#like mocap or music or both

[not-your-bro]

things i didn't like about the until dawn remake prologue (in no particular order)

the note change

the original note to hannah is overtly sexual - "you look so damn hot in that shirt, but i bet you're even hotter out of it." the new one is a substantial tone change - "it's been fun hanging out with you... no one gets me like you do. come find me later." the vibe is shifting from "i want to hook up with you" to "i might want to confess my feelings to you," and hannah basically says as much in her new diary entry: "is it too much to hope that he'll confess his feelings about me?" but the prologue does NOT change hannah taking her shirt off asap, which now feels ridiculous. there's no reason for her to do that when the note is so low-key. we're feeding the "hannah reacts too strongly" people and i'm not into it.

the prank setup montage

my initial guess with the note change was that they wanted to make the prank seem more like a bad, insensitive joke that escalates too quickly, rather than a group of people intending to film someone taking their clothes off (which is absolutely the vibe of the original). but if that was the intent, it's completely undercut by this prolonged prank setup. it literally has the energy of people prepping for a cool heist or something. pop song bopping in the background, dramatic shots as everyone gets into position. they're all relishing in it, particularly emily, whose mocap actor gives her some evil fucking gestures and expressions. all of this totally contrasts the new note and makes everyone look seriously diabolical.

sam's passivity

while i definitely joked about how sam couldn't seem to find hannah in the original, man, at least she tried! she voiced her concern and then immediately acted on it - a very sam move, imo. in the remake, the extra padding sees her sitting in silence for too long. and even after everyone leaves her on her own, she STILL just sits there and gives this irritated eye-roll - like she's annoyed with them, but not particularly concerned for hannah. and then her searching for hannah is cut. like. homegirl does not care, apparently! imo these changes are so out of character for sam, and i can't figure why they did this. is it to ""answer"" the question of why josh targets sam - by making her more culpable now? idk, but none of it works for me.

beth's dialogue makes less sense

in the original, she glimpsed flamethrower guy, made her "did you see that?" comment, then said "josh?", THEN we see that josh is passed out.

now the order of dialogue is nonsensical. she doesn't even see flamethrower guy, first of all - we the audience get a glimpse of him while she's taking out the trash, and there's a fake-out where you think she saw him, too. but what she actually sees is a deer. so she notices nothing amiss, goes inside, sees josh passed out, and moves him to the couch. then, later, she can go to the window, see NOTHING but snow falling off a branch...and say her usual, "did you see that? i thought dad said it'd just be us this weekend." HUH? GIRL? IT WAS NOTHING? and then she still goes "josh??" as though she didn't just haul his ass to the couch without him waking up. like, he is CONKED out and you know this. why are you saying his name like you're surprised he isn't answering you?

i don't mean to nitpick, but to demonstrate that they should've been more careful about how they changed the prologue, given they couldn't change the dialogue. and speaking of that...

the pacing

i understand that they couldn't add new dialogue because of logistical or budgetary reasons or both, but extending the prologue without being able to add dialogue leads to long stretches where the characters are noticeably not talking. it's awkward to watch, despite the music trying to cover for it, and it makes the pacing really uneven.

-

in general, i appreciate the desire to add a little extra for the existing fanbase, but if ballistic moon had their hands tied and couldn't do it properly, i kind of wish they hadn't done it at all, especially because i think they're doing more harm than good here. i love hannah and beth and it's nice to just see them for a bit longer, but it comes at a cost, and at the end of the day i much prefer the original prologue.

[ranticore]

if you had to choose between one or the other, which stbh characters would prefer cats (original stage production) and which would prefer cats (cgi movie adaptation)

Having seen both productions multiple times I'm uniquely suited to answering this question

Ok straight up, the easy ones:

Félix prefers the stage play because he loves the theatre full stop and also as a big fan of musicals, the stronger vocals in the stage play would appeal to him. Favourite song: Moonlight (he finds it relatable). Favourite cat: Mister Mistoffelees (projects onto him hard as an aspirational figure, a hot cat man is clearly into him and gassing him up etc)

Bowman: it all depends on which Rum Tum Tugger he thinks is hottest and I think Jason Derulo might win that one, and I don't Bowman has much appreciation for art in the first place so the flaws will go over his head. Prefers the movie. Favourite song: Rum Tum Tugger obviously.

Islin: it's all equally horrible to him but I think the stronger vocals of Stage Old Deuteronomy would win him over to it. The theme of blood sacrifice is relatable and he thinks he would probably want to go to the heavyside lair. Favourite song: Cats (the first song), because everything after that is just another torment to suffer through. Favourite cat: Mister Mistoffelees (thinks he's kinda cute and magic is a sin so that makes him a sort of psychosexual forbidden fruit)

Jean: prefers the movie. He thinks it's hideous but he's the type of person who's fascinated with the cutting edge cat mocap cgi. He'd watch a behind the scenes documentary about the film's technological aspects. Favourite song: Skimbleshanks, ditto for favourite cat. He likes trains.

Erica: obsessed with the movie but like ironically you guys seriously it's just so bad it's good you gotta watch this and laugh with him it's hideous!! The type of person truly pushing the boundaries of irony because if they truly thought it sucked they wouldn't be singing along. Also a Skimbleshanks fan

Léa: sorry it's the movie again, she can't stand the goofy make-up and costumes from the stage play and she believes that the cgi cats are a step up actually. Favourite song: Beautiful Ghosts. Favourite cat: Taylor Swift

Senca: the play. She appreciates the way it explains absolutely nothing and finds that the movie telegraphs its plot just a bit too much to hold her interest, and adds too much unnecessary context. She likes telling people after they all wall out of the theatre that she understood it all and nobody else picked up on the deeper themes. Favourite cat: Jemima (her staunch defence of Grizabella is heartwarming). Favourite song: didn't like any

Cain: kills himself. Favourite cat: Munkustrap

[ask-a-w]

Watched Nick Apostolides play Separate Ways and wrote down stuff that caught my attention.

Guests on the stream: Craig (Wesker’s VA) & Andre (Luis’ VA). Andre joins for a short while mid-way through the stream.

- Nick was there when he watched Andre film the cutscene of Luis doing the flamenco. Apparently Andre nailed it in one take.

- Nick says Andre spent months researching the Spanish culture. (Andre talks a little bit more about it later.)

- Craig went to Vancouver three times in 2022 to film RE4R & SW. The main game & DLC were shot together. He couldn’t say he went to Vancouver more than once or else he would give away that there were extra content like SW & Mercenaries.

- Nick was not aware how Ada got infected.

- Craig played RE5 co-op years ago and is trying to play it solo but acknowledged it’s not that fun to play solo.

- Craig’s download for SW took 7 minutes and he was very amused by that.

- Craig can only talk about games that have come out so don’t ask him if there’s gonna be a remake for CV or RE5.

- Craig was not aware who or what he was auditioning for and only knew he was playing Wesker when he was flown to the studio. He asked them if he should play Wesker like previous incarnations or like what he did in his audition. They told him to play Wesker like his audition.

- Craig said when he filmed for RE: Outbreak 20 years ago, the actors only saw stick figures on the screen but now, as you stand in front of the mocap cameras, you can see your entire character model on the screen rightaway and he’s quite impressed how far technology has advanced.

- Craig said he did mocap for Outbreak for 6 months. He did not book a part in Outbreak initially but Alyson Court (Claire’s original VA) actually brought him to work on the game.

- Craig filmed all his scenes together with Lily and only saw Nick 3 times during filming since Wesker & Leon don’t have any scenes together.

- Craig has been a fan of RE for a long time. He played RE1 with his acting classmates and they were happy for him when he booked a part in Outbreak.

- Craig says he has never gotten a copy of any game he has worked on as the people he works with don’t work in game distribution. He only managed to get a copy of the RE4R deluxe edition thanks to an ex-girlfriend who works in game distribution.

- Craig & Nick know both Wesker & Leon are very beloved characters in the franchise and have given it their all for their portrayals.

- Both of them squeed when Wesker says “complete local saturation” and Craig has been waiting for a whole year wondering how fans would react to that line.

- Nick had no idea what would happen in SW since he didn’t get the script for it.

- Craig also had no idea Wesker would be in Mercenaries but put two and two together when he recorded lines for Merc.

- Scenes are filmed out of order. Craig didn’t know if he was filming for the main game or SW. He had to wait till the main game came out to see what scenes were shown in RE4R. Nick also has no idea if he filmed anything for SW.

