Hello there. I know folks have been wondering about me, and Kaemantis posted the trade between herself and Sal, well, Sal's end, which was the super sexy Boris/Riou (Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng).

Anyway, I realize I've sort of neglected this account and I apologize. Just that day-to-day I've been spending less time oogling muscled studs and more time engaging in...other, pursuits.

Not to say that I didn't miss you guys, but yeah.

Also NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH IN LESS THAN FOURTY-EIGHT HOURS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So far I'm picking between two titles:

"Here Falls The Thunder"
or
"Our Lonely Glory"

Is there ANYTHING regarding the cover of 'In The Air Tonight' that was used in the Dead Space 3 Launch Trailer?

I grew up on Phil Collins as a kid and it kills me that they did this awesome cover of the song, but I can't seem to find any information about if it's on the OST or not.

https://youtu.be/KpLDvKBHZMs

Srsly, it's fucking amazing.

http://www.newsarama.com/tv/young-j.....-canceled.html

Apparently CN is making yet another awful decision (like their cutback of Toonami)

https://www.change.org/petitions/ca.....nimated-series

Let's let Cartoon Network know this shit won't stand.

https://youtu.be/OK5-EIzDtKo

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

And while I won't even dream of denying the attractiveness of it's main star (Even if he wasn't in a good chunk of the episodes!), I found the story to be a bit...bizarrely paced.

For starters, it's very high-fantasy. Although there's not a lot of magic thrown about, what little is used is very...well it's definitely not subtle to be sure. However, the show seemed to flip-flop between high action and adventure, and this bizarrely convoluted political intrigue on a level to rival the ridiculous webs cast in Final Fantasy Tactic's plot (Which is notorious for being complicated as fuck). Also, any time Guin gets into a fight, he either outright ends it anti-climatically, or a random Deus Ex Machina saves him. Of course, given the show's emphasis on people's destines and fate, it might be a literal Deus Ex Machina, which would definitely be interesting.

Characterization was also a rather bizarrely-paced point. Sometimes characters would have lots of interesting development and then suddenly DIE, or characters with a few quirks would suddenly have these quirks blown up into full-on neurotic disorders or issues, ranging from obsessions over their superiors turning into psycho-stalkers, or a guy who sees so much of himself in his assassination target he almost goes mad with grief. I mean really, there's -very- few folks who are actually balanced or sound-minded, everyone either has a complex or some serious skeletons in the closet. (And that's not even getting into the girl-twin acting like she's hot for Guin all the goddamn time, I mean WOW).

Perhaps I need to have read the novels to really understand why the story seems to zig-zag all over the place, but just feels like it could use some organizational consistency. Also, a lot of plot threads are brought up and never properly resolved or worked out (like the lich-like sorceror who melted into misama in the desert who starts appearing in the boy-twin's dreams, and then is NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN, or Shidoh's entire scheme!).

Also, the dubbing is a -bit- off at times. Sometimes they act appropriate to the setting...and then someone randomly goes "Dumbass" or goes and acts all 20th century when it's totally out of setting.

Still, otherwise an enjoyable anime. Music is simply -amazing- too, and apparently written by the Final Fantasy composer as well!

Overall, I give Guin Saga an 8/10. Definitely worth a looksie for someone wanting something different out of your normal anime. You almost have to wonder, with all the tropes and archetypes in this work that you'd see in JRPGs, why hasn't someone made a game from Guin Saga yet.

So far, my gifts have been:

3DSXL (Blue/Black)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown + DLC (Elite Soldier/Slingshot)

Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition (courtesy of  aharoua, seriously hun you're the best)


Will update as more gifts crop up.

He has a tendency to say things and never explain why he said them or explain himself:

Today, I started clearing out my hard-drive because I had a bunch of old programs or games I don't use/play/etc. And ran across a bunch of duplicate files (Microsoft Redistributables). Thinking I didn't need ones from 2005, I started uninstalling them, only to have my brother flip at me, saying I was going to mess up my computer. I stopped and asked him why I needed that many versions of the same program.

