#mix that with superheroes and random pictures of characters and hopefully I’ll start to get better at this shit

[lobsterdraws]

A lightly sketched R2D2 and more bone anatomy practice

[blue-mood-blue]

I got tagged by @anonymousalchemist!

Nickname(s): I don’t really have one. I remember a friend telling me years ago that I looked like a Molly, but that never stuck. Although I've started calling myself “blue” online a bit, so I guess that’s one! OH, or people will just call me Mary because they don’t realize that my first two names are just my first name. I don’t have a middle name, just a two-name first name. It’s confusing. (Best Buy calls me Marry when they send me emails and it’s hilarious and the only reason I haven’t unsubscribed from the mailing list yet.)

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Height: 5'3"

Last Thing I Googled: Various versions of “how the fuck do I use Greenstone” (a program for creating digital library type things). I got a bunch of links to articles I’d have to pay for and a seminar I could attend. Google failed me.

Favorite Artist: That is... quite a question. All the different kinds of artists? I like Degas because my mom likes Degas and I painted a picture of one of his sculptures for art class. I know there are more, but I’m terrible about remembering the names of the artists. If we’re including other art forms, I could spend a really long time talking about the different poets and writers I love. Like, an awkwardly long time. I still have most of my english textbooks from my first round of college. (And if we’re talking music, that’s a grab-bag of random genres even on a good day.)  

Song Stuck in My Head: Who Did That to You by Shawn James & the Shapeshifters. I was sent to it by SoundCloud after listening to a song included on fanart of Lup, and it is also fitting for Lup. Plus it’s great “get pumped” music.

Last Movie I Saw: I think it was Wonder Woman? Pretty sure. GREAT movie, I really enjoyed it. It sounds like everyone else did, too! I have higher hopes for the future of superhero movies than I did previously.

Why Did I Choose My URL: It’s not the best story. Before shit hit the fan, mentally, I had a lot of nights where I felt unusually low. I called them “blue moods” and figured I’d just deal with them until they went away. This blog was one of those ways of dealing with them - it was more anonymous than my last blog so I felt freer while using it, and I decided to use it to publish fanfiction instead of letting my ideas collect dust hidden away in a folder. The blog didn’t stop everything that came next, but I’ve had wonderful experiences because of it.

What Did My Last Relationship Teach Me: OH BOY, yeah, the last one... a few things, I guess? I guess, mostly, that it’s good to know what you want from a relationship before you get into it. Also, communication is a good thing. Uh. And, even if the person is very nice and cooks you lentils (even though you hate lentils) you don’t need to feel obligated to stick with it if you’re not feeling it.

(Plus give yourself some years to grow because you might Discover Things about yourself that are Illuminating.)

And a bonus lesson, learned vicariously through my date: if you have a story about a horse dying a horrible death (I will not specify, none of you want to know I promise), don’t tell it to your date. Especially when you’re taking your date to dinner, but also not ever. This shouldn’t even need to be said. 

Religious or Spiritual: Um, solid mix of both? Went to Catholic school for a lot of years, was in choir for a lot more years, but it’s... I don’t know, more of a casual thing to me? I like to think about the big questions, at least. I’m more of a personal meditation type. 

Favorite Color: Purple! 

Average Hours of Sleep: Pffft, not enough probably. A few hours...

Lucky Number: Kind of out of nowhere, but I like the number 4. That seems like a very solid, very me number... no particular reason for that, though. 

Favorite Character(s): We’re asking the real questions today. I’m gonna miss a whole bunch, I’m sure... The main trio from hp, Sissel, Lynne, and Missle, Artemis Fowl and Holly Short, Jack, Elizabeth, and Booker (and the Lutece twins I GUESS), Taako and Lup and pretty much every other character on that show. Frisk (and all of the others let’s be real). Many, many iterations of Link and Zelda but a special place in my heart for Midna. Cecil and Carlos. Aziraphale and Crowley and the whole crew. And, of course, all of my own children who I love equally (but especially Ru) because a parent is not supposed to have favorites.

Dream Job(s): Dream job time! So here’s the plan - somehow survive graduate school and also graduate, escape school forever (and I MEAN IT this time), find a job at a library or a museum or an archive I actually don’t care as long as the people are cool and the hours are relatively predictable. Have a decently comfortable place to live with all of the amenities (such as electricity and internet) and spend my spare time writing. Hopefully publish many books someday, but honestly if I just have writing time consistently and a fairly comfortable life I’m good. If no one will publish me I’ll just publish them myself online somehow, why the fuck not.  

Tagging: If you guys want, I’ll tag @twiggy-mouse aaaand @milktomiilky but no pressure! And anyone else who sees it, feel free! 

[furederiko]

Random-News-Digest time everyone! It's the final one for the month of June. And yes, I admit that it's mainly published to address the recent update of a certain... game XD.

NOTE: This post hasn't been formerly proofread, so I have to apologize in advance. I'll get to that when I have the time, which might take a day or two, or even faster than that. Big religious holiday is supposedly starting later tonight, and although I'm not celebrating, for some reason I've always got caught up in the moment (can't actually get some rest due to the festive noise anyway. Gah!!!). And also, the internet has been rather slow thanks to that same reason. So there's that! (^^;) Proofread and minor updates completed on June 26th 08:10AM. See? Told you it'll take a while... XD

Star Wars

Big storm is brewing against the franchise! In an unexpected and perhaps unprecedented (for the franchise at least) turnaround, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are no longer attached to the "Han Solo: A Star Wars Story" (tentatively titled) movie, which is currently IN PRODUCTION! Nope, make that 'only a few weeks away from finishing the filming' stage. So it's more than halfway done. Unbelievable, right?

Creative differences is the diplomatic excuse as always, because well... this IS Hollywood. The duo even issued a statement with the cliché tune of "Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project", because well... cliché HOLLYWOOD. But it turned out the reason was a bit more personal than that. Apparently they had a clash of style and vision with Lawrence Kasdan (who's writing the movie's script with son Jon Kasdan) regarding the titular character's personality, an issue that was not backed by producer Allison Shearmur who's overseeing production in London. Since the long-gestating problem that has begun since day one of production couldn't be solved, they have practically been let-go (or fired, if you prefer the more blatant term). Rather blindsidedly too, some sources claimed. I'm not taking sides here, but honestly, if this was intended to be such a serious movie, I personally wondered WHY Lord and Miller were even hired. Considering their portofolio so far has been none other than comedy. No wonder there was a clash of tones there!

Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm immediately announced that there would be a replacement, with names like Ron Howard, Joe Johnston, and Kasdan himself being in the mix. And well, yesterday the studio has officially chosen Howard to take over Lord and Miller's directorial duty. A news that was met with mixed reactions, because while some were aware of Howard's superb Oscar-winning talent, many others have so easily forgotten all the critically acclaimed works he has delivered and... lamented this decision instead. Some even started complaining that the movie doesn't need to exist in the first place. LOL. That's our INTERNET people, get used to it! By the way, Howard is no stranger to the "Star Wars" franchise. He's an acquaintance of George Lucas, and had previously been approached to direct "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace". His hiring is said to be keeping up with "the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago", inspite of how old-fashioned it might be.

It's currently unclear if all the works that Lord and Miller have done since February would be scrapped and replaced anew, but since the issue stemmed from such fundamental ground, I feel many scenes will be redone in extensive reshoots during the Summer. Not unlike what happened with Gareth Edwards' "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" last year... which thankfully came out unscathed. For the record, this Han Solo movie starring Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Woody Harrelson is still scheduled for May 25th, 2018, so the studio might need to salvage as much footage as they can to fulfill the target date. As for Lord and Miller, there are rumors that they might get back to talking with Warner Bros about "The Flash". Not surprising, considering they DID write its original script, and left to do Han Solo. That poor superhero movie is pretty much a vacant production anyway, having lost directors over and over again. For the moment, there's no official confirmation about this. Heck they can even go back to working on sequel to "The LEGO Movie", right? We'll just have to wait and see.

Suffice to say, with this news, as well as the fact that Colin Trevorrow's recent movie "The Book of Henry" tanking both critically and financially... the Force is definitely NOT with the franchise. It makes good sense if fans are beginning to doubt that Trevorrow will wonderfully fulfill his duty as director for "Star Wars: Episode IX", the last of the modern/new-era trilogy. Not to mention, the firing of Lord and Miller might affect the franchise in terms of... behind the scene dealings. I'm not hyperboling here, but things are definitely not looking good. Then again, Lucasfilm managed to crawl out from risky situation before, as evidenced by "Rogue One", so perhaps this won't be a huge deal? I for once am glad that I'm not that invested in the franchise. But I'm aware that many nerds, and general audience out there care deeply enough for it to be more than just casually concerned. Let's just... hope the best and expect the worse. Okay?

