Biggs and Wedge are Dead

Final Character

2010-02-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

There was a big discussion of the beat to death topic of which tetsuya nomura character was the best the other night online and I began to think about why one person says clouds the best while another swears for squall, terra, etc.

I think Cloud's popularity is sort of based not only on the giant sword but on his personality. Yes he is brooding and determined but what becomes Cloud's biggest trait is wrestling with who he really is. For those who dont know (ie dont read this next sentence if you dont) Clouds recollection of himself for most of the game is a created/altered memory. Cloud then has to decide if he really can finish the quest he started on. This isn't unlike many of us who play games. We often pretend to be this super determined and noble characters but then don't have the courage to follow our dreams and our ambitions. Yes getting more fit or going back to school might not seem as urgent as stopping a crazy clone but why does it seem harder often even in a hypothetical. Maybe thats why when the allure of "holy shit that sword is huge and awesome" wears off so many still like cloud. I could of course now go into way to far interpretation of Aeris as aspirations for high morality and perfection and our eventual failing (her dieing) as a depection making Tifa our mixture of earthly ideals (sexuality~) and noble but less high goals (family, friends etc). But I wont (see what I did).

This brings us to my favorite Squall. I just played back through FF8 and realized how much I had forgotten of the characters. I actually like them even better than before. 8 is above all a romance and theres one thing that makes this narrative work (forget the disc 3 bullshit)- showing squalls inner thoughts. Squall when I first played through was relate-able. Ive always been a hopeless romantic and like him I also had a really hard time letting anyone in. Even now I worry about opening up to people because of the pain of losing friends etc. A scene I had forgotten was Squall on the bridge. I don't know how I forgot because its pretty much where he lays out all his thoughts finally. Squall explains his harsh exterior is entirely out of fear and that his whole motivation is this fear of losing people he loves. It explains why he steps up when he is thrust into a position of leadership, why he tries hard at everything, and why all his text options are either begrudgingly kind or abrasive. He wants to have friends, to smile, to joke around, but he won't allow himself to get hurt. His storming out after the timber incident (I WONT BE REFERRED TO IN THE PAST TENSE) while the inverse points to how afraid he really is. Even griever is an attempt at a friend because its an idea and a thing which cant leave or get hurt.
I think I like Squall because even now after I think I really grew out of this I still worry about this and think really hard before forming real bonds with friends (can i put in the time for friendship? what if they end up hating me by really knowing me? maybe we should just be acquaintences.)

Ill go over some other ones, ff6 and neku later.

We are human, after all.

2009-05-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

[link]
Pretty cool remix release here from blogsites of the Human After All album. Very solid electro style showing with some clubstyle hip-hop and break beats thrown in for good measure. Bootlegs have the best stuff.

In other music stuff, I really am enjoying [link] its sorta like ska+huey lewis and the news... think thats an accurate description. Also voice envy of the main singer /shakefist

I just did 20 sit ups and feel like I got kicked in the gut. Gotta get back my physique that can actually pull off Thf AFv2. Though I wonder if that thing will still fit as well its been like 3 years...

I want to do some modding to XI lately but haven't been able to. Think I am gonna try to put back in my signature deep red hair back in but who knows. Still need to make a fat carby. I was really hoping to switch this [link] for the halvung/mount zhayloam wind nosie but that SFX is shared for all zones D: also it doesn't turn off during battle D:

Finally getting some things settled for me and artico's wedding is fun. Gotta get a few life things sorted out, I haven't got a drivers license yet for example HNGGG, and a love shack/place to live for us. Other than that im counting the weeks with anticipation!

P.S. Fafnir is a jerk- I'm up for Ridill and he won't drop it. Douche Mc Dragon Pants.

DAMN THEE RENDER BAR

2009-04-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

So im sitting at work, which I came in on Sunday afternoon @ 7pm and left at 6am the next day. Im still working on this project I singed onto for a nearby film university. For those who don't know im a video editor by trade. We are working with RED footage which is kinda cool if you haven't heard about: www.red.com

Its totally the hip indy thing to know about these days. However due to its awesomeness im sitting here waiting for the last b-roll i need to finish this quick cut (had 24hour turn around on it D:) to compile into something usable. My best friend, who some of you may know as Jaze from arts comic landed the lead so thats cool. Think this may be Pro-bono though, poor film students have to get the grants themselves and over budget means sleeping in your car. Still a Editor credit on this will be good in the long run I think.

