Last year I went to MFF, and at that time it was my first furry con EVER. I felt alone and worse out of place. This year I traveled with my local pack and was really happy about getting out with them. Bakie and Oaose were hesitant on going at first, each their own reasons, but a few good hugs and promises later they were tied to the roof of the car and couldn't escape. Vanbael I just tied a harness to and told him there was bacon at the convention, he pulled us the way there!

For the event itself it was fun going to panels and events, but I think I had more fun just hanging out with my friends. I wish I could have brought my friends to more events but at a Con you can't expect everyone to want to do everything. Speaking of friends I also have to shout to my other two trouble makers Auracle and Kurama. One of which ITS YOUR FAULT no it's not :).

But I still learned a few things this year, especially in the traveling department.

> If Driving, check out the toll-road expenses and question if an i-Pass is good. It might have saved coin but certainly save time.
> Drive down an extra day earlier, like Wednesday, if there's any things you wanna do in town. Also to get the room faster.
>>>If not driving down early, call ahead! Don't sit around for 3 hours waiting for them to clean a room!
> Avoid cards against humanity. Trust me I love that game but god damn I play it so much, when at MFF i felt like meh.
> A case of water is all we needed. Con Suite is getting better and better and providing real foods.
> Keep the same crew to room with, we have a good thing going and don't fight to bring in strangers.
>>> Next year everyone has to cover their own way, equally. No cutting corners. I'm happy I did it this year but financially my wallet is bitch slapping me right now.
> Throw ambitions out the window, just go there and flop around, if I attend a panel I attend a panel.
>>> Learn how to dance, and join my friends on the dance floor!
> Sponsor OR Volunteer, was a good idea. I'll gladly sponsor MFF but for extra $80 donation I expect freedom to go and be where I want. Maybe next year I'll be a Volunteer instead.
> Bring some games and maybe a console along for the room. Something to do in room.
> Get myself in the damn picture more often! I naturally slipped into cameraman mode and found myself in no photos. Sonofa!

Yuup.. the departure to Chicago is 4:00 AM, estimated arrival is 2:00 PM. Yay! In the spirit of things:

Arrival and Departure:
Thursday Afternoon. Monday Morning.

Staying at:
The Hyatt (main hotel)

How are you traveling?
Driving Down. Taking a bunch of friends with me because they has gas money =)

Who are you rooming with?
Local and Metro Friends.

Where will you be? How best to find me?
If you have my number that's a really good way. Otherwise look for that rotting dead smell with a hint of primal hatred.

Who will you be with?
Whoever the hell I damn well please at the time. (Borrowing this line. It works!)

Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
None. I don't own any.

Do you do free art?
Yeah... I can fancy lines and circles, that if viewed from a distance look similar to this: NO.

What is your gender?
Male.

How old are you?
28.

How tall are you?
5'8

Can I talk to you?
Of course! Doesn't mean I'm listening!

Can I hug and/or snuggle you?
If I know you, or you slip me money!

Are you nice?
Why of course, who would go to a fun loving event such as this to be a total dick? *Looks in Mirror.* Never Mind..

Are you cliquey?
Nope.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
In the event you don't have my cell number: Walk up, and make those funny mouth noises we call words.

Are you fursuiting?
Nope. And why is this question twice?

Can I ask ya to dance with me during the dances?
I don't know how to dance.. and if I would try it wouldn't be with a stranger.

Can I buy you drinks?
Nothing alcoholic. But Yes. Yes you may.

Do you attend parties?
Depends if any of my friends are up to it.

Can I take your picture?
Why the hell would you even want to? Creeper?