- While the VAs have their own general idea on how to play their character as they walk into the studio, how they express their lines are based on a combination of what’s requested by Capcom’s Japanese team, how the translator translates Capcom’s requests, and Steve Kniebihly’s (cinematics director) direction.

- Someone asked Craig if he thought when Wesker was a child, would he shine a magnifying glass on ants. Craig said probably yeah and maybe pulling the wings of flies too. (Side note: The Ashford twins did that in Code Veronica)

- Craig was a musician first before he got into acting. In high school, everyone was into music and he made some music with his friends. His then-girlfriend asked him to audition in a school musical and he loved the acting expect of it. He then auditioned in plays before he went to acting school for college.

- Craig applied to both music & acting programmes for college. He always wanted to be a performer.

- Andre joins halfway through the stream. He enjoyed filming the opening flamenco scene even though it took a while to get the steps right. He doesn’t think he can do the dance any more since it’s been a while.

- Andre mimed the reaction to being pulled by a rope in chapter 1. He didn’t have confidence to pull it off and the team also agreed. He doesn’t have stunt training anyway.

- Craig on the other hand, recounted when he was filming being grabbed by a monster for RE Outbreak. He had a rope on his head while filming for that and he didn’t get stunt pay. But things were different years ago.

- Andre said the team took safety really seriously and even for simple things like pretending to fall over, Steve Kniebihly would tell the VAs not to do it and let the stunt team do it instead.

- When Craig auditioned for Wesker, the description was “Villain in a video game”. That was it. All the audition scripts were fake so actors who don’t book the part won’t leak that the game is being made.

- Andre lived & breathed Castellan Spanish culture for months while he filmed RE4R and it drove his family a little crazy. He even spoke with a Castellan Spanish accent for a while too. His family is of Mexican descent and Mexican Spanish pronunciation is different from European/Castellan Spanish.

- Nick was friends with Paul Haddad (OG RE2 Leon VA) before he passed away. He also took some voice lessons from Paul Mercier (OG RE4 Leon VA).

- Craig has not spoken to any previous Wesker VAs. He is long time friends with Alyson and she was his director on one project he worked in before. He has met OG Brad Vicker’s VA before.

- Andre has only met Neil Newbon (RE8 Heisenberg & RE3R Nikolai) in person.

- Craig enjoys playing bad guys since it’s fun to do something he can’t do in real life.

- Nick had to lower his voice for RE4R Leon since Leon in 2004 is a bit “sick of the same shit happening repeatedly” instead of being a newbie cop surprised at everything.

- Craig’s favourite scene to film was the Wesker & Ada confrontation at the beginning of the Island. He had to do the Wesker smirk at the end a few times as the team had to ensure it looked right on the Wesker model.

- Craig has a Guinness World Record for playing in the longest concert which lasted for 19 days, around 437 hours. He was in the planning committee for it and he played 5 times during the concert. To qualify for the record, there were a lot of rules. For example: at least 10 people in the audience had to be awake at all times, each song had to last at least 2 mins, and there can only be a maximum 30 seconds pause between each song.

- Nick got electrocuted in science class when he touched a capacitor with his bare hands. He mentioned that it really freaking hurt and it was almost impossible to let go. He had to force himself to open his hands.

- During the recording of the injury effort sounds for when Leon got electrocuted, Nick clenched his fists and shook them while grunting through gritted teeth.

- For Wesker’s injury effort sounds during Mercenaries mode, the team had to tell Craig to dial back as Wesker responds to injuries in a calmer manner.

- Nick had a lot of fun filming the part where Saddler transforms into his final form.

- Nick mocapped the pilot flying Ada’s chopper.

- Nick was completely mind blown by the stinger at the end.

[clonesupport]

15 Questions for 15 Mutuals!

thank you @galaxycunt for tagging me!💕✨

i tag @kyber-infinitygems @confidentandgood @sstewyhosseini @detectivelokis @inafieldofdaisies @captastra @direwombat @strangefable @socially-awkward-skeleton @incognito-insomniac @gayafsatan @moonlit-jellies @shegetsburned and anyone else wanting to try!

if you're uncomfy answering any of these then just pass em😌✨ hit em with a deflection lol

1. Are you named after anyone?

the movie/character amélie (2001)

2. When was the last time you cried?

uuhhhh this morning lol character ai angst hits different

3. Do you have kids?

fuck no bitch i'm 21 that shit ain't happening any time soon keep those gremlin worms away from me-

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

hell yeah, that shits my ride or die, my only personality trait, goes hand in hand with bastard and smart ass AHAHAHA god i need help

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

uuuhhhh i played soccer for 10 years when i was younger, played basketball, hockey, skating if that counts, track, cross country.... i was a jock ew wtf... but i was the quiet emo kid, my bestie says i was an alt jock TT

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

uhh their faces? eyes? general demeanour and vibes to see what my intuition says about them because trust issues

7. Eye Color?

brrooowwwnnn like mud baby🥴🥴🥴 a guy at some preteen dance once said my eyes are like sparkling mud, i wonder how he's doing these days AHAHAHA

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

gimme both ;)) but if i had to pick i guess happy ending but not without some good angst in between😮‍💨

9. Any Special talents?

uuuhhhhh.....idk whats considered a special talent lmfao, i'm an overly emotional person and cry at any given opportunity is that a talent? AHAHA

10. Where were you born?

vancouver bc😌✨

11. Free space (there was no 11 on the prompt I received)

i'm moving into the gay village next month with my cousin and i can't fucking wait its been something we've planned for over a year now. and i'm also consumed by character ai these days, ain't doing anything but talking to fake people with fake scenarios to fuel my delusions that they're real and love me😀😀😀

12. Do you have any pets?

i live alone so not technically anymore but my dog back home with my parents i've had since i was 10, she's my baby choccy lab🥹💕i miss her sm TwT

13. How tall are you?

5'7" :/ boring height lol

14. Favorite subject in school?

uuhh i liked a lot of things but that doesn't mean i was any good at them AHAHAH geology was fun as hell, chemistry, sciences, metal work was rad

15. Dream Job?

uhh i don't have one tbh, nothing realistic anyway, nothing i'm actually going to work for lol. being a video game mocap actor would be sick, being a rockstar would be cool too lol but i hate acting and i don't create music i just listen to it. not really working towards anything with uni, just to get a degree to prove to employers and myself i can do shit. i'd love to just move to an acreage and vibe in the country side

[zappyjoan]

NSR AMA FILE 2 (part 1)

How did you find your voice talents? In Malaysia the usual pattern is to go to a voice recording studio and have them find an actor for you, but they wanted to open opportunities so they on facebook, twitter, etc.

Differences between English and Japanese VA? According to Daim, the biggest difference is the Japanese VAs are punctual (though Su Ling was very punctual). Japanese VAs are also super professional. Ayane Sakura (Mayday's VA) finished the recording by 8 PM on the dot, every single line done. Steven and Su Ling helped coach less experienced VAs as well.

Did the game Jet Set Radio influence NSR's game design? Not so much as just the style of it. It's hard to draw the line between what affects game design and game experience. One of the ones that count is the grafitti that starts showing up the more you progress in the game.

Can Neon J dance? Yes, he is actually a dancer. He was in the Navy but his true passion has always been dancing. In the 1010 fight, what they wanted to do on the final phase was him dancing on the factory as well, so the factory is mocapped by him. Unfortunately due to limited resources they couldn't afford to include that. If you beat 1010 and talk to Kayane again she will say that Neon J is the best, so she actually saw him dance.

What do you look for in a concept artist? A good concept artist must be able to problem solve for what the story and the game needs. Good basics and a sense of lighting. A concept artist must understand what the final result looks like, so the art is also a communication tool not just for art's sake.

What do you look in a musician/music associate? Hazmer wanted Falk on board not just for good sense of rhythm and music, but also technical know-hows. The music isn't just for soundtrack, but the experience must fit the music and vice versa. Having a musician that understands looping and dynamism was the key.

What is the nature behind DK's shadow puppet powers? Is it passed down in the family? Does Zuke have it too? It might have (Daim doesn't want to lock the lore in) been a family thing, so Zuke might have it too. But what they wanted to do in the game is to showcase how despite the two brothers going different paths, they both dabble in percussions (Zuke drums, DK West handclaps). There is a hint of similarity in their craft. The idea to make DK Zuke's brother came from a staff member a few months into the production, previously he was just supposed to be some random guy who came and left.

