The Goose Egg Today

A blog by Madelyn Oxenreiter

[goose3gg]

Apologies

i love compliments and questions

looking great are the cheap words i’ll nullify the obvious to, just for you, my forever audience

words mean everything to me but they’re too strong, i’m a light drinker

smoking is less lonely alone

just like hugs, or cries

cause one of us won’t need to apologize for taking it too far after

i’m scared of hands, i now would prefer something sharper that doesn’t linger

i wish they’d stop selling wolves wooly coats

[goose3gg]

Pokemon Card Scandal

I am a lifetime lover of Pokémon cards. I grew up playing the trading card game and continue to play it at prereleases or casual tournaments whenever I get the opportunity. I recently came across a Tik Tok video on my own For You Page, made by user @itsallreallyalot discussing the recent ‘scandal’ about secret rare Pokémon cards being taken by factory workers, unbeknownst to the consumer and in fact being resold, allegedly. This of course drew me to do research on the validity of these claims, what the Pokémon company is doing to aid this issue, and what the timeline is. This is the first I’ve personally heard of these thefts, but according to Poke Beach, this has been happening since the pandemic, or quarantine in 2020 to be specific. “Strapped employees would pluck a few cards off the production line and sell them on the black market;” this being what resulted in many unreleased cards leaking onto social media (Master, 2023). However, compared to these petty thefts, the real issue began when an investigation opened in September of 2021 on the biggest Pokémon factory theft ever, which is now being exposed to social media.

Above is the photo which is circulating Twitter from user @sakurascardshop of the accumulated cards. According to Poke Beach, the stolen Fusion Strike cards had been passed along through a few people before someone approached a trading card store in Texas. The store noticed that the seller was offering thousands of the set’s rarest cards, realizing that no ordinary collector would have the capability to gain access to this amount of rare trading cards. The store contacted The Pokémon Company International, which flew an investigator out to collect the cards from the store, as the photograph shows. Pokémon shares it was their “largest return of stolen property to date,” which they concluded their investigation last January indicating the original thief was most likely found (Master, 2023). Through researching this theft, I have learned a lot about how booster packs are created and sorted; and how secret rares are made. Cards are made on one sheet, cut into cards, and stored in boxes which eventually are shipped to another machine to sort the cards into booster packs (Master, 2023).

Although PokeBeach and I are unsure, but I would believe that machines alert workers they’re running low on certain rare cards, meaning that the ratio of how many good cards are distributed to each pack shouldn’t change due to this manufacturing issue. But personally, this rises many questions. Do these machines detect the different texture of rare cards, or could those cards have been replaced by other, regular cards by the people who committed theft? The aspect of Pokémon cards which allows for rare cards to be, rare, is accumulated by the specific numeric distribution of these cards; so, are there now more rare cards due to the lack of them in the production line, due to this fault or are there less, for the same reason? PokeBeach alleged that the thief most likely stole one cardboard “secret rare” box, but is the same card in the one box or is there a variety? TPCi produces billions of cards a year, and this theft happened at one factory; Pokémon Company produces upwards of 27 million cards a day. All of this to say what me and Pokebeach are thinking, “it’s unlikely the theft would have caused issues on a noticeable scale, but we’ll never know for sure.” I am already disappointed that the Pokémon Company never makes statements on issues like this so I’m sure they won’t comment, but it brings to question the faith we as consumers have in pulling that magical card from the booster packs. In fact, I was at a prerelease for the opening of Fusion Strike, and I remember many people being frustrated with the lack of superior card pulls, but of course I’m sure no one person could have possibly taken enough cards to disproportionately ruin the statistics of all Pokémon card packs, everywhere. Reading some of the comments on PokeBeach’s forum, I can see that many consumers have a lot of the same concerns that I do. One user, Yaginku, raises a great point (and puts it into understandable numbers for written word people such as myself): “As for the scale, even if Pokemon prints "27 million cards a day", the pull rate of a Secret Rare is around 1 in 360. If you stole 1000 Secret Rares, you affected 360000 cards. The photo looks like thousands of rares, probably above 10.000. That's minimum 3.6 million cards affected. (Assuming it impacted pull rates).” Many are appalled that Pokemon Company will not make a statement, especially the implications and gambling which occurs with these cards; complaining that if this were a real gambling matter, more than just private investigators would be involved. Below is another photo circulating twitter, I found specifically from user @MeechfromPallet (I was unable to find the original creator). 

