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richincolor · 4 years ago

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SomeThoughts about Netflix's Shadow & Bone

This past Friday, the highly anticipated Shadow and Bone series premiered on Netflix and fans of the Grishaverse all over the world logged in to watch their favs come to life. There was much discussion of the inclusion of numerous characters from throughout the Grishaverse and that diversity was a focus in the casting of the show, especially Jessie Mei Li who is biracial, therefore changing the main character’s ethnicity to biracial Shu Han. Unfortunately, that decision didn’t pay off to well due to the showrunner’s handling of Alina’s ethnicity. Twitter blew up as people shared their hurt and warned others about what to expect.

I had planned to watch the show and happened to see one such warning before I watched the series so I was prepared. I watched a couple of episodes, then called it a night. The next morning I was unsettled and reached out to my fellow contributors here on Rich in Color. No one had seen it yet, but Jessica said she was planning to as well. As we chatted, I felt that our conversation should be shared with our readers, so Jessica and I decided to write our thoughts down and have a conversation after she watched a few episodes herself.

Oh, and spoilers abound!

First off, before we dive into this conversation: Have you read the Grishaverse series? How much did you know about the story going in?

K. Imani: As everyone knows I love fantasy so I’m open to reading all sorts of fantasy books. I read the Shadow & Bone series a few years ago and enjoyed it. When the Six of Crows duology came out I read those too and actually enjoyed those better than the original series. Why - more diversity? It also expanded the world and the different perspectives of “Grisha” like folk from other cultures. It was very clear from the writing that Bardugo realized her first series was very lacking in diversity and worked hard to change it. I actually re-read both series during quarantine, so I had a fair idea of what the Netflix series would be about.

Jessica: I’ve actually never read a single Grishaverse book! I know, shocking. I only knew two things about the series going into the show: 1) Six of Crows is a heist book? 2) Ben Barnes is a person who exists.

The cast announcement for any show is always so exciting, and Shadow and Bone was no different. How did you feel about the casting -- before and after you watched the show? What did you think was done well, and what did you think could be improved?

K. Imani: Before watching the show I was actually a bit confused about some of the casting choices. I didn’t understand why 3 of the main Six of Crows characters were in the show and I honestly did not make the connection to Alina and Mal being biracial. Knowing that the Grishaverse is “Russian-based” and knowing that some ethnic Mongolians are considered Russian I just found it cool that the show cast a person who didn’t fit a Russian stereotype. Oh boy was I way off! Overall I was pleased with the casting and think all the actors did a great job. I liked the few changes they did make with casting actors of colors for other roles to round out the diversity of the world.

Bringing it back to Mal, I was confused as to if he was supposed to be coded as biracial. I missed the reference in the show, but I did read somewhere that he was supposed to be as well and that is what bonded him to Alina. If that’s the case, then how come Alina was the only person to experience racism? That thought continues to sit on my heart because it shows that the writers did not really think through how they wanted to express racism and included it for the wrong reasons.

Jessica: My reaction was basically, “I’m happy that other people seem happy!” since again, I had no context for the show. Casting on Netflix shows often seems to be a case of “cool, this is some exciting casting… but definitely could be better and even more intentional.”

K. Imani: “More intentional” That is the word right there! Making a story more diverse is wonderful and fully reflects the world we live in, however if you just randomly do it without thinking it through it comes off as insensitive. I know Leigh Bardugo used this show as an opportunity to make her story better (and I do not begrudge her of that fact) but when one doesn’t think it through, the criticism that is being expressed is a direct result.

Jessica: Sidenote -- I ended up watching a booktube video titled “Darker Jesper, Fat Nina, Shadow and Bone Casting Thoughts” on booktube channel Chronicles of Noria about the casting. Highly recommend checking it out. I also recommend this profile on Jessie Mei Li, who talks about being gender nonconforming.

Did any changes in the Netflix adaptation stick out to you? Were there changes you liked or disliked?

K. Imani: My favorite part of the adaptation is how well the show runners included the Six of Crows characters into the narrative. The storyline completely worked for me and connected the two stories together. I really enjoyed the Arken storyline (and the character tbh) as it was used to flesh out the world of the Grishaverse, which made the series much more interesting. I also liked the change of making Ivan and Fedyor a couple instead of just Darkling’s henchmen as it humanized them and actually made me like Ivan because they were so cute together. Though how that will come into play after the events of Episode 8 will be interesting. I’m a sucker for the Enemies to Lover trope so I loved that Nina’s & Matthia’s story of how they came together was included here. In either Six of Crows or Crooked Kingdom (I don’t remember), it was told as a flashback, but I loved that it was moved here as their “origin story”, so to speak, and how it connects to the events of the Alina timeline.

What I didn’t like...the casual racism. It really bothered me and left me sad the next morning. For example, a certain poster shown in the first episode had me physically cringe and I was upset that 1) the production designers even created it and 2) no one, at no point, said that was a bad idea? Come on! It was horrible to see and I can imagine the hurt an AAPI would experience seeing that. And then, it got worse. Racial slurs thrown around a couple of times in the first couple of episodes to show that Alina is an outsider. They were jarring and took me out of the narrative. Having read the books I knew there was tension between the Ravkans and Shu Han, so I could understand what the show runners were trying to do, but it was actually never explained in show, hence making the racism feel random and just there for shock value.

Jessica: I saw tweets going around alluding to the racism Alina (and other characters to a less frequent extent) faced, so I braced myself for it. I’m only a few episodes in, and the instances so far were brief… but it just didn’t feel right. The foundation for this portrayal of racism wasn’t laid properly. And if the work of laying the foundation and really digging into what it means for the overall worldbuilding doesn’t happen… then why include it at all? Especially if it might be painful for certain viewers? I’m sure harm wasn’t the intent, but that’s the impact. Why not leave it out and let the show be escapism?

K. Imani: Jessica, the eyes comment took me out, not gonna lie. I audibly screamed. Anyone who has experienced a racist comment based on their looks felt that in their gut which is horrible when watching a show for escapism.

Jessica: Yeah, the eyes and rice-eater comments were especially frustrating. On top of it being a reminder of the racism Asians experience daily… it doesn’t make much sense. Like, canonically, do people in Ravka not eat rice? An American’s conception of racism isn’t necessarily going to make sense in a (Imperial Russia-inspired) fantasy world. But maybe I’m missing something since I didn’t read the original books.

And the eyes comment… whoof. When I was a kid, other kids would make fun of my eyes and ask me to, like, count seagulls because surely, I couldn’t see out of my eyes… And the other kids were also Asian! Internalized racism is so real. It’s disappointing that Shadow and Bone would include this experience as, I don’t know, discrimination flavor text. Surely there were better ways to portray discrimination that made sense within the Grishaverse…

Ellen Oh really said it so well: “If a writer is going to show racism against Asians, it's important to balance it with the beauty of all that makes us Asian also.” Where is the balance? Where is the nuance? Even if Alina’s Shu Han mother isn’t alive, couldn’t Alina have had a treasured Shu Han pendant? Just spitballing here. There were so many possibilities.

K. Imani: Exactly. I agree with Ellen and unfortunately there is no balance. That’s what makes it so hurtful. The focus is on how bad it is that she’s biracial and how bad the Shu Hans are for no specific reason. Because Alina is an orphan and grew up in Ravka, she unfortunately has no connection to Shu Han culture (or at least what is shown on screen) so all that she identifies as is Ravkan who just happens to look like a Shu Han person, but she doesn’t exhibit any pride in being Shu Han. Her ethnicity is just another obstacle to overcome which is all the more cringeworthy and why having Alina be biracial just to be biracial without thinking it through ended up being so problematic. Having her be biracial and using casual racism as an “obstacle” that she has to overcome is such a shallow interpretation of racism and shows the writers didn’t do the work to really think about the why the racism exists.

In addition to talking about what was done well and what went wrong or felt off about certain representation, it’s important to look at the “how.” How did this happen?

Jessica: I read on Twitter that one of the show writers is Korean and biracial -- which is awesome! I was really heartened to hear that. But at the same time, this highlights how important it is to have multiple marginalized voices in the room who can speak with some level of expertise. I don’t know the decision-making process that went into including this sort of surface-level, simplistic version of real world racism, but I wonder if anyone, at any point, said “is there a more nuanced and original way to portray this?” or “how will this affect Asian viewers?” Did someone bring it up, and they were overruled? What happened?

This absolutely isn’t a judgment on the Asian writers or staff on the show. When I’ve done collaborative writing, there were times I caught an issue and said “we need to be more sensitive about this” -- and there were other times when my teammates pointed out something I didn’t notice. It happens! That’s why it’s so important to have multiple marginalized perspectives when creating something -- especially when it’s a work as impactful and far-reaching as a Netflix show. Placing the burden of complex, nuanced representation on one, or a scant handful, of marginalized creators is just not going to work… and it’s not fair to the creators, either.

Frankly, this is a problem in so many industries -- film, publishing, games... there are so many “diverse” shows, games, etc with all-white or majority white teams. Good, nuanced representation can only happen when BIPOC / marginalized creators are the majority and have power behind-the-scenes. (This is why I’m really excited to watch the show Rutherford Falls -- half the writers room are Indigenous writers, as is the co-creator!)

K. Imani: Exactly! It’s great that one of the writers is biracial and Korean, but if she’s the only one how much input did she really have? I’m by no means knocking her experience but, say for example, that particular poster in the first episode. No one else behind the scenes found it problematic? There are many steps to a production process and that poster, if there had been more diverse voices present on the production staff instead of just 1 writer, would have been flagged as a huge problem and redone. The poster was supposed to be a “short cut” to show Ravkan/Shu Han tension but instead it came off as so profoundly racist and unnecessary. There are many other non-racist ways to explore the tensions between the two countries that could have been explored instead of just jumping to racism. And...as someone on Twitter pointed out, we never see the tension between the Ravkans and the Shu Han, but we openly see fighting between the Ravkans and the Fjierdans, so why were they not vilified to the same extent?

Jessica: Right. I’m definitely not saying racism can’t be portrayed in fantasy ever. But if you’re going to do it, make it make sense within the world. Don’t just use it as shorthand for “this character is Other.” I mean, experiencing racism isn’t what makes me Asian…

K. Imani: Boom! I’m going to repeat that for the people in the back...experiencing racism is not what makes a person Asian or Black, and if you are going to have racism in a work of art, be sure to provide balance to show all the other aspects of a person of color’s life.

Since we’re talking creators behind-the-scenes… which YA fantasy books by Asian authors do you think would make great Netflix shows or movies?

Jessica: I’ve got a list about a mile long, but I’ve cut it down to my top four:

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

You’re welcome, Netflix execs who are totally reading this blog. Hop to it!

K. Imani: I second the Tiger at Midnight series! I loved the first two books and can’t wait for the conclusion in June. While not YA, the City of Brass series would make an excellent Netflix series. Anything Maurene Goo writes would be fun rom-coms (because we need those too!).

Jessica: I mean, with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before complete… Netflix clearly needs to start adapting Maurene Goo’s books.

K. Imani: Yes, the people demand it! I don’t care which book, just grab one of them and get the production started.

On a final note, I do want to say that despite the criticism the show rightly deserves, there was much about the show that was enjoyable. The storytelling was strong and moved at a good pace, the costuming was on point, special effects worked seamlessly into the narrative, and even small touches such as how the Grishas used their small science was visually interesting. Book adaptations are always hard to pull off well and the Shadow and Bone production team did a good job overall. Their intention towards adding more diversity is a step in the right direction, but just didn’t do enough. Let’s hope they learn from their mistakes and improve for season 2.

#shadow and bone

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youngboy-oldmind · 4 years ago

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DISCOGRAPHY REVIEW: 2) UNDER PRESSURE

“How my mama, how she doin'? Does she know what I'm pursuin'?/ I ain't talk to her in years, that relationship she ruined/ But sometimes I wake up and wonder just what the fuck I'm doin’/They say family is everything, I swear that shit the truth/ I should spend it all with y'all, but I spend it in the booth/ This is everything I love, this is everything I need/ Never sacrifice this feelin' even though my heart bleed”

In 2014, Maryland rapper Sir Robert Bryson Hall III released his debut album Under Pressure: a project that illustrates some of the best of Logic’s technical, lyrical, and storytelling skills. Rampant with hunger and eagerness, Logic radiates an energy of success and drive to excel in the hip hop industry.

It was hard putting Under Pressure 2nd in the ranks. “Soul Food”, “Buried Alive”, “Metropolis”, “Till The End”, and “Under Pressure” are some of my favorite songs from him. Logic exhibits straight forward storytelling, admitting his personal plights and struggles. Whether it be his relationship with hip hop, his family, or “Nikki”, Logic bares it all in a very exposing manner, making the entire Under Pressure experience raw.

