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Other Games

Hyrule Warriors (2014) Wii U, Switch, 3DS

A spinoff of the Dynasty Warrior game series from Koei Tecmo, the series follows several well known Zelda Characters in their efforts to push back the evil forces. While the story is loose, the major draw of this game is the Dynasty Warrior game play, which sees hundreds of enemies being defeated by a singular individual over a large battlefield with ever changing objectives.

CD-I Games

In 1989, Nintendo and Sony partnered together to create a CD based addon for their upcoming Super Nintendo System, set to release sometime in 1991 or 1992. Prior to the announcement however in 1991, Nintendo decided to dump the contract with Sony and instead went with Phillips to develop their CD based addon. The sudden announcement from Nintendo just prior to Sony’s announcement eventually led to the Playstation system in 1994. Nintendo however, seeing the poor launch and reception of the Sega CD, pulled out of the agreement with Phillips for a CD based SNES Addon. However, with the agreement desolved, Nintendo agreed to allow Phillips to develop games based off the Nintendo Licenses, which included Mario and Zelda.

As a result, three games were created by Phillips for their CD-I machine:

Link: The Faces of Evil

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Zelda's Adventure

All three games are largely Action Adventure titles and not consider canon within the Zelda Timeline. Both Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon were released at the same time, featuring Russian animation that universally hated by the fans. Zelda’s Adventure, released 8 months after the first set of game, featured a top down perspective, and replaced the animation with live action, which is still considered horrible by today’s standards. All three games are largely unplayable in the sense that they are not fun and are frustrating to play.

In Other Media

The Legend of Zelda Cartoon

During the height of Mario Craze, there was The Super Mario Bros: Super Show, which aired during day time syndication in 1989. A part of the original run was a series of Super Mario Cartoons, referencing at the time Super Mario Bros 1 and 2, with Super Bros 3 episodes later pushed to a 2nd season. The cartoons themselves were only about 12-14 minutes long, and were inner spliced with Live Action Mario and Luigi, played by Lou Albano and Danny Wells respectively. The Mario Cartoons ran from Monday through Thursday, but on Friday, was a Legend of Zelda Cartoon instead.

The Legend of Zelda cartoon, much like the Mario cartoon, last only about 12-14 minutes, and a collection of thirteen were created for the series. The events of the series largely related around the time between The Legend of Zelda and The Adventures of Link, and often related to Link battling the remaining forces of Ganon to defend the land. The series was not without its comic attributes, as Link was constantly trying to get a Kiss from Zelda, along with the Tagline, “Excuse Me, Princess.” with the word ‘excuse’ exaggerated for comic effect, usually used when ever Link was sarcastically apologizing to Princess Zelda. Contrary to most princesses as well, Zelda was actually very capable on her own right, often being engaged and participating in the action.

The series is mostly well known for Link’s Catchphrase, but was often a big interest among kids of their era, mostly due to the fact that it only happened once a week, and due to this, the episodes rarely looped upon themselves, so if you missed it, you wouldn’t get the chance to see it again for 3 months.

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Topic: Legend of Zelda

What is it?

Nintendo’s Big Three, as of NES days, consisted of Super Mario, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda. Taking place in a fantasy world of goblins, monsters, castles, and princesses, this series had transformed some of the landscape of videogames and being a bench mark for many later games and series, with some hallmarks that continue to this day.

Development

During initial development of the Famicom(Family Computer, also known to the west as the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES)) addon, known as the Famicom Disk System, two major games were being developed. The First was Super Mario, while the second was Legend of Zelda, however their creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, didn’t know how either game would shape up. During the planning process, the two games were created in tandem, with Super Mario coming out first due it’s more linear nature, and Zelda coming out afterwards. Ideas when developing the games were split between the two games, with some ideas being more favorable for Mario over Zelda. Zelda’s design necessitated less linear game play and forced players to think about what to do next.

Elements of the initial story were taken heavily from J R R Tolken’s Lord of the Rings, primarily the setting and world in which the antagonist lived in. The initially hero, dubbed ‘Link’ was meant to be a time traveler, along with the plot device, the Tri-force, being made up to circuits/electronics, thus Link would be a Hyper-Link, or a Link to the Past, Present, and Future.

Released on the Famicom Disk System, The Legend of Zelda was a huge success. With the Disk System, save states could be created, which acted as back ups for your progress. Along with new weapons/items, additional armor, and various secrets waiting to be found, the game was a block buster upon release. Due to the North American market not having the Disk System for their NES, the game was ported instead to a standard game cartridge of the time, with new chips being created to hold the majority of the game on. US released copies featured a Gold game cartridge over the typical gray that was offered with all other games.

After the success of the first Zelda, a second follow up went in to work. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, took a different turn in the game play, offering a top down map for which to explore, but offered a 2d platform style action that Link would fight in. Released 2 years after the first, gaming critics cited it as a masterpiece, with many western audiences feeling somewhat indifferent to the game at the time.

With the coming of the next generation, the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo saw their own version of Zelda coming out, returning to the original Legend of Zelda roots, but also added a feature that would eventually become a staple of many Zelda game, a Light and Dark World. Initially, the Super Nintendo games held an initial allotment of half a Megabyte, but Zelda began the trend with a full Megabyte to incorporate all the features. In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, a Light and Dark world exist, where Link can travel between the two to gain new weapons, powers, and transverse the world in ways other than the initial ways. Released in 1991, the game was a classic and is to this day, still highly rated, and one of the best selling games for the Super Nintendo.

Following the success of Zelda as a generational Title, a new Zelda game has come out for every Generation of Nintendo’s consoles, including the Mainline Home Console and Hand-held Console. In 1998, The Legend of Zelda saw game series move in to 3d, just as Mario had done a year earlier. Even during the Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a launch title, instead of a traditional Mario title.

Initial Story

The initial story of the Legend of Zelda is not very straight-forward or linear at all. Described as a multi-timeline series, the main series had an initial timeline, before branching off in to various timelines. The characters of Link, Zelda, and bad guy Ganon are not even the original individuals, but reincarnations of the classic characters years into the future, sometime even hundreds of years later, often still playing the exact same roles as before.

Rather than develop the games in the released order, in order to explain the time line, we’ll explain them in order of their placement on the timeline:

Skyword Sword (2011) Wii U

Skyword Sword starts the Zelda timeline, set in a world where humans primarily live in the sky and travel around on giant Sky birds. Zelda, a reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, who is charged with watching over the Tri-Force, is whisked away to the surface world, where she learns of her purpose and intends on safeguarding the world from Demise. Link goes about saving her and puts an end to Demise, but not before he can make his own reincarnation. This is also the creation of the Master Sword, as the sword was originally a part of Hylia prior to giving up her divinity.

The Minish Cap (2004) GBA

As the GBA had a long life span, this incarnation is notable for introducing the Minish Cap, a replacement hat for Link, not unlike Mario Hat from Super Mario Odyssey. Much like many features of Zelda there is a obvious world, and a hidden world. In this case, the Minish Cap allows Link to shrink to Minish proportions (Small), in order to navigate and transverse secrets of the world. This adventure for Link sets up the Four Sword and the main antagonist of the next game Vaati.

Four Swords (2002) GBA

Released alongside a release of A Link to the Past, Four Swords tells of how Link used the Four Sword and transformed into four copies of himself. This story primarily focuses upon Vaati’s return and Link utilizing the Four Sword to defeat him. The true feature of this game was the 4 player co-op nature, which was later revisited on the Game Cube.

Ocarina of Time (1998) N64

Credited as landmark title that brought Zelda to 3d. The story tells of a very young boy link saving Princess Zelda, but traveling back and forth from time, which causes him transform in to the Adult Link. This game introduced 3d, but also a music system, with special songs, capable of summoning effects or allowing used to progress through the story. The game was the first time the story fleshed out more of Ganondorf’s back story, along with other notable races, including the Gerudo, Goron, Kokori, & Zora.

DEVIATION IN TIME

Based on the events of Ocarina of Time, one of Three Timeline get created:

Child Timeline – Where at the end of Ocarina of Time, Link returns the Master Sword to the pedestal and reverts to a child to finish out the rest of his life.

Adult Timeline – Where at the end of Ocarina of Time, Zelda returns the Master Sword to the pedestal, and Link is said to have disappeared following his return to the past.

Fallen Hero Timeline – Where as Link was failed to defeat Ganondorf, and he is instead sealed by the Seven Sages and locked away.

Child Timeline:

Following the defeat of Ganondork, Link returns the Master Sword to the pedestal and reverts to his child form to live out the rest of his life.

Majora’s Mask (2000) N64

Created using the original Ocarina of Time engine and many of the same assets, Majora’s Mask is very much a sequel to the Ocarina of Time. In this version, Link stays a child, but gains additional powers in the form of masks, which alter his shape and abilities. The main events of Majora’s Mask resolve around Link in search of Navi, his fairy from the first game. He meets the mysterious Skull Kid, who is wearing the possessed Majora’s Mask. Skull Kid, via Majora’s Mask, aims to destroy the town of Termina by having the moon crash in to it. Link has only 3 days in which to stop the apocalypse, but learns can go back in time by playing the Song of Time on his Ocarina, giving him unlimited tries to save the world.

Twilight Princess (2006) Wii

Following the events of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is stopped and due to having the Triforce of Power, can’t be killed. As a result, he is banished to the Twilight Realm, where he eventually takes it over and corrupts it to his own purpose. During the events, he usurps Midna, the Twilight Princess, and during his invasion back into the world of Light, plunges the world into twilight. Midna recruits Link, who in twilight infused areas, is able to transform into a wolf the Midna rides, and the two aim to save both the world of Light and the world of Twilight.

Four Swords Adventure (2004) Game Cube

Revisiting the GBA Four Sword’s multiplay gameplay, the game utilizes the GBA link Cable to link various GBAs together to play all at the same time. While Ganondorf has been defeated for hundreds of years, his sudden resurrection forced the Link of the time to draw the Four Sword once again. This releases Vaati, which Ganondorf uses to his advantage to distract Link. Eventually, Link is able to defeat Vaati once and for all, and seals Ganondorf within the Four Sword.

Adult Timeline:

Following the events Ocarina of Time, Link disappears following the defeat of Ganondorf and his sealing away in the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf continue to own his Tri-Force of power, as does Zelda with her Triforce of Wisdom, however, Link’s disappearance, shatters the Tri-Force of courage in to 8 pieces.

The Wind Waker (2002) Game Cube

A major departure in style, Wind Waker and all games in the Adult Timeline follow a very cartoony, cell-shaded look. While a prominent style in the games, and a departure from a more realistic looking Link promised in trailers, the look had grown on players and has its own unique charm, with lot of personality in Link.

Wind Waker tells of how Ganon returns from his seal in the Sacred Realm, and in order to save the world, the Gods decide to flood the world, sealing away Hyrule and Ganon at the same time. Follow flood, people move to the top of mountains that become islands. Link is set in to action as Ganondorf returns to the surface and is kidnapping young girls with pointy ears, in search of Zelda. Link traverses this world on the King of red Lions, a boat sent by the gods, in which Link must use the power of the Wind Waker to cause winds to help pilot the boat.

Phantom Hourglass (2007) DS

Following the events of Wind Waker, Tetra(Reincarnation of Zelda) and Link travel the world in search of a new continent to call home. Tetra is kidnapped and Link must travel around to save her. He receives the Phantom Hourglass, which is necessary for exploring various dungeons. Much like the last game, the gameplay is largely split in two major features, sailing between islands, and fighting in a similar top-down form as previous classic era games.

Spirit Tracks (2009) DS

Following the Events of Phantom Hourglass, the new kingdom of Hyrule is established. Hundreds of years pass, and a new Link and Zelda are reborn. Zelda is concerned about her advisor, Chancellor Cole, who reveals himself to be a demon initially sealed way on the new Hyrule Kingdom long before they arrived. He steals Zelda’s body, but her spirit remains with Link, who together must navigate the mysterious Spirit Tracks and find the sacred Spirit Temples that original banished the Demon.

Fallen Hero Timeline:

Unfortunately, Link was unable to defeat Ganondorf, who succeeded in claiming the Tri-Force of Courage and the Tri-Force of Wisdom. Before he could use the full Tri-Force, he was sealed away by the Seven Sages into the Sacred Realm, where Ganondorf continued to create his armies. Following initial seal’s breaking, Hyrule launched an invasion on the Sarcred Realm in order defeat Ganon. Despite the Kingdom of Hyrule successfully banishing Ganon in the realm once again, it left the country impoverished and without many resources, including money and its people.

A Link to the Past (1991) SNES

The first game to feature a duality Light and Dark world system, Link to the Past is a classic and one of the best selling SNES games of all time. Hundreds of years after Ganon’s defeat, a Wizard named Agahnim was able to stop a number of mysterious events plaguing the kingdom. Naming him the priest of Hyrule and top advisor, Agahnim brainwashed the guards and makes the six maidens, descendants of the Seven Sages, disappear in to the Dark World. Zelda, the last maiden, telepathically calles out to Link to rescue her. He saves her and begin searching for the tools needed to defeat Agahnim, who wants to resurrect Ganon. Link eventually goes to Stop Agahnim, but not before being banished to the Dark World, where he eventually found the six maidens and is able to find the TriForce.

Link’s Awakening (1993) Game Boy / Switch

Initially, a pet project by a few game creators to try and remake the first Zelda for the Game Boy, the project eventually caught the attention of other developers who wanted to add to it. Eventually, the higher ups found out about the game and decided to fund it in earnest. Following the Events of A Link to the Past, Link sets off to find new training, in case of the next disaster. His ship wrecks on Koholint island, which is populated by individuals that remind him Hyrule. He learns, in order to leave the island, he must collect 8 sacred instruments, and wake up the Wind Fish in order to leave the island.

Oracle of Seasons & Oracles of Ages (2001) GBC

Originally starting as a trio of games that would use passwords to link the three games together, the result ended in just two games, with Seasons being more action oriented and Ages being more puzzle oriented. The main story focuses on two witches, collectively known as Twinrova, attempting to resurrect Ganon. Link from A Link to the Past is summoned by the TriForce and sent to stop them.

A Link Between Worlds (2013) 3DS

Centuries after Ganon’s Defeat, a mysterious wizard named Yugo appears and kidnaps the Seven Sages, and Zelda, storing them in Paintings until needed. Link travels after them into the world of Lorule, which is similar to his own. Link is unable to stop Yugo from summoning Ganon and takes it into himself. Link is nearly killed, if not for the Dark Counterpart to Zelda in this world, Hilda. Eventually it is revealed that Lorule had its own TriForce, but constant warring and fighting forced them to destroy it; however, this allowed monsters and demons to rise up, which destroyed their Kingdom. Hilda brought all the elements of Link and Zelda’s world to hers in order to gain a Tri-Force of their own and save their world. Link eventually defeat Yugo and convinces Hilda that their world needs the Tri-Force as well. Upon returning to their world, Link wishes upon the Tri-Force and it creates a sister version in Lorule, restoring peace to the dark world.

Tri-Force Heroes (2015) 3DS

A new adventure for Link, who travels to Hytopia. Here, the evil witch Maud has forced Princess Styla into an irremovable brown Jumpsuit, which she forces her to hide away in her castle. Using two other Link look-a-likes, they must collect the Lady’s Ensemble and defeat the evil Witch Maud. Similar to 4 swords, this utilizes multiplayer to play and complete, and feature different outfits link can wear to utilize different abilities.

The Legend of Zelda (1986) NES

At some point, the Tri-Force of Courage is hidden by the King of Hyrule, suspecting his son, the Prince of Hyrule, won’t be a worthy person. As a result, the Prince questions Princess Zelda, who knows the true location, but refuses to tell her brother. Now put in an eternal slumber, the Kingdom falls into decline to due not having the full power of the Tri-Force. Ganon returns and gains control of the Tri-Force of Power; the next Princess Zelda hide the Tri-Force of Wisdom in eight dungeons in order to safeguard it. Link is tasked with saving Princess Zelda, who has now been imprisoned by Ganon, and is dubbed the Hero of Hyrule.

The Adventure of Link (1988) NES

6 years following the events of The Legend of Zelda, Link had a glowing mark on his hand, which imprints the boy who will be able to wield the Tri-Force of Courage. Tasked with visiting several locations to prove his worth, Link is able to successful collect the Tri-Force of Courage, and return to the eternal slumber Zelda, awaking her with the full power of the Tri-Force.

Great Calamity Timeline

Though not a part of the official timeline just yet, developers state that this timeline is the end of all timeline, marking the end to major timeline. While it’s unsure which time line this falls into, it’s a future in which an advanced civilization named the Sheikah Tribe, helped install various technologies into Hyrule, causing it to prosper. In preparation for Ganon’s return, they created various Guardians and Divine Beasts to fight Ganon upon his return, now known as Calamity Ganon.

Breath of the Wild (2016) Switch

The next princess, named Zelda, notices that Ganon is nearly upon them and goes about claiming the Divine Beasts, giving them to four capable pilots, and finding Link, a knight who can successful wield the Master Sword. While Zelda is initially unable to awaken her sealing powers, the Day of Calamity occurs, causing all the guardians and Divine Beasts to go malfunction and turn against the populous. Now with Zelda and Link alone, Link is fatally injured and forced to be healed in the Shrine of Resurrection. Zelda herself, went to seal away Calamity Ganon, successful, but not without sealing herself away too. 100 Years have passed since the Day of Calamity, and Link, partly with Amnesia, sets out to save the Princess Zelda.

Breath of the Wild Sequel (2022) Switch

Characters

Princess Zelda

Named after Zelda Fitzgerald, mother to Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda is the Princess of Hyrule, and titular character of the Legend of Zelda Series. The reincarnation of Hylia, the Goddess that protected the Tri-Force from Demise, she is the individual that started the reincarnation process for the Zelda line of individuals. While the Princess and defacto ruler of Hyrule, she is also known to be the keeper of the Tri-Force of Wisdom. She depicted slightly differently from game to game, but is usually a Blonde woman in her late teen to early 20s, depicted in flowing princess robes and possessing mannerism of a Princess. Her weapon of choice is typically a Bow, which shoots light based Arrows, and is known for her ability to seal away evil. While she is often the Damsel in Distress, there are some games that show to have more agency.

Link

The main Playable Character in the series, Link is presented as an everyman, just going about his life, until the call to be a Hero calls upon him. He is the keeper of the Tri-Force of Courage, and generally depicted as a sword and shield using adventurer, in his typical Green tunic and hat. Link can wield the Master Sword, a legendary sword, considered the final weapon in the game, and usually depicted as utilizing it in his left hand, while his right hand carries his shield. Link has had several titles in various games, including:

Hero of Time (Ocarina of Time)

Legendary Hero (Link’s Awakening)

Hero of Winds (Wind Waker)

Hero of Twilight (Twilight Princess)

Hero Chosen by the Ocean King (Phantom Hourglass)

Hero of the Skies (Skyward Sword)

Hero of the Wild (Breath of the Wild)

Hero of Hyrule

Ganon / Ganondorf

While interchangeable, Ganon and Ganondorf are the same person. The main villain of every mainline Zelda Game, Ganon is known for wielding the Tri-Force of Power and leading various villainous armies against the Hero. Initially a reincarnation of Demise, the evil from Skyward Sword, Ganondorf has reappeared time and time again, always with aims to claim the Tri-Force for himself. While starting as Ganondorf, a dark-skinned Gerudo, Ganondork eventually can be transfigured and warped in to Ganon, which is more akin to a boar or pig like man, as seen in later incarnations of the character. Ganon/Ganondorf is always the final villain and main antagonist of all major Zelda games on home console.

Impa

Princess Zelda’s caretaker and chamber maid. Impa does not always play a major factor in the story, and as such, is depicted in various forms. She is sometimes an old woman on the verge of death, to a skilled fighter in her 30s to 40s. She is always there to assist and lead Zelda on the right path, and has even led Link on the right path in some games.

Sages

Derived from the original Seven Sages from Ocarina of Time, the term Sage is meant for individuals with wisdom and great power. While much of their lore is not known, it’s whispered in legend that they created the Master Sword and even the Temple of Time. Maidens are similar in line with Sages, as they are either reincarnations or descendants of Sages. The initial sages seen in Ocarina of Time, which later sages are either descendants or reincarnations, include:

Rauru - Sage of Light

Saria - Forest Sage

Darunia - Sage of Fire

Ruto - Sage of Water

Impa - Sage of Shadow

Nabooru - Sage of Spirit

Zelda - Leader of the Sages, and presumed Sage of Time

Homework

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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Topic: Falcon and the Winter Soldier Review

New Characters

Jonathan F. "John" Walker – Captain America / US Agent – Protrayed by Wyatt Russell

In the comics, at one point in time, Steve Rogers gives up the title of Captain America a number of missions that seem corrupt to Steve, including being called upon for the ‘Commission on Superhuman Activities’. The US appointed John Walker as the new Captain America for a period of time, embodying the spirit of a more militant and conservative America, in contrast to Steve Roger who was seen as been more progressive for the time. The stress of being Captain America however becomes too much for John Walker, which forces Steve Roger, who has been known as just ‘Captain’, to take back the Captain America role.

John Walker later takes on the identity of the US Agent, donning a similar costume to Captain America, and is appointed by the US Government to various teams and mission, acting as heads of the West Coast Avengers and other teams. He’s described as a loose cannon version of Steve Rogers, but still a relatively good guys in many cases.

Similar to Captain America, he was experimented on by a character known as the Power Broker, which gave him super strength, to match his Olympic level athletic skills. He is similar trained as Steve Rogers, and possesses similar skills and abilities.

Lemar Hoskins – Battlestar - Clé Bennett

The Bucky to John Walker’s Captain America.

Karli Morgenthau – Flag Smasher - Erin Kellyman

In the comics, Karl Morgenthau was the son of a wealthy Banker turn Diplomat, and even dreamed of becoming a Diplomat himself, until his father was killed in a riot. He believed that nationalism made people they were superior to others unnecessarily, and that removing nations would make everyone happier, removing the unnecessary barriers between everyone. He was a frequent villain of Captain America.

In the MCU, this is the 9th character to be gender-swapped. Others include The Ancient One, Mar-vell, and Morgan Stark.

Isaiah Bradley - Carl Lumbly

Elijah "Eli" Bradley - Elijah Richardson

In the comics, following the events of Dr. Erskine’s death, the secrets of the Super Soldier formula were lost, and only within Captain America. Still wanting the army of Super Soldiers, in the 1940s, they forcibly recruited 300 black men and began experimenting on them with a new Super Soldier formula. Only a few men survived, and were placed on the front line in WWII. On his last mission, after learning he was the sole survivor and meant to go on a suicide mission, Isaiah stole a Captain America Costume and shield, and then went in to battle. Though his mission was successful, he was captured, but eventually freed by German revolutionaries. Upon his return to America, he was imprisoned for life, and placed in solitary confinement for 17 years, prior to a presidential pardon. After leaving prison, he led a relatively quiet life, though met with several notable Black Civil Rights members, aiding them. His grandson, Elijah, in the comics, goes on to become Patriot, a young Captain America, after he partly inherited the flawed Super Soldier Formula.

The story is an allegory for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where black men were forcibly experimented on to develop a cure for Syphilis.

Baron Zemo – Previously of Captain America Civil War - Daniel Brühl

Sharon Carter – Evil? - Emily VanCamp

In the Comics, Sharon Carter is also known as Agent 13, where she often has dubious moral leanings that can affect various parties. While usually on the good guy side, her lack of morality that don’t otherwise affect her tend to get individuals either hurt or tend to hind her on opposite sides of heroes.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine - Julia Louis-Dreyfus

In the comics, she was a SHIELD agent, who was in many cases a double or triple Spy for organizations. She ultimately, rose to deputy director of SHIELD under Nick Fury, before falling back to be a spy once again.

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Topic: Falcon & The Winter Soldier Tutorial

We begin our Discussion on the Newest Marvel Show, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, which is our newest Marvel series. Does it live up to Wanda Vision, check out next episode to find out.

Who is The Falcon?

Comic History

First introduced in 1969, Samuel Wilson was rescued by Steve Rogers, Captain America, from a Caribbean island where the Red Skull had planned on experimenting on Sam. After fighting the Red Skull, Sam would go on to continue working with Captain America. It was during this first outing that he was given the power to telepathically communicate with Birds, especially a falcon her name Redwing, but the Red Skull and a Cosmic Cube. It wasn’t until 5 years later that he was given a pair of wings by Black Panther that allowed him to fly.

Falcon remained a loyal partner to Steve Roger, even helping train his replacements during time in which Steve stepped down as Captain America. During this time, Falcon learned to command other birds beyond Redwing, and became capable of command multiple types of birds. Falcon was also of the people to Steve Roger’s Secret Avengers, opposing the Super-Human Registration Act, the main catalyst of the Civil War in the comics.

A major turning point in the character came in 2014, when Steve Roger has his Super Soldier serum neutralized, causing him to rapidly age to the age of 90. Without the power of the serum, same passed on the shield and mantle of Captain America to the Falcon. Falcon would go on to act as Captain America, utilizing the wings of Falcon and the Shield of Captain America. His numerous adventures led to a new Avengers team, along with for a time, leaving SHIELD due to their work on a New Cosmic Cube.

SHIELD would eventually make their new Comic Cube, which took on the vestige of a young girl named Kobik. During these eventually the original Captain America was dying, but Kobik revitalized Steve Rogers, allowing him to retake the title of Captain America. This version of Steve Rogers however was a fascist version that was actually a sleeper agent for Hydra. While Falcon’s faith in American Government had wavered, he return the title of Captain America to Steve Rogers(Fascist), and departed the country to help elsewhere.

Upon Falcon’s return, he learned that Steve Rogers(F) had taken up the mantle as the leader of Hydra. Falcon returned to being Captain America once again, and assisted the Avengers in rebuilding the Cosmic Cube to help Kobik, who actually had the real Steve Rogers inside her. Completing the Cube, freed Steve Rogers, and allowed him to beat the Steve Rogers(F). Understanding that Steve Rogers could do more benefit as Captain American than he could, he returned the Mantle of Steve Roger, and returned to being just the Falcon. Falcon, then working for a Veteran’s Assistance group came across Bucky Barnes, and aided him in helping find soldiers that had gone missing.

Powers

Avian Telepathy – Ability to communicate and commands birds.

Master Martial Artist – After having trained with Steve Rogers, Falcon became a proficient fighter in various fighting styles and forms.

Peak Human Condition – Including peak strength and endurance.

Master Aerialist – As a flying hero, he is an amazing fighter in the air, some would say better than Ironman or Captain Marvel.

Falcon Wings – A Set of Wakandan created Wings that give Falcon the power of flight.

Captain America Shield + Uniform – Former

MCU Version

The MCU version of Falcon Finds him as a former Rescue Paratrooper, who upon returning home find himself working the VA until he volunteers to help Steve Rogers during the events of Winter Soldier Movie. He continues as an Avenger post Age of Ultron, and is the first to be on Steve Rogers side during the events of Civil War. He is snapped out of existence at the end of Infinity War, only to return at end of Endgame.

Who is The Winter Soldier?

Comic History

First introduced in 1940 as the young sidekick of Steve Rogers as Captain America, the James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was the Teenage hero working alongside Steve Rogers during World War II. Toward the end of the war in 1945, Captain America and Bucky were on the hunt for a bad guy, then the plane they were on was plummeting in to the Atlantic Ocean. Both men attempted to escape, but Bucky’s costume was snagged on the plan upon exiting, causing the plan to crash in to the ocean and for him to be presumed dead. Captain America attempted to save his companion, but was sent into suspended animation, being frozen in the waters of the Atlantic.

In 1946, the Soviets were attempting to find Captain America, instead found Bucky, who had survived the crash, but who had lost his left arm and put in to a similar suspended animation like this mentor. Though at the peak of human conditioning due to working and training alongside Captain America, Bucky survived and was reprogrammed by the Soviets to become their personal Assassin, the Winter Soldier.

As the Winter Soldier, he carried out the bulk of secret, and famous, Assassinations across the world for many years. His left arm replaced with a new cybernetic arm when ever advancements in technology would allow. He would at one point become the teacher and trainer for a young Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, while she training. They two developed a romantic relationship, but after a failed assassination mission, Bucky was deemed too unstable, and his mind was wiped after each mission, and placed in Suspended Animation until a mission was needed.

During an event in 2004, where the Winter Soldier was activated to steal the Red Skull’s new Cosmic Cube, he met and fought with Captain America, who later learned that the Winter Soldier had been his best friend this entire time. Using the power of the newly created Cosmic Cube, Captain America restored Bucky’s memories, but the sudden rush of emotions and remorse over the life he had led caused Bucky to destroy the newly created Cosmic Cube, transporting him elsewhere in the process.

For the next few years, Bucky began hunting his captors, eliminating them and becoming a SHIELD secret agent for Nick Fury. Following the Events of Civil War, Bucky blamed Tony Stark and Red Skull for killing Steve Rogers. Bucky would eventually confront both men, but lost to the Red Skull. And when confronting Tony Stark, Stark passed along Steve Roger’s final wish for Bucky, that he save Bucky from his decent to violence and madness. Tony Stark believing the best way to do this, was for Bucky to become the New Captain America. Bucky accepted, but wanted the mental implants removed, and that he answered to no one, not SHIELD or Tony Stark.

For the next few years, Bucky acted as Captain America, eventually winning over the Avengers and the US Government, on his way to reforming his life; he even rekindled his romance with Black Widow. Even when Steve Rogers was revived and was capable of taking back the mantle of Captain America, he continued to let Bucky carry on the title, believing that he was the better individual to carry on that legacy, and that the world didn’t need Two Captain Americas.

During the Fear Itself event, a villain powered by a similar Hammer to Thor’s beat Bucky to within an inch of his life during an attack on Washington DC, saved by a Nick Fury and his ‘Infinity Formula’. Steve Rogers took back up the mantle of Captain America after his friend seemingly thought dead, with Bucky believing it was better that he return to his Winter Soldier title instead. Winter Soldier would continue to work behind the scene of super heroics, though seemingly out of the picture for a majority of the major events.

Bucky was a part of the team that went in to a Villains prison, in order to rescue the newly created Cosmic Cube, Kobik, and was seemingly there when Steve Rogers (F), was revived. Years later, upon learning that the revived Steve Rogers was actually a Fascist version, he worked along side the Avengers to find the real Steve Rogers. After helping complete the cube, he shrunk down in size with Ant Man and rescued the real Steve Rogers from the cube.

Powers

Master Martial Artist – After having trained with Steve Rogers, Falcon became a proficient fighter in various fighting styles and forms.

Peak Human Condition – Including peak strength and endurance.

Infinity Formula – a diluted version of the Elixir of Life, it slows down the aging process and seemingly give the user peak physical conditions. However, unlike Steve Roger’s Super Soldier Serum, this Formula must be taken regularly once a year in order to stay in peak condition. Prior to receiving it, Bucky had already been at Peak Human Condition, which only added to his skills.

Cybernetic Arm – Replacing his missing left arm that was lost during World War II, his arm is improved with new technology over the years.

MCU Version

The MCU Version follows very similar to Comics, aging up Bucky to be a similar age to Steve Rogers during World War II. Bucky, unlike his Comics version, did receive an experimental version of the Super Soldier Serum, turning him into a Super Soldier in the process, though seemingly not to the point that it was noticeable by others. Rather than being lost in the Ocean similar to Steve Rogers, he was instead lost over a ravine, only to be rescued by Hydra and turned in to the Winter Soldier. Following the event of the Winter Soldier, Bucky left Hydra and began seeking out who he was, only to be blamed for an attack on Wakanda leader, King T'Chaka. During the events of Civil War, Steve Roger protected Bucky, as he realized Bucky wasn’t the enemy, only doing the bidding of programming by Hydra agents. Bucky lost his initial cybernetic arm, but was rescued by Steve Rogers, who escaped to Wakanda with the help of the Black Panther. While in Wakanda, he was deprogrammed and the mental implants were removed. During the events of Infinity War, he aided Steve Rogers and other heroes in protecting Vision while the Mind Stone was being removed, receiving a new Vibranium Arm to replace his lost cybernetic arm. He was snapped Away by Thanos, just like the Falcon, but returned during the Events of Endgame.

Cosmic Cube

Cosmic Cubes are cube objects that allow for reality manipulation, control over matter and energy, and basically answers to the sentient being owning them, often being considered omni-wish granting devices. Their creation is generally a well guarded secret and very difficult, but by opening up a portal to a universe inhabited by ‘Beyonders’, you can suck out some of the energy in that universe and contain it in a cube.

The Cosmic Cube typically get created and wielded by individuals without any spectacular super powers, like the Red Skull. They’re a common source of conflict within Captain America stories, as they’re the common focus and creation by those seeking more power. While on a similar level to Infinity Stones, they’re not nearly as powerful and omnipotent, as they can’t effect time or the soul.

In the MCU, the Tesseract was considered a Cosmic Cube, before it was determined that it was the Space Stone in hiding.

Where are we at in the Marvel Timeline?

Prior to the Events of Endgame, half of all life in the universe was snapped away, both Sam and Bucky included. While Endgame only shows a tiny bit of the life returning to normal, Bucky went on to work with the US Government as a deep cover agent, working to root out Hydra agents, and trying to make amends for the damage he did. Falcon continued working alongside the Military, continuing his work as an Avenger.

As a part of re-intergrating those lost by the Snap, and returned during the Blip, the Global Repatriation Council was created to aid those returning from the Blip. As a part of their work, they reinstated country boundaries and aimed to return those snapped away back to their old lives. However, any refugees from other countries ended up buying or moving in to new homes and places left behind by those who were Snapped away, and upon the return of original owners, many of those refugees were forcibly removed by the owner or local governments from their new homes, and placed into resettlement camps. Many in these camps resent the GRC, as they are poor infrastructure and lack of supplies necessary for those that were displaced. As of recent the GRC, in an effort to return to the world of 5 years prior to the snap, has begun implementing deportation for refugees to their original countries of origin, which has only increased anger and tensions of the Refugees.

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A Nerdy Move

It’s out with the old, and in with the new place. I spent probably 2 months looking for the right place, and I found a pretty good one, and so after setting up the place, Mom and Me talk about moving and the trials and tribulations regarding it.

Before Moving:

Take pictures of your collections

• If you have a display or set up you like already, taking a picture of it will ensure you can return to that display sometime in the future.
• Pictures can also help keep track of what things you might be missing later on.

Boxing Collectables

• Bubble wrap is your friend.
• Try to keep stuff together of similar genre/display.
• If you have small parts, box them up and keep them with your other items.
• If you have pieces with parts that can fall off in a move, make sure package them up with all the parts taken off.
• Tupperware can be your friend for keeping small parts together and organized.

Boxing DVDs & Books

• Consider your collection and pack according to your groups
• Consider if you have duplicate or stuff you no longer enjoy that you might want to get rid of
• Books are heavy, so don’t put them into big boxes, smaller boxes are your friends on this one

Boxing Costumes/Props

• If you’re costumes can fit in a Space Saver Bag, it might be an easier way to travel with yours stuff.
• Box your props comfortably in boxes.
• Weapons and sword are best left in boxes. If you have the original packaging, all the better.

Getting rid of stuff

• Consider where you’re moving, and if you have stuff you no longer enjoy/use. If you have things in your closet you never use or show off, consider getting rid of them.
• Craig’s List, Facebook Market, and eBay can be your friends.

Consider Personal Transportation

• If you’re using a moving company or traveling far, if you have things that are awkward or unusually sized, or considered too valuable, put them in your own vehicle.
• If you can’t afford to pack your personal vehicle, make sure each item get boxed by you to ensure its safety.

Consider Blue Painter’s Tape

• Because it’s intended to be a very temporary solution to problems, I found it invaluable when wrapping stuff and keeping it organized, especially as I could write on it.

The Move:

Take careful account of your items and where you put them

• If you have movers coming to get your stuff, make sure you track where stuff is being put and where stuff is at the end of the day.
• If you’re doing your own move, make sure you label stuff well.
• Nothing sucks more than missing a vital part of your home and then not finding it for a few days.

If you are moving close

• If you’re move is close, and you have the ability to move some stuff over early, DO IT. This can be very valuable for props and other collectables that you want to keep from getting damaged in a move.

Plan for where you are moving to

• If you’re moving closer to the ocean or more inland, consider the climate you’re moving to and how it might affect your collectables. Some things may not react will to be chilled in the winter, or baked in the summer.
• If it’s a long move, presume you won’t have access to your stuff for a while. Pack spare clothes, expect most of your entertainment to come from podcasts or other media.

Unboxing:

Get stuff in place

• Decide where furniture is going to go first. Once you start putting stuff on bookshelves or desks, those items aren’t moving any time soon.
• Make sure you know what each box contains so you can decide where you want to start first.

Have a spare table/work space

• As you’re unboxing, you may need to rest stuff on to other places temporarily.
• Get a folding table, or some temporary table to prop stuff on to, so you can organize it before you put it up.

Have a System for Boxes/waste

• Having a system for all your boxes and where you’ll put them/collapse them is important
• Having set locations for where garbage and stuff
• Know where your garbage bins are.
• Cut handles in to your boxes, it will honestly help a bunch

My Hardware store runs:

• PVC piping to hang the puppets
• ‘S’ hooks to hang bags/backpacks
• New Shower Head
• Floating Shelf
• Picture hanging hooks
• Cleaning Supplies

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Topic: Godzilla vs. Kong Review

This week, we return once again to review the colossal thrown down, the greatest ironman match, the titan clashing against each other, the… greatest fight ever?  Godzilla vs Kong was a fun romp, not as good as Kong on Skull Island, but I think it’s still a great movie none the less.  Come find out what we thought!

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Topic: King Kong

The move is over, and we’re back with new episodes. And we pick ourselves back up with one of our more recent topic, on our way to their epic faceoff, we’re studying King Kong, The Eighth Wonder of the World. Unlike his nemesis, Godzilla, King Kong has a far smaller collection of movies by comparison, but his impact on American pop culture and history and certainly been around in America just as long as his Japanese Counter Part. And as we await their epic battle, we learn a bit about the massive ape, and study his movies to see what we can gleam off the future encounter.

Creation

Created by Merian C. Cooper for his title movie, King Kong (1933), young Cooper was fascinated with primates. Upon growing older, he eventually started working in the motion picture industry and after production finished on The Four Feathers(1929), he started thinking his next picture would be something to do with Primates.

A year later, he found himself at RKO, a major movie studio, and Cooper began development on what would be King Kong, deciding that his primate would be giant sized. He had actually decided the ending of the film first, liking the idea of his giant primate fighting war planes atop of the New York Insurance Building. Famously, Cooper liked the idea of pitting a giant primate against a dinosaur, but decided to focus on one main character instead.

The name for King Kong took some development however. Cooper originally like names that started with a K, but found himself having a difficult time coming something that sounded mysterious and catchy. In original scripts, the title monster was only referred to as ‘The Beast’, but the studio did not like the generic name. Eventually, after notes from the studio, Cooper landed on the name ‘Kong’, but in worried it would sound like a docudrama instead, like other one word films at the time. He added ‘King’ to differentiate it, thus became King Kong.

Fictional History

King Kong is a massive Monster Primate, who originates from ‘Skull Island’, a mysterious island that King Kong lives with other prehistoric mammals and creatures. The island is thus named due to the skull shaped mountain that lies at the center of the island. The island is also home to the ancestors of a once highly civilized nation that previously built a wall to keep in the monsters on the island. Though the name was never used in the original 1933 film, the name was featured in the novelization that came out two months prior to the movie, and has since stuck.

Though described as prehistoric Ape, King Kong has a number of human like qualities, notably, his ability to walk upright in an anthropomorphic manner. He is described as being upwards of 40-50 feet tall, he was later rescaled to be 18-25 feet tall in the original 1933 film. In most initial western versions, King Kong is roughly 25 feet tall, however in later Japanese versions, he was scaled in size to be similar to Godzilla. Most recently, in the 2017 film, he was 104 feet tall, and finally 337 feet tall to fight against Godzilla in 2021.

In most early versions of the character, King Kong is a villain, however, in more recent films, he’s given a sympathetic story, and is even the hero in some of these movies.

History

While a major film icon in the west, the character’s intellectual property owners have been split between various parties through history, making the character a difficult character to track. Initially, the rights were thought to belong with Cooper, but in 1962, when the character was licensed to Toho to make King Kong vs Godzilla (1962), Cooper sued RKO. Even though there was quite a number of evidence in Cooper’s favor, some key documents were lost between his time in the military and his return home, which the courts found that RKO owned the character.

Eventually, concern over the rights would come up again in 1975 when Universal Studios were trying to make a King Kong Film. Eventually Universal Studios went to court, arguing that the King Kong novelization and serialization were now in the public domain, but that Universal couldn’t infringe on the original 1933 film. A later ruling affirmed that the Cooper estate has owned the rights to King Kong’s name, story, and character, which were later sold to universal in 1976.

The character himself has appeared in less than a dozen films over the last 88 years.

King Kong & Son Of Kong (1933)

The initial films released by RKO, with the success of the initial King Kong movie, a subsequent film was released later in the year.

King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

After the success of Godzilla in Japan, they looked to make further movies in the franchise. This moving being the 3rd movie in the Godzilla franchise, it was also the first time either character was portrayed in a color film, showing what they would look like in color. This King Kong was different from its original western counter part, which included:

• Coming from Faro island instead of Skull Island
• Being able to absorb electricity
• Being same relative size as Godzilla, (100 feet)

The film is famous for having to two creatures attacking different parts of Japan, before getting together on the summit of Mount Fuji and fighting each other. In the end, both tumble in to the ocean, with only King Kong rising up from the depths and swimming back to Faro Island.

King Kong Escapes (1967)

In another first, predating Mecha-Godzilla, this 1967 film offered a Mecha-King Kong, a similar mechanical version of the title character. The film sees a mechanical King Kong digging for a mysterious element, but the robot goes haywire, which results in our heroes capturing King Kong and taking him to Mecha-King Kong to finish each other off. They eventually can’t do it, and instead somehow get to Tokyo from the North Pole, and recreate the famous ending of the 1933 film, this time using the Tokyo Tower instead. After defeating Mecha-King Kong, King Kong swims back to his island, never to be heard again. This is also the version time King Kong seems to have a handler so sorts, as there is a woman who has the ability to control King Kong.

King Kong (1976)

A modern remake of the original 1933 film. This film was what started the law suits with Universal Pictures, as Paramount Pictures and Dino De Laurentiis were attempting to remake the original film, and bought the rights from RKO-General. The film is a largely faithful remake, but take places in 1976 instead of the original 1933 time frame.

King Kong Lives (1986)

A sequel to the 1976 film, King Kong had been alive the entire time, but is currently dying. In order to save him, they need to transfuse blood from a similar creature, which is where introduce a ‘Lady Kong’, and another similarly sized King Kong primate who helps save King Kong. The film sees King Kong die after the events to save Lady Kong, but Lady Kong gives birth to their son, and returns to Borneo to live peacefully with their son.

King Kong (2005)

This is the Peter Jackson film that took 3 hour to watch. A retelling of the 1933 film from a 1933 perspective, it focuses on a film maker, who hires a crew to get footage of the amazing creature, before bringing it back to New York. The film was well received and earned top marks for its special effects and acting. It was also the first live action film in nearly 20 years.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

As a part of Legendary’s MonsterVerse, which focuses on King Kong and Godzilla movies created in the west. The movie take places in the same world as Legendary’s other 2014 and 2019 Godzilla movies. The film follows Monarch, as it searches to map out the various ‘Titan’ monsters around the world. The Film does a good job of introducing other monsters and setting up the world, and stars Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie also teases Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, which was the next major movie to come out.

Godzilla vs Kong (2021)

The newest feature, which is a sequel to the 2017 film and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

King Kong in Pop Culture

There have been multiple illusions to King Kong in various media over the last 88 years, ranging from parodies and humorous references, to near duplication. Famously, scenes have been reference and re-used in various cartoons, such as the Simpsons, Futurama, The Muppets, and more. Other movies have references scenes from King Kong as well, including the Nutty Professor, Lego Batman: The Movie, and even Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs were based off the films.

Donkey Kong Franchise

The 1981 Nintendo franchise about hero trying to save his girl friend from the title character. The fact that you travel up buildings that and face off against a large ape were clear illusions, as Nintendo wanted to make a King Kong game. The character himself would continue on as something much different as the 90s moved on, moving in to a hero role, and being re-imagined as a primate family that fought to save their island. He was named Donkey Kong, to mean ‘Stubborn Gorilla’.

Rampage Franchise

An 1986 arcade classic sees three Kaiju sized monsters destroying a city. These monsters include a Godzilla/Ymir analog in Lizzie, a giant werewolf in Ralph, and a King Kong like gorilla names George. The series has several remakes over the years, usually coinciding with new video game hardware and platforms at they came out. It was adapted in to a film in 2018, which include the Rock leads a rare Albino-Western-Lowland Gorilla that knows sign language, and eventually grows to city-toppling proportions.

Homework:

Kong: Skull Island (2017): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OULoar_y7H4

Godzilla vs Kong (2021): Available on HBO Max and in Theaters

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Topic: Movies and Franchises about the Future

This week, we’re looking at a collection of media about the future that either has yet to happen or never happened in our lifetimes. In a lot of this, we really talked about what we all thought the future would be, and how quickly we thought it would happen. Would you agree that the progress of the future is slowing down, or would you say we were just too unrealistic with the future?

Futures that Should have Happened:

Star Trek

• Tells of a war between 1992 to 1996 about the Eugenic War; a war where genetically altered humans attempted to take over humanity, causing nearly 37 Millions deaths. This is the same Eugenics Wars as Kahn Noonien Singh.
• 2053 - World War 3 ends after a nuclear exchange
• 2063 - We develop the First Major warp ship, which gets the attentions of the Vulcans and begins the early foundations of the federation and exploration.
• 2103 - Mars is colonized.

Thundarr the Barbarian

• 1994 – Premise tells of a runaway planet that drifts between the Earth and Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction and radically changing the Earth’s climate and geography

A Clockwork Orange

• 1995 – A future Britain is laden in crime, and a new technique that reforms prisoners with aversion therapy.

V for Vendetta

• 1995 - 1996 – In the Comic Version: Series of events highlight how a nuclear war year in the 1980 that leaves much of Africa and Europe devastated. While Britain is not bombed itself, it feels the effects and the corporations and fascist groups take over the country, leading to the series of events.
• 2025 – 2026 – In the Film Version: As a result of the United State’s Second Civil War, a worldwide disease began to spread. Britain is taken over by a neo-fascist, police state government which rounds up undesirable individuals, including political opponents, immigrants, Jews, Muslims, atheists, homosexuals, and others to be imprisoned and executed.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

• 1997 – Tells that an AI will take over all computers and cause a war, leading to the near end of humanity.

Escape from New York

• 1997 – Humanity’s crime rose by 400% in 1988, and forced Manhattan island to be turned into a massive

Lost in Space

• 1997 - Jupiter 2 was said to launch due to overpopulation of the world.

Demolition man

• 1996 – Cryogenic freezing of Criminals is established
• 2010 – A great Earthquake merged parts of Northern and Southern California
• 2032 - San Angeles, a merging of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara is a major megalopolis, and a utopia for the setting.

Knight Rider 2000

• 2000 – Predicts a future with Sonic Pistols, and talking Cars

2001: A Space Odyssey

• 2000 – Space travel itself is common place, with advanced AIs that help manage all the functions of these ships and people.

Mega Man Franchise

• 200X to 20XX – Stories tell of a Robotic evolution and development that replaces a lot of common jobs and functions with robots, leading to a peaceful future. Mega Man battles with Dr Wily and his rogue Robots, which are often reprogrammed from their original function order and turned to terrorism.
• 21XX – Later version of the game sees X, the successor to Mega Man, being used to create the first series of Reploids(Replicated Androids) that have human feelings and personalities. X fights against Mavericks Reploids, Reploids who have turned to crime or been infected with a virus, in order to protect humanity.

Time Cop

• 2004 – Time Travel exists as a means of stopping Crime.

Transformers: The Movie

• 2005 – The Autobots, giant transforming robots that turn into various vehicles and devices, have helped advanced human’s technology to the point of being similar to the Autobots.

Bicentennial Man

• 2005-2020 – Androids have become sophisticated butlers and house hold tools.

Freejack

• 2009 – The super wealthy have figured out immortality, by traveling back in time to just before a person dies and using their bodies as substitutes. This is due to most of the population being on drugs and poor environment.

I Am Legend

• 2009 – 2012 - The film predicted an outbreak of a re-engineered measles virus in 2009 that kills 94% of the populace and mutates 5% into zombie-like "Darkseekers"

2012

• 2012 – Predicts that a solar flares from the sun will cause rising sea levels and rampant tsunami around the world, leading to various governments building Arks to protect up to 100,000 of humanity.

The Postman

• 2013 – Tells of a future after an unspecified apocalyptic events in 1997 that started a trend of militias leading hate crimes and other racially motivated attacks.
• 2043 – Due to the actions of the postman and the movement he started, the United States is rebuilt and much better afterwards

Back to the Future 2

• 2015 – Film travels to the future, where Marty must stop his son from ruining his life. It predicts lots of various technology, most notably, Flying Cars.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

• 2000 – A worldwide event known as ‘Second Impact’ sees a meteor crash into Antarctica and devastates the populous, killing 2 billion people and raising the sea level
• 2015 – Majority of the story takes place, telling of a futuristic city of Tokyo 3 which has 26 story tall robots called Evangelions that protect humanity from the alien Angels sent to wipe out humanity.

Rollerball

• 2018 – In a future where corporations have taken over the government, a new sport, Rollerball is now the most popular Sport, with people being forced to watch it at home.

Blade Runner

• 2019 – Interstellar travel has been developed and becoming common place, with synthetic humans employed as labor.

The Running Man

• 2017 - The United States has become a totalitarian police state following a worldwide economic collapse. The government pacifies the populace through The Running Man, a broadcast game show, where criminals fight for their lives as "runners", fleeing from armed mercenaries named the "stalkers", to earn a state pardon.

Akira

• 1982 (1992 in English Adaptation) – Sees Tokyo destroyed by a nuclear bomb, starting World War 3
• 2019 (2030 in English Adaptation) – Tokyo is rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo on the artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Although the home of the 32nd Olympic games, the city is gripped with Anti-Government protestors and gang violence.

Pacific Rim

• 2013 – Kaiju monsters start appearing from the ocean and destroying humanity.
• 2020 – Humanity has developed giant Robots piloted by 2 individuals in order to combat the Kaiju.

Edge of Tomorrow

• 2015 – An asteroid falls in Germany, carrying aliens that quickly take over Europe.
• 2020 – A small victory gives humanity hope an invasion of France is planned to retake the earth. It’s discovered that the aliens use a system similar to ‘Goundhogs Day’ to return their memories to their past selves and alter events so that they go in their favor.

Johnny Mnemonic

• 2021 - "Mnemonic couriers" carry sensitive information in their brains; the world is dominated by megacorporations.

Futures potentially to be

Soylent Green

• 2022 - The effects of overpopulation, pollution, and climate catastrophe have caused severe worldwide shortages of food, water and housing. Soylent Industries controls the world's food supply, with their latest product, Soylent Green being various health and full of protein.

Repo Men

• 2025 – Advancements in prosthetics develop bio-organs, allowing the replacement of various internal organs. They are sold by ‘The Union’, a corporation that sends out ‘Repo Men’ to repossess these bio-organs from people who are unable or unwilling to pay for them.

Children of Men

• 2027 – Humanity hasn’t had any children in 18 years, leading to various wars and global depression, which puts humanity on the brink of extinction. This has led Britain, one of the few remaining governments to become a police state, but also a haven for refugees.

Hotel Artemis

• 2028 – Water Privatization causes riots in Los Angeles, which leads to bank robbers getting injured and running to Hotel Artemis, a hospital/hotel for criminals. There are robots doing surgery and also 3d printed transplant organs.

Ghost in the Shell

• 2029 – By this time, cyberization is common place, and humans have their brains protected with ‘Cyber Brains’ which allow interfacing with electronics and other tools. There are fully cyberized people who are entirely artificial, save for their brains incased in ‘Cyber Brains’.

I, Robot

• 2035 – Humanity has developed humanoid robots within the last 10 years that have taken over various jobs throughout the world. The newest model and AI to run it run rampant as a result of the AI believing it is in the best interest of Humanity if robots ruled over humans in order to keep them from killing themselves.

The Martian

• 2035 – Manned missions to Mars is in their 3rd wave, with humans living on Mars for roughly 36 days at a time, exploring and beginning the work of future colonization. Mark Watney is left behind after an emergency exit from the planet following a storm, and is forced to live on Mars for over a year on his own.

Moon

• 2035 – The moon is being mined for a rare mineral that is needed for new super conductor electronics on Earth. It’s ran by a singular clone and an advanced AI.

Meet the Robinsons

• 2037 – Major advancements in technology allow nearly anything to be real. This includes flying vehicles, talking frogs, advances robotics and AI, and so much more.

Ready Player One

• 2045 – The world is plagued by an energy crisis and global warming, leading to economic collapse and widespread social problems. The only release/haven for escapism is the OASIS, a MMORPG/Social Community online that actually have the most stable economy in the world at the moment.

Event Horizon

• 2047 – Space travel is normalized and not unusual, with the main Ship, the Event Horizon, testing a radical new engine designed to travel through time-space rifts, and it brings back something it didn’t intend on bringing back.

Minority Report

• 2054 – Pre-cognition humans exist and are used to tell the events of future murders, which allows Pre-cog Police to arrest people before murders can take place.

Interstellar

• 2063 – Humanity’s crops and food supply is devastated, with people growing corn and major dust bowls coming to cause havoc on a daily basis. Children are taught that space travel doesn’t even exist, in an effort to focus on survival instead of exploration. Humanity/NASA sends one last manned mission in space to find a suitable new home for humans.

Oblivion

• 2077 – Humanity was invaded by Aliens 60 years ago, and as a result of the human using nuclear weapons to defeat the aliens, the few humans living on Earth are there maintaining drones that harvest the sea water for fuel sources. Remaining humans now live on other planet, with the fuel being used to power their ships.

Total Recall

• 2084 – Mars has been colonized and humans have the ability to take vacations via implanted memories of having adventures/vacations via a place called ‘ReKall’.

The Jetsons

• 2100s – A future where flying cars, apartments/homes in the sky exist, and humanity lives in almost pure luxury in the sky.

AI

• 2101 – Advanced robotics and AI end up creating androids that feel and fall in love. One such example is an android child, that can replace a child in the home, giving the experiences of being a parent. It can actually Fall in Love with a person, or atleast simulate it.

WALL-E

• 2105 - Humanity was devastated by over population/consumption, with too much trash. This forced humans to leave the planet on cruise, vessels, while robots were meant to clean up the planet afterwards. Humans never returned as the company ‘Buy n’ Large’ terminated the program to clean Earth as it felt it couldn’t sustain any life on the planet.
• 2805 – Humanity begins its return to Earth as life is discovered back on Earth, hoping to make it hospitable again.

Alien

• 2122 - Space transportation is typical and the crew of the Nostromo discover a distress beacon that leads to a horrifying end.

The Black hole

• 2130 – Space travel is typical, with a crew returning to Earth, only to find a lone ship near a Black Hole, who is somehow immune to its gravitational constant.

Judge Dredd

• 2139 – Humanity has been forced in to Mega-Cities as much of the world has become a wasteland. Humanity lives in these cities and are protected by the ‘Judges’, who act as both Police, Judges, Juries, and Executioners of the law.

The Matrix

• 2199 – Humanity created robots, and the robots, being advanced AI, develop sentience causing a revolt with humans. Because the robots are powered by solar energy, Humans blot out the sun with dangerous black clouds. The robots, eventually enslave humanity, forcing them to be born like crops and using them as batteries for their own powers, all while humanity is tucked away in a virtual landscape known as the Matrix.

Fifth Element

• 2263 – In a future with interstellar travel is typical, humanity had degraded to large high rise cities, with flying cars, and even genetic recreation of humans in a matter of minutes, potentially bring people back from the dead or from serious wounds.

Zardoz

• 2293 - Following a nanite plague that left most of the world uninhabitable, the human population is divided into the immortal "Eternals" and mortal "Brutals." The Brutals live in an irradiated wasteland, growing food for the Eternals, who live apart in "the Vortex," leading a luxurious but aimless existence on the grounds of a country estate. The connection between the two groups is through Brutal Exterminators, who kill and terrorize other "Brutals" at the orders of a huge flying stone head called Zardoz, which supplies them with weapons in exchange for the food they collect.

Logan’s Run

• 2274 - The remnants of human civilization live in geodesic domes, a utopia run by a computer that takes care of all aspects of life, including reproduction. The citizens live a hedonistic lifestyle but, to prevent overpopulation, everyone must undergo the rite of "Carrousel" when they reach the age of 30. There, they are killed under the guise of being "renewed”. To track this, each person is implanted at birth with a "life-clock" crystal in the palm of the hand that changes color as they get older and begins blinking as they approach their "Last Day.” Most residents accept this chance for rebirth, but those who do not and attempt to flee the city are known as "Runners”. An elite team of policemen known as "Sandmen”, outfitted in predominantly black uniforms and serving in an agency of the city called "Deep Sleep”, are assigned to pursue and terminate Runners as they try to escape.

Starship Troopers

• 23 Century – Humanity has colonized various planets in the solar system, and developed interstellar travel. However, they meet a race of non-technological aliens, later called the Arachnids, or ‘Bugs’, which humanity presumably provokes and causes an all out interstellar war. The Bugs are led by super intelligent bugs that eat human brains to gain further intelligence.

Idiocracy

• 2505 – Over the course of many years, intelligent people chose not to have children, worrying about over population, while less intelligent people continue to reproduce indiscriminately, leading to a dumber and dumber society that over relied on corporations and automation. As a result, laws and rules in place have no human oversight, and most humans are blindly ignorant of how the world actual works, with most automation being place to basically keep humans alive.

Planet of the Apes

• 2015 – A drug that repairs and enhances neural links in the brain is tested on chimps, with one young chimp Ceasar developing with humans and gaining insights and human knowledge. The development leads to a new drug that makes Chimps and other primates smarter, but causes a world wide pandemic.
• 2025 – Only 1 in 500 are immune to the pandemic, but in San Francisco, the Chimps lead by Ceasar rule over the forests and cities, with humans trying to reestablish their civilization has it’s been taken over by intelligent primates.
• 3978 – Human astronauts from 1972 find themselves warped to the future and discover that Primates have evolved similar to humans, and now rule over the planet.

Movies with no Set Times

Mad Max

Gattaca

• Eugenics is common and widely used, with those human not genetically altered limited from certain careers and opportunities, acting as second class citizens, forcing them to menial labor. Biometrics can quickly determine if someone has been genetically altered and what qualities of the alterations they have.

Mortal Engines

• Following a war using an impossible destructive weapon, mobile cities have been developed that travel across the world, eating up other cities that help fuel their existence and survival, with technology of the past being relegated to history.

Source/reference assistance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stories_set_in_a_future_now_past

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Topic: Robots Review

So Mom and me are back talking about robots, and all the strange tangents we can come up with.  Admittingly, this is more of rant podcast as we take LOTs of tangents in this episode, so while not entirely robot driven, it certainly was a fun diversion in to some other topics.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Scott Adsit - Baymax

Ryan Potter - Hiro

Daniel Henney - Tadashi

T.J. Miller - Fred

Jamie Chung - Go Go

Damon Wayans Jr. - Wasabi

Genesis Rodriguez - Honey Lemon

James Cromwell - Robert Callaghan

Bicentennial Man (1999)

Robin Williams - Andrew

Embeth Davidtz - Little Miss / Portia

Sam Neill - Sir

Oliver Platt - Rupert Burns

Kiersten Warren - Galatea

Wendy Crewson - Ma'am

Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

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Topic: Robots

We Love them, Crave them, and occasionally, Fear them. The week, we dive in to the topic of Robots, both what they mean to us in Fiction, but also in real life, and perhaps where does the fact and fiction blend together or doesn’t? Robots are really cool though.

How Define a Robot

A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer— capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. Typically, Robots can appear human in nature, but come in many shapes and forms. We almost always see them as tools, rarely as individuals and almost never as people. In our real world, they’re basically machines that do specialized mechanical tasks, as opposed to calculations or executables like a computer; but we expect these machines to be piloted by a computer, or atleast act based off one, but can also be piloted/controlled by humans directly.

Robots in Real Life

In our modern world, we adore and want Robots. The ideal for modern society is to have Robots do all the hard and difficult physical tasks for us, while we do either less, or nothing at all. It’s a dream world, as I’m certain we’ll still very much be a part of interacting and being a part of the world, but it will take some time to get even close to it.

As it is now, our common modern days Robots can be found in a number of places:

Our Home – Rombas and other vacuum robots

Hospitals – there are some robotic surgery machines

Food Service – There are some robots that actually make your good, while others clean dishes

Farming – There are some robots and automation in the Farming Sector

Warehouse and Factories – For years, we’ve been simplify tasks for robots to do for us that would otherwise be too dangerous, to difficult, or too slow for a human to do. But in a number of our warehouses, it’s robots that managing the inventory, stacking and putting it away as necessary.

Military – Various Drones and bomb disposal robots exist to aid the military and keep humans out of harm’s way.

Uncanny Valley

The Idea of the Uncanny Valley is this notion that as things, particularly robots, are particularly less human, we tend to like them a lot more, but as time goes on, and the Robots become more human in quality and nature, we tend to like them a lot less, to the point of down right hating them. But as time continues, and robots get more sophisticated and advanced, our like for them begins to rise once again. The low point, when humans actually start dislike and are disgusted by the robot is like a valley, and thus where the term comes from.

The notion as to why we like them when they aren’t that human, is that their human like qualities stand out much easier, and we tend to imprint ourselves on to the robots, allowing us to empathize with them. It’s why R2D2 is one of the most popular Robots in fiction, despite having very little human characteristics in form and shape. This is why Robots tend to look simple in nature in cartoons, and early robots aren’t too human on any particular level.

Conversely, when we try to make human like robots, we tend to dislike them, and are even hateful of them. The reason for this is that when we get to more human looking robots, as humans, we’re able to see the difference and able to notice when something isn’t quite right. It could be the way they move, the texture of their skin, their little gestures, and potentially even their eyes. It looks off and we can’t put our finger on it. When it’s less human looking, we’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, even see its positives more than its negatives. Its why I think some models and actors look too good, and it’s off setting to me, like they look too good.

Eventually, as the robots get more life-like and sophisticated, the elements that once made us hate the robots begins to disappear, as the boundary begin to disappear and the human qualities are like our own.

This Uncanny Valley is also seen in a lot of early Computer Generated Graphics and Video Games, as the graphics attempted to catch up with technology, they got to a period where they didn’t look quite right, and even when they look good, they still don’t feel right, and don’t quite look like they belong. Compositing, along with the artists making said graphics, have gotten a lot better over time, so that in some cases, it’s hard to tell what’s read and what’s not.

Robots in Fiction

Robots in fiction come in lot of different stories, but typically always come in one of a few flavors. They’re almost always in Science Fiction, though they can appear in other fantasy settings, though usually portrayed as a Golem or some sort of fictional machine. Typically, Robots get broken down in story to a hand full of different stories, usually based on how human to how robotic they are:

• Robots, but fundamentally human – These are robots that can have an advanced AI that lets them think and feel, even learn and come to love/empathize. They have almost all the characteristics of a human, save that they are a robot at the end of the day.
• Top Tier AIs – These are robots that have super sophisticated AI, but aren’t exactly human, or still have cold/logical thinking. They’re often portrayed as not being human, and thus are subservient to humans, rarely showing true emotion, or emotions they shouldn’t have been able to develop.
• A mix of Human and Machine – they are robots that can display some human qualities, but are typically only mimicking the natures of Humans for the sake of humans. They still think cold and logically, but can process the world around them to some extent. They tend to lack more human qualities, save for what the writer wants to imbue the character with.
• Total Robot – Pure robots at the end of the day, without an ounce of humanity built in to them. These robots tend to be villains, like Hal9000 from a Space Odyssey . While not always evil, they are typically the antagonist.

Famous Robots:

• R2D2 (Star Wars)
• Bender (Futurama)
• Bishop (Aliens)
• Johnny 5 (Short Circuit)
• The Terminator (Terminator)
• HAL 9000 (2001 A Space Odyssey)
• Optimus Prime (Transformers)
• B-9 (Lost in Space)
• Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet)
• Rosie (The Jetsons)
• Gort (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
• WALL-E (WALL-E)
• Sonny (I, Robot)
• Vision (Marvel Comics)
• Baymax (Big Hero 6)
• Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Pitfalls and Triumphs of Robots

• Robot AI vs Sentience – At what point are Robots truly sentient beings, and at what point are they robots? It’s a question that gets asked a lot of Robots. Most popularly in Ghost in the Shell, an anime franchise that asks if you’re a fully cyber person, are you actually a human, or were you ever actually a human to begin with?
• Robot Racism – Typically, there is a disgust for Robots, not being seen as humans and merely as tools, but because of their human qualities and potential characteristics, they can be conflated for actual humans, and thus you get to an issue of ‘Coding’. Coding is the notion that you’ll graft on qualities of humans or society on to something else, whether intentional or not. Thus you can look at something and see that it’s coding for something else, because it helps either ground your world or paints a picture for you quickly. In the case of robots, Robots aren’t human, as where humans are, so when people are racists against robots, it’s because they’re lacking certain human characteristics, which tells us that the writer or directors believe that these are qualities that make up what humans are. Thus when you look for allegories in modern society, you can code that behavior, or lack of it, on to another person/race/people.

Homework:

Big Hero 6

Bicentennial Man

Lego Robot

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXHZCBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Wanda Vision review

So, there’s this show about a magical woman and he robot husband… and it take place in 1950s… no wait 1960s…. or was it the 90s? This was a very strange series to watch, but one that was very much a desired fleshing out for the Scarlet Witch, and also for Vision. And we both has a blast watching it.

