#products history game board

[acheseustabuleiros]

[waffled0g]

Everyone gets “The 90s” look wrong and I hate it

Couple years ago I saw these two board games at the store back to back. Well, not saw them per se, but ya know. Spied them out of the corner of my eye. And for a moment without reading the text, I couldn’t tell you which was which decade at first. Funny. Either they were in a rush to get these out the door or they wanted their throwback trivia game boxes to look uniform. I didn’t think too much of it.

Only, from then on I started seeing it MORE. Every time someone markets a 90s or 80s throwback...

Goddammit they’re identical! What??! How did we let this happen? As a 90s survivor and a designer, this drives me up a wall.

Look, I know I’m late to the party to complain about “the 90s look” when we’re just starting to get sick of the Y2K nostalgia train. But c’mon, the 90s were not The 80s: Part Two™ 

Trust me when I say that we weren’t all wearing neon trapezoids up until the year 2000. The 90s look being peddled is so specific to the tail end of the 80s and an early early part of the 90s - a part of the 90s when it wouldn’t stop being the 80s. This is Memphis design being conflated with the wrong decade.

Keep reading for a long ass graphic design history lesson and pictures of old soda and fast food.

Specifically, the look is Memphis Milano, self-named by the Italian design house Memphis Group. Starting in the early to mid 80s, they made all sorts of furniture, fabrics and sculptures that were like a Piet Mondrian grid painting under heavy radiation. Their whole deal was defying the standards of existing industrial design up to that point on purpose. Chairs had weird arches, bookcases would be in strange alien colors, unusual materials like plastic or elastic were used in place of metal or wood, that sorta thing.

Memphis quickly became the signature look for the decade. You can tell something’s influenced by Memphis design from it’s telltale trademarks:

Clashing, neon colors.

Use of diametric shapes.

Contrasting patterns like zebra print stripes, confetti squiggles and checkerboards.

It wasn’t long before Memphis Milano-inspired design was everywhere in 80s pop culture:

It was a special time, yes.

I was a kindergartener at the tail end of the 80s, so I knew Memphis mostly through the lens of kids media. Toys, clothes, games, tv shows used it like candy colored catnip. Cable channel Nickelodeon more or less adopted the Memphis aesthetic as their signature in-house style and practically built a monument to it at a Florida theme park:

I think this is why folks mistake what decade Memphis is representative of - 90s staples like Nick, Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince - they all stayed around much longer than the design trend’s expiration date. 

Couple that notion with the fact that companies are slow followers to design trends. Something gets popular and they want to get on the bandwagon? Gotta wait for the ink to dry, gotta wait for the production molds to be made. It would take a few years for them to completely work Memphis outta their system.

Now, this is not to say Memphis is bad! Personally I’m a fan of the aesthetic, if my neon-drenched artwork wasn’t a tip-off already. But it is a trend, and trends never last forever.

So what took the Memphis Milano look down for good? This part’s up for debate, but I personally think it had something to do with this dude:

It’s that grunge music from Seattle that’s so popular with the kids these days dontchaknow.

Once Smells Like Teen Spirit hit in 1991, the Nirvana tone drove the rest of the decade. Clean geometry became weathered, grainy and organic. Bright neon pastels became more bold. Bubblegum pop music sounded fake and manufactured. Attitude and apathy was authentic. Whatever.

Things got grungy. Things got grimy. Olestra was invented.

I think the best way to visualize this transition is how Cherry Coke entered the decade and how it left it:

1992 Memphis on the left, 1998 grunge junkie on the right. Fitting that the 90s would end with a design that looked like Darth Maul’s lungs.

Okay, so what should 90s retro design look like?

Continue on to PART TWO! Spoilers: No VHS filters or vaporwave needed, but maybe bring an antacid.

[perseruna]

heyyyy do you have any details/sources for the ca*ill being a jackass thing? ngl i watch twn for yen and jaskier so i was already planning on continuing to season 4 but i'd love some reasons to be actively excited for the actor switch. but i haven't kept up on the behind-the-scenes stuff so i'm kinda lost on that front if you're up for sharing any of what you know!

okay guys buckle up this is THE anti henry cavill megathread xoxo

First of all him dating a teenager as a 33 year old fully grown man literally gross and disgusting.

Also as this quote implies they started dating a year prior and only went public when she was 19 so they supposedly started dating when she was 18.

His entire dating history is a MESS. Sure the women he dated are not him, but he chose to date them, I wouldn't even associate myself with people like these let alone be in a relationship with them. He dated the infamous transphobic TERF Gina Carano, albeit before her loud controversy, but I doubt her harmful views were any different back then. His current gf has a history of doing black face.

His "Me Too" comments.

His comments on the Me Too movement are literally so vile. If you don’t want to be called a rapist, just don’t rape women, it’s literally as simple as that. They’re even more foul because they’re promoting the idea that women lie about their abusive for fame, promoting that harmful rhetoric especially in our times is incredibly dangerous.

Now onto his on set behavior.

We can't talk about his set behavior without mentioning the deuxmoi set leak. Here's the transcript of it:

[Transcript:

There’s something I really really wanted to read to you guys--it has to do with why Henry Cavill left The Witcher. I know that was something that you guys were super interested in when it happened, and I just recently got this message. Somebody was like “Hey, do you want to know what really went down?” And I was like “Sure!” So let me just read it. It says:

“At the beginning of the show, Henry was good to work with. A lot of difficult demands that made people feel like he wasn’t a team player, but that’s not unusual for a really big star. Though in TV it truly usually doesn’t happen until the second season. But in season two and three something shifted and he became really impossible for women to work with, which is always a big problem, but even worse here because the showrunner is a woman. He would try to overrule her and try to get changes made last minute across the board without her knowledge, which, if you know anything about showrunning, is completely fucked. The showrunner has to sign off on every miniscule detail down to the buttons on a costume. Female writers and directors were suddenly being completely ignored on set, unable to do their jobs. Every department head was complaining. He started making comments—it wasn’t a sexual thing, he wasn’t grabbing anyone or being lewd, but it was disrespectful and toxic all the same.

“He is deeply addicted to video games, to the point where it was like working with any other addict. He was distracted, he was late, he was obsessive, and a lot of people think the misogyny came from gamer world. Video game bro language is not how you talk to coworkers, and he wouldn’t stop. Someone on the show compared it to watching someone get brainwashed by QAnon, like his whole personality shifted. Eventually his disrespect escalated. He would rewrite scenes without even alerting the other actors in the scenes until it was time to shoot. He decided that he didn’t want any romantic scenes at all—no kissing scenes, no shirtless scenes, et cetera. He wanted complete control of storylines but really had no idea of the limitations of TV, structure, budget, et cetera. He formed a weird alliance with one writer who was also a gamer, who eventually got fired after multiple HR complaints were made and after that writer left, Henry did anything he could to hold up production and cause problems.

“Eventually top brass at Netflix was tired of him costing them money with delays and HR investigations and the showrunner was asked to construct a potential exit for him. Netflix reached out to him personally and he was given one final warning, and violated that warning with an email he sent to the entire writing staff right after that meeting. That was it. It’s very disappointing.”

End transcript.]

Now believe me or not, but I know from a really good source that the leak was indeed real.

There's a lot of patterned behavior that tracks with what we know of him and his past controversies.

After that leak came out, there was a lot of people from different places coming to comment that ‘yes’ they’ve heard a very similar story adding a little bit more details of their own.

this quickly deleted tweet from one of the writers/producers:

there were rumors about him being an asshole to Anya specifically.

He went on record that he doesn't "understand" sex scenes. Which I know the sex discourse is rampant nowadays and each to their own, but he specifically signed up for a role that requires those scenes and then refused to do them and was allegedly nasty to Anya about it and with the way he talks about women...

Also it’s important to touch upon the “writer he had a weird alliance with” that man in question is Beau DeMayo of the recent fame of getting fired by Marvel from X-Men ‘97. He was previously allegedly fired from The Witcher for being emotionally and physically abusive. And he allegedly got fired from X-Men for being abusive as well. One of The Witcher writers tweeted this after Beau smeared them for “disliking the books” Beau was literally the first person to start that narrative.

The fact that it was HIS idea not to say lines of his dialogue in S1 and instead grunt. To the point that Joey had to take Henry’s lines and make it his own, so the plot would make sense, he talks about it in this interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Oyh0t117t0U&, and then once S2 press arrived Henry was talking about how he was trying to fight the big bad writers to give him more lines. Ridiculous.

Everyone is already pointing out that the cast looks so much happier without him, and it’s very true. Henry was never present on close to any BTS pics from filming the previous seasons, or on any cast dinners or birthdays. He wouldn't even do any shared interviews with the other three mains but only had solo interviews which to me was giving disrespectful like you're an ensemble you’re not the only lead here. It felt like he was above them to sit down and answer questions with them. When they were doing press junkets in Brazil and Poland Anya, Joey and Freya would always arrive together and leave together with that man leaving all the events early and by himself. And like people who post quotes from the cast about him being perfect from press junkets as “proof” are insane to me like Obviously they’re going to say nice things about him, not only they're newcomers, and he's an established industry name, but they’re doing PRESS for a show that he’s a STAR of (well, was lmao)

The fact that he never defended Anya from the racist trolls, even though most of them were HIS fans. Like she had to go through so much and that man couldn’t make a single comment about it as a leading man BUT he could make a whole IG post because people were being mean to his gf and calling her out for doing blackface.

And sure people might say that a lot of these are unverified sources, and I’d get it if it was a singular case, but there are a ton of these accounts that all match each other. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

[morkhan]

I did not have high expectations to begin with, but I am genuinely blown away by how much I despise NATLA. Every moment reeks of cynical corporate cowardice. "We can't have Sokka be sexist, people will think we're endorsing sexism!" "We can't have Katarra be angry, people will think she's a nag!" "We can't have Aang abandon his responsibilities on purpose, people might think he's bad or flawed instead of the perfect good hero!" Just, decision after decision that demonstrates not only a complete misunderstanding of the source material, but a lack of understanding of, like, stories in general. Of why they work. Of why we even bother to tell them. Every decision made in NATLA feels like it was born in a board room and designed to make the characters and world a more palatable product, something they could more easily sell, something that will go down smooth and not offend anyone. Well, newsflash, assholes; I'm pretty fuckin' offended, and I'm not alone. You're too cowardly to give your characters flaws they need to work to overcome, but you have no problem showing a genocide onscreen, that's fine. Character development is bad! Let's replace it all with pointless action scenes and the dryest, most sleepily delivered exposition in the history of film! Fun? We can't show our characters having fun. Fun is for children. What's that? Our characters are children? Well, too bad, our target audience is people who liked Game of Thrones, so those kids are just gonna have to learn to be miserable.

Alright, I gotta stop talking about this or I'm going to choke someone, possibly myself.

[mars-and-the-theoi]

Low energy Devotional Acts for when you don’t have a lot of energy (or time, or money, etc.) pt. 3

🎲Hermes🎲

- watch a comedy special

- watch a funny show or movie

- watch travel videos

- watch sports (literally any sport)

- if able learn a new language if unable to do that listen to music in a foreign language or watch a movie or show in a foreign language

- learn about the underworld and His role as a psychopomp

- the story of Him stealing Apollon’s cattle always makes me laugh so if you’re feeling down maybe read about that or watch a video about it!

- eat food from a foreign country or watch cooking videos with recipes from foreign countries

- make a bucket list of places you’d like to travel (doesn’t necessarily have to be other countries! It can be within your own country or in your own state! Or hell maybe there’s places in your own town/city you haven’t checked out yet that you’d like to go see!)

- learn some geography!

- listen to a devotional playlist for Him

- play some board games or card games or dice games

🌊Poseidon🌊

- listen to oceanic/sea soundscapes

- learn about earthquakes

- listen to sea shanties and learn about why they were used

- watch documentaries or shows about marine animals or the ocean/sea themselves

-learn about horses

- stay hydrated

- watch aquarium videos! They’re very soothing

- if able print out or buy ocean themed coloring pages/coloring books and color! (I also think the finished product could go great on His altar if you have one!)

- learn about and if able to take trips to local ponds or lakes (and if able go to the beach)

- learn about marine plants and marine biodiversity

- watch videos about naval history, or naval warfare

- learn about boats and sailing history

- watch videos about hurricanes! Learn about them!

- listen to a devotional playlist for Him

- learn about shipwrecks or maritime disasters if that interests you (my favorite YouTube channel for these vids is: Oceanliner Designs)

- watch ocean or maritime related shows or movies (I personally like The Terror which I get isn’t 100% ocean related but y’know)

[witchofthesouls]

Guys, what if the TFP verse didn't have grocery stores and supermarkets?!

