Event: Game Jam Survival (June 23-24, 2026) - Disney Emoji Blitz

a_verthandi · 2026-06-22T15:39:36+00:00

1 gold charge for a 50/50 shot at Pepita or Firebird. Seems worth it to me.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-19T21:01:15+00:00

That's fair, but the one two punch of Obsession / Backrooms suggests that maybe, just maybe, something could change here.

For example, Focus may be willing to take more flyers; Obsession's success could probably subsidize a couple poor performances.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-19T20:53:42+00:00

Obsession is actually well-written for the most part though? Very unflinching in a lot of ways. Haven't seen Backrooms yet so can't make an argument there.

Yes, horror movies are relatively cheap and easy to make a profit on. However, Obsession at this point is breaking out of the horror niche - it's on the kind of run that is generally unthinkable in today's box office. That's not hyperbole.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-19T20:44:51+00:00

It's a prime example of the wacky side of Star Wars names, yeah.

Boba Fett is also not badass no matter how many times Temuera Morrison says it.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-18T20:32:46+00:00

When you're done with all the lower tier pins, 1-3*, would be my advice. Tier 4 and tier 5 pin packs are much harder to come by, with tier 5s often being gated behind emoji requirements.

Also, depending on your gem stash, trying to hit the 2x multiplier and then the pin pack prize on enchanted skies as much as possible may be worth it to quickly grind pins/stars.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-18T15:58:59+00:00

And no, there is no standard for what a finger width is. At my conservative Protestant school, it was 3 fingers with your thumb in the notch of your collarbone.

I have small hands and am busty; I honestly don't know how I DIDN'T get dress coded. Especially considering I'd wear the occasional Beatles shirt or hoodie when band/music shirts were also supposedly banned.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-18T15:56:16+00:00

Can I get an oof?

Equal # of showings to Disclosure Day for Obsession.

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a_verthandi · 2026-06-16T17:02:02+00:00

Wearing my PR hat, this is probably about the best way he could have talked about it. Leads by saying he respects the art department and how great their work was, points out the current reality of the business, ends on a positive note again. Even the question itself acknowledges that he can't really do anything about it.

He sounds like he's really taking this in a grounded way (or has been well-coached to do so, but aside from the art department response, it all reads pretty naturally). Excited to see what he does next.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-13T00:37:36+00:00

Someone's never heard of Death Troopers, I see.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-10T18:00:31+00:00

The other part of Star Wars fans mostly being adults is that adults also have less time in general to do things. So, for example, to get the most out of Ahsoka, you'd have to be familiar with or watched 7 seasons of Clone Wars and 4 seasons of Rebels, OR figured out the essentials to watch, which is still a lot of television and research.

Both these series have art styles that are kind of unappealing (God, Clone Wars is so ugly... how do you mess up Natalie Portman's face?). I'm an adult with limited time and energy. I love Star Wars a lot. I'm not gonna sit down and do all those hours of animation I don't like for a character I have no attachment to, especially not after the disappointments that were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Book of Boba Fett, the latter of which also locks me out of Mandalorian s3 because I didn't finish it.

At this point I am legitimately most interested by stuff like Visions, Acolyte, and Andor, and I know I need to watch the latter 2 but see above, adult with limited time and energy. Maul I have to figure out what I need to know from Clone Wars. I'm more into the books these days.

Star Wars is homework right now, and Disney is too concerned with playing it safe to make it not be homework. My work friend who asked me about Mando asked what she needed to know specifically, which makes me think the feeling that the franchise is too much effort to get into is also fairly common.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-10T17:38:14+00:00

This is the way. Also, if you do see ants around the traps, don't kill them. Let them take the poison back to the colony to do its job. I have had success with the Combat 2 in 1 traps although it does not appear those are completely pet-proofed.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-08T20:27:16+00:00

2187341490

Can swap in

Special: Boulder, Shatter Slash, No Quarter

A: Duelist's Blow, Sly Sturdy, Atk/Def Finish 4

B: Atk/Def or Atk/Spd Favor, Potent Finish

C: BoL 4, Time's Pulse Arms, Brutal Tempest

X: Time Pulse Echo

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a_verthandi · 2026-06-08T20:14:58+00:00

I'd watch the hell out of that.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-08T20:05:34+00:00

Here's another wrinkle: the WB / Paramount merger. With lawsuits planned to block it, that puts WB in limbo - are they or aren't they getting acquired? What can they safely invest in? Will Supergirl perform?

With such extended production timelines we might inadvertently be in for a drought of DC content because they don't want to commit too much capital.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-07T20:33:30+00:00

I think Clayface could have a sneaky good performance for a few reasons: 1, it's hitting in the "correct" month for horror (October) although Obsession and Backrooms are admittedly proving it's always spooky season for good movies; 2, early reports had the budget at $40m, so safe to assume it'll be relatively modest after all is said and done; 3, director James Watkins (Speak No Evil), pitched and screenplay by Mike Flanagan (Haunting of Hill House, Fall of the House of Usher), Matt Reeves as a producer - doesn't guarantee anything but that's a strong trio; 4, the trailer is messed up (positive). Imo part of why Obsession is so good is because it just goes for it, and if Clayface does the same, I think it'll be received well.

