If you're familiar with Aries Passadar and Lone Candle, illustrated by the magnificent Egardn4 of DA , then you're probably aware that Jaeh has agreed to do the artwork for Argonaut Privateers!

That's why I'm linking everyone to his Patreon Page!

Certain tiers can earn you a free copy of comics he creates and grateful mentions in the comics as well!

Please go to his Patreon Page and throw in some help ^_^

https://www.patreon.com/JaehTheBird

Thank you!

This is a special group being constructed by myself and my friends Flesh Balloon, Iron Confederate and Blaze!

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/favoiceactors/

For voice actors from all across Fur Affinity, come check it out!

If you need a voice actor for a project or want to do something with us, joining the group as a contributor or a sound-oriented person in general, do come down and check it out!

[And uh... sorry for the screwup before ^_^;;]

Gonna be doing this for my primary two OCs, Zucca Xerfantes (Z) and Aries Passadar (A)!

[ ] They are a hybrid of two or more species.
[Z] They are a hybrid of three or more species. (Human, wolf, alien)
[ ] They can shapeshift into other species.
[ ] They can shapeshift into other sexes.
[ ] Their hairplumage is more than one color.
[ ] Their eyes are dichromatic (two different colors), and it is not a species trait.
[Z] They have one random body part not associated with their species or parentage. (Don't know if organs count, but I'm counting it)
[ ] They have two or more random body parts not associated with their species or parentage.
[ ] They have wings, and it is not a species trait.
[ ] They are a lizard/serpent/reptile/avian with humanlike hair.
[ ] They are a very rare species, or one rarely seen in furry.
[ ] They are a fantasy/sci-fi species.
[Z] They are unaging.
[A] They heal quickly.
[ ] They can regrow body parts.
[A] They can fully regenerate very fast/instantly. (But only when in flame)
[ ] They have the means to return from death.
[ ] They are a sergal or part sergal.
[ ] They are full dragon.
[ ] They are part-dragon.
[ ] They are an angel, deity or demigod.
[ ] They are a demon.
[A] They are not a demon, but are part-demon. (Not really, but she has Hellish powers)
[ ] They are a licensed pop-culture species (argonian, dragonborn, khajiit, gnoll, Starbound avian, Pokemon, etc).
[Z] Their parents are from two normally incompatible species.
[ ] They are a species that most people would find threatening/unsettling, but their appearance lessens that threat.
[ ] They are a species that most people would find threatening/unsettling, but their appearance negates that threat entirely.
[ ] They are a species that most people do not find threatening/unsettling, but their appearance or ferocity is altered to create a threat.
[Z] Their blood is a color other than red.
[A] Any part of their body glows. (Eyes and her markings)
[ ] 10% or more of their body glows.
[ ] 50% or more of their body glows.
[ ] They somehow have actual tattoos (not painted markings) on fur/feathers.
[A] They have a highly unusual curse or disability.
[ ] They have multiple highly unusual curses or disabilities.
[ ] They are a hermaphrodite.
[ ] They are a hermaphrodite with full sets of functional testes and ovaries.
[ ] They prefer hermaphrodite pronouns (sie, hir, etc).
[ ] They are transgender via magic, birth, etc rather than hormone treatments.
[ ] They have swapped sex via magic.
[ ] They are child-sized, but are an adult.
[ ] They are self-labeled in any way as "more scientifically accurate".
[ ] They have a penis larger than 10 inches.
[ ] They have a penis larger than 15 inches.
[ ] They have a penis larger than 20 inches.
[ ] They have a penis larger than 25 inches.
[ ] They have a penis larger than 30 inches.
[ ] Their penis is five inches or smaller, and the smallness of it is emphasized.
[ ] They have a breast size of DD or larger.
[ ] They have a breast size of E or larger.
[ ] They have a breast size of F or larger.
[ ] They have a breast size of G or larger.
[ ] They have a breast size of H or larger.
[ ] They have a breast size of A or smaller, and it is a source of lament.
[ ] They have more than one pair of breasts.
[ ] They have three or more pairs of breasts.
[ ] They are an anthro female or fem-herm lizard/serpent/reptile/avian with no breasts.
[ ] They have more than one penis, and it is not a normal trait of their species.
[ ] They have a knot, but are not a canid.
[ ] Their penis does not match their species.
[ ] They ejaculate a cup or more.
[ ] They ejaculate a liter or more.
[ ] They ejaculate a gallon or more.
[ ] Their sexual fluids are an abnormal color.
[ ] Their sexual fluids have an abnormal flavor.

