#thinking of my wizard design for myself

[bi-panic-at-the-disco]

i gotta make myself a new pfp

[benevolenterrancy]

(Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett) I think Shang Qinghua and Ponder Stibbons should have tea and compare notes about somehow accumulating so much behind-the-scenes power by doing menial jobs no one else wants that they could basically run the show if they wanted...

meanwhile we have Shen "meh good enough" Qingqiu

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

[meandering prose: Red Herrings]

I went to an escape room for my birthday.

It was me, my brother, and my mom. We had all done escape rooms in the past before, but we were excited to try this one out because it was a new establishment close to our home. We figured if we liked it, we could try out some of their other rooms when we found the time.

Well, we didn't finish the room. I was a little bitter about it (it had ruined my winning streak, after all), but was engaged to hear our game master talk about what we would have needed to do to complete the room.

He walked over to a drawer with two locked compartments, showing us that we had left it shut ("aha!", the back of my mind piped up, delighted, "yes, i remember those locks! how foolish of me to have forgotten them! but where are the keys?").

The keys, the game master explained, were tucked away in the top pocket of one of several lab coats. He reached in and showed it to us- a ring of several keys, maybe ten or so. This was fascinating to me, if not for one very specific reason:

Earlier in the game I had looked at those lab coats. And while true, I suppose it was my own fault for missing that ring of keys, I consider myself absolved of blame because I, too, had found a different ring of keys in the pockets of one of the lab coats. His looked identical to mine. I hadn't used mine all game.

Our game master took the ring of keys to the drawer, flipping to one (again, out of the ten or so on the ring) and unlocking one of the two locked drawers. I pulled out the key ring I had found from my pocket, showing it to him. I asked him whether these keys were supposed to unlock the second drawer (I had tried to do that earlier in the game, of course, but escape room locks are notoriously finicky... For all I knew, I simply did it wrong).

My game master smiled widely at me, and said: "Oh, those don't do anything." I didn't really know what to say, at first. They don't do anything? None of them? On the whole ring?

"Nope." He responded, aglow with delight, "That was a red herring."

I'd come to find out that we had a good handful of red herrings in our little room. A camera with a code inside of the lens. A full deck of playing cards. Three pairs of lab goggles- one for each member of our party. A gramophone with interactive dials. A box with the letter L painted on its side. We gave some of the objects more attention than others, but all of them were meant to be misdirections.

As aforementioned, I've been to a couple of escape rooms in my day. I've worked in one briefly as a game master myself. For those who've never experienced the pleasures of one, let me let you in on a little secret: They don't have red herrings. Not if they're good. Not if they're worth your money.

And it bugged me. Obviously it bugged me. We'd been played for a fool! By the game master, by the escape room studio, by those innocent souls conned out of giving the company a five star review. But there was something a little deeper than that that was really grinding my gears. Something I couldn't put my finger on until I let it stew for a little while.

I finished I Expect You To Die 3 just a day before my birthday. Seeing as the game is pretty much just a virtual escape room, experiencing the two back to back had me subconsciously comparing the two of them from the moment I stepped out of the physical escape room space. Even if I hadn't processed it yet.

Red herrings are dangerous in puzzle games. They're dangerous because your player needs something to trust. You as the designer give your player rules; and while these rules can be turned on their face, they can never be broken. If a rule must change, that change needs to be communicated to a player. Otherwise, there is little difference between a 'red herring' and a lie, is there?

It's bad to have a player that second guesses everything that you tell them. It's worse when your player doesn't know that you're lying to them yet. They'll run into a wall until their face gets bloodied, trusting your word all the while. And once they learn you're lying, they'll almost certainly drop your game no soon after.

IEYTD3 includes a lot of lasers (all of the games do, but this one in particular uses them in a very unique way). More often than not, they all come from an identical looking object. The player is inevitably trained to register this object as a laser hazard, regardless of whether or not the laser is even active at all.

And the game makes sure to train you on this concept, too. Lasers originally come at the player slowly, with a good bit of build up, and even a reticle to show you precisely where the laser's going to fire. As the game progresses, the lethality increases, and the lasers get faster and more threatening as the player gets used to them.

The last time a laser is ever introduced in game, the player is expected to deflect it. There's only one slight issue with this: this particular puzzle is very late in game. And every single time a laser was introduced up until that point, it could NOT be deflected. At all. Regardless of the surface you tried to bounce it off on.

Is this not, in some strange sense, a red herring, you ask? The game has changed the rules! How are you supposed to explain a rule change like that one without blatantly explaining it through text? The player will be acting upon an incorrect assumption!

But before the player makes it to that very specific puzzle, there is a different laser puzzle that they must encounter first. At first, this only seems like it's making the issue worse. If one puzzle would already confuse the player, how would a second do anything to help?

Well, it's quite simple, really. The game separates the player's preconceived notion of lasers from the precursor puzzle. It involves a laser, but what the laser fires out of is different. The player isn't expecting that sort of hazard from that sort of object.

The laser also isn't static, as it was at all other points of the game... It moves, drifting from left to right, veeerry slowly, as to allow the player ample room to study it from a safe distance. Ever so coincidentally, within the laser's inevitable path happens to be a mirror.

The laser bounces off the mirror, and though the player remains safe from the reflection, it registers in their head all the same. "Ah! It deflected it!" Gears turn. New rules are established. And because it came from such a vastly different source than all other lasers up until this point, the knowledge is frictionlessly installed in the player's mind.

Then comes the first puzzle I mentioned. It's faster, far more lethal, puts the player on their toes. But the second the word "laser" is uttered (and make no mistake, even the script writing here is an intentional game design choice), it clicks in the players head. "Laser. Deflection. Hey, I know how to do that!"

AND ITS CRAZY. Because- especially for a puzzle game- there is NO riskier decision than changing the rules! Let alone deeply pre-established ones! But the game does it so smoothly that I didn't even stop to question it. It wasn't even until I first replayed the game that I learned that the rules had even altered to begin with!

It wasn't necessary. Sure, it definitely would have pissed a lot more players off without the seamless rule-change tutorial, but it wouldn't have been a major hurdle. Most players would have (if not sooner or later) tried deflecting lasers, even after being previously taught not to bother. Lasers get deflected in video games. That's just what they do.

But the fact that the game cared enough about their players to teach them. The fact that they respected them enough not to lie to them. That's what really got me. A puzzle isn't about beating a player. A puzzle isn't about making a player feel stupid. It's about making a player feel smart, and it's about helping them get there.

Anyways if you ever go into an escape room and they start fucking lying to you, for the love of god do NOT rate them 5 stars online!!! Rate them like. TWO stars at the most. But those ones better be for set dressing ONLY

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[creature-once-removed]

.

