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Kaleidoscope Tekulo

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Blog Entries posted by Kaleidoscope Tekulo

  1. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Bionice will be a zombie theme next year. Should they return, all of the characters we grew to know and love will be zombies.
     
    Zombie Tahu, Zombie Lewa, Zombie Matoro, etc.
     
    This pleases me...
     
    MUAHAHAHAHA!
     
    ~Melon Lord
  3. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    So, I just watched a few episodes of Gravity Falls today.
     
    Why didn't anyone tell me this show was hilarious? It's also... very surprisingly dark... and yet I laugh at the schadenfreude anyway because I am a horrible person. =P
     
    Mabel is adorable. XD
     
    Edit: I just realized that I wasted my 200th blog entry on a really bad bait and switch joke... It is far more fitting than I ever could have planned!
     
    MUAHAHAHAHA!
     
    ~Melon Lord <3
  4. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    YES
     
    YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
     
    Oh man... I knew I was going to love this game from the start, but I did not think it would be this good!
     
    Honestly, I was a bit worried because the latter Professor Layton games were pretty lack-luster in terms of story. Azran Legacy had only one twist that I really liked and while it was good, it did not come close to this one.
     
    I think both game styles really played off of each other fantastically. Laytonesque witnesses with over-the-top stress points and breakdowns were amazing. Seriously, I love Phoenix Wright characters, but the majority of them in my opinion tend to be young and attractive with very similar body structures. April May, Mia Fey, Olivia Aldente, Ini Miney, etc while not all exact all seemed to have similar physiques to me. It also goes for the guys in Phoenix Wright games too. Luke Atmey, Lary Butz, Edgeworth Johny Smiles, Acro, Apollo Justice, etc. That's not to say there weren't any diverse characters in any Ace Attorney game (Jean Armstrong, Bikini, Victor Kudo, etc), however Phoenix Wright games, in my opinion, tended to diversify their characters more through eccentric clothing or hair than actual physique. Layton characters, I think, tend to be a lot more colorful. The majority of the characters met in the games come in all shapes, sizes, nose lengths, eye shapes and puzzles. Did I say puzzles? Because puzzles. (...puzzles...) A lot of that probably has to do with the style of Layton games (which is totally amazing), but seeing characters like Kira, Emeer, Knightle, Mary and Wordsmith on the witness stand was so refreshing. They were eccentric without having major oddities solely in their clothes and hair. (Or I'm just biased because LAYTONESQUE!)
     
    The setting of Labyrinthia was AMAZING. I love fairy tales. This was totally a Brothers Grimm story, by the way. Although Espella did seem a bit Andersen. If this were an Andersen story, Espella would most likely be the protagonist due to her kind and selfless nature. Loads of cautionary tales in this one. There were tons of dark moments that spoke for themselves. It had lots of fantastical events that you just had to roll with. My love. All of it. The final chapters tied in so well to the fairy tale theme. Keeping this vague because I don't want to need spoiler tags, but they got it right with this game. They represented their theme so well in the end with everything. Pokemon X and Y's story can go in a corner and cry; THIS is the real deal!
     
    As for the gameplay, they cut away to the other group at opportune moments. It did get a bit annoying because I was all "I finally get to explore this strange mysterious area!" and the game was all "Nope! Trolololol." and I was like ">.>"
     
    Other than that, the new courtroom elements were really fun. I felt the cases themselves maybe could have been a little tougher, but considering the game was half puzzle and I was satisfied with how the events unfolded, I let it slide.
     
    As for the puzzles, they were all way too easy in the main story. Also, no one prevented me from going forward unless I had a certain number of puzzles solved... BLASPHEMY! Hint coins were everywhere... SO MANY HINT COINS! I wish I could just like cash them in for the option to have Phoenix in a Layton outfit.
     
    Anyway, overall this game is definitely one of my favorites. It's right below Unwound Future (my favorite game of all time) and probably somewhere in the Phoenix Wright games which I have not played in forever (It's above Investigations, though).
     
    Also, the bonus content episodes are hilarious. I am so replaying this game someday.
     
    MUAHAHAHAHA!
     
    ~Melon Lord <3
  5. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    I am approaching that point in the game (I think) where there will be a huuuge info dump as a result of a very Laytonesque investigation. Before everything gets solved in the most dubious of ways possible, let me just say that I have absolutely no idea where this game is going or how it might possibly end after the final witch trial.
     