Also I think im going to embark on an endeavor to make fat carby for artico. "Make that character exists you dummy D:<" no no an actual modded will follow her around one.

Jaze stopped by and showed me this guy, who is pretty awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFurLevE28

Its cool to see someone so into what they love too. (97% on the render AWESOME its only taken an hour and half :D)

ps- hyperlinks later when im not so burntout- work out your copypasta skills)

A disturbing Truth

2009-03-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Eureka Seven is an anagram of Keanu Reeves.

If I could change...

2009-03-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

...I probably wouldn't. Except I think I would like to be... what was I thinking ..... ummm... LESS FORGETFUL thats it! I would say more motivated but I think I would get more done if I actually remembered it.

However, lets say through some sort of crazy lottery I gain control of everything ever. Things I could change in politics would probably amount to three big things (the third is one of those sort of bullshit I wish for 100 wishes tricks- so watch out). First I would do this. People always shoot this down without reading how it really works or the big exclusion for low income. It can't happen now because big brother would have so much less leverage over people.

The second thing is on that note. Term limits for senators/congress. This unending re-election business adds to corruption and insider crap that we complain about all the time. Also its a lot easier to set aside personal concerns and do 3 senate terms rather than worry about keeping lobbyists so they can be a career senator.

3rd would be freaking reform of dumb stuff no one fixes. Immigrations ABSURD difficulty, make it easier- less illegals- more revenue on the books. Credit law, stupidly balanced against the consumer, fix that. Cyber law is really outdated, often if you steal something like a computer code or data- you didn't steal anything under the law since it can't be held. Lists go on and on.

Though really if I could change anything, it would be my situation. Its really demoralizing when 90% of your problems in life are:

A: Caused by others
B: Completely out of your control and
C: Only subject to change through luck.
D: All of the above.

I'm hoping to get married in July, though unless one of us can hold down a well paying full time job that is not happening. You may have heard even with a function degree she has like Math, times are grim. Also prescribing to at least a mostly strict Christian doctrine in regards to sex while being both a young male and in a steady relationship for over 4 years (editorial note: who decided this traditional gift echelon?) I am just a bit stir crazy if you get my drift *twitch*.

I think I would also change my school. UTC has certainly given me ample opportunity to work on my own. However, I still see that had I not worked at the TV studio I would be thoroughly unprepared for a workplace. I really don't mind the department but just call it the damned journalism department if you dont encourage creative work in the fields we talk about. Oh to have gone here straight outta highschool, how life might have been a rainbow- a crisp in focus one filmed from a dolly on HD cameras, alas.

Forging a new myth

2009-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Lately ive taken to writing the story of my linkshell (the group of players on the game i play) in epic verse. Im pretty happy with it. It varies between bar humor and classical poetry so its kinda crazy. And dont worry about tl;dr i totally understand. It follows:

I present to you something i found in an abandoned porn store near Jueno. The accuracy of this account is already in question as it happens to be total shit and filled with grammatical errors. But this epic tale will take some time to transcribe i give you the first section. I still need to scan the pictures which accompany the text but that will come soon.

The Chronicle of Censhura

The First Book of Censhura- The Days Before and the Forefather's Kingdom

In the days before days, there were the great powers that ruled. The yellow above all, the red, the white, the pink, and the diabolical green. Some ruled justly but most as ignorant tyrants. They filled the world with failure and wasted the masses time and money on things of little note. The red and yellow withdrew from the world with their vast knowledge and wealth. This gap of power lead to the battle of the dark ones. This was a time of great strife amongst the masses.

