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Dungeons & Dragons is an amazing game. It helps people make friends, helps people work on social skills, has a role in some therapy. However, for all of the awesome stuff that Dungeons & Dragons does, it also holds a dark power. Yes, friends, our beloved RPG can not only create relationships, but it can also destroy them. Once, it nearly destroyed a Major League Baseball team from within (via Royals Review). I’m not even joking.
The Royals are a baseball team out of Kansas City, Missouri, and prior to the 2016 season starting, the team started a D&D campaign. What started as a pleasant escape and a unique way to build camaraderie among teammates slowly deteriorated and caused such a huge rift among Royals players that it started to affect how the team played. Royals Review interviewed one of the players. They anonymously explained the situation in more detail.
Ned Yost, the Royals’ manager, took on the role of Dungeon Master. While it’s kind of awesome that the team’s manager stepped up to the DM plate, apparently Yost was no Matthew Mercer. Yost’s campaigns were confusing, according to the Royal Review‘s anonymous informant, and Yost also had a really bad habit of pitting the players against monsters that were far too advanced. However, the dice would always seem to roll just right, and the adventurers would find themselves victorious despite overwhelming odds. While the rolls were good, the team was happy—it was actually kind of funny to them. Of course, Lady Luck did not always bless the team’s rolls, and so tensions ran high whenever the natural 20s became more and more rare.
But a shaky DM wasn’t the only problem. There was also the issue of the team’s healer in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign, played by Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar. The role of the healer is crucial to a campaign, and they have to be careful about how they interact with threats. Escobar, however, adhered to the Leeroy Jenkins school of thought. He had a bad habit of plowing ahead, right into the clutches of danger. Much like Yost’s overly challenging monster fights, Escobar’s Leeroy Jenkins antics made the team laugh at first—until they didn’t stop. It didn’t take long for the joke to get old.
With issues like that paired with players who were really dedicated and invested in the game, it seemed this fun game of D&D pulled the Royals apart at the seams. Tensions weren’t only high on game night. The conflict also made the Royals play pretty poorly. The team had to work to repair their D&D-sized rift. We can only hope they switched to watching Critical Role together rather than actually playing D&D during the baseball season.
Originally published on August 2, 2016.
The post The Time DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Nearly Broke Up a Baseball Team appeared first on Nerdist.
Dungeons & Dragons is an amazing game. It helps people make friends, helps people work on social skills, has a role in some therapy. However, for all of the awesome stuff that Dungeons & Dragons does, it also holds a dark power. Yes, friends, our beloved RPG can not only create relationships, but it can also destroy them. Once, it nearly destroyed a Major League Baseball team from within (via Royals Review). I’m not even joking.
The Royals are a baseball team out of Kansas City, Missouri, and prior to the 2016 season starting, the team started a D&D campaign. What started as a pleasant escape and a unique way to build camaraderie among teammates slowly deteriorated and caused such a huge rift among Royals players that it started to affect how the team played. Royals Review interviewed one of the players. They anonymously explained the situation in more detail.
Ned Yost, the Royals’ manager, took on the role of Dungeon Master. While it’s kind of awesome that the team’s manager stepped up to the DM plate, apparently Yost was no Matthew Mercer. Yost’s campaigns were confusing, according to the Royal Review‘s anonymous informant, and Yost also had a really bad habit of pitting the players against monsters that were far too advanced. However, the dice would always seem to roll just right, and the adventurers would find themselves victorious despite overwhelming odds. While the rolls were good, the team was happy—it was actually kind of funny to them. Of course, Lady Luck did not always bless the team’s rolls, and so tensions ran high whenever the natural 20s became more and more rare.
But a shaky DM wasn’t the only problem. There was also the issue of the team’s healer in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign, played by Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar. The role of the healer is crucial to a campaign, and they have to be careful about how they interact with threats. Escobar, however, adhered to the Leeroy Jenkins school of thought. He had a bad habit of plowing ahead, right into the clutches of danger. Much like Yost’s overly challenging monster fights, Escobar’s Leeroy Jenkins antics made the team laugh at first—until they didn’t stop. It didn’t take long for the joke to get old.
With issues like that paired with players who were really dedicated and invested in the game, it seemed this fun game of D&D pulled the Royals apart at the seams. Tensions weren’t only high on game night. The conflict also made the Royals play pretty poorly. The team had to work to repair their D&D-sized rift. We can only hope they switched to watching Critical Role together rather than actually playing D&D during the baseball season.
Originally published on August 2, 2016.