Total: (Zucca: 5) (Aries: 5)

1-10: Not a Furry Sue
Your character is most likely normal. They may have a few oddities or minor extremes, but not enough to add up to anything too crazy.

11-20: Maybe a little Furry Sue
Your character could be kind of a Furry Sue, but if they don't have any extremes, they could just be interesting. This is the gray area of Furry Sue-dom.

21-30: Strongly Furry Sue
You might want to dial your character down a bit. While they may not necessarily be ridiculous, they've clearly had too many qualities added on, and it could be a sign of bad taste or a desire for them to be a little too special or "extreme".

30+: Definitely Furry Sue
Your character is a Furry Sue. You should feel ashamed of yourself.

Perhaps not on this night, perhaps not at this time, perhaps not even this year...

But a good long while ago, a man was born who had a lesson to bestow upon us. And was born a man who God chose to deliver unto us the wisdom of Heaven.

Merry, Merry Christmas, my friends!

You are all dear to me, even the ones who I butt heads with at times. You're all wonderful children of God and I am grateful to know you.

Bless you and Merry Christmas!

I had a notion regarding Chrysalis' long-term plans...

Suppose she anticipated the return of the Crystal Empire?

Suppose then that the long-term plan was to be wed to Shining Armor and be granted the Crystal Empire which is renowned for its *love*...

That, I think, was Chrysalis' long-term goal. Not Canterlot, but the Crystal Empire, which basks in love all the time.

If you've been around me a while, you know a few things about me.

You may know I love Star Wars.

You may know that I have a deep, intense loathing of Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games. The closest one ever got to snagging me was EVE, and it lost me when a chap in a monstrous battlecruiser flew out of nowhere and eliminated my wee mining ship while filling the chat screen with repeats of 'lolusucknoob!'

So, sit around the campfi-Ah, I mean, *glowlamp* and I'll tell you all a tale, dear readers.

The year was 2003, near Christmas. 9/11 was still smarting and we had a fascinating year in film! The X-Men Sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean, 2 Fast, 2 Furious, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Matrix Reloaded AND Revolutions, Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty and... the very expensive fanfiction known as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew, God rest their souls, undertook its final flight and burned up on reentry. America seized Baghdad, ending the Hussein regime, the Prime Minister of Serbia was assassinated, Lithuania and Malta joined the EU, we put the Spitzer space telescope in orbit and Libya admitted to trying to build a nuke.

The Star Wars prequels were fresh off the grill and it hadn't sunk in yet how much they blew mighty chunks.

At least to many...

As a younger man, I found myself unable to articulate what was missing from the prequels. That little dash of Star Wars *magic*.

I also LOVE many of the Star Wars novels, joining Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, Chewie, Artoo, Threepio and Han and Leia's children on amazing adventures! The Han Solo trilogy, the Jedi Academy trilogy, the Timothy Zahn novels, the Young Jedi Knights! OHHH! So many great books....

Then, something changed. Something that would see my inner child playing happily, reading these Star Wars books and would come up to my inner child, take the book away, rip it apart, pee on it, kick my inner child over and stomp on it until all joy was wrung out. Something that set a precedent that would cause George Lucas himself to personally declare it non-canon.

That hideous abomination was known as the New Jedi Order series. I had been reading the more recently (Anything published after 2000) published Star Wars books and watching as authors gleefully destroyed the universe and characters I had grown up with and loved. Killing Chewbacca, then Anakin, then Mara Jade, then Jacen (After compacting him into Stock Sith Lord #4,350) and generally taking a massive, watery shit all over that which I held dear.

