Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #38

Hello, and welcome to the Eldiw region! This is entry number 38 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

Now, as is tradition, I will be warning you, I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I highly recommend playing this game for yourself before you read these Text Play entries. You can do so here. Now with that out of the way, on with the show!

Last time, we started exploring Samuel Oak Airport. We were finally able to enter the building after defeating Wallace Daddy at the Hypelion Gym to get the Beat Badge, our sixth badge. Two more to go, baby.

Yeah, I was thrilled about that win, too. Now with that out of the way, let's explore the airport. After all, this game wouldn't have one if we were not intended to use it, right? Let's start on the staircase on the right side from the entrance.

Yes, this one I marked with the big yellow arrow. From there, we meet this guy who says that Wallace Daddy is the talk of his hometown.

I wonder where he is from. Anyway, you see that door with the red Pokéball sign and matching doormat? Well, it turns out that is the door of the Airport's Pokémon Center.

Wait...in the last entry, after battling that trainer named Ridge here in the airport in the last entry, he worried he'd miss his flight because he'd have to take his Pokémon to a Pokémon Center. I didn't think that was a big deal as Hypelion's was not too far away from the airport. It turns out this place has one of its own! He didn't have to worry at all! 

Although to be fair, I wasn't aware this airport has its own Center as well. The hoodie girl on the left is looking through some magazines. Makes sense, airports have lots of places that sell newspapers and magazines. The old lady on the right all dressed up like a martial arts master just laments that her age, even sitting is hard. So, yeah. That's everything here. Let's move on. Next to the Pokemon Center is another door, this one with a blue sign and doormat.

This door leads to a Poke Mart.

Personally, I think this place and the Center should be in the same place. I felt that was much more convenient. I've grown to really prefer the Center and Mart as the same place. Heal your Pokemon and stock up on supplies at the same place. Once we leave the Mart, we can go down the nearby stairs or go down the hall on the right. I'll go down the stairs first. Once we go down the stairs, we end up battling this...Pinkie Pie cosplayer?

...Huh? Yeah, I get he's supposed to be cosplaying as a Weedle. The pink hair and clown nose threw me off. Gimme a break.

Poke Maniac Flint
1st Pokémon: Galvantula (Lv. 41) - Given Leech Seed by Phantump, defeated by Palossand.
2nd Pokémon: Sosqwatch (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Trishout.

If we go to the left, we find this green door with, naturally, a matching doormat.

See that guy in the screenshot? Evidently someone stole his luggage. 

I mean, what kind of person does that?! The depravity of humanity never ceases to amaze and surprise me. Anyway, let's go inside the green-signed room, shall we?

Hey, it's another PokéMart! This one specializes in Technical Machines. I don't see why the other store doesn't just sell those, too. Yes, RPG logic, but still. Sell them in the other store and put a restaurant here. Whatever, let's move on. All the way at the end, there's this Chef standing here.

What's he doing there, staring at the poster of Alola? I mean, it is a nice poster. I do like it. I've played Sun/Moon, so in a way, I've been to Alola. It's a rather lovely place. Anyway, if you talk to him, he has a...question for you.

HEY WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA!

Now, here's the thing. I am not against the idea of fangames tackling issues that "official" Pokémon games do not. I am not against the idea of a Pokémon fan work tackling an issue like racism. After all, artists are inspired by issues in the real world, and racism is sadly still a big one. However, this comes...right out of nowhere. This is just so...bizarre! 

If you disagree with him, he'll grumble there's nothing special about it. If you do agree with him, he'll give you a Fresh Water to "wash the bad taste away". 😒 Forget that! I like the fried shrimp at Chinese buffets, there's better ways to get Fresh Water anyway! 

With that unpleasantness behind us, let's head back to the main hall, and check out the other side of the airport.

Yeah, we have to go up these stairs here. These stairs take us to the baggage claim area.

Don't bother looking in that trash can in the screenshot, there's nothing in it but trash. Walking through the baggage area, I can't help but wonder if in the Pokémon world, people mysteriously lose their luggage in flight as well.

And it turns out, they do! Yup, the Airport Gods exist here, and they can be just as prickly as the real world. By the way, see that garbage bin in the screenshot? Yeah, don't bother. There's no items in that, either. I learned an interesting piece of gossip in this area, as well.