Spoilers – This show will spoil elements and Episodes of Wanda Vision, so you have been warned.

Wanda Maximoff – Elizabeth Olsen

An avenger who was previously altered by the Mind Stone, increasing her latent magical powers. Officially now known as the Scarlet Witch, a moniker for the type of witch that can use chaos magic. Wanda is initially not entirely aware that she created this reality, but has slowly figured out that she has. She depart at the end of the series, but it rumored to return during Dr. Strange’s next movie, possibly as a villain. It is revealed that the reason her altered reality mimics sitcoms is because she loved them as a child, watching them with her family. The character’s growth however has been mostly resolved around her repeated losses of a family, either her parents, Pietro, Vision, and now her altered reality family.

Vision – Paul Bettany

An android and former Avenger. He is fact not the actual Vision, but a creation of Wanda’s magic within her reality. A later nod to the white Vision, or ‘The Vision’, later appears and they duke it out, but in the aftermath, the second vision disappears and is unknown where he is. Paul Bettany sited his performance was based off Dick Van Dyke and Hugh Laurie.

Billy and Tommy Maximoff – Julian hilliard & Jett Klyne

Manifestations of Wanda’s imagination and powers within the ‘Hex’. They twins are similar representations as first seen in the comic when they were made up of both Wanda’s magic and the Marvel Satan/Devil: Mephisto. Similar to their comic origins, both boys have the powers of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, mimicking their comic book origins. In the comics, both boys come back at Wiccan and Speed, whose souls are the same Billy and Tommy, and though not brothers, share a familiar bond. Both children’s soul may continue to exist in some form, something which may motivate Wanda in the future.

Monica Rambeau – Teyonah Parris

Character was last seen in Captain Marvel, as the daughter of Captain Marvel’s best friend. As a cause of going through the ‘Hex’ barrier, she has absorbed some level of powers, which gives her super powers. Which ones are unknown, though in the comics, she has the ability to change in to energy of any kind, which grants her some abilities, but which is unknown and haven’t been properly explored. The character will return in Captain Marvel 2.

Jimmy Woo - Randall Park

An FBI agent who happens to be the first to report to the ‘Hex’. He was last seen in Ant Man and the Wasp (Ant Man 2), previously as Scott Lang’s parole officer. One joke returning his time during Ant Man is the card trick he first displays for Monica Rambeau when they first meet.

Darcy Lewis – Kat Dennings

An astrophysicist previously seen in both Thor and Thor 2, originally an intern following around Jane Foster for student credits. She has since upgraded to a full on Astrophysicist in the many years and is now a full time scientist with her own qualifications. She is the first to discover the TV show hidden in the background radiation.

Ralph Bohner/Pietro Maximoff – Evan Peters

Initially appearing as the twin brother to Wanda, Evan Peters was the X-men version of Quicksilver, who was cast and portrayed as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver in X-men: Days of Future Past. It’s interesting for him to be cast as this version’s Pietro, as a wink-and-nod to how sitcoms would recast character without any storyline reason for them changing all the sudden. It is eventually revealed that he was given his powers by Agatha Harkness and mind controlled in believing he was Wanda’s brother.

Agnes/Agatha Harkness – Kathryn Hahn

Originally portraying captured resident Agnes, the nosy neighbor, she is eventually revealed ot be Agatha Harkness, another witch with similar powers to Wanda, but with the ability to absorb magical powers from other witches. Though different from the comics, as Agatha Harkness is a much older witch in the series, she retains some of the mentor like qualities from her original comic version. She is the one who informs Wanda of who she is and what kind of powers she really has, as well as giving her early lessons on magic of Witches.

Illusions to TV Sitcoms

Episode 1 – Dick Van Dyke Show and other ‘American Dream’ style Sitcoms of the 1950s

Episode 2 – Bewitched and other fantasy-sitcoms of the 1960s

Episode 4 – The Brady Bunch and other American Family Sitcoms of the 1970s

Episode 5 – Family Ties & Growing Pains, and other American Family sitcoms of the 1980s.

Episode 6 – Malcom in the Middle and other sitcoms of the later 90s and early 2000s.

Episode 7 – Modern Family & the Office, and other sitcoms of the 2000s and 2010s.

S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division)

A new organization that has replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. as an American peace keeping force meant to deal with superheroes and such. While S.H.I.E.L.D. does continue to exist, it is considered under the radar and not officially funded by the United States. S.W.O.R.D. was originally build with the intent of combating and researching extraterrestrial operations and activity, mainly anything happening outside of the Earth Sphere. In the comics, the organization is an Arm of S.H.I.E.L.D, with its purpose being very similar.

Infinity Stones continuing role

While they may have been destroyed, the Infinity Stones continue to play a role the story, speaking to the various strangeness of character. It’s theorized that the individual stones don’t actually give the powers their most known for to people in which it imbues powers to. IE:

• Wanda’s powers mimic/mirror the Reality Stone more so than Mind Stone, even in the visual language as her powers are red, not yellow.
• QuickSilver’s power mimic the Space Stone more than the Mind Stone, even in the visual language as being Blue in color.
• Weapons created by Hydra using the Space Stone mimic the Power Stone at the end of the day.
• Same for Captain Marvel, whose powers seem to mimic the Power Stone more so than the Space Stone.

Theory holds that more powered Super Heroes, rather than through technology or science, will be powered due to radiation given off by those who were previously enhanced by the Infinity Stones. This includes potentially the Fantastic Four.

Trivia

• Each Episode reportedly cost around $25 Million dollars, making it the most expensive tv series per episode.
• Wanda’s voice saying “Previously on WandaVision” get progressively less cheerful as episodes progress.
• Each of the first 7 episodes are roughly 20-30 minutes long, mirroring classic sitcom episode lengths, with the 8th and 9th episodes being around 40 minutes long.

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Topic: WandaVision Tutorial

With the much anticipated return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the next major collection of material for the universe is scheduled to be TV shows, primarily featuring the other Avengers, and not the main set. And having missed out on Black Widow, which has been very patiently waiting since the summer of 2020, the first new installment in the Phase 4 is a TV series about Wanda and Vision. So lets get mom up to speed.

Where did we leave off?

Last major production was Spiderman Far From Home, set a few weeks in theory after the end of Avengers: Endgame. At the end of Endgame, everyone originally blinked out of existence by Thanos, known as the ‘Blip’ or the ‘Snap’, returns and the world is going through the process of healing and getting back to normal as nearly half the population returns from a five year absence.

In the case of Wanda, she had only recently returned from being blinked out of existence, fighting with Thanos and memorializing Tony Stark after his death. Her exact whereabouts after the events of End Game are a mystery.

In the case of Vision, Vision is considered dead at the end of Avengers: Infinity Wars, having first been up in the devastation left behind when Wanda Destroyed the Mind Stone, only for Thanos to reverse time, bring vision back, and kill him a second time in front of Wanda when he ripping the Mind Stone out of his head. Its presumed that his pieces were picked up in Wakanda and transported to the Avenger’s facilities for safe keeping.

Mutants in MCU

To really walk about Wanda is also to talk about Mutants and the X-men in the MCU. During the late 90s, Marvel was actually in a fairly bad position, having filed for Bankruptcy protection in 1997. It was during this time, that marvel began selling the rights for their character to other movie studios, in an effort to infuse cash in to their holdings. This led to movies such as Blade (1998), X-men (2000), Spiderman (2002), and The Hulk (2003). As a part of the deal, X-men franchise’s TV and Film rights were sold to FOX, but not just the X-men, but the concept of Mutants as well. This meant that any character that was a Mutant was considered fair game for FOX to make movies out of.

Enter 2006, and Marvel Studios begins preproduction on Ironman (2008), their first solo Superhero flim, and the kick off what we know today as the MCU. During the this time, X-men movies were still coming out, but the juggernaut of what Ironman started in 2008 couldn’t be fully realized. Numerous film rights began returning to Marvel, however, mutants were not among them. By 2015, Avengers Age of Ultron (2015), there was an agreement that both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were shared characters with Fox and could be in the MCU, denoting that they weren’t mutants, but were instead, individuals whose powers were given by the Mind Stone.

By 2009, Disney had purchased Marvel outright, the Film/Television side was put under different management from the Comic Book/Print side. For the next few years, the Comic Book side began to deemphasize the X-men and Mutants, focusing more on characters they owned out right. There was a push for ‘Inhumans’, a variation on mutants, for a while, along with most major stories only including a few major Mutant characters that were main stream. This culminated it a number of major storylines, including House of M, and even with the death of several major X-men, including Wolverine, Cyclops, and Professor X.

By 2015, the leadership of the Comic Book/Print side of the business was ousted and all major developments from all of Marvel were in the hands of Kevin Feige, who has been leading the Film/Television side of the business. And now as of 2019, with Disney now owning FOX media, the rights to the X-men and Mutants are owned once again by Marvel. Fan expectation is that either Marvel will make their own outright X-men movies, or potentially add them in to the MCU in some way.

Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch)

Born of Max Eisenhardt, better known as Magneto, alongside her twin brother Petro(Peter) Maximoff, the two are mutants who have been seen throughout the Marvel Universe. She and her brother were raised as Ophans and Gypsies, famously by a Cow-woman named Bolva. A young age, her magical powers began to blossom, and she was trained by one of the most powerful magic users in the world, Agatha Harkness.

Wanda and her brother joined their Father, Magneto, for a period of time with the brotherhood of mutants, before eventually joining the Avengers, and being long standing members of it. At some point, she met and fell in love with Vision, with the two being married for a period of time. Though initially unable to have children, through the use of Magic, Wanda gave birth to two sons, Tommy and Billy, but due to shenanigans from the Marvel Devil, Mephisto, the two taken away and their existence nullified.

Wanda’s big story primarily revolves around ‘House of M’. At one point, Wanda’s powers became too powerful for her to control, which caused her to lash out uncontrollably in a fit of rage over the mention of her former children. This uncontrolled power eventually warped Vision, who later attacked the Avengers, before being killed by She-Hulk. In the aftermath, Wanda was taken by her Father Magneto to Professor X to get help. The concern however was whether to Kill Wanda or not, as her powers were out of control, which eventually led to the reality bending ‘House of M’, where mutants replaced humans as the dominate species on earth.

‘House of M’ saw many mutants and humans leading happy and ideal lives for themselves, with Magneto ruling over the world, but some individuals still remembered. Eventually, it was discovered that Quicksilver had convinced Wanda to warp reality, and upon Magneto and other heroes regaining their memory, they confronted Quicksilver over what happened, culminated in Quicksilver’s death. Wanda would bring him back to life, but shocked that her Father and Professor X would be willing to kill her, she changed reality back, but said three words, “No More Mutants.”

As a result of ‘House of M’, reality was changed back to normal, but 90% of the mutants were depowered and the mutant gene was now dormant and was not suppose to exist in any new children being born. This made mutants more an endangered species on the planet, and moved hundreds of mutant heroes from activity. Eventually, the mutant x gene began reappearing in children, and with some mutants getting their powers back.

In later rewrites to the character, Wanda is revealed to just be an Orphan, not a mutant and not the daughter of Magneto, but having lived near a mountain that radiates energy and improved her already dormant magical abilities. This is the version of Wanda we know from the MCU.

Powers

Wanda’s powers were originally thought to be telekinesis as a mutant, but have since been reconned as being magic. Her original stem from her ability to warp reality, originally it was at the disfavor of those she attacked, causing them to have bad results for actions they took. Later this was evolved in to full reality manipulation, allowing her to warp the very nature and reality around her, not unlike the Reality Stone. She is capable of various other magical schools associates with Magical Crafts performed by Dr Strange and the like. Her main claim to fame relates her ‘Chaos Magic’, which allows her to shape reality as a whole.

In the MCU, her powers stem from the Mind Stone, imbuing her with telekinesis and telepathy abilities. For all extensive purposes, they have not been fully explored in the MCU.

Vision

A ‘Synthezoid’, a special type of Android that contains all living tissues and body parts of a human, plus the ‘Horton Cells’, which provides strength, durability, and resistance. He was built by Ultron, using parts from another state of the art android call the ‘Human Torch’(Not the same character), and with a special gem called the ‘Solar Gem’, which operates much like a human, but hundreds of times faster. This gem is similar placed as the Mind Stone for the MCU version of Vision.

Originally, Vision was created by Ultron with the intent of being a double agent. But realizing that he didn’t want to fight human, he changed sides and has been a leading member of the Avengers since. Vision would take part in multiple stories, even having a relationship with Wanda for a while. At one point, Vision was kidnapped and dismantled by a bad guy. He was eventually rebuilt by Tony Stark, but minus the synthetic red skin he previously had, revealing a white, neutral exterior, and also minus his emotions. This second Vision continued his relationship with Wanda, but after due the events prior to ‘House of M’ he was ripped apart by the She-Hulk after Vision spawned a bunch of mini-Ultrons from him. A third Vision was built some time later, using the parts from the last, and it was this version that eventually built his own family of Visions, attempting to learn more about the human condition and emotions, he started his own family as a result.

Powers:

As a Synthezoid made from the android Human Torch and using the Solar Gem, Vision’s body allows him to project solar rays as beams of energy at his targets. As well, due to the ‘Horton Cells’ in his body, he can modulate his density, allowing him to pass through walls and people, but also to strength himself and make him super strong and super durable.

What to Expect?

Speculation about the series presumes that the series will likely have something to do with reality manipulation. The series may also launch new super heroes and provide knowledge on what happened to vision.

There is a concern that the events will be a mixture of House of M and Visions, the former as far an ideal life for Wanda and the later in the sense that Vision started a family in the suburbs.

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Topic: Godzilla Movies Review

This week, we watched a giant Lizard smash a building… lots of buildings in fact. And lots of Lizards too. I think a few had wings even… so many monsters, so little time. But a fun time at that, lots of it! And both mom and me would agree that they’re a lot of fun. So we’re back with two American Godzilla, and the most recent live action Godzilla from Japan.

Godzilla (2014)

• Directed by: Gareth Edwards
• Starring:
  • Aaron Taylor-Johnson as U.S. Navy EOD LT Ford Brody
  • Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishirō Serizawa
  • Elizabeth Olsen as Elle Brody
  • Juliette Binoche as Sandra Brody
  • Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham
  • David Strathairn as Admiral William Stenz
  • Bryan Cranston as Joe Brody
• Monsters:
  • Godzilla
  • Muto (Male)
  • Muto (Female)
• This movie felt like a proper disaster movie, but at times, it doesn’t feel like a movie, more like we were following a narrative and series of unfortunate events. Almost like a found footage piece.
• Depictions of Japan, of the fictional city Janjira, were very comical. Rather than looking like a suburb of Japan, it looks like an American suburb with Japanese aesthetics. They even driver cars on the left side of the car, which is typical of America.
• While Aaron Taylor-Johnson may be a decent actor, he felt very disposable in the film.
• At the time of Casting, Elizabeth Olsen hadn’t been cast as the Scarlet Witch in the MCU yet, but her role felt fairly disposable as well. Looking at the role now, she’s only memorable because this was what she was in prior to the Marvel movies.
• Ken Watanabe always adds gravitas to a film he’s in, especially in this case of Godzilla.
• Godzilla is talked about and seen sporadically in the film, but major brunt of destruction is from the Muto monsters. Godzilla has a proper fight at the end of the movie.
• While critics praised the tone and direction, many criticized the under developed characters, lack of thematic depth, turning Godzilla into a secondary character, and insufficient screen time for the title character.
• Japanese critics liked the film, but felt the same way. Toho liked the film so much, they decided to reboot the series with Shin Godzilla.

Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019)

• Directed by: Michael Dougherty
• Starring:
  • Kyle Chandler as Dr. Mark Russell
  • Vera Farmiga as Dr. Emma Russell
  • Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell
  • Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton
  • Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham
  • Charles Dance as Alan Jonah
  • Thomas Middleditch as Sam Coleman
  • Aisha Hinds as Colonel Diane Foster
  • O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Jackson Barnes
  • David Strathairn as Admiral William Stenz
  • Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishirō Serizawa
  • Zhang Ziyi as Dr. Ilene Chen
• Monsters:
  • Godzilla
  • Mothra
  • Rodan
  • King Ghidorah
  • And many more, including King Kong
• Unlike the 2014 Film, this one felt more like a Movie than the last. Perhaps it’s the bigger sets and more sightings of Godzilla.
• It was nice to see some of the cast from the 2014 Godzilla return.
• It’s a shame Ken Watanabe’s character was killed as the film leave the possibility of a third Godzilla movie in the near future.
• Nice to see Bradley Whitford in work.
• American Critics were not impressed by the film, remarking that the script was ‘laughable’, the monster battles were either too numerous or boring, and that the film was paper thin with no real drama.

Shin Godzilla

• Directed by: Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi
• Starring:
  • Hiroki Hasegawa as Rando Yaguchi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary.
  • Yutaka Takenouchi as Hideki Akasaka, Aide to Prime Minister.
  • Satomi Ishihara as Kayoco Anne Patterson, Special Envoy for the President of the United States.
• Film used the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake/Tsunami & Fukushima Daiichi nuclear Disaster as inspiration.
• Film is considered political, mostly in the sense that it’s a scathing depiction of Japanese bureaucracy and its politicians. Often seen as trying to manage the in pending fall out, rather than trying to manage the actual situation, and tied up in various meetings.
• Did very well in Japan, winning 7 Japanese Academy Prize, including Picture of the Year and Director of the Year.
• Laughed at multiple points from hearing the ‘Decisive Battle’ illusions being made during the planning phases. The song is from Evangelion (1995) anime, directed and created by Hideki Anno, is used at multiple points throughout the film.
• Can see lots of allusions to Evangelion, though as a Evangelion fan, I might be more hyper aware than most.

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Godzilla

A giant sea creature, that walks on its back legs, shoot radioactive breath/laser from its mouth, and vaguely looks like a dinosaur, and no I’m not talking about mom. We begin our talk on Godzilla, and learning about the nearly 50 year old King of the Monsters. Another series mom may have a greater affinity for than even me.

Kaiju – Literally meaning “Strange Beast”, the term originated for just about any mythological creature or monster from Japanese legends, but after opening up its boarders to the west, the term has also meant any legendary creatures that exist outside of Japan as well.

In Modern terms, we use the term Kaiju to reflect creatures of science fiction or fantasy that are relatively the size of Godzilla, multiple stories tall creatures. Western example can include King Kong, Monsters from Power Ranges, namely and inspirationally, from Pacific Rim. Even Steven Spielberg got inspiration for Jurassic Park from Godzilla and other Kaiju movies.

Godzilla is considered the first Kaiju movie.

History

Debuting in 1954, and created by Toho, in his own self title film, Godzilla has been a fixture of Japanese and American media for nearly 70s years. Though no official individual is the one that birthed the creation of the creature, he was initially intended to be an allegory for Nuclear Weapons as seen by the Japanese. Others have likened Godzilla to the United States, as a terrible beast awakes from its slumber to take vengeance on Japan.

Despite his first film of being the villain, later films would actually see him being an Anti-hero and possibly a protector of humanity, along with being a less serious and more campy. As time has gone on, Godzilla has faces other kaiju and had a rotation collection of villains and enemies in which were trying to destroy humanity.

Toho Co, the company that created Godzilla, is previously well known for Kaiju and Tokusatsu(Japanese special effect films) films, but also release many directed by Akira Kurosawa, along with the anime films of Studio Ghibli. They also work with other anime companies to get their movies released in to theaters.

Eiji Tsuburaya, the individual in charge of special effects for the first Godzilla film, developed the technique that would be called ‘Suitmation’. This was the act of creating latex/rubber suits for actors to wear and become the monsters. This was further developed by shrinking the sets down to miniatures, to give the scale to the actors in the suits. The camera was then placed low to the ground and filmed at double speed, to get the aspect of the Monsters as being huge, but also create smooth movement as the actors moved slowly in their costumes. Special Effects were then substituted with Puppetry or other models to give the effect of swinging tails or mouth movements. Even as CGI has become more prevalent in the Japan, Suitmation is continuing to be used on certain levels, with the suit actors doing motion capture to film the actions and translate them to CGI.

Characteristics

Original Japanese name was Gojira, from combining the two words Gorira (Gorilla) and Kujira (Whale) in Japanese. It later Romanized into Godzilla upon appearing in the west.

Inspired by Ray Harryhausen’s film ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’, Godzilla was conceived as a reptilian, sea creature, loosely based on the concept of dinosaur. He has various spiked plates along his back, which is the source of his power in some films. His body’s texture is said to be based off Keloid scars that were often seen on survivors form Hiroshima. While initial seen as green in comics, cartoons, and on movie posters, Godzilla is actually charcoal grey.

Godzilla’s signature weapon is his Atomic Breath, a beam of nuclear energy shot out like a laser from Godzilla’s mouth. Godzilla is also known for his physical strength and muscularity, along with being amphibious. He is shown to shrug off conventional weaponry thanks to his rugged hide and his regenerative abilities that allow him to heal from injuries quickly. As a result of his strength, the only things that can otherwise hurt Godzilla are creatures of similar stats/quality to Godzilla.

Originally, Godzilla was portrayed as being 165ft tall in the original Japanese version, which would have made it so it could peer over the tallest building in Japan. It was later rescaled higher in American dub of the film, up to 400ft tall, to give it proper size according to the American Producers. It was later scaled up to 330ft in Japan, which was to continue the intention of making it so he wouldn’t be dwarfed by Japanese high rise buildings of the time. His size would continue to grow as later movies in the 2010 started to come out, with the creature eventually becoming 985ft tall in ‘Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters’(2017).

Films

Godzilla has appeared in 32 Japanese films, dating back to 1954.

Showa Era (1954 – 1975)

His initial 1954 appearance portrayed Godzilla as an invading force of nature. However, later films in the era would portray him in a more comical and slapstick light, as the films were largely aimed at families and children. Still, this period ended up spawning additional movies for some of Godzilla’s featured rivals and allies, leading to more movies that weren’t necessarily staring Godzilla. This is where we see Godzilla fight:

• Rodan
• Varan
• Mothra
• King Ghidorah
• Mecha-Godzilla

Heisei Era (1984 – 1995)

The series took a break from 1975 until 1984, but returned with ‘The Return of Godzilla’. The reboot tended away from the Showa Era, and instead made Godzilla a force of destructive nature once again. The new series kept a singular timeline of events between its movies, acting as a direct sequel to each other. Many of the earlier villains were brought back once again. In 1995, the character was killed, seemingly ending the Godzilla Franchise.

American Godzilla (1998)

In 1992, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to Godzilla, with the intent on creating a trilogy of films based off the Japanese creature. The original script would have stayed true to the Japanese origin of the creature, as a monster mutated by atomic bombs. However, disagreements over the budget of the film caused the original director to leave, with Roland Emmerich coming in to direct. Fresh off of Independence Day (1994), Emmerich wanted total creative freedom, as he wanted to ditch a lot of the origins of the Japanese Godzilla. Oddly, the budget for the film would be about the same as the original pitch’s budget. Emmerich moved away from a Dinosaur being bombard with nuclear energy and instead turned it into an iguana instead. The film was widely panned by critics and fans, who has come to see the original version and not the Emmerich version of the character. The following two planed films were canceled, and instead developed in to an animated series, which held up much better with fans than the film.

Millennium Era (1999 – 2004)

Largely seen as the backlash against the American Godzilla(1998), the Millennium Era of Godzilla sought to bring back the character to glory and show the Americans how it’s done. Unlike the Heisei series, each film is considered stand alone film, with no direct relation to one another, outside of the original 1954 film. Sadly, outside of the first film in the Era, most of the films were not well received, as the Godzilla formula was becoming stale and old to Japanese and American markets. After the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars, which saw the return of various monsters from the Showa Era, which capped off 50 years of Godzilla, the character was quietly put on hibernation.

Godzilla (2014)

Initially set to be a short 40 minute film, Legendary Pictures decided to create a full film instead, barrowing much more of original Godzilla canon, and differentiating it from the 1998 film. Much of the original 2014 American film deals with two other Kaiju, and purposefully leaves Godzilla out of much of film until the very end, in order to build up hype. The film was very well received, which prompted a sequel ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong set to come out in March 2021.

Reiwa Era (2016 to present)

After an early screening of Godzilla(2014) to its Japanese creators, Toho praised the American Godzilla, and sited it as the reason to bring Godzilla back to Japanese media. To bring back Godzilla, they brought in Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuichi, the creators and mastermind of Neon Genesis Evangelion(1995) anime, to create the film. With Anno creating the screen play and script, and Higuichi coming on as special effects director.

The new series entitled Shin Godzilla, would focus more on the recent natural disasters of Japan, rather than the atomic bombing of its earlier films, and also focused on the failure of the Japanese government, which was a concern amongst Japanese after the 2011 Tsunami. The film was a success and later films are slated for release, but due to the shared nature of the series with Legendary Pictures, plans have been put on hold for any new film. Three additional CGI films were later produced between 2017 and 2018 feature Godzilla, and were exclusive to Netflix.

Major Antagonists

King Ghidorah – Considered Godzilla’s archrival.

Rodan – not too dissimilar from a pterodactyls, he serves as one of Godzilla enemies, and in comes cases, ally.

Mothra – Basically a giant Butterfly

King Kong – the third movie was based off their fight.

Mecha-Godzilla – A mechanical version of Godzilla, in one case, made from the Skeleton of Godzilla.

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Topic: Mandalorian Season 2 Review

We’re back at it for the second season of the Mandalorian, as things get crazy. Mom enjoyed this, and we had quite a bit to talk about regardless, what with Breaking News from the Week! But Yeah, the Space Western Rides again!

Updated News:

On February 10th, LucasFilm announced that Gina Carano, former MMA fighter who played Cara Dune, was no longer employed by the company and would no longer appear in any future Star Wars projects. LucasFlim decided not to work with Carano on any further projects after posts on social media that related American Conservatives with Jews in Nazi Germany. This comes on the tails of earlier posts, where the actress ridiculed COVID-19 Mask mandates, falsely suggested that the 2020 US Presidential Elections had widespread Voter Fraud, disparaged the Black Lives Matter movement, and was accused of transphobia for her mocking of the preferred gender pronouns by transgender individuals and their allies. At the time of writing, conflicting information suggest that Cara Dune was not intended to appear in the 3rd Season of The Mandalorian, but was instead to star in Rangers of the New Republic.

In the wake of Lucasfilm deciding to remove Carano from future productions, many of the conservative voices in America have demanded that Pedro Pascal also be removed the show, due to him having written disparaging things about conservatives and right wing media figures/events. The #canceldisneyplus has also begun trending on twitter, with those upset about the removal of Carano from future Star Wars projects asking people to cancel their subscriptions to Disney+.

As of writing, Season 3 of The Mandalorian is in pre-production, with no release date confirmed.

New Characters

Giancarlo Esposito - Moff Gideon

One the remaining high ranking Imperial officers left after the fall of the Empire, he leads his own squad of Imperial Remnants. He participated in the Great Purge that wiped out the Mandalorians from the planet of Mandalore and scattered the remaining survivors to the stars. He is also the wielder of the Dark Saber, a weapon he presumably claimed during the Purge through unknown means.

Temuera Morrison - Boba Fett

The original Actor for Jango Fett returns to play Boba Fett, his cloned son. It’s fitting as the actor was an unaltered clone, and by the time of the Mandalorian, Boba Fett would be in his early 40s, though the actor is in his 60s. Presumed the Cloning process isn’t perfect. Boba Fett in the series does not consider himself a Mandalorian, and never has, with the name of his armor being ‘Mandalorian Armor’, thus where the title and name presumably comes from.

Mercedes Varnado - Koska Reeves

Also known as Sasha Banks in the WWE. The character is a member of Bo-Katan’s Nite Owls, a primarily Female group of Mandalorians, former members of Death Watch, who are seeking to reclaim Mandalore. The wrestler purposefully chose a hair style that could be mimicked in Cosplay, and preformed most of her own stunts, including some Wrestling moves.

Katee Sackhoff - Bo-Katan Kryze

Last known wielder of the Dark Saber prior to the events of the Great Purge of Mandalore, she leads her Nite Owls in dismantling Imperial targets and collecting weapons/resources for her team, in the efforts to reclaim Mandalore. Her former sister, Sabine Kryze, was the ruler of Mandalore prior to Death Watch’s interference and political coup of the government. Katee Sackhoff is no stranger to Sci-fi series, having previously played Kara "Starbuck" Thrace in the series Battlestar Galactica. She has also previously voiced the character of Bo-Katan in the Clone Wars tv series.

Rosario Dawson - Ahsoka Tano

Original debuting in the CG animated Clone Wars, she is the former padawan to Anakin Skywalker, who left the Jedi Order after she was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Though it was later discovered that she was framed, she left the Jedi Order, feeling that it had lost its purpose and sought to find her own way through the force.

She would next be seen in Rebels, roughly 5 years before the events of Episode 4, as an aid to the crew of the Ghost who act as a terrorist cell for the Rebellion. Ahsoka Tano aids the former padawan, turned full Jedi, Kanan Jarrus and his new student, Ezra Bridger, in the ways of the Force, along with aiding their missions. Ahsoka is presumed dead upon a fight with Darth Vader during the attempt to find a Sith Holocron, but is eventually saved from death by Ezra in the ‘World between Worlds’. Ahsoka, though saved, did not continue with the Rebellion, instead choosing to follow a spiritual path, as she had been saved from death.

By end of the events of Rebels, she and Sabine Wren(Former wielder of the Dark Saber), set out to find Ezra Bridger, who save the Ghost crew at the end of Rebels, but has been mysteriously lost in Space via Hyperspace whales. In the episode, she is hunting Grand Admiral Thrawn, who presumably knows the last known whereabouts of Ezra Bridger.

Ming-Na Wen - Fennec Shand

Originally thought to be killed in the version season, episode five. She was approached by an unknown individual, later revealed to be Boba Fett, who patches her up with some cybernetics. She is then a body guard and associates of Boba Fett going forward.

“This is the Way…”

There is no hard and fast rule about Mandalorians not taking off their helmets and not being seen by others. A key fact is that prior to The Mandalorian, previous Mandalorians took their helmets off and showed their faces all the time. The particular Sect of Mandalorians that Din Djarin follows is known as ‘Children of the Watch’, a faith/religion that was previously followed on Mandalore known as the ‘Way’, but fell out of favor over the centuries in Mandalorian culture. Din Djarin is initially unaware of any other way for Mandalorians to operate, due to having grown up in the ‘Children of the Watch’ and believing that this was the way Mandalorians operated. Also, due to Mandalorians not being a common fixture of the galaxy for some time, very little is properly known about the individuals known as Mandalorians, so there were few who could correct or enlighten Din Djarin.

Announced Spinoffs

Three Spinoffs were announced in December 2020 at the end of the 2nd season. All three series are intended to follow up on The Mandalorian timeline, continuing in the same settings and potentially interweaving and participating in each other’s properties. The move would be similar to Marvel and Netflix’s arrangement for The Defenders, a series of 4 individual Netflix TV shows set in the MCU and following the events of The Avengers(2012), where all 4 series eventually’s main star would team up in a TV series. Disney, having owned Marvel at the time prior to Disney+, is looking to do the same for its Star Wars TV series.

The Book of Boba Fett

Set for December 2021, the series follow Boba Fett, presumably after event Season 2 of the Mandalorian.

Rangers of the New Republic

Announced in December 2020, the series is set to follow some of the individuals of the New Republic as they keep the Outer Rim safe. Originally set for Gina Carano to reprise her role as Cara Dune and her own vehicle, it was later announced that she would no longer have any more roles in Star Wars properties. The series presumably is still production, though little is known of its plot or cast.

Ahsoka

Announced in December 2020, this would continue to see Rosario Dawson reprise her Role as Ahsoka Tano, presumably as an adult version, and continue to have her traveling the Galaxy doing Jedi things, without being a Jedi.

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Topic: Star Wars – The Mandalorian Season 1 Review

Is it really a Western form the 1950s and 60s? Yes, Yes it is. Mom explains in details why that’s the case.

Setting

9 ABY(After Battle of Yavin)(Episode 4). For context, Luke Skywalker was born on 19 BBY(Before Battle of Yavin), and the Battle of Endor on 4 ABY(Episode 6). 5 years after the death of The Emperor, the Galaxy is slowly returning to order with the New Republic, however, the outer rim is like the wild west. Republic Officals/Law exists, but isn’t common and vastly under manned, and those seeking to hide from the New Republic. Many Imperial officers and outposts exists in the Outer Rim as the Empire was seeking to control the entire Galaxy. As a result, most Imperial Officals are attempting to gain power and influence, in order to say they are the next leader of the Empire after Darth Sidious. The Outer Rim is also home to a number of other races and factions biding for control over their own territories, including bounty hunters. Famously, the original Trilogy of Star Wars (Episode 4-6) take places within the Outer Rim, including Tatooine(4 & 6), Endor(6), Hoth(5), and Dagobah(5).

Creator:

Jon Favreau

A mainstay of the film industry, he stared and featured in various movies including Rudy (1993) & Chef (2014). He’s arguably one of the major players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), having directed Ironman(2008) and Ironman 2 (2010), and Executive Producer for nearly all movies dealing with Ironman and Spiderman, and acted alongside as Happy Hogan. He’s directed a number of movies, including Elf(2003), Chef(2014), The Jungle Book(2016), and The Lion King(2019). He serves at the creator, one of the executive producers, and director of The Mandalorian.

Cast:

Pedro Pascal The Mandalorian / Mando / Din Djarin

Famously in a number of roles, including Kingsman The Golden Circle (Agent Whiskey), Wonder Woman 1984 (Maxwell Lord), Game of Thrones (Oberyn Martell), & Narcos (Javier Pena). While Pedro Pascal primarily voices the character and does a fair amount of scenes as him, a bulk of the stunt work is done by stunt actors. He prepared for the role by watching Akira Kurosawa's samurai films and Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns.

The Child / The Kid / Baby Yoda

The character is fan named ‘Baby Yoda’ to better describe the character, as he has no known name. Yoda Species is never specifically called any such name, and only the fan derived name for the species of Yoda and other characters that appear like Yoda. The character is largely created using puppetry, with some CGI used to accent. Famously, in order to preserve the character’s appearance and not give away their existence, Disney did not prepare toys or other merchandise for the character. The lack of Toys and other merchandise for the 2019 Christmas season was a potential loss of 2.7 million dollars for Disney, but the decision was supported by Bob Iger, Disney CEO, who believed the company was a story making company first and foremost, and supported John Favreau’s decision.

Carl Weathers Greef Karga

Apollo Creed

Werner Herzog The Client

Famous Director, known for his movies featuring ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals who are in conflict with nature.

Omid Abtahi Dr. Pershing

The Doctor is an interesting character for a number of reasons. Firstly is that his outfit and actions in the series depict that may be from the planet of Kamino, where clones are created, seemingly setting up the notion that he is out to clone The Child. Secondly that he is wearing glasses.

Nick Nolte Kuiil

An Ugnaught male, seen previously in Cloud City, as the little guys that were trying scavenging C3PO and seen during the freezing of Han Solo.

Taika Waititi IG-11

These are a series of Droids that were initially developed during the Clone Wars, but later rebelled against their creators and disappeared in to the Galaxy. They operate similar to a hive mind and work as bounty hunters across the galaxy. Taika Waititi is famous for being the director of the 3rd Thor Movie, and bring more comedy to the character. He would also direct some of the episodes of The Mandalorian, and voice IG-11. He’s been announced to be the director and co-writer for an upcoming Live-Action Star Wars film.

Gina Carano Cara Dune

Gina Carano is a former MMA fighter, and gained muscle for the show.

Emily Swallow The Armorer

Emily is known for her television roles, including Kim Fischer on The Mentalist.

Amy Sedaris Peli Motto

Amy is a Pixie of a woman, but basically unrecognizable in this role. Famously in West Wing.

Bill Burr Migs Mayfeld

Famously, the actor was not a fan of Star Wars and would mock the series. He suggested the role by Favreau as his casting would be amusing. Burr would later state he was impressed with filming, along with praising the writing for the show.

501st Legion

Played the Storm Troopers in the series, famously bringing their own costumes and gear with them for the final episode that demanded lots of Storm Troopers. Previously, the movie Gettysburg brought on civil war re-in-actors for the hundreds of extras necessary for the filming of that movie, as they brought period piece costumes, props, and experience to the roles. This is similar how the 501st Legion brought their experience in to their roles as Storm Troopers.

501st Legion is a group of Cosplayers that primarily portray the bad guys from Star Wars. Started in South Carolina, it’s a purely volunteer group that focuses the construction and screen accurate bad guy gear in Star Wars. They are unaffiliated with Lucasfilms LLC or Walt Disney Company, but are the preferred Imperial Costuming Organization, and are mostly seen at Casual, Promoation and Charitable events, often at the request of Lucasfilm. Joining requires being atleast 18 years old and a high quality costume from a Star Wars Villain. Their sister group, the Rebel Legion, primarily consists of Good Guys from Star Wars, and The Galactic Academy, is for children under 18 years old, with no strict costuming rules, and meant for children and teenagers to share their love of Star Wars and costuming.

Mandalorian Filming Set

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufp8weYYDE8

George Lucas Rule on Glasses

George Lucas wanted his world to seem like something fantastical and unique, so his live action films never had anyone wearing glasses. Characters could wear goggles, Shades or other items, but could not wear typical Eye Wear. George Lucas rationalized that with how futuristic the world was, they would have eliminated the need for glasses by correcting your vision, and as a result, the art of making glasses would have disappeared. George Lucas also made a point of saying there were no Buttons or Zippers on costumes, and that there is no underwear in the Star Wars either, famously trying to convince Carrie Fisher to go braless while in costumes.

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Topic: Star Wars: The Mandalorian Tutorial

This week, Per Mom’s request, we begin the topic of The Mandalorian . It’s a series that has been touted some years ago, but has morphed over time in to something completely different, and we’re going to do something different as well. Instead of start from the past and going forward, we need to instead, start from the end and get to the beginning of Mandalorian lore and culture. To better understand our topic.

Boba Fett

To truly understand why the Mandalorian even exists, is really to begin back at the beginning with the original Bounty Hunter and what spawned the Series, Boba Fett.

Boba Fett first seen in ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special’, a two hour special that came out during Christmas, and seen as an animated character during one of the segments. His next appearance was in Star Wars V, Empire Strikes Back, as among various other Bounty Hunters sent to hunt down the Millennium Falcon. He appears in only a hand full of scenes, less than 10, and spoke only 4 times in total:

“As you Wish.”

“He’s no good to me Dead.”

“What if he doesn’t survive? He’s worth to me.”

“Put Captain Solo in the Cargo Hold.”

By the time of Star Wars VI, Return of the Jedi, where is first actually named by another character, he was even fewer scene and never said anything, outside of a scream upon his famous death of falling into the Sarlacc Pit.

Despite the character’s apparent death, he seemingly survived and made his way to various ‘Legend’ media, including books, comics, and video game series, where he continued to be an anti-hero and occasional villain depending on the story. The character’s cult like following, despite the limited time on film, that lasts less than 5 minutes in total, has him a fan favorite, and is what spawned the Mandalorian name and concept.

Originally, Mandalorian was just the name of his armor, which was set to be a Commando style all white trooper, known as a Super Trooper, alongside Storm Troopers. The idea eventually became a bounty hunter and a single individual, named Boba Fett. Additional Lore Element began being developed in media, which included the world of Manadolore, the world of the Mandalorian s, which were now a race of people.

Jango Fett

The next seen Mandalorian is Jango Fett, Boba’s father. Boba himself is an unmodified clone of Jango Fett, with Jango Fett being the genetic template for what would be the Clone Trooper, and be the name for the eponymous Clone Wars. Despite being in only one film, he has far more scene than his son Boba, and is considered a major antagonist during Star Wars Clone War.

Behind the scenes, the fan favorite nature of the character led to his inclusion in the second Prequel movie. Boba Fett’s armor comes from his father, who after dying, is taken up by Boba in memory of his father, albeit, recolored in to the green and red armor instead of the steel and blue accent look.

Extended Media, Legends

With Disney purchasing Lucas Films, they rebranded all created material in the Star Wars extended media as being non-canonical, eliminating hundreds of authors work that has shaped the Star Wars universe and the stories in this world. All new material was dubbed ‘Legends’. While most of this became non-canonical, some of the history and world building has bled in to the new canon of the Star Wars franchise.

From this Legends content, it included that

Clone Wars

A good portion of lore and world building outside of the Legends series was developed during the Clone War Tv Show. Clone Wars, not be confused with the movie, was a CG Tv Show that took place between the when Episode 2 and 3, which followed Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano, the padawan(Apprentice) to Anakin Skywalker, during the intervening years of the war. The TV show spent a good bit of time, following the Republic and developing the world.

Because the TV Show came out between 2008 and 2014, much of the lore regarding Mandalore and the Mandalorian s were pieced together from the now Legends material, and fleshed out by the show’s creators. Upon purchase, Disney moved anything that wasn’t directly produced by Lucas Arts as Legends material, with Clone Wars being considered Canon, including all the content regarding the Mandalorian. A follow up TV Show called Rebels, continued the stories from Clone Wars, with a young Mandalorian warrior name Sabine Wren being a part of the main cast.

Mandalorian Lore:

Mandalorians are a group of warriors, namely hailing from the Planet of Mandalore. Their people were feared as some of the most skilled and powerful warriors in the galaxy, outside of Jedi. Starting from their homework, they eventually took over other neighboring planets and their prowess and renown spread from the Outer Rim of planet and eventually to the Inner Rim of Planet, with many Mandalorians becoming mercenaries and bounty hunters.

Upon reaching the Inner Rim of planets, the Mandalorians found the Jedi, who gave them their first major challenge in centuries. In order best the Jedi, they developed new weapons and created their now famous armor that they are known for. Now with the ability to fight the Jedi, Madalorians became even more feared through the galaxy, including by Jedi, and the two participated in various wars in the galaxy over the next few millennia.

However, the Jedi and Mandalorians were not always enemies. One example is Tarre Vizsla, a child of Mandalore that was taken as a child to become a Jedi. As a Jedi Tarre Vizsla was taught the ways of the Force, but continued to distinguish himself by creating his own variant of the Lightsaber, the ‘Darksaber’. At some point, Tarre Vizsla was given the title of “Mand’alor”, the sole ruler of Mandalore and a renowned figured in their society. After his death, family members would eventually take up the Darksaber and unite the various clans of Mandalore into one proper state, led by House Vizsla.

Despite unifying the various clans of Mandalore, various Mandalorian Warlords appears and continued fighting their own enemies, along with themselves in a bid for supremacy. Eventually, the long wars with the Jedi ended when fighting on Mandalore triggered a cataclysmic event that transformed much of the planet’s lush forests and oceans in to a sea of white deserts, forcing Mandalorians to constructed domed cities to live in. Devastated by their loss, the Mandalorians retreated to their home sector, and ended much of their conquests, as they sought to rebuild their homeworld.

Just prior to the events of Episode 1, a Civil War would break out on Mandalore, with one group of Mandalorians seeking unity and pacifism, led by Duchess Satine Kryze, while another wanted to return to their old ways of conquest, dubbing themselves Old Mandalorians. Eventually those seeking pacifism won out, exiling the Old Mandalorians to a local moon. Mandalore would develop in to a peaceful society, and eventually even joined the Galactic Republic in between then and the events of Clone Wars. By the time of the Clone Wars, Mandalore, along with 1500 other systems banded together, with Satine, to create the Council of Neutral Systems, a coalition that sought to stay out of the conflict and take a neutral stance on the fighting between the Republic and the Separatists.

Unknown to Satine and Mandalore, the Old Mandalorians was revised in to Death Watch by their leader Pre Vizsla. He wanted to bring Mandalorians back to their original glory and worked together with the Separatists and Count Dooku to do so. Death Watch launched various attacks on Galactic Republic strong holds, and event attack Mandalore itself, believing that their actions would spark a resurgence in Mandalorian ways. Following attacks by Count Dooku’s forces, Death Watch appeared and offered the Mandalorian people new leadership and protection from the invading Separatists, which led to Satine Kryze being imprisoned and Pre Vizsla taking over Mandalore. What followed was a series of stories in Clone Wars that saw Darth Maul return and take control over Death Watch, which led to Maul killing Satine, and eventually leading to Darth Sidious to visiting Mandalore to collect his former apprentice.

With Darth Maul taking control over Death Watch, a separatist movement, led by the sister of Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze, sought to remove Death Watch from leadership of Mandalore, calling the Galactic Republic for aid. This eventually led to the Siege of Mandalore, capturing Darth Maul and ending the rule by Death Watch. While Bo-Katan was named Regent for the planet, under the new rule of the Galactic Empire, she refused to do the Empire’s bidding and was exiled from Mandalore. Following this, the planet became a training ground for new military cadets.

By the time of Rebels, Mandalore is fully controlled by the Empire, with Mandalore developing troops and weapons to be used against those opposing the Republic. Rebels would follow the exploits of a Resistance cell, aided by one Ahsoka Tano, as the liberated Mandalore and returned leadership to Bo-Katan. However, by the end of the series, the Empire began a Purge of Mandalore, killing most of the Mandalorian populous and melting their famed Beskar armor into ingots. Few clans escaped the plans and spread themselves amongst the galaxy, hiding and trying to just survive.

Mandalorian Armor

All Mandalorians are best known by the armor they wear, which strikes fear amongst the galaxy. Known for their T-shaped visors on their helmets that obscure their face, the armor itself was outfitted with various built in features, including darts, flame throwers, and even Jet Packs. Most Mandalorians further armed themselves with additional blasters, such as rifles, heavy repeater blasters, and simple pistols.

The armor itself was made from a material known as Beskar, a nearly indestructible metal that could deflect blaster bolts and even stop a light saber from cutting through it. While Beskar was available for Mandalorians prior to the Purge of Mandalore, it’s since become a rare and valuable commodity in the galaxy.

Darksaber

The lightsaber created by Tarre Vizsla, it’s unusual in the sense that the blade itself is black and glassy in color, and is projected as a straight blade, similar to a Katana, unlike the rounded blade of a lightsaber. The saber is considered a prized possession of the Mandalorians, and its owner is considered the rightful ruler of Mandalore, bestowing the title of Mand’alor on to the anyone who holds it. Mandalorian custom says that you must defeat the current owner in combat in order for ownership to pass to you. Any other form of acquiring the saber would be considered illegitimate, and unrecognized by the Mandalorian people.

After Tarre Vizsla’s death, the saber was returned to the Jedi Archives, before being stolen by house Vizsla and returned to Mandalore. The saber would continue to be held by the leader of House Vizsla until Pre Vizsla was defeated by Darth Maul, who then became its owner. After Darth Maul fled Mandalore in order to help his mother, the Dark Saber was hidden on Dathomir, before being found by Sabine Wren and used during by herself during the events of Rebels. The saber would eventually given by Bo-Katan, in memory of her sister. Bo-Katan would lose the saber during the events of the Mandalore Purge, where its fate remains unknown.

Time Setting for The Mandalorian

When watching The Mandalorian, the point in Star Wars time is roughly 5 years after the events of Episode 6. Remnants of Empire still exist, as former leaders, programmed Storm Troopers, and various hardware still exist in the universe, with each Leader trying to carve out their leadership over the remains of the Empire. They are in hiding for the most, but are being snuffed out by the New Republic, as they attempt to secure the galaxy following the Empire’s and Emperor’s defeat.

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Topic: Cosplay Making

This week, I wanted to talk to Mom about some of the Ideas I’ve had for cosplay, and such. Any good nerd has wanted to dress up as their favorite characters. And a lot like any good addition, it just takes the one time to get hooked. But at a certain point, you might have to just make it yourself because it doesn’t exist anywhere out there.

Personal projects

Work Wizard Hat

This is a hat for work. Intend to be kind of like Gandalf’s wizard hat. The major difference being that the front and back will have stitched Lettering appropriate for work. I also intend to hide a pocket into the top of the hat in order to hide stuff for fun.

Magic Book

The idea here is to make a sort of magical tome, that when you open it up, it lights up and shoots out light from it, giving the impression that fantastical magic would come out. Ideally, you’d hollow out large book, something maybe the size of 2 phonebooks stacked on top, and then, have the middle pages with a sort of sheet paper with cut outs for the various glyphs and such. Underneath, in the hollowed out section, you’d have a series of lights that shined in an order to give it that impression.

Piranha Plant Puppet (Super Mario Bros)

This originally started as a Chain Chomp from Mario Bros, but I’ve since re-imagined it as a Piranha Plant. The idea is a roughly 2 foot in diameter Ball, constructed like a beach ball, but with one of the 6 sizes missing. The missing space is the mouth, which will open and close with teeth and a tongue. The intent here is for myself to be Mario, but my right hand is the Piranha plant. I’m going to gimic my right arm and have my actual right arm in all black. My arm is in the Piranha Plant head, and the fake arm is holding a potted plant with the Piranha plant stem coming out. The real hard part for this is coming up with the pattern so I’m consistent with the shape of the ball shape, then from there, creating the fake arm. I imagine the sewing of the white spots on the plan will add some challenge too.

Lakatu Puppet

This is the one for shooting the moon. The idea is a puppet that looks like Lakatu, the Turtle in the cloud that follows you. The idea was to have a full puppet, and have it riding on an actual cloud, filled by a beach ball for simplicity and weight concerns. From there, Lakatu would also have a fishing pole, and it would suspend stuff from it. One object being a small camera that I could actually take pictures with. This one is more logistics and putting it together, but it will take time.

Skills for making Cosplay

Sewing

Foam Work

Gluing

Wood working

Repurposing Junk

Browsing Goodwill/Second Hand shops

Painting

Understanding materials

Lots of Creativity

Cosplays I want to do:

Doctor (Arknights)

Arknights the game is fairly big still, and while it is still big, I figured a costume of the Doctor would be good. The character itself doesn’t talk, and their face is obstructed, so I would do the same, and carry around a bunch of gimic stuff as well, just to have fun with it. Never talking ever!

Warlock Tier 2 (World of Warcraft)

Making the costume will be a bitch, especially because it’s a flowing robes, and the shoulders and helm are so big. I’d want the helm and shoulders to either light up and create a smoke effect, but my skills are well out of that range. I need to get MUCH better and working with rigid foam for that. Plus, I kind of want to have smaller Imps hanging off me, as though I’ve summoned too many. These would be MUCH harder to make, considering I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how. There’s a person who HAS made them previously, but is charging a lot for them. There’s that and the staff…

Draenei Paladin Tier 6 (World of Warcraft)

This is one of those costumes that if I figure out Foam, I’ll be in business. Just lots of foam… It’s the notion of making armor, a weapon, and figuring out a latex sort of prosthetic for my face. These are blue people with tendrils. The fun part might also be figuring out the hoofed feet too, but there are furries that do horses I can mimic. It would be a fun thing to do, especially the spectacle, but gotta figure out foam first.

Gilgamesh/Archer (Fate/Stay Night)

Another one that’s mostly revolving around foam. The bigger concern is his sword, Ea, which has three segmented blade bits that turn count to one another. I can imagine a gear and spindle in my head moving, but I’d need to make a good template to see if it’s do able. I really do think it can be done, but this is also something I’d love to get a 3d Printer to actually make it too.

Boo Ghost (Mario Brothers)

This one is very technical. The idea is not too dissimilar to the Parana Plant Puppet, but instead of actually being a moving puppet, it’s a projected Puppet. What I’d do is buy a small little hand held projector, and then suspend it inside a clear ball with theatre fabric, for the light to bleed through. The intention is to have the projector display an animated Face for the puppet. The fun part will be switching between the ghost looking normal, and then animating to hiding. The sequence would go like this:

1. Normal Idle animation
2. Transition to Hiding Animation
3. Hiding Idle Animation
4. Transition to Normal animation
5. Maybe something silly? Like a tongue lick or such? Animation.

It would work the best if run off a smart phone, WHICH I have a spare one. The only trick is programming a custom app to run the animations from, and if you could get a simple clicker or something to transition, even better. There might be other ideas here that would best with it, but this is a matter of researching technology and working through it.

Bowsette Kimono (Mario Brothers)

I had an Idea, after the initial Bowsette Cosplay, was to come back in a Japanese Kimono. The intention was an all Black Kimono, with a green Obi-sash(For the turtle shell), with a yellow Haneri (inner cloth). What would make it unique is that there would be stitched in Mario Style flowers, but drawn/done in the style of an ukiyo-e painting (Traditional Japanese Art). The flowers would start at the hem and kind of crawl up the kimono till just above the knee and on to the sleeves. I wanted to do the longer sleeve, the kind that draped down to like the knee or such. And then, the real kicker was that the sleeve on the inside, showed a Mario 1 style castle and flag pole on the left sleeve, and a set of stairs with Mario on the right sleeve. This way when you fanned them out, you’d get the image. My only real concern with this cosplay is partly the Japanese style Mario flowers, I don’t know how to ART that, but I know a person with a stitching machine, but it would be LOTS of colors. And then there’s also the concern over taking a Kimono and making a joke out of it with Mario stuff. I’ve seen people make Yukatas, a simple summer style Kimono which are very laid back, and made with various printed cloths, but I would feel strange about mimicking and making a Kimono, especially as I’d do it in drag too.

Japanese style Bowser / Dr Robotnic

Unlike Bowsette, a Japanese inspired Bowser or Dr Robotnic would probably be cool. I’d probably go with Dr Robotnic, and get a navy blue Yukata, pair it with a yellow sash, and then a Red Hori coat, and switch in the Eggman symbol on to the back. If I could as well, I’d love to make FAKE tattoos, along my arm and chest, give the impression of a Yakuza.

Ursula (Little Mermaid)

Okay, this one would be a Drag performance, but I figured that if I have the Big Black Dress from Bowsette two years ago, and I could make the tail, I could probably make octopus legs as well. My thought here would be to get a bunch of strings and connect them to my wrists, so when I moved my arms, the legs would move as well. I figured this for making the eels hangs on my in a similar fashion maybe. The only issue with the octopus legs would be their weight and having them come out of the body evenly. Plus this has already been done before, so I wouldn’t be new to the party.

Doctor Strange (Marvel)

Okay hear me out, this was a really COOL costume from the Marvel Movies. What to add to it, there’s a spinning LED light board, and from there, you can program it to do the Doctor Strange magic circles. It would look really cool , especially if I could get a light up necklace as well, even better.

Foam Sword

This would be the first project I’d do with Foam really. Making a sword, because I’ve had a few different designs that I’d love to actually just create.

Peace Bond Armor + Sword

Okay, this one takes some explaining.

Peace Bond itself is when you wrap a strap around your sword to keep it secure in its scabbard. The intention was that if you were there for peace, you’d never need to draw your sword. Whether this is a real element or just a story, this is the idea atleast behind our Modern con verion.

Peace Bonds for Conventions are these colorful Zip ties that you put on Prop Weapons so that Con Staff know it’s an approved item to bring in to Cons. This way no one gets hurt from a sword, an actual gun, or such. I want to make an entire sword and armor out of these colorful Zip Ties. And especially as it’s a joke, you need to have the armor/clothing made out of very commonly found items at a Con. I figure FF7’s buster sword, maybe a One Piece Hat, and then some other commonly seen stuff at cons. It’s that or just make a really big Buster Sword(Comically Large swords), and some armor/cape, maybe a gauntlet and gladiator skirt. Something silly and stupid, which would be a Joke for the Con itself regardless. This one would take LOTS of Zip Ties and figuring out how to layer them in such a way that makes it look like stuff. Another example of foam coming into help on this one.

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Topic: Wonder Woman 1984 Review

Mom and me both had concerns over the movie, but not that we couldn’t agree that some stuff in it was great, and other stuff wasn’t. It’s an interesting movie none the less, especially when you look at some of the aspects that we thought were lacking.

Patty Jenkins - Director

Gal Gadot – Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

Chris Pine – Steve Trevor

Kristen Wiig – Barbara Minerva / Cheetah

Barbara Minerva is the 3rd known Cheetah in the Comics. Movie Presents the powers as being the Apex Preditor, which happens to be a Cheetah, vs in the Comics, was due to an Ancient Plant God Urzkartaga.

Pedro Pascal – Maxwell Lord

As depicted in the Comics, Maxwell Lord IV is a powerful business magnate and eventual manager of the Justice League International. In the comics, he eventually gains mind control powers due to a gene bomb granted non-powered humans super powers. He’s been a major bad guy in DC Comics as the guy who kicked off the events of Infinite Crisis by killing the Blue Beatle, infecting people with a cyborg virus, and eventually mind controlling Superman to beat up Wonder Woman and Batman. Maxwell was eventually killed by Wonder Woman in order to save Superman from mind control, but not before a satellite called ‘Big Brother’ showed Wonder Woman killing him, a move that ostracized Wonder Woman for a time. He was eventually resurrected during the Blackest Night event, and permanently resurrected during the events of Brightest Day.

Pascal claimed he was going for a Gordon Geko by ways of Gene Hackman’s portrayal of Lex Luthor. Comes off more like Donald Trump.

Tangent

Blackest Night (2009)

This was an event in DC Comics which was meant to explain why Super Heroes and Villains kept coming back from the dead. In DC Lore, Green Lanterns are merely one of 7 various Lantern Corps that operate around the universe, with each having various focuses and based off feels, IE Love, Willpower, Fear, so forth. DC Rationalized that there was an 8th Lantern Corps, a Black Lantern Corps which controlled death, led by a bad guy named Nekron, who secretly allowed Super Heroes and Villains to keep coming back from the dead. The intention was to seed the world with sleeper agents and activate them, turning anyone who HAD previously died in to a bad guys, including individuals like Superman, Green Lantern, and other Heroes and Villains. This led to various non-previously-diseased super heroes taking up various other Lantern Corps in order to defeat them.

Brightest Day (2010)

After all Super Heroes dawn White Lantern Rings and join the White Lantern Corps, the following events post Brightest Day deal with the fallout from Blackest Night, partly dealing with resurrected individuals who had been dead for some time. This also included Maxwell Lord, who goes about wiping his existence from everyone in the world, only to settle back in to his life of monitoring Super Humans and trying to keep them in check.

Release

Wonder Woman was originally slated for November/December of 2019, but was moved in order to avoid competing with Star Wars Episode 9, before being moved to June 2020 after seeing how well the first film did in the summer. This also had an added effect of giving the studio more time to tweek and edit the film, but also to see it going head to head against Black Widow, another super hero movie. The film would later be delayed multiple times due COVID 19 shutting down movie theaters: first moved to August 2020, then to October 2020, and then finally released in Theaters and Home Media via HBO Max in late December.

Concern over Re-writes/edits

There’s been plenty of Rumors regarding the editing, re-writing, and changes made by the Film Studio producing the film. The Film itself was shot back in 2018, and spent time between then and release, making various edits to the film. The true scope isn’t fully known at this time, but it’s presumed that heavy editing changed the nature of the film.

Another concern for the Film comes in the fact that Warner Bros doesn’t seem to have any concrete or established plans for its DC Extended Universe, so the movie can’t necessarily do all the things the Marvel movies do, like setting up world building and dropping hints about comic references, nor can it develop the characters or point them in a direction for growth.

Trivia

• Dream Stone was made from Citrine, a gem long representing wealth and prosperity, also known as a ‘Merchant Stone’ or ‘Money Stone’.
• The Dream Stone was to originally belong to a character name Sandman, the God of Dreams, another super hero. So when Maxwell Lord uses it to become the Dreamstone, it bursts into sand, which is meant to be a homage to the character. At the time, a Sandman film was being floated and early production had started, and this might have been a tie in to it.
• When Barbara appears later in the movie wearing furs and clothing made from the skin of animals or animal print, this is a homage to the First Cheetah in the comics, Priscilla Rich, who enjoyed wearing animal furs, and wore a magical cheetah costume.
• Diana’s wardrobe through out the film is based off Brooke Shield’s attire from the 1980s, since both were all and had similar physiques.
• This was Padro Pascal’s second Wonder Woman project, after having previously appeared on the Wonder Woman Tv Pilot in 2011.
• Patty Jenkins has gone on to describe the film as a standalone film, similar in the lines to James Bond or Indiana Jones.

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Topic: Wonder Woman Tutorial

In route to discussing Wonder Woman 1984, we need to do a Tutorial on Wonder Woman herself. And her creation is amazing! I was surprised by it and so was Mom. You have to listen just to find that part out.

Creator:

Created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston, pen name: Charles Moulton.

Marston was a unique individual, a Harvard PhD psychologist who also helped created the lie detector. He believed that Comics had ‘great educational potential’, and was hired by All-American Publications as an educational consultant. The Publication would late merge with another company creating DC Comics.

He lived with his wife Elizabeth Marston and also Ms. Olive Byrne, of which they had a consenting polyamorous life together. Marston’s research and stuff focused heavily on gender, with him at one point studying all Female communities, ie observing the rituals and behaviors of Sororities. It led him to believe that women were the superior gender, but was only being held back from power due to the difficulties of giving birth and raising children, but also housework. He eventually theorized that eventually both child rearing and housework would get easier, allowing women to get educated, gain power, and take their rightful spots as leaders of the world.

When he set out to make Wonder Woman, he did so consciously, deciding to create a female super hero in a male dominated landscape. Marston would later write:

"Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.

Wonder Woman is also loosely based off Elizabeth and Olive, with Elizabeth inspiring her attitude, and Olive inspiring her appearance. Apparently Wonder Woman’s bracelets was inspired because Olive liked to wear big bracelets.

Comic History:

Since staring All Star Comic #8 in 1941, Wonder Woman has had her own on going Comic Book ever since then. Marston would initially write for the series, with H.G. Peter doing the artwork until his death in 1947 at the age of 54. Later writers would pick up the character and run with it. Early stories focused on feminist agenda, and for the times, push a radical, progressive women’s agenda.

After Marston’s Death, new writers toned down some of the Wonder Woman elements from earlier comics. This included the remove of more bondage related elements, toned down some of the radical feminist agenda, and eventually adding Hellenic and mythological elements and roots to the character.

By the late 1960s, Wonder Woman lost her powers, owning to stay in the world of man, and for a time, picked up martial arts and weapons combat, and gave up being a super hero for owning a boutique. She participated in various story lines that focused more on espionage and mythology. Eventually, due to the 1970s TV show, Wonder Woman was repowered into a super hero. However, by 1985, Wonder Woman’s comic was losing popularity and the character was written out.

During the Crisis of infinite Earth, Wonder Woman was depicted as originating on Earth Two, a second Earth to the main DC Continuity. As a result of the event that wiped out the Multiverse and all other Earths, Wonder Woman was to be written out. However, at the end of the series, Wonder Woman was given a new origin story, as an ambassador from her home land of Themyscira. This is how she would be portrayed in the modern age.

By the end of Flash Point event, the New 52 reimagines Wonder Woman again, this time also carrying her now iconic sword and shield in to battle. The character was redesigned again in 2016, bring her more in line with her original creation.

Crisis Events

DC has major cross over events subjected in to Crisis Events, typically with the intent of retconing, shaking up, or revamping the entire comic landscape. This is often done to streamline continuities or characters, change up dynamics of the world and/or characters, or re-introduce new elements back in to the series. The events offer huge crossovers events for various books, characters, and stories, with the finality of the decisions that get made due to it. These Stories include:

Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985)

This event resulted in the collapse of the Multiverse, the notion that there are various worlds with similar or mirror characters that live similar or mirror lives due to the nature of possibility. As a result of losing the multiversity, several characters migrated to the main continuity, while other characters were killed off, like Super Girl.

Zero Hour, Crisis in Time! (1994)

This event saw the original Green Lantern become a bad guy and attempt to recreate the universe in his own image. The true purpose was to streamline the dates of events that happened, making it so that most character had been around for only 10 or so years, along with fixing the continuity issues plaguing various characters and their introduction from the previous Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline.

Infinite Crisis (2005)

This Crossover saw the reintroduction of the Multiverse, and redid the timeline and events once more. As a result of some character leaving to a pocket dimension in the First Crisis event, they see how dark the universe has gotten and decided they need to recreate Earth Two and Destroy Earth One. Eventually though, the Multiverse gets recreated as a result.

Final Crisis (2008)

The event sees a Super Man Villain, Dark Sied, taking over Earth using a formula designed to ensnare people to his will. Because Earth is the cornerstone of the Multiverse, and controlling it give the power to control over Multiverses, Dark Sied was capable of controlling the entire Multiverse. The comic in theory kills both Dark Sied and Batman, though both would return through weirdness.

Flash Point (2011)

Flash Point sees the Flash use his super speed ability to go back in time and save his mother. As a result of saving his mother, but at the cost of changing the entire universe, including depowering the Flash. In the end, Flash is able to get his powers back, and restore the events that led to the correct universe. However, while initially intended as a contained story, the events led to the ‘New 52’ Timeline. New 52 was a company-wide relaunch of all their series, simplifying and revamping many characters and time lines.

Convergence (2015)

Considered one of the worse Crisis Events, it saw a bad guy trying to battle the various DC cities against one another. And this meant from any continuity, any property, and almost any franchise was on the table. While everything eventually returned back to normal, and set in motion a removing continuity from DC Comics. The DC You initiative wanted to focus more on stories than continuity, however, this was widely hated by fans, and quietly swept under the rug.

Dark Nights Metal (2017)

The most recent Crisis Event depicts a bad guy, named Barbados, who seeks to leave a dark Multiverse dimension via Batman. Upon escaping, he brings with him various other murderous and evil Batmans, led by the Batman who laughs and kicks the butts out of the regular Multiverse characters. Eventually the Multiverse heroes beat the Dark Multiverse. This series is the first to not have any major shake-ups in the universe necessarily.

Character History:

Depending on which timeline, revamp, or relaunch, the character’s history has been changed countless times to suit the needs of the writers and runners of the comic books.

