@ Pinkie discussion

We forget sometimes that other characters can be just as clownish as her. The key deference appears to be that Pinkie knows what she is capable of, while to the others is just incidental...like Twi and R Ds noses getting bent out of shape.

Never cared much for Spirited Away. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't like it all that much

Which is (in my opinion) a problem. YMMV though

edited 16th Mar '12 1:10:01 PM by gingerninja666

I watched Spirited Away as well. It was a very weird movie.

I ask because I just rewatched it. I really like it, but it depresses me a bit too (the music mostly)

@kegisak Which is why it says "some scary moments" in the rating section

The melancholy music at the end perhaps?

edited 16th Mar '12 1:17:16 PM by crowlover

Spirited Away depressed me....for a reason I don't understand (and it still does to this day).

Like...after watching it I was seriously cripplingly "this world sucks so much" depressed, and I could not pinpoint why.

@Kegisak: You seem really into Journey, so here's my thoughts on it for your consideration, crossposted from the Journey thread. Warning: somewhat negative.

I'm gonna post my thoughts on the game now that I've had a few days to think about it.

So far as gameplay goes, Journey was wonderful, perfectly executed for the feel they were going for. But unfortunately, as a whole, I think the game is some what of a failure. I can tell that That Game Company was going for a true artistic statement with this game. They didn't want to just create another fun time-waster, they wanted to craft an experience that would stick with the player, an experience so striking and emotional that it would actually effect the player on a deeper level, maybe even change their worldview. The problem is, Journey doesn't really have any profound statement to communicate. The journey to the mountain is peaceful, fun, and very relaxing, but at no point in the game did it every give me reason to think.

When you finally reach the mountaintop, you die, and you become a shooting star which travels through the sky during the ending credits, eventually landing back at the beginning of the game, to serve as a sign for the next traveler, to aid them in their own journey. What meaning am I supposed to get out of this? I expect there are some people who would find it inspiring somehow, but to me it's just sad. Ultimately, the Journey is pointless, it is merely an endless cycle of travelers, seeking meaning but never finding it. It seems to impart that the purpose in life is to help others, but considering the ones you are helping are also going to accomplish nothing, this just depresses me. So while the gameplay is very relaxing and therapeutic, the message of the game is depressing, which creates a very inconsistent tone.

So in conclusion, Journey is a great game, a great tool for therapeutic relaxation, but completely fails as an artistic statement. Obviously, this is all just my opinion. A game of this sort is going to be interpreted a little differently by everyone. And I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone curious from playing it, it's definitely worth it for the gameplay alone, if you have the cash.

EDIT: About Spirited Away: I didn't like it. The first half of the movie was very good, the last was just plain dull and uninteresting. I don't much like Miyazaki movies in general, excellent animation aside.

edited 16th Mar '12 1:17:25 PM by Bluespade

Even the moments that weren't supposed to be scary creeped me out. Like, okay, the parents turning into pigs is clearly frightening on it's own. But just normal stuff, like the giant baby, or the river spirit weirded me out. It was just how ungodly trippy everything about the movie was. I had no idea how weird Japanese mythology was; I was in no way prepared for the sheer level of surrealism.

Ugh... those parents turning into pigs (shudder)

I did really like Princess Mononoke though

edited 16th Mar '12 1:20:02 PM by gingerninja666

Hey guys I posted this last night but the clip from Dragon Quest had just been released and it got burried in posting. This used to be Rarity, at least her head◊. How does this look for a male pony profile?

I need to sand it a bit and paint it but how does it look in general?

Bluh.. fixed the link now.

edited 16th Mar '12 1:24:12 PM by Emidawg

Good evening, everyone. What is going on in the thread today?

edited 16th Mar '12 1:22:03 PM by Drenius

Hello, Drenius and Emidawg

We're talking about Spirited Away, Journey, and Emi's retooling of a pony toy

I don't know, the nose seems like it juts out a bit too much (that may just be me, though)

edited 16th Mar '12 1:24:29 PM by crowlover

Hello Drenius and Endawg!

