ryttu3k

My bad. Sorry about that.

Reaching the end of the year! I have a bunch of scraps to upload (they're all things that were previously posted on my Tumblr), although that may have to wait until after Christmas - and, of course, I have a Christmas picture!

It is ridiculous. Very ridiculous.

So! On the 30th, I'll be off overseas for two and a half weeks! I'm hoping to get some art done then (drawing and scanning now, colouring and doing purely digital stuff while I'm away), although I can't guarantee anything. Plus, you know. Vacation. (New Zealand! Yeah, I know it's only really next door. Still never been, and I'm looking forward to it!)

2013 in review is now up. Look it's not all Zelda there's a whole four pictures for other things!

Happy holidays, and happy new year!

Okay, dA, who wants to do me a favour?

Apartment Therapy's Room for Colour contest is running now, and I've entered. Here! (If it helps, there is a very cute cat in those pictures.) I would REALLY appreciate it if you sign up for an AT account - it really doesn;t take long - here, and favourite it. At the moment, I'm coming second in the International division, but it's a fair bit from first... (In fairness, it did only go up a few hours ago.)

So, if you have a moment, please sling a favourite my way! I would really, really appreciate it. The International division winner gets a full set of signed AT books, and I'd REALLY like those books...

Hi guys. I'm off on vacation for the next month! I... won't have much net access, alas, but I'll at least check my notifs and stuff whenever I can. Just... yeah, expect not to hear from me, heh.

See you in February!

Symphonyyyy!

Okay. Yeah. This was amazing <3 Completely and utterly and completely amazing and guh. I loved it <3 Got there with about an hour and a half to go before start time, taking photos of cosplayers (there was an amazing WW Ganondorf) and hanging out with other fans.

Mini!Sheik got pretty social!

We got seated, and I met my seat mates, two younger girls. Aww, the next generation of Zelda players! Before the show, they were playing other bits of music from the series - tons and tons from Ocarina (I recorded about ten seconds of Sheik's theme, shhh), then they got started on others - I was pleased to hear Skyward Sword and Spirit Tracks stuff in there, since it wasn't hugely focused on in the show.

Then the show itself started, and... wow <3

Going to use the set list recorded here, played exactly the same except the lack of Ballad of the Wind Fish ;_;

Overture

The piece from E3!! I flailed - and then just gawked at the video, which I could actually watch properly instead of, you know, on a Youtube video. Wibbbled like crazy at Ballad of the Goddesses. So much love <3

Dungeon Medley

I haven't played any of these games. That didn't stop me from watching and listening in rapt attention. They were great! And yeah, I could never do those, hee... This was totally new to me.

Kakariko Village

So beautifully peaceful <3 ...Cucco attacks notwithstanding, heh. They definitely got a laugh! This is on the CD, but it was fantastic live. Just felt so much love towards Kakariko. TP Link gliding in majestically on a cucco... heee.

Songs of the Hero

Ocarina songs! Oh dear, I got somewhere in my eye around Serenade (Rutela's version) going into the Song of Healing... so pretty. Also new to me, and just... really nice. There was a bit of a chuckle when the Song of Storms started - guess what the weather outside was like?

And we're in to the nitty-gritty part!

Ocarina of Time movement

I teared up. Sorry. My gaaame... This was sliiightly marred by two idiot girls arriving late, so I had to get up while they climbed over us, and just... you stupid twits, the concert's been going for half an hour already. But that aside - my gaaaame. Er, the amazing version of Sheik's theme was mildly ruined by me having to stifle giggles because they used the 3DS version and they showed the weird disco moves, but whatever XD Still a beautiful version! And I finally got to see the 3DS version of the final battle! The shock on Link's face when Ganon knocks the sword away... beautiful. And just. The whole thiiiing my gaaaaaame! <3

Wind Waker movement

This started with the amazing conductor showing off her badass actual Wind Waker baton. Awesome. It was made by Li Kovacs, aka Pikmin Link, who was there - didn't see her, alas. Anyway, the movement itself - I had this weird experience where I realised I was getting a tiny bit emotional and just... full of affection for this game. But the thing is, I haven't played it since... well, since it came out, and I never completed it myself - it was a collaborative thing with family. So it sort of amused me how much I was enjoying it when I thought I didn't have any real emotional attachment to it.

It was kind of a theme of the night, to be honest. I was just all... sdfkjgsd my series <3

Intermission! I went out for a bit, took more photos of cosplayers, went back in, talked to the girl I was talking to before the show, then sat back to wait for the next part of the show.

The Great Fairy's Fountain

Nothing huge to mention here. It happened, it was really pretty <3 Relaxing. I liked it.