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Winging It! Actually I'd like to get a few items from the artist-alley / dealers den while there.

main()
{
int factorA, factorB, factorC;
bool factorD;
int decision;

<!-- What am I doing *RIGHT NOW* and how much attention can I take away from it? -->
factorA = whatsgoingonrightnow();
<!-- Is something happening that is putting me, or another, or a group, off task? Why? How far should we be? Does it really matter? -->
factorB = whereshouldwebe();
<!-- Who's all being impacted and in what ways? What's really going to happen if something changes, or doesn't change? -->
factorC = whosallimpacted();

<!--Some times factorD is a false positive, I feel I must act but in truth it is premature or I simply missed some details. Other times I'm delt a card that causes me into action! -->
factorD = mustIactnow();

if(factorD == false)
{
decision = 4;
}else{

if(factorA >= factorB)
decision = 1;
else if(factorA >= factorC)
decision = 2;
else if(factorC >= factorB)
decision = 3;
else
decision = 0;
}

switch(decision)
{
1: print("Blah");
2: print("Blah");
3: print("Blah");
4: print("Sill Thinking, Act Later.");
else: die("Don't give a shit.");
}
}


<!--A simplified version of how my mind works, subconsciously I take in all the variables I can and process them in order of importance. I see anything from the best case scenario to the worst case scenario. I list out my options and what I'm prepared to execute if necessary, all before most people comprehend what's happening.-->

"Family; like branches on a tree we grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one".

I seen this on facebook, shared by an old classmate just recently.. It really set me off. As one who doesn't fit in with his own family, I always seen this idea of a family tree to be tainted. Trees can be uprooted, and transplanted. Limbs can be removed.

A family is more like a garden. There are seasons when it will grow, and seasons when it will hibernate. Anything can grow in the garden, be it lovely flowers (even the ones with thorns) or vicious weeds. Some plants will never grow, while others can and will be transplanted. Some gardens are made up of random chaos, others have harmony. Some grow only to display beauty, while others have a practical benefit.

But most importantly: A tree is one item that is solid and rebukes dramatic change, but a garden is many items that work as a whole, and can adapt to change. Any family that wants to be like a tree only serves to be picked off and turned to fire wood. It takes time and energy to keep the garden clean. Some gardener's want to start a garden and will create something lovely, while others lack a green thumb.

Like I said, I'm not one who fits in with my family, and I feel like I'm a flower growing in a garden of weeds, despite they seeing the opposite. I only sit idle knowing I'm bound to survive and move on. I just wish others could see life like I do and in their own lives get beyond their weeds.

Two words, small as they are, have never had as much merit as "want" and "need". Their place in our society have never been further apart. And yet, in our language, exist almost simultaneously in use, often to be mis-used. The linear difference from want and need is importance, commonly regarded to survival. We want something up until the point that our way of life is in danger without it, thus then we need it.

But who's right is it to place such a linear viewpoint? How can we distinguish the inner workings of our minds and the psychological variables that define our actions and reactions. I want spiders to not be near me because they are tiny creatures that can bite. But I personally know one (outside the furry fandom) Texas girl who would needs spiders to not be near, for a deep phobia has engulfed her. In neither case do we concern ourselves of the type of spider, if it is wild or pet, safe or poisonous. In fact let's clarify that neither case has a spider that is life threatening what so ever. It does nothing to the placement of want and need.

In my own thinking, and use of want and need, I place the word need when I have exhausted all other avenues. Or when I see a desired series of events that require outside influences in order to be successful. While yes the desired events in of themselves are a want, the objectives for their success are the need being spoken of. But I look outward and see others in times of crisis, I want to support anyone with a good cause. How should one voice to them? "Call me if you want me?" or "Call me if you need me?". They both are honest, with nothing but the best intentions, but how would the other individual perceive it?

In a "negative" light:
To call upon, if NEED, indicates that the individual may feel that calling represents a sign of failure.
To call upon, if WANT, indicates that the individual may feel that calling represents a sign of weakness.

In a "positive" light:
To call upon, if NEED, indicates that the individual may feel that they have a trump card available only to be played, seldom.
To call upon, if WANT, indicates that the individual may feel that trust and aid is available unquestionably.

That is nothing but a highlight on the thought process, scratching the surface. In the case of those I talk with, in example my spider friend, I fear they look at things in a negative light. That they are feeling weak and fail at where others see self reliance. Or do they not even read into the conversation and merely see the gesture of faith and support?