[blujayonthewing]

accidentally getting into mixology is dangerous for the kind of person who uses different specific drinkware for coffee vs tea vs GREEN tea and who has a glass she informally but insistently thinks of as The Milk Glass

[kingdomoftyto]

Just futzed around for several hours with this doodle of my D&D wizard while trying to figure out how to use Photopea. Think I finally managed to teach myself some basics lol

[chaoticgoodthief]

I Did It

Ok, this is amazing I recently passed the Tumblr shoelace ritual. Long story short, I was at a market day in my school and saw some stickers. Gandalf's big naturals. Even as someone who doesn't really spend that much time in the LoTR/Hobbit area of Tumblr, I knew about That. I couldn't help myself, it was right There. Probably far to giddily holding that Gandalf sticker (with wasn't just a normal old big naturals, mind you. That wizard was in a laced bra, usually enough to turn me redder than a tomato)

"Which one of you designed this?" I asked on of the two people at the stall (ps everyone was selling their own sruff, so I wasn't afraid in the slightest that the creator of this wouldn't be there.)

"She did," the one I talked to responded. Oh my heart was pounding. All social awkwardness completely evaporated in the face of THE most Tumblr Thing I could do.

"I like your shoelaces." Gosh, I wish I could have talked to literally anyone with half the confidence that I had in that moment. I'm pretty sure I saw just a tiny bit of life drain from their eyes. I'm so sorry but c'mon. Gandalf Big Natruals stickers. Did you really think you could avoid this?

"Thanks. I stole them from the president." I WILL RIDE THAT HIGH FOR THE NEXT MONTH, AT LEAST.

ps. If anyone finds my new buddy (I know it's unlikely but gotta give it a shot.) Just want to let you know that their art is amazing and you should definately by something from them if they take commissions.

[gimmickblog-taxonomist]

Important notice! The trees in this family are so large (even split by genus) that they are very likely to be unreadable on tumblr. That's why I have a website, in which you can find the images in full resolution by opening them in a new tab and zooming. Find them here. More info below the cut.

Okay, this tree took a while. There were 130+ blogs to catalog, and that was monumentally slow to do. I hope it doesn't take this long for the next tree. Also- ignore my paltry web design skills. I've attempted to input a more dyslexic friendly font option (I'm not dyslexic myself, if anyone with dyslexia wants to inform me if it is better, that would be great), but I'm honestly not that great at HTML. If any JQuery wizards want to help with a few things, I would owe my endless gratitude.

What's next?

After this big tree, I need some quick projects. I'll most likely update Alphidae, then move to the Potatoes or Snoms- haven't decided yet.

Some notes:

Although there have been some questionable things acted out in this family, I do think it has crafted some pretty interesting ideas. @/the-false-sun and @/the-dungeon-core are some of my favorites.

A quick description of the genera:

Systema - Blogs that emulate part of the game system.

Spectaculum - Roleplay blogs contained within or related to the system, usually as some sort of character.

Actus - Roleplay blogs that fit into the box of a conventional video game NPC, or acting as players within the game.

Faventia - The fandom focused blogs of the EPPRBCU.

Moderatus - Blogs emulating the moderators, tech support, and developers of the game.

Lastly, if any of the blogs present think they deserve a reclassification or have a suggestion to improve this, do not hesitate to notify me.

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol.184 (Spring 2024) Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger | Detail of Super Sentai ft. Main Cast & Staff Interviews (translations below)

Publication: April 1, 2024

Iuchi Haruhi x Hayama Yuki x Suzuki Miu

"First, regarding the three of you, we'd like to ask, what motivated you to pursue the entertainment industry and acting in the first place?"

Iuchi: When I was in my second year of middle school, I saw the TV drama "Death Note" starring Kubota Masataka-san, which motivated me to become an actor. When I was in elementary school, I was really lacking confidence and always wanted to be someone other than myself, so when I saw Death Note, I felt that I could become someone else if I was an actor.

Hayama: I joined my current agency at 16 after being contacted in Osaka. At the time, I wanted to become a hairstylist, and at first I was thinking of turning down their offer, but the agency contacted me for over six months, and my mother said, "Since they're going this far, why don't you take atleast one audition?" And so, I took it and passed, and now I'm sitting here (laughs). I can say this now, but I did my first job without knowing what I was doing……But as I did it, I learned to enjoy the work, and from there I decided to become an actor.

Suzuki: When I was little, I was a regular reader of "Nicola," a fashion magazine for middle schoolers, and I'd carry it with me everywhere I went every day. It started when my sister recommended that I audition as an exclusive model. I applied when I was in my fifth year of elementary school and made it to the final round, but was rejected there. I was so disappointed, that I applied on my own the following year and was accepted.

"Why did you decide to also pursue acting after joining as a model?"

Suzuki: It started when I took acting lessons at my agency. At first, I wasn't very good at the lessons, but after 2-3 years, I had a moment where I felt that acting was fun. It all started with something trivial during a lesson, but from there I wanted to become better, and now I'm working hard at acting.

"Have you watched any of the previous Super Sentai or other tokusatsu productions?"

Hayama: I loved "Kamen Rider Kabuto," and had the transformation items for all the Kabuto Riders and I used to play with them with my younger brother.

Iuchi: I also watched alot of them. My house was full of Kamen Rider toys and my cousin's house was full of Super Sentai toys, so we used to play with them at each other's houses. I remember "Kamen Rider Wizard" being my favorite.

Suzuki: My older sister liked Super Sentai, so because of her, we used to watch "Mahou Sentai Magiranger" together. The other day, when Director Watanabe Katsuya asked me, "Have you seen any of the older tokusatsu shows?" I said, "I watched Magiranger!" and he said, "I used to film that too." I was deeply moved and happy to think that I'm now creating new heroes together with the people who created heroes for me to admire when I was a kid.

Hayama: Someday, we'll also become the ones who people admire.

Suzuki: I want to become one!

Iuchi: There's no doubt.

"What were your first impressions of Boonboomger?"

Iuchi: When I saw the materials for Boonboomger at our meeting, I felt that the designs and naming were back to the "taste" of the old days compared to the recent Super Sentai (laughs).

Hayama: When I read the script, my impression was that Boonboomger would be a cheerful and easy to understand show that both parents and children could enjoy together.

Suzuki: When I first saw the visuals, I thought it was quite original (laughs). It's like it was etched into my mind at first sight. The tires being slapped onto their faces leaves an unprecedented impact.

"How do you feel about the characters you're playing?"

Hayama: I had heard that he was a really cool character, and that's what I thought when I read the script, but as the story progressed I couldn't help but wonder……Is Ishiro really that cool? (laughs). My impression of him changed.

Suzuki: Mira is an innocent, energetic and cheerful mood maker, and I get the impression that she's similar to me. I think it's very easy to play, and that I'm able to project what I have into the role.

Iuchi: My first impression of Taiya was that he was interesting but difficult. When I read a script, to form my first impression, I often think about how the character's personality is similar to that in an anime or movie, but that didn't come out at all with Taiya. Gradually, I'm trying to find my own version of Taiya.