The production, as always, was near perfect. Logic again fuses a crisp, modern sound with old 90s and 2000s influences to create an outstanding sound. “Buried Alive” is my favorite song production wise, with a close second being “Under Pressure”. Overall, this album definitely set the standard for his production for the rest of his career.

Also, I should note this project has no rap features nor any skits. Just 56 minutes of uninterrupted Logic flow. Whether that’s good or bad depends on the listener, great hip hop projects tend have more than just a playlist of songs. They incorporate skits or monologues to transform listening to a list of songs into an entire experience. When a project is just songs, it can feel like a mixtape. That doesn’t necessarily mean its bad (i.e. Chance’s Coloring Book), it’s just sometimes can make a project feel more like a mixtape or a playlist.

I enjoyed the track list, with the only exception being “Nikki”. The song wasn’t bad, but the build up around it was over-emphasized for a very medium reveal (”Nikki” being short for nicotine). By comparison, throughout Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick teases a poem and alludes to the whole meaning the album title. The build up is worth it; the meaning of that idea is brilliant, painful, and beautiful. And it ties together the themes of the album perfectly. I’m not going to spoil it because its def worth it to find out on your own (Plus I’ll be doing a project on To Pimp A Butterfly soon👀 ). But here, it doesn’t have enough weight so the reveal feels very surface level. Like “Just in case you didn’t understand Nikki isn’t a woman, here! Let me force feed you this analogy.” I don’t hate it. And Logic was being creative. It just felt underwhelming.

My favorite song on this project is the title track “Under Pressure”. I’d argue its top 3 in his career. The instrumental is perfect, featuring a beat switch of which I’m always a sucker for. Logic gets personal in the second half where he talks as his sister and father leaving voicemails who want to talk to him. But Logic, focusing on his music and career, is not able to be as involved. So he deals with the conflict of not being there for his folks. In 9 minutes, Logic hits a high that I believe he hasn’t reached since. Its the perfect blend of all of Logic’s strengths.

Unfortunately, even with that, there’s still one lingering reason this project is 2nd place: Logic’s lack of distinctness.

The appeal of a debut album is an artists ability to come out the gates with something that makes them worth listening too. What makes you different from an already established rapper. Not every debut can be Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, or College Dropout, but plenty of artists establish what differentiates them. Unfortunately, Logic does not establish that here. He establishes that he’s extremely good, but doesn’t establish he’s unique. He establishes lyrical abilities and production skills, but he still wears the costume of his influences.

This influence is apparent on several songs. On “Gang Related”, there’s deep voiced vocals singing a hook that’s identical to the deep voice inflection on “Furthest Thing” from Drake’s Nothing Was the Same. Additionally, the snare and beat pattern on “Metropolis” is identical to “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” from Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. The average fan might not notice or care about that, but an addict like me noticed instantly. However there’s nothing wrong with being influenced by an artist. “Blow My High (Members Only)” off Kendrick Lamar’s section.80 samples a part Pimp C’s verse on “Big Pimpin’” off Jay-Z’s Vol 3. Life and Times of S. Carter. However, there are several differences.

Kendrick bit a piece of a verse and adjusted it to fit his song. And he gave sample credits. Logic on the other hand, took the sound and replicated it without giving sample credits. It’s like he heard it and was inspired to just rap over it instead of using it to create something unique. In addition, “Big Pimpin’” came out in 1999 and “Blow My High” came out in 2011. Whereas “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” came out in 2012 and “Metropolis” came out in 2014. Sampling sounds good when you take an older style and modernize/evolve it. Taking a sound that’s still modern and prevalent, especially without giving credit, is borderline stealing.

Because this happens multiple times throughout this project, and he sounds so similar to Kendrick Lamar, Logic hasn’t demonstrated a uniqueness that earns the #1 rank.

Side Note: I didn’t mention the deluxe edition because none of his other projects had deluxe editions, so the comparison wouldn’t be as fair. Also, the deluxe edition doesn’t add much to be honest.

Under Pressure is an excellent album. Despite some similarities with his influences, Logic still comes out the gate swinging with a solid start to his career. After listening to his entire discography, “Under Pressure” is still my favorite song of his. He set a high bar for himself and created one of the best projects 2014 and one of the best in his career.

Top 3 Tracks:

1) Under Pressure

2) Buried Alive

3) Soul Food

Overall Grade: A

#hip hop #hip hop review #music review #album review #logic

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blackjack-15 · 5 years ago

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A Surprisingly Thoughtful Spin — Thoughts on: The Haunted Carousel (CAR)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

This game also has an additional section between “The Mystery” and “The Suspects” entitled “The Theme”, where I’ll talk about the philosophy within this game, and how it stands out and solidifies its place as a truly “Expanded” game due to that thoughtfulness.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: CAR, brief mentions of CLK, CRY, HAU, and ASH, brief but slightly spoiler-y mention of the opening act of SPY.

The Intro:

The Haunted Carousel is, without preamble, a fantastic game.

I know I normally start these with a brief analysis of what stands out about the game or what it’s done for the series as a whole — and I will do that, never fear — but I think it’s important to establish first and foremost that, while it’s not an Overtly Beloved game, it very much should be, and it doesn’t get enough near enough credit. Especially since, in my opinion, the many great modern games’ tight plots and varied protagonists have their roots in this excellent game.

With a logical and ever-progressing plot, characters who feel like actual people, beautiful visuals, and historical backstories that round out the present day plots (plots!! In the plural!! Huzzah!!), Haunted Carousel may not be a wild ride, but it is a consistent, fun, and surprisingly thoughtful one.

CAR is perhaps the odd one out of its fellow Expanded games (SSH through SHA) in that its location isn’t really anything immersive. You don’t spend your time outdoors in thick atmosphere nor surrounded by trinkets of the Maya nor stuck on an old ranch, but between a bright hotel room and a shut-down (but not rundown) amusement park during the day. Its historical background isn’t linked to a specific area, there isn’t a “standout” scene featured in every gifset or trailer, and the wackiest the game really gets is expecting the player to enjoy Barnacle Blast.

In most ways, in other words, CAR is an exceptionally quiet game in the middle of quite a few loud ones, which might account for it not getting as much credit as it deserves. There are flashier games, there are longer games (CAR is quite short), and there are games with better and more memorable cutscenes…but there’s not many games in the series (and none of out the expanded games as well-told and sincere as CAR.

Not only is CAR a lot of fun to play, but it also takes care to mean something – to tell an actual story rather than a bare-bones whodunnit. The characters all have their reasons for being there and being involved, and they all have something to say as well — some directly contrasting each other. CAR doesn’t feel really like a computer game where everything is laid for the Convenience of the Plot and the suspects are only there to robotically deliver plot points and incriminate themselves. Rather, it feels like a whole story with real people where a crime happens to occur, but not everything revolves around that central plot point.

It’s also remarkable in the presence of a protagonist, which isn’t really something that Nancy Drew games have done yet. Nancy herself doesn’t count because at this point, Nancy doesn’t gain or lose anything from the mystery; she’s not the one with a problem, nor does she discover anything about herself. The Nik-era games are notable for their strong protagonists (or, often, dual protagonists with Nancy acting as one out of the two), but CAR really is the first one to take a character and have Nancy be a part of their story, rather than having Nancy act as a magnet to four pieces of metal and a mystery.

Mechanically, CAR is much the same as games that have come before it, as we won’t see another big upset until SHA, with the addition of Nancy’s cell phone (oh blessed day) and, most importantly, a task list. Fans had been asking for a task list since MHM (which sorely needed one so that you could at least identify which hanzi you had already seen) and CAR delivers that long-needed mechanical update.

The historical backstory is more recent than in most games, happening not in Antiquity or even during the 1700s but instead in the modern(ish) day, featuring the man behind the titular Carousel’s horses, Rolfe Kessler. The backstory doesn’t feel like an appendage like in DOG, but really establishes why the Carousel is so important and helps serve the theme of the game (more on that later).

The last thing that’s really important to note in CAR is its villain. By now, HER is reasonably okay at camouflaging its villain for at least the first third of the game, and here does a good job keeping the player in the dark for the first bit. CAR is also HER’s first successful attempt at the friendly villain archetype. Elliott Chen is pleasant, accommodating, friendly, funny, and incredibly likable. He just also happens to be a forger stretched thinner than he’s comfortable with.

Ultimately, The Haunted Carousel is a great game with a huge thematic presence, likable characters, and an honest character arc. Not only should it be a must-play for any new fan, it should be on the top of any older fan’s re-play list, both for its intrinsic value and for its obvious influence on the plots and protagonists of the modern Nancy Drew games.

The Title:

As far as titles go, The Haunted Carousel is a meh one – admittedly, it’s probably the weakest part of the entire game. It does tell us what our focal point will be — the Carousel — and the mystery surrounding the focal point – that it’s haunted — but, like DOG, it doesn’t really go much past that.

After completing the game, the title does mean a little more — the events of the game are a carousel of hauntings in that they seem to be cyclical and mysterious, but are really a farce — a simple fair ride with pretty decorations but simple parts. The carousel itself also points towards the villain, who’s the only artist out of the cast, and seems to allude to Joy’s cycle of sadness — she’s haunted as well.

It’s not a brilliant title, all things considered, but because the game is so good, it’s only a minor blip on the radar rather than something symptomatic of the game’s value.

The Mystery:

Paula Santos, a friend of Carson Drew’s, hears about Nancy’s penchant for solving mysteries and decides to call her in to investigate some thefts and sabotage that Captain’s Cove, an amusement park in New Jersey, has been encountering.

Nancy learns that first, the lead horse on the carousel was stolen, followed by the roller coaster losing power and causing a serious crash. The last straw for Paula was the merry-go-round turning on in the middle of the night, and Captain’s Cove has been shut down until someone — perhaps a badly-attired ginger fresh out of high school — can figure out what’s causing these problems.

It’s Nancy’s job to explore the shut-down amusement park, talk to the leftover staff, help reconstruct a carousel horse, and use such Astoundingly Modern Technologies as a cell phone and a laptop in order to crack the case behind The Haunted Carousel.

As a mystery, CAR is a pretty good one; it’s the age-old Nancy Drew Sabotage set up, but with the twist of happening at an amusement park. There are plenty of clues and even more red herrings, and the attempt to keep you guessing until the 3/4ths mark is a solid attempt.

I don’t know if this mystery feels more fun because it’s at a place like an amusement park or if really is that fun, but the overall effect is the same, and CAR is a delight to solve. The backstory and present story fit together like jigsaw pieces, and the suspects are both interesting and a ton of fun to question.

Is CAR an overly difficult or surprising mystery? Not to the modern mind, I would say, especially given the mystery fans’ inclination to suspect the friendliest suspect (a hole-in-one suspicion here). But it is incredibly fun to see how everything is put together, and it’s a water-tight mystery, if not air-tight.

It’s okay that the mystery isn’t the absolute greatest, however, because it isn’t the most profound part of the game.

The Theme:

Prior to CAR, Nancy Drew games didn’t really bother with the concept of theme. It was new and novel and difficult enough to design detective computer games that ran efficiently with decent graphics and to put them out twice a year that HER focused, quite rightly, on that rather than on trying more complex ideas.

With the formula and the game engine firmly established, however, and a small but fervent fanbase ready to devour the latest game — and being in charge of their own distribution — HER was ready to expand their games in a way separate from technology or location: it was ready for a strong theme.

As a character, Nancy deals with some pretty heavy stuff during the course of her mysteries. In the early games, we don’t really see it affecting her that much, which is a product of simple writing and, in my opinion, the child-like resilience of an 18 year old. While she has her occasional line like “to think I almost made friends with a jewel thief!” in TRT, these cases tend to engage Nancy on an intellectual level rather than an emotional one.

CAR shifts that narrative slightly and allows Nancy to bond with a suspect — Joy Trent — over their shared loss of a mother. Joy has also lost her father recently and is stuck in mourning over both her father and her childhood. Her father, having realized how both repressed and depressed Joy is, decided to build her a robot to help her get in touch with her childhood again. In other words, the jumping off point of the story is a father who wanted good things, happiness, and safety for his daughter, and tried to go about it in a way that he thought would be best.

If you’re hearing echoes of SPY here, you’re correct. The difference here being that Joy’s repression of tragedy leads her into a pit of inaction while stewing over that tragedy, while Nancy’s repression (which I’ll talk about more in my TMB meta) pushes her to action while ignoring the driving force of that tragedy.

CAR is also, I believe, the first time that Nancy mentions the death of her mother to a suspect, and it’s a really humanizing moment for her. As much as Nancy can be driven, tactless, and goal-oriented, she’s not a robot, and she does have personal as well as professional reasons behind the things she does and the characters she tends to bond with.

The first big thematic point in CAR is the importance of connection. It juxtaposes morose, prickly Joy (who doesn’t want a friend but gets one anyway) against our villain, who is friendly and smiling and charming but is by no means someone Nancy should make friends with. It also asks a question to tie into this theme: are those who are mean bad, and are those who are bad always mean? It’s almost a Shakespearean theme (“one may smile, and smile, and be a villain”) and it’s well-placed here.