So it's been 3 weeks, I actually wanted to do this in three parts but "part 2" was going to be during FA's down session when I was in the 70s. But time slipped away, and I've been 80 for what feels like a while now.

The world is really fun to explore, and I have made a habit of taking screen shots at every vista I have encountered. I'm only 65% complete with the exploration process and I am determined to finish! The scaling system for levels is a little under-tuned I think; as a actual level 80 revisiting the level 1-40 zones, I still wield the power to slaughter. Sure maybe not take on 5-6 guys at once (sometimes I do ^.^ ) all the time but I think they could have done more to weaken me to the respective zone. Maybe it's also that I've learned how to handle multiple-mobs at my 80-level that the lower level mobs simply feel boring. *bows to the wolf shrine*

Everyone looks different! It's not like WoW where there are 50 clones of the same armor (vs 5000 a few months ago when transmogrify wasn't around). The graphical fidelity is also amazing on characters. Between the color system and their own version of transmogrifying.. everyone can feel like a true individual and not a trooper.

Part of an RPG experience is playing the multiple types of characters and experiencing all that the game has to offer. However if your like me focusing on one beloved character and completing all that can be done on said character is your preferred style. Guild Wars 2 unfortunately starts to slip a little in this aspect. Once you reach level 80 the game does not shift into the classical 10-25+ player instances with epic story and boss encounters; That's "raids" for you WoW addicts! Actually all of your large-manned encounters are world encounters. The final *boss* of the game is one of the 5man dungeon instances. This is not to fault the developers in their placement of instances, what I will fault them on is their techniques for bringing players together to experience them. Or shall I say the lack there of. If you want to run a particular encounter you need to visit that location and call out for party members yourself. I don't want to see a "dungeon finder" like in world of warcraft (evil horrible tool) but I sat around for an hour calling for a dungeon and had zero responses. Simply no one else in the entire world wanted to run it. Keep in mind there's no "best at X" role in Guild Wars 2 - just grab 4 other people and go! So some sort of aid in forming groups would be appreciated.

The economy: Tight! Money itself is hard to come by and unlike world of Warcraft where you can make hundreds of thousands of gold just by fiddling with their auction house (trust me, I talk from experience) the Trading Post ("auction house") in GW2 is designed to make buy-low sell-high very hard. Unless your leveling a profession you will sell trade goods for low and maybe be better off simply vendor anything else. I really appreciate things right now, and hope they continue as-is. Yes people can take real money, and purchase gems, then turn the gems into gold. If that is becoming an outside influence on the market then I'm okay with that. It means if I want something I - who will never take real money to simply buy gold - need to work for it that much harder. Otherwise I earn my money one silver at a time, and I can purchase whatever I need from it.

The important thing about the economy is that there are plenty of gold sinks. Other games let you become inflated with money so you feel like nothing is worth striving for, nothing is a challenge. In GW2 there's always something to put your coin into.

The Objectives: Once you reach level 80 you may wonder "what now". Well PvP is always a strength of the guild wars franchise and I tried a few rounds, it's enjoyable. I haven't gotten the full grasp on World-vs-World-vs-World environments yet so I can't speak for everything. The PvE experience as I stated above tends to die off, unless your working on your exotic armors. Having a profession and crafting items is the route I'm taking.

The future of this game? Well for starters everyone needs to remember they can stop to play another game! No subscription fee so your not on some sort of time-clock expecting to get your moneys worth. I already think I got my moneys worth and intend to keep playing. That being said: I still await Halloween to see if they put in seasonal events. I await to see future plans for bosses. Remember they only introduced maybe 1/3rd of the continent. There's a TON of land to explore. And there's more dragons out there, more evil to fight. Will they release content patches, or wait and do full expansions? Who knows...

As you probably know, Guild Wars 2 has been online for the last week. Much hype was generated in the MONTHS before, between beta testing and press announces; was it worth the hype? So far: Yes. I'm currently a mid-40 level mesmer, focusing on both crafting as a means to gain useful items and experience, and trying to "quest" my way to level 80. I have not experienced PvP first hand but I have back-seat watched those who do. I have no idea where the story is going to end or the PvE experiences that will come with it... yet.

