Pumpkin Wars

Hi everyone!

I really wanted to carve my own pumpkin this year, but they are so expensive... My boyfriend and I have decided that we are definitely going to do one next year. But, since I won't have my own pumpkin this year, I've decided to settle with admiring other people's pumpkins. I found these wonderful Star Wars themed pumpkins online, don't you love them? I do! 

Happy halloween

✎ Jade

Have a Horrible Halloween!

AAAAAARGH WE'RE BEING KILLED!

Just kidding! Happy Halloween everyone!

We made this song for Halloween two years ago. You know the Where's Wally books right? Well, the thing is, he always looks so happy and carefree. But there is this one picture where he is in a creepy vampire world. We were wondering what it must be like for him to be on that page, and that's basically what the song is about! We hope you enjoy it, and that you have a horrible, sleepless night! Yay!

Tall and tiny

Knights of the Old Republic

Hi everyone!

Today I'm reviewing Knights of the Old Republic. It’s a Star Wars game. Now, I don’t know how you feel about Star Wars. Some people (like me) are obsessed with it, when others think it’s stupid and/or boring as hell. Star Wars aside, you don’t HAVE to love Star Wars in order to love this game. So even if you’re not a fan, keep reading!

Okay, like many games, it takes a while before you really get into it. But once you do, it’s awesome! You start out on a crashing spaceship and you have to escape. This is basically a very long tutorial. Most stupid part of this tutorial is you DON’T have a lightsaber yet. You’re not even a jedi yet. So that’s a bit of a disappointment. Nevertheless, keep reading!

Once you get past this part it just gets better and better. Lightsabers in all kinds of colors, many different planets to explore, so many NPC’s to get to know and ofcourse, your quest! The fighting in the game is turn-based. At first I thought I wouldn’t like it (because I prefer hack ‘n slash games) but it’s really nice. And if you don’t like it, you can actually just unpause the game and hack ‘n slash anyway. A little harder, but it works just fine.

What do I like most about this game (apart from pink lightsabers)? I think the NPC’s and the story. You really get into this game. You can choose how you let your character develop. Will you be a light side jedi? Or will you join the dark side's sith? You also have followers with you who have their own story and who you can have quite the conversation with. Also, you can personalize everyone by letting them level up and choose upgrades, powers, attributes and skills for them. Last but not least: you can play as a male or a female character, which I really appreciate. Seriously, it's ridiculous how many games don't give you that option. 

Ofcourse, this game is a little out-dated, so don’t expect Assassin’s Creed-like graphics. But still, it’s really not bad! And ofcourse, if you ARE a Star Wars fan, this game is a must-play!

Below a couple more pictures, to show you guys what the game looks like, as well as a gameplay tutorial I found on youtube (in which the player really uses the turn-based system, but like I said, you don’t have to play it that way!). Enjoy, and may the force be with you!

Jedi Jade

Giggle time: Chaplin and Keaton

Hi guys and girls!

Did you enjoy the post I wrote about the first narrative films? I have another post about film for you! This time I'm sharing some of the best classic humor with you. Yes, I mean Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton!

Here is a scene from Modern Times (1936) in which Chaplin shows off his roller skating skills, amazing!

And here is a scene from Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) where Buster Keaton proves that he has a lot of guts! See, the house that falls down on top of him is made of actual wood. It was measured so that it would land with the window safely around him, but still, kind of dangerous don't you think? Also, I think it's hilarious when he's in the mud and can't go forward anymore. We had to watch this scene in film history class and it was so silent there! I had a really hard time containing my laughter! Enjoy!

✎ Jade

You can do it!

Hey you! Do you think that when a man and a woman do the exact same job, they should get the same wage? Do sexist remarks upset or annoy you? And do you think sexism affects men as well? 

Guess what, you're a feminist! No, don't be offended, be proud! Feminism has gotten such a bad name nowadays. So many people believe that gender equality is already achieved (though many things prove it hasn't) and feel like feminists are just people who like to complain a lot, and make women seem like victims when they aren't. People are actually embarrassed to call themselves feminist. It might make others think they are lesbian, man-hating, hairy angry bitches. Mind you, some might be lesbian or hairy and that's okay too, but it's not the definition of a feminist. A feminist is someone who stands up for gender equality. Are feminists angry bitches? Not necessarily, but even if some are, would that be so difficult to understand? See, the thing is that throughout history and up until today, there is a lot to be angry about. 

