#like obviously the city is heavily inspired by hollywood but in the original it's just a hollywood-like city in kanto. in the dub they made

[spyres-moved]

go west young meowth is a really good episode but the way the early eng dub tried to americanize everything is so cringe

[bestwatchmoviesseriesonline-blog]

10 Best Movies to Watch During Christmas Holidays

Great thing about the product quality holiday movies is that you never get tired of them! I've compiled listing of my favorite films for the 'season of love and understanding ', whilst the song says. I'm aware all of these movies won't interest everyone, but at the very least I am hoping you'll find some of one's favorites included.

It is a Wonderful Life (1946) On Christmas Eve, a man down on his luck wishes he was never born and contemplates suicide. He's rescued by his guardian angel, who shows him what his friends and loved ones could be like without him... 

This Frank Capra's ('Arsenic and Old Lace') classic is known as one of the very inspirational films ever and is really a traditional Christmas favourite worldwide because the 1970's. Interestingly, it had been a box-office flop during the time of its release! To be honest, I can't see why - is has touching story, memorable sing-a-long ending and masterful James Stewart ('Rear Window') in the leading role.

A Groundhog Day (1993) Cynical and self-centered TV meteorologist, while covering the story of the weather forecasting groundhog, gets stuck in time. In the beginning he takes advantageous asset of the specific situation, but soon he decides to create some changes as he starts to fall in love with his co-worker... 

I think the very best romantic comedy for holiday season! Bill Murray ('Lost in Translation'), who's nothing significantly less than perfect in his role, shares great chemistry with lovely Andie MacDowell ('Four Weddings and a Funeral'). Even though you watch this movie lying in bed with high fever and cough, like Used to do last year, you will enjoy it anyway!

A Christmas Carol (1984) Miserly and sullen old man is taught the actual meaning of Christmas by ghosts who visit him on Christmas Eve and show him their own past, present and future. He realizes he's nothing good to expect in the foreseeable future unless he changes his ways... 

Made for television drama is i think the very best and essentially the most faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens'novel, that has been adapted numerous times. This classic tale, set in Victorian England, with late George C. Scott ('Dr. Strangelove') as Ebeneezer Scrooge, will surely put you in the Christmas mood, but the powerful message it carries can be applied to all seasons!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Pumpkin King of Halloweentown is bored of accomplishing the same every Halloween. One day as he's walking into a wood he stumbles onto Christmas Town. Intrigued with the complete idea of the holiday, he decides to kidnap Santa and do Christmas himself... 

Tim Burton, who became known for his darkish but original fables such as for example'Edward Scissorhands'or'Big Fish'directed this animated musical fantasy. It had been a massive success at the box offices and praised by critics for the stunning originality and visual excellence. In 2006. this film got the complete new dimension when it had been re-released into theaters in Digital 3-D.

Die Hard (1988) Prior to Christmas, New York City detective is here in L.A. to pay holiday together with his wife and children. Unfortunately, a group of terrorists has bought out Nakatomi Corporation building and is holding all employees hostages, including detective's wife...

 For people who can't do without action thrillers during Christmas holidays, this is probably the best choice. John McTiernan's ('The Search for Red October') classic features exciting action sequences, memorable one-liners and a break through movie ดูหนัง role for Bruce Willis ('RED'), which sent this actor to the A-list Hollywood stardom.

Bad Santa (2003) An unhappy con-artist and his friend, a midget, are intending to rob department stores on Christmas Eve posing as Santa and his Little Helper. While they proceeding with the master plan,'Santa'befriends among their customers, an overweight and lonesome boy... 

This Santa is truly bad! He chases women, he drinks heavily and swears about every 3 seconds. But we also learn that beneath the outer lining he hides a heart of gold. Certainly not a video suitable for kids, but if you're adult give this quirky comedy a opportunity for its different approach and great performance by Billy Bob Thornton ('The Astronaut Farmer').