If the Cybertronian diet is limited to liquid from crystal Energon, then they would be completely used to a great beast of a combination between Home Depot, IKEA, and Kay Jewelers. Like a build your own customizable personal fuel station or for the department. Maybe there's minor cultivation of different kinds of crystals that act as herbs and spices equivalent. Look at the displays of crystal decor. While it's Energon, the structures are too unstable or deemed unusable for consumption to be sold (different story for the lowest castes trapped in poverty though)

The 'bots are familiar with a job site providing room and board as well as picking up prepared food from restaurants at different price points. But if Team Prime actually looked into the history of agriculture on Earth, the immense scale and absolute variety would shock them speechless. Optimus would fall into a deep tunnel of botanical science versus the culinary arts and how a lot of veggies are basically the same plant that's been curated to enhance very specific features.

There's a new game at the base and road, it's called "Can you eat this?"

(This actually starts a lot of "lively discussions" between the kids because of cultural differences, family histories, and geographic/regional dishes and traditons.)

And if the kids ever needed to do a report on animals or plants or food, then they would receive full marks.

If the 'bots ever get enough fuel to use a holomatter, then the kids would get the delight of seeing:

Teaching Optimus how to select a good watermelon. The man is in deep concentration as he eyes for a "sun spot, a creamy other side, and a good-sounding thump."

June and Ratchet having a hissy and very heated argument over what's inside the shopping cart. The cart fills and empties between them.

Arcee staring down the produce that is and isn't organic, and then trying to figure out the difference between oranges and grapefruits without breaking them open

Bumblebee buzzing around the honey products and sweets to make puns and jokes. He's having a blast in the personal care aisles, especially with the masks and Burt's Bees.

Bulkhead is entranced by the inside Starbucks and the meat department. He's watching the baristas and counter workers deftly move to produce a new thing. He wants to learn to make a sandwich and a Frappuccino for Miko.

[puckpocketed]

So do you actually believe PLD is a good player or is that part of the bit?

The PLD Post

i spent a good 2 days giggling about this to friends. i cant tell if ur a curious caps fan, a person who knows me from my other teams, a disgruntled kings fan (i’ve mostly ruled this out because im pretty sure i know all of the active ones on here) or WHAT. but i’m laughing. the tone of this ask is hilarious and vaguely accusatory but i will take it in good faith and answer <3 tl;dr yes and no. he’s better than people think he is rn, but he’s likely never going to live up to the potential of his tools unless something . idk. recalibrates his entire being. who knows!

i was working on something longer and more complex but i thought about it for more than 5 seconds and i REFUSE to go hockey-bro mode and pull out the microstats and i don’t wanna make this into a full on PLD manifesto. so. caps girlies (gn) HERE are your adoption papers under the cut!

if you are looking at pierre luc dubois who is 6’4 + 220lb and thinking “Oh he’s a power forward” i have to inform you he is in fact THEEE smallest mouse to ever play hockey in the whole world and in all of history. he sips nectar out of a thimble and sleeps curled up in a match box and goes fishing in a boat made from nutshells and twigs . he’s big, but he sort of plays small.

this is not necessarily a bad thing — he relies on foot speed and skill over hitting.

he can throw hits but prefers to stick check. he leverages his big frame to guard the puck and to defend, and it makes him simultaneously VERY effective and very much what i like to call a Nexus Of Crime. he is either drawing ten thousand penalties because people have to do something to stop him from driving the net with speed OR he is taking ten thousand penalties because he gets eager in the corners.

PLUS he’s huge and refs do just assume he’s committing a crime when they can’t see what’s going on <3 hence, Nexus Of Crime! if there’s a penalty he’s probably involved LMAO

not a “dirty” player by any means. not physical unless he decides he wants to. and there is no violence inside of him unless he’s deeply horsebonded to his team <- IMPORTANT re; playoffs aspirations. you won’t see him put himself on the line simply for the love of the game, he HAS to be committed to the team.

to be committed to his team… i’m honestly not sure what that takes. i’d guess a combination of knowing his role on the ice and in the locker room (this was very unclear on lak) consistency of messaging from coaches (also seemed to be an issue on lak)

i know nothing about caps coaching or management or the team vibes but i’m sure you can fix him <3 i’m ready to fall in love and ride this team to the sunset

this failhorse will NOT shoot the puck and if he does it will be the saddest soggiest most pathetic shot you’ve ever seen. you will tear your hair out in chunks if you watch him expecting an elite goalscorer.

he’s a pass-first guy. likes to drop pass! likes to drive play from the middle but is also capable of getting pucks off the boards. he needs a finisher on his wing. i could pull up stats here, there are stats to be pulled up, but i know this in my HEART from watching dozens of kings games: he would have had 10-15 more points easily if he wasn’t stapled to the 3rd line and had better finishers. many times i watched him tee up a very good opportunity only for his guy to miss the net or fan or just get knocked off the puck

individually, he thrives in front of the net. his ass is fat and he’s about to use it to screen the goalie. hes good at catching loose pucks in the crease to send them home <3 see his performance at worlds. he scored basically all of his goals right up there!!

most media coverage/narratives will tell you his point production dropped off bc of effort (which is true) but even the MOST resentful kings watchers will say pld wasn’t given his best shot playing with inexperienced+fringe nhlers, being line shuffled the moment he got a bit comfortable, and also not getting ANY net front time on the lak pp. i factor this into all my judgements of his performance.

He’s def earned his diva rep LMAO!! this is personal opinion here but he seems like a sensitive and easily rattled little clam… like he will have a couple of bad shifts and if there’s nobody there to shake him out of it he’ll lose his grasp on the game and play like shit <3 a rolling joke on kingstwt was figuring out which PLD we were getting that game, and you could tell by his 5th if he was switched on or off!!

they hate him for this but EYE think this is nothing new for athletes and if he can consistently stay in the zone he’ll probably be pretty good. mental fortitude of a wet tissue my beloved….

moving onto the Vibes section!! he was always good humoured in media availability and didn’t shy away from scrums even when public opinion soured against him and critiques of both his hockey and his character had reached a fever pitch. i like this about him. he always gave authentic answers and tried his best to accomodate them, and never hid behind his captains.

he gets along quite well with teammates despite the narratives. no seriously!! some of the the kings had a hang out during off-season right before they went to worlds!! there’s bisexual lighting!!!!

there’s interviews from old jets teammates that are just like. “he used to turn up at my house with his dog and text IM HERE with no warning and that’s how we became friends” or “his obsession with euro soccer teams bewitched me”. he had control of the aux cord. he was a den mother and planned group gatherings. a genuine sweetheart to every teammate he’s ever had!!

I don’t think he’s some. idk. secret 100 point producing star 1C. but i truly believe with the right environment he’ll probably hit 60 points again.

thank you for your time if you made it this far and i hope to see you all in the trenches (caps lb) next season 👍

[vintagerpg]

Hey! HEY! This is my book, Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, coming to a bookstore near you on October 10, 2023 thanks to MIT Press. Pre-orders are live now pretty much everywhere, though I recommend using Bookshop.org, as I have been impressed at their packaging skillz. I have a real live copy of the book in my possession and I gotta say, it’s pretty neat.

What is the book? It’s a look at the history and development of tabletop RPGs, one product at a time, arranged in chronological order across five decades. It’s sort of like this Instagram feed, actually, but way more polished, and, you know, on paper. I covered the classics, but this is also very much an exercise in expanding horizons — I hope there is at least one game featured for every reader that they never heard of. To that end, there are lots of lesser known games, weird games, silly games, even a couple board games. All pulled from my collection, all illustrated with something like 350 photographs.

There’s original art, too. Kyle Patterson did the amazing cover, somehow transforming my deeply silly post-it sketch (last slide) into a canny encapsulation of the RPG experience. He did a two-page spread introducing each decade, and effortlessly capturing its essence. He also did a handful of gorgeous spot illustrations. All of Kyle’s art makes me low-key angry. How dare he be so talented? I’ll share more of it, and some sketches, later on. You’ll be annoyed by his talent, too, I guarantee.

We (that’s myself and Derek Kinsman, who did the layout) also filled some empty spots with rights-free art from Amanda Lee Franck, evlynmoreau and natetreme, which is pretty rad - Amanda did the wizard van in the next to last slide - and also some Giovanni Battista Piranesi, cuz that dude had aesthetic for days.

And there you go, a first taste of 450-something pages of full-color RPG goodness. Go snag a copy now, yea? (Worth noting, this is the Standard edition. I’ll show you the Deluxe edition tomorrow.)

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Couch surfer in his 30s. Oscar winner in his 40s. Why the whole world wants Taika

**Notes: This is very long post!**

Good Weekend

In his 30s, he was sleeping on couches. By his 40s, he’d directed a Kiwi classic, taken a Marvel movie to billion-dollar success, and won an Oscar. Meet Taika Waititi, king of the oddball – and one of New Zealand’s most original creative exports.

Taika Waititi: “Be a nice person and live a good life. And just don’t be an arsehole.”

The good news? Taika Waititi is still alive. I wasn’t sure. The screen we were speaking through jolted savagely a few minutes ago, with a cacophonous bang and a confused yelp, then radio silence. Now the Kiwi ­ filmmaker is back, grinning like a loon: “I just broke the f---ing table, bro!”

Come again? “I just smashed this f---ing table and glass flew everywhere. It’s one of those old annoying colonial tables. It goes like this – see that?” Waititi says, holding up a folding furniture leg. “I hit the mechanism and it wasn’t locked. Anyway …”

I’m glad he’s fine. The stuff he’s been saying from his London hotel room could incur biblical wrath. We’re talking about his latest project, Next Goal Wins, a movie about the American Samoa soccer team’s quest to score a solitary goal, 10 years after suffering the worst loss in the game’s international history – a 31-0 ­ignominy to Australia – but our chat strays into ­spirituality, then faith, then religion.

“I don’t personally believe in a big guy sitting on a cloud judging everyone, but that’s just me,” Waititi says, deadpan. “Because I’m a grown-up.”

This is the way his interview answers often unfold. Waititi addresses your topic – dogma turns good people bad, he says, yet belief itself is worth lauding – but bookends every response with a conspiratorial nudge, wink, joke or poke. “Regardless of whether it’s some guy living on a cloud, or some other deity that you’ve made up – and they’re all made up – the message across the board is the same, and it’s important: Be a nice person, and live a good life. And just don’t be an arsehole!”

Not being an arsehole seems to have served Waititi, 48, well. Once a national treasure and indie darling (through the quirky tenderness of his breakout New Zealand films Boy in 2010 and Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016), Waititi then became a star of both the global box office (through his 2017 entry into the Marvel Universe, Thor: Ragnarok, which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide) and then the Academy Awards (winning the 2020 best adapted screenplay Oscar for his subversive Holocaust dramedy JoJo Rabbit, in which he played an imaginary Hitler).

Waititi playing Adolf Hitler in the 2019 movie JoJo Rabbit. (Alamy)

A handsome devil with undeniable roguish charm, Waititi also slid seamlessly into style-icon status (attending this year’s Met Gala shirtless, in a floor-length gunmetal-grey Atelier Prabal Gurung wrap coat, with pendulous pearl necklaces), as well as becoming his own brand (releasing an eponymous line of canned ­coffee drinks) and bona fide Hollywood A-lister (he was introduced to his second wife, British singer Rita Ora, by actor Robert Pattinson at a barbecue).

Putting that platform to use, Waititi is an Indigenous pioneer and mentor, too, co-creating the critically acclaimed TV series Reservation Dogs, while co-founding the Piki Films production company, committed to promoting the next generation of storytellers – a mission that might sound all weighty and worthy, yet Waititi’s new wave of First Nations work is never earnest, always mixing hurt with heart and howling humour.

Waititi with wife Rita Ora at the 2023 Met Gala in May. (Getty Images)

Makes sense. Waititi is a byproduct of “the weirdest coupling ever” – his late Maori father from the Te Whanau-a-Apanui tribe was an artist, farmer and “Satan’s Slaves” bikie gang founder, while his Wellington schoolteacher mum descended from Russian Jews, although he’s not devout about her faith. (“No, I don’t practise,” he confirms. “I’m just good at everything, straight away.”)

He’s remained loyally tethered to his ­origin story, too – and to a cadre of creative Kiwi mates, including actors Jemaine Clement and Rhys Darby – never forgetting that not long before the actor/writer/producer/director was an industry maven, he was a penniless painter/photographer/ musician/comedian.

With no set title and no fixed address, he’s seemingly happy to be everything, everywhere (to everyone) all at once. “‘The universe’ is bandied around a lot these days, but I do believe in the kind of connective tissue of the universe, and the energy that – scientifically – we are made up of a bunch of atoms that are bouncing around off each other, and some of the atoms are just squished together a bit tighter than others,” he says, smiling. “We’re all made of the same stardust, and that’s pretty special.”

-----------------------------------------------

We’ve caught Waititi in a somewhat relaxed moment, right before the screen actors’ and media artists’ strike ends. He’s ­sensitive to the struggle but doesn’t deny enjoying the break. “I spent a lot of time thinking about writing, and not writing, and having a nice ­holiday,” he tells Good Weekend. “Honestly, it was a good chance just to recombobulate.”