The post The Time DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Nearly Broke Up a Baseball Team appeared first on Nerdist.
Since first appearing on screen way back in the ’40s, Batman has worn many variations of his costume. And with many different actors wearing the cape and cowl of the DC Comics icon. But which version is the best one? We looked at almost 80 years of live-action Batman costumes, and ranked them from best to worst. We judged them on their accuracy at representing the iconic character, and just their visual aesthetic overall.
1. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
While we might not be the biggest fans of the film it came from, there’s almost no denying that the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Batman suit looks absolutely perfect. The costume, designed by Michael Wilkinson, looks like it stepped right off of the comic book page. And Ben Affleck simply had the perfect jawline for this cowl. He wore the mask, the mask didn’t wear him.
The BvS suit took bits of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, with a dash of artist Jim Lee’s, and the result is the most comic-accurate Batman costume of them all. And one that actually looks good on screen (and almost comfortable) on the actor wearing it. Also, unlike many other Batman costumes on this list, the bat emblem stands out and isn’t obscured by armor plating or other things. This one just nailed it.
2. Batman, Batman Returns (1989, 1992)
Although the costume took some liberties with the source material, the Michael Keaton 1989 Batman costume creates one of the most striking silhouettes of them all. Yes, in the comics at the time, Batman wore blue and grey, or sometimes black and grey. The all-black suit was a complete Hollywood concoction. But it just worked. True, Tim Burton’s Bruce Wayne might not have been able to turn his head with that rubber mask, but it just looked so cool, we didn’t care.
The pitch-black body suit with the bright yellow emblem and yellow utility belt made a stark contrast that was extremely eye-catching. There were slight modifications for the Batman Returns version a couple of years later, but it was essentially the same outfit. When we saw Michael Keaton wear this one in the trailer for The Flash, we got all the nostalgic feels. Because it’s just that good of a Batman costume, even years later.
3. Batman Forever (First Suit) 1995
For almost 30 years, people have clutched their pearls over the nipples on the Batsuit, first seen in Batman Forever on Val Kilmer. And they use it to knock this costume down. But you know what? This is a pretty cool upgrade to the Keaton suit. The only downside we can see is that the oval is mustard yellow. It doesn’t really pop like on the Keaton suit. Also, the utility belt is black. It should be yellow to break up the absence of color in the torso. Otherwise, we might have ranked this one even higher. Oh, and every other muscle and contour of the human body is replicated in this rubber on this suit. Who cares if there are two tiny dots representing nipples? Go outside.
4. The Batman (2022)
We love the most recent cinematic Batman suit, worn by Robert Pattinson in The Batman. Yes, it has too much padding and extra details in order to be “realistic” looking for a more grounded Caped Crusader, which kind of bugs us on other Bat suits. But the cape and cowl are perfection, and bring to mind great DC Elseworlds comics like Gotham by Gaslight. We also like the gauntlets above the hands, which make it look almost like a steampunk Dark Knight. We’re not crazy about the Bat-emblem on this one, we hate when it’s hard to make out. However, the good outweighs the bad here. Nice job, Matt Reeves.
5. Batman Begins (2005)
The original Batman costume worn by Christian Bale in Batman Begins was essentially a more modern, more practical version of the 1989 Michael Keaton suit. He still had a cowl that didn’t allow him to turn his neck, but it sure looked cool. This one was made of more flexible materials than the rubber body suit from the Tim Burton movies, without being overwhelmed by all the extra padding of the follow-up films. It also has perhaps the best onscreen Batman cape, that actually flows in the wind. We would vote for this one as “most underrated live-action Batman suit.”
6. Batman TV Series (1966)
Yes, by today’s standards, the Adam West costume is a totally ridiculous relic of a bygone age. The tights, the cape, the cowl, all look like a cheap Halloween costume. But in 1966, the Batman TV series suit did its job, which was to bring the comic book look to life. And the comic book costume of the time pretty much looked like that. It was a blue cape and cowl over gray tights with blue trunks, just like a Carmine Infantino Detective Comics drawing of the time. Is it silly looking? Yes. But it’s oh so iconic, so we love it.
7. The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises (2008, 2012)
We understand all the reasons why Christopher Nolan updated the Batman suit for The Dark Knight, and later The Dark Knight Rises. He wanted even more realistic fighting gear for Bruce Wayne to use, and a cowl that lets him turn his neck for once. But just from an aesthetic standpoint, the armor looks way too much like the hockey pads his fanboy imitators used in the film, which Batman openly mocked. It works in the movie, but it loses all its sleekness for the sake of realism. It just isn’t that pleasant to look at overall. We do like the white eyes when he turns on his surveillance mode in his cowl. That scores it some points.