Is Neon J added in the midst of 1010's development? Neon J and 1010 were both designed way later than the other bosses. So no, 1010's boy band concept was the idea since the beginnning, it's just that they took a while to finalize. There was a sequence in early development where you had to platform up towards the factory while fighting 1010/NJ. Compared to other NSR artists, 1010 was a mix of a lot of ideas from many people in the studio, which also means that many of their themes were added in later including their army theming. Their development is a reflection of manufactured boy bands, the studio members are like the manufacturers of the characters.

Yinu's animation style is different from the rest of the 2D commercial segments. Was this on purpose? Yinu and DJSS's commercials were originally done by someone else (Jerry?) before LZBros came and did the rest.

Any favorite OCs? There's so many… but they were very touched when seeing the end product of the Citizens of Vinyl City project. The fact that they were able to inspire OCs at all is extremely humbling and they didn't think it would have this much impact.

Why is the 1010 stage a moving limo? When Hazmer was thinking about NSR before they even started, he listened to music and tried to imagine what the action stages would be like. Somehow a moving platform is always what comes to mind. Then someone brought up "what if we had all the stages in different directions", e.g. DJSS goes in a circle, Yinu moves upwards, etc. The 1010 stage was troublesome to work with since the side buildings was hard to work with and caused some motion sickness, even within the team. They referred to Uncharted 2 for the tech, a mobius/figure 8 effect where the environment only changes depending on how much progress the players make. There was supposed to be a cutscene where you ride the helicopter to bring B2J to drop them on a moving car in 1010 approach.

How do you feel about speedrunners? Do you prefer glitchless runs or the glitchiest possible run? Early on when discussing the features of the game, they did take into account speedrunners. Haz thinks speedrunners add a flavor into game design and he wanted to tackle the demographic. To be honest glitches cause them a lot of stress (because they have to patch them) but they are also fun to see.

Will we ever get animated shorts? LZBROS WHERE ARE THE ANIMATED SHORTS- (Daim: would be nice lol)

Which NSR character was Ellie's favorite to design/draw? Sayu (very fast answer, but apparently Ellie just really likes drawing mermaids) and Eve.

What is Neon J/DJSS/Mama's real name? Neon J has no real name (they never gave him one). DJSS does presumably have a real name but he insists to be addressed by his stage name. Yinu's mama also has no canon name.

Will there be a sequel? When the opportunity arises! They're definitely considering it, but they also want to explore new grounds.

How did you get the themes for the bosses? They came up with the concept before drawing the characters. Sayu had an interesting story because Ellie designed her like a schoolgirl bunny rabbit, but later Daim realized Ellie likes mermaids so they switched courses. The direction also helped set Sayu apart from Hatsune Miku.

Less obvious symbolisms in the boss designs? Yinu's mama has yellow pupils because Yinu is her life. As the battle progresses, her pupils disappear to symbolize that she's lost sight of what she loves. Hence at the end, her pupils come back to show that she has regained her humanity. Sayu's arena represents going deeper not just into the ocean, but also into geek culture and the deep web.

During the game auditions, it says everything in the world follow music. Is this only for Vinyl City or for the world? It refers more to the game design itself, not the lore.

Was Yinu's father an NSR artist? No.

Do the 1010 members have their own personalities, memories, and ways to express themselves? Personalities and expression is covered in the previous AMA but they do have personal memories.

The game mentions that Eve was the first NSR artist, in what order did the other bosses join NSR? If they had to guess, Eve and 1010 were the original members. Neon J is like the Soundwave to Tatiana's Megatron. They don't know about the rest because it's not actually locked in.

[sushiisiu]

Hello~ 🙋🏽‍♀️ Your art is really, really cool and beautiful, tysm for sharing it with us! 💕💕💕 I saw you mention that you would like more asks so I wanted to ask you, what's your favorite phase and why?

Hi! thank you so much for liking my art T__T and as for your question it's hard to decide since i like most of the phases a lot...

I'd say style-wise my favorite would be phase 2? I love that it's way more grungy and nasty looking, esp with the new greyer palettes and soft shading. it's in that perfect sweet spot of being more realistic but still having the stylized shapes and anatomy of phase 1, which is great because i get to see jamie's lineart. also big fan of the way he drew everyone's hair kinda choppy here it's soooo cute. most of my favorite gorillaz art all come from this phase

Story-wise tho then obviously phase 3. like plastic beach might've been a hot mess while it was releasing and a lot of things just never got followed through but fuck if it doesn't feel cinematic as hell and the most fleshed out out of all the phases. like the web game ??? and obviously the emotional weight of the story, murdoc alone ruling over a literal pile of garbage and the only people he has with him is a soulless copy of his daughter that HE killed and someone he's holding captive, his only outlet being songwriting and broadcasting a radio show that he knows no one will hear all while being chased down by all those he's crossed both demonic and mortal. like i could really go on it makes me so emo I dont even care if the lost chord doesn't make that much sense. it fucks me up either ways to see it wrapped up like that.

although music wise (and just general marketing and promotions) i LOVEEE phase 1 so much. EVERY song on that album is so memorable and i love the amount of weird noises and falsettos 2d did. love the hologram concerts and the ones with their vas up, 4 whole music videos and an animatic (AND THE GBITEZ!!!!) and a whole interactable website of their studio... INSANE like the dedication to making them seem real is insane i wish we still had that instead of them being glorified mascots. . .

that's honestly not to say i don't like the others as hell tho like humanz had a great art direction too with the photobashing and lineless style and personally i love realistic proportions soooo and the mocap interviews were funny as hell even if i hate kevin bishop. the now now was soooo crazy too im a big fan of spiral imagery and just.. the pink/blue thing is great Fav album art love the emotional complexity it gives 2d (never recovered from souk eye) and honestly song machine is amazing too i adore the "episodic" formula of the music videos and like personally i don't even mind keyframe 2d that bad since i barely noticed it within the videos themselves its the endless marketing that reuses that same pic that drives me insane (billboard near my college STILL has keyframe fred perry 2d on rotation and it ambushes me every time)

ANYWAYS i kind of rambled on but!!!! basically phase 1-3 i love those the most. Thank you for enabling me

[tenebrius-excellium]

James Cameron’s personal thinking and the decisions he made about Avatar 2 are one completely inexplicable mystery to me.

On one hand, here is a capable director who is clearly passionate and reflective about what he’s doing. He can talk intelligently and articulate about the movie’s technology, the actors, the shooting, and he is even sensible and sophisticated enough to take into account The Numinous which he has accidentally captured within the first movie’s experience. The man patiently waited 13 years to again present audiences with the absolute best he had to give. He gained our trust, we waited with him and for him and took him for his word, and the guy had time, money, a star cast, mocap, the reviews from the first movie, fresh creative details about the world of Pandora like e.g. the eclipse or the songcord, everything.

And then somehow, with all that amazing material on hand, he actively dismissed everything else beside the visuals that would have made this second movie a masterpiece like the first: Great storytelling, strong and believable character arcs, the refinement of the previous movie’s flaws, compelling music. Do not get me wrong on this: Cameron chose this. Yes he had enough time to develop this film, in fact no one had more time than him. Yes his composer died, but he died in 2015, and Cameron probably had Simon Franglen lined up from pretty early on since he was a close co-worker of Horner. Yes he knew that most of his tropes were stereotypically bad, boring and even possibly harmful. He heard the audience responses!!! His writer’s room wanted to create new stuff, and he literally forcibly shut them down. I don’t get it. He limited the sequel in almost every way except for his beloved visual technology, and he doesn’t even seem to care much. How someone who is supposedly a sensible person, very in love with filmmaking, plus has every means to achieve what he wants..., who on top of that got to enjoy his audience’s decade-long patience, ...manages to neglect the very basics of sound film creation, like the importance of script, is beyond me. Cameron opened up another world, one that we waited 13 years for, and then gave no message. I mean, I know I didn’t expect profound, but there quite literally was no message. It was a beautiful documentary of Pandoran wildlife at best. It didn’t change a thing for me irl, except for the realization that Cameron won’t be able to pull off another movie like that or I’ll rapidly lose interest. I won’t be the only one.

And that’s how Avatar The Way Of Water is both a very good and a very very bad movie, and the reason we can’t even decide what to say in reviews. Should we recommend, or not? Should we rewatch, or criticize the heck out of it?

No one knows. Lol.