A Christmas Story (1983) America in 1940's. A long time before PlayStation and iPad, 9-year-old boy longs for Red Rider BB gun. He tries to convince his family and Santa the gun would have been a perfect Christmas gift, but everyone keeps warning him that he'll shoot his eye out... 

This family comedy, predicated on Jean Shepherd's semi-autobiographical stories, may be worth watching for many hilarious scenes and its reputation as the maximum American holiday movie of time. Peter Billingsley, who played the little boy, has become successful Hollywood producer, in charge of creating hits like'The Break Up'and'Iron Man '.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005) Four siblings are sent to the nation estate during World War II. Playing a game title of hide-and-seek, the youngest daughter discovers a wardrobe which transports her to Narnia, the magical land with eternal winter but without Christmas, ruled by the evil White Witch... 

I've been loving this fable since I had watched 80's tv series version inside my winter holidays. The newest adaptation of C.S. Lewis'book, is aimed mostly at younger audience, but it could be enjoyed by whoever has some adventurous spirit inside! This film was followed by sequel'Prince Caspian'in 2008.

Elf (2003) An individual orphan is located by Santa Claus and raised by elves on the North Pole. When naive adult'elf''discovers he's actually an individual, he decides to attend his host to birth, New York City, in search of his real father, who's on Santa's naughty list... 

The clash od two cultures - human and elfish - produces many laughs in this family oriented comedy. Obviously, a great part of the credits for laughter goes to leading actor, famous comedian Will Farrell ('The Other Guys') and veteran James Caan ('The Godfather'), playing main protagonist's biological father.

Scrooged (1988) A mean television executive, who will do anything just to increase his network's ratings, even it indicates forcing his office staff to sort out Christmas Eve, gets visits from three ghosts - 

The Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future... I couldn't resist to place another, modernized and humorous version of'A Christmas Carol'on the list, because this is what's'Scrooged'all about. Once more, Bill Murray is excellent in his role, this time as media world Scrooge in a satire with great special effects, directed by Richard Donner ('Lethal Weapon').

[ginngardner]

IS YOUR CHARACTER

[001] the face of any products // the closest endorsement tristan has is with fender, but he’s not so much the face of the company as much as a partner. they’re actually releasing a guitar he designed this year.

[002] open about their private life // no, tristan is very adament about keeping his public life and private life separate and has a history of having a very volatile relationship with the paparazzi because of it.

[003] an advocate for any charities // when he believes in them, yes. he won’t donate just for the sake of looking good, and will only give money to or make appearances for causes he actually cares about.

[004] involved in a relationship for publicity // though his management has tried several times to find a girl that’s ‘good for his image, tristan refuses because he has a very honest relationship with his fans.

[005] where they are because of dishonest / shady moves // tristan has mad a lot of mistakes in his career, but integrity is important to him. if he’s done anything shady in his career, it wasn’t intentional.

WHO DOES YOUR CHARACTER

[006] @ / retweet regularly // his fans actually, but it’s very random and only when a tweet generally makes him think or makes him laugh. he’ll usually add some kind of ‘witty’ comment because he thinks he’s funny.

[007] mention most in interviews // his band who have been with him since he was playing smoky bars for tips. he very rarely mentions his family or friends because he doesn’t like talking about his personal life.

[008] go to when they need some help // usually his siblings, because they do maintain a good relationship most of the time and he values their opinions the most since they’re not afraid to be honest with him.

[009] idolize / adore more than life itself // he has so many heroes in the business that he’s been lucky enough to meet and even play with. jimi hendrix is the GOAT for him though, his number one.

[010] want to end up with (in their dreams) // at the end of the day, tristan just wants to be surrounded by a bunch of good people. if he has his family, his band and some good friends then he’s good.

WHAT WAS

[011] the first thing they tweeted // tristan’s twitter was originally made by his manager so for the first year, he never signed into it. until one night he couldn’t sleep and started tweeting back at fans at 2am, which he still does.

[012] the first event they got invited to // the premiere of some movie when he was just starting to get famous because they used one of his songs on the soundtrack. his wardrobe for the night was questionable.