Upon my research, I also found another post discussing the quality control issues with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cards, all being bent in a very specific place affecting the artwork. This has brought upon error boxes, meaning the pull rates for these boxes are far higher than a typical box, due to the poor printing I’m assuming. I think it’s clear that the Pokémon Company clearly wants every issue to be a brush under the rug scenario, as this post from Dot ESports indicates that if you chose to contact TPCi about these issues they won’t help you unless you purchased directly from their website. In conclusion, capitalism wins! I’m not completely sure what conclusion to draw, I’m disappointed, I wish that these companies had more compassion for the fans, but I understand the more press you draw to an issue the larger the zit on the face of the company will appear, so to speak. I love Pokémon, and I often wonder what scandal could ever occur to dampen my love for the games, and this disappoints me a little bit. I’m not exactly sure what could’ve been done to prevent this, most fans have concluded the scandal regarding the reseller was probably not a fan of the trading card game because they very unsuccessfully were attempting to resell in bulk; any true fan would have the knowledge necessary to resell thoughtfully… without getting caught. How do we know a fan hasn’t already landed a job at these factories and is successfully reselling these cards without getting caught? We don’t know.

This is definitely unfortunate for Pokemon lovers, but unfortunately, I think this is the reality for many reselling, rare, collectable items. What comes to mind is the recent Taylor Swift concert issue, or even shoe resellers who are competing with pre-programmed bots to buy the shoes they’d like to get their hands on at the point of sale. Is this the new reality we’re living in to obtain collectible items, and will there ever be a pure collectable space? What can companies do to ensure their collectors are protected, or do they even care? I’d love to hear what your thoughts are, and hope that Pokemon becomes increasingly unpopular so I can enjoy it like I used to without all of the extraneous issues. I actually play the Trading Card Game, which seems to be buried underneath the surface of all of these reselling issues… if anyone wants to battle, let me know. 

Reference Links: - https://www.pokebeach.com/2023/04/biggest-ever-pokemon-factory-theft-comes-to-light-but-probably-didnt-impact-fans - https://dotesports.com/pokemon/news/pokemon-scarlet-and-violets-tcg-debut-has-a-major-quality-control-issue 

[goose3gg]