He failed to respond and just threw his hands up going on about how "If you want to screw up your computer, go ahead!" I eventually had to do the research myself and found out WHY my computer had so many copies of the same program, and reclaimed some of the older copies. Of course, my brother could've just told me when I asked. But he never explained, never gave a reason, nothing. He just threw up his hands and acted like "Whatever".

And he wonders why people don't always go to him for computer advice in this family. He expects that we should just take him at face value when he won't even help us understand why he should or shouldn't do something. It's not enough to just tell us what we should do, he needs to at least try and make it so we know WHY. Luckily, I managed to solve this problem on my own, but to be honest this was patently ridiculous in the first place.

FINALLY

FUCKING FINISHED

CHECK MY NEW ICON MOTHERFUCKERS!

(I'll be posting the story up later)

48,768 words.

On the cusp of victory.

http://thebioticbooty.tumblr.com/po.....to-the-tits-on

NEED I GO ON?!

After Romney's after...bizarre remarks regarding women's healthcare and rape (And no, I won't let this drop, why in the world anyone would let such a thing drop is beyond me)...

Did anyone actually expect him to win? Seriously?

Alright, I've managed to whip up two different ideas that I'd tossed around before for this years Novel Writing Month. Give me a recommendation:


Pantheon
A mysterious virus of extraterrestrial orgin begins to rewrite parts of Earth and the human race into something unknown and alien, with seemingly no ability to stop it's spread without destroying the land and the people affected. But does this new race deserve the death the human race seems so eager to inflict upon them?

Space Between The Stars
On the cusp of the 22nd century, humanity receives a message from the void that allows them to create something to help them reach these visitors. What they don't expect is how the pilot is selected, or the journey this chosen pilot will have to undertake, as well as what he finds at the destination too.

Should I got for my fourth year? Or take a break this year?

I just can't even make up my mind as to what I want to write.

Well, apparently Bioware in an interview said that they are planning on doing games that come after ME3, but basically far enough in the future to give several degrees of separation from Shepard. Basically, they aren't looking to have gamers play "Shepard 2.0". Which is great. To be honest, if all we got is a rehash, I'd be disappointed. There's places they can go with the setting.

1) Prequels - These would be any games involving past events like the First Contact War, Krogan Rebellions, etc, etc. It's been said that prequels would be bad because:
a) We already know the outcome of those events
b) ME3's conclusion apparently makes anything prior to it irrelevant
For starters, A is a silly thing to use an argument. There's plenty of games, like Crisis Core, or Republic Commando, where we already KNOW the outcome. History doesn't change as a result of the events of the prequels. But that doesn't keep them from telling great stories or being good games. As for B, that's naysayer talk. The typical doom and gloom of "But it doesn't matter because endings!" Honestly folks, get over them. They aren't going to change and will not change. Whining that they should be changed, then getting in fits when they aren't changed is you setting yourself up.

2) Sequel - Game takes place long after Mass Effect trilogy, future highly separated from the original 3 games
A lot of folks have expressed dismay that Bioware seems to see Synthesis, either the CONCEPT or the ending, as the future of society in Mass Effect. This isn't that far-fetched. There's enough cyberpunk out there, including things like Deus Ex or Ghost In The Shell, that taking it a step further and integrating man and machine to the point that they become a completely new being isn't outrageous or odd.

You know, except for folks inappropriately labeling the Synthesis concept as "eugenics" despite utterly forgetting what the definition of eugenics is. Anyway, I think the series moving forward is going to be great. There's still Omega coming out in November, and still lots of MP stuff to come out. Let's just wait and see, shall we?

So, friend of mine is pushing me to make a Tumblr. For reasons I cannot comprehend. I mean, I have a Facebook. Well -had-, because I never use it anymore. I never -did- anything in a day that would lead me to post on Facebook half the time. I'm not one of those people who does 4-5 posts a day, or evel 5 post a weeks. Maybe...2-3 times a month? And that's on a generous month.

So he suggests I use it to follow other folks' blogs and reblog stuff. But the point of social media is to hook up with your friends and from there make new ones. I don't have any friends besides my brother who use Tumblr, and the reply system is shit compared to Facebook. As for reblogging or liking content, what difference is between using Tumblr and just doing a google search if I wanted to find some kind of content, be it art or words?