[013] the last (non work related) vacation they took // traveling is very important to tristan and he tries to visit a new country, tour dates don’t count, every year. this year it was the prague in the czech republic.

[014] the first thing published about them on lounge // some photos leaked of tristan and his then girlfriend, who wasn’t famous and lounge posted an article about them from a ‘trusted source’ that was entirely made up.

[015] the project that made them want to act / write / sing / etc. // tristan grew up listening to 80s rock... but it was actually marty mcfly’s guitar performance from back to the future that inspired him to pick up the instrument.

WHY

[016] do they put up with all of the bs that comes with the business // music is who tristan is. it’s all he knows. it’s in his bones. and he can’t imagine his life without it. everything else is just a side effect.

[017] did they pursue the career they’re currently in // tristan never meant to become the pop rock star he did. he just wanted to play music, as part of a band or whatever. the solo career happened on accident.

[018] did they choose the media persona they did // there is no persona, what you see is what you get. tristan has never pretended to be something he wasn’t. the media likes to portray him as a bad boy but... that’s on them.

[019] do they hate gossip magazines so much // he’s always been so honest to his fans about his music and his career but he’s always wanted to keep his personal life separate. tabloids do the opposite.

[020] would they ever make a sex tape // no way. not only does he have no interest in that kind of thing, but sex is a very intimate act and he’s such a private person anyway, he would never risk something like that leaking.

WHERE

[021] did they hear their first song on the radio // he was driving by himself on the highway on the way home after a string of shows and actually had to pull over. then he just laughed because why would anyone play his song?

[022] did they find out they’d landed their first project // he had just walked off stage at a smoky bar in new york city when a man approached him to set up a meeting. he signed a record deal the next day. it all happened very fast.

[023] did they go on vacation after their first big project // after the initial rush of first radio single/first album/first real tour, tristan did some traveling through some of his favorite countries in europe, mostly touristy places like france, italy, germany, spain.

[024] do they live when they want to get away from it all // london will always be home for tristan, but he gets recognized a lot on the street so lately he's been spending a lot of time in the irish countryside and he enjoys it a lot.

[025] was their first big press conference // in london outside of his record label's british sister label, announcing his first full studio album after the surprising success of his debut single.

WAS THEIR FIRST

[026] project embarrassing // embarrassing isn't the right word, but he was still learning a lot about himself, his sound and the recording process then, so it's definitely not his favorite work but he's proud of it.

[027] talk show appearance a wreck // there was a whole "practice" session with his publicist, then in true tristan graves fashion, he went completely off script. so while not a disaster in his eyes, the label wasn't happy with it.

[028] public relationship heavily followed // if tristan had his way, he wouldn't have any public relationships but with his celebrity status it's near impossible to completely evade the gossip, so yes.

[029] fan encounter awkward / nice / sweet / etc. // the first time tristan was recognized outside of a show or work environment, he was grocery shoopping after midnight in pajamas. his hair was a mess and he hadn't shaved but the girl was still excited and got a fun story to tell.

[030] relationship (while famous) talked about at all // tristan has only ever been in a relationship with one other celebrity and that person was a lot more open with their personal life than he was. there were a lot of tabloid stories, most of them false but some things were real so that whole experience was eye opening.

WILL

[031] they ever open any sort of business // there have been rumors about tristan selling his own line of everything from clothes to amps to guitars and even a strange little rumor about male grooming kits but no he doesn't currently have any plans.

[032] they ever win a major, prestigious award // tristan was actually nominated for a grammy for his second studio album but he didn't win. obviously that's something he'd like to cross off the ol' bucket list, but he doesn't make music for awards.

[033] they ever host the smn version of saturday night live // that's been a dream of tristan's for so long and he recently got to be the musical guest on an episode but has not hosted yet.

[034] they ever work tirelessly for years to get a project going // there have been albums released a year apart and there was a three year hiatus once. he writes all of his own music and despite constant pressure from the label, he never wants to rush an album.

[035] they take pictures with fans who approach them on their off time // it honestly depends on what he's doing, where he is and who he's with... and his mood that day. he's usually okay with it but everyone has off days.