When you adventure out into the world there are events taking place along with "quests" you can take part in with ZERO restriction. The heart system is their version of quests; which is to say a particular NPC wants help with challenges (maybe its facing off bandits, maybe its feeding animals, maybe its serving ale and food at an inn... no I'm not kidding) facing them. They give you a progress bar and there are 3-4 different ways you can help them. (Fore example: Apple orchard is infested with spiders, you can pick apples, clean out eggs, kill big spiders, or probably a 4th that I don't remember) Anything adds to your progress bar and it's entirely up to you how you proceed. The game also does not care about levels, you can perform a level 40 task/event even if your 30, or vise versa, and get something out of it. Probably not much, and facing a lvl 40 mob alone will kill you out right, but the game does very little to restrict you.

Everything has a reward; You can literally play the game however you desire. Level by questing, pvp, crafting, exploring, there is no wrong answer. Most things are in proportion to how much time you invest, not how you invest it.

The game looks wonderful, the world is open and colorful, structures are to scale and capital cities are actually full of life and activity, not just a mere dozen useful npcs. Vistas are a particular favorite as you get to explore the lands and when you see a vista, it gives you a panoramic show of your surroundings and some of them make amazing wallpapers. The music in the game can be summed up by saying: Guild Wars 1. I only have my human but start a character and your blasted with that nostalgic soundtrack that hooked most of the original players, a daring move but one I applaud for.

Combat is very fun, where as other games gives you 40 different skills to manage, Guild Wars 2 will give you those skills but they are sub-divided by the type of weapon you have. And when your underwater that too influences weapon use. So your combat style is constantly changing (or not changing at all if it suits your style) and it keeps it very fresh. The elements of having to aim, having to dodge, having to think rather then push the same button rotation over and over, is very fun. In fact grinding mobs is maybe the ONLY thing that's bad for leveling, just blatant killing with no purpose is horrible experience. Completing tasks and accomplishments is how your rewarded. Which is great! The developers basically looked at it and said "we'd rather have 5 kills that feel very rewarding then 50 kills of boring." And they accomplished just that.

The story mode so far, is a lore junkies wet dream. Like the first game there's not a series of quests that lead up to a grand foreseen encounter, instead your being driven through the story itself. They make you choose how you want to proceed, what missions you take. Like the first guild wars its a campaign element that the journey is almost more important then the destination. They help you define your personality for dialog style, everything just digs you in and makes you enjoy things. Personal story is indeed personal.

The system requirements... I don't know them off hand but my computer runs the game like a champ, and most people I've spoken to have had good success playing. For me the launcher takes some time to load up, especially if there are files being updated, but when I hit the PLAY button the game is up, running, and I'm in the world. When I hit close, I'm at my desktop screen and my computer is happy (not wheezing and catching for air like other games). Speaking of updates, there's ALWAYS something going on. While that may seem like a turn off to some let me argue that it's really interesting to know that there are developers working on fixing bugs, fixing balancing issues, and all around being present in the game. If they do kick you off it's warning given by a real person, not a machine. And like real people, they make mistakes =).. We've seen them typo, change their minds, clown around, it's really funny and makes you have a positive sense of humor over the fact that for 3-5 minutes (while your launcher updates) your off the game. The longest I've seen myself off was about 30-40 minutes and they gave a notice saying 20-60. So far they have not had what other games call "patch day" where everything is down for 12 hours.

The servers, IT DOES NOT MATTER. You have a friend playing on another realm? Join them in the game, you don't need to BE on the same realm. You find guilds you like? Join it, your not limited to just one (witnessed, not performed myself). DLC? Yes it exists. They have an in-game currancy called GEMS. You purchase everything with gems, you purchase gems either with real money, or with in-game gold. You can get character boosts, you can get pets, you can get cosmetic items, you could get additional character slots, but the awesome thing is if you really want you don't need to use real money for it. Speaking of real money, no monthly subscription! Buy the game and start/stop whenever you want.