What really bugged me when was I asked to see his because I was rather unfamiliar with Tumblr, and he got all vague. He told me he had nothing to hide but was all "Maybe I'll let you see it some day". And honestly, that pissed me off more than anything. He wants me to make a personal blog so he can follow it, but I can't see what his is and he goes out of his way to be vague about it? The fuck is this?

And quite frankly, this lack of two way communication pisses me off. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've known or STILL know folks where all the communication is one way. I rarely hear from them, I have to go out of my way to find and talk to them, and after a while it feels awkward as hell because it's like "Do you want people to talk to you in the first place? How am I supposed to be friends with you or establish a friendship when you NEVER want to talk!" I mean really, I could look at my friend's list for virtually any of IMs or Steam and shit, and I will guarantee you at least 2/3rds of the friends I know never actually come to ME to say "Hey, how are you? How was your day? Anything happen?" I'm always the one coming to them to chat. ALWAYS.

How is it being friends when you never want to come to me. You can plainly see that I'm on, and I know you're not so busy or so distracted that a simple 'howdy, friend' is outside of your ability to perform. Now if you think I'm talking about you, just think about the time's we've chatted and who talks to who first, and that'll answer that.

Anyway, I got to thinking: "Maybe I could post my writing?" Only then I realized no-one ever fucking read my writing. Yes, most of what I got was PCA, but I've got three entries to NaNo, and only one of them had anyone who said they'd read it, and I'm pretty sure neither of them did. I mean really? You can't spend some time looking at my work? But writers barely get any recognition, espsecially around here. Good fucking luck getting anything even close to views.

"But Mel, you should do it for yourself!"

Sure, I could see that argument. But honestly, I want people to enjoy it too. I'd love for people to see my stuff and tell me what they think. Tell me what part they liked, what part they didn't, tell me what character they enjoyed, or made them sad. But no, no-one wants to engage their fucking brain for longer than a few minutes. It's all about porn and smut and pinups, and style and nice colors. Good luck getting the written word to get nearly the awe a half-decent piece of pornography will garner.

But then I also remembered I haven't written anything in months. Between looking for a job (which is failing miserably) and video games...I do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Fuck.

So it's like, what's the fucking point?

I don't know, it's 5:30, I'm awake, I'm annoyed, I'm pissed, I'm frustrated. I don't know. Fuck it all.

Gaming heaven for me~ Anyway, down to brass-tacks

The Retaliation DLC for ME3 is huge. 16 new classes, hazard maps with environmental dangers and traps, Volus classes (not as a silly as it sounds actually, the description for why they're on the battlefield actually makes sense, plus Bioware specifically stated they're designed to be support classes, not front of the pack shooters), and Collectors. Plus, they put the hazard maps on a weekly rotation and are going to be rolling out new classes at a rate of about one a week! The mechanical changes were great as well. Bioware does it again. My only gripe is that there's no Harbinger going "ASSUMING CONTROL". Ah well~

Before anyone remarks on the Collectors being alive? I direct you to the ME3 Codex and "The Miracle At Palaven". Proof positive that the Collectors and their associated tech was still being used by the Reapers. Yes, you blew up the base. No, them being in ME3 doesn't invalidate ME2, blah blah blah.


Pokemon Black 2 is awesome as well, more aesthetic changes than mechanical ones though. If you liked Black or White, and wanted more Unova? Get Black/White 2. Just remember to get the one MATCHING your prospective game for continuity. So if you picked Black, get Black 2, and vice versa. Also, the Dream Radar came out as well, but sadly, with no 3DS, I can't say much about that. I do plan to get one though, seeing as how there's a planned Pokemon Mystery Dungeon for the 3DS.

You'd think the internet would encourage people to communicate as openly as possible, seeing as words don't convey emotional tone or context as well.

But apparently it's the new thing to use a lack of communication as a means of communicating a lack of interest or that you don't like someone.

Why?

Is there some fear that if you talk to someone, even to say, "Sorry, not in the mood to talk", etc, etc, that somehow that will acknowledge them and lead them to try continued interaction?