    A big part of the reason why I have a limited understanding of what will happen is the setting of this game and the fact that its use of its surreal environment is really really good. Also, you know, a dude from 2015 (at least) flew to London and somehow met a professor from the early 1900's and his child companion who have not aged at all (I love how that works, and I hope they don't explain that because it makes me laugh so much).
     
    Onto my thoughts thus far! Warning: Contains spoilers up to the third witch trial.
     
     
    So, that's pretty much it. I have no idea what's going on or why.
     
    MUAHAHAHAHA
     
    ~Melon Lord <3
  8. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    ... for someone who supposedly lived hundreds of years, the Doctor seems to die a lot within a single life span of the modern day human...
     
    Like, seriously, how did he ever live to be that old? I know he got that 1up, but that's not good enough! He'd need at least one hundred of them if he always died at that rate, and if not, then why was he living in such long spans of time and why did that change in the first place?
     
    I guess they could say he lived like fifty years in-between seasons when he was companion-less, but... Dude, it takes you that long to be angsty? Yikes.
     
    GET OFF MY TARDIS!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  10. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Okay, so, I was meaning to make this entry a little while ago, but seeing as I just got caught up with the latest episode, it's probably just as well.
     
    MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD so I'll be putting them in spoiler tags. Normally I'm just vague about the subjects, but this is serious business.
     
     
    GET OFF MY FIRE NATION!
     
    ~Zuko <3
  11. Kaleidoscope Tekulo

    Portal 2

    By Kaleidoscope Tekulo,

    Okay, so I played through this game on my days off this past week. I got through it in two sittings (partly because the game was relatively short, and partly because it is very engrossing).
     
    To be clear on this point: I have yet to play the first Portal game.
     
    Oh. My. Yes.
     
    Everything I wanted out of a game and more.
     
    The puzzles were clever, the antagonists fitting and fulfilling, the entire situation completely messed up beyond all belief and it had the most dubious of endings which made me laugh endlessly.
     
    I really need to play the first game. It should be noted that I only played the second first because my brother and I found it for $20 at Best Buy. He played the first game, and it was a relatively low price, so we nabbed it.
     
    Would recommend to anyone who loves a fun, quick story and interesting puzzles. (If you like Professor Layton, you will like this game).
     
    Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to listen to "Now I Only Want You Gone."
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
    ~Tekulo <3
  13. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    It's happening now
     
    I'm seriously excited right now. ;u; This collab has been in the works for over a year now, and now we can finally get the ball rolling.
     
    Like, the only way this day could be any better is if we found Samantha.
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo
  14. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Okay, so, sorry about my sob-fest last entry. I needed to get that out of my system because OH MY GOSH SO MUCH FEELS!
     
    But I am now through all 25 episodes of After Story. Done. I managed not to cry despite coming really close.
     
    Overall thoughts? This was quite possibly the best love story I have experienced thus far. I have a few reservations about that opinion mostly because of the surrealism in the end (or rather throughout, technically?) However, everything up to that point was amazing. Great characters, relatable situations and endless rivers of tears. Yeah, this was an experience, and wow was it worth it.
     
    Totally recommend this anime to anyone who appreciates a good story.
     
    But what I liked about After Story was that it took place outside of highschool for the characters. I don't actually think I've seen that before in anime, and this show actually captures a side of life that adult stories fail to do. Really, this is the first show I've ever seen that has the protagonist grow up, find a job, and deal with difficult choices and growing up quickly that actually felt genuine and logical. If I were in Tomoya's shoes, I probably would have made similar, if not, the same decisions he did. Every decision felt like it was carefully thought over for the characters to make. Akio and Sanae especially seemed seasoned in making tough choices (which fits perfectly with their characters). The scene where Sanae and Akio talk after Tomoya decides to take in Ushio? Priceless.
     
    It's just... everything about this show's main story felt like it was well-made. It's good, plain and simple; the kind of story I love.
     
    That being said, I do think certain episodes, such as Kyo's story, was a bit forced, maybe? Like, I could see how Tomoya could end up with Tomoyo because she used to be a delinquent similar to him, but she also worked with him to help him grow as a person. Nagisa did that too by taking his feelings seriously and pushing him to talk with his dad or talk about his plans for the future (It's why they're my OTP in this show, because they work together. Heck, he does the same for her with her self-confidence). With Kyo's story, I really didn't sense any of that going on. It didn't feel like a relationship so much as a cliche'd love triangle (rectangle if you include Sunohara. =P).
     