The most common origin stories for Diana include:

• She was born of clay and brought to life as a golem by the gods
• She was a blessing from the gods
• She is the daughter of Zeus, and thus a demi-god.

All stories start with Diana being raised on Paradise Island, later renamed Themyscira, and being trained by the Amazons of the island. She meets with Captain Steve Trevor and is brought to the world of man, either to protect it, or to act as an Emissary for Themyscira.

Diana Prince is her alias, otherwise she is Diana of Themyscira, when not known as Wonder Woman. She is depicted as being among the best woman in the world. Strong and powerful, but delicate and kind, smart and heroic, embodying all the greatest qualities of womanhood.

Beyond that, she is considered a part of the Holy Trinity of DC Comics, which include Superman, Batman, and herself. She is also the first of the Three to join the Justice League, later retconed as her, Superman, and Batman creating the league together.

Her Powers include:

Super Strength

Super Durability

Super Speed

Super Agility

Healing Factor

Flight (Post Crisis on infinite Earths)

Beyond her Super powers she is a:

Master Tactician

Master Combatant

Multi-Lingual

Expert Pilot

Possessing Great Wisdom

Equipment:

Bracelets of Submission – Crafted from Zeus’s legendary Aegis Shield, Wonder Woman’s iconic bracelets act as Bracers on her arms, allowing her to deflect bullets and projectiles,including energy blasts.

Lasso of Truth – a powerful rope that is capable of retraining the universes strongest beings, including Superman. The lasso also compels people to be truthful. The lasso has also shown healing and anti-magic properties.

Golden Tiara – Wonder Woman’s headband has doubled as a boomerang on occasions, depicted as being super strong and sharp.

Invisible Jet – Wonder Woman’s original mode of transportation prior to her ability to fly. It is meant to be based on a Pegasus, but has changed from a propeller plane to a jet plane over time and publications.

Sword and Shield – Since the New 52 continuity, Wonder Woman has also carried a Sword and Shield, reminiscent of gladiators in Roman times. They’re depicted as being of similar metal to her Tiara and costume, having been crafted by the Amazonians.

Costume:

Depending on the depiction, Wonder Woman’s costume has been relatively consistent over time, mirroring similar elements over the time. Most notable changes over time have included the bottom portion going from a skirt with stars to high-cut briefs with stars, her red, strapless top depicting an eagle, later her Wonder Woman logo over the cups of the breasts. In 2010, they decided to change her look up and gave her pants and a leather jacket. The original look would alter return a year later in 2011, and by 2016, her look was resigned to look more gladiatorial, with an over the shoulder strap for her sword and shield, along with her a gladiatorial skirt in the form of leather strips, not unlike Xena, Warrior Princess. This was also the version used for the Live Action movies.

Villains:

Wonder Woman’s Rogue Gallery consists of a lot of Greek Gods and Mythology creatures, though has some unique villains too. Though they all share a common element that they are all intelligent and/or doctors in some field.

Giganta – a woman who is capable of changing her shape and size, while still retaining her intelligence.

Cheetah – a woman, occasionally a man, who dresses like a Cheetah to fight Wonder Woman. Modern takes on Cheetah have her Cheetah like characteristics and powers gifted by the plant god Urzkartaga.

Doctor Psycho – can control minds. He’s notable for being created partly based off Marston’s college professors who opposed women’s suffrage and feminism.

Doctor Poison – a woman who uses poison to control minds, along with other effects.

Ares – The God of War, who is in direct opposition to Wonder Woman, who strives for peace around the world.

The First Born – Daughter of Hera and Zeus, he is destined to sit on Zeus’s throne. He fights with Wonder Woman who aims to stop him.

Circe – A Sorceress with various god like powers, including mind control, creating energy blasts, teleportation, and transforming objects. She’s all known for her siren’s call that lures men to their death.

Medusa – the Gorgon with snake like hair and can turn people in to stone.

In Media:

Beyond the original Comic Books, Wonder Woman has been a pop Icon for the last 80 years. As a result, she’s been depicted in various media outside of her comic origin.

It was the famous 1975 Wonder Woman Tv Show which reintroduced Wonder Woman’s powers in the comics. Protrayed by Lynda Carter.

Wonder Woman has been a mainstay of various animated DC properties. Most Notably in the Super Friends Cartoons from the 70s and 80s and the DC Animated Universe cartoons that aired throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. She’s also been a part of major Justice League Direct to Video features.

In Film, She is portrayed by Gal Gadot in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman 1984.

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Topic: Full Metal Alchemist Review

Part 2 of the Experiment is always seeing the results. After reading some of the Manga, watching 2 different anime, and then the movie, it’s time to see what mom’s Opinions of these various versions are.

Manga:

Chapter 1-2: Liore Incident

The primary point of these chapters, along with introducing the Elric Brothers, is to show the Manipulative nature of Religion/Cults, which comes up later throughout the series.

Chapter 3: Youswell, Coal Mine

This chapter also shows more the folly of man, as the government isn’t perfect and has a lot of corruption from within, something that is hinted at much later.

Chapter 4: Train Hostages

A bit more action to the chapter, it shows off the beginnings of the military, along with the power they might supplant.

Chapter 5: Shou Tucker, Introduction of Scar

Shou Tucker and Nina are meant to be a warning of diving too deeply in to science and forgetting about your humanity. This also introduces Scar, whose religion plays an active point in the series’ events.

Chapter 6: Ed Loses to Scar

Ed’s Loss to Scar is meant to show that Alchemy can’t solve everything and that an over reliance on it can be the downfall. Alchemy is a tool, but not the solution.

Chapter 7: The retreat/aftermath

Granted, this chapter is meant to give Ed and Al a way out, but meant to show both of their desperations and reliance on one another, how each out essentially die for each other.

Chapter 8: Doctor Marco, Early clues to Philosopher’s Stone’s creation

Doctor Macro is a person who knows the truth and is running away from it, burying it in a hole never to be found again, but realizes that someone who’s goal is just and moral, offers to help, even thought it will hurt.

Chapter 9: Winry, getting fixed up

We show off Winry and her eventual importance, not just as a sisterly neighbor, but how she is the emotional core of the duo and their reliance upon her.

Chapter 10: Central City, Learning how Philosopher’s Stone is made

Granted, a lot of the chapter is fapping about, but it shows the lengths in which the villains will keep their secrets hidden, less someone realize what they are up to and either stop them, or copy them.

Chapter 11: Visiting the 5th Laboratory

After learning that the Philosopher’s Stone is made by sacrificing human lives, Ed and Al continue to investigate, even though they both know they won’t rely on this method of making a stone. The seek out the 5th Laboratory in hopes they’ll find additional information that could help them.

Chapter 12: After the 5th Laboratory

After having met two other individuals that had their souls placed in armor, we learn a bit more about how Ed and Al see humanity, with Ed believing that all life is sacred, while Al wonders if he is even truly human or real, which sets up an existential crisis for a few chapters.

Overall:

The early manga chapters, the first three volumes, do a good job of laying out a lot of frame work for the series, hinting at later chapters and themes that will run throughout the series. Namely how religion and strictly held beliefs can do great harm, but also the corrupting power of science, governments, and just power in general. A lot of dark themes being presented by Arakawa.

Anime (2003)

Ep 1&2: This plays very similarly to the manga’s Liore incident.

Ep 3: Goes back to the beginning and shows the details of how Ed and Al lost their mom, did the bad Alchemy, and got to this point.

Ep 4: A side story about how Al and Ed getting to central, a detour has them solving a stupid mystery

Ep 5: They get their first introduction to the military, while saving a general on a train. Very similar to Chapter 4.

Ep 6-7: This tells the story of Shou Tucker, but drawn out to show Ed becoming a State Alchemist and showing how both Ed and Al bonded with Nina before she became a Chimera.

Ep 8: Ed tires to resign from being a State Alchemist, until he is kidnapped by a serial Killer and nearly killed.

Overall:

The art style is a bit more cartoony and relaxed by comparison to the original manga. Characters look like anime characters with slightly more realistic proportions. The only downside for the original anime is the pacing, which moves along very slow, and a lot of events that happen in the manga have no-barring on later events, and don’t necessarily add to the story/plot, so much is helps hide the fact that the production went to in to it way too early.

Brotherhood Anime (2009)

Ep 1: This episode isn’t cannon to the series, but shows off a lot of what is displayed later on in the series shortly thereafter, including Ed’s automail body parts, Al’s hollowness, and other characters that will come up later. I’d say skip it, but other episodes don’t linger on certain notions right away.

Ep 2: Plays very similarly to Episode 3 of the 2003 anime, with the events of Trisha Elric dying and Ed applying, and succeeding, in becoming a State Alchemist.

Ep 3. Liore Incident, but instead covered in a single episode

Ep 4. Shou Tuck incident.

Ep 5. This follows chapters 6 and 7 pretty well.

Ep 6. This follows chapter 8 and 9 pretty well.

Ep 7. This follows chapter 10 very well and leads in to the 5th Laboratory arc.

Ep 8. This follows chapters 11 and 12 very well.)

Overall:

The story itself moves starkly faster than the 2003 counterpart. A lot of this is due to the assumption that a lot of people had been keeping up with the manga, again a monthly series, and they were getting toward the end. As a result of wanting to speed through material that had already been covered, a lot of episodes condensed and simplified, moving much quicker through them.

This is also when we remember that the 2003 anime got announced either late summer or early fall of 2002, a time when only 11-13 chapters had been completed. By comparison to the 2009 version, as it was announced while nearly 80+ chapters had been out, the 2003 Anime suffers from filler plots and side tracks to character/world building that doesn’t aid the story. In contrast, the beginning of the 2009 anime suffers from going too quickly through plot beats that are spread out more in the original anime. Once the first 12-13 episodes get produced of the 2009 anime, it slows down some, but allowing the characters to have more development, and introducing new scenes and character not present in the 2003 anime.

The Art work also represents the later years of character design that Arawaka was using, rather than the very Manga-eque look of the early 2002 years.

Movie (2017)

Strange dissonance with music choices

Kids get ‘Wizard of Oz’-ed in very beginning

Liore incident showing the very end of the situation

Why is Father Cornello running? He has a ring? He’s well respected and admired in the city?

Lots of… costumes. Things don’t seem to blend in naturally.

Missing Iconic Clap-Sound when Ed claps his hands together.

Al looks off at certain times. Would have preferred a practical suit actor instead, you’d think that it wouldn’t be that difficult considering Tokusatou series.

Events are very out of order.

Why would Hughes bring his wife with him for the next month while he’s on assignment?

Gate of Truth with Ed as a teenager, that isn’t right.

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Topic: Fullmetal Alchemist Tutorial/Experiment

Ep 82: Fullmetal Alchemist Tutorial/Experiment

An Experiment: This week, we’re asking mom and our audience to not only read some Manga, but also to watch some anime, and a movie. All of these things are the exact same things. Which makes it even more interesting. Namely, Fullmetal Alchemist, which is not only a long running manga series that ran for over 9 years, but also two Anime, and a Japanese movie. So, what happens when print media becomes a TV series and a Movie? Let’s see what Mom thinks.

What is Fullmetal Alchemist?

Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. She was born in 1973 and grew up on a dairy farm in Hokkaido. From young age, she loved manga and would collect it whenever she had money from her allowance. She initially went to agriculture high school, a theme she would later revisit for her next Manga “Silver Spoon”. After graduating, she spent another seven years working on her parent’s dairy farm before moving to Tokyo to follow her dreams of becoming a Mangaka.

She initially started as an Assistant before eventually getting her big break with ‘Stray Dog’. This won her the 21st Century “Shonen Gangan” award in 2000, and the company, Gangan, would eventually become the publisher for most of her work.

Her next big title, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, aka Fullmetal Alchemist, began publishing in 2001. The series was a monthly title, which consisted of roughly 35-40 pages per month in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan anthology. The series would run for the better part of 9 years and become one of the most defining Manga and Anime for a world wide audience, particularly in the west. This would eventually win her the prestigious Annual Shogakugan Manga Award in 2003. The series also spawned two anime series, with two follow movies for each series, as well as a live action movie in 2017.

Hiromu’s additional works include:

Hero Tales – Imperial China theme wars/conflicts

Silver Spoon – Agriculture High School, Slice of Life

The Heroic Legend of Arslan – Based off a similar book series

World/Story

Fullmetal Alchemists tells the story of Edward(Ed) and Alphonse(Al) Elric, a pair of brothers gifted in the science/magic of Alchemy, as they travel around the fictional country of Amestris in search of a way to recover their bodies and become whole.

In this ‘steam punk’ world, closely matching technology of the early 19th century, alchemy is the most practiced science throughout the world, which allows users who have studied to do transmutation magic. Given a collection of items or materials, an Alchemist can draw transmutation circles across along a surface and channel energy in to it in order to create something new from the materials. The magical system primarily operates by first identify the material, breaking it up in to its most natural components, then rebuilding it based off the transmutation circle. The magic system is a hard magic system, consisting of rules and laws that must otherwise be followed. The most fundamental being the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which directs that in order to create something, you must first lose something of equal value; and is also referenced at the beginning of every episode in the Anime. Because of the hard magic System, Alchemists are limited in what alchemy itself can do, these include:

You can’t make something without the proper components. IE, you can’t make a metal sword out of wood.

You’re limited to making something of equal size as the amount of components you have. IE, you can’t build a house with only a single plank of wood.

The more complex the alchemy, the more complex the transmutation circle.

Within the country of Amestris exists the military, an omni-powerful organization that runs the country and is tasked to maintain order throughout the country and its borders, but may have secret motives and directives. While they act like a standard military army and political organization, the most defining feature is the State Alchemists, Alchemists that are hired and operate for the military on their behalf. The benefit works for both parties, as State Alchemists receive large stipends of funding from the government, but can be called in to service by the military to act as human weapons against opposing forces. State Alchemists are also known as Dogs of the Military, a derogatory term as the military likes to throw State Alchemists at their problems, and that Alchemists must heavily rely on the military for funding to continue their research. Each Alchemist is given a code name, which usually had something to do with their alchemy style, such examples include: Flame, Iron Blood, Crimson, and ofcourse, Full Metal.

While not explicit rules of the magical system, Alchemists within the world are limited in doing two major things with Alchemy. The first not making gold, as this would throw off the entire economy of the country. This is also a call back to the origin of alchemy, which at the intent of making precious metals, like gold itself. The second is that human transmutation is outlawed, and considered highly taboo, along the lines of grave robbing or worse.

To continue with the Steam Punk nature of the world, people who have lost their limbs can have them replaced with robotic limbs known as ‘Automail’. Most Automail replaces lost limbs like arms and legs, and rarely is it used to replace sections of the body even. No electricity is necessary as it uses nerves in the body that already exist and blood to power limbs. While uncommon, it is well known and entire communities and companies exist as a matter of building various limbs and parts.

Characters

The story primarily follows Ed and Al as they travel through the world trying to use their knowledge of Alchemy to regain their bodies and become whole. This is due to Ed and Al attempting to bring back their dead mother using Alchemy using Human Transmutation, but failing to do so. As a result of this initial failure, Ed lost his left leg and Al disappeared entirely, the toll or price for attempting Human Transmutation. As a result of Human Transmutation, Ed gained advanced Alchemic knowledge, which he uses to bind Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor, thus bringing him back to the world, but at the expense of Ed’s right arm. After a prolonged recovery for Ed to gain an Automail Arm and Leg to replace those lost, the two set forth to find the Philosopher’s Stone, a fabled Alchemy tool that ignores the Laws of Equivalent Exchange, in hopes of resorting their bodies.

Edward Elric (Ed)

The main title character of the series, always seen with his signature blonde hair, golden eyes, red coat. Edward is known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist, and best known for his signature ability of not needing a transmutation circle to produce Alchemy, a rare gift never seen before in most Alchemists. Gifted, brave, and fierce, Edward is also a skill physical combatant, using his unique alchemy skills to augment his fighting style by creating weapons out of nowhere, even manipulating plates on his Automail Right Arm. While a strong individual, Edward is also quite hot headed and temperamental, prone to fits of rage if something sets him off, often his height, which is often considered small for his age. Despite his hot temper, Edward is very caring, especially toward his younger brother Alphonse, to which he has promised to find a way to recover Al’s body no matter what.

Alphonse Elric (Al)

The younger of the Elric Brothers, he is also a main character, and is portrayed through the series as being a giant, hollow suit of armor. This is due to his soul being bonded to a suit of armor. This carries some advantages, such as not needing to eat or sleep, also not getting hot or cold, and seemingly immortality, assuming the blood seal remains undamaged. However, these same pros are also cons for Alphonse, a very loving and caring soul that would rather shelter kittens than every punch a person, as he struggles to continue living without having a proper body. Much like his brother, he is also gifted in Alchemy, though not at the same caliber of his brother, but is physically stronger and an even more skilled combatant than his brother. He travels with his brother, and is often confused for his brother from time to time, as they both are in search of the Philosopher’s stone.

Colonel Roy Mustang

The Flame Alchemist, a State Alchemist who used his position to climb the ranks of military, with ambitions of eventually becoming the Fuhrer, leader of the country. Cocky and reassured, his outward appearance hides his true motives and feelings, which is a commander with pure intentions of making the country a better place. Much like his name, his manipulate flames using Alchemy; this is accomplished by using his special spark sensitive gloves to snap his fingers, creating sparks and then manipulating the air quality to direct explosions and blasts of fire around.

Winry Rockbell

Best Friends to Ed and Al, she acts as Ed’s mechanic, as it was her who built Ed’s Automail Arm and Leg, even installing them on to his body with the assistance Winry’s grandmother. A gifted mechanic, she loves machines in all forms and shapes, gawking over them. She cares deeply for both Ed and Al, thinking of them as brothers and wishing for only the best for both. She is often the emotional support for both, and even Physical Support for Ed.

Scar

An initial Antagonist, Scar is a nick name given to a killer of State Alchemists. An tall and strong Ishvalan (similar to our Middle Eastern heritage/decent), he known for the X-shaped scare along the front of his face. He hunts State Alchemists due to them having invaded his country and basically starting open warfare when his country did nothing to Amestris. To combat State Alchemists, Scar’s right arm is adorned with Ishvalan sigils and runes, similar to Alchemy’s transmutation circles, which allow him to break down anything to its base components. Using it, Scar can break weapons, streets, buildings, and even begin breaking down a person on to their base components as a means of killing them.

Lust

One of three initially introduced Homunculus, seven in total, she is represented by a tall and beautiful woman with an Ouroboros tattoo on her chest. Much like her name, people lust after her and she uses this to her advantage, often hiding in plain sight amongst others in order to spy upon them. She is cool and level headed, but also sadistic, she enjoys watching humans scurry and suffer around her. Her unique skills allows her to extend the length of her fingers to razor like talons, upwards of several feet long, and cut through just about anything as a result. Like all Homunculus, she is essentially immortal, and if killed, will return to life, or rebuild parts of her body, nearly instantaneously

Gluttony

Another Homunculus introduced early in the series, he short and very rotund, not too dissimilar to a ball in many ways. He is often seen eating other creatures and people, as directed by Lust or other Homunculus. Much like his name, he is always hungry, and his unique ability, allows him to eat just about anything without feel the ill-effect, or getting full either. Often a comic relief character, he is also the character with the most child like sense of character, having only an interest in doing what other Homunculus tell him to do , please his master, and eating.

Envy

An androgynous Homunculus who is often seen with Lust and Gluttony. He is amongst the cruelest of all the Homunculus, playing and torturing humans for pleasure. He is the most likely to kill without hesitation and follow his master’s orders swiftly once given. He is unique in that he can shape-shift in to other forms, including different people so that he may act like a spy, or transform in to his true, monstrous form. Just like Lust and Gluttony, his is functionally immortal and will recover from injuries and death with near immediate speed.

Adaptations:

Manga – The manga initially ran from July 2001 till June 2010, finishing with 108 monthly chapters over the better part of nine years. All volumes have been release in the state by Viz Media.

2003 Anime – Released after about only 20 chapters in to the Manga’s initial start, the series diverges after a certain point from the original material. This is due to the manga still be in production, and only being a few chapters in which it was decided to make it an anime. As a result, while Arakawa was a part of the initial storyboarding process, she was not involved in the filming, writing, or animation, resulting in a different take on the material.

2009 Anime – With the Manga beginning to wind down, A second anime adaptation was announced, this time following more closely to the original manga. As a result, the 2009 anime is considered the definitive version of Fullmetal Alchemist as a result. The anime was purposefully set up to end just a few weeks after the manga, and staff were already animating the final episodes in time with the manga.

2017 Film – In 2017, a live action film was created the follows the first major story arcs of the series. This film omits quite a bit of world building and simplifies a fair amount of the world, characters , and principles from the original story. As a result, he’s generally considered the worse adaptation amongst all known adaptation.

Anime 2003-2004

https://www.netflix.com/title/70204980

Anime 2009-2010

https://www.netflix.com/title/70204981

Movie 2017

https://www.netflix.com/title/80223731

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Topic: Nerdy Collectables

Nerds LOVE, I do mean, LOVE their collectables. We love collecting stuff, and who doesn’t? Everyone has a collection, but nerds have collections that seem to always seem odd and befuddling to most. So here’s some follow up ideas for what you can give your favorite nerd this Christmas.

Funko Pop

Started in 1998, the brand was founded because its creator, Mike Becker, wanted a Big Boy Restaurant Mascot coin bank, but couldn’t find one that was affordable. He created his own company and licensed the brand to make it. This eventually led to them making Bobblehead of the Big Boy Mascot, which in turn eventually grew to other smaller brands. In 2005, Becker sold the company to Brian Mariotti, who began aggressively licensing the bobblehead concept to other companies. By 2011, the Pop! Vinyl line of figures came in to existence, which is what the company is most known for.

The Pop! Vinyl is the company’s best selling product and most often thought of when thinking of Funko. The style was intended to mimic the Japanese Chibi (Deformed Cuteness) art style and characterization, often seen Nendoroids(Chibi anime action figures). Pop! Vinyls typically take on licensed works, usually movie, tv, comic, fantasy, and literary characters from a wide range of media brands, alongside real people like World Leaders, Wrestlers, and other celebrities.

It’s popular to not open the Pop! Vinyls, as they work well as display pieces within their original boxes. Much like Vintage Action Figures, they can also lose some of their value if taken out of the box as well, assuming they’re resold.

There are some people however, who do not like Pop! Vinyl. A majority of the criticism, or dislike, comes from the notion of:

• They look disturbing (White eyes)
• True / professional collectors don’t want cartoony collectables
• Too Mainstream
• Cheaply Made
• Mass Produced
• Not a True collection item
• Haters going to hate; OR Some people just hate what brings other people joy.

http://popvinyls.com/

Statues

Action Figures

Two types of action figures types:

• Vintage
• Premium

Vintage Action Figures are essentially Old Toys, kept in either Pristine or Good condition over the many years. Their value differs from brand to brand, but typically follows the following format:

• Rarity
• In Box and/or all original items
• Condition

A toy originally played may do well on the open market if played with sparingly or taken care of over the years, but if it has the box and all original items, it will tend to see for much more. Most people who by Vintage toys are often getting them for collection sake or re-buying their youth, ie buying something because they had it as child once or because they never had it as a child.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Vintage-Action-Figure-Lot/246/bn_7023219109

Premium Action Figures are just as they might sound; they tend to be made primarily for collectors and intended for an older demographic and market. Unlike traditional Action Figures, these are meant to be taken out of the box and set up as a display. They also tend to be taller than most Action Figures, ranging from 9inch to 15inch. Their value may differ from brand to brand, but typically follow the format of:

• Rarity
• Detail / Complexity
• Pose-ability / Articulation

These toys are typically never intended to be played with, but rather, intended to be set up in a pose and marveled at for the remainder of their ownership. Depending on the figure, they can range in to the $100s of dollars based.

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/

XXRAY

Jason Freeny, an American Pop Surrealist Artist, popularized the notion of a Cutaway toy/cartoon character sculpture that shows one half of a individual and an anatomical inside, similar to a x-ray.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/146648531591273567/

https://mightyjaxx.rocks/collections/xxray

Nendoriod

Created by the Good Smile Company in 2006, Nendoriods are typically 3-4 inch toy action figures of your favorite anime / video game characters from Japan. What makes them unique is their Chibi look, high possibility, and various accessories including various faces, weapons, outfits, and props from their shows. Because of a universal design of the Nendoriods, you can even swap heads, faces, and other element between various Nendoriods to get new looks and crossovers. Most Nendoriods are single print runs of the figure, so only a limited amount are available, and pre-orders are available; but that’s not to say they always sell out. The more popular the character, the harder it might be to find a Nendoroid, but they are around. They typically set you back about $40-$60, depending on complexity and/or what kind of accessories are included.

https://www.goodsmile.info/en/products/category/nendoroid_series/announced/2020

Plushies

Tsum Tsums

A collectable Disney Plush series that are known for Disney characters shaped like logs. The name comes from Japanese word tsumu, which means ‘to stack’. The Plushies are well known for Disney character, including Star Wars and Marvel, though other imitators exist. They come in a variety of sizes, which include:

• Micro – 2 inches
• Mini – 3.5 inches
• Small – 7.5 Inches
• Medium – 11 inches
• Large – 17 inches
• Mega – 21.5 Inches

Most, if not all, Disney characters have been made in to TsumTsums. A popular mobile game allows you to collect the Tsum Tsums as additional character so the same, originally popularized in Japan as well: LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum.

Nesoberi

A primarily Japanese style of Plush, these pluses are similar to Tsum Tsum in the sense that the character is often found laying on their stomach, but are characterized by their oversized heads and chibi looks. They tend to have large heads and tiny bodies. While they aren’t meant to be stacked like Tsum Tsums, they can be. While there is no Official name for this series of toys, Nesoberi is a brand of Sega Prizes that can be won via Crane Games. They typically a head about 8-10 inches round, with a small body roughly a foot long.

Movie Prop Replicas

Perhaps not just movies, but people love to have replicates of the original items in movies, tv shows, or books. Typically, original Movie Props rarely ever come on to the market outside of auctions or rare giveaways, and most auctions tend to be in the thousands of dollars. The next best option are replicas, which instead of the $1000s, instead run in the $100 range instead.

Prop replicas can range from prop weapons / items, wardrobe / costumes, patches, parts, and more. A good place to go is Etsy to find prop replicas that you may have not known existed outside of the main/licensed brands.

Most popular Movie replica, light saber from Star Wars.

https://www.entertainmentearth.com/s/prop-replicas/p

https://propstore.com/products/

Accessories

Women’s Fashion

Hand Bags

Pillows

Art work

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Topic: Gift Giving Guide (2020)

The holidays are among us, and now is a great time to consider what to get for Christmas for that special someone in your life, or just a nerd you happen to know. This week we’re discussing gift giving for the nerds in your life.

See our Previous Episode Here!

Party Games

Jack Box Party Pack

Cards Against Humanity / Apples to Apples

The Resistance

Among Us

Betrayal At House On The Hill

Game Consoles

Playstation 5

Releasing on 11/12/20

Backwards compatible with 99% of PS4 games

$399 for Digital Version

$499 for HD Blu-Ray Drive

Opinion: New system means Playstation Exclusives will come out only for it, but right now, there isn’t any brand new ‘Killer App’ that makes the system a must get now. The PS5 is useful to get as an upgraded PS4 if you already have a lot of games for the PS4, but not necessarily worth getting at this time. Like Buying a new car, but not necessarily any difference in where you’re driving to and from.

Xbox Series X/S

Releasing on 11/10/20

Series X is bigger and more powerful and Series S.

Similar to iPhone S series.

Some games will be ‘Optimized for Series X’.

Backwards compatible with 99% of Xbox One games.

$299 for Series S

$499 for Series X

Opinion: A concern over games for the Series S over Series X, as there will be some games that will take advantage of only Series X hardware, and not be playable on Series S. Much like the PS5, it’s intended to offer a great experience in the future, but doesn’t offer any immediate ‘Killer App’ titles. If you have an Xbox One, it’s an upgrade, but that’s about it. Like Buying a new car, but not necessarily any difference in where you’re driving to and from.

Nintendo Switch

Released on March 2017

Sold 68 Million units worldwide.

$199 for Switch Lite

$299 for Regular Switch

Opinion: Nintendo has a cool niche of offering great family friendly games that you can’t get anywhere else. Nintendo has a huge catalog of games at this point, and their games always tend to be different when compared to the Playstation or Xbox. It can be considered childish and colorful, but no less fun and entertaining. Only downside is that it’s been out for awhile, and so if someone was interested in getting it, they may already have. An upgraded of the Switch is also rumored for sometime in 2021, so it might not be worth getting if a new one comes out a few months later.

Show Off Potential

Nerds love to show off their passions as often as possible. But they also Love to just look at their collections too, seeing the endless possibilities

835

Cool Statues of Licensed brands

A bit limiting on merchandise, but a great starting place it feels like.

This is Why I’m Broke

Truly nerdy stuff worth getting

Nice variety of strange, practical, and desire-able

Links to various Etsy, but Amazon too

Geekstore

Lots of Licensed Brands, but not a lot of actual merchandise

Selling the ‘Offical’ licensed merchandise

Boxlunch

Good collection of licensed brands

Lots of variety

Etsy

As mentioned last year, Etsy is a great place to look for one of a kind things from makers that make this kind of stuff. If you’re looking for a cosplay piece, someone out there makes it on Esty, or even better, sells the plans on how to make it.

If you want to request something from Esty, it’s safe to make the assumption it’s going to be delayed due to the holiday season, so it Might not come on time.

You can ask for custom orders too. If you like the look of someone’s work, but you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can always ask if they do custom orders. This can help the Maker add to their merchandise they can sell, and also be a great relationship in the future for stuff. Try to stay in someone’s wheel house though; don’t go asking for something that’s outside of their norm. IE, don’t ask someone who primarily makes jackets or works with leather to suddenly start making dresses all the sudden. Also, try to stay within a brand: most Makers try to stand out by having their own brands or focuses, IE, some people focus on Mario or Nintendo merchandise, so asking for something from World of Warcraft might be out of their wheel house. Ask, be generous, and kind, because you’re asking for something from them.

Loot Boxes

Lootcrate has a number of geeky loot boxes tailored for different focuses, ie:

Marvel

Harry Potter

Rick and Morty

WWE

Anime

Pixar

Others exist as well, some offering food or other items:

Lego

Comic Books

Tokyo Treat Box

This can be a bit pricey at the end of the day, as it’s considered a monthly subscription, but they often offer discounts for those who purchase multiple months at a time. You can set the length for as long as you want, so if you want to do only a few months to a year. Most of the items in a box can will usually cost more if you bought them separately, so while you may pay a $25 charge, you’ll likely receive $40 - $50 worth of value in the box. And some of the items can also be sold online as they’re collectables that only come in the loot boxes.

Order Early

Holidays this year will likely be more focused on shipping and receiving stuff in the mail.

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Topic: Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone Review

Finally a chance to see if Print matches Film! I’ve wanted, and probably some point will, to do this with Anime as there are numerous examples of printed comics (Manga) being turned in to animated shows (Anime), and sometimes the differences are stark, and sometimes, it’s a One to One copy. This isn’t the case, as Harry Potter itself has numerous changes to it that take an 8 hour read in to a 2 hour film, and with a shortened run time, some liberties are necessary. So here’s our thoughts on it.

Quick Run Down

1. Harry potter is dropped off to the Dursleys after Voldemort’s defeat
2. It is shown how poorly Harry is Treated and the weird stuff that happens around him
3. Letter being sent to Harry about being accepted to Hogwarts are stopped by Dursley,
4. Hagrid introduced and explains how Harry is a Wizard
5. Harry is introduced to the wizarding world, gets his supplied, Hagrid picks up the Philospher’s Stone
6. Harry Travels to Hogwarts via Train, befriends Ron
7. Harry is sorted in to his house, Gryphndor
8. Harry is introduced to His Teachers, along with Snape, who dislikes Harry
9. Harry is tricked in to a duel with a rival student, but learns of Fluffy, a 3-headed dog
10. A troll is in the school, and Harry and Ron defeat it, Hermione befriends them
11. Harry is explained and played Quidditch as a seeker
12. Christmas, Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised and its secrets
13. The Trio learn who Nicolas Flamel and that he created the Philosopher’s stone, leading to them leaning that it’s hidden in the school
14. The trio learn of Norbert the dragon, and in getting out of the school, Harry, Hermione, Nevil, and Draco are sentenced to detention when caught
15. Everyone is sent to the Forbidden Forest for detention, to find a injured Unicorn, Harry encounters Voldemort, but is saved by Centars
16. The Trio journey through the defense leading to the Philosopher’s stone. The Puzzles along the way are:
    1. Fluffy – Calmed by Music
    2. Plants – Stopped by fire Magic
    3. Flying Keys – Harry catches the right key floating in air
    4. Chess – Ron leads the Trio through a chess game, but he is taken out at the end due to his sacrifice.
    5. Another Troll – but already beaten
    6. Potion Riddle – Hermione solves the riddle, but passes out due to the potion making someone fall asleep
17. Harry meets Professor Quirrell, who is trying to use the Mirror of Erised to get the stone. Harry gets the stone, and then confronts Voldemort, who is living on Quirrell’s head. Quirrell is stopped by Harry’s inherent Protection magic and burned badly, and dies of his wounds. Harry passes out before Dumbledore arrives to save Harry.
    1. Harry wakes up in the hospital, has a chat with Dumbledore.
    2. Gryphndor wins the House cup due to Dumbledore giving pity points
    3. Everyone goes home for the summer

Sorcerer’s Stone Vs Philosopher’s Stone

Reason noted was due to Scholastic thinking that Philosopher sounded too archaic for readers, and suggested Sorcerer instead. Rowling disliked this change and felt that she should have fought harder for it not to be changed, but didn’t have the clout or prestige at the time to do so.

During filming, any reference to the Stone was done twice, one for the British audience, one for the America audience, where they actually used the differing terms.

Book:

Pro

• Enjoyed the comical nature of the Dursleys.
• Easy to understand writing style for children’s literature.

Con

• Felt like it took a while to get in to the magical aspects of the books

Film

Pro

• Children Actors weren’t that bad.
• Depth of Cast, pretty much nailed all the looks
• Love the Castle & music
• CGI is dated, but doesn’t take you out of the movie

Con

• Seamus Finnigan – Unnecessary character in the film.
• Ghosts could have been used better used to add exposition
• Poor use of exposition throughout film (Ex: Centaur + Unicorn Scene)
• Lack of useful world building, IE not adding much context to prior events or reactions

Changes from Book to Film

• Shortened Dursley elements
• Harry + Hagrid (Birthday in July)
• Getting to the train station
• Draco meets Harry
• Harry meets Ron, George, Fred
• House Points
• How Harry learned of the 3-headed Dog
• Troll Scene (Minor changes)
• Snape v Quirrell
• Missing the Gyphndor v Hufflepuff match
• Everything with the Dragon
• Missing potion test
• Ending Fight (Quirrell + Protection magic)

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Topic: Harry Potter Tutorial

Eventually we’re going to get to something a bit more literary, and it was a topic that was teased a number of times. So we dive into Harry Potter and its rather lengthy book series. Our conversation takes a bit to get there due to the most recent events regarding the author, but I still felt it was a good discussion.

History

Written by J.K. Rowling, she was convinced of the idea while her train from Manchester to London was delayed in 1990. Between when she finally published the first book in the series, her mother had died, she had her first child, and her husband divorced her, not to mention she was in relative poverty prior to the first book coming out. She continued to write the books of Harry Potter until 2007 when the final book came out. She has continued to write books, primarily aimed at young adult, but also some crime stories aimed at adult, under the pen name: Robert Galbraith.

The seven books in total were published from 1997 to 2007, each book encompassing a fictional school year in the life of Harry Potter at the fictional Hogwarts School boarding school for Wizards and Witches. The seven books include:

Philosopher's Stone (1997)

Chamber of Secrets (1998)

Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)

Goblet of Fire (2000)

Order of the Phoenix (2003)

Half-Blood Prince (2005)

Deathly Hallows (2007)

The first three books each one awards Smarties Prize, a well respected Children Literature award. Rowling removed her subsequent books, in order to allow other winners. Each book sold better than the last and was a huge financial success for the author.

Although J.K. Rowling did not intend to continue writing any more books in the Harry Potter series after the release of Deathly Hallows, and admitted her next fiction would likely not be fantasy, she mentioned in 2010 that she was working on a new book in the saga. This new book was intended to be an encyclopedia of various terms, placed, characters, and notes about the Harry Potter universe, intended to continue fleshing out the universe, and include ideas or notes that never made it in to the books. The encyclopedia ended up being Pottermore.com, which offered an interactive collection of notes, games, and elements of the Harry Potter world. By 2019, the site was rebranded as WizardingWorld.com, as much of the media outside of the books is branded under the Wizarding World name.

An 8th Story was introduced in 2016, as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was a stage Play, and eventual book.

The Harry Potter Wiki, is just the Harry Potter Wiki, no clever name.

Separating the Author from their work

While J.K. Rowling is a professed Christian, but her books often promote magic, a notion which has put her in hot water with some communities. She is also considered center left of politics, promoting gay marriage in Scotland when it was up for referendum.

In late mid June 2020, Rowling made comments that read:

“If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives.”

Many individuals took the comments as being ‘Anti-Trans’ and cruel to the community. The comment seems to be in reference to the phrase ‘people who menstruate’, which is prescribed to transgender men and non-binary individuals, and Rowling’s preference that they be called women. Many groups found this hurtful, including a many of the lead cast members of the Harry Potter Films. She eventually returned her Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) Award after the award’s president called her statement harmful.

Premise/world

The world of Harry Potter, also known as the Wizarding World, depicts a version of our modern world that has a secondardy magical world layered underneath it. This world depicts modern humans capable of magic, though keeping it secret from the rest of the world. At one point, those without magical abilities (Muggles) and Wizards lived together, but as fear and persecution of wizards grew, the Wizarding community eventually went underground. Much of their world is hidden from public view, through enchantments, barriers, and manipulating memories of those. While the story of Harry Potter primarily takes place in Britain and the United Kingdoms, Wizards and Witches come from all over the world, even in America.

The Wizarding World of Britain primarily centers on the Ministry of Magic, which enforces magical laws and structures, similar to the Prime Minister or President for Wizards. Their job is to primarily manage magical laws and ensure that Muggles don’t learn of the Wizarding World. While Muggles aren’t allowed to know, some individuals in high political positions, Prime Ministers, etc, are aware of the Wizarding World for security reasons.

Unlike the rest of the world however, the Wizarding World does not keep up with modern technology. As an example, instead of pen and paper, the still use quill pens, ink, and parchment. Most Wizards and Witches have no greater understanding of modern technology, with some out right despising it. Most magical areas actually disrupt electricity, stopping them from working all together. While you can enchant electronic items to work with magic, they often don’t take on the same characteristics. The Wizarding World itself is considered very old fashioned, often still in the 1500s of technology.

Magic in the Harry Potter world is an inherent ability, and while someone may have magical capability, most are not capable of Magic without proper training and study. To this end, Magical Schools exist throughout the world, including Hogwarts, which acts as a traditional British Boarding school that takes in children throughout the year.

Most magic requires a wand, which is specifically tailored by a wand maker using various types of wood, but also magical cores, such as Phoenix Feathers, Dragon Scales, and other mystical creature’s horns, hairs, and even heartstrings. While magic is possible without a wand, it is often less precise and powerful. Most magic requires the precise movement of the wand, in conjunction with an incantation of Latin words that describe the act. Wands themselves are described as being quasi-sentient, often choosing their owner for themselves; a difficult task for a wand maker is selling their wands to new students, who might have to try out various wands. While a person can use another person’s wand, the wand is often described as being temperamental, and magic produced from it is often less powerful and less precise. A wand can change its allegiance though if the original owner is stunned, disarmed, or otherwise defeated or even killed. Some spells are known to damage or break wands, and as a result, damaged wands perform unexpectedly and are prone to back firing. A broken wand however cannot be fixed, and the owner will want to procure a new wand as a result.

Some magic is available without magical skill, but are commonly found in the magical world. This includes potions, alchemy, plants, and certainly creatures, which include various dragons, unicorns, and other mystical creatures from around the world. Entire studies and work goes in to hiding magical creatures, as some people purely study various kinds of animals.

Story

The story primarily follows Harry Potter and his friends as they venture through Magical School over seven years, starting in 1991 until 1997. Each book covers a year of their lives in the school, starting from age 10 until 17. The story itself is told from the first hand experience of Harry Potter, so unless Harry Potter sees it or experiences, the actions of other characters and events are left vague or unknown.

The story is well known for having lots of recurring characters, however, the most common characters include:

Harry Potter

The lead character, he is the audience point of view throughout the series, as also the character with the least amount of knowledge of the Wizarding World. He is introduced to it at 10 years of age, having learned he is apparently the one who defeated Voldemort 10 years prior to the beginning of the story. He is easily distinguishable by his unkempt brown hair which hides a thunderbolt scar left behind by Voldemort. He is described as being a so-so student, but a strong sense of right and wrong, but always put in challenging situations that lead to occasional mistakes. He eventually comes the Head of Magical Law Enforcement for the Ministry of Magic.

Ron Weasley

Harry’s best friend, he comes for a large family of Wizards and witches, each with orange, ginger like hair. Ron is often a comedic character, being insensitive and immature, but is never the less loyal, strong, and occasionally brave. He grows over the course of the series to overcome his immaturity, eventually becoming a leader in his own right. He is described as a poor student, similar to Harry Potter. He eventually comes to marry Hermione, works with Harry as an Auror for a time, before working with his older brother at the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, a magical joke shop.

Hermoine Granger

Harry and Ron’s friend, she is a Muggle-Born witch, a witch whose parents weren’t magical at all. She noted as being the smart one, with an encyclopedic knowledge of magic and wizarding world. This often comes off as a know it all, which greatly annoys everyone else. Much like Harry, who also didn’t come from the Wizarding World, she often see the out-dated norms of magic and it’s beliefs, and it likely the first to try and break or change them too. She eventually marries Ron Weasley and becomes the Minster of Magic.

Albus Dumbledore

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, and a well accomplished Wizard in the Wizarding World. He is considered one of the most powerful wizards, but is also prone to eccentricity, gentle humor, and unfailing kindness. He is seen the kind elder statesmen in the franchise and a true hero to all his students. He his death leaves a profound loss on all those in the Wizarding World. While never directly expressed in the books, Rowling would later say that Dumbledore was infact Gay, and harbored feelings for his rival, Gellert Grindelwald.

Severus Snape

A teacher at Hogwarts, he is initially the Potions Master, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and eventually Headmaster of Hogwarts. He is also head of House Slytherin. He is a mysterious character that appears to be up to no good and holds a deep disgust and hatred of Harry Potter. His actions, while they would appear to be against Harry Potter and his friends, are often in the end, to their benefit, as he continues to aid the school and Harry Potter, much to his own charging.

Voldemort

Originally born Tom Riddle, he rechristened himself Lord Voldemort as he became the most feared and dangerous Dark Wizard of his time. He is known for his having survived at the hands of Harry Potter when he was a baby, but is eventually revived by his legion of Death Eaters. While a gifted student in Hogwarts, his thirst power led to his seeking immortality. He is the primary antagonist of the series, with Death Eater sleeper agents all over the Wizarding World.

Movie Adaptations

All seven books were eventually translated to movies, with the final book ‘Deathly Hallow’ turned in to two parts.

While the movies are faithful to the books, they omit a large number of background stories and characters, often omitting them due limited run times of the movies, but also their impact on the story. As the first movies didn’t come out until 2001, after the first four books were released, it is hard to say what minor elements from one book become a pivotal or important moment later on.

One example includes Rita Skeeter, who is an important back ground character during the 4th book and but minor appearance in later books, her role in the 4th movie is nearly entirely cut out and never resolved, though she is often seen in the background.

The movies also saw the relative growth of several child actors over the course of 10 years of production, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, and Matthew Lewis, all of which have continued in either Film, Tv, or Stage productions, trying to distance themselves from their former Harry Potter Roles as much as possible. The lone exception being Emma Watson, who has become full blown movie star.

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Topic: Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works Review

While mom didn’t watch all of it, she actually kind of wants to now, just to see where the story goes. This isn’t a bad thing, if anything, another person who will finally understand my undying love for Saber. Okay maybe not undying love, but atleast sees these complicated characters and world for what they are.

To help people follow along, here’s a list of the various characters that are seen throughout the series, to better allow you to follow along.

Masters:

Shirou Emiya

A lead protagonist, and Master of Saber. He has a strong sense of justice and wants to be a hero, despite little to no aptitude for magic. While unfamiliar with the rules and true nature of events, he fights in an effort to stop all the fighting and end the war as soon as possible.

Rin Tohsaka

Daughter of a prestigious mage family, she is the Master of Archer, and tends to act as a Tsudere type character. (IE, acts very brash and brutish to the main character, before becoming friendly and loving with them later.) Rin continues to pursue the Holy Grail due to her family’s strong desire to reach the Root, and joins only out of obligation.

Illyasviel von Einzbern

She is from a prestigious Mage family and is the Master of Berserker. While she appears to be the youngest participant in the war, she is actually 18 years old, but takes the form of a ten to twelve year old child. She is actually a homunculi and Shirou’s step sister, for whom she has a conflicted relationship. She believes she was abandoned for Shirou, but in reality, her father was unable to return to the castle to retrieve Illya, leaving her to be lonely and pressured to perfect her magical skills.

Shinji Matou

Sakura’s older brother and Master of Rider. A chauvinistic and a narcissist, he openly treats Shirou with hostility and derision. He is has no real magical skill, as the Matou family’s magical bloodline has been diluted over the decades. This is what prompts the head of the Matou family to adopt Sakura, previously of the Tohsaka Family, and raise her to be the Matou’s next heir instead of Shinji. This prompts Shinji to take his anger and frustrations out on Sakura.

Souichirou Kuzuki

A strict teacher of Rin’s Class, he is the Master of Caster. While he does not desire the Grail, he becomes the master of Caster due to Caster killing her previous master and him wanting to help her. It’s implied that Him and Caster are potentially involved romantically.

Servants:

Saber

Artoria Pendragon(King Arthur), the King of Knights, who was actually a girl. She a stoic and knightly figure, but brushes up against Shirou, who tries to save her and sees her more as a girl than a knightly figure. She is in the fight due to her desire to rewind history and stop herself from drawing the sword in the stone.

Archer

A mysterious individual who is capable of summoning sword and turning them in to Arrows to fire from his bow. He doesn’t remember what Heroic Spirit he is suppose to be, and often acts fickle and teasingly with Rin, and hostile with Shirou, who he dislikes. Despite being a long range class, Archer regularly uses swords he creates from his magic.

Lancer

Cu Chulainn(Child of Light), a Hero from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. His master is unknown, but primarily acts as a watchdog and assassin during the course of the war.

Berserker

Hercules, one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. He is deeply loyal to Illyasviel, but lacks emotions due to his Berserker class. His Noble Phantasm is known as his Twelve Labors, which represent his immortality; upon receiving enough damage that would otherwise kill him, he regenerates and loses one of his Labors(Lives).

Caster

Medea, an unfortunate priestess from the tales of Jason and the Argonauts. She is renown for her magical prowess, which surpasses most masters and magus of this age. Due to her killing her original master, and leaving only six known masters, she uses her magical prowess to obtain fake command seals and summon Assassin, thus becoming the seventh Master.

Assassin

Sasaki Kojirou, a mythical swordsman said to have faced Miyamoto Musashi in combat. Assassin is actually a false servant, as servants summoned by the Assassin class are all former owners of the name Hassan-i-Sabbah(Old Man of the Mountain). Because he was summoned under false pretenses by Caster, herself a Servant, he is bound to the Ryuudou Temple where both Caster and Souichirou reside, unable to leave the grounds.

Rider

Medusa, the Gorgon of Greek Mythology. Initially she is the servant to Sakura Matou, but due to Shinji Matou insistence, Sakura transferred her rights as Master to him. She still seeks to protect Sakura but act Loyal to Shinji’s orders and commands. Her Noble Phantasm is a Pegasus that she rides, hence of the Rider Class.

Other:

Sakura Matou

A part of a rival Mage Family, she is a friend to Shirou and often takes care of him. She does this as her Brother is mean and cruel to Shirou, and she does it as penance for her brother’s actions. She primarily serves as a support character during the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works routes, but becomes a primary protagonist during the Heaven’s Feel route, where we find out how poorly she was treated and routinely tortured by the Matou’s magical training, and by Shinji.

Kirei Kotomine

An Observer from the Holy Church, he was a former master in the 4th Holy Grail War and acts as an impartial judge and moderator for the 5th Holy Grail War. He is described as a defective person: finding pleasure in the misfortune and suffering of others, but never openly seeking it for them. He acts as Rin’s legal guardian, and convinces Shirou to participate in the Holy Grail War.

Gilgamesh

The King of Heroes, ruler of Mesopotamia, and considered the first hero due to his record being amongst the first ever recorded. He was of the Archer Class during the 4th Holy Grail War, but survived to take on a mortal body following its conclusion. He acts as a 8th Servant during the 5th Holy Grail War. Gilgamesh is known for believing everything of value belongs to him, including the Holy Grail. His Noble Phantasm is known as the Gate of Babylon, a massive vault that holds all the treasures he collected during his life time, including all the prototypes of Noble Phantasms, which he launches like bullets and rockets at his enemies.

Taiga Fujimura

Shirou’s legal guardian and English teacher at the school Rin, Sakura, Shinji, and Shirou all attend. While she a comedic character, she is unaware of the magical nature of the events happening around her, and is oblivious to the events of the series. She plays limited parts in the various routes, and is primarily a background character.

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Topic: Fate / Stay Night Tutorial

Today, we dive deep in to one of my favorite Anime Franchise, the Fate series, specifically Fate Stay/Night and its prequel Fate Zero. I know that the series is very dense and large, especially when you consider all the spin offs and media that exists out there for it. And that’s before you get to ALL of the Sabers out there…. Let dive in!

What is it?

Fate / Stay Night, or the Fate Franchise, is a part of a large universe of characters and stories in the Nasu-verse, a fictional universe created by Kinoko Nasu of Type-Moon. Created initially as a Visual Novel in 2004, and the third major work of Type-Moon, the series was an immediate success and quickly spawned a massive franchise that dwarfs many of Type-Moon previous and future works.

While the Fate Franchise is the most popular work, the Nasu-verse comprises of several series, including:

Kara no Kyoukai (jp: Boundary of Emptiness / eng: Garden of Sinners)

A series revolving around Shiki Ryogi, a paranormal investigator with the ability to see and cut the mystical lines of mortality in anything, and her friend, Mikiya Kokutō, a fellow assistant investigator who works alongside the powerful Sorceress Tōko Aozaki in her agency.

Tsukihime (eng: Lunar Princess)

Tells the story of Shiki Tohno, who like Shiki Ryogi, can see the mystical lines of mortality of anything and cut them, thus ending the their existence. The story progress as he faces vampires and changes depending on which heroine he chooses follow throughout the story.

What is a Visual Novel?

A Visual Novel is like a Choose your own adventure in book, though typically takes the form of visuals with characters standing up against a back drop/setting and a serious of dialog boxes express what the characters are saying or doing. Most games follow branching story lines which lead to various endings depending on the actions taken by the player. In most games, the Player takes on the role of the lead character and is given a limited pool of options to react or respond to when presented by events or situations in the game. An example could be a character asking if they look good, with the player being given the choice between various options to respond; and depending on the answer, will trigger a reaction from the character.

Visual novels are popular within Japanese media as they are relatively cheap to produce and create, as most Visual Novels rely on beautiful still art of characters, their reactions, backgrounds, and occasional splash pages, along with minimal background music, and focus more on stories. Few visual novels rely on motion graphics or voice acting, and if they do, it is limited to an opening scene or trailer for the game. Most games tend to lead toward a particular demographic, and offer fan service for those demographic in an effort to get them to buy the game.

Most Visual novels are of the Eroge, or Erotic, variety; which primarily focus on stories that have sexually explicit scenes and graphics depicting those scenes. Eroge games can range from Teen to Adult rating, with some game being straight Hentai, while others are more titillating and offer fan service. A popular theme among Visual novels tends to be Harem based games with a single character with multiple love interests of the opposite sex.

History / Lore

Fate / Stay Night, at heart, is a story revolving around Shirou Emiya, who unwittingly joins a secret Battle Royal involving six other mages and each of their servants in the Holy Grail War. As the name suggests, the ultimate prize is the Holy Grail, a creation of magic that can grants any wish from the winner of the War. During the time of Fate / Stay Night, this is the fifth incarnation of the Holy Grail War within the fictional city of Fuyuki City, on the south tip of Japan. The city was chosen for its strong ley lines, but also due to no magus or holy church involvement in the area during the First War in 1790s.

Within the Fate / Stay Night, there are three different routes/stories that exist within the game, each of which change the nature of the story dramatically once they split off from one another. These include:

• Fate Route – Primarily Focusing on Saber and building the world/lore of the game.
• Unlimited Blade Works Route – Primarily Focuses on Rin Tohsaka and her servant Archer, and places more development of the various cast of character than the other routes.
• Heavens Feel Route - Primarily Focuses on Sakura Matou and her servant Rider, and focus more on the background behind the Holy Grail War, along with the darker aspects of the world that led up to the current events.

One must complete each individual route in order to progress on the next route. While each route tells a different story and aspect of the world and events, they all use the same characters, who each have the same feelings and emotions, but differing motives as the story progresses.

Each Holy Grail War consists of seven Mages and their Servants. Servants are summoned individuals known as Heroic Spirits, which take on the form of famous historical figures. These historical figures can be real life individuals or fictional individuals that actually did exist within Nasu-verse. Most characters range from various myths and stories, but most range from stories originating within Europe primarily. Examples of historical figures include:

King Arthur

Gilgamesh

Alexander the Great

Hercules

Medea

Medusa

Gilles de Rais

Lancelot

Each Servant being summoned may be one of seven available classes of Heroic Spirits being summoned, with only one class per War, in order to make the war fair. Each servant is referred to by their class, in order for other servants and mages to not realize who the Heroic Spirit is and thus gain a tactical advantage. IE, might be known as Gilgamesh, but is referred to as Archer. Each class has benefits and weakness, some are based on strength, while others are based on tactical or strategic advantages or weakness. These classes include:

Saber – A knight who uses Swords in combat, considered very desire-able class.

Archer – A knight who uses ranged weapons, ie Bow and Arrows, guns, or any other kind of projectile.

Lancer – A knight who uses a Lance, Spear, or Medium range weapons in combat

Berserker – A strength based hero who dominates with overwhelming force

Assassin – An rogue typically who is known for killing their opponents from the shadows or in a secretive manner

Rider – An individual known for riding or driving a vehicle or creature

Caster – A Magical Type of individual

Each Mage has three Command Seals upon their right or left hand, which symbolize their pact with their servants, and are laid out artfully in accordance with the Mage’s style of magic. Each Command Seal can compel the servant to act or do as the Mage commands, with the more concrete and forward commands being the most beneficial to the Mage over more broad ranged commands.

Mages and Servants may or may not work well together, as some Servant or Mage classes out right hating each other, while others are distrustful, and others are best bonds in the world. Most servants act in accordance with their Mages, as Mages supply the very mana necessary for the Heroic Spirit to exist within the physical world. A Mage is considered disqualified from the War if they lose their Servant and do not make a pact with a new Servant(One that has already been summoned), or dies during the war.

As eluded to earlier, the true purpose of the Holy Grail War is not to grant wishes, but intended to harvest mana and magic from the servants that participate within the Holy Grail War, and then use it to activate the Greater Grail and reach a mythical origin (Root) of magic. The system however is fundamentally flawed, as the Greater Grail can only be held by a servant, thus limiting it to only granting wishes. However, during the 3rd Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail itself was corrupted by a rogue servant, thus causing the Holy Grail to be tampered and would not work properly regardless of the magic absorbed in to it.

With the Main Story, includes a few notable characters:

• Shirou Emiya – Lead protagonist and Master for Saber. He has a strong sense of justice and wants to be a hero, despite little to no aptitude for magic.
• Saber – Artoria Pendragon(King Arthur), the King of Knights, who was actually a girl. She a stoic and knightly figure, but brushes up against Shirou, who tries to save her and sees her more as a girl than a knightly figure.
• Rin Tohsaka – Daughter of a prestigious mage family, she is the Master of Archer, and tends to act as a Tsudere type character. (IE, acts very brash and brutish to the main character, before becoming friendly and gentle with them later.)
• Archer – A mysterious individual who is capable of summoning sword and turning them in to Arrows to fire from his bow. He doesn’t remember what Heroic Spirit he is suppose to be, and often act fickle and teasingly with Rin, and hostile with Shirou, who he dislikes.
• Sakura Matou – A part of a rival Mage Family, she is a friend to Shirou and often takes care of him. She does this as her Brother is mean and cruel to Shirou, and she does it as penance for her brother’s actions.
• Shinji Matou – Sakura’s older brother and Master of Rider. A chauvinistic and a narcissist, he openly treats Shirou harsh and coldly, and often takes out frustrations on his sister.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern – She is from a prestigious Mage family and is the Master of Berserker. She is the youngest participant in the war, at only 12 years old. She is actually a half- homunculi and Shirou’s step sister. She is intended to become the Holy Grail upon the completion of the Holy Grail War, using her body as the catalyst for its creation.

To Date, there have been animated version of all three routes.

Fate / Stay Night (2006) – Studio Deen

While the original Fate Route is fully realized, many fans considered it an inferior interpretation due to its animation issues and the later releases.

Fate / Stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works Movie (2010) Studio Deen

A singular Movie version of the Unlimited Blade Works Route, however, much like the previous work, it is considered inferior interpretation, as it glosses over a lot of the events and details from the game.

Fate / Stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015) ufotable

After the success of Fate/Zero, this is considered the superior version of the Unlimited Blade Works Route, as it more closely follows the route’s events, along with the superior arts and animation from ufotable.

Fate / Stay Night – Heaven’s Feel (Presage Flower), (Lost Butterfly), & (Spring Song) (2017-2020) ufotable

Released as a series of three films, ufotable returned to animate the Heaven’s Feel route and knocked it out of the park.

Spin Offs

The fate series to date has had a number of spin offs from the original game, some which are better documents in novels, video games, manga, anime, and/or other visual novels.

Fate / Zero

The Prequel to Fate/ Stay Night, it tells the story of Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou’s adopted father, along with his servant Saber, as they participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War, just 10 years prior to the events of Fate / Stay Night. The prequel is considered a better place to start the Fate series, as it outlines the events of the Battle Royal and sets up the various Fate routes better when viewed later. It was initially started as a light novel series before being animated by ufotable in 2011.

Fate/hollow ataraxia

A continuation of the Fate Story 6 months later, however, from the vantage point of Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a mage sent by the Magus Association to participate in the 5th Holy Grail War. She is the original master of Lancer before he is stolen from her. The story takes place in the dream of Bazett and follows her and her servant, Avenger, as they replay through the events of Fate / Stay Night’s various routes. While it is a continuation of the story, it’s not the direct continuation of any particular route, and is left to open interpretation as to the true events that actually did happen during Fate / Stay Night.

Fate/Prototype

Considered the original Version of the Fate / Stay Night Story, it was the initial draft and documents for the series. It’s notable as it re-contextualizes a lot of characters, including making King Arthur a man and Shirou as a female with magical aptitude. It has only a short animation included after Carnival Phantasm, but sparked a lot of interest from the fan community.

Fate/Apocrypha

A true Spin Off, it re-imagines the Holy Grail War having been stolen during the Third Holy Grail War, and pits two warring factions (Red and Black) who each summon seven servants to battle against the opposing side. The Story primarily It’s notable as it introduces Mordred as the Saber of Red and the Son of King Arthur (despite Mordred being a girl too), but also introduces an 8th Class of Servant known as Ruler (Joan of Arc), a neutral party that acts as a mediator and official for the Holy Grail War. Originally a Light Novel Series, it was later animated by A-1 Pictures in 2017.

Fate/EXTRA (Extella, CCC)

Another true Spin Off, it re-imagines the Holy Grail War as a tournament with where the final victor will grant a wish. This started off as a dungeon crawling video game series in 2010-2011, with Sequels including Fate / Extella, and Fate / Extra CCC. It’s notable for having Red Saber, the first non-Arthurian variation on Saber, despite looking similar to Artoria Saber. She is actually Nero Claudius Caesar, the 5th Roman Emperor. It was animated in to a single series: Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore directly to Netflix in 2018.

Carnival Phantasm

Existing within the Nasu-verse, this is a light hearted, comedy affair. Carnival Phantasm re-imagines most of the characters with their personalities and faults dialed up for comedic effect, and includes various other character outside of the Fate Franchise, most notable Tsukihime. It initially started as a manga in 2004-2005 before being animated in 2011-2012 by studio Lerche.

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA

A magical girl variation on the Fate Franchise, this variation re-imagines Illya as a human girl who gains the powers of a Magical Girl. The universe takes influences from the Nasu-verse, but instead of summoning heroics spirits, people equip class cards and summon heroic spirits in to themselves and fight in the war. Illya uses her magic wand/stick to activate weapons and merge with various heroic spirits available to that class. The series is known for being very cute looking, but heavy on fan service and heavily implied sexual harassment of various characters. It started as a manga, and has been adapted to various seasons in anime from 2013 – 2016, with various movies after that.

Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan (Today's Menu for Emiya Family)

A light hearted affair, it imagines the Holy Grail War as not happening and instead various Masters and Servants living together peacefully. Each episode focuses on preparing a meal for dinner in the Emiya house, which often includes other characters in the Fate / Stay Night story coming to visit for dinner. Most episodes show someone cooking and going through the process to make the dinner or meal, with Saber as a self insert character having never seen most of the meals cooked. The light hearted and warm feeling shows a different side of the characters that more homely and healing.

Home Work:

Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works

CrunchyRoll

Netflix

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Topic: Lego Review

We’re back again to talk about the tiny little critters that kill your feet in the wee hours of the dark filled morning, especially when you’re least suspecting it. We dive in to the Lego Movie, some of our purchasing experiences, and what we built this last week. Personally, I'm a bit upset with how much I passed up the Lego Movie before this, it's SOOO Good!

The Lego Movie

https://youtu.be/lPnY2NjSjrg

What Mom Built: Deep Sea Creatures

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Creator-Creatures-31088-Building/dp/B07GWZNF91/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lego+deep+sea+creatures&qid=1602819969&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-1

What George Built: Jedi Defender Class Cruiser

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-75025-Defender-Class-Cruiser/dp/B00C57JERG

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Topic: Lego Tutorial

This week, we look at the tiniest building material ever, and the rather huge empire it’s spawned as a result. Both myself and mom have fond memories of this toy, and so what better discussion than Legos!

History of Legos

History starts in 1916, when Ole Kirk Christiansen purchased a woodworking shop that had been in business for 30 years prior, primarily building furniture and aiding building houses. By the time of the Great Depression, he was working smaller projects, but in working on those projects, he was inspired to create toys. Christiansen held an internal contest to name his company, and Lego was chosen.

Lego, a contraction of Leg Godt, or ‘Play well’ in Danish. It was later learned that in Latin, it’s loose translated to ‘I assemble’ or ‘I put together’.

After World War 2, with Plastics becoming available in Denmark, Christiansen purchased a plastic injecting molding machine, and set about creating toys with it. While the idea of an ‘interlocking building cube’ wasn’t a new concept, Christiansen improved it by making it hollow and locking. They weren’t initially well received, as many preferred wooden or metal toys, and those that did sell well were not well received because the locking mechanical element wasn’t ideal. Christiansen later added cylinders inside the hollow space to increase the friction with the studs on top, creating the modern 2x4 Lego Brick. Christiansen would die that 1958, but his son, Godtfert, took over the company in his stride.

Years earlier, Godtfert had developed the idea of a toy that was based off a system rather than a standalone toy. This meant that any prior or new toys would continue to work with one another. Seeking to gain market share in the US during the early 60s, they partnered with Samsonite to produce and sell Legos in the US.

1966 saw one of the most popular toy sets come out, the Lego Train, which included tracks and a 4.5v motor for the train. By 1969, Duplo were introduced for a much younger children. ‘Duplus’ in Latin meaning double, as it was double the size of a normal Lego brick.

By the 1970s, Lego expanded drastically until the early 90s. Human figures were added, followed by the standard Mini-figure we know today. The ‘Expert Builder’ series, later known as ‘Technic’ was added as well, featuring gears, differentials, cogs, levers, axles, etc, which allowed for more realistic models, and aimed toward an older audience. Various themed sets were also begin to be introduced as well, including Space, Medieval Castle, Pirate, along with their Town Series.

However, by 1992, profits began to decline. A change in designers in the mid 90s saw the retirement of many senior Lego Designers and new talent brought in, but this new talent didn’t under toy design, and even less about Lego. This led to longer development time for sets, and less challenging sets to put together, something that fans were disappointed in. 1999 was also the first time Legos sets themed around licensed properties were being seen; but they too were a double edged sword, as the sets were more expensive due to the licensing agreements, and once the franchises died down, the sets were forgotten as well.

Lego rationalized that they continued to operate the company as though it were growing, rather than looking toward trends in the market, such as: declining child birth in the west, less play time for kids, and not sufficiently interesting toys. By 2004, the company was almost in bankruptcy.

Lego refocused their efforts on their core brands and began looking for ways to expand their brands. One way was to venture in to video games, where Lego in North America saw licensed Legos as a big seller over other markets. They also began moving their production to other countries to minimize the cost of production.

2014 saw the release of the Lego Movie, which was a huge success, receiving unanimous praise for it’s quality and storytelling. 2017 saw a spinoff in Lego Batman Movie, which was also well received as a parody of Batman itself. 2019 also saw the sequel to the Lego Movie, but it was not as well received.