Dark Universe

Another major franchise (if we can even call it that way, because it's still in infancy state for now) that has also become a major question mark, is none other than Universal and its modern Shared Monsters universe. Much were riding on Alex Kurtzman's "The Mummy" to jump-start the whole universe, but it sure didn't play out as planned. It wasn't the breakout hit that Universe was expecting. Nope, it was worse. It was already riddled with bad reviews prior to release, hence the opening numbers for the movie was underwhelmingly weak, and now it has plummeted 56% domestically in its second week. It's another "Ghost in the Shell" and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" situation, folks! Not even a household name like Tom Cruise and/or Russell Crowe can do anything about it.

The good news is, it's doing better in the global market having passed the $600 million mark. The bad news? One would easily wonder if this is a good sign for Universal or not? After all, isn't this like... the "Dracula Untold" situation all over again? Will Bill Condon's "The Bride of Frankenstein" need to re-start the universe from scratch again? I'm honestly skeptical about it, but this is Hollywood we're talking about. A business that in general, couldn't care less about what its audience is thinking. Perhaps we should be doing that instead, then? Hmmm...

Mission Impossible

Speaking of Tom Cruise, he's currently filming the currently un-subtitled "Mission: Impossible 6". Aside from introducing Henry Cavill as a likely expendable member of the movie, director Christopher McQuarrie also personally confirmed several additions to the cast, old and new. Namely, the female cast who have joined series veteran Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, and Ving Rhames for a 2-hours session with Cruise's Ethan Hunt (Jeremy Renner is busy with Avengers, so nope, he won't be around). Surprisingly, these gals consist of returning actresses Michelle Monaghan and scene-stealer Rebecca Ferguson, as well as new ones like Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, and Sian Brooke. That's like, twice the number of women compared to each previous installments! Who would've expected that we're getting a balanced gender in the 6th movie, and not just another sausage-fest, right?

McQuarrie is writing and directing the movie, and seemed proud with his extended cast. We still however, don't know much about it or the plot. I can only hope that this one will have a fresh story, that doesn't revolve in recycling has-been-plots. This franchise has that kind of unfortunate tendency, by the way. I'm not and never a fan of the movie series (I liked the TV better? Idk why), but it's totally commendable that it still has a good spark for another round. Heck, perhaps it might be turned into its own Shared Universe in the near future? LOL... Naah, I'm just kidding. But really, that might actually happen. I hope I didn't just jinx it...

Transformers

Reviews for Michael Bay's latest bombastic explosive robot-destruction-porn have hit the market, and well... should we even be surprised if they are BAD? Like... really BAD? "Transformers: The Last Knight" has even surpassed the Chinese-heavy "Transformers: Age of Extinction" by debuting in a... lower RottenTomatoes score. YIKES! 17% on RT, and 29 on Metacritic. Critics haven't been kind with the franchise, as evidenced by how they were torturing "Age of Extinction", but they weren't holding back with this one too. According to many, this one has even more bloated overstuffed plot, it's an overlong mess of badness, eventhough it has an ambitious screenplay and Mark Wahlberg giving his best as Cade Yeager's swan-song to the franchise. Some however, also said that it was bearable and would likely please its true fans no matter how bleak it might be. So... it's not for everyone, then? Hmmm...

In another NON-surprising news, Bay also announced that he's retiring from the franchise. AGAIN! Yes, I've even lost count how many times he had sworn these similar lines, but in an interview with Fandango, he just openly reiterated his intention. AGAIN. Hopefully for good this time, because I'm intrigued to see other directors taking their chances with this. I admit, I'm rather skeptical about his words though, because as I said, he kept on saying he's done with the franchise, only to jump back in while boasting his pride all over the place. It's like, a Decepticon knocked him out cold, and gave him amnesia every single time he finished making one movie! The bigger problem in the bigger picture though, we still have many more movies in the planning! I think it was 14 more scripts, right? I lost count as well. A Bumblebee spin-off has even been set to arrive next year as the beginning of this supposed Bay-less era. The logic here, is... do we really NEED more? It's a rhetoric question, by the way, don't bother answering. "Transformers: The Last Knight" is out since June 21st, so it should be crashing down in theatres near you as we speak *sigh*.

Jurassic Park

Well well well... title for the sequel to "Jurassic World" has been revealed! Announced through an official poster, the movie will now be called "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". It's unclear what the 'Fallen Kingdom' actually means, although it somehow reminded me of... the 2nd Transformers movie. Which is not a good sign, considering the first "Jurassic World" made A LOT of money, but in a way, suffered through poor reviews by many critics. Will this franchise fall into the same category to Transformers? We'll see. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is set to arrive next year!

DC Films

"Wonder Woman" was the FIRST critically-good DCEU movie, so it's not even a surprise that WB is already planning a sequel. Once again, this IS Hollywood, people! Director Patty Jenkins and DC Comics and DC Films' Geoff Johns are currently collaborating for the treatment. Their goal is, "to make another great Wonder Woman film". The twist in this equation, Jenkins hasn't been officially signed to the project. Given the sudden recent development on "Star Wars" (which MIGHT carry Lord and Miller back to DC Film), this can mean anything. So it's unclear if she will or will not direct it, or just working behind the scene as writer and producer. Creative differences happen every now and then. But you know what? I'm more curious to how Johns can even manage to work on so many projects at the same time! Is he a cyborg, solely created for multitasking? He DID write "Vision" for Marvel Comics before... hmmm

Meanwhile, "The Justice League" is expected to have a new look now that Joss Whedon is in charge of the reshoot. Splash Report said that the movie have been overhauled by the studio not just once, but TWICE. This was seemingly evidenced by what happened after production was wrapped on October 2016. If it was done, how come actors like Jason Momoa subsequently had to cancel guest appearances and also postponed production for "Aquaman" just to do reshoots? And looks like it's not just an everyday reshoot after all, but a 'serious' and 'significant' one. Similar to what happened to "Rogue One" for half of its runtime, I say. The sources of this rumor said that WB didn't like what they were seeing, and commanded a rehaul. Big or small, it's none of our business, but surely, by now they have learned that messing around too much in the editing room could resulted into something equally awful. Like... last year's "Suicide Squad".

So as we speak, Whedon is likely working hard to change the team-up movie into something... better. Why would I blatantly said Whedon's name? Because Zack Snyder is no longer in charge, considering he and wife/producer Deborah have walked out since March due to personal family issue. Clearly, Whedon is solely in charge now, even if he's not given the credit he deserved (WB said the movie is still Snyder's no matter what). I don't know about you, but this situation suddenly feels eerily similar to the Lord and Miller, "Han Solo", and Ron Howard situation. According to random unconfirmed buzzes, Whedon has also been heavily involved in the DCEU. I don't actually know what that means, but it's probably similar to his previous overseeing-role for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Again, do take this with a grain of salt, because once again, no official word has been made about it. But you know what? I'm NOT surprised if that's indeed the case. Whedon had successfully created "The Avengers" in 2012, back when almost everyone in Hollywood thought a Cinematic Universe was a dumb idea. And now every studio want their share of a similar cake! It just makes perfect darn sense that WB hired Whedon to fix their DCEU, with the exchange of giving him freedom with his upcoming "Batgirl" project. I don't think it takes a genius to figure this one out. LOL.

X-Men Universe

At the same time, 20th Century FOX is also confidently moving forward with "X-Men: Dark Phoenix". True to the rumor, producer/writer Simon Kinberg is set to turn this into his first directorial project. All Most of the cast from that dreaded boring "X-Men: Apocalypse" are set to return. Wait... WHAT?!

Yep, that's quite a surprise indeed. I, among many others, thought that actors like Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and especially Jessica Lawrence were done with their roles. J-Law in particular, has publicly expressed her disdain to play Mystique like... over and over again. Not to mention, "Apocalypse" tanked critically (and also financially? I forgot about that one). But this is indeed happening folks, which means expect those three, as well as Nicholas Hoult to be reprising their respective mutant characters once again. Since the title obviously is a reference to the character Jean Grey, all the younger cast have been confirmed as well. Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Tye Sheridan, and Kodi Smit-McPhee will be playing Jean Grey/Phoenix, Storm, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler once again. They are contractually-tied to the movie anyway. Hold on... where's Evan Peters? And... why aren't people talking about him? Will we not see his over-powered Quicksilver this time around then? Hmmmm... good riddance. Perhaps Taylor Swift is primed to take over his scene as the official... Dazzler?

