It has been over a year since I've done one of these journals, so maybe it's time to spill my guts on a variety of topics.

First on the list: Where I've been and what I've been up to.

For anyone that pays attention to my activities...which I assume are actually very few of you...have probably noticed that I've just not uploaded anything in months.

I've actually been slowly uploading pieces to my Weasyl account, trying to get that going over there. Why? Because FA needs competition, that's why.

Seriously, I stopped uploading because this site had some major, MAJOR issues that needed to be taken care of...some of which I pointed out in previous journals..and they weren't being addressed.

That said, in recent weeks, some of them HAVE been addressed and worked on. It's a good sign for this site, but more needs to be done. But I *MIGHT* start uploading here...debating on it. I still think Weasyl needs more support, and it needs stuff to offer up to users over there compared to here for that to happen. I mean, there was a quick rush of artists over there when the beta opened, then it died out.

So I might start uploading here again. Maybe.

*****

So, up next is a bit of a rant about something which is starting to really bother me, but I get this a lot.

A few weeks back, I made a journal talking about the upcoming Pokemon X/Y games, and in at least one instance, I got the answer of 'It's made for children. You aren't the demographic.'

This argument drives me insane. Why? Because no matter WHAT it is...be it a movie, or a game, or a book, or just about ANY entertainment...THIS is the answer I get.

"Well, Pokemon is made for children 10-13, therefore it doesn't need to evolve."

"Well, the new Texas Chainsaw movie wasn't made for you, it was made for those teens and young adults. Not a long-time fan like you."

"Well, the new DMC doesn't really hold the gameplay style or themes of the previous games, it wasn't made for you. It was made to draw in new audiences."

Okay...so when *IS* something made for *ME*? I get sick of this, it's like NOTHING out there is supposedly intended for me, therefore I am told I don't have a right to judge it.

I frankly find it to be kind of a crappy defense. Kirby is made for younger children, often times with softer and more forgiving gameplay. But that has yet to actually stifle Hal labs from trying new and inventive ways to use Kirby in games. Super Star Ultra, Squeak Squad, Canvas Curse, Epic Yarn, 64, Air Ride...the only arguable one here for a 'hardcore' crowd is Canvas Curse, and yet small children can still enjoy the game a lot. It was a VERY enjoyable game!

The problem is with Pokemon, the main game series has always been the RPGs, with every other game coming out as a kind of side game. Most of the side games just focus on one gimmick, and don't even often do a great job with that one gimmick and thus, are less than stellar.

A big issue with Pokemon is that a lot of times, they don't alter things much. They are trapped by their own confines of the game design, and because the games never really get re-designed, the story doesn't either. No matter which game, you're always a new trainer setting out for the first time.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the turn-based gameplay, or the 'rock-paper-scissors' mechanic. But Nintendo could do a lot more with Pokemon, to immerse the player further into the world of Pokemon. If they were to raise the level cap from 100 to, say, 200, and make use of cloud game-saving to allow you to take data from one game to the next, or even having an online world hub could be incredibly satisfying! You could take badges from one game to the next, always adding onto that, and maybe giving additional bonuses.

Nintendo kind of dabs with these ideas, but they're never beyond just a passing function that's there, but wind up being mostly useless. If I could continue my journey as the SAME character through multiple titles, using my same Pokemon and catching new ones, I would be incredibly interested in that! It'd be fun if, starting a new game, I could already traverse easily with my bike and check out out locales before being called up to move to a new one, that would be very satisfying.

And if you're a new player, well, you have to go through all the older areas before going to the new ones. That would make sense, but since you're new, it's all new to you anyway, and that is in itself pleasurable.

Maybe I'm just thinking too large for this franchise, but it does strike me as the kind of thing that, while it's going strong now, could be going all the stronger. There's nothing here that prevents older players from still enjoying it, not at all, but they could really incorporate it into an exciting overall experience, instead of just a game-to-game thing.

On that same token, however, we have games like Dead Space 3, Resident Evil 6, and DMC. Games that are either remakes or sequels to previous titles, but altering it to 'appeal to a broader audience'

I'm not sure that's the best way to go about it, either. Because the fans that you DO have you're alienating in the hopes of drawing a new crowd. Sometimes the pay-off works, sometimes it doesn't.

Resident Evil has made numerous attempts at this, and some are successful and some aren't. RE4 was a big leap in terms of the series, removing the by-even-then standards the previous control scheme in favor of an over-the-shoulder camera. But at the core of RE4's heart was still the bio-terror the series had been known for, so thematically it was still the same series...and RE4 really was terrifying.

Whereas RE5 altered the game further, giving you a partner, and adjusted the theme some. It's still a really good game, but some of the additions/subtractions to the way RE4 played actually made it less terrifying. If you got into trouble, you knew you had a partner to help; exploring the ruins of the old, underground city was more Indiana Jones than it was a scary movie.

Then we have RE6, which decided that instead of focusing on one game style with one goal (to be exciting, or to be terrifying, or this, or that), it kind of broke the various pieces of what makes up an RE title into smaller stories or chunks, which kind of...broke things.

Now hey, I know some of you like RE6, and that's OKAY! If you like the game, that's perfectly fine! But that doesn't mean I have to, nor do I. The game has some HUGE issues that bother me, and to me, it was even further removed from a terrifying game about scant resources and monsters all over.

But hey, that's kind of the point I'm making. RE6 again strives for that 'bigger' audience, and for some baffling reason just throws resources at you the way another game might throw rocks. Whereas before in RE2, I might be in a real pickle if I'm not careful with my ammo and health packs. Even in RE4, if you were wasteful with your supplies, you could land in some serious trouble.

But see, this is what I'm getting at. Ultimately, I keep getting told that item after item...be it games or movies....isn't made for me.

How is that supposed to make me feel? If Texas Chasinaw 3D is for teens, and not for fans of the series, why even bother trying to tie it to the original film?

If Capcom wants to make games for everyone, what's the point of taking something that has clearly defined roots and trying to alter it?

It sounds weird, the way I'm talking about Pokemon and then RE, but in both cases they're limiting what they can/want to do with something. Resident Evil is being limited in it's effective scariness, and Pokemon is actually being limited in its' wide appeal...which is weird, because if anything it should be the opposite. Pokemon should be striving to hit every possible person and sale, and Resident Evil should be focusing on delivering a tight, terrifying experience.

All I know is, right now with how things stand, I'm in that ghostly middle, where everything around me is not, supposedly, for me.

*****

Speaking of games, there's an article floating around right now about the next xbox system....and it doesn't sound appealing.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/the.....w-kinect/#null

Oooh yeah, this system has to have an online connection and no 2nd-hand games.

Seriously, does anyone think this is a good idea? There's no reason to need to be connected for a single player game....

Seriously, this is getting way out of hand. It doesn't make the next generation of systems look appealing in the least.

*****


For those that saw my last journal, it's okay to redeem your TF2 figure codes now. You just get a genuine Brigade Helm and a Genuine Glengarry Bonnet. Not the best prizes, but hey, it's something!

Valve hasn't added the items into the game yet, and if you use the codes before they are, you will not get them.

http://teaminterrobang.com/showthre.....l=1#post415252

http://forums.steampowered.com/foru......php?t=3066710

So, if you have any plans to buy the figures, do NOT use those codes right away! Make sure you're 100% sure and safe to get the items attached!

So, it's been a few days since I last wrote about Other M.

Ultimately, the game never improved. You never actually get to see Sector Zero because that's where Adam intervenes, separating it from the rest of the ship and blowing it up. This was still as stupid as you were lead to believe, but after learning that Adam has made difficult choices that cost one person their life compared to hundreds, I at least understood WHAT they were going for.