Waititi, at right, with Hunt for the Wilderpeople actors, from left, Sam Neill, Rhys Darby and Julian Dennison. (Getty Images)

It’s mid-October, and he’s just headed to Paris to watch his beloved All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup. He’s deeply obsessed with the game, and sport in general. “Humans spend all of our time knowing what’s going to happen with our day. There’s no surprises ­any more. We’ve become quite stagnant. And I think that’s why people love sport, because of the air of unpredictability,” he says. “It’s the last great arena entertainment.”

The main filmic touchstone for Next Goal Wins (which premieres in Australian cinemas on New Year’s Day) would be Cool Runnings (1993), the unlikely true story of a Jamaican bobsled team, but Waititi also draws from genre classics such as Any Given Sunday and Rocky, sampling trusted tropes like the musical training montage. (His best one is set to Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears.)

Filming in Hawaii was an uplifting experience for the self-­described Polynesian Jew. “It wasn’t about death, or people being cruel to each other. Thematically, it was this simple idea, of getting a small win, and winning the game wasn’t even their goal – their goal was to get a goal,” he says. “It was a really sweet backbone.”

Waititi understands this because, growing up, he was as much an athlete as a nerd, fooling around with softball and soccer before discovering rugby league, then union. “There’s something about doing exercise when you don’t know you’re doing exercise,” he enthuses. “It’s all about the fun of throwing a ball around and trying to achieve something together.” (Whenever Waititi is in Auckland he joins his mates in a long-running weekend game of touch rugby. “And then throughout the week I work out every day. Obviously. I mean, look��at me.”)

Auckland is where his kids live, too, so he spends as much time there as possible. Waititi met his first wife, producer Chelsea Winstanley, on the set of Boy in 2010, and they had two daughters, Matewa Kiritapu, 8, and his firstborn, Te Kainga O’Te Hinekahu, 11. (The latter is a derivative of his grandmother’s name, but he jokes with American friends that it means “Resurrection of Tupac” or “Mazda RX7″) Waititi and Winstanley split in about 2018, and he married the pop star Ora in 2022.

He offers a novel method for balancing work with parenthood … “Look, you just abandon them, and know that the experience will make them harder individuals later on in life. And it’s their problem,” he says. “I’m going to give them all of the things that they need, and I’m going to leave behind a decent bank ­account for their therapy, and they will be just like me, and the cycle will continue.”

Jokes aside – I think he’s joking – school holidays are always his, and he brings the girls onto the set of every movie he makes. “They know enough not to get in the way or touch anything that looks like it could kill you, and they know to be respectful and quiet when they need to. But they’re just very comfortable around filmmakers, which I’m really happy about, because eventually I hope they will get into the ­industry. One more year,” he laughs, “then they can leave school and come work for Dad.”

Theirs is certainly a different childhood than his. Growing up, he was a product of two worlds. His given names, for instance, were based on his appearance at birth: “Taika David” if he looked Maori (after his Maori grandfather) and “David Taika” if he looked Pakeha (after his white grandfather). His parents split when he was five, so he bounced between his dad’s place in Waihau Bay, where he went by the surname Waititi, and his mum, eight hours drive away in Wellington, where he went by Cohen (the last name on his birth ­certificate and passport).

Waititi was precocious, even charismatic. His mother Robin once told Radio New Zealand that people always wanted to know him, even as an infant: “I’d be on a bus with him, and he was that kind of baby who smiled at people, and next thing you know they’re saying, ‘Can I hold your baby?’ He’s always been a charmer to the public eye.”

He describes himself as a cool, sporty, good-looking nerd, raised on whatever pop culture screened on the two TV channels New Zealand offered in the early 1980s, from M*A*S*H and Taxi to Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson. He was well-read, too. When punished by his mum, he would likely be forced to analyse a set of William Blake poems.

He puts on a whimpering voice to describe their finances – “We didn’t have much monneeey” – explaining how his mum spent her days in the classroom but also worked in pubs, where he would sit sipping a raspberry lemonade, doodling drawings and writing stories. She took in ­ironing and cleaned houses; he would help out, learning valuable lessons he imparts to his kids. “And to random people who come to my house,” he says. “I’ll say, ‘Here’s a novel idea, wash this dish,’ but people don’t know how to do anything these days.”

“Every single character I’ve ever written has been based on someone I’ve known or met or a story I’ve stolen from someone.” - Taika Waititi

He loved entertaining others, clearly, but also himself, recording little improvised radio plays on a tape deck – his own offbeat versions of ET and Indiana Jones and Star Wars. “Great free stuff where you don’t have any idea what the story is as you’re doing it,” he says. “You’re just sort of making it up and enjoying the ­freedom of playing god in this world where you can make people and characters do whatever you want.”

His other sphere of influence lay in Raukokore, the tiny town where his father lived. Although Boy is not autobiographical, it’s deeply personal insofar as it’s filmed in the house where he grew up, and where he lived a life similar to that portrayed in the story, surrounded by his recurring archetypes: warm grandmothers and worldly kids; staunch, stoic mums; and silly, stunted men. “Every single character I’ve ever written has been based on someone I’ve known or met,” he says, “or a story I’ve stolen from someone.”

He grew to love drawing and painting, obsessed early on with reproducing the Sistine Chapel. During a 2011 TED Talk on creativity, Waititi describes his odd subject matter, from swastikas and fawns to a picture of an old lady going for a walk … upon a sword … with Robocop. “My father was an outsider artist, even though he wouldn’t know what that meant,” Waititi told the audience in Doha. “I love the naive. I love people who can see things through an innocent viewpoint. It’s inspiring.”

After winning Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for JoJo Rabbit in 2020. (Getty Images)

It was an interesting time in New Zealand, too – a coming-of-age decade in which the Maori were rediscovering their culture. His area was poor, “but only ­financially,” he says. “It’s very rich in terms of the ­people and the culture.” He learned kapa haka – the songs, dances and chants performed by competing tribes at cultural events, or to honour people at funerals and graduations – weddings, parties, ­anything. “Man, any excuse,” he explains. “A big part of doing them is to uplift your spirits.”

Photography was a passion, so I ask what he shot. “Just my penis. I sent them to people, but we didn’t have phones, so I would print them out, post them. One of the first dick pics,” he says. Actually, his lens was trained on regular people. He watches us still – in airports, ­restaurants. “Other times late at night, from a tree. Whatever it takes to get the story. You know that.”

He went to the Wellington state school Onslow College and did plays like Androcles and the Lion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Crucible. His crew of arty students eventually ended up on stage at Bats Theatre in the city, where they would perform haphazard comedy shows for years.

“Taika was always rebellious and wild in his comedy, which I loved,” says his high school mate Jackie van Beek, who became a longtime collaborator, including working with Waititi on a Tourism New Zealand campaign this year. “I remember he went through a phase of turning up in bars around town wearing wigs, and you’d try and sit down and have a drink with him but he’d be doing some weird character that would invariably turn up in some show down the track.”

He met more like-minded peers at Victoria University, including Jemaine Clement (who’d later become co-creator of Flight of the Conchords). During a 2019 chat with actor Elijah Wood, Waititi ­describes he and Clement clocking one another from opposite sides of the library one day: a pair of Maoris experiencing hate at first sight, based on a mutual suspicion of cultural appropriation. (Clement was wearing a traditional tapa cloth Samoan shirt, and Waititi was like: “This motherf---er’s not Samoan.” Meanwhile, Waititi was wearing a Rastafarian beanie, and Clement was like, “This ­motherf---er’s not Jamaican.”)

With Jemaine Clement in 2014. (Getty Images)

But they eventually bonded over Blackadder and Fawlty Towers, and especially Kenny Everett, and did comedy shows together everywhere from Edinburgh to Melbourne. Waititi was almost itinerant, spending months at a time busking, or living in a commune in Berlin. He acted in a few small films, and then – while playing a stripper on a bad TV show – realised he wanted to try life behind the camera. “I became tired of being told what to do and ordered around,” he told Wellington’s Dominion Post in 2004. “I remember sitting around in the green room in my G-string ­thinking, ‘Why am I doing this? Just helping someone else to realise their dream.’ ”

He did two strong short films, then directed his first feature – Eagle vs Shark (2007) – when he was 32. He brought his mates along (Clement, starring with Waititi’s then-girlfriend Loren Horsley), setting something of a pattern in his career: hiring friends instead of constantly navigating new working relationships. “If you look at things I’m doing,” he tells me, “there’s ­always a few common denominators.”

Sam Neill says Waititi is the exemplar of a new New Zealand humour. “The basis of it is this: we’re just a little bit crap at things.”

This gang of collaborators shares a common Kiwi vibe, too, which his longtime friend, actor Rhys Darby, once coined “the comedy of the mundane”. Their new TV show, Our Flag Means Death, for example, leans heavily into the mundanity of pirate life – what happens on those long days at sea when the crew aren’t unsheathing swords from scabbards or burying treasure.

Waititi plays pirate captain Blackbeard, centre, in Our Flag Means Death, with Rhys Darby, left, and Rory Kinnear. (Google Images)

Sam Neill, who first met Waititi when starring in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, says Waititi is the exemplar of a new New Zealand humour. “And I think the basis of it is this,” says Neill. “We’re just a little bit crap at things, and that in itself is funny.” After all, Neill asks, what is What We Do in The Shadows (2014) if not a film (then later a TV show) about a bunch of vampires who are pretty crap at being vampires, ­living in a pretty crappy house, not quite getting busted by crappy local cops? “New Zealand often gets named as the least corrupt country in the world, and I think it’s just that we would be pretty crap at being corrupt,” Neill says. “We don’t have the capacity for it.”

Waititi’s whimsy also spurns the dominant on-screen oeuvre of his homeland – the so-called “cinema of ­unease” exemplified by the brutality of Once Were Warriors (1994) and the emotional peril of The Piano (1993). Waititi still explores pathos and pain, but through laughter and weirdness. “Taika feels to me like an ­antidote to that dark aspect, and a gift somehow,” Neill says. “And I’m grateful for that.”

-----------------------------------------------

Something happened to Taika Waititi when he was about 11 – something he doesn’t go into with Good Weekend, but which he considered a betrayal by the adults in his life. He ­mentioned it only recently – not the ­moment itself, but the lesson he learnt: “That you cannot and must not rely on grown-ups to help you – you’re basically in the world alone, and you’re gonna die alone, and you’ve just gotta make it all for yourself,” he told Irish podcast host James Brown. “I basically never forgave people in positions of responsibility.”

What does that mean in his work? First, his finest films tend to reflect the clarity of mind possessed by children, and the unseen worlds they create – fantasies conjured up as a way to understand or overcome. (His mum once summed up the main ­message of Boy: “The ­unconditional love you get from your children, and how many of us waste that, and don’t know what we’ve got.”)

Second, he’s suited to movie-making – “Russian roulette with art” – because he’s drawn to disruptive force and chaos. And that in turn produces creative defiance: allowing him to reinvigorate the Marvel Universe by making superheroes fallible, or tell a Holocaust story by making fun of Hitler. “Whenever I have to deal with someone who’s a boss, or in charge, I challenge them,” he told Brown, “and I really do take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.”

It’s no surprise then that Waititi was comfortable leaping from independent films to the vast complexity of Hollywood blockbusters. He loves the challenge of coordinating a thousand interlocking parts, requiring an army of experts in vocations as diverse as construction, sound, art, performance and logistics. “I delegate a lot,” he says, “and share the load with a lot of people.”

“This is a cool concept, being able to ­afford whatever I want, as opposed to sleeping on couches until I was 35.” - Taika Waititi

But the buck stops with him. Time magazine named Waititi one of its Most Influential 100 People of 2022. “You can tell that a film was made by Taika Waititi the same way you can tell a piece was painted by Picasso,” wrote Sacha Baron Cohen. Compassionate but comic. Satirical but watchable. Rockstar but auteur. “Actually, sorry, but this guy’s really starting to piss me off,” Cohen concluded. “Can someone else write this piece?”

Directing Chris Hemsworth in 2017 in Thor: Ragnarok, which grossed more than $1.3 billion at the box office. (Alamy)

I’m curious to know how he stays grounded amid such adulation. Coming into the game late, he says, helped immensely. After all, Waititi was 40 by the time he left New Zealand to do Thor: Ragnarok. “If you let things go to your head, then it means you’ve struggled to find out who you are,” he says. “But I’ve always felt very comfortable with who I am.” Hollywood access and acclaim – and the pay cheques – don’t erase memories of poverty, either. “It’s more like, ‘Oh, this is a cool concept, being able to ­afford whatever I want, as opposed to sleeping on couches until I was 35.’ ” Small towns and strong tribes keep him in check, too. “You know you can’t piss around and be a fool, because you’re going to embarrass your family,” he says. “Hasn’t stopped me, though.”

Sam Neill says there was never any doubt Waititi would be able to steer a major movie with energy and imagination. “It’s no accident that the whole world wants Taika,” he says. “But his seductiveness comes with its own dangers. You can spread yourself a bit thin. The temptation will be to do more, more, more. That’ll be interesting to watch.”