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Iuchi: I've been together with Yuki-kun since the audition. I was Red and Yuki-kun was Blue, which is a common combination, and while everyone at the audition was nervous, my first impression of Yuki-kun was that he was sharp, cool, and very much Blue. It's completely different now (laughs).

Hayama: Hey?! (laughs).

Iuchi: Once I got to know him, there wasn't a hint of coolness (laughs).

"What about Suzuki-san?"

Iuchi: My first impression at the meeting was that she's someone who pays close attention to her surroundings, and she gives off the image of treating each person in the way they'd like to be treated.

Suzuki: That was your first impression?! I'm glad (laughs).

Iuchi: My impression of Suzuki-san hasn't changed (laughs).

"Hayama-san, what about you?"

Hayama: As Haruhi mentioned, I often worked with him from the early stages of the audition. I wasn't aware of it at first, but Haruhi had also passed the audition, and I was happy that the partner I was competing with for so long was there. My first impression of Haruhi was that he was a quiet person. But when it comes to acting, his voice changes, or rather, the way he speaks changes. His on and off switch is amazing. Now that I can see more of Haruhi's natural side, the image I get is that he acts appropriately for his age (laughs).

"What about your impressions of Suzuki-san?"

Hayama: The four male members of Boonboomger are surprisingly shy, and when we're unsure of what to say, Miu-chan will talk to us and bring the four of us together, so I have the image that she's a caring person. Now, she's surprisingly outspoken and is showing new sides of herself.

"Suzuki-san, what are your impressions of these two?"

Suzuki: Haruhi-kun has a very distinct voice. I got the impression that he was someone who spoke in a very calm and comfortable tone. Also, at the first costume fitting, when they asked if anyone had any problems with their costume, Haruhi-kun raised his hand and said, "I don't know how to walk in these sneakers." The heels on Taiya's sneakers are about 6cm high, and I was really impressed by the way he walked in a very unusual way, without bending his knees, he looked like a penguin (laughs).

Iuchi: They had a high bottom like heels. I've never worn heels before, so I didn't know how to walk in them (laughs). I ended up having the insoles lowered so I could walk safely.

"What about Hayama-san?"

Suzuki: My first impression was that he was a cool person. It's different now (laughs). He's very silly, very meddling, and an interesting Kansai person.

Hayama: How strange (laughs).

"Filming has progressed and we think you've gotten a feel for your characters, but what parts of your performance are you mindful of?"

Iuchi: As mentioned earlier, I still haven't fully grasped Taiya himself yet, but I decided to create Taiya not by thinking about him, but by thinking about the kind of character he is when he's with "this person." I'm getting to know Taiya through his relationships with the people around him, such as the sense of distance between him and Ishiro, and between him and Mira.

Hayama: There are many things about Boonboomger and our character's pasts that I can't talk about yet, but I've had the opportunity to learn more deeply about Ishiro's relationships and the way he interacts with people, and thanks to that, I feel I have a better grasp on my performance as Ishiro.

Suzuki: It's a small detail, but when I speak with a loud voice, my voice tends to come from higher up. However, Mira is an aggressive kid who's always moving forward on her own, so I try to act with the image of putting her voice forward as much as possible. When I saw the broadcast of the first episode, I felt that my voice came out too high, so now I'm trying to express Mira's momentum by bringing my voice forward.

"Did you two get any feedback on your performance from watching the finished footage?"

Iuchi: Taiya's a character who isn't overly emotional, but the Director pointed out that I was too conscious of this and that there was little intonation in my line delivery. When I watched the first episode again, I realized that when the sound effects and BGM were added, my dialogue was drowned out and lost. My voice is loud during battle scenes, but I thought it sounded kind of monotonous in other scenes. I felt that alittle more inflection and speed could be added from the time I'm Taiya before transforming into BoonRed.

Hayama: For me, it was more a reflection than a new discovery. At first, there were parts where I didn't fully understand what the Director was saying, but after watching the footage, I finally realized what it was he was trying to say. I'd like to make the most of it in future shoots.

"After watching the footage, It seems that everyone's performance may change in future episodes. So, is there anything you'd like to challenge yourself with in Boonboomger?"

Iuchi: I'd like to act with more emotion. Like Mira, she's happy, angry, or sad to the fullest, Taiya hasn't had a scene like that yet, so I'd like to try it.

Suzuki: I'd like to try the so called "swapping episode." The other day, we all practiced for a possible situation where our roles have been swapped. For example, I tried predicting what Ishiro would be like in Mira by saying certain lines. So, if there was a swap, I think everyone would be able to do it at a pretty high level (laughs).

Hayama: For me it's action. The first time I practiced action, it was so difficult that I couldn't imagine what it would be like to film it while acting and saying lines. But, I think I can learn alot from it, so I want to give it a try.

"And finally, please tell us some key points to watch out for to make Boonboomger even more enjoyable."

Hayama: Some may feel that Ishiro is a cold person based on his attitude toward Mira at first, but he's a character kinder than anyone else. He doesn't view things with a biased perspective, and is a man who treats people with respect. So, as the story progresses, please pay attention to the relationships between Ishiro and the people around him. I especially hope people look forward to his relationship with Mira.

Suzuki: The five of us are all unique, and if we were in the same class, we would never belong to the same clique. What will happen to these five going forward? I think we may clash with each other when we're together, but how will we change and "become one color"? I'd like you to pay attention to that.

Iuchi: I'd also like you to pay attention to the battle scenes. The staff told me that they place importance not only on coolness, but on how to incorporate a comical touch to the coolness. The voice actors adlibs are also amazing, for example, in the first episode, Mizuki Nana-san, who plays Ittasha, adlibbed "Ka-click" before saying "Ignition," and Matsumoto Rica-san, who plays Bundorio, also adlibs, which is always fun. Because I've read the scripts, I can see that there are alot of lines that aren't in them, and I think you can especially see that in the battle scenes. I'd be very happy if you could pay attention to the comical side within the coolness.

Saito Ryu x Soma Satoru

"First, please tell us how you both became interested in the entertainment industry and acting."

Saito: When I was in my second year of high school, I won the Grand Prix in the Junon Superboy Contest, and that's when I entered the entertainment industry. When I was in middle school, I had the opportunity to think about my career path, but at that time I couldn't find what I wanted to do. However, I admired heroes and wanted to do something to help others, and after that I studied to become a high school teacher. Still, since we only have one life, I wanted to do something even bigger, so I applied to Junon, and that's when I decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

"Does that mean you admired (super) heroes? Did you watch tokusatsu shows?"

Saito: I watched Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Heroes who purely fight for the sake of others are cool, I admired them. Boys like that kind of thing even after they grow up, don't they? I thought that I wanted to get a job where I could protect people, like a firefighter, policeman, or a school teacher who leads people.

"BoonBlack, who's also a police officer, is a perfect role for Saito-san."

Saito: This character is the very embodiment of my dream!

"Soma-san, what about you?"