The thing is, Adam was destroying these Metroids that no longer had their weakness to cold. Which is fine, but the game later goes on to have you fight against a Queen Metroid, cloned from the metroid bits from Samus' spacesuit after Super Metroid.

This would all make sense, except in the fact that any time Samus is knocked unconscious or hurt, the suit evaporates...so how did that scientist get the metroid DNA off her? Or the Ridley DNA, for that matter?

Whatever...oh, and the boss Nightmare makes an appearance! This is particularly strange, as the creature doesn't exist until Metroid Fusion, due to an infection of the X parasite in some kind of bio-mass in this ventilation shaft. So...why is Nightmare in this game? It doesn't make any sense, he's just there to be there.

In that same vein, Phantoon appears in the game as well. Mind you, he is just an extra boss you can fight after the main story; but again, there's absolutely NO explanation for him here. He SHOULD be dead after Super Metroid. At least with Ridley there was the 'cloning' explanation even though it doesn't make a great deal of sense. Phantoon is incredibly cheap as well...he just throws so much shit at you constantly, that it's impossible to avoid being hit. Using your stronger weapons are pointless, as they only do a minimal amount of extra damage.

Speaking of the bosses, the Queen Metroid starts as one of the most annoying bosses because up to six Metroids spawn out of her, and if you don't kill them in the waves (first 1, then 2, then 3), you have a serious problem. You gotta freeze 'em then rocket 'em.

Freezing them is a real pain, as they can avoid your shots easily. But even when you do hit, they don't stay frozen long, and the Queen is constantly stomping around, breaking them out even faster. Plus, it takes either 2 or 3 regular missiles, or 1 super missile...and both tactics take time, which the game refuses to ever afford you.

Oh, btw, Anthony survived! That was a nice little thing, 'cause he was about the only thing I really liked here. So huzzah for Anthony!

...and just to wrap it up, the self destruction sequence. I went item hunting, which altogether added maybe another 2 hours to the overall experience (bringing my in-game time to around 12 hours), and then went and fought Phantoon and picked up Adam's helmet. Frankly, I think Samus is kind of creepy here, the way she hugs and such...I think she seriously wanted to bone him. that's the feeling *I* got from it, anyway.

But oh no, the ship is gonna blow up! Time to run back to her ship...while not bothering to re-activate her power suit. I knew this was coming because Daigo had warned me...but what I didn't expect was for the game to throw a new mechanic at me during the countdown!

See, these gates drop down, and to get them to rise back up you gotta shot 'em with her stun gun....but at first I didn't know that, and wasted time trying to backtrack, to find a gate had dropped behind me! So I was confused, jumping around...and accidentally shot the one gate, and it rose up a bit...so that's how I figured it out. I didn't appreciate this at all, as it wasted time...

...and that's pretty much it I unlocked all the gallery pictures, Hard mode (as if there's any reason to play this...there's nothing to unlock), and all cinematics. woo-hoo.

*****

So, recently I sat down and, for the first time ever, played through Half-Life, and 2 of its' 3 expansions (one was exclusive to the PS2 port) on Steam.

Considering that Half-Life came out in 1997, it's graphics are extremely rough by today's standards. That said, the game has held up pretty well. the puzzles are still somewhat challenging, and the AI is for the most part pretty intelligent and rather aggressive. The game really likes to throw curveballs at you, always keeping you on your toes and trying to struggle to survive. Plus, there's just some genuinely creepy moments, such as when a deep, booming voice screams at you 'you've done...what the HEEELLL haaave yooouuu'vvveee dooone?', and it's quite challenging. Well worth playing even in this day and age.

Opposing Force was the first expansion to Half-Life, and I absolutely love it. Instead of having to use a flashlight in dark places, you get a useful night vision filter, and while you get some of the same weapons as in HL, you get a wide variety of new and fun weapons, such as the grappling hook made from an alien barnacle in the game. The game suffers from some bizarre glitch that will on occasion make it so you're unable to move, and will have to die or reload the last save to fix it. Plus, while you can command soldiers to follow you into battle, they are INSANELY idiotic, and will shoot you to kill a headcrab that's right in front of you, so standing in between them and bad guys is a big no-no...and often times hard to do. Don't shoot them, either...they will turn on you for it.

but aside from that, Opposing Force adds another 10 or so hours of gameplay, and helps expand upon the story from the first game, taking place during the latter half of the first game.

Blue-Shift, on the other hand, follows security guard Barry Calhoun during the first few hours of the main game, where the experiment goes awry. Barry, being a regular guy, can only rely on body armor and helmets for armor and is unable to use the HEV refill stations (unlike Gordon and Shepard from Opposing Force), and he gets the same basic weapons that Gordon gets in Half-Life. Blue-Shift is also a great deal shorter than even Opposing Force, taking less than 5 hours to run through, and it lacks any new creatures like Opposing Force. Overall, it's a worthwhile trip to see the references to HL, Opposing Force, and even a quick reference to the final expansion, Decay( Decay was PS2 only, and was a co-op campaign. It followed two women scientists who, to my knowledge, do not re-appear). I would tell folks to play this one before moving to Opposing Force, due to the shortness of the campaign and the lack of original equipment. It doesn't suffer from that same horrible glitch that would plague Opposing Force from time to time, so that was good.

Overall, however, I consider this Half-Life trilogy to be a satisfying and fun trio of games. If you haven't played them, I'd recommend checking them out, especially during one of Steam's many game sales.

So, I've been playing since I said I was done. XD

For the most part, I've not much more to say. I had to fight this fish in the lava stages, which was a truly horrendous experience. For the first part of the fight, you had to hook it out of the lava, and EVERY TIME I did this it would land, SPLAT, right on Samus! about 8 times outta 10 it'd knock her into the lava, so she'd take even MORE damage.

There was a part where a game-breaking glitch was in the game, but I managed to avoid doing that. It happens after you fight this recurring monster for the 3rd time, and might go back and save...you need to immediately go through a door that opens upon his defeat.

But yeah, yadda yadda, I'm getting power-ups, moving through the game...and we're at THAT moment.

Ridley.

The cutscene is obscenely horrendous. I mean, I'd seen it before, most of you guys have, but just sitting here, watching it...I dunno, it just somehow made it even worse.

The upside is, the actual FIGHT with Ridley isn't too bad. I would say once you get his attacks down, it's a battle you can do quite easily, unlike some of the other ones...so, when I finally got it down, I was having...*gasp* fun!

There's another cutscene soon after that, where Samus learns about everything that's been going on the ship. It wasn't TOO bad, even halfway decent, but then...she starts to think about some of the 'holes' in the lady's story...and finds out things are worse than she thought.

But there's an issue, even with the 'repaired' story. See, the whole idea of the Traitor (aka, the Deleter) is that the Galactic Feds want the Metroids to use as a weapon. But the thing is that Adam supposedly stepped in, which forced them to put the traitor in.

But that means that A) either Adam was making moves in advance to arriving at the ship, or B) the Traitor was paid off before they took off.

Neither explanation is adequate due to the urgency of the SOS call that Samus received....so....huge plot hole...

I'm right now just outside Section Zero, which I know is nearing the end of the game. So tomorrow I should be able to finish it.

Played a little bit last night, didn't get very far. Mostly found these...zebeian things in suits of armor, and they were kind of irritating to deal with. The cutscenes had some guy find this one file on computer, that declared "We are making bioweapons for the Galactic Federation! signed blah blah blah." and Samus is doing this really weird thing of trying to press Adam for information by going "Were they making bioweapons here?" to which Adam goes "Uhhh...apparently."