8. Batman v Superman Power Suit (2016)
We could easily go our whole lives without seeing Batman fight Superman in any media ever again. However, to give credit where credit is due, the folks behind Batman v Superman recreated the best Batman battle suit, from Frank Miller’s seminal 1986 story The Dark Knight Returns, to a tea. It genuinely makes Batman look like someone who could legit beat the Man of Steel in a fight. And the glowing white eyes? Again, we love when any live-action Batman suit gives us that. We wouldn’t want to see it all the time (or even ever again), but Zack Snyder deserves credit for bringing this iconic suit to life in such a faithful way. Martha would be proud.
9. Batman Forever “Sonar Suit” (1995)
As much as we loved the first Batman Forever costume we saw Val Kilmer wear in the film, the second chrome “sonar suit” felt like it was made for the Kenner action figure only. The extra details don’t look like muscles, just weird shapes that don’t make sense as armor-plating. If they were on a black rubber suit they might blend in, but in shiny silver tones, they just pop out and are distracting. Everything about this outfit screams Happy Meal toy. Also, why do the Bat-ears have all those ridges? That’s weirder than any nipples. Still, it’s better than our next entry, also from a Joel Schumacher Batman film.
10. Batman and Robin “Ice Suit” (1997)
The first Batman costume we see George Clooney’s Dark Knight wear in 1997’s Batman and Robin is basically the same one Val Kilmer wore at the start of the previous movie, with only minor alterations. No, the truly terrible Batman costume Clooney made famous was the ice suit that he wore in the film’s big climax when fighting Mister Freeze. There is just way too much silver plating all over this costume, for no real reason except, once again, to sell action figure variants. It’s just an awful design overall.
11. Justice League Tactical Suit (2017)
This costume, which appears in both versions of Justice League, commits the biggest crime of all: it doesn’t quite look like Batman anymore. Yes, the extra armor plating is much like the Nolan suits, and is equally not aesthetically pleasing. But it’s not that which makes us rank it so low. The goggles and the ears on the cowl make Affleck’s Batman look way more like Nite Owl from Watchmen. Say what you want about the other suits on this list, they all instantly read like our favorite Gotham vigilante. He should never look like another famous superhero. We should never look at Batman and ask “hey, is that Batman?”
12. Batman Serials (1943, 1949)
Ok, this one is the worst of all. The Columbia Pictures Batman movie serials of 1943 and 1949 were done on the cheap, even by ‘40s standards. But still, there was no excusing that cape and cowl. The cowl literally slides down the actor’s face, looking extremely silly, and his ears don’t even look like bat ears. They look like horns on a devil costume. The Batman costume of the comics of the time looked much cooler, and unlike the ‘60s suit, this didn’t evoke the comics’ look sufficiently. We get it, it was a different time. But it’s still an embarrassing effort.
The post All 12 Live-Action Batman Costumes, Ranked appeared first on Nerdist.
I enjoyed Fall Anime Season 2022. I was elated to finally watch the goofy and delightful anime adaption of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, yet my favorite series was Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. I’d hadn’t touched a Gundam show in a while and had to pick up watching as all the anime heads were clamoring about it. What I found was a thrilling new series that had me equally on my seat waiting for more and devastated by such small moments. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is THAT girl! Here’s the review!
A Formula That Shouldn’t Have Worked
Talking it over with my fellow anime watching BNP family, we all agreed that this was a formula that probably shouldn’t have worked but did. Not only did the Gundam “but make it in high school and also in space with actual children being involved with huge corporations and huge economic systems in place” work, but this first season has continued to build on blowing audiences away. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury follows Suletta Mercury who transfers to to the Asticassia School of Technology, run by the Beneritt Group which dominates the mobile suit industry. She comes from the remote planet Mercury with a tragic backstory that we learn about from the prologue–that was a banger that had no business going that hard.
This Gundam show is set in an era when a multitude of corporations have entered space and built a huge economic system. By chance, Suletta is introduced to Miorine Rembran who is the daughter of the Benerit Group’s President, Delling Rembran. Miorine had been attempting to run away from her father and the school colony that made her feel imprisoned and without much agency. After her arrival, Suletta learns of the school dueling system which also plays a big hand in Miorne’s future: the student duelist that reigns supreme will be the future groom of said president’s daughter and the assets his company owns. Suletta’s arrival and continued interventions changes up the status quo at Asticassia causing waves and ripples to cliques in the student population to corporations all around.