Veronica Mars: A blog as I watch the film post seasons 1-3 *Spoilers*

No way veronica is with Piz is the first thing I have to say. It is majorly alluding to never escaped a small town, but the intro was incredibly endearing. Veronica and her dad’s relationship has always been my favorite in the show. The reunion is very adorable and raw, awkward, and clunky just like real life. Being in my early I current live in rabid fear of my ten-year high school reunion, but this movie captures the habits you fall into when you reunite with old friends. The movie knows what its viewers are expecting, and even throw in a few extra stars amongst the fully returned cast, including Mac, Dick, and Wallace. I love that the film is reflecting on the youthful days of high school with love and longing, but not returning to them. Choosing a more mature color palette and camera angles is doing everything it hoped for it, and it looks great on Kristen Bell and how she’s perfectly stepping back into the role. Still, I was hoping that Logan would have grown up and stopped messing around, yet it makes perfect sense he was always still just holding himself together, after everything he’s been through. It is odd to me that Mac took a job at Kane software, but only being in the exposition I’m assuming it’ll be a key element to proving Logan’s innocence. Veronica just slipped on her leather jacket and has declared this her “farewell tour.” It is classic Veronica to end up in her suspects apartment under false pretenses, and to eventually get arrested… and bailed out by an old ‘friend’ who wants to blackmail her. Logan and Veronica’s chemistry is palpable even after all these years, and Logan’s sarcasm [and Veronica’s] has grown charming with age. Wow… I can’t believe Madison is here… my least favorite character. I love the interesting awkward interaction with Gia, and adorable one with Weevil. I adore Weevil’s growth and excitement to show off his new life to Veronica. I am surprised that Veronica’s sex tape continues to be used against her and brought up time and time again, as that literally is revenge porn, yet not surprising Madison is using it against her. This ending in a fight I saw, but not Veronica punching Madison in the face. It is satisfying seeing the growth in the gathering of evidence, especially because rather than gossip it’s translated to reflecting on memories. The film truly sat down and thought “where would these characters be in ten years.” I am insanely shocked Weevil got shot by Celeste Kane scared, in her broken down car. I love the choice to make this film as the consistent storylines that stack is crucial to the Veronica Mars feel, especially the original first season, as the overlapping storylines make the mystery solving satisfying. The fun cameos keep returning! I am endeared that Max Greenfield returned for this film! He is adoring, and the call backs to the TV show are short and sweet. Unfortunately, I do think the show had to choose to write off the original Sheriff Lamb for allegedly ‘ego’ reasons, I wish they had him around for this movie, because the call backs don’t work as well with a new sheriff who hates the Mars for no reason. I continue to be shocked by the cameos in this movie, or not so cameo by James Franco and Sue Heck, or Eden Rebecca Sher. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many original cast members return to a movie before since the High School Musical movie series, including Vinny. Veronica ditching Piz’s family, to me, is exactly why they shouldn’t have been together for this long, but I suppose as Veronica missed her job opportunity the point is that she’s over dedicated to this case. I don’t know if she’s truly overcommitted to this case, or if she just wants justice. I’m unshocked that the plot is surfacing to be a corrupt cop plotline, but shocked that Mr. Mars and the uncorrupt cop were in a continuous hit and run! This movie keeps me guessing. Part of me feels like it’s the big bubble of Neptune that was waiting to burst or could be the CW’s effect on drama shows. Logan never stops being adorably caring exactly when he needs to be, but I am tired of them reuniting with a passionate kiss… although classic and would have preferred Artic Monkeys instead of the Hozier-esque music they chose, and since when is the movie more PG than the show?! The relationships are always so obviously painted in front of us, Cobb and Gia I saw coming from a mile away. I also can’t believe that [Congressmen Boyfriend] is now listening to Veronica and Gia’s conversation… this could go in all directions. I am ultimately disappointed the ‘friend died at a bad party situation’ of the high school reunion but appreciate the blackmail storyline… cannot believe Gia got shot!! [Currently terrified while Cobb...? searches for Veronica] Ending on the news stories and Veronica asleep at her dad’s bedside, and of course on how days separated between Veronica and Logan don’t mater. “Come back to me” Veronica says. “Always” Logan replies. Absolutely adorable. Although I don’t necessarily agree that Veronica Mars returning to Neptune to solve crimes is her getting back to the ring that she always needed to be in, but I understand this all was a big promotion for the return of the television show, the fourth season that is. I am dying to read the Veronica Mars novels; I enjoyed the pacing and quick wit/self-awareness the show plays into. I originally started the show because I saw some clips on Tik Tok, and noticed how many rising stars were in the original cut of the show. Now to begrudgingly watch the fourth season, although I haven’t heard amazing things. Thank you, Veronica Mars, for all you’ve granted me and I look forward to the rewatch.

[goose3gg]

Marie Antoinette (2006) and being a woman, femininity, and adulthood.

This 2006 film written and directed by Sofia Coppola captures the eerie feeling which Marie Antoinette experienced while transitioning from the daughter of the Habsburg Empire to the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution. This film is a great representation of the female experience historically, and I want to discuss the ways the film explores womanhood, and what responsibility women carry behind the scenes. Not only this, but it captures the true irony of a woman’s power; that we apparently are feeble enough to handle ridiculous things, such as aesthetics, poise, dressing, and drama or pleasantries, yet are held responsible for vital elements of community, such as birth, consummation, and graces.