Seriously, Samus? How stupid are you? -_-

Oh, and she makes mention of how she's surprised by how, right now, she suddenly cares what he thinks about her...despite talking about it the whole game up to this point. Ya know, 'cause before, she totally didn't care.

Oh GOODIE. Now I've entered the lava section of the game, and...oh, fun! environmental damage! All because she's too STUPID to turn on her Varia suit...well, I knew this part was coming...

Huh? What? Wait a minute, he was telling his troops to use ice beams earlier, but that means that Samus has to SPECIFICALLY wait for an order to do so, despite everyone ELSE having permission??....wow, that's bull. :| Least I have it now, I guess.

Wow, this whole 'taking damage without the Varia suit' is the worst padding of a game difficulty I think I've ever seen. It's clear that the hot areas are just outside save rooms to drain you of health to leave you vulnerable to smaller enemies just past those areas.

...okay, well, got to the boss, which is incredibly difficult to predict. It has at least two different swinging speeds for its' second arm, and the 3 times I had to fight it, it swapped the side it did this pattern on at least once.

Plus, the angle of the camera makes it difficult to see how I can avoid the fireballs it fires at me. Least I have the Varia suit now, so no more environmental damage. Yay.

...and now I'm at a spot where I absolutely NEED the grappling hook. Instead of giving me permission to use it, I'm sent over to Sector 2. Adam, you are a dumbfuck...

so, I'm going along in the icy colds of Sector 2...just kind of dealing with whatever, and I realized something. The jumping in this game is much harder than it needed to be, because Samus casts absolutely NO shadow. There is NO way to accurately judge if you're over a platform or not, you just kind of jump and hope for the best. Because with no shadow, you can't gauge where she is in relation to where she just was, or where you want her to be.

Okay, I take that back...partially. She *does* cast a shadow...when the game feels like rendering it. I've seen where she has a shadow, has no shadow, and then it pop or fade back into existence. Good lord, there's no reason for her shadow to be doing that.

On top of that, I just came across a gap in platforms that was JUST at her jumping reach...but mostly she doesn't make the jump. Plus, despite grabbing onto numerous ledges in the game, she absolutely REFUSES to do so here, and at the same time you're trying to fight some monster slinging plasma shots at you...thankfully it wound up killing itself (no idea how that happened), so I could practice getting onto that f'n platform.

...so these movable hanging ledges are not only boring, but aesthetically pointless. Who else but Samus would sit here and hang off these things? Scientists aren't gonna...

...so, prodding along, la-la-la..oooh, hunt the pixel, these are...incredibly not fun!

Okay, up against an incredibly powerful boss: The Power Lift! Turns out there's a traitor among the Galactic Federation guys (yeah, none of you knew that, huh?), and attacks Samus in this mobile power lift thingy.

After an incredibly flawed and annoying battle, Samus destroys it. She gets a message from Adam to head back to Sector 3, and...doesn't bother checking to see WHO is in the power lift, deciding instead that she needs to protect some NPC character and herself from the traitor.

Here's a thought, sweetheart...CHECK WHO IS IN THE POWER LIFT. Ugh...

Ugh, ugh, ugh. I've had enough today, this is so bad.

Okay, so I'm picking up again from where I left off yesterday.

Ran into the first...I guess you'd call it the boss battle. some kind of liquid monster thing made up of insects. I apparently forgot some of the controls since yesterday, because I got killed the first time because I didn't lock onto the sensitive spot, and was trying to...gasp, shoot it! OF course, when I locked on the 2nd time, it started a cutscene, explaining how to use missiles to hurt it and then blowing up the iced over spots. Thanks game, I never would have figured that out if you'd just let me have the damn missles to start with...like, you know, I did but then locked 'em away.

Yadda, yadda, long-ass cutscene is boring...it's supposed to be explaining her bond with Adam, but mostly he seems bored and bland. Not getting why she viewed him as a father figure...Heck, the robot AI named after him in Fuzion felt more emotionally varied.

Okay, what the hell? These stompy alien things are sure hurting Samus a LOT, and they're not really that major a monster...and at this point, I've picked up...3 missile upgrades and a tank, which is probably the easiest I've ever gotten items in these games. I mean, hell, one was right in the pathway you had to take to continue!

...speaking of the pathway...came across this long hallway that was overgrown with plant life...and despite the room looking quite wide, you can't step off the walking path. I hate it when there's invisible walls up blocking my ability to investigate, hate it.

Okay, I'll give the game some credit here. Having the small insects pouring out of the log to draw attention to it was kind of creative.

Though, I am really hating this 'ghosting' effect it's causing on my TV. The Wii is the only system I've ever seen do this with any TV, and it actually makes everything a WHOLE lot uglier. And it does it every time I'm drawing energy for my charged shot.

I guess that's really more a fault of the Wii itself than the game, but I hate it so much. Maybe it's 'cause I'm using AV cords, or something, and my xbox is on HDMI...but the xbox just doesn't do it. Hell, it didn't before when it was on components...

Man, the controls in this game. Samus feels incredibly to stiff to move about, almost as if she were moving in a grid format or something. and the auto-targeting is not that reliable...lotta times it'll shoot an enemy I want to take out, miss the next couple of shots, land one on something else, then come back.

...speaking of which, the control scheme shows just how poor it really is now that I've reached what I guess is the first REAL boss of the game: Wasp Hive.

I mean, there were these electrical worm things earlier, but not sure how much they counted as a boss; but clearly these wasps do.

Holy hell, could Samus be more of a slug? She's constantly getting grabbed by the wasps that I've knocked the wings off of, and that does 40 damage EVERY time. Not to mention trying to find a moment to fire on the weak spots of the hive itself, seeing how every few seconds they fire something at you. How are you supposed to do this?

The room keeps spinning around, and at times I'm just trying to dodge outta the way, but instead she's either running into an enemy, or up the 'slippery slope' hill that is in the very middle of the room. Why is it there? It wasn't necessary. This was incredibly frustrating to get through.

...and with that, I think I'm done for the day. That's about 2 and a half hours of gameplay today, so about 3 hours in so far.

Back on Black Friday, our Sam's Club was selling copies of Metroid: Other M for $8.88. Being the naturally curious feline that I am, I grabbed a copy (the only copy that sold, truthfully). Today I decided to pop it in, and I've heard before that folks sometimes like to read the thoughts of others as they go through a game...so why not? Might as well make a journal as I go.

So far, I am hating this game.

Just to start, I am not enjoying Samus in this. She tends to monologue to herself (and thus, to us) a lot. Most of it so far has just been about her recent past, or how offended she gets when Adam (part of the Galactic Federation's military) calls her an 'outsider'. Seriously, she talks about how his purposeful use of the word hurts her. Could she BE more of a emotional pansy?

Least Anthony seems to be a worthwhile character, joking around with Samus and even teasing her about using her rockets to open the door for them. Which she does, after standing around for a moment like a deer caught in headlights. Then Adam sneers at her I guess (hard to tell, his visor was down...and his face never seems to change anyway), and Samus just arbitrarily decides on her own she won't use any bombs or rockets or anything until he tells her to. This is interesting, since Adam doesn't seem to know about this...so how is he supposed to issue her commands for it?

The graphics in this game are pretty horrendous. For something that only came out roughly 2 years ago, this game looks incredibly rough. For the most part, the color palette they went with is a wide range of metal blue, gray, black...and even when they DO inject a lot of color, such as the opening video against Mother Brain, it tends to be dark and muddy to look at. It's not really that colorful. Plus, the lip syncing isn't really done well with the spoken lines, and it just looks kind of fuzzy and pixelated. Not a terribly great looking game.