This is ArenaNet, this is Guild Wars, in the first game I was amazed at the dedication they put into personalizing seasonal events, and I would be surprised not to see it again. I'm looking forward to what sort of end game exists, and what the PvP is like when I'm "ready" (you can do that at any time, all characters are equal in PvP). I'll post more about those when I learn, but everything so far says that this was a well made purchase =)

I'm glad I went to Cat Days, not only for the fact I could get away from the house for a couple days but I could spend it around people I rather enjoy their company. But... it was a chore. An absolute chore.

The last week or so some of my friends were feeling under the weather, as thus projects were delayed and I was already playing crisis management, it was to the point of not knowing if Cat Days was worth attending. Everyone made it there and back safely, at least. Damage control can at least wait for a couple days. And as I sit here typing this... I learn of more damage to repair.

Driving to and from the event was okay, on the way to pick up my friends I almost was in a car accident. Highway split off and at the physical last moment someone decided they were in the wrong lane, swerved in front of me causing me to both hit my brakes and pull away from him. But there was a car to my side so I couldn't even do that! I felt I was loosing control of the vehicle but I got the adjustment I needed and could return to the gas pedal. No collisions anywhere. Thankfully the rest of the driving that day was safe.

Being at the hotel.. well, it was nice knowing that the room was easy to find, and in prime location to ConSuite and Headless Lounge (joining doors TO headless lounge for convenient late night navigation). A couple noise complaints over the weekend but I think those were isolated incidents. IE: If everything worked out between MNFurs and the hotel as it SHOULD have, it most likely wouldn't have happened.

What I really didn't enjoy was how my time was spent when not volunteering. Constantly running up and down between 2nd and 4th floor, trying to locate either a person or a specific item. I missed a few things I would have wanted to sit in on (that's the price you pay when you volunteer) but when not working I ended up looking at the schedule and saying "damn, there's nothing I care bout!". So let's go find out friends, no wait their busy with their own shit!... okay let's find food... okay time to go back to the desk. Hit the pool? No it's late at night and closed!! Mead? NO. I don't even know when that was! I get a moment to catch up with people and they are asking me to drive them somewhere because I'm the designated driver! Suddenly too tired to give a shit about anyone and just want to sit down play card games. Then realize I got my second wind and it's time for bed.

Literally, the only time I ever felt like "I get to do something without over exerting myself" was Cards Against Humanity.

And then it was over! Wake up around 9:00 Sunday morning take a shower, everyone else is still asleep. Wake up around 10:00 and start throwing everything together so we can meet checkout. Stopped at the Mall of America (which I don't like that place on principle) for lunch, and then were home by 3:00. Everyone went their separate ways and I ended up crashing in bed until 6. I got to bed around 1am and slept for 12 hours... how the fuck was I so tired I didn't do shit (AND THATS THE PROBLEM).

The Cat Days went smoothly I think for what it was worth. A few things were learned, but the two "half days" went by fast. I missed them.

The other day while having supper with two friends I went into (arguably embarrassing as i spaced out from them) a omg-omg-omg moment when I learned a new song came out that I was awaiting for a few months. Music is one of those things that I just can go nuts over a good song.

It got me thinking about the 5 senses.. Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, Hear. Is there any sense that if you lost, you probably would loose all sense of sanity? Something so important (personally, or professionally) that if you woke up one day without it, the world might as well have come to an end? What about the opposite, if you could just turn 1 off, done it's gone, which would it be?

Given my lifestyle sight would be absolutely devastating. No more gaming, my computer lifestyle would be gone. I'd loose so much freedom and miss out on seeing so many things. But it is that hearing that I fear would hurt me more. If I lost my hearing I'd miss all my favorite bands, the sounds of people, my friends laughter, animals, everything!

The sense of Taste is probably what I would willingly give up. I cannot stomach a lot of healthier foods currently, my taste buds are just that far corrupted.

