. The Old West of RDR2 is absolutely massive, sitting at roughly 75 square miles of snowy mountains, thick forests, and open plains. The map is alive with countless NPCs and random events, from bandits ambushing you to helpless civilians that could really use a ride home. You could play this game for weeks, months even, and still find new random encounters all over the place. Exploring the West is surprisingly calming despite the dangerous wildlife and enemy crooks roaming about - the game features a “Cinematic Mode”, which allows you to sit back and enjoy the view while your horse follows whatever road you’ve put it on, without interrupting any story dialogue or important events that might need to happen on the way. The map of RDR2 feels real and lived-in, adding to the realistic nature of the game and its story.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet    The world of Pokémon has always been a vast and colourful one, and Scarlet & Violet opens it up for exploration like no game before in the series. The Paldea Region is the biggest map in the franchise so far, full of diverse environments populated by all kinds of Pokémon, new and old. The map is well-marked, letting you know exactly what is where, making it easy to figure out where you might want to go next. Certain locations can be quick-travelled to, but if you’re in the mood for exploration, the new legendary Pokémon acquired at the very beginning of the game, Koraidon or Miraidon, can be ridden like mounts to speed across the land! The map is heavily populated, so get ready to encounter new battles and wild Pokémon to catch every few metres - if you gotta catch ‘em all, prepare for a long ride across Paldea!

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga    What’s better than an open-world map? Twenty-four open-world maps! LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga takes the staple of LEGO games featuring open explorable hub worlds and brings it to a new level, with almost every single planet in the entire nine-film-long saga being a fully explorable map. Each planet includes dozens of collectables of various kinds, plus side missions and challenges that bring the total number of extra activities to over 1,000. That’ll keep you busy! From the desert sands of Tatooine and the frozen plains of Hoth, to the dark stormy Exegol and the towering skyscrapers of Coruscant, the game features every environment imaginable in beautiful brick-built detail. The various side missions will carry you from world to world, making the galaxy feel truly connected instead of being just a bunch of unrelated maps. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, LEGO, or just have that completionist instinct, the maps of this game will always have something for you.

Sunset Overdrive    One of the most important parts of a good open world is the ability to navigate it in an easy and interesting way, and Sunset Overdrive is a perfect example, with one of the most fun and exhilarating kinds of mobility I’ve ever played with in a game. Grind rails and bouncy objects line the entire map - you could jump, swing and slide a dozen laps around the city, taking a new route each lap, and never touch the ground. Speed and momentum is the name of the game, and it’s tied well into all the various collectables and challenges found throughout the map, such as timed races and items that require tough platforming skills to reach. You even get bonus points for battling enemies in the most stylish fashion possible! Add all that to the colourful and cartoony style of Sunset Overdrive, and you’ve got the biggest adrenaline rush an open-world game could offer.

   With that, our open-world exploration comes to an end. Which of these maps were your favourite? Do you know any other open worlds that belong on this list? Let me know! Reblogs and likes are appreciated, and thank you for reading!

[trendswerespotted]

Branded Content in Film

Our previous guest lecture with Adam Pulchalsky covered branded entertainment content and various brands he has collaborated with! This was one of my favorite guest lectures I've seen during my time here at Syracuse. Adam believes that branded content will be the future of advertising/entertainment, and I agree.

Of course, last summer's blockbuster Barbie remains the queen of branded content. I think we will see the film industry move away from prequels, sequels, and sequels-to-sequels, and instead invest in developing stories around existing IP. We've seen this with video-game based movies/shows such as The Last of Us, The Mario Movie, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, we're seeing it with toy-based movies (Lego, Barbie). According to this statement from Mattel, the toy company plans to add to their movie universe by developing films based on their pre-existing IP such as Hot Wheels, American Girl Doll, Polly Pocket, Magic 8 Ball, UNO, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, and many more. In an age where nostalgia sells, this might be the perfect way to bring viewers back to "the good old days".

This is a very obvious form of branded content that tends to be in conversation with originality in film - just because a film is based of off existing IP, is it inherently less original? Not exactly, I think there are still plenty of creative directions to explore (depending on how married the director/producers are to the existing IP's lore).

Although I'm excited to see many of these upcoming Mattel films, I'm more interested in subtle forms of branded content and its ethical implications as brands begin to influence the art we consume. Sure, product placement has been a common practice in the industry for a while, but branded content is beginning to blur the lines between advertising and art even more. What if the movie I just watched was a 3 hour life insurance ad? Does it matter if it was entertaining? I think its more important to influence corporations now have over storylines, character development, and even entire franchises, which can potentially compromise creative integrity and artistic vision. Personally, I don't like the idea of brands having even more of an influence on our lives than they already do, but perhaps it's inevitable at this point...

[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.