If You Can Find Them, Maybe You Can Hire the C-Team

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I think at this point I am writing these posts more for myself than anyone else. They seem to be a nice way for me as the GM to determine what happens slightly off-screen. Usually they are recaps of certain parts of the game with a few little additions for me (and for any clever players who read this). But this is the first time that the material in one of the posts happens entirely off-screen from where the party was. They mostly don’t know any of this sequence. I think it is a nice little change of pace and a good supplement to Narutaki’s post.

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Otaku NYC: MUJI

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narutaki MUJI is a big Japanese chain. Their NYC sites are kind of eclectic mini-department stores. I often go there for stationary, pens, and other little items, it is a challenge to walk by and not pick up something. But they have a wider range of goods, everything from clothing to dishes to shelving.

The look and feel of their products is simple and natural with designs that are chic and modern using woods and glass. They favor neutral tones like browns and creams with a blue to be found now and again in the color palettes. The stores themselves are airy and light with high ceilings and lots of natural light, like a place you can really breath in.

There are three MUJI stores in Manhattan and even a mini-store at the JFK airport. Unsurprisingly, the biggest and snazziest venue is in the Time Square area. I prefer the SOHO one close to Chinatown naturally, as few New Yorkers would ever prefer anything near Time Square when another branch is available.

NYICFF 2013: Zarafa

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narutaki I found myself listening to more than a little French throughout the festival this year. And all of the French animated features this year were award-nominees at The Cesars which is pretty much France’s Oscars.

Zarafa is a continent-spanning adventure in which a young boy, Maki, escapes from slave traders which leads him to a herd of giraffes and Mahmoud who is tasked with bringing back a giraffe to the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt. The Viceroy sends Mahmoud to France with the beautiful creature as a royal offering to King Charles X. Along the way they are helped by a balloonist and pirates, pick up some friends, traverse exciting and dangerous ground, and eventually reach the city of Paris all while being pursued by the slave trader with a grudge.

Zarafa (the giraffe) is based on the real story of France’s first giraffe which was a sensation that even influenced fashion.

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