The Forefather and his Heroes

In this turmoil a man rose up even though he was only knee high. A man of red magic carrying a pearl of blue came to fight the menace of those who would fight the kings of the world. The ancestor Flipstorm was a man of severity. Wanting not of ignorance, nor of fools he set upon his quests to de-thrown those who would spread fail, ego, and evil across the land. This was not the task of just one man. To him this hero sought to gather many great warriors to restore order to this world.
He sought out persons he had know of from the adventures of his youth. In the city of white gates he found Zhi the paladin, whose shield was strong and tits quite exquisite. In a town of goldsmiths he found the master of magic Dagna, who could draw many charts and keep his empire running- even if out of date. He also sought the Summoner Colreign, who could make love to any woman no matter her age or sagginess. With these generals in tow he assembled other great heroes, the rich young nobleman Sovelis whose fists were said to be plated in solid gil, a young ninja whose chidori’s were most ultimate and whose soul was most gar, the grouchy old man Isildor- who could destroy walls with his beard, as well as the magician Dista who was quite clearly gay. With these and other great heroes he marched to the places of battle to fight the greatest battles that had ever been seen….

The Battles for the World

Flipstorm took his band of heroes to face the barbarians who were spreading failure across the land. As he took the field Flipstorm proclaimed, “wow these guys totally suck” and they responded back “you face us with a simple band whose advantage is only numbers ROFL.” The battles were many and not all went to the fledgling band of heroes but after a time they had gained momentum. They were destroying the crumbling empires.

The Forefather's Depature

As Flipstorm was able to wrest the grand ring of defending from the clutches of the barbarians he grew somber. He turned to his men and said unto them, “This land has come to a peace, there are other places I must go. You all must stay to see that what I did here is not undone, and that these fools and failures are never allowed to rise again and bring darkness to this land.” His generals and followers told him to stay and that they could not hold his kingdom without him. But unto their plees he said this “I got shit to do, see ya” and away he walked across the mountains. As his diminutive shadow faded into the distance, those left began to grow the glorious rule we know today. But alas our story does not end there.

Book 2: The Rise of King Zhi

The Forming of the Grand Paladins Kingdom

The days did quickly pass with the Forefathers absence and for a time many plans arose. Many said to leave the throne empty for perhaps his work in the far lands may soon be finished. Many said there were rumors that he sent messages back and would often send his voice across the waves with what to do. These ideas were folly. The grand Paladin Zhi saw that what was needed was order in the chaos. He said unto his people
Quote:
"members of the world listen to my words and stare at my ample cleavage for what I say is truth. What we need is order and for order a king. If you would have me as your king i will take this honor. And if I would have you as subjects i would lead you to a great prosperity and many laughs for this is my word and my word is truth."

The people knew of his heroism at the side of the forefather and they gave him their allegiance and access to their rears. The king traveled the world and brought laughter and happiness to all who would follow him and sorrow and CueCue* to those that opposed them. As the blue banner was raised the people came to him. The people in adoration of the king wrote this song:

Quote:
O great Zhi, O great Zhi thou kingdom is a land of plenty,
o splendid leader, o splendid leader, thou humor is as sharp as thine sword,
o greatest paladin, o greatest paladin thy warriors are worth a thousand,
For our king is a king of grandeur- as grand as the breasts upon his chest"

The Zhi looked upon his land and things were good. The threat of the pink, white, and green tribes was still a constant annoyance to the kingdom but for a time things were great.

The Tearful Execution of Colreign

The great general Colreign was administering the grand kingdom when one day he came upon the great cave of Maaad Kat'ar. The general was a man of adventure wanting to expand the blue blessing to every reach of the land decided to enter the grand maw. The cave was a dry and gray place filled with unsightly things not to be mentioned to ears of the masses. Colreign did enter the cave but into his humors eeked the dreaded gasses of the cave. The putrid stench of the cave spread its dark magic into the hero unbeknown to him. Finding the cave empty and vile Colreign left. The damage was however done, as he left the cave it began to occupy his mind and falter his will. In skirmishes with the tribals he would make mistakes, even cowardly call for assistance from them.

The warriors of the king saw this and knew not what had happened but knew that something must be done. Dragoces the blackest of mages went to the king and said to him
Quote:
Grand Paladin, the Summoner Colreign hath gone quite mad. He calleth for help from thine enemies and fighteth the most curious random battles instead of those set forth by thine kingship. The bitch be trippin'.