The Cluster Jungle, huh? I'll have to check that place out. I love Bulbasaurs, so having one on my team would be handy. I'd feel like a teenager again.

If we go downwards, we end up in the main check-in area, and a kid there wants to battle us to kill some time.

Let's do this.

(School Kid) Charlie
1st Pokémon: Roselia (Lv. 40) - Defeated by Trishout.
2nd Pokémon: Spiritomb (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Xatu after Spiritomb halved its HP thanks to Curse.

That was fun, and the kid got to kill a little time, so that's nice.

We got this airport all nice and explored, so let's get out of here.

The exit is located right near the check-in area. Right near the exit is this Korean speaker.

He's basically asking where the exit is. I'm going by Google Translate on this. It's...right there, bro. It's right near you. Do you not see it?

Although to be fair, English is not his first language. Anyway, we head outside...

...right to the tarmac. Where the planes are. 

Who designed this airport, Cocaine Ursaring?! This airport is begging for a lawsuit! Well, as long as we're here, let's take a look around. If we go to the left, we find this lady hanging out and a nearby box.

The young woman is bored. She hates waiting for presumably her flight. So, she challenges us to a battle to hopefully kill some time.

(Hip Hop) Zoey
1st Pokémon: Brionne (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Phantump with one Horn Leech.
2nd Pokémon: Bremand (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Palossand with Bulldoze.

Zoey isn't disappointed with losing. She wanted to kill a little time, and win or lose, she got to do. After all, she had been waiting for a whole five minutes. Anyway, remember that item box nearby? It contained a Max Repel. If we go downwards, we find a runway and a little luggage truck.

I don't know why, but I find that luggage truck adorable. I want a little toy car or a LEGO set like that. We can battle the trainer right here. He wanted to take some pictures of the jungle nearby (I'm guessing that's the Cluster Jungle that one girl in the airport mentioned), but would rather broadcast his Pokémon battles on Instagram. 

(Influencer) Berny
1st Pokémon: Gachigachoo (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Trishout.
2nd Pokémon: Hawlucha (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Xatu.

The battle didn't go the way he hoped, but he at least got some decent pictures. Now what filter to use on them...

Yeah, whatever. We head out to the right and find this DJ. 

Wait, the Game Boy games exist here? Is that some kind of...Poke-ception?!

(mind blown)

(DeeJay) Sheeran.
1st Pokemon: Charmander (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Pelipper.

If we go up, we meet another trainer, who is also eager for a battle. She's feeling a bit anxious, and maybe a battle can calm her nerves.

(Hippie) August
1st Pokémon: Chatot (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Harrowk.
2nd Pokémon: Lopunny (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Phantump with Leech Seed. 

Thankfully, the loss didn't worsen her anxiety. It actually helped calm her nerves. Well, that's a positive.

If we keep going up, we meet this backpacker.

We don't battle him. He is right about the planes, though. It's kind of cool how they can transport you to different places so much quicker than other forms of transport.

And that's where we'll have to stop for the month. Join me next time when we explore the Cluster Jungle next to the airport! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

International Polar Bear Day

 Happy International Polar Bear Day!

What is this day about, you may ask? Well, this day was organized by the non-profit known as Polar Bears International, for the purpose of raising awareness of the conservation status of said animal. It's done in February because it's the time of year in which mother polar bears and cubs are enjoying rest times in their dens. 

Polar bears are well, bears. They live in the Arctic, and are considered the largest of all bear species. Adult male polar bears can weigh between 660 and 1,760 pounds (300-800kg). Yeah, male polar bears are big old boys. 

Polar bears are carnivorous, mainly preying on various species of seals. In fact, they are the Arctic's resident apex predators. They also have been known to prey on young walruses (Adult walruses are very formidable opponents for polar bears because of their size and tusks), beluga whales and narwhals, reindeer, and even though they generally aren't made to eat plants, they have been known to chomp down on seaweed on occasion.

Polar bears are known to be great swimmers, reaching speeds of 3 MPH. In fact, they're considered marine mammals because of their dependence on the sea. They can run at up to speeds of 25 MPH. Polar bears are generally solitary animals, except when it comes to mothers with cubs and mating pairs. Female polar bears do hibernate during pregnancy, but otherwise polar bears are generally diurnal. This infographic also has more interesting facts about polar bears.

