#ok i forgot about the collecting the element too..but its almost done.

[bloomingkyras]

The hero of StrangerVille back to her duties as a Scientist. She even prank her co workers with a blizzard fruits and now there's zombie at the lab 😂

[thechocobros]

My little (not so little) Kingdom Hearts III’s review :)

(possible spoilers under the cut)

Somebody asked for my personal opinion about the game, so, here I am! I’ll try to be as objective as possible, even if you probably know already my deep affection for this saga and for its creators XD

Let’s start with the positive things, the things that really impressed me the most about KH3, which are: the graphic (even the in-game one), the gameplay, the huge amount of enjoyable exploration. And then I’ll start voting the rest, by giving my opinion. 

 - Graphic: 10/10. I was able to see the pores on Sora’s face and on Terra’s hands. I was able to zoom on the smallest details with my Gummiphone and still find some amazing details in the landscape. Literally EVERYTHING was so well done i had to stop more than once to admire what i was playing. It was stunning. Let’s not even talk about the Disney cutscenes, because those were a masterpiece and i have no words to describe them. 

- Gameplay: 10/10. Listen, i never played a game where there were so MANY options for the gameplay. I beated the 13 darknesses by using attractions, limits, different forms, combined moves, special abilities, combos, different keyblades ... There were so many minigames, ideas, i fought on Baymax, i fought as a captain of a ship, i cooked, I did treasure hunts, took pictures, the gummiship style too ... every fricking world offered so many different gameplays options i even freaked out because i wasn’t able to learn them all. It was so FUN!

- Exploration; 10/10. Let’s be real, every world (except Twilight Town lol) was as huge as all the Disney worlds of the previous KH games together. Really, i was lost. It was even too much. It will take me a lifetime to explore all the worlds in all its beautiful details xD for ex in the POTC’s world we are able to access to at least 6 different islands + Port Royal + underwater + the battles setting + we command an entire sailing ship. Also, have you try to collect all the lucky emblems? Because I think they all are in some areas i still don’t know they exist. It was AMAZING. 

- Music: 8/10. I love “Face my fears” so much, i like “Don’t think twice” a lot, Utada is always a queen. As for Yoko, she never dissapoints me either, even though this time she didn’t came out with “new” brilliant melodies like she did in the other games. She mostly arranged differently songs and themes we already were familiar with, which is nostalgic and happily welcomed anyway. + Bonus Points to Somnus song mixed together with Hikari. Wow. 

- Plot twists/Surprise/content/plot elements: 8.5/10. Every Kingdom Hearts game needs a huge amount of “WHAt-THE-moments” and KH3 makes no exception. The final battles and the endings were a concentrated of twists and turns, starting from Yen Sid, to Ephemer, from Sora dying (like twice, during this game? the last one almost got me tho), to Kairi dying, from Xigbar’s real identity to Yozora officially inserted in KH’s main plot etc etc. It was a rollercoaster. And I loved it. Funny enough, the only “secret” that didn’t feel like a “secret” was the “secret” that Nomura defined the “biggest secret” XD ... aka Roxas xD I mean, they talked about making a replica for Roxas all the game long, so when Roxas actually appeared and claimed that Vexen made a replica for him, i was like ... yeah, thanks, that’s not a brand new information xD Talking about Vexen, him and the rest of the Organization had some really nice surprising elements, their story was worthy. 

- The narrative/structure/pace: 6.5/10. Ok, here’s the thing. Even if the actual story content was interesting and pretty good, there were problems in the pace and we all hardcore fans noticed it. Why was that? Because they changed some things they shouldn’t have changed in order to give more space to Disney worlds. 

For ex, I’m talking about the fact that we started our adventure in ... the Olympus world. I have nothing against that world of course. But in KH1 we started in Destiny Islands/Traverse Town. In KH2 we started in Twilight Town. In KHBBS we started in the Land of the Departure. In KH3 we should have respected traditions and start from an original world. Why? Because original worlds are strictly connected to the original characters’ development + main plot. By making Sora starting in a Disney world, they cut out an extremely important part in the KH3 story’s development, aka the very own basis. And  no, Twilight Town arrived 3 hours later, and was half as big as the other Disney worlds, so it doesn’t really stand the competion. 

  So, by putting so many Disney worlds and cutting out the original worlds, they confused the storyline’s pace. The actual story’s progression was reduced to some cutscenes between a world and another which is ... not a really good idea. We needed at least one or two more playable original worlds somewhere there in between, like KH2 had Radiant Garden and KH1 had Traverse Town, so that the story could have been developed  and the characters would have been able to meet and interact properly.

  In fact, the biggest problem is that the entire main plot is rushed in the last hours of the game. 35 hours of funny happy Disney gameplay. 5 hours of actual plot. It’s not balanced. The player didn’t feel the rising pressure for the final battle of light against darkness. No matter how epic the Keyblade War actually was, of course it felt a bit rushed, because it popped out all of a sudden and wasn’t smoothly inserted from the beginning of the game. 

  I can actually justify this choice though: KH3′s purpose was to give a conclusion to Xehanort’s saga. Which means they didn’t plan to develop the story or the characters more than what they already had in the previous games. They just wanted to show a proper “conclusion”. Not “development”. 

  It’s not the choice i would have taken in terms of storytelling, but it’s an option so i’m not really angry about it. It worked anyway because almost all the characters really had a solid background plot. .... almost. Which sadly leads to the sore point of the game. Here we go.

- Characters development: 7/10. Kingdom Hearts has a large quantity of very developed characters. Kingdom Hearts’ original characters are the ones who entered in out hearts years ago and we love them for a reason. They’re all well characterized, with specific strengths and weaknesses. Which means that no matter how weird the pace of KH3 could have been, the characters have been so well written in the previous games that they were able to tollerate everything in terms or story telling. Sora, Riku, Aqua, Roxas, Axel, Ventus, Xion, Terra, Naminè .... they all had a major role in KH’s plot on their shoulders and unique facets. But one character was strongly penalized by this the rhythm of KH3: Kairi. 

  Unlike most of the other characters that belong to the famous trios, Kairi could never count on a strong background, nor a good characterization. 

  Even though i liked her in KH1 (where she at least interacted with both Sora and Riku multiple times and had a part in the main plot, even if she was comatose for 80% of the time), it’s not a secret that she got benched immediately after that. KH2 didn’t make her justice with all that being kidnapped, and in the next games she completely dissapeared even. She was never involved in the story ever again. What am i referring to?

