June 20, 2022
Streamery Alert
Tonight my internet alter ego will be streaming again this evening from 18:00PMDST / 10:00PM UTC for about two hours. Plan is to be playing Final Fantasy 14.
Come on by, point and laugh knowingly at the silly noob who's gotten himself completely lost in Eorzean and is developing a shellfish allergy....
Note: After I get a handle on handle on how best to fit streaming into my schedule, which should be by next week, I'll have a schedule up every week a week in advance.
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June 19, 2022
We. Be. Streamin'.
Tonight my internet alter ego will be streaming from 18:00PMDST / 10:00PM UTC for about two hours.
I streamed it last night and I'm trying to pin down a lag issue that is present in the stream and VOD but not my computer, so feel free to come by and laugh at the silly streamer who is hopelessly lost in Eorzean, and has developed fungiphobia.
Also: feedback regarding AV levels is appreciated.
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June 11, 2022
7 hours to Go
Still having tech issues which I ascribe to Apple operating systems and architectures, but I'm confident that I'll either have fixes or my current work arounds by 21:00 EDT / 01:00 GMT/UTC.
" At twitch.tv/brickmuppet "
We'll be streaming for a few hours (two or three at least) so feel free to stop by, point and laugh.
UPDATE: It worked! The game wouldn't run right but we showed the 1916 version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and then did a Just Chatting stream. There were a few glitches with OBS but they didn't derail the stream, and they were worked around in a few seconds.
Over 2 and a half hours, we topped out at 6 people in chat, at least two of whom were not 'bots!
Thanks for stopping by Avatar-ExADV!
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June 03, 2022
A Follow-Up on SNR
About 2 weeks ago I reviewed the pilot of Strange New Worlds and made, what is for post JJ Abrams Star Trek, a bold assertion.
I do not immediately despise this show!
Like Charlie Brown pondering Lucy and the football, I held out hope that this fairly decent pilot might, against all odds foreshadow a good series.
I do not have CBS all access, so I cannot speak firsthand to wether this forlorn hope has come to pass. However Dave Cullen, a certified card carrying member of the 'Irish New Trek Haters Club' suggests that the series has not been bad, and, most surprisingly, that the most recent episode has actually been quite good.
This is high praise coming from Cullen, who has been exceptionally vociferous (and IMHO fair) in his criticisms of the recent offerings of the franchise.
I particularly like that the presence of the Gorn in this prequel, far from being the expected crime against canon is being cleverly handled in such a way as to fit with established lore.
I'm still not likely to get CBS All Access, but I keep hearing good things about the show and might well be persuaded to get the DVDs.
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May 22, 2022
Strange New Worlds
The new Star Trek series has premiered.
After the middle fingers to the fans that were Star Treks Picard and Discovery, faith is weak.
Nevertheless, the pilot episode was run on YouTube last week and, being a trekkie of some 40 years, I watched it.
I do NOT immediately despise this show.
It looks good. The pilot was decently written and it felt in many ways like a decent Next Generation episode. There was a lot of extraneous drama and plot contrivances shoehorned into the pilot but the episode did not actually suffer for it.
For those familiar with Trek lore the Pilot is a first contact story that deals with the origins of "General Order One". The episode takes place immediately after the finale of Star Trek: Discovery and is still cleaning up the mess that show left. Enterprise is getting repaired and Captain Pike is on sabbatical. He's contemplating a vision of his future he received towards the end of STD, which he was given so that the misandric, feminist writers of that atrocity could have the sadistic satisfaction of having a strong male lead scream like a 9 year old girl dropped into a pit of tarantulas. Suffice it to say that plot point left a mark. However, notwithstanding the legit trauma itself, Pike's concern's about the matter are quite professional and rational.
Meanwhile, Number One receives information that a warp signature has been detected from a quarantined system a few hours flight time from Earth. Starfleet is still trying to put itself back together after the events of the previous series, and doesn't have any first contact teams in the core of the Federation at the moment (They stay on the frontier). Eager to give her crew a First Contact Award, Number one asks for and gets permission to take a few off duty Enterprise Crew on a mothballed, but barely functional Hermes class scout to pop into the newly star-fairing system and say "Hi!".