    Now then, as for the very last episode of After Story: I liked it.
     
    I mean, I keep hearing it's frustrating or bad or what have you, but... Well, I don't get that opinion. It was a summary episode, and I always look at those as a nice look-back to the story as a whole. They chose a nice theme to work around too, and the ending of that left me with "D'aww... You know you scarred me for life with the rest of this story, right? =D"
     
    I mean, if you're actually talking about the ending of the main story, then I guess I can see where you're coming from, maybe? It was a weird way to get to the ending, and despite the happy I was still going through rehab due to the enormous amount of grief the show had just put me through so I wasn't getting into the happy... But it could have ended worse.
     
    Obligatory: FUKO, YEEEEEES!
     
    Anyway, the few nit-picks aside, this story was completely worth it. I'll probably watch it again someday (and cry forever).
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  15. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Okay, so... before I totally cry my heart out, I want to start off with legit thoughts on how this season has made me feel thus far. (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO)
     
    The fact that (WHYWHYWHYWHYWHY) the series actually follows the characters (THIS IS PURE SADNESS) after highschool, and showing the protagonist (DESPAIR WINS, MONOBEAR WAS RIGHT) grow and get a job is really cool. I wish more stories in general could show this side of life (TAKE THAT BACK, IT'S NOT WORTH IT) because it's actually really interesting (AND FILLED WITH SORROW).
     
    Yeah, I can't do it.
     
    This is bad. This is very not-good. I'm through episode eighteen now, and while the ending of this episode was sweet, it was still extremely feelsy. I nearly cried three times over the span of a couple of episodes. This is a new record for any story I've ever followed. The mist could not leave my eyes, and everything was spoiled for me up to this point, it was that bad.
     
    The worst part? I'm not even at the saddest part of this anime yet AND THE ENDING THEME STILL DOES NOT FLOW WITH THE STORY AT ALL (thought I mentioned that?)
     
    I... I dunno if I'm gonna make it, guys... Save yourselves.
     
    (Obligatory yelling at kids or whatever...
     
    Tekulo)
  16. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Starting with the end of Clannad: The Tomoyo episode was pretty sweet. I actually like her and Sanohara together, but let's face it, that guy should not be dating anyone ever.
     
    AFTER STORY TIMES!
     
    I'm up to episode eight. So, to recap...
     
    MAI, NOOOOO!
     
    MISAE, NOOOOO!
     
    YUKI, NOOOOO!
     
    TT^TT
     
    This is bad, guys... Misae's story was bitter-sweet. I'm surprised too, because I didn't think they would actually do anything with her as a character. Also, I'm kinda glad they actually made her look different from her adolescence and adulthood. It's slight, but she does look more adult than Akio and Sanae. Seriously, put either of those two in a highschool suit and they look the same age as their highschool daughter (They either have really good genes or they had Nagisa when they were really young, geez).
     
    Also, I'm loving the music in this anime. The sad-track always makes me think "Oh, geez, things are getting tragic, aren't they?" I'm not even at the seriously bad stuff yet, and it's getting to me...
     
    Tomoya is still wonderful at pranks, though. When Sunohara asked Akio that question I was convinced that Tomoya is an evil genius (that or a very lucky opportunist).
     
    I'm a bit bummed out that we haven't seen as much of Kyo, Ryo or Kotomi so far. That's also a beef I had with the Tomoyo episode in the first season: they all kinda dropped off the face of the world for that episode. It's not as bad in After Story, but I still think it's apparent.
     
    My biggest problem with After Story, though? The opening and ending songs... I mean, they're just not as good as the first ones. The ending song really gets me, though. It's... it's just not fitting with the stories. I mean, I'll have just watched something really somber and then the song that plays is really upbeat and goofy... It doesn't flow right in my opinion. I miss the dango. That song was fantastic. (I actually sat through the opening and ending themes in the first season almost always, but now I'm skipping over After Story's)
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  17. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    So, after I did some research on the subject, I found a few different dango recipes. Dango, for any uncertain as to what I am talking about, is a sweet dumpling snack/dessert made out of rice flour, and typically served with tea. Some recipes called for tofu, others were just special forms of rice flour and water, etc. Eventually I came across a recipe online that seemed simple and had a step-by-step video.
     