And look narratively–the Gundam franchise has not shied away from having children or young adults in their media, historically. Sure, there’s nuance here and there: actual child soldiers from different factions in Gundam W, some young adults fighting in the tournaments that different colonies participated in to solve political strife instead of resorting to warfare in G Gundam. Yet, while there are a lot of moving parts of the plots and layers, it is mostly easy to follow. (Sorry Gundam Seed, I still think you are great!) Throughout this first offering of episodes, Suletta goes on to battle the three heirs to the three branches of the Benreit Group: Guel, Shaddiq, and Elan and it is a thrilling ride with all the teenage hormones and discoveries against a backdrop of angst caused by parents and political undermining.
A Main Character Who is Nearly Universally Loved
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury has a lot of heart! I was reminded by all the tweets and other posting on social media networks of how this newer series in the illustrious Gundam history became the gateway anime for several new fans. More surprisingly, people who I know have watched anime for years, and never touched Gundam, watched Witch from Mercury. Some of this is due to the appeal of “the new Gundam,” the catchy soundtrack, the glorious animation, but there is a great deal of love for the show because of the cast and its main protagonist Suletta. (She’s either the first female lead protagonist in Gundam media–or among the first.)
Timid, socially awkward with all the great one-liners, Suletta is a memorable character who is responsible for a dedicated meme factory each week a new episode aired. Living a childhood isolated on Mercury but also introduced to mobile suits and Gundam at such a young age makes her a gifted duelist and operator of such machinery. But because of that, her social skills are lacking, and we see this manifest in different ways: take her hilarious delivery when speaking in high stress situations at the school like being confronted or confessing. But I think you should also take note of the unfortunate scenes where she holds insecurities when she thinks she is the weaker link in the community she’s building.
And I understand that we all have different readings of the media texts we consume. I know that I wasn’t the only one pleased with this hot take of Suletta and Miorine as the main protagonist and deuteragonist of the show. On a more serious note, I do love that neither girl is a ‘strong female character’ type and they both have some heartfelt moments of vulnerability that give them enough depth to make me care about them and root for them. I also mostly love the dynamic Suletta and Miorine create not just as partners (groom and bride) at the school colony but as friends and protectors of each other. To paraphrase a fantastic tweet that I can’t find now because Twitter is on a new level of broke: I love the focus and emphasis the two girls have for each other, especially Suletta towards Miorine. Whereas Guel, Shaddiq, and Elan only saw Miorine as a tool or person to obtain, protect, enforce rules on, Suletta chose to do differently, instead offering her a hand in gaining agency for her life and her goals. Suletta Forgotta Mercury as in “Suletta… Forgotta” is my child and I would fight you to protect her.
A Near Perfect Start
My main and very valid criticism of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is that for all the cute moments, for all the awe inspiring moments–it is still very dark at heart. Yes, yes, hear me out. While watching, I really felt emotionally knocked around–like my emotional tether was all over the place. This translated to certain episodes capitalizing on spectacular character development and making the pacing of certain episodes a tiny bit of a chore to endure because of the tensions created. Smaller instances of Suletta running into petty conflicts between other students and even Miorne do drag some parts of certain episodes. On the more extreme end, I want to point out the very insidious way the parents and guardian figures in this show manipulate their children.
From the more oblivious way Guel and Mironre’s fathers publicly demean their children and make them into chess pieces for their own goals (dueling, arranged marriages) to the slyier ways Suletta’ mother uses her daughter’s innocence in turn to create violence against other people. (Looking at you episode twelve and the after credit scene I hope viewers did not miss) Suletta’s mother is presented as an underdog and more caring of her child than the other adults but each reveal in this first cour of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury cut me deeper than I expected–not that I was expecting them! Now this is not terrible writing, I deem it the opposite! Great commentary on parental relationships, in fact! It makes for storytelling that leans into thought provoking story-lines yet emotionally audiences are going to feel weathered by the emotional load not giving them a break. An inside joke I remember hearing with many viewers is that “the hits keep coming! EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!”
What should not be overlooked is the animation that Sunrise put their entire foot into! Not only do I adore this look of this new Gundam show but I love the attention to detail in its character designs: from this insightful nod to the handful of larger/fat female characters in the supporting cast who are not made into jokes to the very deliberate designs of Suletta and Miorne and how the complement each other. (I’m also very happy to see Black/darker skinned characters without the caricature-like visuals that can sometimes be found in anime. Always a plus!)