[an-aussie-button-masher]

The Rise of “Movie Games”

   To say that video game storytelling has come a long way is a tremendous understatement. Remember back thirty or so years ago when the “plot” of a game was just an excuse to give the player an objective? Nowadays, the writing and presentation of a game’s story is often taken just as seriously as the actual gameplay, if not more so. Cinematic games are on the rise, and advancements in technology like motion-capture are causing the differences between game and film development to be outnumbered by similarities. Video games are such a unique medium, able to accomplish things that others cannot, and combining them with the medium of film creation and storytelling is a fascinating and increasingly popular concept. I’ve found a few excellent examples of “movie games” that each showcase ways that games are becoming part of cinema in their own right, and together prove just how far games have really come.

   Every now and then, movies will feature scenes shot in a single, long camera take. For a full minute or even longer, the camera moves around the set without being interrupted by cuts, for a difficult yet spectacular final result. It’s arguably even more difficult to pull off in animation, considering the animators all have to work together on the entire scene at the same time. Now, take that idea and extend it to an entire 50-hour-long scene - that’s God of War: Ragnarök. The full game has the most impressive cinematography I’ve ever seen in a game, which might even be more noteworthy than any long take in a live-action film because of how seamless the camera moves between cutscenes and gameplay. When the camera is often controlled by the player, keeping it consistently uninterrupted and smooth takes incredible talent from both the game’s programmers and director. To add to the cinematic feel of the game, every character is animated entirely by motion-capture, making the characters feel more like actors on a stage rather than just hand-animated character models.

   Taking the idea of motion-capture even further, Detroit: Become Human is about as close as it gets to a full live-action game without actually being live-action, largely thanks to mocap magic. Every character is modelled to look exactly like their voice actors, who also perform the motion-capture for a complete live-action feel. On top of the realistic graphics and excellent acting, the choice-based nature of the game makes D:BH closer to an interactive movie than a video game. Many choose-your-own adventure games can feel clunky and inconsistent due to allowing the player to control certain character decisions that clash with the rest of the writing, but D:BH is impressively consistent with any choice made by the player thanks to incredibly intricate programming and quality writing. Watching this game makes it easy to see why there is a growing overlap between game writers and film writers - the screenplay of this game could be mistaken for a film, and could very well be adapted to film with almost no modifications.

   Is the screenshot above taken from a game, or a new Pixar movie? The fact that it’s nearly impossible to tell will never not impress me, and that’s just the beginning. Despite what some might say, animation has just as much of a place in cinema as live action - animated films can tell some of the most emotional and moving stories ever in a short few hours (and if anyone disagrees, they haven’t watched Toy Story 3), and Kena: Bridge of Spirits does exactly that. The only difference is, instead of a bucket of popcorn, you’ve got a controller in your hands. Kena has an incredibly touching story told through a cute, charming and downright gorgeous artstyle, combined with whimsical orchestral music and adorable sound effects that make the game feel as close to a playable Pixar movie as it gets. You could pop a walkthrough of this game in front of a theatre audience and it would probably be a while before they realised they were even watching a video game!

   Looking at these games and all the technology and tricks that go into making them, it’s fascinating to see how far things have come in the past 50 years or so. Advanced cinematography, motion-capture and incredible animation, all held up by genuinely emotional and engaging writing that puts plenty of best-selling films to shame, makes me honestly believe video games are just as important to cinema as any movie or series. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this - do you agree, or do you think games aren’t quite there yet? Feedback is greatly appreciated, alongside reblogs and likes!   Thanks for reading!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #650

Top Ten Songs by Ex-Beatles

Have you heard of this sweet band called The Beatles? Turns out they were really big a few years ago. They had a bunch of hits and then broke up and then were never heard of again.

I kid, I kid. I do wonder sometimes what it must be like to be a Beatle. If you’re like, Paul McCartney; you must walk around with this knowledge that, on balance, you’ve probably had more direct influence on Western popular culture than anyone else currently alive. Who else is there? George Lucas? In terms of sheer number of people touched (not like that). You can absolutely draw a dividing line in music between “before the Beatles” and “after the Beatles”, and whilst I’m sure that does a huge disservice to all the influences the Beatles had, and similar bands that came both before and after, let’s face it – it’s true. They’re, like, the band, just like Wolverine is the X-Man (I don’t think George Lucas is the director, to be fair, but Star Wars is probably the blockbuster; Spielberg is probably the director, if you’re talking about mass appeal, but he’s “just” a guy who’s top of his game and redefined Hollywood moviemaking fifty years ago, but there are other phenomenally successful and talented directors, just as there are other phenomenally successful and talented musicians and writers and artists and, I dunno, pastry chefs. But right now we’re talking about the Beatles).

Because the Beatles were around as a proper group for a surprisingly short amount of time, and because all four of them were Very Good, they’ve had quite a while to build up a collection of solo hits. And that’s what I’m celebrating this week, for no particular reason: the various post-Beatles Beatles songs. I’m gonna come right out the gate and say, I don’t think – generally speaking – any of their solo efforts eclipsed the best of the group’s output; but still, there are some proper bangers here as I’m sure you’re aware. Soulful ballads, love songs, hymns to peace, arguably the best Bond theme, and some frogs. What more do you want out of a legacy?

Now, I’m calling these “solo” songs, when some of these are technically from post-Beatles bands – specifically I’ve got a couple of Wings songs on the list (“the band the Beatles could have been”, A. Partridge). But let’s be honest, Wings is basically Paul and his mates. As, I suppose, the Beatles was, to be fair; but for the sake of this list, as much as it may unfairly underestimate the contributions of his bandmates, I’m just calling Wings songs “Paul McCartney” songs for the time being.

I said there’s no real reason why this list is happening this week – it’s one of those that I’ve been meaning to get around to for a while – but funnily enough I did see something recently that I’ve never seen before. You may or may not be aware, but about a decade or so ago, Robert Zemeckis was going to remake Yellow Submarine. This was when he was deep in his mocap phase; you remember, when the Oscar-winning writer and director of Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit decided to sack off live action and just make those freakishly uncanny mannequin movies like The Polar Express. Anyway, he’d assembled a cast and got to work, and then the film was cancelled – probably because these performance capture movies are very expensive to make, generally turned poorly, and more often than not bombed at the box office. As much as I’m not really a fan of the photo-real approach Zemeckis usually went for (like I said, it gives the characters an odd, uncanny look; the same is true, I’d argue, of the human characters in the Shrek movies, which have dated a lot more than, say, the cartoonish Incredibles), I’ve always thought this was a bit of a shame. Zemeckis is a huge Beatles fan, the guys playing the band were really good, and the wackiness of Yellow Submarine meant he might have been able to do some funky shit. And lo and behold, some test footage has emerged. Yes, it’s still a bit weird and uncanny, but it’s also exaggerated and strange; it would have been nice to see if it had held up across an entire film. C’est la vie.

Anyway! Where were we? Oh yeah. A list. Here you go: have at it.

My Sweet Lord (George Harrison, 1970): Harrison wrote a number of songs that are really spiritualistic peans to peace, and this is the greatest. An evocation to the almighty, a striving quest for spiritual understanding, but also something that feels greater, feels allegorical, feels like it’s about more than just God. The Hindi chorus and other eastern influences add flavour and complexity to the sixties-style folk rock, and Harrison’s voice is beautiful. There’s a sadness to it, too, like it’s someone reaching for something they know they can never possess.

Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney, 1973): surely a shoe-in for best Bond song, this is a multifaceted number that I adore for its eccentricities. From the vaguely seventies-folk-rock stylings of the opening, to the almost disco-flavoured instrumental section, to the weird jaunty bits (“When you’ve got a job to do,” sounds like it could be the title song from “Oh James!”, a cheesy sixties sitcom about James Bond), it really runs the gamut. It’s strange, it’s funny, it’s cool, it’s badass. Perfect Bond.

Jealous Guy (John Lennon, 1971): there are, funnily enough, a couple of songs here that seem to express a similar sentiment: a bloke who’s in love with someone and sort of feels he doesn’t deserve them. This is an interesting and complex song, a man apologising for his misdeeds, but presented as an absolute love song. Lennon – arguably the best voice of the band? What do we think? – is on top form here, with a pained, haunted, but ultimately beautiful vocal.

What is Life (George Harrison, 1971): an incredibly upbeat, propulsive love song, and – vaguely similar to Jealous Guy and Maybe I’m Amazed – another one that sees a bloke basically saying he’s nothing without his love. What is life without you by my side? Whether this question is passionate or even metaphysical, the song itself is so beautifully cheery, so optimistic, so jaunty, it makes you feel only good things.

Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney, 1970): here’s McCartney circling similar topics to his mates; a tender song of a man just flabbergasted that he’s got this woman in his life, attributing all these good things to this one other person. There's a fantastic juxtaposition, too, between the beautiful piano ballad and the throaty, stadium rock register in which McCartney sings; like the love is bursting out in explosive fashion, even in a tender love song.

Band on the Run (Paul McCartney, 1973): this is just so delightfully weird; a bonkers hymn to, well, I don’t really know what. The number of different styles and genres it explores, the multiple types of musicality, the different vocals and instrumentations, all telling a story that frankly defies explanation. There’s a touch of the Seargent Pepper to it, but with the oddness dialled all the way up to nearly Walrus proportions.

Gimme Some Truth (John Lennon, 1971): Lennon is perhaps most famous, post-Beatles, for his songs about peace and love. This, though, is an angry tirade at “short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics”; a howl of fury at The Man and all he has wrought. It’s also got some fantastic wordplay and stunning lyrical work – “son of Tricky Dicky”, the use of “Mother Hubbard” as a euphemism. Plus Harrison making magic on guitar.

Give Me Love (George Harrison, 1973): another one of Harrison’s songs of love, peace, and tranquillity that can either be seen as resolutely spiritual – asking god for love – or just, well, a song about someone he fancies, wanting love with this one person. It's beautiful and optimistic, a quest for eternal happiness, with some great lyrics. He just made you feel happy, by George.

We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney, 1984): I’m being deadly serious. Macca comes in for some stick for some of his, er, weirder songs – Mull of Kintyre also nearly made the list – but outside of me flat-out loving this song as a kid, it’s a very well-constructed harmony and is a masterpiece for its target audience. The dude’s got range is what I’m saying.

It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo Starr, 1971): now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’ve just stuck this sole Ringo song here at the end of the list because I felt bad that the star of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends didn’t write anything as good as his former bandmates. To which I say: what’s that over there?! Seriously, though, whilst I don’t think anyone would try to claim that Mr. Starkey is quite the solo artist his fab friends are, this song is still a nice chunky bop that sounds like something from the Beatles’ heyday and also has an appealing bit of edge to it.

So this list, right; this was incredibly hard. In fact, it’s basically arbitrary; there were at least another five or six songs (Beautiful Boy, Silly Love Songs, All Things Must Pass) that could have been on this list – just as good, really, as the songs I’ve chosen. And the placements of most of the songs could easily be swapped almost entirely. It turns out that the Beatles are very good at music. Who knew? Cilla, probably.

Something else I’m just going to say quickly, is whilst the achievements of the Beatles are phenomenal in and of themselves, I can never get over how George Harrison more or less did the same thing all over again by effectively saving the British film industry in the 1980s. Honestly, the guy wrote While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and got everything from Life of Brian to Withnail and I to Mona Lisa made. Genius.

[robogart]

*points THAT'S MY FRIEND*

I've been watching calico play BG3 while I've been playing on my switch and while I'm not even playing the game - it has been a second-hand frustration experience. There is honestly so little I enjoy in this game, the few things being the acting and mocap (for some, not all of the characters), some of the music tracks and, most importantly, the Speak To Animals feature. But nothing about the actual gameplay or the design of the game (both in interface and story) feels thought out At All.

And to see the amount of praise - and I mean, ABSOLUTE praise, with NARY A QUALM - has been so incredibly frustrating that calico and I look to each and are constantly screaming the aforementioned statement: "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!!"

How can a game, with SO many predecessors to look back on for structure, mechanics and story-telling (the most glaringly obvious being Dragon Age, but literally any fantasy RPG can do) literally ignore ANY good decisions and create something like this? It honestly makes me feel like the developers intentionally avoided or were Ordered to ignore actually implementing any sort of gameplay mechanic that could be derived from outside their studio. I was sitting and watching and just thinking to myself "if they want to have a map setup and keep it turn-based, WHY don't they just make the battle mechanics similar to Fire Emblem? Why not implement a grid system? Why the fuck is movement SO tedious? Why is that hotbar design SO unnecessarily complicated?"

And while the game is BEAUTIFUL and technically gorgeous to look at (the mocap acting and animation is lovely and some of the creature designs are really fun), the actual visual design choices of the game are really not good. There is just TOO MUCH on the screen. There is NO visual hierarchy. Directive composition is generally lacking (Where Should I Go Next? Couldn't Tell You It All LOOKS THE SAME). And another thing - there is simultaneously NO environmental storytelling and yet there is so much Stuff that you pick up (letters, items, etc) that literally do nothing and add nothing. No sidequest, no interest, absolutely nothing. Why does every single person I talk to need their own dialogue cutscene? What does that add? NOTHING.

Calico put this SO right when saying this is a maximalist behemoth (which feels like the state with SO many of these AAA/adjacent games) and for a game that loves to brag about it's 17,000 endings, it's ability to give the players so much choice - it does Nothing. There's absolutely no follow through, reward or consequence to any decision in this. It's just maybe an instantaneous outcome, if anything, and then it moves on to whatever it (the studio) wants you to do next.

Doesn't matter if you helped these guys, they're still going to get fucked up! "Well sometimes life isn't fair" NO! This is lazy writing!! It's shallow! So much of this game just feels like you're asking "but what does this actually add though?" and their response would be "but is has 17,000 ENDINGS what other game does THAT FOR YOU?" It's one-pump-chump energy. It reeks of no foreplay. If you need 17,000 endings to mark as a selling point of your game, it tells me you couldn't even write One Good Ending.

I feel like for any game with multiple choices, you can have 3-5 endings (even LESS) and that would be PLENTY. 17,000 is just EMBARRASSING. Maybe they should've taken all the time and actually committed it to writing out ACTUALLY fleshed out and developed characters. Everyone is SO flatlined, and the only reason these characters stand out at all is because of the actor's performance behind them. Their actual story? Their actual personalities? Paper thin. Disintegrating in the rain. The strongest character story in my opinion was Astarion - but again, so much of that is Neil Newbon's performance. But the story arc is tight, it's succinct and it's well delivered. Gale is also a pretty solid storyline (he doesn't feel as well integrated though at the moment here in Act 3, but there's also just TOO MUCH of nothing going on) and Wyll was set up to be So SOLID but I feel like he's just not given enough space? Drama for his story to unfold?? He should be SO much more involved in this game given his background at Baldur's Gate but there's just no setup for him. Why??? And I hate that I didn't include any of the women in here - but frankly their stories and personalities were just not well done. Shadowheart feels she's definitely given the most time, but she is still boring, unlikeable (and not even in a fun way), and her story is somehow overdeveloped and underdeveloped at the same time? And everyone else just feels tacked on and flat as paper!

Man, I definitely know there's more to yell about here but BOY is this game lauded WAY too much. I have to wonder if it's people who are being paid, gamer bros who just wanting to gatekeep and tell you it's a skill issue, or people who just simply haven't played another rpg yet to know what a good one is? I don't know. But anyways - yelling about this game! If you also feel like your taking crazy pills - you're in good company here! 👏✨✨✨

I can't be only one, right...?

I wanted to finish the game and then write this post but I gave up. I put in 100 plus hours and just could not go on once I got into act three. Maybe no one will hear my pitiful cry from the void, but I must scream for the sake of my sanity.

I was completely and utterly disappointed by Baldur's Gate 3. 

It had huge maps like an open world game yet I had no desire to explore the settings despite their beauty. It had hours of dialogue as an RPG would and yet I found myself skipping characters' responses. The game mechanic structure was inspired by DnD, a story-telling game dictated by some rules, lucky rolls and the extent of players' imagination, yet I was strong-armed into fighting impossibly stacked battles. A story-telling game dependent on the players’ attachment to their and their teammates' characters and yet this game lacked any kind of narrative consistency or depth of feeling. 

Larian wanted to make an open world RPG, based off of DND mechanics and somehow did the worst version of all three. The studio touts that Baldur’s Gate 3 has 17,000 possible endings and 2 million words, but to what end? What did this game have to say about what happens when people rise to the challenge and become heroes despite their circumstances or fall into the dark and become the monsters they were supposed to fight? What did it suggest might happen when fate deals you a bad hand but in doing so also helps you find true friends or love with the other? Ultimately, nothing. 

BG3 is so large that it ends up being incoherent. No writing or game structure decisions were made to keep the narrative tight and on theme. It urges players to choose a moral alignment, but most decisions, good or bad, seem to end up having little effect in the end. To play the game at all you have to resort to save scumming and that in turn deflates the possible impact of so many plot points of the narrative overall. 