Anyways, the studio is aiming big as always. After completely wasting and misuing the talent of one great Oscar Isaac, as well as the character Apocalypse that he was entrusted, now FOX is aiming for another big star to... probably ruin: Jessica Chastain! Yeess, the Oscar-nominated actress who had been approached by Marvel Studios before, has entered negotiations with the studio last week. She's the studio's top-pick to play the antagonist, Shi'ar Empress Lilandra Neamani. This is a character closely related to the alien-entity Phoenix, by the way. But knowing FOX, and also the hack that is Kinberg, I wouldn't bet too much on Liliandra to actually resemble anything she looked in the comics. She wasn't even a villain there, because it was her sister instead! Intriguingly, the Shi'ar is a Marvel Cosmic character. Does this mean, FOX is trying to have their share of the space opera-cake too now? Without even seeding hints towards it? That's FOX all right...

Seemingly, production is reaching the start of production in Vancouver, Montreal (marked by random set-photos on social media), eventhough Chastain hasn't even been locked. With an inexperienced director, a rushed production, a major storyline that has been done and sadly damaged before, and the level of CG necessary to pull of the scope? Those variables just don't add up. I've lost interest to this franchise a long time ago, so clearly I don't have faith in this one either. How they will even manage to achieve the November 2nd, 2018 release date is beyond me...

Speaking of production, "Deadpool 2" filmed scenes at the Hatley Castle Victoria, British Columbia. The place serves as a stand-in to Professor X's (which one? LOL) X-Mansion. True to his character, Ryan Reynolds sure didn't waste time to make fun of his fellow X-Men side. It's officialy the first set-pictures from the sequel! Also, Japanese actress Shioli Kutsuna has joined the cast in a key role. Perhaps, as the X-Men Hisako Ichiki/Armor or Noriko Ashida/Surge? "Deadpool 2", which is still a tentative-title (seriously, it's an epidemic!) will arrive on June 1st, 2018.

One last thing! Those Marvel fans who have been speculating that the copyright for "Fantastic Four" has reverted/been sold back to Marvel Studios... can now swallow their hopes and dreams in whole. As Kevin Feige has repeatedly stated (to which I'm scratching my head because nobody believed such an honest guy like him), this is NOT happening! And thankfully, we get an actual confirmation now, because FOX is... *drumrolls* set to make another movie! YIKES. YIKES. YIIIKEEESSSSS!!! Exaggerating response aside, this isn't that much surprising, since Kinberg had sung similar tune several times already. The failure of the really honest-to-God-really-BAD 2015's "Fant4stic" movie, as well as the whole backstage drama with director Josh Trank, apparently didn't stop FOX from further claiming their feet in this franchise. Because yeah, clearly they are only stalling time, trying to avoid the copyright from being reverted automatically to its rightful owner.

Third time's the charm, huh? Not so fast. This one won't be another reboot apparently, because it's going to focus on Franklin and Valeria Richard, a.k.a the chidren of Reed and Sue. Seth Grahame-Smith, the same guy who also walked out from "The Flash", is said to be writing a draft about this movie. Grahame-Smith was already involved in the 2015 movie to do some rewrites, so he's not necessarily a new name in the project. I'm not sure what to think about this, because I believe FOX has totally ruined this particular franchise. So much that I would really love to see Disney and Marvel Studios' take on the superhero family. Hey, it could be a live-action version of "The Incredibles", right? But the idea of focusing on Franklin and Valeria is intriguing nonetheless (assuming FOX can pull this off), because it might end up becoming a fun family movie like those "Spy Kids" series. Plus, they can easily use the same cast from the 2015 movie because they have aged now. But... that might be a wishful thinking. I still would rather see the copyrights revert back, so Marvel Studios can bring justice to, and have actual-legit fun with these characters in their upcoming Cosmic Universe. LOL.

SONY Marvel Universe

During the press junket with FilmStarts for the upcoming Spider-Man movie, producer Amy Pascal delivered a mindblowing statement that... in just seconds rocked the Marvel fanbase to their core. For better or worse, I say. When asked about SONY's upcoming plans for Spider-Man spin-offs, ones that Kevin Feige had openly said to be "a SONY Project", Pascal gave an arguably... contradicting answer. "Well those movies will all take place in the world that we are now creating for Peter Parker. They’ll be adjuncts to it, it may be different locations but it will still all be in the same world, and they will be connected to each other as well.", she said, ambiguously confirming that both Ruben Fleischer-directed "Venom" and Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed "Silver & Black" will exist in the same universe to Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Which means... the... MCU, right?! O_O... She even added that "There’s a chance [that Peter Parker will appear]. There’s always a chance. I think one of the things that Kevin has done with Marvel that was so brilliant is by bringing the fans along and making each movie seem like a chapter in a book, that you have to read that chapter in order to go forward. And I think the investment that the fans get to feel in being a part of a larger story and understanding what’s happening, I think is something that I know Sony would want to emulate.".

This small news, was immediately met with various kinds of reactions. Some was calling Pascal out to be a 'hack' who didn't understand what she's saying. On the other hand, others are calling Feige to be liar, especially due to how 'surprised' or 'confused' he looked upon hearing the words coming out of her mouth... which was followed by a mysterious 'smile' (Monalisa much?). And other variations of those. Want to know my immediate reaction? Allow me to share what I wrote on the 1st draft of this post: Okay, this must be a joke right? Or Amy Pascal is confused or mixed up about something? Because that means SONY is messing around with the MCU! And I'm not too sure I would like that. It's bad enough that Marvel TV division is already chipping away potential characters from ever being used in the big screen, now this. Isn't that like, overstepping much? If anything, this gives Avi Arad an access to mess around in the MCU. And also, not only the Earth-based but the cosmic side through Venom as well.

Ignoring my personal-beef with Marvel TV aside, nor my natural grumpy bed-side manner (what can I say, I've been in a bad mood lately. LOL), that WAS indeed my response when I first read the news a few days ago (earlier this week in fact!). Of course I've calmed down ever since, and managed to carefully assessed the situation with a cool head. Nope, there aren't any official confirmation or clarification so far, from neither SONY nor Marvel Studios. But many sites have chimed in with their take on the matter, and well... it's starting to make sense. The way I see it, neither Pascal and Feige are spreading lies. They are only speaking in their own personal style and gesture. So we can't really take their words or sudden expression at face value. Collider and Marvelous Realm pointed out the generalising word 'adjunct' that Pascal used. As Birth.Movies.Death pointed out, Feige is a man of diplomatic answer, and had always refuse to give out unnecessary information when it's not needed. Pascal on the other hand, is spontaneous and her role is to help sell her own studio... SONY. A studio who by the way, had also stated that "Venom" and "Silver & Black" are NOT connected to the Peter Parker movies. But she wouldn't be talking like that without having prior discussion about it, right? If we look at it closely, Pascal herself NEVER stated that those movies would be part of the MCU. That's not how their collaborative deal is happening anyway. In a way, this is a situation that rhymes a bit in comparison to Marvel TV's Netflix series, or their other non-ABC projects. Once again, as I've said over and over again, the arrival of 2016's "Doctor Strange" helped Marvel Studios to expand their universe into a Multi-verse state. So perhaps, speculatively-speaking... that's exactly what's happening with the SONY Marvel Universe, right? That it's part of the MCU, just not in the same realm to The Avengers?

The Hollywood Reporter's thorough piece about the relationship between SONY and Marvel Studios, surprisingly shed some hidden lights about the SONY movies too. Apparently, SONY is also working on projects that will focus on Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter, and Mysterio. As if we don't get enough villain-based movies, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock is set to take on (if not feature) another Spider-Man's symbiote antagonist: Carnage! According to Omega Underground (via ComicBook.com), the R-rated movie will begin production on September 1st for the October 5th, 2018 release date, and is set to film in Atlanta and New York City. Meaning it won't be long before we get to know who will play the totally-NOT-PG13-character sociopath murderer Cletus Cassidy. "Silver & Black" is also eyeing for a Fall start. A rumor detailing the movie's possible plot has also been flying around the internet. For the record, the source's credibility is questionable, particularly because it includes several characters like Jessica Drew and Dominic Fortune that might not even be SONY's to begin with. It also introduced many names from the Spider-Man lore, like The Scorpion, The Chameleon, and Norman Osborn... that somehow sounded a little too good to be true.

