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dropintomanga · 2 years ago

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Video Games for Mental Health - AI: The Somnium Files

~Resist, allow your heart to take you! Never let this merciless world erase you! Passing down the light of the torch to guide you, And you shall be bathed in light!~

When it comes to reading visual material, one would usually think picture books. In the case of pop culture fans, there’s Western comic books and manga. But there’s a whole other medium that has gotten a lot of exposure since the start of the 2010s’ - visual novels. While there’s many notable VNs to discuss, I want to take a look at Team Zero Escape’s/Spike Chunsoft’s AI: The Somnium Files (AI is pronounced as “eye”) franchise due to its focus on finding connections and how messy the process can be.

This will largely be spoiler-free because discussing everything that happens in both games will take forever.

AI: The Somnium Files, created by Kotaro Uchikoshi (who’s most famous for creating the Zero Escape and Danganronpa series), is a murder mystery starring special detective Kaname Date and his AI partner, Aiba, who takes the form of Date’s left eye. The two have to find a serial killer, the New Cyclops Serial Killer, who’s plucking eyeballs off of people they murder. Date finds out one of the victims was a woman he knows and discovers that a young girl has the supposed murder weapon in her hands. Along the way, Date and Aiba meet a variety of people who help and/or hurt their investigation. To get to the truth, Date goes into people’s minds and dreams with the help of Aiba. There are a lot of twists as there are multiple routes and endings that all come together in one wild package.

There’s also a sequel that just came out in 2022 - AI: The Somnium Files -nirvanA Initiative-. The story takes place 6 years later after the 1st game. The premise goes as this - months after the events of the 1st game, the right half of a corpse was found. 6 years later, the left half of the same corpse was found with no decay at all. It’s up to 2 new protagonists, Mizuki (who is a major supporting character in the 1st game) and Ryuki Kuruto, alongside their own AI eyeball partners, to find the truth about the half body killings. While this is happening, something called the Nirvana Initiative is looking to cause trouble for the public.

I discovered the first game from a “top games of the 2010s’” podcast. It made number 11 on their list. So I decided to see what the podcast hosts experienced. AI1 was a emotional experience for me. There’s so much dialogue that will make you cry, laugh, cringe, angry, etc. Much like a point-and-click adventure game, you can interact with objects. Sometimes, you get some really great interactions with the cast of characters when you click on them. Those conversations feel like conversations one would have with friends in real life. Sure, some of them are dumb, but those kinds of moments make life bearable. The 2nd game continues that tradition too.

Speaking of the characters, it’s not just Date and Aiba who shine. There’s Mizuki, who’s technically the surrogate daughter of Date. They trade barbs with one another in comedic fashion. It’s cute to see because their relationship reminds me of Gintoki Sakata and Kagura in Gintama. In the first game, other notable characters include a teen idol, a NEET, a yakuza who worships idols, a crossdressing bar mama, and a female boss who throws out sexual innuendos. The second game introduces newer characters like a big chef wearing a mask to hide his disfigured face, a lovestruck former thief, and a mysterious masked female vigilante.

With many characters, the Somnium Files series does a great job at looking into the psychology and mental well-being of them. Whether it’s the dream sequences or regular interactions, one thing is for certain. What drives them, good or bad, is the people in their lives. That’s what I felt from these games. It’s about finding family in the strangest of places when all hope feels lost. These characters are driven to great lengths to gain attention from the ones they love. And more importantly, don’t be afraid to open your eyes when it comes to conflict. There’s absolutely heavy portrayals of what happens when mental health goes awry due to inner/interpersonal conflict in both games. Dementia, brain tumors, family trauma, survivor’s guilt, and self-hatred are some of the mental health subjects discussed in this series.

Date is a really great hero. There’s a caveat about him though. He’s addicted to pornography/cabaret clubs and this is played to comedic effect. I found Date to be endearing otherwise due to things the player learns in the last few hours of the 1st game. Also, Mizuki is great. She’s the total opposite of Date as she’s a physical powerhouse. It’s nice to see Mizuki carry on the torch in the 2nd game as she’s arguably the most popular character in the series.

With great characters comes great voice acting. There’s amazing talent on the English side for both games. Greg Chun, Erika Harlacher, Corina Boettger, Jackie Lastra, Allegra Clark, Dorah Fine, Zach Aguilar, Kaiji Tang, Patrick Seitz, Stephen Fu, Anairis Quinones, SungWon Cho, Amanda Lee, Y. Chang, Laura Post just to name a bunch. All the VAs seemed to have a really fun time working on both games because they all brought their A-games into making all the conversations worth hearing over and over again.

I’ll end this post with one of my favorite dialogues in the series from Mizuki.

Uchikoshi has gotten some attention for having progressive views as there’s a good amount of Japanese game developers who still think backwards about certain groups of people. There’s many people who think the Japanese are offended by most Western localization (ESPECIALLY with dialogue like this) and think Japanese people are all “non-political”, but I will say this - there’s Japanese people who do think about the feelings of minorities. It may not be many, but they’re there and outside of whatever internet bubbles fans are in.

And yes, humanity is rooted in weakness. I never told anyone that I was strong and I will gladly admit that I’m only still alive because I’ve had people who helped and supported me despite whatever differences we have.

So yeah, check out the AI: The Somnium Files franchise. It’s still very under the radar as the 1st game didn’t seem to sell a whole lot due to a lack of major marketing. Both games do have flaws, but this is a franchise made with a lot of love and deserves many eyeballs to reach the dream of being one of the most fascinating stories in a time where AI is gaining prominence in the real world and so much mental trauma is left unprocessed.

AI: The Somnium Files and its sequel, -nirvanA Initiative-, are out for the following systems (PC/Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

#AI: The Somnium Files #Kaname Date #Ryuki Kuruto #video games #visual novels #Kotaro Uchikoshi #mental health #psychology #Mizuki #Aiba

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nic611 · 2 years ago

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1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 20, 25, 26, 27?

Really wanted to open up with as much as you could huh?

1. Favorite Operator

A difficult question with it being a bit of a toss-up between Amiya, Gummy, & Gravel.

Amiya is the beloved daughter, Gummy deserves all the kindness that can be given to her, & Gravel is the wife.

3. When did you start playing Arknights?

March 1st 2020, about a month and a half after the game hit global. I'd been seeing ads for it in the app story and eventually got curious enough to try. I wish I'd got it on release so I would have gotten Savage and Hibiscus outfit.

4. First 6-star

Angelina, she'll probably also be the first 6-star I E2 as well since she and Siege are the only ones I have even E1'd let alone leveled.

7. Story behind display name

Nicky, it just a shortening of my name though I don't use it that much anymore.

8. Least Favorite character

A pretty hard question since getting me to actually dislike a character for being a character is difficult and otherwise just sit around as general feeling of "you're a dude who exists"

Force me to say a name though and it would likely be Mephisto for how much willfully horrible shit he caused.

9. Favorite Operator type

Nada, everyone's got a purpose & everyone's got a role. I don't feel any particular attachment to specific types of roles except to test out new units as they appear.

10. First operator to reach elite 2

Gavial, because she looked cool and I needed to up my healing a bit.

11. Favorite Ship/Lore

Ship with actual support from story, implications, and interactions would be any combination of the mess in Ch'en and her Lungmen 'friend' group.

Ship for the idea and implications would be Gummy and Greyy because after what Gummy went through I think she could a really appreciate someone with a goal like Greyy's.

Lore, quite a lot to be liked there but I would like to know more about the various patron gods of terra's nations.

15. 3-star you are still using

Now you're making me feel bad since I've largely transfered all operations to the 4-stars and I haven't had a reason to pull the reserve squads back into the field, but if it came down to it, probably Kroos.

20. Luckiest roll

Hm, I don't really record my rolls that often but guess this one:

Simply because it meant I never had to pull for Corroseum again after that one.

25. Your homescreen operator

My daughter, who else?

Hasn't changed since I made my Arknights account.

26. Operator you would trust your life with

Amiya, because God if there is there few operators with the energy and ability to be a responsible adult on this landship that likes the Doctor.