If you are interested in feminism and live in Leuven, you should definitely join The KU Leuven Feminist Society! We get together every week to discuss a wide variety of topics and will try to make a change together, starting with Leuven! Don't be shy, everyone is welcome. Even if you're not sure whether you actually are a feminist, you can also just come over and listen to what people have to say. A lot of great ideas are shared, and it's really interesting to hear everyone's opinion! 

If you are interested in learning a little bit about feminist history, here's a great crash course for you:

Also, to Chloë, Nelle and Lai-Yan, here's a little thank you for being so social and posting comments!

Big sis, I give you this awesome picture of the Power Rangers, and this link where you can find out where the original actors are now! The yellow ranger actually died, that made me so sad!! 

And for Nelle I have this cute piece of Princess Bride art, since I found out you like it!

Lai-Yan, I couldn't help myself (it's SO cute), this very happy bunny is for you:

✎ Jade

Disney Characters on Instagram

Hi!

I read this wonderful article on Hello giggles that I wanted to share with you! This is what artist Simona Bonafini thinks Disney characters would be like if they were on Instagram, taking selfies. I love this kind of concept. I'll be sharing some more Disney parodies soon! 

✎ Jade

Star Wars Painting Parodies

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

There were Star Wars painting parodies! I love these. The attention to detail is quite good in most of these! I hope you like them too. =)

MTFBWY!

✎ Jade

Are we finally getting real hoverboards?

Yes! The answer is yes!

It's still a work in progress and it's far from perfect, but these are some major steps toward having actual hoverboards! Can you image everyone hovering around? And this technology is not just for skateboards, maybe it could eventually be used for cars etc. Imagine how much smoother it would be to drive! I love this kind of futuristic stuff.. Well, exactly one year from today, it will be the day Marty Mcfly arrives in the future so let's make sure these hoverboards exist by then! Here is a link to the kickstarter project! 

✎ Jade

More F.A.C.T.S. Pictures

Hi!

I didn't get to take a lot of pictures myself when I was at F.A.C.T.S. because a) I have a crappy camera, and b) I was too busy having a good time I guess! The good thing is that a lot of people have been sharing their pictures on facebook and instagram! Thanks to them, I can share some more great cosplayers' costumes below! Enjoy!

✎ Jade

F.A.C.T.S. 2013

Hi!

I'm still enjoying the aftermath of F.A.C.T.S. 2014. It's lovely how everyone keeps posting pictures and video's to their facebook and stuff. It's really a community! Anyway, I thought I'd share some pictures of me @F.A.C.T.S. last year. I wasn't really cosplaying, but I was wearing my R2D2 skirt and had tried to match the rest of my outfit to it. The wonderful thing about this was, that all the R2 units from the R2D2 Builders kept following me around and I loved getting the attention from the R2's, because they are my favourite part of the whole convention! 

✎ Jade

The commencement of comments

Okay guys, not cool! We can see a lot of people actually read our 'please comment below' post, yet only three people commented. Really? Well, it's okay, maybe you'll comment some other time. =) But, as promised, here is a little treat for those who did post a comment! If you feel incredibly envious of them, you know what to do, and we'll mention you too! (What a beautiful rhyme!)

For Derian we have this adorable dog 'fighting' a kitty :

For Katrien we have this beautiful poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one) : 

And for Nele we have this rainbow kitty : 

Thank you for your comments! xx TNT

Gooorillaaaaz

Hi! Happy hi!

As a die-hard fan of Gorillaz (coincidentally, I watched Die Hard for the first time yesterday, and I really liked it!) I google them every now and then to find out whether there is anything to be found about a possible new album. So far it's been little hints or name drops here and there, but never anything serious. Until now! If you google Gorillaz now, I think this is what you'll see:

Yes, yes, yes! 

I sincerely believe the next couple of years are going to be great. We will have a several years filled with new Star Wars films, from 2016 until 2020 we'll be enjoying new Harry Potter films, and now there's going to be a new Gorillaz album too??

Life is good.

✎ Jade

Mashed up movies

Hi!

I'd like to show you guys how much montage and music can do to a film. These are two fan made trailers of existing films, mashed up into an entirely different style. The first one is Harry Potter done in the style of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and the second one is Star Wars as if it were a Tarantino movie. See how the movie totally changes? Montage rocks.