Things do not go as planned, and what should have been an easy day away from the shipyard on fun collateral duty becomes an interstellar incident with far reaching influences upon subsequent events.
It was not a GREAT episode, but it was a quite solid one. It actually has something useful to say about bureaucratic overreaction, which is not a lesson I expected from a Star Trek show in current year.
The pilot has been pulled from YouTube, but there are several trailers, this one giving a good overview of the cast, which I rather like a lot.
Well, except for La'an, who's surname looks to be a crime against canon and who appears to be a parody of a Mary Sue in a Star Trek fanfic. OTOH, if you're gonna do a Mary Sue, this is the place to do it and the actress (who looks to be quite good) seems to lean into it with considerable gusto.
Aside that the cast looks GREAT and, unlike Discovery, the (possible) Mary Sue is not the lead, and to be fair, actually looks to have real potential, this being quite explicitly an ensemble cast.
So I am cautiously optimistic.
On the other hand, I have memories of another pilot, not so long ago that looked to have quite a lot of potential.
That optimism was misplaced.
So a decent pilot is not going to get me to subscribe to CBS-All Access.
I'll wait.
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February 02, 2022
Miss Kuroitsu: From The Monster Development Department
Agastia Corporation, a large Japanese Zaibatsu, is involved in a great many moneymaking enterprises around the world, however like so many other Japanese corporations the primary focus of this particular conglomerate is world domination.
That rather expensive enterprise is privileged and confidential information, and not openly discussed on shareholder reports or tax filings. The ACTUAL board of directors meets in the secret boardroom far underground.
Not as answerable to shareholders as is supposed.
This has caused some considerable difficulties in internal logistics. However, The corporation now finds itself in an excellent position strategically as all of the competing corporations, ancient civilizations, ninja clans, and Alien outposts have been annihilated byJapan's current surfeit of prefectural masked heroes.
If those can be dealt with, Agastia corporations strategic goals can be met, resulting in excellent 3rd quarter returns and bonuses for all.
Miss Kuroitsu is the head of Monster Development and is responsible for providing the company with monsters to fight masked heroes.
She must do her job despite the fact that her chief mad scientist is a bit of a procrastinator, budget woes are cutting into the financial resources at her disposal, departmental turf wars are undermining her authority, and HR seems to be a 5th column, either completely insane or actively working against the goals of the organization.
I laughed out loud at this bizarre, but fun, show despite its apparently tiny budget. It has all sorts of potential. I'm really curious where this goes as there are so many ways it can become a complete dumpster fire, but for now it is holding together quite surprisingly well.
Miss KUROITSU from the Monster Development Department is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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December 13, 2021
Dev Watched Santa Inc. So We Don't Have To.
Interestingly, (tragically) Dev watched the WHOLE thing.
This is a much more interesting and fair review of this dumpster fire than most.
It also makes clear that this is an even bigger, and in some ways more disturbing fiasco than is widely reported.
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October 10, 2021
Oh Golly
It's not coming out 'till December.
It'll only have 6 episodes.
Still....yay!
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October 09, 2021
Oh Wow.
I think I finally beat Pixy to the punch on one of these.
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August 01, 2021
Flag Planted
From the latest episode of My Hero Academia, which is, frankly, one of the best superhero shows ever.
Well, perhaps not, but damn this story is good, and going in directions I'd never imagined.
If you want to discuss it, spoiler tags are [ spoiler ] Spoiler goes here [ /spoiler ] but with no spaces between brackets and text.
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July 18, 2021
There Be Heroes in Fiction Still
Season five of My Hero Academia starts off really strong for two episodes....then slips in to a tournament arc that last for no less than10 episodes. For those of you unfamiliar with the tropes of Japanese young men's comics, tournament arcs are a carryover from Japanese sports comics where the protagonists find themselves in some gladiatorial style duel that last multiple episodes during which the heroes tend to wax poetically about fighting, deliver snappy one liners and generally provide the audience with writing and character development akin to watching paint dry. This seems to be demanded by tradition and marketing and is particularly a signature of the IPs at Shounen Jump, which produces the MHA manga and anime. For example, Tite Kubo's quirky and enjoyable series Bleach went to hell in a handbasket after editors demanded he pad out the story with tournament arcs and marketable side characters after season/volume one.