Zhi heard the calls of his men and the state of affairs. The king called Colreign to his garden by this time the miasma of the cave had fully infected the humors of the once great hero, he was a shadow of what may be called a man. The king did have him kneel. The Zhi then with eyes full of tears took the hammer of ban, which had been handed down since the before times, and took it to the head of Colreign. Seeing the crumpled form of his former friend the king did say, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT- THATS A LOT OF BLOOD. But not as much Sesshi last week AMIRIGHT GUYS?" And the court did laugh except chief magistrate Sesshi, who did say that the Grand Paladin could take the hammer of bans and fully violate his own anus.

(Illustrations forth coming)

*Translators note: This word did not appear in any dictionaries of the time. Historians think it may be a type of fetid meat that would make the locals upset

Book 3: Zhi's 3 visits to the Sage

The King and the Sage

The King was sitting in his court one day as the Grand Commander Dagna gave him the finances of the Limbus district and how the local beast was a dickbutt. The Zhi did not care for numbers and in his boredom began to think of his youth. In the city where he had grown up, the Zhi had once been visited by a great sage who taught him the way of the shield. The sage had quickly left only a few days later to attend to his kingdom. The Zhi had not thought of his mentor for many years; His mind was troubled with the turmoil of attempting to drive out the barbarians from the land of kings.

As Dagna ended his report the king had an idea. With such a great sage at his side he may be able to drive out the barbarians for good. With this new goal in mind the king called his men to him.

The Search for the Sage

He sent his best to search for the sage. The furiously frugal Nojoke who could make long journeys on little money, the great mechanier Serg who used many great machines to propel himself, and the oven enthusiast Justbaem who could strike terror into the hearts of men with just his voice. The messengers searched for long months and met with many perils. Nojoke, refusing to pay for a full price boat ride, found himself on a ship to a land filled with barbarians when he bought a bargain ticket. He was never heard from again. The Serg created a device that allowed him to continue running while he was unconscious. This machine angered the Gods for they meant for men to sleep. The gods then struck him down for his affront to them. He was never heard from again. The Justbaem was once surrounded by bargain hunters in a bazzar to the north. Justbaem was able to trick the crowd of cut throats in a trap he disguised as a shower. From his captives he was able to get a wealth of information. He returned to the king triumphant.

Justbaem told The Zhi how the sage was a defender of the Red Kingdom which had itself in the mires of the east and how the sage's hermitage was a small cottage in the mire.

The Three Visits to Aiolias Hermitage

The Zhi did set out with his finest sworn brothers Dagna of the Chart and Dista the Fanciful to pay visit to the sage. Along the way they heard some villagers digging muck out of different muck and they did sing this song:

Quote:
Why I this from away love do say.
I hear of want stunked i am.
If ass man of nother want,
no need you i anyway.
I know how treat a ladi, mayn

The king heard this song and asked the villagers who had composed this song and they said that the hermit Aio had. The king walked many miles with his friends till they came to a small cabin. There a ranger was describing how he would preform anal sex quite loudly, though no one was around. The king asked if he was the sage. The ranger said "WHAT? Do i look like i have a 2-inch dick? ... Naw im just kidding dawg. Hes probably not that small, yah he went to the land of dragons called Bahamaut he will be back ... sometime i dunno." The Zhi was sad but asked that the ranger send word to the land of kings when the sage returned. He agreed and asked if the Zhi would like some of his meal of chicken, the king said he must be going.

Word came that the king that sage had returned and again with his brothers he rode. The dista asked if he really must call in person and the king told him that it was necessary to talk with a sage in person to show his respect. Dista pouted. Arriving at the cabin he found an angry green tribal near the cabin. He asked if the small knight was the sage. The small knight said "hell no, im gonna kick that motherfuckers ass- but hes out fighting the fucking horse dude that lives around here." The king seeing the anger of the man asked if he would like to kill the dragons, giant turtles, and other wacky shit that plagued the land of kings. The small knight said "Hell ya mothafucka" and Cloudx the Small joined the blue army, but the sage was still not in service of the king.