Upon the opening of the film, we see Marie Antoinette, on her way to be given over as a peace offering to France from Austria, a girl that couldn’t be older than 14. She is riding with her dog, her friends, in her carriage until the border of Austria and France approached. In this carriage ride, we see her passing the time, being a child: playing card games, blowing fog onto the window, sleeping, relaxing, etc. To me this represents her childhood, coming to meet its death, not only the death of being considered a kid, but also the privilege of not being sexualized as one, which being a woman you aren’t always given that. She has not met her suitor, she leaves behind her dog, her friends, her family, and everything for people who upon first arrival have no cares for her aside from what she can give them: quintessential womanhood. One of the women waiting sneers “she looks like a child,” however the grandfather of the king to be, the King reminds the men to always “check her bosom first.” This paradoxical child-ification whilst sexualization is what being a teenage woman is; to every woman you are annoying, green, childlike, stocky, as you are the potential, they once had however to men you are unprinted on, your flower remains, unknowing, fertile, youthful, and virgin-like [absolutely disgusting and very representative of the times but grows truer with reflection].

The ritual of waking up, whereas Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is awoken with her court completely dressed, with her being in her nightgown, I see as a clear representation of the nakedness which adult womanhood carries. A step further I could see how even fame could be represented through this scene, how the court is arguing over whose responsibility, or honor it is to dress her in her clothes. Eventually Antoinette says, “this is ridiculous,” being awoken by a room of people and needing to be naked in front of them, first thing, the reply she is given is “Madame, this is Versailles.” From this scene, we see a pair of women who are in Antoinette’s court, who give her advice, direction, and aide her. Yet a scene later, we see them privately discussing how they believe she’s an Austrian spy and don’t trust anything she says. We are constantly reminded of Antoinette’s isolation and how simultaneously she is smothered with the material things surrounding her. From this, we see the issue with the non-consummated marriage arising, hearing many are gossiping in the hallways of Versailles in front of Antoinette which results in her shutting herself into a room crying. This non-consummated marriage also results in a letter from her mother, reminding her if there isn’t a baby soon, she will be at fault for not being “willing and sweet” enough. The movie’s central focus on Marie represents the way the matriarch of families carries the responsibility of holding the family together. Antoinette is not her husband, making important financial decisions on who the country supports, how they are represented, yet she is held nearly more accountable than he is. By the final act of the movie, we see how the revolution has turned over, and their once frivolous life is now faced with the chaos residing outdoors, being the angry French citizens. Until this moment, we don’t truly grasp how the revolution will affect this couple, although we know it to be inevitable, as that from their perspective it wasn’t of dire response. As watchers of the movie, we have seen Marie only just fall into comfortability with this kingdom, creating a garden, a family, parties, and fun, now suddenly faced with more responsibility on top of all she has been handed to deal with. We long as viewers for Antoinette to get a break, to have a breath but the reality is, in womanhood there is no relief. Antoinette, although incredibly proud of what she has built will die with none of it, a youthful death of 37, and never will see her daughter older than the age of 14, same as her mother who passed shortly before the revolution. Truly, women are stretched thin in this movie, yet we see every woman of lesser fame or magnitude than Antoinette receive that relief, as that less eyes are on them. It reminds me of the unfortunate trend in rape culture where woman won’t help another woman because she should’ve known better, etc. I think this movie represents how women are told we should have been wiser, better, even if we had no way of knowing what we did was incorrect. People wonder why women tend to be perfectionists and my answer is I wish you’d stop expecting perfection from us. The movie ends with a haunting final scene with birds singing, the view of the bed the royal couple once laid in surrounded by chaos and shattered glass. This bed was where Antoinette existed, resting, birthing, dressing, for her entire life, thinking she was waiting for the good part but alas it had already passed – that is womanhood.

[goose3gg]

Why can’t I commit [to a new Nintendo Switch Game]?

Recently, I’ve been on a mission: find a new Nintendo Switch game to distract myself from the games I’m avoiding playing [Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley,  both come to mind] and I’ll tell you exactly why I’m avoiding those games. In my opinion, it’s a huge challenge trying to find 

As a female gamer, sometimes it’s challenging digging through the buzzwords of the gaming community. I hear one end of the spectrum is “Cozy Games” and on the other side is... Rogue-Likes? First person Shooters? Street Fighters? Puzzle Games? Why is the only descriptor I can find of cutesy, organization, relaxing games default to this weird code word of “cozy?” Trying to find games that I’ll like based on this weird criteria, where unless the game is overtly cutesy on the outside, a single creator must deem this type of game “cozy” for it to be labeled as such. I’d love to get into a feminist, gendered debate but the subject at hand is still myself, attempting to find a Switch game I’d enjoy, digging through countless reviews of different types of games.