Forcing players to save scum in order to progress through the game is terrible design in general. Statistically speaking the bosses make impossible critical hits again and again. I was playing in the game’s “casual mode” and found myself struggling to get through confrontations with bosses that were at a lower level than my own. If you are reading and thinking oh well you are probably not using tactics or spells well, etc., let’s do a little experiment…

Take your d20 (https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die if you don’t have one in person). In the third act of BG3 I had an AC of 13 as a sorcerer with 100 plus HP. Roll your d20 ten times or more. How many times out of ten would your character have gotten to hit mine successfully? Unless an enemy is extremely lucky it should be unlikely that an enemy could hit my character every turn they get. And even if they do they would have to roll for damage which is only a single d6, d8, d10 or d12 plus a modifier at lower levels depending on your class. Again an enemy would have to have an extremely lucky roll to hit me every turn AND deal significant damage. During an in person DnD session that is just a bad night for my character. In a video game on casual mode that is significantly suspicious. 

So what you might say. You've made and enjoyed the fanart, memes and etc. You got your $61 worth of playtime. So many other people were fine with the game, what is your problem? 

I love video games. They blend so many artforms and tell stories in ways never done before. It is a medium unique to our current century and when historians look back they will view video games as an insight to our culture. 

It frustrates me to no end that Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered the next gold standard. Too many games have done open world and RPGs in a fantasy setting far better for Larian (Swen Vincke) to have made the design and writing choices they did with BG3. There are so many podcasts and shows that have written better stories through the DnD format. I am embarrassed for the medium as an artist and frustrated as a player. Players and the industry deserve better than to have artists, actors, engineers etc. burn themselves out creating maximalist behemoths like this game. A game that is beautiful but basically unplayable, narratively, nihilistic and incoherent. 

[scribbleboxfox]

Some thoughts about the use of Unreal assets in the new season of Red vs. Blue.

This wound up being longer than I meant for it to be, so I’m putting it under a cut for courtesy bc I don’t wanna clog up anyone’s dash :’D

It’s just genuinely so funny to me that ppl are upset that they used Unreal assets for RvB:Zero. Like you’re going to call them lazy for using free stock assets in the middle of a pandemic? Okay. So I guess that means I’m lazy for licensing a photo from Adobe Stock for my company to use instead of filling out a request form for a professional camera, waiting for the next budget meeting to make my case about why I need it, learn how to use it, gather props, hire models, book a location for the shoot, gather costumes, learn how to use Lightroom, spend 4-6 hours shooting photos and directing the models, and edit the photos.

I’ve seen the argument that RvB has always stuck close to Halo as a reason for why the Unreal assets are bad. But this isn’t true. The closest RvB’s ever gotten to real Halo lore was with Project Freelancer*, and it barely scratched the surface. Yes they have references to it scattered throughout the show on occasion, but their whole arrangement with Microsoft makes it so that they can’t overlap too much.

Also, we’re really going to get mad about that, and not the really shitty snowmen in Season 12?

Those don’t look like Halo assets to me.

I just think it’s so silly. The argument that they should have only used assets from Halo is ridiculous because there’s plenty of times where they straight up haven’t done that. Like the knights in Season 16. Which were also free assets that they grabbed from somewhere.

3D models take time to make. You have to come up with an idea, make concept art for that idea, review the concept art and pick a direction to go in, sit down and make the 3D model (which can take hours and hours depending on what you’re making,) take down the poly count after creating a normal map so you don’t have a million faces that will slow down your render time, make sure the UV’s are all laid out properly so the model can be textured, pass it off to the people who texture the UV’s or do it yourself, test the textures to make sure the seams aren’t too visible on the model, do render tests to make sure the textures and normals and bump maps all look the way you want them to, and THEN you have to rig it yourself or pass it off to the coworker in charge of that sort of thing, apply constraints and controls, skinweight it, and apply physics (depending on the model.) And once you’re done with all of that, then you can give it to an animator to add it to a scene and animate it. And bear in mind that people have to do this while also keeping up with their meeting schedules, breaks, mealtimes, childcare, pet care, grocery runs, doctor’s appointments, etc.

I’m definitely missing a few steps/mis-naming a few things, but it’s been literally 3 years since I’ve created a full 3D asset from start to finish so...take it with a grain of salt.

The point is that creating one model is a lot of work. Top it off with the fact that we’re in a pandemic, and it gets even more strenuous. Things like ad-hoc design reviews may be harder to do because people might have their notifications for Slack/Teams/Discord/etc. off so they can get work done. And that can mean the difference between getting an asset finished in the middle of the day today, or waiting until early morning tomorrow when the rest of your team is online.

It’s much more cost-efficient to just buy/download pre-made assets. And frankly, in the middle of a pandemic, it’s a lot more ethical too.

I just wish that ppl would step back and ask themselves why they might be using Unreal assets for this season. Companies use stock assets all the time. Rooster Teeth is a company. I worry that people forget that sometimes.

Anyways, that’s just my two cents on it. As someone whose done the whole 3D animation process multiple times (albeit mostly for college,) it’s frustrating that people are making arguments against the use of stock assets without having an understanding of the amount of work that goes into making them yourself.

---

*The use of AI’s and the Huragok in Project Freelancer were two very direct references to canon Halo lore.

** Also worth noting that they DO use canon Halo guns in the first episode. I can’t speak for the other episodes because I haven’t seen them yet as of today (11/9/20) but I personally doubt they’re getting rid of them entirely.

Edit://

I mixed up Unity with Unreal. They’re Unreal Marketplace assets. Thanks @banditsheath​ for pointing that out.

[shirubae]

Silvaze ‘06: Part 6 - Becoming a Hero

Previously: Silver and Blaze decided to save Elise.

After Silver carefully escorts Anna, the assistant to Elise, Silver must complete three trials to reach Sonic in Kingdom Valley. These trials are reflections of everything Silver has learned on his adventure.

The first is the Trial of Friendship, which makes Silver rescue Blaze from a horde of Iblis spawn. This obviously shows his renewed devotion to Blaze.

The second is the Trial of Memory, making Silver reflect on his journey so far with a quiz. The answers are "mission" (his initial determination), "Princess Elise" (his discovery of the truth), and "teamwork" (his learning to trust Sonic). Afterwards, the priest notes that Silver has newfound clarity.

The third is the Trial of Heart, which has Silver fight a squad of Eggman robots without any props for his psychokinesis. The priest says: “This is about battling the fears deep inside you.” Completing the trial shows Silver’s growing independence, overcoming his fear of feeling helpless, and reflects his choice to finally take on Eggman. It appears Silver is becoming a hero.

To Rescue Elise

Silver, Blaze, and Sonic pursue the Egg Carrier through Kingdom Valley. The ancient castles and noble music evoke a mythical, heroic atmosphere. Despite their efforts, however, the aircraft malfunctions and crashes, killing Elise and dooming the world. Sonic is broken by this freak accident, while Silver and Blaze mourn silently.

However, Silver maintains hope. He proposes they go back in time to save her before the Egg Carrier’s crash, now using time travel to preserve a life rather than to end one. I can’t help but notice Blaze fidgeting on the left; it’s like Silver’s forward thinking excites her, but she stops herself and tries to play it cool.

Speculation: Maybe Blaze is proud to see how far Silver's come, but still not ready to share her feelings yet? (Or maybe her mocap actor didn't know what to do LOL)

To time travel, Silver initiates Dual Chaos Control with Sonic - not by getting warped by Mephiles, not by accident with Shadow, but of his own volition for the first time. Blaze is framed under the two Emeralds, foreshadowing her approaching fate.

Sonic promises to rescue Elise, allowing the duo to work on fixing their future. Though nervous, Silver now trusts Sonic enough to leave this precarious past in his hands - the blue blur is the world’s salvation, not its downfall. He tosses Silver his cyan Chaos Emerald, which represents joy. Sonic is joy, not destruction!

Silver takes the lead and enters the time portal with Blaze, their thoughts returning them to the future where their journey began.

To Save the Future

The duo prepare to face Iblis for the last time. Silver is done trying to brute force or cheat Iblis out of existence. He’s determined to fix the future rather than tamper with the past, planning something dire with the two Chaos Emeralds he holds. When Blaze asks if he has a plan, he simply nods, and she chooses to trust his judgment (it’s insane how loyal these two are).