The king sent off some months later a final time. Dagna asked him why they must leave again to call on some random ass dude so far away and the king said that the sage would be worth a 100 trips.

And so they set off again to the small house in the mire. The ranger greeted them outside and told them the sage was inside but asleep. Dagna and Dista waited outside while Zhi entered the house. Not wanting to anger the sage Zhi sat quitely. After a time Dagna came inside to see what the long wait was about. Seeing the sage asleep he was furious. "You dont have to wait for him, your our leader." Zhi told him to STFU and wait. The sage awoke and seeing The Zhi scolded his ranger for not waking him up saying "Thats not way treat a lady mayn!" The Zhi interrupted saying that he requested he be left alone and the he was just a man with glorious sweater kittens. The sage introduced himself as Aiolias and they began to talk. After hours of pleading The Zhi convinced Aiolias to return with him as his chief advisor. Dagna and the Dista were called inside to pay homage to Aiolias, and did so begrudgingly.

With Aiolias making the strategy, The Zhi's Leadership, and Neil Peart on drums- the kingdom was on its way to glory.

RROD2: SON OF RROD

2009-02-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well apparently only weeks after a friends unfortunate Xbox failure mine too decided that processing was not something it felt like doing. A wonderful bit of random pixels and high pitched noise heralded its untimely demise. I'm looking for a receipt then sending it in, other wise its $100. Bleh. The worst part of this is that both Street Fighter 4 and the new Star Ocean installments were just now coming out. I guess for street fighter i could just go see the new movie.... ya know if I wanted to feel even worse. Nah i think ill go watch old videos like this one of the most amazing fight game final match ive ever seen (if you dont wanna watch the whole think forward to the last 45 seconds and watch for the special attack parry).

My laptop is already under the weather after the chipset burnt out. Yes, I rocked so hard at gaming I actually burned out the chipset. Finding a replacement part is a lil hard because all stores that sell them are sketchy as anything.

Block

2009-02-25T10:17:00.001-08:00

Whenever I find myself online and unable to do something, say think of an update for my blog these are a few places i waste time at:

Penny Arcade
I can has cheezburger and related (failblog, engrish, graphjam etc)
Of course that one awful site now and again
for random discussion of the game I play this groups forum is amazing, but if you dont play it then it makes no sense (side note: rather that one groups forum is the center for advanced play tactics in that game west of the prime meridian)
cant beat the writing at cracked

There's probably more like that one site that took anonymous from a thing associated with quotes to one about internet asshattery.

left 4 RRODEAD

2009-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ive been playing a lot of left 4 dead recently. Its probably the only party shooter i know of. The 4 player co-op mode is frantic and fun but requires a good deal of teamwork, which is really the focus as well as the fun of the game. Sadly this makes the single player generally unexciting zombie shooting gallery but alas.

Being a valve, the usual mainstays of the Half life series show up. Audio design complements tension as well as acts as a warning signal to incoming threats. The usual silent audio will become a sort of "crescendo" increase when a group or special threat is on the way. The short opening video allows you to learn nearly all mechanics of the game in 2 to 3 minutes, with the exception of avoiding the guttural projectiles of the "boomer" type zombies. The overall cinematic approach of the company is really shown in full force. In fact, each campaign starts with a movie poster.

A recent co-op campaign after work was a real riot amongst the shouts of "SMOKER," "TANK," and "theres a witch guys!" The martydom cries of "JUST GO" that I was yelling at the end of the level surronded by zombies were both comical and epic in a very true gaming fashion. It was a ton of fun.

However a more recent co-op at a friends house involved tripping over the system link cord followed by the destruction of at least one xbox (under warrenty luckily) and a copy of the game. So i would put a caution about the game, as it may be such fun you forget how to walk.

Exploits for the week

2009-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

This last week a mass banning went out across the MMORPG i play, FFXI. Now the issue which caused this was from a few months ago about Exploiting a broken game mechanic. Many of the players banned were "celebrities" of the game. These are the people other players looked to for advice, new ideas, and so on and so forth. This brings up the question of what an "exploit" really entails.