@Emidawg: Well the horn is really small and nubby... but you're working off an existing toy, right, so I guess that's not your doing?

Yea, it used to be a Rarity toy. I am thinking about making the horn larger, I think the male unicorns tend to have bigger ones.

Also debating on whether I should do fetlocks on the feet.

I think the muzzle/nose seems a little large in proportion to the rest of the head, personally.

@Blue:That's certainly food for though, and definitely a valid interpretation of it, but not at all the one I got from it.

See, the thing that I found most moving about the game had nothing to do with the 'plot' as it was. What I found to be incredible was finding another person in the midst of a vast, empty world, and bonding with them almost instantly. My roommate sang songs with his partner, his partner lead him to secret places, they waited for one another to catch up when they fell behind. They danced together under the warm waters where they could fly endlessly, they laughed and sang and played. They raced through the sands, and crept together along the sides as the snakes hunted them down in the caverns. And when they began to die on the cold mountain tops, they called out to one another. It was faint, and their voices were weak, but they were trying. They never left one another's sides. At the very tip of the mountain his partner sat and logged off, and everyone in the room felt a palpable sadness, a certain emptiness when he was gone. My roommate made the final leg of the journey on his own, and it felt emptier for it. Not because he lost an achievement, but because he lost a friend.

There is no purpose, in the end. You were right; the journey to the mountain, the cycle of death and rebirth, is ultimately meaningless. You learn along the way, but in the end what you learn isn't important. But just because there isn't a purpose, doesn't mean there isn't value. If there is no meaning, find meaning for yourself. Find joy in meeting a new friend. Find beauty in the ruins. Find friendship, even in the darkest of tunnels, where danger walks in plain sight and you're forced into the shadows. The mountain has no purpose; it's the journey itself that's important. The game doesn't ring hollow just because you didn't have a reward at the end, the friendship you made sustains it.

If Journey has a message, I think that's it. In the end, there is no meaning. So you have to find the meaning on your own, on the journey. It's the journey that matter, not the destination.

Again, your point is definitely valid, but Journey did move me. I thought it was deep, and rich and beautiful.

Hmm... I'll try sanding it down a bit. I was trying to keep the nose in proportion to the natural curves of the head. It might look better once I stick it back on the body too b ut I cant do that until Ive put a new mane on. I havent ordered the hair I need yet because Im not quite sure what color to go with.

For a Dexter Morgan pony, you think brown mane and tail with a red streak would work? He's going to be white otherwise, with a blood spatter for a cutie mark. Im also going to make him some little acessories like a syringe and a knife kit (if I get around to it )

@Emi: I think it looks good. I always like to convex snouts. Though it looks a tad... rough? Lumpy?

edited 16th Mar '12 1:30:57 PM by kegisak

Hey ginger, what are your thoughts on Metal Gear? : D

HEY GINGER THERE'S THIS TOTALLY AWESOME- nah I'm just messing with you, I've got nothing to suggest :D

@Metal Gear I love the series. Why wouldn't I?

@Kegi - yea he definitely needs some sanding. That's just the rough sculpt until I decide whether I like it or not. I tend not to refine things all the way until I get the rough sculpt just about right. Makes for a lot less sanding in the long run.

HEY GINGER HOW ABOUT ANIMAL CROSSING

IT IS A GAME ABOUT LIVING LIFE

NO ENEMIES EXCEPT MAYBE A MONEY-GRUBBING RACCOON

@Kegisak: I think we actually agree about the good aspects of the game. Everything you mentioned about meeting another player and bonding with them, that's part of the gameplay, which I consider excellent. It all comes down, I think to how one interprets the old axiom "It's the Journey, not the destination, that counts." And I personally feel that a journey with no purpose is a tragic thing. But I still agree that it is a great game that people should check out.

@Ginger: Really? Metal Gear has no decent villains.

@ Nomuru: Mr Resetti is the greatest villain to ever live. And those scorpions and tarantulas? They will mess you up.