Adding on top of that, the level designs are already feeling dank and uninspired. There's so much black used that it's hard to see details against them, and it feels incredibly empty. Like, there's a lot of space used, but it's not used to great effect. There's not much to look at, and even when the game is trying to point out something for you TO look at, when in First Person view it's incredibly hard to see what it is trying to show you, as you are given no clues.

I don't like how the game holds your hand to show you the controls, either. I remember back to Metroid Prime, and how it just injected you into the game, into a short but incredibly sweet mission that guided you to use the controls, but without having to sit in a safe, secure place and guide you through them. It feels like hand-holding of the worst kind, and it isn't going to feel fun to go through those again on repeat playthroughs (assuming, of course, there will be any past this one).

So far...not impressed...

why, exactly, is everyone getting SO excited for this entry? I've seen the trailer, and all I can muster up is an 'meh'.

Okay, so they worked on the graphics. That's nice and all, but unless they've done something to really shake up the gameplay or story, that's not all that terribly interesting. Sure, the game looks better than it ever has, but if it still plays the same, I'm still getting the same core experience I have about half a dozen times in the past.

How come they never actually bother trying anything new? When was the last time we got a new type of Pokemon, was it back in Gen 2? That was only to fix the issue with Psychic types dominating in Blue/Red anyway.

Anyone remember Pokemon Colosseum, back on the GCN? There was a game that was released by the Pokemon Company (and not Game Freaks, a notable tid-bit) that dared to actually do something with the standard RPG formula. It mostly lost the gyms, and replaced the standard 1-on-1 gameplay with 2-on-2 being the dominating factor. Plus, it gave you two Starter Pokemon that you wouldn't get in any other 'standard' entry, being Pschic and Dark types, as well as cultivating a new way of capturing Pokemon in that you were limited to ONLY what were Shadow-infected Pokemon.

I'm not saying it was this huge, wholly-original entry in the series, but it DARED to do something different, and it was actually FUN. Why aren't we seeing any thing like that in the 'main' RPG series? Why is it you're always a newbie, going through Gyms and just happen to stop an evil group along the way? C'mon Nintendo, you can do a LOT better than that.

...or maybe not. Lotta folks sure seem to be pleased to just be playing the same game again...

For today (Dec 23) only. It's 600 MS points, so if you've been waiting for it...now's a good time to pick it up!

Lotta topics I've gotta cover, hopefully this won't be TOO terribly long to read!

So, as my last two journals indicated, I'm heading to MFF this year! It's a first for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone I know out there! On a related note...anyone wanna car pool? I'm coming all the way from south central Ohio, and it's a hell of a drive over there by one's self! Plus, it'd help save on gas, so...any takers? I'm leaving early, early Friday morning (I have no room Thursday night), and plan on arriving as early as possible Friday.

Went out and voted today, to hopefully make a benefit for this country. Really, any of you folks in the US should make the attempt to get out and vote, 'cause if you just take a passive seat, that lets everyone else have the power over you. Least by voting, you're exerting what power you DO have.

Yush, Luni had a birthday! It was back on October 29th, and thank you to everyone who wished me a happy one or gave me something for it! Was a really nice day, I enjoyed it a lot. Of course, butterfinger blizzard cake from Dairy Queen helped!

As a kind of 'birthday gift to myself' deal, I wound up getting the two vinyl figures of Derpy Hooves and Rainbow Dash from Hot Topic. They're actually pretty nice, but I think I'll do a separate journal talking about them.

Oh, and for everyone that hasn't found me on there, I do indeed have a Weasyl account! https://www.weasyl.com/profile/thelunatic25

I would highly recommend following me over there if you already have an account, because if it hasn't been noticed yet...I'm not at all really favoring to upload stuff here. Personal reasons, really. But I do plan on getting new artwork done, and posting it on Weasyl, so really, it's best if you follow me there too!

So, I think that's all the pertinent information! See ya on the flip side!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/.....338&type=1

Pretty damn awesome.

Seriously, has anyone just sat outside this debate, and go "This is the dumbest thing ever?". Because it seriously is.

www.furaffinity.net/journal/3623377/

Check it out, Duo made a journal commenting on his surprise about how 'Hoof Beat', an MLP adult fan magazine with a limited print and sold exclusively at AC 2012, has currently climbed up to 1000 bucks.

...and then the comments started flowing in. "Oh, wow. That's Bronies for you." Is it really? Have we NOT noticed just how much people will sometimes spend in the Furry fandom?

and there's this whole thing about how people are 'sickened' by the perversion of the MLP, because they're from a girl's cartoon.

Oh really? What about all that artwork of Princess Sally, Peg, Julie Bruin, Rouge the Bat, etc.? This isn't any different!

Seriously, of all the things we fight about in this fandom, this is easily one of the DUMBEST THINGS.

Furry: It's like being a Brony, only not limited to tiny horses. :|

Now get over yourselves.

Edit: Oh, and btw, the Hoof Beat book was scanned in by SOMEONE, I dunno who, but I found it on lulz.net

http://www.mediafire.com/?a6x71ix0q4yar86

Here's a link to the rar. Get it while it's hot, ya goobers!

Edit #2: Here's a piece that pretty much displays the entirety of this!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8346153/

Kind of have an odd request if anyone is going....

http://content.usatoday.com/communi.....1#.T-at-1JN_mu

See this? I WANT ONE. I will totally compensate for picking it up and such...but oh how I do not want to try and fight to get one.

So, uhh, anyone out there going? ^^;;

First and foremost, special thanks to  Daverab, without whom I probably wouldn't have had room at the con...or at least it'd be a lot harder on me...and for really helping me out of a bind there. He knows what I mean.

Okay, so....GREATEST CON OF MY ENTIRE LIFE! Which is really saying something, considering last year was really fantastic. But it seems like I just did SO much more, and it's probably easiest to just break it down by day.

Thursday - Drove to the con, met up with old friends, and met the roomies. I was staying with  Daverab, as I said above...but we were also rooming with  Strype and his wife,  Cooper! Strype is really a funny guy, if you ever get a chance to talk him up, you should.

Aside from that, just settled in, went through pre-reg, usual Thursday events. Nothing major.

Friday - Well, got kind of a late start to the day, missed almost all of the Opening Ceremonies. Went and got in line to get into the main floor (Dealer's Den, Artist's Alley, Art Show)...only for the section of line I was in to get completely cut out and implanted at the end of the line. :| I wasn't very happy with that, they didn't do a good job of keeping the line organized at all.

But eventually I get in, and I start doing everything I set out to do. Snagged a slot from  kv1nn4, a piece and CD from  DracoJeff, 2 pieces from  LapinBeau, and some other odds and ends.

Me and Dave went to lunch at Fernado's, and found out the t-shirts he had for sale had sold out at dinnertime on Thursday! So, I decided to grab one of the 'dog bowls' he was selling, and I got like the 5th or 6th to last red bowl..Dave got the last one, and then whatever was hanging of the Yellow ones was all that was left! This was around 1 pm on Friday!

Saw Sardyuon perform his skill and talent in acrobatics that day, and decided I wanted to see him as much as possible. It was really awesome getting to watch him go butt first through one of those rings he was juggling, and then seeing him balacing up on those chairs...so amazing. I think saw :2gryphon:'s show, and then as I decided on dinner...I started to really bad. From about 10 pm-1am or so, I felt absolutely horrible and spent the time in my room.