For now, Tom Holland isn't attached to any of these movies, but the intention of SONY is clearly to do so. And I hope that's indeed the case, because it probably would give me a slight of interest to see it. To be honest, I'm still mulling over the fact that SONY is going to flesh out amazing villains like Kraven, Mysterio, the Symbiotes, and many others, robbing their connection to a Spider-Man. I personally would love to see Holland's Spider-Man taking on these characters as PART of the MCU, not the other way around. I'm still happy that at long last, those names have been reconsidered for a big-screen feature, because as disappointed as I've been to realize that Hardy won't ever be portraying Kraven now, we DO need to see a "Sinister Six" movie somewhere in the future, right? But on the other hand, the absence of quality control from Marvel Studios is undeniably concerning. Don't forget, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach practically ruined Venom in "Spider-Man 3", and other characters like Goblin and Electro in the consequent follow-ups. Which leads me back to the most nagging question: Is the SONY Universe thing REALLY a good idea? Will its movies be enjoyable and not disappointing like those "The Amazing Spider-Man" series? Hard to tell. Somehow its future is still looking dark and cloudy to my curious eyes...

Marvel Studios

You've seen that official first teaser for "Black Panther" that arrived two weeks ago, right? Yes, I'm sure you have. I've always thought that Marvel Studios is keeping wrap Ryan Coogler's movie for a grand debut in San Diego Comic Con next month. Turns out it arrived much earlier than I have anticipated. Am I disappointed though? Of course NOT. It looked grand like its poster, amazing like any Marvel Studios' releases, gloriously and explosively epic, and character-focused (if that new synopsis is any indication). And surprising too, because it was much more colorful than I expected!

I honestly didn't expect the costumes to be so... vibrant. But as it turns out, the designs for those bright red, dashing yellow, lush green, and navy blue outfits were completely inspired by actual African culture. Which is of course AMAZING, because I got to learn new things from it. I can already expect a nomination in the Costume and Production category in the next Oscar race. Yes, Production too, because the fictional country of Wakanda itself is also looking grand. A combination of African culture and high-tech, this country looks and feel like Thor's Asgard that takes place on Earth. A hidden utopia! Also, we got plenty of women in action thanks to the Dora Milaje! Lupita Nyong'o strutting as Nakia in a casino, Florence Kasumba's Ayo kicking people's behind with a tonfa, and Danai Gurira as Okoye who seems to be serving as Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa's right hand. And then there's Angela Bassett who's rocking grey hair as Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright's Science-Princess Shuri with Panther-shaped Iron Man-style gauntlets, and singer Nabiyah Be as Tilda Johnson who is connected to Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. Johnson's name might be unfamiliar in the mainstream, because she's a character best known as the supervillain Nightshade. Oh, and also don't forget returning actors Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis as Everett Ross and Ulysses Klaue respectively. Sure, it would've been great to see some Asian tone, but at least the two added some colors to an otherwise African-American cast.

Executive Producer Nate Moore, who also worked on the last two Captain America movies, talked to Complex and shed some details about the movie. He confirmed that "Black Panther" takes place right after the event of "Captain America: Civil War", and that the untimely passing of John Kani's T'Chaka will serve as the catalyst for the plot. In a sense that, T'Challa himself wasn't automatically a King and had to prove himself, while internal threat presumably coming from Killmonger will challenge that notion. Chiming in to Kevin Feige, Moore reiterated the studio's goal to "tell the best stories with the strongest developed characters and scripts" they can work on, and not to rush something that's not ready or not according to their standard. Particularly when asked about the issue of diversity, to which he kindly compared to the "Fast & Furious" franchise. "I think an upshot with Marvel is that our characters and brand are both big enough where we’re not limited to just using actors and actresses who’ve done a ton of movies. We work with big name actors but we’re not under the pressure of saying that we have to work with, say, Matt Damon or Will Smith, or no one’s going to want to see this new idea. Hollywood is a bit agnostic as far as race and gender. They’re just trying to get as many people as possible to see movies so they just want faces that get people into seats, frankly. And because there aren’t as many roles for people of different ethnicities, you tend to see a lot of guys like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio who are super talented, but who maybe aren’t as diverse as other actors out there.", he said, negating the practice that has recently been done by other studios like Universal with their Dark Universe, or WB with DC Films.

As for the future, the studio is always thinking ahead, but in a limited capacity as things evolve naturally. He admitted that they are "finishing up what we call Phase 3, which will sort of end with the fourth Avengers film in 2019. And then I think for us, we continue that conversation of, what’s next? Who will be the new heroes who can tell great new stories and bring us to new worlds that we haven’t even had a chance to visit yet, while still expanding on the slate of heroes we have and finding the next step for characters people have come to love? We’re looking for the next best story. And then we let the story tell us what we should be making as part of that one united narrative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.". Once again putting focus on the story first and not just trying to make the MCU continue rolling. And what kind of stories? One that would please the fans. Because for the studio, fans are "the forefront of our minds when we talk about development. What does our audience want and how do we give it to them in a way that’s unexpected? What do they want to see? What can we show them that they don’t know they want to see, but that we think they’ll really respond to? And a big part of that is plunging into new worlds with characters that offer a different flavor than what people are used to. Those are the stories that we want to explore.". An attitude that so far hasn't been taken as good lesson by other studios.

"Black Panther" will arrive on February 16th, 2018. Considering that's less than 3 months prior to "Avengers: Infinity War", it's clear that the movie's going to be have some set-up towards that ensemble movie. While Chris Hemsworth is seemingly having a fun time on set on Instagram, Boseman posted a video showing that Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff will be filming a scene with him that's set in Wakanda. This hinted at the possibility of the Secret Avengers' members visiting Wakanda to request T'Challa's aide. Some members of the "Black Panther" cast (Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright) have even been confirmed to reprise their roles. which makes sense, really. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Johansson stated that there's going to be a scene consisting around 32 characters. It wouldn't be a surprise to expect the representatives of "Black Panther" to be part of that big ensemble. Heck, even Iron Man and Hulk might have already shared a scene with Doctor Strange and Wong!

Actress Hannah John-Kamen has joined the cast of "Ant-Man & the Wasp" in what Variety called as a key role. John-Kamen is a rising star, and her ethnicity comes into mind with what Moore had stated in regards of diversity. But what character could she be playing? Young Janet van Dyne? Or another female antagonist for the MCU, which might sound a bit offensive for her background? I bet we're going to hear more details about her role pretty soon, since the movie will begin production in Pinewood Studios Atlanta, under working title "Cherry Blue" next month, after the 4th of July holiday. That's less than two weeks away from now, folks! According to information on OmegaUnderground, this production will run concurrently with Avengers 4, which will commence production on July 17th under working title "Mary Lou 2". This clearly hints that Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne will eventually join the ensemble movie like many fans have hoped, along with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers. After all, her "Captain Marvel" is also expected to begin production in the same location, from January to May 2018 under the working title "Warbird".

Can you believe it? Those three are the FINAL three movies of Phase 3. Which means, the end is near. For the 3rd Phase that is, because somewhere out there writer/director James Gunn is already hard at work to deliver the next iteration for Guardians in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". A movie that will mark the beginning of the Marvel Cosmic Universe. It's unclear what shape it will take though. Does that mean introducing new heroes like Nova and others? Or can we expect members of the existing team, like perhaps Rocket Raccoon and Groot to star in their own separate title? During E3 2017 World Building Panel, Gunn admitted that he has completed the first draft of "Vol. 3", but apparently, it comes with an issue. Namely, a retconning issue. Gunn specifically pointed out the mugshot scene from the first 2014 movie, causing many sites to speculate that it has anything to do with Rocket, Lady Lylla, and his Halfworld origin. Since Gunn is prone to debunking false rumors/speculations, and this time around he's not saying anything... it's safe to assume that there might be some truth to it. Then again, this is just the first draft! Even Adam Warlock got kicked out from the first draft of "Vol. 2", right?

Enough about the future, and let's talk about the... near future. As in what's coming in the next weeks. About "Spider-Man: Homecoming", of course! Obviously, its World Premiere is coming, because early social media reviews for the movie have officially arrived a few hours ago! Nope, let me correct that. It started a few days ago. Apparently, some early screenings have been held, and one of its particular audience is the nice guy I've been following on Twitter. And should I be surprised that it's... AMAZING? Well... duh, that's what you get when you let Marvel Studios work on it, right? While he had since ranked it under "Logan" and "Wonder Woman", he didn't hesitate to compare it with "Spider-Man 2" that has been his all-time favorite. His response rhymed really well with Robert Downey Jr.'s statement on his Facebook account, so it's indeed a good sign.