Why can’t I play Animal Crossing? Although I did purchase the Animal Crossing themed switch, I am not a historical Animal Crossing player. I actually grew up playing Pokemon, the card game and the DS/Gameboy games. I will admit, I am currently avoiding my current Pokemon Diamond Victory Road victory, I know I need to make my team stronger but alas I just don’t feel the commitment for it at the moment. Many game reviewers discuss how they believe that this current edition of Animal Crossing is the weakest, the least structured, and laziest, is the term most often used. I don’t hear many positive reviews of this game, due to its lack of consistent updates, and in my opinion, lore and add ons. Nintendo didn’t put much effort into the downloadable content of Happy Home Paradise, and in my own experience, I didn’t have fun in the game until I used the only two available cheats that Nintendo has somehow allowed to slip by, being; the ability to use other people’s designs for pathways, buildable objects, etc, and treasure islands. Both reminded me of the Sims cheats I used to use, bb.infinitemoney, etc, to allow for things that crutched the game, or allowed more of a freeplay version. I quickly acquired every item I could ever want, and after furnishing my house, I got bored pretty quickly. Because everyday is time synced in Animal Crossing, meaning that everyday you log on, whatever time of day it is, it’ll be the same in the game. I know a lot of people that time jump, meaning they change the time and date on their Switch to unlock things in Animal Crossing, I personally thought this was a little excessive, but to each their own. I just didn’t find the villagers interesting enough to keep me coming back, to be honest I never understood how turnips worked, and I just wasn’t convinced to keep playing the game. The last time I played Animal Crossing was about 3 hair colors ago, if that gives you an idea. 

Why can’t I play Stardew Valley? Stardew Valley has lower stakes than Animal Crossing, and is definitely easy to get back into. Again, I didn’t grow up on years of Stardew Valley, so I know very little about the lore and the long term actuality of the game. I enjoy going into cult classic games like these two cold, so I can be surprised and enjoy the game to its fullest. I also find it a big challenge, however I know if I look too hard into gameplay advice I’ll get stuck on how to perfectly play the game which is simply impossible. Stardew’s days are much shorter than Animal Crossing, and the game is also a fraction of the price. In my experience, playing Stardew can feel slightly rushed, and challenging to get everything done right. Right now I’m entering Spring of my 3rd year and I am not very proud of my farm or my organization in game. When I see how well organized streamers are I definitely feel as though I’m playing the game incorrectly. It’s an enjoyable game but because I haven’t researched the lore sometimes I feel like I’m missing the bigger direction or meaning in the game. Because Stardew takes itself a little less seriously than Animal Crossing, I find myself more easily coming back to a less intimidating game. 

Finally, what games am I considering to avoid these Cozy Gaming classics? To give you a more rounded idea of the games on my Switch, here’s some games I’ve bought/downloaded.

I just finished Coffee Talk and Cozy Grove, working on The Lego Harry Potter Collection, I couldn’t get stuck on Garden Story, Life is Strange: True Colors [I might’ve watched too many streams of this one.. I don’t wanna larp. I’m sorry], CatTails, AER, The Last Campfire, Danganronpa/Doki Doki Literature Club [I just haven’t gotten around to it], Scott Pilgrim is just a tad too challenging for me alone, I’m working on it as well. I’m so tired of reading these same titles over and over again, and I refuse to download the organization games just because they’re so short. I was interested in Inscryption, so I started watching some streams of it to see if I’d like it and I’m still unsure. If anyone has any recommendations, I’d love to hear some but I don’t know if the problem is just me. I enjoy these games, I just would love something fresh and not a super huge commitment. I’ve been watching some Breath of the Wild streams which inticed me, but I’m also not a Legend of Zelda person. Maybe I need to branch out, maybe I need a kind stranger on the internet to recommend the perfect game for me. 

[goose3gg]

How to find Holiday Specials you’re searching for.

In the 21st century, sometimes it can be challenging to find that exact holiday film you’re on the search for, with streaming services being so confusing. This instruction guide will help you troubleshoot and search for your favorites. 