     
    It didn't turn out half bad. It should be noted that I didn't find every exact ingredient for this recipe. I used a few variations as I live in America, and unfortunately I don't live in Pittsburgh near Lotus Foods anymore (a really cool market for Asian foods).
     
    Sticky Rice Powder - I just used plain old white rice flour. It's all I could find (And I didn't find any at Walmart. Normally I would've used the brand with the red text and the pegasus on the bag. Instead I went to Heinins and got Red Mill brand. It's a bit on the pricey side, so if you want to try to make this yourself look for the cheaper alternative first).
     
    Sugar - In this video, though it doesn't specify, it looks like it uses raw sugar instead of white sugar. Really it shouldn't make too much of a difference, but I used white sugar in my recipe.
     
    Green Tea Powder - it was pretty difficult for me to find the right tea to use. I didn't find any instant powder by itself, unfortunately. I substituted a green tea mix which used green tea powder as the main ingredient (which sounds easy, but there was only one brand I found at Walmart, which was 4C brand. It's sweetened with honey and splenda, so this made the green dango really sweet, but also more flavorful. I wouldn't say they were overly sweet, but when consuming dango with tea, I would prefer it to be toned down). Other recipes I've seen have this ingredient replaced with green food coloring, which would probably be the better alternative for those who can't find plain green tea powder.
     
    Tofu - This video didn't specify the type of tofu to use, but it should be noted I used soft tofu instead of firm tofu.
     
    This type of dango with three colors is apparently called Hanari Dango.
     
    ----------------
     
    Now, while I made this dough for all of the dango I made at home, I also tried to make Mitarashi Dango. Basically for this type of dango, I left the dough plain with no food coloring or tea mix.
     
    I made a simple sauce for it from this video here at 2:42
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5h7o6p2os4
     
    Red Mill also makes potato starch, so for this sauce I had all of the ingredients needed.
     
    While the person in this video over-cooked their sauce, I managed to get it to a proper consistency.
     
    PRO TIP: When thickening with potato starch, the sauce does not need to come to a boil in order to thicken (unlike with corn starch where the starch must be dissolved in water before-hand and then brought to a boil). This sauce's ingredients can be combined all at once, mixed, and then brought to the stove. As for how not to kill your sauce, be sure to remove it from heat right when the sauce begins to thicken. Don't worry if you think it looks a bit too runny. Because this sauce is cooked in such a small amount, the residual heat from the pan will continue to thicken the sauce after the pan has been removed from the heat. It's actually a pretty important step, so if anyone here dares to try this, keep this in mind.
     
    ------------
     
    It also should be noted that after the dango were removed from the boiler, I placed them in an ice-bath to cool for five minutes (as suggested in the second video). The outsides did seem a bit moist, so I would recommend allowing them to air-dry on a plate with a paper towel underneath (or just allow them to cool on their own instead. I just thought the ice-bath was a faster method).
     
    The tea I made to pair with these was green tea. I found a brand that only used green tea leaves in the ingredients list, and instead of pouring hot water over the tea bags, I instead ripped the bags open and boiled the tea leaves with the water in a tea pot. It gives the tea more flavor, in my opinion. I also strained the leaves out with a small fine-mesh strainer as I poured the tea into my mug.
     
    Thoughts on the two types of dango I made:
     
    Hanari Dango: As for how everything turned out - it was yummy, but plain. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable treat coupled with the green tea I made. However, the dango on their own do taste plain (aside from the green ones as previously mentioned). I wouldn't mind trying to make something similar to this kind of dango again, but I would like to try making it with some other flavoring such as vanilla or lemon zest. They're not bad, but they don't have much flavor. It's a nice compliment to tea, though, so for anyone who loves a good cup of tea, but doesn't want an overpowering snack to go with it; I would recommend this form of dango.
     
    Mitarashi Dango: I prefered this dango to the Hanari. The dango themselves are plain, however the sauce compliments it nicely giving it a nice soy sauce flavor. Again, the sauce itself isn't overly sweet, so it also pairs nicely with tea in my opinion.
     
    Overall thoughts: For anyone with a sweet tooth, dango isn't for you (at least not these recipes anyway). They are, however, filling (I only ate six dango [two skewers] before I was beginning to fill up). Also, if you don't have/want skewers, you can use chopsticks instead. It might not be as elegant, but it does work for holding three dango in place.
     
    As for me, I still have tofu, rice flour and potato starch left over, so I'll probably make these again (and maybe alter the recipe a bit for flavoring experimentation).
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  18. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    FUKO, NOOOOOOO!
     