27. Favorite soundtrack

Whenever I give various Arknights music a listen I tend to open up with or gravitate to Operation Pyrite theme.

#arknights #ask game

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animecreator3000 · 3 years ago

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About the Boueibu iceberg

@delphoxqueen asked me to explain about my list for the iceberg so here it is. I might update this from time to time with links and stuff if I stumble across the original posts. This is all from what I know so feel free to add new info. Also, spoiler warning for RobiHachi and the Boueibu manga and novels. (This is like a masterpost it’s very long)

1. There’s a theory in tumblr about which decade the series is set in, using data like the friday the 13th calendar in s2 ep11. In HK we got a second number for when the next monthly Pretty Boy Contest was happening and using the one from Love it was theorized that around a decade had passed since then, which ended up being true.

2. The stage play had a few original songs and characters exclusive to it so unless you watched the full performance, you probably weren’t able to witness all of them. One of the characters is called “Robato Deniro”, as romanized in the stage play booklet I own.

3. The nurse and the cafeteria staff from the s1 mobile game appear in the background in around the first half of s2 ep3.

4. S2 had an unfinished manga that was only available online and was never released on physical format; it was centered around the defense club and sometimes the conquest club and Beppu brothers. All that’s left from what I know are the scans linked on magicalgirlsandcerulean’s blog.

5. This isn’t that obscure because it’s talked about in the anime, but I’m mentioning it because I think many people dropped it before the ova, where right at the beginning it is revealed that the alien that resucitated Mr. Tawarayama twice was, as described by Io, a “mulberry-colored naked mole rat-looking thing”, and was nicknamed “Moley-san” by Yumoto. At least in the anime, we had never heard before of who this was and it never appeared on screen nor was mentioned again.

6. In HK ep8, Karurusu promises the knights to grant a wish if they show him how earthlings spend summer. Kyoutarou reveals at the end of the episode that he wished that summer lasted one more day so he could spend it doing nothing, which prompts Ichiro to theorize that it’s the 32nd of august, and the next day is the second 1st of september.

7. The stage play was was held from march 10th to 13rd, of which the latter is Ryuu’s birthday. There’s an additional recording of a small celebration with cake focused on Ryuu and Io.

8. Atsushi mentions his older sister in the flashback at the beginning of s1 ep4, but she never appears or is mentioned again.

9. There’s a few posts on tumblr theorizing about what happened to the Hakone parents since Yumoto only says in s2 ep3 that according to Gora, “they are busy with their hot springs tour”. En mentions that it’s a bit suspicious, but it’s all the information we have from the anime. Posts talk about the parents perhaps passing away from an accident or an illness, thus the reason why Gora was so worried about Yumoto’s cold in s1 ep10, but from another post I think it’s implied in the second novel that they actually left their home when Yumoto was still a toddler.

10. It’s no secret that the surnames of the characters are all real onsens in Japan that even the seiyuus have visited, but apparently the Arima onsen has two different kinds of water, “kinsen (gold hot spring)” and “ginsen (silver hot spring)”, with different properties each, and the Kusatsu onsen water also has certain properties, both that were used to build the characters. Additionally, Ryuu’s favorite food are Sato Nishiki cherries, which are grown in the same prefecture, Yamagata, as his onsen, Zaou.

11. The press club lose relevance after s1, with only Kinosaki and Tazawa reappearing briefly in s2 ep2 to interview the Beppu twins after they arrive at the school. Tazawa doesn’t even have lines. Hireashi is mentioned by Zundar in ep11.

12. What the heck

13. Exclusively in the manga we see that Arima met Kinshiro and Atsushi when they were little and they were good friends, but when they met again as adults, Kinshiro seemingly didn’t remember Arima. Atsushi, however, stated that Kinshiro’s talent is remembering people’s faces and names, so Arima wonders if he’s just trying to distance himself from him. He also explains to Akoya that he follows Kinshiro and obeys him because as a child, he was fascinated by his radiant smile. This is never talked about in the anime.

14. Like the previous point, the anime never shows Akoya being bullied, at most just a slight dislike of his full name, but the manga shows that he was made fun of for it and how he actually hates his surname, to the point of introducing himself formally to the president and vicepresident of the student council as “Holy Angel Akoya”.

15, 16, 17, 19. Batonama lives were the livestreams done through the franchise by the defense club seiyuus on youtube and niconico. They’re all on youtube, without any kind of translation.

Love-ko is a girl with a shell bikini drawn on a piece of cardboard that was used as a girlfriend in the Batonama Love! lives, acted by the seiyuus themselves.

RobiHachi has one episode full of official Boueibu artwork and a parody of the series too, a Love-ko doll appears, and Wombat appears as well, named “The Don”. It received an english dub, so for a bit, people were excited that Wombat was going to speak in english too. Also, various mechas appear in both Boueibu and RobiHachi.

18. The director of Fairy Ranmaru (Masakazu Hishida if I’m not wrong) revealed in an interview that he was inspired by Boueibu and aimed to make a show like that.

20, 21. The website super-groupies.com has results for defense and conquest club lingerie sets, dc and VEPPer tote bags, the Beppus’ scarf rings, dc bath sets and the pumps magicalgirlsandcerulean mentioned. I’ve found the s1 Loveracelets and Caerula Adamas’ ring on different sites, the True Loveracelets on TheChara’s twitter and the Happybraces (apparently called “Hapibure”) on broccoli.co.jp but I’m not sure where exactly they were all announced and sold, so I’ll just drop that.

22, 33. Boueibu was originally pretty much a copy of Sailor Moon, I think they were all going to be called “Lackluster Moon” and that stuff and be literally Sailor Moon genderbent. They were all different from color palettes to physical features (except Yumoto’s), and Ryuu was a shota, even smaller than Yumoto. Their names were also very reminiscent of the five Sailor Senshis’. Even if they made it more original, the show is still clearly inspired by Sailor Moon (just look at Caerula Adamas lol) and Pretty Cure. It has also referenced, very blatantly, animes like Doraemon, Detective Conan, Aikatsu and even Vocaloid, when Kyoutarou tries to guess what Karurusu is saying with ““Just Google It, Asshole”?” in ep1.

23. Wombat’s real name and the name of his planet sound like gibberish to the earthlings and ends up being named after the Earth animal, but Zundar, Dadacha, Karurusu and Furanui all have original names. And I think Hireashi means “goldfish”?

24. If you google “zundar technology”, it’s actually a company in Shanghai, China. Aren’t Wombat and Zundar always talking about “advanced alien technology”?

25. Zundar and Dadacha are siblings, so are Karurusu and Furanui, and so are their father King Kamopapa and their uncle minister Wao, but neither are the same species and, except the first two, not even the same color. But they are supposedly related because they share birthmarks or something like that...

26. Everyone who’s in this fandom knows about the pixel blur and voice pitch censor from s1, but I’ve added it anyway because it’s so rare for mahou shoujo and shounen animes to explain why the heroes aren’t recognized when transformed.

27. A good while of s2 ep11 is spent discussing Zundar’s ex-wife and his problems to give child support. Naturally, he gets mad at this.

28. “Money doesn’t betray” (s1 ep6) and “The despair hidden behind your smile that comes from not being understood” (s3 ep11) are sentences that came out of nowhere and implied that the people they were said by (Io) or about (Taiju) respectively had some kind of angst going on but were never explained at all. They’re famous for just that.

29. The Beppu twins’ house in Andromeda shown in flashbacks had strange green circles that apparently are from another anime I don’t know but honestly I didn’t get it very well... It was revealed on a tweet from Takamatsu.

30. Alien language mostly appeared in s2 due to the many flashbacks of Aki and Haru in Andromeda, but in Boueibu s1, it appears on the Zundar Needle before it is shot on the human. It appears a lot through RobiHachi as well, due to being a story about travelling through space. There might be an alphabetical chart somewhere, but I can’t assure it exists, I might even have dreamed it.

31. Hikaru Midorikawa as the melon monster, Kousuke Toriumi as the bishounen monster, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as the kotatsu and panda monsters and Takuya Eguchi as the remote controller monster in s1 and 2, before going on to voice the main cast in HK. Keisuke Koumoto voiced Hatchi Kita in RobiHachi as well as Akihiko in Boueibu, and the characters look similar.