Soma: When I was in high school, I was thinking about what I wanted to do, but nothing came to mind. I thought that I might be able to change if I came to Tokyo, so I moved to Tokyo, found employment, and worked in sales for four years. I had alot of connections during that time, and as I worked at my current agency, and was given the opportunity to do things like model, my desire to do acting grew stronger……and that's how it all started.

"What kind of roles do you want to play?"

Soma: I'd like to play characters who are psychopaths (laughs). Genba Bureki isn't a psychopath, but he's a mysterious person whose true identity is unknown, so I think there are some similarities. I've always wanted to take on a role like that, so I'm really looking forward to discovering many new things about myself by playing the role of Genba.

"Saito-san, you said you admired heroes, so can you tell us about the tokusatsu shows you watched during your childhood?"

Saito: I'm from the generation of "Engine Sentai Go-onger," but I was really into "Kamen Rider Ghost." I love historical stories, especially "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," so I was waiting to see if any generals from the Three Kingdoms would appear in Ghost.

Soma: I used to watch "Kamen Rider 555" and "Kamen Rider W," and for Super Sentai, I still have the "Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger" book that I got in preschool at my parents house.

"Soma-san later made an appearance in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers……"

Soma: After playing the role of a playboy (the one who tried to pick up Sononi in episode 8), I finally became a hero this time (laughs). The first filming location for Boonboomger was the same for me in Donbrothers, so I thought, "This is where I was picking up women!" It's kind of inappropriate to say though (laughs).

"When it was announced that the two of you would be appearing in the next Super Sentai production, including your family, what was the reaction from those around you?"

Saito: I didn't tell my family until the very last moment before the production announcement. On the day of the announcement, I told them in a video call that, "I'm going to be playing the role of Black in the next Super Sentai." My father, mother and older sister froze for a moment and then burst out laughing for some reason (laughs). They congratulated me, but then my mother immediately said, "More importantly, there's no snow in Akita, so we can't make snow huts (kamakura)." I thought, "What do you mean more importantly?!" (laughs). No matter how hard I tried to explain it to her, my mother kept talking about snow huts. Especially since I don't come from a family that makes a living off building them (laughs). Still, rather than them expecting too much, I think I preferred it being this easy, so I didn't feel any pressure.

Soma: I think my mother was particularly pleased. Also, my older sister has a 3 year old child, so I'm hoping that when they're older, they'll watch Boonboomger. I want to tell them that their uncle is a Boonboomger.

Saito: If my nephew asked me to "Henshin!" I think I'd do it immediately (laughs).

Soma: I'd call Ono Yukimasa-san (BoonOrange's Suit Actor) to transform for me (laughs).

"What were your initial impressions of Boonboomger during the auditions?"

Soma: At the time of the audition, I didn't even know the name "Boonboomger" yet. However, when I read the script, I felt that the atmosphere would be alittle different compared to recent Sentai.

Saito: I went into the audition thinking that I wanted to be Red, but my image of Red was that from older productions……I imagined Red as a super hot blooded and serious character, but Taiya isn't like that at all. Rather, I'm more like Jou, and as a result, I perfectly fit into his character (laughs).

Soma: Since I'm 27, I didn't aim for Red. I have the impression that recent Sentai casts include older members among the younger ones, so I was auditioning with a pinpoint aim for that position.

"Did you two meet each other at the audition?"

Soma: We met in the third or fourth round of the audition, right?

Saito: I remember my impression at that time. Satoru-kun was really mysterious and I didn't know what he was thinking. Because it was an audition, everyone was very intense, but for better or for worse, only Satoru-kun was just mysterious. He was so laid back, but he had such a strong presence that I thought, "Who is this guy?" That's why I was scared of him at first. But when I talked to him, I found out that he wasn't like that at all (laughs).

Soma: He spoke clearly and had a fresh feel to him, and I felt at ease knowing that he wouldn't be playing the same role as me.

"What are your impressions of Red, Blue and Pink?"

Saito: To be honest, from the beginning of the audition, I felt that Haruhi and Yuki-kun were Red and Blue.

Soma: That's for sure.

Saito: Haruhi's voice and way of speaking are truly Red. The moment I heard his voice at the audition, I immediately "shifted gears" that Haruhi was already Red (laughs). It's not good to focus solely on Red, as Yuki-kun's way of speaking and personality are also Blue. Then I thought about what I could do and gave it a try.

"What about Suzuki-san?"

Saito: I'm not very good at remembering women's faces and names, and I don't really remember much about Miu-chan from the audition……However, I was impressed by a girl who gave me a fist bump, and later I found out that that girl was Miu-chan (laughs).

"Now, please tell us about the characters you're playing."

Saito: Jou's a character with a high amount of freedom, and I'm often asked to adlib or "try something" on set. It's a really incredible role, but it's difficult. The other three male members are cool or mysterious and don't show much emotion. Jou shows his emotions, so I try to express them through my face and body, but it's still difficult. I'm learning how difficult it is to express myself, because I sometimes feel that I'm not expressing myself well, or that it's unnatural. I hope to bring out more of the pitiful and clumsy, yet still lovable character of Jou.

Soma: Up to the current episode that's aired, there are many aspects of Genba that even I don't understand. However, he's the kind of character who will reach out to you when you need him, so I hope I can express both his sketchiness and kindness. He's a character I've never played before, so it'll be difficult.

"What are you mindful of when playing your roles?"

Soma: I'm the oldest of the Boonboomger members, and Genba is also older than the other characters, so I'm conscious of giving off a sense of seniority by speaking in a calm manner. And then there's being suspicious (laughs).

Saito: I feel that Jou's a character that's as close to me as possible, and I think it'd be good if I could bring him closer to me. However, when I try to express Jou's straightforward feelings, I find it difficult to do so. Because the character is so close to me, it's difficult to express the parts of him that are different from me.

"Was there anything that the Director told you during filming that left an impression on you?"

Saito: Director Watanabe Katsuya told me, "You're a rugged and passionate guy like the old Reds, give it your all." I was happy and could feel the Director's passion.

Soma: Genba's hair is orange and permed, so the Director's first order to me was, "I don't want him to come off as a player." I was conscious of the way I spoke and the tone of my voice, keeping my voice low so it doesn't sound too loud.

"Have you spoken with the post transformation Suit Actors?"

Saito: At the beginning of the story, when Jou doesn't appear much and doesn't transform, I didn't have much of a chance to talk to Shige-san (Ito Shigeki). However, I had alot of performances where I was suspended by wires, and Shige-san gave me advice on how to move.

Soma: I can't talk about BoonOrange in detail yet, but I'm trying to make him look more mature while talking with the Suit Actor Ono Yukimasa-san and the Directors. Other than my own role, I'm paying attention to the performance of the Nejiretta. Within Boonboomger, I like the Nejiretta the most!

Saito: Satoru-kun imitates the Nejiretta any chance he can get (laughs).

"Going forward, is there anything you'd like to do in an episode of Boonboomger, or is there anything you'd like to try as an actor?"