So. Given the need to keep spending in check, and that my parents invited me at no expense, I went to Canada for a 4 day fishing trip. I just got home today. I wish I could have gone to AC, ya know the SAME weekend in the opposite direction with a lot more fun in a land that actually believes in WIFI and Cell Signal? Next year I think it's going to be a priority, or at least insert some random excuse not to go fishing.

It's not that I don't like fishing, I love the outdoors! I used to cherish going hunting and fishing as a kid, but I grew older and when your a furry (which they don't know nor could comprehend) nerd and geek, your life revolves around the modern age of technology not traveling to the middle of nowhere to sleep without any separate rooms with people who's snoring could be heard across the lake! My father for example doesn't watch ANY movies or TV *sports and news don't count*, has no sense of fantasy imagination what so ever. So now shove yourself in a boat for 6-8 hours of the day with said person with nothing to talk about. Less of course he's barking directions when you know what your doing... I think I like snoring better.

The lodge is okay, and that's being loose. Having been going to the same place for 5 years (i skipped the past few, this was a mercy visit) their management skills are that of a 3rd grader. They mix up reservations, everything's going to hell despite always being packed, and you have to speak so slowly and use so simple words (which trust me, I already do that... this is just scary bad) you feel like pushing them out of the way and getting what you want yourself would be more efficient. Hell, we seen on the back porch of the cabins a full set of tools just sitting around, one being a $300 drill. It was there the entire vacation not moving an inch, and it rained hard-core a few days. Are they that lazy, careless? Do they not care if something is wrecked or stolen? Do nobody talk to each other as I'm sure the cleaning people had to of seen it.

And lastly, Dear Canada... u okay, for most part. But learn some PERSONAL SPACE. Had to get fishing licenses at a gas station and my mom and I were in line, while my dad was maybe 20 steps behind us. Some jerk decides to walk right up behind us acting like hes in a rush to get his license, all huffy and mad I guess because we got in line while he was twiddling some magazines. My mom forgot something and walked to the car, he moves within 2 inches of me and despite all my motions won't back off. Literately I moved a tiny bit forward so would he, despite the guy not in front of me not moving an inch. My dad walks in and I start talking loudly to acknowledge him with me, and had to actually pull my father ahead of the guy for him to get the message. My Mom walks back in about the same time, and he wouldn't even give her space in line back. My only satisfaction was that my father was paying for all the licenses together and it forced the guy to move when we got to the register.

All in all, I so hope I can find some income and afford travels next year. Or maybe I'll ninja the 3-4 days without them and just enjoy my peace and quiet.

So, I just finished playing through the campaign of D3 on normal mode. I wanted to wait until now so I could get a full picture of the story. That being said, I'm going to try and be spoil-free. Try, at least, so if your a lore nut maybe you want to just tune this post out. Now as far as the last oh, lets just round up to 72 hours that the servers have been "active". And of course by active I mean hardly at all... of which I hate... well outside of the fact that this game could have been designed to work offline, I won't let it affect my judgement.

Let me first say that, your character levels up to 60. Or so I've read that's the cap. You will be half way through in your 30's when you beat the final encounter. And with a 4 act game that took me 20.5 game-hours to complete (I didn't get too side traced mind you) they really put a lot of effort making the missions just a little different, and the level design very intriguing. If your like me who can spot the tiniest changes in detail and it draws your focus, you'll love playing as everything is falling apart or blowing up either by your hands or just because your nearby. This is good as while it will make you replay the campaign a second time your not going to be vomiting out the same dungeon mobs over and over. Something that DARK SPORE suffered from. The terrain can also be used, at times, against your enemies. But unfortunately everything is also heavily railed so it's not like you can accidentally kill yourself by blowing off a balcony and falling to death (THAT would have been awesome). 8/10

The graphics are okay, on full setting the world looks beautiful, but I think the characters could have had more attention. My character seems to have recessed in age since dawning some gear as he just looks small/young. There's a line where one needs to ask between all the particle effects and glowing auras, how detailed does one need to make mobs and npcs? I'd say they got good enough. If anyone can tell me if a ZOOM feature exists, that would be appreciated. So far I don't see one. 9/10