Indeed, I find myself vicariously stressed out over the list of potential projects in Waititi’s future. A Roald Dahl animated series for Netflix. An Apple TV show based on the 1981 film Time Bandits. A sequel to What We Do In The Shadows. A reboot of Flash Gordon. A gonzo horror comedy, The Auteur, starring Jude Law. Adapting a cult graphic novel, The Incal, as a feature. A streaming series based on the novel Interior Chinatown. A film based on a Kazuo Ishiguro bestseller. Plus bringing to life the wildly popular Akira comic books. Oh, and for good measure, a new instalment of Star Wars, which he’s already warned the world will be … different.

“It’s going to change things,” he told Good Morning America. “It’s going to change what you guys know and expect.”

Did I say I was stressed for Waititi? I meant physically sick.

“Well…” he qualifies, “some of those things I’m just producing, so I come up with an idea or someone comes to me with an idea, and I shape how ‘it’s this kind of show’ and ‘here’s how we can get it made.’ It’s easier for me to have a part in those things and feel like I’ve had a meaningful role in the creative process, but also not having to do what I’ve always done, which is trying to control everything.”

In the 2014 mockumentary horror film What We Do in the Shadows, which he co-directed with Jemaine Clement. (Alamy)

What about moving away from the niche New Zealand settings he represented so well in his early work? How does he stay connected to his roots? “I think you just need to know where you’re from,” he says, “and just don’t forget that.”

They certainly haven’t forgotten him.

Jasmin McSweeney sits in her office at the New Zealand Film Commission in Wellington, surrounded by promotional posters Waititi signed for her two decades ago, when she was tasked with promoting his nascent talent. Now the organisation’s marketing chief, she talks to me after visiting the heart of thriving “Wellywood”, overseeing the traditional karakia prayer on the set of a new movie starring Geoffrey Rush.

Waititi isn’t the first great Kiwi filmmaker – dual Oscar-winner Jane Campion and blockbuster king Peter Jackson come to mind – yet his particular ascendance, she says, has spurred unparalleled enthusiasm. “Taika gave everyone here confidence. He always says, ‘Don’t sit around waiting for people to say, you can do this.’ Just do it, because he just did it. That’s the Taika effect.”

-----------------------------------------------

Taika David Waititi is known for wearing everything from technicolour dreamcoats to pineapple print rompers, and today he’s wearing a roomy teal and white Isabel Marant jumper. The mohair garment has the same wispy frizz as his hair, which curls like a wave of grey steel wool, and connects with a shorn salty beard.

A stylish silver fox, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he suddenly announced he was launching a fashion label. He’s definitely a commercial animal, to the point of directing television commercials for Coke and Amazon, along with a fabulous 2023 spot for Belvedere vodka starring Daniel Craig. He also joined forces with a beverage company in Finland (where “taika” means “magic”) to release his coffee drinks. Announcing the partnership on social media, he flagged that he would be doing more of this kind of stuff, too (“Soz not soz”).

Waititi has long been sick of reverent portrayals of Indigenous people talking to spirits.

There’s substance behind the swank. Fashion is a creative outlet but he’s also bought sewing machines in the past with the intention of designing and making clothes, and comes from a family of tailors. “I learnt how to sew a button on when I was very young,” he says. “I learnt how to fix holes or patches in your clothes, and darn things.”

And while he gallivants around the globe watching Wimbledon or modelling for Hermès at New York Fashion Week, all that glamour belies a depth of purpose, particularly when it comes to Indigenous representation.

There’s a moment in his new movie where a Samoan player realises that their Dutch coach, played by Michael Fassbender, is emotionally struggling, and he offers a lament for white people: “They need us.” I can’t help but think Waititi meant something more by that line – maybe that First Nations people have ­wisdom to offer if others will just listen?

“Weeelllll, a little bit …” he says – but from his intonation, and what he says next, I’m dead wrong. Waititi has long been sick of reverent ­portrayals of Indigenous people talking to kehua (spirits), or riding a ghost waka (phantom canoe), or playing a flute on a mountain. “Always the boring characters,” he says. “They’ve got no real contemporary relationship with the world, because they’re always living in the past in their spiritual ways.”

A scene from Next Goal Wins, filmed earlier this year. (Alamy)

He’s part of a vanguard consciously poking fun at those stereotypes. Another is the Navajo writer and director Billy Luther, who met Waititi at Sundance Film Festival back in 2003, along with Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo. “We were this group of outsiders trying to make films, when nobody was really biting,” says Luther. “It was a different time. The really cool thing about it now is we’re all working. We persevered. We didn’t give up. We slept on each other’s couches and hung out. It’s like family.”

Waititi has power now, and is known for using Indigenous interns wherever possible (“because there weren’t those opportunities when I was growing up”), making important introductions, offering feedback on scripts, and lending his name to projects through executive producer credits, too, which he did for Luther’s new feature film, Frybread Face and Me (2023).

He called Luther back from the set of Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) to offer advice on working with child actors – “Don’t box them into the characters you’ve ­created,” he said, “let them naturally figure it out on their own” – but it’s definitely harder to get Waititi on the phone these days. “He’s a little bitch,” Luther says, laughing. “Nah, there’s nothing like him. He’s a genius. You just knew he was going to be something. I just knew it. He’s my brother.“

I’ve been asked to explicitly avoid political questions in this interview, probably because Waititi tends to back so many causes, from child poverty and teenage suicide to a campaign protesting offshore gas and oil exploration near his tribal lands. But it’s hard to ignore his recent Instagram post, sharing a viral video about the Voice to Parliament referendum starring Indigenous Aussie rapper Adam Briggs. After all, we speak only two days after the proposal is defeated. “Yeah, sad to say but, Australia, you really shat the bed on that one,” Waititi says, pausing. “But go see my movie!”

About that movie – the early reviews aren’t great. IndieWire called it a misfire, too wrapped in its quirks to develop its arcs, with Waititi’s directorial voice drowning out his characters, while The Guardian called it “a shoddily made and strikingly unfunny attempt to tell an interesting story in an uninteresting way”. I want to know how he moves past that kind of criticism. “For a start, I never read reviews,” he says, concerned only with the opinion of people who paid for admission, never professional appraisals. “It’s not important to me. I know I’m good at what I do.”

Criticism that Indigenous concepts weren’t sufficiently explained in Next Goal Wins gets his back up a little, though. The film’s protagonist, Jaiyah Saelua, the first transgender football player in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match, is fa’afafine – an American Samoan identifier for someone with fluid genders – but there wasn’t much exposition of this concept in the film. “That’s not my job,” Waititi says. “It’s not a movie where I have to explain every facet of Samoan culture to an audience. Our job is to retain our culture, and present a story that’s inherently Polynesian, and if you don’t like it, you can go and watch any number of those other movies out there, 99 per cent of which are terrible.”

*notes: (there is video clip in the article)

Waititi sounds momentarily cranky, but he’s mostly unflappable and hilarious. He’s the kind of guy who prefers “Correctumundo bro!” to “Yes”. When our video connection is too laggy, he plays up to it by periodically pretending to be frozen, sitting perfectly still, mouth open, his big shifting eyeballs the only giveaway.

He’s at his best on set. Saelua sat next to him in Honolulu while filming the joyous soccer sequences. “He’s so chill. He just let the actors do their thing, giving them creative freedom, barely interjecting unless it was something important. His style matches the vibe of the Pacific people. We’re a very funny people. We like to laugh. He just fit perfectly.”

People do seem to love working alongside him, citing his ability to make productions fresh and unpredictable and funny. Chris Hemsworth once said that Waititi’s favourite gag is to “forget” that his microphone is switched on, so he can go on a pantomime rant for all to hear – usually about his disastrous Australian lead actor – only to “remember” that he’s wired and the whole crew is listening.

“I wouldn’t know about that, because I don’t listen to what other people say about anything – I’ve told you this,” Waititi says. “I just try to have fun when there’s time to have fun. And when you do that, and you bring people together, they’re more willing to go the extra mile for you, and they’re more willing to believe in the thing that you’re trying to do.”

Yes, he plays music between takes, and dances out of his director’s chair, but it’s really all about relaxing amid the immense pressure and intense privilege of making movies. “Do you know how hard it is just to get anything financed or green-lit, then getting a crew, ­getting producers to put all the pieces together, and then making it to set?” Waititi asks. “It’s a real gift, even to be working, and I feel like I have to remind ­people of that: enjoy this moment.”

Source: The Age

By: Konrad Marshall (December 1, 2023)

[allieshouts]

SCOTT THE WOZ necessary lore videos

dedicated to my friend @coolboy12345. exclamation marks denote videos of absolute critical lore importance. if a video has no blurb / explanation, assume it is important. it is recommended you watch all of these videos.

I'm sorry for throwing a todolist-shaped rock at your head, coolboy. I really am.

THE INTERNET AND YOU -- not canon, but it's Scott's first true masterpiece and it features a lot of his friends who you will see later

FIRST TIME VAPE SHOP -- Scott introduces Joe, Dom and [Sam]. contains the first instance of the phrase "Hey all, Scott here!"

NINTENDO SWITCH WISH LIST -- the first traditional video in the "Scott the Woz" format

NINTENDO SWITCH PRESENTATION 2017 -- pepto bismol

HISTORY OF SMASH BROS LEAKS -- Critique That Leak & Dick Vitale

TINDER -- really funny

A LOOK BACK AT THE NINTENDO 3DS -- This game blows!

BREATH OF THE WILD ISN'T PERFECT -- Scott ruins his credibility

POLYBIUS -- a pivotal moment in Scott's production value

! A VERY MADDEN 08 CHRISTMAS -- introduces a majority of the main cast

THE GUY GAME -- I just think coolboy will like this one

THE WIIWARE CHRONICLES I , THE WIIWARE CHRONICLES II , THE WIIWARE CHRONICLES III , THE WIIWARE CHRONICLES IV , THE WIIWARE CHRONICLES V -- optional

GAME COMPILATIONS COMPILATION -- send-off to Old Location McGee

SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 -- introduction to New Location McGee

! GAME STORES -- introduction of Chet Shaft

AS SEEN ON TV -- funny

! IT'S AWESOME BABY!

! HOMECOMING -- introduces new main character

SHOVELWARE VARIETY HOUR ROUND 2 -- provides a good introduction to Data Design Interactive. also, as a side note for coolboy, this is the episode that got me to buy Truth or Lies

! THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF GAMING -- major character deaths, both temporary and permanent

! IT'S A BARGAIN BIN CHRISTMAS -- continuation of murder arc

ANIME GAMES -- battle between Scott and Dr. Anna May

WE DARE -- establishes link between DKBB and anti-virginity

! THE DARK AGE OF NINTENDO -- introduces new main character

! THE DARKER AGE OF NINTENDO -- introduces new main character

! THE DARKEST AGE OF NINTENDO -- introduces new main character; conclusion of "This game blows!"

GAME SHOW GAMES -- my personal all-time favorite episode

! THE TRIAL -- "concludes" murder arc

MARIO PARTY -- very funny romp with Scott, Jeb Jab, and Rex Mohs

! MEMORY CARDS -- major character death

! SPEED DATING -- introduces new main character

! YOU'RE NOT AN RPG GUY -- whole gang get-together

! BORDERLINE FOREVER -- critical to lore

RIDE TO HELL RETRIBUTION -- Scott plays a terrible biker game

! MOBILE GAMES ON CONSOLE -- beginning of robbery arc

GAME BATHS -- funny

! GAMING REVIVALS -- resurrects a few characters, sets up some stuff to be revealed later

TOYS TO LIFE -- very funny romp with Scott, Jeb Jab, and Rex Mohs

MARIO PARTY 2 -- very funny romp with Scott, Jeb Jab, and Rex Mohs

! THE FUNERAL -- sees off a main character

! THE GIFTS OF GAMING -- whole gang get-together with some lore additions

DONKEY KONG BARREL BLAST -- Scott finally faces his virginity

IT CAME FROM THE NINTENDO ESHOP -- introduces Prison Employee

BOARD GAME VIDEO GAMES -- very funny romp with Scott, Jeb Jab, and Rex Mohs

THE COMMERCIAL FAILURE -- ends with a stellar musical number

MERRY CHRISTMAS, DATA DESIGN -- whole gang get-together

CANDY GAMES -- whole gang get-together with temporary character death

! HAVE A BOOTLEG GAMING CHRISTMAS

[advancedgalaxyy]