And just earlier today (local time, meaning last night in the US), social-media embargo for critics have been lifted, and they have been tweeting their official responses ever since. And well, they are singing the same tune! Here's a glimpse of what they say (in list form... because I love lists): - Collider's Steven Weintraub simply LOVED it. He said that the movie was "Tons of fun". Mike Ryan of Uproxx added that it's an absolute delight. - Germaine Lussier of Gizmodo/io9 compared it to "Spider-Man 2", calling it close to the Sam Raimi's movies. He also added that the movie had several genuine surprises, while exuding young innocence that differentiate it with other MCU movies. Others like William Bibbiani of CraveOnline thought it was fluffier than the Raimi's though, because the drama is thin. - Some critics, like Sean O'Connell of CinemaBlend and Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com easily called it their new favorite Marvel movie. Davis even added that it's endless fun and flawless. - Chris Sylvia of RegalMovies reminded that it's also a good High School movie while calling it his favorite Spider-Man movie to date. Angie Han of Mashable also said that it balanced superheroism and high school drama nicely. - Kristy Puchko of Nerdist, Vanity Fair, and ComicBookResources praised Michael Keaton as an amazing antagonist, even compared him to Tom Hiddleston's Loki. Jeff D Lowe, social media producer of Good Morning America also said that Keaton is fantastic, saying that his character is a great villain with depth. - And of course, praises are being sung for Tom Holland's performance. Molly Freeman of ScreenRant said that he's definitely the best Peter Parker so far. Erik Davis of Fandango called it spot-on casting and spot-on Spidey, while Matt Singer of Screen Crush gave him thumbs up. That all sounded positive, so I don't think it would take long for the 1st Rotten Tomatoes score to generate, right? Let's just hope that unlike the questionable posters, word of mouth will help boost the movie's appeal, and it will exceed the $100 million estimated opening number (which has already gone lower since previous tracking).

That whole talk concerning the state of SONY Marvel Universe also shed some light to the production of this movie, and what's to come. It's revealed that SONY's new head Tom Rothman, is betting high on it to kickstart their own Cinematic Universe. With the budget of 'mere' $175 million, it was unveiled that "Homecoming" is totally taking the Marvel Studios method of "Keep costs down on the first two outings and spend bigger on a third". The movie was intentionally made to replicate the John Hughes-vibe, and those who have seen it said that director Jon Watts and his young actors (who went on a picnic together for some fun real-life bonding time) delivered that promise. Michael Keaton is only signed to play Vulture in this movie, so it's unclear whether he'll be reprising in the sequel or as part of "Sinister Six" in the future. And speaking of sequel, we can expect NO Iron Man in it, because there will be another to-be-determined Marvel Studios character instead. Doctor Strange and/or Hulk comes to mind, Captain Marvel, even Charlie Cox's Daredevil since Feige had indeed stated that a crossover with Marvel TV will eventually be inevitable. But perhaps... an original character? Here's hoping it will be hinted in the movie's post credit scenes.

Lastly, be sure to check out SDCC 2018 next year, because Marvel Studios will be releasing a special 10-year Anniversary logo. Darn it, it's almost 10 years already! Time flies by soooo quickly...

Marvel TV

Freeform's Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" won't be arriving until 2018, but according to SpoilerTV it has quietly been renewed for second season. They said the production will begin next month and ends in October. Now this sounded a bit odd, since last we heard, they've only completed the pilot in February. Is this report accurate, or is SpoilerTV merely making a mistake when they were meant to refer to the rest of the Season 1? We'll have to wait for further news to clarify this.

Netflix

In case you're forgetting, Marvel's "The Defenders", Marvel TV's FIRST-ever (yes, unbelievable right? What took them so long?) crossover between their series is coming in August. It's easy to lose track about it, since the marketing has been swept away by coverage for "Homecoming" as well as other big-screen titles. Not saying they aren't promoting this mini-series though, because very recently the official Twitter accounts of the four core heroes have released motion posters to remind audience and Marvel fans of their existence. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdoch was obviously the first, followed by Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand. Each carrying their own tagline and personal swagger, before culminating into a catchy foursome poster.

No offense, they looked COOL, but... I don't know. Perhaps Marvels "Iron Fist" had given such a negative after-taste, that I no longer anticipate this mini-series as much as before. No reason to be worried since Scott Buck is not doing it, but... likely I'm already feeling tired of waiting too darn long to see this happening. As I said above, unlike the movie side, Marvel TV is burning me out so much faster than I've expected, I ended up developing some beef against them. With that said, I WILL be watching this mini-series, but that's likely as far as I'll go for the Netflix side. I'll likely even give Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" a huge pass when it arrives later in November. Not saying these series are bad, but... the dark, gritty, and gruesomeness are seriously wearing me down. Oh well... to each their own, I guess. Marvel's "The Defenders" arrive on August 18th, 2017.

DC Television

I'm not a fan of "Watchmen". When Zack Snyder made a movie version of the 1985's series back in 2009, it made me cringed. The whole nudity revolving Doctor Manhattan, and that unnecessary extended intimate scene between Nite Owl and Silk Spectre were... disturbing for the then-young version of me (still do though LOL). Then again, that's probably just me not digging Snyder's style, so probably not the series' faults. I also understand that many people are loving this series, and since this is the Golden Age of superhero adaptations, should we even be surprised to hear that another version is coming? Yes, this time in form of a TV series. According to Variety, Damon Lindelof is currently in talks with HBO to develop such series. HBO had tried to do so in 2014, but it didn't pan out, so there's no reassurance if this time it's going to be... better. No confirmation so far from HBO, but I'm sure we'll be hearing about this in the near future. Same question though: Is this a good idea? I seriously can't say. Perhaps it is, perhaps it might be great and I end up liking it. But at the very least, this is a good news for the series' devoted fans! There's one for everyone, right?

Super Sentai

Long time Tokusatsu scooper Dukemon, has revealed the possible rumor to the upcoming Super Sentai series. Yes, "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is still airing, and it's not even halfway done. But projects like this usually takes 2 years in advance to work on, so it's not a surprise. According to Dukemon, the 2018 season/team will once again be Car-based, particularly to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Engine Sentai Go-Onger". A team-up with its members is also in the rumor mix. Now I can't say for sure whether I like this or not. I'm probably among the few weirdos who LOVED Go-Onger and their talking Enjins (basically the team consists of 19 members because of them and Bomper), but another Car-themed series feels... redundant somehow. Sure, it's easier to pull off for the mecha/toys design. But unless it has other meaning to differentiate it (like "Kyukyu Sentai GoGoV" with the whole Rescue-theme, or "Go Go Sentai Boukenger" with the adventure/expedition angle), we've seen too many of those already. Of course, Tokusatsu is a genre that LOVES to rehash popular themes, just like they do with story tropes in a yearly basis, so it's not out of the realm of possibility to see them going back to vehicles. Oh well... here's hoping we'll be getting a "Go-Onger 10 Years After" V-Cinema too. With the way the series ended, I would LOVE to see the cast reunites. Beside, all if not most of them are still active in the entertainment business anyway.

DuckTales

Now THIS is a series I'm going to be watching. Hearing that modern version of the classic theme song alone, complete with the various swashbuckling adventure scenes of the characters... already got me fired up for no particular reason! Perhaps, the effect of nostalgia-blast? Granted, I never actually watched the original series religiously, because I didn't have the means to do it. But now that I can, I'm going to give this show a chance. Sure, the character design and art-style might need some time to get used to, and yes, I'm still taken aback by the non-Donald-esque voices for the nephews (especially knowing that "Parks & Recreation" annoying Jean-Ralphio is voicing one of them). But the six Short-Episodes I've seen so far, were enough to convince me that this is going to be great. And that Launchpad is still my favorite character of the show. LOL. Here, check out this First Look trailer on Youtube if you don't believe me...

