The RWBY Reviews: Episode 3

Sorry about the late post, but internet is spotty at the beach. Wasn't able to post this until today.

Now, without further interruption, RWBY: Episode 3!

I'm pretty sure I saw that cathedral in Kingdom Hearts...

Ruby and Jaune arrive at some sort of auditorium, where they split up when Yang calls Ruby over. Jaune is left alone, wondering aloud where he can find another girl to talk to, as a young woman with long red hair looks on. Yang and Ruby catch up, with Ruby rushing an explanation of the incident in the courtyard. Listening in, from the seat next to her, is Weiss, who isn't too happy to see Ruby again...

"OH GOD, IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!"

While Yang tries (in vain) to help her sister get along with Weiss, the latter continues to berate Ruby for the mistake, with Ruby continued to apologize. Weiss even forces a pamphlet into Ruby's hands, "Dust For Dummies", and tells her that if she's earnest in her desire for reparations, she should read this and never ever speak to her again. Rather disheartened, Ruby's thoughts are pulled from Weiss when the Professor walks on stage, and addresses the crowd.

"Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak. Thank you."

Ospin isn't exactly Dumbledore. In his speech, he says that knowledge will only get the new students so far, and that it's up to them to take the first step. The crowd murmurs has he steps back, and Ruby comments that it was like Ospin wasn't even there. Goodwitch takes the stage and asks the students to proceed to the ballroom, and their initiation will follow tomorrow. 

"Does anyone else think the headmaster sounds like Agent Washington from Red vs. Blue?"

The scene changes as the sun goes down, and the new students are milling about in the ballroom in their pajamas, sleeping bags laid out across the floor. Yang remarks to Ruby that it feels like a huge slumber party, and Ruby replies that their father probably wouldn't be happy with all the boys here. Yang says she feels the opposite as she checks out some of the other male students, just in tim for Jaune to walk by in footie pajamas. Yang, in an effort to avoid Jaune, asks Ruby what she's writing, and Ruby replies that it's a letter to her friends at Signal, and that she feels off that she doesn't have any friends. Yang points out Jaune as "plus one friend!" but Ruby says Weiss counts as a "negative friend". 

Does anyone else think that Ruby's eyemask looks...Evil-y?

At this point, Ruby notices Blake across the room, lighting some candles and reading. Yang drags her over to introduce herself. Blake responds in a rather distant fashion, keeping herself behind her book, and continually tries to work them away, finally mentioning how much she'd love to finish this book. And then, Ruby starts speaking up, asking about the book. She confesses she loves books, and that Yang used to read to her nightly. It's books that made her want to be a huntress, and to protect people. Blake says the world isn't a fairy tale, to which, Ruby responds that's why people like them exist.

"I was kind of hoping you'd say you wanted to be Hokage."

Yang can barely contain her pride for Ruby, and begins to smother her. The pair fight, to Blake's amusment, and Weiss' fury. Calling Ruby a hazard to her health and bickering with Yang, Blake blows out the candles, and the credits roll.

"WITCHES GET STITCHES!"

On the tech side of things, there are a few firsts in this episode. For the first time, there are background characters with detail. In the scene in the ballroom, when Yang checks out the men, they are detailed, instead of shadows. It's also nice to see all of team RWBY in one scene together,  

Another first in the episode is a character from Team JAUN: The red-haired girl.  The fanbase calls her "Umber", but an official name hasn't been released yet. From what we see of her in the opening, she uses some sort of spear, and is affiliated, somehow, with Jaune, along with the other two team members.  

I'm not sure what the initiation entails, but if I'm right...It's gonna be a doozy.

See you all next week!

The Epic Beach Adventure: Chapter Two

Today wasn't too different than yesterday, but I still feel accomplished and relaxed.

The day started off early with a run on the beach, which led to me getting lost on the beach, which led in turn to me discovering a ton of dead jellyfish on the beach. They were likely tossed up in the big storm yesterday. Either way, I managed to put in a decent run, but I'm convinced I can do better. Tomorrow morning, I just might.

Not a lot happened in my life today, aside from the completion of the final paper for my internship class. That signals that I'm nearing the end of my summer, but as I said in the paper, I feel accomplished, even though the internship took most of my summer. I've realized I need to put the idea of child summers behind me, and just enjoy my work and the vacations I get. Hopefully, I'll still be able to have vacations, one day.