#1

Hello, I understand there is a lot happening with US politics right now. As a queer person myself with family from another country I am scared too. I want to offer resources to all of you that may be struggling to cope with the result of the election. Listed will be ways to contact the government to express concern, keep people around you safe, support for those who are suicidal, and much more. Hotlines/Suicide Hotlines Call Blackline: 800-604-5841 ~ Centers BI&POC, LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 (US), 877-330-6366 (Canada) ~ Run by and for Trans people. Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 888-407-4515 ~ Trained peer supporters. StrongHearts Native Helpline: 844-762-8483 ~ Centering Native Americans & Alaska Natives Thrive Lifeline: 313-662-8209 ~Trans-led and operated. LGBT National Help Center: 888-843-4564 More resources: InclusiveTherapists.com/crisis Hotlines that May Call the Cops LGBTQ Trevor Project Lifeline: 866-488-7386 (Call), 678-678 Text "START", Trevor Project Website National Suicide Crisis Hotline: 988 (Call), PRIDE (Text) Ways to Save Lives (Yours and Others) If you know anybody who may be Trans you can still respect them in private, in public you will not know they were trans. Do something productive to distract you or somebody else from the current chaos, either by drawing a picture, reading a book, learning to bake, or even playing board games. Never mention possible pregnancy/abortion to anybody, not even through social media apps. Delete any and all period tracking apps and start using a planner or physical calendar. Book appointments for a form of birth control (if possible), or to always carry condoms for yourself and others. Look into sterilization options if that's what you're going for (A list of 1000 doctors who will sterilize you, no fight necessary) Protect anybody around you who may be harmed/affected by new policies. Remind loved one that you are there for them. Remind stressed relatives/friends that not all votes have been counted and there is a large push for a recount, Trump will need 2/3 of senate (60)/ 2/3 of the house of representatives (290)/ 3/4 of the states (38) to push for anything truly major. Places to Donate National Network of Abortion Funds Trans Law Center Other Ways to Improve Life Tiktok will be banned, look for other social media sites. Learn to garden as prices for items will skyrocket, especially in winter. Get an air purifier, The Clean Air Act will most likely be stripped of its power. Supply your children with history/social studies education. (If you have any) Do your best to be aware of your health before January. Contact the US government/Ensure your Vote/ETC Ensure your vote is counted via Vote Curing Visit the ALCU (The ALCU is an organization that specifically fights back against harmful laws and bills - They fought Trump off Rapidly during his first presidency and they're overall good for keeping track of resources and similar things.) 1) https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ 2) Submit directly to the president. 3) Click/Type your reasoning as, "Election Security" 4) State these reasons in a paragraph, "32 fake bomb threats were called into democratic leaning poll places; rendering polls to be closed for at least an hour, this all occurred in swing states (PA, Nevada, Georgia, ETC.), this is all too coincidental that these things happen and swing in his favor after months of hints of foul play, a lot of people reporting their ballots weren't counted for various reasons that are not very sound seeming (Signature Invalidation, Information that voter could not have had), directly state that an investigation for tampering/interference/fraud is required; not just a recount." 5) *Optional* Use a template, "I would like to add my voice in the call for a re-vote/recount of the 2024 presidential election.

[beardedmrbean]

Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual misconduct allegations.

Amazon and MrBeast are being sued by five contestants on his upcoming show Beast Games over alleged mistreatment.

The series sees 1,000 participants compete for a $5 million prize, though a new class action lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles claiming incidents including sexual harassment, emotional distress and failure to pay minimum wages.

The suit also claims that the show did not provide uninterrupted rest and meal breaks, exposed contestants to dangerous conditions, and also deprived contestants of medical care, sleep, food and basic hygiene requirements.

Among the allegations of sexual harassment, the suit claims that in a ‘How to Succeed in MrBeast Production’ handbook, it is written, according to Variety: “It’s okay for the boys to be childish” and “If talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them… Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots.”

According to the partially redacted suit, the five unnamed contestants are demanding that Amazon and MrBeast pay unspecified punitive damages as well as allegedly unpaid wages.

“While participants knew upon signing the contract at the production’s inception that they were facing a potentially long and challenging competition, they allege getting a lot more than they bargained for,” attorneys for the contestants said.

“Several contestants ending up hospitalized, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions.”

Lead counsel for the plaintiffs Robert Pafundi said "participants entered into contracts and they were promised compensation for their services". He added that “their expectation of compensation" as well as "them being consistently under the control and supervision of the production staff" makes them "employees under California law".

"As such, they were entitled to, and denied, certain protections," he added, citing "extreme neglect, degradation, harassment and inhumane conditions" as "a massive dereliction of duty, for which the defendants must and will now be held accountable”.

A spokesperson for MrBeast responded to allegations published by Rolling Stone of mistreatment while filming the show in Las Vegas, such as medication being withheld, injury and sleeping on stadium floors.

“The MrBeast Las Vegas promotional video shoot, which included over 2,000 participants, was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues, which we reviewed, and we are grateful that virtually all of those invited to Toronto enthusiastically accepted our invitation,” they said.

“We communicated directly with 97 percent of the 2,000 people who attended to ask for feedback, and took the necessary steps to ensure that we learned from this experience, and we were excited to welcome the hundreds of men and women who participated in the world’s largest game show in history.”

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Season 2 Chapter 59 Translation [Lucien’s Route (1/3)]

⚠️  SPOILER ALERT  ⚠️

This post contains a VERY HEAVY SPOILER for the chapter that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

I turn around and see Lucien standing behind me, the fine mist enveloping his expression in a haze.

"Would my little lady lie to me?"

A brief silence flows through the air as the pool continues to steam, making every breath sound incredibly distinct.

For a moment, I almost think that Lucien had already discovered my identity before the first night even began.

Translation under the cut!

[Previous Chapter-> Click Here]

—[Prologue]—

Before the summer heat sweeps across Loveland City, the Loveland City Digital Technology Summit, jointly organized by the City Hall and Infinite, officially opens.

This summit is the first online summit held in virtual reality in the history of Loveland City.

The stage is at the center, with audience seats arranged in a circular formation around it. Floating holographic screens are positioned between the stage and the audience.

I look around, and the thousand-seat venue is fully occupied. On the stage, Aether is speaking calmly about the prospects of digital technology and virtual reality applications.

[T/N: just to fill in y’all, Aether is representative of Infinite, the company that develops Odyssey]

Aether: Infinite's scientific and technological capabilities will lead society to new heights in medical care, education, culture, and other fields.

Aether: "Odyssey" is one of our greatest challenges in presenting virtual reality.

Aether: In the future, it might not be the pinnacle of the field, but it will undoubtedly be an important starting point. We are also challenging different technological updates…

As he speaks, some scenes and objects from the Odyssey occasionally appear in the audience.

The life-like presentation catches the eyes of many, and the low murmurs of other attending entrepreneurs can be heard.

??: Indeed, it's pretty impressive. No technology company currently on the market can match this level of technical capability and R&D.

??: It's just that we don't know the development costs…

Taking in these bits and pieces, I poke the chibi black swan "flying around" beside me.

The black swan spins around and pops out a line chart, showing the trend of Infinite's tech product coverage in Loveland City over recent years.

The black line representing Infinite shoots straight up into the sky, leaving a vast and unattainable gap between it and other technology companies.

Looking at such a straightforward image, my thoughts drift far away along with my memories…

From the launch of the Golden Apple 2 capsule pod to the official release of Odyssey, Infinite's technological development has left others far behind.

Even now, other companies are hiring "protection shields" in a desperate attempt to catch up.

I know their ambition has never been just a globally popular game but rather broader and more significant fields.

After the representatives from the relevant fields finish speaking, the host announces on the spot-

Long story short, an announcement is made of a beta test for the new "Carnival Night" gameplay of "Odyssey”, “Carnival Night” is based on the popular board game Werewolf (commonly known in the West as “Mafia”). Participants are transported to a virtual ballroom, and as MC navigates the crowd, she gets a message from Kiro, that has entered the game and encounters some familiar faces, like Gavin and Victor. Each male lead participates in the beta test and chooses a different scenario.

I put away this brochure and picked up several others, planning to study them all. The staff at the service desk smiles and hands me a form.

Staff: Hello, we are conducting an interest survey within the game. Could you please sign under the scenario you're interested in on the registration form?

MC: Sure.

I sign under several scenarios, and when I get to the last one, “Seaside Mansion",  I see a familiar signature — Lucien.

He messaged me the day before yesterday, saying that Infinite sent beta test invitations to the top three players on the in-game achievement leaderboard.

[Yes, Lucien is one of the top players; the chapter before this reveals that due to his deteriorating condition, he spends more time in the Odyssey to free himself from the pain:". The R&S that accompany the chapter shows how he spends his time in the game besides experimenting, which is observing the game, and from this observation, he finds many hidden mechanisms and achieves many hidden achievements along the way. A game world is full of puzzles after all and he's the greatest puzzle solver~]

I look around the crowd but don't see him.

MC: Has he already entered the game?

Thinking this, I also plan to study the brochures I just picked up.

Which one should I look at?

-Choose “Seaside Mansion”

Surrounded by the blue ocean, a seaside mansion with a luxurious design rises from the island.

A group of people from around the world are invited by the mansion's owner to the island, unaware that danger is silently approaching in the shadows…

Players will take on the role of guests arriving at the "Seaside Mansion," tasked with finding the werewolves responsible for the killings on this secluded island.

This scenario is designed for 13 players, with the following roles: Hunter, Guardian, Seer, Gravekeeper, and Hidden Werewolf, each one player; two Outsiders; three Werewolves; and three Mansiongers.

After reading the scenario introduction, I turned to the standard game rules at the end of the brochure:

This time, eight game scenarios are available, and players can select the one they are interested in by clicking to enter.

In all scenarios, everyone must return to their rooms and close the doors by 23:30. The werewolves and unique roles must go out within the system-specified times.

The action times are as follows:

- 23:30-23:59 - Guardian

- 0:00-0:29 - Werewolves

- 0:30-0:59 - Seer

- 1:00-1:29 - Witch

- 1:30-1:59 - Hunter

The werewolves win if the number of good players (human and unique roles) reaches zero. In contrast, the human and unique roles win if the number of werewolves (including the hidden werewolf) reaches zero.

Additionally, each scenario will have designated areas equipped with live-streaming cameras. A prompt will appear on the user panel when entering a live-streaming area, so please be aware.

MC: The introduction is relatively straightforward...

Closing the brochure, I opened the selection interface. Looking at the various scenarios before me, I felt a bit overwhelmed…

[T/N: Before we jump to the next part, here is a quick explanation about the roles!

- Villagers: Their goal is to identify and eliminate the werewolf.

-Werewolves: Their goal is to deceive the villagers and eliminate them.

-Witch: Has two potions, one to save a player from being killed and one to kill another player.

-Hunter: Once they die, they can kill the one player by their choice (usually kills who they believe to be their killer).

-Gravekeeper: can check the roles of the player that has already been killed.

-Seer: each night, the Seer can choose one player to identify their role.

-Guardian: each night, the Guardian can choose one player to protect from being killed.

-Hidden Werewolf: Werewolf that appears as a normal villager when investigated by the Seer or other investigative roles]

✂———————–

—[Lucien's Route - 1: Raging Sea Storm]—

Without hesitation, I pressed the confirm button for "Seaside Mansion."

White light envelops my vision, and when I open my eyes again, the sunlight pierces through the thin mist, falling on the gray-black low cliff beneath my feet.

The deep blue sea water tirelessly crashes against the steep cliffs as if trying to engulf the entire island.

MC: So high…!

I shiver in fear at the cliff beneath my feet and take a few steps back. Turning around, a modern mansion fills my entire view.

The seaside mansion boasts a luxurious design, rising with opulent grandeur and resembling the safest fortress perched on the cliff.

I rush towards the door. As soon as I arrive, the door opens for me, and a butler dressed in a pitch-black suit steps out from behind the door to greet me.

Butler: Welcome home, madam*.

[T/N: fun fact: the Butler calls her with the same title (夫人, read: fu ren) as the one in Lucien's latest Halloween Date 🤧; this title used to refer to a married woman. Interesting that both this chapter and that date have similar kind of ending-]

MC: Ah…?

Although I know the "Carnival Night" mode assigns roles to players, I am still a bit confused when such an address suddenly comes up.

Butler: Madam, you are the owner of this mansion.

The butler hands me a letter as he speaks. I break the wax seal on the letter, and the crimson handwriting catches my eye — “Werewolf”.

MC: …!

Butler: Once all the guests have arrived, you need to conceal your identity as the host and choose one guest each night to be thrown into the pool—

Butler: End their life and offer it to the sea.

I didn't expect to be the werewolf... My initially steady heartbeat skips a beat, and I take two deep breaths to calm myself.

It seems that no other guests have arrived at the mansion yet. With such a "villainous" role, it's better not to be the "first to arrive" and draw attention…

So, I paused my step into the mansion, quickly ran back outside, and planned to hide behind the wall to observe secretly first.

I wait until most players have entered before I pretend to be entering the game myself, lifting my skirt as I step through the door.

Suddenly, my gaze meets a pair of familiar eyes.

Lucien walks through the crowd in white clothes. The sea breeze tousles the strands of hair on his forehead. His silent eyes spot me through the crowd and curve into a smile.

The raging sound of the waves in my ears seems to have instantly dissipated by that silence, and my rapid heartbeat from a few minutes ago gradually stabilizes.

I take a few quick steps to his side, and Lucien naturally takes my hand.

MC: Mr. X, are you good at playing this kind of game?

Lucien: [chuckle] I can only say I'm average; perhaps I might need your help, Miss MC.

If it really is "help," then that would be nice…

Perhaps it's the werewolf identity at work; the game hasn't officially started, but I've already begun scheming in my mind.