The stunted writers behind those books didn't know (Or care) that people don't read Star Wars books for DARKER AND EDGIER stories. They don't read Star Wars to watch the characters get ground up and spat out (And on). They read Star Wars books to join the characters they grew up loving on an adventure.

That's it, right there, as JonTron laments about Banjo and Kazooie, it's *NOT* about how much woe you can inflict on the characters. Star Wars is about the adventure! Now that's not to say dark and edgy doesn't have its place in fiction. It's what made Battlestar Galactica WORK so well.

But as Mr. Plinkett pointed out in his review of Episode 3, darker and edgier does not a good Star Wars make.

The lack of magic in the prequels and the lack of basic human compassion in the books was not lost on the highly talented Bioware writers.

Knights of the Old Republic was released in that same year...

Now, they knew they would be slaves to the new, uncomfortable rules being laid down by Episodes 1 and.... ugh... 2. So they turned on the Way Back Machine, placing us in a time thousands of years prior to the events of the Battle of Yavin.

They built a universe (Partially inspired by the comics set in the same era, but mostly from scratch) part and parcel, including a few memorable locations

The result...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl8m.....tu.be&t=8s

The storyline was compelling, with a cast of colorful, likable characters who all have their own stories to learn about and a villain with clear motives.

And a twist... that is worthy of Empire Strikes Back... Learning exactly WHO Revan was and what drove her.

Great, right?! Magnificent game. Great story, fun gameplay, variable difficulty... it's a beautiful thing.

Then came the sequel, this time by Obsidian.

And my God... The writing...

See, it's one thing to use the RPG element of leveling up as being synonymous with 'getting stronger' or 'learning more'.

Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, turns it into an actual element of the story itself! Your character is a Jedi Exile who has been so deeply wounded in spirit that she has a gaping hole in her heart. As you play, your character levels up and your teacher, Kreia, tells her that the more wounds in the universe she either mends or rips open, the more she's unconsciously filling that hole. More sinister however, is when she mentions all the people and creatures The Exile has slain... That she, the Exile, deep down, *hungers* and that is being filled with the lives of those she claims.

Again, we're introduced to a cast of characters who are each fascinating to learn about. And in many cases, through dialogue and dialogue options, more about your character is revealed.

And the villains... THE VILLAINS... Nothing I write would do them any justice at all. One, more a *force* than a man and the other, a fractured beast. The dialogue between the Exile and him is downright haunting.

When using the Restored Content mods, this game is a true masterpiece.

So fast forward to 2011!

I get word there's a new Knights of the Old Republic game set to come out!!!!

I'm so completely happy...!

Then...

I see...

What kind...

Of game it is...

It's an MMO.

By EA.

It's...

An MMO... by EA...

...

...

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s

Say it again, Vader...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s

Say it AGAIN, Vader...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s

SAY IT AGAIN!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s

...

So, I want you to understand how betrayed I felt. Like someone ripped my heart out and used it for hockey.

Here it is, a series with a history of excellent storytelling, and what do they do with it?

They make it into a genre of game with a story more stunted and base than fucking PONG!!!

And SHOCK OF FRAKKING SHOCKS...

The game sucked.

Badly.

And a friend of mine (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE >:( ) just *LOVED* rubbing it in. 'It's an MMO now Zucca! It's canon now Zucca!'

I give him plenty of slack for a lot of things, but this was a mean-spirited, as he would put it, dick-punch. >_>

But it gets EVEN BETTER!!!

In the two KOTOR games, the default (Hence CANON, hence all the concept artwork, all the PLASTIC MODELS that came out for the tabletop) Darth Revan and The Jedi Exile were women. In the second game, Atton Rand refers to Revan as a woman and all references to Reven thereafter speak of her as a woman.

Why, look at the art on DA alone! http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&a.....p;q=Jedi+Exile NOT A WHOLE LOT OF WIENERS TO BE HAD!!!!