2019 was also the year that Lego purchased the Bricklink, a website devoted to Lego Fans. Bricklink offers an amazingly detailed parts list of ever known brick created by Lego, along with all the various sets ever created by Lego, internet forums, and a hub for e-commerce as it sells individual bricks. A person can design or purchase plans for a set, and order the individual parts from Bricklink and make it themselves.

What Are Legos?

Legos as we commonly know them, are plastic, interlocking bricks and pieces that are designed to be connected with one another. Typically, one buys a package that contains enough bricks to build something out of it, which could be anything from a vehicle, dwelling, creature, or even a setting. These packages are often called Sets. Each Set comes with a set of instructions and all the pieces, including a few extras, intended to make the thing displayed in the packaging.

The pieces can be used by themselves to make other creations as well, and are often suggested for alternative creations to make from the instructions or packaging. The real beauty is that Lego pieces from one set can be combined with any other Lego Set ever created, so the possibilities to make things are relatively endless. Lego sets from the 70s and 80s will still work with sets from the modern sets.

Most Lego Pieces come in a variety of colors and shapes, with the standard, most well known, piece being the standard 2x4 brick. Further square bricks include 2x2, 2x1, 1x1, 4x1, and many more. Some sets include specialty pieces that are only available with that set or its theme. There have been various themes over the years, from Medieval and Pirates, to space and underwater exploration, along with traditional towns and city construction. These sets also include the classis Mini-figure, a type of yellow skinned figure meant to represent people in the toys. Early versions only include a simple smiling face, but as sets have gotten more complex over the years, the mini-figures have gone on to reflect and represent various people as well.

In 1977, saw introduction of the Technic Series of Lego, then known as Expert Builder. These pieces were less brick like and featured rods and tube shaped connectors, along with various gears and other mechanical parts intended to build more advanced items. These often build more advanced models that featured more complex technical functions intended for an older Audience. On the flip side were Duplo, a pre-school aged version of Legos that was meant to bridge the gap for younger children. Both Duplo and Technic Legos can be used with original Legos.

Using the knowledge of Legos and their endless possibilities, one can create just about anything out of Legos, and many have. Some use traditional bricks to make pixilated sculptures and/or art of people, places, or things. Some use the Legos to recreate various vehicle and items, especially from Tv, Film, Video Games, Comics, and Books. Some use Lego sets to recreate whole scenes or locations, such as a lego set meant to recreate an amusement park.

Themed Sets

Legos primarily took off during the early 60s as part of a system of toys, meant to include various toys together in to a play set. Since this development, various themed lego sets have been released over the years, with different generic themes being introduced. By 1999, sets based off licensed properties were also introduced to Lego’s catalog of sets.

Traditional Lego Theme Sets:

Town – Modern Suburban Life

Castle – Medieval Castles, Knights, Dragons

Space – Featuring space exploration and bases

Technic – Expert/Older mechanic sets

Train – Focused on train sets

Pirates – ARRRRR, Pirates…

Aquazone – Underwater Exploration

Mindstorm – Technic + Robotics

Ninja – Ninjas….

Architecture – Building real life buildings / landmarks

Duplo – For Children under 5.

Licensed Theme Sets:

Star Wars

Harry Potter

Toy Story

Marvel

DC

MineCraft

Disney Princess

Jurassic World

Batman

Spiderman

Overwatch

Frozen

Super Mario

Stranger Things

Mickey Mouse

Thomas the Train

LegoLand

Built originally in 1968 near the Lego Factory in Billund, Denmark, the original Legoland was intended to be a park that visitors could visit to see new and upcoming Lego products. The original genesis of the idea was due in part to the Lego Factory getting nearly 20k visitors a day, each wanting to see the new sets that would be coming out soon. The park was intended to celebrate Lego’s toy history, but also showcase Lego’s various sets and creations, including human size sets and creatures. The park was an instant success, and over the years, has expanded and added rides and water parks to the original park, but also opened other theme parks around the world, including the US, England, Malaysia, Dubai, and Japan.

Spin Off Media/Games

Lego is not just a simple company anymore, and has branched off in a number of directions.

Lego Video Games

Lego games have been available since the mid 90s, with a number of games taking advantage of the building aspect available to computers, and creating various stand alone games. Many games were released for the Game Boy and other Nintendo handhelds, along with some titles for major consoles.

What changed Lego games was Lego Star Wars, which instead of building stuff, you were actually playing through the Star Wars stories as Lego Versions of the characters and world. It was unique in that it tended to joke around with the Lego nature of the world, with you collecting Lego bits to eventually build bridges or remove obstacles in your way. Other games were eventually released in a similar format, all based off licensed properties, including Batman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and more.

Movies

In the 2000s, Lego released various Bionicle movies, based off the same toy franchise, but ramped up development in the 2010s, when Warner Animation Group was created. Warner Animation Group was taking up the mantle of Warner Bros previous 2d Feature Film division, with their first movie being the Lego Movie. Much like the Lego Video Games, Warner Animation Group uses the Lego worlds themselves as stand alone worlds where the people know they are legos, but exist within it.

The Lego movie tells the story of one Mini-figure that is intended to be the chosen one to save all Lego people from being divided and segregated from other sets. The Movie was a major success and spawned other Lego movies, including Lego batman, which also received wide spread acclaim.

Spin Off Brands

Ker-o

Close in quality to Lego, with outstanding sets like Transformers and Star Trek

Mega Contrux

More closely focuses on Licensed Sets, like Pokemon, Call-of-Duty and Halo

Mega Blocks

More similar to Duplo, but intended for Preschool age children.

K’Nex

Rather than Lego-ish bricks, it’s more closer related to Erector Sets perhaps, using various rods, connectors, gears, wheels and other components to build various models.

Homework

The Lego Movie

LEGO Creator 3in1 Deep Sea Creatures 31088

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Topic: Parody Movies, Tv Shows, & Anime

This week, we're reminiscing and remembering plenty of strange and fun Parody shows. The Idea hit me that we're probably all running out of shows and movies to watch, so why not stuff that makes fun of other stuff, and what's more nerdy than parody and satire?

Definition of a Parody, Spoof, Homage, or Satire:

A work that is created to Imitate, Make fun of, and/or comment on an original work. This is often done via satirical or ironic imitation.

Satire is when you mock people for their short comings, faults, or vices.

Irony is when someone does or says something that is the opposite of what we expect them to do or mean.

Example:

Satire – In Galaxy Quest, the actors recoil and act on their cowardly instincts for survival upon first entering and visiting the ship of Galaxy Quest.

Irony – In Little Mermaid, Ariel gives up her voice for legs so that she can meet and fall in love with Eric. But Eric doesn’t recognize her without her voice, and thus, is still looking for his love.

Parody Tv Shows

Big Bang Theory (Nerdy)

The Orville (Sci-fi, Star Trek)

Saturday Night Live (Various)

Simpsons (60s & 70s & 80s Family Sitcoms)

The Office / Parks and Rec (Documentaries, Office Life, and Government action)

Parody Movies

Cornelio Trilogy (Various: Zombie, Cop/Police, Conspiracy/Aliens)

Shawn of the Dead

Hot Fuzz

The World’s End

Zombieland (Zombie Movies)

Galaxy Quest (Sci-fi, Star Trek)

Shrek (Fantasy Tales)

Airplane (Disaster Movies)

Leslie Nielsen Filmography Post 1980

Naked Gun

Dracula: Dead and Loving it

Blazing Saddles (Western)

Spaceballs (Sci-fi, Star Wars)

Austin Powers (Spy Movies, James Bond)

Tropic Thunder (War Films)

Monty Python: Holy Grain (Historical European, King Arthur)

Parody Music

Weird Al

Parody Anime

One Punch Man (American Super Heroes)

Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! (Magical Girl Shows)

Gintama (Various)

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (Various)

Kono Suba (Fantasy/MMO/Issekai)

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (American Adult Animation)

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Topic: Pokemon Review

Mom returns with tales of her journey in the world of pokemon. She have thoughts, Ideas, and our discussion was actually very interesting in the respects of Video Game ideas and philosophy of those that make the game, and where they come from. It's actually pretty interesting, as we've been doing this for over 70 weeks now, mom is getting quite comfortable and skilled at trying to understand the culture of the people who created the game, which is awesome. Plus our usual divergence in to Animal Crossing as well.

Homework Review

Spinoff Pokemon Games

Pokemon Stadium Series

• Console: Nintendo 64
• Developed by Nintendo as a response to the popularity of the Pokemon Games, these were the only way to see the Pokemon on the Big Screen. The game was bundled with the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, an add-on for the N64 so that you could transfer your Pokemon from the gameboy games to the N64 and use them in the game. The original intent was for tournaments, so that those watching had something to watch and see during the event, instead of the blocky, pixilated version of the game.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Series

• Console: Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch
• Based on Mystery Dungeon Mechanics (When Dungeons or Zones are randomly Generated), this game found you the player transforming in to a Pokemon, based off a personality test, and visiting various dungeons to complete the game. Along the way, you can collect other pokemon to follow you and assist in the dungeons. Unlike other Pokemon games, the battles are simple, as you navigate through the dungeon and happen upon other enemy pokemon. Several games have come out over the years, with more light hearted affair and pokemon talking to each other. There also tends to be a lack of any humans around, so pokemon appear in a more natural setting, with many civilized trappings.

Pokemon Ranger Series

• Console: Nintendo DS
• Attempting to take advantage of the Nintendo DS’s bottom Touch Screen, this version of the game sees you capturing pokemon for a short period of time and using them on missions. The big change is that instead of the RPG mechanics of the main game, you use the stylus to draw circles around pokemon in order to capture it temporarily. Pokemon captured temporarily can then be used to assist with your mission or help with capturing pokemon. An example is a water pokemon may slow or immobilize the enemy pokemon you’re trying to capture with the stylus.

Pokemon Rumble Series

• Console: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
• Like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, you travel through various procedurally generated dungeons and fight other pokemon. The main difference being the real-time melee mechanics, which act out in real time, meaning you have to run up to attack them, but also dodge their attacks too.

Pokemon Snap

• Console: Nintendo 64, Wii / Wii U Virtual Console
• A less beloved, but still cult popular, game in the Pokemon Series. This one is an on-rail (Meaning you follow a set path as laid out by the game) sees you going through various areas and taking pictures of pokemon. The goal is to take pictures of Pokemon, with points awarded for the quality of the picture taken; this can be due to multiple pokemon, different pokemon in same picture, rare or evolved pokemon, or the actions the pokemon are doing in the picture. The pokemon are all in their natural environment, but with Pokemon Bait launched in certain parts of the area, you can trigger events to get more pokemon to show up, different pokemon to appear, or trigger a short event that makes for a better picture.

Pokemon Puzzle Games

• Console: Gameboy Color, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
• These are various games based off puzzle mechanics. Usually, these are re-skins (Reusing other games mechanics, worlds, models, etc, from games in order make new material) of other existing game series.
  • Puzzle Challenge & Puzzle League – Reskin of Panel de Pon / Puzzle League
  • Pokemon Shuffle – Reskin of Puzzle & Dragon / Bejeweled Mechanics
  • Pokemon Café Mix – Reskin of Disney’s Tsum Tsum Mechanics

Hey You, Pikachu

• Console: Nintendo 64
• A unique game where you follow your Pikachu around and talk to it. Utilizing the N64 Voice Recognition Unit, an add-on included with the game, you can talk to Pikachu and direct it around to do stuff for you. Talking to Pikachu directly allows you to build trust and score, which can unlock additional skills for Pikachu. It’s unique in that its Add-on is only used for the one game, and also doesn’t work well with adult and teenager voices. While the gameplay is simple, it was launched right in the middle of the initial pokemon craze to take advantage of it.

Super Smash Bros

• Console: Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii / Wii U, Switch
• While not a Pokemon game in of itself, pokemon have been represented in every Smash Bros game, and often favorite. Initial Super Smash Bros saw series mascot Pikachu to the roster from day one, and is often a favorite amongst other player, along with Jigglypuff as an unlock. Later series would add additional pokemon, including Pichu, Mewtwo, Charizard, Lucario, Greninja, & Incineroar. In Super Smash Bros Braw, we saw the introduction of the Pokemon Trainer, which could switch out between Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle to allow varied gameplay in one character. Outside of the various stages in the game being pokemon themed, there are also Pokeballs, which contain any number of pokemon that can be summoned on to the stage and aid the thrower by causing damage, debuffs, or chaos during the match.

Pokemon Anime

Largely credited for opening up the Western Audience to Anime, Pokemon has been a staple of TV for the last 23 years. Pokemon’s Cartoon/Anime follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum(As in Catch them All, the series’s tag line), also simply known as Satoshi in Japanese, as he ventures around the world to become a Pokemon Master. The show follows the basic plot of the games, with side stories and adventures to flesh out the world and character, intended to be the common adventure of a Pokemon Trainer and his friends. The show’s art style has largely unchanged from 1997 till 2016, when the Anime had a change in art style.

There have been a few spin off series that are Pokemon Anime, but don’t follow the events of Ash.

• Pokemon Chronicles – Following trainers for the Johto League, similar to the Gold and Silver character designs. The game follows their exploits, but takes place in the same world and time around Ash and his journeys.
• Pokemon Origins – A more faithful retelling of the Pokemon Red and Blue series of games. It was a mini-series released just before X & Y’s release. While initially limited to Japan, they were eventually released on to the Pokemon Youtube Channel for free.
• Pokemon Generations – A pokemon series initially released on Pokemon’s Youtube Channel. The series follows the first six generations of pokemon and Largely focus on side stories of various pokemon character that have been seen through the games, including trainers, Gym Leaders, and other random characters.
• Pokemon Twilight Wings – A mini-series released on to Youtube, the series follows events of Sword and Shield, and only finished production in August due to Covid-19 delaying the production of the final episode.

Like any long running series, Pokemon has had some episodes removed or heavily edited due to Controversies regarding the material or elements of them.

• “Cyber Soldier Porygon” – Likely the most famous example came early in Pokemon’s broadcast. The episode featured Ash and Pikachu being digitized and entering a computer to aid Porygon, a digital Pokemon. During the episode, Pikachu’s Thunderbolt Attack causes a mix of Blue and Red flashing effects in rapid succession, causing a strobe effect for roughly 5-7 seconds. This resulted in some viewers experiencing Blurred Vision, headaches, dizziness, and nausea, with some viewers experiencing Blindness, Seizures, convulsions, and losing consciousness. While 685 viewers were reported to have been hospitalized, it’s presumed that over 12000 child may have been affected by the episode.

After the episode, Pokemon took a 4 month Hiatus. After the Hiatus, other episodes were edited to remove strobe effects, along with the Opening sequence being edited and changed. The episode has never been seen outside of the original broadcast and was removed by Nintendo. In the west, the episode was mocked and used as satire for Japanese Anime in other western animation, particular Simpsons and South Park.

• Jynx – Jynx is an ice-pokemon, but upon release in America, it was criticized for promotion of Black Face. While the notion of Black Face was Foreign to Japan, who doesn’t have a large foreign population in Japan (only 3-4% of the population in Japan is Non-Japanese), Jynx was later changed to have a Purple colored Face instead. This was what led to the exclusion of the episode “The Ice Cave!” which heavily included Jynx before the edit.

• Several Episodes have been removed due to illusions to Earthquakes or Destruction, namely episodes in Japan, as the episodes original Airing date was halted due to Earthquakes or Tsunami’s in Japan. Similarly in the West, two episodes were pulled temporarily pulled after the 9/11 Attacks during the initial broadcast: one featured the destruction of a city and another due to the title “The Tower of Terror”. Both episodes were eventually rebroadcast.

• Some Episodes were only skipped in America. This included “Beauty and the Beach” where the characters participate in a Swimsuit competition, but features James of team Rocket sporting inflatable breasts. The Episode was initially skipped due to the previous content and concerns over over-sexualization, but later re-edited and rebroadcast as a ‘Lost Episode’. Another episode, “The Legend of Dartini” would have seen Ash and company looking for the rare Dartini Pokemon and visiting the Safari Zone, however was skipped due to the frequent use and appearance firearms in the anime. The episode leads to an error in the show, where Ash had captured 30 Tauros Pokemon, which see use later in the series.

Much like other long running Anime Series, Pokemon has movies, 24 theatrical released movies over the last 23 years. Pokemon itself in Japan releases a Movie every year, which often tells side stories for Ash and company which don’t get referenced or reflected in the mainline anime. It’s also amongst the only times in which major Legendary Pokemon get seen, as they are rarely referenced or seen in the main Anime. A handful of the POkemon Movies saw a release in the West, namely during the first and second generation, with later movies not seeing a Domestic Box Office release, but released to Video Instead.

While Japan has had one new Pokemon movie every year, the west released Detective Pikachu, which is amongst the highest grossing films in 2019 and second highest grossing videogame film of all time.

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Topic: Pokemon Tutorial

Today, we're starting the long haul of going through Pokémon. We're going to discuss mostly the games today and the world of Pokémon, because if we went through the myriad of spinoffs, this would become an even longer episode. We go over the basics, and try to discuss some of what Pokémon represents as a whole.

History

Created by Satoshi Tajiri, the game initially started based off his love of collecting insects as a child. As the home he lived in started to become more urbanized, he noticed bugs disappearing and children staying in the house more often. He wanted to create a game that would allow people to catch creatures similar to insects, which he would call Pokémon.

Prior to Tajiri being known for Pokémon, he developed the self-published magazine, Game Freak, which discussed Video Game, and eventually began reviewing them, before becoming a video game development company.

The initial Pokémon game was Pocket Monsters Red & Green in 1996, which was quite popular for the aging Nintendo GameBoy. It went on to re-invigorate the series, and sparked its second coming. A further version known as Pocket Monster Blue updated the graphics and went on to add some more Pokémon and updated the graphics for many of their Pokémon as well. This Blue version would be the basis for the Red and Blue Pokémon titles we saw in the west and other portions of the world. The initial idea for having two games was that they could divide some of the monsters between the two different systems, allowing for more of a reason to trade between other players, which was a focus of the game.

About a year later, the Pokémon Anime would start in Japan, which has been ongoing since 1998 until today, and included all of the previous game series. The series follow Satoshi, or Ash, with his Pikachu through various Pokémon regions and areas, interacting with new Pokémon, gyms, and trying to become a Pokémon master. Pikachu was originally the second option for a Mascot Character, as the original Jigglypuff was initially considered, but turned down after lukewarm reception.

GameFreak and Nintendo would continue to release new games, adding to the expanding roster of Pokémon with each cycle, or Generations. There are too many spins off to name; the series is likely one of the best selling franchises behind Mario, and probably more common than Mario as well.

Premise

The world is very similar to ours, save for more wild forests and areas that have been unaltered or inhabited by humans. Typical animals do not exist, but instead replaced with Pokémon, many of which resemble animals of our own species, as well as various planets, materials, and forms. Most Pokémon are animals of some king, but some are plant based, take the shape of rock golems, or even pool of slime. There are even ghost Pokémon.

Pokémon carry an affinity, or known as a type, which signifies what abilities they have available to them. Some Pokémon may use abilities that are not associated with their type, and may even have more than one type associated with them. Pokémon all have special abilities, from head-butting and clawing, to even producing fire, water, electricity, and even psychic abilities, and more. These abilities form the basis of Pokémon battles and fighting.

Pokémon come in all shapes and forms, and most can evolve after a period of time, or training. Evolved Pokémon follow a simple track and always evolve in to the next line of Pokémon in their species, save for an Eevee, which can evolve in various other Pokémon in its species family. Evolved Pokémon are almost always more powerful than non-evolved Pokémon.

Pokémon live in the wild, but can also live with humans much in the same way you would pets. Depending on the type of Pokémon, they might life in forests, caves, near water, or even in snow. Pokémon typically reside in certain regions of the world, and even then only in certain areas, though some Pokémon are more common than others in some regions. If a Pokémon lives with humans, it’s not uncommon for them to be treated like members of the family. It’s not uncommon for Pokémon to develop long lasting relationship with their human owners, or trainers, often coming to their aid or defense if anything is to arise. Most humans have at least one Pokémon, if not more, of their own; though for younger generations, they may have a family Pokémon, as adults are less likely to have huge Pokémon collections.

If living with a human, Pokémon typically reside within a Pokeball, a ball that electronically houses the Pokémon within a ball roughly the size of a softball. The size of the Pokémon doesn’t matter, as it is digitized and placed within the pokeball. No science has really gone on to explain the mechanics or sciences behind it. Pokémon generally get caught in a pokeball once they have been weakened in a battle, usually by throwing the ball and having it tap the pokeball. Once a Pokémon is in a pokeball, they are forever tied to that pokeball and can be recalled back into the ball if they are in a weakened state.

Most people who go on to raise and train Pokémon are known as Pokémon Trainers. Pokémon Trainer is a person that trains Pokémon to become stronger or better over time, with the usual intention of using the Pokémon to perform battles with. Pokémon Battles are typically 1 on 1, with each trainer being able to use up to six Pokémon in total. Pokémon battles are typically affairs to see who is the better training, but also a way of resolving most major disagreements. Anyone and everyone can be a trainer, even those with jobs already, and it is not uncommon for a battle to break out at a moment’s notice, though most do not do so indoors, but tend to do it outside, or in specialized locations or Arenas. If a Pokémon take enough damage, they will faint and return to their pokeball until they can be healed or revived.

The goal of most Pokémon Trainers is to become Pokémon Masters, competing in tournaments and competitions to crown truly skillful and great trainers. In order to be able to compete in these tournaments and competitions, Trainers must compete in Gym Battles in the local area, and defeat the Gym Leader to receive a Badge that signifies the Trainer’s skill. These badges are often requirements four tournaments, competitions, or matches, and trainers without a significant number, or certain badges, will not be allowed to compete.

Beyond battle competitions, there are Pokémon Coordinators, a type of trainer that specializes in showing Pokémon Skills and talents, along with clothing, in order to prove their worth. Rather than fighting, a Pokémon may use their abilities to create shows or tricks that can be judged by judges. Similar to Gym Battles, most major towns have some sort of competition that can be entered throughout the year.

At the age of 10, young children can start their adventure to become a Pokémon Trainer. They are often gifted, or earn, a Pokémon, and from there are allowed to leave the house and start their own adventure. A typical trainer will start with some basic necessities, including some pokeballs and medicine for their Pokémon, along with basic camping and survival gear. Pokémon Trainers can make money off of other trainers or collect rare objects in the wild to help them along.

Everyone has access to Pokémon Centers. There are locations that offer to heal and rehabilitate Pokémon if they have been injured, hurt, or incapacitated in a battle. The process is relatively quick, and free of charge to any Pokémon trainers. The Pokémon Centers offer bedrooms and meals for children trailing on their own adventure, along with helpful advice and information about the area. They are found in every town, village, and city, and even long specialized routes or locations.

While most people are good natured to their Pokémon, not everyone is, and some will use their Pokémon for evil or malicious intentions. There are some leagues of villains that band together, like Team Rocket, which attempt to steal and kidnap Pokémon from their owners in order to assist with world domination or some other evil plot. They are often the antagonist of games and other media.

Much like bad people, there are good people, who try to study Pokémon throughout the world. To aid young adventures, these professors of Pokémon offer a Pokedex, which keeps track of all known Pokémon in the region and other locations, and offers information, pictures, and collecting of Pokémon. The intent is for trainers to fill up their Pokedex, and return the information to the professor for further analysis and study, leading to their symbiotic nature.

Games - Mainline

Generation 1 (1996 – 1999)

Console: GameBoy

JP: Pokémon Green & Red, Blue, Yellow

US: Pokémon Red & Blue, Yellow

Total Pokémon: 151

Region: Kanto

These initial games were the basis for the Franchise, which hasn’t deviated much from the initial formula. Released in Japan in 1996, and the US 1998, the series has one major spinoff in Pokémon Yellow, an enhanced version with updated sprites for the Pokémon, minor game play tweaks, and the ability to have Pikachu follow you from the start. Pokémon Yellow is meant to mirror the anime, which mirrors the original game as a whole. The original game took place in the Kanto region, similar to the real life Kanto region of Japan, which is the home of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.

Generation 2 (1999 – 2002)

Console: Gameboy Color

Pokémon Gold & Silver, Crystal

Total Pokémon: 251

Region: Johto

This generation was the first major advance, debuting on the gameboy color, but if you still had the older hardware, would still work on a regular Gameboy. He series added a day and night system, as well as an in-game clock, with some Pokémon only appear at certain times of the day. The game also introduced an additional 100 Pokémon, and evolutions for other Pokémon that didn’t exist before. Players upon finishing the Johto region could travel back to the Kanto region and continue the adventure there. Players who also had the older games could trade Pokémon from their older version to the new version, allowing for a full complete pokedex. You can not trade from a newer version to an older version however, as the older Blue & Red games would have the newer Pokémon added. Taking place in the Johto region, which mirror modern day Japan’s Kansai region, with places like Osaka and Kyoto included in the area.

Generation 3 (2002 – 2006)

Console: Gameboy Advance

Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen

Total Pokémon: 386

Region: Hoenn

This was the first generation to offer remakes of older games, with FireRed & LeafGreen faithful remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Green, but using the updated pokedex of 386 Pokémon. These games also offered the first series of 2 on 2 battles, pitting four Pokémon against each other. The series is however not well regarded, as they dropped the day and night cycle due to issues with the battery in the cartridge, as well as limited updating of the series elements, including trying to limit the collectable Pokémon to 202 instead of the full 386. The games take place in Hoenn, an island similar to Japan’s Kyushu Island.

Generation 4 (2006 – 2010)

Console: Nintendo DS

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver

Total Pokémon: 493

Region: Sinnoh

Introduced on the two screen DS, the games offered an improved Day and Night cycle, found in Generation 2, as well as introducing 3D Graphics to the game in certain areas. Due to the Nintendo DS’s wifi capabilities, it allowed people to also play against other people in local areas virtually, meaning you could be battling or trading with someone on the other side of a building or network. Like the previous generation, the also remade Generation 2’s Gold and Silver games, being relatively faithful adaptations and remakes using newer hardware and technology. This time, the Sinnoh region acts as Japan’s Hokkaidō island, the very north of Japan’s islands.

Generation 5 (2010 – 2013)

Console: Nintendo DS

Pokémon Black & White, Black 2 & White 2

Total Pokémon: 649

Region: Unova

Unlike other generations, 5th generation is unique for a couple of reasons. Firstly, at the time, it’s offered the most new Pokémon at 156, but none of the Pokémon were evolutions for previous Pokémon in other generations, meaning only New Pokémon. It also was the first generation to not remake older games, which would have been Ruby & Sapphire by normal conventions. It’s also the only series to have direct spin offs in the form of new games; these games continued the story from the first game, but played as though it was you were a new trainer coming in to the continuing story. It is also unique in not offering a third, director’s-cut version of the game, like with Yellow, Crystal, Emerald or Platinum. It is also unique in that the setting is meant to be New York City and not a part of Japan as previous versions had been.

Generation 6 (2013 – 2016)

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Pokémon X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

Total Pokémon: 721

Region: Kalos

6th generation is notable for introducing fully 3d Pokémon, with all Pokémon fully rendered in 3d. It also introduced Mega Evolutions, a rare additional evolution that is limited but extremely powerful form for some Pokémon. Introduced was the Pokémon Bank as well, which could hold all your Pokémon online for an additional fee, and upload them in to other games without link cables or wifi access locally. The 6th generation returned with remakes of older titles, with Ruby and Sapphire getting the remake treatment. The Kalos region is heavily influenced by France, but also by the greater Europe as a whole as well.

Generation 7 (2016 - 2019)

Console: Nintendo 3DS & Nintendo Switch

Pokémon Sun & Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Pokémon Let’s Go!

Total Pokémon: 809

Region: Alola

For the first time in many generations, the ability to trade back and forth with older versions was made available again, with X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and Virtual Console remakes of Red, Blue, & Yellow, allowing players to collect all 809 Pokémon. It was also the second time in which new versions of the games were released as direct sequels to the first. A new feature wasn’t necessarily new Pokémon, be regional Pokémon, with some Pokémon switching elements and getting new looks, associated with them, leading to variations on the same Pokémon. Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee were also released for the Switch, which were faithful adaptations of Pokémon Yellow with Pokémon Go style controls. The Alola region is based off Hawaii and it’s islands.

Generation 8 (2019 – Present)

Console: Nintendo Switch

Pokémon Sword and Shield

Total Pokémon: 896

Region: Galar

The first mainline game title for the home Console, Sword and Shield offers a refinement of all the classic systems. Rather than an overhead, or 2d plane, the game is fully 3d and follows players in a similar fashion as they world a 3d game, though areas are still laid out like maps. Pokémon now have a new evolved form, making them huge, and in some cases, new features and forms, but giving them new abilities as well. One major dislike is that while there are a total of 896 Pokémon, only about 400 total Pokémon are available for collection and being added to the pokedex, with many fan favorites being omitted from the final roster. Dubbed Dexit, after Brexit and pokedex, the news was not well received, with Nintendo and Gamefreak stating that they couldn’t support all nearly 900 Pokémon, and realized they would have to limit it at some point, as well as focusing their energy on improving the quality of the remaining Pokémon. Galar is loosely based on Great Britain and the British Isles.

Homework

Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee

Pokémon Anime of Any Kind

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Topic: Virtual Reality Review

This week, we took mom in to VR and the many trial and tribulations associated with being in a different WORLD! Mom was very vocal during the event, and like all good people who look incredibly silly during VR, I decided to respect her dignity and not record it. Maybe in the future, but it would have been wrong to do so otherwise. Come listen to what we experienced.

Games Played:

Steam VR Home

Google Earth VR

Steam VR: The Lab

Spiderman: Far from Home – Virtual Reality Experience

Beat Saber

VR Set Ups:

Playstation 4 VR

A less confusing and cumbersome version of VR, this is a great route if you already have a Play station 4. The setup requires a lot less work than typical VR, and if you’re used to purchasing games as you normally might for the PS4, it is an easier setup. This is designed for people without the fancy PC and is an all in one system designed to be the most hassle free.

Needed Components:

• Playstation 4
• Playstation VR Headset
• Playstation Move

Expected Cost: $900 (Less if you have other components. System can be bought as a bundle.)

Oculus Rift S

The original big name in VR, the system has gone through quite a bit of changes in the past decade since it was released. With their newest version, the Rift S, there are now cameras outside of the device which remove the need for the older cameras that used to track the system from a far. The cameras track the space around you and the controllers, but assume the movement of the controllers if they move outside of the camera view. The system is still designed to work with a powerful PC and is tethered to the system via cables, but offers a rewarding experience for those looking to get in to the VR space. The original version still exists, but as the Rift S offers better tracking at the same price point, it’s probably worth the getting the newer version. As it has access to the PC, it offers probably the widest selection of games from both Steam VR and Oculus store.

Needed Components:

• Oculus Rift S
• A good, Powerful PC.

Expected Cost: $400

Oculus Quest

A standalone unit, the Oculus Quest is meant to be a more consumer friendly version of VR for those without a powerful PC. Using similar tracking system as the Oculus Rift S, the standalone system doesn’t require a PC and runs on similar hardware as a top of the line cell phone. This does however limit some of it access to games and other media, as you can only purchase approved games off of the Oculus Store. But the free form nature of the system is best for being on the go and needing the most minimal of set up of any of the systems being discussed.

Needed Components:

• Oculus Quest

Expected Cost: $400

HTC Vive Cosmos

Considered the higher end system, HTC Vive is the second big name in VR, coming about two years after the Oculus Rift. The major difference is that HTC Vive offered the first fully 3D movement for VR, allowing you to walk around in VR, where Oculus originally only let you do that in 180 degree without a third Camera Station. This is achieved by the Base Stations: two small cubes you place on the outside of your play space which track the distance between each other and the headset/controller. Like the Oculus, the newer Cosmos version is utilizing cameras on the outside of the system to eliminate the need for the original Base Stations, as the original HTC Vive is being discontinued; but with the base stations, you can still get better quality VR tracking. Also like the Oculus Rift, you’ll still need a powerful PC to handle the processing. The HTC Vive is considered the more high-end VR setup, with better graphics and more technology, but expect it to be more expensive as a result. The HTC Vive is also limited to only the Steam VR platform, so games exclusive to Oculus aren’t easily available.

Needed Components:

• HTC Vive Cosmos
• Powerful PC

Expected Cost: $700-$900 (Original vs. Elite)

Valve Index

The original HTC Vive was a collaboration between Valve and Steam, but the Index is Valve’s own stand alone system. It’s more expensive than the HTC Vive, but meant for people who are already in the market, especially the HTC Vive as it can reuse components including the Base Stations and controllers. It features 120hz refresh rate and superior controllers that are meant to be more intuitive and comfortable. As it is the newest player in the market right now, but Valve has been there for several years now, making them already strong experts in the field of VR.

Needed Components:

• Valve Index
• Powerful PC

Expected Cost: $1000 (Can be lowered by already having HTC Vive Base Stations or other controllers)

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Topic: Virtual Reality Tutorial

This week, we're looking in to Virtual Reality, the concept of going to other created worlds and living in them, either full time or temporarily. It's also an excuse to put my mom in my HTC Vive next week and have her experience VR as well. Being the total dare-devil she is, I'm curious as to what she'll think about it.

What is it?

The idea of Virtual Reality has meant a different reality that has been created in some way. The term Virtual itself was a kind of philosophy that meant a reality that was both ideal and real in some way. Today, we use the term Virtual to describe anything that originates from technology, or more specifically, computers. When we speak about Virtual Reality, we tend to talk about entering, or existing, in a digital/computer generated environment or scenario, typically through physical means.

Today, we know Virtual Reality as head sets that you are able to view and interact with the virtual world through. Modern Virtual Reality is being used mostly for video games, but other applications such as transportation, medical, and even defense as well.

VR In Media

Depending on the media, whole civilizations or worlds may exist virtually, while some enter a virtual space for a short term time and leave once their jobs are done. Media often portrayed their Virtual Realities as either the Ideal reality you’d like to have, or as a modern system in which you have some control over. In the Ideal Reality, you are transported to a world where it’s the most ideal for you: somewhere you’d like to have traveled or existed in, or a world that is so different from our own that it ceases to be anything like ours anymore. The other example is often used like a prison, where people are kept and unaware that they are stuck or in there; and if they are aware, then they have little or no control over the world and are existing through it. There are also media that portrays Virtual Reality more as Augmented Reality; this is the idea that through special devices, you can see additional things in your real world setting and interact with them.

Typically, all Virtual Reality requires you to need to enter a space where the reality will exist, wear some sort of device to access the digital world, or be connected to it directly to a machine through a port installed on the body. A common example is something like a headset that scans your brain for the actions you want to take, or connecting directly into your spine.

Example in Media.

Matrix (1999)

Probably the most famous Example of Virtual Reality, the Matrix itself takes place in a world where humans are no fuel for robots, and in order to keep humans in line, they are connected to the Matrix. The Matrix itself is modeled on a late 90s, early 2000s, modern day metropolis, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York, where humans are completely unaware that they are in any kind of Virtual Reality. Humans who have been disconnected from the Matrix, fight to find others who they can disconnect and join in the resistance against the Machines. Humans who have been disconnected can return back in to the Matrix, but can be uploaded with various knowledge packs, allowing them to know various fighting styles, how to use guns, and just about anything else. Neo(Keanu Reeves) is one such person disconnected, but later becomes capable of manipulating the Matrix to allow him to have superior strength, see through things in the Matrix, and even Fly.

Inception (2010)

In Inception, there is a military training device that allows people to share their dreams. The dream world can be manipulated to look or become just about anything within the dreamer’s perception or idea. Once in the dream, people can interact and travel in to other people’s dreams in order to steal or gather information about a person, or in Inspection, plant an idea. The movie shows off the ability to manipulate reality, and how it can be used to great advantage to create anything you want, or a great prison in which to get lost in. Leonardo DiCaprio is one such person who have been trapped in his own dreams before, and knows how to venture in to the dream to get information.

Ready Player One

In Ready Player One, most people are poor and barely surviving, much of the world’s resources are gone, but people still have the OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation). OASIS is a digital world where players can upload their creations and use them through the world. The movie, along with the book, play off of tropes and items from various media sources, like the Delorean from Back to the Future, a Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam, King Kong from the same series, T-Rex from Jurassic Park, and even sets from the Shinning. The movie has its hero, Wade Watts, participating in a treasure hunt for the future ownership of OASIS after its creator’s death.

90s Cartoons

VR Troopers

Adapted from various Tokusatsu series: Metal Hero Series: Superhuman Machine Metalder, Dimensional Warrior Spielban and Space Sheriff Shaider. The series tells of three humans who are protecting the real world from enemies in a ‘Virtual Reality’ by transforming in to masked heroes. The series is uses footage from various Metal Hero Series, and none of the series actually line up with any of them.

Super Human Samurai Syber Squad

Adapted from Tokusatsu series Denkou Choujin Gridman, or Gridman the Hyper Agent, was DIC Production’s attempt to cash in on the Power Ranger’s fad of the 90s. The show’s action took place in a Digital World, where our Hero would transform in to Gridman/Servo and fight evil monsters that were really computer viruses.

Star Trek – The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Discovery, & Picard

By the time of the Next Generation, the 24th century, Star Fleet developed the Holo-Deck, a room that used shields and light to project a Virtual Reality. The notion was that the shields, a type of Force Field, would be projected in a room, and light would then be passed through/around them, creating various objects and spaces. The force fields could mimic heat and cold, texture and shapes, and the light would always seem to bounce off items perfectly. The rooms were usually the size of a small banquet hall, with the intention that multiple people could exist in the space at the time. Virtual people or creatures in a holo-deck are often known as Holograms, who can have very sophisticated AIs. Holograms typically can’t exist outside of the Holodeck without holo-emitters being placed in the surrounding space.

In Discovery, they seem to have either early version of holo-decks being used, but not common in the rest of Star Fleet. By the of Picard, they no longer need to be in rooms, and can instead have holo-emitters placed in an area to generate the holograms.

Holo-decks were often used as a means of changing up the scenery or locations in Star Trek. This allowed writers to write in historical characters or settings, or play on various notions or locations that wouldn’t be common in space. Famously, Voyager’s Doctor was a hologram that expanded his abilities/roles over time, showing the sophistication of the AI technology and programming. Many of his stories grappled with if a Hologram could be considered a person, or his limitations as a Hologram.

Japanese Animation:

Ghost in a Shell (1995)

Perhaps one of the First anime to visit Virtual and Augmented reality, as well as a more definitive Cyberpunk setting. It tells of a future where cyberization, the act of becoming a cyborg or gaining machine parts, is common place. It shows how virtual worlds can be created within people and settings, and even how the world has been augmented with Virtual advertisements, signs, and even projections that can confuse the brain. It’s a series the goes on to ask what is real at the end of the day? Later series play with the notion of Virtual Reality and hacking more so. The series follows Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9, a task force for the Japanese Government, assigned with difficult missions that require utmost secrecy and security.

.hack//Sign (2002)

Read as ‘Dot, Hack, Sign’, the series started as an Anime, intending on promoting a Video Game series where you play a fictional MMORPG in, and started a franchise. The story tells that in 2009, a virus known as Pluto’s Kiss destroyed any computer connected to it, wrecking just about every electronic connected to it. Two years later, access to the network recovers, and the first game to come out for it is ‘The World’, an MMORPG with a fantasy Setting. Players log in to the world via head sets and interact with other people in this digital world, however mysterious things are happening, that cause players to go in to Commas after playing the game. One such person, Tsukasa, is trapped in the game via one of these mysterious happenings, and eventually gets out. They are eventually able to get out, only for other people to go in to Commas later on due to events.

Sword Art Online (2012)

Likely the more popular version of Virtual Reality, the first of its kind Virtual MMO is being released to only 100,000 people lucky enough to buy it. Upon first logging on, player discover that they can’t log out of the game, and are then told by the game’s creator that they are trapped in this Virtual MMO until they can reach the final boss of the game on the 100th floor, and if they die in the game, they die in real life due to the head set over clocking. The initial players are stuck for 2 years in the game, until they eventually get free, and continue going back in to various Virtual Worlds of different settings and genre. This anime shows the more common idea of what Virtual Reality is capable of, as a gateway to fantasy worlds and new games to play. It’s popularity spawned a number of sequels and copy cat anime, manga, and novels, which all seem to play on the theme of people being getting lost in their virtual world.

VR HeadSets

One of the First VR Headsets was ‘The Sword of Damocles’ which only projected a wire-frame square upon the world. It was the first in the late 60s, and was so heavy, it had to be suspended from the ceiling. While rudimentary, it started the Idea of this kind of technology being the future.

By the 90s, various companies were trying to get the full Virtual Reality set up working, with Full body suits and chambers designed to give you the full immersion feeling of being in Virtual Reality. Sega was amongst the first to really create Virtual Reality Gaming, with Arcade Cabinets that featured headsets that tracked your vision and sign. While many companies tried to get it to take off, there was also a fair amount of failure, leading to many companies discontinuing the study in to VR.

By the 2000s, Virtual Reality was a fad and not common study, with few companies really looking in to it. It wasn’t until 2010 when early versions of the Oculus Rift being developed that offered 90-degree field of vision that VR started to become more interesting. In 2012, Facebook would go on to buy Oculus VR for around $3 Billion. By 2013, Valve had joined in the development, developing lag-free software to make VR content more possible. A year later, they joined the market with the HTC Vive.

By 2016, over 230 companies, from Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Facebook, and more has developed AR or VR groups, developing new technology for the immerging market.

View Details

Topic: Minecraft Review

Mom and I deep dived in to our experiences with Minecraft this week.  We come together to figure out what happened during it.  This episode does appear to be a bit shorter than before, but I still think it’s a good episode in the end.

Initial Impressions?

What did we like, or find ourselves, doing?

Complexity?

The Niece/Granddaughter Effect/Experience?

Minecraft VR

As I have a HTC Vibe VR set back at home, I decided to try and give Minecraft VR a try. 

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Topic: Minecraft Tutorial

While not as rich a narrative as Sonic, and not as engrossing number of titles as Mario, the undisputed champion of best selling game of all time is currently a game with pixilated boxes and simple, sandbox game play. A game so simple, my nieces of 6 and 8 play it regularly. So we need to figure this out, it’s time for Minecraft.

Apologizes that some of the audio was corrupted toward the end of the episode. We left what was salvagable intact for those who want to listen.

What is it?

Minecraft is a 3D Sandbox game, using pixilated looking graphics and blocks designed for the world. Unlike early 8bit and 16bit games of the late 80s - early 90s, Minecraft uses blocks 3d blocks with simple, pixilated graphics to represent various building material and natural resources. Almost all elements of the game are based off these 3d Blocks, even down to the animals and items you can use.

A Sandbox game is a game in which the player is given creative freedom to progress through the game as they see fit. Some games will still have stories and additional gameplay elements designed to keep players either on task or offering immediate concerns/gameplay, but players are free to do as they wish to reach those goals. In the case of Minecraft, there is no true endgame and players have freely created a lot of their own new games from the core game.

Who? / When?

The game was created by Markus Persson, online name, “Notch”. A former game developer for King Games, he primarily worked on browser (phone/website) based video games until early 2009. In his spare time, he tinkered with making his own prototype games, employing elements of other games he liked and mixing them in to his creation. When Persson left King in March 2009, he developed his game further, releasing an early version of the game in May 2009, based off a code he developed over a weekend. This early/Classic version of the game had weekly revisions based off feedback from those who played it.

In June of 2010, he released the Alpha version of the game, and shortly after left his currently game developer job. By later 2010, The game was moving in to Beta version of the game, looking to fix bugs and progress elements of the game before release. He also set up his own company to help work on the game, Mojang. By November 2011, Minecraft was released as a full version, and shortly thereafter, the lead developer was passed on to Jens “Jeb” Bergensten.

In 2014, Mojang was sold for 2.5 Billion dollars to Microsoft, where the game continues to be updated and developed to this date. The most recent version being Minecraft Windows 10, which supports a number of different features, including VR, multiplayer functions with those playing other versions, and eventually ported to almost every single videogame platform, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Various mobile devices, and even on Standalone platforms like Amazon Fire Tv and Apple Tv.

How to play?

Each game takes place in a procedurally generated world, meaning that the world itself is created at random, so that no two people would ever likely have the game play space. Local areas, including forests, tundra, water, deserts, and other common elements are the same, but placed in different spots, and of differing sizes, so that no two place space are the same.

Once the game has loaded, players play from a first person perspective, meaning the player can only see what the character would naturally see. From here, players may scout out the island in search of where they would like to start building their home. The main feature of the game is the creation aspect, using various materials found through the game world. Some materials, from dirty, grass, and wood, can be harvested easily by punching the ground and trees, while other material must be cut down or mined with tools. To develop various tools, players combine the various materials they’ve harvested and create the necessary tools and items from them. Players can also combine materials to make new items, including beds, doors, windows, and a variety of home furnishing.

The individual materials can also be used to create structures and stand alone objects. Each material typically takes up to a 1x1x1 block space, and can be placed on the ground or stacked together to create buildings, stairs, or other various structures. Since the main feature of the game is built around creation, players have made just about everything: From famous locations, to entire cities and castles, even to fully functioning games and events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l315VzDcLmI

There are a variety of game modes:

Survival Mode:

The earliest version included survival elements that kept played progressing beyond just building. During the day, the played could gather elements, build shelter, and collect items freely. But once night fell, zombies would come to hunt the player. The player can protect themselves via homes, or venture out and defeat the monsters. The player has limited life pool, but can be healed with items. If the player is defeated, they return to a set point, and must venture out to reclaim their previous collected materials and items.

A variant to this mode is known as Hardcore, where the difficulty is ramped up, and a single death results in loss of all progress and end of game.

Some villains or bad guys you might commonly find are the:

Zombie

Spiders

Wolves

Enderman

Skeletons

Creeper (Unofficial mascot)

Creative Move:

Unlike Survival Mode, Creative Mode is designed for players who just want to build stuff. Players are given access to all elements and building blocks in the game, allowing them to spend their time just building out their world as they see fit.

Adventure Mode:

A mixture of Creative and Survival, this mode allows others to play in user created maps and adventures, designed to offer new challenges and customized experiences for players.

Due to the customizable nature of the game, players can download user created content for use in their own worlds, or even download whole worlds to play in. Various texture packs exist on the market place, allowing people to add various new characters, blocks, and elements in to the game as they please. Major theme backs include games from Mario Bros, Fallout, Mass Effect, and even other movies and tv show franchises.

Spin Offs?

Minecraft: Story Mode

This was an Episodic Spin-off game in the vane of various Telltale Games. Telltale Games present various choices throughout a game, and with each choice comes new dialog, events, and outcomes to the story. Based on actions taken, some characters will either have new dialog options, differing opinions about the character, or in some cases, may even die. Minecraft: Story Mode took players through a journey to defeat an Elder Dragon, and was available through various storied episodes.

Minecraft: Classic

Release in May 2019 during the 10th anniversary of the game, this version of the game is based off the original 2009 prototype game first released. It is more limited in what it can do, as it’s a simplified and stripped down version from the version we know today.

Minecraft: Earth

A developed in July of 2019, it took the Minecraft gameplay and enabled in a real world setting using Augmented Reality (AR). Augmented Reality is an interactive experience that maps items and events to real world locations; most of these items and events cannot be seen or interacted with without the use of a device that can see the reality. In this case, Minecraft: Earth uses iOS and Android devices to allow people to view minecraft structures and items in the real world. Currently this game in a beta state, but has shown promising advances.

Minecraft: Dungeons

Based on the world of Minecraft, Minecraft: Dungeons is a Dungeon Crawler game, released at the end of May 2020. Played from an Isometric view, players equip armor and weapons and travel through various dungeons. Unlike Minecraft, there is little creation elements in the game, and the majority of the game is meant to be fighting various bad guys and monsters from the game.

Homework:

Minecraft – Of any platform

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Topic: Sonic the Hedgehog Review

Mom and I return from our adventures both watching and playing Sonic the Hedgehog. It's also about time we talk about the strange and weird world of Sonic's fandom, which is probably similar to that of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, though perhaps a bit more toxic.

Sonic Mania

Sonic Movie

When the initial trailer came out for Sonic the Hedgehog, it was a much different thing than what we were expecting. Due to the fan/internet backlash over the look of Sonic in the trailer, the movie was postponed from November 2019 to February 2020.

While critics panned the movie as too formulaic, repeats of similar movie tropes, and a basic fish out of water screen play, fans enjoyed the film, and it’s to-date, had a better opening weekend over Detective Pikachu and is currently the second highest grossing movie of 2020.

Sonic Fandom:

What happened in the wake of Sonic Games

Much like how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spawned a number of anthropomorphic cartoons trying to sell their toy lines, video games followed suit. A more video games came out mimicking Sonic’s speed and game play, creating an animal mascot character go along with it, with hundreds of imitators trying to create their own mascot and game franchise.

This caused Sonic to feel diluted and his attitude seemed so common, that a modern take seemed more like a parody in of itself. This caused a lot of issue, as the character itself didn’t age well in to the 2000s and beyond, with Sonic trying to keep this edgy and attitude like aura about himself, but his games not exactly succeeding in promoting and showcasing him quite the way fans have really remember him being.

Fan Created Original Characters (OC)

• Sonic’s world, which is very appealing to some, has spawned lots of fan created characters
• Most character have element of Sonic or other characters in the franchise, with many seeing just Sonic in a different color beside the Iconic Blue, and/or his spikes rotated backwards. Additional accessories like Goggles, scarves, belts, hats, etc, are not uncommon as well.
• Some of these characters are very edgy, likely a reflection of teenagers who grew up with Sonic as a kid, expressing their confused maturity in their OC characters
• So many OC characters created, that you can try to google your name + ‘The Hedgehog’ to find an OC out there.

https://www.deviantart.com/midnite-delight/art/Ireland-the-Hedgehog-2013-2014-412884185

https://imgur.com/r/thehedgehog/syUde

Fan Generated Content:

• Fan Comics using Sprites from the games
  • More comics have transitioned away from Sprites and into full artwork, with MANY long running comic series
  • Comic creator Tyson Hesse developed a strange Comic version of Sonic eventually got to work on the Sonic Comics by Archie, also got to do animation for Sonic Mania and even helped with the Sonic redesign for the 2020 Sonic The Hedgehog film
• Fan Animations using sprites from the games
• exe – A horrific CreepyPasta story
  • CreepyPasta are fanfic horror stories
  • The Story of Sonic.exe tells of a kid who was given a copy of Sonic.exe via CD to play at home. The game shows various characters, encountering horrific violence and dismembered bodies, via a Sonic the Hedgehog with black and red eyes.

Fan Created Games

• Many fans using the Classic sprite to make games, while others made games based off the Adventure/3d games.
• Most fan games are unlicensed and fan creations, with little input from Sega or Sonic Team
• Sonic Amateur Game Expo: a yearly, online event to showcase Sonic fan games, both finished and in production
• One Christian Whitehead was a sonic game creator, who pitched a licensed Sonic Classic game to Sega, and created Sonic Mania with a number of Sonic Fan Game creators. He previously helped rebuilt Various Sonic games for newer media, including Sonic CD and Sonic 1 & 2 for newer consoles and devices.

Fan themselves:

• Sonics fans have a wide gambit between there likes and dislikes in the Sonic games and community.
• A lot of fans prefer the Classic Sonic, while others prefer the 3d Sonic, and neither side really like what happened.
• Sonic fans seems to never be all that happy with anything that comes out Sonic Related
• A large majority of the fan base is spurred by Nostalgia
• Some find the Sonic Fandom bizarre and ravenous, too emotionally attached to their beloved characters and games to see proper reason.

After years of Sonic Fans having poor games and negative stigma placed upon the community, many fans began to turn on Sonic, but rather than abandoning Sonic, their frustration and disappointment began to show in the Fan Content. Much of the content in the Fandom began becoming more satirical, both all the games and their content, but also against the fans as well. Much of the content created now for Sonic seems to be distorted and bizarre, which is hard to tell if it’s mocking, trolling, a parody, satirical, or honest and genuine.

What is well known is that many people who were a part of developing the Sonic fan content in the early days, have since gone on to become stewards of Sonic going forward, with many now developing his games, making his comics, and even helping craft his movies.

Big Shout Out to Super Eyepatch Wolf for ideas and discussion on this topic. Check out his original video on Sonic's Fandom.

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Topic: Sonic The Hedgehog Tutorial

This week, we’re discussing the fastest thing alive, or atleast as he was billed in Video Games. Sonic has had an interesting lifespan, a popular and celebrity status in the 90s, he’s since fallen on to hard times in the transition to 3D and come to 2000s, he’s tried to reinvent himself dozens of time with little success. But he maybe, arguably, more popular than Mario in some online outlets and circles. So first, let’s discuss the blue blur and where he came from!

History:

By 1990, Nintendo had firmly planted themselves as the leader in Video games, and Sega wanted to catch up. They believed that Nintendo’s strength lied with its mascot, Mario, and his game titles which helped push sales. Up to this point, Sega did not have an official Mascot, but several unofficial mascots. They decided to hold an internal design competition to create their own mascot to rival Nintendo, with a heavy focus on a Mascot that would appeal to a western Audience. Among the considerations, artist Naoto Ohshima and Programmer Yuji Naka were considered for the project, having developed a prototype game involving fast moving characters.

They eventually settled on Sonic, a blue hedgehog, that could roll in to a ball. His color was chosen as Blue to match the Company’s Logo’s color, and given red and white shoes to mirror Michael Jackson’s shoes on the cover of his album Bad. The primary antagonist, Doctor Eggman, was another character initially developed for the mascot, based off Teddy Roosevelt, but was later reused as the villain.

The initial game, Sonic the Hedgehog was then used as the company mascot, and tied in with their Sega Genesis (JP: Mega Drive) system, and became the killer app for the console. Along with an aggressive marketing campaign that saw Sega Genesis mocking and claiming to perform better than the Super Nintendo, Sonic helped start the great console wars of the early 90s. At one point, the Sega Genesis held a 65% market share of all game consoles in North America.

When Sega was ready for a follow up, Yuji Naka believed he received little credit and initially quit, before being hired by US-based STI (Sega Technology Institute). At this point, two games were in production, STI was working on Sonic 2, and a team led by Ohshima in Japan began work on Sonic CD for the soon coming Sega CD Add-on for the Genesis. Sonic 2 would introduce Tails, a two-tailed Fox sidekick to Sonic. Sonic CD would introduce love interest Amy and Rival Nemesis: Metal Sonic; the game also introduce a mechanic for Time travel, in which Sonic would travel through time to fix the future, and have various changes to the world based on actions in either the past or present.

STI would continue to work on Sonic 3, however, the scope of the game was much larger than initial anticipated. Due to Sega wanting the game to come out early and limited cartridge space, they initially planned on the game being a two part game, with the first half of Sonic 3 being released first, and a few months later, releasing part 2. The first part, just called Sonic 3 launched with a new rival in Knuckles; an Echidna with spiked fist gloves who was the guardian of the Chaos Emeralds. A few months later, they released Sonic and Knuckles, the second half of Sonic 3, this time allowing you to play as Knuckles. With the added time, they created a lock on function with the cartridge, allowing the original Sonic 3 to be connected, and released as a whole. The lock on function allowed Knuckles to be played on Sonic 3 as originally intended, but also allowed Knuckles to be played on Sonic 2 as well, swapping out the original Sonic.

While projects including Sonic continued after the Genesis’s life span ended and the new Sega Saturn became the main console, few Sonic Games were released, mostly due to the difficulties of bridging the 2D to 3D gap and keeping true to the game’s concept and ideals. By 1998, the new Sega Dreamcast console started the 6th generation of consoles and introduced Sonic Adventure, the first true sequel to the Genesis games. Sonic was redesigned, and various characters added to help round out the game’s story and game play experience. With the move to 3D, the game worked hard to try and keep the sense of speed the game series was known for, with some mixed results. Sonic Adventure 2 was released in 2001, introducing a mirror version of Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog. Despite the strong sales of Sonic on the Dreamcast, the introduction of the PlayStation 2 seemed to be a nail in Sega’s console coffin, with the announcement that they would stop making the Dreamcast and get out of the Console market.

Following the demise of the Dreamcast, Sonic and Team began to appear on rival Nintendo’s GameCube console, along with Sony’s Playstation 2 and Microsoft’s X-Box. Various new games included Sonic Heroes, mixing the game play of three different characters at once. They later released Shadow the Hedgehog, giving the title character a gun and interacting with various other Sonic characters over time. Several older titles, including Sonic Adventures, and the various Genesis games were also ported to various consoles, making Sonic a very easy thing to play despite the console.

By 2005, nearing Sonic’s 15th Anniversary, Sega was in a rush to have something ready by the time of the Anniversary. They released Sonic The Hedgehog (2005), a new game intended to return Sonic to his rightful place and reboot the franchise. However, the game was riddled with game breaking bugs and very lack luster story and characters. While some of the game play was fun, the many bugs in the game usually broke the immersion and fun. It is often considered the worst game in the franchise and worst game of the year.

After the Sonic The Hedgehog(2005), Sonic has been in a constant space of trying to rebooting and reimagining itself. These include:

Sonic Riders – A racing game

Sonic and the Secret Rings – Set in Arabian Nights, an on rail runner

Sonic and the Black Knight – Sonic in Medieval times with a sword

Sonic Colors – Similar rail runner

Sonic Unleashed – What if Sonic turns in to the Hulk

Sonic Lost World – Similar to Mario Galaxy, but with a tube world

By 2011, for Sonic’s 20th anniversary, Sega released Sonic Generations, a mix of the classic 2d Sonic with the more recent Adventure 3d Sonic. Classic levels were recreated, with some elements purely 2d over some elements 3d. This concept was much better received over others.

Sonic also began partnering with Nintendo more frequently, with Sonic being introduced in to Smash Brothers Brawl. Sonic and the gang then joined with Mario and company for Olympic style games for both winter and summer, and have released periodically.

In 2014, Sonic was re-imagined and rebooted again in to a new series known as Sonic Boom: Rise of lyric, with an accompanying TV Show called Sonic Boom. The game was just as poorly received as Sonic’s 2005 reboot, while its accompanying TV show fared better than the game. The game became the lowest rated in the Franchise, as well as the worst selling.

By 2016, for the 25th Anniversary, Sega released Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania. Sonic Forces allowed players to create their own Sonic-universe character for the first time, allowing you to play as them, but with added gadgets and abilities; the game also brought back many elements from Sonic Generations. Sonic Mania is a pixel based sequel to the early classic 2d Sonic Games, created by a team primarily consisting of Sonic Fans who has been making their own custom Sonic games and levels. Forces had mixed reception, mostly due to the short length, as where Mania was praised as a return to form.

Premise:

Nearly All Games in the Sonic Franchise take place on a fictional Planet of Mobius, where the evil Doctor Eggman (Doctor Ivo Robotnik) is trying to conquer the world. To do so, Dr. Eggman seeks the Seven Chaos Emeralds: gems with mystical powers that can do just about anything (Think Infinity Stones/Gems). Dr. Eggman uses an army of Robots with trapped animals inside to carry out his plans. Sonic is always tasked with Stopping Dr. Eggman as a result.

Typical Sonic games have Sonic running through the level to get to the end as quick as possible. This can be through loops, corkscrew pipes, grinding rails, and if Sonic gets himself in to a ball, he goes even faster. As Sonic progressed through the level, he’ll hit various check points, allowing Sonic to return should he lose a life along the way, with a final checkpoint/banner that Sonic hits at the end of the Act/level. As Sonic’s main goal is speed: the faster he completes a level, the more points he will receive. Various Badniks, robotic bad guys, litter the level, and Sonic can typically roll through them as a ball, or Jump on to them in a ball form. At the end of each Zone, there is typically Dr. Eggman as a final boss of the Zone, usually in some vehicle/machine intended to finish off Sonic. If Sonic beat Eggman, he can run to the end of the stage and free animals that have been trapped.

Littered throughout the world of Sonic are Golden Rings, or just Rings, that Sonic can collect. Rings serve three different functions: one as a collectable to receive additional points at the end of the level, secondly by collecting 100 rings, Sonic gets an extra life, and lastly, as a health pot. If Sonic gets hit, land on spikes, or lava, all of the rings he had collected get lost and are scattered throughout the area; players have a limited window in which to collect some of them again, otherwise they are lost. So long as Sonic has atleast one Ring, he won’t lose a life to damage. Sonic can also find various item boxes through the game that provide power ups and bonuses. Common boxes include additional rings, some include Shields so that Sonic won’t lose his rings to damage, short term invincibility, or extra lives.

Sonic can also enter the mysterious Special Stage area, which allows Sonic to transverse the stage and collect additional rings for lives. At the end of each Special Stage is a Chaos Emerald. Upon collecting all Chaos Emeralds, Sonic gains the ability to transform in to Super Sonic, which gives unlimited in invincibility, he accelerates much faster and has a higher top speed, and turns golden. Sonic must have atleast 50 ring to turn in Super Sonic, and each second, he loses a single ring. If Super Sonic loses all of his rings, he’ll revert back to regular Sonic, and have no rings left.

Later games give the ability to play as various characters, with new game play abilities:

Tail – Can Fly and even lift Sonic up.

Knuckles – Can punch enemies and climb up walls

Amy – Carries a hammer and can strike enemies

Shadow – Plays just like Sonic

Characters:

Sonic The Hedgehog – a Blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog, and series protagonist. Sonic is described as a wild drifter and a staunch defender of freedom. He can be a trickster and rebel, but always does the right thing. He is best known for his running speed, of which makes him the fastest thing in the world.

Miles “Tails” Prowler – a two tailed Fox that is Sonic’s best friend and sidekick. Tails is often portrayed as a child science prodigy, making various inventions to help out Sonic. He can use his two tails to create a helicopter like effect, which allows him to be lifted off the ground for short period of time. He can also point them horizontally, acting like a fan boat to propel him forward.

Knuckles the Echidna – a bright Red Echidna with enlarged fists with spikes on the end, he is the guardian of Angel Island and the Master Emerald, which controls the chaos Emeralds. One believing that Sonic had stolen the Chaos Emeralds, he later becomes a friend to Sonic and Company.

Amy Rose – a Bright Pink Female hedgehog who wears a red dress and gold bracelets. She is known for following Sonic around and acting as his love interest, even if Sonic doesn’t reciprocate. She is known for her huge hammer, which she uses to smash down on to enemies and alike.

Dr. Eggman (Dr Ivo Robotnik in America) – An evil genius with an IQ over 300, he is depicted as being portly/overweight, wearing a red jacket and black slacks. He is most well known for his bald head, goggles, and comically large, red/orange/brown mustache. He is the primary Antagonist of all games in the Franchise and is seen riding around in his Egg-mobile.

Metal/Mecha Sonic – A mechanical creation by Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic mimics the look of Sonic, albeit in a robotic form, and mirrors his abilities. Though cold and emotionless, the robot seeks to only compete with Sonic and defeat him for his master.

Shadow the Hedgehog – Initially thought to be the most powerful experiment ever, he is revealed to possibly be a clone of a clone. A black and red Hedgehog, he wears hover boots and appears to skate to gain speed. His abilities match Sonic, though he has greater knowledge and control over the Chaos Emeralds.

Rouge the Bat – a white female Bat introduced in Sonic Adventure 2. She acts as a femme fatale like character, claiming to be the world’s greatest jewel hunter. She can fly and is renowned for her ability to find/steal jewels. She a Freelancer, working for either good guys or bad guys, depending on the right amount of money.

Other Media:

TV: Sonic has had several Tv Series over the years. These include:

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog(1993) – a Satirical take on Sonic and his many adventures. It was known for a very slapstick animation style and often nonsensical story lines. Each episode was a standalone episode and did not play into a larger narrative.

Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) (1993-1994)- This series more closely follows the Video Game and related Archie-Comics version of Sonic that was currently running at the time. The narrative follows Sonic and a collection of freedom fighters who fight against Dr. Robotnik, who is bent on capturing the various people(Who are animals) and turning them into robots. The story is typically more dramatic and darker than the more light hearted adventure series that ran along the same time. It’s on as SatAM as it was typically shown only during Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Sonic Underground (1999) – This series had a separate canon and continuity from other Sonic media at the time. It starred Sonic and his siblings, the last of Mobius’s ruling family, as they fight against Dr. Robotnik and attempt to reunite with their mom, in order restore her to the Throne. To Aid the siblings, they’re given magical pendants that transform into musical instruments. Each episode was known for having its own song. The series is not well regarded, mostly due to an overly complex plot, not following established lore/continuity, and lacking any feeling from the original games.

Sonic X (2003-2006) – Created by Japan, It’s Sonic as an Anime. Much of the characters are transplanted in to modern day Japan, using a majority of their Sonic Adventure designs/models. The series even replicates the two adventure games at one point, along with several original stories. The show has generable favorable response to it.

Sonic Boom (2014-2017) – Meant to coincide with the 25th Anniversary, it star Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles on Seaside Island, Protecting the island from Dr. Eggman. The series garnered favorable reviews for the most part, and was notable for being made entirely in 3d.

Comics: Sonic has had a long running Comic series through Archie Comics. The story is reminiscent of the Saturday Morning Cartoon Incarnation of Sonic, but expands on the mythos and storyline. The comics continued well into the 2000s, adding elements of the games in to the world as the popped up. The Comic is known for having darker tones than other series, and is a fitting follow up to Sonic SatAM.

Movie: Sonic the Hedgehog movie came out in 2020. The film was originally intended to be released in late 2019, however, after the release of the trailer, fans were upset about the look and design of Sonic, remarking how Human he looked. A major overhaul of the character postponed the movie to early 2020, with a much more cartoony and videogame inspired look. The movie is also notable for having Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik, who basically chews up the scenes every time he’s on screen.