  In Birth By Sleep, only Sora and Riku met all the members of the wayfinder trio and played an actual part in their lives. Kairi barely meet Aqua once, and never played an active part in her life anyway. I mean, Aqua never needed Kairi for anything, never. On the contrary, both Sora and Riku were vital for all the members of the wayfinder trio, back then and later on.

  In Chain of Memories, Coded, 358/2 days ... Kairi was replaced with two other girls that quickly became more interesting than Kairi herself, aka Naminé and Xion. In those stories Kairi is barely mentioned and almost never appears. But Sora and Riku ... oh, Sora and Riku! They’re the PROTAGONISTS. They always interact, they always appear, they always do stuff. 

  Let’s not even talk about Dream Drop Distance, where it’s JUST Sora and RIku. 

  What’s my point? The Destiny trio isn’t a trio, it’s a duo. Kairi is ALWAYS put in a corner, she never has a part in the story. 

  I’m not talking about ships, i don’t care about ships, I don’t ship Soriku nor Sokai, it’s not about this. The problem is Kairi’s character development, which did not exist. Not only a development, but even a purpose was missing. 

  So, since i kinda liked her in KH1 and the potential was there, i thought that KH3 would have set things right for her. I had high hopes especially because of Axel, I was like, “WOW here it is a great potential for a good, healthy, platonic relationship, finally Kairi found someone to be paired with and do stuff. We will finally see her being weak, finding her power again, maybe she will be a playable character, maybe she will interact with BOTH Sora and RIku too, making jokes, express her preferences etc etc” yeah and what we got? Kairi is reduced to a mere man pain object again. She almost forgot about Axel once that Sora appeared. She got kidnapped here and there all along. Again. She kinda forced Sora to eat that fruit and never asked for his opinion, while Riku was having an existential drama going on just some steps away. But i don’t think she cares for Riku anyway since she never had any kind of bond time with him and isn’t interested in his problems. She fought once (badly), revealing that her training was somehow useless (she had to be saved by Sora and the others). She gets killed (pretty stupidly too) and Sora had to sacrifice to bring her back. And what made me angry the most: Sora’s heart gets lost in the process of saving her but it’s NOT Kairi the one going after him in the secret ending. IT’S RIKU. LIKE WHAAAT?? Riku?? She can’t even take her girly keyblade and go after the boy she is supposed to love and that died for her?? Riku has to do it? Really? It’s ridiculous. ... 

  Furthermore, she wasn’t a playable character. The only characters that we were able to play were Sora, Riku and .... Aqua! Pretty funny. (I think they are Nomura’s favorites, i don’t know.)

  Kairi’s only part in KH3 was changing outfit and “being Sora’s light” somehow but ... that was so much out of the blue and most likely an isolated moment. It could have been a nice coronation for a developed love story but the problem is that no development was there before.

  So, going back to my point.

  Even if i would have chosen another way to tell the story, the rushed pace of KH3 worked for everyone anyway, except for Kairi. Kairi needed a different treatment.

  But at this point i don’t think she will ever get it, probably Nomura doesn’t like her too much since he decided to make another DreamDropDistance game settled in Insommia next time xD so i give up on her. I’ll focus on the other beautiful female characters of this game.

  Anyway, even if i talked a lot about why Kairi was another flop, i want to point out how interesting some characters got instead. I’m talking about Xigbar (great plot twist), Saix, Demyx, Vexen (Vexen had so much importance, i mean, i didn’t expect him to be the one moving kh3’s plot), Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene and Repliriku! They used to be marginal characters and now they turned out to be protagonists, it’s amazing.

- FF characters: 7/10. I really loved Verum Rex’s surprise, it’s a clever idea to recycle the Versus characters and concepts Nomura couldn’t bring to life. Now that Nomura turned them into original characters, he has the copyright over them again thanks to Disney and he can use them as much as he wants, bringing the “ff characters cameos in kh” on a brand new level. Starting from the next game, we will have semi-FFcharacters included in the main plot, not just having a cameo here and there, which is amazing!

  But. This doesn’t mean i didn’t miss actual FF characters in Kh3. Cloud, Leon&Co left a hole in kh’s tradition.

Let’s sum it up my notes: 

Graphic: 10/10 +

Gameplay: 10/10 +

Exploration: 10/10 +

Music: 8/10 +

Plot twists/Surprise/Content/Plot elements: 8.5/10. +

The narrative/structure/pace: 6.5/10. +

Characters development: 7/10. +

FF characters: 7/10. +

Total = 8,3

AND ... THAT’S IT FOR NOW I GUESS? xD

[thegeminisage]

today’s zeldablogging which is full of spoilers:

the sight of my new sword sends a thrill into my heart tbh

if i ever replay this game, which tbh idk if i will, it's so Big, SS was only a third or a quarter of this size and i've only beaten it twice, im going to get it as soon as possible next time

anyway im back at the tower i suppose i'll crawl down and check out the enemies properly

i dont like gliding to towers i've discovered bc it feels like i've been plopped down into the middle of nowhere with no context

vs if i walk to them i know "where" i came from/am, if that makes any sense

(it doesn't)

i can see that flying thing closer than ever from here and it's DEFINITELY a divine beast no doubts left

yk tho. i dont WANNA check out the enemies. i wanna find that weird blanked out place at the top of my map!

haha i can feel it already

i'm so anxious to get to the end of the game and uncover the plot im gonna be like "FUCK EXPLORING" for the rest of it and only go to the places i need, now that i've got this map

i can always do more thorough exploration after, i've been spoiled that there's postgame content, but even if there's not like any other zelda game it'd put me right back before the final battle

god im having to go ALL THE WAY AROUND the lost woods i can't even glide over the nearby river to make the path shorter i bet there's an easier way to do this from the other side but i havent been there yet

ah, another forest covered in fog. black fog. how inviting.

ohhh, it's a shrine trial. wonderful. in the pitch blackness!

this is already worse than eventide

luckily i have the weird glowy skeleton suit i bought from the boy gerudo clothes store

i forgot to mention it bc i had no IDEA what it was for, but here we are

like. this has to be lmao

i keep dying in my first six steps what am i doing wrong??

oh, maybe bc i'm gliding in, i see a bridge on the map

ohhh god i hear a hinox...why, lord

haha im like.following the ways the statues point and. they're pointing at the hinox! wow!

lol when i realized the stone birds had torches on top i started over so i could light them all

OHHH I WOKE UP THE HINOX I DIDN'T EVEN GET A SURPRISE ATTACK IN

MASTER SWORD HELP ME

oh god this glowy armor has no defense!!

i'll just leave the helm on, then

oh thank fuck i used an atk+ elixir and it waasnt so bad

see, like, i COULD explore that upper ridge but thanks to the map i already know it's full of silver lynels. no thanks.