A new addition is that so far Boueibu is the only anime I’ve seen where children weren’t voiced by female seiyuus, but by actual children. Personally, it’s charming and makes it so much more realistic, specifically since no women appear in the franchise at all either (not counting Protag-chan in the game).

32. Speaking of seiyuus, Can I Destroy The Earth? had a dub shown in ep11/12 (?) that made Gora the villain that wanted Earth to stay the same and not progress, against the monsters that supposedly wanted to bring good things to earthlings. Aki and Haru quickly dismissed this dub as fake. (I made a mistake in the title in the previous post btw)

34. As seen in the glossary in the Boueibu Mook (I think, but might not be the mook), Caerula Adamas’ speeches are based on an old japanese detergent commercial that went “Gold, silver, pearl, gift”.

35. In the manga there’s a short parody of the first chapter of Sailor Moon with “Pretty Boy Guardian Gakuran Akoya”. The conquest club manga was released before the anime, so I remember reading somewhere that a fake website appeared for the Gakuran Akoya manga, before turning into the conquest club manga website in the day of its release.

36. Cgi was used a few times in the anime: s2 ep10 for a short sequence of the defense club on a rollercoaster and the carousel monster, ep11 for a cenital shot of the Battle Lovers singing, and HK ep12 for the Honyalaland soldiers and the Wao mecha.

37. The toothbrush incident in s1 ep7. (It’s definitely well-known but it’s so weird lol)

38. “We hope we can see each other again someday!” Something along those lines was the last text to appear in the last episode of HK, implying a s2. We all know how that went.

#boueibu #new post bc i didn't put a readmore in the other one and it was getting too long #msorry #long post #speaking of the robihachi eng dub... sarazanmai has one too...#so many animes like those get dubs but not boueibu?! HOW UNFAIR #at least we got the funimation subs #is the game even canon??#i mean with stuff like how everyone is apparently straight in there #even yumoto who pretty much came out as gay in the anime #that's very inconsistent #i mean. it is canon but maybe it's like an au? idk #also we need gakuran akoya to be real lmao #also no prequel with gora or hk s2. WHYYYY #i think this took me four hours

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zelkams-art · 4 years ago

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#ShowYourProcess

From planning to posting, share your process for making creative content!

To continue supporting content makers, this tag game is meant to show the entire process of making creative content: this can be for any creation.

RULES — When your work is tagged, show the process of its creation from planning to posting, then tag 5 people with a specific link to one of their creative works you’d like to see the process of. Use the tag #showyourprocess so we can find yours!

I was tagged by @milkcrates, who showed her process of making this gorgeous piece with Wei Wuxian and little A-Yuan!! It was awesome to see how it came to life - and thank you for tagging me! ✨

So I got tagged to show how this Yunmeng brothers + golden core art happened! I already included the digital sketch for it in my sketch vs final compilation, but I guess I can show some more!

This is gonna be long because I like talking a lot, so putting the rest under a cut!

1. Planning

SO. A golden core pic was on my to-draw list as soon as I finished watching the show. I had a WIP of a different pic for that waiting, but actually I noticed that a very similar thing has already been drawn, so that was kinda dropped. But I’m glad I waited until the idea for this one slapped me! It was pretty much a moment of “w a i t a second” and I had to grab a random piece of paper to sketch it while I still had it in my head.

This is the sketch - as you can see from the coffee stains, it has been through some stuff. On the left I actually tried out some different ideas for the golden core - the 1st one was the winner and led to the whole leaking/water/rain theme. I ended up mirroring the whole sketch because I didn’t want Wei Wuxian’s hand to cover Jiang Cheng’s front hair wisp, as that would make that area too crowded.

Meta-wise: I wanted to show that the whole thing was kept as a secret from Jiang Cheng. But we also knew about it - so Wei Wuxian is breaking the 4th wall and looking at us [the audience] directly, shushing to keep it a secret as well. Then there’s his hand hovering over the blindfold - it was included in the show, but also sprinkles in that extra symbolism. Then there’s the rain - the sky crying for the two brothers, so you’re not sure if those are raindrops or tears on their faces + lotus pond for the Yunmeng vibes. As for the golden core, I wanted to make it kinda messy and leaking like blood + shining and make it the main light source of the piece. Also kinda like a glow stick liquid.

I also like finding fitting music to go with my art and this one was actually supposed to go with Avicii’s Hey Brother, but when I was looking it up on Spotify I saw Kodaline’s Brother right above, gave it a listen and then the lyrics hit me. So I already knew that they’re gonna go in the caption. Also apparently it’s like The Song for them and yeah, makes sense.

2. Creating

2.1 Set up and tools

I use Paint Tool SAI + Wacom Intuos S to do all my art! The entire pic was made on a 2000 x 3000 px canvas, since I don’t like to work too big because of limited brush sizes in SAI + I don’t want to torture my laptop, as my art takes up quite a lot of processing power with a lot of layers and modes and sometimes things like to crash at the final steps 😬.

2.2 Planning and composition

So I started off by doing a digital sketch and focusing on the composition a bit more - I wanted something geometrical, so I went for the diamond shape with Wei Wuxian’s silhouette and the placement of the lotuses. Also the composition is vertical, all the important info is in the middle column - you could cut off 2/3 of the picture and it would still tell the story.

2.3 Lineart

Then I did the lineart over the sketch layer (there was a more detailed one than the “planning” sketch, but it looks like I deleted it once I finished). I usually draw more than I have to and on separate layers, so that I can move/modify things easily later - for example JC’s headpiece here didn’t really make it that much into the final piece but It Was There. Once I was satisfied with the lineart, I cleaned it by erasing overlapping things, like Wei Wuxian’s clothes behind Jiang Cheng’s head.

2.4 Planning the lighting

After doing the lineart I blocked the characters with a single color and planned the lighting. The golden core is the main light source here, so it dictates which parts are gonna be lighter and which darker (although there is gonna some ambient occlusion from the background + reflected light from the water). I also added water and lotuses in the foreground + painted the background.

2.5 Shading the characters

After that, I started shading the pic. I usually do two steps here - one with “base” shading - focusing on the details and values based on the light source, then the mood shading with more coloring - based on the setting the characters are in. The first one is mostly done with the Multiply tool and base layer blending/painting, the second mostly with layer modes like Overlay and Luminosity. I also colored some parts of the lineart to make the shapes stand out (see: wwx’s front hairs)

2.6 Environment and touch-up details

Then it was time for the water and lotuses + the “special effects” for the rain and all the stuff associated with it - water splashes, mist, sparkling drops! Also some more mood lighting. Lots of new layers to keep everything organized and separated.

2.7 Finished pic

And done! After finishing I usually adjust the contrast/gamma/saturation of my art (or just edit it all in curves) + sometimes sharpen it to bring out details → I make a few different versions and pick the one that works the best. Although with this pic I was satisfied with the raw result so no major changes happened.

3. Posting

For posting I always scale down the pictures and upload them as a draft on this art blog. Then I check if things look okay on mobile as well - from what I’ve noticed my phone makes everything more warm-toned. Depending on the time I finish drawing, I either post it right away or wait until the next day, when there is more traffic on tumblr. I finished this one around 8PM of my local time, which is fine - so I posted it right away (also I was just excited, couldn’t wait 😅)!

As caption I used the lyrics from Brother by Kodaline, as mentioned before!

So yeah, that would be it!

If you made it till this part - thank you and I hope you have an awesome day! ✨

Let’s keep the artist vibes here - I’m gonna tag (not 5 ppl but shh) @still-snowing and this piece that still breaks my heart @driszol and this Song Jiyang pic that lives in my head to this day @kushexi and this pic with fox Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan bc it still makes me melt → no pressure of course! or if you want to do some other piece that’s awesome as well!