Audio, is pretty nice. It's not overpowering and has the subtle changes it needs to when approaching something extra dangerous. NPC interaction can get a little repetitive but there's a lot of conversations to have and they evolve as the story progresses. 9/10

Gameplay, I played a Wizard. The spell tree layout is cool, making you choose a fixed set of abilities and modifiers for said abilities, but I think they could have done a better variety. I've played the last 10-20 levels with some of the same skills because I learned how to maximize my reactions and minimize my downtime with what I had rather then learn new abilities. Changing skills in the middle of an encounter is not impossible, theres even a small delay before you can use the abilities, but with a huge GUI in your face and having to dodge dozens of aoe's, its not practice. There may be the rare exception where creature Y would be better off using skill B instead of skill A. I will give a small pardon given my bias to playing a caster for years on end, kiting and hit-n-run tactics are of no surprise to me regardless of the game. I have no experience to a melee character so, yeah... 8/10

The follower system seems okay, as their only available if nobody else is in your party. As a caster I kept the Templar through the entire game as my aggro and oh-shit heal manager. Missions when other npc's join you are almost a joke because while your follower can be hurt, and die, the other npcs seem to be in god mode. I wish the follower had more equip-able slots to make customizing a little more fun, hell on that note I wish you could customize your character a little too. I'm not griping it because at the end of the day its not a MMO with thousands of people to flash off to, but it would be nice to not all have the same skeletal system. 7/10

Interface, is fairly intuitive, if you ever played WoW then a lot of the hotkeys are similar, except the D3 chat system SUCKS. In WoW and Starcraft you and open separate windows to converse with individuals or groups independent from the combat and NPC text. In D3 I have yet to find such an ability, everything gets flooded together. Also theres a "status" message people can place in Battle.Net that can be seen across all RealID friends, this also is not seen in D3. It's damn well annoying to say the least. The auction house also seems strangely unorthodox. As its on your hero select screen not in-game. 4/10

The story... okay, I promised to tip-toe this one. The story is disappointing. the ending is very anticlimactic for such a strong build up, and throughout the entire story from lvl 1 onward there was absolutely no surprises. Oh sure maybe a detail here n there was interesting but the big picture and even the "plot twists" were meh, okay whatever, not surprised. Between the plot holes, face-palms, and unanswered questions... I just think the storyboard director needs to be replaced. The side-stories of your NPC companions are also a little off. Even through they progress themselves rather then you performing actions for them, they feel more important then the main storyline and yet they just have an arbitrary "okay, you won, goodbye have a nice life" style of ending. 3/10

PvP... well PvP has not been released yet so N/A.

"What Now?" Well, I'm playing the second mode, Nightmare, which gives a new level of crafting items and increased money drops (since you need more money to afford everything) and I'm working towards cap. I want to find out if this game is worth playing longer then just a few weeks. Keep in mind that scoring the game is not important, it's just an arbitrary number i pulled from my ass. But I think my previous scores totaled to a 48 / 70. Around 68%.

The avengers movie had a lot of hype to live up to, not just the past dozen or so movies but the legacy of the characters and team-ups since their birth.

They did well. Very well. All I'll state is that a lot of movies fall apart when it comes to pacing themselves, that elements are rushed or dragged on too long, this movie was well paced and while it may seem immaterial there are elements throughout it all that drive the plot forward. Some subjects are left untouched, some discrepancies could be argued, but at the end of the day we all know how it will conclude, and the movie deems that those subjects are not a part of that driving force.

The other subject that many, MANY movies fall upon are humor and catch phrases. It's like having that joke in your head that upon stating it out loud you find it really wasn't funny or entertaining. Movies suffer from that frequently, the directors are so badly determined to show or say something that it really is simply stitched in and masks the underlying horribleness of said movie. Avengers does not suffer from this, in fact while reflecting on my drive home it feels like many conversations (not limited to humor) the questions were risen "If this character really wanted to say something, what would they say? how would they say it? What message are they trying to get across?"

Score a 4.5 / 5, for my deduction of half a point feel free to ask privately. And no, the roster of super-hero's (or lack of) is not part of it.