oh my god the yiga clan is RELENTLESS right here i guess bc i'm going around the back of (shudder) hyrule castle

oh!! a stable, thank goodness, i was starting to get wigged out

i guess all those people on the road had to have meant something

this isn't even on the map!!

oh wait lol yes it is

aww, i don't see beedle here...i was sure he'd be at everyone, i don't think i've encountered one where he isn't yet...

i'll be honest, i've grown kind of bored of combat

and know i'm biased but i genuinely i don't think it's me, i think it's the game's difficulty/"difficulty"

i used to see monster camps and think STRATEGY, is there a beehive, barrels to blow up, a place i can glide down from, this is so fun!

which gradually morphed into "okay this is gonna be a bit of a long haul but there'll be Treasure and sniping from afar is still fun"

idk if the black bokoblins/moblins/etc show up after you've done more things or bc of the area you're in but i'm noticing more enemies with more health, higher defense, and higher attack, and the barrels/metal boxes/beehives/etc becoming rarer, and when they do appear, being almost pointless to use because you're more likely to blow yourself up than do any real damage to the mobs

and like i love this game. it absolutely deserves every bit of its raid reviews, and this feeling COULD just be because i've been marathoning it for 12 straight days and i'm anxious to see the end and get back to my life

but to me, attacking a flat area full of black moblins and bokoblins isn't fun even with the stealth/snipe element bc you can't take them out in 1-3 shots, you have to stop and slash at them, and that alerts EVERYONE else, and it's just pointless

(lol i found some flat ruins by the stable which triggered this rant)

like, even the yiga clan hideout - my instinct was to snipe the enemies as i went, which would have made it a bit more fun imo, even though the stealth bit wasn't bad and i enjoyed that section quite a lot

i just don't like the—idk a better term for it unfortunately—"fake difficulty" thing where you just have to slog your way thru 1000s of random battles, i don't like it in rpgs either

kind of like almost wherever i explored at first i would run into minibosses rarely and then almost constantly

which, yeah, most of them aren't as hard now, But Still, it's the point of the thing

maybe i'm a bit defensive about "real gamer" bullshit and "women can't game" stereotypes while being super bad at games my whole life while my brother was fantastic at them

but like i just don't find that fun?? sure a good challenge once in awhile like eventide isle would be fine (even tho that was hellish and i'll never do it again) but that should be. every once in awhile, not. EVERYWHERE

anyway

frankly @ this point i'm REALY tempted to speed thru it before my surgery

bc i would hate to be laid up in bed and still have to worry about mobile browsing bc botw spoilers and tumblr's interface being awful

anyway i can;'t travel further in this direction without getting over near rito/hyrule field territory

and not only are those towers further away than i'd like but i wanted to do gerudo highlands first so back to the desert i go i guess rip

oh my god the wastelands tower goes down into NOTHINGNESS you're SUPPOSED to apporach from above

also i heard kass!! kass, buddy, where are you ;_;

oh i LOVE these cliffside structures i've been looking forward to them for so long

but i can't find kass ;_;

ALL tower shenanigans must CEASE until he is located!!

wait, he's...i see him! he's at the top of the tower! oh my god!

I'M COMIN, KASS

awww he wants to play the song for the hero who fell 100 years ago! he doesn't know it's me! ;__;

oh gross level two cold here and i didn't bring much cold food...just my warm doublet

wait

i have food AND the jacket and im STILL cold? this is level THREE? wtf wtf wtf

good thing i also have the ruby circlet but jeeeesus

i still have no food so i can't stay long

oh shit i found some guardians

still ones thank god

dude i found a HUGE cool mural for one shrine!!

yeah, this game is definitely still as full of fun secrets and as deslightful as when i first began playing it

and it came at a good time bc i just lost angela and it helped me feel Real Joy again

most displeasure i find with it now is because "AAAH ZELDA AT SOME POINT I NEED TO GET BACK TO MY FUCKING LIFE"

i'm so worried about spoilers and being behind now that some of the fun is draining away

i think after a bit of time has passed i'll either go back and finish exploring properly or straight up start a new file

and do it Thoroughly

when i can relax and go at my own pace instead of feeling like i'm racing the internet, my dashboard, my friends, my brother, etc

this region is soooo cold and i am so certain i'll get better cold gear in the rito area that im just activating the shrines and not even going inside to use my little food as efficiently as possible

im lit not even going inside

oh it's dropped to level 2 cold...thank god

THERE i got them all now to rush to ritoland

wait...i thought i read the 10k fairy wrong but i see ANOTHER on the map!

i bet SHE wants 10k and i have four thousand fucking rupees UGH

i thought there were only 4 and the horse fairy counted.......

ohh my god the divine beast is much closer from where i'm gliding...it's so big

I SEE DINAAL BUT I'M ON A FUCKING GLIDER SLKDFJGH

oh i've been typing it wrong all this time. dinRaal.

ohhh this region is so pretty so far...unlike the highlands which is miserable, i HATE snow in this game, i actually do wanna explore around here, i wish i didn't feel so hurried

oh god that divine beast is just So. it is So Big

god i passed the fairy on my way to the tower...10k! and i haven't been watching my cash bc i thought i misread something

all this time i've had 12 and 13 thousand rupees and i was blowing them on dumb shit

SILVER bokoblins...? come ON

good loot, tho

got the tower!

ohhh man. tat divine beast. oh boy. oh dude. big. so big. jesus fuck

oh hey i see rito village!! just where i wanted to go first

they better have good cold gear here :|

OH FUCK THERE'S THE BEAST SCREECHING

oh my god it's SO BIG im SO SCARED jesus FUCK

i wonder if kass will be here

IT'S RITO ISLAND MUSIC

IM GOING TO CRY

IT REALLY IS!!!! IT REALLY IS RITO ISLAND MUSIC

oh god it's BEAUTIFUL

aw omg the goddess statue here has a flower crown!

all right, fifteen heart containers...the rest will be stamina 5ever

no wait fuck i should have gotten stamina this time!! i'll get a heart from the beast

well i know you can trade them, somewhere out here i think

this beautiful too tbh this is all nice and orchestrated Damn

geez the armor will set me back even more money! not TOO much but when you're saving up for 10k...

well, against my brother's advice, i'm selling monster parts...i know i'll regret it later if i need them to upgrade armor, but i'm trying to stick to the common ones i have like 100+ of, so

aaand 10! woohoo

awww all the little baby rito in the hammocks :')

OMG the biggest rito looks like an owl! kaepora reference

oooh here comes a memory

AHAHAHA

revali and link were rivals. ok. im down with that for sure

and his specisal ability! an updraft!! PERFECT tbh

aww teba's husband doesn't want her son to be a warrior

tho i like the idea that ritos are hotheads hahahaha

zoras and gorons are both kinda collected we needed some assholes

HA i look forward to when revali gives me his special ability

i'm crying teba is such an asshole i LOVE him

wow i guess it's time to fight the beast already...? that was so FAST

omg i get to ride him!!!! yessss

oh my gosh we're up so HIGH oh man oh man the world is so tiny but i know it's really so huge oh god the divine beast is so BIG

lol i probs should have upgraded this rito armor.......

oh well too late now lmao

ohhh i love it when they talk to me

TEBA?