The second theme comes up in the backstory about Rolfe Kessler, a genius who struggled all his life with mental illness, eventually ending with him never getting the credit he deserved and without the companionship of the woman he loved, Amelia.

It’s a tragic story in a way that HER hasn’t really done tragic stories yet — MHM has a basically happy ending, in TRT by the end the implication is that Marie is finally going to get the credit and un-blackening of her name that she deserves, FIN’s is a whole mess so we’re not even gonna try to dissect that, and in SSH the Whisperer is vindicated.

There’s no descendant of Rolfe in this game; no historian ready to exculpate him, no family members or friends to remember him fondly to Nancy over the phone. Rolfe is in the game, as in his life, alone. It’s a tragedy, and the way that Nancy and the player discover his genius and his story is quiet, as befitting the man.

Through Rolfe’s story we address the twin themes of remembrance — that how you’re remembered will generally be the way you lived (think DED’s dénouement for further insight) in the time that you lived — and of the role of trauma and struggle in life. Rolfe’s struggle against his illness didn’t make him a genius, but it did stand in his way of achieving all that he could.

And that’s where we tie into Joy and the main theme of the game. Once again, we see a person being limited by their mental illness and their struggle against it, and a world that doesn’t really take that struggle into effect. Instead of Joy being alone in this struggle, however, she has help — not just the small help from Nancy, but the help and support of her father through Miles the Magnificent Memory Machine.

Miles was created by Darryl Trent to help Joy unlock her childhood memories and move past her trauma in a healthy way – and only if she was actually dedicated to the task. The riddles, while not hugely difficult, are enough to dissuade Joy from ever really trying to get past them, as she’s not ready to open that lid just yet. As anyone who’s experienced mental illness (or had a close loved one experience it) knows, there’s no way for you to improve and grow if you’re not ready to receive the help you need.

Opening up just a little bit to Nancy and having someone who doesn’t have to care about her problems actually care is enough to springboard Joy to take the first step and try to tackle the riddles again with a little help. Over the course of the game, Joy gets more and more ready and less resentful towards her past and finds the strength to confront herself and her illness.

While the trauma of losing her mother in the way that she lost her (not to mention the added weight of her family’s financial situation) didn’t make Joy strong, the choice to struggle through and come out the better on the other side does make her end the game stronger than when she started and with more — pardon the pun — joy in her life. That progression is what makes her the protagonist, but is also sets her up to have the theme hand-delivered to her.

Miles states that it was Darryl’s belief that life is simply made up of memories. This is why it’s such a big deal that Joy’s memories of her mother are repressed, because her brain is actively erasing her life. As Joy moves through those memories with Nancy and Miles’ help, she gains back her life and is shown that, while struggle is a part of life, it doesn’t define life — and that a good life isn’t necessarily a life made up of only good things.

The presence of these themes (and of the final theme in particular) is what makes CAR such a strong game. Though the characters are delightful, the aesthetic is fabulous, the Hardy Boys are here, and the history and puzzles are fun, it’s CAR’s strong thematic elements interwoven with its plot that really makes it something special.

So let’s get on with those characters, shall we?

The Suspects:

Joy Trent is the current bookkeeper of Captain’s Cove and basically the man in charge apart from Paula. Her father Darryl used to work at/own half of Captain’s Cove, but died poor (specifically of a heart attack in bankruptcy court, poor man) after having to sell his part of the park to Paula. Thus, Joy holds a grudge against Paula even as she does good work for the park.

She’s also suffering a bit of childhood amnesia due to the trauma of her mother dying when she was young — the first of the women featured in this game series to share that backstory with Nancy. This forms a lot of the story’s B plot (with the historical backstory of the game being relegated to the C-plot) as Nancy and a funny little computer help her to move past this emotional block, confront her past, and progress to a better future.

As a suspect, Joy isn’t a bad pick at all, in part because she is responsible for a portion of the sabotage — the shut-down of the roller coaster while it was in operation – over bitterness for her father’s ignominious end. This little instance is helpful for diverting attention away from the true saboteur — though she doesn’t mean to — and it helps round out Joy as more than just the sad daddy’s girl (and resident protagonist) that she would be otherwise.

Well, other than her magical talking robot companion.

Miles the Magnificent Memory Machine isn’t really a culprit, but he definitely needs to be noted here, as he’s the best help that Nancy has outside of the Hardy Boys. Miles knows everything about Joy, yet he can’t move the story forward without Nancy completing a little task after task that unlocks the next portion of his (rather, by proxy, Joy’s father’s) quest to help Joy become a well-rounded, non-traumatized person who can face her past.

I’ve said enough about Miles’ part in the Theme section above, so I’ll move on without too much in this area.

Harlan Bishop is the security guard of Captain’s Cove and an ex-forger in a past life. He’s also voiced by Jonah Von Spreecken, best known for his long-running stint as Frank Hardy and for his writing of Francy fanfiction, God bless the man.

Harlan went to jail for forging checks and had a hard time getting a job once he was free, but Paula offered him a job as a security guard at Captain’s Cove and he’s been loyal since, even taking a pay cut in order to keep his job as the park was shut down. He’s also hilarious, giving such immortal quotes as “the whale is getting impatient” when trying to summon Nancy to the security office.

As a suspect, Harlan is interesting. He shares the key identity of the villain — a forger — as a red herring and as a way to complicate the mystery, and he does do something wrong in that he spies on Ingrid to get the passcode to her office. Sure, he does it for a good and innocent reason — he wants to be the best security guard he can possibly be, and that means learning everything about the park — but it’s still wrong to do, and Nancy (in a rather supercilious way) doesn’t hesitate to call him on it (and, once again rather arrogantly, for his past. Nancy’s done way worse than forgery in her hobby as a detective, after all).

Ultimately, Harlan is too good a guy to actually cause the problems and thefts at Captain’s Cove, and stays on with Paula even after getting other job offers once he helps Nancy recover the stolen lead horse for the carousel. He serves as Nancy’s “buddy” character after the mess with Nancy reporting him finishes its business.

Elliot Chen is the art director — and perpetually behind art director — of Captain’s Cove and our friendly neighborhood villain for the game. Elliott is the first to greet Nancy with a smile and a joke, and is friendly in a way that instantly suckers the player in.

HER has been trying since TRT’s Lisa to create a villain that’s actually a sort of friend to Nancy – or at least passes off as someone becoming her friend throughout the course of the game, and they nail it with Elliott. He even mentions Poppy Dada as a sort of inside joke with the player that makes one easily warm up to him.

As a suspect, Elliott is perfect. He’s sly enough to take advantage of what others do and fold it into his plan (the roller coaster) and to use people’s superstitions to his advantage both for privacy for his schemes and for driving the price of the carousel horses up.

He’s got just enough clues pointing towards everyone else — taking the eccentricities of his coworkers not only in stride but in good humor and flexibility towards his plans — and a pretty water-tight excuse for falling behind (procrastination — everyone knows artists and other creative types are the Worst Procrastinators) to help him pull off the vast majority of his plan without anyone being the wiser.

In short, Elliott is exactly the kind of character that this game needed, and his presence is a joy — even if (or perhaps especially because) he’s the villain.

Ingrid Corey is the chief engineer of Captain’s Cove, a graduate of OSU, and resident hippy-dippy “nutritionist” who can diagnose a B3 deficiency just by looking at Nancy. She’s a little crazy to talk to, but seems like at first she could just be using that to throw our resident teen detective off the trail.

As a suspect, Ingrid checks all the boxes once again, and not just because she, like everyone else, does something wrong. Ingrid, genius engineer that she is, decides to let a friend borrow the roller coaster’s blueprints to study them for a hefty fee, garnering her enough money for a 20K$ watch and enough left over to look for a new car.

Nancy also suspects her of insurance fraud with a man who got injured on the roller coaster when Joy sabotaged it, but it turns out in a show of startling naiveté, Ingrid just wanted to recommend a neck cream to the unfortunate man rather than help him profit off of his injury.

She doesn’t really become Nancy’s buddy, but she is remarkable in that she sort of disappears for most of the game. At the beginning, it makes her look a bit suspicious, but towards the end it just becomes clear that the game is less focused in Ingrid, who doesn’t really support the theme or move the plot along, and more worried about establishing its meaning and helping Nancy solve the case in time.

The Favorite:

While it should be obvious that my favorite part of this game is its theme and the associated thematic elements, I’ll try to branch out here a bit….though not so far out as to ignore the Hardy Boys, who are once again wonderful in this game. Honestly, most games with the Hardy Boys present are better than most games without the Hardy Boys. (Though of course, there are a few exceptions (notably ASH and SPY).)

CAR has one of my favorite casts (and favorite villains) of the entire series, so they’ll be here as well. It’s such a nice change of pace from games like FIN and DOG where the casts are lackluster to go to games like CAR that are so strong in making you care about the characters.

My single favorite thing about CAR, however, is the presence of a protagonist in Joy Trent. The first games (and quite a few of the middle games, it should be noted) treat Nancy as the main character and lack a protagonist completely, ignoring the fact that Nancy really can’t be a main character in the half-ghost (personality-wise) state she’s in, especially given that most of her dialogue is “ask a question, get an answer” rather than showing any real personality or particular motive beyond solving the case. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why that was the case given the limitations of the early 2000s and of HER in particular, but it does remove any possibility of Nancy being able to be the protagonist.

That’s why Joy’s presence is such a delight, honestly. She’s the character with the problem to solve — her past traumas — and the game carries Nancy through helping her in a way that Nancy’s never really helped anyone before. Sure, Nancy solves the mystery, but what she really does is offer peace to Joy, who can now grow up a little further and move on. CAR gives Nancy a purpose that will be improved and expanded upon in games like CLK, CRY, HAU, and GTH.

My favorite puzzle is the entire puzzle track with the carousel (including the conversation with Tink, who is a wonderful phone friend). There’s something super cool about going inside a carousel and finding out how the magic works, and there’s so much to explore in it that it’s really a magical place, even though it’s not actually anything supernatural.

My favorite moment in the game (other than the final ‘battle’) is the conversation with the Hardy Boys after Nancy nearly gets run over due to her own clumsiness. A classic.

The Un-Favorite:

Because of the care taken with CAR, there won’t be a lot in this section.

My least favorite puzzle is probably the mini-plot revolving around fixing Barnacle Blast — and then playing Barnacle Blast. While it’s not a horrible game in and of itself, it just doesn’t really fit the overall aesthetic of the puzzles of Captain’s Cove, and for me it sticks out quite a bit as a “oh we need a puzzle here what can we think of that the kids like” and came up with an arcade game in a vintage-style amusement park. It’s a bit off.

The stenography isn’t a great one as well, but I give it props for fitting the atmosphere and theme, so it’s not my least favorite.

My least favorite moment in the game…is probably where Nancy knocks over Elliott’s paint, as it seems to be a Big Moment but — Nancy doesn’t actually ruin anything, and it makes Elliott look a little silly.

I know that most of the games (especially as early as CAR) didn’t want to have Nancy do anything wrong in the non-second-chance story of the game, but actually having Elliot forgive her for messing up something important would have been a big step in establishing his character and throwing suspicion off of him — not to mention justifying his even further behind schedule as the game goes on.

The Fix:

So how would I fix CAR?

There’s not a lot of work to be done here, honestly. Take out Barnacle Blast and substitute it with a more on-theme mini-game, lengthen out the game a bit by playing up Ingrid’s plotline along with everyone else’s and perhaps giving Elliott something to do in the latter half of the game so it’s not so obvious by that point that he’s the Villain, and you’ve pretty much clinched it without any real re-working.

Like I said in the last paragraph of the above section, a tweak of the cutscene with “ruining” Elliott’s work would help his and Nancy’s storyline to have a different and improved feel, but that’s pretty much it as far as concrete changes go.

The beauty of CAR is that its simplicity actually works, rather than feeling bare-bones or underwritten. It’s not a difficult or complex mystery, but that’s not the point of Nancy’s being there or of the game as a thematic whole.

Sure, CAR deals with some pretty heavy themes such as loss, loyalty, debt, revenge, trauma, shades of mental illness, and even the question of is a bad person necessarily a mean person, but it accepts those bad things in stride and knows that they’re necessary in order to tell a tale of resilience and a happy ending. Miles the Magnificent Memory Machine delivers that theme to both Nancy and to the player, after all: “even bad memories have a place in a good life”.

#nancy drew #nancy drew games #clue crew #the haunted carousel #nancy drew meta #my meta #CAR #video games

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captainamandapierce-blog · 6 years ago

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Ch’s 27/28

Cubism was a new art style that emerged in the early 20th century in Paris. Unlike other new styles of art prior to this, Cubism explored new perspective pertaining to space and point-of-view. During the Renaissance, art was adored for its ability to depict beauty and a sense of reality. Even when the object of the art was something that could not possibly be real, such as mythological subjects, the space and proportions of the images were generally “realistic.”

