u/Kaidhicksii

It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I had seen a brief part of it on TV many years ago >!- when Superman reversed time to bring Lois back to life in the climax - !<but I had never seen the full thing.

I was wholly unprepared for how emotionally investing the entire movie was from start to end. But then again, I guess they just don't make movies like that anymore. I saw the 2025 film by James Gunn, and I loved that as well. Great fun. But after this, this is truly the Superman film of all time. And Christopher Reeve is him. :)

[REPOST] After many months of refining the exterior design and spending the last few nights agonizing over the funnel placement, machinery, and propulsion, I think I've finally got it.

Biggest decision by far is still deciding whether or not to do away with the paired funnels (i.e. Rotterdam; Canberra) in exchange for the more traditional two-stacker look, after initially doing so in this sketch just to see what it'd look like. I have reasons for both, that I won't currently divulge, but for now, what's your opinion?

Full-scale detailed drawing + series announcement coming eventually.

There were additional small sketches that I've done on some of my course work, but sadly those have been shredded and were never digitized, so they are forever lost.

Sketch 1 which you saw in the final update before the August unveiling was for the longest time my most detailed of all the sketches to follow and still remains the second or third closest version to the final design. It also served as the outline I most frequently came back to reference and later update with the QE2-esque aft windshields as I prepared to work on the final design.

Sketch 2 I honestly have no idea what I was doing with. It seems that I had the Olympic class a little too much in mind when doing the superstructure (at the time I still had zero clue what the funnel would ultimately look like) while completely losing sight of the already established design language.

Sketch 3 was never really meant to be a detailed drawing but rather a basic silhouette to get me back on track with what the ship would really look like. Note the specific description Phoenix-class "superliner". A reminder that this specific vessel is neither the only one of nor fully representative of the others in its class. Indeed, it is currently the only one to be designated as "superliner".

Again let me emphasize: this isn't about any specific DC universe, but just DC in general. So kindly ignore the fact that I specifically used images of MAWS Superman and Caped Crusader Batman: that was purely an illustrative choice.

This is something I've been thinking about for a while since the aforementioned animated shows, Matt Reeves' 2022 The Batman and James Gunn's 2025 Superman movies came out, since all four follow the World's Finest from very early on in their respective careers.

Here's the cases I can make for them:

For Superman, it's rather factual. He was not just the first DC superhero to be created, but the first western superhero period. This seems to be backed up lore-wise by his appearances in the first minutes of the James Gunn film, as well as in MAWS.

For Batman, it gets a bit more technical. While he was the second DC superhero created, due to being the world's greatest detective, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine that he didn't already know about Superman when he first donned the cowl. And I highly doubt that learning more about the Kryptonian was one of the first things on his agenda when he became the Dark Knight. Not only this, but due to him being considered an urban legend among Gothamites in his first 1-2 years or so (and naturally perhaps longer among surrounding cities) whereas Superman was publicly known about pretty much since Day 1, I just find it a little hard to believe that his very existence could've been a mystery for long when you have people with actual superpowers operating in broad daylight.

I know this sounds like I'm leaning towards Batman being the first in-universe and you would be right; however, I believe that a fair compromise would be the two of them starting out at around the same time. Then due to their polar opposite modes of operation, Supes working publicly in broad daylight while Bats works in the shadows and often at night, Superman could then be the first known superhero while Batman may have been around just a little bit longer but isn't as known yet. This I believe is the best possible answer.

What do you think?

Both MCs run back to the hero truck to protect everyone from giant tornado.

Both trucks visibly struggle against said tornado and then get lofted.

Both scenes have banger climactic music.

5 years ago, shortly after joining Reddit, I hinted that something big was coming. Today, that vision has arrived.

From the ashes of history, a legacy is reborn. Welcome to Phoenix.

Stats:

• LOA: 1,200' (365.76m)
• LWL: 1,150' (350.52m)
• Beam: 160' (48.76m) waterline, 200' (60.96m) extreme (bridge wings)
• Height: 122' (37.19m) waterline to Deck 18
• Tonnage: ~200,000 GT
• Decks: 16 passenger, 18 total
• Capacity: ~4,500
• Crew: ~2,000
• Lifeboats: 450 pax (x20) + rafts, FRB (x2)

But how did we get here?