✎ Jade

F.A.C.T.S.

Hi!

I went to F.A.C.T.S. today and it was great! I know a lot of people compare it to other years, but I personally didn't experience this year differently than last year. It's the same thing: a lot of stalls selling great merchandise, a lot of cool stands where you can stand in awe of things like a huge Jabba the Hutt, a lot of R2 units, a big bantha, a creepy Walking Dead door with zombies coming through etc. I think one of the best things of F.A.C.T.S. is watching other people's cosplay outfits and just the main vibe in there. You know that everyone there enjoys the same kind of things as you do, which creates this wonderful atmosphere. I was also really happy that a lot of people recognised me as Leeloo. I constantly heard people saying "Multipass" around me and people asked to take my picture. I always felt like The Fifth Element was mostly known in the US, but apparently quite some Belgians know about it too! I also really love the weird situations you get, like having Daenerys asking Leeloo to take a photo with her, awesome! ***SPOILER ALERT*** She was with a guy dressed as Khal Drogo, and another guy dressed as Viserys who had molten gold over his head haha! I also caught a glimpse of Carrie Fisher (!!) who was wearing a really cool bonnet with subtle glitters on it, which was adorable. I didn't get her autograph because that's just too expensive, but still, it's really cool that I got to see her! Last year C3PO, now Leia, next year Han? I swear, if he comes next year, I'm definitely getting my picture taken with him! I also saw Carice van Houten who plays Melisandre in Game of Thrones and she looks so much younger and prettier in real life! Adam Brown, who plays Ori in The Hobbit was also there, and I saw the main actor of Spartacus, who actually looks super nice! All in all, it's been a great day. And so educational, because I even got to meet Charlie Chaplin! Also, check out the adorable kid in the last picture... 

Last but not least, thanks Elvi for helping out with the costume! We had to leave some of the details out due to a very small budget, but I think we did a really good job, since everyone recognised me! I don't care if people buy their costumes from a store or cut them out of cardboard, it's just fun to have so many people dress up together! 

✎ Jade

Message of utmost importance

Hi!

Just a quick post to remind everyone who is reading this on their e-mail, please go to the actual blog @ http://tntexploringtheworld.blogspot.be and check out our beautiful new banner! Jade's dad made it. See, he drew comic books back in the day! Cool, right?  

Also, we'd like to ask you cutie pies to crawl out of your cozy shells and leave a comment every now and then. Our statistics show that a lot of people are reading our blog every day, but we never get any comments here. Also, we can see how many people we've reached on Facebook and only 5 or so actually like our posts. So let's be social (it is social media after all) and leave a comment every now and then! Or if you don't like social media, pop by for a cup of tea sometime and tell us how amazing you think our blog is in person. Also, no mom it's not embarrassing if you leave a comment, we do appreciate it! 

You do now! Just sign up here or sign in below in the comments section (which you'll be able to see if you click a specific post). If you have a youtube account or use the hangouts app, you already have a google account and you can just sign in below!

Some inspiration for people who don't know what to write:
- Your blog is really good
- I like the banner
- How interesting!
- You have nice hair
- I like pretty colours
- ...

Yay for the banner! Huzaah for the comments! Everyone who gets a comment below will be mentioned in our next post (oh the honor)! 

Love,

The tall one and the tiny person

The First Narrative films

Hi!

Today I'm sharing one of the first narrative films ever made: La fée aux choux (ca. 1896), by female director Alice Guy Blanché! Don't you love it? It is based upon the idea that boys come from cabbages and girls are born from roses. Haha, I love it!

Also, have you ever seen Le voyage dans la lune (1902) by the famous Georges Méliès? It's really wonderful! You can watch it here on youtube:

My favourite part is when they meet the alien near the huge (moving!) mushroom. Keep in mind, these were astounding special effects back then. Also, each and every frame was coloured in by hand! Isn't that amazing? 

I find these all so inspiring! Méliès' movies actually remind me of of Wes Anderson's work a little bit. The colours, the strange sets... I hope you enjoy them too!

✎ Jade

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Hi!