Soma: I'd like to do a swapping episode, which may become an annual thing. I'd like to play a character that I'd never play, someone like Mira.

"In our interview with Suzuki-san, she also mentioned that she'd like to do a swapping episode. However, she predicted that Ishiro would be in Mira (laughs)."

Soma: She's been taken (laughs). But, it'd be fun to swap characters with anyone.

Saito: You love the Nejiretta so much, that you'd swap with one of them (laughs).

Soma: I'll go all out when the time comes! (laughs).

"Saito-san, what about you?"

Saito: I'd like to do a battle scene before the transformation. Of course, I want you to see Black's battle after his transformation, but I also want to fight myself. I've been taking action lessons and I think I can do some basic things, so I'd like to do some pure action scenes. I hope the time will come when I can show you the results of my daily muscle training (laughs).

Soma: When changing clothes, everyone else changes in the dressing room, but he changes his clothes on set and shows off his muscles (laughs).

Saito: I'll pull myself together and make sure I'm ready for you all to see me without being embarrassed (laughs).

"And finally, could you tell us about some key points to watch out for to make Boonboomger even more enjoyable?"

Saito: I think Super Sentai in recent years has had many heroic action scenes, and the Robo battles are also very powerful. I hope you'll enjoy the real thrill of tokusatsu. And then there are the Sanseaters. They're not just villains, but rather, lovable characters who are somewhat clumsy, so I think you'll enjoy it even more if you pay attention not only to us Boonboomgers, but also to the enemy characters.

Soma: Don't forget the Sanseaters and Nejiretta (laughs). The members of Boonboomger have distinctly different colors and personalities, so I think you'll be able to discover new aspects of each character every time. I'd be happy if you enjoy discovering these new aspects of every character each time you watch.

Producer Kuji Yoshito x Main Writer Tomioka Atsuhiro

"Kuji-san has been involved in the production of many Super Sentai series, but this is his first interview with this magazine. May we ask about your background?"

Kuji: I joined Toei in 2011, and was one of the rare new employees at Toei who loved tokusatsu (laughs). I was involved with "Space Sheriff Gavan The Movie," and for Super Sentai, "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger" and later "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger," but after that, I was transferred to the Educational Video Department and was separated from tokusatsu. Last year, I heard about the use of LED walls in King-Ohger and was very interested, so I gathered information within the company and visited the filming location. I don't think this had anything to do with it, but I was later transferred to the Drama Planning and Production Department and joined the team as a Producer for King-Ohger. As a tokusatsu enjoyer, this was something I couldn't have hoped for, but on top of that, as I was entrusted with the job, I was told that, "You'll also be the Chief Producer of the next Sentai…"

"In addition to the production currently being aired, he'd soon take charge on a new one…! Did you have an idea who the Main Writer would be at that point?"

Kuji: I originally loved "Battle Spirits," which Tomioka-san wrote for. Because of that impression, I was hoping to work with him someday. So, as soon as I started thinking about the new project, I consulted with Tsukada Hideaki, who had worked with Tomioka-san on the anime "Fuuto PI" as Chief Director, and said, "I'd like to meet Tomioka-san! Please introduce me!"

Tomioka: Suddenly, I received an e-mail from Toei, so I assumed it was a request from Toei Animation.

"Tomioka-san has participated in many productions by Toei Animation, such as ONE PIECE and Dragon Ball Super."

Tomioka: When I read it carefully, I was so happy that I jumped up and down because it was a request for a live action production, which I had longed to do. However, there was no mention of the "to" character for "tokusatsu" in the e-mail, so when it was decided that we would meet……I wondered if I'd be able to write about "Kasouken no Onna." After hearing about the Super Sentai series, I wanted to write a live action drama, which is why I originally entered this industry, and furthermore, I wanted to write a tokusatsu hero story, so I said, "I'll do it!"

Kuji: He was very enthusiastic. I was also very happy because we were taking a chance. Joining in on Tomioka-san's high motivation, the conversation proceeded at a rapid pace from there.

"What was the reason you originally wanted to write tokusatsu?"

Tomioka: I love toys! Even when I was working on my debut work in anime "Brave Exkaiser," I was collecting toys of the Gattai Robos. I always wanted to write a tokusatsu show that's closely intertwined with the toys, but I could never find the right opportunity to do so. And then, Kuji-san approached me. I had written stories for various productions in the past while keeping pace with the toy release schedule, so there was no trouble in creating the story. When I heard that the motif this time was cars, I was excited and thought, "I can do car action!" but then I calmed down and realized that you can't really do car crashes in the city nowadays. Nagahara Hideichi-san, my Scriptwriting mentor, wrote "Seibu Keisatsu" in which they drive an armored car through Ginza and had car action, so I'd like to create a world like that someday (laughs).

"It was decided from the beginning that cars would be one of the motifs, right?"

Kuji: Although the keyword was ultimately decided after discussions with TV Asahi and Bandai, I originally wanted to use "creative" as a keyword. Of course, there are many Sentai productions that use cars as a motif, but if we were to upgrade them to modern values, I thought it would be possible to incorporate the "manufacturing" that children are familiar with from videos and games. For example, in the past, the super machines would be given to them by a large organization or an unknown entity like, "We'll give this to you guys!" So instead of that, I thought that building and riding machines from their own hands would be an easier choice for admiration in the modern day. From there, I expressed to Tomioka-san this desire to portray a team doing something creative while gathering together for a mission.

Tomioka: In other words, it's like "Fast & Furious" (laughs). In addition, it's tempting to make cars talk as a way to appeal to younger viewers, but if you're really conscious of the fact that they're cars, it's better not to make them talk. I wanted to express that a machine is the best it can be because of the awesome power of the human driver. Also, in addition to the Boonboom Cars, the five of them would've had a car (through production), and I suggested that their occupations be car related, but that didn't work out……As you can imagine, we can't send out five cars all at once.

"At the same time as Tomioka-san, was pilot Director Nakazawa Shojiro also sent an offer?"

Kuji: When I was thinking about the image of the heroes I wanted to create, I wanted a Director who would take the direction I had created with Tomioka-san and push it even further beyond our imaginations. I think that Nakazawa-san is a Director who adds twists to the story, not just pure coolness. I asked Nakazawa-san to direct the pilot because I wanted him to take Boonboomger to a place where my sensibilities couldn't go. Besides, Tomioka Atsuhiro x Nakazawa Shojiro was the combination I most wanted to see. This combination is "alchemy" at its finest.

"Because of the use of LED walls in the previous work King-Ohger, we think there was more filming on set than on location. On the other hand, in this production, there's alot of filming on location due to driving cars. What were your guidelines for filming?"

Kuji: They really pushed King-Ohger to the limits to see how far they could go with their technological capabilities. This allowed the staff to share the work "calories" for each process. As Tomioka-san mentioned earlier, it's difficult to produce five regular theatrical cars. However, I had alot of discussions with the staff about the possibility of producing many Boonboom Cars by using assets (3DCG model data). Live compositing is used to represent the Boonboom Cars cockpit, the highway space, and the maintenance room. While considering sustainable work calories, I thought about how to produce the best image in a timely manner.