DOES YOUR CHARACTER

[036] invest their money wisely // tristan has never really been a big spender. he has expensive things but is more likely to spend it on guitars than fancy things. he did splurge on a house for his family, a penthouse for himself and a cool car though.

[037] work only on projects they love // now more than when he was younger and let a movie use his song for the soundtrack before realizing the film was rubbish. every song he puts out comes from the heart and integrity is so important to him.

[038] care more about the fame than anything // it's never been about the fame for tris. it's always been about the music... but it does go to his head every once in a while. he's only human.

[039] often find they’ve put their foot in their mouth // oh, all the time. especially when it's late at night and he's drunk tweeting. orrr anytime he opens his mouth. he says a lot of stupid shit but he doesn't mean any harm.

[040] hide things from the public because they are afraid / ashamed of what the reaction could be // while he tries to keep his personal life separate from his professional life, it's never been because he's ashamed. he's a very honest person and he's unapologetic about who he is.

DO YOU HONESTLY THINK YOUR CHARACTER

[041] is a good person // yes, but he's flawed like any human being. the media paints a picture of him being an asshole but that's only partially true. he has a good heart underneath the bad boy persona.

[042] will have career longevity // yes, to an extent. music is a big part of who he is as a person and he can't imagine his life without it. he knows that the fame and fortune will inevitably fade away but as long as he can keep putting out music he'll be happy.

[043] deserves the career they have // tristan puts his heart and soul into his music. he's involved in everything from the writing to the producing to the performing and everything on between.

[044] can remain unjaded by hollywood // as long as he has the freedom to make the music he wants to make instead of conforming to what a label or anyone else wants him to be, sure. the moment he changes into something he's not is the moment he walks away.

[045] will spend the rest of their life with the person they marry // given that he has no immediate plans to get married, that's up in the air. he's called a heartbreaker by the media but he would never cheat so if he ever does get married, he will be loyal to that person as long as they are.

GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY WOULD YOUR CHARACTER

[046] date / marry a fan // probably not, if only because he would spend the entire relationship wondering if they married tristan the person or tristan the celebrity.

[047] star on any type of reality show // no way. he hates reality tv and has probably turned down an offer to appear. he might cameo on a show or movie franchise he's a fan of but never reality tv.

[048] donate to charity / do good deeds without publicity // he actually does this on a regular basis. he has a few charities he holds close to his heart and is very involved in one called music cares. though some of his appearances are publicized, not all of them are.

[049] say exactly what they think about the ins/outs of fame // probably not directly but he's definitely made indirect commemts about his feelings on the industry.

[050] walk comic con without any security (in or out of disguise) // no because getting recognized would ruin the fun of going AS a fan. maybe in a costume but again, probably not.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON POIZN’S MAIN RAP, LEAD VOCAL JEON DOYOON...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: j.dean CURRENT AGE: 29 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE:15 COMPANY: 99 SECONDARY SKILL: Lyric writing

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): 

korean homer: this embarrassing nickname was thrusted onto him in the early days of POIZN since 99 media played him as this rising, prodigal songwriter. ( the nickname is, obviously, used as a joke )

yoonie bear: mostly used by female fans when they saw the stark contrast between his stage persona as a looming and intimidating figure, and his real self who is soft like a teddy bear.

INSPIRATION: doyoon had dreamed to become an artist who could tell his own story and was heavily influenced by korean hip-hop artists such as yoon mirae, tiger jk, and epik high, and he thought being an idol would be the best way to get his name out there. SPECIAL TALENTS:

playing the piano with his feet

nail art

NOTABLE FACTS:

lived in montana, usa for seven years and returned to korea with his grandparents at 12 to become a k-pop idol

was a pianist in his church band

his mother gave him the english name james-dean because she is a big fan of the actor

had numerous part time jobs while he was a trainee to financially support himself

started writing songs and lyrics since he was eight. his first song was about his pet rabbit

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

doyoon hopes to regain the trust he had lost with 99, so he can regain the possibility of the solo opportunity they had given him years ago. to do that, he is trying to soften the public perception of him as one of the “scandal-clad screw ups of 99,” and finally reclaim his debut as a solo artist.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

doyoon has realized time and time again that being an idol is hard, and he is somewhat sick of the lifestyle. so he wants to quickly transition out of that idol title he holds and become an artist that he desperately wants to be by being recognized as someone who writes and produces songs — either for himself, his group, or other artist both in and out of 99.