Every game such as this involves out thinking the system as it is, or discovering tricks to the system. The area in question was known for being notoriously hard so there were some who may have seen this as the "key" to making the system easier hidden in the game. However, all those involved kept this a trade secret and also did not ask any game master about it. The company that owns the game supposedly spent the last several months checking logs of groups to find evidence of "duping." Quite suspicious and hurts their case. However exploits can only happen if the maker of the game messes up. Many argue the fault is with the manufacturer for not noticing and dealing with the malfunction.

Furthermore, the company in question is notorious for having fairly broad use of the term "exploit." A "near" undefeatable monster exists and the first successful attempt on it involved using terrain to stop many of its attacks. This defeat was even congratulated by a game master at the time for beating the unbeaten. It turned out later though another group had tried this strategy only a few days earlier to be informed by a game master to stop as this was "exploitation." Since then this monster has been rethought and every time a strategy is come up with (while those involved in all these attempts were never penalized) it is patched as it was "exploitation" of normal mechanics and not the intended kill process.

Regardless many long time players, often in upwards of 5 years of play and hundreds of hours of work are gone. About half involved got temporary suspensions and will apparently be stripped of items obtained from the exploit (though no reports of this have come in yet).

A list of those known to be banned can be found here:
http://www.bluegartrls.com/forum/ffxi-advanced-player-discussion/68852-r-i-p-players.html

While not everyone deserved to get banned from working the system... some were less than
sympathetic about it, much laughter here
http://www.bluegartrls.com/forum/ffxi-advanced-player-discussion/68860-delicious-quotes-original-dupe-fix-thread.html

Inaugural Fanfare (like the FF one but more woos)

2009-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

The air is filled with festivities today for the inauguration. People approached me in the UC about a party going on upstairs with a jovial manner and if you listen with all your heart you can hear the faint whimper of a college republican. Jokes aside, the change of office is a grand American tradition and this year in particular. The fact that this peaceful transition occurs was mentioned in the first speech of the day. If you think about how often you hear of civil wars and foul play in elections of the world you have to admit that here it is a party not fighting in the streets is really rather remarkable.

The inauguration of the first African-American president and our 44th president is certainly a landmark day. Regardless of your political inclinations its certainly something amazing. My tendency is to of course look forward to other possibilities that are heralded by this, of times a changin' as a certain vagabond rock musician may have said.

Aretha Franklin's version of my country tis of thee certainly embodied the feeling of what the Obama campaign was working for. A vivacious changed, but still with the spirit, of the original. Bidens swearing in after he was somewhat amusing though, seemed really anxious to say the oath as fast as possible back.

Obama's speech had some great poetic imagery and certainly seemed to mesmerize the crowd. I hope the rhetoric happens and not what I dread will. The poets afterward were less inspiring for me. Indeed you could also feel even through the TV the crowd was well aware the main event had past.

Lost Lost Odyssey

2009-01-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

My first major blunder of the new year involved overwriting my completed file on Lost Odyssey for XBOX360 with a very feeble new game plus file. The game happens to be one of my favorite rpgs boasting a great story, amazing voice work, an even more impressive score, and a classic battle system with just enough variation to be interesting. As such, Its not such a terrible task to play back through it.
Those familiar with Mistwalker, who published the game, know that much of the staff is made of the old squaresoft veterans with Uematsu and Nomura both contributing on the game. Mistwalker also makes the enviroments in its RPGs very interactive. Busting up old wreckage on a beach replaces the traditional treasure chest for much of the game.

I had downloaded some bonus XBL content just before my saving mistake. However to access what i have downloaded is nearly impossible at the beginning of the story though. Since i have such a long road ahead of me again im going to probably play through with my fiancee. She had come in about half way and really like the characters and their interaction so she would like to see the whole story. Well heres to 50 hours of JRPGING.

Blog is come

2009-01-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

Alright well were going to start this thing now. Its cliche this is probably a bad idea for me to put my ideas to "paper" but were gonna give it a shot. You'll probably find game and movie reviews, some pointless updates about my internet dragon fighting and the like. Oh also occasionally relevant personal information and experiences.