Homework

Sonic Movie

Any Sonic Games

Recommend: Sonic Mania/Classic Sonic

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Topic: Dr Who Review

It's been a week or so, and we watched quite a bit of Doctor Who.  Mostly because there's a lot, but we wound up with similar conclusions.  What I've enjoyed about Doctor Who has really been the sense of trying new stuff frequently and often, never staying formulaic, and certain charm of following along characters and seeing what they'll get in to.  We got see all five of the modern incarnations of the Doctor, some episodes explain more than others, but it was a good watch.  Some Episodes are Legit Movies, not in length, but amazing premises, that if they'd only decided to not make it in to a TV show first.  But all of it was very good, and we would certainly watch more!

Series 1, Episode 1: Rose Series 2, Episode 4: Girl in the Fireplace  Series 2, Episode 13: Doomsday Series 3, Episode 10: Blink  Series 5, Episode 10: Vincent and the Doctor Series 9, Episode 11: Heaven Sent Series 11, Episode 3: Rosa

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Topic: Doctor Who Tutorial

This week, we discuss the strangest Doctor you’ve ever met. The series is a long running British TV show, practically a staple of any nerd convention, and with the start of a new era in 2005, a modern fixture of Nerds everywhere. His name doesn't matter, he's simply the 'Doctor' and for our first British Tv Show, we couldn't have picked a greater show. Come fine out about Doctor Who!

What

Doctor Who is a British Science Fiction TV series about a fictional character, known as ‘the Doctor’ who travels through-out time and space, fixing, interacting, and generally learning about events within history, even those that haven’t happened yet.

Typically, the show follows ‘the Doctor’ an alien creature with multiple lives as he and a traveling companion, or more, transverse the galaxy/time/universe to encounter various species, bad guys, and historical figures and events, either to help interact with them, or to watch them play out. Following a monster/adventure of the week element, the characters typically travel to a place, either for purpose or because the TARDIS takes them there, and the job of the Doctor is to preserve time or uncover the disturbance and the nature of events happening. The companion typically acts as the show’s self-insert character, so that the world being unique and new is the same for them as well.

The series is known as ‘Doctor Who’ due to the ongoing joke of the Doctor not having a last name, and characters being introduced to him, replying, “Doctor who?”

When

Originally airing in the 1963s, it continued through various iterations until 1989, with the series seemingly put on Hiatus for the time being. The series continued as reruns in British TV and occasionally in America, where it developed a cult following. In 2005, the series was brought back and has continued since then.

Typical seasons in the early years lasted about 26 episodes, but later seasons since the 1980s ran for only 13-14 episodes each a season, with a new season each year. With the return of the series in 2005, the individual seasons are typically only 13 episodes long, but tend to take a one year break every two seasons or between Doctors. Currently, the series began airing the 12th Season in January and finished in March.

Who

the Doctor

The Doctor is an alien known as a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey. The fictional Race was in charge of watching over the Universe and Time, ensuring that events played out as they were intended to. However, after a fictional war with the Dalek, in which the Daleks won, the planet Gallifrey and all Timelords were destroyed and lost, leaving only the Doctor. The Doctor himself stole an Obsolete TARDIS and used it to travel the universe.

As a Time Lord, the Doctor has access to multiple regeneration cycles, or lives. Once the Doctor spends all of his energy or life, he then goes through a process where we changes into a new person, still containing all the memories and knowledge from his past life, but taking on new personality and characteristics. This mechanic allowed the series to continue on when another actor left the role. To date, there have been 14 different actors who have portrayed the Doctor over time. Typically an actor takes on the role for roughly 3 seasons, though some have lasted longer and shorter.

While each actor adds or prays the Doctor in different ways, they typically continue to have several key personality traits, such as curiosity, Disarming and Mercurial, wise, melancholy, but holding back some form of darkness. While often childlike and jovial, when pushed, the Doctor can be serious and even threatening. This also includes a deep sense of right and wrong, but is usually dislikes violence of any kind, often being critical of those who use it. The doctor typically knows about every event that has ever happened, along with most major figures of history that play in them, though not necessarily everyone involved.

To aid the Doctor he has his trusty Sonic Screwdriver. The Device is like a universal tool, capable of doing just about anything the plot needs, from unlocking mechanical locks, hacking computers, a flashlight, conducting medical scans, microphone, and even as a weapon. The tool basically lets the doctor do just about anything, though it isn’t perfect, and the Doctor often has issues getting the device to work properly. As well, the Doctor carries Psychic Paper: while purely white, if the Doctor mentions credentials or a status, the paper will show such information to anyone who sees it.

Similarly, the Doctor’s has a particular look that remains consistent throughout the doctor’s tenure. IE: if the doctor jeans, a black shirt, and a black leather jacket, they are always wearing this exact same costume. The Doctor’s clothes even work like Psychic Paper to locals, so while still wearing the same bit of clothes, locals believe he is wearing period piece clothing. Because the clothing stays consistent throughout the tenure of the Doctor, there have been various signature items that have been worn:

Sixth Doctor – Multi-colored Jacket

Seventh Doctor – two Long scarves and a straw hat

Ninth Doctor – Leather Jacket

Eleventh Doctor – bow ties

Twelfth Doctor – Bolo, looks like a magician.

All incarnations of the Doctors have been Caucasian, British, none of which have had red/ginger hair, which the doctor laments each time. While all previous Doctors have been male, with the Thirteenth Doctor, it was the first time the character was played by a woman.

TARDIS

Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space

To do so, they travel in the TARDIS, a time-traveling space ship that takes on the form of a 1960s British police box. The TARDIS is perhaps only a 1x1 meter box approximately 2 meters tall, however the internal form of the TARDIS is actually bigger than a house, housing various rooms, closets, a kitchen and an elaborate control system, stylized around a circular room and central control console. While the insides of the TARDIS stretch seemingly forever, the outside remains the same. Originally the TARDIS would change to mirror the location the TARDIS arrived at, as to allow for camouflage with the local area. However at some point toward the beginning of the series, the form got stuck as a 1960s era British Police box and hasn’t been fixed ever since. The TARDIS, itself, is characterized as having its own personality sometimes, either faulting or malfunctioning until a moral or lesson is learned, and acting of its own accord if necessary. Depending on the series, the interior of the TARDIS has also changed to reflect the Doctor’s current life.

Companions

Companions are characters of our own time period(of which the series was filmed) that act as the primary audience POV for a majority of the show. These characters act as surrogates for the audience, allowing the new elements of the scene or world to be seen with fresh eyes. The Doctor has always traveled with atleast one Companion, if not more, depending on the seasons. Companions often stick around for around two seasons, with some transitioning in to the next Doctor upon regeneration.

As of 2005, the Companions have largely been Female, in order to balance out the male lead. While the Doctor has no romantic relationship with most Companions, often seeing them as children who are just following along, but in some cases, the doctor has had some relationships with Companions and other characters in the past.

Various bad guys have been introduced to the series over time:

Daleks - Riding in mechanical armor shells, they are the oldest and longest lasting villains of the series, having been the villains that defeated and destroyed the Time Lords.

Cybermen – Cyborg humans from either a sister world to Earth or a parallel world. They exist as coldly logical and emotionless cyborgs bent on replicating by turning humans in to Cybermen.

Weeping Angels – Statues that only move when not looking, they feed off of people by sending back to the moment of their birth and leaching off the ‘Potential Energy’ of a person as they continue to live out their life.

The Master – The Archenemy of ‘the Doctor’, he is a renegade Time Lord who wishes to rule over the universe.

A number of villains are usually Monsters or Aliens of some sort.

Why?

The series is a beloved Science Fiction series, often spinning in to different genre at a whim and with ease. One week might be a western, the next a steam punk future, a very technological future, the next week a monster, and so forth, allowing the series to play in different time periods or with different setting each episode.

Various spins have been created over time, including the most well known, Torchwood, an anagram of Doctor Who. Torchwood would focus on the present and follow exploits of a team dealing with various issues in and around England and Great Britian, though with less Time Travel as Doctor Who.

Homework:

Series 1, Episode 1: Rose

Series 9, Episode 11: Heaven Sent

Series 3, Episode 10: Blink

Series 2, Episode 13: Doomsday

Series 2, Episode 4: Girl in the Fireplace

Series 11, Episode 3: Rosa

Series 5, Episode 10: Vincent and the Doctor

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Topic: How has Nerdy things Changed during Covid 19

Myself and Mom and have skirted around the concern about the pandemic, especially how it's changed just about everything in the world. As it is now, we've been stuck at home for nearly two and half months, going on three, and probably four or five. A lot, including myself, have lost their jobs and in this uneasy time, not even our favorite Nerdy passions haven't been effected either. So, this week, we go in to see what's happened and has changed in light of the world's sudden changes.

Movies

Box Office movies as of early March expect to lose $5 Billion US Dollars

Many major Studios will no longer be releasing Box Office figures until future date.

Nearly a hundred movies have been pushed back to later dates, including some movies set to release either within the last two months or in the near future. Some movies that were set to release in theatres were instead released on home video immediately.

Released to Home Video/Streaming Early:

Frozen 2

Onward

Birds of Prey

Sonic the Hedgehog

Artemis Fowl

Movies in Production

Suspended:

Avatar Sequels

The Batman

Cinderella

Jurassic World: Domination

Matrix 4

Mission Impossible 7

Shang-Chi And the Legend of the Ten Rings

Delayed:

Fantastic Beasts 3

The Little Mermaid

Home Alone

Spiderman Sequel

Peter Pan & Wendy

Uncharted

Movies yet Released: Wonder Woman 1984 – Set for June 2020, Tentatively set for Aug 2020

Thor: Love & Thunder- Set for Nov 2021, Tentatively set for Feb 2021

Top Gun: Maverick – Set for June 2020, Tentatively set for Dec 2020

Soul – Set for July 2020, Tentatively set for Nov 2020

New Mutants – Set for April 2020, Tentatively set for Aug 2020

Mulan – Set for March 2020, Tentatively set for July 2020

Jungle Cruise – Set for July 2020, Tentatively set for July 2021

John Wick 4 – Set for May 2021, Tentatively set for May 2022

Ghost Busters: Afterlife – Set for July 2020, Tentatively set for March 2021

The Eternals – Set for Nov 2020, Tentatively set for Feb 2021

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse – Set for May 2021, Tentatively set for March 2022

Black Widow – Set for May 2020, Tentatively set for Nov 2021

Conventions:

With Concerns over social distancing and stay at home orders, the following conventions have been canceled for 2020.

BlizzCon – Mid November

PAX West(Penny Arcade Expo: West) – Labor Day Weekend (Early September)

Comic-Con San Diego – Mid July

Anime Expo – July 4th weekend

Fanime – Late May

Many other conventions set for August and beyond are still set to continue, however these are likely to be canceled as well.

For contractual reasons, many conventions are unable to cancel their events outright ahead of time like they would like to. This is due to many contracts including a ‘Force Majeure’ clause within their contracts. The clause is an element of most standard contracts that allows for the cancelation of the contract and agreement, presuming that the reason for cancelation is outside of the control of either party and was unpredictable.

As example, an outdoor Concert or Event being canceled due to rain wouldn’t fall under this clause because rain for an outdoor event is predictable. If the location was flooded due to rains, especially if the area isn’t known for flooding, this might fall under the Force Majeure clause of a contract.

For many conventions, they are unable to cancel their contract unless the city, state, or venue say you can’t continue as normal. As a result, especially in the beginning, many companies canceled their events prior to the city or state starting lock-down procedures and stay at home orders. Even though the orders went in to effect, if the venue canceled it before hand, the clause doesn’t apply, as the decision to cancel was made prior to order going in to effect.

This may be why many conventions and events are still scheduled to go, as many conventions need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars ahead of time to reserve the space and technology needed for the convention. Many conventions are also trying to play the waiting game as well, waiting to see if the concern over the pandemic will subside and allow for business to go on as normal.

Pro-Wrestling

Initially was to be canceled due to Corona Virus, however in mid April, Flordia stated that Pro Wrestling is an essential business. A Pro-Donald Trump for President PAC, ran by the McMahon family, donated 18.5 Million dollars to Florida Govern Ron DeSantis on day of the announcement that Pro-Wrestling was considered an Essential Service.

WWE

All WWE Live Events/House Shows have been canceled indefinitely

Filming for Raw/Smackdown/PPV filmed out of WWE Performance Center(Training Facility for WWE)

NTX Still filming out of Full-Sail University

Raw and Smackdown performs, as of now, are filming multiple shows worth of content at a single time. This is in an effort to keep employees at home as long as possible in order to limit exposure.

Several wrestlers sitting out during Virus. Roman Reigns is the most well known, was set to fight Bill Goldberg for Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, but pulled out due to concerns over his young newborn twin’s safety

Wrestlemania and Money in the Bank PPV shot at Performance Center

Wrestlemania was a 2-day Show, with Movie-like matches for AJ Styles Vs Undertaker and John Cena Vs Bray Wyatt

After Wrestlemania, over twenty main talent wrestlers were released, along with majority of Producers/Road-Agents and staff, amidst a desire to cut back the budget. Reports claim that the reduction of staff would save potentially $4 million dollars monthly savings, however the company has over $500 million dollars in savings in the bank, along with lucrative TV deals still in production.

AEW

Continued with Empty Arena tapings, choosing to do so weekly rather than tapes, and only the one show.

Moved operations to Jacksonville, Florida, where Company Owner’s NFL team resides.

While initially shot in Empty Arenas, it was later moved to smaller venues.

Audience is made up of other wrestlers.

New wrestlers continued to Debut during Empty Arena shows, including Matt Hardy, FTR(Formerly The Revival: Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood), Brodie Lee(Formerly Luke Harper)

New Mid-card Title created: AEW TNT Title, named and themed after network they broadcast on.

Independent Wrestling Organizations

Smaller Independent Wrestling Organizations have taken a major hit and aren’t performing.

With many wrestlers essentially out of work for the time being, Funds started by Former WWE Talent Rusev, who started by donating $20k for other wrestlers not working.

Concern over cancelation of events and dates for organizations sparks concern, especially in the beginning.

Video Games

Lots of people have been stuck in doors, and with many people furloughed or with stay-at-home orders, they can’t do much.

• Major Gaming Consoles are not available in stores, need to be ordered online.
• GameStop and other retailers not open due to Virus.
• Video Game Sales is up by $1.6 Billion over last year.
• Twitch saw 1.49 Billion game hours watched, 50% increase over March
• Nintendo announced Sales of the Switch up by 24% over last year, with 13.5 Million copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• Microsoft reported 130% additional gamers playing online

There are concerns over development of both games and Consoles. As Nintendo’s delays in production only recently made the Switch console available for retailers, Microsoft’s Xbox X Series and Playstation 5 are now going in to production for a holiday release, and with production houses closed, the delay may mean that fewer or no consoles will be available for winter release, missing out on lucrative Christmas revenue.

Same is true for games themselves, with many production houses having to either shut down, or reduce staff/hours in order follow city and/or state guidelines. Similar to movies, there are many games that will likely be either canceled or postponed to later dates due to the pandemic.

https://twitter.com/theAdamPage/status/1238520148908179461?s=20

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Topic: Anime for Kids Review

We're back again this week to talk about some of the anime we watched with my Sister in Law and mother of my two nieces who are only fledglings into anime. We watched some, but not all of the anime, as children do from time to time. But we talked about some of our shared experiences as well, and found that we’re not too different at all, just that some of us spent a lot more time watching cartoons and the other didn’t have children.

Sailor Moon Crystal (Hulu) Card Captor Sakura (Hulu) Kaleido Star (Hulu) Monthly Girls’ Nozaki Kun (Netflix) K-on (Netflix) Cells at Work (Netflix) Glitter Force (Netflix) Teasing Master Tagaki-san (Netflix) Fireworks (Netflix) Violet Evergarden (Netflix) Little Witch Academia (Netflix)

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Topic: Animal Cross Review

We spent a week to let Mom give the Animal Crossing a try. She actually started atleast a week or so prior to our first episode on the topic, but now that she’s been playing for about two weeks, we come back with more questions and comments about those Darn Raccoons and their plots to steal all of our Bells!

Some Cool Tips

https://www.wired.com/story/animal-crossing-new-horizons-tips/

Nook Miles Buy Recommendations:

Pretty Good Tools Recipes – 3000 Miles

This will give you the better versions of tools, upgrades from your flimsy versions you might have been carrying using before.

Pocket Organization Guide – 5000 Miles

There are two of these that eventually come up, but they allow you to expand your inventory from 20 to 30, and then to 40 items. Which even then, will certainly get filled up fast. The first one comes up after you pay off your house, and once you get the Residential Center, the second one should pop up.

Tool Ring: It’s Essential! – 800 Miles

This allows you to map your most commonly used tools to a ring on the directional pad, allowing you to easily access your tools or put them away without always going into your inventory.

Custom Design Pro Editor - 800 Miles

This will let you develop or make your own custom designs for signs, flooring, and clothing. Until you have this, you can't recieve or download them either, but once you do, lookout custom clothes.

Nook Miles Ticket - 2000 Miles

These are basically island adventures, where you can catch rare fish or bugs, but also find new fruits and crafting materials. Occasionally, you might wind up on Scorpion or Turantula Island, which can be very profitable.

Top 8 Pop Hairstyles - 2400 Miles

Top 8 Cool HairStyles - 2400 Miles

Top 8 Stylish Hair Colors - 3000 Miles

These are new customize options for your character, including new hair styles and different colored hair. If you want pink hair, only way to go.

The Stalk Market

This is an easy, but risky way to make easy bells in the game.

On Sunday mornings, until 12pm/noon, your in game time, there will be a boar named Daisy Mae, who will offer to sell you Turnips in batches of 10. Later in the week, you can sell your Turnips to Timmy and Tommy Nook, hopefully for more Bells than what you bought them for.

The price for the Turnips fluctuate throughout the week, and change from morning to evening. You’ll learn the prices by talking to Timmy or Tommy and asking the prices. Sometimes, it will be for a much higher price than bought for, while others less so. Ideally, you create a network of friends who are also playing, and trade what the prices for your turnips are. Price vary, in some cases they go up throughout the week, and others go down.

Alternatively, Reddit, being all Reddit, has a subReddit for people who want others to visit their islands to sell Turnips. Beware that when the Nook boys are buying turnips for high prices, that it attracts a crowd, so expect long wait times for selling if you don’t get in right away on a post.

https://www.reddit.com/r/acturnips/

Get the Nintendo App and Custom Clothes/Designs

Ever wanted to create/import your own unique logo/design in to Animal Crossing? You can.

Download the Nintendo Switch Online app and register your friend code. It knows what games you have, and once you install the Animal Crossing addon, which it will do for you, it will give you a ‘mini’ Nook Phone. From here, you can scan custom QR codes online and import your own images into do the game.

You can get QR codes online or make them yourself in an editor.

https://acpatterns.com/editor

There’s also a Nook Book of fashion, and once you get the Able Sisters tailor shop, you can download them for free from the internet.

https://nooksisland.com/designs

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Topic: Animal Crossing

Like alot of people right now, we've seemed to amass a great bit of time on our hands. Those fortunate to still be working maybe not, but alot of us have been stuck at home and have been really wanting to find something new to do. Thus, we offer this topic on Animal Crossing, specifically Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a new game perfect for people who don't necessarily like video games, but also a game perfect for people to relax with.

Nintendo Switch

Affectionately called ‘The Switch’ or just ‘Switch’, is Nintendo’s latest console released in 2017. Unlike Nintendo’s main line consoles for the last few years, the Switch merges the comforts of a home console with that of a handheld console, two markets Nintendo is unique in their mastery in. What makes it unique is that the console starts as a hand held, with controller on either side of the game screen, but can be docked in a cradle at home, allowing you to connect your device to a larger Tv monitor. The controllers on the side of the switch can also come off, allowing you to use them as either a new controller mode, or use them as smaller controllers for two people to play at once. The system itself is just behind the power of a PS4 or Xbox-One, but makes up for it with a classic Nintendo titles/games that can’t be played anywhere else, but also a robust 3rd party and indie game market place. Right now, it’s the console to have, especially as it’s very portable and inclusive for all.

As Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a Nintendo exclusive title, you can’t this game for any other video game console but the Switch.

If you are new to the console and/or don’t have one already, but are interested in getting started, there are two major models to keep an eye out for: The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. The major difference is the Lite version has missing features, primarily that the controls on the side of the game screen do not come off and are permanently attached to the main unit. As well, there is no docking option for the console, so you can’t connect it to a larger TV or monitor. The Lite version is ideal for children and those without ease of access to a TV, but is more compact and mobile. If you are not a serious gamer, and don’t mind the reduced screen size, the Lite version is a good compromise and decent price point.

As of writing and recording: a regular Nintendo Switch will typically cost $299 at retail, and the Nintendo Switch Lite around $199. Beware of Bundles or Special Editions, as they will charge you more for the base unit than necessary. Bundles often also include a game or added tools, like a carry case, for your system; as where a Special Edition are merely additional decorations on the console, which may or may not matter to you. In either case, expect to spend a lot more money for either cosmetic bonuses, which can be purchased cheaply, or additional items that purchased separately wouldn’t cost as much.

In Mom’s case, she was able to purchase a Switch Lite for the actual retail price via www.gamestop.com. Other retailer may have it available, but we found Gamestop selling it for the actual intended price.

Also Keep in mind that Animal Crossing: New Horizons itself is a $59 game as of this writing and recording.

What is Animal Crossing?

Anima Crossing is a life simulator, similar in vein to other games like The SIMs or other simulators like Sim City or an Airplane Simulator.

Developed by Katsuya Eguchi, a level designer and programmer at Nintendo, he relocated from the Chiba prefecture to Kyoto prefecture shortly after college, leaving behind all of his friends and family. After moving, he realized how lonely he was after leaving all of his friend and family behind, and how being close to them was a great and important thing for him. Thus, this was the impetus for creating the game. He later recounted that he and his family loved to play video games, but never actually played them together. He wanted to create a game that his kids could play, and that he could play too later in the day, seeing their progress and leaving stuff for his kids later on too.

All Animal crossing game follows similar gameplay experiences and roles. You start as a villager arriving to an area, and after meeting with Tom Nook, you are given a place to live, but must pay off the rent/ownership of the house to him over time. You do this by collecting various objects from around your island, town, or village, and either selling it back to Tom Nook or using it to decorate your house with. You meet other anthropomorphic animals that act as fellow neighbors and villagers in your area, who you can communicate with. They can come and go as they please, with new one appearing later on to take their place.

While the game has no root ending or endgame element, your encouraged to make your village, area, island, or town in to the best darn place possible and to decorate it as you see fit. As the game has no base requirements for completing it, you are allowed to focus on individual goals to your leisure. While many would ask what the purpose of Animal Crossing, the game has been described as a ‘Healing’ game. In Japan, ‘Healing’ media are just media that are good and wholesome, and makes you feel good afterwards. In terms of Anime, ‘Healing Anime’ have no real agenda, and typically follow characters as they live their lives and find either happiness in the mundane or little delights of life.

Examples of Healing Shows in America might be:

Golden Girls

Friends

Black-ish

Grace And Frankie

Gilmore Girls

30 Rock

Cheers

The Big Bang Theory

History of Animal Crossing?

Animal Crossing (2001) Nintendo 64 / Game Cube

First game initially titled: Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest)

It was initially intended to be released on the Nintendo 64’s 64DD expansion device, as it would have utilized the 64DD’s internal clock, but at the 64DD was a flop in Japan, the game was retooled and an internal chip was created for a cartridge version of the game in 2001. It is considered the last N64 game released for the system in by Nintendo in Japan, and second overall.

A few months later, a GameCube port was created, known as Dōbutsu no Mori+. This version saw added features left out from the original N64 version, including:

• Adding the Museum and Able Sisters
• Adding the second floor and basement to your house
• Adding more collectable Bugs and Fish
• Introducing Islanders (Similar to Nook Mile Islands)

This GameCube version of the game is the version we saw in the west as Animal Crossing. Due to the localization processes, many elements of the games dialog, items, and events, had to be changed and altered for audiences. This included:

• Various Japanese holidays being removed or edited, and new western holidays added to replace them.
• Reframing or removing cultural reference, and re-contextualizing them when unable to remove all together.
• Extensive re-writing of all the in game text, of which there was a lot. After localization was completed, it was found that there was more English text than Japanese.

Nintendo of Japan was so impressed with the results from the translation, that they re-translated the game back in to Japanese, leaving in the western changes, redubbing it Dōbutsu no Mori E+, or Animal Forest: English Plus.

Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005) Nintendo DS

The game is very similar to the original GameCube version, with slight additions and removals.

The major feature of the game was its online abilities. Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection would allow gamers to visit other players online, expanding the reach of the game. While the game itself had to be scaled down somewhat, almost all the original features of Animal Crossing were there in the game, including even more characters, fish and bugs, and a whole host of features that expanded on the use of the secondary game pad on the Nintendo DS.

In 2014, the Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection was shut down to make way for new programs and services, meaning that players of Wild World could no longer connection via the internet. Private servers and homebrew methods exists for those who play the game, as a means of connecting to the internet. Local play is still an option as well.

Animal Crossing: City Folk (2008) Nintendo Wii

A Nintendo Wii Port of the major game, it carried over a lot of the added additions from the previous game. The new major feature is the city portion, where you can hop on a bus to head to the city, where a lot of the shops and visitors that randomly appeared throughout a week had their own shops and stalls. Previously, you would have visitors randomly stop by that would sell specialty goods or services, but now a majority of them could be found in the city.

A lot of players of the previous games found the newer title lacking in new features. As well as the city being an element that you traveled to, only if you wanted to, and not a core feature of the game. The added element of the Wii Speak module wasn’t as popular either.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012) Nintendo 3DS

A return to the handheld generation, New Leaf was well received by the players for many new features added, the most since the original e+ version that was released back in 2003, 9 years prior. Rather than a new resident moving in, you’re promoted to the Major of your town. Some of the new features allowed more customization of your town and buildings, particularly where they could be found and placed, along with many new shops and stores for the player to use. It also allowed more customization to the character and several graphical and UI updates to the game, giving the characters more human models and updating all the bugs, fish, and plants to more realistic proportions.

The game was well received by fans of the series. In 2016, a new version of the game was released, adding Amibo Support. Players who already had the game merely had to download an update for free, while new players could buy the game outright.

Amiibo

Amiibo are Nintendo exclusive figure statues, roughly 3-4 inches in height. Each statue has a chip in its base that allows the figure to read by modern Nintendo Consoles, including the 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. Depending on the game, Amiibos can unlock new cosmetics or collectables for a game. As Example, In Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing Amiibos unlock new villagers. In other games like Mario Kart 8, Amiibos unlock new costumes for your Mii Racer. In Smash Brothers, they store fighting data, so you can practice against targets that know your fighting style better and player better for practice. Amiibos were first released in 2013 for the Wii U version of Smash Brothers, with most, if not all fighters, represented by an Amiibo.

The gimmick was first introduced in to the world by Activision and their Skylander series of games, with Activision originally offering exclusivity for the idea/technology to Nintendo, but they turned it down. Other companies had done similar gimmicks: famously Disney did similar with their Disney Infinity line, using their various Disney properties and characters.

Animal Crossing: New Horizon (2020) Nintendo Switch

Released on Nintendo’s newest device, the game a great success with players, as it released on March 20th, alongside Doom: Internal. Similar memes with both games came out at the same time. The game was also hugely successful, as they came out around the time of the Covid-19 Virus and many parts of the world being asked to stay at home, giving people ample time to play.

Similar to New Leaf, the game offered many new features. Rather than starting on an established plot of land, you actually start on an abandoned Island. Once there, you go about upgrading your tent to a house, plotting the locations of important businesses and shops, and trying to make the island as successful as possible.

Along with graphical and UI updates, the game saw even more customization in characters and furniture. The newer features include crafting, which allows the player to create their own furniture based of recipes found in the game. Along with crafting, there’s the option to customize your items even further as well. Added features also include Nook Miles, a specialty currency earned through accomplishments and milestones in the game, that can be used to buy upgrades and specialty items from Nook. A more interesting feature is the ability now to dramatically reshape your islands layout, including moving or adding rivers and lakes, to making new cliffs or destroying them. A much beloved feature as well is an automatic saving system.(in previous versions, a very angry mole, Resetti, would chastise the player if they didn’t properly save before turning off their system. With New Horizons automatically saving progress, he has since been fired, but takes up new work else.)

What do you do in Animal Crossing?

The majority of the game play in Animal crossing is fundamentally, trivial. Nothing you do in game really matters, save for what you otherwise make of it. The game was meant as a way to connect with others emotionally, rather than working toward a shared goal.

That being said, the game offers quite a bit of collecting and decorating for player to do. A lot of what you want to do in game is meant to either decorate or sell for Bells. Bells are the main currency of the game, and can usually be earned by selling items to the Nooklings Timmy and Tommy. They’ll buy just about anything, from crafting materials, fish, bugs, shells, fruit, clothing and furniture. Bells are used to upgrade your house, and in other games, used toward public works projects. Bells are also the main currency for buying decorations and outfits.

A major staple of Animal Crossing has also been updating the Museum. Blathers, an owl that manages the Museum, takes donations of Fish, Bugs, and Fossils from the villagers. So long as there isn’t one already in the museum, he’ll accept the donation. Fish can be fished from rivers, lakes, and the sea with a fishing pole. Bugs similarly, can be caught throughout the island as well. Depending on the season and time of day, some fish or bugs only show up then, so it’s important to play frequently, otherwise you might have to wait a long time for them to come back in season. Fossils on the other hand, can be dug up from cracks in the ground, which ones you dig up are random, and you will often come across fossils that have already been donated to the museum. Anything you can’t donate can always be sold to the Nooklings as well.

Most decorations come in a few different types, but most don’t fit any standard. Decorations can be widely classified as Indoor, Outside, or plants. Plants like trees and flowers can only be outside, while Indoor and Outside decorations being able to mix and match as your leisure. This can range from book cases, beds, tables, and chairs, to kitchen appliances, video games, fish or bugs you’ve caught, and so many more things. Outside items are generally bigger and require more space, but can be statues, pools, even tables and chairs even. A special care for flowers as well, as while you can only naturally get red, white and yellow flowers, mixing certain types of flower colors together will create variations on those flowers, causing Blue, Black, Pink, or Purple flowers to grow instead, which are rare and desirable from players.

Beyond the decorations and comforts of your home and island, meeting with and talking with your villagers is also important. They’ll often talk about other people they’ve met, things happening on the island, and will occasionally gift you with items, like clothing, furniture, decorations, or even reactions. Reactions are little emotes you can make your character do, depending on your mood, with a total of 40 possible reactions. The villagers do remember what you’ve done as well, and will mention your dealings on the island if they catch you doing stuff. While some villagers will move away over time, you can keep them happy by talking with them, sending them letters, or even gifting them items, which you’ll see them wear or keep in their house from time to time.

Some people have gone on to create specialty islands that have interesting themes or visions. Some have created unique scenes, while others have created locations, like basketball courts or theme parks or even mazes for people to run. A new type of youtube video has spawned of Island tours, which people visit other people’s islands to see what they’ve done with them. Especially when the player gain access to the development tools to manipulate the island’s geography.

Why Play Animal Crossing?

For someone like me, who has been stuck inside for the last two months, it’s nice to have something to do each day, but also rewarding to see my villagers come running up to me when they see me, if only just to talk.

For a lot of people, it’s a healing game, even TVTropes.com agrees with this notion, describing the game as essentially a healing Video Game. It’s meant to be relaxing, pick up as you go, and enjoy. The mileage for some will be greater for those who can spend more time at it, or those who wasn’t to get the most out of it, but with no inherent goal, it’s okay to relax and take one’s time.

Animal Crossing Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxvZwQPpPt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO7WBWGOPzo

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Topic: Anime for Kids

Today, I traveled a very FAR distance to come and visit my Sister-in-Law and discuss Anime with her. Previously, I showed my nieces 'My Neighbor Totoro', which they loved. Which sucked for me, because this was AFTER me and mom got back from Japan, where we saw Lots of Totoro just hanging out. Had I show the girls this before we went, we could have gotten some killer stuff with them in it. That being said, there's quite a bit of children appropriate Anime out there, and I'd love to get my nieces interested in the medium as a way of expanding their view points, and also having someone new to talk to about anime. My Sister-in-Law gracious welcomed me in to her home, and we talked anime turkey. If nothing else, give this woman a round of applause for raising two very well adjusted little girls, and also her first time ever doing a podcast.

What is Anime:

In Japan, any kind of animation, whether traditional 2d animation or 3d computer graphic animation, whether from America, Europe, China, or Japan, for Adults, Teens, or Children, all animation is considered anime.

In America, while there is no uniform consensus on what Anime does or does not include, I presume it to mean animation either from Japan or with heavy influence from Japanese Animation. This means I would include some American properties, like Avatar, as Anime. This means you can include Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Digimon, and other shows broadcasted on TV because they came from Japan, thus anime.

Common Themes of Anime

Unique/Colorful Character Designs

Interesting worlds

Mascots/unique creatures

Semi-realistic human proportions

Largely human cast

Attention to Physics

Stories that are more nuanced

Characters are Moral and Upstanding typically

Types of Anime Demographics:

Kodomo-muke (3-10 children)

• Typically shows aimed at small or young children in elementary age

Shonen (10-18 Boys)

• Typically Boy’s action/sports for young teens to adults

Shoujo (10-18 Girls)

• Typically Girl’s Romance/themed for young teens to adults

Senin/Josei (Adult/Mature Audience)

• Shows aimed toward adult audiences, tend to focus on more mature/nuanced topics or life

Hentai (Pornographic)

• Porn…. No really, that’s what it is.

While Children, Shonen, and Shoujo are aimed at their demographics, there’s a wide range of audiences that enjoy these shows too. Many Shonen or Shoujo fans continue to enjoy these shows well into adult hood, while many teens continue to enjoy anime aimed at Children.

Types of Anime Shows (Genre)

Actions/Adventure

Fantasy

Science Fiction

Space

Mecha

• A show in which character pilot humanoid/animal based machines

Sports

Mystery

Magical Girl

• Shows were girls transform into Magical heroines

Card/Game

• Shows were the premise revolves around a card game or type of game, often used for promotions of other games/properties available in real world.

Romance

Slice of Life

• Show in which share the happenings of everyday life and the adventures around it.

Healing

• Shows that are meant to be relaxing and heartwarming when watched.

Idol

• Shows resolving around creation, management, production, or life of an Idol group consisting of 3 or more guys or girls, typically girls

School/Work

• Shows where the primary location for the show revolves around school(typically high school) or at work.

Children’s Anime

Anime is shown at all times of the day, but most particularly in the mornings and evenings. Anime typically shown in the mornings are usually aimed at children or younger demographics, while anime shown in the evenings are often aimed at teens and adults. While a majority of children anime is shown in the morning, there are still some Shonen or Shoujo shown in the morning as well, and even some popular children’s anime is shown in the evening as well. Anime typically can hold key evening times, including 8pm, 9pm, and even 10pm time slots, denoting its importance/prevalence.

Children’s anime tends to be simpler in scope and programming, often choosing to do a monster-of-the-week format instead of a long running story. This means that the show often resets itself at the end of every episode, save for new characters, abilities, or statuses that are intended for use in later series. Or the episodes are often self-contained stories: utilizing a few or single major character and other supporting characters to tells an individual story.

Children’s anime tends to be educational on some levels as well, teaching history, sciences, morals, or repeating important life lessons.

There are four major types of Children’s Anime:

• Western Adaptations
  • Stories that are adaptations of traditional Western/European folk tales or stories
• Japanese Media/works
  • These are stories that are unique to Japan, often using linguistic puns/gags that don’t translate well in the west.
• Joji-Muke
  • Essentially anime for Young Girls, think Hello Kitty
• Shonen-muke
  • Essentially anime for Young Boys, typically focusing on toys or video games. These tend to have the greatest success.

Homework:

Sailor Moon Crystal (Hulu)

Card Captor Sakura (Hulu)

Kaleido Star (Hulu)

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki Kun (Netflix)

K-on (Netflix)

Cells at Work (Netflix)

Glitter Force (Netflix)

Teasing Master Tagaki-san (Netflix)

Fireworks (Netflix)

Violet Evergarden (Netflix)

Little Witch Academia (Netflix)

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Topic: Video Games and How to Make Money

As a follow up to last week's discussion, Mom wondered how people make money in video games, and being the clever nerd that has actually spent along time in the meta narrative on Video Game creation and process, I came back with some information to offer.

What does it cost to make a Video Game?

This namely depends on the complexity of the game. A game with Side Scrolling or 2D graphics will usually cost less than a game with 3D graphics. But the nature of the game’s content and desire to fulfill it is also necessary.

Staff

There are a core number of elements you need to make a game:

Game Designers

• Basically the person who designs the world, mechanics, and fun of a game

Programmers

• Individuals that make the Game Designer’s vision possible via programming and developing tools or systems for the game

Graphic Design and Animators

• Video Games being a primarily visual media, requires people who will be able to create characters, worlds, and animate them in a game. It can also include menus, UI layout, and ensuring the game’s information is easy to understand

Sound Designers

• Every good game needs a sound track, or atleast needs to have an audio feedback to express what the character is doing, if it’s a successful fit or a critical miss. Sound Design relies on giving an audio cue to know you did something

Testers

• These are individuals who test your game to ensure that they catch bugs and errors in your game, ensuring that your game is as polished and presentable as possible. Depending on the complexity of game, they can also offer balancing and ideas to further the game.

Producers

• These are people who help keep the game in line: whether they ensure every member of the team has the tools necessary, coordinating deadlines and completed tasks, ensuring the game’s vision isn’t lost during development, being a fellow visionary on the game, and much more

Beyond that, you can have more specialized roles and staffs, including an Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Integration with various console platforms, and so many more positions. Some people may have varying roles or multiple roles, but these are the kinds of people you will needs, and each one will need a salary or compensation for work completed.

Technology

Most games are built in various software engines, on various computer products, and may need various tools and multipurpose libraries of useful assets or information.

Software

• Depending on complexity of the game, you may need to buy or license a game engine to run your game and develop for it, which in of itself is not cheap. Some engines are free to use, like Unity, but more powerful engines often cost in the thousands to millions to license and develop on. This is even before the powerful computers necessary to program in. Less complex games can get away with reduced costs.

Services

• Depending on your game, especially in an always online world, you may need local and cloud based services like Maps, weather conditions, server space for save data, or a place to host multiplayer games. Services like this will certainly require additional money, especially if your game is popular and takes off.

Templates, Libraries, and Plugins

• Most video game elements are not created in a vacuum. Everything from characters and sounds, to how they and other objects have already been built once before. So if you don’t need to rebuild the wheel, why not buy the assets you need for your game. Especially if you’re aiming for certain elements of game play in your game, you can buy assets online that mirror or give you a starting point to develop your own game elements, which can save more time and money down the line.

Time

All games take a period of time to make. This will always be dictated by the scope of the game and the size of the team. So the bigger the game, the more staff, thus more time to produce the game, meaning more money. Some games might also have tighter time constraints, as games based off of movies might need to come out around the same time as the movie, leading to rushed game development. Games with a smaller scope can get by with less staff, but it still takes time.

Typically, games with bigger scopes and large teams will take around 2-3 years to develop a game, as where games with smaller teams can probably take around 10-12 months. These can be quicker or shorter depending on the game complexity and scope, along with the team working on it.

Retail/Revenue

In Sum

Simple games like Angry Birds as an example, might cost around $10,000 to make, while games like Grand Theft Auto 5 might cost $100 million dollars or more. Games that cost more are also expected to sell more too, so a game costing a $100 million dollars needs to sell upwards of 2 million copies before it ever breaks even.

How Game Companies Make Money:

While it’s intended that all games are built to have fun, they are also primarily built to make money. There’s lot of ways game developers and their companies make money off of video games:

Basic Box Retail

• This is the most basic version of how a game makes money. Thinking back to the days of the 80s and 90s, where you went to a store, bought the game, and went home and played it. Basically, the act of purchasing the game in question.
• Interestingly, most game consoles sell at a loss in the first few years of production. IE, an Xbox 360 might retail for $399, but the same of its parts and labor to put it together might be around $500-$600. The logic being that while the technology is expensive, most people won’t buy multiple consoles, thus locking you in to preferred console. From there, video games themselves can be expensive, $50-$60, and can only be played on that console
• Depending on the platform it will be played on, there will likely be fees/costs associated with publishing the game on that platform. Major Gaming Consoles like Playstation, X-Box, and Nintendo will take a small portion of revenue to be able to be played on their systems, but your game will certain reach a wide market. Platforms like computers may have platforms like Steam who help sell your game, but take a portion of the profits from you as a result. If you’re on a mobile platform like Android or Apple, there’s likely a fee to be on the store.

Subscription

• This is a pay to play model, where you pay a monthly/yearly fee to play the game. The game itself can have an entrance fee to purchase the game, or require you pay just the Subscription to play alone.
• These are typically games that are intended to be played for over several months/years. These are also games with social aspects, whether working with or playing against other players. Typically any game with online play will require a subscription.
• Major consoles Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo all have subscription services as well to be played to play online with their games. Namely since these companies host the servers connectivity with the games and their developers/publishers, subscriptions to play online are not unusual. Though if you pay a subscription, you won’t be paying them additionally for each game.

Free-To-Play

• These are games which are free to play themselves, but may require that you watch/view material outside of the game, or pay to progress through it the game quicker.
• Advertisements
  • A game can be free to play, but will require watching or viewing of advertisements.
• Freemium
  • These are games that are free to play, but take a long time to progress, namely due to the gating of content or progression. The gating can be shortened or eliminated entirely by the purchase of game currency or unlocks, allowing progression of the game to continue.
  • Games that rely on this model are looking for gamers they term as ‘Whales’. These are games that will spend lots of money to unlock, progress quicker, or collect rare items in the game. These are the type of people who will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on game.
• Free-To-Play are more common amongst mobile games.

Advertisements

• Game development can be expensive in and of itself, so some times game developers offer to include Advertisements in their games. It can a few different forms:
• In-Game-Advertisement
  • Some games may have advertisements built in the game’s world. EX: Grand Theft Auto 5 has some billboards that change throughout the year to advertise new stuff in the real world.
• Product Placement
  • Because development can be expensive, some games may use Product Placement to help fund their game. EX Sonic Adventure 2 had a Product Placement with Soap Shoes, which is seen on characters and developed a rail grinding element in the game itself.
  • Most games use fake or ‘Greek-ed’ names for items. IE It’s not Coca-Cola or Pepsi, it’s just ‘Cola’. But some Product Placement may request their items in the game, like cars or locations.
• Sponsorships
  • Some games may ask for a sponsorship detail, making it so it’s a preferred game and help with the advertising and marketing of a game. As a result of the company spending money to promote the game, they’ll take a portion of the revenue as well.

User Data

• More common, especially in Mobile Game markets, companies can collect information about you through your phone. They will always mention this in their term of service, but they may collect information on your play habits or even reference the kind of websites you visit. This data can then be sold to marketing companies as a way of targeting their advertisements in the future.

DLC (Down Loadable Content)

• Typically games with lot of varied items, characters, or content will have DLC. These are usually additional offerings that are not required to play the game, but are purchase-able as a way to enhance or offer new content to a game. This content can include:
  • Unlocked characters – either new characters or ability to unlock character right away
  • New levels/modes for games
  • Unlock weapons or skins for characters or models
  • Releasing future content of the game – IE, in a chapter based story, the next chapter
• DLC has been seen in big games, as a way to add additional content to the game without releasing a new game. Typically this offers additional content to the game that isn’t included in the base game.

Currency/Unlocks

• Similar to DLC, these are often means to unlock content included with the base game. These are typically used as ways to bypass restrictions or content in a game so that you can progress through it quicker or easier.
• Example might be unlocking all character in a fighting game, rather than progressing through a story mode to unlock them.
• It might also be a unique currency in the game that allows you to buy the best weapons or abilities in the game, so that you can progress through the game quicker, or make it easier to do so.
• Another names for this is ‘Micro-transactions’

How can Gamers Make Money?

Gamers themselves have opportunities to make money off of video games. In most cases however, the game becomes less about having fun, and instead become about offering/selling a product rather than enjoyment.

Game Testing (Quality Assurance/QA Testing)

• Gamers are in a unique position to Test Video Games, as they’re familiar with games themselves, they can be useful in understand how stuff works and doesn’t naturally, along with being able to explain it easier to a bug reporter.
• While you don’t have to be a gamer necessarily, understanding the logic and inherent controls of video games is a big plus.
• While most people think you might get paid to play video games, what you’re actually doing is testing elements or parts of a game for potential bugs and oversights. Typically, these are unfinished and/or unpolished games that need someone to go in and find where the problems are. Depending on the game, as well as the culture, some testers will work long hours and overtimes, with some working 10-16+ hours in a day, as well as weekends.
• The pay model will differ for varying game companies and vendors, with bigger companies offering more pay typically.
• Great webcomic and stories about this found here: http://trenchescomic.com/

Youtube/Twitch

• A popular model of revenue for people is playing games online for the enjoyment of others. This is often seen live via Twitch, or recorded sessions via Youtube, which some Twitch broadcast often uploaded to Youtube.
• A majority of these channels that do well offer a unique experience. It can include:
  • Playing a game with commentary or discussions about the game and/or content
  • Playing online against other people, testing your skill against theirs
  • A play-thru of the game, intended to show your progression through the game.
  • Playing Online with friends or fellow games, usually requiring everyone to be able to communicate together
  • Performing unique play-thru. IE Speedrunning, or playing a game with rules, limits or criteria.
  • Developing or crafting housing/worlds, Minecraft.
• On Twitch, people viewing the content are often asked to subscribe to the channel to help pay for the content, or can cheer for the channel with Bits, a one-time gift of money in the form of a Twitch based currency.
• On Youtube, people viewing the content will be asked to watch the Youtube ads or asked to support via Patreon
• In either case, subscribing via Twitch or through Patreon will gift the viewer with unique rewards or perks, such as chatting in chat, call out in the video, special emotes or emblems, or more depending on the channel
• Popular channels can make millions of dollars a year, however most channels do not make a lot of money, perhaps $10,000 to $40,000 a year depending on their frequency and content.
• Before you can start making money, you need to show either Youtube or Twitch that you have regular/routine broadcastings, you have a certain amount of viewers, and some other criteria. Once meeting these thresholds, you can apply for Partner Status and receive money from your content.
• While it can be lucrative for some, for most it is not. With so many people posting and streaming content, it can be hard to get noticed unless you’re either already popular, or you have a unique experience you’re offering. The more unique, the better to make yourself stand out.

Tournaments/eSports

• Some games can be played professionally, especially multiplayer games. Tournaments offer the opportunity to show your skill and talents, with the best players taking home money.
• People who play in Tournaments often are people who do it full time, playing the same games frequently and often in order to build skill, tactics and strategies, along with understanding of the game’s mechanics and limitations. This is treated a profession at this point though, with only the best typically making money.
• eSports are a natural progression of Tournaments, which sees sponsorships taking over potential prize money.
• You don’t necessarily have to be masters of these games though. You can play host to the eSports, offer commentary on matches, Act as a referee, or help with the marketing of a league, team, or tournament. Advanced knowledge of these games are required through, so you can’t just walk in to it.
• Most of the players for eSports and Tournaments are usually already using the Twitch/Youtube model of making money, and are actually discovered on those platforms by potential sponsors.

Farming In-Game Currency/Services

• More unique to MMORPGs, people will play a game to collect the in-game currency or items to sell for currency from a game. After collecting the currency, they will sell it through website that offer the currency for Cash. It’s more popular with MMOs because of the ease of collecting the currency or items, as the currency is endless and the transaction can be hidden or obscured.
• Some players will offer to farm currency for other games that offer unlock/rewards for currency. IE: Overwatch has skins that you can win via-loot boxes, or pay for them via in game currency.
• There are some players who want to play with high level players, and thus will pay another person to play their account to unlock later levels/content, or improve their ranking or level so that they can be match up with higher level players. Some people may just start accounts, level them up, then sell it on eBay or websites, though this is frowned upon by gamers and game developers/publishers, often being against the terms of service.

Journalism

• A way to monetize your game play might be to do so as Journalism. Posting reviews on games you have played or unique commentary on you experience with it can be rewarding.
• Much Like Youtube/Twitch model, there are a lot of people out there trying to do this as well, so it can be difficult to get noticed or being to make money off of it without having a unique hook or reason for people to read.
• Blogs/websites, including Youtube, offer a way to express your thoughts and opinions easily.

Other people who Make Money off of Video Games

Re-selling Video Games

• More so with older games, and less so with more recent, older games can fetch good money, especially if they were popular at one point. Collector’s editions or special type of games fetch more money than others.
• Retail outlets like Game-Stop purchase used games and consoles, reselling them for more than bought in order to make money on them.
• eBay and other online auction outlets can be a good place to purchase and resell gaming media.
• People who can repair old systems are highly valuable as well, as people who can fix older consoles are becoming fewer, along with replacement parts becoming slimmer.

Video Game Merchandise

• While you can’t reproduce copyrighted material, you can pay homage to them. Websites like Etsy and eBay offer to sell gaming merchandise for people. This can include one off bags or accessories, cosplay and props, along with trinkets and home furnishings. It’s not unusual for people to take their love of gaming into crafts and create stunning objects for collectors.

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Topic: Super Mario Bros Review + Speed Running + Twitch/Streaming

So this week, we had some homework that would have been difficult for some to accomplish if you didn't already have any of the included games. I'll be linking videos for those who couldn't play the games, but this week, thanks to some help, Mom actually played them. And while she had difficulties playing Super Mario Bros. 1 with out any help, even she admitted she'd get it eventually given enough time.

Home Work:

Super Mario Bros. 1

Game picked because in video games, there’s quite a bit of learned knowledge that comes from years of playing video games. Some of this includes controls, visual language, enemy interaction, and certainly familiarity with the world. Some example of this learned knowledge is:

• Jumps are better when you run
• We always want power-ups
• Understanding Health Bars
• Controls in an FPS
• Pits are bad

I also choose it because the Game Design in Mario is very smart, even though it would never feel like it. It assumes that you never played a game like this, because back then you wouldn’t have, and lets you experiment naturally with little punishment.

Mario Kart

I picked this because it’s likely the second most popular Mario franchise after Super Smash Bros. This game lets you jump in and goof around easily with friends, and always felt like it very easy to pick up and get going. What I feel is nice about the game is that you can develop your skills over time to do better in races, rather than needing to develop your skills to progress further in to the game, which is difficult for some people to do.

Mario Party

I picked this because I found it interesting how Mario franchise can be adopted to fit just about any genre, including a board game. I appreciate the board game because it allows for lots of mini-games that always seem to offer unique game play and interaction.

Speed Run

The term ‘Speed Run’ comes from the intent of playing a video game and completing it as fast as possible. Playing a game with the intent of doing a Speed Run is referred to as ‘Speed Running’.

While there are lots of games that are fun to play, there are some that are better for Speed Running. These are games that involve:

• Skill – mastery of the game and controlling your character
• Precision – the game must be consistent in its controls and how the game mechanics work
• Low RNG – RNG is basically randomness in enemy or world actions outside of your own.

While these are not deal breakers for many games that have Speed Runs, they tend to be the more common elements.

Some important terms:

• Frames – Essentially the micro-seconds of a game, or rather, states in which the game screen changes by even a small pixel
• RNG – Game Randomness, many games rely on random elements to keep players on their toes. These can include random dice rolls, cards that are chosen, hit chance, or enemy actions. Lots of games include RNG in multiple ways. EX: Pokemon: what a pokemon will do in battle.
• Cycles – In some games, enemies or mechanics work in a repeat cycle, IE, enemy will always jump, run forward, then jump again. Various cycles or rotations in games exist and players who Speed Run tend to see them often enough to know what best to do when they encounter it.
• States – The state of the game at any time. IE how far has a character progress, what upgraded or items to they have, what part of the story are they on. Simple example could be board game, where the pieces are and whose turn is it is a ‘State’
• Glitch – An unintended error in the game, where the game doesn’t work right in one particular pixel or way, allowing players to exploit the game
• Sequence Break – This is when a player performs an action that allows them break the intended layout or order in which the game developers intended the game to be played in. IE: obtaining items out of order, skipping portions of a map, or skipping required actions the game intended. These are usually done via Glitches or exploiting mechanics of a game to do things that the developer did not intend.

Most common games for Speed Runs are usually older games, games from the 80s and 90s, but not exclusively. Some popular titles include:

• Super Mario Bros 1. – NES
• Super Mario World – SNES
• Super Metroid – SNES
• Super Mario 64 – N64
• Doom – PC
• Quake – PC

Some newer titles are also run, including:

• MineCraft – PC
• Resident Evil 2(2019) – PS4
• UnderTale - Multiple
• Mario Kart 8 – Wii U/Switch
• Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
• Cup Head - Multiple
• Portal 2 - PC

Depending on the video game, additional rules and limitations can be placed on the game in order to achieve various different times. This can include:

• Any% - Typically the simplest, completing the game as quick as possible, regardless of using glitches or sequence breaks to bypass elements of the game.
• 100% - Full completion of the game, Plus collecting all available items, collectables, or upgrades
• Low% - Full completion of the game, but while collecting the bare minimum of items, collectables, or upgrades necessary to complete the game.
• Glitchless – Similar to Any%, however, avoiding any glitches or elements of the game that were unintended by the developers.
• Challenge – These may be completing a game while invoking a challenge, IE, fewest jumps or weakest weapons

Various websites exist to track the Speed Running community, where they upload videos or scores to leader boards to track their progress and who is currently the fastest. One of the more popular is Speedrun.com, which tracks hundreds of games.

It’s a community that is very much friendly with one another, as they try to find new routes or tactics to overcome the time crunch.

Tool Assisted Speed Run (TAS)

A Tool Assisted Speed Run(TAS) is where a person is assisted by tools to complete a Speed Run. So rather than completing it purely by skill, a person has manipulated the controls to allow them to play in a better or worse way.

Typically, this means a program will play the game by making precise inputs as previously recorded by a programmer. The programmer, using emulation tools, will go Frame by Frame of a game, mapping out the inputs of the game at a speed or responsiveness that cannot be replicated by a human. This allows a game to be played in the most optimal way to complete the game intended, or cause the game to do things unintended by its original developers. Some example include: playing a game perfectly from start to finish, playing a game that is technically cheating but still winning, or manipulating the game to create new code and create new elements of a game.

TAS are usually showcases for cool things in video games, IE, unintended cheats or exploits in games, to weird mechanics and programming that resulted from it.

Twitch / Streaming

In the digital age we currently live in: ‘Streaming’ is the act of broadcasting things people do not actively own, over the web, in real time. Streaming example include: Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Twitch. Typically, streaming is the act of watching or listening to something that is currently available only for a set period of time in it is available or in which the service is paid for.

If you watch a video on Netflix, you’re streaming because you do not own the material and you must pay for the service. If you’re watching via Youtube, this isn’t considered watching a stream, as the content is intended to be free of charge and always available.

Twitch

Is a Video Streaming service that primarily focuses on user-created Video Game Streaming, but also includes more general topics as well, ranging from Cooking, arts/crafts, beauty, talk shows/podcast, politics, music, and even just chatting. These streams only include original content as generated by the channel’s users, IE: you can’t watch movies on Twitch as the channel’s user did not generate the content. There must always be some kind of user generated input in showing the content.

Originally starting as ‘Justin.tv’ in 2007, the website allowed people to broadcast user-created content for free to unlimited number of people. The platform was intended for people who wanted to stream their lives as they interacted and lived through it, allowing people to live in someone else’s shoes, al ‘Truman Show’. The website’s Video Game related content quickly became the dominate content and was thus spun off in to ‘Twitch’ in 2011. Justin.tv was eventually shut down and a majority of its content moved to Twitch. In 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch and has since merged it with other Video game related communities, including Curse.

Today, Twitch is the #1 streaming platform for Video Game, which allows anyone to stream their own user-created content. For many games, it is also the home for eSport broadcasts, but also including Speed Runs. Other game content includes people with unique narrations on their game-play, or multi-player games being played together my multiple people, which is usually the bulk of the channel’s content.

Many Streamers are small time celebrities due to their views; due to the number of views, some streamers make a living off of streaming, with player Ninja making upwards of $100,000 a month while on Twitch.

Twitch is the 26th most popular website in the world, 13th in United States. It is worth roughly $3.8 billion. Twitch’s competitor include youtube.com and Mixer, which is quickly joining the ranks of Twitch as it plucks off some of Twitch’s top streamers away.

eSports

eSports is a form of Sport for video games. It usually is an organized competition between professional players, in either individual or teams, in order to win a tournament or competition. Most of these competitions are over Multiplayer games, which require a one-on-one or team based game play.

Some of the most common games include:

• MOBA – Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
• FPS – First Person Shooter
• Fighting
• Card Games
• Battle Royales
• RTS – Real Time Strategy

Some of the most popular eSports, as sponsored by their developers include:

• League of Legends
• Dota
• Counter Strike
• Overwatch
• Super Smash Bros
• StarCraft
• Hearthstone
• Call of Duty

In recent few years, eSports have been recognized by the Olympics, along with Colleges and Schools, which offer professional and amateur eSport programs. As of 2019, 130 colleges have some kind of eSports based program.

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Topic: Super Mario Bros Tutorial

To get us off the rather serious, or rather, semi-serious topic of last week, I felt it was wise to move on to something completely different. With a lot of people stuck inside as of late, I felt that we should consider video games as an avenue of discussion. Since a great majority of Nerds love video games, we'll start off simple, and with the most recognizable character in Video Games. So we're discussing and starting our topic on Super Mario Bros. and it's surprisingly lengthy history.

History of Nintendo

• Founded in 1889 as a Playing Card Company
• In 1975, the Company began pivoting toward electronics and Game Cabinets in Arcardes
  • Donkey Kong released in 1981
  • Jumpman was introduced as company Mascot, better known today as Mario
  • These games are developed by Shigeru Miyamoto, who would go on to be the ‘Walt Disney’ of Nintendo
• In 1980, Game and Watch series of games released, popular hand held games
• In 1983, Nintendo releases the ‘Famicom’ or ‘Family Computer’ as a video game console in Japan. It is released worldwide in 1985 as the ‘Nintendo Entertainment System’
  • 1985 Also sees Mario’s First Major outing in ‘Super Mario Brothers’.
• In 1988, Nintendo began publishing ‘Nintendo Power’, a monthly magazine for their new games and fan magazine.
• By 1989, Nintendo released the ‘Game Boy’ a portable video game console. It is arguably, the most successful and most sold video game console, (If you include it’s various iterations)
  • Nintendo stays strong in the Handheld market through out release
• In 1991, Nintendo and Sony begin work and development on CD Addon for Super Nintendo, but as CES(Consumer Electronics Show) in 1991, Nintendo backed out of the deal and went with Philips instead. The decision to break partnership with Sony caused Sony to develop the PlayStation, Nintendo’s biggest rival in the console market to date.
• 1996 sees release of Nintendo 64, Nintendo’s reliance on cartages over CDs causes a lot of its 3rd party publishers to move on to other consoles.
• 2002 saw Satoru Iwata becoming President of company, leading the company through many new consoles
• 2006 sees release of the Wii, becoming a major Success for Nintendo and the most dominate 7th generation console
• 2012 sees release of the Wii U, the successor to the Wii, bring in HD graphics. It is considered a failure due to lack of understanding how to use the system by consumers and gave developers
• In 2015, Satoru Iwata dies due to complications at 55
• In 2016, Nintendo release the NES Classic, a smaller device with Classic NES Controllers that included a number of popular NES titles. It did the same in 2017 with the SNES Classic. Due to high demand and low inventory, a rather later secondary market continues to sell the consoles at double or triple the original price
• 2017 sees the release of the Switch, merging both Handheld and console gaming in to one device for Nintendo

Nintendo Consoles

1. 1985 – Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (3rd Generation)
   1. 2016 – NES Classic Edition
2. 1989 – Nintendo Game Boy (GB)
   1. 1998 – Game Boy Color (GBC)
   2. 2001 – Game Boy Advance(GBA)
3. 1991 – Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) (4th Generation)
   1. 2017 – SNES Classic Edition
4. 1995 – Nintendo Virtual Boy
5. 1996 – Nintendo 64 (N64) (5th Generation)
6. 2001 – Nintendo GameCube (GCN) (6th Generation)
7. 2004 – Nintendo DS(Dual Screen) (DS)
   1. 2011 Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
8. 2006 – Nintendo Wii (Wii) (7th Generation)
9. 2012 – Nintendo Wii U (Wii U) (8th Generation)
10. 2017 – Nintendo Switch (Switch) (9th Generation)

History of Mario

• Started life as ‘Jumpman’ in original Donkey Kong(1981) game. Name was later changed to Mario is Donkey Kong Junior where he is a villain.
• He would get his brother Luigi and star in his own game Mario Brothers(1982). This also marked the first time he was noted for being Italian and a plumber.
• Mario gets his name from ‘Mario Segale’, Landlord for the Nintendo of America’s offices at the time.
• Mario has appeared in over 200+ video game series
• Confusing Last Name, joked as “Mario Mario”, hence Mario Brothers, but no official Nintendo Stance on the last name

Characters of Mario

• Princess Peach(Princess Toadstool)

Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, main Love Interest, usually being held captive, but usually very resourceful, and can float/fly

• Luigi

Younger brother to Mario, often portrayed as a coward and scared, is lighter and has more floatier jumps

• Bowser (King Koopa)

Main Antagonist, a giant Bull/Turtle leader of the Koopa Race(Evil turtles) wants to marry Princess Peach

• Bowser Jr

Bowser’s Canonical Son

• Koopalings

Initially Boswer’s children, but later recon to be Bowser’s minions

• Toad

A loyal Subject of Princess Peach and recurring assistant/character to Mario and Luigi

• Toadette

A female version of Toad

• Donkey Kong

A big Ape, originally intended to be King Kong, he kidnapped Paluine in his own game and made Mario come to save him. While he has never appeared in a Mainline Mario game, he is a staple of Mario’s various Spin Offs, including Mario Kart and Mario Party.

• Diddy Kong

A younger Cousin to Donkey Kong, he is portrayed a smaller monkey with a tail, a cap, and wearing a t-shirt.

• Princess Daisy

Lead Princess in Game Boy Mario titles, she is best friends with Princess Peach, often portrayed as a tomboy and upbeat personality

• Rosalina

While not an official princess, she often portrayed in similar fashion. She is portrayed as mysterious, wise, and worldly

• Pauline

Original captured heroine of Donkey Kong, has made spare appearance in other Mario titles, most recently as leader of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey

• Yoshi

A rideable dinosaur for Mario and company. He has his own games where he is the hero. He is portrays as an innocent child with a long tongue that eats enemies and turns them to Eggs. He was in original Design documents for NES Mario games, but wasn’t realized until Super Mario World

• Cappy

A newer character introduced in Mario Odyssey, he is a sentient hat that replaces Mario’s classic had when it is destroyed

• Wario

Mario’s Rival and a negative mirror to Mario, portrayed as money hungry and glutinous, often trying to best Mario whenever possible. He has a spin off of games that are semi-irrelevant and weird by intention. The name "Wario" is a portmanteau of "Mario" with the Japanese adjective warui (悪い) meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Mario"

• Waluigi

Similar to Wario, he is Luigi’s Rival and mirror to Luigi, portrayed with long lanky arms and willing to cheat to win. Though he has never starred in his own game, never seen without Wario, and never appeared in any mainline Mario Games, he has a cult following and is the subject of lots of Internet Memes and jokes.

Mainline Mario Titles

There are 21 mainline Mario games, with atleast 10 rereleases for alternate Hardware. Most games revolve around Bowser causing havoc in his efforts to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. This often is forms in Princess Peach and her Castle being taken over the Bowser, and Mario attempting to save Princess Peach. In other cases, Bowser has unleashed or tapped in to various new abilities, worlds, or associates to assist him in getting Princess Peach to Marry him and for him to take over the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario is the primary hero of these games, with Luigi as a second player option; in more recent games, Luigi has slightly different abilities over Mario, leading to different gameplay. Other games introduce Princess Peach or Toad as alternate characters that can be played, each of whom offer their own unique abilities that allow them navigate the game in different ways. Mario’s goal is march through each level in a world or land, in order to reach the Castle and defeat a boss that will unlock the next world or land. At the end, Mario must face off against Bowser in his castle/base to defeat him and save Princess Peach.

While Mario has little assistance outside of his brother, he can gain access to a number of power ups. Most notably are:

• Super Mushroom - Makes Mario taller and capable of breaking blocks with a punch
• Fire Flower – Make Mario capable of throwing Fireballs
• Tanuki Leaf/Super Feather – Gives Mario the ability to fly and spin to defeat enemies
• Super Star – Makes Mario immune to any damage he might take for a limited time, instantly defeat enemies
• Yoshi – A rideable Dinosaur that Mario can ride and gain access to new abilities

Each game has its own unique power ups, some that reappear in other games, with others that do so only in that title. If Mario gets hit by an enemy, he will lose whatever power-up he most recently had and transform back into his original form. A following hit will cause him to lose a life, and Mario will need to start back from the beginning of the level, or closest check point that he cleared.

Most enemies in the game can be beat by hopping on top of them, punching them when they are close enough in later games, or attacking them with a power up. Some enemies can only be defeated by some power-ups. Bosses often take about 3 hits or more, depending on the game.

The mainline Mario games include:

• Super Mario Bros. (1985) – NES

First major Mario game, released with NES in America, often as a bundle.

• Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (1999) - GBC

Rereleased on Game Boy Color with updated over world Map

• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986) - NES

Technically Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan, it was considered too difficult for American Gamers and was not released in America until Super Mario All-Stars(1993)

• Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988) – NES

Originally published in Japan as Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, a tie in with a Japanese TV Channel’s Mascots. It was released in the West as Super Mario Bros. 2 as Nintendo felt it would be easier and better fit for Western Gamers. Super Mario Bros. 2 takes place in Mario’s dream.