Sadly, polar bears are considered a vulnerable species. The biggest threat to them is loss of habitat due to climate change. Polar bears live on the arctic ice, and since global warming is causing reductions in the area and accelerating the melting of the ice. This has made it harder for polar bears to hunt their prey, and has forced them on land more, which has also caused conflicts with humans.

Tales of Graces f Remastered Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2009, the game Tales of Graces was released for the Nintendo Wii in Japan. Developed and published by Namco Bandai, Graces was the 12th game in the long-running Tales series. The original Wii version never officially came out in the rest of the world. However, it would reach the rest of the world in 2012 when it was ported to the PlayStation 3 as Tales of Graces f. I have no idea what the "f" means. The game would be critically acclaimed in Japan, the original Wii version selling over 100,000 copies, and the PS3 version selling three times that much in the first week after its release alone.

The game is set in the land of Ephinea, where a group of youngsters befriend a mysterious amnesiac girl named Sophie, and from there, a grand adventure and hilarity ensues. On January 17, a remastered version came to various consoles and Windows, including returning to Nintendo by coming to the Switch. Let's look at the trailer!

"Sophie! You're going to ruin Old Man Wilkins' farm!"

Sometimes, hope is all you got.

Ah yes, the whole "my tyrannical rule is justified because I am doing it for everyone's good." That excuse.

"And yet you let me get licked senseless by those giraffes!" 

Man, those new contacts are freaky!

"I mean, I'm the younger brother! I'm supposed to be the less mature one!"

Firework shows in Ephinea are WEEEEEEIRD.

"Trust us, we all ended up seeing Old Man Wilkins naked. We all have had the nightmares." 

(yuk)

That millions of daggers attack was cool...but where does she keep them?

That kid's got a Stand!

Well, I have to admit, I have a rather limited bit of experience with action RPGs. I have played a bit of one of the Star Ocean games, in particular Star Ocean: The Second Story R (a remake of the second Star Ocean game), and I've never played a Trails game before. I think I'd like to give this one a try! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

National Pistachio Day

 Happy Pistachio Day!

The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the health benefits of eating pistachios. Pistachios are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. It's believed that pistachios can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. They can help improve the body's ability to digest food, boost the immune system's ability to fight infection, and even help improve brain function. So enjoy a pistachio! It'll do you some good! 

Fantastic Four: First Steps Teaser, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four, finally make their formal MCU debut in the upcoming 37th film: The Fantastic Four: First Steps!

Directed by Matt Shakman, the titular quartet of adventurers will be portrayed by Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, and no, she is not related to Jack Kirby), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing). The cast also includes Natasha Lyonne in an unknown role, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, John Malkovich, and Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Let's look at the trailer!

Yeah, this film is set in an alternate universe. It's pretty obvious it's not the mainstream MCU.

"Trapped in another dimension? Got turned into a horse? In a bar fight with a Corellian? You'd better be here at 7!" Come on, Reed!

Yeah, I bet they wanted to homage Bachrach being in The Bear. I haven't seen The Bear, is it good?

The CGI on Ben is really good.

HERBIE looks awesome. I hope they make a LEGO set of him. I would so buy it.

I hope we get to see Johnny pranking Ben like in the Lee/Kirby comics.

That Fantasticar looked neat.

I bet John Malkovich is playing Ivan Kragoff. He looks like him!

Oh-ho-HO! GALACTUS ISN'T A CLOUD! HE LOOKS LIKE GALACTUS!

Galactus will be voiced by English actor Ralph Ineson. I've heard Ineson talk. People will be thirsting for the World-Eater with that voice.

Well, this movie looks like it will be really good! I can't wait to watch it! I am excited to meet this alternate universe, and I can't wait to see how the MCU tackles the Fantastic Four's corner of the Marvel Universe! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Marvel Premiere #29 (April 1976)

Back in September 2022, I discussed the debut of the Invaders. Now, for those who do not know, in the Marvel Universe of the comic books during World War II, a group of heroes banded together to take the fight to Hitler and his "Fortress Europa" on the front lines of the war itself. Now, the Invaders themselves were not a team that was actually published by Timely (the 1940s predecessor to Marvel Comics), but the team was composed initially of action Golden Age-era superheroes: Captain America I (Steve Rogers), Human Torch I (Jim Hammond), Bucky Barnes, Thomas "Toro" Raymond, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. This group was created as a result of a retcon dreamed up by Golden Age comic fanboy Roy Thomas. He introduced the group during his 1970s Avengers run, which led to the Invaders getting their own series. 