Twilight Princess movement

OMG YES. Aside from the OoT movement, this was my favourite part! Just so much love for this game, and the story was told so well. Beautiful <3 During the final battle part, I kept smiling - the player was doing a ton of Hidden Skills, and I was just... picturing Shade!Link watching on and smiling approvingly. Link feels <3 Then, of course, the credit music played and they showed Midna's farewell and I miiight have bawled a little, but just a bit... really...

Link to the Past movement

And the last movement! This one was interesting in that I knew a lot of the music (DARK WOOOORLD! And an amazing rendition of Zelda's theme/Lullaby!), but I hadn't seen much of the game itself. So seeing all the plotty stuff was like... oh, cool. I feel like I've been educated, and I'd love them to make a non-2D remake so I can play it. *ducks* But it was great

And then a reprise of the overture, and I was tearing up all over the place, and then it was over and we clapped and clapped and clapped...

Of course, it wasn't over yet

Encore - Gerudo Valley

Yeah, there was screaming in excitement here XD DadadaDA da dadadaDA da dadadaDA da dadadaDA da da da da da da da da daaaa... I love this version of Gerudo Valley so much. Although, regarding the video, why would you fight Gerudo wearing hover boots XD So much fun!

After this, the conductor got the orchestra up so they could be properly applauded, and it was done... wait, no, not yet!

Encore - Majora's Mask movement

Yeah I need to replay this game, the end. I also need to replay Twilight Princess. And Wind Waker. It was a fantastic ending, and then it was actually over, and although there was the slight disappointment of no Ballad of the Wind Fish, it was amazing <3

Completely <3

I stayed around for a little, talking to the girl I had been talking to earlier, plus this guy, and we waited around for interesting people to arrive. Eventually, we were rewarded with the amazing Eímear Noone, the conductor, and I got a photo with her (She was very impressed with mini!Sheik!) And then it was back to the hotel and off to bed happy.

So, so, so worth it.

First of two reviews! Yesterday, I saw The Hobbit and then I saw the Symphony of the Goddesses 8D Will be doing separate reviews. Have a Hobbit review! Needless to say, SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DOES DA EVEN HAVE A WAY TO DO SPOILER CUTS SERIOUSLY.

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Okay, onwards.

It's kind of hard to judge a movie when it's like... how do you review it? Do you view it objectively, with its pluses and minuses? Or do you judge it by how you're feeling afterwards?

Because by the time it ended, I was feeling ADFKJGHSDFKJSHLGKSD.

Objectively... yeah, a few parts I went 'hmm' about.

Let's start with the changes, since there were a lot. I can completely understand why they did it - as it is, The Hobbit is... well, a children's story, and it was written before Lord of the Rings. The viewers KNOW Lord of the Rings now, and they know how deep the story goes. In the book, the necromancer in Dol Guldur gets, what, a paragraph or three dedicated to it? Radagast, I think, isn't even mentioned until LOTR, and even that is a relayed conversation from Gandalf. (Speaking of wizards, I definitely smiled when Gandalf mentioned not remembering the names of the two blue wizards. Does ANYONE know them? And another smile at the mention by name of 'Istari'.)

So, the parts that added to the story were fine and justified and, I feel, added to them well. The stuff with the council meeting in Rivendell, with Galadriel and Saruman... yeah, it worked. Extending the stuff we don't see in the book, like the battle against the Orcs in the mountain - also a fan of that.

Changes I wasn't a fan of - not many. They include the fight with the giants, since... what was the point? It's literally just padding, and in a movie that long, you don't need padding! It adds nothing! The other change was establishing Gollum/Smeagol's split personality this early on, since the impression I had was that he was well and truly Gollum until Frodo triggered Smeagol's return.

But that aside. They were the only really quibbles I had - although I did pause a bit at some of the bishie dwarves XD (My headcanon is that movie!Kili is actually female. What. They have beards. Watch the fangirls throw themselves at him. The fangirl reaction as we progress will be, uh, interesting.)

For the casting, a thought on Martin Freeman - I was so, so fucking impressed! Reading The Hobbit, I never really 'clicked' and went, "Yeah, Bilbo is my favourite character" like I did with Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Watching the movie? Yup, he's got his way up there. I think he was phenomenal, and I have so much more fondness for Bilbo as a character. Fantastic

And yes, I cried. Several times. Actually, it was mostly from continuity - at the very start, seeing New Line Cinema, seeing The Hobbit in the same font as Lord of the Rings, the whole... continuity porn as it syncs up with Lord of the Rings (bitty Frodo!!)...

And then we got, "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit", and I CRIED BUCKETS oh god this book, this universe, you guys.

Anyway. Go see it. Also, I think I'm shipping Galadriel and Gandalf and Bilbo and Thorin SHUT UP OKAY.