Saturday - So, spent the morning going through the art show, bid on a couple of pieces (got the one, lost the other), and in general went around just picking stuff up before the Fursuit parade.

The parade was simply massive. 1,044 furs were in it, and I got an amazing spot near the ballroom, where for some reason the fursuits would funnel through one at a time. Got some really nice pictures.

After that, went back into the AA, and found  LavenderPandy! I managed to get her last commission of the con, and it's so adorable! Can't wait to get that one up.

Around 4 went to an Ohio furmeet, but it was held in the zoo...and I couldn't hardly hear a thing. Kind of a bust...maybe next year they should find some place quieter to meet up?

Saw Uncle Kage's Story Hour, which was my first..and was just amazing to hear some of the stuff he's been through. After that, saw the Masquerade, where Gary Gnu was debuted! I wasn't really familiar with the Great Space Coaster, but even I sorta know who Gary Gnu is...so that was cool.

Went to 'Are you a Werewolf?', and while it was funny, the game took forever and it just didn't flow very well. I got eaten pretty early by the werewolves. XD

Sunday - Slower start to the day, woke up a bit late and got out the door late. Went and saw Dev Madan as he talked about the creative process behind the designs of Sly Cooper and co, and we got to see some of the really early sketches and gameplay footage! Due to Mr. Madan's wishes, however, I did not take any pictures and cannot show you...daaaah....but it was cool.

Didn't do much else, really. Saw Sardyuon again (His encore performance was the best of the three times I saw him; he was also in the Masquerade), walked the Dealer's Den, got my one piece from the art show, meet the guys behind 'TheBedfellows' on youtube, met Miu (he signed my book!), and in general, just kind of killed time/hung out until ceremonies.

After that, it was just saying good-byes, meeting up with folks I hadn't really seen during the con, and coming home.

So, let's review everything I got!

2 Lapin Beau commissions
1 Val (waiting, as I said)
1 DracoJeff commission
1 LavenderPandy commission

1 new CD from DracoJeff (He signed it for meee~)
1 Gummi keychain (I do adore that fat little bear)
2 Bedfellows pins (those guys were totally there)
1 Peaches & Cream book (Miu signed!)
2 Lapin Beau prints, + 1 free!
2 Gideon dollar 'Derp' pictures
1 Kae Mantis Vaporeon pin
1 Drake Fenwick comic book
2 Tojyo doujins
1 'dog dish' at Fernado's (that resturant they were raising money for)
1 Spotty Cheetah Print from the art show
1 'Voo-Doo Bunny' print from Diana Sprinkle
3 games free from ToonFX (hoorah!)


...and it has all lead to one very poor Luni. X3 Very fun, and it's nice having all this smexy swag! *rolls around in the pile!*

Also, it was nice being remembered by LavenderPandy from the picture of Luni & Gummi 2 years earlier! ^^ Made me feel good!

How do you want to be addressed?
Luni, or Lunatic. Either will get my attention.

Gender?
M

Age?
28. Urgh...I feel old.

What do you look like?

Like This:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8043703/

Where/how can I find you?

Best bet is phone, and a lot of my friends already have that. I'm sure I'll be all over the place.

How are you getting there?

automobile

What hotel are you staying at?

Westin! Hoorah!

Which days will you be attending?
Thursday - Monday. Probably be around 'til noon or so on Monday

Do you do requests/trades/commissions?

I'm not an artist. But I do like to talk a lot, so if you want to trade ideas...

Will you have prints, CDs, or merchandise?
Nah

Will you have Art in the Art Show?

Nope.avi

Who will you be with?

Umm, that's hard to tell. Some of the folks I was with a lot last year aren't making/aren't sure, so...that's kind of up in the air. Probably a lot of folks!

What is your main purpose for attending?

Hanging with friends I usually just get to talk to online. Probably buy stuff...Probably!

Can I talk to you?

Oh, yeah, sure! Especially if you know me, and I just haven't recognized you yet!

Can I take pictures with you?

Uhhh....maybe? Depends.

Can I touch/hug/cuddle you?

You'll already know if you're allowed.

Can I hang out with you?

Yeah, just don't creep on me...and brush your damn teeth and shower, huh? I'm not a fan of B.O.

Do you go to parties?

Uhhh...depends

Do you fursuit/costume?

No.

What is the best way to reach you?

Heh, as I said, my phone....and I'm already trying to make sure everyone that needs it has it.

Anything else?

I dunno? Say hi, gimme candy/sweets if you want (chocolate...yum), but I don't expect anything except to stand around and talk, and get artworks done!

*****

Okay, as I said, there's some important info.

In short, on Saturday...May 26th...I'm leaving for vacation! I won't be getting back home until June 12th, 2 days before Anthrocon! If you need something from me/to tell me, DO IT NOW. After Saturday, there may not be another chance until the con itself!

http://www.superherohype.com/news/a.....-rises-is-here


Mmm, I'm greatly looking forward to Avengers this year, but my money is still on Batman. I love both of the Nolan films, and this is looking to be on par with at least Begins, if not wholly TDK.

You are going to want to boot up your copy(s) of the game, and collect your Reshiram(s) or Zekrom(s)! You can download them via Mystery Gift vi the Nintendo WIFI connection, but ONLY until April 8!

In The Games Department

Pokémon Black & White - Reshiram/Zekrom Event

For those of you with the English langue games (American, European, Australian), a new WiFi event has been announced. This download provides a special Level 100 Reshiram or Zekrom for your games. If you have Pokémon Black, you get Zekrom while if you have Pokémon White, you'll get Reshiram. These Pokémon are to be Level 100 which indicates that this is an international occurance of the Movie Event Reshiram & Zekrom that came in July last year in Japan which had the special moves of Blue Flare, Fusion Flare, Mist & Draco Meteor and Bolt Strike, Fusion Bolt, Haze & Outrage respectively. This event is to run from March 10th 2012 to April 8th 2012. Like the Japanese counterparts, these event Pokémon will acces the special Pokémon Movie Home on the Dream World to access new C-Gears. The Event Database has been updated with details of this event

quoted from: serebii.net

So get your butts on your game and collect those rare Pokemon, and finish that damn Pokedex!

In other news, Head guru of Valve, Gabe, had admitted...well...let's just let him say it, shall we?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?featur.....;v=YPjFavgKO5I

For those of you not in the know, a month ago there was a huge uproar over Sonic artwork, and the artist is ( is) being banned. For a little more on that, I want to direct you to: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3169791/

And for those you who are about to read this whole thing...I do apologize for the size, but I feel these issues need to be addressed.

So, about a month and a half later, has the situation improved at all? The answer is a resounding no.

The guidelines are still mucky and unclear, there are multiple instances of double standards, and the staff's ability to handle things in an eloquent fashion is far below where it should be.

The guidelines for what is or isn't acceptable is still poorly written. Actually, I don't think it's been re-written once since the cub art ban was enacted over a year ago, and that is far too long to let something like this go without refining it.

It's not that the age of the characters is in question. Everyone understands that, and for awhile, some folks were skirting the edge.

But where the rules fail to clarify is this:

"Submissions containing characters of questionable or indeterminable age will be up to the discretion of the administration." as found on the AUP: http://help.furaffinity.net/article.....olicy-AUP.html

See this? This is a major problem, and it should have been re-written months ago, not left to wallow on the AUP.

The fact is, that the characters could be of questionable or indeterminable age....as decided by ANY member of the staff at ANY time....means that EVERYTHING on the site can be called into question.