HE'S HURT OMG ):

nintendo would never kill him but omg im so worried about him

AAAAAH THERE'S REVALI

ohhh he's a DICK i LOVE HIM

ooh the master sword DOES glow when it's near the malice blight stuff

lowkey tempted to go back and upgrade this armor lol but i don't wanna leave and who even knows if i have the mats...

i'll just brave it thru like this and it'll be something to brag about later since apparently i suck at everything else

like doing eventide with five hearts on the blood moon

LMAO REVALI IS SO SMUG "you'll need to activate all the terminals, think you're up to it?" he's a DICK and i LOVE HIM i LOVE THE RITO

the music in this one is SO COOL?

i feel more like i'm fighting for my life/against something larger here, rather than just trying to creep through gently without disturbing anything and solve a puzzle for the others

and it's 100% bc of the music jesus christ

i LOVE how much gliding is involved this is EASILY my favorite divine beast so far

lol revali's tone of surprise in "there are two terminals remaining" i love him so much

"just one terminal remaining hmph what do you know" pls

all five down now the true test is can i beat the boss LMAO

the last 3 weren't nearly as bad as i expected, tho the lightning one's teleporting thing was almost too fast for me with my one-handed weapons

so maybe hopefully with good food this will be OK too

ok, i got level 2 cold food so i can get by with just wearing the pants :U not as much defense as i'd like but better than nothin

"it only defeated me bc i was winging this"

"can't believe i'm saying this but avenge me link!!"

ohhh there's accordian in this version of the fight song 

KASS ;_;

i wonder if kass's teacher WAS revali, or knew him

LMAO revali trash talks me when i get hit

KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME i didnt even watch that movie and im laughing at the meme

lmao "broke" the master sword with the last bow

eeeewww

DAAAAAMN

wouldn't even look at link as he left "your job is far from finished you know zelda has been waiting an awfully long time"

haha "i'll be plucked" as well thanks nintendo

"we've been ARTFULLY patient these last 100 years you won't suffer a feather over a few more moments"

geez i love him so much

that was definitely the best divine beast

tho the zora one is a close second

i gotta go make sure teba is ok

IM CRYING ZELDA JUST TOLD ME TO GO TO HYRULE CASTLE

soon i promise ok

time to go see the great fairy :U man i really thought my armor had been improved all it could be...

and 10k down the drain...

omg she's pink :3

im ALSO warping back to akkala to see if i can get any guardian armor yet i've collected a fair amt of parts!

LMAO I FINALLY HAVE THE MATS AND I DON'T HAVE THE CASH rip

ohhhh i see a new storm over hyrule field...DNW

lol maybe i SHOULD have explored it before now...too late now

holy shit i almost ran straight into a flying guardian going after this soul piece

ok, i need a plan...if i wanna beat the game before friday i gotta be Smart

i still need to finish exploring all the provinces, at least at the sursory level i gave to the highlands, but hopefully maybe a little better

i need to go back and do shrines and sidequests

and obviously i need to actually finish

counting today i have three days left so i guress i'll assign one task to each day, the last task obviously being on thursday

less than two hours left for playtime today, but i guess today i should explore, tomorrow i should shrine/sidequest, and i can do a LITTLE of that thursday if needed, and thursday i'll storm hyrule castle. ok

slkfjgh

SDLFGJHDLFKJG god. ok

aaaah the ruins music makes me so sad ):

pffft cute i got a memory where zelda was like STOP FOLLOWING ME I DONT NEED A BODYGUARD at link how adorable

i wanted to get all the memories before i beat the game but they're like ALL in/around hyrule field/castle and i'm afraid if i go there now that i've gotten all the beasts freed i'll trigger endgame events that i can't stop

so i guess i fucked myself over

i think i'll go ahead and get all the towers tho

so i can move around freely

i have time for like one MAYBE two before stream starts

aw this tower in the cold place is so cute and short

looked it up & apparently the heart/stamina swap is in hateno so im gonna go find it!

oh i came at night but that monster store guy is here!!

omg DUDE he sells DARK LINK gear?!?!

and apparently your movement speed goes up at night

the mask and bridles are pretty cool but i HAVE to have this

lmao and i just sold all my parts for that 10k...!

man he doesn't give you a lot tho...like, it has its own currency...i could never sell enough to get even one :/

ok, i can buy the tunic or the legs...but not the face. hmm

i guess the legs alone would look pretty dumb, but i have black pants and a hood that can kinda go with the tunic, so

this is kinda outta nowhere but i wish there was a recipe book for everything we've unlocked or read about, i just can't keep it all in my head

LOL omg that was freaky

okay but now i gotta quit

i didn't get all that i wanted to done, but maybe more later tonight but def tomorrow!!

playing a bit more bc bad choices

oh hmm it looks like i was mistaken and that storm isn't over the castle afterall! thank goodness

oh my god there's SO many shrines in the hebra peak range?? why???

