Chronos.

 

I don't know why, but I'll be playing this today.

While it isn't anything unusual for me to head into things blind these days (I am constantly draining my energies elsewhere), and dipping $70 into a game is a far cry from dropping $1 on a film I feel like in this case, it's warranted.

Bloober Team, despite their odd name, and previously so-so forays into horror really found their stride with the Silent Hill 2 remake, and the numerous changes to the gameplay and narrative for the better burned the question into the back of my mind: What if they were still able to produce an original title that ISN'T a remake of something prior?

What would it feel like?

Would it have the atmosphere of Layers of Fear or Blair Witch?

What would it play like?

I wouldn't mind having another capable combat protagonist, even if James was a little overpowered in the SH2 remake..

What would it look like artistically?

Well, apparently the lovechild of Metro, Scorn, and Dead Space.

With a dash of brutalism for good measure.

That's all I know going in.

That's all I've got.

It'll have to be enough for now.

Chronos: The New Dawn today.

twitch.tv/expertpenguin

It's my birth month.

What a monumental occasion. 

Just wanted to put that here. 

Start a trend of sorts.

We'll see what transpires tomorrow.

Public Dominion

Steamboat Willie is in the public domain.

Are you hearing that? It's the sound of Bob Iger screaming. It's the sound of YouTube's Content ID sweating. Moreover, it's the sound of a very particular type of floodgate opening.

As we venture further into the vast expanse of the 21st century, I feel like the term "Public Domain" will be a part of everyone's vocabulary in short order. According to the United States Copyright Office, as soon as an intellectual property expires, anything currently released before January 29th, 1929 enters this fair use space, and it's one that allows for anyone to use that property as they see fit, either for fun, or profit. 

Or both.

Of course, this is nothing new to Disney, a company whose branding is not only iconic at this point, but is also built upon works in the public domain. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Frozen are all stories reinterpreted by the house of mouse in the past. All these stories have been heavily modified from their original writings, with many of the darker themes and somber endings removed and polished for the audience Disney wanted to attract at the time.

That is really what makes this so interesting.

Now that Mickey (to be specific, "Steamboat Willie" Mickey) has been freed from the shackles of his parent company's control, the gloves are essentially off. As Dave Chappelle's Rick James character would posit, the tables have now turned, and executives and artists alike can recoil in horror as every ungodly creation held back by time was finally unleashed upon us at 12:01am, January 1st, 2024.

I'm sure we all remember Winnie the Pooh entering the Public Domain, and how the very first work available was a slasher film, called Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. This movie was not good. Actually, it was pretty terrible. But it represents just what you could possibly expect when a family friendly character gets the green light to be reimagined without fear of an incoming lawsuit.

Enter Infestation 88 (Now Infestation Origins after having been besieged by terminally online people)

A game where you're being stalked by a vividly realized, killer cartoon mouse sporting a 1920's aesthetic.

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This is unfortunately..only the beginning. 

Filler (#1)

There should've been something here. But I lost track of time. 

This is a reminder to do just a bit better next time.

Seven Years.

The last time I attempted this was about seven years ago.

I don't know what shape this will take, if any at all.

I don't know where the winds will blow me this time.

All this uncertainty surrounds me. It's suffocating, it's been all encompassing, and for the first time in a very long time, maybe in about two years I feel like it's still something worth engaging with.

I still feel like it's worth addressing.

Thoughts and ideas first. It's a step. 

Hello.

My name's Lucien.

harder than it looks.