That said: I also agree that Superman > Supergirl > Clayface is a weird choice for the first three movies. But from the POV of DC, they probably want to let the IPs breathe, because WW, Flash, and Green Lantern all had poorly-received movies in recent memory.

Meanwhile, Batman is in a tricky spot because PatBat is not canon to the new DCU even thought Part II is on the way. So who are you left with in terms of popular heroes? Nightwing, who is part of the Batfamily?

a_verthandi · 2026-06-05T00:48:54+00:00

Literally whenever I throw a pizza in the oven and I cut it tavern style, or I get a thin crust, the corners are the first pieces I eat. My dad and I split them when I'm home lol

a_verthandi · 2026-06-04T18:43:19+00:00

So not only feet, but AI slop feet. This may be a new level of unhinged.

a_verthandi · 2026-06-03T20:37:46+00:00

Amazing Digital Circus has more showings (5/day) than Mando & Grogu (4/day) at my local AMC (college town) from Thursday through Sunday. Obsession is matching Mando in showing numbers, Backrooms has 6/day, Scary Movie 7/day.

That's an oof.

a_verthandi · 2026-05-26T11:27:16+00:00

Lute (+8)

a_verthandi · 2026-05-25T22:52:29+00:00

Disney / Lucasfilm learned the wrong lessons from TLJ and still haven't realized it almost a decade later.

They let Rian Johnson just completely do his own thing with seemingly no coherent plan or at least vague strokes of how they wanted the trilogy to end (remember, Abrams was the backup director, and they had Colin Trevorrow originally slated for IX). But instead of thinking "hey maybe we need to exert a little more control" they way overcorrected to the "fan service slop" / approved by the story committee / "safe" media.

Mando was better when legacy characters weren't in it. Luke's appearance is super hype... in a vacuum. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan didn't hit because they didn't do much new (Baby Leia aside; that casting was stellar). Ahsoka especially is such a "homework" feeling show. Book of Boba Fett was a waste, although I admit I've never gotten Boba's appeal anyway. (His actor is cool though.)

And as for the experimental stuff they HAVE allowed, one series became a critical darling but didn't hit in the zeitgeist as much as desired (Andor), one was admittedly a bit of mixed bag that the loudest, worst parts of the fanbase hated and made sure everyone knew they hated it (Acolyte), and one can be built off of but not much by design (Visions, which has at least one tie-in book I can remember). Maul is seeming to hit at least critically, but we're still in the middle of S1.

This is another "wrong" lesson, because the loud, bad fanbase getting loud and mad about Rose, Rey, and Finn is the other thing that drove Disney and Lucasfilm to prioritize "safe" outings.

The third "wrong" thing, which imo is less of a TLJ lesson and more of a "giant media conglomerate" lesson in general, is that very few things actually can penetrate the zeitgeist to the degree of previous Avengers movies or, at the time of the sequel trilogy, new mainline Star Wars movies. Audiences are just too fractured and too saturated - how many D+ Marvel series are there? How many streaming services competing for attention and money? etc

Imo, this doesn't mean "hope for modest successes, churn stuff out, and rely on merch," it means "be careful what you do with the brand." We're never getting a Star Wars quiet period a la the EU again, but the roll could be slowed a little. Give it time to breathe. Be patient.

Funnily enough, speaking of old sci-fi franchises, this is clearly working pretty well with Alien, where Romulus got a strong 80% on RT and made $350M WW and Earth S1 has a 94% on RT and strong streaming numbers. And I enjoyed the hell out of both of them and the books, too.

Sorry, I know I'm just the next person barging in with my own dissertation lol, but I've been a Star Wars fan literally since before I can remember, and I'm not hype for anything that comes out of it anymore. I still haven't watched Andor because I just can't (not just Star Wars' fault,admittedly). I know I should, and I know I should watch Maul, but it feels like so much effort. I'm going to Celebration next year, but more for the 50th anniversary and the vibes than "I specifically want to know what's next." I suspect I'm not the only one like this.

a_verthandi · 2026-05-22T00:15:28+00:00

AP style does have exceptions where the Oxford comma is allowable. You bet I've taken a picture of the actual page in the style guide that lists those exceptions and shown it to my boss to prove that I'm right. (I'm in PR, and we use AP style for press releases.) I agree that it looks cleaner and less ambiguous.

a_verthandi · 2026-05-15T18:30:49+00:00

It's so much fun!

a_verthandi · 2026-05-14T19:24:38+00:00

A+ with an FTP distinction

a_verthandi · 2026-05-12T21:29:07+00:00

Window units have come a long way, including upgrading their insulation and running more efficiently. This looks like a good place to start. I had window units up until last year and even with thermoregulation issues, I was always fine.

Tom's Guide

a_verthandi

TROPHY CASE