LMFAO im thawing blocks of ice to get to this shrine and one has a moblin in it

me: stops thawing

OH MY GOD

THIS RANGE HAS AURORAS

IM GONNA CRY JFC

and i missed snapping a picture because of enemies!!! im so mad

too bad SO sad i am going back to those fires that started and waiting for night again i WILL get a picture

ugh and now it's snowing

i guess i could unlock this nearby shrine in the meantime

ooh, is that a cabin

;___; old man

end of the game and i still miss you

O: shield surfing

oh man i didnt actually wanna DO it now but

i actually dont know how to do the thing lol

lord, i had to google it. no one said a thing about pressing A

that was fun!! also i was worried i'd get lost so maybe i'll just. not do this for now

THERE! YES! AURORAS!

ooh god there's a silver lynel down there

i know i've been bitching over and over about fights but i lowkey wanna fight it to see if i can

i won't though bc my cold armor isn't very upgraded and my defense would be shot probably even with def+ food

as an aside im glad rivali's ability recharges so quickly i was afraid they'dmake me wait ages like the others

ohhh my god there's SO MANY silver lynel around here WHY

they have such a long detection range and such a scary roar )))):

thank god for rivali's gale i can fly right over him...otherwise i'd have to Run

there's another maze shrine here and im highkey like Ugh

idk if i'll quit when i get to the entrance or after i solve the maze...

i guess i'll give it a quick try and if it's horrible i'll stop until later

naturally i'm wondering if i can solve it on my map first and/or get to the top

if i could before with as little stamina as i had then: sure i'd be able to

probably there are guardians and the answer isnt THAT easy but

the entire maze seems to be one path which is absolutely useless to me like it doesn't look like a maze you solve on paper so i obviously have to find a door or go above or below all that somehow

uh

there are no guardians up here at ALL

in fact i think i even see a hole down to the shrine...

ok, what's the catch, what gives

ah no the hole only goes down a couple of feet and has a chest with a diamond in it

the devs saying "nice try but no" lol

i did find the entrance pretty quick from the top tho! and now i can warp back anytime

or no wait this WAS the challenge i can just go get my orb and ches

DUDE THE ATK+ LEGS......DUDE

ok i gotta figure out the shrine the chest is in and get it i NEED it this armor plus a def+ elixir? i'd be unstoppable, no more dodging fights for me!

well, less dodging fights

ok, so i looked it up and the chest is in a gerudo maze which i didn't even know existed bc i either missed it on the interactive map or it wasn't ther

but it looks Difficult so im gonna save it for tmrw

[beatsfortheillperth]

Words with Somanyfeels

Mixes and blends offer their listeners the opportunity to take in various tracks that develop a mood that their curators can express and alter depending on their current feel and drive. They allow with each play, a platform for many artists to be appreciated and understood through. Something we here at beatsfortheill admire about the rise in technological communication of today’s day and age, and there is one DJ that comes to mind whom is already using this musical tool to his advantage. An artist we had the privilege of sharing words with recently here at beatsfortheill and that creative is Las Vegas-based blend master Somanyfeels aka Julian Guerra.

With his ability to tailor mixes that induce ambient feels and take one’s soul on a journey through the ever altering musical landscapes. Somanyfeels lives up to his name developing mixtures that entice and allure the senses, leaving listeners feeling content and entertained where ever the day or night may take them.

Smooth transitions and mind-stilling tracks are what can be expected with this game-changing curator, a man on a mission and a soul on the pursuit for feels that move. 

We here at beatsfortheill can only look forward to Somanyfeels future endeavours. So with that in mind enjoy the uplifting words of the curator himself.

Inspire, Love, Relate and dabble in Somanyfeels expressions via the new mix he curated for us here at beatsfortheill, you won’t be disappointed.

Favourite Food: If pizza and tacos could somehow morph into one, it’d be that!

Favourite Beverage: Coffee and tea are my life

Last track you listened to: Waterfall By Laxe Luther

A childhood memory in regards to music: I remember eating Swedish Fish as a young kid in the public pool in Reading, PA. The speakers were bumping Smash Mouth and I was groovin’. Been a long road since then haha.

A track to chill to: bbygurl By Oneonthebeat

A track to bounce to: To the moon By Lil Purpp

Look back to your 14-year-old self, what music were you listening to back then: Uhmmm, honestly I was into the heavy metal scene. At the time, my favourite band was Disturbed and I also loved Metallica. I was trying to learn guitar so these bands inspired me to enrol in classes and practice guitar tabs. these were songs you could find on my myspace account, along with those falling skull thingies.

Views on Mainstream Media: GET OUT OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA BUBBLE. It is these sorts of people that love to have things explained to them. Go out and find those definitions for yourself. There’s always more happening then what major media outlets make it out to be. I am a firm believer in this because that’s all my parents do. Watch CNN and FOX and melt in front of it. They don’t really know how things work outside of what people tell them on the TV.

What does Somanyfeels mean: I really like making people feel good about life and so that’s how the name came to be. Honestly, it was supposed to be the name for my personal music blog. But once I talked about it, people would say it matched my openness and positivity.

Favourite Location: Brew Tea Bar in Las Vegas (they have the best boba tea hands down!)

Favourite Album: YUNG by Linafornia

Thanks man, so let’s start off with how you got into creating mixes in the first place. When did you start blending tracks into your own musical journeys and what sparked your interest?

No thank you, Sophie I am honoured! I got really into it after making a lot of private playlists for myself and parties I would go to. But after a while, I wanted to have a more hands-on approach on how to present these playlists for friends and so I started this series called Sensory Compilations- A bunch of laid-back beats in one mix. Actually, I modelled it around artists from this LA label called Soulection. Joe Kay is a HUGE inspiration to me. The general idea stuck and since then I’ve taken them down as I’ve started my newest ambient series. Always looking to change things up. My goal one day is to be a central source for ambient music through the tracks I find. Artists exclusives with visual artist involvement with each project. That kinda stuff.

What inspires you as a curator of sounds when it comes to day to day living and music mixing? Do you feel your day to day goals help inspire more creativity when it comes to putting together a mix?

I think that the ability to piece together treasures from artists who you love into one whole is inspirational. And I also think that being in a city where a lot of this music is overlooked and commercialism is highly accepted, it takes every inch of effort from local creatives to impact the way people live and hopefully encourage individuals to live more artful lives. If I can get one person to say wow that really changed my vibe up, that’s a blessing. Not all will like it which I understand, but just that one is ok with me.

I live my days essentially on the wind. Whatever happens, happens. Sounds a little on the edge right? Meh, in a sense it is but there are good things that come from it too. It’s good to have goals and dreams, but being conscious of how things are moving can be really stressful for me sometimes. With music, I live each song for a moment and like that could change to something completely different and you grow with that. I think constant change is what keeps my creativity and adaptability alive!

Have to mention your mix series Hunt//Gather a beautiful collection of ambient goodies that offer the ears a peaceful playground of beats, much love. Can you share what Hunt//Gather represents to you and what led to its creation? Also, what can one expect when the push play on a Hunt//Gather mix?

It is intended to put the listener out of their element and into something wild and untamed. At some point, if not during the whole mix, I would hope for you to feel as though you were away from society and in some unsettled landscape. Can you find your way back? Do you even want to leave? I want people to feel like they don’t have to rely on anything else but their own ability to do and feel what they want.

I started this series after hiking in Zion National Park. Something about that place man…

When you play one of these, just expect it to be a journey!