We got to sneak a look at the sunset this evening, and snapped a few pictures. Everyone seemed pleased with it, and it was quite the scene. Mom mentioned part of the spectacle was how everything was going to bed, but there are neighbors behind us who seemed to have missed the memo. They'll quiet down, of course, but for now they're hollering and hooting and splashing about, which they're free to do. After all, it's their vacation too.

The Epic Beach Adventure: Chapter One

The drive to Corolla, NC, is always a pain in the neck. Why?

Because an entire hour is added to the trip to get through bottlenecked traffic.

I'm not sure if it's poor city planning, shoddy driving, or what, but it's bedlam on the road into the town of Duck, where my family and I stay during one week of the summer. We rent a beach house, pack up, move in, and then return one week later with the remnants of awful hangovers and sunburned red as New England Lobsters.

Wait, no, that's just me. My parents remember to put sunscreen on.

Anyway, the drive from Raleigh to the Outer Banks isn't anything crazy. A few hours of driving is nothing new to my family, as we travel frequently by road or plane. However, the hour-long parking lot into Duck is the worst part of the trip. The best part is the beach on the other side.

While I, by no means, enjoy the sun, sand, and surf, I still enjoy the sea breeze, the scent of the salty spray, and the warm company I find myself in. This summer, I'm hoping to work on a tan so I don't blind people (as is usual for me), and by next summer, I hope to not offend people with my generous waist, as well. This hope often goes unfulfilled, of course, but I like to keep it in my mind.

Moving into the house this summer, however, we already saw a few problems. The house is compact, and not well kept (We've had to do some work ourselves during our first day here on the upkeep), not to mention there are a myriad of issues that I won't dare mention. Maybe we won't spend a lot of time in here,  but it would still be nice not to have a nail prod me in my sleep every night when I go to bed. The sunburn will be bad enough.

However, the balm for me is the company. This year, my cousin Zoe invited her friend Jocci (Joss-Ee) to join us at the beach. She's kind, as I've come to expect of Zoe's friends, and she won't be the only one joining us. Zoe's brother, my cousin Max, will also attend, along with Zoe's boyfriend, Tom. While I was happy to have the house to myself last night and crash wherever my eyes closed, I'm happier to have company, especially company I either rarely see or aren't acquainted with. What's the old adage; "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet".

Jocci, Zoe, and my family are all in bed, the former pair due to strenuous travel, and I should probably guide my head to a pillow soon too. Until next time, I'll see you on the beach.

A Musing on Attention

This is just something that crossed my mind because of something I heard someone say today.

"I don't even know why I'm on Twitter, celebrities never respond."

Son, listen: I'm on Twitter for two reasons; My job demands it, and I enjoy it. Do you know how many times I sent a Tweet to TotalBiscuit or Nathan Fillion, or anyone else famous who never responded? Plenty of times. Now, don't get me wrong, I still flip my shit when someone I admire responds to something I've posted, but at the end of the day, they're just another one of 7.7 Billion people on this planet who have no idea that I exist, or listen to what I say.

Does that bother me? No. Because I have people who do listen, people who do know I exist, and are pleased about it. Everyone does, even when they feel otherwise. Every godforsaken soul that was ever born on this oasis in the stars we call home has at least one such person, and it's okay for it to be themselves. You have to be your biggest fan, and your best friend. You have to be both your advisor and your inspiration. If you've never had to do that, now's the time to start to learn.

Now, people say Twitter, YouTube, and various other mediums have made it easy to bring down the celebrity gods and goddesses from Mount Olympus. This is wrong; They were never gods or goddesses to begin with. They were like me, and you, and if you're going to talk to them, or reach out to them, do it like a person. Sending them a Tweet is lovely, but just remember everyone has things need doing, and that may mean they can't, or won't, answer.

Quit taking it personally, and move along. You don't have to be an astronaut to look up at the stars, but it helps to be one if you want to be among them.

The RWBY Reviews: Episode 2

Happy Thursday, and welcome to the next RWBY review!

When we last saw our protagonist, Ruby Rose, she was aboard a ship on it's way to Beacon, a school for monster hunters.

"SCHOOL'S IN, BITCHES!"

We resume where we left off, with the airship pulling in to Beacon. The group migrates off the ship (Vomit Boy finding the nearest trash can to expunge his stomach in), as Yang and Ruby bask in the awe of Beacon. Yang comments that the view from the courtyard is phenomenal, though Ruby is too busy admiring the weapons of the people around them to care.

God's bones, she;s one of them.