It especially poses a problem for characters who are of legal age, but do not necessarily fit into the 'adult proportions' like many folks do. Just like people, characters vary wildly in height, bust, width, muscle, hair, etc.

I myself have had problems with this, where I had to ask *multiple* FA staff members about a character of mine, before finally getting a response over on the forums.

In fact, let's take a look at my character, shall we? This should prove enlightening

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7419686

Okay, guys...look at her. *IS* she legal age or not? Sure, she's got breasts, but so do many teenage girls! She's youthful looking..is she TOO youthful looking?

I've had friends and others tell me she's fine, because she has breasts and just 'looks old enough'. But the thing is, what is old enough to you might not be old enough to a FA staff member, at which point I could be in trouble.

In fact, the one Admin I talked to was judging her age based on a few things: Body shape, hair style, and a few others.

You read that right: Hair Style. The way one wears their hair can now be a way to determine the age of a character! This is a preposterous way to judge the age of a character. (and mind you, I'm not harping on the Admin that was telling me this; he was actually being quite helpful and trying to the best of his ability to help me judge for myself).

He also mentioned that her thighs weren't developed enough, being slimmer and a bit shorter.

...see a problem here? So, if your character is short, that means that they are also underage?

This is a massive problem. There's no 'standard' on which to judge what is or isn't 'okay' to post. There has to be MORE here, because height and hair style is not enough.

Does this mean that Miu's Jam (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7338099/) isn't legal, despite being 30? I mean, she's awfully short! And she's got small boobs! and she's SO FRIGGIN' ADORABLE!

So, if one person was to come along, and go "That's not appropriate; it doesn't fit MY way of thinking." then both characters could have to be removed entirely from FA.

Which leads me to my next point, the double standards that currently exist.

First and foremost, the Sonic the Hedgehog controversy. Yeah, this shit is as double a standard as you can get. Why? People can draw MLP in the style of the show, but you are ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED TO WITH SONIC.

This is not remotely fair. The excuses for it are pretty poorly thought-out, too.

"The ponies have jobs." Uh huh...so, you're telling me that no one under the age of 18 has a job? Applejack lives on a FARM, and even Apple Blossom has to pitch in and help. All farming families are like that.

Also, depending on which Sonic universe we're looking at, there are multiple characters who are built like Sonic, Amy, etc..and have jobs. Uncle Chuck, for instance. Princess Sally.

It's a lame reason, really.

"But the ponies have CLEARLY DEFINED CHILDREN, and Sonic doesn't."

Are. you. SHITTING. ME.

Sonic: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho.....62-540-720.jpg

Cream: http://images.wikia.com/sonikuu/ima.....The_Rabbit.png

Sonic & Cream: http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animated.....fs/82267_o.gif

Tails: http://img.search.com/thumb/7/73/So.....l_tails_cg.png

Sonic and Tails: http://images1.fanpop.com/images/ph.....2-1024-768.gif

Tails and Cream are CLEARLY WELL DEFINED CHILDREN.
They are SMALLER and SHORTER and more CHILD-LIKE than the rest of the cast!

Also, least we forget him..how about Uncle Chuck?!

http://mobianlegends.com/media/spri.....Chuck/bttp.jpg

What if someone drew porn of him in his 'canon' design? Is that now cub too?!

"But in Sonic, most of the adults are taller, and look more mature..."

I'm going to stop you RIGHT THERE. No. No. You do not get to use this as a reason for MLP fanart is okay, and Sonic 'canon' isn't.

You know why?

Princess Celestria.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....tiamistake.jpg

This is the exact same thing. Look at how much BIGGER she is to everyone else!

Hell, look at Big Mac.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/.....fim_ep0402.png

He's the bigger, older brother...he's BIGGER than they are. In fact, I bet I could probably find more examples.

So no, I don't buy that. Sonic has clearly established children just as much as the ponies do, yet not ONE member of the Sonic crew is allowed to be drawn in a 'canon' design.

It's utter nonsense. The ponies and Sonic have the same thing going on with adults and children, yet Sonic is the one taking the hit. Why?

The simple fact is, the reasons for why the MLP is 'acceptable' compared to Sonic really isn't strong enough. There's no reason to make it so folks cannot draw in a style similar to the canon design, bearing in mind the exception of smaller, child like characters such as Tails or Cream.

But, that again leads to a double standard. There's a lot of artwork being removed that, truthfully, shouldn't have been a problem.

The artist is ( is) has been getting some warnings and such from the FA staff about his artwork, and has finally given up the ghost of trying to stay on here.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7455150

What, exactly, is WRONG with something like this?

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7405177

Or this?

Clearly she's small, sure....but again, height is not a prerequisite for age. She has a developed body, with breasts (although again, small breasts are not a prerequisite for age either, as some grown women are about as flat as an ironing board), and she has hips. She is clearly not a child.

Are we then going to say that because she's 'cute' that indicates she's underage and shouldn't be drawn in a sexual manner? We can't be seriously heading in that direction, can we?

So, what is the problem, then? Seriously, I want to know what the damn problem is.

Speaking of things like this, the way the FA staff are handling users is kind of deplorable. Anyone that's been following the incident with Norithics knows that the staff member that contacted him suspended him for 3 days for not 'volunteering' to remove the supposed offending images for which he was reported.

Nori refused to remove them, on the grounds that A) The AUP is horribly written with murky text (and it is), and that B) he wasn't going to scourge through his entire gallery, looking for what might POSSIBLY be the offending images.

See point B there? Yeah, that's a very valid claim, as Nori has a huge gallery up on FA...and the staff member failed to inform Nori of which pieces may have been offensive to the AUP. So, instead of continuing to talk or anything, they slapped a suspension on Nori, and once it was lifted, Nori wrote a journal and left FA.

The simple matter is, the staff should have informed Nori WHAT pieces were problematic, and instead of taking up a 'you do what I tell you to do, or I'm going to punish you' tone, could ask that those pieces be looked at, and then removed if need be.

Just saying that there's A piece or pieces that are offending is a lack of information given to the user, who is supposed to just 'know' which pieces are offending. In fact, no one staff member should be able to bully or push around any user on something like this, when with something like 'the discretion of the staff' is left so vaguely hanging up in the air like some kind of weird pinata.

Ultimately, though, these failings of the staff fall upon the shoulders of the highest in charge..Dragoneer.

Now look, I'm not going to sit here and bash Dragoneer. That's uncouth and not helpful to anyone. If we didn't have Dragoneer stepping in, taking over FA years ago, we would not be here, discussing this. For that, at least, we owe him. The site was a big step forward for the fandom, as a place to gather and meet others, in ways that, simply put, other sites didn't allow before. We were allowed to communicate with artists and authors, not have to take a passive role in just reading and looking. We could contribute, to add, to diversify the fandom more and more, and the fandom has done nothing but grow as a result of this site.

But that doesn't make it so he's free of burden. The simple truth is, there is no one higher on the staff of FA, and as Harry S. Truman once had as a plaque on his presidential desk: "The buck stops here."

That means that, ultimately, all the problems with the site are 'Neer's problems. This includes the AUP's murky text, which after the incident with Is and Sciggles last month should have been looked at IMMEDIATELY and re-written. It wasn't.

That blame falls on 'Neer. As the head Admin, his job should have been to help secure the site, to help better clarify the terms of the art ban, to help pacify the upset users and to maybe build some good will to his userbase. None of that happened.

'Neer also chooses who the staff members are, and chooses who does what. His staff members should be retrained a bit, to understand how to approach any given situation...or at least know when to pass it off to folks with more experience and better people skills. Frankly, the treatment of Nori was insulting. Not just to Nori, but to all of us. What if some day they PM you, saying that one or multiple of your pieces are breaking the rules...but you don't understand how or why or which ones? And then they suspended you for three days for not just automatically following their orders. What then? Wouldn't you REALLY want them to treat you better than that?