IDOL IMAGE

as if by fate, 99 knew exactly what they wanted doyoon to be ever since they laid their eyes on him. from a visual standpoint, doyoon seemed to have been born just so he could be a part of POIZN with his sharp eyes, intimidating glare, and baritone voice. 99 sets him out to be a bad boy – not exactly a wild, partying bad boy, but as the classic “hollywood” bad boy ( most likely due to his american upbringing. ) while he initially played the role of a rambunctious young blood, doyoon gradually brings it down and became reserved the more he played his role into what 99 wanted him to be.

he is neither loud nor boisterous – loudness is not what doyoon excels at. he is the old school, quiet but strong candidate, a quiet flame in the background that flickers steadily, refusing to burn out. silent, resilient and intense — these are what 99 wanted to convey, and doyoon became the perfect representative of that image.

now doyoon, left alone and away from 99’s packaging, is unrecognizable. his POIZN persona is on one spectrum, and doyoon stands on the exact opposite end of that spectrum. POIZN’s doyoon is boiling lava while jeon doyoon the person is one of the many kindling on the hearth warming your home – gentle, patient, and meek. so the people have always been surprised to hear about the great divide between the mask and the person that lies beneath it, because doyoon was a breath of fresh air; one of the few POIZN boys who had lived his idol life scandal-free due to his hard work behind the scenes, locked up behind studio doors collaborating with producers to help POIZN rise in the ranks.

it played out in their favor, at first.

but who’s to say that this surprising revelation wasn’t media play itself?

IDOL HISTORY

tw: implied alcoholism, dubious consent.

life is full of choices and doyoon seems to be always picking the wrong ones.

v.

the first choice that changed his life wasn’t necessary his choice to make, nor was he given a voice in the matter. he was only five, after all, and the opinions of a five year-old do not really matter, right? he’s given a new life in a new city that belonged to a new country with a new name and a new sibling.

james-dean jeon is his new name – not just ‘james’ and not ‘dean.’ it’s a mouthful, especially because he’s only five and can barely speak the language.

“i promise you’ll have a better life here, doyoon. you can make your dreams come true here!”

that’s what his parents tell him the night before he starts his first day of american kindergarten. but the thing is: he’s had a great life back in korea. he even had a pet rabbit named pony. oh how he missed pony. but he doesn’t question them further. he smiles and nods to let his parents go to bed because, like him, they too have a busy day of work the next day.

vii.

it’s not that he doesn’t like going to church – it’s just that he doesn’t like waking up at 7 o’clock on sundays to go to a church about 40 minutes away from his home when there are plenty of churches in the neighborhood.

“you know grandpa and grandma aren’t very good at english, and you have to immerse yourself in your culture.”

and his parents are right…to a certain degree.

he should be more understanding of his grandparents needs, since he actually goes out into society – all grandpa and grandma have are each other and the rest of the koreans in their city in montana ( which just happens to be the rest of the family. ) so he shouldn’t get so frustrated when they want to be with the people they have in common.

but did doyoon have to leave korea ( and pony and his other friends ) just to immerse himself into his culture?

he doesn’t say anymore, but he does think about it on his way to church.

x.

rap – it’s what his grandparents and the majority of the grown-ups in his church refer to it as ‘the devil’s music.’ it’s what the older kids at his school and church thought was the best thing in the world. and doyoon thought it was one of the best things – next to drawing stick figures and his two new sisters.