"In the first episode, Mira joins the Boonboomger and the story begins with a three member team. How did you come up with the story?"

Tomioka: We were thinking of doing something that would be most pleasing for children, our main audience, in other words, the classic battle hobby for boys. Taiya and Ishiro, and even Bundorio were already a team, and were strong from the beginning. In my experience, this structure, where it's important to be strong from the beginning, and then add the newcomer Mira to further strengthen them, is something that children feel good getting into. When I heard Kuji-san's idea of each person being a car related professional, Shirakura Shinichiro-san, who happened to be present at the meeting, said, "It's like the Hissatsu series." Actually, I love the Hissatsu series, and Shirakura-san's words made me really excited, thinking, "I can do something that I've always wanted to do but haven't been able to do!" I hope I can portray adults that children will admire to become. The style that's often depicted in the Hissatsu series is that a newcomer (Mira) joins the professionals, and the pasts of the other members are slowly revealed. Then it naturally becomes a story about the bonds of the team. The story line of Boonboomger is moving in an increasingly interesting direction as we incorporate ideas from other Scriptwriters one after another.

"Looking back at the Super Sentai series over the past few years, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger have been written almost exclusively by a single Scriptwriter. Tomioka-san, you're working with multiple Scriptwriters to create Boonboomger, what's your goal?"

Tomioka: I believe that by incorporating ideas that come from other people, not just myself, the characters will be able to develop. I'd love to write all the episodes by myself, but I think it's more appropriate if this production is written by a team of multiple people. Besides, it'd be boring to keep the heroes I've always wanted to myself. The style I like is to call my friends and then we all go wild in this new world together. First, since I was approached for "Fuuto PI" by chance, I was sure that Higuchi Tatsuhito-kun, who was in charge of the composition for the Fuuto series would be invited. Additionally, I approached Yamaguchi Hiroshi-san, who worked with me on "K-tai Investigator 7," once the project had been decided to a certain extent. Yamaguchi-san also writes to the extreme at full power. When I came to the Toei Tokyo studio with Yamaguchi-san, he said, "You're always on the opposite side, right? (at Toei Animation)" (laughs). Also, we have a younger man named Morichi Natsumi-san participating. Higuchi-kun and I are inspired by each and every tokusatsu scene, and our members have a deep and reassuring love for the characters. I've also reached out to Konuta Kenji-san, a former Writer for "Uchusen," and I'm hoping to work with this team until the final episode. There's also the fact that each of us wants to write only for the characters we have a strong attachment to (laughs). Like the Sanseaters……

"We'd like to ask you about the enemy characters here, but the Sanseaters seem to have a formation that we've seen in a production that Tomioka-san has worked on…….?"

Tomioka: Team Rocket from "Pokemon," right? (laughs). This time, due to various restrictions, the enemy doesn't have a hideout, so I wondered what kind of enemy I should make…..When I thought about it, I suddenly remembered the Greeed from "Kamen Rider OOO" and Heart and the others from "Kamen Rider Drive." Every time they're in some unknown place, they're talking to each other. When I thought about if I could get any inspiration from that……I came up with Team Rocket. I thought, "Villains who sleep outdoors!" (laughs).

Kuji: It was Tomioka-san's idea. There was no reason to hit the brakes anymore. We all stepped on the gas during the meeting.

Tomioka: To begin with, Yamaguchi-san and I grew up watching "Himitsu Sentai Gorenger," so when we think of Sentai enemies, we got the impression that they're monsters who are abit stupid and do interesting things.

"Listening to his story, we can see that Tomioka-san, who is an authority in children's productions, is putting into full use what he's cultivated. However, you haven't worked on a tokusatsu show since K-tai Investigator 7, and this is your first time working on a Toei tokusatsu production. Did you feel at a loss in that respect?"

Tomioka: In "K-tai," the enemy wasn't monsters. The main focus was on fighting hackers, and the only thing "tokusatsu" was the cell phones (Phone Braver) moving. In contrast, in the Super Sentai series, there are monsters, they become giant, the heroes announce themselves, they transform, and…..alot of other things. I thought I knew what I was getting into, but when it came time to actually write the script, it was difficult.

"There's something you have to do each time."

Tomioka: That's right. On top of that, in order to create something interesting, we received a variety of ideas from tokusatsu Director Butsuda Hiroshi for the giant battles, as well as feedback on what to do with the regular sized battles from Directors with past experience. The interesting part is the drama part, where the Directors don't often express their opinions. Therefore, when thinking about the drama part, I prioritized what Kuji-san wanted to create. I think this is the biggest difference from anime.

"Do you mean that you put the Producer's opinion first?"

Tomioka: In my experience, it's rare for a Producer to lead a production by himself, because in the case of anime, the opinion of the author is important if it's an original story, and the opinion of the Director or series creator is important if it is an original production. However, when Toei's tokusatsu shows are first announced, fans are always wondering who the Chief Producer is, aren't they? It's refreshing to know that fans are also paying attention to who will lead the production.

Kuji: That's what Tomioka-san says, but from my point of view, I'm being too dependent on him. Normally, the Chief Producer of Toei tokusatsu productions usually leads the discussion in meetings, but Tomioka-san took my opinions into consideration and organized the discussion by saying, "This is what you want to do, isn't it?" By incorporating the opinions of other Writers, he makes it even more interesting by saying, "This one's more explosive!" I think this is reflected in the footage in a good way. Maybe this is a style that hasn't been used in the past 47 series.

Tomioka: Come to think of it, in anime, a series composition chart is created to show what happens from the first episode to the final episode, but it seems that they don't usually prepare one for the Super Sentai series.

Kuji: Even though we have a rough idea of what we want to do, it has a strong "live" feel, so there's a possibility that we'll have to adjust the story halfway through.

Tomioka: I couldn't help but be anxious about that……So, before writing episodes 3 and 4, I told Kuji-san, "I want to decide how the story will develop until the end." Of course, taking into consideration the scheduled release of items and Robos, I made a series composition chart, and decided to some extent how many episodes with Taiya would be depicted in the series. But basically, we hope that everyone will enjoy each week's explosive episodes. And then, I'd be very happy if you thought, "That was fun! Let's play with toys too!"

"Boonboomger is finally airing, and it's going to be a year of excitement. We'd like to ask you about some key points of interest that readers who are looking forward to Boonboomger can enjoy even more."

Kuji: Boonboomger is a show that'll cheer you up when you watch it. The staff has put together what they think is "cool," so whether you're an adult or child, there's sure to be a key point in each episode that'll stick with you. We're working diligently on this production, hoping that it'll be a show that'll allow people to absorb the exciting energy on Sunday mornings and look forward to the following week. We'll continue to rev our engines so that we can provide excitement to everyone of all ages and genders!