HUNT / / GATHER 01 TO 05 / / Somanyfeels Ambient Mix Series 

How do you feel your upbringing has affected the path you took within music? Were you always into music and learning the way songs can blend together? Also, can you share a few classic tracks you loved growing up?

Honestly, my upbringing didn’t really involve too much musical inspiration. I feel like I was a late bloomer. My past was all about meeting new people, seeing cool places and eating new foods. Bless the culinary arts! I was only really exposed to it once I started in the music industry. I was working for an event promoter here in Vegas and seeing DJ’s and producers move a crowd with such ease made me want to buy a cheap controller and start.

Oh! Almost forgot, here are a few songs from growing up!

Stand Up ft. Shawnna by Ludacris

Welcome Home by Cohered & Cambria

Sunshine by Atmosphere

You are also a part of a collective known as The Rabbit Hole out of Las Vegas USA, a group of creatives making music that really showcases diverse hip-hop and electronic beats, much respect. Can you share what The Rabbit Hole represents to you and what goals do you collectively share? Also, what do you enjoy most about building a community within music?

The Rabbit Hole saved my inspiration. I was stuck in a sense. I don’t really know what I would be doing if I didn’t meet this family of cool cats. Each friend within the group, in their own way, has taught me more than I knew about myself. My ear and style have evolved massively. I have a way to offer up an idea and have people work with me on that idea. I also have people to relate to if I have questions about how to do something involving mixes, graphics, marketing and so on.

I love seeing people walk into the monthly events that we have and just instantly start connecting with other showgoers. Networking yea sure that’s one thing, but I think people meet new friends in this setting. It makes me so happy!!! The way I see it, typical Vegas life is all about work, maybe going to catch a happy hour somewhere, and if you’re really trying to have a night out, hit the strip. IT’S SO BORING!! Can you do more? I think myself and my collective realize that there is so much more that the desert has to offer. We have a voice and we want to use it to build an authentic culture out here. Step by step, slowly but surely!

Las Vegas Collective - The Rabbit Hole

What do you feel makes a mix impactful to listeners and how do you try to set the mood when it comes to putting a mix together. Do you have to be in a certain mood before you hit record?

Wow, this is an awesome question! A mix should tell a story. There are countless ways to mix sounds. I don’t play a mix and say, wow they should have done it this way. No!, I try to focus on how I think the person felt while in their zone.

Transitions come with time, so I highly encourage anyone who enjoys digging for music to just start. Learn as you go. Get a simple program and get to work experimenting. It feels amazing to tell a story! Let alone tell it in your own way.

Here at beatsfortheill, we have a deep love for genuine spiritual expression and art. Can you share some of your favourite spiritual beings, ideas, and concepts? Also, artists that you feel our readers would benefit from checking out?

I love Matsuo Basho, a Japanese poet who’s Haiku’s really bring you into a peaceful state of being.

Oh and please read a book called Intimacy by Osho. It teaches you how to trust and love yourself. I read it a little while back and it has changed my perception of my life immensely!

As far as art goes, I really enjoy work by this artist called Beeple.

He is a huge reason why I am on Tumblr all the time.

Can you share the highlights of your journey through music so far and also what should we keep an eye out for in the future from Somanyfeels?

The strange thing about music is that it does not always stay on one specific path. There is so much happening around you as you find your style, your stamina, and your inspiration that there can be one idea one day, and the next day it could change entirely.

For me, I try to keep an open mind, help myself to become better, and help others along the way with the experiences that I have gained.

The future for me looks to be something along the lines of music and photography. I LOVE radio and mixing but lately, my heart has been leaning more towards capturing moments in different ways.

I would love to put out a mix of all exclusives from my favourite artists along with a visual package. That’s my goal for the end of the year.

I would also love to interview some really cool beat makers on my radio show (aired on 91.5 KUNV HD2 and traklife.com).

Keep on the lookout for another Hunt//Gather series in late August!

Photo by Julian Guerra aka Somanyfeels Photography

Musical Recommendations?

I Think I’ll suggest some cool indie labels for you guys to dig through on Bandcamp & Soundcloud :)

The Rabbit Hole

Saikei Collective

Dustera\

GUILD

BLVNT Records

Oneiric Tapes

Dome Of Doom

Treehouse Collective

Fuzzoscope

Any Last Words?

Keep the art alive! Also thank you so much, Sophie, for having me. Peace and Love!

Support Somanyfeels Here

Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/somanyfeelsmusic

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/somanyfeelsmusic/

Instagram-  _somanyfeels_

[nettleandfriends-blog]

Ye Olde Nettle

When you’re a child, the only thing you’re interested in is to get on with the stuff you like to do, like climbing trees, jump over fences, play tags on rooftops, collect tadpoles… I know, I know, I’m talking ancient history here, as today kids’ thing is online gaming, instagramming, texting and such, but the principle is there.

Any hindrance to your childhood pursuit of happiness is perceived as unfair, malicious and utterly pointless (“I wish I was dead and then you’d be sorry…”)

During my early years  I often pondered about this or another unpleasantness in my life. I was trying to find the sense in existence of barbed wire, mosquitos, younger brothers and nettles.

As I was growing up, things were becoming clearer. For a time, I thought that the sole purpose of the existence of barbed wire on fences was to make mothers stop dolling up their daughters in pretty dresses, blouses and skirts. Time after time I was coming home in shredded skirts and dresses, until my mum finally gave up. It was leggings and shorts after that.

Some time later I discovered that younger brothers kinda grow on you. Eventually I stopped moping around for getting a baby instead of a puppy – or, even better, a horse. There was still a problem of him following me around like a – well, puppy – so I waited patiently for my chance. When he was old enough (about 4 or 5) I showed him a picture of T. Rex. Then I took him outside and pointed to a small hole in the ground (my favourite when playing marbles) and told him that it was where T. Rex lived. Not only did he stop following me around, he was petrified of going out whatsoever. Later still, when he stopped grassing my every little transgression and blaming me for his own ones, we even started talking to each other and occasionally having fun together. By the time we were semi-adult we started even liking each other. So, basically, I admitted to myself that baby brothers are OK and stopped wondering why they existed.

Nettle, of course, was one of the major annoyances in my childhood. Although I’m fortunate enough to have quite tough skin so nettle, or bee stings, even wasps only cause mild redness and itchiness that lasts a day or two, it was still not fun to brush them lightly while whizzing around having fun. Furthermore, my best friend was very sensitive to everything; nettle would cause swelling and blisters lasting for a week or two, and wasp stings… Whoa!

So, understandably, I detested nettle with a passion. I hated even the fact that the most frequent shampoo in our house was the one with nettle extracts (my mum still swears by it).