With her little sister fangirling herself bling, Yang comments that she's coming across as unhappy with her own weapon. Rose replies that she adores "Crescent Rose", but seeing new weapons is like meeting new people. On that topic, she asks how they're going to make friends. At that moment, Yang's friends scurry up, and she's off like the Flash. Ruby is left alone in the courtyard, with no idea what to do, and, dizzied by her sisters departure, topples backwards into a luggage cart. We see a white boot slam down as an authoritative voice questions her actions...

"You, like, totally almost crushed my color-coded cocaine!"

Enter Weiss Schnee, the third member of the team we see...And she's not happy that her Dust was almost wrecked by Ruby. Entering full-on Tsundere mode, Weiss verbally bashes Ruby in all manner of awful ways, shaking bottles of Dust at her. Apparently, even Schnee-Refined Dust is more volatile than an angry bomb-omb, and the eruption covers Weiss in ash, leaving a bottle of Dust time to evacuate...before it meets the foot of someone else.

"Color-coded cocaine, huh? Sick~"

Blake Belladonna enters the scene, introducing Weiss as an heiress, and showing her colors (See what I did there?) as she makes a verbal jab to Weiss' ego about her father's vilation of labor laws. Fully riled, Weiss storms off with her lackeys, Ruby calling after her with a promise to make this up to her, somehow. When she turns to thank Blake, she's already sashaying off on her own way, and once again, Ruby is left alone. Collapsing onto the stone, Ruby laments her social ineptitude, before someone approaches, and offers a gloved hand.

"Hey, I heard someone was giving away color-coded cocaine?"

It's Vomit Boy! Except not. He introduces himself as "Jaun", and it's apparent he's in the same awkward boat as Ruby. The two walk together across the grounds, making idle chat. Soon enough, the conversation turns to weapons, and while Ruby shows off Crescent Rose, Jaun reveals his style as a sword-and-board hero. The sword is old, and unlike most of the modern weapons we've seen, doesn't seem to have any apparent abilities or forms. The most advanced his equipment gets is a collapsable shield (Which, if you know how weight works, doesn't make it easer to lug about). Jaun reveals with a somber tone that it's a hand-me-down, form an ancestor who fought in the War. Ruby, seeing his discomfort, calls it an heirloom, and a classic, which brings a smile to Jaun's face. As the episode ends, the two realize, to their own humor, they're lost, but at least they're not alone.

"Who the HELL stole my cocaine!?"

Since not much has changed in tech or design, let's talk characters. Weiss Schnee, who we saw in the "White" trailer as some sort of singer, is rich, bratty, and a colossal jerk. She reminds me a lot of Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter fame (The hair doesn't help), and her every steps exudes ego and practice. I get the feeling we'll find out if she's a pressured princess, or a pampered prude. 

"Ooh, is that how much it goes for on the Black Market? Jackpot!"

Either way, her opposite, Blake, is just that-Her opposite. While Weiss is bratty and self-centered, we see from Blake that she thinks a lot of the welfare of other people. This has been evidenced both in the episode, and in her trailer, where she betrays a friend to save innocent lives. Their nature, of course, come into conflict, just as-Wait for it-Black, and white.

"So, is the cocaine this way? Is it?"

Jaun is clearly a boy stepping into boots a few sizes too big for him, and he knows it. I'm not sure if he chose to take a chance at this lifestyle, for the sake of family, honor, fame, or whatever, or if he was pushed down it. He's clearly more than a little abashed that his weapons aren't as advanced as the ones of his peers, and his social awkwardness only exacerbates his apparent self-doubt. We see in the opening that he looks up at a statue with what looks like trepidation, the same way a child would look up to an image of a powerful parent. According to the writiers, Jaun will be leading a team of his own, JAUN, alongside RWBY.

Yes. This guy will be the fearless leader.

Yang and Ruby get a bit of exposition as well. Ruby tells Jaun she made her weapon, as all students at Signal do, implying Yang crafted her shotgun gauntlets as well. Weiss likely had hers made, and Blake perhaps inherited hers as Jaun did. We also see that Yang is more comfortable in this atmosphere; It could be her age, or the fact she already has friends present, but she seems to have no problem settling into life at Beacon that we can tell, while still keeping an eye on her little sister. Ruby, we learn, has an affinity for both weapons and hunters, evidenced in the first episode, but confirmed in this one.

"Sythe, gun, sythegun. Easy-peasy!"