#showyourprocess #[and now tags for my own blog →]#not art #art process #oh this was fun - thank you for tagging me!!#always crying abt those self-sacrificial siblings :'')

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dmsden · 4 years ago

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A History Lesson - Looking back at D&D’s history

Hullo, Gentle Readers. Well, this is the 5th Monday in March, and that means I get to write about anything I want! It’s also my birth month, which means it’s my anniversary of getting into D&D (42 years!), and that has me feeling nostalgic. Coupled with a discussion I had recently with some friends, I thought it would be fun to look back at the various editions of D&D and give you all a bit of history. I’m not going to get into Gygax vs Arneson or any of that. I’m only talking about the published game itself, not its creators or its storied origins.

The original D&D (or OD&D as it’s sometimes called) came in a small box. It had three booklets inside - Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures - along with reference sheets and dice. Each was softcover and roughly the same dimensions as a DVD/BluRay case. The game was pretty rudimentary - for one thing, it assumed you already had a copy of Chainmail, D&D’s direct wargame predecessor. It also recommended you have a game called Outdoor Survival for purposes of traveling through the wilderness. It had only three classes - fighting man, magic-user, and cleric - and nothing about playing other races. It did have the insane charts that 1st edition would ultimately known for, and it was possible to play a pretty fun game of D&D with it, as its popularity would come to show.

The game expanded through similar chapbooks - Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry, Gods Demigods & Heroes, Swords & Spells. With the exception of the last one, each brought new facets to the game - new classes like Thief and Monk, new spells, new threats. It was clear the game was going to need an overhaul, and it got one.

I consider this overhaul to yield the real “1st Edition”, as so much of the game didn’t exist in those original games. The game split into a “Basic” game, just called Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The basic game was a boxed set that included a rulebook, a full adventure module, and dice...or, well, it was supposed to contain dice. The game was so popular and new in those days that demand for dice outstripped production. My copy of D&D came with a coupon for dice when they became available and a sheet of “chits” - laminated numbers meant to be put into cups (we used Dixie Cups with the name of the die written on it), shaken, and a random number pulled out without looking. It was meant to introduce new players to the game, so it was a trimmed down version. Races were human, elf, dwarf, and halfling, and classes were fighter, cleric, magic-user, and thief. The box only included rules for going up to 3rd level, with the intention that players would then graduate into AD&D. This is where I joined, with the old blue cover box set and In Search of the Unknown, before Keep on the Borderlands even existed.

AD&D was the game in its full glory. Along with the races I mention above, we got half-elves, half-orcs, and gnomes. The four basic classes also had sub-classes, like paladin and ranger for the fighter, druid for the cleric, illusionist for the wizard, and assassin for the thief. There were rules for multi-classing, as well as “Dual-classing”, a sort of multi-class variation for humans only, which, when done in the correct combination, could yield the infamous bard...which didn’t actually yield any bard abilities until around level 13 or so.

This edition had 5 different saving throws for things like “Death Magic”, “Petrification & Polymorph”, “Spells”, and so on. It had the infamous Armor Class system that started at 10 and went down, so that having a -3 AC was very good! It also had specific attack matricies for each class; you would literally look on a table to determine the number you needed to roll on a D20 based on your class, your level, and your opponent’s armor class. It was fun, but it was very complicated.

It also had some, frankly, shitty rules. There was gender disparity in terms of attributes, which my group totally ignored. Because the game designers wanted humans to be a competitive the game, and because non-humans had so many abilities and could multiclass, non-humans were severely limited in the levels they could achieve in most classes. In fact, some classes, such as monk and paladin, were restricted only to humans.

As the years went on, things got a bit muddled. It probably didn’t help that the rules in Basic D&D and AD&D didn’t perfectly line up. In D&D, the worst armor class was a 9. In AD&D, the worst armor class was a 10. All of this led to an overhaul, but not one considered a separate edition. AD&D mostly got new covers and new books, like the Wilderness Survival Guide and Dungeon Survival Guide, Monster Manual 2, and the Manual of the Planes. It got a number of new settings, too. In addition to the default Greyhawk setting, we got the Forgotten Realms setting for the first time, details of which had been appearing in Dragon Magazine for years, thanks to the prolific Ed Greenwood. We also, eventually, got the whole Dragonlance saga, which yielded the setting of Krynn.

In this new version, Basic D&D broke off into its own game system to some degree. Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling started being treated like classes rather than races, with specific abilities at different levels. Higher level characters could be created using progressive boxes - Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal, each with its own boxed set and supported by Mystara, a completely different setting that got its own updates over the years. It was odd, because D&D essentially was competing for players with AD&D, and I remember arguments with friends over which version was better (I was firmly in the AD&D camp.)

In 1989, when I was in college, they finally brought forth 2nd edition D&D. This streamlined things a little. Armor Class still went down, but now attack rolls boiled into a single number called To Hit Armor Class 0, or THAC0. It made the whole process of figuring out what you needed to roll a bit less cumbersome, but it was still a bit awkward. The classes got a lot of overhaul, including making Bard its own core class. But what I remember best about 2nd edition was the boom in settings. This was the age of settings, and many beloved ones got started, including Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, and Spelljammer.

It was also the age of the “Complete Handbooks”. They brought out splatbooks about every class and race in the game, as well as books expanding several concepts for the DM, such as the Arms & Equipment Guide, the Castle Guide, and the Complete Book of Villains. There were also splatbooks about running D&D in historic periods, such as Ancient Rome, among the ancient Celts, or during the time of the Musketeers. The game got new covers for the rule books again, and a bunch of books about options started coming out. It was a boom time for books, but many people complained there was too much.

Without going too deep, TSR ended up in severe financial troubles. They declared bankruptcy, and there was real fear of the game going away. And then Wizards of the Coast (WotC) stepped in. They helped TSR get back onto its feet, and they helped produce some modules specifically engineered to help DM’s bring an end to their campaign...possibly even their whole campaign world...because something big was coming.

That something big was, of course, 3rd edition D&D. The game got majorly streamlined, and many sacred cows ended up as hamburger. AC finally started going up instead of down. Everything was refined to the “D20″ system we’ve been playing ever since. Races could be any class. There were no level or stat limits for anyone. After years of the game being forced into tight little boxes, it really felt like we could breathe. I had stopped playing D&D, but 3rd edition brought me back into the fold. I often say that 3E was made for the players who’d felt constricted and wanted more flexibility.

The trouble with 3E, and its successor 3.5, is that it was still a dense and difficult game for newcomers to get into. It’s been acknowledged that D&D essentially created many of the systems we see and know in other games - experience points, leveling up, hit points, etc. But trying to break into the experience for the first time was difficult. The look of 3E was gorgeous, but I understood that it must seem awfully daunting to someone who’d never played.

4E and its follow-up, Essentials, was an attempt to course correct that. They tried to make this edition incredibly friendly to new DMs, and, frankly, they succeeded. By creating player classes and monsters and magic-items that were all very plug and play, they did a great job of creating a game that someone who had never DMed before could dive into with no experience or mentor and start a game pretty easily. Encounter design was given a lot of ease, and there were promises of a robust online tool system that would help out with many of the more tedious aspects of playing.

There was also a lot of shake up in terms of choices. Suddenly, new classes and races were proliferating like crazy. We got the dragonborn, the tiefling, and the eladrin right in the core book, but we said good-bye to the gnome and half-orc at first. Suddenly the warlock was the new class everyone wanted to try. We got paragon paths and epic destinies that would really shape a character as time went on. The game went very tactical, as well, which some of us loved. The concept of rituals came into the game. Later books like the Player’s Handbook 2 and 3 gave us back gnomes and half-orcs, and also gave us minotaurs, wilden, shardminds, and githzerai. We got new psionic classes, brand new class concepts like the Runeknight and the Seeker...

But there was a tremendous backlash. People felt that, in making the game so very plug and play, they’d taken a ton of choice away from the players. Without the tools (which were never that robust, frankly), it was almost impossible to navigate the massive panoply of options. And, worse, it was harder and harder to develop encounters without those tools. People complained that the game had gone more tactical in order to sell miniatures and battlemats. Given that I have never played the game without miniatures and battlemats (since I started in the days when D&D was still half-wargame), I found this odd, but I also understand my style of play isn’t everyone’s.