To understand the ship, you have to understand what she was designed for. So let's take it from the top.

Origins:

In December 2017, back when I was in my Poseidon phase, I had a vision for the future of ocean liners. Looking at the titular vessel from the 2006 film, I was intrigued by how much it resembled a cruise ship despite it supposed to being an ocean liner. So much so that it took me a while to tell if it really was a liner or just a cruise ship built to look like one, à la the Disney cruise fleet >!(the fwd superstructure extending so far up the fo'c'sle was what threw me off b4 I homed in on the sharp, flared bow)!<.

This gave me the idea to develop a new class of liner which share the same basic design language that can be adapted for a given line or market, in the same vein as Carnival Corp.'s Vista class or Fincantieri's Project Mille. Using the Poseidon as a foundation, then being further influenced by other conceptual modern liners such as ZeroGal5's Queen Anne, which featured in my Modern Oceanliner Concepts series, in June 2018 I developed my first sketch during a trip to Paris. This was seen in the previous, final update post from a month ago.

That drawing served as my guiding light going forward. I wanted a ship that obviously had the size and balconies of Queen Mary 2, but as well as the streamlined symmetry of Titanic, and the robust build of the United States.

Performance:

Additional influences came and went not just from other liners, but also from different types of vessels. Perhaps the most notable was Noah's Ark, which provided the proportions for what was still initially called the Poseidon class. A ship with a length that is 6 times its width and 10 times its height is the gold standard for seakeeping, which is one of the several traits that I intend my liner to excel at. Since I already wanted her to be the first passenger vessel to reach the 1,200' mark >!(most likely though Carnival's new Destiny will beat me to the punch; the fact that Royal hasn't done so yet even with its Icon class has me stunned)!<, that made it all the easier to work from there. This originally called for a beam of 200' and a height of 120', before in later years when I began work on the final design, these were tweaked to 160' at the waterline [to ensure hydrodynamic efficiency at speed w/o sacrificing stability] and 122' to the topmost deck. Although it goes without saying, her stability is further aided by two pairs of stabilizer fins as well as multiple large bilge keels.

Additionally, the ship's superstructure is built of aluminum. This not only lowers her center of gravity and contributes still more to her seakindliness, but it also reduces her weight and thereby improves her efficiency, which brings us to the next big trait she's made to excel at. Her waterline length was specifically chosen as the greatest length reasonably possible to allow for maximum hydrodynamics when at speed. And while I won't speak to certain details, she utilizes all the latest in marine technology to reduce friction to the lowest point possible so that hardly an ounce of energy is wasted when underway.

Interior:

The ship has four different grades of accommodation: Vienna, Aurora, Columbia, and Mayflower. Each being a previous choice of name for the ship; each with their own unique identity. She isn't meant to be just another floating old-world hotel, nor is she meant to be just another theme park at sea. Rather, she combines the best of both into what I call a luxury resort experience. Grand and classy in parts, yet casual and inviting in others. Like a young lady who was raised to be formal yet also knows how to have fun.

Starting with Vienna and Aurora, the two lowest grades. Both are comparable to your standard contemporary cruise ship interiors; however, they are designed in a way to have the familiar cozy feel of a vacation home, rather than the same spartan, minimalist layouts of most mass-market ships today. Vienna providing the ambiance of a beach/waterfront community, while Aurora provides that of a country house. Already, this is a case of the lower classes on newer ships being of equal or superior quality to first class on previous generations as was common in the golden age of liners, and we've only just begun.

The next step up is Columbia. Almost right away, the atmosphere changes from an otherwise atypical cruise experience to something more premium. It is set to feature a unique blend of multiple design languages: predominantly Art Deco with a 21st century touch and a hint of Space Age, then complemented by Neoclassicism. For the discerning traveler, to step into Columbia accommodation is to experience a sense of occasion unlike any other at sea. Except for one.