A one-hour episode/movie for "DuckTales" is set to embark David Tennant's Scoorge McDuck's adventure with Tony Anselmo's Donald Duck, as well as the three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie (Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, and Bobby Moynihan). It will premiere on August 12th, 2017, which will then be followed by the series regular run starting in September 23rd. That date is the 30th anniversary of the original series, and will bring two brand new episodes. The series will also star Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley, as well as featuring special celebrity guest stars. We have Lin-Manuel Miranda as Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck, Allison Janney as Goldie O’Gilt, Margo Martindaleas as Ma Beagle, Paul F. Tompkins as Gladstone Gander, Kimiko Glenn as Lena, Jim Rash as mad scientist Gyro Gearloose, Josh Brener as tech billionaire Mark Beaks, Keith Ferguson as Flintheart Glomgold, Eric Bauza as the Beagle Boys, and Corey Burton as Ludwig Von Drake. This already sounds MORE than just fun, am I right?! XD

The King of Fighters

Chinese-produced series "The King of Fighters: Destiny", has released its second official trailer. This one is more story-oriented, and well... gotta admit, the more I see it, it does grow on me. From what I gather, while Kyo Kusanagi can be seen sensing the arrival of the Orochi, the bulk of the story will focus on the Fatal Fury Trio's beef with Geese Howard. Geese killed Terry and Andy Bogard's father Jeff, and so the brothers, alongside Joe Higashi will attempt their revenge to the guy who is ruining Southtown. I was a bit skeptical when I first saw Geese's right-hand Billy Kane, but he looked okay now. Particularly after seeing him wearing his iconic Union Jack headband. There's a special clip showing Terry, Andy, and Joe dealing with Billy and his henchmen, and it looked nice. A press conference video, also confirmed the appearance of iconic female characters like King, Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, Athena Asamiya, and others, though I'm not sure casting BEJ48 idols as their voice actresses is a wise choice. They should've hired the respective voice cast from "The King of Fighters XIV" instead. Of course, I'm going to check this series anyway. I just hope it exceeds my expectation, and that this would be good, because we all know that video-game adaptations don't really have good reputation...

Tomb Raider

Possible title for the next Tomb Raider game has probably been revealed. Rumored at least, courtesy of NeoGAF. Some artworks by the title of "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" have seemingly been leaked via an entertainment marketing company. Further adding credential to this rumor, was the fact that the images have since been removed by the website. If this rumor is true, then it seems Lara Croft will be exploring Egyptian Pyramids once again, which is a really nice decision. We'll just have to wait and see if this rumor pans out or not. So take it with a grain of salt for now...

Dynasty Warriors

Koei TECMO has debuted the first official trailer for their open-world "Dynasty Warriors 9 / Shin Sangoku Musou 8". The footage will undoubtedly thrill fans of the series, while also teasing the updates the company has given to this iteration. Koei TECMO weren't kidding when they said that it's meant to be "the most immersive and ambitious Dynasty Warriors experience to date" because it sure looked that way. Having been converted into a fan over the past years, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to see this game come to shape.... even if I won't be able to play it, since it's likely a PlayStation 4 exclusive. There's no fixed 2018 release date for now, but expect details about the game and its 83-plus characters to be delivered in the near future.

Professor Layton

Following details for the second episode that was unveiled during E3 2017 last week, LEVEL-5 has debuted the official second trailer for "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy". This one previewed the main stories of the game, and also unveiled the looks of all titular seven millionaries in cinematic motion. With only four of them detailed for now. Those who were worried that this title might look and feel different to the previous Layton titles thanks to a female protagonist, can rest assured now. It feels just like another chapter in the Layton storybook. Heck, even the great Herschel Layton himself made a cameo appearance in this trailer! Just look at Katrielle and his dad, and tell me you didn't go... "Aaaaaaww".

Also, in an exceptionally clever marketing to commemorate the game's release, LEVEL-5 collaborated with real escape game creators SCRAP for a "Real World Puzzle Solving" campaign. It's a free to play experience that is accessible to anyone worldwide! There will be 50 puzzles released on the internet one by one from June 20th to September 21st. The first one has famous Japanese entertainer Pikotaro doing a puzzling-rendition of his "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen" song. It's available on Youtube, if you don't believe me. That particular puzzle is pretty easy, but the next one? You're going to need a paper and pen to figure out the message. And not just that, the question will also direct you to 15 different websites hosting clues in form of another puzzle. How THRILLING is that?! Go ahead and visit Layton.world to test it out, because once again, the treasure hunt is free for play! "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy" arrives on 3DS in Japan, and iOS and Android worldwide on July 20th.

Zero Escape

Spike Chunsoft released an official trailer for PlayStation 4 version of "Zero Time Dilemma" last week. The point of this trailer is clearly to give us a glimpse to how the game would look in PS4. I'd argue that it's not that much different to the PC Version, but it does have some minor details like shading and such that somehow looks... clearer. This is a good chance for those who have played the first two games (or the recently re-released "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games"), but hasn't had chance to experience its third. Assuming you own a PS4, of course, LOL. "Zero Time Dilemma" will be released on August 17th in Japan, and Fall in North America.

Final Fantasy

Square Enix has officially released the trailer for "Final Fantasy XV" next DLC, "Episode Prompto". You can check it out on Youtube. If the E3 2017 footage showed the gameplay of his solo adventure, then this one is focused more on the story... which of course is all about his unexpected origin. This DLC will launch several days from now, on June 27th, 2017. Here's hoping the Final Fantasy fans will receive this much better than Gladio's.

Street Fighter

CAPCOM has rolled out a Season 2.5 patch, and an alleged leak about future updates immediately floated in the internet. This report, assuming it's accurate, said that data miners have found signs of future DLCs and new game mechanics among other things in the patch. The character DLCs, which are now speculated to be coming as Season 3, consisted of 6 additional characters that should make many fans happy. Fan-favorites Sagat, Sakura Kasugano, Oro, C. Viper, Q, and Necro are all mentioned to be on this list! Admittedly, this isn't that much surprising considering most of them (with the exception of Sagat and Q) have already appeared in various Story Modes since the game was first released.

The leak also include the existence of second Critical Arts for all characters, an Arcade Mode, and also a second Cinematic Story expansion. And now suddenly it sounds a little too good to be true *sigh*. Now remember, take this with a grain of salt. This could be real, or a deliberate ruse by fans to force CAPCOM to eventually turn their wishlist into reality. Especially considering, as far as I know, the 2nd Season DLC (Akuma, Kolin, and Ed, with three others remaining) hasn't been received as well as expected. But if CAPCOM is true to their words of saying that "Street Fighter V" will be the only version of its generation (so there will be no 'Super', 'Arcade', or 'Ultra' upgrade), it can very well be true...

Pocket Monsters

Yeah, this is the reason why I'm posting this R-N-D! To be precise, WAS the reason, because it was initially scheduled to go up yesterday. Following the subjectively-disappointing Solstice Event, Niantic has begun rolling out update for "Pokemon GO" in terms of their new Gym system, and it is... well, elaborate, to say the least. I wanted to say 'Complicated', but I've slowly warmed up to it that it's no longer a suitable term. The transition had started on June 19th (local time) with Gyms throughout the world being closed down (which made the App looked somewhat-eerie, to be honest), and was officially implemented as soon as the extended Solstice Event (for another 24 hours until June 21st, 1 PM PST) ended.

Gyms have been reactivated since yesterday's morning (I know, because I've clearly experienced it myself), and new feature called Raid Battles have been made available for Level 35 above later in the afternoon. Today, many users have reported that the Level warning has been lifted, and those with lower levels than 35 has even obtained their daily Raid Pass. Niantic confirmed through an official announcement, that Raids are available for 'Level 25 above' now. This confirmed that the limitation was purely for Beta Testing, and thus the feature will be rolled out for even lower levels in the future.

Calling this a major update would be an understatement. Those who are in the game purely to collect Pokemons might not be majorly affected, but those who relied on Gyms to farm PokeCoins and such will definitely need to learn from scratch. Practically, it has altered the way Gym-goers going to behave. This update changed the whole pattern of the Gym System, forcing Players old and new to adjust their gameplay. And of course, this gave me mixed reaction. Here's what came in the update, along with my thoughts on them (once again, in list form):