That's right. Strong, powerful, independent women with rich tales. Women who aren't damsels in distress, who command the Force, who can do amazing feats! In Revan's case, a woman who is a *gifted*, master strategist. In the Exile's case, a woman who commanded armies, who is in a constant inner turmoil and conflict.

Women whose appeal comes from their sheer excellence, not from how tight their jumpsuits are or how they tickle the pickle.

What's the MMO do with them?

Turns them into dudes.

Both of them. Not just Revan and not just The Exile, but both of them.

Developers: *Wraps an arm around your shoulder, gesturing outward with the other* Penises! Penises EVERYWHERE!

Thanks a fucking bunch.

Thanks a real, mighty, fucking bunch, you base, verminous, sexist assholes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbYx6hevoQ

Amen Charton Heston. Amen.

So, after the torment... after the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_Ca45JRFs moment, after the torture of watching the good name of KoTOR get dragged through swine poo-mud, I finally settled down, moved on, rubbed it from my mind and that was it.

NEW KoTOR GAME COMING OUT SOON!

Oh, thank GOD! No doubt they learned their lesson after critics and gamers panned the Old Republic MMO for the piece of crap it is and have decided to pick up where we left off!

So what's it about? What'll it be like?

...

...

It's ANOTHER MMO by EA!

...

...

...!!!!

http://youtu.be/HY-03vYYAjA?t=6s

And other grammatical disasters!

T'was tagged by  webslinger86


RULES:

1) - You must post these rules in your journal entry.
2) - Each person tagged must post 5 things about themselves in their journal.
3) - You must answer the questions directed at you.
4) - You must tag 10 others when you are done. Just do a quick sweep of your Friends list, if need be.
5) - You must go to their page and tell them that you've tagged them and include a link to your journal.
6) - No stuff in the tagging section about "you're tagged if you're reading this". You personally have to tag 10 people.

Things about myself:

1. My four brushes with death have created in me a distinct appreciation of life and a renewal of faith.
2. I love to write and worldbuild. By that same token, I love games where I have a decided impact on the game world itself.
3. I read the book 'Willow' before seeing the movie when I was a child and I still can't make up my mind which one I like better...
4. in spite of my friendly, outgoing personality, I treasure moments of solitude.
5. I have an audiographic memory.

Questions:

1) What is your favorite color? Tossup between red and blue.

2) If you had the money, what city would you like to live in? I wouldn't move anywhere and would use the money to build an estate on the hillside facing the ocean. I would build a family crypt and fill it with deathtraps!

3) Which is your favorite Marvel movie? Iron Man.

4) What is your favorite season? Winter.

5) How many video game systems do you own? PC, PS1, PS2, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance.

6) Do you prefer DC or Marvel? No preference.

7) Would you rather own a motorcycle or car? I'd rather own a 2005 Cadillac El Dorado, dark red.

8) Which TV show do you like? You just had to ask the singular, didn't you? Well, ONE show that I like is Battlestar Galactica.

9) Do you like MLP: Friendship is Magic or The Littlest Petshop? Never seen Littlest Petshop. Conservative brony though.

10) What did you like about the 90's? Darned near everything!

Tagging:

 dragovian15

 the-furry-railfan

 jolene

 banditringtail

 capnsqueaks

 fleshballoon

 Kafzeil

 elcid

Questions I'm asking them:

1: What was (At the time at least) the most embarrassing moment of your life (That you feel comfortable sharing)?

2: What is your favorite tabletop roleplaying game? (Or favorite video RPG)

3: What happened on your favorite birthday?

4: If you could you live anywhere and had a five million dollar budget, where would it be?

5: Does the comic Reynard City make ANY kind of sense to you? Because it doesn't make a lick of it to me...

6: What's your favorite Elder Scrolls game? (Or what is your favorite FPS game)

7: Carpet, hardwood or tile? And what kind?