Last but most certainly not least, Mayflower is by far my favorite section of the ship interior-wise. Edwardian and Victorian influences against an Art Nouveau backdrop harken back to that romantic era of Atlantic voyages while stimulating the senses with an extraordinary flair simply never before seen on a modern vessel. While most of this portion of the ship is still open to other passengers, it should almost be no surprise that this is also where the equivalent of the ship-within-a-ship concept that is becoming increasingly popular with the big cruise lines is centered. Guests who book this grade can expect the highest level of service - comparable to that of a (ultra) luxury brand - and an air of exclusivity to retreat to after a busy day.

Amenities:

The name Phoenix was ultimately chosen over all others for two reasons. The latter of course was symbolism for the rebirth of the ocean liner as a premiere travel option after being very nearly consigned to the history books. The former though was to be a reference to the ill-fated Phoenix >!(later America)!< World City project, spearheaded by Knut Kloster of S.S. Norway fame. In fact, the ship's overall length of 1,200' was also inspired by that project, which would have been some 63' longer. While it doesn't commit to the literal residential ship concept as the Phoenix World City or other similar vessels, the sheer offerings on board that would be simply unheard of on the liners of old make this the truest example of a floating city yet built.

Aside from the usual main dining halls, restaurants and lounges you'd expect to find on an ocean voyage, there includes also but not limited to a:

• Chapel
• IMAX Theaters
• 3 Olympic-sized pools (1 interior)
• 3 infinity pools
• Conference hall + complimentary Wi-fi throughout
• Sports arena
• Ice rink
• Trampoline park
• Arcade
• Barber Shop + adjacent salon
• Tailors
• ... and much, much more.

Ships [ocean liners] have been boring long enough. As I said before, if you went into this expecting this ship would be a repeat of the same glorified giant ferryboats steeped purely in tradition and formality, nothing more, then you can just forget about it. Because that's not what she is. They may feature as a part of her identity, yes, but they don't define her. Nor should you get the idea that she would end up being a pure party boat like the hundreds of other cruise ships around today, but she has to embrace more of those mass-market elements if she is to not be relegated as some niche experience like Queen Mary 2. Throughout the entire design process, Phoenix has become something of great affection to me, as though she were my own daughter. And like any good parent with their child, the one thing I want for her is not to merely survive, but to thrive.

Itineraries:

I don't think this needs to be said since QM2 should already provide a pretty good idea of what to expect, but I'll mention it anyway.

Transatlantic crossings are the main attraction obviously; however, unlike QM2, Phoenix would only be sailing in the peak season, mostly Summer. This also happens to be when the Atlantic is at its calmest, meaning guests will have even less reason to worry about the weather.

In other seasons, she'll offer cruises to the usual Caribbean and Mediterranean routes that the big cruise ships frequent, though voyages on both sides of the North American coasts and around the world would also be in the cards.

Endgame:

All of this brings me to why I came up with this idea in the first place, and there are two answers to that. The first is my primary objective, where everything began: to design a ship with the seakeeping abilities of a liner and all the facilities of a modern cruise ship. Far too often, cruise ships have to either divert, delay, or outright cancel voyages to avoid storms. For those which have no choice but to sail through them, the experience is hardly pleasant: even in mild swells with the stabilizers engaged, the vessels will roll and pitch noticeably. In a full-blown storm, that effect is only exacerbated along with water pooling onto the top decks and leaking through the overheads, due mainly to the pool water sloshing onto the decks. We've all seen the viral videos, so there's no need to imagine here.

That simply does not happen with Queen Mary 2, and having finally done my first crossing on her in May, I can now say so from experience. Although even she is not immune to pitching and rolling with the sea, her hull form alone makes her so well suited to dealing with rough weather that she can sail through hurricane force storms and one wouldn't notice the severity of the situation until they looked outside. The same conditions every cruise ship will run from, she takes the fight to and handles with ease. The weather may stop for no one, but a liner won't stop for the weather.

So, with a hull shape that can more comfortably ride out big swells, a cruise ship won't have to worry as much about rocking so excessively that people and fittings go sliding back and forth across the deck. As a result, they won't have to dodge as many adverse weather conditions [save still for a full-blown hurricane] by cancelling port calls, sparing the cruise lines from a logistical headache and the passengers from a spoiled vacation. It is this emphasis on improved comfort and reliability that I wish to push in future vessels, and I firmly believe that the benefits of a better seaboat not only outweigh the status quo of ducking even mildly foul weather or getting pummeled trying to go through it with the way all current cruise ships are built, but that such a ship that combines being a party boat and a good seaboat can effectively compete with today's cruise ships that are all successful party boats but poor seaboats. The idea is not without precedent: one need only look at the reputations of QE2 and especially Norway throughout their careers even as larger and more advanced cruise ships eventually came online.