I'm really looking forward to the new Dragon Age game! You will still be able to play as a male or female (yay!) human, dwarf or elf. There will also be a co-op mode, which will be quite different from the single player mode. I'm curious, hopefully it'll be good because I love video gaming with my boyfriend! You can read more about it on IGN where you can also watch a great gameplay trailer. Enjoy the trailer below, and let's count down to november 18th together!

✎ Jade

As You Wish

Yaay!

My book arrived! I haven't decided whether I'm going to read it right away, or save it for when I go on a holiday. I really feel like this would be a very nice book to read when away. Thank you sis! xx

✎ Jade

The Bechdel Test

H guys and girls!

Some of you might already know this but I'm quite the feminist. I bet a lot of you just started liking me a whole lot less. Just to be clear: I'm not a man-hating, extremist, I-never-wash-my-hair angry woman, mad with hysteria. I'm just very aware of the fact that there is still a long way to go if we wan't to achieve gender equality. By that I don't mean that men and women should be exactly the same, because they aren't, but that they should have the same rights and opportunities. Many people think this has already been achieved, but once you start reading up on the subject, you'll quickly realise this isn't the fact. I also think we should change the name of Feminism because it sounds like it is only about fighting for women's rights, when really, this is a problem for men too. Would you be comfortable if your son was to play with barbies or if he starts wearing skirts? My point exactly. Boys aren't free either.

What I wanted to share with you today is a really interesting test called The Bechdel Test. It's a test that you can apply on any movie you watch. Here is the test:

1. Are there at least two female characters in it who have their own names?

2. Do these two female characters have a dialog together?

3. Is this dialog about something else than men or romance? 

Sounds easy enough. NOT! Almost all of my favourite movies fail this test! It is indeed often so that male characters have their friends. For instance, in one of my favourites, The Princess Bride, Westley has Inigo Montoya and Fezzik. The prince has the count. But who does Buttercup talk to, except for the birds and her sweet darling Westley? I was reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf a couple weeks back, and there is a part where she talks about this (the (in)famous Chloe liked Olivia). She explains how it is often threatening to a lot of men when two women have an intimate conversation about something intellectual. I thought this was very interesting when linking it to The Bechdel Test. 

A clear example of a huge fail here is Twilight, obviously, where Bella just cannot exist without Edward, and where literally almost every sentence she says is about him. An example of a movie that did pass the test is The Hunger Games. So, go katniss!

Just so we're clear: I don't think that movies that fail this test are per se female unfriendly and you should throw them in the bin. I still love The Princess Bride! But it's interesting to think about, and to keep in mind when you watch another movie. =)

✎ Jade

Tiny Death Star

In a galaxy far far away... (okay, click the big blue play button now)

...

I love this game. It's just so insanely cute, isn't it? I love the pixellated design, the little jokes, the music (!) and basically everything else about this game. A lot of people complain and say it's not possible to play it decently unless you pay up, but I don't agree with that. I play for free, and if you cash in the money from your stores every night before you go to bed, you can earn a reasonable amount of coins in no time. I really love playing it, mostly because it's so darn adorable. Unfortunately my phone is having a hard time playing it, and because it takes up so much space on the little machine I actually had to call the firemen the other night and couldn't because my phone was stuck trying to shut down Tiny Death Star. So long story short, I should really transfer all of my pictures and videos to my computer and delete all other games from my phone.. But that's worth it!

Anyway, I'd like to introduce you guys to my favourite Death Star residents!

This is one of my favourites because three things: his name, his outfit and his moustache. First of all: Darklighter? That's a really good name. And let's face it, he looks like some kind of very cool hippie-space-jesus.

Don't you just love this little guy? He is so darn adorable!! And I think Beed Nu is a really good Ewok name.

This guy is my no. 1 favourite! I don't know why but he just is. As you can see on the top right, he's not a very skilled guy so having him around is actually bad for my game, but I could never kick him off my death star. I love Mister Bibble.

I love this woman! She's like a sassy old space pirate. And anyone named Fisto is welcome on my Death Star.

Haha this is a good one. She looks all creepy and manly, but really, Celeste? That's such an elegant Disney princess name if you ask me. So I always imagine that underneath the suit she's this really pretty girl with long blonde hair.

And this is miss Jettster! I like her name, because it sounds like she's such a jet setter. Also, the combination of the Han Solo outfit and the Princess Leia hair? Nice!

So these are my favourites! I think I might write a story about them someday. I'd love to see your residents, let me know! =)

✎ Jade