I wonder what Lucien's identity will be... Will he be a werewolf like me?

I absentmindedly ponder this while casually chatting with Lucien, and we enter the mansion together.

The butler leads us to the banquet hall, surrounded by a circle of exquisitely designed luxurious pools.

The clear pool water shows a faint aquamarine hue, reflecting off the gilded walls and casting a cold-colored light on us.

A long table divides the banquet hall in half, with a name tag displaying an ID in front of each seat.

Lucien and I sit down according to the name tags. I quietly count the name tags on the long table; there are thirteen in total.

Suddenly, three clear, rhythmic sounds emerge on the bustling long table, interrupting our cautious scrutiny of each other.

Lucien lowers his hand after lightly tapping the dinner bell and stands up from the long table. The light, fragmented into countless tiny ripples by the water's surface, penetrates his deep eyes.

Lucien: As a member of the human faction with a divine duty, I think it’s not too presumptuous for me to start the game abruptly. So…

Lucien's face unfolds into a calm, confident smile, and his unhurried voice clearly resonates throughout the banquet hall.

Lucien: I am the hunter in this game.

MC: ?!

The originally somewhat dull atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly simmers like boiling water.

Everyone seems somewhat surprised by Lucien's decision to reveal his identity at this moment, while I have no interest in participating in the discussion.

It's over. It seems I will have to spend the following nights alone and be forced to keep my distance from Lucien during the day so he doesn't see through my identity…

Although "engaging in a battle of wits and valor" with him is quite interesting, I still prefer being together with him.

I am immersed in my "thoughts" when someone nearby suddenly lets out a disdainful snort.

Player: Huh? Do you even know how to play?

I look up and see a young man with the name tag "Brother Genius" on the table, who is the first to speak against Lucien.

Brother Genius: Revealing your role on the first day? The werewolves will “kill” you tonight, and at most, you can only take one person down with your shot.

He tilts his chin up and shakes his head.

Brother Genius: The human faction is really out of luck, starting without a hunter. Learn from me; only someone with my role can reveal their identity openly.

He gestures with his chin towards the farthest corner.

Brother Genius: Look at us, the two outsiders.

Brother Genius: We arrived at this Mansion only after the werewolves appeared, so we can't be werewolves. We don't have any skills, but we are definitely good people. Do you understand?

The person in the corner, whose identity was suddenly exposed, stands up coldly and abruptly, causing the chair to slide backward with his movement.

The ear-piercing scraping sound makes everyone's scalp tingle, and almost everyone frowns in unison.

??: Idiot.

He had been sitting silently in the corner, and I hadn't noticed him before. Now that I look closer, I see his dark green hair and hollow dark gray eyes...

MC: ...Joker?!

✂———————–

[Some fun fact: Lucien's route is the only one where MC and the ML belong to opposite factions (they're truly Lovepro’s star-crossed lovers ahah🥹); other ML's (and MC) roles in their respective split routes are:

BQ/Gavin: Werewolf MC, "Hidden Werewolf" BQ

LZY/Victor: Guardian MC, "Witch" LZY

XM/Lucien: Werewolf MC, Hunter XM

ZQL/Kiro: Seer MC, Gravekeeper ZQL]

[Also, if it's not predictable already, Lucien already knows that MC is Werewolf; man can read her like an open book after all 😂 I think this is what leads to his decision to reveal his role as Hunter so early because doing so, he can gain others’ trust and have more ‘’control and power” for the sake of protecting her. There's also (spoiler) reason, but you all will know about it eventually~]

✂———————–

—[Lucien's Route - 2: Humid Airflow]—

Past experiences flood my mind, making my scalp tingle instinctively. How did this terribly nefarious person also end up in this game!

He hasn't appeared for so long, and his mind is always full of the lighthouse. How does he even have the time to "waste" here?

If I remember correctly, he's still wanted. How does he come out without changing his appearance?

As if in response to my question, the ID "Joker" above his head flickers glaringly a few times.

I instinctively glance at Lucien. He only casts a fleeting look in Joker's direction before shifting his gaze away.

Hearing what Joker said, Brother Genius seems a bit incredulous.

Brother Genius: ...What did you say?

Joker ignores him, shifts his gaze to Lucien, and speaks in a cold tone.

Joker: Fortunately, this game is at least worth participating in.

After saying that, he turns around and leaves the banquet hall without looking back despite everyone's gazes.

Lucien does not respond to his words at all, simply watching everything unfold calmly.

I quietly watch Joker's back, mentally drawing a big X over it.

Arrogant bastard, I will kill you tonight!

After the scene quiets down, Lucien speaks gently.

Lucien: Since three players have already revealed their identities, I suggest we start the election for the sheriff early.

Lucien: The sheriff has 1.5 votes, and they can also guide and organize thoughts…

At the long table, Lucien explains the necessity of the sheriff in a clear and understandable manner to those who are still confused.

And for those who raised objections to the sheriff system, he accommodates their opinions and adopts a compromise approach.

The more I listen, the more I feel that this Mr. Hunter beside me is like a "kind-hearted God” who calmly accepts and gently gives.

And the weaker players on the field seem to share my sentiment, their faces showing apparent trust.

Ultimately, Lucien is elected sheriff without any suspense due to his revealed hunter identity and charismatic personality. I can't help but sigh.

MC: It'll be difficult for the werewolves…

Lucien: What are you talking about?

I shudder all over, realizing that Lucien has finished the discussion and is now looking at me gently.

I give him a guilty smile, but a dangerous thought arises within me.

If Lucien is willing to "favor" me just a little... Maybe him being the sheriff could actually be a good thing?

With this in mind, I discreetly wink at Lucien.

MC: I was thinking, this mansion looks so big, I have a feeling I might get lost if I'm not careful.

MC: [smiles] Would the newly elected Sheriff X accompany me for a walk?

The clear water surface reflects a faint glow as if whispering unknown secrets.

I did not expect such pools to occupy this mansion's corridor and every room.

No matter where we go, the sound of flowing water never ceases.

The heavy and silent humid air wraps around us from head to toe, causing a wave of discomfort to surge within my heart.

MC: I thought a seaside mansion would be a beautiful, fresh-air vacation spot.

MC: Lucien, don't you feel like we've been swallowed by a giant monster, all sticky and slimy…?

Lucien is observing at the direction of the pool not far away. Hearing my words, an inscrutable smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

Lucien: Based on the current findings, it is likely that these pools are connected underground, forming some sort of waterway...

Lucien: If these waterways are like circulating blood vessels, then the pools are the organs that transport the blood. In that sense, we do seem to be inside some kind of giant monster...

The hairs on my body instantly stand on end, and I turn and throw myself into Lucien's arms. He catches me as if he had planned it, then gently pats my back.

MC: ...I was already scared enough, and now you're scaring me even more!

Lucien: [coaxing by whispering softly] I just wanted to agree with this imaginative girl's metaphor. Is that not allowed?

Seeing his cunning, squinting eyes, I can't help but let out a huffy little hum.

MC: Let's not talk about this anymore and change the subject!

MC: For example... weren't you worried about being targeted by the werewolves on the first day when you revealed your identity today?

I glance around and ask the premeditated question, only to see Lucien's eyelashes flutter slightly as he responds in an innocent tone.

Lucien: Huh... was I supposed to keep my identity hidden?

MC: Hmph, Professor Lucien, don't play innocent. I know you're a master at these kinds of games.

Lucien: I just don't want to lie in front of you.

He speaks frankly, with no intention of hiding anything. Being gazed at like this makes my heart skip a beat, and I almost want to confide my own secrets to him.

I quickly suppress the impulse, turn away to escape from his gentle allure, and hold his hand to lead him forward.

MC: Alright, alright, it seems you already have your own strategy. You're so intelligent. You definitely don't need a fool like me to worry needlessly.

I speak in a listless tone, with a little wistful expression, when I suddenly hear Lucien's voice.

Lucien: And what about you?

MC: What?

I turn around and see Lucien standing behind me, the fine mist enveloping his expression in a haze.

Lucien: [softly] Would my little lady lie to me?

A brief silence flows through the air as the pool continues to steam, making every breath sound incredibly distinct.

For a moment, I almost think that Lucien had already discovered my identity before the first night even began.

...No, I can't lose my composure first! I secretly pinch my palm, look straight into his eyes, and smile.

MC: Professor Lucien is so smart; how could my little tricks ever fool you?

MC: Why not take a guess?

After all, more than winning, I want to enjoy this game with you in a "special way".

✂———————–

[Dang, the way he said, “would my little lady lie to me?” 🤧🤧🤧, you can almost hear his insecurity and sense of feeling wronged(?). 😂 This is one of many instances in this chapter that show, under his calm and composed demeanor and how he acts as if everything is under control, he isn't as in ease as he appears to be🤧 there's still a possibility and choice that the MC might want to win and abandon him to achieve that, and her not answering his question definitely doesn't put his heart at ease. He will respect her choice, whatever it may be, yet selfishly, he wants her to choose to trust him and 'be with him' instead of winning]

✂———————–

—[Lucien's Route - 3: Sneaks through the night]—

As night falls, I quietly leave the door and see a bald man and a slim young man standing in the corridor from afar.

MC: You must be my teammates, the Ferocious and Superior Baldhead* and... Super Mousy*, right?

[T/N: not sure if it's deliberate, but the name… I'm going to scream lmao. The bald man's complete ID is 邪魅狂狷的光头. While "光头" (guang tao) literally means "bald head," it's also a term that lovepro players use to refer to the neighboring game 光与夜之恋 (guang yu ye zhi lian), also known as Light and Night. The slim man's ID is 超人鼠鼠; in Chinese slang, "鼠" (shǔ) is often used to describe someone timid, cowardly, or passive. It's like a person behaving like a mouse, often in the context of being overly cautious or submissive. Anyway, after this, I'll refer to the mouse guy as Mousy and the bald guy as Baldhead]

The bald guy responded with a grunt through his nose, and the slim guy timidly greeted me.

I remember these two; the bald guy is indeed "ferocious and acts superior" as his ID suggests, while the slim guy seems socially anxious and introverted, barely speaking during the day.

Baldhead: Stop wasting time discussing. Let's find someone who talks a lot and kill them first!

The bald guy speaks up domineeringly, leaving no room for doubt, while the young man timidly opens his lips but says nothing.

I can't help but sigh inwardly; how are we supposed to defeat Lucien and Joker with teammates like this….

However, they don't seem good at logical games, so maybe I can try to induce them.

Not giving them time to think and possibly connect the dots to Lucien, I quickly nod, showing a look of agreement.

MC: I agree. And I already have someone in mind.

Both of them look at me, and I try my best to put an air of authority.

MC: I suggest taking out Joker first. I've played other games with him before... and he's a very tricky player.

MC: You can also sense his attitude today, right? He's very dangerous. Eliminating the smart ones first will increase our chances of winning.

I deliberately mention Joker's attitude during the luncheon; sure enough, both the bald guy and the slim young man frown.

Baldhead: It'll be him then! D*mn it, daring to act arrogant in front of me, he won't live through the night!

I can't help but feel a secret delight inside. Joker, oh Joker, you never thought there would be a day when you'd be "at someone else's mercy," did you?

We hit it off and head towards Joker's bedroom together.

The lights in the mansion are dim at night, making the pool seem even more unfathomable. I nervously swallow hard.

At this moment, Baldhead, who was walking in front of me, suddenly stopped. Mousy and I almost bumped into him but managed to steady ourselves.

Before I can ask, I see from beside him that a bedroom door, which should have been tightly closed, is wide open about three meters away, with someone standing in the doorway.

At this time, only werewolves are supposed to be out and about. How can there be someone else outside?! My heart jumps to my throat as I hear that person speak.

Brother Genius: Oh, finally, you're here. I've been waiting for you wolves for quite a while.

...it's the Brother Genius who was mocked by Joker in the banquet hall earlier today.

Brother Genius: I have discovered the biggest loophole in this game. Now... just watch and see!

A brass candlestick is suddenly pulled out from behind him, and in the blink of an eye, it is plunged into his own body.

MC: ….?!

Everything happens so suddenly that we don't have time to react, and Brother Genius falls right in front of us.

Still in shock, we step forward to check, and he is indeed motionless.

Mousy: How... isn't it true that only the wolf can commit suicide in "Carnival Night"? How did he manage it? Did he find a bug in the game?

Like the blood, an uneasy atmosphere spreads from the still soft corpse before us. Just then, the three of us simultaneously receive a private message.

Butler: There are 10 minutes left until the werewolf activity time ends.

Mousy: What... What should we do... The system doesn't seem to show any issues. Should we still follow the plan to kill someone?

Baldhead grits his teeth, seemingly making up his mind.

Baldhead: We're already here, let's go!

Even though I am still slightly confused, I follow them, stiffly walking towards Joker's room.

I input the werewolf's fingerprint and press down on the door handle, but the door remains firmly shut.

Seeing that I am not taking further action, Baldhead shoves me aside and forcefully presses the handle, but the door still won't open.