• Super Mario Advance (2001) - GBA

A rerelease on Game Boy Advance hardware

• Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) – NES

Return to a more classic Mario. First introduction of Tanuki leaf and raccoon tail/ears for Mario. First time Mario flew, and first introduction of an Over-world

• Super Mario Advanced 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2003) - GBA

A rerelease on Game Boy Advance hardware

• Super Mario Land (1989) - GB

First Game Boy Mario title. Introduction of Princess Daisy

• Super Mario World (1990) – SNES

First outing on SNES. Often released with the system. Started as a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3. Introduced Yoshi, who had been planned as earlier as Super Mario 1, but cut due to technical limitations

• Super Mario Advance 2 (2001) - GBA

A rerelease on Game Boy Advance hardware

• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) – GB

Second Outing on Game Boy, Introduction of Wario, Mario’s Rival

• Super Mario All-Stars (1993) – SNES

A release of Super Mario 1, 2, & 3, and also first time seeing the Japanese Super Mario 2, renamed as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) – SNES

First Mario Title to focus on Another character, ie Yoshi, as the main hero

• Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (2002) – GBA

A rerelease on Game Boy Advance hardware

• Super Mario 64 (1996) - N64

First Major game in 3D, pioneered a number of 3D Platform elements that would become mainstream

• Super Mario 64 DS (2004) – DS

A rerelease on Nintendo DS hardware

• Super Mario Sunshine (2002) – GCN

Follow up to Super Mario 64, showing of new tech, allowing Rideable Yoshi, and more story driven than previous games. Introduce Bowser Jr.

• New Super Mario Bros. (2006) – DS

A return to the 2d side scrolling roots of the Mario Franchise

• Super Mario Galaxy (2007) – Wii

First Major game to introduce gravity changing effects to the Mario series, in the form of planets. Introduction of Princess Rosalina

• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) – Wii

A follow up to their outing on the DS, this featured 4 player co-op play, along with a fully 3rd art design over the pervious

• Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) – Wii

First Direct sequel for a Mario title since early NES days.

• Super Mario 3D Land (2011) – DS

New major 3D Mario title on handheld, reintroducing classic Super Mario Bros 3 power-ups

• New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012) – DS

Another direct sequel to the first game

• New Super Mario Bros. U (2012) - Wii U

Following on the success of the Wii version, introducing new power-ups

• New Super Luigi U (2013) - Wii U

During Mario Brothers 30th Anniversary, a special Luigi only variation

• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (2019) – Switch

Rerelease for Switch Hardware, including New Super Luigi material

• Super Mario 3D World (2013) - Wii U

Following success of Super Mario 3D Land, brought in 4 player co-op and more vertical elements

• Super Mario Maker (2015) - Wii U

A 2D Side Scroller Maker, in line with ‘Little Big Planet’, allowing people to make their own Super Mario levels in various design styles, and play other people’s as well

• Super Mario Maker 2 (2019) – Switch

A rerelease for Switch Hardware, with improvements and updates

• Super Mario Run (2016) – Mobile

First Mario Game on Mobile devices, criticized for being pay to play.

• Super Mario Odyssey (2017) – Switch

Main line Mario game for Switch, first introduction to non-Mario-design humans and realistic world. Introduction of Cappy.

Non-Mainline Mario Games

Beyond the main Games, Mario has starred in and helped launch several other genre of games in the past. These include:

• Puzzle Games
• Kart Racing Games
• Role-Playing Games
• Party Games
• Sports Games
• Educational Games

There are also some games released outside of Nintendo with their Blessing.

Puzzle Games

• Mario (1990)

This series has Mario as a doctor, throwing pills at viruses that the player needs to match up. The pills are thrown one at a time and travel downward at a consistent pace. The goal is to connect four of the same red, yellow, or blue colors together, with atleast one Virus among them. Once matched, they’ll get removed, along with the virus. Each Pill has two colors on it, so if one of them disappears, the other will drop down if able to. Dr. Mario has had numerous rereleases for each console.

Kart Racing Games

• Super Mario Kart (1992)

Considered the most popular Spinoff, Mario Kart sees various characters in the Mario cannon racing around a themed track. What makes it unusual to traditional racing games is that characters can collect items and use them against their enemies, allowing character to progress or hinder other players in the process. The game has a secondary Battle-mode, where the characters are on a map and use the same items to attach other players with; there hits will cause a player to lose, with the last standing player being considered the winner. The series has had multiple iterations across all of Nintendo’s platforms, each adding new elements.

• Super Mario Kart (1992) - SNES
• Mario Kart 64 (1996) - N64
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) - GBA
• Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003) - GCN
• Mario Kart DS (2005) - DS
• Mario Kart Wii (2008) - Wii
• Mario Kart 7 (2011) - 3DS
• Mario Kart 8 (2014) - Wii U
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) – Switch (Rerelease with added content from Wii U version)

Role-Playing Games

• Super Mario RPG: Legends of the Seven Stars (1996) - SNES

The first RPG in the Mario series, created by Square, it treated the game like a traditional RPG Game of the 90s with Mario Elements. It was the first game to ever represent Mario in a 3D fashion. Never rereleased on to other consoles outside of the Super NES Classic.

• Paper Mario (2001) – N64

Created by Intelligent Systems, it shows Mario in a chibi-2D form, similar to a stamp or paper cut out, as he navigates the Mushroom Kingdom to saver Princess Peach from Bowser. The game adds a number of Puzzles and unique design choices for the look of the Mario World. It spawned other games of its own, including:

• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) – GCN
• Super Paper Mario (2007) - Wii
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012) – 3DS

• Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016) – Wii U

• Mario & Luigi Series

Created by AlphaDream, it follows Mario and Luigi on the Game Boy and DS hardware as they navigate a wackier version of the Mushroom Kingdom. These games are unique in that there are only ever two party members in Mario and Luigi, they have special team up attacks, and is based off timing and elaborate attacks. This series also plays more comedic, with lots of in joke at the expensive of other Nintendo Titles/character and gaming tropes. Other games include:

• Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003) - GBA
• Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005) – DS
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (2009) – DS
• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013) – 3DS

• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015) – 3DS

• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017) – Switch

A more recent entry, created by Ubisoft, it is a crossover between Mario and the Raving Rabbids Franchise. It is also the first Tactical Strategy RPG for Mario, as Mario must navigate a space and defeat enemies, using the humor and weapons of Raving Rabbids Franchise. Very comedic and light hearted, a unique gameplay that mirrors more realistic tactical games, but with a more light hearted setting.

Party Games

• Mario Party (1998) – N64

Developed by Hudson Soft, it follows characters from the Mario universe playing a board game. Each character represents a board piece on the game, with four players playing each game regardless. Players take turns rolling dice, deciding how far the progress on the map, landing on tiles that either reward or take coins, offer special bonus or penalties, or trigger events. At the end of each round in which each player has gone once, players will be asked to play a mini-game to earn additional coins. Some mini-games free-for-all, 3vs1, or 2vs2, based off what tiles you landed upon. Players are rewarded more coins based off their results in the mini-games. The intent of the coins is to get to the Tile selling Stars and buy the Star, with the player with the Most Stars winning. Stars can be awarded via special events, and even stolen by other players if they land on certain tiles. At the end of the game, additional Stars are awarded to players that performed well during the entire game, and the player with the most stars win.

The series has been adopted on to multiple consoles since the N64, and always include four players. Recent entries have had all players working together at the same time, and had board games maps that don’t circle themselves. Mini-games are always swapped out and rarely reused for each game, with new mini-games developed to match each console’s Hardware.

Titles include:

• Mario Party (1998) - N64
• Mario Party 2 (1999) - N64
• Mario Party 3 (2000) - N64
• Mario Party 4 (2002) - GCN
• Mario Party 5 (2003) - GCN
• Mario Party 6 (2004) - GCN
• Mario Party 7 (2005) - GCN
• Mario Party 8 (2007) - Wii
• Mario Party 9 (2012) - Wii
• Mario Party 10 (2015) - Wii U
• Super Mario Party (2018) - Switch

Sport Titles:

Mario and company have been in a number of sport cross overs. Most sport games are taken as straight games with Mario Characters in them, versus some games have more fantastical elements gameplay elements added in. These Genre include:

• Mario Tennis
• Mario Golf
• Mario Baseball
• Mario Soccer
• Mario Basketball
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

A crossover with Mario and Sonic characters where they compete in Olympic style games.

Educational:

Mario has taken part in a number of Educational games, some teaching typing, geography, and history. These games initially not released on Nintendo hardware, instead for the PC and Mac, but were eventually ported over to the NES and SNES. These games, as educational games, did not fair well, and were poorly reviewed.

Fighting:

• Super Smash Bros. (1999) – N64

While not a direct Mario Title, Mario and company have been mainstay regulars of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros series since its inception. Mario is often the first playable character, or listed as the first from the select screen. Mario, much as the other characters, are portrayed as close counterparts to their own games, using similar moves and abilities from their games. These include:

• Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) – GCN
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) – Wii
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014) – Wii U & 3DS
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) – Switch

Homework:

Super Mario Brothers 1

Mario Party

Mario Kart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH2wGpEZVgE

https://youtu.be/RQ-m6UFw6PQ?t=5649

https://youtu.be/SlFJv01rhLA

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Topic: Zombie Review

We're back once again, talking about Zombies at point in which it feel all too familiar.  Both myself and Mom felt a bit uneasy watching the movies this last week, but it's a good reminder of what we're dealing with and what're facing right now.  Interesting conversations to be sure.

Shawn of the Death (2004) ZombieLand (2009) World War Z (2013) Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies (2016) Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress  (2016)

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Topic: Zombies Tutorial

This week, recorded on April 1st 2020, I decided to have a topic that felt a little too close to home. We're talking about Zombies, mostly because it's probably as close to a virus outbreak as we are now. This episode is less to scare us about the COVID-19 concerns, but more or less a metaphor and possible future we can expect ourselves in. Movies and media have always painted the future to come, so maybe there's something we can learn from Zombies as a whole.

Tutorial

What is a Zombie

Zombies are Dead humans who have been reanimated. Depending on the origin, the reanimation process originally was due to magic: a Sorcerer would reanimate the dead and the death of the Sorcerer would end the reanimation. More modern telling have the reanimation process involving some kind of science fiction, including carriers, plague, parasite, radiation, pathogens, disease, etc. Some modern telling never actually go in to the logic or origin, leaving it vaguely defined or undefined.

Zombies are typically dead humans that have been reanimated. Typically, these are only humans with some level of muscle mass, as skeleton Zombies are not common. Depending on the media, though increasingly, Zombies are described as being pale in color, increasing amounts of decomposition, and inability to form rudimentary logic or communication, often hissing, growling, groaning, or moaning instead. In the times that they are able to communicate, it often the sole term of “brains…”.

Though common, but not consistent, Zombies have a lumbering walk, with an inability to move beyond a slow walking pace, often without moving their knees, and limited motor skills with their arms and hands. Some telling of zombies have them fully capable of a full sprint, chasing after victims, and full use of their hands and arms, though not the dexterity or skill to be able to items as anything but as a club or blunt object. Depending on the media, some undead are fully capable complex thoughts and language, basically just a dead human continuing to live as if they weren’t dead.

Zombies are typically described by their desire to seek out the living, whether to continue to pass on the disease or to eat humans. When their origin was magical, the Zombie was a lumbering tool intended to replace farm hands and manual labor. Zombies can be found roaming in packs due to their mutual desire for humans, or lingering about in locations, shuffling by until a human is sensed. Zombies are often acting upon instincts or singular desires, in most cases, to get humans and eat them. Zombies, typically, do not go after animals, though Zombie Animals do exist.

A human bitten or scratched by the Zombie will die shortly after the attack and will in turn become a zombie. In some cases, this process can take a longer period of time, or is instant. Zombies will pass up dead humans and only focus on live ones, ie if a human just died due to gun shot, most Zombies will continue after the live humans rather than the recently deceased. Known ways to kill Zombies is to either shoot them in the head(Brain), shoot them in the heart, or burn them. Different media though have expanded on this way to end them.

It is important to note that while some depictions of Zombies are noted as Ghouls, they are not exactly the same. The major difference, in most cases, are that while Ghouls are Dead, they have some semblance of life still, IE, they can still think and interact with others. Ghouls still desire Flesh like Zombies, but Zombies are mindless creatures acting on instinct, while Ghouls act on self preservation. The line is blurred dramatically, as there is no common agreement as what differentiates a Zombies from a Ghoul, though it’s expected that Ghouls are a higher status than a Zombie, whether in function or existences.

History of Zombies

Zombies themselves, originated from Haitian Culture, as a part of the Voodoo religion and mythology. The Sorcerer, a “Bokor” would raise the dead via Necromancy, and it was up to a Haitian priest (Houngan) to end the Necromancy. The belief is based off Haitian slaves, carried over with some Shamanistic beliefs, as the religion of Voodoo evolved over the centuries of enslavement in Haiti. In some cases, the slave drivers, often slaves themselves, and occasionally priests, would use the threat of becoming a Zombie to avoid suicide of the Slaves. Only bad people became Zombies, ie, if you were a good worker and died, you returned to Africa, but if not, you were doomed to become a Zombie.

Zombies themselves spread to the west during the American occupation of Haiti from 1915-1934. During this time, American writers were pulling from the Voodoo religion and using it in their books and stories. The first known mention of Zombies is in William Seabrook's The Magic Island (1929), in which he described the Haitian Zombie and used the term for the first time. Movies in the 1930s would being using the Haitian Zombies as elements in their film, with the first being White Zombie (1932). Early uses of Zombies in movies were typically of the magical/voodoo variety, with someone claiming or using magical powers to bring back the dead. Most of these movies were limited to horror, but were pulled out to action films in some cases, see James Bond in Live and Let Die that uses a Caribbean variation on Voodoo.

Modern Zombies

Zombies were changed entirely as we know them thanks to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). Romero’s Zombies were not magical in origin, but vaguely defined scientific reason. The film was also unique in that it used zombies less as a theme, but more a social commentary on our society. This was the first Zombie movie as we know it today, and in which all Zombie media is typically based off. Later films in the 70s would popularize the hunt for Brains and try to rationalize the origin of the Zombie out break.

By the 80s and 90s, few zombie movies saw commercial success, with only a hand full with Zombies, but not necessarily Zombie films. Early revival of the genre would start in Japan in 1996, where horror video games Resident Evil (BioHazard) and House of the Dead would spark an interest in Japanese culture and movies, with a number of movies coming out by late 90s. Subsequent sequels to Resident Evil and House of the Dead would reach the west and spark a revival of the genre. New titles like 28 Days Later(2002) and Shawn of the Dead (2004) would revive an interest in Zombie movies and show a growing interest during the early 2000s. These newer entries in to Zombie popularized the ‘Running’ or ‘Smart’ Zombie, Zombies that were more aggressive and capable.

By 2010s, Zombies had become main stream, with the AMC premier of The Walking Dead in October of 2010 going on to become the most successful Zombie TV show ever, spawning over 11 seasons to date. World War Z (2013) was one the highest grossing film in 2013, but also the highest grossing Zombie Film of all time. Zombie movies were also branching out, offering that Zombies were more than just mindless creatures, but were human like. These Zombies were still dead and craving flesh, but were still logical, rational, and otherwise normal, save for their new dead status and the desire for flesh. This new take mirrored other supernatural mainstays like Vampires, where instead of being purely villains, they were also becoming more Human and sympathetic.

Zombies in Pop Culture

Zombies, themselves in media, represent the inherent vulnerability of society to the unexpected. IE, we were never really prepared for Zombies and their growth is a lack of forethought in that it could happen, OR the ineptitude of our society, or government, to prevent/stop it. As a subtext, they represent the slow march of Death coming for us, and our inability to stop it; Zombies are avoidable, even able to stave them off, but eventually, Zombies will be the death of us. Zombies are also a symbolism for what we, or society, will become; themes of how the world changes are common in Zombie Media.

Most narratives about Zombies follow a group attempting to survive the Zombies. Most stories take place either during the initial wave of Zombie Out Breaks, IE, when the first cases start appearing, and hysteria sets in, or in a fictional Zombie Apocalypse.

• Initial Zombie Out Breaks depict a rapid devolving of society and all out chaos as Zombies over take our surroundings. Protagonists are often fleeing from one location to another, trying to avoid the Zombies by fortifying themselves, or being on move constantly. These stories rarely end with the Zombies either dying out or a successful plan to halt their growth, but so much that the Protagonist got out and are safe, for now.
• Zombie Apocalypse depicts a world that is already over run by Zombies and survivors are merely the last waves of humans trying to survive. Their stories can revolve around society trying to survive can carry on, with the constant threat of Zombies just within arm’s reach.

Most Zombies media revolve around fear and self-preservation, which is manifested in survivors who are trying to grasp or rationalize the events around them. Often, Zombie media is a character study of how people cope with stress and the situation around them: do they break down under the stress, create delusions about what’s happening, do they step up and become heroes they always knew they were, or do they survive until the next day? Zombie media is also a breakdown of the world as much as it is their protagonists. What does the world become once Zombies exist and how do we as society evolve or devolve as a result?

Sometimes, Zombies aren’t called Zombies, but go by other names:

• Infected
• Walkers
• Undead
• Dead
• Lurkers
• Zoms
• Biters
• White Walkers
• Living Dead
• Ghouls
• Walking Dead

While most Zombie related media is horror driven, more recent affairs have given Zombies a humanistic side. Warm Bodies (2013) depicted Zombies as a potential love interest and romantic. Zombieland (2009) and Shawn of the Dead (2004) gave comedy to Zombies, playing off the tropes of Zombie movies for humor.

Various Japanese media properties have given their own take on the Zombie:

• Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress re-imagines a steampunk 18th century Japan with Kabane (Japanese for Corpse) as a stand in for Zombie
• High School of the Dead is a bog standard Zombie Break Out series, with plenty of fan service
• Zombie Land Saga imagines if Zombies became a Japanese Idol Group
• School-Live! Depicts a Zombie Apocalypse with cute, moe characters

Other Japanese properties use Zombies interchangeable as heroes.

Homework:

Shawn of the Death (2004)

ZombieLand (2009)

World War Z (2013)

Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies (2016)

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (2016)

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Topic: Kamen Rider & Super Sentai(Power Rangers) Review

I gathered up my little brother, secluded ourselves in a bunker, and we watched some Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. I think we have differing views on the material, which is a good thing, never a bad thing, but you'll have to listen to find out.

Episodes 1-4 of Kamen Rider Ex Aid Episodes 1-4 Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger

I also wanted to throw in some additional information on Bittorrent, as a primer if you're interested.

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Topic: Kamen Rider & Super Sentai(Power Rangers)

This week, we move on from Drama to entirely different type of drama. Granted this one is far more interesting to me because of Explosions, Cool Poses, and Brightly Colored Uniforms. We welcome back my little brother to discuss Toei’s most popular Tokusatsu series: Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, better known in the west as Power Rangers.

History:

Shotaro Ishinomori

Father of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Cyborg 009

1. Started as an Assistant to Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy, grandfather of Manga/anime)
2. Developed his own popular manga, Cyborg 009 in 1963 – 1984.
3. Late developed Skullman in 1970, a one off manga volume that told story of a vigilantly hero of Skullman trying to find the murder of his parents, and stop an evil organization.
4. Developed Kamen Rider initially as a live action version of Skullman, but later adapted look of a Grasshopper to make new series
5. Fathered the Henshin style super hero in Tokusatsu series
6. Created Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, first Super Sentai Series
7. Went on to make many Tokusatsu series
8. Died of heart failure at age 60

Tokusatsu

Japanese Live Action Film/TV series with heavy use of Special Effects.

Kamen Rider

Started as adaptation of Skullman, but due to the violent tones of Skullman, the series was reworked to have a Grasshopper motif for the lead hero.

Original Series

• Takeshi Hongo is kidnapped and experimented on by the villainous terrorist group Shocker, turning their soldiers into mutant cyborgs and brainwashing them. Hongo escapes before the brainwashing and fights Shocker as the grasshopper, masked man: Kamen Rider.
• Due to a filming accident in episode 10, the actor playing Kamen Rider had his legs broken, and is replaced by a second Kamen Rider, Hayato Ichimonji, who also escaped Shocker. To differentiate the two, Hongo is Kamen Rider 1 and Ichimonji is Kamen Rider 2
• After the actor playing Hongo is healed, both Kamen Riders continued the series until it’s conclusion at 98 episodes.
• This would start the Showa Era of Kamen Rider.

Showa Era (1971 – 1989)

Showa Era due to Emperor Hirohito, who died in 1989. Upon their death, Japanese Emperors are posthumously renamed as the Era they presided over. Thus, Emperor Hirohito became Emperor Showa. Showa roughly meaning ‘Enlightened Peace’ or some interpret as ‘Radiant Japan’.

• Several other shows were produced until 1976, with other individuals as Kamen Riders, but dubbed Riders. There was V3, X, Amazon, and Stronger.
• The show took a hiatus for a few years to develop Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, first Canonical Super Sentai Series.
• Returned in 1979 with Kamen Rider Skyrider, Super 1 and ZX. The series would go back in to Hiatus, until 1987, with Kamen Rider Black, the first series to not be tied in to the early series.
• Also a direct Sequel in Kamen Rider Black RX, which was the based for Saban’s Masked Rider, ala Power Ranger style.
• The series would not have any major TV series for the next decade, but kept alive through live action performance, movies, and CD Dramas.

Heisei Era, Phase 1 (1999 – 2009)

Heisei meaning “Peace Everywhere” which started after previous Emperor’s Death and lasted until 2019 when then Emperor Akihito abdicated the throne to his Son. When the former Emperor dies, he will be then known as ‘Emperor Heisei’.

• 1997 began production on Kamen Rider Kuuga, a rebirth of the series after a decade of television hiatus. Series father Shotaro Ishinomori, began production with the intent of having a 30th anniversary of the series, but died before Kuuga could air. On January 30th, 2000, Kuuga ushered in the rebirth of Kamen Rider.
• Heisei Era would feature a new Kamen Rider series every year, with and established various motifs and ideas over the decade.
• During this time, movie series called Kamen Rider: The First, re-imagined the original Showa Era Kamen Rider tv show and manga, and created series of movies with a darker tone to the original.
• With popularity of Kamen Rider Den-O, a tradition of having a Movie come out toward, or directly after, the end of the series. Movies often add new element to show or expand upon the ending, but usually always have a cameo from the next Kamen Rider in the movie.
• Phase 1 ended with Kamen Rider Decade, a series that followed a Kamen Rider going to alternate version of the last nine Kamen Rider series and gaining their abilities and powers.
• Decade finished early, marking the first time in 10 years where instead of starting in January or February, Kamen Rider shows would start in late August, early September.

Heisei Era, Phase 2 (2009 – 2019)

Phase 2 continued the trend of Kamen rider shows, with some notable motifs.

• Double was first rider to be two people
• Wizard was first entirely magical, not based on technology, Rider. Wizard was also first gay Rider

Phrase 2 concluded with Kamen Rider Zi-o, a similar series to Kamen Rider Decade where the hero revisited other Kamen Riders to gain their powers.

Reiwa Era (2019 – Current)

Reiwa meaning “Beautiful Harmony”. With Abdication by Emperor Akihito, his son, Naruhito, became Emperor on May 1st, 2019. When Emperor Naruhito dies, he will be renamed as Emperor Reiwa.

• First series to be fully produced in Reiwa era is Kamen Rider Zero-One. It reuses a similar Grasshopper motif.

Staples of Kamen Rider:

• Rider Belt (Henshin Device)
• Announcing “Henshin” to change
• Alternate and/or Super Forms
• Motor Cycles
• Every episode takes place over two episodes, IE, two episodes make up one whole story
• Pervious series have no bearing/repercussions on future series. IE, each series is self-contained. Exceptions are Decade, Zi-o, and Majority of Showa Era series.

Rider Motifs/Themes

Each Rider has a motif or theme their rider is based on. These are often over arching themes or motifs for both Riders and bad guys.

Some include:

Showa Era

• Kamen Rider - Grasshopper
• Kamen Rider V3 - Grasshopper
• Kamen Rider X - Grasshopper
• Kamen Rider Amazon - Incan/Mayan Origin
• Kamen Rider Stronger - Kabuto (Rhino Horn beetle)
• Kamen Rider Skyrider - Remake of First Kamen rider
• Kamen Rider Super-1 - Gloves give special Powers
• Kamen Rider Black - Darker Tone, Seperation from original series
• Kamen Rider Black RX - Direct Sequel to Black, Form Change

Heisei Era Phase 1

• Kamen Rider Kuuga - 30th Anniversary
• Kamen Rider Agito - First series with multiple Riders
• Kamen Rider Ryuki - Battle Royal
• Kamen Rider 555 - Greek letters
• Kamen Rider Blade - Playing Cards, Zodiac
• Kamen Rider Hibiki - Japanese Oni(Demons)
• Kamen Rider Kabuto - Various Insects
• Kamen Rider Den-O - Time Travel, Japanese Poems
• Kamen Rider Kiva - Hollywood Monsters, Stained glass, Vampires
• Kamen Rider Decade - 10 Anniversary of Heisei Era, Photography

Heisei Era Phase 2

• Kamen Rider W - Two riders as one, mix/match Forms 2x, USB Sticks
• Kamen Rider OOO - Animals, Coins(Metals), Vending Machines, mix/match 3x
• Kamen Rider Fourze - 40th Kamen Rider Anniversary, Space, Mix/Match 4x
• Kamen Rider Wizard - Fantasy magic, Rings
• Kamen Rider Gaim - Japanese Feudal Warfare, Fruit, Dance gangs
• Kamen Rider Drive - Cars, Detective/police
• Kamen Rider Ghost - Historical Figures as Power Ups, Ghosts
• Kamen Rider Ex-Aid - Video Games & Mechanics, Hospital/Doctors
• Kamen Rider Build - Mix/Match x2, Bottles/mixology, science
• Kamen Rider Zi-O - Time Travel, Clocks/Watches

Reiwa Era

• Kamen Rider Zero-One - Grasshopper/Animals, Androids

Super Sentai

Early Super Sentai started as mixing Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009, to create a Team of Kamen Rider. It was also then only known as Sentai.

First canonical series: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger

• Original based off Masks, but later to color.
• Debuting in 1975, longest running Sentai Series.
• Weapons came from Mask
• Very popular, and filled time slot of Kamen Rider.

Japanese Spiderman

• Debuting in 1978, Toei licensed Marvel properties for a few years, their first was Spiderman
• Radically different origin/take on Spiderman
• Similar powers, but via a bracelet.
• Introduced Leopardo, a spaceship that transformed in to a Giant Robot (Giant Robo, popular type of Anime/manga in the 70s and early 80s)
• Due to the License agreement with Marvel, next Super Sentai series was partially based Captain America, Battle Fever J
• Marvel initially considered bring over various Super Sentai Series and have American Actors take part of the Japanese actors, something that would be done a decade later. They didn’t due to being unable to secure TV rights.

Due to introduction of giant robots, series was redubbed Super Sentai. Earlier series Goranger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai were later added to the Super Sentai series in 1995.

First Super Sentai Series to air in America was Kagaku Sentai Dynaman in 1988, simply as Dynaman. The series however, as broadcast on Nickelodeon and USA cable networks, was a parody, with voice over.

Power Rangers

• Haim Saban major work including making opening themes for various animation series, most notably DIC shows and 80s Tv shows. He would do it for free, but retain the rights to the music.
• In 1984, while in Japan, he discovered Super Sentai series and fell in love with it.
• Attempted to bring series Choudenshi Bioman to the state, but couldn’t get it picked up on Television
• Saban eventually found success in bring over Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (16th Series) to America as Power Rangers.
  • Zyuranger Set a lot of milestones for Super Sentai
    • 1st 7 mecha combiner
    • 6th ranger that was evil before turning good
    • More light hearted than other series
    • Purely fantastical premise, no military or organization
    • First series To be based on Dinosaurs
  • Saban got Power Rangers approved by Fox Kids, finally getting the series added.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in 1993.
    • Gosei Sentai Dairanger & Ninja Sentai Kakuranger were used for the 2nd and 3rd Season, with part of Kakuranger used for Mighty Morphin Alien Ranger.
    • Only the mechs and badguy suits were kept, despite being a new series with new good guy suits, they kept the previous season’s suits. Saban bought the suits and mecha from Toei.
    • For Kakuranger, the mecha used is in reverse, with the Ninja MegaZord coming in the second half of Kakuranger, as in Power Rangers it came before the Shogun MegaZord.
    • Saban Entertainment asked Toei to shoot new Footage of Kyuranger fighting Dairanger badguys. They later bought the suits outright and had their cast do all the fight scenes in costume
  • With Shouriki Sentai Ohranger, the team from previous season would get new outfits and robots, signaling the change with every new subsequent series. Later seasons would be redubbed based on that years season’s Sentai Series, IE, Power Ranger Zeo
  • With Power Rangers Turbo, adapted from Gekisou Sentai Carranger, it started with previous seasons cast, but mid-way through, it got a brand new cast to replace older cast.
  • With Power Rangers in Space, adapted from Denji Sentai Megaranger, it brought back the old cast, gave new colors, and put an end to the Zordon Era of Power Rangers.
  • Subsequent Seasons of Power Rangers would more closely follow the style of Super Sentai, with a new team every season to correspond with the Super Sentai Season. IE, no more reusing Rangers. They also rarely brought up other series or events in other Power Ranger seasons.
    • Exception for Power Rangers Dino Thunder, adapted from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger, where long stay character Tommy comes back.
    • Tommy is actor with most Suits: Green Ranger, White Ranger, 2 Red Rangers, and a Black Ranger.
  • Originally airing on Fox from 1993 to 2002, Walt Disney purchased the Fox Kids brand and Power Rangers from Saban Entertainment in 2001. The show then aired on Disney affiliated channels until 2009.
  • Power Rangers RPM was to be the last canonical Power Ranger series, adapted from Engine Sentai Go-onger. RPM is considered very dark for a Power Ranger series, but is also adapted from Go-onger, which was a very silly and light hearted show, striking a tonal difference.
  • In 2010, Saban bought back Power Rangers License and produced Power Rangers Samurai in 2011, ending a two year Hiatus for the series.
  • Power Rangers Samurai, adapted from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, is a more literal adaptation, carry a majority of themes, story, and character names from the Japanese version. Also first series on Nickelodeon; due to format of Nickelodeon, the series was produced as two seasons, as was Nickelodeon’s format at the time.
  • Per Nickelodeon’s style of formatting seasons, rather than typical 32-35 episode season, spanning a year’s worth of episodes, each Sentai Series takes place over two 22 episodes seasons, causing each Super Sentai Series to be told over the course of two years time.
    • They are thus bypassing Ressha Sentai ToQger, Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, and Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger.

Staples of Super Sentai:

• 5 Ranger Teams
  • Occasionally Teams of 3
  • Usually will add a 6th member, usually more powerful than rest
  • Sometimes a 6th Man is added who isn’t a Ranger
• Teams are made up of bright colors, rarely reusing colors
  • Always a Red and Blue Ranger on a team, Yellow is second most common to be on a team, followed by Pink, then Green, then Black.
  • Most common 6th Ranger is Silver, followed by White, Green, Black, Marron/violet.
  • 36% of all shows have a Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Green Combination of main team
  • 5% of all shows have a Red, blue, Yellow, Pink, and Black Combination of main team
  • https://www.deviantart.com/taiko554/art/Super-Sentai-Power-Rangers-Color-Infographic-644432254
  • When outside of their Ranger Suits, actors tend to wear similar colors to their Ranger Suits, IE: Red Ranger is typically wearing red clothing
• Always have a Robot that combines
  • In Power Rangers, they’re called Zords, with the combined form being MegaZord, and the ultimate version being Ultra MegaZord
  • In Sentai, each robot has their own unique term, with no consistency in the naming scheme
• Monster of the week format
  • A new bad guy to beat each episode, with some development in story or character development, with the bad guy working for the main nemesis.
• Bad guy turns into a giant form upon defeat
  • In some seasons, they end up piloting a new robot of their own.
• Always some kind of disposable henchmen type character that aids the main character
• Suit actors, people in the suits, typically play the same type of character for years at a time.
  • IE: Red Ranger is typical the same suit actor, trading with other male rangers
• Super Sentai typically have a movie midway through.
  • Power Rangers has had two movies thus far
    • Power Rangers, the Movie (1995)
    • Power Rangers (2017)

Notable Themes

Much like Kamen Rider, each season has its own theme, with some themes repeating themselves. These are some of the unique themes and first time seen:

Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger - Dinosaur Theme

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger - Ninja Theme

Gekisou Sentai Carranger - Car Themed

Denji Sentai Megaranger - Space themed

Mirai Sentai Timeranger - Time Travel

Mahou Sentai Magiranger - Wizards/magic

Engine Sentai Go-onger - Talking Cars/animal vehicles

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - Samurai

Tensou Sentai Goseiger - Angel Themed

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - 35 Anniversary, Pirate Themed

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters - American FBI

Ressha Sentai ToQger - Train themed

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger - Cube Animals

Uchu Sentai Kyuranger - Zodiac, 12 rangers

Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger - First series to follow two Ranger Teams

Other companies attempted to follow suit with popularity of Tokusatsu series.

• DIC brought in Denkou Choujin Gridman as Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad
• Saban also brought in Space Sheriff Shaider, Jikuu Senshi Spielban, and Choujinki Metalder as VR Troopers
• Saban also brought Juukou B-fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto as Big Bad Beetleborgs

Homework

http://tracker.tvnihon.com/index.php?category=123

Episodes 1-4 of Kamen Rider Ex Aid

Episodes 1-4 of Uchuu Sentai KyuuRanger

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Topic: Bachelor Review

While I typically write up about 4-5 pages on a topic, that's not the case this time.  Mom had a lot of great information, and our discussion, felt like we were just having a typical conversation about the Bachelor.  It was great that she chimed in on stuff, but this week is light on background information.  I will share some of the things, but you'll have to listen to the Podcast this week to truly understand our Love/Hate for Bachelor this season.

OMG, Peter's Mom!  Best Villain!

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Topic: Bachelor Series Tutorial

This week, the roles are reversed, and rather than our typical host being in the driver's seat, Mom is instead. That's right, Mom is leading this week's Tutorial, along with next weeks Review of the Bachelor series. A show that frankly I was watching but didn't have a huge amount of knowledge or background on. I'm watching it for the Train Wreck that it is, Mom's watching it though... for the Train Wreck that it is, but she knows so much more about than me for once. Come watch as I learn something this time around.

Inception:

Debuted March 25, 2002

Seasons:

Bachelor 24

Bachelorette 16

First 4 years Bachelor filmed two seasons per year

Bachelor films mid-September to mid-November

Bachelorette films mid-March to mid-May

Each airs approximately 10 episodes + After the Final Rose, sometimes 11

25-30 Contestants; takes 6 episodes to get down the “Final 4”

Homes Town Dates

Fantasy Suites

Men/Women Tell All

Meet the Parents/Last Chance Date/Rose Ceremony

After The Final Rose

First Night begins around 7pm with arrivals; goes into the following morning so that the Bachelor can have at least 5 minutes with each girls. A Group Photos is taken around 5-6am, then the first eliminations, usually 5 – 7 contestants, takes place.

First two weeks are filmed in “The Mansion”, Villa de la Vina, a 7,590sf, six bedroom, nine bath home in Agoura Hills, Ca

The next three episodes feature 2 “group dates” and one One-on-One, filmed on consecutive days; not all contestants get dates each week. What the show refers to as a week is actually 4 days filming.

After the “3rd week” (usually 10 days into filming), the cast will travel domestically for four days (2 groups dates, a 1-on-1 and Rose Ceremony), then the next episode (down to 8-10) will travel internationally for the next two episodes to get to Home Towns.

Home Town dates take place in the contestant’s hometown and take 9-10 days to film: travel – date – travel – date – travel – date – travel – date – travel – Rose Ceremony. Each features a day time activity and then diner at the parent’s “Home”. Homes are frequently Air BNBs or borrowed homes of friends. The Bachelor can usually identify at least three of the four he thinks will be getting home towns a week or two in advance so that a Logistics Team can scope out possible filming locations or create ideas for dates, arrange performers, ect.

Fantasy Suite Dates: The Final Three are given “Fantasy Suite” dates. A full day activity and then a Night Time very private date in a romantic setting at a hotel. At some point during the “Dinner” the couple “finds” a card from Chris Harrison that reads “ X and X, here is a key. If you decide to forego your separate rooms, please enjoy a night in this fantasy suite.”

There have been Bachelor/Bachelorettes who have told their “Date” that they wanted just to spend the time talking and not use the suite, or have broken off the date during the day time portion (Desiree and Andi).

There have been contestants who have declined going into the Suite. Helena (Aaron), Becca (Chris S.) Luke P., Madison. Constantine declined Ashley.

Dates are filmed: travel – overnight – day off – overnight – day off – overnight – Rose Ceremony. Contestants (with the exception of the current season) are kept separated so that they can’t talk between themselves. They are together during Rose Ceremonies but not allowed to converse.

Meet the Parents/Last Chance Date/Rose Ceremony

One or two night event. Takes a week to film: Travel – #1 meets the parents - #2 meets the parents - #1 Last Chance Date - #2 Last Chance Date – Ring Selection – Rose Ceremony

After The Final Rose

Filming ends 10 weeks (Bachelor), 6 weeks (Bachelorette) before airing. During this time, there are “Safe House” visits for the couples, often in Palm Springs. At AFTR, the “runner-up” talks with Chris Harrison and then the Lead to get closure. The Lead and the Winner reunite and talks about their plans. Some seasons the next Lead is introduced and meets 4-6 of their Contestants.

Recurring themes:

The “Interupt”

The “Comeback”

The “Unexpected New Contestant”

The “Departure”/Self Elimination

Spinoffs:

Bachelor Pad

Bachelor in Paradise

Bachelor Winter Games

Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart

This summer, Bachelor Summer Games

International: Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Romania, Brazil, Japan

Live Shows:

Bachelor Live

Leads:

Twice a Lead wasn’t chosen until mid-way through the first episode:

Byron Velivk and Jay Overbye

Kaitlyn Bristow and Britt Nilsson

Unusual Endings:

10 – Brad Womack didn’t propose to either woman and left single (only time ever happened)

13 - Jason Mesnick was pressured to choose Melissa because Molly Malaney told producers that she wouldn’t accept a proposal. He broke up on ATFR and later married Molly

18 – Juan Pablo famously wouldn’t propose to Nikki, or tell her he loved her, only that he liked her very much.

22 - ArieLuyendyk Jr choose Becca but later had a change of heart and broke-off in a filmed “Safe House” visit to pursue Lauren who he proposed to on ATFR. They married 1 year later.

23 – Colton Underwood “jumped the fence” during Fantasy Suite Week and tried to leave the show when he realized that producers had brought in Cassie’s father to talk her out of going further. He later cut loose both of the other remaining contestants to pursue Cassie. They did not get engaged.

Marriages:

Bachelor

13 – Jason Mesnick& Molly Malaney

17 – Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici

22 – ArieLuyendyk and Lauren Burnham

Bachelorette

1 – Trista Rehn & Ryan Sutter

7 – Ashley Hebert & JP Rosenbaum

9 – Desiree Hartsock& Chris Sigfried

13 – Rachel Lindsay & Bryan Abasolo

Controversies:

• Environment – Contestants are not allowed TV, books, movies, but encouraged to drink and forced to have “Chats”
• ITM – In the Moments. ITMs are supposed filmed during events, but contestants are frequently called back during editing, weeks later, to refilm segments. Fans point to differing earrings, length of beards or hair as proof.
• Frankenbiting – Frankenbiting refers to the editing of dialog out of context, out of order within a conversation, or altogether parsing words by showing the side or back of someone speaking and inserting parts of dialog from other days of filming.
• Manipulation by Producers. Villains are created by encouraging contestants to disrupt other’s time w/Leads, encourage contestants to be aggressive, make private visits, encourage tattle telling.
• Good Edits/Bad Edits. Contestants can get a bad edit simply be refusing to play along. Kelley this season is an example.

For the Wrong Reasons:

• Personal Trainers and Body Builders. There are not very many male contestants with “real Jobs”. Many women are in Pharmaceutics Sales. The amount of time the show takes to film (anyway from 1 week to 8 weeks) prohibits many gainfully employed from participating.
• Advent of Influencers – many contestants entering the show over the last 5-7 years have been Instagram or twitter “Influencers” who already were advertising products.
• Beauty Queens – the last three season have seen Miss America Contestants – at least three per season, all hoping to push their careers.
• Introduction of Musicians and Models – many thought Luke Pell didn’t get the bachelor gig because he was too openly pushing his music. Jed (winner of Hannah B’s season) openly admitted to Hannah that he went on the show to help his music career.

UNREAL – TV Spoof and SNL Satires

Blogs and Podcasts!!!

The number one way to monetize your Bachelor experience is to Blog or Podcast!

Contestant Blogs/Podcasts:

Sharleen Joynt (Juan Pablo) – Flare Magazine: Insightful and honest. Not “Bachelor Nation” fed.

Olivia Caridi (Chris Soules) – Mouthing Off – Honest, a little snark but well done

Ben Higgins (Kaitlyn Bristow, Lead) and Ashley I (Chris Soules) – Almost Famous - Bachelor Nation driven, darlings of production, aren’t going to bite the hand that feeds

Nick Viall (Andi, Kaitlyn, Lead) – The Viall Files – Another Bachelor Nation driven podcast

Rachel Lindsay (Nick Viall, Lead) and Becca Kufrin (Arie, lead) – Bachleor Happy Hour – the “Official” Bachelor Nation podcast – no spoiler and nothing that would upset Production.

Kaitlyn Bristow – Off the Vine – Lots of wine and messy conversation but fun.

Non-Contestant Blogs/Podcasts:

Reality Steve – most quoted Spoiler, disliked by Bachelor Nation, has been sued by production 3 times

Here to Make Friends (Huffington Post) – Gets lots of “big name” contestants

AfterBuzzTv – rotating cast of hosts.

Bachelor Party w/Juliet Litman (Ringer) – one of the first, good connections and some members of production

“Bro-Shows”

Rosecast w/ Tim Kennedy – unique Sports like style

The E & G Podcast w/Geoff Kieth and Ian Gulbransen. One is a comedian and the other is a tech nerd.

Homework

Reality Steve Podcast – Interview with Luke Parker

Bachelor Happy Hour - Fantasy Suite Week with Chris Harrison

Flare – Peter is Giving Victoria F Way Too Much Credit

View Details

Topic: Batman Media Review

We’re back to discuss the films that I got mom to watch for homework. What struck me more about the conversation wasn’t the story, but the psychology of Bruce Wayne and the ego mom found fascinating in the character. Certain one of the most interesting conversations I think we have ever had, so you should definitely check it out.

Dark Knight

2008, Sequel to Batman Begins

Christian Bale – Batman

Heath Ledger – Joker

Michael Caine – Alfred

Aaron Eckhart – Harvey Dent / Two Face

Gary Oldman – Detective Gordon

• Many of the Joker’s actions were unscripted and improvised by Health Ledger, including when Hospital Explodes, Clapping in Jail, and licking his lips.
• First comic book movie to break a Million
• Health Ledger won Oscar posthumously, second person to do so, First comic book movie to win award
• Character of Reese was an allusion to the Riddler

Batman Under Red Hood

Tells story of mysterious Red Hood arriving in Gotham to clean up crime through violence and murder.

Bruce Greenwood – Batman

Jensen Ackles – Redhood

John Dimaggio – Joker

Neil Patrick Harris – Dick Grayson (Nightwing)

Wade Williams – Black Mask

• Always minor difference in batsuit during flashbacks, like yellow chest symbol, or utility belt
• Animated film was original meant to be R rated, but was changed after low sales of other animated movies
• First time Jason Todd had been featured on TV/movie form, though illusions to him had been made in the past.
• Based off Batman – Death in the Family

Batman Year One

Tells story of Batman and Jim Gordon’s first year in Gotham and them beginning their crusade to clean up the city.

Bryan Cranston – Jim Gordon

Ben McKenzie – Bruce Wayne

Jon Polito – Commissioner Loeb

• Adapted from Batman Year One graphic novel
• Ben McKenzie plays Jim Gordon on Gotham, and is only man to play role of both Gordon and Batman
• Batman Year One was almost a movie, with Darren Aronofsky set to direct. It was beat out by Batman Begins instead

Batman Bad Blood

Batman has gone missing and Nightwing takes up the Mantle of Batman in order to show Gotham that there is still hope.

Jason O’mara – Batman

Yvonne Strahovski – Batwoman

Staurt Allan – Damian Wayne (Robin)

Sean Maher – Dick Grayson (Nightwing)

Morena baccarin – Talia al Ghul

Gaius Charles – Batwing

• First Appearance of Batwing outside of Comic books
• When Dick Grayson is on the phone, he’s talking to a Kori, AKA Starfire from Teen Titans
• Includes elements of Batman Battle for the Cowl and Batman Incorporated
• Batgirl makes appearance, sporting outfit from New 52 series of comics.

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Topic: Batman Tutorial

We’re moving on from Gundam, and in to… The Batman! This is the first of what will be coming in the next year of Focused Topics, as where previously, we had been broad in discussion about Anime, Manga, Star Trek, and such, we’ll be diving in to more focused parts of geek culture, namely the heroes, villains, and key elements of certain media. Batman being one of the most ubiquitous comic book heroes in almost all media from Comics, to TV, to movies, and even anime and music, I figured this was a good place to start.

Tutorial

DC vs Marvel Continuity

Marvel’s continuity is never explicitly mentioned or referenced, since Marvel deliberately doesn’t mention when events occur. In most cases, Events in Marvel happened a few years ago usually.

DC continuity is often the Story. Namely that it has changed, reshaped, and modified the continuity endlessly over time. There’s been numerous major events that reshape the world and universe of DC to the point that it’s hard to talk about some characters, events, or even stories properly without rationalizing if they happened before certain events or not. This doesn’t make DC hard to follow, but rather makes it more difficult to be invested in long running stories, as the universe could up-end everything a few years later in a big event.

Check out this video on DC Continuity

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wunNa04W0sE

Batman

More about characters than individual plot/stories.

First appeared in Detective Comics #27, 1939.

Bruce Wayne (Batman)

• Classic well known character.
  • Caped Crusader
  • Dark Knight
  • World’s Greatest Detective
• Watched his parents get killed after coming out of a theatre(Sometimes movie theatre). Devoted his life to stopping crime after the event.
• Decided on Bat-theme as he discovered the now Batcave as a child and was afraid of the bats in the cave(Depending on Story)
• Doesn’t kill.
• No Super-Human Powers
• Depending on story, studied or well educated in:
  • Criminology
  • Software Engineering and/or Computer Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Master of Various martial arts
  • Acrobat
• Considered the world’s greatest detective
• Consider to be in Peak physical form for man in his age.
  • Some stories he’s in his mid to late 20s, or as old as his early 40s.
• Fights for what’s right for the city, outside of the law.
• Will not take a life
• Equipment:
  • Batsuit
    • Built using Kevlar and various cloth based armors
    • Symbol on chest is often hardest part of the suit, (Intentional)
    • Mask includes radio for ease of communication
    • Bracers/gloves have unique Fins/Blade catching spikes
    • Utility belt (Numerous gadgets)
    • Grapple Hook
    • Cape can be used for stealth and gliding in the air.
  • Batmobile
    • Various incarnations of cars
    • Later version have gadgets and tools
    • Some don’t look like cars
    • Various Planes, Boats, Submarines, or motorcycles have been used in the past.
  • Doesn’t use Guns
• Thought to be a Psychopath by some people.
• Alfred is his trusted butler, right hand man when it comes to managing and assisting batman.
• Lucius Fox: trusted advisor, inventor, business manager, and associate to Bruce Wayne/Batman
• Previously Played by Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Kevin Conroy

Alternative Versions

Terry McGinnis : Batman Beyond(Batman of the Future)

• Gotham 40 years after Batman, Bruce Wayne has retired
• Terry (17 Years Old) takes up Bruce Wayne's old, but very high tech, Batsuit
  • Cloak
  • Integrated wings
  • Integrated bat tool
  • Enhance Strength & Durability
• Some returning villains, some new ones.

Robins:

All incarnations of Robin are often depicted being an element of Batman character.

All Robins have worn a Red, Yellow, Green, and Black costume, symbolized by the letter “R” on left breast.

Dick Grayson

• First Robin
• Former acrobat, parents died during high-wire event in a circus. Bruce offers for Dick to become his ward, and eventually Robin
• In most cases, people talking about Robin are talking about this incarnation
• Considered the next to inherit the Batman Role
  • He did on the one occasion Batman died
• Became new hero called “Nightwing” when he became disillusioned with Batman’s Ideals
• Represents the peak physical conditions of Batman
  • Is equally smart and morally just.

Jason Todd

• Second Robin
• Discovered by Batman as Jason was stealing the Batmobile’s tires.
• Initially a ‘Rebel’ Robin, not wanting to conform to society and often going against orders.
• Batman makes him a Robin, despite lack of physical conditioning, as he feared Jason would turn to a life of crime afterwards.
• Character actually died in Comics due to a fan vote. First death of a robin/side kick.
  • Character was later revived through various means, but comes back resenting Bruce Wayne
• Becomes the anti-hero/villain “Red Hood”
• Represents the psychopathic tendencies of Batman

Tim Drake

• Third Robin
• Tim deduced that Batman and Robin was Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson due to Dick’s acrobatic skills.
• He offers/convinces Batman to allow him to become Robin because Batman has gotten more violent and reckless without a Robin
• Later becomes the Red Robin after Dick Grayson becomes Batman
  • During Batman’s Death, he tried to prove that Batman was still alive.
• Only man behind Batman to have Ra’s al Ghul to be addressed as “Detective”.
• Represents the intelligence and detective skills of Batman

Stephanie Brown

• Fourth Robin
• First Female Robin, former Girl Friend of Tim Drake, former vigilante. Took over the role when Time resigned for a period of time.
• She was fired by Batman for not following orders.
• She was apparently killed when she attempted to orchestrate one of Batman’s plans for a gang war
  • Her death was faked by a doctor, trying to protect her, but also trying to prove a point to Batman and other kids so that they wouldn’t become Robin ever again.
• She’s often not thought of as a true Robin as she only had the role for a short time.

Damian Wayne

• Fifth Robin, Current
• Damian is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul via. Talia gives Damian to Bruce when she must go in to hiding.
• Upon Batman’s Death, Dick Grayson becomes Batman and promotes Damian to Robin
  • Typically Batman is brooding and Robin is more innocent/fun, the roles were reversed somewhat during Dick’s run as Batman, with Damian being more hard edge
  • After Bruce Wayne returned, Damian continued as Robin
• Much more bleeding edge and hardcore than even Batman
• Represents the violent and morally blurring aspects of Batman

Other Allies:

Commissioner James Gordon

• Head of Police in Gotham
• Ally of Batman, often giving direction and insight to Batman
• Often seen as Trusting Batman fully, though in later incarnations, questioning the vigilante nature of Batman.
• Shares same belief/feelings about protecting Gotham and ridding it of Crime element.

Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)

• Initially Created for the Batman TV show with Adam West, but migrated to the comics upon her popularity.
• Daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon, she initially worked as the Head Librarian for Gotham Library system, thought to be one of the largest Libraries in the world.
• Became Batgirl by accident after foiling plan, but eventually became an ally of Batman
• In the graphic novel, Killing Joke, Joke shoot Barbara Gordon in the spine, causing her to become paralyzed from the waist down
  • This is carried over in to the mainline comics, where she is no longer Batgirl, but instead becomes a mysterious information broker known as ‘Oracle’.
  • As Oracle, she helps Batman deal with information and computer warfare. She also starts her own organization called “Birds of Prey” as an all female super hero troop to fight off other crimes.
• Due to reality bending incidents, she eventually regains her mobility and becomes Batgirl once again.

Villains

Joker

• 1 Batman Villain

• Clown Prince of Crime
• He is presented as a criminal mastermind with a twisted sense of humor
• No real Origin Story ever established
• Multiple interpretations on the character:
  • Mafia/Criminal Organization Boss
  • Psychopath
  • Chaotic Lunatic
  • Jokester
• Previously played by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Mark Hammil

Harley Quinn

• Another character that started in the Animated TV show, translated to Comic
• Former Psychologist at Arkham Asylum, fell in love with Joker
• Often portrayed as just as lunatic as Joker

Penguin

• Oswald Cobbelpott
• Former Criminal and super villain, used themed umbrella
• Now operated semi-legitimate organizations for his criminal enterprise
• One of few villains Batman allows, seeing him as useful information

Riddler

• Edward Nigma
• Super level genius
• Hell bent on proving that he smarter than everyone else, including Batman

Catwoman

• Selina Kyle
• Master theme with cat theme
• One of Batman’s many lovers
• Another person Batman allows as a former love interest and occasional ally.

Two-Face

• Harvey Dent
• Former Gotham District Attorney, he had acid splashed in his face and went crazy because of it.
• Crime center around the flip of a coin and two opposing sides/choices

Mr. Freeze

• Dr Victor Fries
• Former Scientist who was researching Cryogenics for his wife who was suffering from a terminal illness
• An Accident forced him to have to wear a cold suit.
• His powers/crimes revolve around Ice

Bane

• The man that Broke Batman
• A genius level criminal mind who is addicted to a drug known as venom, turns his body in to something similar to the Hulk
• Known previously for breaking Batman’s back and putting him out of commission for a period of time

Poison Ivy

• Pamela Isley
• Former Biochemist and Botanist who is an eco-terrorist.
• Her powers revolve around poisons and manipulating plants
• Occasionally teams up with villains Catwoman and Harley Quinn

Ra’s al Ghul

• Name translates to “Head of the Ghoul”
• Eco-Terrorist bent on returning the world to a natural balance
• Over 700 years old
  • His life is extended via the Lazarus Pits, wells of restoring water/liquid that can even restore life in to people and turn them young.

Talia al Ghul

• Daughter to Ra’s al Ghul and mother to Damian Wayne
• Frequent love partner to Batman
• Almost always around her father or his activities, rarely acts outside of his interests

Scarecrow

• Jonathan Crane
• Former Arkham Asylum Psychologist
• He is known for his scarecrow like look
• Master of Fear through gasses and toxin he releases to cause hysteria

Homework

Dark Knight

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Batman: Year One

Batman: Bad Blood

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Topic: Gunpla Building & WWE Smackdown 2/7

We’re back once again, but we’re multitasking.  Go figure.  We’re still working on building our little RX-78-2 Gundam model, but we also had the chance to see the WWE in town once again!  So we’re doing a little bit of both this week, talking about what we saw, but also working through our Gundam. 

We recorded our Gundam being built, but we lost some of the footage along the way in the beginning.  Check out our video version of the podcast on our Youtube Page. 

WWE Smackdown 2/7 

Miz and Morrison were interrupted several times during the return of “The Dirt Sheet” 

The Usos def. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode 

Elias def. Cesaro 

Roman Reigns attacked King Corbin after Corbin humiliated a WWE fan 

Goldberg eyed the Universal Title and called out “The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt 

Daniel Bryan def. Heath Slater

Shinsuke Nakamura sent a message to new Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman

Sheamus def. Apollo Crews 

Carmella def. Dana Brooke, Naomi and Alexa Bliss to earn a future SmackDown Women’s Championship opportunity

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Topic: Gunpla Tutorial & Building

This week, bolstered by the understanding and knowledge of what Gundam is and its historical significance to the Anime and Japanese media landscape, we dive in to the hobby that still keeps the company in business. Gunpla itself is the ancient art of folding American firearms, or Guns, into unique shapes and…. Okay this joke didn’t work on my Mom so much, but come ‘Watch’ us build a Gundam!

This week, we recorded the Podcast once again. So we recommend visiting our Youtube Page to see the build process and progress we made.

You can visit this week's Video Version Here.

Tutorial:

Gunpla = Gundam + Plastics

Gunpla kits are prepackaged with various part trays or ‘Runners’. These much be snapped or snipped off in the order of the included instructions to be built properly. Some kits also include stickers, decals, and water stickers for further decorating.

While the original kit includes all you need to build a Gunpla model, there are various ways to improve the base model, from repaint and adding panel lines, to added damage or additional panel lines, to adding them to dioramas, and even adding LED lights to your model. People have done a lot of real cool stuff with these kits.

Most kits sizes range from 1:144 (approx 13 cm tall), 1:100 (approx 16–19 cm tall) and 1:60 (approx 30 cm tall). There are some exceptions for unusual models or Super Deformed models, but these are among the norms.

Like any good hobby, there are levels to the kits:

High Grade (HG)

• These are improve quality over more basic models(Kits with no grade rating), offering good range of mobility and greater possibility. Often 1:144 or 1:100 scale.

Real Grade (RG)

• These kits are smaller 1:144 scale kits that take elements from Master Grade and Perfect Grade kits and scales them down. Elements such as inner frames and high degree of motion.

Master Grade (MG)

• These are more superior model kits of the High Grade, offering greater quality controls and higher level plastics, but generally more expensive. They can take much longer to build as a result, but reward with straight out of the box presentation quality. These are always in a 1:100 scale.

Reborn-One Hundred (RE/100)

• These are kits that are too large, obscure, or costly to normally produce. Often kits for unpopular side mobile suits or more hard to find Gunplay. They’re similar in quality to the Master Grade, but lack internal frames and some greater articulation as Master Grade. These are typically 1:100 scale kits.

Perfect Grade (PG)

• The highest level of quality you can get. These 1:60 scale kits will have high complexity to them, including full metal pieces and even LEDs that need to be wired together, but offer the greatest level of detail in a Gunpla. These are often limited runs and very expensive, and can often take days to weeks to properly build. These are only if you are truly dedicated to the craft.

There are lots of tutorials online for building Gunpla, including how to put together, paint, and even full demonstrations of that you will get out of the line, so you can know in advance if it’s worth the purchase and what you will get.

For more information, visit:

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Gunpla

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Topic: WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Review

As mom stated before in our round up episode from just a few weeks back, one of the things she found herself willing to revisit was WWE and how infectious it was to be a part of. I couldn’t agree more, and so this time I wanted to introduce her to one of the more fun and interesting events in WWE’s calendar of events, the Royal Rumble. She seemed to enjoy herself, come listen to our opinions on the matches.

Review:

Roman Reigns vs King Corbin

• Falls Count Anywhere (No Disqualification, can be pinned anywhere, usually out in the arena/stadium)

Women’s Royal Rumble

• Winner gets to challenge for any highest level title on any of the currently running shows at Wrestlemania.
• IE: Smackdown Women’s Championship, Raw Women’s Championship, or NXT Women’s Championship.

Rules:

• Two Superstar will Start In the Ring
• Every 90 Seconds(Approximately) another Superstar will enter
• Superstars are Eliminated by going OVER the Top Rope
• Both Feet must Touch the Floor to be Eliminated
• Last remaining person in the ring will win a Championship Match at Wrestlemania

WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley vs Lacey Evans

• WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Match

WWE Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan

• WWE Universal Championship Match
• Strap Match

Rules:

• Both Superstars are connected via a 15 foot long leather strap around their left wrists.
• Strap can be used as a weapon or tool.

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs Asuka

• WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match

Men’s Royal Rumble

• Winner gets to challenge for any highest level title on any of the currently running shows at Wrestlemania.
• IE: WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship, Universal Championship, or NXT Championship.

Rules:

• Two Superstar will Start In the Ring
• Every 90 Seconds(Approximately) another Superstar will enter
• Superstars are Eliminated by going OVER the Top Rope
• Both Feet must Touch the Floor to be Eliminated
• Last remaining person in the ring will win a Championship Match at Wrestlemania

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Topic: Gundam Unicorn review

This week, we discussed Gundam Unicorn, an ‘approachable’ entry in to the Gundam franchise. Now granted, there is quite a bit of previous knowledge that would be helpful coming in to this, but it’s possible to follow along without knowing all the details. I know because I only intended for Mom to watch a little bit of it, but instead, she watched it all.

Fan Wiki

Before getting started, we wanted to talk about fan wiki’s. Wiki themselves are large knowledge bases on a website that is user created and managed. The largest, best known Wiki being Wikipedia. Fan wiki’s are no different, but rather than focus on a broad topic, they often only focus on one fandom or topic at a time, covering all the details of it to the best of their ability. Some great Fan Wiki include:

Wookieepedia – Star Wars

Alpha Memory – Star Trek

MTG Wiki – Magic: the Gathering

Marvel Wiki – Marvel

Gundam Wiki - Gundam

Highly recommend visiting the Gundam Wiki, particularly the article on Gundam Unicorn to follow along with the characters as best as possible.

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam_Unicorn

Gundam Unicorn

Takes place in 0096 UC, 3 years after the events of the movie: Char’s Counter Attack.

Char’s Counter Attack

An event where Char Aznable, AKA the Red Comet, attempted to launch a colony in to earth. He is stopped by Arumo Ray and his Nu Gundam.

Characters

Banager Links

As a student of the Anaheim Engineer Academy, he is roped in to a series of events that that finds him in command of the Unicorn Gundam. Well mannered, he cares too much about others and would prefer her never received the Gundam. In actuality, he is the son of the Vist Foundation’s chairman, and is gifted the Gundam Unicorn as his father knew he was a good person and would use the Gundam for good reasons.

Audrey Burne (Mineva Lao Zabi)

Going by Audrey Burne when first introduced to Banager Links, she is reality the granddaughter of DegwinZabi, leader of the Principality of Zeon. Born during the one year war, her entire family legacy has been killed save for her, as the lone heir to the leadership of the Principality of Zeon. She a pacifist by nature and does not actively pursue her family’s legacy, nor that of her people, but takes action when she realizes she has the opportunity to save as many lives as possible through her actions. She seeks to convenience the Vist Foundation in to not giving the Gundam to Neo Zeon forces.

Full Frontal

A mysterious leader of the Neo Zeon Forces, he is described as the Second coming of the Red Comet. His charming, intelligent, and highly skilled mobile suit pilot. In reality, he is a cyber newtype, genetic clone of Char, and inherited the ‘Will’ of Char from space. He believes his purpose is to be the leader the Neo Zeon forces need and continue on in Char’s capacity in his absence.

Newtype

A type of human that have evolved in space. The belief is that they have expanded mental awareness, allowing special abilities including: High degree of Focus, spatial awareness to a 6th sense level, communication with other Newtypes, and even communicate/direct actions of machines through Pyscho-frame material. Newtypes are similar to Mutants in X-men, little is truly known about them, and are greatly feared by segments of the population.Newtypes and other individuals born in space are treated similar to second class citizens and can’t partake in the government.

RX-0 Gundam Unicorn

The title Gundam, it is a suit that hold many different abilities and purposes. The suit can be classified as an experimental/prototype unit, as the main core of the Gundam’s entire frame is created using Psycho-frame material, increasing reaction time of the pilot, and even making it like an extension of their own body. The Gundam is also unique in that it hosts two different modes. The first is a default unicorn mode, appearing as a standard GM(General Model) Mobile suit with a unicorn horn. When in the presence of a Newtype, and later by the pilots will, the systems NT-D system kicks in. NT-D stands for Newtype Destroyer, with the intent on the machine being used to hunt Newtypes. When in this mode, the suit’s limiters are turned off, exposing several new thrusters and various armor pieces expand to reveal the glowing pink Psycho-frame underneath. The main head switches faces to a more typical Gundam Face and its horn opens to reveal the typical Gundam Fins. The other key element is that the Gundam’s Operating system contains the map/key to discovering the Laplace Box.

Laplace Box

A mysterious object held in trust by the Vist Foundation. The object has allowed the Vist Foundation to command respect, funds, and power within the Earth Federation, since revealing the object to the world would cause the Earth Federation to lose a great deal of its power. Vist Foundation is in the process revealing the box’s contents, but is thwarted by all side by Zeon, Earth Federation, and people in the foundation.

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Topic: Gundam Franchise Tutorial

So no more Star Wars, okay a little, but we promise to be Brief. Thanks to a generous Christmas present from a younger brother, we have our Next topic for this week and the next. We’re talking about one of the most popular franchise of giant robots series, We’re talking about GUNDAM.

Tutorial

To understand Gundam, you must know about the history of Giant/Super Robo/Robot series and Real Robot Series • Giant/Super Robo/Robot series have their giant robots in a more fantastical element, where the physics and logic are not explained and are not treated with in realistic or believable sense. It’s the argument, “Magic Happens.” Star Wars as an example. • Real Robot series, as originated by Gundam, attempts to explain/rationalize their physics and universe. Aside from a leap in technology or finding some kind of new element or power source, the series is treated as though it could happen. Star Trek as an example.

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)

Also known as (Gundam 0079)

During the Universal Century, Human have created colonies in space, but there is unease as spacenoids feel that the Earth Federation won’t allow equal representation, thus Spacenoid rally around the Principality of Zeon and declare their freedom from Earth Federation, starting the “One Year War”. Zeon has mobile suits, which are a ‘HUGE’ tactical advantage. Earth Federation Create the White Base and goes to pick up the new RX-78 Gundam, but Zeon is in tow and attacks the colony, killing most civilians and Federation crew. Amuro Ray becomes pilot for Gundam and the White Base launches out to defend against Zeon on their way home to Earth.

• Gundam = White Devil
• V-fin helmet
• Samurai look/motif
• Recurring themes
• Start in space, head to Earth, return to space to end
• Space Mobile Suits = 1 eye/ mono eye
• Earth/Federation Mobile Suits = glass visor for eyes
• Major Base to launch From, usually white in color
• Char Aznable – Villain, recurring theme of villain in Mask

Initially not popular, canceled at 39 of 45 episodes. Rebroadcast as trilogy of movies in 1983

Gundam Primarily takes place in one of two different modes: Universal Century or Spin Offs.