The one argument I will never understand is that it didn’t “feel” like D&D, or it was somehow ONLY a tactical game and not a role-playing game any more. Again, given that the original game didn’t even call itself a role-playing game, this felt odd. Personally, I roleplay no matter what game I’m playing. If I’m playing Monopoly, I’m roleplaying, doing voices, and pretending to be something I’m not. I honestly enjoyed 4E, and I know a lot of folks who did, too. A lot of it may simply come down to style of play. But I also enjoyed all the games that came before, including Pathfinder. To paraphrase the YouTube content creator The Dungeon Bastard, “Does your game have dungeons? Does it have dragons? Great. I wanna play.”

As a sidenote, in the months leading up to 4E’s release, a lot of internet videos were released by WotC emphasizing the nature of change and talking about differences in the rules. They also released some preview books showing the direction they were heading. WotC must have anticipated that people were going to find this edition very different indeed. They also cleverly brought in some very funny folks - Scott Kurtz from PVPOnline and Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik from Penny Arcade - and got them to play D&D for podcasting purposes. Looking back, this must’ve brought in a lot of listeners who might never have played D&D and given them a reason to try it out.

After its release, WotC clearly noted that missteps had been made, as this edition of the game was losing them players. They began work on what they referred to as D&D Next, and, this time, they did massive amounts of playtesting, some of which I participated in.

I don’t feel like I have to describe 5E to any of you, Dear Readers, as you could go to virtually any store and pick it up. I am a big fan of 5E’s simplicity and elegance, and I suspect this is the edition of D&D we’re going to have for some time to come, especially given its popularity. Given the effect of podcasts like Critical Role (and I might save an article on Critical Role’s importance to D&D until my next Freestyle article), D&D is likely more popular now than it’s ever been, with a much wider and more diverse audience than ever before.

I know I’m painting with broad strokes here, but I hope this was, at least, entertaining, and maybe you learned something, Gentle Readers. Until we next meet, may all your 20s be natural.

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anniestoney · 4 years ago

Text

Analysis of Sonic the Hedgehog: "Sonic cannot show emotions e.g. crying."

I feel like people literally took the meaning of this. I find that people have misinterpret the meaning behind this mandate. But I will give my understandings on what this really means.

After a year of being a Sonic fan, I've notice that the blue blur is quite reserve in terms of deep emotions. Characters, such as Sonic, who are boys at heart, are usually known as characters that are the most lively and rarely shows deeper emotions beyond it. But it does not mean he is detached from any other emotions other than joy. In games, it is hard to try to tell this in action since in good storytelling, it needs more time (& consistency). So, lets try to see this through the animated series, Sonic X. To make it more clear, I'll based it in the Japanese version due to the fact that Sonic's OG creators at that time played a part in the anime. Let’s start.

Do you remember that one time he cried?

In this scenario, we see his tears but not his reaction. This tells me that for Sonic Team, Sonic's rawest emotions comes every once in a blue moon. He has emotions, he has the capability to cry, but how it is done right is the challenge.

Do you also remember these scenes?

(Note: Pay more focus on Sonic's action, its deceivingly subtle that people often miss it)

The 1st scene is shown of Sonic wearing the now fixed bracelet Amy made for him. Notice how there is a new set of shells along the fact the OG string is not replaced but extended with another one. This tells me of Sonic's dedication and appreciation. It tells me how Sonic expresses himself more in action but here is the catch. No one knows of what he did, the trouble he did to find the new shells for the bracelet. This tells me of how private Sonic expresses himself. He seems to be the type to hide himself when in his most vulnerable. His reason? It is unknown, there are many possible reasons.

The 2nd one is a famous scene, the light lavender rose & his secret words. In this scene, we see Amy asking Sonic to tell her (if) he loves her (in a romantic way). His responds? A rose for her with his voice muted. This implies to me that when telling something very intimate, Sonic shows it not through words but by small (yet huge deal) gestures. The fact that it is muted to the audiences further indicates that any words he says that carry deep meanings, he is very private about it. His most deepest thoughts and feelings are shadowed to the point nobody, not even us, his fans, can know.

Now lets get back to these two pictures.

Notice how many people are with Sonic in these scenes. Only one. When it comes to showing emotions to a specific person, Sonic will only show it to that person. His emotions are not absent rather he chooses the right time to show it or who he'll show it (w/ch is unpredictable).

There are possible reasons for his lack of expressing himself in an emotional aspect. It could be to not have anyone worry about him or possibly going out of control (these feelings include anger & sadness). When in anger, things like this happens.

It could also be due to show the people hope and courage. As a hero that has inspired many by your smile and optimism, it can be very crucial (tho Sonic has a strong support of friends, this can be explored if given the time to tell the story). Another reason could be the unsureness on what to do. As Sonic always find ways to do what he does best, we have never ever see Sonic handle an emotional crisis. This being an example.

As Tails cries for the loss of Cosmo, we see Sonic standing doing nothing. Some might see this cruel for Sonic to not comfort his little brother. But I came to think, that maybe just maybe, he just didn't know what to do. I mean, what could he really say to Tails at this moment who just loss someone dear to him? (tho anything can be helpful but it would still be painful for anyone who goes through what Tails did).

Another possibility (w/ch many will disagree) is the infamous rumor of Sonic the Hedgehog being shy. Yes, shy. The word has many synonyms and one of them is the word reserved. Its no secret that Sonic is not a master in the emotional department so his shyness is an option. As an intellectual property (IP) that is owned by a very reserved country, Japan, its no coincidence that the friendly and open blue blur might have been given this trait.

What can I conclude?

Well, I have just begun my journey in the franchise but I think I've grasp the basics yet I've many to learn about Sonic the Hedgehog and its future. To what I can conclude, Sonic is a reserved person when it comes to emotions, a trait that is hard to be seen when not paid close attention. A trait that, Sonic Team, envision as part of Sonic.

Now the real question is, why won't SEGA let Sonic show more emotions other than being happy go lucky?

There are possible reasons. But I'm going to give (imo) the reasons why. One, it could be due to how challenging it is to portray this because, lets be real, Sonic story writing, when not monitored, can be very bloody when not executed well. Another could be the fact to avoid any unwanted out-of-character (OOC) occurrence, remember, Sonic is definitely a reserved person in emotions thus any extreme gestures or declaration is already OOC for the hedgehog.

So, how can Sonic show emotions e.g. crying without being too OOC?

That is a challenge that a writer must figure out, from what we see in Sonic X, with the guide of Sonic Team, Sonic crying, can be done when there are no prying eyes or not showing the audience the obvious. An example of this scenario would be a person standing in the rain, his tears, not clear due to the pouring rain. His back turned and his face not clear. This does not limit only to crying, it can also apply to any emotions or actions. The challenge is to do it without altering the character’s existing core traits.

Sonic does have emotions, its how it must be displayed with the knowledge that he, Sonic, is a private person when it comes to his emotions. Thanks.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic emotionless?#emotionally reserved sonic #why can't sonic cry?#sonic x

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jelenamasterpost · 4 years ago

Text

2011 pt.II

July 1st:

Selena's new film Monte Carlo is officially released in theatres and Justin tweets out his support:

Justin: "Everyone go see @/selenagomez movie #montecarlo in theatres NOW"

*tweet here (x)

July 11th:

Justin and Selena are spotted/joined by fans singing karaoke at Lucky Strike Lanes in LA - one fan tweeted he was partying with the couple.

The two took to the microphone for an impromptu duet of Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow’s “Picture” and shared a kiss after their performance.

Videos later surfaced (x)

July 13th:

Justin and Selena attend The ESPY Awards together held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

July 17th:

Justin and Selena crash a wedding in Malibu, California

TMZ reports:

According to our sources at the wedding, Justin and Selena were strolling on the beach when they heard Justin's song "One Less Lonely Girl" playing at the reception -- inside the historic and shi shi Adamson House.

We're told Justin snuck up on some guests -- who predictably OMG'd and LOL'd -- and then hopped on the mic, saying: "We just crashed it. We heard a party so we decided to just come. So let's party."

They only stayed for about 10 minutes to pose for pics -- including some with the happy couple -- and then bolted.

youtube

July 20th:

Justin visits Selena at a Hollywood studio while she rehearses for her upcoming tour

July 22nd:

Justin and Selena are spotted together shopping on her birthday - he posted a photo of the two on Instagram and tweeted:

“Happy Birthday @SelenaGomez gonna be a special day.”