The team has, again, kept me hooked on the series. See you all next Thursday, as the adventure continues!

Updates

There's not much going on in my life that I think needs saying here. I plan on making a pot tomorrow about alienation, but I'm going to take a quick second to share what I've got planned.

• My parents and I are going to the beach with friends and family on Sunday, so my blog will have a journal of that.
• My internship at a news station is wrapping up, so expect a reflection on that (Which will also be my essay for final credit).
• College and work is starting up just after my birthday, so I'll see if I can manage regular updates.

Either way, thanks for keeping up!

The Perfect Pacific Rim Game (Or, At Least, My Idea Of It)

I've been following Pacific Rim since it was announced, and the only thing that has disappointed me is the lack of any good video game to go with it. The internet game was glitchy, and the arcade one, I found lacking. So, I got to thinking; See a need, fill a need.

This is my idea of the perfect Pacific Rim video game:

Imagine a game compatible with both controllers and motion sensing input device, such a Kinect or Eye-Toy (Yes, I'm dating myself, shut up), with the most fulfilling experience would be on the latter. You start at a character creation screen, where you choose a starting country, ethnicity, and sex before you move on to the aesthetics. The camera is third person, positioned over the shoulder, as you slowly fade into the game over Charlie Hunnam narrating the story so far. You fell asleep on the job again, it seems. Not that you can help it, your job is really boring. The game teaches you movement and interaction as you move about the office. People are talking about the latest Kaiju attack, and a few even wish they could do something about it.

Then the earth shakes under your feet, and you hear a roar. You look to the window just in time for the glass to shatter, and you to see the silhouette of a Kaiju slamming into your workplace. The building you're in comes crashing down, and you follow movement cues to survive and escape. Finally, you escape the building, and begin to make your way out of the area as alarm sound. Jets scream overhead as you follow the cues through the crowd. A strike from the Kaiju pushes you into the building, where a vandal is busy robbing whatever he can grab. He moves in to mug you, and you are introduced to the fighting cues. You dodge, weave, and bob, before taking him down. You only get to enjoy the victory for so long before the roof flies off of the building, and the Kaiju looms overhead. It's eyes narrow at you, and it raises a claw to pulverize you, right before the Jaeger slams into it like a freight train. You watch in rapt awe as the Jaeger clobbers the Kaiju, and then, as the Jaeger stands tall in victory against a clearing sky, Charlie Hunnam's voice returns, saying that moments  like this are what make people change, and turn normal people into Jaeger pilots.

A short time later, you've registered with the Pan Pacific Defense Force, and are in the crowd hearing the first address by Marshall Pentecost. You meet a few other cadets, who, unbeknownst to you, could become your CPU co-pilot, with an option to have a co-pilot join you from online. You train with them, and watch Jaegers come and go, before one day, you're called upon to be a Ranger yourself. You choose your co-pilot, and are assigned to your Jaeger; the same one that saved you years ago. She's about to be retired, but Pentecost see's a future in her. Strictly speaking, the PPDC has already ordered her scrapped, so Pentecost says that if you want to change her name, color scheme, or build, that's up to you and your co-pilot, as long as you take the fight to the Kaiju, and win. And so you begin your life a ranger, winning and losing battles, before finally taking a Kaiju down with you at the end of the game, just before the events of the movie...

Now, ideally, this game would be best played with two people together in the same room, but it could work online as well, with controllers or motion sensing input devices. While online, you can build a custom Jaeger with a friend, fight other Jaegers, and even enter survival-style combat against waves of Kaiju. While it could be played alone, the most fun and realistic experience would be with a friend at your side. Of course, the game wouldn't be limited to fighting Kaiju: the Jaeger would need repairs and upgrades, all done with PPDC budget money. You'd accumulate this through beating Kaiju, being graded on lack of collateral damage, Kaiju Blue containment, and Drift synch ratio (gauged by matching the cues perfectly with your partner). The larger the budget you can manage, the more upgrades you can add to the Jaeger, making her one of a kind indeed, and taking her from a Mark-2 to a Mark-5 or beyond. However, the battles would become more difficult as the game progresses, in line with the storyline leading up to the movie, ending with the final year and the heavy assault by Kaiju, the most devastating of which ends with you and your co-pilor sacrificing yourselves to stop a Category-4 Kaiju from destroying your home town.

Granted, this game will never happen, but if I can dream of piloting a Jaeger, I can sure as hell dream of a game where that happens.