With the emergence of Cubism, all the unspoken rules that artists seemed to follow were cast aside. Artists who flourished using this style of art used their masterful skills to blend background into foreground. Recognizable images, such as the human form, were extremely distorted; not in a subtle way, but in such a way that no human being could ever possibly really look that way. The skill with which this was accomplished was astounding; instead of appearing as though created by an amateur or novice, the artwork was masterful and elegant.

One artist who created artwork early on in the era of Cubism was Pablo Picasso. Picasso was known for his tendency to switch between styles of art, and he did it very well. I feel that with a lot of famous artists, you can always make an educated guess when you view their artwork that they were the artist responsible for the piece in question. When it comes to Picasso’s work, an amateur art critic such as myself have a difficult time ascertaining who the artist responsible for the work might be. For example, Picasso’s piece titled The Old Guitarist from the Blue Period is in no way whatsoever comparable in style to his piece titled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, created after his plunge into Cubism.

Georges Braque was another notable artist who painted in the Cubism style. Braque and Picasso are credited as being the two artists who were jointly responsible for the development of Cubism. My favorite piece of artwork by Braque is featured in the textbook. Violin and Pitcher is an example of Cubism at its finest. Braque used monochromatic tones and intense shading to create his masterpiece. True to the Cubism style, Braque blended background with foreground and created an image with sharp contours that alluded to a dark and almost seductive feeling.

The early 20th century not only gave way to the emergence of Cubism, but also to the emergence of Futurism. In terms of architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright emerged with his abstract and beautiful building designs. After World War I, the world witnessed additional new and exciting styles of art. Surrealism, Social Realism, Abstraction and Dada were notable styles that emerged during this time period.

Pertaining to the video “I could have done that,” I can honestly admit that I have been known to have said that in the past. I think that the video does an excellent job discerning between what people really mean when they say “I could have done that.” I agree that some art styles are not favorable to everyone, and I think it is accurate to say that some artwork doesn’t have the skill set that I like to see in artwork.

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gojiro · 8 years ago

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In honor of Easter Sunday, the Vinyl of the Day (along with The Movie I Watched Today) is ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, 1973. The double-album also contains a complete lyric book, and pages of movie stills inside the fold. This is actually one of my very favorite movies ever, even though it’s a religious film AND a musical. I think it’s brilliantly filmed from a cinematic standpoint, with brilliant and energetic camerawork, choreography, and sets - and the singing and lyrics really do tell the story in a very interesting way. It’s also a beautiful time capsule of the look and ideas of ‘70s culture, where artists were trying to rebuild and give fresh meaning to everything. I think with this film they succeeded fantastically well! And this movie really created the template for the upcoming genre of music videos - previously to this time movie musicals usually filmed their song and dance sequences with long shots without many edits; but in JCS, they used the full range of what would become standard in music videos, with fast edits, pacing, close-ups, two shots, unusual camera angles and lighting, mobile camerawork etc.

It’s most interesting difference from the normal story of Jesus, is that it works as a ‘love’ triangle with Jesus, Judas, and Mary - who is a major player in the tale, unusual in a Christ film. The Apostles are given very small roles, and even Peter is just briefly named. Ted Neeley as Jesus is an excellent portrayal (although his singing voice is somewhat weak), he evokes great pain and sadness throughout and shows Jesus as more human and conflicted than what is normally shown. Carl Anderson is a great Judas also, with the film giving him a lot of screen time and much more exploration and depth than also is usual, trying to show his increasing disillusionment with Jesus’s strategy - and of course Anderson has a very strong voice that powered the main title hit song. Yvonne Elliman is the weakest actor of the three, but she was cast for her marvelous voice which also created numerous hits - and her role as Mary shows her as much more important to Jesus than normally seen, and presents her closer to him than the Apostles, which was very controversial. If you’ve never seen this film, you really need to put it on your Netflix list and be prepared to be amazed (and hear some great tunes!).

From Wikipedia;

The movie was very popular earning North American rentals of $10.8 million in 1973. Years later the film was still popular, winning a 2012 Huffington Post competition for “Best Jesus Movie.”

The film as well as the musical were criticized by some religious groups. A New York Times review said, “When the stage production opened in October, 1971, it was criticized not only by some Jews as anti-Semitic, but also by some Catholics and Protestants as blasphemous in its portrayal of Jesus as a young man who might even be interested in sex.

Tim Rice said Jesus was seen through Judas’ eyes as a mere human being. Some Christians found this remark, as well as the fact that the musical did not show the resurrection, to be blasphemous. While the actual resurrection was not shown, the closing & final scene of the movie conveys the resurrection through symbolism as a lone shepherd is seen leading a long line of following sheep in front of the rising sun alluding to both Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” in concert with the simultaneous image of a rising sun(either to reflect as new beginning and/or symbolizing the rising “son”). Some found Judas too sympathetic; in the film, it states that he wants to give the thirty pieces of silverto the poor, which, although Biblical, leaves out his ulterior motives (see also “Everything’s Alright”). Biblical purists pointed out a small number of deviations from biblical text as additional concerns; for example, Pilate himself having the dream instead of his wife, and Catholics argue the line “for all you care, this bread could be my body” is too Protestant in theology, although Jesus does say in the next lines, “This is my blood you drink/This is my body you eat”.

youtube

Check out those bad-ass funky dancing angels too!

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sempainope-blog · 8 years ago

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I am become Death

Title: “I am become Death” AO3

Length: Ongoing

Rating: Mature for language, sexual content, violence, possible torture, possible non con/sexual assault,

Pairings: Jyn/Cassian/Bodhi, Peripheral Baze/Chirrut

Summary: A Knights of Ren/Rogue One AU fic. This is the first mission that the Knights have been separated on, and it is the first one that they have been trusted to do without supervision, but then, no mission has been so important.

Author’s note: Though Rogue One is probably my favorite of the new Star Wars movies, I was a little let down that the terrible fate that the trailers alluded to (Saw Gerrera's "What will you do when they catch you? What will they become?") didn't come to pass. I freely acknowledge that I'm a terrible person (also, maybe, a bit of a sadist), for wanting them to be captured and turned to the dark side.

I also freely acknowledge that I don't know all the ins and outs and finer details of the Star Wars universe. It's been years since I read any of the Star Wars novels but the love has never gone away. There will be tweaks as I work. The only thing I know for certain at this point, is where the story is going and that it is Rook, Andor, and Erso centric. Haha, please bear with me. I may be needing a betareader...

It had come again; intangible, pure, more real than real, and horrible. Heat; unending and suffocating, rolled over her and crushed the air from her lungs. There was nothing she could see, nothing she could hear, beyond the roar of her blood in her ears. The first time she had told one of their keepers about the dream, he had reassured her that the mind made up all sorts of things. Meditation and focusing on training would help, he had said, but years of both of those things had not diminished the visions. If anything, she wondered if they were becoming more real. Even now, hours and hours from waking, she felt her skin prickle in anticipation of the heat.

“Miss?” The blue-skinned owner of the inn they sat in smiled expectantly at her from behind the counter of the bar. The Rogue blinked her impossible dream away, realizing belatedly that the innkeeper’s serving droid had rolled up to her and parked itself at her side. The tray clipped to the unit’s body held a fogged glass pitcher, the contents turning the glass a milky green. Judging from how the liquid was completely still in the glass, the droid had been sitting there waiting for her decision for at least a little while. The Rogue’s companion chuckled quietly, his deep brown eyes steady on her face as if he’d been watching her for a time, too.

“I think we have both had more than enough,” He said, his amusement threaded through his soft voice. His face turned towards the innkeeper, though his eyes lingered on her face for a moment more.

The Rogue ignored him and favored the blue-skinned woman a small smile, bobbing her head slightly in agreement. As if she would allow herself to become intoxicated on mission. The muscles around her lips felt stiff and she wondered if it was as obviously insincere as it felt. If it was, the innkeeper missed it and the droid...well, it was a serving droid. The creature beeped in comprehension and rolled back towards the pantry room. It swiveled its head back to look at them again, as if giving them a last chance to change their mind before disappearing past the pantry door.

It had taken them twenty-three days, twenty-three days of talking and negotiating and making pleasantries, to narrow down the location. Saying that it had been painful and a stretch of her skills would be an understatement. Now, with the target so close, the Rogue felt her mask of warmth and humanity giving way to her impatience. Those extroverted characteristics that made infiltration easy: charisma, a bubbly sense of humor, friendliness; they just weren’t in her nature, if they ever had been.

Of all of their rank, the Rogue never managed to blend in as well or for as long as the others. They were all of them, perfect, near-exact replicas of some long-forgotten human war heroes but something about her unnerved people. The Sniper claimed it was her eyes that gave it away. How they were flat and hungry as a colo claw fish most of the time. The Heavy had been more prosaic about it and had chalked it up to the alterations and additions that had been made to their genetic sequence. There had been almost nothing left of the sources for their genetic templates and some human traits were inherently undesirable to the Supreme Leader to begin with, so the Kaminoans had filled in the gaps and tweaked what existed to order.

Any reasons why the Supreme Leader had insisted on these particular humans for the project was insight into a wisdom that far surpassed the Rogue’s comprehension. It wasn’t deemed necessary information for them to know, and she had never bothered to ask. It hardly seemed important.

Rising up, the Rogue looked over the inside of the inn and meandered towards one of the four narrow windows set in the rounded inn walls. The road was just visible in the dying sunlight, a thin silver-blue ribbon winding over the lush, hilled land. It was clear and empty, and in the distance, the soft glow of the closest colony flickered like a candle. It was more than two hours from the inn by foot but with all the quiet of the countryside, blaster fire would probably carry.

That was fine; blasters weren’t the Rogue’s favorite short-range weapon anyways. Her thumb slid along the top of the belt strapped around her waist before hooking above the handle of her nightstick.

There were strict laws in this region of space, laws fueled by some sort of ridiculous, rabid cultish fervor and the collective unhealed trauma from the Empire’s occupation that prevented the presence of any non-indigenous military presence or bounty hunters from roaming without close observation. That had ruled out their life-sustaining armor in favor for something that, unfortunately, screamed tourist and traveler. The Rogue had been quick to protest but as the Knights and this mission weren’t supposed to exist, it was unavoidable. It had also been a direct order, so. That had settled that.

The Armory’s dark khaki green tunic was the cheap, common kind that could be found at most trading posts with long sleeves and enough folds and pockets to hide all sorts of useful things. The black, high-necked, and long sleeved shirt that the tunic was wrapped over was made of a more expensive and deceptively tough knife-resistant fabric, but a person would have to be looking for that particular detail to notice it. His pants, leg wraps, and shoes were black and all looked to be of the same trading post origin as the shirt.

Weapons were also highly regulated, which meant the most deadly thing the Armory had on his person was a single law-congruent stun pistol, and a crescent-bladed knife hanging off of the utility belt cinched around his middle. The several vials of poison discreetly tucked out of sight were somewhat less legal but they had no intention of staying on this planet past the midnight hour.

The Armory’s dark hair hung loose about his head in a thick, heavy fall that reached his shoulders. It was hardly regulation nor very practical in a fight, but it suited him. The short facial hair that framed the Armory’s mouth and swept up his jaw bone kept his features from appearing too much younger than his twenty-two years and brought balance to the pronounced bridge of his nose and hollowed cheeks. The warm tone of his brown skin easily hid the fact that he wasn’t often exposed to sunlight, quite unlike the Rogue’s. And with his large, friendly eyes that drew people in and a face that leant itself best to smiling, the pair might as well be night and day. That approachability was something the Rogue used to be jealous of for the attention it brought him, but she had ultimately learned to play to her strengths.

The Rogue had brought no weapons aside from herself and a more tame nightstick than the one that usually accompanied her. It hung openly at her waist over a knee-length gray tunic and a twin of the black, stab-resistant shirt that the Armory wore. Her own cinnamon brown hair had been pulled back into no-nonsense braid that had then been twisted into itself and pinned as a bun at the back of her head.

There wasn’t a trace of rouge on her lips or kohl around her eyes, something that the Sniper had pestered her for not caring about. When he hadn’t let up, she rewarded him with a quick sweep of her leg to knock the Sniper’s out from under him and send him crashing heavily down onto the floor. Though the memory of his stunned expression and how he had rubbed at his bruised tailbone brought amusement to the Rogue, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he hadn’t been completely wrong.

A little makeup might have actually made her more approachable...but probably not. If it wasn’t her “colo-claw-fish-eyes” and standoffish demeanor that put strangers off, her sharp tongue inevitably cut away any amicable connections with would-be allies. The knowledge that they had managed at the inn for the past several hours without her offending anyone wasn’t much of a consolation.