However, the Invaders fighting on the front lines did leave a question: what about the home front? Who was keeping the good old USA safe from spies, saboteurs, and supervillains? Well, the Liberty Legion, of course. And yup, this was dreamed up by ol' Roy Thomas himself. And much like with the Invaders, the Legion would be comprised of Timely Comics characters. So, how did this bunch of homefront-watching heroes get together? Let's find out in Marvel Premiere #29!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia piece. It's pretty darn good. It gives the vibe of the iconic Giant-Size X-Men #1 cover (which is funny as this comic came out first if we're going by cover dates). As such, it feels like a predecessor to it. You have the Liberty Legion front and center bursting out of a giant newspaper with "Bataan Falls", referencing the Japanese invasion and conquest of the Philippines during World War II. The cover basically tells you "This is the team you're going to read about here". And of course, Bucky is front and center. Makes sense, considering his role in this story.

"Lo, The Liberty Legion!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Don Heck
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Roy Thomas
Editor-in-Chief: Gerry Conway

The story begins in New York City. The year is 1942. The fires of World War II are burning, but that won't stop the City that Never Sleeps from being one of the hottest spots in town. And a prominent radio station is about to get a big-time visitor. 

"Outta my way! I want a hot dog!"

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes has an appointment, and he's not going to let these burly Army men get in the way. So, why is our man hell-bent to get there? Well, he has a man to see.

"Gimmie a F#$%IN' mic!"

Meet Jeffery Mace, aka the original Patriot. Created by writer Ray Gill and artist Bill Everett (yes, the same man who created Namor the Sub-Mariner) in Human Torch Comics #4 (March 1941), a version of him appeared in Agents of SHIELD, portrayed by Irish-American actor Jason O'Mara. He's doing a radio announcement when Bucky decides to pull a Kanye West on Taylor Swift: "I'm sorry Jeff, Imma let you finish", that kind of thing.

Mace doesn't take too kindly to Bucky's stunt, and the two have a bit of a scuffle on stage.

The two then finally calm down. The Patriot had gone on the radio to reassure people that there were still costumed heroes on America's side after the events of Invaders #15. In that comic, the Red Skull brainwashed members of the titular group, but Bucky managed to escape. Some guards burst in, but Jeff convinces them to back down as he wants to hear Bucky's story. Bucky said that he wants to bring together a bunch of costumed heroes to stop the Invaders and hopefully get them back to their senses. The broadcast goes live again, and Bucky makes the call to any costumed heroes in the country. The Patriot suggests someone, but he's rather hard to reach: Red Raven.

"Drill wing, activate!"

First appearing in Red Raven Comics #1 (1940), created by Joe Simon and Louis Cazeneuve, Red Raven was a man who was adopted as a boy by a group of "Bird-People" after surviving a plane crash. Lacking the wings of his adopted people, Raven uses a pair of artificial ones to fly. Think Hawkman, but without the mace and actually being willing to put a shirt on. 

As luck would have it, the Red Raven is in action. He's investigating a plane that has no running lights on in the skies of Pennsylvania. Raven naturally is suspicious about said plane. He was right to be, as it has some Nazi spies on it. The spies get the drop on the winged hero, sending him to dreamland.

However, the Raven had some unexpected backup: Bruce Dickson, Ph.D.: The Thin Man.

"You also smell bad!"

The Thin Man first appeared in Mystic Comics #4 (August 1940), created by artist Klaus Nordling and an unknown writer. An explorer and adventurer by trade, he discovered a cave in the Himalayas that hid a utopian civilization called Kalahia. The people of Kalahia had the ability to make themselves super-thin and paper-like, a power they gave to Dickson. He then left alongside the Kalahian princess Ollana to fight crime. Fun fact, he is one of the first superheroes with a "stretching" power, predating Plastic Man by one year. Also, the green-and-yellow costume he wears here is a new look for him. In his one Golden Age story, he wore a red and blue costume. As such, he was given the green and yellow outfit to help make him visually more distinct from the other Legionnaires, as many of them used red and blue heavily in their costumes.