- Let's start with the simple touches! A handy Search Function in the Pokemon Collection screen has been added! This is well appreciated, as now we don't need to waste time scrolling down the long list just to check/compare our Pokemon. It also works for searching based on Types or species. So when we enter the word 'Fire', the result will feature every Fire-Types on our list, and if we enter the word '+eevee', every Pokemon related to Eevee including its evolutions will show up. Convenient! There's a marker on PokeStops now, indicating which one we haven't spinned for the day. This is small, but also convenient! - Having Photo Disc on Gyms that unlock items is a wise decision, because that means the game now has more PokeStops than before. Standing by near a Gym feels rewarding now! And in return, the same is happening to PokeStops with some of them being turned into Gyms. This helps give access to wider-range of Players who usually can't participate in Gyms because of their limited occurence. - I'm really happy to see that one species of Pokemon can only be assigned once, and the improved UI allows us to see the team of Pokemon lining up together like badasses. Also, they are no longer sorted by CP. It's a first-come first-served situation now, which admittedly sounds more fair to low level users. Yes, many users are complaining to the fact that Gyms can only contain 6 Pokemons now, but they seem to be forgetting that it's the maximum number of PokeBalls a Player can bring in the core RPGs. So it's still a great nod! - Trainers also felt more incorporated, as we can see their in-game silhouette decorating the Gym's backdrop and/or doing cool battle pose prior to Pokemon Battle. This is where the whole wardrobe-customization feature comes into play in an interesting manner. It's honestly thrilling to see it in action. - The addition of Gym Badges that keeps track of activity is also a neat touch. Aside from serving as memento of the places we have visited, now we can monitor whatever is happening to the Pokemon we've placed there without the need to travel the distance just to check them nearby. Eventhough I would've prefered it better, had it were Type-based like in the core RPGs, this was more than acceptable. Curious about the Ranking System though. How do I get a Basic/Vanilla, Bronze, Silver, and Gold? - Gone is the Prestige system, and enter the Motivation Level. Many Players have been complaining about the whole Prestige system that drains out excitement, so in a way, good riddance. On the other hand, its replacement might be a bit tricky to judge. Berries that were once treated like waste, is now important because they are necessary to restore a Pokemon motivation level. So as long as you, as well as other people continue feeding Berries to one Pokemon, it will continue its reign in the Gym. Even if they are NOT yours! I'm starting to understand that the point of giving Berries to Gym Pokemon of the same team, is a way for other users to participate in Gyms without the need to submit their own. So those who are more focused in collecting, can still gain Stardusts by giving up their unused Berries to Gym Pokemon. Aside from getting items via the Photo Disc, of course. Unfortunately, although it felt good and fresh at start, in less than 48 hours many Players are already complaining because keeping track of Gyms to feed Berries to their Pokemon turns out to be... reasonably exhausting. Just between you and me, that's practically one of the reason why this R-N-D suffered a one-day delay (I got too exhausted, it practically knocked me down cold)... - Inline with the Motivation Level, is the new PokeCoins system. Previously, Players had to assign a Pokemon for at least 20-24 hours before automatically receiving 10 Coins by collecting them at the Shop. That's no longer the case now. Coins will now be earned by the duration a Pokemon had spent in the Gym, and will be accumulated to Player's in-game pocket after it has completed its duty (as in defeated and lost all of its motivation). There's a maximum number of Coins that can be earned a day. The rule for this one however, apparently is still being tweaked and tested as we speak, as proven by the latest changes. Defending Pokemon will now earn 1 Coin per 10-minutes, to a maximum of 50 Coins daily (regardless of how many Pokemon assigned on numerous Gym). I'm still personally anxious about this change, and how this will affect my daily Coins-revenue. I'm not a pro, but Gyms are definitely my primary source of income in this game. LOL. - A new real-time push-notification has been added, thus a message will be sent to Player whenever their Pokemon is defeated and has left the Gym to return to their owner. I just got mine several hours ago, and it was both fun and sad. Fun because the progress feels up close and personal, eventhough the game isn't even activated. But also sad because clearly it's not a good news... *sniffs*. - Raid Battles is an intriguing cooperative feature. I haven't experienced it myself (it's happening in every Gyms nearby... while I'm practically stuck in the house *sigh*), but it plays out similar to what was promised on the App's teaser trailer... more than a year ago! Yes, the idea of 'multiple Players gathering around to defeat Mewtwo in Times Square', has at long last become reality. Players will be alerted of Raids event on the Nearby Screen. A giant Egg can then be seen on top of a Gym, which will then hatch into a strong giant-sized Pokemon. Using a one-per-day free Raid Pass, Player can cooperate/participate with others to defeat this Pokemon. It will be active for 1 hour, but each Player will only be given 5 minutes each. If they succeed, said Pokemon will be available to be captured. Premium Normal Raid Pass, alongside Max Revives are now available for purchase in Shop to support this feature. - There are several ranks of strong Pokemon that will hatch as Raid Boss. I saw a 1-star hatched into a Croconaw with CP 5000+, a 2-star into Exeggutor with CP 12000+, a 3-star turned out to be Vaporeon with CP 16000+, while a 4-star is Snorlax with CP 25000+. For the record, you don't really need to be nearby to see this process... which is how I was able to spot them while cringing knowing I couldn't participate. There are 5 levels of difficulty to Raid Battles, and each will award different prize. All are new items for the game: Premiere Ball, Rare Candy, Golden Razz Berry, and Fast/Charged Technical Machine. - Higher difficulty Raid will also include the Legendaries Pokemon like Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, and others, as proven by the variants of Lugia Badge discovered in the APK. A Legendary will have a unique egg, and to battle them a different item called Legendary Raid Pass is required. Clearing a Legendary Raid will also give three ranks of Badge: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Now, before you get excited, there's a catch to this. Apparently... this special Pass is only awarded to high-level players who have participated a good amount of regular Raid Battles. Which is such a bummer for a lazy introvert such as yours truly *sigh*. Nevertheless, Niantic did confirm that this Pass will be given to active Players, so let's not rule out any possibilities just yet. After all, they are still tweaking the system with feedbacks from Players. - Last but not least, a new anti-cheat measures have been implemented. Players who obtained high levels, as well as rare, region-exclusive, high-CP Pokemon through illegal means such as hacking, GPS-spoof, or other 3rd Party Apps, will have their Pokemon specially marked. This doesn't necessarily kick GPS-spoofers, botters, and illegitimate players out from the App, it just disables them from using Pokemon and participating in Raid Battles. In theory, it's a much-anticipated update that answers the cries of many legitimate Players. But in practice, is it really effective? I'm personally not sure if the punishment is working or not. I'm still seeing many Players who have over and over again showed signs of cheating (proof? One user kept stealing my spot after I cleared out Gyms, and there's NOBODY in the area but me. Clearly a spoofer!), comfortably placing their high-level Pokemon in various Gyms.

Thanks to mining the latest APK, there are many details that have since been made available by several fan-sites like Pokemon GO Hub and The Silph Road. Most are just confirmation to what Niantic has officially announced, but some of them might hint at future additions to the game that has yet to be activated. So those who are interested can go ahead and visit those websites to check them out. The first site also provided some fan-made guides, such as technical details on how the new Gym mechanics works, Raid Survival guide, how to battle Legendary, guide to predict how manyPokeCoins we can obtain, and others.

In the end, whether this Gym System rework is effective or not, remains to be seen. Despite some of them had behind-the-scene technical updates, popular Pokemon like Vaporeon, Gyarados, Dragonite, Blissey, Tyranitar, and others are still occupying every single Gym I've encountered. Personally, this shows that the issue of seeing the same old Pokemon species over and over again isn't yet solved. And then there's the cheaters, who have gotten high levels yet was given early chance to test out the Raids. So while some Players are enjoying, others aren't quite feeling the same thing. As I said, this changed how Players think, and clearly forcing them to adapt with the new situation. As proven by the PokeCoins issue, things might still be in process of worldwide-scale beta-testing for the time being, and that minor changes can still take place on the fly. So let's just wait and see how the final system turns out when "Pokemon GO" officially celebrates its first anniversary next month!

[attack-on-karneval]

An Apple a Day

Type: Jin imagine/short story

Genre: comedy? 

Word Count: 2,137

Jin paced around in his office, taking a few steps then turning around and retracing his steps. Over and over again, he repeated this process. He wrung his hands together and whispered incoherent words. The tail of his doctor’s coat flowed behind him like the cape of a superhero as he walked back and forth.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" He paused from his pacing, running his fingers through his hair, and looked around his office. Papers were neatly piled on his desk. A drawer of his filing cabinet was open revealing patients' files. He made a mental note to close and lock that drawer later. Hanging above his desk was a framed square of cork board, which had many papers pinned on it. One of the papers was a drawing of the Nintendo character Mario that a patient's son had drawn for him. But neither the papers, the files, nor the drawing held any answer to his question.

Just as he was about to start his pacing again, a nurse opened the door to his office. "Dr. Kim, you have a patient he-... Are you all right?" The nurse questioned, taking in his appearance.

His light brown hair was sticking up in random places from when he had been running his fingers through it previously. One sleeve of his doctor's coat was rolled up while the other was down. He wasn't wearing any shoes, so he had been pacing around in only a pair of worn out, gray socks. Even his shirt was untucked from his black, dress pants. Since he was not wearing his glasses, he could not really make out the face of the nurse in the doorway, but he could tell by her tone that she was quite concerned for him.

