colinp

Finally finished a new level: There and Back Again and Again (87C2-0000-007C-5CFA) I tried your levels Lastair. You're an evil evil person. Ahaha, definitely unorthodox. Only managed to beat the first one, alas.

I'm pretty sure the NSMBU are actual 3D. Look at how they reflect light in the lava levels. Haven't had a lot of time to make or play levels. Hopefully soon!

Thank you TangoCharlie! Glad to hear you liked them. Two more for ya. https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iY89c0YW06Wtg I Keep Having the Same Nightmare (8016-0000-003C-D144) https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iYs6Loo5GXjZD In the Heat of the Castle (86E6-0000-0035-50FF)

Graddy, your levels are still too crazy! Ahahaha, I think you're waaaaaay too punishing. Both of them I found so frustrating, hah. Good 'Hard mode' levels.

I can't believe more Thumbs aren't playing this. It's fantastic! Well here are a few that I have made. https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iYBNfUET0HfBb The Cave. (974D-0000-001B-3DBB) This was my first level and despite being my first it benefitted from my gf play testing it and being QUITE harsh in her assessment. Had to fix a few things (made it easier and began to think about enemy placement , I made the usual rookie mistakes, ha) and now it's my best stared with a near 100% clear rating. That's not to say I think it's my best level. https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iYGglEe9iEcI4 Long & Winding Door (006F-0000-001E-8712) My second level. Playing around with the idea of an initial course and then redoing a similar but more difficult second course. I think I was mostly successful, though I am not terribly happy with how it ends. https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iYLd6Igbdb-BB In the Doors to Nowhere (7A18-0000-0021-732E) My third. Started thinking about making vertical levels given the limitations of the toolset. In retrospect the first climb seems too difficult for most, but I really like how everything came together. I started to use power ups as a quasi-check point system to aid people and give them more chances https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/WVW69iYbzRUdWOoMhH The Wizard's Fleet (FD70-0000-002B-DED7) My fourth. Bit of storytelling through gameplay and course layout. It's my longest and so probably will end up least played, but I'm quite pleased with it. I'd love to get comments and criticisms. I'll check your two levels in a bit graddy!

I'm in Japan, too, but I don't really do multiplayer much, sorry! Nice to see other folks in Japan, though.

My idle vice shirt shipped!

Codicier, the reason I mentioned David was because he is STILL considered an ideal male. More recently look at the sculpture of Rodin, or any list of 'ten hottest men'. I guarantee their physique is closer to David than any Japanese idealized male!

Umm, hormonal birth control is very much existent in Japan and is definitely available at women's clinics here. Not sure where you get that from, much less the idea that they think that after a while they will grow a mustache. Lots of people use the pill, lots of people don't. There are lots of unplanned pregnancies in Japan and lots of marriages that result from them. Also, more generally, I think it's a bit misguided to look at a subculture of a subculture and try to make societal inferences based on that. I think a Japanese kid could probably look at some western media subculture and have the same takeaway that this thread is reaching for in manga re the west being so much more progressive or accepting. Kind of the grass is always greener effect I guess.

Oh ok, I see. Thank you for expanding, I understand your idea much better now. I agree with you, though I'd hesitate to say the concept of beautiful boys in Japan started with kabuki or ukiyoe since the Tale of Genji and the Heiean period in general is full of beautiful boys (and girls for that matter). Japanese society was pretty deep into aesthetics as we know it today without actually calling it that, but it certainly is possible that ukiyoe helped to spread the concept of 'men wearing women's clothes' further. But legitimized is something else altogether, and idealized men and the concept of 'beautiful boy' aren't exactly foreign in western culture or art either, see David as well as Ancient Greece and Rome. But you're right that there is no real western equivalent to ukiyoe that popularized the idea of men wearing women's clothes, is there?

Hmmm, I'm not sure I understand your argument. Historically ukiyoe were cheap advertisements and porn. There was nothing artistically special about them, much less the artists that worked on them. At the time they were mass produced schlock. It is only in hindsight and because of their influence on so many western painters that they started to become appreciated on a deeper artistic and aesthetic level.Even kabuki started as sexualy scandalous dance shows, turning to male only in an effort to tone this down as well as bring an end to the prostitution it brought/celebrated.

I laughed at that, too. <3 Proust!

FEATURES Seed the Adventure: Establish your cultural identity by choosing one of eight different expedition sponsors, each with its own leader and unique gameplay benefits. Assemble your spacecraft, cargo & colonists through a series of choices that directly seed the starting conditions when arriving at the new planet. Colonize an Alien World: Explore the dangers and benefits of a new planet filled with dangerous terrain, mystical resources, and hostile life forms unlike those of Earth. Build outposts, unearth ancient alien relics, tame new forms of life, develop flourishing cities and establish trade routes to create prosperity for your people. Technology Web: To reflect progress forward into an uncertain future, technology advancement occurs through a series of nonlinear choices that affect the development of mankind. The technology web is organized around three broad themes, each with a distinct victory condition. Quest System: Quests are injected with fiction about the planet, and help to guide you through a series of side-missions that will aid in resource collection, unit upgrades, and advancement through the game. Orbital Layer: Build and deploy advanced military, economic and scientific units that provide strategic offensive, defensive and support capabilities from orbit. Unit Customization: Unlock different upgrades through the tech web and customize your units to reflect your play style. Multiplayer: Up to 8 players can compete for dominance of a new alien world. Mod support: Robust mod support allows you to customize and extend your game experience. ---- Sounds pretty sweet! I first watched the trailer in bed without sound on and hmmm I kinda liked it better that way without the voice over, but that's still a great trailer.

Agree with everyone re Keats. The biography Posthumous Keats by Stanley Plumly is a -great- read if you are interested in his crazy short life, and To Autumn remains one of my favorite poems. Seamus Heaney is great fun to read. His reputation and talent is well-deserved and I'm not sure you can go wrong with any of his collections. I'm quite fond of his later stuff in particular, including his last collection (Human Chain). I've always loved Gerard Manley Hopkins, even beyond the requisite mention in English poetry collections. More recent, I enjoy Robin Robertson. The Wrecking Light has some poems that leave me breathless. If you're interested in diving into Japanese haiku, Matsuo Basho is as good as any to start. It can take a bit of time and developing of your sensibility to appreciate them, especially in translation, but it's well worth the effort. One of the joys I've experienced living in Japan is visiting some of the famous sites Basho composed certain haiku at. It's doubly satisfying when you see a monument erected in its and his honor at the site. How many US poets can say the same? Hah! I used to spend hours sitting in front of the poetry section of B&N, flipping through books. Really glad to see this thread posted. Not familiar with Cloths of Heaven though, I'll check it out right now!

I'm on US so I'll try to add you badfinger. I tend to play at strange times so we may or may not be able to meet up. Thinking of starting an Idlethumbs clan but seems it might be a bit barren.