Universal Century is a primary Gundam timeline. The actions in Universal Century Show often impact later series and reference previous events in other Universal Century Shows Long Standing War between Earth Federation and Zeon/Neo-Zeon affiliated groups

Spin offs: Universal Century Zeta (1985) ZZ (1986) 0083(1991) Victory (1993) 08 MS Team (1996) Unicorn (2010) Thunderbolt (2015) The Origin (2015)

Spinoffs are series that have the Gundam Name, but don’t take place in the Universal Century. These are series which pay homage to the Universal Century, but change elements, locations, time frames, and even local logics. Spinoffs allow for more unique themes and ideas, while still playing with the Gundam lineage.

G Gundam (1994) – Professional fighting Tournament Gundam Wing (1995)– Gundams are terrorists for the colonies Gundam X (1996) – After the end of the fighting Turn-a-Gundam (1999) – What if the bad guys won and set earth back to the 17th century Gundam Seed (2002) – Like Universal Century, but not Colorful Gundam 00 (2007) – Set in modern world, but 100 years in the future, mixing politics Gundam Age (2011) – Set over multiple generations Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans (2015) – What if Gundams were like Knights in space

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Topic: 2019 Topics in Review

It’s been a wonderful year, 2019. We saw a lot great movies, cosplayed together, found out that mom’s a Dinklette, even went to Japan for two weeks to see what that was all about. This time around, we’re reviewing our favorite things we learned about this last year. Some of the topics might surprise you.

3 Mom : Prowrestling

• Surprise by the skill necessary
• Loves the acting and athleticism
• Overpowered by the crowd’s activity in the show.

3 George : World of Warcraft

• Loved showing Mom one of his Favorite Games
• Found happiness in watching Mom’s reactions to the world
• Fun to be able to share a game together, excited for when she has more time to play

2 Mom: World of Warcraft

• Surprised by how fun it was to create a character and play
• Enjoyed escaping in to another world, leaving this one behind
• Something she’d definitely do again when more free time opens up

2 George: Cosplay

• Has always wanted to try doing Drag, happy to have the opportunity.
• Always enjoyed Cosplay and how it opens up the world to people
• Always enjoys couples/partner cosplays

1 Mom: Marvel MCU Movies

• Tickled at how much she could get in to the characters
• Excited to see the next offering in movies
• How involved all the actors were in the movies

1 George: Anime/Manga

• Always loves sharing Anime or Manga recommendations and showing the power of story telling
• Liked seeing mom’s reactions to stuff she wasn’t expecting.
• Can’t wait to share more in this topic in the future, since new stuff always comes out

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Topic: Star Wars Episode 9 Review + Future of Franchise

It’s finally here, we spent the entire month of December getting to this moment, so we welcome the new year with the long awaited review of episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker. First thing outside of the theater, we were trying to figure out what happens next? Does the Story continue? Does it pause for a while? Where does Rey and crew go from here on out? Mom’s got opinions, come find out.

Spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Ep9

The Rise of Skywalker

1. Emperor Palpatine is alive? Kylo Ren finds him and learns that the Emperor had been building a huge fleet of star destroyers. Kylo Ren Agrees to kill Rey as the Emperor requests, leaning that he created & manipulated Snoke.
2. Rey is training with Leia, when they learn that Palpatine intends on launching his fleet in the next 16 hours. Rey, Poe, Finn, and Chewy go to find a Sith beacon that will lead to Palpatine.
3. Crew a clue in a dagger that has Sith language, but learn that C-3PO can’t translate due to programming. They attempt to escape on a ship that Rey remembers seeing before, but First Order capture Chewy. In trying to save him, Rey and Kylo Ren are fighting for the transport, but Rey accidentally shoots out Lightning from her fingers and destroys the transport.
4. Crew leave to planet Kajimi Poe knows to crack C-3PO and learn the clue on the dagger. Rey learns that Chewy is alive and on Kylo Ren’s ship that has followed them. Crew discover that they need to go to Endor to the remains of the Death Star to find the Sith beacon.
5. Crew head to Kylo Ren’s ship, Poe and Finn rescue Chewy, but are captured themselves. They are saved by General Hux, who reveals is a spy against Kylo Ren. Rey finds the dagger and has a vision from Kylo Ren, who informs her that she is Palpatine’s Granddaughter. They all escape to Endor.
6. On Endor, Rey travels to the remains of the Death Star to find the Sith Beacon. She finds it, but is confronted by a force vision of an evil version of herself. Kylo Ren catches up to her and destroys the beacon. The two fight, with Kylo Ren about to kill Rey. Leia stops Kylo Ren by using the force to distract him, causing Rey to stab Kylo Ren. This causes Leia to die.
7. Rey heals Kylo Ren and escapes to the planet where Luke was at, destroying the ship so she can’t leave. Luke confronts Rey that he was wrong and offers her Leia’s lightsaber to help her. Rey leaves to fight Palpatine. Kylo Ren speaks with his father, a force ghost(?) and he throws away his red lightsaber, no longer following the darkside of the force.
8. Finn and Poe return to base, learning that Rey is sending them markers on how to get to Palpatine. They send Lando in Millennium Falcon to rally support. Poe leads attack on Star Destroyers while Finn launches a ground assault to disable the satellites, stopping the Star Destroyers. Eventually Lando arrives with hundreds of people and their own ships, to fight the Star Destroyers.
9. Rey confront Palpatine, who tells her that she will kill him, then he will flow in to her and she will become Empress of the Empire. Rey agrees and prepares to strike him down, but Ben Solo is nearly caught up to her. Through the force, she passes on Luke’s lightsaber to Ben, while she takes up Leia’s lightsaber. The two stand side by side to confront Palpatine.
10. Palpatine knocks both Rey and Ben down, draining some of their Force, and realizing they are a Dyad in the Force, regenerating Palpatine. Palpatine sucks the Force out of them, returning to his former power and attacking the resistance fleet with Lightning. He knocks Ben away to die.
11. Rey hears the voices of the Jedi speak to her, and she takes up both Luke’s and Leia’s lightsabers to fight Palpatine. She is successful in destroying Palpatine, but dies in the process. Ben returns to Rey and give his force to her, reviving her. Ben dies and joins the Force.
12. Rey reunites with Finn and Poe, and gives them a big hug. Rey travels to Luke’s home on Tatooine, and buries Leia’s and Luke’s saber under the sand. A passerbuy wonders who Rey is, Rey remarks, after seeing Luke and Leia as Force Ghosts, that she is Rey Skywalker.

Trivia:

• Leia is created using unused footage from past two movies.
• When George Lucas laid out plans for 12 movies, C-3PO and R2D2 were only characters to exist in all movies. Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) is only actor to be in all 9 movies, and makes cameo in movie outside of the C-3PO Costume.
• With a gap of thirty-six years, the return of the characters Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles marks the longest time for any original actors to reprise his role.
• During scene where Rey hears voices, multiple Jedi are heard, including:
  • Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker
  • Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano(Star Wars Rebels)
  • Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus(Star Wars Rebels)
  • Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli(Prequel Movies)
  • Frank Oz as Yoda
  • Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
  • Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura(Prequel Movies & Star Wars Clone Wars)
  • Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
  • Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia(Prequel Movies & Star Wars Clone Wars)

Where to Next?

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Topic: Star Wars Episode 7 + 8 + Solo Review

The Month of Star Wars continues, and we move on the most recent collection of movies. We’re discussing Solo: A Star Wars Story, Episodes 7 and 8, and we’re watching Episode 9 this weekend. Mom shares her distinct objective going in to Star Wars this time around. She’s such a nerd now… it’s awesome. Come hear Our thoughts of this, and leading up to Episode 9!

Solo: A Star Wars Story

1. Orphans Han Solo and Qi’ra(Kira) are trying to escape Corella and Gangster life. They bribes the Empire to escape, but Qi’ra gets apprehended. Han vows to return and enlists with the Empire.
2. Han fails to become a pilot and becomes an Imperial infantry man. He meets a group of criminals and tries to convince them to let him join up. He fails and is arrested and thrown in to a prison with Chewbacca. They eventually get recruited by the criminals
3. Criminals try to steal Coaxium, starship fuel, but fail due to interference from pirates and most of the team dies.
4. Han and Chewbacca learn that Beckett was to steal the Coaxium on orders from Dryden Vos, a dangerous Gangster. They go to him and purpose to get the Coaxium from a different venue. Qi’ra is found to be working for Vos and is assigned to help Criminals
5. Criminals go to recruit Lando Calrissan, L3-37, and the Millennium Falcon to assist with getting Coaxium from Kessel.
6. They successfully infiltrate and steal Coaxium from Kessel, but lose L3-37, who is installed in to the Millennium Falcon. They are stopped by the Empire and escape by traveling throughuncharted/dangerous space leading to Kessel.
7. Upon Landing to offload Coaxium for refinement, Lando leaves in Millennium Falcon and criminals are visited by the Pirates and learn they are part of the Rebels fighting the Empire.
8. Han and Chew go to deliver Coaxium to Vos, but are double crossed by Beckett, who explains that the Coaxium that Chew and Han brought it a fake, but the real stuff is with the Pirates. Han later explains that it is the real Coaxium as the pirates don’t have it.
9. Beckett takes Chewy at gunpoint and leaves with Coaxium. Han fights and kills Vos, and then goes after Beckett to save Chewy. Han saves Chewy by killing Beckett, while Qi’ra takes over gangsters, talking to Darth Maul and returning to him.
10. Chewy and Han meet with Lando and end up winning the Millennium Falcon. They Travel to Tatooine for business with the Hutts.

Trivia

• Harrison Ford liked the movie, but declined to go to the premier as he didn’t want to overshadow cast.
• First film to never mention Jedi.
• Joonas Suotamo first movie after taking over role of Chewbacca from Peter Mayhew.
• When discussing where to steal Coaxium From, Scarif is mentioned. Scarif is where the Death Star was being developed in Rogue One.

Ep7

Force Awakens

1. 30+ years after Battle of Endor, the First Order has taken the place of the Galactic Empire and wants to destroy the Republic. Poe Dameron a part of the Resistance and is on Jakku, trying to find the where-abouts of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Kylo Ren finds Poe Dameron and takes him, but leaves behind his droid BB-8
2. On the Star Destroyer, Stormtrooper Finn is having issues and defects, rescuing Poe and escaping with him back to Jakku to recover BB8. They crash and Poe is separated from Finn, who leaves to find shelter.
3. Rey is a scrapper who finds BB-8 and offers to take him to find his master. They meet with Finn who lies and says he’s a part of the Resistance. They commandeer the Millennium Falcon and escape to space.
4. Rey and Finn are found by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who take back the Millennium Falcon and offer to take them somewhere where they can reach the Resistance.
5. Crew on Millennium Falcon fly to Takodana. Han offers Rey a place on his ship while Finn seeks to find work to escape the First Order. Rey discovers Luke’s Lightsaber(Formerly Anakin’s) and has a Force vision. She drops the lightsaber, running away, but Finn Picks up light saber.
6. The Cantina where the crew are at is attacked by First Order, but are later rescued by the Resistance. Kylo Ren kidnaps Rey, and takes her to his ship.
7. Kylo Ren has difficulty using the Force against Rey and she is discovered to be Force user.
8. Han, Chewy, Finn, and Leia return to Resistance Base to discover First Order’s new Death Star, the Star Killer. Han, Chewy, and Finn will fly Millennium Falcon to Star Killer base and deactivate shields for X-wings to target. Poe found alive and will lead X-wing fighters.
9. Han, Chewy, and Finn break in to Star Killer Base to rescue Rey, but find her along the way. Han and Chewy go to planet explosives to destroy shield generator, but Han is stopped by Kylo Ren. Han says he wants to save his Son, but Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) relents, saying he needs to kills the thing holding him back. He kills Han Solo.
10. Chewy blows the up shield generator, giving Poe a chance to attack. Kylo Ren chases Finn and Rey in to forest and Finn fights Kylo Ren with lightsaber. Finn loses badly, but Rey pulls Lightsaber to her and fights Kylo Ren, beating him.
11. Star Killer base destroyed, everyone returns to the Resistance. Poe continues to help Finn recover from injuries alongside Leia. Rey and Chewy get the map to Luke Skywalker so that Rey and start her training to become a Jedi.

Trivia

• Harrison Ford got top Billing in movie, and is the first non-Jedi character to do so.
• Oscar Issac‘s (Poe Dameron) uncle was a huge Star Wars fan and asked director if he could visit set. Director agreed and after tour offered the uncle a chance to be an extra. He was on Jakku with his nephew during opening scene.
• Rey’s outfit was designed around original sketches for Luke during development of original 1977 film. These sketches led to discussion of Luke character being a woman, but was ultimately discarded.
• 3rd movie after Avatar and Titanic to break $2 billion in box-office.

Ep8

The Last Jedi

1. The First Order has found the Resistance, and after Poe leads a successful, but with heavy casualty, fight to escape with Leia and Finn. Kylo Ren’s master, Snoke, mocks Kylo Ren for trying to be like his Grandfather, Darth Vader.
2. Rey offers the light saber to Luke but Luke tosses it aside. Rey eventually gets Luke to give three lessons on the Jedi/Force.
3. Poe, Finn, and Leia learn that the First Order is tracking them through HyperSpace. In an attack, much of the Resistance leaders are killed, but Leia barely survives by using the Force. Finn and Rose leave to find a hacker to deactivate the tracking device. Leia is replaced by Admiral Holdo who tells Poe to relax and follow her orders.
4. Rey has visions with Kylo Ren and they talk. After explaining the Force, Luke eventually explains that he felt the Dark Side of the Force in Kylo Ren and considered killing him. Kylo Ren woke up after Luke realized what he was thinking was wrong, but it was too late. Rey leaves to go help friends and redeem Kylo Ren
5. Luke goes to destroy remaining Jedi material, but is stopped by Force Ghost Yoda, who sets Luke right and tells him what he should have done.
6. After Finn and Rose recruit a hacker, they travel to Snoke’s Capital ship, which is chasing the Resistance. Holdo is try to escape to nearby planet in shuttles, but Poe starts a mutiny and takes control of the fleet. He is stopped by Leia, but only after Finn and Rose are captured by the First Order and about to be killed.
7. Rey makes it on to Snokes ship, but is immediately captured by Kylo Ren. Snoke interrogates her to learn Luke’s location, but Kylo Ren kills Snoke. Rey and Kylo Ren fight local guards and then fight over Luke’s Lightsaber. Lightsaber breaks and Rey escapes.
8. Holdo used remaining capital ship to ram in to Snoke’s Ship, saving Finn and Rose, who join up with Poe and Leia on nearby Planet. Poe, Rose, Finn, and Leia old off First Order while they look for help. Rey comes in Millennium Falcon to save them.
9. Luke arrives on the planet to save everyone. He distracts Kylo Ren in Lightsaber battle, but is later revealed to be there via the Force Projection. Everyone escapes the First Order, but Luke dies, but becomes one with the Force. Resistance barely survives, and is now on the run from the First Order.

Trivia

• Mark Hamill did not like the direction that Luke Skywalker took, but maintained his professionalism and respect for the director during filming.
• Actor Laura Dern (Admiral Holdo) said pew every time she shot her blaster. This is a mimic of when people with lightsaber would make the lightsaber noise when swinging the lightsaber around.
• Porgs in the film were created because of various Puffins on the island and being unable to remove them due to local laws. Porgs where a way to cover them up.
• Ewan McGregor expressed interested in reprising his role as Obi-wan, but couldn’t due to not having a place for him in the story.

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Topic: Star Wars Episode 4-6 + Rogue One Review

This week, we’re on to the original trilogy that started it all off. We’re on to the original trilogy, the ones that it all off for myself and my mom. Unlike the last ones, we both had more favorable feelings about these movies. I can’t wait to show her the next set of movies and see her reaction to those movies, see if she likes them or not.

Rogue One

1. Young JynErso is in hiding with her parents, father who is a lead engineer on the Death Star, but the Empire comes and takes Jyn’s Father away to finish the Death Star.
2. Years Later, Jyn is picked up by the Rebels, seeking her father who is helping build the Death Star.
3. Cassian Andor and K-2SO take her to the planet of Jedha to find Saw Gerrera, who just so happens to have a message from her father, mentioning an exploit. They pick up Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus in the process.
4. Death Star above, led by Director Krennic, fires on the planet to test the Death Star. Grand Toff Tarkin takes over Death Star after test
5. Rebel crew head to planet of Eadu to rescue Jyn’s Father, but fail and leave in stolen Imperial Transport ship.
6. Director Krennic goes to Darth Vader to take command of the Death Star back, but fails and is told to clean up his mess.
7. Rebels go to planet of Scarif to retrieve the Death Star Plans. The Main fleet of the Rebels eventually join to help with the fight.
8. Jyn gets the stolen plans to the rebels, but not before Vader nearly has them in his grasp.
9. Last scene leads directly in to Star Wars – A New Hope.

Ep 4

Star Wars – A New Hope

1. Princess Leia is on the run from Darth Vader with plans for the Death Star. She gives them to R2D2
2. R2D2 escape to planet Tatooine with C3PO, but are captured and sold to Luke Skywalker
3. Luke meets Obiwan Kenobi
4. Luke leaves with Obiwan to give the stolen plans to the rebels, in the Millennium Falcon, Piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca.
5. Vader interrogates Leia on the Death Star and blow up Leia’s Planet of Alderan.
6. Luke, Han, Obiwan, and Chewbacca arrive at Alderan and are captured by the Empire.
7. They rescue Leia and escape the Death Star, but not before Obiwan sacrifices himself to allow them to do so.
8. Death Star tracks the rebels to Yavin 4, and Luke agrees to fight the Empire in an X wing.
9. Rebels are able to blow up the Death Star with Han and Chew’s help.
10. Big ceremony at the end.

Trivia

• Luke Skywalker originally Starkiller
• Lucas opted for less pay on the movie in order own the merchandising rights
• Obiwan never says, “May the Force be with You”
• Ewan McGregor(Young Obiwan)’s uncle Was in Star wars, denis Lawson (Wedge Antillies)

Ep 5

Empire Strikes Back

1. Rebels are in hiding on ice planet Hoth, Luke gets attacked and injured, seeing Obiwan as a ghost, but is saved by Han.
2. Empire finds the Rebels and sends down an army to capture the Rebels.
3. Han, Chewbacca, and Leia are running away from the Empire, can’t go to Hyperspace because Millennium Falcon is damaged
4. Luke go to meet Yoda so Luke can learn to be a Jedi.
5. Han, Chewbacca, and Leia go to meet Lando Calrissian, but the crew have been sold out to Darth Vader and Bobo Fett
6. Han is frozen in Carbonite, but Lando switches sides and helps Chewbacca and Leia escape on Millennium Falcon.
7. Luke goes to save his friends, but fights Darth Vader. Loses his right hand and learns that Vader is his father.
8. Luke is saved by Millennium Falcon and they all escape. Lando promises to find Han and Luke agrees to go and help save him.

Trivia

• Shots of Luke using the Force to retrieve his lightsaber were accomplished by Mark Hamil throwing his light saber and film being reversed.
• Carrie Fisher stood on a box for many scene with Harrison Ford due to their height difference, Fisher at 5’1”, Ford at 6’1”
• When Mark Hamill was having problems shooting scenes with Yoda, Frank Oz would bring out his Miss Piggy Puppet to make him laugh
• Scene where Leia says, “I love you.” And Han says, “I know.” Was adlibbed by Harrison Ford.

Ep6

Return of the Jedi

1. Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca save Han on Tatooine.
2. Luke learns Leia is sister, gets final training from Yoda
3. Rebels learn of new Death Star, send Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca to moon Endor to turn off shield generator so Empire can destroy new Death Star.
4. Vader visits Death Star with Emperor to ensure the Rebels are defeated.
5. Luke hands himself over to Darth Vader, intending on convincing his father to reform, he is brought to death Star
6. Han, Leia, and Chewbacca go to destroy the Shield generator, helped by Ewoks.
7. Lando leads Rebel Fleet to attack the New Death Star. They Succeed
8. Luke and Darth Vader Fight, Luke wins, Vader kills Emperor.
9. Vader dies, redeemed, Crew with Ewoks celebrate end of the Empire.

Trivia

• Harrison Ford only sign contract for two movies, but George Lucas convinced him to sign for a 3rd, believing that Han Solo still had more heroic stuff to do.
• Actor Ian McDiarmid would play the Emperor, and reprise his role 15+ years later in the prequel trilogy.
• Carrie Fisher complained that her costumes in previous movies were too long and people could not tell she was a woman. This led to the infamous Slave costume worn during early parts of the movie. Costume was made of metal and had shots had to be redone due to wardrobe malfunctions.
• Mark Hamill opined that Luke should don Vader’s helmet after Vader’s death, leaving the ending of Luke character ambigious or ominous. George Lucas disagreed and went with the happy ending.

View Details

Topic: Star Wars Review, Episodes 1-3

This week starts our first review of the Star Wars Movies. This week, as we’re watching them in the intended order of 1-8, we’re watching the Prequel Trilogy, which came out in 1999-2005. Fair Warning, Mom did not enjoy these movies, and we get to talk about it.

Warning, Spoilers in Bound

Ep 1: The Phantom Menace

• Obiwan Kenobi & Qui GonJin are sent to Planet of Naboo regarding a blockade by the Trade Federation
• Obiwan& Qui Gon meet Jar-jar Binks and rescue princess Padme’ Amadala from planet.
• Their ship is damage and they land on Tatooine.
• Quigon, Padme, and Jar Jar meet Anakin Skywalker and participate in a Pod Race for parts and Anakin’s ownership.
• Quigon Fights Darth Maul before leaving Tatooine.
• Everyone travels to Corusaunt, Padme tries to get Senate to intervene on her planet, while Quigon asks for Anakin to become a Jedi. Council declines.
• Everyone goes back to Naboo. Jar Jar leads a Gungan army, while Padme goes to capture the trade federation representatives. Anakin flies a star fighter, and Jedi fight sith.
• Padme captures trade federation, Anakin blows up droid ship, Quigon dies, but Obiwan kills Darth Maul.
• Anakin allowed to become a Jedi, New Chancellor for senate, Peace on Naboo.

Trivia-

• Ahmed Best played Jar Jar on set, but was later digitally removed in favor of Special Effects due to being easier and less costly.
• Natalie Portman portrayed Queen Padme Amadala, Kira Knightely also portrays Padme Amadala
• Liam Neesonwas so eager to be in the film that he signed on without having read the script.
• Natalie Portman(Queen Amidala) missed the premiere party in New York City because she had to go home to study for her high school final exams.
• In 1997, a fierce sandstorm destroyed several of the Tatooine sets in the desert outside Tozeur, Tunisia. Filming resumed two days later. George Lucasconsidered this a good omen, as the same thing had happened during filming of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

Ep 2: Attack of the Clones

1. Padme now senator, but trying to be assassinated. Obiwan and Anakin sent to be bodyguards.
2. Obiwan finds a lead and decides to follow it, while Anakin and Padme retreat to Naboo for protection.
3. Obiwan learns of a Clone army that shouldn’t exist; Anakin and Padme make googly eyes at each other.
4. Obiwan fights with Jango Fett, and tracks him to a Droid factory planet. Padme and Anakin go to Tatooine to rescue Anakin’s mom.
5. Obiwan capture by Droids and Count Dooku, so Padme and Aankin go to rescue, but they are also captured.
6. Jedi come to save Obiwan, Padme, and Anakin.
7. Obiwan and Anakin go to stop Count Doku, Anakin loses an hand, and Yoda saves them.
8. Start of Clone Wars

Trivia-

• When Jango Fett gets into his ship after his fight with Obi-Wan, he bangs his head on the partially open door. This was intentional, and is a reference to a famous goof from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope(1977), where a stormtrooper accidentally bangs his head on a door.
• During rehearsals and filming of Count Dooku's light-saber battle scenes, a small model of Yoda was used as a reference point for Sir Christopher Lee. The model, however, was slightly altered to have vampire fangs, to which Lee's amused response was "I will not comment on that. I didn't think you would do this to me, George!" The fangs were likely a joke at Lee's expense for his performance as Count Dracula in Horror of Dracula(1958) and several other Hammer Studios horror films.
• With an estimated budget of $120 million, this was the most expensive Star Wars film until Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), with an estimated budget of $200 million.

Ep 3: Revenge of the Sith

1. Obiwan and Anakin go to rescue Chancellor, kill Count Dooku.
2. Padme tells Anakin she’s pregnant, they’re married.
3. Chancellor Palpatine appoints Anakin to Jedi Council, but council does not give him rank of Master. Anakin is meant to be agent of Chancellor but also for Jedi council.
4. Obiwan sent to find General Grievous, to which he defeats.
5. Palpatine tells Anakin he is a Sith and he can save Anakin’s Wife. Anakin reports to council.
6. Council goes to Palpatine to arrest, but with Anakin’s help, kills the council members. Anakin become Darth Vader. Palpatine becomes Emperor.
7. Palpatine executes Order 66, killing all Jedi. Anakin goes to Jedi Temple and kills all Jedi.
8. Obiwan and Yoda return to Jedi temple to find in ruins, realizes Anakin has fallen to Dark Side.
9. Obiwan goes to Padme to learn of Anakin’s fate. Obiwan follows Padme to fire planet.
10. Obiwan and Anakin fight on fire planet, Anakin loses other arm and legs, and catches on fire. Obiwan goes in to hiding.
11. Yoda goes to fight Palpatine, Palpatine wins, so Yoda goes in to hiding.
12. Obiwan and Yoda watch twins Luke & Leia be born. Luke goes to tatooine with Obiwan, Leia goes to Alderan as adopted child.
13. Anakin puts on full Darth Vader suit. Fade to construction of Death Star.

Trivia-

• Ewan McGregorand Hayden Christensen trained for two months in fencing and fitness in preparation for their epic battle. As a result of their practice, the speed at which Kenobi and Vader engage the duel (in the completed movie) is the speed in which it was filmed, and was not digitally accelerated.
• Liam Neesonhas said that he recorded a cameo as Qui-Gon Jinn, which was to feature in a scene with Yoda, further explaining the concept of a Jedi communicating from beyond the grave. In the script, the dialogue (in which Qui-Gon is heard, not seen) appeared in the scene in which Yoda is meditating on the secret asteroid base, just before Bail Organa informs him of Obi-Wan's return with Padmé. The scene does not appear in the deleted scenes section of the DVD; however, an unfinished version was included in the Blu-ray release box set.
• Chancellor Palpatine's strategy for maintaining power is known to political scientists, and is called Perpetual War. He comes to power through conflict with the Trade Federation, gains greater privileges through the Clone War, and solidifies his position through war on the Jedi.
• Every clone trooper in the film is CGI. Not a single real clone costume or helmet was featured in the movie.

View Details

Topic: Star Wars

This week, we’re starting our Month long discussion on Star Wars, with the anticipation of the new Movie ‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’. Get out your light sabers, prepare your wookie roar, and remember that “It’s a Trap!” Let’s talk Star Wars!

AIDS Life Cycle

This upcoming June, our Co-Host, Mom, will be participating in a cycling event, aimed at raising money for charity to support AIDS research and treatments. This 7 day, 545 mile trek will start in San Francisco, Ca and end in Los Angeles, CA, winding up and down hills and valleys. My mom’s goal is raising $10,000 and I’m hopeful our audience can help. If you can assist with her ride and learn more, please visit my Mom’s AIDS Life Cycle Page.

Tutorial

Origins

Created by George Lucas in 1977

Originally, George Lucas wanted to do Flash Gordon movie, but couldn’t secure the rights.

Element of Joseph Campbells The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Secured sequel rights before first film ever released

Science Fiction vs Science Fantasy

Science Fiction = Less Fantastical, More realistic based off the universe. Could actually exist in theory

Science Fantasy = More Fantastical, Less emphasis on explaining how things work, unlikely to ever really happen/exist.

Key Features of Star Wars

• The Force
• Jedi / Sith
• Light Sabers
• Blasters
• Republic
• Universe seems a lot like the Wild West/Pirates
• Droids
• Aliens / Language
• Mix of Sci-fi and Fantasy elements

Movies

Prequel Trilogy

• The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars Story:

• Solo (2018)
• Rogue One (2016)

Original Trilogy:

• A New Hope (1977)
• The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Return of the Jedi (1983)

Sequel Trilogy

• The Force Awakens (2015)
• The Last Jedi (2017)
• The Rise of the Skywalker (2019)

TV Series

• Ewoks
• Clone Wars
• Rebels
• Resistance
• Mandalorian

Other Media

Expanded Universe / Also known as the Legends

Books, Lots of books

Lots of games

TIE Fighter / X-Wing

Jedi Knight series (Jedi Outcast)

Knights of the Old Republic

Force Unleashed

Battle Front

Fallen Order

MMOs (Old Republic / Galaxy)

Theme Parks

FANS

Trooping / 501st

Wookipedia

Concern over Tim.

View Details

Topic: Gift Giving Guide

With the holidays coming up shortly, and the big chance to buy gifts, we wanted to offer some idea and advice when shopping for your fellow nerds. Some of this will be relevant to some, while others, maybe less so, but the intent is to give a direction to those shopping for their beloved, and professional, nerds.

Knowing your Nerd

Buying a great present for a nerd can be difficult some times, but the most important thing to know when buying is to understand what the nerd is in to or would like. Research and talking with your nerd will be a major hurtle to figure out what would be an ideal gift. If you want to be secretive about it, you might want to try to couch the request as a gift someone else, a cousin, colleague, or something like that. The better you know the nerd, the easier it will be to pick a present out.

Basic/Necessities

Subscriptions

• Netflix
• Hulu
• Crunchyroll
• Subscriptions

Gift Cards

• Amazon
• ThinkGeek
• Card Kingdom
• Local Stores
• Game Currency

Loot Boxes

• https://bensbargains.com/thecheckout/guides/20-awesome-subscription-boxes-like-loot-crate/

Indulgence

Game Systems

Playstation 4

• Lots of Games, aiming more toward Japanese culture
• Great graphics
• Playstation VR
• Potential 4k systems/games

Xbox One

• Lots of Games, more geared toward American/western
• Good Multimedia tools/Services
• Great Graphics

Nintendo Switch

• Good Game Library, heavy on First Party Support
• Portable
• Aimed toward family friendly
• Good for multiplay/local

Clothing/Accessories

• Shirts are easy to get, no nerd will turn down a shirt usually. Try to find stuff they’ll want to wear all the time, or great for special occasions. Even better if they can camouflage it at work!

Game/Computer Hardware

• Aim to get them Games they don’t already have if possible. Better to buy closer to the date you’re giving the gift as they may not have it at that point.
• If getting electronics, aim to get high end or biggest bang for buck. Computer parts/hardware can age poorly over the years, so aiming for better early on will mean it lasts longer.

Collections

• Nerds enjoy their collections, so if you’re able to add to it, all the better. Knowing your nerd will help a lot here.

Tickets

• If you have local convention or events happening, tickets are a great option. Wrestling is all the time, usually 2-3 times a year. There is often a touring orchestra that does video game or pop-culture music. If you have a local convention, buying their pass for the convention can also work well too.

Specialty

Etsy / Craft

If you’re looking for a one of a kind, never seen before item, this might be where you look. Etsy has lots of great makers and ideas to give you the most unique gift.

Memorabilia

• Personal to them.

Time

• As we discussed, sometimes, your time with a nerd can be more than enough. Finding something there in to and joining it, or simply giving them a chance to talk about their nerdy passions might be worth it.

View Details

Topic: World of Warcraft

This week, we're trying something different.  Because it's a Video Game, and the magic of technology allowed us, we recorded the whole Episode on film!  Okay not real film, but still, we recorded the adventure of Mom learning and trying to play World of Warcraft.  Come find out how we did.

We're uploading the video to Youtube as well, so while the podcast might be a bit misleading if you don't see what we're doing, for those who can't watch us play, you can atleast listen to us play.

View Details

Topic: World of Warcraft

This week, we start the process of learning about one of my favorite games of the last decade, and Mom gets to come and journey with me on it. We’re learning about World of Warcraft, and while we can’t talk about everything, we’ll certainly give you a good idea of what it’s all about!

Tutorial

MMORPG – Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

Developed and Created by Blizzard Entertainment, now Activision Blizzard Interactive.

Based on previous MMOs, like Runescape, Ultima Online, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies, and many other game.

Personal Favorite were Phantasy Star Online and Ragnarok Online

Blizzard knows how to distill the core, fun elements of a game, rebuild it in their own image and what is fun about it, and then paint a rich narrative over the entire game to bring it to life.

Blizzard is well known for their Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo franchises.

A good studio that puts out quality games.

History

Beginning development in 1999-2000 around the same time as development on Warcraft 3.

Elements from Warcraft 3 helped shape the story, character, world, and races of the upcoming World of Warcraft.

Announced in 2001, released in late fall of 2004. Immediate success based of studio’s previous work and franchise of Warcraft a few years earlier.

The game was a worldwide success, and quickly became the most popular and largest game in history.

Additional expansion are released every two years to provide new mechanics, character classes and/or races, new locations to visit, and new stories/lore.

Vanilla/Classic (2004)

Initial incarnation of the game.

Story takes place on Azeroth, a fictional, fantasy world with two major factions trying to bide for control over the world:

The Alliance(Humans, Dwarfs, Gnomes, & Night Elves)

The Horde (Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, &Undead(Forsaken))

Each control major areas of two continents and war against each other in an eternal struggle.

Original story focused on a Dragon lord trying to come to power.

Blood gods of the Trolls seeking to corrupt the world.

Ancient bugs awakening from their slumber.

And the Undead returning to finish the job.

Classic versions of the original game were recently released in August of 2019 to allow players to play the original version of the game.

The Burning Crusade (2006)

Set in the world of Outland, the former home of Orcs.

Alliance recruits the Dranaei.

Horde recruits the Blood Elves.

Story has us fighting against the Burning Legion, the universal evil bad guys set on destroying all life.

Eventually to fight a big bad named Illidan

Introduction of Flying in game

Wrath of the Lich King (2008)

Set on the continent of Northrend

Introduced a new player class (Death Knights) for all races

Story follows forcing trying to subdue the big bad Lich King from Warcraft 3

Marked what many feel is the high point of the game.

12 Million Subscribers high.

Cataclysm (2010)

Revamped the 1-60 game world, drastically altering the landscape of the game to allow flying and new game effects.

Alliance recruits the Worgen.

Horde recruit a faction of Goblins

Some class/race combinations rebalanced for more options.

Story follows heroes trying to stop the dragon ‘Deathwing’ from destroying the world. He’s the one that caused the world to sunder, otherwise known in game as ‘The Cataclysm’.

New world also introduced a more dynamic story that would begin to play out over multiple expansions and lead in to the next one over time.

Mists of Pandaria (2012)

Set in the land of Pandaria, a place hidden in mist until the Cataclysm revealed it.

Alliance and Horde recruit Panderians,

New class known as the monk introduced.

Story follows the Alliance and Horde bring war to a new place that hadn’t seen it and causing a mess. Eventually capped off with the Leader of the Horde trying to start a genocide of his own faction and his eventual downturn.

Warlords of Draenor (2014)

Returned to Outland before it became Outland, and even went back in time.

Introduction of Garrisons as a major feature.

Story followed form warchief going back in time to before the orcs were corrupted, and trying to build the Horde he always wish it would be. We would stop the new horde from advancing in to our world and taking it over.

Game quickly begins to slow down, with the game being less than well received and considered lackluster. Entire raid content/patch was dropped.

Legion (2016)

Set in the Broken Isle, a lost location where the Burning Legion has returned thanks to Gul’dan from last expansion being sent to our world.

Introduced the Demon Hunters to the game.

Revamp of all Classes and specs to create dynamic, individual game play, and Order Halls.

Story follows us trying to stop the burning Legion of returning and putting an end to their campaign once and for all.

Many people happy about this expansion and considered a new high point.

Battle for Azeroth (2018)

Current expansion.

Set on islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar, forgotten lands in wow lore.

We recruit new allied races to assist:

Alliance gets Light Forged Dranaei, Void Elves, Dark Iron Dwarfs, Mechagon Gnomes, and Kul Tirans

Horde get High Mountain Tauren, Nightborne, Mag’har Orcs, Vulpera, and Zandalari Trolls.

Story initially starts as a continuation of the Horde vs Alliance, but quickly find the new WarchiefSylvanas trying to kill everyone for a secret agenda.

Continued on success of Legion in story and gameplay.

Shadowlands (2020)

New expansion set in the land of the dead.

Revamp of Order Halls and revamp of character abilities.

Changing leveling process back to 60 cap level, making each expansion the 10-50 experience.

Story revolves around Sylvanas opening up a portal/hole to the shadowlands, but for unknown reasons.

Planned for 3rd quarter of 2020.

Classes:

Warriors – Heavy Plate soldiers, good at all weapons, great at tanking.

Paladins – Holy Warriors, can do close combat, plus tanking, and Healing.

Death Knights – Unholy knights, good at tanking, but channeling unholy skills to do damage

Shamans – Nature warriors that call upon the raw elements to attack and heal.

Hunters – Similar to rangers, good with all long range combat

Rogues – Typical thief, can hide in stealth and strike enemies with ease.

Druids – Shape-shifter that rely on nature magic to transform in to either healers, tanks, melee or ranged damage

Monks – Barehanded warriors who are drunk tanks, quick melee fighters, or mystical healers.

Demon Hunters – Similar to Illidan, these are warriors infused with demonic energy that can also be tanks

Mage – Typical wizard channeling the fire, ice, or arcane magic

Warlocks – Dark wizards that use fel and shadow to summon demons to do their bidding.

Priests – Holy wizards that excel at healing, but have an unholy damage.

Things to do in game:

Leveling/Alts – Common is to level your character until max level, or start a new character and level up all over again

Dungeons – 5 man groups tackling various smaller issues, usually relating/theming to current events/expansion

Raids – 10-25 man groups tackling bigger dungeons, almost always related to the current events/story

Player Vs Player – various areas, themed objectives, and open world fights between the Horde and Alliance.

Pet Battles – Introduced in Cataclysm, think Pokemon with your in game pets

Dailies – series of objectives that can be completed daily for various rewards

Transmog – Hunting Gear or looks from various sources/objectives

Role Playing – Popular amongst roleplay servers, allowing character to act out stories with their characters.

View Details

Topic: Magic: The Gathering

We disappeared at the end of last week, planning on playing some games of magic. We did that and mom did some additional research of her own, and found a wealth of knowledge is out there for anyone interested in learning about the game and wanting to play it. It’s amazing how much is out there, but it’s Time to hear my mom’s thoughts and questions in this review episode.

Review:

Magic: The Gathering

https://magic.wizards.com/en

Magic: The Gathering Arena

https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena

Level One

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/level-one/level-one-full-course-2015-10-05

Card Kingdom

https://www.cardkingdom.com/

Tolarian Community College

https://www.youtube.com/user/tolariancommunity

Loading Ready Run MTG

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCicNMfc3PGR1H2yPOxFJrLA

Magic: The Gathering

https://www.youtube.com/user/wizardsmtg

View Details

Topic: Magic: The Gathering

This week, we’re diving in to our first real game that we’ve ever talked about on the show. We plan on talking about other games, notably Fortnite/PUBG, Warcraft, and sometime in November, I want to do a buyer’s guide for nerds. But this week we’re talking about Magic: The Gathering, a long running collectible card game with lots of history in the nerd world.

Tutorial

History Original concept and idea created by Richard Garfield.

Worked as an Adjunct Professor at Whitman College in 1991, while working his doctorate in mathematics as University of Pennsylvania. He approached Wizards of the Coast about producing a different game, but was asked to make a game that was portable to play. This developed in to Magic: The Gathering.

Originally known for testing purposes as “Magic”, but after trademarking “Mana Clash”, people continued to call it magic. It was rebranded as “Magic: The Gathering”, in order to copyright and secure the name.

Released in 1993, it was an immediate success and started a collectable card game craze that found additional games like Pokemon, Star Wars, and many others trying to capital off the success.

Multiple expansions have come out, and over a billion cards were sold within a 2 year span.

1996 – Pro Tour established

1999 – Hasbro purchased

Between 2008- 2016: Approximately – 20 billion cards sold

Story: While no initial story, various expansions have developed a rich narrative over multiple years.

Initial concept is two wizards fighting against one another.

There are infinite ‘Planes’, acting as various multiverses where anything can be or happen on them. Some rare special beings can jump between various Planes, known as ‘Planeswalkers’. The various Planes are intended to allow various type of magic, technology, locations, and themes to be used. Such as location settings like Egyptian, Middle-Eastern, Japanese/Chinese, and traditional European Fantasy settings.

The story is told over an expansion, namely through the cards’ flavor text and supplemental material.

Story told from various planeswalkers on the planeswalking ship Weatherlight to fight various enemies. Stories initially centered on character, but shifted toward world based events and the characters wrapped up within them.

With each expansion saw new planes to travel to, with later years revisiting older planes that hadn’t been visited in over a decade.

Gameplay: Games can include multiple players, though more players take more time. Typical games are one on one.

While some format have differing rules regarding how many and what types of cards you can use or have, the typical game format includes a deck of 60 cards of various card types, also known as your “Library”. A major theme in magic is card color, which helps denote the types of spells, creatures, abilities, and play style a player will have access to. Most decks will focus on one color, with two colors giving greater play options, but more difficult to use. The colors include:

White (Plains) These cards are consider righteous creatures and characters. They often have low level creatures, offer protection and power-ups, along with healing. White denotes making things fair and disabling abilities in order to overcome their enemies.

Blue (Islands) These cards are consider water or air in theme, but include essence of knowledge/wisdom. The often help with drawing cards, controlling other creatures, negating spells, and controlling the battlefield through abilities. Creatures tend to be weaker, but more ability focused as a trade off, causing them to be physically weaker.

Black (Swamps) These cards represent sacrifice, corruption, power, and general evil, but also reflects Necromancy, demons, vampires, and other horror creatures. Their cards often include instant kill abilities, stealing life, and even bring creature back from the grave. Unlike other colors, black tries to win at any cost, often meaning you might sacrifice other things to get ahead.

Red (Mountains) These are cards that represent Fire and raw power as a hole. Their cards are often direct damage, destroying anything in its path, and temporary boosts in power. Red’s creatures are lower level, but offer high power with low defense, leading to a glass cannon situation. So they’re great in the beginning but suffer in the end game.

Green (Forests) These are cards that represent evolution, life, and overall nature. Their cards are often strong power for low cost, offering survivability and regeneration, and focus on creatures more than spells. Their spells tend to focus on enhancing their creatures and creating smaller creatures, but lack many ways to counter abilities or spells from other colors.

Multi-Color These are rarer cards that rely on multiple color mana, usually two, to be cast. They’re typically cards that represent both types of mana in some way and are often more powerful than single color cards.

Colorless These are cards, that like their name sake, do not required any color mana.They’re useful as they can pull abilities from some other colors, but aren’t as effective. An Example, as where green doesn’t have a lot of good spell cards, colorless cards can help make for it by offering some mechanics or spells that Green doesn’t have access to.

Cards in your hand can only be played via Mana, which you get from lands associated with your color of cards. IE, White card require white mana. Some cards require only a certain amount of colored mana, and then can use any other type of mana, which leads to great uses of other color mana. IE, a white card might require 1 white mana and 1 colorless mana, so you could use a black mana instead of white to play it.

A basic concept in Magic is Tapping and Untapping. Essentially, anything that would stay on the battle field becomes tapped upon use. Tapped creatures, lands, or abilities can’t be used again once tapped. It can’t be untapped until the start of your turn, or by some special effect cards that allow you to untap it. The act of tapping a card is by placing it sideways on the battle field.

One of the major features of Magic the Gathering is keywords. While some cards have unique mechanics, these Keywords are common mechanics that can also be found on other cards, in order to not have to repeat it constantly. Some might include: • Flying – which can only be attacked by spells and other flying creatures • Reach – which means you can attack flying creatures • Trample – any extra damage done over the health of a creature is done to the player instead • Lifelink – when you do damage, you gain life equal to that damage. • Menace – Means two cards have to block it These mechanics are introduced in new expansions frequently, but some are also taken out during this period. Some are retired all together based on the current rules or expansion.

Over the years, Magic the Gathering has created several different types of formats for its card game. While play is traditionally always the same set of turns being taken, different formats include different ways you create your Libraries or what you can have in them. Some formats include how many players can play and in certain ways. Some formats include: • Constructed – The most basic format where you build a deck based off current rules and allowed cards. • Limited – Similar to constructed, but you are limited to what you have on hand rather than all available cards. Limited includes two popular formats: o Sealed – Where you are limited to only 6 booster decks that you receive and must make a deck out of them. o Draft – Where 8 people take turns picking cards from a booster pack and pass it along to the next. A very popular format between friends and small tournaments. • Two Header Giant – A 2 on 2 match where each teams shares life totals. • Casual – These are less strict formats that offer a more wide way to play. Popular in this format is Commander, where you have a semi-permanent card that you can have on the battlefield at all times.

Why Fun? Beyond playing for the sake of playing, a lot of magic is played because it offers challenges related to strategy and tactics. While no card is perfect, it forces people to plan ahead of time and focus on different strategies in their games. Do they go for a quick win, a game where they stop anything from happening, maybe they force their enemy to over draw cards, or perhaps it’s about getting bit creatures out to do big damage. Forcing you to plan can help open up ways of learning and make you smarter overall.

The game itself is a very social game, as there is very few ways to enjoy the game outside of interacting with others. A wide variety of formats allows lots of different types of play and complexity, giving players plenty of choices in how to enjoy their content.

Magic the Gathering has an amazing community too. Beyond the company’s major Tournaments and MagicFest conventions, they support a wide collection of smaller stores throughout the world with product and promotions. A majority of cards purchased can be found in comicbook or gaming stores, with many holding their own smaller tournaments and events. Friday Nights is a campaign by Wizards of the Coast to support local game store by offering magic tournaments and gathering on Friday Nights.

The community has a very active secondary market as well, with local game shops buying and selling individual cards, along with accessories. Online has seen a big boost to players trying to find certain cards for their decks. A huge market of accessories, collectables, books, and more have been created over the years, so it’s guaranteed that most people will rarely see a second of anything in the wild. Art for Magic the Gathering are all individually painted and created, leading to hundreds of artists over the years painting works of art for the game. Prints of card’s art can be quite collector’s items alone.

The community has also a great collection of online personality, who namely create content in the form of playing and even discussing the game. There are even communities of creators that make parody of the game, leading to their own online success over the years.

With advent of Magic the Gathering Arena, a free online game version of the card game, it allows all sorts of people to give the game a try. The game spent nearly ten years of algorithms and testing before it could create NPC(Non-player Character) or BOT that could play against people legitimately, factoring in tactics, strategy, and cards drawn. The game is great because it allows people who can’t visit game stores, or don’t have one in their area, it allows them the chance to play against real people online. New features are being added all the time, so custom game types may one day be allowed on there, or atleast Draft might come about.

Recently announced, a Netflix series will be created based on the popular card game

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Topic: Post Japan - Tips and Tricks

Okay, finally, we finished talking about what it was that we did on this two week vacation, now we get to share our knowledge and what we learned for anyone else traveling.  We really do hope this is useful to someone traveling to Japan, as we think this is some of the most useful information we can immediately think of outside of the language.  Next week we’re planning something else, but we felt this was important things that could help make Japan much easier to navigate.

Tips and Tricks:

Wifi Router / Sim Card We highly recommend getting a Wifi Router while in Japan.  You can make arrangements prior to arriving to Japan to get a Wifi Router for multiple devices.  In our case, I made arrangements to pick it up at the Airport when we arrive and then drop off at the Airport before we left.  It’s amazingly useful to look up maps, information, or just to stay in touch, as we purposefully turned off our mobile data plans while in Japan so we could avoid roaming charges.

In Our case, because I wasn’t sure how much or little we were going to use, I got an unlimited plan that ran 900yen a day.  So we had unlimited data, but if we went over 3g ever day, it would start slowing down.  By the end of the trip, we probably only used 7-8g of data.  Use your best judgment when picking a plan, but definitely consider making arrangements before you arrive, so you’ll definitely want one.

Travel Around Japan There’s probably two major ways to travel in Japan. 

Trains: JR Railway If you’re traveling AROUND Japan, this is a must have.  JR Railway represents Japan owned railways, which are train managed by the Japanese Railway company.  They’re all throughout Japan and most stations associated with them are usually bigger stations.  Most Prefectures and towns will have atleast One or Two JR Railways in them.

If you plan on traveling from different prefectures or in different parts of Major Parts of Japan, this is a very useful tool to have.  There are two versions, each available for either 7, 14, or 21 days: you have Standard Pass and Green Pass.  Green Pass helps for longer trips, where you are on trains you need to make reservations for, as Green will always get you a guaranteed seat in the Green Car on most long distance Trains and bullet trains.  Think of the Green Car as a Fancy business class car.

Once you pick up your JR Pass at the Airport, visit a JR Station and go to the Station Gate office, which is a small office that every Station has just by the entrance/exit to the Station’s platform entrance; they’re usually to the far right or left of the gate entrance/exit.  You’ll need to visit these Station Gate Offices every time you get on or off the JR Station. Just show your JR Rail Pass to the Officer at the Office, and he’ll let you through.

Local Rail/Trains While JR Railway Trains are plentiful, most major prefectures will have their own independent lines that run in between the various parts of their prefecture.  Tokyo has about a dozen different trains it independently runs all throughout the Prefecture outside of the JR Railway Trains.

Because at some point, you’ll need to get on one, we recommend getting an IC Card.  They come in a variety of different names, like Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, or etc, but they’re basically reloadable Credit Cards you can use on the train at any time.  When you get one, you buy one at 2000yen, and it comes with 1500yen of funds on it.  You reload it as necessary, and there is always a place to reload by the gates entering and exiting the station.

To use an IC Card, you go to the gate entrance, pass it over an RFD reader, and it will make a good noise when you pass it over.  If not, it will have little gates stopping your progress, and you can check with a Railway Staff to see the problem.  Once you travel to your destination and go to leave the station, you pass by a similar gate and pass your IC card over the RFD Reader once again. Your fee is based off how far you traveled, so it will show you what the total cost was and the remaining balance. 

IC are great to have, because they work in other places, like some mini-mart and vending machines too, as an easy way to purchase stuff if you’re in a hurry.  We found that if you put about 10,000yen, you should be good for about 14 days, as I think we went through that amount, and only used it for trains and buses. 

Roads: Buses They use IC Cards too.  They’re sometimes like regular buses in the states, where you pay when you get on, or I some cases, you pay when you get off.  In most cases, we found most buses were a one time fee to get on or off, about 230 yen, but some might charge you based on how far you went like on a train.

Taxi Taxi and some variations on Uber exist in Japan, but we don’t recommend them, unless you’re going somewhere very specific.  We never needed to rely on them while traveling.

Stations The more trains that pass through them, the Bigger they’re going to be.  Most stations always have a Mini-mart attached to the station or just outside the station.  Some stations might have dining and shopping attached to the station, as in the case of Kyoto, Shinjuku, and Nagoya, they had full on department stores and hotels attached.  In Osaka, it had a full grocery store; butchers, fruits and veggies, pastry, the whole full on store.   

Money The currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen, which at the time this writing is approximately 93yen to one $1.00usd.  For simplicity, it’s safe to assume that 100yen is roughly a $1.00US dollar.  While we could split the difference, by the time you paid taxes it would be roughly equal. 

If it’s under 1000yen, expect to get coins.  In Japan they have: 1yen – Very light weight, feels like plastic 5yen – No markings, bronze with a hole 10yen – Silver but smaller than 100yen. 50yen – Silver with a hole, mom liked these for earrings. 100yen – very popular coin, felt like a quarter in weight 500yen – bigger, bronze, kinda like a half dollar in Us currency. Their Bill money is made of both paper and plastic. Bring a coin purse for the coins, because you’ll be collecting.

Japan is a very much a cash based country.  We often had multiple problems using credit cards in some places because they simply don’t take credit cards all that often.  We believe they didn’t pay for the service or let it lapse, but we were also only using Visa as our preferred card, never an AMEX or Mastercard, so it could be different.  In any case, unless you’re in a high end place, assume you won’t be able to use your credit card. 

That being said, ATMs are plentiful.  For Money, Mom used her bank to order money ahead of time, as where I pulled out money when we arrived.  Fees were included ofcourse, but it was reasonable, nothing outlandish.  In the end, Mom took out 250,000yen($2,325usd), as where I took out 150,000yen($1,400usd).  For me, about 10,000yen a day, and mom, close to 20,000yen a day. Almost all of our hotels were paid ahead of time, so less worry there about that, but in all, when you consider all the stuff we saw and did, transportation on trains, souvenirs, and food, we spent nearly all that money.  And might have been able to spend more, but we were always talking each other out of stuff.

While in Japan, and especially in areas with lots of shopping, we found that you can get Tax Free status if you spent over 5,000yen.  Most of the times this was while we were shopping for others, but it was pretty easy to spend over 5,000yen easily when shopping for others, and in some cases, ourselves.  They do need your Passport to do this, which they’ll fill up with additional paperwork.  Many stores are very open and public about them offering tax free as an incentive to purchase from them, so if you need to buy stuff for others, it’s easy to do.

Ryokans Vs Hotels While in Japan, Mom and me wanted the traditional experience.  That meant sleeping on tatami mats and futons.  There are western style hotels, but Ryokans, along with being traditional, are also less expensive.  I love the design/construction of them, and Mom loved the notion of being in traditional as much as possible.

That said, we love Capsule hotels.  I’d do it again if it was just me, but for a few days where we were only in one place each day, it’s totally reasonable as an alternative to a Ryokan.

We both love the public baths as well.  Very efficient and convenient.  

Food While in Japan, we expected to eat a lot more fish than before.  But in reality, we ate probably more pork, chicken, and beef than we ever did rice on some days.  While I wanted to, we never got to partake in Japanese fast food like McDonalds.  We did see a few, but most of the places we went to looked like holes in the wall.  Maybe 400 to 500 square feet, and half of that was the kitchen, so that meant only a bar for us to sit at.  Most are small, run by two or three people, and usually have a small and limited menu.  Some have you even order via a ticket machine, then the waitress will take those tickets to the chef.

And they were plentiful: for consideration, they say that for every 266 people in Japan, there is a restaurant. It’s the highest in the world, and the US is second with one restaurant for every 547 people.  What’s that mean, they’re 474,048 restaurants in Japan, that’s atleast three restaurants ever square mile, vs US where they have roughly 600,000 restaurants, but that’s only one restaurant for every 6.25 square miles.  When you consider the size of Japan vs US, that’s a lot of restaurants.

Other thing Japan has, Minimarts like Seven-Eleven, Family Mart, Lawsons, and others.  Japan has roughly 50,000 stores; again for comparison, US has 145,000 stores. For comparison, that one minimart for every 3 square miles for Japan and one minimart for every 26 square miles.  Minimarts are plentiful and awesome!  Most are small, near train stations and other high traffic areas or corners, but they have everything drinks and snacks, medicine, and even full meals you can purchase and get heated up.  We only got a chance once to eat convenience store meals, but we picked up breakfast the night before in the form of chilled coffee, juice, pastries, sandwiches.  My favorite were the tall boys of soda for only a buck, along with the smaller size Monster energy drinks.  Every morning, we could purchase a 2 liter of cold water for about a 100yen, which was amazing as we traveled around Japan.

Vending machines were also plentiful in Japan.  While I won’t run the numbers, there’s over 5 million in the country, that serve everything from drinks, snacks, alcohol, and even more.  While I never really found any, some have food options that will serve full meals or even fresh fruit/veggies, some that have underwear if you really needed it.  Some of our favorites were trying to find the names on machines, like we found our siblings and cousins a few times as the names of drinks, but it where we found Peach Water.  If you ever visit Japan, first thing you Need to buy is Peach Water.  If you find a Asian market near you, see if they have Peach Water, an absolutely Must in Japan.

Luggage

While we had heard that Japanese people don’t like roller bags, we quickly learned that wasn’t the case.  While I brought a large travel/backpackers bag and mom brought a smaller sling pack, we quickly found a lot of Japanese people traveling with roller bags everywhere.  Some were huge travel cases, while others were smaller day travel size.  The custom you use when you use them is different: in America you see people often pulling them behind them, but in Japan, you roll them beside you.  Mom couldn’t stand her bag as it was heavy and uncomfortable for her, but we were able to get a hard case roller bag for about 6,000yen, which isn’t a bad deal at the end of the day.  It came in real handy as we put a lot of my souvenirs in there.

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Topic: Post Japan Trip Part 2

We're back with again with our tales from Japan. This week we discuss Mount Fuji, Capsule Hotels, and all the various stuff we did in Tokyo. We had such a great conversation, that next week, we're doing a special on what we learned while in Japan.

Day 7 Capsule Hotel

Day 8 Travel to Mt. Fuji Fujisan Onsen Hotel Kaneyamaen

Day 9 Walking around Lake Yamanaka Travel to Tokyo Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Shibuya Crossing

Day 10 Sumo Practice Old Tokyo District Zuiryo-no-Matsu Shrine Toro-San Museum Akihabara Maid Cafe

Day 11 Tokyo Disney Sea Odaiba / Gundam Statue

Day 12 Asakusa Shrine/Temple Shopping Robot Restaurant

Day 13 Traveling Home

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Topic: Post Japan Trip, First Half

Mom and me returned from Japan. To say we had an Amazing time would be a lie because it was so much more. Here's the first half of our trip, with the second half forth coming next week, along with some trick, tips, myths, and things we learned while in Japan.

Day 1 Arrival to Osaka JR Passes Universal Studios Dōtonbori

Day 2 Nara Deer Park

Day 3 KishiwadaDanjiriMatsuri Kishiwada Castle Osaka Castle

Day 4 Kyoto Fushimi Inari Shrine Kyoto Manga Museum Kyoto railway Museum Pokemon Store

Day 5 Gion– Geisha District Hop On / Hop Off Bus Kitano-TenmanguShrine Kinkaku-ji – Golden Pavilion Imamiya-Jinja shrine

Day 6 Sagano Bamboo Forest Tenryuji Temple Toei Studio Park Laundry

Day 7 Nagoya Osu Kannon Temple Nagoya Castle Sake Tasting Capsule Hotel

Visit www.nerdtutorialpodcast.com for more pictures from our trip!

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Topic: Pre-Japan - What we're going to be doing!

At this point, we're less than a week away from being in Japan.  Mom is finally learning some of the details of what we have planned for this trip, and we get to discuss it in this latest Podcast!

Day 1 Osaka Arrival

Dōtonbori

Day 2

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

Kishiwada Castle

Day 3  Nara (Japan's first permanent capital)

Nara Deer Park

Todaiji Temple (Larges Buddha statue)

Horyuki temple (Oldest Wooden buildings)

Day 4 Kyoto

Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Day 5 Kyoto

Free Day

Day 6 Kyoto

Kyoto Railway museum

Kyoto Manga Museum

Sagano Bamboo Forest

Day 7 Nagoya

Nagoya Castle

Osu Kannon Temple

Sake tasting

Day 8 Mount Fuji

Bicycle Around the area

Hot Spring hotels

Day 9 Tokyo

Free Day

Temples

Day 10 Tokyo

Akihabra

Maid Cafe

Day 11 Tokyo

Disney Tokyo Sea

Day 12 Tokyo

Sumo Wrestling

Robot Restaurant

Day 13 Tokyo depart

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Topic: Pre Japan Tip - What Do We Know

We're going to Japan.  We've mentioned this before, but Mom and me are heading to Japan in less than two weeks, and we're both super excited.  We've been preparing in different ways, from trying to learn the language, watching Youtube videos, to learning about the culture.  Come learn what we've been up to this past year.

Tutorial:

Why we’re going?

What we’re doing to get ready!

Language understanding

What we kind of know already?

Special travel knowledge!

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Topic:  Manga (Japanese Comics)

This week, we pick up the discussion yet again on Japanese Manga, diving in to a list of various comics that you’ll enjoy.  There’s a bit of everything from just about everything, so we had a lot to discuss and a lot of thoughts.

Review

Full Metal Alchemist 1 & 2

Death Note 1 & 2

Kuroko No basket 133 – 135

Card Captor Sakura 1 & 2

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 1-3

Shokugeki no Soma 1 – 3

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai 1-3

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Topic: Japanese Manga

In route to our trip to Japan in September, by special request, Mom wanted to learn more about Japanese comics, otherwise known and Manga. To me, reading manga is one of my most favorite past times, so to share a few great titles, I figured was the least I can do. I'm probably looking forward to our review episode, because just like our Anime one, this ought to be fun!

Tutorial:

Manga dates back to old times, in which the term manga was used as early as 1798.

Grandfather of Manga: Osamu Tezuka Created Astroboy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, and many more.

Machiko Hasegawa created first female based manga “Sazae-san”. A manga about a House Wife, unusual that the house wife isn’t necessarily Meek or obedient to her husband

Modern Manga Typically manga falls in to one of five categories: Kodomo – Young children Shonen – Young Men/Boys Shojou – Young Women/Girls Seinen – Mature/Adult themed Males Josei – Mature/Adult themed for Women

Various varying Genre in-between

4 Panel/Yonkoma Comics

Volumes/Tankobons

Dōjinshi

How Manga is Made

Manga Magazines

Manga Scanlators/Translators

For Review: Full Metal Alchemist 1 & 2 Death Note 1 & 2 Kuroko No basket 133 – 135 Card Captor Sakura 1 & 2 Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 1-3 Shokugeki no Soma 2 – 3 Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai 1-3

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Topic: Dungeons and Dragons Adventure

This week, we have our long awaited Dungeons and Dragons Adventure with both my Mom and Little Brother. We describe some of the rules along the way, but obviously it's a bit complicated for those that don't quite understand everything about the game. I think we had a lot of fun, but you get to be the judge of that.

Adventure

Mom and John are a part of a local traveling caravan. They are fairly popular and the caravan always makes a lot of money and throws great village/town parties.

Sapphire Review has seen a mother and son duo to check out the next town over to see if there is money to be made. They’ve come across a town where the people itself seem quite out of money though. People seems to giving all their money to the local Noble, who is taxing the town far too much. Without money, the people can’t pay the caravan, and the caravan can’t really move on until it makes atleast some money to pay for lodgings, food, and their own profit of their benefactor.

Quest:

Get rid of the noble so that the town will return to normal – Good

Steal from the Noble in order to get some of their own money – Neutral

Kill the noble and steal all his money - Evil

Characters:

Tavern keeper

Flint Baldrek – Owner of “The Pig Whistle Tavern”

Skeptical of Tieflings, but easily persuaded

Common folks

Curious about new folk, excited about an entertainment caravan to liven up the town.

Noble

Fredric Von Kepler, Human

Pompous, rude, and lecherous.

Noble’s Wife

Amafrey Von Kepler, Human

Married for money, doesn’t exactly care about her husband.

Noble’s chief butler

Mindartis – Wood Elf, Druid

A good butler, so it would seem.

Caravan’s Benefactor

Waywocket Turen, Gnome – Operator of the “Sapphire Review” Caravan

Settings:

Town

Village town, streets appear barely there, but about dozen building make up the town, with farmers and various fields lining the distance past the trees. While the buildings look there, they appear to have had not had upkeep in sometime, looking shambled and perhaps a bit rundown. The tavern still appears to be doing well, if not quite as well it used to do.

Tavern – Pig Whistle Tavern

Noble’s House

A rather unnecessarily gaudy looking house made of white stone and steps, upon the tallest hill in the village. Guards are scattered about the house, but they seem like the kind of people who you could pay off perhaps. Red velvet is the interior, along with various animal trophies and silver furnishing.

Gladiator Pit

Located beneath the house in an abandoned gold mine, the Main pit is about 50 feet in diameter with a skylight created by rain and time. The pit is lined with several cages, each with eyes looking back out from them, but not quite able to be seen. The pit has stairs leading up and out of the pit, but are locked. A trio of balconies intended for those looking down on to the pit, with the main one having no railing, designed to push people off and in to the pit.

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Topic: Spider Man: Far From Home & Comic Con 2019 Marvel Panel Impressions/Thoughts

So a viewer of ours reminded me that I haven't even mentioned the new Spider Man movie. Which is true, I completely forgot it. And he also wanted to know more about what we think the new stuff will be coming out thanks to Marvel's Panel at Comic Con 2019. Okay, I'm up for some thought processes and what I'd like to see happen.

Tutorial:

Spider Man = Peter Parker

Bitten by radioactive spider that gave him his powers: Spider-Sense Enhanced Strength Enhanced Reflexes/Agility Enhanced Speed Wall Walking/Stick

Web shooters – Invented by Peter Parker

Originally going to use powers for personal gain. Could have stopped a robber, but that robber ended up killing his uncle, which came the quote: “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”.

Peter Parker is a “Tragic Character”. Most writers seek to put him in poor or uncomfortable situations to either torture the character or hinder him.

Review:

Spider Man Far From Home

Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury Zendaya as MJ Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill Jon Favreau as Harold "Happy" Hogan Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds Marisa Tomei as May Parker Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck / Mysterio

It’s been 5 years since the “Blip” occurred. People are displaced, old people return to same home/apartment as before. Former kids are now 5 years older suddenly.

Peter Parker travels to Europe for a vacation with his school, but is ignoring Nick Fury.

Peter wants to get with MJ(Mary Jane Watson)

While in Venice a water monster appears and tries to destroy the city, but a Mysterio comes to save the day.

Nick Fury tries to recruit Peter Parker, but Peter just wants to enjoy his vacation. Nick Fury gives Peter Parker glasses from Tony Stark that have advanced AI in them.

Nick Fury changes the vacation so that it goes where Nick Fury wants it so that Peter Parker will have to be recuited.

Mysterio & Spider Man defeat a Fire Monster.

Mysterio and Spider Man talk, and Spider Man Decides to give glasses to Mysterio, who he thinks will be a better Ironman.