at school, he listens to what he and others know – american rappers and hip-hop artists. while at church, he was introduced to korean hip-hop. doyoon has always been fond of music – that’s why he deliberately stays late after church: to get piano lessons and participate in the church band – and he’s found something that he could love ( even more than pony. boy, he still missed her. )

xii.

call him a silly child all you want, but nothing is stopping him from becoming who he wants to be.

unfortunately for his parents, america is not a place where his dream will come true.

he’s figured out a few years ago that this place isn’t as great as people claim it to be – there are countless iron walls blocking his way, and no matter how high he jumps, he can never go over it like a simple hurdle.

so he decides to be a little selfish.

he goes back to korea with his grandparents, leaving his family and friends behind.

despite his nationality and his blood all originating from korea, the country feels foreign to him – and so does the language, unfortunately. but he’s still growing and he regains the vocabulary as he reincorporates himself into his birthplace.

xv.

there’s an unexplainable distance between his classmates and doyoon – possibly because he spends most of his time at a music academy than at socializing with his peers. he needs to build his skills, because what was the point of coming back to korea if he wasn’t going to work hard?

apparently he’s pretty good at singing ( all those years in the church choir must have paid off ), and he’s come so far in his rapping and dancing skills. the teachers at his academy suggest agencies he should audition in because he might have the potential to become famous.

“just mention us when you hit big, kiddo.”

there is only one agency that takes him in, though ( though he didn’t show it on his face, he was shocked that he passed only one out of six auditions. )

xix.

he manages to finish high school, but he doesn’t get that sweet taste of freedom like the other students do: he practices all day and works all night, partaking in late night shifts at convenience stores.

he will admit that initially, he was ignorant about idols. he didn’t know they had to endure years of training, years of criticism and years of rivalry to debut.

they say his singing is decent, lyrics original and well-crafted, and that he has the right tone and look to be a rapper, but his overall dancing ability is utter garbage. they tell him to either: get better or leave.

no matter how much he practices, they want more – more improvement, more soul, and more blood.

it is a savage world, but it is the world that he chose to belong in.

…

does he belong in it?

xxiii.

doyoon works hard – anyone can see that, and he’s present.

he tries to make POIZN become better and stronger; make it rise to the top like their opponents. so he sits in on the meetings, engages with the producers, and offers his two-cents on certain affairs.

maybe it isn’t his place to say such things, and maybe he’s being too selfish but POIZN and his members are like family to him.

xv.

he is clean – cleaner than bleach, and maybe that’s why 99 is so taken with him.

a solo opportunity is given to him. though it wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter like he had hoped, he takes it without a second thought. even though he wants to dedicate his all to POIZN, POIZN is…well…poison. and doyoon wants to separate himself from that image as soon as possible.

99 offers him some creative control over his content, because they know he won’t screw up.

because doyoon never screws up.

xxvi.

doyoon spends his nights in the studio – a yellow legal notepad on his right and a bottle of whisky. art isn’t something that is created overnight. it is a struggle that takes months – even years to complete.

but doyoon is tired, so tired.

from other work to this, he doesn’t know if he can keep up the burning desire anymore.

is this fine? does this sound good? no. none of this sound good.

not even acceptable.

he doesn’t want to be selfish but he wants something better, something more.

xvii.

99 is ruthless, but he’s sure other companies are just as ruthless.

a picture – not a harmless before an after of a false accusation of cosmetic surgery—

[ +400, -31 ] ㅋㅋㅋ what are they saying? it’s totally him. bye bye loser~ > [ +25, -299 ] how are you so sure it’s him? > [ +450, -19 ] his tattoos, you delulu ㅋㅋㅋ

—but a scandalous picture.

he can’t remember the night well, only fragments of it – all hazy. but he does know that he needed comfort and a night to release his inhibitions.

that night, he remembers two choices:

1)      a long night with a bottle with a flavor that he recognizes all too well, or

2)     spending time with the person sitting across from him.

xxix.

the big opportunity is stripped from him as soon as the pictures leak, and he’s back to square one – a trainee, trying to prove his worth to the ones high in the clouds. but they still feed on him – feed on his words, his work, his mind, his melodies, his art. that’s the real poison here, but doyoon still craves that attention that small acknowledgement that says, ‘at least you’re doing this right.’

and that is better than nothing.