However! The way they set off is quite a departure from their established pattern, where Silver zooms ahead and Blaze follows. This time Silver walks with purpose and clarity. And while Blaze does still wait for his start, she walks with him rather than behind him. This shows how much their respect for each other has grown, compared to their interaction in the opening cutscene, and also that the two are both determined to do whatever it takes to cinch victory. They are completely aligned.

Facing Iblis

The action stage, Flame Core, looks as if it's made of Iblis itself. There are some charred trees, showing signs of Silver's hope for nature. Silver takes control for the entire stage; I appreciate his cocky taunts to Iblis along the way, but I feel it was a missed opportunity to give Blaze one last hurrah. Regardless, they cross the wasteland and provoke Iblis for the final battle.

As usual, the fight is all up to Silver due to the distance. He pulls off some impressive feats, like blasting Iblis' head point-blank and catching a giant meteor. Silver has grown so much since the first boss fight.

Note: Sonic 06′s internal files have unused voice clips for Blaze ordering Silver to throw her at Iblis. This implies that the fight would have involved teamwork between the two, but it never made it through development. That would have been so neat!

Next up: Silver and Blaze in the grand finale of Episode Silver!

[Back to the masterpost]

[beladeprived]

The Dimitrescus + Donna & Angie with an S/O Who Is Finally Working !! HCs

some HCs dedicated to my dear friend @donnasdimples !! also Daniela in this HC is kind of a singer since like her MoCap actress and VA (Nicole Tompkins) loves to sing on her own streams so I was like...Dani...Singing...😭

ANYWAY! Here you go

Alcina

When she found out that you were successfully hired, she couldnt be any more happier for you!

"Draga mea, that's amazing! I am so happy for you!"

Then she follows with a kiss

She throws a celebration for you; only the finest food made from quality ingredients

The first few weeks of you working had her completely missing you

But she is fine with it since you go get that bread!

Calls you during your breaks

She has a lot of questions regarding your work and your work environment

You could see her pouting whenever you have to hang up

And because you are always away, she makes sure to prepare a huge meal for you on the weekends!

Bela

She was a mixture of happiness and anxiety

She's happy you finally got a job!

But shes also afraid that you might meet someone else "better" than her

But she trusts you so she doesn't dwell on it too much

Before you leave, she would always demand a cuddle session with you

On days where you are at work, she would be cooped up in the library

Flipping over book pages because she is just restless

She would call you! Asking for updates on how you are

On the weekends, she would jump into your arms and pepper your face with tiny lil kisses

Cassandra

She will ask you why you need a job when she could provide you with anything you need

But she respects your choice

and she is a lil grumpy about it

Everytime before you leave, she would make sure that she will get a chance to kiss you

And it'll take ages to pry her off of your lips

She becomes so touch starved while you're away

In the dungeons, she would brag about you to her victims

It helps her cope!

"So I know i'm pretty, but I belong to the BEST human in the entire fucking world! So y'all better not get any ideas"

When you arrive back home, she may or may not be feeling a bit of spice for you...

OR she may or may not dive into your arms, eager to tell you about her day

(it's up to you, dear reader!!)

Daniela

She is overjoyed!!

"Will you buy me the new romance novels? Will you???"

And you will!

She invites you to the opera room to celebrate and the both of you sing your heart out as she plays the piano

while you're there, she makes an impromptu song for you

And the song talks about how proud she is and how much she loves you

When you first leave, she's a pouty mess

She even had tears

Her arms were wrapped tightly around you, refusing to let go

All it takes is you, promising that you will be back

When you're away, she goes to try and make new songs she could sing to you when you get back on the weekends

And when weekends arrive, she sings away her heart at you. Even singing you to sleep

Donna & Angie

You have work now? She will feel an immediate rush of anxiety.

No...you wont leave her right?

You won't, and it's a little teary when you tell her

So Angie demands a lot of tea parties!!

Before you leave, you will take Donna to the living room and have her head rest on your shoulder, your arms wrapped around her waist as the two of you sway to slow dancing music

It's Angie's turn to ballroom dance afterwards!

Because they both just love spending time with you :((

They're proud of you though!

You always carry one of Donna's handmade plush dolls with you

Whenever you're gone, she spends time cooped up in her workshop, tailoring new clothes for you to wear on your work

When you arrive home, she makes tea and prepares the bed for you...she knows you're tired

Expect that Donna is glued to you on weekends! Asking for cuddles and quality time with you

[cryptidmads]

good evening nsr community, i went through the ama from today and came back with an armful or two of lore. there’s a bunch more than last time, and i included bbj as well as the npcs. cozy up, check under the cut, and prepare for a long read. enjoy!

today's ama featured wan hazmer and daim dziauddin again, as well as concept artist ellie and animator ben fong.

BUNK BED JUNCTION (FT. DK WEST)

- mayday and zuke live in the sewers because they're an underground band. it's a pun - there were originally two variations of bbj leaving the sewers - one with mayday hi-fiving gigi (which had a 95% chance of happening), and one with zuke awkwardly fumbling and attempting to hi-five gigi (which had a 5% chance) - one of the inspirations for mayday and zuke were the two main characters of samurai champloo (zuke was jin, mayday was mugen) - someone asked about if the rest of the cast had their own shadow puppets. ben suggested a lemur for mayday, while ellie suggested a zucchini for zuke. she may have been joking. - mayday's guitar solos were done by different people, but zuke's drum solos were all done by bruno valverde. - zuke was the one who implemented the canister thing into mayday's guitar. - someone asked who of the cast are the introverts and who are the extroverts. mayday is an extrovert, zuke is an introvert. - the team does have a bit of lore for mayday and zuke and how they met, but they want to save it in case of a future project. - mayday was inspired by both genevieve from company of thieves and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt. - ben did the animation for mayday swinging the hammer in the workshop. - haz recalls seeing some fanart of mayday being brought up as a rich girl. he doesn't remember the artist, but he does like the idea. - the japanese version has zuke say he has a phd rather than a master's degree. this is apparently a mistake. - the pattern on zuke's pants was inspired by jolyne cujoh and prosciutto from jojo's bizarre adventure. - zuke's toilet seat collection came partially from a story from one of the environmental artists where one of their high school friends pranked another friend with a toilet seat. - zuke does a lot of reading and is naturally inquisitive about things like tech and mechanics. - dk west's shadow puppet abilities might run in the family, and zuke may have it as well. - both zuke and dk west are connected by percussion (zuke with the drums, west with the hand claps) - zuke and west weren't always designed to be related -- west was originally designed as "some guy who comes and goes," but was made into zuke's brother later on in production - dk west is an extrovert.

DJ SUBATOMIC SUPERNOVA

- djss' dj name is obviously a stage name, but the team didn't have a real name for him in the script or anything. - haz joked that his name is bob salad. that's not canon but from what i seen the chat loved it lol - haz brings up the symbolism of djss spinning the planets around himself and how it represents that he thinks of himself as the center of the universe. - ellie helped design the districts, and something she noted about dj's is that it's supposed to look the "slummiest" because he cares more about himself and less about things like blackouts. - dj had some lines cut from his boss fight. those lines? mini lectures towards bbj during every phase. they were cut because the team felt like they were too much for the game, but they want to share them one day. - daim says that dj could be either introverted or extroverted becuase of how much time he spends alone looking at the stars. - dj was never planned to have an approach segment, but funk fiction wasn't told that, so he made him an approach theme anyway. - dodo ice pops are traffic light flavoured, which is a popular ice cream in malaysia. it's strawberry, pineapple, and lime flavored.

SAYU AND THE NERD SQUAD

- three of sayu's creators were based on staff members at metronomik. remi (voiced by ben) was based on one of the programmers and one of the environmental artists (ellie calls him "the lovechild of two dudes"), tila was based on (and voiced by) ellie herself, and dodo was based on danish mak (another environmental artist who also voices him). - sofa wasn't based on anyone in particular, he was more of a "general otaku guy" according to ellie (though haz joked that ellie could just say he was based on him). - dodo is daim's favorite npc -- he also designed him! - sayu was ellie's favorite character to design. she loves drawing mermaids. - the progression in sayu's fight where you go deeper into the "ocean" is supposed to be a metaphor for going deeper into the internet/the deep web. - ellie suggested that if sayu were to have a shadow puppet, it would be a cat. - as for the introvert/extrovert debate, daim says sayu is technically comprised of 4 introverts. sayu herself is the extrovert mask they wear. - sayu's ahoge is a submarine periscope. remi looks through it in one of the cutscenes. - sayu's not a mech. she's remotely controlled by her creators from their computer room. - the backstory between remi and tila is meant to show that artists can come from all sorts of backgrounds.