Not to mention, when the whole incident involving Sciggles' 'How to draw Sonic characters' happened, why was it SCIGGLES who was doing that, anyway? No offense to her or 'Neer, but people already don't give much credit to Sciggles...she is, after all, just the 'boss' wife'. She needs time to learn and to grow as a Mod and then an Admin, and shouldn't have been thrusted into the upper echelon of the chain of command and be able to expect to just command respect. This was something that Dragoneer should have personally over-seen, and addressed PERSONALLY, as it was already a hot-topic button.

It screams of laziness on Dragoneer's part, which is not something anyone wants to feel from the highest in command. He needs to take a more active role, both behind the scenes and in front of the users. He needs to pick his staff carefully, pick people who are level headed, able to take charge when confronted, but not be overtly hostile to start with.

He needs to establish clear rules and boundries on what is or isn't appropriate in reference to the age problem of characters...and this needs to be established for ALL parts, not just cherry picked for one thing to another. The fact that you can draw the Mane Six cast of MLP: FiM in porn without 'aging up' but are not allowed to do this to any of the cast of the Sonic crew is insulting and frankly baffling. It makes NO SENSE.

And 'Neer needs to set up rules and guidelines for his staff to follow, instead of just letting them run willy-nilly about the site, causing drama instead of settling it.

I love FA, but this is not the way to run the site. 'Neer needs to be holding the reigns, not sitting back and watching. The site will only grow weaker and weaker unless these kind of issues are resolved, because more and more people will flock away.

Just ask  Is and  Norithics

---

Just because this was such a long, exhausting read, and kind of drab and a bit of a downer, here's some Pinkie Pie singing to help cheer ya up. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKEl.....eature=related

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/frank.....628.html#jumbo

Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, based on the classic novel 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelly, rises once again in theaters this fall.

Also..anyone recognize the design of the dog? :V

1) What was your FIRST video game console?

Good Ole NES.

2) Name a few games you played on said console.

SMB, SMB3, Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers, Contra, Star Tropics....

3) Excluding handhelds, how many VG consoles do you own presently?

NES, Genesis, PS2, Xbox original, 360, Wii, N64, Dreamcast, GameCube. So, by my count...9.

4) Were you a Street Fighter nut? Any character in particular?

I was into SF2 for a very limited time, then after renting one of the bazillion versions out there lost interest....I'm more of a Mortal Kombat fan.

5) Do you think Capcom is a FUCKING awesome company?

Today's Capcom? No. Capcom of a few years ago?...maybe.

The company used to make really awesome games, but lately all they do is piss everyone off.

6) Here's the scenario. You had some friends over and you all ate FRIED CHICKEN! After the meal you all decide to play some video games. As your friend reaches for a controller you notice his/her hands are very "greasy." Are you the type that would insist they wash their hands before pawing the controller, or is it no big deal?

No big deal? That grease isn't good for the longevity of the equipment, wash yer hands, you twat!

7) What's your favorite RPG/Action RPG? I will allow a second and third fave if you insist.

1)Pokemon. This game has a sheer level of depth in party design that I haven't seen in any other game like it.
2)Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. A true masterpiece, and Squaresoft's best work by far.
3)Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I was oddly apprehensive to the Paper Mario series, but I totally fell in love with this game once I got into it.


8) Do you prefer 2D games or 3D games?

I hate questions like this. Sometimes I yearn for the simple days of the 2-D game, and some days I am amazed by the sheer awesomeness that some 3-D games are. This varies wildly

9) Are you an SNK fan?

Never played.

9) Are you good at DDR?

Not really.

10) Who wants to kick that dog's ass from Duck Hunt?

Shoot him with the light gun, c'mon!

11) Have you skipped out on important events in life because of video games?

*thinks* No, though I've stayed up plenty late before to keep playing, and been tired as hell the next day.

12) Do you listen to video game music?

Depends on the game and the music!

13) Have you ever cosplayed a VG character?

If we define 'cosplay' as 'dressing up with your brother when you were both kids pretending to be Mario and Luigi' then yes.

14) Have you ever been in an arcade playing a fighting game, KICKING ASS, and then some 6 year old asian kid comes in and OWNS YOU??

Never had arcades around here, really. I somehow managed to play MK2 in an arcade once, which is when I got addicted....watching Reptile fall into The Pit 2 hooked me.

15) Name three games you would love to see remakes of if it was done properly.

Metroid 2 could stand to have an updated version made; I would LOVE for the Mother Trilogy to come out here in the states. :|

16) Mario or Sonic?

Which games are we talking about here? As a furry, I'm supposed to default to Sonic, but I enjoy both immensely...depending on the games...

17) When a movie shows up in the theaters, let's use Spider-man as an example, are you likely to buy the GAME version?

Spider-Man 1 and 2 were both pretty good games...but largely no. The development cycle on those kind of games are horrendous, and the products usually show it.

18) What is your LEAST favorite genre of video games? (ex. fighting, sports, shooters, etc.)

sports.

19) Is there a game out there that you feel was unique and didn't get enough love?

Excite Truck was largely ignored, for whatever reason. It was fun, dunno why people didn't seem to dig it.

20) Have you ever verbally abused a game because you couldn't beat one of the levels and/or bosses?

Oh yes, you should hear me playing Super Meat Boy. There's a lot of cussing.

21) Do you own any VG apparel?

I'm not even going to begin to list the shit off that I own.

22) What are your thoughts on the live-action Super Mario Bros movie?

First movie based on a video game, and it revealed their last names.

Bob-omb was cool...and I do enjoy it. But...ummm......yeeeaaaahhhhhh.

23) On that note, what did you think about the live-action Street Fighter?

Is this the Jean Claude Van-Damme one? That was hilariously bad! So much fun.

24) Who's hottest out of the KOF chicks?

I think her name is Mai; the one with the big boobs in the skimpy outfit.

25) Do you say "old-school" a lot when you're having a VG conversation?

I don't think the phrase pops out of me much, except in regards to Sonic.

26) Have you ever lent someone a game and they returned it to you damaged?

I rarely, RARELY, lend games out. and if it comes back damaged, they are responsible. These are my babies!

27) Do you own any imported games?

I don't have the patience to deal with translating everything myself.

28) Are you ready for this meme to be over, or could you keep going?

Boy, did someone run out of questions?

29) In this scenario, let's pretend you're going to get a video game tattoo! What would you get and where? (This can be simple or elaborate.)

I would get....nah, I wouldn't.

30) Have you ever cried after you beat a game? If so why?

Cried?....AFTER beating it? No....tears of joy, maybe, jubilation, yes, fist pump, yes. Cried?....no, don't think so.

It's...kind of hard to tell with folks just viewing it, but not faving or commenting or anything...was it bad? Good? Liked it? Hated it? Want more or not?

Anyone? o_o

So, here we are. It's been a little over a year when I did my first 'Stream of Consciousness', which was about the time that cub art was banned off FA. You might remember me mentioning that this was a slippery slope. It would seem I was very much on the money.

If you're not privy to what has been happening, it goes like this. A few days ago, the artist IS was warned about a piece or pieces of his gallery that apparently violated the AUP. Apparently he and Sciggles had a 'behind the scenes' squabble, he's wiped his gallery, moved onto another site, been suspended here...and had his journal telling you WHERE to follow him deleted, along with some shouts on his page.