    KOTOMI, NOOOOOO!
     
    SUNOHARA- well, I don't care as much about him at the moment... Looks like we'll be seeing more of Tomoyo, though.
     
    Also, oh my gosh, Tomoya is a wonderful prankster. How he can say such obvious lies with a straight face is wonderfully admirable...
     
    Anyway, I got up through the Kotomi arc and I'm a few episodes after that. This. Anime. Will. Destroy. My. Soul.
     
    The Dango song is amazing, though. Seriously, it's wonderful. I look forward to its simple joy at the end of each episode after my soul cries for hours on end (even though they're, like, 22-minute episodes).
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  19. Kaleidoscope Tekulo

    Clannad

    By Kaleidoscope Tekulo,

    So, I recently started a 30-day trial for Amazon Prime, and Clannad is able to be streamed on Amazon Instant Video for Prime members.
     
    I've heard really good things about this anime and its sequel, so I'm pretty excited (I haven't found it anywhere else before).
     
    I'm only three episodes in right now. I gotta say, the two main characters are pretty adorable so far. Her parents are equally adorable. EVERYTHING IS ADORABLE, AAAAAAAAA!
     
    Anyway, it also looks like it will be dealing with some more mature themes, so I have a feeling I'm in for a feelsy show (but I already heard as much anyway).
     
    Anyway, after watching the ending credits (along with references in a few other anime shows), I seriously need to research dango and see if I can find ingredients to try making it some time.
     
    I mostly just have no idea what it is (I assume it's like a colored sweet bread type thing? Cake?)
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
     
    (PS: I've kinda been considering taking a break from my blog theme for a bit and making it slightly more normal. It's probably not that big a deal, but I'm also kinda curious as to what my many devout fans couple of internet friends and random people off the street think)
  20. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Step 1: Work with two other writers to develop characters and world-build for over a year.
    Step 2: Give Lewa dialogue and give even more thought than that to determine the correct usage of treespeak.
    Step 3: ???
    Step 4: Yell angrily at the sky in frustration
     
    o___o
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
    ~Tekulo <3
  21. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Me: Hmm, you know, I never read it before... Do you know what Of Mice and Men is about?
     
    KK: Probably men and mice.
     
    Me: -insert 20 second I-give-up glare in his general direction- ... It's like pulling teeth with you...
     
    KK:
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
  23. Kaleidoscope Tekulo
    Okay, so, apparently everyone was so blinded by my MOC brilliance in the last entry that they forgot how to like and comment.
     
    I know, it's a lot to take in. Deep breaths.
     
    But that other slighly inferior tower build is still going, and I actually have made some progress. I was out of town for a wedding this weekend, and wouldn't you know it? They had a LEGO store that actually offered light grey and beige bricks. I still don't have quite enough light grey, but it was a huuuge help.
     
    So, I wanted to start with an update on the status of the interior of the tower. I have made a few small changes to it in terms of furnishing and an attempt to hide all of that pink. Let's start with the furniture.
     
    I managed to build a closet that would fit Eugine inside. Unfortunately it turned out to be radioactive so I had to rebuild it from scratch. The door system can be seen clearly here. It's not hinged, so it's a bit weird, but I'm happy with it.
     
    As for the main room of the tower, you can see I've added in a bit of a stone plate design leading to the balcony. I feel it fits a bit with how the floor looked in the movie, however I'm not sure if I'll expand it to the rest of the floor because that would mean no attaching any figs or furniture inside, and I kinda like how it's just in one area of the room. There is also a chair which is more accurate to the one as seen in the movie as opposed to the set's giant armchair.
     
    Now then, as for the bedroom I added in a few small changes. It's nothing major, but I think this looks more like a bed than the one plate I had before. (My work table is a huge mess, my gosh).
     
    Anyway, as for the tower as a whole... It's getting there. I added in a system on the inside of the tower to keep it from wobbling around. It's actually pretty sturdy. Also, I placed various objects next to it so you guys could see just how big this build is on the whole. To the left is a toa, on the right there's a minifig clock and I have Rapunzel and Flynn in front standing next to Unikitty and a slightly larger Unikitty.
     
    It's BIG.
     
    Anyway, I'm always open for suggestions and criticism. (I kinda want to send this thing to Brickfair when it's done. =P)
     
    GET OFF MY LAWN!
     
    ~Tekulo <3
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