Tomioka: I see this production as a story of friendship between Taiya and the alien Bundorio, and a growth story depicting the relationship between the Boonboomgers. In addition, as a toy lover, I'm excited to write about how much I can make the Boonboom Changer and Gattai Robos more appealing. Of course, we'll do our best to bring out the charm of the untransformed actors and make this a production that'll make children want to play as Boonboomgers. Now that they've finally started running, where will they go from here? I'd be happy if you look forward to watching them all year long!

[foldingfittedsheets]

When I saw your Ammy design, I knew I needed it. So I went on your shop. Couldn't chose between howling Ammy and running Ammy so I bought them both.

An then I saw your rainbow dragon and thought my sibling in law would love it so it'll be his Christmas present. He'll be happy it's supporting a queer artist. And then there was the Fungus one and I have this dear friend who loves mushrooms so... Yeah, it went into the cart too.

Three enbys happy (my friend, my sibling in law and myself) should be enough?

No.

I needed more t-shirts for myself. I ended up with Nimona, the lezard wizard and the trans dragon also in my cart. So that makes 7 t-shirts... I just wanted one, told myself I have enough for two... Well thanks to PayPal allowing me to spread the payment.

Out of curiosity, how much do you earn from each sale on that shop?

This made me grin, I’m delighted to be adorning you and your loved ones.

It depends on the shop. I make the most on Redbubble. I usually get like 20 cents on most stickers and around $4 per T-shirt. It’s not huge but you get a thing to wear and display which I think is pretty spectacular.

[sideshow-cellophane-blog]

Flirting With Pranks

Because I wanted these two to laugh and be happy together

"Gale!" 

"Astarion!"

The pale elf doubled over in his bout of hysterical laughter. He dropped his book on the ground in favor of holding his abdomen, which was tingling as his nerves were toyed with. He tried to fight the bubbling laughter before giving in to the urge - it was too strong. The tingling was turning into invisible yet solid touches, pinching up his hips and sides. 

Astarion collapsed to his knees. "Whahat the FUCK Gahahale?! It tihihickles!"

"It does? Good! It's supposed to."

Astarion slapped a hand over his ear as some invisible soft instrument flicked over it. "Whyhyhy?!"

"I wanted to hear you laugh, darling. And I wanted it to be fun for you." He put his hands on his hips with a satisfied grin. He had never seen Astarion so out of control - the elf had flopped face-first to the ground and was writhing. "It lasts about as long as that laughing curse you keep casting on us in camp."

"Yohou're awful!" Astarion squealed as the tickling moved into his armpits, and his legs kicked out in wheels. 

"I can't help but notice you aren't begging for it to stop, darling. Where does it tickle most? I want to know so I can focus the magic there."

Astarion was not about to tell Gale the magic all seemed to jump around his worst spots, making him spasm and twist in his giggle bouts. He couldn't, and didn't dare, imagine what it would be like for all of his worst spots to be tickled at once. His arms went up and down as his hands tried to soothe his tingling skin. "Fuhuck you!"

"More experimentation it is. I don't mind! You had me cackling like a damn loon yesterday, you know? Wyll and Karlach got the best cuts of meat for dinner and I got bone broth. Clear. Bone. Broth."

"I'm sohohorry!"

"Well yeah, you are now."

"Aha! Heh. Heheh…" The tickling slowed and disappeared, leaving Astarion panting hard on the ground. He was not left alone for long though - Gale sat himself down on the other's thighs and wriggled his fingers into the exposed stomach lying before him. "GAHAHALE!"

"I had no idea you were actually ticklish dear, I simply must try this for myself."

"Oho no you dohohon't!" A struggle ensued, or started to, because Astarion was still a panting mess from the magic tickle attack. He tried to grab Gale's hands as they snaked up his sides and to that bottom rib, but he was too clumsy and panicked to stop the wizard from making him cackle. He squeezed his eyes shut and caved as the other played his ribs like some instrument. "Nohohoho! Gale, haha, GAHALE, stahp! NAHAT THERE! THAT! HAHA! FAHACK! Yes, yehehes, gohoho bahahack dohown! Get awahay FROM OHAHAHA! THEHERE!"

Pinches turned into loops and swipes, then stopped, and Astarion's cackling slowed to gasping giggles. He managed to open his eyes and give Gale a pleading look. 

"Your real laugh is adorable, you know that?" He said fondly. 

"Yohou're an insufferable asshole."

"Are you going to stop casting that laughing spell on us around camp now that I perfected one of my own? Because I can tickle you all day long, darling."

"I…" His smile faltered as he thought, and it returned as a playful and practiced smirk. "As awful as that was, darling, I think it is awfully strange that you created such a playful spell just for me. That wasn't designed to be a one time use, was it? I mean, here you are, on top of me-"

"Oh my gods Astarion."

"And you know? I rather like the attention. And I think you want to make me laugh. Keep making your teasing, playful spells for me Gale, it makes me feel special. Now get off of me so I can exact my revenge when you least expect it."

"It makes you feel- oh you do want another round is what it is? Projecting your feelings onto me, like you aren't the one making us laugh first, I see right through you," His hands began to glow, but the vampire had time to recover. Astarion twisted and threw Gale off, and they wrestled for control. "I'm not giving in!…NO!" Giddy giggles filled the air as they jabbed at each other, and Gale found himself weakening to protect his sensitive stomach. "I'll blow you up you ass, you get that finger OUT of my AHA! SHIRT! "

"Found the tickle button," Astarion had gained the upper hand, literally, and kept wiggling his finger in Gale's navel. The wizard's hands fell to protect himself. "Now we…are…on…the saaaame page. I may be ticklish, but you seem to be far worse off than I. Is that why you felt the need to cheat with magic?"

Gale was giggling too hard to answer. The tables had turned and he was drained from his earlier magic use.

"This is fun dear, and now that I know you're enjoying yourself here too," Astarion paused to admire the man below him. He ran his hands over Gale's stomach to soothe his nerves. "Well," he chuckled. "I prefer being the one to make you laugh. Remember that next time you start a fight I will always finish." He collapsed beside Gale on the ground. They caught their breath together, and Astarion broke the silence once they were quiet again. "So can you teach me that spell? I want to see if Lae'Zel is-"

"No."

"But-!"

"I hate wasting a revival scroll, dear. If that power were in your hands this whole camp would either be at your mercy or I would have to keep bringing you back after they kill you."

"What if I only use it on you?"

"Even worse. If you want to tickle me you have to be brave about it."

"A challenge…I accept. Now cuddle me, if the group isn't back by sundown we can keep playing."

"Gladly, darling."

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

are there ANY good resources on properly creating and balancing mechanics for creature tamers out there??

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Some More Wand Redesigns

a sequel to this post where I redesigned the Elder Wand, Harry's wand, and Voldemort's wand to be made from the correct wood and look better (in my opinion). I decided to make some more...

Ron's second wand

This is the wand that was bought for Ron. Made of Willow.

I tried to give it a somewhat similar silhouette to the movies one. I just made it have a slightly different personality I thought worked better. I also made it look like it was made of Willow.