*tweet here (x)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

instagram

July 24th:

Selena's We Own the Night World Tour begins tonight in Costa Mesa, California - Justin surprises her at the show and joins the stage to perform Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River

He later tweets that night:

“@selenagomez u did great tonight. proud of u”

*full performance video here (x)

July 26th:

Justin and Selena are photographed out for lunch at Hooters in Burbank, California:

“Justin and Selena came in at about noon for lunch,”

“They were both really polite and signed a few autographs. They were both super-friendly and made the most adorable couple!”

July 28th:

Justin attends another one of Selena’s shows with friend Sean Kingston in Boca Raton Florida.

He posts a photo to his Instagram wearing her tour merch

*article here (x)

August 2nd:

Rumors began circulating that Justin and Selena may have broken up after a YouTube video went viral declaring that Selena found flirty texts Justin sent to his ex Jasmine - E!News later shot this down

Selena performs in Atlanta Georgia and Justin’s friends Alfredo and Carin attend the show. Justin tweets:

“ATL show @selenagomez love tonight! @alfredoflores and @carinmb are in the building i heard. #Beasts!”

*E! article here (x) / tweet here (x)

August 6th:

Alfredo posts a photo of him, Justin, Selena to Instagram captioned: “swimming with the boys :)” while Justin adds a photo of himself to Selena’s Instagram

August 7th:

Justin and Selena attend the 2011 Teen Choice Awards together and were super affectionate throughout the entire ceremony - Justin danced through Selena's performance of Love You Like A Love Song and cheered her on as she accepted her 5 awards

youtube

August 13th:

Justin and Selena are spotted in an Apple Store in Rosemont Illinois, while she's in town for tour

August 18th:

Justin and Selena attend a pool party and are photographed kissing - Justin also uploads a photo of the two on instagram captioned:

“my babbyyyy”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

instagram

August 19th:

Justin and Selena are photographed as they picked up a smoothie from Smoothie King in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she performs later that evening on tour

During Selena’s soundcheck performance in Philadelphia, a fan shouts out asking for her phone number, Selena replies:

“I don’t think my boyfriend would like that”

*full video here (x)

August 20th:

Selena had “JB” written on her right hand and “I love you” on her left wrist during her concert in New Jersey

August 21st:

Justin and Selena are spotted walking in Hershey Park theme park, in Pennsylvania

August 23rd:

Justin and Selena are photographed out and about with Alfredo, Ryan and Kenny in Toronto, Ontario

August 25th:

Justin announces that he would be releasing his first Christmas album and second studio album later in 2011 -

His manager Scooter Braun and vocal producer Kuk Harrell confirmed a week later that Justin had collaborated with Sean Kingston and Taylor Swift and had also worked with producers The Messengers.

August 28th:

Justin and Selena attend MTV Video Music Awards together where Selena was a co-host for the pre-show - Selena interviewed Justin in the arrivals hall at the awards ceremony where the two were very affectionate sharing kisses, Selena telling Justin:

'Thank you so much. Thank you for hanging out, babe.'

Justin also hugged Selena onstage as he accepted the award for Best Male Video

September 2nd:

Selena watches while Justin plays basketball and cheers in the background

*video here (x)

September 9th:

Justin talks with Women's Wear Daily for an interview and mentions that he's dating Selena:

WWD: You told one of the kids earlier that you’re still friendly with Selena.

JB: She’s amazing. She’s my girlfriend right now.

WWD: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

JB: [Visibly counting] Well, by 25 or 26, I want to see myself, like, married or start looking for a family. I want to be a young dad. I want to be able to have done what I wanted to do — to be successful, to do a movie or whatever. But if the time is right, I definitely want to be married by 25.

One thing — I’m not looking to get married now.

*full interview (x)

September 10th:

Justin and Selena spotted out for lunch in Las Vegas, where Selena performs that evening - they later attend the shows after-party with DJ Taf

September 14th:

Justin and Selena visit the old-set of Wizards of Waverly Place

September 15th:

Justin and Selena attend “The Abduction” premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles - Selena gets boo’d (?) by fans as she walks the red carpet.

September 16th:

Justin are Selena are photographed having lunch and doing a bit of shopping at a mall in Los Angeles

September 17th:

Justin and Selena are seen arriving to LAX Airport departing to Atlanta - later that evening, they attend Georgia Music Hall of Fame with Usher and Justin performs and was honored with the Horizon Award at the 33rd Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards.

*article here (x)

September 18th:

Justin and Selena went to watch the Atlanta Falcons play the Philadelphia Eagles at the Georgia Dome. Justin tweeted photos of themselves kissing on the way to the game.

While leaving the game, Selena is filmed slapping Justin, suggesting they may have been fighting

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

instagram

*full article here (x) full video here (x)

September 19th:

Selena attends The Jay Leno Show where she performs Love You Like A Love Song. Justin came to support Selena and was photographed with her backstage

Selena has a cute interview backstage with Bryan following her performance, Bryan points out that Selena brought Justin:

Selena: “I did. He’s sweet. Everybody’s taking pictures with him right now,”

After her interview, the camera flashes to Justin chatting with Simon Cowell. Before the couple say bye to Simon, Justin grabs Selena’s hip and tells Simon:

Justin: “I’ll look after her.”

*full article here (x)

September 20th:

Justin uploads a photo of him hugging Selena while deplaning a jet onto Instagram.

Justin and Selena are also spotted in the park taking staged photos with 6 babies (?) in which Justin also later uploads to his instagram captioned:

"Brangelina 2.0 hahahahahaha"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

instagram

September 21st:

Justin and Selena attend LA Zoo together

September 23rd:

Selena and Justin are photographed on a PDA filled beach stroll in Malibu California

*Daily Mail article / photos (x)

September 23rd:

Selena and Justin attend Demi Lovato’s concert together held at the Nokia Centre in Los Angeles

After the show, Justin surprises Selena by renting out The Staples Centre arena for a private, exclusive dinner date and movie screening of Titanic:

"The teen supercouple arrived at the empty, 20,000-seat arena, where the lights had been dimmed; on the court floor was a table set for two with candles.

After the meal — steak and pasta, catered by the Lexus club — the couple enjoyed a private screening of Titanic. (The "Baby" singer apparently got the idea from the Adam Sandler flick Mr. Deeds, in which Sandler's character surprises his girlfriend, played by Winona Ryder, with a similar gesture at NYC's Madison Square Garden.)

And TMZ reports that Bieber paid nothing for the big date: The Staples Center comped the evening as thanks for Bieber's recent sold out concerts there."

*UsWeekly article here (x) *justin's tweet (x)

September 25th:

Justin’s best friend Alfredo posts instagram photo of him, Justin, Selena on private jet:

"BOOM BOOM POW! @/JustinBieber @/SelenaGomez -- see the creeper?"

*alfredo's tweet / photo (x)

September 28th:

Selena joins Justin in Franklin Tennessee on the set of his music video shoot for a song off his upcoming Chrismtas album, Under the Mistletoe.

Justin tweets:

“video shoot today for christmas album. #mistletoe”

September 30th:

Justin begins the Latin American leg of his My World Tour, beginning this evening in Monterrey Mexico and concluding October 19th in Caracas Venezuela.

Selena was judging a Disney Channel show with Sean Kingston when she met Ben Baller, the man who made Justin's grill. According to Ben, Selena wasn’t too stoked about meeting him originally, but then she concocted an idea to prank Justin, which he wrote about on his blog:

“Selena says ‘ohhhh I don’t like you! you’re the one who made Justin’s grill huh?’ I said yeah….. does he wear it?’ Selena said ‘YES! he definitely wears it! (stone face towards me) and I’m thinking to myself like damn…. she’s actually really sweet though, I can tell lol… so She says let’s play a prank on Justin…. and I agreed (why not right?) let’s take a pic and then send the guys the pic and under it say ‘guess who’s getting a grill?'”

“I didn’t say it was a joke or anything… a few hours later, I get a text from Justin saying ‘call me’ and I’m like…. damn, he’s gonna be mad or tell me to take it down….”