However, when I started developing interest for plants I discovered that this nasty nettle is actually quite an amazing plant. Every single part of it – root, stalk, leaves, flowers – is beneficial. It is not only edible, but quite tasty too. It’s packed full of iron (almost ten times more than spinach) and vitamin C, as well as various minerals and trace elements. I suppose poor old nettle had to develop some sort of defence, otherwise it would be eaten to extinction by herbivores.

As food, you can use it virtually everywhere you use spinach. Well, maybe it would be a good idea not to do the substitute if you eat your spinach raw, in salads or sandwiches. If you do, please make a recording and post it online. I’m sure it’ll go viral like the video of the eejit who lit a firecracker while holding it in his teeth.

Actually, now I’m thinking about it, I’ll make a post about nettle as food (maybe the next one), with a few of my favourite recipes.  Meanwhile, here’s a link to a quite nice article about nettle: http://www.countryfile.com/countryside/ten-unusual-facts-about-nettles .

Stop prattling about and get on with nettle’s remedial properties, I can hear you grumble. Here goes…

Nettle (its posh name is Urtica dioica) is an excellent diuretic; if you have high blood pressure caused by water retention, nettle tea will help a lot. Be careful, though: if you’re already taking pills you might achieve a double whammy resulting in low blood pressure.

If you’re having difficulties with passing water, either because of the urinary tract infection or because of benign enlargement of the prostate, nettle root is the thing to go for.  You can make tea or use tincture.

Tea: boil ½ litre (approx. 17 fl oz) of water and pour over 2 tbsp of chopped nettle root. Cover and leave to soak 10 minutes. Take 4 cups of this tea daily.

Tincture: add 30-40 drops to a glass of water; take 3-5 times a day.

For frequent nosebleeds and intensive period bleeds, as well as for hay fever, acne, eczema and gout use nettle leaves tea:

Pour ¼ litre of hot water over 1 tsp of dried nettle leaves. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. If you use kettle to heat the water, wait a minute or so after water boiling, then pour on the leaves. Take a cup of this tea 3 times a day. You can use tincture instead of leaves - 1 tbsp of tincture in a glass of water. The tea also helps with mouth ulcers and gum inflammation, as a mouth rinse.

Tea prepared from the whole plant is good for getting rid of lung phlegm and cleansing of stomach, liver and guts. This is how to make it:

Finely chop the whole plant. Put 3 tbsp of chopped plant in 2 litres (3.5 pints) of water to soak 10-15 hours. After soaking bring to boil and simmer, covered, for ½ hour. Leave to cool, then strain and take a cup 3 times a day, before meals.

I’ve mentioned nettle tincture; here’s the recipe:

Use the root collected either in spring or in the autumn. Wash the root well, pat dry and chop finely. Fill ¾ of a bottle or a jar with chopped root, then add rakija (or vodka) to the top. Cork well and leave in dark warm place for a month. Then strain it into a clean bottle/jar (preferably coloured) and keep in dark place, at room temperature. I haven’t made tincture for a couple of years, but when I did, I kept it in a deep drawer in my bedroom.

Nettle tincture is very good for treating hair (more about it below), as well as for treating children anaemia (especially if the kid refuses to drink nettle tea). In this case you’ll want to reduce the amount of alcohol in the tincture. I mean, let’s say you massage your scalp with tincture in the morning and then go to work... and your boss smells alcohol on you on daily basis... You get my drift? Not to mention nosy neighbours reporting you to Social Services for giving your kid something containing alcohol.

To reduce the amount (and smell) of alcohol, once the tincture is strained, just boil it a bit - most of alcohol will evaporate quickly.

Nettle is brilliant for treating hair: not only it makes it stronger and thicker, but also gives a wonderful healthy shine.

We all lose hair all the time but it also keeps growing. Some people, however, simply have thin and/or weak hair; sometimes an illness or a lack of vitamins, trace elements and such can weaken the hair. Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with one’s hair but one wants it improved anyway. In all these cases nettle is a great helper. This is what needs to be done to stop hair loss:

Simmer approximately 20g (around 3/4 oz) chopped nettle root in ½ litre water for 10 minutes. Strain and mix with a few cups of nettle leaves tea. After washing hair, use this mixture as the last rinse. In addition, use the tincture to massage the scalp daily.

Keep in mind: if you’re genetically predisposed to hair loss (e.g. your dad, granddad and both uncles went bald before they were 40), this treatment will NOT stop it. It will slow it down, though, but the rate varies from person to person.

I was lucky enough not to have problems with dandruff, but a few friends told me that tincture worked for their dandruff problems, so have a go...

For general hair care, to make it soft, supple and shiny (basically, what Pedigree Chum does for dogs if we are to believe the ads) do this:

Put 5 litres (10.5 pints) of water in a large pot. Add several handfuls of nettle (fresh or dried leaves and stalks) and, on low heat, bring to boil. As soon as it starts boiling remove from heat and leave for 10-15 minutes. If you’re using nettle root, leave a handful of root in cold water overnight. The next day do the described preparation. Use this to slowly rinse-cum-massage your hair after wash, leave for 5-10 minutes, then rinse well.

I’ve mentioned earlier that the tea made from nettle leaves is good for treating skin problems. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days and apply the same way as cleansing lotion, using cotton wool. Ideally, you’ll be drinking freshly made tea 3 times a day (same with hair treatments, I forgot to say). 

If you want to treat all of your skin, then have a nettle bath: put a mug of nettle (whole plant or leaves + stalks) in a large pot and pour hot water on it. Leave for about 15 minutes. Use the time to fill your bath with warm water. Strain your nettle tea in the bath water and get in straight away. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Don’t rinse the bath water off - just pat yourself with a towel. You should stay inside for about an hour if it’s cold outside.

A few warnings:

1. Although you can use nettle tea and tincture all year long, very rarely people might get oversensitive to nettle if using it for a long time. This can manifest as allergic reaction, digestive problems or diarrhoea. If you want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you, simply make pause in using it – e.g. use it for 3 weeks, then pause for a week, then use for 3 weeks… you get a pattern, right?

2. I’ve never heard about any problems with using nettle preparations in pregnancy and during breast feeding period. As a matter of fact, a few women I know used to drink nettle tea in pregnancy as they became anaemic. However, I’d always advise to check your blood results with your doctor and follow his/hes advice.

3. Nettle tea is really good for treating anaemia in children, as well as for strengthening their immune system. But, sometimes, kids are too finicky and won’t drink it. If this is the case, 10 drops of the tincture in a glass of water or their favourite juice should be alright. Keep in mind: I said “juice���, so no colas, fantas etc. - strictly non-fizzy drinks.