The inn wasn’t particularly large to begin with but the Armory and the Rogue were its sole guests. The upper floor housed four rooms to let out to guests while the main floor served as a modest eatery and watering hole for the locals. A place like this probably got more than enough business but it was the off-season now, and the cusp of the second harvest which meant the only people traveling were those who absolutely had to. The inn itself would be closed in another day or two until the cold season was over and planting was complete. It was unlikely anyone would be stumbling in on them.

The Rogue tapped her fingers impatiently along the handle of her nightstick as she started to calculate their odds of being interrupted, then dismissed the thought before it was complete. If the Armory had done his job and the Sniper was currently doing his, it would be impossible.

“I’m sorry, but we must impose even further on you,” The Rogue said suddenly. Her voice was rough and slightly hoarse from disuse, an unpleasant contrast to the calm ease that filled the room. “We were directed here by some mutual friends. We were told you help people find what they’re looking for. Things from the war against the Empire.”

The Armory moved his arms from where he had them leaning against the tabletop to drop one casually across his lap and within easy reach of a quick draw of his stun gun. The other he braced on the bench he sat on as he looked between the Rogue and the innkeeper with nothing more than polite curiosity on his face. He was still planning on getting what they needed without violence. That was not a priority for the Rogue.

The tense moment of silence that followed the Rogue’s words erased any remaining doubt she had as to whether they had the right target. Tension drew the innkeeper’s posture ruler-straight behind the counter of the bar and her lips thinned.

Did the innkeeper know she was prey? If she didn’t, she would find out very quickly. A thrill tickled up the Rogue’s spine and she licked her dry lips in anticipation.

“I don’t. Not anymore.” The Innkeeper said shortly. “Not for years.”

The Armory’s head tilted minutely towards the door to the pantry in an unspoken warning. The droid had returned to the entrance to the main hall, surveying the scene unfolding before it in silence. The Rogue nodded slightly; she’d destroy it soon enough but her focus was on their target.

“I’m just an innkeeper. I don’t want trouble,” She said, raising her voice. One of the Rogue’s eyebrows quirked at the foolishness of the act. Undoubtedly, the innkeeper hoped that someone would hear her but the roads were as empty as the inn nearly was.

“Then indulge us a little. You said years, but our mutual friends said you helped move some Imperial relics six weeks ago. That’s a bit short of the years you say it’s been since you were involved in any smuggling.” The warm smile that had first come to the Armory’s face when the innkeeper had offered them more to drink had never left. Only now, it was twisted into something considerably more focused and less inviting.

The Rogue’s heart skipped when she saw the sweat beading across the woman’s forehead and she slid her fingers around the fabric-bound handle of her weapon.

Prey, the Rogue’s blood sang with excitement, unworthy prey.

Fear tightened the innkeeper’s lips and the Rogue’s eyes measured her, waiting. Would the innkeeper run? There was nowhere to go. No, judging from how the Chiss had drawn closer to the countertop of the bar and had been moving her arms in tiny, stiff motions beneath the counter, she probably had a weapon trained on them at that very moment.

Good. The Rogue preferred an open fight.

Inhale, exhale...Inhale, exhale...

Inhale- A burst of red blaster fire exploded through the thin front board of the counter but the Rogue was ready for it.

In a blur of motion, the Rogue swung aside and closed the distance between them. Her nightstick swung up and the metal-capped end smashed across the woman’s mouth with enough force to send her spinning to the floor. Blood spattered the floor in a spray and the Rogue bared her teeth in a predatory grin.

A sudden, shrill siren-like tone raised loud enough to rattle the teeth in their heads and stole the flush of victory from the Rogue.

The damned droid-!

The windows shuddered in their frames, cracks starting to splinter out along the panes. The Armory had clapped his hands over his ears in an ineffective attempt to dampen the piercing shrill; his stun gun still clutched in one hand. None of his weapons would be effective against the metal creature. In a single motion, the Rogue twisted the handle to electrify the lower end of the shaft and turned to deal with the droid. Her weapon wasn’t ideal for disabling it, but-

Behind the Rogue, glass dust and twisted metal shrapnel exploded out from where a window once was. She grit her teeth against the sudden flash of heat she felt across her cheek as the first blaster bolt passed her and slammed into the droid’s eye lenses. Another bolt blasted into the body of the droid, shearing straight through it’s plating to fry the circuits and cut off its screams. Steam and chemical vapor curled up from the droid, filling the air with the acrid smell of burning plasteel and circuitry but it was silent.

Kriffing hell.

The Rogue cast a glowering look out the shattered window and into the darkness. Subtlety was clearly off the table, but the innkeeper and her droid had seen to that.

Hopping the counter, the Armory landed lightly beside the innkeeper and kicked the blaster out of reach. Placing a booted foot on the innkeeper’s shoulder, he shoved her onto her back.

The nightstick had knocked three of the Chiss’ teeth clean free, cracked several others, and from the blood and saliva that oozed out from her lips, she’d probably bitten into her tongue, too. The Rogue’s nose wrinkled at the sight, not at all trying to hide her amused disgust at her own handy work.

“Well that was foolish of you,” The Armory commented as he glanced back at the smoldering droid. When the innkeeper let out a moan, he looked back down. Dropping weightlessly into a crouch that would have made most knees creak, the Armory placed the flat of his dagger under the innkeeper’s chin.

“Focus.” When the innkeeper’s disoriented gaze wandered, he tapped the flat of the blade against the innkeeper’s lower jaw. It wasn’t hard enough to really hurt but it definitely got the woman’s attention.

“I have connections-! High up friends that will come after you for this!!” She spat, blood from her broken teeth staining her blue lips purple.

“We’re ghosts, my friend,” The Armory replied as the Rogue moved in closer. His voice was gentle but confident. “No one can catch ghosts. Now, you were just telling us about those Imperial relics...”

The innkeeper’s resolve broke fast, certainly faster than her femur did, but the Armory and the Rogue were nothing if not thorough and there would be no stopping until they had agreed they knew everything.

#rogueknights #sniperpilot #rebelcaptain #rogue one fanfiction #rogue one #cassian andor #jyn erso #bodhi rook #star wars

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode 1 Easter Eggs and References

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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers for “Second Contact.”

Individual episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks will only be about 30-minutes, sometimes a little bit less. But don’t let that fool you. This series has Trekkie Easter eggs the way the Deep Space Station K-7 has Tribbles. Just when you think you’ve found the last one, there’s another one. The new animated comedy series is clearly lovingly crafted with the fans in mind, and showrunner Mike McMahan has slipped in more than just a few loving nods to the giant Trek canon.

Because Lower Decks is so meta and self-referential, it’s very possible we didn’t catch everything. But, just like Mariner and her buds, we tried to be scrappy underdogs and do our own research. So, at the risk of being wrong, here’s (probably) every Easter egg and reference we spotted in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 1, “Second Contact.”

The classic Spacedock

The opening shot of Lower Decks shows us a style of Spacedock that should be very familiar to longtime fans. Though this exact Spacedock is not supposed to be the same one that is in orbit of Earth, it looks identical to that specific design of space station. First seen in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, this style of Spacedock would reappear in stock footage for several episodes of The Next Generation and was referenced in the Voyager episode “Non Sequitur.” In the Discovery Season 1 finale, “Will You Take My Hand?” we saw the classic Spacedock under construction above Earth, but it’s been a very long time since we’ve seen this exact design in canon.

Romulan whiskey

This one you know. Mariner is drunk on Romulan Whiskey, which seems to be as potent — if not more potent — than Romulan Ale. Starting with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Romulan Ale had a reputation for getting you so drunk that it was made illegal. Boimler suggest that Romulan Whiskey is “against regulations,” which is close enough. But, Mariner’s comment that “you’d think it would be green,” might reference all the green Romulan ships, but could also be a reference to Scotty getting drunk in the TOS episode “By Any Other Name.” In that episode, when Scotty found a bottle of booze he couldn’t identify, he just said: “It’s green.”

Mariner swings a TNG-era bat’leth

Like the old-school Spacedock, it’s actually been a while since we’ve seen the classic version of the bat’leth. First appearing in the TNG 4th season episode “Reunion,” this curved sword became a staple of Klingon culture throughout the franchise. And though we’ve seen bat’leths in both seasons of Discovery, and in the film Star Trek Into Darkness, it’s actually not been since the Voyager era that we’ve seen this classic design.

Klingon with an eyepatch

Mariner says she got her bat’leth from an “Old Guy with an eyepatch.” While this could be a random reference, most fans probably think of the Klingon General Chang, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Chang, of course, is dead (maybe?) so Mariner can’t be talking about him. General Martok from Deep Space Nine has one eye, so maybe it’s him?

Black hole is from Discovery (and real science)

The opening title sequence of Lower Decks obviously pays homage to the openings of both TNG and Voyager, but that yellow oval-looking spatial disturbance is actually a black hole. In fact, this is how an illusionary black hole looked in the Discovery episode, “If Memory Serves.” The design of this black hole is based on physicist Kip Thorne’s conception of black hole, and the design was first seen in a big sci-fi production in the 2014 movie Interstellar.

The USS Cerritos pulls a Voyager

The moment where the Cerritos skims the surface of an icy planet is very reminiscent of the opening of Voyager. The difference here is that Voyager didn’t actually scrape the ship on the planet.

Space creature is a TNG shout-out

When we see that there’s a little (actually huge!) space critter attached to the back of the Cerritos’ warp nacelles, this feels like a reference to the TNG episode “Galaxy’s Child,” in which a space bourne lifeform attaches itself to the Enterprise because it thinks the starship is its mother.

TNG era font and the name of the episode actually listened in the credits

The blue font is instantly recognizable to most fans as the exact same kind used throughout TNG. But, on top of that, this is the first new Star Trek series since Enterprise to actually put the name of the episode in quotes, and in the on-screen credits. Other than Short Treks, none of the post-Enterprise Trek series have shown the name of the episodes in the opening credits.

Shuttlecraft names reference DS9 and the name of the Cerritos itself

All the shuttlecraft on the Cerritos appear to named after forests in California. We see shuttlecraft with the following names: Redwood, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree. The Cerritos itself is named for the city in California of the same name. Later in the episode, we see that Captain Freeman has the state flag of California in her Ready Room. And, naming small spacecraft after locations comes from a solid Trek tradition: In Deep Space Nine all the runabouts were named for rivers on Earth; i.e the Ganges, Orinoco, and Yangtze Kiang.

Several classic Trek aliens are seen throughout the ship

When Tendi arrives on the Cerritos, we see crewmembers who are Benzite, Andorian, and possibly a Napean. That last one might not be familiar, but there was a Napean named Daniel Kwan who was central to the plot of the TNG episode “Eye of the Beholder.” The Benzites first appeared on TNG in “Coming of Age,” and the Anodrians first appeared on TOS in “Journey to Babel.” And, of course, Tendi is an Orion, who first appeared in “The Cage.”

At least two crewmembers are rocking VISORS

When Tendi first boards the Cerritos we see a crewmember wearing a VISOR just like Geordi’s from TNG. Later in the episode, we see a second, different crewmember also wearing a VISOR.

“Banana, hot”

The replicator malfunction, which is causing it to spit out bananas, seems to reference Picard ordering “Tea, Earl Grey. Hot” in The Next Generation.

“We don’t wash our hands”

Mariner jokes that the ensigns in the “lower decks” “don’t wash our hands…we’re doing kickflips.” This might be a reference to the TOS episode “The Naked Time,” in which a “redshirt” crewmember fails to follow correct decontamination protocols, and, as a result, the entire crew is infected with a virus. So, Mariner’s line could reference both “The Naked Time,” and the rest of the episode, since the entire plot revolves around the ship getting infected by a zombie virus, partially because Commander Ransom didn’t really pay attention to a bug that bit him.

Pattern buffers and Cetacean ops

While Mariner gives Tendi a full tour of the ship, she mentions several things that should be familiar to fans. The “pattern buffer maintenance access,” is connected to how the transporter works. For example, in the TNG episode “Relics,” Scotty was discovered inside of a pattern buffer from a crashed starship.

But, the more hilarious super deep cut here is the phrase “Cetacean ops.” This was heard over the intercom in the TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” but in the episode “The Perfect Mate,” it was also mentioned that there were dolphins on the Enterprise.

“We sleep in a hallway.”

Mariner points out that the ensigns on the Cerritos don’t have their own quarters, and basically sleep in a row of bunks in a long hallway. While this may seem spartan for the swanky 24th century, there is a precedent for this. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, we saw several young crew members sleeping in bunks in what looked like a hallway.

Sonic showers

Boimler mentions that the showers are musty, which shouldn’t make sense since they are “sonic.” The idea that the showers on Starfleet ships use “sonic showers” has existed since Star Trek: The Motion Picture, in which the V’Ger probe transformed into Ilia in a sonic shower.

Boimler appears to reference… Anakin Skywalker?