But of course, I am not oblivious to the fact that it's more than just the hull shape alone that makes a true ocean liner. One has to also consider hull thickness; the depth of hull [beneath the waterline]; horsepower: things that are not at all relevant to passenger vessels that will ultimately spend the majority of their working lives in warm coastal waters with seldom more than a day between ports of call. Project Phoenix is not limited to the namesake flagship vessel, so while Phoenix herself lays the foundation for future branches of her class, she is not fully representative of the objective outlined. Though she incorporates more cruising elements than any other liner, she was still designed for the Atlantic express service first and foremost.

That is where my game plan splits into its secondary objective, a side goal not nearly as important, but one that I wouldn't seriously entertain if I didn't think there is a chance it could work: to make transatlantic crossings a more viable travel option again. Being a larger ship than QM2 with a passenger count of 4,500 or greater makes it possible to sell cheaper transatlantic tickets than ever for starters. A dedicated conference hall along with fast complimentary Wi-fi make it possible for one to not miss a day of work on the go. She is intended to be capable of regularly crossing the Atlantic eastbound in under a week. I mention eastbound specifically for a reason: that being taking into account the lack of vacation time working Americans get [10-15 days] compared to their European counterparts [20+ days]. It is no wonder that most choose to fly to Europe for overseas holidays rather than take QM2, who even if asked can only cross in ~5 days at best. Finally, of course are all the activities aboard that match what you would find on a Caribbean cruise. I am willing to bet that if this combination of even faster crossings with complimentary Wi-fi and a host of fun activities aboard while still being priced competitively with the airlines were to be offered, you would see more interest from the general NA public in booking a transatlantic crossing instead of a flight than we currently see with Queen Mary 2. Then returning westbound, the ship can slow right back down to longer voyages of 5-6 days or more for the European travelers who have more time to spare.

Conclusion:

So, I come to the end of this presentation. We've gone over a lot, and there's still a lot that I've neglected to mention. This is where I'll now open the floor to you for questions and what you think about this dream project of mine. By no means is this the end of Project Phoenix: somewhere down the line I'll return with bow, stern and overhead profiles of the ship. After that, the continuation of the Phoenix class, and finally, deck plans for Phoenix herself (not looking forward to that...). But, since getting her design down already took 8 years on and off to do, I will be taking a nice, long break, and divert my full attention back to some previous projects I've temporarily put on hold to get the big ship looking her best for your viewing pleasure in time for Summer's end.

Regardless of whether Phoenix ever sees the light of day, she is the culmination of everything I've learned and all of the hard work I've done to get me to where I am in life today. Thank you very much for sticking with me on this journey, and I'll see you when I see you. Kaivara out. :)

TIV 1 - my sentimental favorite; the vehicle that first got me into storm chasing and a beauty and a badass all rolled into one, easily the best-looking interceptor ever and I eagerly await her return

Titus - second coolest interceptor ever made even if it was technically just a movie prop; it's still a real truck that can drive

Dominator 3 - a fellow Ford, gull wing doors, consistently gets the best tornado intercept footage thanks to Reed Timmer being Reed Timmer, and an extremely versatile vehicle with its rocket launcher and fast deployment; it's done me very well in Twisted due to this, so for that it holds a very dear place in my heart

TIV 2 - easily the greatest interceptor ever built, nothing I really have to say here

Dorothy - I just love this van lol yet another Ford and also has gull wing doors, really wish it got to be used to its full potential

Tornado Attack - an absolute beast: 800+ horsepower, a roaring V8, unrivalled off-road abilities, and the one that started it all; super cool

Dominator 1 - I have a soft spot for the little red shoe lol

Dominator 2 - a good build that sadly still gets the middle child treatment even from me lol