He cleared his throat as if trying to clear the awkward air in the room. "Yes, everything is fine. It's just... a personal problem. Nothing for you to worry about," he spoke calmly while he tried to straighten himself up.

"Are you absolutely sure? Because if you're not feeling well, I can go get Dr. Byun instead."

Using his fingers to comb his hair down, Jin waved down her request. "That's not necessary, and I assure you, I am feeling quite well. Just give me a minute or two; I'll be out to see the patient."

The nurse nodded and gave him one last wary look before closing the door to his office. Jin sighed loudly then set about fixing his appearance. He tucked his shirt back into his pants, adjusted the sleeves of his doctor’s coat, and put on his black shoes. Combing his hair down with his fingers again, Jin felt that he looked satisfactory enough, so he grabbed his glasses off his desk and left his office to attend to his patient.

Not only could the nurses tell that something was off with Jin, but even the patients could tell as well. He did not make as many dad jokes as he usually did, and his smile seemed a bit forced. When he wasn't working, he seemed to be lost in thought and was almost unapproachable. Although he was very aloof, the nurses still thought Jin looked very cool and handsome.

Despite his almost coldness throughout the day, Jin did brighten up slightly when he saw his favorite patient, the one who had colored him the Mario picture he had on his cork board. A young boy, around seven years old, sat in one of the examination rooms. The shoelaces on his sneakers were untied and hung loosely. Once he saw Jin, a large smile spread across his lips. Jin returned the smile as he closed the door to the room.

"Hello, Jungkookie. What brings you here today?" Jin asked.

As if he had been waiting for this question, Jungkook sneezed loudly. Snot ran out of his nose as a fit of coughs plagued the young boy. Jin waited for the boy to stop coughing before he gave him several tissues for his nose.

"Well, I guess that explains it." Jin chuckled softly. He walked to the sink and washed his hands. He then proceeded to put on a pair of rubber gloves.

He went through all the mandatory procedures: checking Jungkook's temperature, checking his blood pressure, and such. As he checked Jungkook's throat for soreness, Jin decided to make conversation with the child.

"So, Jungkookie, you got a girlfriend yet?" He knew the answer was no considering that Jungkook was still very young, but Jin thought it would be funny to ask.

Jungkook crinkled his nose at this question. "Ew. No. Girls are scary and have cooties."

"Scary?"

Jungkook nodded. "It's probably because of a girl's cooties that I'm sick right now. They're scary, cootie monsters." He said smugly.

Jin just laughed at the ridiculousness of this answer. "I seriously doubt that's the case, but if you say so, that's what we'll go with." He smiled warmly towards the boy.

Turning to Jungkook's mother, Jin spoke with a professional air. "He just has a case of the common cold with a slight sinus infection. If you are diligent with nasal spray and the medication he is currently taking, Jungkookie should get better in less than a week."

"Thank you, Dr. Kim." She smiled.

"Anytime, Miss Jeon." Turning back to Jungkook, he looked at him with a playful sternness. "Did you hear that, Jungkookie? You are going to have to take your medicine, or else you won't get better."

Jungkook shook his head in disagreement. "Don't need medicine. I can just eat apples."

Jin looked confused before smiling widely. "That's to keep doctors away, not colds. Sorry."

Junkook's shoulders slumped as he pouted. "Boo."

Suddenly, Jin's eyes brightened. "That's it!" He whispered.

"What's it?" Jungkook asked, looking confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else right then." Jin mentally fist pumped. He had finally found the solution to his problem, or at least, he hoped.

"Oh, okay." Jungkook replied, still looking thrown off from Jin's sudden outburst.

Changing the subject, Jin addressed the boy. "Now, Jungkookie, do you promise me that you will take your medicine without giving your mom any problems." He reached out his hand towards Jungkook with only his pinky extended. Jungkook looked away.

"Well, if you're not going to take your medicine, I guess that means that you won't be allowed to get some candy when you leave today." Jungkook's head snapped back towards Jin. A look of shock covered his features.

"W-what? Why not?" He stuttered.

Jin stood up and crossed his arms. "Only good boys, who take their medicine, get to have candy," Jin stated matter of factly. He crossed the room to open the door. "I'll see you another time I guess."

"No! I promise!" Jungkook shouted as he outstretched his pinky.

Jin smiled as he returned to where the boy sat. "That's what I like to hear, Jungkookie." He hooked his pinky with Jungkook and sealed the promise.

Helping Jungkook down from the padded table, Jin placed him on the floor and then opened the door.

"Thank you again, Dr. Kim." Miss Jeon said, bowing her head to him.

Jin flashed her a heartwarming smile. "As I said, anytime. I'm just happy to see Jungkookie happy and, hopefully in a few days, healthy too."

She returned his smile and grabbed Jungkook's hand, walking him to the counter to check out and get him some candy. Before he left, Jungkook turned and waved goodbye to Jin. Jin waved back and watched Jungkook walk out the door. Once Jungkook was gone, Jin's thoughts turned to his plans for later that night. He finally had the answer to his question, and he was completely ready to execute it.

  The night air was cool but not unbearable. Jin sat on a bench outside the restaurant. He glanced at his shiny, black watch to see the time.  

 "8:00pm. Late again," he sighed. Slouching on the bench, Jin watched the minutes pass by. He could understand someone being a few minutes late, but to be half an hour late, that was a bit outrageous.

 He did not know why he kept agreeing to go on a date with this girl. Maybe he felt bad since he had reached out to her. Well…at least it seemed that way to the girl. The reason he was currently dating this girl was all the fault of his best friend Namjoon’s idea to sign him up for a dating app.

“Come on, Jin,” Namjoon smiled coyly. “You haven't dated someone in three years. All you care about is working, working, working, food, and working some more..”

Jin launched for his phone that was held in Namjoon’s hand. He missed. “All I have time for is work and food. Adding another thing to worry about in the mix would just make my life all the more stressful.”

Keeping the phone away from Jin, Namjoon added, “You have time for me.”

“You're different, and you know that,” Jin replied. “Besides, it's more that I'm stuck with you. Even when I haven't invited you over, you're still here eating my food and running my electricity bill through the roof.”

“Please, Jin. You already have a match, and it would be rude to not go on at least one date with the girl.”

Jin groaned loudly causing Namjoon to smile widely. He knew that he had trapped Jin in a moral battle. After seemingly making up his mind, Jin let out another groan. “Fine. One date, and that's it.”

“Perfect,” Namjoon grinned.

One date turned into another and another until Jin had been dating the same girl for two months. At first, dating her was not so bad. She had been sweet and polite. She had an infectious laugh and amazing cooking skills. But after a while, she became extremely clingy, and she complained all the time. She even hated his favorite band ever!

“Bangtan Boys? They're a stupid band, and their music is gross.” She said on one of their dates.

But all that ended tonight. He was not going to be nice anymore. He knew what he had to do.

When she finally showed up,  Jin was made to cancel his reservation, and they ended up going out for a cheap meal, which she seemed displeased with. Jin put up with her complaining though because he knew that after tonight he would no longer have to hear it. Like a gentleman, Jin waited until the end of their date to initiate his plan.

“Listen, I have something I need to talk to you about.” Jin tried to make his tone sound remorseful.

“Sure. Just make it quick. I don't have time for anything stupid.”

It was those types of phrases that made Jin want to pull his hair out.  However, he kept himself composed and continued with his plan. “Actually that's actually what I wanted to talk about. Saying those types of phrases and making it seem like everything I have to say is stupid, they make me quite agitated. I've been very patient, but it's getting to a point where I can't take it anymore. I don't think we have much in common, and you're always late to our dates, which gives me the impression that you really don't care about me or my feelings. I think we should end this. End us.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “See. This is the kind of stupid stuff I don't want to hear. You're wasting my time. You should just take me home already.”

Jin wished he could slap the girl. But being raised correctly, he knew that hitting a girl was very wrong. Did it count if the girl acted more like a monster? He was fairly sure it still counted, so Jin resisted the urge. He produced an apple from the pocket of his coat and placed it next to her. “Here. This is for you.”

“Why'd you give me this stupid apple? It's such a lame gift.” She sneered.

“Well, you know what they say, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’” Jin started walking away from the girl.

“Are you leaving me?” She cried out.

“Seeing as you have an apple and I'm a doctor, yes, I am leaving you.” He turned to leave one more time before stopping at the door of the building. “Oh! And I talked to my friend, who works at a produce market. I talked him into giving you a lifetime supply of apples, so here's to a lifetime of not seeing you anymore because I must stay away.” With this, Jin shut the door behind him and drove to the comfort of his home.

It would be a while before he dated again.