When Tendi, Boimler, and Mariner are on the beach in the holodeck, Boimler complains that sand “just gets everywhere and gives you a rash.” The idea that sand “gets everywhere” feels like a reference to the infamous Anakin Skywalker speech in Attack of the Clones in which he said “I don’t like sand. It’s rough and coarse, and it gets everywhere.” Is Star Trek clowning on the Star Wars prequels?

Freeman’s secret assignment to Boimler is a wink to the OG “Lower Decks”

When Freeman pulls Boimler into her Ready Room to give him a secret assignment, it seems to reference the original TNG episode “Lower Decks” in which Picard gives Ensign Sito a secret assignment in much the same way. The difference, of course, is that Picard wasn’t asking Sito to spy on another crew member.

Freeman stole a hat from… Chris Pine?

In addition to the flag of California in Freeman’s Ready Room, she also has a sword, and what looks like one of the officer caps worn by members of Starfleet in the reboot movies. Did those hats exist in this timeline, too?

Picard’s favorite ride is back

Previously spotted on a map of the ship, it appears that the Cerritos carries several versions of the “Argo” land vehicles driven by Picard in Star Trek: Nemesis. In that film (which takes place just one year prior to Lower Decks) the Argo seemed to be a new addition to Starfleet ships. So, by 2380, it seems like they’re fairly common. Either that or the Enterprise got theirs late?

Starfleet regulations

Boimler references regulations 498 and 756. Meanwhile, Mariner counters by alluding to regulations 25, 15, and 348. She also says Boimler is breaking “76 for just pointing that at me!”

As far as we can tell, all of these regulations have never been referenced in Trek canon before. We could be wrong, but it really seems that way.

“I was here for First Contact”

Mariner reveals that the reason she’s aware of the plight of some of the farmer aliens is because she was on the planet for the first contact, a year prior. This is kind of like in “A Private Little War,” when Kirk is familiar with the inhabitants of the planet Neural, having previously visited the planet during a scouting mission, years prior.

Klingon prison

Mariner says she’s “been in a Klingon prison where I had to fight a yeti for my own shoes!” This seems to reference the Klingon prison Rura Penthe, made famous in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In that movie, Kirk had to fight a giant blue alien who wanted his coat.

General Order 5

This also does not seem to be one of Starfleet’s rules that we’re already aware of. That said,in the TOS episode “Turnabout Intruder,” General Order 4 says Starfleet “forbids the death penalty.” But then again, General Order 7, says you can get the death penalty if you go to Talos IV, as we learned in “The Menagerie.” So, maybe General Order 5 has something to do with punishments?

First Contact-style spacewalk

When Rutherford and Ensign Barnes take their date outside, their entire journey along the saucer section of the ship’s hull is a direct reference to the film Star Trek: First Contact. This is only appropriate since the episode is called “Second Contact.”

“I’m a believer”

Barnes mentions she’s really into a “classical band” called the Monkees. This, obviously, references the band the Monkees, but the idea that pop or rock music would be called “classical” kind of derives from Star Trek Beyond when Bones asks if the Beastie Boys is “classical music.” And, beyond that, the Monkees reference could be an indirect reference to the character of Chekov in TOS, who was accused on more than one occasion, of having a haircut styled to look like the Monkees. (Who were ripping off the Beatles.)

“Why didn’t the door recognize our com badges?”

Rutherford has a full freak-out over the fact that the automatic doors did not let he and Barnes into a specific area. He also mentions that it seems like the doors have a one 1 in 4 chance of even opening properly. This seems like a giant joke connected to the fact that throughout the entire canon of Trek, the doors never seem to open consistently or with any kind of consistent rules.

Mirror Spock

For one instant, a Vulcan crewmember on the Cerritos is covered with black goo from the space zombies. This gives him the brief appearance of having a goatee like Spock from the Mirror Universe in the classic TOS episode “Mirror, Mirror.”

Admiral Mariner… we presume?

At the end of the episode, we learn that Mariner is the daughter of Captain Freeman and this Admiral, who, we have to assume is named Mariner, since Mariner’s last name is not Freeman. Either that or Mariner has a last name that is different from both of her parents for entirely different reasons. In fact, we don’t really have a good sense about how human naming conventions work in the 23rd and 24th centuries, mostly because we tend to meet humans that serve in Starfleet more than “civilians.” Although it’s not actually canon, the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (written by Trek creator Gene Roddenberry himself) features a prologue from James T. Kirk in which he explains that having a surname at all is old fashion in the 23rd Century, and that the idea of having a family last name is something people in Starfleet tend to do because they are old fashioned.

This idea is not supported anywhere in canon. But, the Admiral is not actually named Mariner, then it’s possible people in Trek canon can — and often do – just choose their names for themselves well after birth.

“You’re gonna be Cha’DIch from now on”

When Mariner and Boimler become besties at the end of the episode, Mariner says Boimler will be her “Cha’Dich” from now on. This comes from the TNG episode “Sins of the Father.” A “Cha’Dich” is someone who fights for someone else. It’s an honorable title, but you know, Mariner also is saying that she expects Boimler to fight for her.

Mariner’s rant about famous Star Trek characters

In a metafictional move, Mariner mentions several famous Starfleet officers, presumably to see if Boimler knows his stuff. Here’s a truncated version of what she says:

“Do you know about Spock? Dude came back from being dead? Got the Genesis device to fight Khan and some space whales. Sulu, he rocked a sword. That was his thing. That could be your thing, too. We’re due for a new sword guy. Do you know about Kirk? My man Worf?…Gary Mitchell? Do you know Deanna Troi, She went from a jumpsuit…”

So, in this brief triad, Mariner references Spock’s death in The Wrath of Khan, his rebirth in The Search For Spock, the events of The Voyage Home, Sulu fighting with a sword in “The Naked Time,” Kirk, Worf, and Gary Mitchell from “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” And, before the credits cut her off, Marnier is referencing the fact that Deanna Troi wore a jumpsuit on the Enterprise before switching to a standard uniform after the episode “Chain of Command.”

Something funny about this rant is that Mariner gets some of her history slightly wrong. It sounds like she thinks that Spock fought Khan with the Genesis Device, and that the humpback whales were from space. They were, of course, regular whales! They only talked to space probes! This slight hyperbole feels right though. This is the year 2380. Mariner is mostly talking about stuff from the 2280s and the 2260s, meaning a hundred years plus in the past. She’s a fan of the history of Starfleet. But just like this Easter egg list, she can’t catch everything.

Star Trek: Lower Deck airs on Thursdays on CBS All Access.

The post Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode 1 Easter Eggs and References appeared first on Den of Geek.

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dorothydelgadillo · 6 years ago

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42 Best Landing Page Examples for Lead Generation in 2018 [Updated]

A landing page is no ordinary website terrain.

Like an alien discovering a new planet, a prospect "lands" there giving you the opportunity to make them an offer, gather their information, and "make contact."

It's exciting. Yet, despite this excitement, it's easy and quite common to get caught up in the ho-hum of creating one.

You have a new offer, grab your go-to template, clone the same form you use every time... Where's the sense of adventure?

Where's the creative exploration that makes your reader actually want to convert?

The landing page examples below come from a wide range of industries and feature unique designs guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing and inspire lead generation genius.

Below each example, I've included a summary of what each brand did right so you can get some ideas of what to include in your own design to increase conversions and overall success.

When you’re finished with the list, let us know which design was your favorite and why in the comments!

1. Amazon

youtube

How they got it right:

Places call-to-action right at the top of the page

Uses a video

Features the stars of the movie for a touch of Influencer Marketing/Social Proof

Messaging uses exclusivity and incentives to encourage conversion; also speaks directly to Prime users.

Funnels people to related products (alternative conversion opportunities)

2. Uber

How they got it right:

Headline speaks to a common user pain point - work schedule flexibility

Form is placed high up on the page

Clear and concise copy

Highlights the 3 biggest reasons to convert

Big visual of a friendly, relatable person

3. Unbounce

How they got it right:

Everything above the fold is designed to direct you to the opt-in form.

The red image contrasts with the black background, grabbing your attention and directing your eyes to the headline and subtext.

From there, two arrows guide your eyes to the opt-in form on the right.

For those who are undecided, the rest of the landing page reads as a sales letter including the features, a list of contributing experts, and testimonials.

4. Snapchat

How they got it right:

Incorporates video

Explains exactly what you're getting above the fold

Bold, on-brand use of color

Use animated graphics to illustrate functionality

Shows brand logos to incorporate social proof

5. Basecamp

How they got it right:

The design is very minimal and features an animated guy with a big smile that is very inviting.

The headline uses social proof by showing how many companies have signed up in the last week, which makes the reader think “well, if all of those companies like Basecamp it must be worth checking out!”

They do a great job of removing barriers to entry by offering a 60-day free trial, instead of the usual 30 days and by not requiring a credit card to sign up.

To remove any further barriers to entry they have answered a list of common concerns below the fold.

6. Masterclass

How they got it right:

Capitalizes on video in its hero section

Leads with a clear and concise value proposition so you know exactly what you're getting

As you scroll, it details the tangibles

Includes a testimonial with headshot

Includes social share links

Recommends additional content

7. Webprofits

How they got it right:

The first thing that stands out about this page is the sleek and modern design that makes the brand look professional and established.

The headline has a strong emotional, alluding to beating the competition by having information that they don’t.

This is an excellent example of using visual aids to simplify a technical service. By including the images of a Google search and various page elements it allows you to know exactly what you’re getting, even if you don’t know anything about SEO.

They repeat their call to action on a bright yellow background and then a bright red background to ensure that it’s always eye-catching.

8. H.BLOOM

How they got it right:

H.BLOOM did a great job with drawing you into the experience of having a custom floral arrangement designed. Their use of elegant font and images of custom arrangements in a home, help explain the value they offer in a more tangible way.

The form is above the fold and the description makes it very clear what you are getting.

People are busy and don’t like complicated tasks. The “HOW IT WORKS” section is the perfect way to remove any hesitation by showing how the entire process is completed in three easy steps, with the final step being the end result.

9. Litmus

How they got it right:

The headline is friendly and personable, saying “Let’s stay in touch” instead of a bland subscribe to my newsletter.

The best thing about the form is that it only asks for one piece of information, an email, making it as easy as possible to sign up.

Most of us are cautious about who we give our email out to. Litmus eliminates that fear by allowing you to read previous emails so you know exactly what you’re getting into by subscribing.

10. Contently

How they got it right:

Uniquely presents copy in a pop-up, drawing attention to it.

Leads with a testimonial

Clear and concise copy

Uses simple icons to aid message delivery

Minimalist design makes "get started" button stand out

11. Muck Rack

How they got it right:

This page does a wonderful job of appealing to two separate personas without being confusing or distracting. There is a clear headline and call to action for each group above the fold.

The form is initially hidden, but slides in to grab your attention when your mouse slides over one of the CTA buttons.

Each section below the fold has a very clear and to-the-point headline that highlights the primary benefit, followed by a concise list of relevant features.

Testimonials from industry professionals on the side establish their credibility and also keep the page design balanced.

12. MuleSoft

How they got it right:

Everything about this page is simple and straightforward. Even the title of the eBook is clear about the benefit -- How to Make Your App Enterprise Ready.

The social icons are great for adding social proof, although it would be better if they had more shares.

Using soft blue shades and white throughout the page allow the contrasting green “Submit” button to stand out and bring your eyes to the form.

13. Readitfor.me

How they got it right:

People relate to other people more than a lifeless list of features. Readitfor does a great job of making the benefits of their service relatable by showing people (just like you) using and enjoying what they have to offer.

The headline couldn’t explain their service more clearly and the description sparks your curiosity with a thought-provoking question.

Since this service provides video summaries of books, it only makes sense to feature a high-quality video above the fold that gives the viewer a sample of what to expect.

The form uses a contrasting color for the CTA button (orange) and is above the fold.

Below the fold, they’ve listed six reasons to choose their service that also explain the features for people who might be finding them for the first time.

14. Codecademy

How they got it right:

The design above the fold is simple and free of distraction -- a clear headline, a relevant image, and a form with a bright red CTA button.

They also have the feature to login with Facebook or Google+, which lowers the barrier to conversion.

Below the fold, they don’t waste any time getting to what’s in it for you. The question “How can coding help you?” is answered with a video from a real student that’s had great success with their program.

15. Groupon

How they got it right:

Sometimes less is more and Groupon proves that. Their headline is simple and personalized -- you can save this much money in the city you’re actually located in.

The form is white and centered on a green background, with only one field required, keeping the barrier to conversion as low as possible.

They’ve included a nice image to break up the blank background that adds a relevant visual cue without being distracting.

16. Patreon

How they got it right:

The copy uses aspirational language that appeals to the reader’s desires. Instead of asking you to donate to their cause, they are inviting you to be a part of the process by supporting and engaging with artists as a “Patron of the Arts.”

The header image features an artist working and draws an immediate connection in your mind of what the service is all about.

A bright orange CTA button is front and center, contrasting with the darker background, making it impossible to ignore.