However, this show has avoided a full fledged tournament arc since season two, and KÅhei Horikoshi used that one to develop the lore and establish characters and their limitations, so it was not just padding. This season's tournament at first blush seem drawn out with 10 episodes dedicated to three training matches in superhero school, but those 10 stories advanced the plot and characters a surprising bit....and at no point in the process did anyone ever say "And now the fight TRULY begins." so it was not a complete waste of time.
More importantly, this is not a 12 episode season, but appears to be full length...
....and with the de rigueur gladiatorial shenanigans out of the way, My Hero Academia is proving to be exceptionally good this season, with a story that delivers surprises, both horrifying and heartwarming in rapid succession. It does this without subverting expectations for their own sake with cheap gotchas. This is a solid superhero story done straight and done right.
One of the questions Horikoshi is asking in this series is "What does it mean to BE a hero?" and, well, heroism is a tough thing. This series is kind of deconstructing a very Japanese trope of boys comics where the motivation is to be the very best because..."BEST!" Being a hero really requires motivations beyond min-maxing one's stats and achievements. There are successful heroes in the typical Shounen mold, and there are lessons to be learned from them, but this series explores the role superheroes play in this society in surprising depth and it's clear that more is needed than just badassery. Nietzsche's admonition to not become the monster one fights, while not directly referenced, looms large here. While this story is VERY Japanese in tone (superheroes, are not vigilante's but licensed, bonded professionals) the story explores the implications and definition of heroism we haven't seen in the genre since Ditko was looking at the subject in earnest.
For instance, there's a whole redemption arc going on now with one of the background heroes, who has achieved his life's goal, and find's it tastes like ashes.
I was actually enjoying the season during the tournament cour, but the last three episodes have taken it to a whole new level.
American superhero books seem to be in a bit of a nadir at the moment, with a number of today's writer's mocking the whole concept via seemingly endless deconstructions. There are suggestions that the genre is played out , and this suggestion is not without merit as U.S. comics have been recycling storylines since at least the '80s. However, with My Hero Academia, KÅhei Horikoshi has shown that the genre can still be fresh and surprising, without sacrificing the idealism of the old works or descending into cynicism.
The standard the show sets for superheroes, All Might, is a sort of combination Captain America and Superman, idealistic, conscientious, and both morally and physically brave. The show's protagonist (Dekku) is striving hard to meet that goal and be worthy of the mantle he's been entrusted with. Moreover, this show's protagonists, even the very idealistic ones, aren't a bunch of Dudley Do-Rights, they're smart, usually punching above their weight, and get by on their wits.
My Hero Academia continues to opine on the importance of not loosing one's idealism, or courage, a reminder that has special significance today.
Plus Ultra!
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July 07, 2021
IronMouse Sees it
Probably why she's been going through so many new models this month.
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June 28, 2021
Video Games as Commentary on Modern Life
Here we have the premise of the game BEHOLDER...
A totalitarian State controls every aspect of private and social life. Laws are oppressive. Surveillance is total. Privacy is dead. You are a State-installed manager of an apartment house. The State requires you to spy on your tenants, and report any illegal or subversive activity. However, you can also choose to keep the information to yourself, or use it to blackmail the residents, resulting in a multitude of choices and endings.
I cannot comment much on this game as I haven't played it, but I watched an hour or so of Mayoi Hitsuji playing it this evening and boy howdy, I don't wanna go to bed now 'cause I'm gonna have nightmares.
This is just more proof that people were very silly to get worked up about G.T.A.
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May 26, 2021
A Pointless Question for my Readers
I don't follow Hololive closely, but i'm vaguely familiar with it.
...has been showing up rather a lot and I was wondering if it was just some freaky meme or some fan reaction to canon.
I guess I'm a Hololive casual.
Has the shark been bitten by a radioactive cat? 'Cause the last couple of days stuff of this nature...
...has been showing up rather a lot and I was wondering if it was just some freaky meme or some fan reaction to canon. Update:
OH.
I guess if one doesn't follow the streams and waits for the vids to be posted one can miss important developments and fail ones Weeb test.