English Willow, for reference:

Hermione's wand

I get why her moveis wand had vines on it, since it's made of vine wood. That said, my approach to wand design is that they should be comfortable to hold in one's hand. Petruding bits that would cut into your palm holding the wand tightly for too long is not practical. I did want to keep the vine designs and make her wand more elegant. So the vines are now etched into the wood to get to a different section of the wood and therefore a different color, without creating patroding bits that are uncomfortable to hold.

And also I made the color look like the actual wood because I think most wands don't just look like branches.

Vine wood is also much lighter than some of the movie props are:

Luna's wand

So, this is a wand I headcanon all the attributes of, since, the books never mention it. But I used basically, the same principles that always lead me when designing a wand:

1. making it comfortable to hold.

2. color it like the wood it is made of. Again, we don't know Luna's wand wood, so I chose one I felt suited her best according to the wand woods Pottermore page (my favorite Pottermore page).

I decided for Luna on Beach Wood, which is described as follows:

The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. Such wizards and witches, having obtained a beech wand without having been suitably matched (yet coveting this most desirable, richly hued and highly prized wand wood), have often presented themselves at the homes of learned wandmakers such as myself, demanding to know the reason for their handsome wand’s lack of power. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation.

(from Pottermore)

Which I think suits Luna quite well.

3. Make it pretty and fit the character's/wand's personality. Which is where I think Luna's first wand flops. I mean, the design is simple and looks to be made of wood with no protruding bits that would make the hold uncomfortable, but I feel like it's too simple. I feel like Luna deserves something nicer and a little more oddly shaped than just a stick.

I also made it short-ish at 10 inches because it felt right to me.

[markrosewater]

"I talk a lot about how different players enjoy different aspects of the game. What I talk far less about is different players struggle with different aspects. Some can’t handle excessive processing; some have issues with sequencing; some don’t understand the nuances of the rules; some aren’t good with memory..." Hi Mark, I wanted to say I sincerely appreciate the thoughtful, high effort and detailed response to my question and feedback. It really means a lot and sometimes I can't believe I'm talking to the head designer of my favorite game of all time about the specific questions and issues I have with the game. You don't have to do this and it's so amazing that you do, so thank you. I think you make an interesting and probably valid point about my proclivity to value memorizing aspects of the game and mechanics and I understand other people don't have that problem or don't care about that as much. But I think overall, in summary my larger point is for more than 25 years, typically the rule of thumb when it came to Magic the Gathering cards was the adage “Reading the card explains the card” and in just the past few years, that is no longer the case because of the need to have extremely wordy mechanics that need helper/reminder cards to function. People (myself included) often can't remember how these mechanics function, but because they are so complicated, they are constantly referring to the double sided helper token in addition the the card with oracle text and this can slow down game play and feel awkward at times. I want the Magic the Gathering cards to also be the game pieces. With every new set you continue to prove this is possible in the form of brand new mechanics but Magic still insists on making more and more of these mechanics that deviate from that adage. But I acknowledge and respect that everyone doesn't agree with me on that. Part of it is about memory and mental bandwidth, but a larger part of it is about tracking and the logistics of needing game pieces that aren't Magic cards in order to play Magic. This was also a big part of my aversion to cards that require stickers, 12 sided dice, keyword counters, helper tokens, etc. I do look forward to someday seeing some more outside of the game helper token style mechanics that are more simple like Ascend or Monarch, so I will be crossing my fingers for those. Anyways, thanks again for all you do for the community and keep up the great work!

Thank you for the dialogue.

One of the interesting things about doing this job so long is that I get some perspective on larger shifts of the game.

The conversation you and I are having matches a conversation I had with another player fifteen or so years ago. Magic was starting to dip its toe much more into counters and tokens.

The player felt like the core of Magic was the cards, and that a reliance on counters and tokens was pulling away from the essence of what they thought was the core of Magic.

Cut back another fifteen or so years before that. I had just joined Wizards and I was talking to a player at a convention. They were concerned that we’d been going up in named keywords. They felt the core of the game was based on the individual cards and that leaning on named mechanics was adding an element that distracted from the pure essence of the game.

Magic, by its nature, constantly adapts. The designers are always looking for new venues to explore, but there are always players who appreciate the game for what it has been.

That’s the balance that we’re always trying to strike. How do we keep exploring and innovating while at the same time keep true to what the game means to people? It’s challenging as those two forces can pull in very different directions.

I do hear what you’re saying, and we’re always on the look for elegance and brevity where we can find it. Sometimes though that journey requires us to explore a bit into the weeds to learn things that with time and experience we can streamline.

Again, thanks for the dialogue. I enjoy having chats like this with players.

[dartagnantt]

It's a Trap! | Dangerous Spells to keep those pesky adventurers out of your tower!

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here!

Some trapping spells, which while not technically 'sealing' as per the theme, are similar, that and I think the ranger needs more iconic spells. These spells, are (at least initially) inspired by the Snare spell from Xanathar's which I modify here for… reasons, and because another thing I like in my spells are the ability to scale. Which I made sure every one of these could do.

As I alluded to before, these spells are designed for rangers, and only really have expanded options, because, making things is the artificer's thing, and wizards classically have wacky traps. But, with the ranger in mind, almost all of these spells have a material you need to gather or pre-prepare which seems like a vary ranger thing to do.

Guillotine

A classic dungeon trap, and one of the few whose materials cannot be improvised but I couldn't help myself. Now the party barbarian can kill their foes in their sleep, assuming they lend you their axe

Pitfall

A classic trap and one whose construction seems very in the vein of what a ranger would produce

Rake-in-the-Grass

I couldn't resist, this idea was just to funny to pass up. It's not powerful in the slightest, but incredibly irritating and I made it a ritual for the sole purpose of, if you were to put in the time, you could absolutely booby trap a massive area… assuming you had enough rakes, I'm sure there's a feat for that somewhere. I considered making it a cantrip based on how weak it was, but instead decided that the 8 hour duration was still too powerful for that, so ritual it was.

Rising Action

Another classic dungeon trap and a contender for the spell with the most oddly specific material component. I seem to have a thing for rising pillars that crush people.

Rockfall

Speaking of crushing, rocks fall and everyone die, or are moderately inconvenienced if my experience in Skyrim is anything to go by.

Sling Snare

This is like the snare spell, as follows, but with the comedic power of those traps in cartoons that involve flinging the offending party a great distance.

Snare

As mentioned before, this is based roughly on the spell of the same name from Xanathar's but with the important change of, if it's not triggered, giving you the rope, an actually useful material and one of the few here that actually costs something, back.

Sudden Spikes

A final familiar dungeon trap with some built in versatility, in case you want to stab people with adamantine spikes.

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $1 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Judgement Domain

The Greatwyrm Patron

Breaking and Exiting

Dungeon Delver's Survival Guide

I also have three classes, and a splatbook over on DriveThrueRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!