Mysterio reveals that he is a former Stark Industries employee who built the holographic technology. Using drones, he manipulates the battles, but they never actually happened. He uses the Advanced AI to gain more drones and access to more power.

MJ reveals that she thinks Peter Parker is Spider Man they realize that Mysterio was a faker.

Spider Man tries to meet Nick Fury to give the information, but is tricked by Mysterio and sent to Netherlands. Mysterio decides to go to London to kill anyone who might know about the drones.

Spider Man calls Happy Hogan to come and pick him up, gets new spider suit, and goes to London to save his friends. Reveals that he sees Tony Stark everywhere and doesn’t know if he can live up to him.

Spider Man stops Mysterio and his drones, takes back the glasses, and stops the drones.

Spider Man returns to New York and tries to figure out what his Aunt and Hogan’s relationship is. He then takes MJ on a swing through New York.

Post Credit 1 Mysterio creates a fake video showing that Spider Man Killed Mysterio. J. Jonah Jameson(Reprised by J K Simmos) from the “The Daily Bugle” claims Mysterio to be a great hero and Spider Man a Villain, broadcasting all over the world(Assumingly). It ends with Mysterio claiming that Peter Parker is Spider Man.

Post Credit 2 Nick Fury and Maria Hill revealed to be Skrulls from Captain Marvel movie. Skrulls unable to figure out I was a fake? Nick Fury seen on a Space Ship.

Notes: Spider-Man comic book villains Hydro-Man, Molten Man, Sandman, and Cyclone are re-imagined as Elementals Mysterio quotes that there are various Alternate Earths; that this Earth is Earth 616, also known as the main Marvel Continuity.

Comic Con 2019, Marvel Panel

Eternals Group of Immortals been on Earth for a long time. Big names associated with project. Jack Kirby based, meaning it’s going to be weird. Angelina Joley

Falcon & Winter Soldier Coming to Disney streaming service.

Shang-Chi First Asian MCU Hero. Known as the Kung Fu Master, no super powers, yet…

Wanda Vision Coming to Disney Stream Service. Might be Vision trying to create a family of his own, or Wanda reality manipulation to create a family with Vision

Loki Coming to Disney streaming service. Traveling to various places with Tesarac

Doctor Strange 2 Looking forward to this. Included Wanda.

Watcher Animated series

Hawkeye Project

Thor 4 (Love and Thunder) Lady Thor, Natalie Portman, Interested to see this. New hammer?

Black Widow movie? Prequel?

Blade Movie?

Still upcoming: Black Panther 2 Captain Marvel 2 Guardian of the Galaxy 3 Fantastic Four X-men project? Spider Man 3

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Topic: Dungeons and Dragons, Character Creation

This week, in route to our eventual short D&D Adventure, we create a Character for my mom. She chose some interesting options for her character, which I'm proud to see, so lets find out what kind of character she created.

Tutorial:

Before you begin, you will want the following:

• Dice of various types, Ideally 4 D6 Dice
• Character sheet
• Scratch paper
• Player’s Handbook, or Rule Book PDF via D&D Website
• Pencil and Eraser

How to Build a character.

• Choose a Race
• Choose a Class
• Determine Ability Scores
• Flesh out your Character’s Story and Personality
• Choose Equipment

1) Race & Class

Typically decided on your own, not absolutely necessary for it to make sense, so long as it makes sense to you at the end of the day.

Keep in mind that Some classes give special abilities, added Ability scores, and even special interactions. Choosing a Race is Very Important.

If you Race is what you are, then Class is what you’re a professional in.

Be certain that your concept for your character is solid and well understood, as it will help figure out how to fill in your character sheet and how to score stuff

2) Ability Scores

Key scores that outline your character

Average score is 10. Above is better than others, below is weaker than others

• Strength – Running, Jumping, Punching things in the face
• Dexterity – Agility, Grace, balance, efficient in movement
• Constitution – Health, Pain thresh-hold
• Intelligence – Recalling information
• Wisdom – Perception, aware of your surroundings, common-sense
• Charisma – Self-confidence, personality around others

Take 4 D6 dice, roll and lowest score gets removed. The added number is an ability Score. Repeat for total of 6 times, then place as you wish in your character’s ability scores

Alternatively, you can use a “Standard Array” if you just want to get in to the action. Thus no rolling, but more standardized numbers, ie: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, & 8

Each Ability Score is really just a modifier at the end of the day. As an example, lets say you needed to swing a sword, and you have a strength score of 15, then you get a +2 to your roll. This mean that what ever to score, you get a +2 to that roll, regardless what you rolled. So if you rolled a 14, it becomes a 16 because your modifier is +2.

You’ll keep track of this as well with your character sheet

3) Features, Proficiencies, and Filling in your Sheet

With your character’s race and class in place, you can start filling in some more of your character sheet. Under “Features & Traits” we can start adding any features of your race and class. Some Races & classes will give you additional Ability Scores, while others will give you special Features for your race. Best to write them all down, if it you don’t understand them just yet.

You can add your character’s speed as well, IE smaller character take longer to walk places naturally, while taller characters take less time.

As well, you can calculate your Hit Points. This is different for each class, so reference the Player’s Handbook as necessary.

Hit Dice: If you have a moment to rest, this can be rolled to see how much health you gain back

Hit Points (Starter): Differs, but is the basic starting hit points.

His Points (Later Levels): This is how you determine what additional hit points you’ll get.

Proficiency

Every class has a Proficiency Bonus at certain levels. Think improvement in skills. These can be added to your classes weapon bonuses, depending on what weapons or armor you might be proficient in. Every class is different in what kind of weapons they’re proficient in.

Saving Throws

These are basically your defense against things, IE: Dodging, Resisting Spells, Overcoming certain situations. Based on the thing happening to you, it’s how you determine if you get hurt by it or not. Every class has two Ability Scores that they can add their Proficiency bonus to.

Skills

Every Class has a list of skills that they can be good at naturally. You can pick two to start with, which would reflect your character. These will act similar to your saving throws: you can add your proficiency modifier to your Ability modifier when using these skills. You may get more skills later on as you level up, but you can also get some from your Background.

Background

This provides some additional skills, proficiencies, features, and even some starter equipment based off who you are before you started adventuring. Typically, these reflect your status before you were adventuring, like being a Noble would mean you might know an additional language, have a degree of nobility when you walk around, even some nicer clothes and money to start off with. This will vary depending on the background.

Along with backgrounds, they give you a sort of outline for your character as well. These include Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. Think of them as quick little Roleplaying ideas/flair. There are some already offered in the handbook, and you can even roll for them, but you can also make up your own. These are meant to be guides for how you interact with the world and how to Roleplay in general. Not hard and fast rules, but options.

Alignments

As previously mentioned, your Alignment can be a quick way you look at the world or how you’re looked at. Some groups treat this as gospel while others are more relaxed about it.

Passive Wisdom (Perception)

Consider this like your natural ability to know what’s going on around you. IE: Someone whose sleathed, pick-pocketing you, traps, and so forth. Basically your ability to know what’s happening around you.

10 + Perception Skill Modifier.

Inspiration

This an optional rule that can be used by your Dungeon Master. Ideally, for good roleplay or good actions, you can get an additional modifier point for your next roll. You can’t pre-load it with numbers, but your DM will decide if it’s useful or not.

Initiative

This Score help you to figure out who goes first in a fight or battle. Ideally, this decides to order in which you do stuff in, but atleast who will start first. Typically, this is just your Dexterity Modifier, but you may have special abilities or items that change it later on.

Dexterity Modifier + Bonuses from Feats/Abilities

4) Equipment & Attacks

For your basic or starter selection of equipment, you get two different options. The first is a basic starter set, which lets you choose between some basic items that you might have on you. Or, you can roll for your starter wealth, which is decided by your class. You can do both if you want, or one or another, depending on your Dungeon Master. If you choose the basic start options, you can always talk to your Dungeon Master as well if you need to change anything. IE, if you’re a gnome, you might not be able to wield a large sword, so you might choose a half or short sword instead.

Armor Class:

Based on the type of Armor you wear will decide what a monster needs to roll to hit you. Typically, when playing, you’ll be given the option to dodge an attack with a saving throw; if you fail that, then it depend on your armor whether you take damage or not when getting hit. Higher score, more difficult it is to hurt you, but some armors aren’t ideal for some classes. If you’re not proficient in that armor class, you may end up with a negative modifier or unable to cast spells.

Based on your armor type + Dexterity modifier, determines your armor class, and thus, what kind of roll someone must do in order to do damage.

Weapons:

These come in various flavors and have rules for each of their damage type. Typically, the bigger the weapon, the bigger the dice you need to roll to figure out how much damage they can do. They’re broken up to a few different types, include Simple Melee, Simple Ranged, Martial Melee, and Martial Ranged weapons. Think Simple as anyone could use these, verses Martial which requires some level of skill to use. Melee require strength to use, while Ranged uses Dexterity.

Your attacks will take in to effect with your Proficiency Bonus, your Ability Bonus, and any additional bonuses you might have. A fighter for example, might have a proficiency in swords and have a fighting style the focuses on swords. So he would add his Proficiency Bonus, his Strength modifier, and his feature bonus for his fighting style.

5) Additional Attacks

If you’re a spell caster, or a class with additional abilities, you may be able to learn a spell when starting out.

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Topic: Dungeons and Dragons

By personal request from mom, tonight, we dive head first in to the complex world of Dungeons and Dragons. Because Mom wanted to know what on earth was going on at her dining room table at 11pm at night.

Tutorial:

Like all fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons is based off J.R. Tolken’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Hobbit books.

Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974 as a spinoff of another game called ‘Chainmail’.

Chainmail was an early predecessor that revolved around the rules for medieval miniatures and armies. It provided the first major set of rules for miniatures and very popular.

Dungeons and Dragons was original Published by Tactical Studies Rules(TSR) and later bought by Wizards of the Coast(same people as magic the gathering card game.)

Dungeons and Dragons is considered the benchmark for ‘Table-top Role Playing’ games, with many variations on the game for different setting, time periods, and genre.

Game has had multiple editions over the years, with a number of additional books, reference, and modules available to expand your game should you want to.

Did have multiple controversies over the years due to its content, particularly in the 80s. Has spawned toys, more books, basis for just about any other Table-Top RPG, and even had its own 80s cartoon on Saturday mornings and a Movie in the 90s.

Playing the Game:

A group of people come together to play. Any number can be done, but optimum is 4-5 players, with more being unwieldy for some groups, and three or two being a bit boring by comparison.

One person plays the Dungeon Master, also known as a Game Master. Short Abbreviated as DM or GM. • DM is the main narrator for the story, leading other players through stories and acting out additional characters, often known as NPCs or Non-Player Characters. • DM also acts as a guide, steering and leading players through various Adventures.

Other people plays as their own Player Characters, or PC. • Every Player Character has their own race, class, abilities, history, and powers. • All of a Player Character’s information is on a ‘Character Sheet’, which allows people to review your character and their abilities, along with being a bench make for yourself. • Players often spend days making a character, customizing it for your liking. • Players can coordinate and each take different roles to group to better round out a group, or can make their own characters and see what happens. • A group of players is known as a ‘Party’

Dungeons and Dragons is basically an imaginary game, but with defined rules. Everyone had played this game on one level or another, but Dungeons and Dragons represents a codifying of rules for everyone to play around, thus making it fair for all participants.

Multiple sessions are usually had with the same characters over the length of time. Some games last for a month or so, while others can last for years. Depending on how you and your friends play, you may end up meeting every so often, once a month, or even once a week to play, which is up to you.

There are three types of games, 1) Rule Heavy Games, 2) Story Heavy Games, 3) Casual Games.

Most notable feature of Dungeons and Dragons is the dice, which helps determine your outcomes. Based on the event, skill check, environment, attack, defense, or even talking, you roll dice to determine if you are successful or not. Dice help add some randomness and make it so no favoritism happens in a game, making it fair for everyone. There are various dice for the game, from your standard 6 sided dice, to a 4 sided, 8 sided, 10 sided, and even 20 sided dice. What you have to roll depends partly on your skill or stat being used, or the DM’s whim.

All Adventures start in a tavern, which is a staple and hallmark of the series. You’re presented with a quest or adventure to go on. Depending on the DM, your adventure might take multiple sessions, the story itself plays out over multiple sessions even, or your adventure is over in a single day.

How to get started:

Wizards of the Coast offer a basic rule set for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition online for free. The 180 page PDF offers a lot of the basics of the game, a few of the races and classes, and if used, can be the basis for your own game campaign if you want. It’s a free and easy entry point. https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf

If you desire to play the game more long term, with an eye for being a DM at some point, the Core Set is a good place to start. It includes: Player’s Handbook A good starting point for players as it has all the basic rules, expanded classes and races, and more help for building your characters Monster Manual A major collection of all sorts of Monsters, flavor texts, and additional information, so that you are all set for an adventure. Dungeon Master’s Guide For Dungeon Masters and helping with specific rules for things. IE, NPC strength, fighting in different areas like Sea or underground, specific rules for different instances, etc.

The Player’s Handbook is likely the most useful, followed by the Monster Manual. The Dungeon Master’s Guide is useful, but not required to run a campaign.

If you want to do more, additional books have more stories, settings, and even advanced classes and races to be, with some books focused purely on fleshing out the core class. Only necessary if you intend on playing for long term, definitely a future purchase, not a beginning one.

Character Creation:

This can be fun, but intimidating the first time. Depending on your fellow players, you may want to take up a certain role to round out the group. You may also just want to invent your own character and play whatever way you want. It’s a good idea to think of a character you want to play, but be willing to work with your fellow players if roles want to be assigned.

Steps to Create a Character: 1) Choose a Race 2) Choose a Class 3) Determine Ability Scores 4) Flesh out your Character’s Story and Personality 5) Choose Equipment

1) Choose a Race There are lots of Races to choose from. Some do better as certain types of classes, but even if they aren’t great in that class, it doesn’t really hinder play at all.

Dwarf Short in stature(under 5 feet tall), living over 400 years, Love mountains

Elf Slender and Graceful, living over 700 years, more attune to nature

Halfling Small and Practical(about 3 feet tall), live for about a 150 years, Think hobbits from Lord of the Rings

Human Broad Spectrum, the most basic race, good at just about anything

Dragonborn Humanoid Dragons, over 6 feet tall, get a bonus to breathe magic based off type of dragon

Gnome Like Halfling and Elf mixed together, small in stature, naturally intelligent

Half-Elf Human and Elf hybrid. Very much like humans.

Half Orcs Human/Elf/Half-elf and Orc Hybrid. Grey/green skin, very brutish and strong, think Hulk.

Tiefling Human and Demon/Infernal Hybrid. Human in nature, but with demonic appearance.

2) Choosing a Class This is primarily how you will fight and be identified. Usually, your class represent was your good at doing and potentially bad at. IE, you can be a wizard and swing a sword around, but you’re not necessarily great at it, nor do you get a lot of buffs/spells/abilities to get any better at it.

Barbarian Close combat melee class, relies on anger and brute strength. Easy to play. Doesn’t have to wear armor.

Bard Jack of all Trades character. Good at buffing and debuffing. Typically a traveling musician with adventuring skill.

Cleric Pray to a singular god to become powerful. Like a life god to become great healer. Various branching path. Religious in nature.

Druid Shapeshifter. Similar to the Cleric, but more about Nature instead of religion. Uses nature around them.

Fighter Similar to Barbarian, but instead of fighting harder, it fights smarter. Possible Tank

Monk Hand to hand Fighter. Kind like a Kung-fu master. Non-traditional fighter.

Paladin Similar to Cleric and Fighter in one. Various roles

Ranger Typical long range fighter. Bows and arrows. Think Legolas from Lord of the Rings.

Rogue Typical thief and great at dodging. Specializes in small talents, but great at them

Sorcerer Innate magic caster. Able to modify their spells when cast.

Warlock Made a pact with a god/demon for power. Must appease their god/demon, but gain power as a result of it.

Wizard Study magic, not born with it. Able to learn more spells than other spell class.

3) Determine Ability Scores Once the race and class are chosen, your stats and abilities must be chosen. Your stats dictate your natural abilities, ie: Naturally strong, charismatic, or if you have enough willpower. This is generally decided by dice, but some abilities, your race, or your class might offer bonuses to your preferred stats for your character.

This is also when you start defining your character with abilities. If you’re a Spell Caster, this might be what spells you know. For a Barbarian, it might be the type of proficiencies you have or rage abilities. These essentially outline what you’re character knows how to do and how they can interact with the world. Some abilities are universal, but a great deal may be limited to certain classes or even certain stats that you might have.

Don’t worry about getting the best character just yet. Your character is just starting out, and you can get more abilities and stats later on. As your character levels, you’ll get more powerful over time.

4) Flesh out your Character’s Story and Personality At this point, you might want to flesh out your character’s back story and personality. This can be useful for when interacting with the world, as you get in to the spirit of your character, you might interact with stuff differently than you might normally.

If your character is a druid, they might have a greater appreciation for nature than others. Thus, if they see a burning forest, it will affect them more than others most likely.

If your character is very religious, and someone spit or tries to tarnish your religion, you might get angry and attack them.

This stuff is up to you, but it aids the DM when creating stories and plots, as it can be personal to your character, thus enabling you to have a deeper story and involvement.

Alignment system: Based somewhat on morality, it helps define how your character might interact in general with the world around them. Not a necessity, but helpful when defining your character in a ‘Broad’ scope.

Lawful Good: Follows a strict moral code & always fights evil. Neutral Good: Always does the right thing, even if the Law is not on his side. Chaotic Good: Fights the system to do what he thinks is Right. Lawful Neutral: Believes so strongly in Justice, he will carry out any Order. True Neutral: Unaffected by the petty squabbles of the masses Chaotic Neutral: Cares only for himself ignoring morality and the law. Lawful Evil: Power above all Else, Uses the law to maintain control. Neutral Evil: Pursues evil at all costs Chaotic Evil: Exists purely to destroy. Revels in acts of evil.

5) Choose Equipment Ideally, the last part, depending on your class, some races, and rolls earlier for stats, this will dictate what kind of gear or weapons you can equip. Some Races have natural affinity for armor classes, while other classes immediately give you the ability. Typically, you choose gear that helps you do what you want to do. IE, if you’re a ranger, you want a bow, now a staff. Same for a Wizard, they won’t be wearing plate armor to battle typically.

There are a number of appendix and lists to choose from for this.

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Topic: Star Trek Review

Last week we discuss the long lineage of Star Trek, how it's had a fixed rotation in syndication for decades after it went off air, it's dominance in the 90s, and it's revival over the last decade. For our review, I had Mom watch some newer episodes of Next Generation. It's an interesting conversation we had.

Review:

Offspring, Season 3, Episode, 16

Data creates an offspring called “Lal” and attempts to raise it as his own child. Starfleet eventually learns of this and tries to take the project/android to be studied further, prompting Captain Picard to Step in. Eventually, “Lal” is overwhelmed with emotions, causing a malfunction in its brain, which eventually causes her to shutdown forever.

(Directed by Jonathan Frakes)

The Pegasus, Season 7, Episode 12

Admiral Pressman is trying to find the Pegasus, a starship lost to an asteroid field, using the Enterprise to do so. Pressman and Riker have history and the Riker is coy about what really happened during a mutiny on the Pegasus. Romulans are also looking for ship. Eventually discovered that Pressman was designing a cloaking device because he feels the Federation/Romulan treaty is a tactical disadvantage thanks to cloaking technology. Enterprise find the Cloaking Device, use to escape an asteroid, and Pressman is court-martialed.

(Directed by LeVar Burton)

The Drumhead, Season 4, Episode 21

Due to an explosion thought to be sabotage, Starfleet send an investigator to uncover the truth, Norah Satie. Satie believes a Klingon delegate caused the explosion because he was trying to secretly steal starship plans. Though the explosion is determined to not be sabotage, Satie presses on, trying to undercover more crimes, calling in an Admiral to overhear the tribunal. Eventually, Satie tries to blame Picard of breaking the prime directive and uses Worf to do so, calling Picard a traitor. Eventually the Admiral walks out, believing it to be a witch hunt. Satie leaves in disgrace, and they carry on.

(Directed by Jonathan Frakes)

Tapestry, Season 6, Episode 15

Picard seemingly dies of an unknown injury and meets Q in the afterlife. Given a second Chance, Q offers Picard the chance to redo a portion of his life, a fight while just out of the academy, which is believed to be the point in his life where things changed for him. After redoing this point in his life, he returns to the Enterprise, not as the captain, but an ensign who never took chances and played it safe. Hating what he became, he begs Q to re-do his life once more, and this time he, gets involved in the fight and gets stabbed as a result. He wakes up in sickbay believing it to be a dream, or some crazy nightmare.

The Inner Light, Season 5, Episode 25

Picard is struck by a satellite’s beam and transported to a different world, where he is a different person all together. At first it takes him a long time to adjust to the fact that he is not in Starfleet, and that no such space force exists on this planet. He eventually resides to his life and lives out 40 years before the planet is overtaken by a supernova. Upon awaking, only a few minutes had passed in the real world, but the satellite was designed to keep the memories of the people of the planet alive.

(Considered best TNG Episode, Flute)

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Topic: Star Trek Tutorial

We've been talking alot about fantasy and wrestling, and figured we needed to get back hard in to Nerdy stuff. Thus, one of the most popular fantasy topics, I present Star Trek.

Tutorial

Broad-scope of Star Trek, not in-depth.

Created by Gene Roddenberry Originally pitched as “Wagon Train to the stars.” Each episode was meant to work on to levels, one of morality and one of suspenseful adventure stories.

Trekkie or Trekker = Star Trek Fan

Things to know: Enterprise is main Ship Starfleet is like united nations: Peaceful, Diplomatic, Explorers, multiple Alien Races Klingons = bad, but not all the time Symbol for Starfleet is the Starfleet Delta, it changes through out time. Many gadgets and inventions made their way to real life (iPads, Cellphones, wireless communicators, Alexa/Google home) Uniforms have a purpose, which shows ranks and which division you are with Captains = Main Character

Enterprise (22nd Century) •The Original Series (1966–1969) on CBS A bit more in the vein of “Wagon Train to the Stars”. Very Episodic Campy to a Fault at times o William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk o Leonard Nimoy as Spock o DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy o James Doohan as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott o Nichelle Nichols as Uhura o George Takei as Hikaru Sulu o Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov Still popular in syndication for nearly two decades Considered ground breaking for multi-racial cast Tackled some civil rights issues Popularized Fan conventions & Fan Fiction

•The Animated Series (1973–1974) on CBS Reprised a majority of the Cast Not well received by Many Trek fans Considered non-Canon

Movies 1-6 based on Original Cast

Modern Series (23rd Century) • The Next Generation (1987–1994) on Independent channels Created because the Movies did so well, but Paying William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy would be costly, so new unknown cast = cheaper to produce Created to continue longevity of franchise. o Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard o Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker o Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi o Michael Dorn as Worf o Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher o LeVar Burton as chief engineer Geordi La Forge o Brent Spiner as Data o Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher Reintroduced Star Trek to Modern audience, popularized many races that would play rolls in later series Episodic in Nature, but many episode would have themes/character returning to reprise conflicts Popularized the Season Ending Cliffhanger Movies 7-10 Based off TNG Cast

• Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) on Independent channels Created as Star Trek was BIG o Avery Brooks as Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko o Nana Visitor as Major/Colonel Kira Nerys o René Auberjonois as Odo o Armin Shimerman as Quark as Bar o Alexander Siddig as Lieutenant Julian Bashir o Terry Farrell as Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax o Nicole de Boer as Ezri Dax o Michael Dorn as Commander Worf as o Colm Meaney as Chief Miles O'Brien o Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko Episodes are more Serialized than Episodic Instead of a traveling ship, set in a stationary star base, allowing writers to create more compelling and dramatic character interactions/Interpersonal Conflics. Mix of Religious and Science conflicts Shows a full scale War from eyes of Starfleet No Movies were made

• Voyager (1995–2001) on UPN Created with the intention of starting a new network/tv channel. Paramount wanted two series running at the same time o Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway o Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay o Tim Russ as Lieutenant commander Tuvok o Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris o Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres as Chief engineer o Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim o Robert Picardo as The Doctor o Ethan Phillips as Neelix o Jennifer Lien as Kes o Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine Created with intention of giving writers new stuff to play with, recreating the feeling of Original Series Introduced new creatures and continued intrapersonal conflicts Decisive amongst fans Episodic in nature, wonky with continuity First series to use fully CGI ships/effects

Before Original Series • Enterprise (2001–2005) 22nd Century on UPN Paramount wanted more Star Trek, but Creators wanted to do something simpler Decided to focus on Pre-Starfleet and Federation o Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer o Jolene Blalock as T'Pol o Connor Trinneer as Charles "Trip" Tucker III o Dominic Keating as Malcolm Reed o Linda Park as Hoshi Sato o Anthony Montgomery as Travis Mayweather o John Billingsley as Travis Mayweather Decisive amongst fans/critics for its place in continuity Tries to explain future events/characters (Klingons) Considered campy and bland compared to other Star Trek Affairs Seasons 1 and 2 are episodic, 3 & 4 are more Serialized Very unhappy ending

• Star Trek Reboot Movies Rebooted in 2009 after Paramount broke away from CBS Directed by J.J. Abrams Movies Include: Star Trek, Into Darkness, Beyond o Chris Pine as James T. Kirk o Zachary Quinto as Spock o Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime o Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura o Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott o John Cho as Hikaru Sulu o Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov Set in alternate timeline where events didn’t act out quite the same way. Added more Humor, Action, and much needed Glitz and Glamour to Star Trek. New Cast well received, introduction of Leonard Nimoy was welcome addition

• Discovery (2017–present) 21st Century on CBS Considered a prequel to The Original Series, Takes place on USS Discovery First new Tv series since Enterprise ended in 2005 o Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham o Doug Jones as Saru o Shazad Latif as Voq / Ash Tyler o Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets o Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly o Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca o Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber o Anson Mount as Christopher Pike First time focus on 1st Officer and not Captain Carries over design style from Star Trek Movies Ship is considered a proto-type and uses a space drive that can go anywhere

Review Star Trek TNG Offspring, Season 3, Episode, 16 The Pegasus, Season 7, Episode 12 The Drumhead, Season 4, Episode 21 Tapestry, Season 6, Episode 15 The Inner Light, Season 5, Episode 25

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Topic: Game of Thrones Season 1 Review.

After two weeks, which was just enough time for Mom, we rejoin the conversation about Game of Thrones. Spoilers are ahead, one of which I'll spoil now: Mom liked it. We may have future seasons to review.

Review:

This Podcast Contains Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 1.

Character Impressions: Ned Stark Tyrion Lannister Daenerys Targaryen Joffrey Baratheon

HBO’s gratuitous nudity.

Story: Ned Stark unwillingly becomes Hand of the King, travels from Winterfell to King’s Landing with Daughters Ned Stark discovers corruption in King’s Landing Kids of Robert Baratheon are probably not his, but incest between Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister In attempting to bring it to light, Ned Stark tries a coup, but fails. Loses his head as a result. Joffrey becomes King. Sansa Stark stays in King’s Landing. Arya Stark gets out of King’s Landing kinda.

Jon Snow goes to the Wall Tries to find his uncle who went missing. Everyone hates Jon Snow Commander of Night’s Watch likes him, gives him their house’s sword, reshapes pommel in dire wolf head.

Rob Stark leads Winterfell with his Mother and younger brothers. Brann is paralyzed due to being pushed out a window by Jaime, can’t get anywhere. Tyrion is traveling through, but is blamed for Brann’s fall. Tyrion hires a mercenary Bronn to free him. Tyrion makes his way back to king’s landing. Starks learn of Ned’s Death and leave Seven Kingdom Stark captures Jaime Lannister.

Otherside of the world, Essos, Viserys Targaryen marries off his sister, Daenerys Targaryen to Kahl Drogo, warlord of the Dothraki They travel for a while, Daenerys uneasy with new husband, but is falling in love Daenerys gets three “dragon egg” stones. Viserys wants to use Dothraki as new army to take back Westros and Seven Kingdoms Drogo gets annoyed and kills Viserys by spilling molten gold on to his head Drogo gets poisoned in a fight, and dies by weird magic Daenerys goes to die in a fire pit with her dead husband, but comes out unscathed and now with three baby dragons. Sets, Props, and Wardrobe

Future Spoilers…

Nice video explaining first season. https://youtu.be/n5g_S4wyXSA

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Topic: WWE's Monday Night Raw Live Show

We had a special treat this week. WWE's traveling roadshow came to town, allowing us to watch it live and in person. WWE's main shows are split in to two weekly events, Monday Night's Raw and Tuesday's Smackdown Live. Raw was in town and so we had the pleasure of going. We had a great time, so listen as I need no convincing to my mom that the Pro Wrestling is totally worth it!

Review:

Arrival

Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn confronted Universal Champion Seth Rollins

Lars Sullivan def. Lucha House Party (Elimination Match)

Lacy Evans & Beck Lynch Talk

The Miz Talks to Samoa Joe

The Miz, Braun Strowman & Ricochet def. United States Champion Samoa Joe, Bobby Lashley & Cesaro

Lacey Evans & Alexa Bliss def. Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics def. Lisa Lace & Aleyah Mia

Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre celebration

The Revival def. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins and The Usos to become the new Raw Tag Team

Champions (Triple Threat Match)

24/7 Champion R-Truth got trapped in an elevator with his opponents

Paul Heyman Talks

Bray Wyatt crushed Ramblin' Rabbit with a mallet on "Firefly Fun House"

Kevin Owens def. Universal Champion Seth Rollins via Disqualification

Extra Match: Lacy Evans Vs Becky Lynch, Special Arrival of Bayley

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Topic: Game of Thrones Tutorial

This week, we're diving in to the fantastical and 8 years in the making to get to. Game of Thrones might of just ended, but Mother hadn't seen a single episode, so we're going to do some tutorial on it.

Nerd Tutorial Podcast

Topic: Game of Thrones

Intro:

Welcome to the Nerd Tutorial Podcast.

A Podcast giving a tutorial about nerdy topics, for those who aren’t quite so nerdy themselves.

With you today is myself, your Nerdy Tutor, George. And Whitty Title, my Mom. Welcome.

Tutorial:

Game of Thrones is based off George R.R. Martin’s Books “A Song of Fire and Ice”. Initial Publication 1996, “Game of Thrones” was the first book. Took 5 years to write.

Books were intended as trilogy, later decided to be seven books. Thus far only five books have been released: • A Game of Thrones (1996) • A Clash of Kings (1998) • A Storm of Swords (2000) • A Feast for Crows (2005) • A Dance with Dragons (2011) • The Winds of Winter (forthcoming) • A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)

Chapters take place from First Person point of view, with major characters being ‘Point of View’ characters for the events taking place near them. Characters are unaware of actions of other characters unless it is communicated to them directly, or they witness them for themselves

Planning for the show started in 2007 when show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss pitched HBO on the series. Initial pilot episode was show in 2009, but HBO didn’t like it and asked for another Pilot. Series debuted on HBO in April of 2011. Series concluded on Season 8 in May 2019.

Plot: Primarily set in the fictional lands of Westeros, and also Essos, series follows the political scheming and machinations of various characters vying for leadership of their perspective kingdoms/regions. World is Medieval in nature, with magic being rare/semi-nonexistent. Series follows three primary groups:

Northerners • A major kingdom in the north, they pledge loyalty King’s Landing and the King of Westeros. • House Stark o Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) [Warden of the North / Hand of the King] o Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) [Wife] o Robb Stark (Richard Madden) o Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) o Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) o Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) o Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson) o Jon Snow (Kit Harington) [Bastard] o Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) [Ward / Political Prisoner]

King’s Landing • Seat of Power for Westeros. Home of the Iron Throne. • House Baratheon & House Lannister o Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) [King] o Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) [Queen / Wife] o Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) [Brother / King Slayer] o Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) [Imp / Brother] o Bronn (Jerome Flynn) o Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) o Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) o Gregor Clegane (Conan Stevens/Ian Whyte/Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) [Mountain] o Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) [Hound] o Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) [Littlefinger] o Varys (Conleth Hill)

Essos / Other Side of the Known World • Events happening across the world, Dethroned former Rules o Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) [Warlord of Dothraki] o Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) [Daenerys Stormborn / Khaleesi / Mother of Dragons] o Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) o Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)

Why it’s of Interest: Show takes a unique plotting that allows characters to organically interact with each other. Show can seem unpredictable, as events have consequences Plot armor is non-existent

George R. R. Martin doesn’t know what events will take place, or if characters will survive interactions they are placed in. Characters are created and let loose in the world to organically live/die as necessity. Characters act with their own agency.

Show has a big budget for Special Effects and Pageantry Lots of Period Peace costumes & props. Filmed all over the world Average budget 6-8 million for early episodes Season 7+ about 10+ million for each episode.

Huge Fan Base Lot of actors became bigger names because of show.

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Topic: Covention & Cosplay

My Mom and I went to a local Anime Convention. We even dressed up. I did a bit more dressing up though. Come listen to our thoughts on what we saw and did at the convention.

Review:

Mom Cosplayed as Princess Peach • What did you think of your costume. • Did you have fun? • What did you learn about your costume as you walked around in it?

Nerdy Tutor Cosplayed as Bowsette. • Did a Drag version of a cosplay, Challenged by a Co-Worker • Started at 8am to get ready • Thank Michelle and Sabrina for the Make-up • New appreciations for what women go through to get pretty

What was it like seeing everyone dressed up for Cosplay?

Was it overwhelming to see everything?

What did Mom see?

What did mom Find most surprising?

What was Mom’s favorite things? Outside of cosplay?

Visit Our Facebook Page to see pictures from the event.

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Topic: Conventions / Cosplay

An Anime convention is rolling in to town. We though it prudent to show my mom what it’s all about. Join us as we talk about Conventions and one of my favorite hobbies, Cosplay!

Tutorial:

Conventions

Two major types: Industry – Put on by or for the purpose of the industry to promote their products, More about selling you on something or getting you hyped for it. Fan – Put on primarily by fans or major groups to celebrate/support the products, more about getting people together who are all interested in a product.

Not mutually exclusive, there are Industry that have elements of Fan Conventions, while Fan conventions have elements of Industry.

Anime is an example of Fan convention with Industry there to help promote the convention. Video Game is an Example of Industry convention that will certainly have Lots of Fans, and some fan aspects to it.

Things you find at a convention: Exhibition Halls • Common at all Major Conventions but differ depending on the type of convention o Industry is more about selling you on products for the future or right then. For Example: Video Game convention is about getting you hyped to buy video games. o Fan is more about commerce of good from that industry/product. For Example: limited edition items that might be difficult or hard to get, more independent shops/booths Promenade/Lobby • Generally outside the Exhibition Hall • General Gathering Place • No badge required Panel Rooms • Scheduled Panels for people wanting to learn more about topics • Often place to find celebrities, notable figures, and debates on topics around the convention Game Room • More common at Fan Conventions • Console Gaming, Sometimes Arcade, Sometimes Board Games Viewing Rooms • More Common at Fan Conventions • Place to watch clips from shows or episodes from a show. More common in Anime Conventions • Industry promoted Viewing Rooms exist for some companies to show up their own merchandise

Cosplay

The Act of dressing and inhabiting a character from Movie, TV Series, Book, comic book, Video Game, Anime, Manga, or Music Band. Always Popular amongst conventions A portmanteau of the words costume play People who Cosplay = Cosplayer

Costumes: Two major types of Costumes • Retail Costumes = Buying a costume off the rack from store • Handmade Costumes = Making a majority of your costume, or someone hand making your costume All Costumes are a mix, as rarely do handmade costumes not take advantage of some store bought items, as most retail Costumes still might require some assembly or create special pieces for it

Props Some Costumes might have a prop: Sword, gun, Staff, box, stuffed doll, puppet Check Local Con’s Prop Policy Peace-Bonding = Con approving a prop

Presentation: Most cosplay try to present themselves as the character when in front of others. Some are striving for accuracy, some are just walking around in a costume. Pose/action = Every cosplay should have a default or practice pose for picture taking

Professional Cosplayers Some Cosplay for industry or for companies to promote the product. It is a viable way of making a living.

Interaction: 1) Always ask permission to interact with a Cosplayer, whether taking a picture, saying “hi”, or wanting to touch, hug, or act with a Cosplayer; someone might have a reason to say ‘No’ and deserve the chance to say such. 2) A Cosplayer is inhabiting a character, they are not that character. Therefore, you can not presume they know everything about a character or will react the same as the character would. 3) Cosplay =/= Consent. Harrassment is never okay. Just because someone is dress scantily does not mean they are asking for indecent interactions. Cons take this very serious. 4) Do not monopolize cosplayer’s time. If you have a question or want to discuss something, ask if it’s okay, as some people may not always want the conversations. 5) Don’t linger. Some people are super sensitive to other people watching them. Try to be considerate of those Cosplaying 6) Ask for Handles. If you take a picture and going to post it online, you might want link back to the original cosplayer. If someone has a handle online through twitter, instagram, etc, don’t be afraid to ask.

Things you can Find a Convention: Rare Merchandise (Con exclusives) Meet people with similar interest Common meeting ground for internet Friends Meet Celebrities, industry professionals See Cosplayers Learn New stuff about your favorite topics

Common Etiquette of Conventions 1. Be Kind/Nice. We’re all here to enjoy the con. 2. Always ask permission. Never assume something will be alright, everyone’s standards are different 3. Cosplay =/= Consent 4. Always read con rules before purchasing a Ticket 5. Avoid lingering in aisles, makes it difficult for people pass through a. Don’t take pictures in the aisles, move to a more open space 6. If you have children, set good rules for what to do if you get separated and keep a good eye on them 7. Come Bathed, we all have to hang out with one another, no one want to smell you 8. Take a Break if you Need it, Return to your hotel/car if you’re tired or hungry

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Topic: Marvel's Avengers: Endgame

We took a week off to watch the New Movie, and decided we wanted to wait a little bit to give our thoughts.  After a long 3 hour movie, it was worth it, but so much to cover!  This Episode contains quite a bit of Spoilers

Spoilers to Follow

Tutorial:

Major Cast • Tony Stark / Iron Man(Robert Downey Jr.) • Steve Rogers / Captain AmeriCaptain America (Chris Evans) • Bruce Banner / Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) • Thor (Chris Hemsworth) • Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: (Scarlett Johansson) • Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) • James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine (Don Cheadle) • Scott Lang / Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) • Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) • Nebula (Karen Gillan) • Rocket (Bradley Cooper) • Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) • Thanos (Josh Brolin)

Lots of Supporting

Pulls from all over the Marvel MCU, save for TV shows.

For those needing a Primer before going in to the movie, we recommend the following Video:

The COMPLETE MCU Recap | CRAM IT (Avengers: Endgame Edition)

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Topic: Mecha Anime Review

Last week we discussed Mecha Anime, the difference between a Super/Giant Robot series and a Real Robot series. This week, we have two shows that are indicative of both genre of Mecha Anime, so lets see which one liked the most!

StarDriver

Premise:

Tells the story of three high school students who safe guard the world from dangerous alien mecha from escaping in to our time. Set on fictional island of Southern Cross Island, the island is home to powerful mechanical creatures called Cybodies that have been hidden away and protected by four Maidens of the island. Once one of the Maiden’s seals is broken, it allows those with marks, or masks, to pilot these Cybodies in what’s known as Zero Time, a realm where only they can exist. If all four Maiden’s seals are broken, they’ll allow the Cybodies to exit from Zero Time and then take over the world. Stopping them is Takuto and his mysterious Tauburn Cybody, which holds back the Glittering Crux Brigade from succeeding in their plans.

Phases

Depending on how many maiden seals are broken, allows for piloting of Cybodies and magical abilities:

• Phase 1: No maiden seals broken, limited access to magical powers like healing, illusions, mind control, etc
• Phase 2: One Maiden seal broken, access to Cybodies via piloting system in Zero Time
• Phase 3: Two Maiden Seal Broken, Only those with marks/masks can pilot Cybodies directly via mecha
• Phase 4: Three Maiden Seals broken, gives access to godlike powers, but pilots become trapped in Zero Time is cybodies are destroyed, release of King Cybody Samekh
• Phase 5: Cybodies gain access to our world

Main Characters

Takuto Tsunashi (Red Hair)

• Pilots Tauburn
  • Unique as their Tauburn acts like Phase 3 machines and always stays more powerful than other Cybodies
  • Dual wields Star Swords
• Cheerful, Energetic, Optimistic, Pure Hearted
• “Galactic Bishounen” or “Galactic Pretty Boy”

Wako Agemaki (Short Yellow Hair)

• South Maiden
• Relatively Innocent, teasing
• Fully Aware of her status as a Maiden when she’s a child
• Engaged to Sugata as family tradition

Sugata Shindo (Blue hair)

• Cool, Intelligent, Reserved
• Rivalry with Takuto
• Pilots King Cybody Samekh
• Joins Glittering Crux Brigade at one point

Each Cybody/Mark is named after a letter in the Phoenician alphabet, which multiple modern Semetic abjads are derived from, notably Hebrew and Aramaic.

Reasons to enjoy the show:

Weird, even among anime

A good story, no intentional allegories or meaning

Good directing

Great sound track

Gundam Unicorn

Premise:

Set in 0096 UC(Universal Century), story tell of Banagher Links, a young Anaheim Electrics student who accidentally gets involved with Audrey Burne in her attempt to receive the Laplace Box. The Laplace Box holds the key to spacenoid freedom and eventual succession of humanity; but forces from the Federation aim to keep the box hidden in order to safe guard their own power. Aided is the Unicorn Gundam, a normal looking machine until a potential Newtype appears, allowing it to transform and open its armor to reveal its Gundam form.

Main Characters

Banagher Links

• Pilots the RX-01 Unicorn Gundam
  • Biometric linked to Banagher
  • Considered the Key to the Laplace Box, tests pilot if they are worthy to receive box
  • Unique that it starts standard looking and reveals its Gundam nature
  • Entire Frame is build of Pyscho-Frame, allowing pilot to move the Gundam without inputs
  • NT-D = Newtype Destoryer system, designed to release limiters
• Good person at heart, trying to do the right thing
• Pulled between not wanting the Gundam or Fighting, but learns that life doesn’t allow us to choose so we must make do with what happens to us and make something good out of it
• In Love, or Need to protect, Audrey

Audrey Burne, (Mineva Lao Zabi)

• Grand-daughter and last surviving of the Zabi Family, leaders of the Principality of Zeon.
• Pacifist in Nature, Noble, Upright, and Honorable
• Used the name Audrey to hide Identity from others, illusion to Audrey Hepburn
• Considered a Princess by Spacenoids/Zeon
• Not interested in leading/adoption the Zeonic movement or leadership, acts to bring peace and true to all.
• Wants the Box so that Spacenoids will have a right to evolve and be a part of the Federation, thus bringing everyone together.

Full Frontal

• Char Anology, “Second Coming of the Red Comit”, thought to be Char Anzable himself
• In reality, a genetically altered Cyber Newtype copy of Char.
• Pilots MSN-06S Sinanju
  • Used as test bed for Gundam Unicorn
  • Red in color
• Gifted Pilot, Charismatic Leader
• Intends to use power of Laplace Box to weaken Federation and allow Spacenoids to self govern, forcing the Earth Sphere to be subservient to Spacenoids instead.

Laplace Box?

Laplace Box is a closely guarded secret by the Vist Family/Foundation, which allows them to have unfettered power within the Federation due to its contents. Members of the family use it to pull strings and control government officials within Federation. Senior Members of Vist Family plan to reveal the box the world, but want to ensure it’s given to some who will use the box for noble purposes. Gundam Unicorn is designed to test someone.

Great Example of traditional Gundam Story

No side is perfect/right

Everyone has an agenda

Starts in Space, heads to Earth, returns to Space

Great analogs for Char and Amuro Ray

Helps if you know previous series, not necessary to enjoy

Good character development

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Topic: Mecha Anime

This week, Mom is out on Vacation, traveling the world as usual. So we Invited my Little Brother to join us. When asked what he wanted to learn about, Mecha Anime was what he said. So here we go. A primer on Mecha Anime!

Tutorial:

Mecha Anime:

Any anime/manga/media where robots exist within a show, and are important to the story being told.

Robot = Mech/Mecha

Two Major Sub-Categories:

• Super/Giant Robo/Robot
• Real Robot

History:

70s – Rise of Super/Giant Robot Series

Mecha shows easier to handle because you don’t need to draw faces. Easier to produce in 70s. Shows largely not about war/conflicts between humans.

Mazinger Z (1972)

• Dr Hell and Dr. Kabuto find ancient robots buried underground. Hell decides to use the robots to control the world, while Dr. Kabuto escapes and builds Mazinger Z before being killed by “half Man, Half woman” Baron Ashura. Robot is passed on his grandson Kouji Kabuto, who fights against Doctor Hell.

Spin Offs

• Great Mazinger (1974)
• UFO Robot Grendizer (1977)
• Mazinkaiser (2002)

Getter Robo (1974)

• Three jets become one Super Robo, but can reconfigure in to three different modes

Daikū Maryū Gaiking (1976)

• Dinosaur like base ship where the head takes off and transforms in to Super Robo Gaiking

Super/Giant Robot Series

• Robots are unique, one of kind, un-replaceable
• Fantastical/Squishy in tech/creation
• Heroic in Nature
• Stories are usually involve the Robots more as a major element of the show than a tool
• Magical/Mystical/Extraterrestrial/Super Science in Nature
• Lend themselves to Monster of the Week / non-serialized
• Became stagnant toward end of 80s

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)

Also known as (Gundam 0079)

• During the Universal Century, Human have created colonies in space, but there is unease as spacenoids feel that the Earth Federation won’t allow equal representation, thus Spacenoid rally around the Principality of Zeon and declare their freedom from Earth Federation, starting the “One Year War”. Zeon has mobile suits, which are a ‘HUGE’ tactical advantage. Earth Federation Create the White Base and goes to pick up the new RX-78 Gundam, but Zeon is in tow and attacks the colony, killing most civilians and Federation crew. Amuro Ray becomes pilot for Gundam and the White Base launches out to defend against Zeon on their way home to Earth.

Gundam = White Devil

• V-fin helmet
• Samurai look/motif

Recurring themes

• Start in space, head to Earth, return to space to end
• Space Mobile Suits = 1 eye/ mono eye
• Earth/Federation Mobile Suits = glass visor for eyes
• Major Base to launch From, usually white in color
• Char Aznable – Villain, recurring theme of villain in Mask

Initially not popular, canceled at 39 of 45 episodes. Rebroadcast as trilogy of movies in 1983

Gunpla = Gundam Model Kits

Spin offs:

Universal Century

• Zeta (1985)
• ZZ (1986)
• 0083(1991)
• Victory (1993)
• 08 MS Team (1996)
• Unicorn (2010)
• Thunderbolt (2015)

Unique Series/Era/Centuries

• G Gundam (1994)
• Gundam Wing (1995)
• Gundam X (1996)
• Turn-a-Gundam (1999)
• Gundam Seed (2002)
• Gundam 00 (2007)
• Gundam Age (2011)
• Gundam IBO (2015)

Real Robot Series

• Mecha are realist/conventional in nature, albeit with unique power sources/futuristic weapons
• Tend to be government/organization led
• Possible to Replace within reason/mass produced
• Tools of the universe
• Often stories about War or major conflicts
• Lend themselves toward long, serialized shows

Super Sentai (1975)

• Known in the west as Power Rangers
• Basically Live Action Super Robo Series

80s – Rise of Real Robots

Real Robot Series become mainstream as audiences begin to get tired of Formulaic Super Robot series. Many young adults were looking for more mature/serious mecha anime, allowing for Real Robot genre to take over.

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982)

• Many Spin Offs

Armored Troopers Votoms (1983)

Volton (1984)

• US TV show incorporating footage of Golion and Dairugger

Transformers (1984)

• Lots of Spin Offs

Bubblegum Crisis (1987)

• Largely Females in Exo-skeleton Suits

Patlabor (1988)

• Mecha Cops

Gunbuster (1988)

• From Makers of Evangelion

90 – Mecha Revolution

Real Robot / Gundam make big push in 90s, but lots of mech shows still show competition. Lots of themes / traditions come out of 90s that are still seen largely today. Very experimental.

Brave Series (1990s)

• King of Braves GaoGaiGar (1997)

Tekkaman Blade (1992)

• In the West as Technoman

Magic Knight Rayearth (1994)

• Magical Girl / Super Robot Series

Evangelion (1995)

• Mix of Real/Super Series
• Largely a deconstruction of Mecha Series
• Lots of largely psychological topics
• Genre Defining!

Martian Successor Nadesico (1996)

Vision of Escaflowne (1996)

• Lots of Female fans
• Largely Fantasy

The Big O (1999)

2000s – Mecha Renaissance

With introduction Digital Art/Inking, Anime become less expensive to produce, allowing more varied series to become introduced. Varying art styles allow more trial and expressiveness. Great Shows, Great stories, great characters

Sakura Wars (2000)

VanDread (2000)

RahXephon (2002)

• Similar to Eva in themes

Diebuster (2004)

• Sequel to Gunbuster

Aquarion (2005)

Eureka Seven (2005)

• Skateboarding/snowboarding in the Sky Mecha

Code Geass (2006)

• Mechs are only about 15-18 feet tall
• Largely move around on wheels
• Fun Mix of Mystical elements and Real Robot series
• Great cast/show
• One of the Greatest non-Gundam Real Robot series

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007)

• From makers of Evangelion
• Very silly
• Creators would split to become Studio Trigger
• One of the Greatest modern Super Robot

2010 – Decline of Mecha

Mecha Shows are more difficult to get going, with lots of shows almost never finding an audience.

Landscape of Anime may have changed; seasonal anime dominates, where mecha tends to like longer /epic running series. Also, many shows about conflicts aren’t as popular because we(Sic:Japan) aren’t really seeing or being influenced by war. Mecha using more CG(Computer Graphics) to make mecha in shows, but don’t look good in an animated/2D Landscape.

Star Driver (2010)

• Light Hearted, Fun Super Robot

Aldnoah.Zero (2014)

• Good first season, ultimately disappointing

Robot Girls Z (2014)

• Parody on Mazinger Z and various spinoffs

Captain Earth (2014)

Darling in the Franxx (2018)

• Interesting beginning, ultimately Disappointing

Review Material

Gundam Unicorn 0096 (Either on Crunchyroll or Netflix)

Star Driver (Crunchyroll)

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Topic: Shazam (2019)

We talked about Captain Marvel a few weeks back: how the name Captain Marvel existed originally as a DC owned character, then found it's way in to the hands of Marvel after DC sued Fawcett Comics over the character rights/originality. The character came back to the DC fold once purchased, and become Shazam, since Marvel owned the License to the name a that point. Well a super hero movie happened, and we went to watch it.

Tutorial:

History

Shazam originally known as Captain Marvel.

More popular than Superman.

DC Sued Faucett Comics over rights for the character

Eventually bought by DC and re-christened as Shazam.

Billy Batson(10), orphan

Meets a wizard after escaping bullies on a subway.

Wizard gives him the powers of Shazam = Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury

Marvel Family

Captain Marvel Jr.

Mary Marvel

Marvel Triplets: Fat Marvel, Tall Marvel, Hillbilly Marvel

Doctor Sivana – similar to Lex Luger, stereo typical Super Science bad guy.

Review:

Rock Originally signed to play Black Atom, mortal foe to Shazam, very similar power.

Cast:

Asher Angel (Billy Batson)

Zachary Levi (Shazam)

Like how distant Billy is, and how naïve Shazam is.

Djimon Hounsou (Shazam Wizard) (Guardian of the Galaxy)

Wish I could have seen more of him.

Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman) Blue

Quite good at being annoying.

Faithe Herman (Darla Dudley) Purple

Grace Fulton (Mary Bromfield) Red

Ian Chen (Eugene Choi) Gray

Jovan Armanda (Pedro Peña) Green

Mark Strong (Dr. Thaddeus Sivana)

Wish to see him in roles other than bad guy for once…

Notes:

Fawcett School – Fawcett comics

Mister Mind – Super intelligent Caterpillar

Very innocent feeling movie.

Like act 3 better than first two acts.

Way too Front loaded with origins.

Mark Strong plays a bad guy well. Little too much story for him though?

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Topic: Pro-Wrestling in Review

Last week we discussed the history and a tutorial of Pro-Wrestling, and more specifically the history of the WWE, and how it go to here. Well, this last week, we watched some Matched from Wrestlemania 35, and my mom has some thoughts, and I've got some explaining to do. Spoiler, she liked some of them.

For those interested, WWE offers a 1 Month Free trial for their WWE Network: which host all their Pay-Per-View events, Lots of historical wrestling shows and matches, newer episodes of Raw and Smackdown a few weeks later, and some original material, along with some of my favorite material, behind the scenes. If you want to review Wrestlemania with us, we recommend visiting WWE.com to learn more about getting access to the WWE Network.

For all matches, under the match title is the time stamp, so you can quickly navigate to each match.

Review:

Rock Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - Wrestlemania 15

Mom Stumble across this match. Very Classic Match First of Three different meetings Very classic Atitude Era match

Kofi vs Daniel Bryan - 23:45min Long 2:09:00

Meant to be an underdog story Daniel Bryan has made an eco-friendly championship and running everyone down for being not eco-friendly Kofi had an amazing few months beforehand but kept getting screwed for title opportunities Kofi has been around for 11+ years and this is was his first championship opertunity New Day Stable: Power of positivity / Goofy Free-bird Tag team Rule

Women's Tag Team – 10:45min Long 1:48:00

Bayley(San Jose native) and Sasha Banks first ever tag-team champions Nia Jax and Tamina are Big Samoan women, want vengeance for last PPV Natalya and Beth Phoenix(Retired wrestler) are fighting for honor IIconics are friends, pair are somewhat comedic, ala Edge and Christian Very busy match IIconics swoop in for championship

Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar – 7min Long 0:13:00

Seth won Royal Rumble Brock Lesnar is champion, but rarely shows up on TV and rarely defends title Fans want championship back on TV regularly Paul Heyman is Brock’s mouth Piece

Bobby Lashely vs Finn Balor – 15min Long 4:29:00

Intercontinental championship is a Work Horse championship, often seen as great matches on way to world championship Bobby Lashely is very big. Finn is small Finn has alternate character call the Demon where he spray paints his body. One of the coolest wrestling entrances

Women's Main Event – 21:30min Long 4:45:00

Becky Lynch won Royal Rumble, Annual event to decide who will headline Wrestlemania Becky Lynch known as “The Man”, similar vein to Stone Cold Steve Austin Charlotte placed in match with Ronda Rousy because she’s a better/bigger name Becky has to fight to get in to main event, has bad leg in between Ronda Rousy just wants to fight Becky as she knows it will be a good main event Charlotte win’s Smackdown Women’s championship, making match winner takes all. Becky wins with some confusion at finish.

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Topic: Professional Wrestling, AKA, WWE

After doing something a bit girly the last few episodes, I figured something manly was in order. This week we talk about Professional Wrestling on way to WrestleMania on April 7th. We'll watch some of the matches from the event and give you a brief review of what my Mom thought of it all. Spoilers, I probably will enjoy it.

Wrestling is Not Fake, wrestling is scripted

Terms / Ideas:

• Kayfabe (Wrestling Illusion, wrestlers as their Characters in public)
• Shoot (Unscripted event in wrestling, not expected)
• Rules of Wrestling (Pin Fall, Submission, Count Out, Disqualification, etc)
• Tag Teams
• Finishers
• Characters/Gimmicks
• Lucha Libre (Masks are sacred)
• Stories
• Championship belts

History

Has existed since before 19th century.

Golden Age (40s/50s)

Becoming a staple outside of circuses and side-shows

Territory System

NWA (National Wrestling Alliance)

• Lou Thesz
• Gorgeous George
• Bruno Sammartino
• Verne Gagne

Silver Age (60s-70s)

Modern TV begins showing wrestling (local Only)

Beginning of the WWF (80s)

Vincent James McMahon sells Capitol Wrestling Corporation> Worldwide Wrestling Federation > World Wrestling Federation to his Son Vincent Kennedy McMahon

Coined wrestling product as “Sports Entertainment”

Poached Wrestlers from other promotions because it had National TV Shows, thus bigger appeal

Creation of Wrestlemania, annual show that culminates lots of stories in WWF

• Hulk Hogan
• "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
• Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (manager)
• Andre the Giant
• Iron Sheik
• Randy Savage

Early 90s

Jim Crockett controls major interest in NWA and begins consolidating territories/promotions for his own promotion.

Unable to complete with WWF, Jim Crockett sells his promotion/interest to Ted Turner to create WCW(World Championship Wrestling)

WWF Sees drug scandal due to steroids, gets out of it just barely.

WWF introduces Monday Night Show (Monday Night Raw)

• Sargent Slaughter
• Bret Hart
• Yokozuna
• Shawn Michaels
• Diesel
• Razor Ramon
• Ric Flair
• Undertaker

Monday Night Wars (Mid-late 90s)

WCW makes push to fight openly with WWF by having competing Monday Night Programming

WCW gets older, name brand wrestlers to complete with WWF

• Hulk Hogan
• Ric Flair
• Randy Savage
• Kevin Nash (Formally Diesel)
• Scott Hall (Formally Razor Ramon)

WCW Begins beating WWF in ratings with mature/aggressive story lines

• NWO(New World Order)

WWF Pushes new starts and begins making bigger names out of younger talent

WWF Begins pushing more mature story lines and moving away from Characters

NWO and older wrestlers have monopoly on top positions in company, many younger wrestlers leave for WWF

• The Rock
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• Mankind
• Big Show
• Triple H

Attitude Era (Late 90s to 2001)

WWF Continues beat WCW and absorbing wrestlers other Promotions

WWF beats WCW with more diverse talent, WWF Buys WCW and ECW(Extreme Championship Wrestling)

Invasion Storyline allows WCW and ECW wrestlers to show up and get signed for WWF

Introduction of more Hardcore/dangerous stunts (Tables, Ladders, & Chairs Match / Hell in a Cell)

Introduction of Second TV show (Smackdown)

• Chris Jericho
• Eddie Gurerro
• Chris Benoit
• Edge & Christian
• Hardy Boys
• Dudley Boys

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (2002-2007)

WWF loses court fight with World Wildlife Fund over name, changes to WWE (Get the F Out, Campain)

WWE Fully integrates WCW and ECW wrestlers, but too many wrestlers

Brand Split: Different wrestlers for each show, Raw & Smackdown

Also known as Ruthless Aggression Era

• Randy Orton
• Batista (Drax)
• Kurt Angle
• Brock Lesnar
• Rob Van Dam
• Rey Mysterio
• Booker T
• John Cena

Chris Benoit Murder Suicide

Horrible Murder of his Wife and Son

Nearly Killed Pro-Wrestling in the west

WWE Institutes # of new policies in light of the events

• Wellness Policy to curb drug use
• Elimination of Chair Shots to Head
• Concussion studying and prevention/recuperation
• Lack if blood of TV
• Tone down of language and storylines to be less aggressive
• PG Rating for TV programming moving forward

PG Era (Late 2000 to now)

WWE’s Switch to more family friendly affair brought children and more revenue to Wrestling

Brand Split comes to an end in 2011, begins again in 2016

Introduction of WWE Performance Center to train wrestlers, Creation of NXT (Developmental Brand)

Women’s Revolution

Other Promotions fill gap of Territory system

• Ring of Honor
• Impact/TNA (Total Non-stop Action)
• New Japan Pro Wrestling (IWGP: International Wrestling Gran Prix)
• Pro Wrestling Guerilla
• Too many to Count

Review:

Wrestlemania 35

More information:

WWE.Com

Wrestler (Movie)

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Topic: My Little Pony Review / Fandom

Previously, we did a tutorial on My Little Pony and the more recent incarnation of the series, Friendship Is Magic. Now, My Little Pony isn't actually nerdy; it's down right mainstream if you think about it. But I wanted to use this topic, something Most people are generally aware of to discuss and get to Fandom, in particular the culture of the Brony, along with discussing some aspects of Fandom media, including Fanfics, FanArt, FanVideo, and Fan-media as a whole.

Review Material

Netflix

• Season 1:
  • Episodes 1 & 2
  • Episode 6
  • Episode 13
  • Episode 25

Bronies?

Started on 4chan, derivative of 2chan in Japan.

• 4chan is a semi-popular, underground hub for discussion on various topics of media, from memes, to shows, and often random and bizarre fandoms and interest. Often blamed for mobilizing though pranks, coordinating attacks on other websites; trolling comes from this website often.

Initially criticized by Amid Amidi(Animation news website) for being a toy-centric cartoon with major talent behind it in frost. The essay created a backlash as more people started looking in to it, and soon pony related media/memes were so dominate on the website that they had to ban any threads.

Originally Liked Ironically, later loved because of the characters, stories, and honesty in the show.

Bronies are unique amongst fandom as most fandoms are exclusive those in the know, while Bronies appear to be mostly inclusive, wanting more people inside, despite the weird or unusual.

Possible reasons for bronies?

• Brony Studies
• "so much cynicism and negativity out there in so many [other] shows" while the show "has such a positive message"

Equestria Daily, major MLP:FIM fandom website.

Fanfics, Fan-Art, Fan-Animations, Fan Music

First major fanfics were about Star Terk

Similar Japanese dōjinshi, Japanese made comics using other characters/settings that are copyright.

Terms:

• Mary Sue: author insert or wish fulfillment,
• Shipping: setting two character up together that may or may not naturally get together romantically
• Slash Fiction: Primarily romantic/sexual relationships between men. Femslash, for women.
• Smut: Primarily Explicit/pornographic writings, see Hentai
• Crossover/fusion: when blending two different settings/casts/franchises.

Not explicitly illegal, more or less agreed that so long as you aren’t making money off of it, you’re okay.

Some authors/creators okay with it, not all though.

Most famous fanfic: 50 Shades of Gray, fanfic of Twilight series.

PMV (Pony Music Video)

Similar to an AMV (Anime Music Video)

BronyCon

Set in New York/New Jersey. Fan created convention to promote fandom. Likely to end after 2019.

Merchandise:

Figurines

Dvds

Blind Bags

Stuffed Animals

Clothing

Lots of Fan Created stuff

Discussed items:

Fanfiction.net

Equestria Daily

PMV - Pony Polka

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Ep 5: My Little Pony Tutorial

Topic: My Little Pony

This week we discuss the history of My Little Pony and the most current incarnation, "Friendship is Magic", en-route to a future discussion on 'Bronies' and why an older demographic fell in love with a show about colorful horses meant for a younger, female audience.

History:

1981 My Pretty Pony

• 10 inch tall, very large by comparison
• Didn’t sell very well

1982 – 1992 My Little Pony (Gen 1)

• More iconic version from the 80s/90s
• Smaller
• First incarnation of symbol on backside/cutie mark.
• Animated series in 1986 & 1987, various movies
• Very collectable

1997 – 1999 (Gen 2)

• Slimmer, turning heads
• Not as popular in west, popular in Europe

2003 – 2009 (Gen 3)

• A re-launch
• Childish, aimed as a much younger audience
• Many of the hallmarks from 1986/1987 animation

2010+ Friendship is Magic

• Created by Lauren Faust
• Desire for more complex/in-depth characters, Adventurous settings
• Stories resolve around friendship/relations, with some adventurous/action elements

Characters

• “Mane Six Ponies”
  • Twilight Sparkle (Purple Unicorn, Magical Bookworm)
    • Spike (Pet Dragon)
  • Rainbow Dash (Blue Pegasus, Rebellious Tomboy)
  • Rarity (White Unicorn, Glamorous/Fashion)
    • Sweetie Bell (Little Sister)
  • Fluttershy (Pale Yellow Pegasus, Shy/timid)
  • Pinkie Pie (Pink Earth Pony, hyperactive/social)
  • Applejack (Orange Earth Pony, hard working Tomboy)
    • Apple Bloom(Little Sister)
    • Scootaloo (Friend)
  • Princess Celestia (White Alicorn, unicorn + Wings) & Sister Princess Luna (Black Alicorn)
  • 200+ minor background characters
  • Derpy (Fan favorite Grey Pegasus, named such for an accident with her eyes)

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

• Spin off from “Friendship is Magic”
• All characters are humans, but colored like original counterparts
• Takes place in a Highschool
• Meant for older girls, while original for younger

Review Material

Netflix or The Hub

Season 1:

Episodes 1 & 2

Episode 6

Episode 13

Episode 25

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Episode 4: Captain Marvel Review

Topic: Captain Marvel

Last week, we discussed the various incarnations of Captain Marvel in Comic Books in anticipation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie coming out in Theaters. We're back to discuss the movie with spoilers, but Spoiler, we liked it! Please check out Episode 3 for more information on Captain Marvel various incarnations and Carol Danvers's long history in Comics.

Review

Spoilers Ahead (What is a Spoiler)

Released on International Women’s Day, 3/8/2019

Cast

• Carol Danvers / Vers / Captain Marvel – Brie Larson
• Nick Fury – Samuel L Jackson
• Talos / Keller – Ben Mendelsohn (Skrull)
• Korath – Djimon Hounsou
• Ronan the Accuser – Lee Pace
• Supreme Intelligence & Mar-vell/Dr. Wendy Lawson - Annette Bening
• Yon-Rogg - Jude Law

Thoughts:

• Lots of Kree, both Blue and Pink variation. Wonder if Kree is a title/organization alignment or race of creatures.
• Yondu – Kree
• Carol Danvers being so Loyal doesn’t appear human.
• Surprised by Skrull narrative
• Not really happy about the Avenger’s Endgame appearance/Mid-credit. Would have liked to see her with Shorter Hair.
• Binary Form? Origin different than original
• Names!
• The Cat (Goose), We Love Him!
• Nick Fury loss eye(Kinda of disappointing)

What Next?

• Avenger’s Endgame
• Future Movies?
• Place in the MCU?

Review:

• Watch Movie when it comes out.
• Amazon Prime for Comicbook barrowing
• Comixology (Lots of comics/manga)