Is it actually a bad thing to tell someone "thanks but no thanks"?

https://youtu.be/dZqwuHFIgIA

You cannot possibly fathom how hyped I am for this. Collectors, Harbinger (though sadly not in Reaper Form), and jetpacking turians. Not to mention an absolutely ridiculously awesome choice of music.

http://soundcloud.com/the-thirteen-.....riple-dog-dare

So, I enjoy several RP-related places, including Taps and F-list. But what bothers me is the fact that for a lot of these places, if you're the new guy? Good luck. A lot of people have either been there for a while, or just long enough to form their own close-knit circles that are either extremely adverse to newcomers, or just blatantly don't want anyone else getting in at all.

It's ridiculous at times to be hanging out with a group, only to easily get the feeling that the group is keeping it's ranks tight so as to prevent anyone else from getting in, or at the least, discourage anyone from trying with risks of ridicule or just straight up non-responsiveness and ostracization. It's a wonder anyone manages to find like-minded people.

Also again, don't worry, not talking about any of you. Just having a very, VERY meh day right now.

So, got it, played it, even got to the end to tell the Catalyst about his creators joining the war.

To be honest, it was a good DLC, somewhere between Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker in terms of quality.

The shining points are:

- Leviathans are giant, rocky, squid things
- They controlled most of the galaxy, demanding tribute (Note, while they have mind control powers there's NO EVIDENCE they mass brainwashed everyone at once)
- They created an "intelligence" (Catalyst) to try and help them solve the problem of the lesser races building machines that killed them, because dead races pay no tribute, ordering the intelligence to "preserve organic life at all costs"
- The intelligence eventually turned on them and made them into the first Reaper, Harbinger.
- They have the power to think a Reaper to death, but it takes concentration and a buttload of these spherical artifacts they use to transmite their mind control
- They still have vague ambitions to start dominating the galaxy again, but honestly, there's so few of them it won't amount to much because the entire Galaxy knows they exist apparently.
- The Catalyst reveals that the reason he turned on his creators: They failed to understand that they were as much a part of the organic/synthetic problem as the lesser races were, and mistakenly believe they were exempt from the solution, when in fact they were likely a major contributing cause.
- He's still doing what he's programmed to do because he has no long-term solution that will solve the problem he was programmed to fix (Even the Leviathans admit he's not doing anything BUT what he was programmed to do)

TL;DR?

The Leviathans are 100% the ones responsible for all this bullshit. Without them, there would be no Catalyst, and no Reapers. Or rather, if they weren't arrogant assholes who believed themselves to be the pinnacle of organic life? All this could have been avoided. And the Catalyst is almost as much a victim as everyone else is.

The block/ignore feature exists for a reason. I'm quite surprised more people don't use it. A good 80% of the issues people have with each other would be dealt with quite handily if you used it.

But then this is something I've noticed gets either used inappropriately (blocking someone out of the blue without any provocation), or not used when applicible (current situation).

Ah well, most of this has nothing to do with me so I suppose I'll keep my nose out of it, but you'd be surprised how easy is it to fix something by placing a wall between it and yourself.

Looks pretty awesome.

Some people really need to do that. Bitching about something you know won't change at least once a week just because you can is just plain silly.

But I suppose you can't expect better from some people, huh?

http://kotaku.com/5921535/i-really-.....ect-3--endings

Just read the comments.

Never have I seen so much self-indulged BS in my life. Really? He expresses a personal opinion and you treat him like a war criminal?

I mean really. He's not insulting your intelligence or heck, you in general. He's expressing an opinion on something he feels he didn't need, and does so in a thoughtful and fair manner.

And yet because he's not like Forbes that panders to the common denominator confirmation bias he's a hack and a retard.

Yeesh.

In a few words?

It's exactly what Bioware said it would be: "A clarification and explanation of the existing endings."

The addition of the fourth "ending" was a nice touch, since it's exactly what would've happened in that situation.

If you were one of those people expecting more, then you're going to be disappointed.

Myself? I'm glad for the extra stuff, but I feel it shouldn't have been made in the first place. What the endings show, I already knew.