Clicking “Learn More” launches a video pop up that quickly explains what Patreon is and how it works.

17. CampusTap

How they got it right:

The first thing you see on this page is a striking image of a library that directly connects with the company's value, a private college network.

There’s a limited amount of text, keeping your attention focused and minimizing effort on the part of the user.

Even though there is a lot going on in the image, they placed the bright blue CTA box over a dark area so that it stands out.

18. Todoist

How they got it right:

The easier it is for a visitor to convert, the more likely they will. Clicking the bright red button pops up the form that says “sign up in seconds” and allows you to sign in with an existing Google+ account.

By saying “over 2 million people are doing amazing things with Todoist” provides social proof and probes the question “why aren’t you?”.

The background image scrolls through different short videos showing a variety of scenarios where you could use the app yourself. It also gives you a glimpse of what it looks like on different devices.

19. Wave

How they got it right:

Now, this is a great headline. Who doesn’t want to spend their time doing what they love? Rather than focus on the features of the software, they are expressing the end result for you.

The image works very well because it gives you a visual of an actual customer and he’s looking right at you with a smile, which adds an element of trust and humanization.

The form keeps the number of fields limited, making the barrier to conversion low.

20. Vivino

How they got it right:

The Use of red here stands out on the black background and it draws the mental connection to wine.

The headline is simple, concise, and gives you the most important reason to download their app.

Using a three-step area highlights the simplicity of the app, which could be a barrier to entry for older folks who enjoy wine but aren’t tech-savvy.

21. Last Days of Ivory

How they got it right:

Convincing people to support your cause can be challenging. Last Days of Ivory uses bold and powerful design to evoke a sense of urgency.

Using the phrase “TAKE ACTION” in the CTA is much more effective than asking for support. It implies that clicking this button actually makes a difference right now.

By saying “this is terrorism you can actually do something about” it appeals to your emotion by assuring you that your time and money are not wasted and that you are having a positive impact.

22. Trulia

How they got it right:

The copy and form are centered in the middle of the screen and contrast nicely with the darker background.

The headline asks a question that their ideal persona has and the CTA offers the answer. There’s no other information on the page to distract from this single goal.

The image is relatable with a woman sitting on her couch with papers spread everywhere and her laptop on her lap -- implying that you won’t need to hassle with the papers if you simply download your personalized report.

23. Shopify

How they got it right:

"Trust by over 150,000 businesses worldwide" and the publications under the video serve as excellent social proof. With elements like this in place, Shopify is able to reduce doubt and improve their credibility.

The bullet points are both clear and easily digestible (This is what you need to know..1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)

The explainer video provides them with an opportunity to give visitors a look at what they can expect from Shopify without having to read through a ton of dense copy.

The form is super short. By limiting the number of form fields to just three, Shopify is lowering the barrier to conversion.

The call-to-action is doing all of the right things. Not only did they employ a contrasting color, but the button text strays away from the traditional "Sign Up" or "Submit" that we've grown so accustomed to seeing.

24. Applause

How they got it right:

Between the header and the bullet points, users know exactly what to expect behind the form.

The form is located above the fold, and it's stacked into 3 columns which helps to shorten the page and make it feel more manageable.

The line, "Don't worry. We respect your privacy", aims to absolve hesitation and make people feel more comfortable about passing out their contact information.

The combination of logos from existing customers and real-life faces with featured tweets serves as great social proof. While people are often skeptical of testimonials, real tweets provide visitors with the contact information of those endorsing the brand so they can reach out if they have a question about their experience with the product/service.

25. OFFSET

How they got it right:

The header is specific and clearly states what is being offered.

The written content follows an "F-shaped pattern" which eyetracking visualizations have shown to be the prefered way in which users read web pages. (F-shaped pattern = two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.)

The button is both contrasting and inviting. The world "explore" is very similar to the word "discover" and "reveal", which CopyHacker's Joanna Wiebe refers to as "low friction words."

The page is short and doesn't require the visitor to do any unnecessary scrolling.

26. Tumblr

How they got it right:

The minimalist approach relies heavily on the image rather than the content to sell the platform, as Tumblr is know for it's compelling visual content.

The blue call-to-action is contrasting and prominent on the page.

The form is short and requires very little commitment from the visitor's end. According to Unbounce, anywhere between 3-5 form fields is ideal for lead generation.

The numbers at the bottom work to provide social proof, increase credibility, and address the all-too-common pain point - "I don't have enough time." (It only takes 30 seconds to join.)

When users see that their image has been featured on the homepage, it's likely that they'll share the page with their friends and followers (bragging rights for the user, a new stream up traffic for Tumblr.)

27. LaborSync

How they got it right:

Could the header be any more clear? Honestly?

The form adheres to the "3-5 field" rule of thumb to help lower the barrier to conversion.

They've included a subscribe checkbox on the form to help grow their subscriber list. For more on how this small inclusion can impact your growth, check out this article from HubSpot.

The author bio works to establish trust and credibility by including a picture and clearly defining his credentials.

The warm orange button contrasts nicely against the cool blue background to draw the reader's eye.

28. Drift

How they got it right:

Tells you right-of-the-bat their SaaS will help your sales team generate more leads, schedule more meetings or consultations, while also helping you close more deals faster.

Gives you the opportunity to try through a 14-day trial

Includes testimonial

Uses their own tool on the page.

29. Quick Sprout

How they got it right:

Tell you exactly who is going to teach you (Neil Patel), what he’s going to teach you (how to increase your search traffic, how to generate social traffic without using ads, and link building tactics), and how you can get access to the webinar (filling out the form).

Makes the webinar feel more intimate and one-on-one with language like“I want Neil to teach me how to grow my business.”

Short and to the point.

30. Unbounce

How they got it right:

A large image tells you exactly what you’re going to get: An eBook that will help you generate more conversions without increasing your budget.

Highlights value in quick, easy-to-read way

Includes social proof in the form of logos of the publications its advice and work has been published. This addition helps newcomers know that the writers of this eBook are legitimate, trusted professionals and that what they share in this document will likely be no different.

31. Blue Apron

How they got it right:

Makes signing up look and feel easy with only 3 simple steps (filling a completion bar at the top)

Removes friction by assuring you there’s no commitment

Shows its value with points on personalized menus and convenient delivery.

Includes social proof in the form of logos

32. Slack

How they got it right:

Leads with a video in the hero section of the page showing you how simple Slack is.

Highlights all of its major features

Includes a compelling, aspirational value proposition

33. LastPass

How they got it right:

Explains how easy it is to set up and start using it with three simple steps.

Details the products value using easy to understand icons and clear copy.

Doesn't include a form, taking an unconventional, less aggressive approach.

34. Zoom

How they got it right:

Keeps the form as minimal as possible; only one field to get started.

Microtext makes it clear that they only want business email addresses, helping to keep their contact database clean of unqualified leads.

Leaves no stone unturned about what’s included in their web conferencing system.

Displays examples of how your screen could look when you’re video conferencing; a big differentiator for Zoom.

Similar to Drift, Zoom also uses a live chat to help you answer any questions you have while browsing their page.

35. Plated

How they got it right:

Clear highlights their plans.

Makes it really easy for you to select how many meals you’d like to receive each week.

Includes testimonials ensure you that what you’re getting will be as tasty as the company claims.

36. Magnolia Market

While a majority of Magnolia Market is a retail space, they also have “The Magnolia Home” where you can stay on vacation.

How they got it right:

Tells you exactly what dates are available

Display real, customer-generated photos from their stays that help you realistically picture yourself staying in the home and treating it as your own.

Makes it easy to book your stay

Also has a secondary conversion point to subscribe to their newsletter to learn more about the House and Market.

37. Bombfell

Sometimes we all just need a new wardrobe. Bombfell’s landing page takes this idea and makes it part of its big value.

How they got it right:

Makes process look easy by outlining four simple steps.

Reduces friction by making it clear you’re only paying for the clothes you like, nothing you don’t and no styling fees.

Uses real photos showcasing the box you receive and some of the items you might receive as well.

38. Wayfair

Who knew Wayfair had a wedding registry, right?

How they got it right:

Clearly guides viewer to their next step whether it be getting started, managing an existing registry, or finding a friend's.

Adds transparency by highlighting brands they’re featuring.

Logos also act as social proof.

Tells you exactly why you should consider them over larger, more established options like Macy's or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

39. Square

Square effectively uses their landing page to get you the information you need to make an informed decision.

How they got it right:

Incorporates video

Friendly, relating hero image

Has visitors self-qualify by picking what type of business they are and whether their revenue is above or under $250,000.

Page is then personalized to fit your needs.

Features testimonials from companies similar to the visitor's, making it easy for them to see how your company could be impacted.

40. Basecamp

How they got it right:

Shows how their platform can help you improve your efficiency and get it together.

Utilizes customer testimonials and exact numbers.

Allows you to sign up with just an email address or a Google account.

41. HubSpot

No surprise, but HubSpot demonstrates some of the most effective, traditional techniques for a proper landing page in this example.

How they got it right:

Short and concise

Tells exactly what you’re getting

Builds emotional value (“saving countless hours”) with its copy.

Includes video and image feed that allow you to get a preview of the templates you’re going to receiv

Features a hello bar that allows you to easily access the resource and delivers social proof, saying “join the other 75,000+ companies” that have already downloaded the offer.

42. Salesforce

How they got it right:

Short and sweet with content

Makes offer clear in value proposition

Incorporates social proof including Norton Security, and copy like "World's #1 CRM"

Capitalizes on social login to simplify conversion

from Web Developers World https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/landing-page-examples

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iamsoneurotic · 7 years ago

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A Guide to Kid’s Shows

Parenting is a big deal - this is the understatement of the year, decade, century and of all measurable existence. With parenting there is a lot of knowledge to be gained. Some of that knowledge will come from experience, some will come from our own parental figures and the rest will be gained from the internet. Allow me to be a part of the latter source and impart to you one of the most crucial digital tomes of enlightenment you will ever come across…

A Guide to Kid’s Shows!

You think I’m being silly, but in all my years as a graphic designer, there’s one rule that always rings true and strangely enough, applies to what shows you let your kids watch: If you’re presenting a client with options, never give them an option that you hate - Because that is the one option they will love.

Now excluding all of your dumb friends on Facebook and Instagram who do nothing but brag about how their kids never have screen time and they’re always posting happy family pictures of them in parks and on hikes and eating granola out of troughs in some remote Vermont location, the rest of us know that screens are your only hope of keeping your wound up, bratty kids occupied long enough so you can take a 5 minute dump without having to run out of the bathroom mid-wipe with your pants around your ankles to yell at your little ‘angels’ who can’t agree on what color lego castle they’re going to build without slapping each other around like a couple of town drunks. Run-on sentence? Maybe, but it’s just what I’m used to listening to all day in a house where we’ve been attempting to reduce screen time.

Anyway, like I was saying - screens good, noise bad. But this approach can very quickly backfire on you if you’re not careful. Remember, the purpose of television is to keep your kids quiet, but what’s the point of your kids being quiet when you’ve hastily picked the first colorful show you could find and now you’re listening to 4 grown Australians singing about what it’s like to be a Jack-in-the-Box??

EDUCATE YOURSELF! Sanity is on the line!

Because there’s a million shows out there to get suckered into, I’ll just go over 2 for now, a bad one and a tolerable one. I might make this into a series I do… I’ve got 5 years worth of children’s programming eating away at my brain, I might as well write about it.

DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD

Remember all those fond memories you had watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood growing up? The soothing voice and welcoming face of a man everybody wished was their grandfather serenading you while he puts on a colorful sweater and brings you to a magical land of make-believe? … Yeah, he’s dead now and all we’re left with is this oversaturated, poorly animated bastardization of a children’s classic.

Daniel Tiger takes place in the infamous Land of Make-Believe and it stars the son of Daniel Stripéd Tiger (also named Daniel) as he learns how to not be such an obnoxious, spoiled twerp. The show takes some liberties with the classic content. Daniel Tiger’s dad, whom the show refers to as “Dad Tiger” is the grown up version of the Mr Rogers’ character Daniel Stripéd Tiger - who if any of us remember, was a shy, softly spoken kitten who lived in a handless clock tower. Evidently he’s gained some confidence, learned to talk like a man and got himself a wife and kid. Now he lives in an actual house and works at the clock tower doing who knows what – the clock has no hands, what could he possibly be doing in there? I can only imagine it involves lipstick and a skin-suit.

The majority of the other characters from Mr Rogers are all grown up now as well and have annoying kids of their own for Daniel to barely get along with… Except for the mailman who evidently never ages and is cursed to live alone for the rest of his immortal days. The only original character who I haven’t seen make an appearance is Lady Elaine Fairchild, and for what it’s worth, excluding her was probably a smart move - her puppet was made of tears and nightmares.