4. Being strong diuretic, nettle might slightly change the colour of urine or make it look cloudy. It should not worry you, it’s just a sign there’s lots of toxins and metabolic leftovers clearing out of your body. As they are getting reduced, your urine will get clear.

There are loads more remedy recipes where nettle is one of ingredients, but I want to go through some major plants just on their own before I start with mixtures.

So, there you are: from dreaded childhood nuisance to really great and useful stuff.

Still wondering about mozzies, though…

[xt1erminator-blog]

Fails of the Yawning Portal

Ok, so it’s not really that bad, however...

This past weekend I got my hands on my copy of the eagerly anticipated Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition hard cover adventure compilation, Tales from the Yawning Portal. It is a collection of 7 “classic” adventure (dungeon romp) modules, modified/converted/streamlined for D&D 5e, and is published by Wizards of the Coast.

I recommend searching for reviews online, as this is not my review. The purpose of this post is to document some of the shortcomings of the layout and design elements of this otherwise great book. I’ll say this now before I forget: Ultimately, it’s things like this that have me concerned for what’s to come with future WotC products (not to mention D&D Beyond... that’s a whole other can of worms for another day).

Item 1: The introduction to The Yawning Portal, and complete lack of map/layout of this legendary establishment.

I remember plenty of classic (1e and 2e) source books and modules that always had amazing, detailed maps that really gave you a sense of adventure and excitement back in the day. You could easily have a picture painted in your mind of where you were, what magnificent place you were presenting to your players. Why is it that over the years, maps and artwork have declined in quality and presentation?  Is it to make room for more words or something?  Lame, if so. The same can be said for D&D’s artwork in general I guess, although I found that the majority of 4e artwork was pretty cool.  Not that 5e artwork is awful, it’s just not very epic I find.  Where are the Parkinsons and Easleys and Elmores of today hiding?

Getting back on topic here, there is a complete absence of a map of The Yawning Portal in the introduction section of this book.  I suppose, one could say “So what? Go Google it and I’m sure you’ll find one.” Example:

That’s great, however I believe in having an essential piece of art like this in the book proper. Or, at least the damn sign for the place, seen in at least a couple of classic pieces of art (the cover of the Avatar Trilogy’s third book, Waterdeep for instance, the classic cover with Midnight and Kelemvor in the scene):

I know that none of the adventures in this book have anything to do with Undermountain and The Yawning Portal, but it would have helped for newcomers not familiar with this great building to see something of its unique layout and that huge 40 foot well that so many have descended down and never returned from. The written description is... okay, I suppose.  Here are some photos of the intro in the book (starts halfway down on the right side page). Pretty conservative if you ask me.

Item 2: Teeny, tiny maps - Was there supposed to be a magnifying glass included with the book purchase?

I was starting to enjoy reading through this book, and I stopped reading page for page somewhere half way through The Sunless Citadel adventure, and proceeded to flip through to check out the rest of the book at a glance.

What I saw as I perused through the book made me throw up a little.  Just a little. Nothing major, no worries... I’m ok.

Now, before I continue, I want to share that my career is based around helping run and manage a print shop. It’s my industry, my trade, my craft. I notice things in print products that others tend not to spot and call them quality issues. Most times I am being very picky, because I tend to demand that my shop’s work is the best it can be.  That goes for layout, source image quality, final printed quality and any bindery finishing work done on a piece.

Tales from the Yawning Portal, as I have said before, is a decent book. I’m very happy it was released and I have some “new” content to implement into my campaigns. I very rarely play anything out “by the book” and just borrow sections or bits and pieces and tear them apart to suit my needs.

However... the maps in this book in particular are absolutely, mindblowingly, godawfully some of the worst presented maps in a printed publication. Team Voltron or whatever they’re called (check out a recent video about them here) need someone to tell them that what they’re doing is... not good. I am not sure where they get the encouragement and approval from supporting what they think is good design and layout.  It’s evident in most of the 5e books to date (I own most of them) that in each I can say that they spend far too much time with long, drawn out story and area descriptions, and less time on visual aids for running the game such as decent sized maps, and more relevant artwork.

While 4e was a really bad iteration of Dungeons & Dragons, what they did right (from what I can see in the few books and several Dungeon magazines from that era that I read), is they had artwork down, maps nice and easy to read and were clear and concise, and the writing of the adventures and source books was not only superior in terms of typeface choice and layout, but it didn’t seem drag on and make me wonder “when is this section was done, how much more of this do I have to endure...”

Notice I have not stated that the maps themselves are awful.  The maps are really good. I like Mike Schley’s style, although I wish it was darker/more evil looking at times and not so... cartoonish I suppose would be the word for it. But the colour selection is not optimal in this case, as when they are reduced so drastically, everything gets super muddy. Here are some photos of just some of the offending map sizes printed in this book (standard size d20 show for scale):

Pretty tiny for such detailed environments, right?  Now, check this out:

I believe this is the only map in the book that is afforded such vast real estate on the pages. I find it extremely odd why Team Voltron (I’m holding them mostly accountable since they are responsible for final edits in layout and content presentation) didn’t opt to do this for all of the major maps, and at least take up a good portion of one full page for the smaller maps so people can read them. BUT OH WAIT. It dawned on me after thinking about this most of the day today. Let’s go check out Mike Schley’s "Prints” store website.  Ah ha! This makes perfect sense I suppose. Why give customers who paid $50 USD ($66 CDN dollars where I live) decent, readable sized maps in the book itself - let’s let them figure it out for themselves and they can just buy digital files from Mike’s site for $15 USD and print them out however they see fit.

That’s cool I suppose, but just doesn’t justify to me why Team Voltron put these in the final printed book.  Also, Perkins! Mearls! Didn’t you guys see the final draft of the book before it went to print? Storm King’s Thunder also contained smaller size maps, but it was done well, combining the choice of very high contrast colour combinations in the printed maps with the brighter white paper than is usually found in most of the other 5e WotC hard covers.  Really helps that stuff pop, and looks to be far better for imaging. Anyhow, I’ve spent more than I wanted to on this post, enjoy the rest of the map shots I took:

Oh! I almost forgot! This one bit is definitely classified as a rant: The map for the friggin’ DOOMVAULT - ONE PAGE DEVOTED TO THIS?  The biggest, baddest assed map in the whole book and it gets one single page? If someone can make out the legend, let me know what it says please.

I love D&D, I love WotC (for the most part... Team Voltron... smarten up for your future releases!), and I hope this is one of the few posts I have to make about stuff like this.

-runDMsteve