“He says ‘cmon bro. is she really getting a grill? (I’ve talked to him enough on the phone to know his voice and different sounds, from regular to really happy) and he was definitely concerned like ‘please say it’s a joke’…. so I’m thinking to myself, like damn, I know in the last 3 hours he’s had to have talked to his girl and he had to ask her…. I can’t believe she’s really stringing this little prank along for so long…. she’s really cool for playing the joke for real! haha”

*article here (x)

October 3rd:

Justin was seen looking for Selena in the airport in Rio de Janeiro because there was an issue with her visa.

Selena had some difficulty getting into Brazil because she didn’t have the correct visa

October 4th:

Justin and Selena take a helicopter ride while exploring Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before he takes the stage tomorrow.

An insider tells told Hollywood Life:

'Justin and Selena are staying at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, which is considered to be the most exclusive hotel in Rio.'

'They are staying in a Penthouse Suite which includes one bedroom with a king-sized bed, a living room, a mini bar and two marble bathrooms with a separate bathtub and shower.'

*Daily Mail article / photos (x)

October 5th:

Selena joins Justin backstage before he takes stage and poses for photos, while Justin tells a reporter he calls Selena “Mamacita” during an interview

After the concert, Justin and Selena were seen out for dinner, clubbing at Copa Club and kissing in the backseat of the car on their way back to the hotel

*DailyMail article here (x)

October 6th:

Selena and Justin are spotted by numerous fans around town before Justin’s second show this evening - that night, Selena joins Justin on stage and they perform Selena’s song Who Says together.

Justin tweeted earlier in the day:

"had a lil fun last night in RIO….show #2 in RIO is 2nite….got some very special guests with me 2nite #mistletoe"

*justin's tweet (x)

youtube

October 7th:

Justin and Selena are photographed boarding their plane as they leave Rio de Janeiro

October 9th:

Justin speaks with New! Magazine for an interview and admits he loves Selena but insists they have no plans to move in together because of their busy careers:

"I wouldn't be with somebody if I wasn't in love,"

"Everybody can see she is hot and that's great, but there is so much more to her than that. She makes me laugh and she puts up with my practical jokes. She has really strong family values as well. We were both raised by our moms in single-parent households, and that's given us a lot of the same family values in life."

"At the moment we're so busy, it's pretty much hotel rooms for me for most of the year. She could be in one part of the world and I could be in the other. We are just a young couple who are enjoying spending time with each other. But we both took time off last month and it was just really cool to be able to spend time together and just do normal things like go to the beach and have dinner together."

*full article here (x) and (x)

October 9th:

Justin gives a radio interview with 97.5 Fanatic Philadelphia:

Interviewer: What’s up with you and Selena man?

Justin: Well she’s on tour right now, so yeah.

Interviewer: Is this an official hookup?

Justin: Y‘know, I like to keep some of my private life to myself.

Interviewer: Well it’s already out there.

Justin: I know I mean it’s pretty obvious, but I don’t really like to talk about it.

Interviewer: I got you, you wanna keep it a private relationship - but how’d you swing that? It’s tough to get that break through line.

Justin: Yeah I know, I was pretty shocked myself. She’s very beautiful.

Interviewer: So how’d you make the approach? Did someone put you two together or what?

Justin: We started as friends like 2 years ago, so we were just friends for a long time - that’s how it happened.

October 12th:

Selena tweets a photo she added to instagram, of her eating Tim Hortons in Canada:

“Canada.. I missed you. But @justinbieber misses you more.”

*selena's tweet here (x)

October 17th:

Justin's song Mistletoe, the first single off his Christmas album, is officially released - Selena posted a photo of the song to her Instagram captioned:

“Finally it’s out.. Did y’all buy it?”

October 18th:

Justin performs the last show of his My World Tour this evening in Carasova Venezuela

October 20th:

Selena and Justin are spotted walking around The Forks shopping area in Winnipeg, Canada. Selena has the night off from her We Own the Night World Tour, but has a performance in the city tomorrow.

Insiders confirm that her and Justin are staying at the luxury boutique hotel Inn at the Forks in Winnipeg.

That evening, Justin again rents out an entire movie theatre for a date with Selena -he arranged for a screening room at the SilverCity Polo Park Cinemas to be kept empty so he and Selena could watch Real Steel' in private, and also rranged for pizzas to be delivered to the cinema for him and Selena to feast on during the movie.

A source at the venue said: "They made sure to keep everything really under wraps and private. He was really polite and they both thanked everyone before they left."

Justin uploads a photo of him and Selena in the theatre to Instagram captioned "me and my besty watching a movie"

*full article here (x)

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October 21st:

Selena plays at the MTS Centre this evening in Winnipeg Manitoba, while on her We Own The Night World Tour.

Her and Justin stopped by Winnipeg's D'Arcy's Animal Rescue Centre for a visit and played with the dogs for over an hour - there were rumours that Selena took a pup with her

Justin and Selena are spotted by various fans throughout the day while out exploring Winnipeg, including Tim Hortons, and Speedworld Indoor Kart Track along with friend Ashley Cook

*full article here (x)

October 22nd:

Justin takes Selena to a hockey game to watch his favourite team, the Winnipeg Jets, from a private suite at the MTS Centre wearing matching jerseys with their names emblazoned across the backs. According to onlookers, they spent most of the game kissing and cuddling one another.

After the game, the two physically took to the ice both wearing Jets jerseys - after circling the ice a few times holding hands, Selena didn't skate much at all, preferring to watch Justin take shots at net.

*full article here (x)

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October 24rd:

Selena is in London, Ontario for her We Own The Night World Tour and was seen carrying puppy Baylor around backstage before her concert wearing a Baylor University sweatshirt.

*photo here (x)

October 24th-October 29th(?):

Selena’s tour continues through October 30th in Canada and Justin remains with her for most of the dates - sometime throughout this period, they visited and spent time with Justin's family and are photographed together carving pumpkins and eating pie.

October 25th:

Its been reported that Selena and Justin have adopted a puppy together from D'Arcy's ARC while in Winnipeg, Canada:

“I was told that [Selena] was missing the dogs that she has at home,” the shelter’s CEO told People. “I wasn’t expecting her to adopt a dog while she was on tour.”

*full article here (x)

October 27th:

Justin sat down with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush while promoting his new Christmas album, “Under the Mistletoe,” and chatted about Selena’s new puppy and their private movie theatre date

Baylor:

“She saw this dog, and she fell in love with it. She was like, ‘I need to have it!’ We just went to the shelter just to look around. Turns out, she brought one home. It was kind of like she just saw the dog, and it kept going to her, I don’t think the dog really likes me that much. I think he’s on tour with her right now,”

Movies:

“If I go into a movie theatre and everyone’s not looking at the movie and looking at us, it’s kind of like awkward, I’m looking at the movie and everyone’s looking at me. It’s like I’m the movie or something.”

*full article here (x)

October 28th:

Justin appears on Jay Leno and talks about Selena - she is in attendance and her and Justin pose for photos backstage

November 1st:

Justin’s Christmas album “Under The Mistletoe” is officially released today - he begins shooting the Fa La La Music video with Boys II Men and Selena joins him on set posing for photos together.

Later that evening, a tabloid story about Justin began circulating online:

A 20-year old woman named Mariah Yeater has filed a paternity suit against Justin on October 31st, alleging that he fathered her child after a brief backstage tryst at Justin’s October 2010 L.A Staples Centre concert. The paternity suit was reportedly filed on October 31st in a California court.

*Mariah Yeater article here (x)

November 2nd:

Justin on appears on On Air With Ryan Seacrest to promote his new Christmas album “Under The Mistletoe” and he mentions Selena's newly adopted dog Baylor

He also later appears on POWER106 FM during his “Under The Mistletoe” promo, rapping an Otis freestyle referencing Selena:

“my girl says I’m perfect she just loves an imperfect person perfectly, personally I think she is perfectly perfect"

Later that day Justin tweets alluding to the Mariah accusations:

“all the rumors...the gossip....Im gonna focus on the positives....the music."