The animation in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is stunning. The fight sequences are amazing and make mecha in animation, a priory to watch. I’m not sure how much CGI was used in the animation process, but I’d like to guess a minimal amount as what I watched was a very polished product. I sincerely hope this consistency continues in the next leg of this story.
As someone who has occasionally dipped into the giant mecha franchise here and there, I love this entry’s take on technological innovation and the greed and destruction that follows. In the prologue and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury we learn about the damning and banning of Gundam. While it is revealed that the technology had origins that were meant to be a medical assist to help human bodies endure the harshness of living in space and also help with prosthetics, the movement to literally kill those working with the Gundam format proved to be lethal to the work.
The introduction of Suletta, Aerial, and those who back her on this new stage at Asticassia makes for a daring fire-starter of a move. This reclaiming of Gundam and its storied history by Suletta and her fellow students makes for incredible watch and an interesting update in the Gundam lore. And in all, as stated by most: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is a fresh entry in the long running history of Mobile Suit Gundam and one that continues to be a standout. You should be watching this one!
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is streaming now on Crunchyroll. The Second Season is set to premiere April 9, 2023.
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The post A Standout in the Gundam History: ‘Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury’ First Cour Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
After years of speculating, in 2022, Marvel Studios confirmed that Deadpool would officially join the MCU for a third installment of the R-rated comic book franchise at the start of Phase Six. This would mark the first official character of the Fox X-Men universe joining the MCU (although Patrick Stewart as a variant Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kinda counts too, we suppose).
In exciting news, according to Deadline, Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen has joined Deadpool 3. With Succession soon airing its final season, this news is sure to be exciting for fans of the series and of the MCU.
But what else should we expect from the “Merc with the Mouth’s” first MCU entry? We know Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, something he and Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds, announced to much fanfare online. (And you can watch that amusing video announcement below).
Here is everything we know so far about the third Deadpool film.
Title
Right now, everyone is calling the film Deadpool 3. However, for superpowered mercenary Wade Wilson’s first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least the first official entry, we think they may choose to give it a more creative title.
A recent bout of friendly banter between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman teases the possibility of the title being Wolverine and Deadpool.
Also “Wolverine and Deadpool”, bub?
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 4, 2023
Jackman’s slip of the tongue seems casual, but Reynolds specifically alludes to it in his response. Only time will tell if this exchange means anything at all. We’re pretty sure that Deadpool would like the order reversed, one way or the other.
Deadpool 3‘s Plot
The plot of Deadpool 3 remains a mystery. All we know is that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, and that it takes place before the feral X-Man’s death in Logan. In fact, Jackman has confirmed that time travel will be involved in the threequel in a big way. One rumor suggests that Loki’s Time Variance Authority, or TVA, will have some involvement. But that remains unconfirmed. (We hope it’s true though).
As most folks know by now, Deadpool’s third solo film will reunite him with his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star. Deadpool and Wolverine will work together, although they have made it very clear that these two characters “hate each other.” It will not be a love-fest in this story. But the fact that Deadpool 3 is smack in the middle of the Multiverse Saga should give us all a clue as to what’s going to go down, and probable multiversal shenanigans will ensue.
Deadpool 3‘s Cast
Aside from Jackman, we really don’t know which other cast members are coming back. There’s been no official word if Morena Baccarin is coming back as Wade’s love Vanessa. For that matter, no word on Josh Brolin as Cable, or Zazie Beetz as Domino either. We’d like to think one or all of them would appear in some form. Actually, we kind of feel that Karan Soni as cab driver Dopinder, and Leslie Uggams as Wade’s roomie Blind Al need to come back as well. The same goes for his X-Men pals Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). We also expect some surprise MCU cameos, but no doubt they will want to keep those ones under wraps.
Most recently, The Crown star Emma Corrin, who played Lady Diana Spencer on the Netflix show, joined the cast of Deadpool 3.
Corrin’s role remains unknown, but according to Deadline, she will likely play a villain in the movie.
Behind the Scenes
Deadpool 3‘s director for this third outing will be Shawn Levy, most recently known for his work on Stranger Things. This would be a reunion for Levy and Reynolds, as the pair previously worked together on the movie Free Guy. Levy is also known for the time travel movie The Adam Project.
On the writing side of things are Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, writers for the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers. The writers for the first two Deadpool films, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are also contributing to the third film’s screenplay, as is Ryan Reynolds himself.
Deadpool 3 Release Date
As of now, Deadpool 3 has a release date of November 8, 2024, kicking off the MCU’s Phase Six.
Originally published on January 4, 2023.
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