UTAV - WUUUUTAVVVV!!! a solid build that got the job done without as much fuss compared to its more famous counterparts; I have the utmost respect for it

Titan - not done yet, technically not classed as a full-on interceptor either by the lad himself, but having followed along from Day 1 (as have most of you here), I've grown quite fond of it and am rooting for it to do well when complete; plus it's surprisingly good-looking

Armadillo - could be a GOAT but to me is just D1 on steroids; nothing wrong with it, absolute beast in its own right with that screaming engine plus spikes, but yeah

Tornado Puncher - love the concept, just wish it was better executed lol

I'll be brief. We saw Ryuga go from a power-hungry villain in Metal Fusion, to a reformed, wiser blader blazing his own path on his own terms in Metal Masters, to... back to a power-hungry antagonist in Metal Fury. Since that was rightfully something his character was criticized for in the third season, seemingly completely undoing almost all the growth he had undergone between the first two seasons, I'm here to propose a potential solution. And I believe that solution is found in his interactions with Kenta.

Whenever Ryuga wasn't terrorizing other bladers in pursuit of all the Star Fragments and was either on the move or relaxing, his big thing was whether Kenta could make him take him seriously in his bid to get Ryuga on the Legendary Bladers' side.

That, in my opinion, is the solution. Ryuga doesn't need to regress back to a power-hungry tyrant like in Metal Fusion. Instead, go all in on his lone wolf nature and arrogance. One could imagine a story where he denies the existence of Nemesis and doesn't take it as seriously of a threat even if it does exist, just as he does when Gingka and co. first tried to get him to join them on the volcano. From there, he simply continues going about his life, battling in the same tournaments and against the same people he did in canon in his quest to further grow in strength, not out of a desire to gather all the Star Fragments for himself, but to grow on his own to achieve the highest point of perfection over L-Drago Destructor possible. All out of the belief that he alone is the strongest blader on the planet and can handle whosoever comes at him, even if his opponent is a god. The ending can go the same way when he finally recognizes Nemesis exists, and this is where his overly prideful character comes to its climax, refusing to cooperate with the other Legends to create Zeus' Barrier out of the belief that he alone can defeat Nemesis no problem, and then ultimately paying the price.

Simple change, but one significantly for the better in my opinion. What do you think?

Meant to post this shortly after I had watched Batman '89, but I just want to give a quick word of appreciation to Vicki Vale.

Normally I never dabble in anything romance, but I'd be lying if I said the thought of who Bruce Wayne might one day be able to settle down with never came to mind. For that one I'll blame the Mystery of the Batwoman movie for bringing that question from a mere curiosity to the forefront of my mind in recent years.

If ever there was a woman who is the right one for Bruce, in my confident opinion, it's Vicki.

Selina Kyle is pretty and all, and she certainly has her moments, but the cold hard facts are that Catwoman is a criminal and Batman is the opposite. Unless she reforms, it would never work out, and indeed both acknowledge that it won't.

Wonder Woman may be infatuated with Batman, but she's an Amazonian and Bruce is a mortal. Apparently in JL: Unlimited they have kids in the future, but as I haven't seen that episode to my memory (it's been a long time since I've last seen the show on Saturday morning TV) I don't know how that worked out.

Barbara Gordon has apparently been shipped with Bruce, and I could see why it'd work since they both work together, but during her Batgirl days she's always been a child, so even though she's grown older over the years I'm just unable to envision it.

Katana from Beware the Batman would definitely work, but I just never detected that "spark" between her and Bruce. I never made it to the end of the show - much as I loved it; it's a goated show - so I don't know if that began to change throughout the season. Doesn't help either that it was cancelled after its first season which I'm just now finding out.

Talia al Ghul, unless she can pick a side (Batman's), no. Just no.

And one more thing about Vicki before I go: I find it funny her relationship with Bruce Wayne. Because this is the fourth time now that I've seen the main protagonist comic book superhero has a girlfriend who is a reporter, journalist or the like. Clark Kent? Lois Lane. Barry Allen? Iris West. Peter Parker? Mary Jane Watson. A neat little cliché that I certainly welcome more of, which only makes me favor Vicki x Bruce even more.

'peak 20th century counter sterns intensifies'