[stevensavage]

A Bridge To The Quiet Planet: Inspirations For The Twelve Great Cities

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve's Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

Let's get to know more about the setting of my upcoming novel, A Bridge To The Quiet Planet.  I'd like to peek behind the curtain and talk about my inspirations for the Twelve Great Cities of Telvaren.

The idea for Twelve Great Cities sprung right into my head when I was messing around with ideas.  Inspired by some lovely visuals in anime (if you ever want amazing cityscapes, many SF/Fantasy anime have jaw-dropping designs) and some past fiction, I came up with the idea of a city dominated by a dozen great city-states.  Each city has its own personality, and these are the inspirations.

The Cities

Allanax - The capital of the Great Cities is somewhat inspired by Washington DC, but as it also acts as a culture center it takes some inspiration from Cincinnati, Ohio and Boston.  Visually it's inspired by Seattle and the fictional city of Numbani in the game Overwatch - all soaring high-tech skyscrapers.

Brightguard - Brightguard is a massive academic center of magic and knowledge, so Boston was an enormous influence.  As it has a military past, there's also some influence from San Francisco's Navy days.  In the setting as of the novel it's experiencing gentrification, inspired by many sources, and visually based on the way I've seen old buildings in Silicon Valley converted to other things.

Grand Ivar - The "little sibling" to Allanax and Brightguard, Grand Ivar's is a fun city to write about because it's amazing and diverse, but is always contrasted to others, leading to it trying hard to stand out, while also being insecure.  Culture wise it's inspired by San Jose and Toronto, though visually I've described it as a "well laid-out art deco Hong Kong."  The insecurity comes from watching rivalries in the Bay Area, and watching competition among various real cities.

Highpoint - The Great City made by various cities allying themselves together, building a bunch of roads, and asking to join the other cities.  Highpoint is inspired by those areas where cities and towns just kind of grew together, including Boston, New York, The Bay Area, and Columbus, Ohio.  Culturally it's very laid back, taking some hints from smaller cities I've visited.

Kalfstaff - Financial center Kalstaff is heavily inspired by New York and London, as well as the cityscapes in the late MMO City of Heroes.  Ut.  It's extremely neat architecture and well-kept streets are inspired by Toronto.

Mindarion - The great city of manufacturing and fabrication is a strange one.  In some ways it's inspired by manufacturing cities like Pittsburgh, but the design of the city is well-planed, combining urban architecture, greenery, and massive factories.  It takes definite hints from anime designs combined with Jack Kirby's imaginative cityscapes.

Nasharex - The high-tech friend/rival to Mindarion, Nasharex has an erratic layout, and is inspired by Silicon Valley, Seattle, and other cities who suddenly found themselves growing, with widing roads and surprising hidden places.  Nasharex is a mix of Eastern and Southern culture, making it a uniquely diverse city.

Olanau-Kau - A coastal city, the last survivor of the South, and a center of Botanomancy and reclaiming the lost lands, this is a complicated city that has many inspirations.  It's giant walls are inspired by fantasy art and classical art of castles and fortresses, and it's layered architecture comes from some giant hotels, buildings, and apartment complex I've seen.

Triad True - The great theopolis is more of an original idea - asking what if there was a city just dedicated to religion.  It takes some hints from Jack Kirby's art, art deco, and anime - I visualize it as an embellished place, with shrines and great idols everywhere.

Sabillion - The media capital, Sabillion is obviously inspired by Hollywood and Los Angeles, though it's more spread out.

Vasikon Zek - The only city upon the Ocean, Vazikon Zek is really made up of islands, artificial islands, magic, and clever architecture.  Visually and layout-wise I see it as organic, like a nautilus shell or a crystal.  It was inspired by SF ideas of oceanbound cities.

Zafrel - The giant transportation hub is clearly inspired by Chicago.

- Steve

www.StevenSavage.com

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