*POWER106 video here (x) tweet here (x)

November 3rd: '

Selena was photographed arriving to LAX Airport in Los Angeles, heading to Belfast to meet Justin, and was all smiles.

Meanwhile, the Mariah Yeater rumours have not settled down whatsoever as the tabloids continue and Mariah continues to give interviews

*DailyMail article here (x) AnythingDiz photos here (x)

November 4th:

Justin gives an interview to Today Show to dismiss Mariah Yeater’s claims and says he's never even met her:

“I would just like to say that none of those allegations are true.”

“I know I’m going to be a target, but I’m never going to be a victim,” Justin added.

“It’s crazy, because every night after the show I’ve gone right from the stage right to my car. So it’s crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations.”

A statement released by Justin’s publicist on Wednesday said his lawyers had not seen the suit reportedly filed by Yeater, but said:

“it’s sad that someone would fabricate, malicious, defamatory and demonstrably false claims. We will vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to defend and protect Justin against these allegations.”

Rumors begin circulating that Selena and Justin have split in light of the Mariah Yeater allegations - late Friday afternoon, it was reported Selena had dumped Justin in the wake of the scandal.

*Today Show article here (x)

November 5th:

Justin and Selena have not split up, a rep for Selena told Access Hollywood and USWeekly on Friday night.

A source close to Justin also shot down rumors of the split on Friday night, telling Access that there was no truth to the rumors and the couple is still heading to Europe together this weekend for the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast where Justin will be performing at the show while Selena will be the host.

*AccessHollywood article here (x) UsWeekly article here (x)

November 5th:

Justin and Selena wave to fans as they arrive together at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Later that evening, Justin and Selena are later photographed together hand-in-hand arriving at the MTV Voices Dinner.

"Justin and Selena could not keep their eyes off each other for the whole night," a dinner source told Us. "They were very much in love and didn't show any signs of stress or strain in their relationship."

Justin, who was receiving an award for his charity work, tweeted after the event:

"I know what it is like to not have alot...so it feels great to be in a position to #giveback. thanks to everyone helping me"

*photos here (x) UsWeekly article here (x)

November 6th:

TMZ reports from sources directly connected with Justin that he will happily take a DNA test in two weeks when he returns to the United States to prove he is not Mariah Yeater's baby daddy -- and after that, him and his team are going after her in court.

Selena hosts the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast, North Ireland this evening while Justin is set to perform at the event. After the ceremony, they attend LMFAO'S after-party and are photographed together at the event

*TMZ article here (x) photos here (x) / tweets here (x) (x) (x)

November 7th:

Justin and Selena are photographed after their private tour of Chelsea FC’s football ground in London on Monday morning

It's been reported that Justin gifted Selena $27k diamond bracelet and surprised her with it just before she took the stage to present at last night’s MTV EMA’s

*full article here (x) photos here (x)

November 8th:

Justin and Selena stop by NRJ Radio station Paris, France for an interview while Justin is promoting his Christmas album

Later that afternoon, Justin and Selena are photographed together hand-in-hand after a lunch date at Paris's L'Avenue restaurant

And that evening they were photographed on a dinner date

*DailyMail article (x) dinner photo (x)

November 9th:

Selena and Justin are photographed shopping while in Paris

Justin posts a photo of him and Selena on Instagram at Disneyland Paris with the caption:

“thank god above for my very own christmas love”

November 11th:

Justin and Selena hold hands as they head back to their car after visiting a television studio in Madrid, Spain

Selena has been joining Justin on his European promo tour for Under The Mistletoe.

Selena tweets that her puppy Baylor is sick and needs surgery.

*full article here (x) tweet here (x)

November 12th:

Selena and Justin are spotted leaving KISS FM Radio station together in London

*DailyMail article (x)

November 16th:

Selena’s music video for Hit The Lights is officially released and premieres on VEVO

TMZ reports thatMariah Yeater officially dismisses paternity lawsuit:

"The suit was quietly dismissed late last week and Mariah Yeater's lawyers, Lance Rogers and Matt Pare, have withdrawn from the case.

As we first reported, Justin not only planned to take a DNA test when he returned to the U.S., he was going to sue Yeater and her lawyers for making a bogus claim. And, as we reported, Justin's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, called the attorneys and informed them a suit was looming.

The paternity lawsuit left Mariah Yeater open to a possible charge of statutory rape, because Justin was only 16 years old at the time of her claims."

*TMZ article here (x)

November 17th:

Justin does the radio interview circuit today while in New York City in promotion of his album Under The Mistletoe:

Justin sits down with 92.3 NY for a radio interview and was asked about Mariah Yeater's claims, getting serious with Selena, and what Usher thinks of them.

They first speak about Mariah Yeater and the texts she sent her friend begging him to erase evidence/text messages that admit her son's dad is someone else, promising to give him a cut of the action when she gets paid.

*full video interview here (x)

Justin sat down for an exclusive interview at the Elvis Duran Morning Show at Z100 Studio where they replayed him an interview he gave back in 2009 saying while he thought Selena was pretty, he didn't *like* her.

Justin, blushing, tells Elvis:

"My life is pretty good right now, and she's just another blessing”

*full video interview here (x)

Justin appears on The Breakfast Club Power 105.1 for an interview and talks about his Staples Centre date with Selena and how that came about

(the interviewers are pretty inappropriate to him the entire time tbh)

*full video interview here (x)

November 17th:

Mariah Yeater sent a text Wednesday to a friend, begging him to erase an incriminating text in which her mom says someone OTHER than Justin Bieber is the baby daddy, and then promising to give him a cut of the action when she scores a payday.

*TMZ article here (x)

November 20th:

Justin and Selena attend The AMA’s together in Los Angeles and walk the red carpet, arriving and departing to and from the event in a white vintage Packard Super 8.

UsWeekly reported Justin serenaded Selena during AMA rehearsals:

"At one point Justin even sang 'I Feel Good' a la James Brown. They were totally adorable. They were snuggling in between takes, and he was serenading her! They look as in love as ever."

Selena and Alfredo were filmed dancing during Justin's performance

*DailyMail article here (x)

November 21st:

Justin and Selena went out for breakfast at iHOP, the restaurant where they were first spotted holding hands last December, with their one year anniversary right around the corner — they smiled for the cameras as they walked hand-in-hand out of the restaurant in Los Angeles.

“Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez had breakfast here at about 11 a.m. They were here for about one hour. They both seemed very happy and hungry. Selena had the double blueberry pancakes and Justin had two fried eggs, two waffles, bacon and potatoes. They left a very generous tip that was double the amount of their bill and said Happy Thanksgiving before they left!”

*full article here (x)

November 22nd:

Justin is photographed in the audience of Taylor Swift’s concert in New York City where he watched Selena and Taylor performing “Who Says” together

*photo here (x)

November 23rd:

Justin appears on The View to promote his album and he talks about Selena

*full video here (x) timestamp 2:33

November 23rd:

Justin appears on The Late Show with David Letterman and talks about Selena

*full video here (x) timestamp 8:45

November 25th:

Justin plays “Who Says” on Sirius XM while he was DJing songs “he was grateful for in 2011” (aired on the 25th)

November 25th:

Justin and Selena spent Thanksgiving in Selena's home town, Dallas, Texas, with Selena's family.

They went to watch The Muppets at the Landmark Magnolia Pictures Theater, after spending Thanksgiving with Selena’s family.

“It was just the two of them, they watched the movie with the general public. They were both incredibly polite and low profile.”

“Not too many people realized they were there because they came into the screening while the trailers were running,” the insider explains. “It was dark and people didn’t see them. When they came to the theatre complex, they were both holding hands. They looked really down to earth and very happy!”

November 29th:

Fans spot and photograph Justin and Selena hugging and walking around in Utah with Jaden Smith.

The three of them were later photographed by fans ice skating at Park City Mountain Resort, which later a staff member confirmed the photo was taken there:

“Jaden was doing some crazy one-legged stuff, I guess he really thinks he is the Karate Kid. They were laughing and joking with each other. Justin joked with Selena and tried to do a doubles routine at one point. It was all very playful. Everyone was in super great moods.”