To any furs from Duluth, MN, it's nothing personal! YOU tend to be swell people, but the rest of your city is a bunch of crazies and every time I ever come to Duluth I come back with some horror story be it epic or insignificant nature. I've lost valuables, I've gotten sick, I've had to work in the dead of winter 20-30 below OUTSIDE all day long (and that's not even the sick part), I've crawled through some of the dirtiest of canopy, I've even had to dodge a life threatening accident or two. EVERY time I hear Duluth calling I go into lock down and ponder what stupid ass incident will be tossed at me this time to fuck up my day.

I drive the 2-3 hours to reach the site, so far so good. I walk around and greet the supe, check out the site make sure where all the important shit is - so far so good. I lower the gate on our truck and prepare to unload the window, and I rip my pants. Right on the crotch area god damn you Duluth! Well I can't quite stop everything right now, thankfully I have the blue undies so its harder to notice. I have to restrict my motion a lot to avoid provoking the tear. Thankfully the install was a lot smoother then most and 2 hours later we're packing everything up and leaving the site. Most my dignity already lost.

So thank you Duluth, once again you throw me a curve ball and find a way to say "kiss my ass your not getting out of this for free!".

-Twisted (and I liked that pair of pants too...)

I think a lot of us have learned over the years how to split our persona, be it king/cruel or shy/wild or humble/greedy. It's because wearing a mask and showing people what they want to see can be easier then the alternative. Both for others as well as ourselves. The question becomes who's the benefactor? And more importantly, do YOU benefit from it?

I've worn the mask of someone humble and caring so long it's become a part of me, or maybe it was always there and the world has merely desensitized me enough to let the voices of my inner demons be heard? It does not matter. I have a side hidden away, one that has very little empathy for the world around me. Random acts of violence and stupidity make that side chuckle and only longs for more. There's a part of me that when angered, wants to trip you over, twist your arms, and make you cry for mercy. And that's assuming I don't want to simply grab the sides of your head and twist very hard, or take the knife I'm cutting my supper with and cut other things with it. Hearing all the whining and bitching about how we need to soccer-mom the world make me vomit.

Sure when some poor schmuck gets turned into street pizza there's a moment of pity, self identifying that maybe this was someone I knew, or someone that my friends of friends of friends knew. But then then that feeling is repressed and I cannot help but feel that there's not enough of it in the world. Identifying the consequences of those desired actions keeps it repressed.

But I actually value friendship a lot and will actually repress my anger and rage for that 1 out of 100 who is my friend, where as I would let it fly for the other 99. Even those who have shunned me still sit in my lighter side despite every urge of my darker half demanding retribution. Why? Maybe it's just it's easier that way, it's because that's what people know? It is among the many reasons I choose not to become intoxicated, I do not know the type of person I would become and deemed it safer not to find out.

I think it's because I'd probably take it farther then I want, as I would no longer benefit from the situation. A bridge burnt is hard to repair, I've become very selective as to which and how I burn mine. Sometimes the other person comes back with a sense of understanding, sometimes not. But I wear my masks because there may be a time I need something, and giving them what they want gets me what I need.

AD was an interesting experience. I had a ton of fun hanging out with my furry friends and supporting the group but outside of that it was really "meh". Maybe it was the rampaging lemmings (sorry, Con Goers) and the staff who ALWAYS seem to need to shout orders to said lemmings when I'm 2 feet from them. Maybe it was the lack of "OMG I WANT TO SEE THIS PANEL".. in any event I just couldn't get interested.

In Fridays defense I was busy for the only decent parts of the day (if you didn't catch registration at the right hours it was a nightmare) and was ready strait for sleep. But after the 4th or 5th person I wanted to just strangle or shove down the steps for being in my way (who the hell blocking the entire stairway!) having only been to 2 conventions in my life (this and MFF) I guess I got spoiled with MFF's open spaces.

If anything I spent most of my time "working" rather then "playing" and I'm okay with that. Maybe that's what I'll plan on doing from the get-go next year.