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May 16, 2021
Gas is Back
" I don't have gas." Will no longer be an acceptable excuse for work. Hopefully, things will be better staffed and less hellish than they were this past week.
Almost all the gas stations now have fuel. There are no lines to speak of.
"Yay!"
I fully understand why the volume spiked with people stocking up on supplies via online orders, but I cannot for the life of me grok why THOUSANDS of people looked at a petroleum shortage and said "Now's the time to buy a petroleum powered generator!"
My back still hurts.
UPDATE:
Gas stations not ghast stations. There are no Ghasts in Southeastern Virginia.
Fortunately.
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I Did Not Realize How Prophetic This Show Was
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May 09, 2021
ODD TAXI
This is NOT a show that I would ordinarily have watched. From the promo material and character designs it would appear to be a show aimed at either little kids....or furries.
However, Don over at Zoopraxiscope is a man of impeccable taste and he suggested it may be the best show of the season. I just watched episode one and it is certainly interesting.
The show is indeed odd and much of the episode takes place in or very near a taxi so it already has truth in advertising going for it.
Thus far it concerns a taxi driver in funny-animal-Tokyo. Oderoki, the fellow in the center of the bingo card above, is an anthropomorphic Walrus who drives a taxi and seems to be "on the spectrum" since he tries to make a mental conversational flow-chart with 5 or so options every time he sees somebody because he has no idea what will offend people.
He is....blunt.
This show has, even in subtitles, snappy and engaging dialog that seamlessly transitions between the anodyne and the...other side of this show, which sneaks up on one.
The art is unremarkable but it works and its soundtrack is absolutely superb. I'm not sure I'd buy the BGM but it complements the story very well and sets the tone in a way that few scores come close to.
The cast of everymen and women are completely believable beyond the whole "anthro" thing and this show is astonishingly interesting.
I'm definitely watching this one.
Go visit Don. He's got all the necessary screencaps.
Odd Taxi is fascinating actually and has fully grabbed me.
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April 28, 2021
The Most Blatant Foreshadowing in the History of Isekai
Actually, that may not technically be true as I am not a fan of the Isekai genre in general, and can't speak authoritatively upon matters of the most stupidest anything, but what Aizawa says about three minutes into last week's episode has got to at least be in the running.
I particularly like the bewilderment our heroine goes through trying to work out what's going on with what amounts to a paternity claim...except it's a maternity claim, and being the alleged mom, she'd KNOW if the kid claiming to be her child has any possibility of being correct. Of course nobody believes her, because she's the cute blonde witch in the woods. With the hat. We are, of cours,e talking about the show that is pithily named I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level and while I did not have high hopes for any great art to come out of this series, even those hopes were not met.
This show is deeply stupid.
I laughed out loud multiple times.
This is not exploring great philosophical questions or great conundrums of the human existence, but two episodes did make me laugh like a loon three times in one day. And I needed that.
Will continue to watch.
Come for the stupidity. Stay for the omelets.
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April 27, 2021
Today's Hot Take
"Suss" seems to be a perfectly acceptable Woolseyism, is completely in character, and is no reason to go bat-scat bonkers.
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April 25, 2021
"This Episode is Downgraded to Merely 'Good' "
On this, the 5th episode of the 5th season of My Hero Academia, we are presented with the first episode that is entertaining, but not superb.
The rest have been stellar.
The season opens in the middle of last season's finale and has brought together a whole bunch of plot points that had appeared to just be background flavor text, but are actually quite important.
In a way it reminds me a lot about Chris Claremont's run on the X-Men back in the '80s (but that is a reference that both dates me and is opaque to the audience. Suffice it to say that the story is moving briskly and is internally consistent )
This is an emotionally moving series and this is looking to be the best season yet. The current episode is taking place in a brief tournament arc, a Japanese Shounen comic trope that seems to be demanded by the Shonen Jump style guide. These are generally dead-spots in a series and can often kill an otherwise promising show. However, My Hero Academia uses this conciet to expertly establish background info and develop characters quite entertainingly.
This season has previously reminded us that Best Girl has additional powers that we had all forgotten about.
Toxic Mucus For the WIN!
This show continues to be excellent and I highly recommend it.
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