Nori made a journal about it, and about the horrid way this entire thing has been run since day one. His journal is actually pretty fun to read, I suggest you go check it out.

Well, either last night or this morning, Sciggles put up a picture saying what exactly they use as a guide for what Adult Sonic artwork should look like. It instantly blew up into a heated debate, and instead of keeping it for the sake of letting others see, Sciggles thought it best to destroy it, and direct everyone over to the FA forums.

You know what? I disagree with this immensely. First, I don't have an account on the forums, and second...the vast majority of the comments were civil and were debating the validity of her entry.

In short, it feels like it was an attempt to stifle people's abilities to use that particular style...which it is. It was denied that it was, but when you're saying that unless it meets this certain criteria then it's a violation, you are. Sorry, but that's how it is. You can't have it both ways.

I've heard some of the Admins say they've been asking artists for advice on what to do, but there's a few problems. First, no one person wants to be responsible for this...mess, and second, depending on which side of the fence you're on the view is skewed.

The staff needed to sit down before enacting the rule, and establish what they felt would be sufficient, and have well established lines and rules. They didn't, so people have been able to skate by in a variety of ways.

But now, the issue has cropped back up. according to one Admin, there's apparently 2 guidelines in first deciding if something is a problem submission:

"Rules of thumb: The Shippo Rule, and the Eustace is a Dragon rule.

The Shippo rule is "A character must be physically mature, not just aged over 18." It's named from the character from Inuyasha, where Shippo looks 6 but is like 300 years old. Porn of him is not allowed.

Eustace isa Dragon is "A character that is normally underaged may be portrayed/drawn as an adult." This refers to 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader', where the character (normally like, 12?) is turned into a dragon. If the dragon-form is portrayed as mature, adult form, then porn is allowed."

Do see what's wrong here? Frame of mind has NOTHING TO DO WITH how these things are judged. I could have a character with the body of Hercules, but was mentally as developed as a five year old...but if they have sex, that's okay!

Whereas Shippo, a 300 fox demon boy, is no okay because of how his body is shaped.

I get that this is a guideline, but there has to be more to judge a submission by. This is not enough, not nearly enough.



Overall, it was such a massively debated submission because it was stifling to creativity and going 'You can't do this, this, or this for an adult piece.' And while the Sonic series is the topic on the plate at the moment, this applies to everything else as well. It won't just affect Sonic; it will affect artwork of other well known characters, and drip down to original creations as well.

The artist Miu has a character called Jam. She's a small little thing, with small, little boobs. Take a look: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1016751/

How old does she look to you, at a start? Does she look young and adorable?

It may surprise you, but she's 31! But yet....big eyes, small stature, small chest....she doesn't fit the profile that was being presented! Does that mean she is no longer a viable option for porn on FA?

How about Candy, my little Unibun?

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4325552/

I have already gotten one piece of porn with her, which was modded just slightly. But look at her....is she no longer allowed on the site? She's small and cute; does this mean she cannot be legal age or allowed for this?

What says you guys? Can you tell me how old Candy looks to *YOU*?

Just some food for thought, guys....but this is a seriously dangerous step for FA to be taking.

http://www.freddyinspace.com/2012/0.....-this-dog.html

In an attempt to help a pit bull terrier cover the costs of the medical treatment needed, Master of Horror John Carpenter is sending folks his autograph.

Part of the funds will also be going to establish a trust fund to help future abused animals.

So, if you're a fan of Mr. Carpenter, can spare the cash and like to help out animals (I would hope most of you guys on here WOULD), check out the link provided above.

So, the day is waning, the light is gone, and it's almost time for another year's waiting for Christmas to be here.

But hey, think about this. Ya got to spend time with loved ones, perhaps get some cool stuff, and make others happy.

Anyway, aside from the Happy Holidays mush, let's see what I got!

Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of The Walking Dead comic
The Frontiersmen, a book accounting for some local history
a 2 lb. candy cane stick! I could kill someone with this thing!
A sweeeeet Jack Skellington hoodie, that I might take pictures of. It's great!
a $25 Gamestop gift card
20 dollars (wooo!)
a $50 iTunes gift card
A 'It's me, Mario!' shirt, with the main man on it.
an 'audiotunes' hoodie for easy music listening while wearing it
some marshmallow snowmen peeps
an iPod nano (wooo!)
Darksiders (Wooo!)
Skyrim! (WOOOOO. o.o)

I know, it's not always a great thing to brag, but...c'mon, this is my journal, and I want to. It's nice to get stuff, and have people I care about, and have people care about me.

Author's Note: This is the final film in the series, and I have actually reviewed all five films! You should check them out:

Silent Night, Deadly Night: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/484877/
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/485653/
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/486538/
Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/487234/



"How dare they! I'm all for the First Admendment, but...don't give me Santa Claus with a gun going to kill someone. The scum who made that movie should be run out of town."
-Mickey Rooney, protesting Silent Night, Deadly Night

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker

Just weeks before Christmas, young Derek Quinn hears the doorbell. Slipping out of bed, he discovers a Christmas present left on the doorstop for him. Curious, he starts to open it up, before getting caught by his dad, Tom. Tom sends him to bed, but becomes curious about the package himself when it starts rattling. Inside is a music orb with the likeness of Santa...and a deadly surprise.

Now Derek isn't talking about what he saw, but when he sees the same toy on a commercial for local toy maker Joe Petto (pronounced as 'pet-tow'), suspicions start growing. And what of this strange wanderer that seems to be following them? Could they somehow be connected?

And what of Joe's odd acting son, Pino? Could any of them have something to do with the deadly toys?

Already the film is going to score higher than Initiation just due to actually revolving around the Christmas theme of the series. It also gains some points for being original, instead of just falling into line by re-doing the slasher story of the first three films.

This film also creates a kind of 'landmark' for this series, in that the biggest name to star in this film originally protested the first film!

Oh yeah, Joe Petto is played by Mickey Rooney, which is just as crazy absurdly awesome as it sounds. He's nothing but a big ham in the entire thing, but his hammy acting is actually a lot of what makes this movie work.

I'm not going to lie to you guys: this isn't a great film. It's pure schlock. But if you're into entertaining, schlock-y films, then this one might be a good fit. The acting is questionable at times, the story doesn't quite entirely make sense, but it is silly and fun to watch.

It's easily a better film than 4, and at least on par with 3. While 3 had some major holes in story pacing and logic, this one is just balls crazy, but overall makes sense in its' own twisted world.

The killer toys are semi-imaginative, and the film isn't really badly paced. Just there's some questionable acting here and there, with some throwaway characters just put into the film to help increase the body count a bit. It's nowhere near as high as 1 or 2's body count...I'm counting 4 possible deaths, plus a 5th depending on you look at it...but with Rooney on board and just the bizarre insanity of the film, it's easy to watch and not notice the time ticking by.

The ending is just completely bananas, and while I already knew about the 'big twist' thanks to the trailer, it still had one little twist that actually surprised me a bit. I'm pleased this ended up being the final film in the series, unlike the loathsome Initiation film.

If you're looking for a 'so bad, this is actually kind of good' schlock-fest, or just a fan of the series overall, I'd say check it out. 3 if you're a schlock fan, 2.5 if you're not....It's still getting a higher rating than 4, no matter what.

Final Fun Fact: Clint Howard stared in Initiation as a man-slave for the cult named Ricky, a clear reference to Ricky Chapman/Caldwell from the previous films...and ALSO plays a character called Ricky in this one! I assumed it was a new character, but who knows? Maybe SNDN 5 was intended as some sort of prequel to SNDN 4, and this is the same character.