Why you should avoid: 🎶 Would you like to know why you shouldn’t watch?🎶

🎶 Would you like to know why you shouldn’t watch?🎶

Do you hate me yet? …

🎶 Do you hate me yet?🎶

Yeah, this is the number one reason you should NEVER PLAY THIS ON YOUR TV. They pick a crappy jingle about some common sense thing, like brushing your teeth, and then they sing it OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER AGAIN. I still have episodes burned into my brain from overexposure to that show. One song in particular was just a bold-faced lie. “Grown ups come back”... As in if you’re upset about your mom or dad leaving the house, don’t worry, grown ups always come back!

Except when they don’t.

In addition to the repetitiveness of poorly written songs, the main reason this show will get on your nerves is because Daniel Tiger is literally the cartoon equivalent of a real-life toddler. It sounds mean to say, but think about every cringe-worthy, obnoxious thing your kids do, now imagine having to watch an entire television show where your main character does exactly those things. The whole reason you’re letting them watch TV in the first place is to escape the harsh but undeniable reality that toddlers are the worst!

Now, granted, the point of the show is to teach your kids that everything they do is irritating and they should just stop, but would it kill the producers to use a hint of metaphor? Perhaps a whimsical, make-believe anecdote that teaches a similar lesson? This is the land of make-believe isn’t it?? Why is it so freaking real???

Luckily there’s another magical place that your kids can scramble their brains to that gets it right…

SUPER WHY!

I’m not going to pretend that Super Why! is a good show (children’s entertainment is rarely, if ever, capable of reaching that standard), but it is an incredibly harmless show - which is the most any burnt out parent can really hope for.

As I alluded to a moment ago, the show takes place in the magical land of Storybook Village, a place where all of our favorite fairytale characters live together in harmony. It exists behind some tiny door inside of a real-life children’s library on a shelf that I imagine kids can’t reach because you know if they found out about that door they’d burn that library to the ground to get at it. I always knew I’d find a way to write about kids burning books like a bunch of little fascists. Shark jumped.

Similar to Daniel Tiger, some of our main characters are relatives of more popular characters from children’s stories. Our title character, Whyatt Beanstalk (AKA Super Why) is the brother of Jack Beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk... who I’m pretty sure never actually had Beanstalk for a name. Our other characters consist of Princess Pea, who is the daughter of the princess from The Princess and the Pea (who must be a queen now?), Alpha Pig, who I think is one of the 3 little pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Clearly somebody was drunk when they came up with this cast. Why have the brother of Jack and the daughter of Princess Pea, but then just throw in the actual characters of Little Red Riding Hood and one of the 3 Little Pigs? Just use Jack and the original Princess! It makes no sense, I don’t like it.

They eventually get a dog named Woofster who joins their little brat Justice League. He offers nothing to the show and his name is dumb. Let’s just get a cat on the show and name him Meowey while we’re at it.

… Come to think of it, if they could get a wisecracking cat named Meowey Mandel that’d be PHENOMENAL on so many levels. I’m writing to PBS after this.

Anyway, they all have special reading powers which they use to solve mysteries. The basic setup of every episode is one of them has a problem, they’re too dumb to figure out how to deal with said problem, so they transform into superheroes and journey into fairytale books where they solve a mystery and then apply what they learned to their insignificant real-life situation.

Super Why has the power to read, Princess Pea has spelling power, Red Hood has word power, Alpha Pig has Alphabet power and Woofster uses a dictionary. Based on those powers, it sounds to me like they all have the power to read. Why waste money animating 5 of these stupid characters? Scrap 4 of them and put that budget into better writers.

Why it’s tolerable Ignoring the fact I’ve done nothing but pick on this show, it actually won’t really bother you. Everything that annoys me is annoying because I’ve made the mistake of paying attention. You should NEVER pay attention to what your kids are watching. I see no flaws in that advice.

It's a cute show. The jingles are catchy enough, the characters don’t act like bratty kids, and from a visual perspective it’s not offensive to the eyes (I’m looking at you, Bo on the Go… I could write 50 blogs about that Canadian abomination). The show is mostly CG, but when they go into the storybooks, all the people and objects are flat like they were made out of paper. It’s actually pretty creative. Well played, Super Why.

It’s made by the people behind Blue’s Clues (Which I had hoped would have died horrible, embarrassing deaths by now, but alas, they’re still at it) and so there’s that element of characters talking to the viewers and asking them if they see items on the screen. I mean whatever, it engages your kids, but the adult in me is just like, “It’s right behind you. Turn around and look, you’ve got 4 other useless characters with the same superpowers wandering around the screen, why are you bothering my kids?” Before you know it my kids are yelling at the TV, I’m yelling at the TV and Super Why still isn’t turning the eff around! But while my boys are having a blast trying to help Super Why, I’m just getting ticked off and want to punch him in his little kid nuts.

I guess TV won’t give you any peace and quiet after all. Take your kids on a hike.

~ M.

#dad #Daddy blog #daddyblog #daddy #humor #parenting #parenthood #fatherhood #kids #tv #super why #daniel tiger #childrens show

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joshuazev · 7 years ago

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On positive pessimism:

This is a post about the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are the baseball team that plays in Seattle and wears Seattle on their away jerseys and navy alternate home jerseys and Mariners on their classic white home jerseys. That is to say, there is no mistaking that this team is indeed from Seattle. In the past 16 years there have been many times in which I’ve tried to disassociate myself with the team—“They are just playing here until the stadium in their actual city is finished”—but no matter how hard I try, the cold dose of reality hits me like a ton of very soft and very heavy bricks, one by one, that these Mariners are from Seattle. The title of this post reflects many of my deepest feelings about the team. With some of my closest friends I speak candidly on the sad and unfortunate running joke that is our baseball team. This year they are celebrating another milestone—they are in their 40th year, so naturally the organization has made it a thing to try and promote the season has a year full of homages and tributes to all of the great players and memories that have paved the way for this season. Today for example, they were running through a highlight reel of plays and they were all plays I had seen before and knew well. In fact, I was pretty sure I remembered this same highlight reel from five years ago when they were celebrating their 35th year and ten years ago when they were celebrating their 30th anniversary season. Shit, I wouldn’t be surprised if the video coordinator played the same tape. Now for any other organization an act like this would get a whole lot of flack and would go noticed by the strongest of fans, but let me remind you that the Seattle Mariners are not just any organization. Oh no, they are unique in several ways.

Let’s start with the drought. The Mariners haven’t been to the postseason for 15 years and, if recent history is any indicator, I would guess they won’t see the playoffs this year even with the addition of a second wild card spot. (Part of me thinks that this was a con-job by some rich Mariner executive to boost our chances at reaching the playoffs, but only the Mariners make a second wild card spot look impossibly out of reach). These past 15 years have been brutal in every way imaginable. It seems like every year or every two years we have a new manager. New faces arrive and they leave just as soon. Revered veterans, who long for a shot at a world series, retire disappointed or gladly switch teams to keep their hopes alive. Since 2001, greats like Griffey, Ichiro, Martinez, Buhner, and Wilson have all retired. Most of them got lucky earlier in their careers, but if any one of them was hoping for a Hollywood ending, swan song sort of finish, they were sorely disappointed. A couple of years the Mariners got close. They might have missed the playoffs by game or two. This has happened a couple of times. In a 162 game season missing the postseason by a game has to be a gut punch that never stops punching. I know I couldn’t deal with something like that. Maybe that’s why I’m here writing this post and not a professional baseball player dealing with it. I feel for a lot of the staples and names that have tried bringing the glory back to this franchise and were unsuccessful. A veteran like Raul Ibanez who played his best ball as a Mariner. An all time great like Jamie Moyer who, like a lot of great Mariners, were forced to try and relive the energy of the enthralling season of 2001 AKA “Sweet 116” while they were compiling losing and unsuccessful seasons. I remember 2001, but like the majority of my Mariner memories, I have skewed perspective. I don’t know how much I enjoy remembering that season. Something about it being everyone’s last amazing memory of this franchise pisses me off. It’s everyone’s favorite “Remember when…” moment. It’s the time all these new era fans harken back to. And like the video montage I alluded to earlier, it’s the season that video guys love replaying, outside of the 1995 slide by the best player on the face of baseball earth, Ken Griffey, Jr.

Now, with arguably the nicest stadium in baseball, in one of the greatest cities for it (in my humble opinion Seattle in April-September is the most beautiful place on earth), why has there been so much continued suffering? Could it be that the stadium is predominantly filled with people my age, whose blood has gone cold and their youthful optimism all but evaporated away? Could it be that our ownership still doesn’t take the team seriously enough? Doesn’t take winning seriously enough? Could it be that we’ve never had a good GM, who is reasonable and builds from the ground up like a Theo Epstein-type? Or is it the culture? I understand that a packed stadium can’t do the job of a roster of 25. We can’t hit, field, defend, pitch, relieve, and close, but the atmosphere does play a role. There are many people that contribute this issue and my conclusion is that both the fans and the ownership are to blame. Let’s start with us, the fans. While I do get we have to cater to and accommodate the young adult crowd (the college students in center field) and the adolescent crowd (Hat-Trick and Hydro Challenge), we also have to hold each other accountable. If at the end of a game you don’t remember what happened because you weren’t paying attention, then whose fault is it that we lose? Again, we can’t hit and field, but we can contribute our voices. We can cheer on. We can yell, “CHARGE.” We can heckle and disturb the opposing team. I’d be willing to bet if you were clever enough they’d even welcome it. All of this contributes to what we all call “the Culture” of the game. You know what else is part of the culture of the game? Monuments. We created a statue for our wonderful announcer, Dave Niehaus, in center field. We made a statue (which my father thinks is to small) of Ken Griffey, Jr. outside the home plate entrance of the stadium. “He was larger than life, so why not make the statue larger than life size,” he believes. All this is great. It gives fathers and mothers an opportunity to educate their sons and daughters about the special people who make up our team’s history. I do have one small gripe, though. To this date, we have retired two numbers, and three if you include Jackie Robinson, who every team around the league also retired his number (Mariano Rivera was the last player to wear #42). Now, I might be old school, but when I think of accomplishments I think of banners. Championships. Accolades. Hung up. Visible to all. In a spot, that is high enough, so that every spectator knows how high they were able to soar in their respective careers (if it’s a player) or in their respective seasons (if it’s a team accomplishment). At Safeco, there are three banners: 1995 AL West Champions, 1997 AL West Champions, and 2001 AL West Champions. The fourth banner, which I don’t really consider one, is a commemorative American League Championship Series flag that says which years we made it to the second round (1995, 2000, 2001). Just take that in. Breathe that in. Allow those numbers to sink all the way down to the bottom of the well. The drought is extremely real. Now, to go back to the banner talk. I like the fact that we have those three banners even if they remind me how long ago it’s been. Somewhere along these past years, someone decided we should transition to the plaque era. Honoring greats with plaques. Was it last year when Ken Griffey, Jr. had his number retired as a Mariner, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame? I think so. And what did they do to commemorate and honor this number retiring? They have him a plaque and they put it in deep center field, the position he made holy in Seattle. But where did they really put it? They put it not on the center field wall (which might not be a great place, but you get the idea), they put it right over that center field pit where all of the 20-somethings or 30-somethings go to get shit faced and not watch a damn second of the game. That’s where the plaque resides. There. And just like the statue outside, it’s not fucking big enough. Griffey is a God. His plaque looks like one of those beer signs you hang on the outside wall of a bar. A neon sign. I wonder if when the field staff turns off the lights at the end of the game if Griffey’s plaque is still shining. That and the Coors sign in left field.

I wanted a goddamn banner and they gave us a plaque. Then of course, with the precedent set, Edgar got his number retired as well. One more plaque in center field. They honored him this past weekend in the same vein as Griffey last year. Made it a whole week type of thing. And he deserved it. Every last moment.

What Edgar didn’t deserve was the four game home sweep the Mariners received at the hands of the California Angels, also known as, the Anaheim Angels, and even better known as, the Los Angeles Angels…of Anaheim. A team with three different names swept us at home. They beat us when we were giving out Edgar bobbleheads (the biggest attendance all year…guaranteed it was for the bobbleheads), they beat us when he got his number retired and the plaque was unveiled, and they beat us just for good measure on Sunday, when there was no special type of promotion to ease the wounds of the loss. This was a team of course who had hopes of snagging that wild card spot and the second one if they were feeling like slightly underachieving.

Today I went knowing that something truly special was going to happen and I was right. They lost again 11-3 to the Orioles, proving that manger Scott Servais and Kyle Seager’s hope that it was merely a dismal weekend was not an accurate assessment.

…

If I die sooner than expected, I assure you that it will be from unnatural causes. Or natural causes depending how you look at it. My gravestone will read with the epitaph in tow:

Joshua Chessin-Yudin : 1991-?

He died a Mariner fan.

He died; (early because he was) a Mariner fan.

…

The Seattle Mariners. The only team I will ever root for. The only team I hope makes it to a World Series. The only team I’ll ever love. In life and death. For better or worse.

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