croik

And so, months after its release, I have finally finished Ghost Trick (not because it took me this long, I only got my copy a few weeks ago >.>).

I was really looking forward to it because I was interested in what Takumi had to bring to something new, but in the end...I have to admit I was disappointed. The graphics and style of the game were really great, along with some of the character designs (I really like Sissel's and Beauty's especially) and the music is very AA-ish and fun, but I'm not a fan of the gameplay. It felt like I spent too much time clicking things randomly just to learn what they did, only to die and do it all over. The characters all look great but only half of them even have names and the rest are more gimmick than personality. There were only two or three characters in the whole game I cared about and one of them was the cap-cop who did almost nothing.

I was also a little frustrated with how many constraints the gameplay put on the world building. The rules of being a "ghost" are not properly defined and keep changing up until the very end of the game, just to fit what is most convenient at the time. I can't even begin to think of how I would handle it in a fic (my principle concern? MAYBE). And speaking of fic, shipping potential for the game is almost NIL--slash, het, femme, whatever. I can only think of one or two possible slash ships (if you're willing to overlook canon love interests), mayyyyybe het, mayyyyybe some femme... I would ship Beauty/Her Partner but Beauty might not even be her name and what would I call HIM? BEAST??? Ironic but not practical!

And the two most interesting characters, who share a very strong bond, you can't exactly ship because... SPOILERS!! I guess someone out there is willing to ship it, but that is not how I roll. .....Unless I invent some new Ghost Tricks, which wouldn't be anti-canon, since Ghost Tricks have been known to change at random.

To top it all off, the ending is...errrrgghhh. I really don't want to spoil it because there is a pretty neat twist, but once you sit and think for a moment about what it means and what's about to happen... ugh, I felt like I had been cheated.

So, all in all, I'd give Ghost Trick... a 6.5. HARSH, I KNOW. But really cute graphics don't make up for a poor story, bland characters, and tedious gameplay. I hope the localization is stellar because otherwise I don't see it doing well in the States.

I'm sorry, Takumi ;o;

Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapter: 4/19 (7,533 words) (For other parts please check my My main post)
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Violence, sexual content.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. Thanks to my beta chypie for catching a very serious typo >.>;; Long chapter is long, I know. Sorry!

( In which Robert has some tricks up his sleeve )

To chapter 5

Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapter: 2/19 (4,282 words) (For other parts please check my My main post)
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Violence, sexual content.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. To my betas, a_rocky_ravine and chypie, thanks for your input!

( In which Eames looks good in green )

What do rich guys wear to bed? Do you suppose Robert has $500 boxers? This is going to be very important come chapter 4.

Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapter: 1/19 (6,068 words) (For other parts please check my My main post)
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Violence, sexual content.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. To my betas, a_rocky_ravine and chypie, thanks for your input!

( In which Ariadne forgets a promise she makes to herself )

This is the master post for The Helix Trap. If you prefer, you can also find it at ff.net and A03, or download the PDF.

Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapters: 19, roughly 127,500 words.
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Violence, sexual content.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. Thanks to my betas chypie and tanithkitty for their input!

Prologue

( Rest under the cut )

( And some art/graphics! )

TGS ain't over yet but already there are a few more surprises than I was expecting this year...! But let's start with the most important.

MY NAME IS DANTE? SERIOUSLY!?

( Oh really, asshole )

I don't know if any of you are as enamored of Adrien Brody as I am, but I am happy to report that his abs are in fine shape. Not the shape of a half naked Spartan warrior maybe, but he had more guns on display than his AA-12 fully automatic 12 gauge shotgun if you know what I'm saying. Rarrr, dude.

My $5.50 was well spent tonight.

After years of wishing we had one, TK and I finally adopted a dog!



He's a Shiba Inu (mix?) rescue dog, about 1 year old, and we've named him Wesker! Shut up, it's the best dog name ever.

We just brought him home today. Not sure how he ended up in a shelter, but he's pretty well behaved, can sit, shake, and lie down. Seems to have been housebroken too, but we're keeping an eye out for accidents. He has a lot of energy, seems to love everyone he meets, and thankfully doesn't bark at every dog he sees. But we do have a jumping habit to curb...!

Any tips and tricks from you dog owners are very appreciated!

It's been a while, so...time for a Croik Update! In list form!

The Good

-I've been making Frisbees Flying Sports Discs for 90 days now, so today I got to fill out papers for health insurance! And I get dental and vision, too! SCORE

-I got my brother a job at the plant too, so for the next few weeks he's living with me and TK to save up money. I now have access to his Wii and the single Wii game that interests me. I also made a Lt. Carter Blake Mii when he wasn't looking.

-I got Super Street Fighter IV!

-gyakusai_rp is fighting strong and the disbarment is only two days away! It's pretty ridiculous how much fun the anticipation is.

The Bad

-My worst work-related fear was realized the other day, but it didn't happen to me: a co-worker of mine accidentally tripped his machine while his hand was still under the stamping iron. He was lucky not to break any fingers, but they took him to the hospital with second degree burns! I wasn't there to see it or anything but it's really freaky. Poor guy :(

-I am terribly behind updating CR >.>;; And writing, and the quilt I'm working on, and cosplay (though I did get the fabric!). Blah too many projects. Need more time.

-I suck at Super Street Fighter IV!

-Kinda want to advertise courtroomlobby, kinda scared of it becoming DR-ish. You people reading my LJ, check it out! (psst it's an open RP comm for AA)

-Ong Bak 2 was an extreme disappointment.

The Wave

I actually finished this a while ago but it took time to get my room together and clean enough to take a proper picture.

( Which is just behind the cut! )

So if you're the kind of person who watches horror or sci-fi movies, you may have noticed the new movie coming out, Repo Men. But what you might not know is that this movie is based on a book which, while it was being written, used to be called, Repossession Mambo.

This isn't extraordinary in itself, and normally I would be looking forward to seeing a movie about repo-men whose job it is to repossess not cars or houses, but people's organs in a distopian future. Except that I already have! Repo Men is a total rip off of a stage-musical turned movie, Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Most people aren't familiar with Repo! which is too bad, because it is fantastic. It's been around as a stage musical for about 10 years, and has a Rocky Horror type cult following. Yes, it's an opera in the literal sense - a rock opera. The Trailer gives a pretty good impression of the campy style. And apparently some guy must have thought to himself, "This is great, but I'd bet it would do better if it wasn't an opera, since some people just can't get into that." So he wrote a book and got a movie deal.

And no, this isn't just a case of two stories with a similar premise. If the "opera" vs "mambo" part wasn't a tip off already, the plots are eerily similar, down to the Repo Man's family set up. I can't say more without spoiling both but they have a lot in common. The author of the book even had to add a forward before it got published explaining how he came up with the idea for the story--i.e. how he totes didn't steal it.

But of course, you can't copyright a premise, or even a series of story events, so Repo! can't do anything about it.

So whether or not you decide to see Repo Men, do yourself a favor and check out Repo! The Genetic Opera. It's campy and bloody but the music is great and the story underneath has a hell of a lot of heart (the emotional kind, not just the beating kind). And if you like it, tell your friends, because it deserves to be better known.

Or come over and watch my DVD ;D