Using his power, the Thin Man is able to get inside the plane and give the Nazi spies a good beating. He then rescues the Red Raven, and the two team up. He gets a call from Olanna, who picked up Bucky's radio message on her ship's comms. 

The next Golden Age hero we focus on is Robert L. Frank, aka the Whizzer. First appearing in USA Comics #1 (August 1940), he was created by an unknown writer and artist Al Avison. Frank is a speedster, getting his power from...being injected with mongoose blood after being bitten by a cobra. Yeah, it's the Golden Age, just go with it. He would later be retconned to be a latent mutant. 

We find in upstate New York, racing to save a train from a bridge. A bridge that had a bomb put on it by Nazi spies. Unknown to him, he also has some help in the form of Madeline Joyce, aka the first Miss America. First appearing in Mystic Comics #49 (November 1943), she was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Gabriele. She got the power to fly, as well as superhuman strength and durability thanks to being caught in an electrical accident.

She causes the spies' car to crash into a tree, much to the Whizzer's surprise. The two end up taking a slight dislike to each other, but it's tabled when the car's radio broadcasts Bucky's call for costumed help.

The scene next shifts to the Museum of Natural History in New York City. There, an anthropologist named Elton Morrow is giving a lecture. Thing is, Elton is also a superhero: The Blue Diamond. First appearing in Daring Mystery Comics #7 (April 1941), he was created by Ben Thompson. I'm not sure if he did both writing and art. 

After finding a strange diamond in Antartica and surviving the Germans' destruction of his boat, shards of the diamond got embedded in his body, giving him the power of invulnerability and superhuman strength. A group of Nazi sympathizers attack the lecture, but Elton got his Blue Diamond outfit with him. He suits up and proceeds to take care of the masked men.

The hospital got a new record for patients with broken jaws.

Even though Mr. Morrow is more of a part-time/reluctant crime-fighter, he has no qualms easily breaking a Nazi jaw or two with a diamond-hard punch.

He overhears a car radio broadcasting Bucky's call for help. Sometime later, Bucky has continued broadcasting, to the point where his voice is about to give out. Wait, couldn't they have just recorded Bucky's call and broadcast it repeatedly? I mean, I do get that this story is set in the 1940s. I understand that. Radio technology back then was not as advanced as today, but I still think they could have done that. Either way, the heroes have made their way to NYC, and to the studio.

One of the radio engineers reveals himself to be a Nazi spy. He has a bomb, seeing an opportunity to not only kill a bunch of superheroes, but also help demoralize America presumably. However, his plot was foiled by another hero making himself known.

That Nazi agent would go on to be called "One-Hand". Why is obvious.

Meet Jack Frost, who first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1. Inspired by the folklore embodiment of winter of the same name, this Jack Frost was later established to the be the diminutive (by their standards) child of an Asgardian Frost Giant. However, at the time of his debut and in this comic, his origins were unknown, and Thomas kept it that way. Frost explains that in his Arctic home, he's able to monitor all radio broadcasts, which is how he heard Bucky's call for help. 

Now that this group are together, Bucky gives them their mission: to well, stop the brainwashed Invaders. And with that, the Liberty Legion are born.

This comic was pretty fun to read. The big hook of it is seeing these Golden Age heroes, who by the 1970s had been pretty much (outside of Bucky), be revived and brought together to face a big threat they can't face alone, making them an in-universe predecessor to the Avengers in a way. I can imagine that a young reader in the 1970s would be amazed by these classic heroes being given new life. If I did have to criticize it, I have to say that I didn't really get a bead on the individual members' personalities from this comic. However, it's kind of appropriate here. These are Golden Age characters; characterization was not the biggest deal at the time of their original adventures. I think that if Thomas did manage to get the spin-off book focusing on the Legion, he would have been able to give them more depth. 

Don Heck turns in some fine art for this. It has a slight Golden Age, yet modern (for the 70s) vibe to it, perfect for a story set in WWII.

If you really want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback The Invaders: The Complete Collection Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!