Step one: please assess the type of television you have, and where you typically view your programs. Typically people have either a SmartTV, with a Roku, Amazon, etc home base which you shoot off from, or you still have Cable TV, which usually means you have another place where you stream movies such as Netflix, Hulu, and so on. Once you have assessed whether you’re beginning your search on your SmartTV or on your Cable provider, you’re ready to move onto the next step.

Step two: find the search feature. You are looking to search the entire interface, so on your SmartTV, this would typically be from the home page. You are going to theoretically be able to search every single application available on that device, and see if it’s free for you to watch (meaning the results will say Netflix: Free with Subscription, Paramount: Free with Subscription, Freeform: Rent for $0.99; it is free to you if you are subscribed to the correct providers, and if you’re not you have the option of renting it.) On cable TV, the interface is similar and you’re hopefully cross referencing streaming platforms, but not possibly all the available ones on your Roku box or Firestick. 

Step three: if there is any place that you haven’t searched and successfully found your movie of choice, search there. I suggest YouTube for the older classics, but if you can’t find the movie you’re looking for Google is always a good tool to use and find out where something may be streaming. Sometimes this is why a VPN is useful, to search for whatever you want amongst many countries and see all the options available. 

[goose3gg]

What new animated Christmas specials are missing, and the nostalgia factor of the classics.

After a night spent watching Claymation and animated Christmas specials with my family, I couldn’t help but reflect on why we return to the same novelty films every turn of December. Tonight, we chose to watch “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which are two must-watches on our list. When approaching an animated attempt at creating a classic, I think a certain novelty effect that older films have on us is imperfection. When using modes of creating like Claymation or sketching each frame in an animation, certain elements such as a snowing overlay or repetitive background choices are simplified. This adds a childlike element to the creation, adjacent to bedtime stories fading in and out of clarity while listening. This adds a sparkle of humanity, which with the uncanny valley and 3D aspect to new animations lack when trying to redo classic films with character. The uncanny valley truly takes away from the enjoyment of watching the film, which I think the industry thought they could get away with due to the terrible animation from 2000-2010. I didn’t forget about the remake of Peter Cottontail. I think in movies like “Toy Story,” the uncanny valley added to the experience and added to the toy experience, or the uncomfortable and weird line between toys being alive; overall this style was unsuccessful in all the holiday categories, but especially with Christmas. Even the transition from the old “Rudolph” to the new sequels is extremely sloppy and lazy, which feels ridiculous knowing how much work used to go into this type of design. Kids are smart and love to ask questions, and even more so love explanations which is why I think the movie “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is so wonderfully and thoughtfully done. It bases the plot around common questions kids would have surrounding Santa and confidently gives a backstory while calling back to those questions throughout it. These classics acknowledge the intelligence of their audience and know that not only children will be watching them. In today’s animations made for the holidays, they’ve inherited almost the Dora style of framing the story, which is asking their audience questions to ensure they’re still listening, which no adult or anyone over the age of ten is interested in involving themselves in. I was reminded how much I enjoyed the individual characterization of each person in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” In today’s cartoons, I see too often when scrambling for diversity and marketability, characters have snowballed into these weird advocates for their culture, favorite fruit, color, etc. I really miss when characters could be layered or extremely simple which I think a lot of people search for in classics they go back to every year. Contrasting this, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” simply focuses on how people want to be good people or to be bad people, or people who don’t realize they’re being treated poorly. I think this is also a great take for morality and children, as in this film a ‘bad guy' turns into a ‘good guy’ by the end, to show it’s simply a choice that some people make, and some people don’t. I think this perspective is good, especially in hindsight with how anti-semitic many original villains in classic cartoons are, but also not to make the plot so easily predictable in these stories. I think other Claymations have similar elements which also make them enjoyable as a classic, like “A Year Without a Santa Claus,” and “Rudolph.” When watching Christmas specials with your family this year, I encourage you to reflect on what you think makes these classics, classics. I remember waiting for the specific day in the viewing schedule for certain favorites amongst my family, in the pre-streaming days. I still love returning to these classics and thinking about how we can create even better classics in the future.