Could it be another bug, or...? I ponder momentarily, then suddenly think of a possibility, and my heart sinks instantly.

MC: ....Could it be that he is being guarded? Since the werewolf's fingerprint can unlock it, the Guardian might be able to add another lock...

Baldhead curses and, still unwilling to give up, tries other doors, but none of them open.

Eventually, the werewolf's activity time ends, and we can only return to our respective rooms in defeat.

I lie down on the bed with a headache. The werewolf's action failed, and Brother Genius inexplicably "committed suicide"......

Trouble keeps piling up, and I feel like my brain is about to burn out.

The pool inside the room reflects a cold, icy light. I toss and turn, not knowing when I finally manage to fall asleep.

When the rapid knocking sounds for the third time, I groggily wake up and open the door.

Lucien walks straight in, the worry in his expression not yet completely gone. He relaxes only after seeing me.

Lucien: Did you sleep uncomfortably?

I look at his slightly disheveled cuffs, clearly showing he hurriedly threw on his coat to rush over, and I can't help but open my arms to hug him.

MC: I was a bit nervous and didn't sleep well... but now that I see you, all those feelings have vanished.

Lucien wraps his arms around my waist, allowing me to hold him tighter.

His clean and pleasant scent wraps around my tense nerves, making me unable to resist nuzzling closer.

Although the tension wasn't due to fear of being killed, last night was really too frightening.

Just at that moment, a scream comes from the other end of the hallway.

??: Brother Genius is dead!

I shudder all over, pretending to have just relaxed only to be scared again, and bury my head in Lucien's shoulder.

Lucien's hand moves up to my chin, and he looks me in the eyes. I can clearly see my own unease reflected in his eyes.

Lucien: [in a gentle tone] Were you scared?

MC: Mm...

——Not because of them, but because I have to walk through a night without Lucien. I purse my lips and hold Lucien tighter, yet I seem to hear his barely audible chuckle.

When Lucien and I arrive at the banquet hall, I notice that everyone's faces look rather pale, and there is little discussion.

Although it is just a game, the solemn atmosphere brought by "death" grows even more chilling with the constant sound of running water.

I sit down with an uneasy expression, my heart filled with doubts.

Before coming to the banquet hall, Lucien and I went to see the crime scene.

To my shock, Brother Genius, who was dead by the door last night, is now found inside the room.

The butler claims that Brother Genius fell victim to a werewolf last night, but this is clearly not the truth.

...Could it be that he really exploited some loophole in the game, and the game's rules tacitly allowed his actions?

Just when I am puzzled and unable to figure it out, someone nearby breaks the silence.

Red Nose: It's almost time to vote. Why is no one talking? I'll go first.

A guy wearing a clown nose accessory anxiously taps the dinner plate with a spoon.

Red Nose: Could it be that the wolf targeted "Brother Genius" because he exposed his identity as an outsider…

The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table hears this and slowly shakes his head.

Uncle: "A gentleman does not deceive in the dark." I suggest we all play openly; that would make the game much simpler…

[T/N: basically, the uncle would rather have everyone reveal the role, while the red-nosed guy is afraid that if anyone reveals their role, they will get targeted. Hmm, I wonder why-]

The two begin to discuss it heatedly, and soon, Red Nose's increasingly sharp voice turns it into a one-sided argument.

Watching the human faction fall into disarray, I wish they would argue even more fiercely. However, when I look up, I see Lucien's thoughtful expression.

Lucien: Based on your discussion, I believe that Brother Genius's death is not the worst situation.

Lucien: Please don't forget that his identity was that of an outsider, and the seer is still among us.

Red Nose: So what, are you suggesting that the seer should reveal themselves like you?

Red Nose: Seer, I don't know who you are, but if you didn't identify a werewolf last night, don't reveal your identity!

Facing Red Nose's targeting, Lucien merely shows a gentle smile.

Lucien: I can't control the seer's actions, but since we currently lack sufficient clues, I have a suggestion for everyone to consider.

Lucien: Tonight, I hope the seer can verify the identity of whoever is willing to prove themselves first.

✂———————–

—[Lucien's Route - 4: Banquet Social Season (Non-story/a.k.a Stage part)]—

Every banquet is an encounter.

✂———————–

—[Lucien's Route - 5: Misty Water Mirror]—

Whoever is willing to prove themselves first...?

What does that mean? I pause slightly and then hear the uncle burst into hearty laughter.

Uncle: Good! Great idea. With so many people present, the seer does indeed need some "hints!"

Lucien: So, who is willing to be verified by the seer tonight?

Lucien's lips curve into a relaxed smile as if he is merely making a casual suggestion.

However, alarm bells go off in my mind, and the fork in my hand unconsciously scrapes the plate twice.

Could he really just be signaling the seer hidden in the crowd to start working? No, based on what I know about Lucien, there's definitely more to it than that…

I instinctively want to stay silent; we still don't know who the seer is. What if I'm the only one who raises their hand, and the seer really investigates me? But…

My heart is beating faster and faster, and my mind is whirling.

Until an almost terrifying thought suddenly flashes through my mind, exploding within me.

——Could Lucien be setting up a trap? This trap targets not only the wolves but also the humans.

If I think outside the perspective of a wolf and view it from a human's standpoint, only the wolves wouldn't want to be verified by the seer...

With this thought, I impulsively raise my hand, cold sweat running down my back.

Whatever, I'll take the gamble!

MC: I am human. If the seer doesn't have a suitable candidate, they can verify me tonight.

It seems my action also encouraged others, and soon, more people raised their hands.

As the first to raise my hand, I openly look at their faces, only to notice that the uncle is also observing in secret.

He was so supportive of Lucien's suggestion, yet he didn't raise his hand... Doesn't he want to prove his identity first?

As I ponder this, Red Nose suddenly stands up from his seat and almost shouts from his throat.

Red Nose: Stop doing foolish things! How can you be manipulated by a few fancy words and consider exposing yourself?

Exposing...? In a flash, I suddenly realize Lucien's trap for the humans—the seer, who isn't good at scheming, risks being exposed because of this!

Unfortunately, such shallow and aggressive rhetoric would only enlighten someone with ulterior motives like me. Who else would want to listen?

Joker: Ridiculous.

Leaning against the wall, Joker speaks coldly, casting a glance at everyone present as if looking at a group of monkeys in a zoo.

Finally, his gaze falls on Red Nose.

Joker: Your stupidity makes you useless in information sharing, only capable of creating arguments and stirring emotions.

Joker: Even if you are not a wolf, your voice is redundant for the human faction.

After speaking, Joker ignores the discussions and Red Nose's curses that follow, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as if to sleep.

.......even though the situation is favorable to me, I still feel that he is more of a "shit-stirrer" than the werewolves.

The interruption leaves everyone a little unsure for a moment, and Lucien takes the opportunity to speak up.

Lucien: In deduction and confrontation games, good people always hope to prove their innocence regardless of skill level.

Lucien: Therefore, those who actively seek to have a voice are naturally more eager to prove their identity first, thus leading the direction of the voting.

The cold, shimmering light blurs his expression, drawing more attention to his firm words.

Lucien: Actively seizing the right to speak while not wanting to be checked... If there is still no reasonable explanation, then it's very likely a wolf trying to confuse the humans.

Immediately, everyone’s hands shot up in unison as if driven by a death warrant.

I watch as Lucien steers the situation, effortlessly controlling everyone's emotions, making me feel both proud and nervous.

Then, everyone's eyes converged on the one person who had yet to raise their hand.

Red Nose breathes heavily, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at Lucien, his face full of unwilling rage.

Red Nose: If you're going to vote, then vote!

As expected, Red Nose is unanimously voted out. The attendants take him to the edge of the banquet hall's pool and push him in.

Like the empty stomach of a giant monster finally capturing its nutrients, the calm water surface surges and engulfs his body violently, a striking crimson color spreading across the water.

The pool becomes very bright instantly, but just as quickly, it calms down again. The vivid red water reverts to a pale aquamarine, just as it was before.

Obviously, such a display in the game doesn't relax anyone. People start to leave one after another, unwilling to stay any longer.

I walk to the edge of the long table and turn back to take another look at the uncle, who remains in place.

He sits at the table enjoying his dessert, his brow relaxed, and he seems much more at ease than before the luncheon.

I go over his behavior today in my mind, and an answer becomes apparent to me.

Lucien: [gently] Are you feeling better?

Lucien walks toward me, naturally taking my hand, and I instinctively avert my gaze from the uncle.

MC: Hmm, much better~ Maybe because I ate something, I feel more energized!

My palms are still sweaty from the luncheon, and although I let Lucien hold my fingertips, I never dared to fully open my hand and interlock fingers with him.

Lucien's long fingers gently squeeze my fingertips, seemingly unaware of my little thoughts.

It's just that the time he spends gazing at my face seems... a bit longer?

Lucien: But your complexion is still a bit pale. Have some more sugar.

Lucien picks up a glass of juice from the table and hands it to me. I happily take it and drink a sip, then immediately frown.

...Why does it taste so strange? It's not good at all.

Lucien: Don't like it?

MC: ...No, of course I like anything Professor Lucien gives me!

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel a bit regretful. There was no need to explain something so trivial; I'm being overly cautious…

Lucien just smiles slightly, his eyes as gentle and profound as always.

But perhaps due to the mindset of a werewolf, I have the feeling that he is subtly punishing me for lying.

...With him by my side, I have to be even more careful with every move I make.

[When she doesn't answer last night, he understands why. He understands her choice, hesitation, and pain. So, he still comforts her with so much care. However, he can't help but still feel a bit wronged that MC doesn't trust him enough to tell him the truth and chooses to endure everything alone, so that not-so-palatable drink was his small retaliation.... this fox can be a bit petty sometimes skskks]

[Next Part-> Click Here]

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The W-43 Saga: Oldsmobile’s Experimental 32-Valve 455 V8

Oldsmobile’s experimental W-43 engine is surrounded in myth, legend, and a tall tale or two. Let’s see if we can sort it all out. 

Here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we’re grateful to the World Wide Web for rediscovering so many wonderful stories in automotive history and bringing them to public attention. Still, we have to note that that often, the info isn’t always totally accurate—which is only natural, we suppose. After all, the internet could be described as the biggest and longest game of Telephone in history.

Take this fascinating engine, for instance: the Oldsmobile W-43, an experimental V8 developed in 1967-69. Various sources have described this engine as a hemi (it isn’t) or a Can-Am engine (that was never its purpose) or a double overhead-cam design (nope). In truth, the W-43 was a conventional overhead-valve, pushrod V8, in the classic Motor City style, but with special cylinder heads and valvetrain that provided four valves per cylinder.

To the average car enthusiast, a four-valve head with pushrod operation—that is, each rocker arm and pushrod operating a pair of valves—may seem like an outlandish setup, but in the diesel truck world it’s fairly commonplace (Cummins and Detroit, to name two). It looks cumbersome but it works just fine, especially where high engine speeds are not required.

The W-43 was indeed based on a standard 455 CID production block, but with some key modifications, including four-bolt main caps and special valve follower retainers that bolted into the lifter valley. The spark plugs were buried in tubes in the center of the valve covers, which no doubt fed the stories that the engine was a hemi. Bore, stroke, and other significant specs were identical to the production 455 CID V8. There was also an aluminum-block variant of the W-43 designated the OW-43, and the program eventually produced an experimental four-cam, 32-valve V8 based on the production engine’s architecture.

With four valves per cylinder, the combustion chambers of the W-43 were not hemispherical but rather a classic pentroof layout, utilizing shallow valve angles in the Cosworth style. Intake valves were 1.75 inches in diameter and 1.375 inches on the exhaust, providing 43 percent more intake valve area than the production 455 two-valve heads. According to a feature in the May 1971 issue of Hot Rod magazine, the W-43 was good for 440 horsepower at 4600 rpm in a relatively mild state of tune. And given the improved volumetric efficiency enabled by the far greater valve area, that figure seems downright conservative.

Reportedly, the W-43 V8 was at one point considered as an across the board replacement for the standard two-valve 455 CID V8, but as we know, that never happened. Various theories have been proposed to explain why, including stricter emissions regulations and corporate infighting with the far more powerful Chevrolet division at General Motors. But as we see it, the four-valve version’s considerably greater size, weight, and manufacturing cost would have been more than sufficient to kill the program. At least two W-43 prototype engines still exist, one of them incomplete, but their current whereabouts are unclear.

[goetiae]

The Ouija board is a spiritual and magical tool from the 1890s with a long and complicated history. It has long since been treated as one of the most popular and most commercialized methods of communication with the dead, though this is not the only means of its usage: throughout its time of existence, the Ouija board has been used to solve mysteries and justify committing crimes.

The first commercial advertisements for the Ouija board appeared in the beginning of the 1890s: in 1891, a Pittsburgh toy and novelty shop published an advertisement about the board. The publication stated that the Ouija board answered questions "about the past, present and future with marvelous accuracy", could be used by those of any social class, and provided connection "between the known and unknown, the material and immaterial."