YINU AND MAMA

- yinu's promotional video was one of the first ones done before they brought in lzbros, so it originally looked different from how it looks in the game now. - yinu's mother's eyes are yellow because she spends most of the fight focusing on yinu (who is mainly yellow). when her eyes go blank white, it represents that she's momentarily forgotten what she loves the most. when her eyes become yellow again after the fight, it means she's remembered yinu and her piano playing. - the way ellie describes natura is that yinu is a plant and her mother is very protective of her, and one of the distinctive features is that there are a lot of domes with plants inside, particularly on the roofs of the houses. - yinu's commercial was not intended to reference little miss fortune. the commercial was shown in 2018, while LMF came out a year later. - yinu's mom turning into a giant tree monster isn't exclusive to her just being angry at bbj. apparently the whole plant thing runs in the yinu family.

1010

- 1010's concept as a boy band had been around since before the team started production, but they were the last to be fully designed -- their designs weren't finalized until way later on. - 1010 were ellie’s least favorite characters to design. she doesn't like drawing guys OR robots. - 1010's early designs had them wearing tuxedos. - 1010 do have memories. - the inspiration for the butt plates came from one of ben's gundam figures from his collection in the metronomik office. thanks ben. - ellie's favorite member of 1010 is purl-hew/blue. - eloni/green is apparently the rapper of the group. - the jingle you hear from the carousel in metro division is a carnival remix of 1010's boss theme. - the numbers underneath 1010's names on the autographs are completely random.

NEON J

- neon j is a dancer. daim explains that in addition to being in the navy, dance has always been his true passion. - in the final phase of 1010's fight, he was originally supposed to control the dance moves of the factory as he was fighting you, but it was cut due to limited resources. - daim designed neon j based on ellie's designs for 1010. - neon j's factory's dance moves were all animated by ben -- no mocap needed. the factory was also his favorite thing to animate. - daim says that "neon j is to tatiana as soundwave is to megatron." basically he is extremely loyal to tatiana. - neon j was one of earliest members of nsr. - neon j seeing 1010 as his sons wasn't planned, but daim loves the concept so much that he could see it being canon. - daim says neon j's brain is "probably" still inside the monitor head. somehow. - neon j is an extrovert. - haz likes the idea of neon j being blind and using his sonar to "see" things. ben joked that the screen worked like giant glasses. - neon j originally had red dots that would pop up on his face when the sonar moved by that were meant to represent acne, and that would've been the reason why he's mostly behind the scenes.

EVE

- in mayday's side of the room when eve splits up bbj, the hands all over the walls are meant to be there to show how eve is angrier at mayday than she is at zuke. - the time signature for the music in mayday's room during the fight is 6/8, whereas in zuke's room it's 4/4. - ellie suggested a platypus shadow puppet for eve. the rest of the team seems to be on board. - eve was ben's least favorite character to animate. he said he struggled with animating her dance moves because it was something he'd never done before, and he still doesn't think he did a good enough job. - eve was born with her split skin tone. - apparently eve's near scrapping had something to do with costs. haz was the one who stopped it from happening. - eve's outfit was partly inspired by beyonce, while her jacket was partly inspired by ariana grande. the team took some inspiration from bjork, as well. - the sleeves on eve's jacket were apparently limbs at one point. - eve is an introvert.

NPCS/OTHER CHARACTERS

- part of tatiana's symbolism is how she used to be a rock star, but her flame/passion slowly burned away, and now she's just a rock, referencing how she was literally on fire as the rock star kul fyra, but now looks burnt out. - daim thinks kliff is older than tatiana, probably over 50. - in addition to the neon j dance lore mentioned above, kayane rambling about neon j after the 1010 fight was supposed to be connected to her watching neon j dance. - ben and haz's favorite npc is mia, and ellie's is dj zam. - dj zam was inspired by one of ellie's college friends, who she says "makes you feel comfortable to be around". - ellie thinks dj zam's neck tattoo says "i love mom". - amal the unicorn was inspired by lady amalthea from the 80's animated film "the last unicorn". he was originally written to be a real talking unicorn, but it was changed partially because his horn wasn't in the right spot on his head. - zed was based on game designer dzaid and has hyperacusis, a hearing disorder that makes it difficult to deal with everyday sounds. - yiruk's name is an anagram of kiryu, the protagonist of the yakuza games. - chef sunshine's design is a homage to julia child. she originally had a bigger physique, but was changed to match lylia's bubbly performance.

[clonesupport]

thank you @strangefable for tagging me!💕

1. are you named after anyone?

i was named after a movie if that counts

2. when was the last time you cried?

….like thirty minutes ago AHAHAHAHA—

3. do you have kids?

hell no

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

ahahaha….haha…….yeah probably a bit too much..

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

my intuition about their general vibe/character, but physically? their eyes i suppose, it’s where i look first

6. what’s your eyes colour?

shit brown lol

7. scary movies or happy endings?

how about both🥴

8. any special talents?

uuhhh idk man i guess i can draw, write a bit, my ability to binge any kind of content for hours/days straight, my ability to hyper fixate on something and move onto a new hyper fixation within the week-, soccer even if it’s been a while, my food knowledge TwT (don’t ask, my parents are both obsessed with cooking and food in general and so their knowledge rubbed off on me) and my music knowledge if that counts

9. where were you born?

downtown vancouver, women’s hospital if you want the specifics, can’t give you the room number though, i was too young to remember that

10. what are your hobbies?

uuuhhh gaming, listening to music, watching tv/movies, crying-, uhh eating?, drawing

11. have you had any pets?

yeah, had a cat that passed when i was 12, my dog who’s now 10 and lives with my parents so i never see anymore TTTT

12. what sports do you play/have played?

did ten years of soccer, skating, some ski, played some basket ball and hockey here and there, did track too and cross country, ok looking back on this i was a jock oh god wtf—-

13. how tall are you?

a boring average of 5’7”🥴

14. favourite subject in school?

science, any kind, i loved it all even if i wasn’t smart enough to do well lol, favourite class i ever took was grade 12 geology, but that might be cuz i wanted my teacher to blow my back out in the staff room—— but the subject was really fun that’s no lie-

15. dream job?

unrealistically? rockstar, or mocap/game actor. realistically? idk lol i never did, nor do i now or really care lol i just want a job that isn’t too tasking and pays good and i’ll be happy

i tag @captastra @confidentandgood @sstewyhosseini @detectivelokis @roofgeese @gayafsatan @galaxycunt @moonlit-jellies @kyber-infinitygems @incognito-insomniac and anyone wanting to play along!

[pega-chan]

for what BPA is worth, the plot might've had a lot of holes, but i am absolutely OBSESSED with the animation in this movie. sure the mocap makes the dancing during the musical numbers jangky, but i love every other aspect of this movie's art.

please look at the hair renders. particularly of Amelia's/Amelia's wig. LOOK AT HOW FINE IT IS. i like how it's animated too, how it swishes when they move.

i also tend to replay scenes simply bc i love the little movements the characters do that really makes them feel alive. for example:

the way Amelia points to herself with both hands when she says "When are you going to let me make my own decisions?". usually i expect just a tilt of the head when asking questions, but like. the body language. it's animated so fluidly too.

and then there's the scene where Barbie stands up to Rose Ross, one of my personal favourites bc it was a turning point that lead to the reprise of "(Not) A Picture Perfect Girl":

i love love LOVE how she brings down her fist and stomps one foot on the ground when she exclaims "I don't!". LITERALLY putting her foot down! it adds something extra to the scene and illustrates just how furious she was. this is CINEMA.

Johan's design is my favourite out of everybody in the movie, and not just because he's cute.

especially when you realise the height difference between him and Barbie/Amelia is downright comical bc they're a full head taller than him.

my favourite scene in the entire movie is the one where Johan and Barbie were practising the coronation dance all the way to the "King of the Kingdom" reprise. the animation in that makes me feel alive. the dancing. the swish of Barbie's skirt. Barbie fumbling to keep up with Johan so her dance moves are not as well-oiled as his. the voice acting. the rock-paper-scissors at the end. the part where Barbie has to release Johan's grasp from hers with both hands. the song itself afterwards. this one scene lives in my mind RENT FREE.

also, tiny tidbit but i love how Barbie always wipes her hand every time after Johan holds it and then agrees with Amelia later on that yes, his palms are so sweaty. that was funny.