However, the Ouija board goes back to an earlier time period. It can be traced back to the Spiritualist movement that reached America in the middle of the 19th century, following a trend set by Europeans a long while prior. In 1848, the Fox sisters made an appearance, claiming that they received messages from the dead. As the board did not exist yet, the spirits still used a technique called rapping - they would allegedly tap on the walls to answer questions of the mediums.

Spiritualism in America quickly grew, aided by numerous spiritualists coming forth to the national press to share their experiences; the second half of the 19th century became the peak of it. Its popularity was not affected by the prominent religiousness of the population. One could be a spiritualist and a Christian at the same time. It was also rather selective in its adepts as claims were often spread about particular temperaments being more suited for spiritualist seances; alongside specific atmospheric, mental, and physical conditions. There was much basis for criticism and much unknown. The movement offered solace to those who lost the loved ones due to disease or wars of the difficult century. It reached as high as the White House with Mary Todd Lincoln practicing seances to contact her son.

With the growth of the spiritualist movement came the need for better, faster methods of communication; rapping was becoming obsolete. The Kennard Novelty Company from Chestertown, Maryland, was the first to respond to the popular demand and set up a manufactured production of the Ouija board in 1886.

Initially recorded in Ohio by the Associated Press, the talking board quickly fell into Charles Kennard's focus of attention. He and other investors set up a company in 1890 to produce and market the new talking boards. None of them were spiritualists, merely keen businessmen.

The name "Ouija" was not invented yet at the time. Despite common misconception, it is not a combination of the French and German words for yes. Robert Murch, a Ouija historian, considers Helen Bond, sister of one of the company's investors Elijah Bond, to be the source of the name. It is claimed that "Ouija" was a name given by the board during one of the seances when asked what they should call it. It is alleged that in order to receive a patent for the production of the talking board, Bond had to demonstrate its abilities. A patent officer requested that his name is to be spelled, accurately, with the help of the board; when that was granted, Bond and Co were permitted a patent to their "toy or game" - it happened in the year 1891.

In 1892, the company was renamed into the Ouija Novelty Company with its former employee William Fuld in control. Him and his brother Isaac initially worked together, but in 1901 Isaac Fuld & Brother's agreement was void and William received exclusive rights to produce the Ouija. Legal feuds led to the two brothers bringing the issue to court where William Fuld Manufacturing Company received an injunction against Isaac, prohibiting him from manufacturing the boards. Interestingly, and eerily enough, he never claimed to have ties with the invention of the board - and died from a fall off the roof of the very same company the board "told him" to build (1919 Baltimore Sun).

The Ouija board was met with enthusiasm by the general public. The murder of Joseph Burton Elwell, a well-known NYC gambler, attracted spiritualists in 1920s who attempted to solve it with the help of the board. In 1921, a Chicago woman was attributed to a psychiatric hospital: she was claiming that "the spirits" told her to leave her deceased mother's body in the living room for two weeks before burying her in the backyard. In 1930, two women in Buffalo, New York, murdered another woman, supposedly encouraged by the talking board. In 1958, a will of a deceased Mrs. Helen Dow Peck made the news as she left an insane $152,000 to a bodiless spirit she encountered through the Ouija.

One of the most popular cases regarding the use of the Ouija board refers to a housewife named Mrs. Curran, from St. Louis, who claimed to be speaking with a spirit of a 17th century lady called Patience Worth that passed down messages to her. It was published about in the New York Tribune in 1919. The case was taken in with much critical acclaim, the psychologists working with Mrs. Curran claiming that the spirit must have never been a real person; but the apparent difference in its intelligence as compared to Mrs. Curran must denote a degree of "subconscious" thinking.

Objects of similar properties to the Ouija board have been present in different cultures since long ago. In China, for example, there were fuji (扶乩/扶箕) boards for planchette writing that are most commonly cited to be one of the inspirations for the modern day talking boards.

After the invention of the talking board, many others followed. in 1900, George Foster Pearson invented the Cablegraph, a horseshoe magnet for spirit communication - but it was made out of wood and the creator still claimed it to attract spiritual activity. This board and earlier homemade inventions of a similar kind were titled dial boards and were practically rotating discs manipulated by the medium or the spirit.

The mysterious Spirit Planchette rose to popularity fast and steadily: it was spoken of in the press and in multitudes of books released in the 20th century. One of such books, Looking Into The Future by Will Goldston (1906), speaks of "the planchette" with much enthusiasm. It is interestingly marked that it isn't for everyone that the Planchette would write or even move - a convenient notion indeed.

The Cablegraph, or Wander Board, was said to be used at, ideally, evening hours with the person sitting down in front of it and using their fingers, which are to be "magnetized" through the help of another or without it. Then, using one's judgement of the spirit's intention, they are to rotate the disc. The concept relied on the idea of "magnetism" inherent to some humans - and, of course, possessed different degrees of reliability.

Another invention to resemble the Ouija board came forth at around the same time: created by Hudson Tuttle, it was a circle on a cardboard base with a dial attached to it so it would rotate to spell out messages. The invention was meant to be a cheap alternative for those who could not affort a proper spiritual tool from one of the bigger manufacturers. The tool was called the Psychograph by the creator himself, though, unfortunately, not many survived to our day.

Prior to the invention of the Psychograph and other similar boards, a table was a common tool used for spirit communication. Participants of seances were seated around the table, which, once the spirit was called upon, tilted in order to rap the leg against the floor. The number of taps means yes, no, or doubtful. An alphabet held up over the board could be used for more complicated questions. In 1853, a Spiritual Telegraph was invented: a round dial with a needle to point between letters.

Robert Hare, a chemistry professor, initially wished to expose table-tipping seances as a fraud but fell a believer into spiritualism himself. In 1885, he released a book Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestations in which he detailed on the methods he used to prevent mediums from tricking participants of seances. Those included obstructing the mediums' line of sight, adding weights to the spiritual tools, and more. After those tests, Hare invented a Spiritoscope and presented it as a new tool to contact the spirits of the dead. Due to his obvious acceptance of the spiritualist movement, he was refused by the academia but readily welcomed into the spiritual circles: his tools flourished.

In Europe, similar devices to Hare's Spiritoscope were created in 1860s. Allan Kardec, the father of French Spiritism, invented Pytho or the Thought Reader - a variation of a dial pointer board. Little is known about the history behind similar objects in England but early patents for "spirit boards" survive. The popularity of a dial planchette never rose up to that of the Ouija board, but there are some similar devices scattered across the ages: Leonardi Studios' 1966 Phantom Wheel, Milton Bradley's 1895 Genii, Telepathic Spirit Communicator from Britain, and more.

[justforbooks]

This is a necessary book. At a time when the future of cities is being discussed worldwide, Joseph Rykwert offers us an overview of the subject from its tentative beginnings in the Middle East some 10,000 years ago to the extraordinary experience of Mexico City today, with its population of 20m and rising. Has the city been a force for good or bad? When do measures of creative chaos in the life and form of cities tip over into conditions of alienation and dystopia? And what can we do to make our cities happy and healthy places to live in when they are shaped in part by economic forces largely beyond our control?

These are important questions. But before any answers, it must be said that the title of Rykwert's beautifully written book is a bit of a lie. This celebrated architectural historian is really telling us the intriguing story of how our cities - including London, Paris, Berlin, Mexico, Canberra, Brasilia and the author's beloved New York - got to be the way they are today. Rykwert is at his best when guiding us effortlessly through the past 10,000 years of city-making and at his happiest revisiting the individual buildings he cares most about.

As to how we can best influence positive change in our cities, instead of looking for strictly 21st-century solutions he takes us back to ancient Greece where the city was perfected - or so those of us at the tail end of long generations of classically educated Romantics still like to believe. The Greeks, says Rykwert, used the word "polis" to describe both the city and a favourite dice and board game rather like backgammon that depended on the interplay of chance and rule. Chance and rule: this is how they played games and designed cities. It remains, he says, perhaps the ideal way of making humane cities 2,500 years on from the completion of the Parthenon.

The city has not been shaped, Rykwert believes, by the kind of relentless impersonal forces of which Marx wrote; instead it is a "willed artefact . . . a human construct in which many conscious and unconscious factors played their part. It appeared to have some of the interplay of the conscious and unconscious that we find in dreams". Like dreams, the form of cities is malleable, and as a happy consequence we can do something to change them for our own ends.

Cities, says Rykwert in a revealing history-is-about-chaps moment, "are the aggregate products of the choices that were made by individuals". They do not develop organically - "they are too consciously manipulated" for that - but "develop quite unnaturally by jumps, by fits and starts". This "abrupt and uneven jigsaw of conscious and unconscious workings is exactly what I have always found both fascinating and perplexing". You and me both, professor.

So when did the city go off the rails in so many people's minds and experience? What happened to the golden age of fifth-century Athens? Rykwert, an unashamed city-lover, reminds us that the city has always been under attack by critics who have seen it as a symbol of humankind's fall from grace. Here is Andrew Marvell, quoting from Genesis: "And Cain . . . builded a city; & called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch" (Gen 4:17). What the poet wishes to say is that the first city was built by a murderer as a shelter for sinful humanity driven out of the garden of Eden.

Not a promising start, then. As for the Greeks, not all of them were in love with the "polis"; it was mocked by Aristophanes, while Horace, Martial and Juvenal all laid into Rome. Rykwert might have quoted Julius Caesar here, too: the great soldier and controversial republican dictator com plained loudly in letters about the noise that continued throughout the Roman night and kept him awake. As for the early Christians, their ideal city was, of course, the heavenly or New Jerusalem described in gridded detail by St John in the Apocalypse. Intriguingly, Rykwert goes on to show how idealistic Christian sects - the Shakers, for example - were to build earthly settlements and buildings along St John's divine lines. The heavenly city could, in an unsatisfactory temporal way, be recreated in outline on earth.

Earthly cities, full of people making things and money, dancing, eating, singing and making love, can never be as squeaky clean as the New Jerusalem. A healthy, happy city will always be a bit messy, abounding with energy, passion and creativity and the disorder these qualities bring in their Dionysian wake. Rykwert is not against disordered cities, but against those that have lost their soul. No ideal resolution is possible, he argues, in big cities, partly because we all have different visions of what a city might be - the Shoreditch artist's idea will be as different from the Mayfair property developer's as the child sewing dresses in a Calcutta sweatshop will be from a Hollywood starlet shopping for the latest six-figure frocks on Fifth Avenue.

There may be no solution, says Rykwert, but by learning from history we can begin to understand the rules of the city-making game. We can see what to do and what not to do; what will make us happy and what will make us sad. What seems to have made so many of us sad at one time or another is the industrial city on overdrive and the subsequent dumb attempts - postmodern architecture with all its trite, whimsical conceits, for example - to tidy it up as it moves into a post-industrial phase. Rykwert spins through the creation of the industrial city and the ills spawned in its wake. But he is never so bald as to suggest, like some latter-day Aristophanes, Martial or Marvell, that all was wrong with the industrial city. It gave Rykwert himself his favourite "polis", New York. Without Bessemer and his invention of steel smelting or Otis and the first safe passenger lift, the charismatic Manhattan skyline would never have lifted off.

What Rykwert shows to devastating effect is the degree to which architects paid little heed to the plight of the inexorably expanding 19th-century city. They toyed with the design of public buildings, compounded grand urban planning theories (some quite mad), but only rarely considered the dystopian plight of the masses somehow surviving among rows of shabby buildings not fit to be called architecture, awash with sewage and ravaged by disease. "From this filthy sewer flows gold," wrote the social observer Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835; he was describing Manchester, workshop of the world.

A linear city that would have stretched from Madrid to St Petersburg, a gallery of railways set on arches around central London, garden cities, cities of towers: all these get their turn under Rykwert's microscope. When the professor gets to the 21st-century city, however, you can see him beginning to throw up his hands. We now live in a world of theme parks, of ersatz urban experiences, cyberspace and SimCity (city making reduced to a digitised game in which money rules). We have the city as all-but-redundant tourist attraction (Venice) and the instant new cities of southern China (Shenzhen, for example) as parodies of their old western counterparts. In a "the world is too much with us/getting and spending we lay waste our powers" moment, Rykwert turns to Wordsworth for solace. Faced with such inanities, he finds comfort in these lines:

The eye - it cannot choose but see;

We cannot bid the ear be still;

Our bodies feel, wher'er they be,

Against or with our will.

In other words, as sensual, sentient beings, we react viscerally against these dystopian visions, from SimCity to Shenzhen. And, in Rykwert's case, retreat to the glorious bustle of Manhattan. Here the city, for all the attempts to denigrate or undermine it by crude planning, mean building or escapist criticism, "remains unbeaten . . . though under constant siege [New York] has maintained its astonishing and contrary vitality". The greatest game of "polis" ever played, he might have said. You may well take issue with Rykwert and question whether New York is indeed the Athens of our day; but few authors can take you on such a convincing, rigorous and enjoyable journey from the fall of Adam and Eve to an electric-aided sunset over Manhattan. Rykwert's city game is well worth playing.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?