8: If you had to be the actual commander, in actual danger, in-universe in a Real Time Strategy game, which game would you choose?

9: What is your favorite newspaper comic strip?

10: Do you prefer rural or urban areas?

I made a forum post with all this and it was just too good to go to waste!

This is my list of the top five of each category.

Now, there are some fanboys who WILL be pissed off at some of my comments, so be warned...


Best-
1: Megatron, Transformers. The beauty of this is, I could point to nearly any example! But my two favorites are Beast Wars' Megatron because of his ability to manipulate his own troops' treachery into overall benefit, because of his decidedly patriotic motivations (Uplifting Predacons from 2nd Class citizenship) and let us not forget the unforgettable 'Yeeees...'. Second favorite is Megatron from Transformers: Prime. He too began as a patriot. A champion of the people. A gladiator who fought for fun and entertainment. But his hopes and dreams were smashed and he turned bitter and vengeful. A very well developed villain.

2: Judge Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dam. A man torn apart between his natural instincts and his discipline, who struggles to do what he believes to be integral to keeping law and order and yet knows full well in his heart of hearts that what he's doing is monstrous and feels helpless to stem the tide of circumstance. In the end, the Sin of Wrath became his own undoing.

3: The Sith Triumvirate, Knights of the Old Republic 2. Each of them is a fascinating sort of villain. One is a woman who through intense manipulation and guidance, has ensured that the Galaxy will have able defenders and a chance to survive a coming storm. Another is a man whose will is all that keeps him together and burning with an intense hatred for that which he feels is unjust and cruel. And lastly, a man who has become so twisted that he is more a *force* unto himself than a man. A power beyond the scope of imagination, and yet at the same time, a slave to his hunger.

4: Dimitri 'Raven' Ravinof, Snow Crash. An enormous Aleut who drives a motorcycle with a sidecar carrying a live tactical nuclear warhead he boosted from a submarine whose entire crew he murdered. EEG nodes in his skull are wired to the nuke. If he dies, the nuke goes off. So nobody at all is capable of killing him without his nuclear umbrella. Though personally strong and tough, he wields very little power over men, so in the same way he uses a kayak to cross the ocean on currents, he latched onto a megalomaniac with a vision of world conquest via an ancient information virus. Raven knows that he can go far if he works with the guy. He's cruel, he's vicious, he's intelligent and his numero uno dream? Nuke America.

5: Biff/Griff/Buford Tannen, Back to the Future trilogy. Alpha of his little pack. Sad little king of a sad little hill, but so full of piss and vinegar that he can't even remember metaphors properly. In all the myriad ways the cosmos may conform, only one outcome sees him friendly, and by the time he's older, he's descended back into a bitterness so deep he's willing to cease to exist if only he could have had a better life. A bully at heart, and yet clearly has a side to him that *wants* to be the good guy, as evidenced in the first and third movies. There's a lot more depth than meets the eye, and he's memorable as all get out in any era!


Worst-
1: Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies. A thinly veiled stab at a real life network executive. This villain's master plans revolve around stoking up hostilities between superpowers in order to sell newspapers. No, really... That's it. His motivations are never explored, nor even hinted at. His hands-on approach, while admirable, isn't enough to make up for the fact he's just a straw man of Rupert Murdoch.

2: King Sombra, My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic. For a series that has made leaps and bounds in character development in a show intended for children, this villain falls very, VERY short. Even more disappointing is the fact that we know the writing staff can do better. Nightmare Moon wanted nighttime eternal, Discord wished to sow chaos and terror, Chrysalis desired to feed her brood, Trixie was a showboat and Gilda was a grouch. King Sombra (Whose name implies he already ruled) took over and banished the Crystal Empire because.... muahaha...? There could have been plenty of times he could have enjoyed development, but such was not the case.

3: Bowser, Super Mario Brothers. Talk about a character who DESPERATELY needs to get a freaking life. Bowser's motivation has always been, first and foremost... Step 1: Kidnap Princess Peach. Step 2: ??????? Step 3: Take over Mushroom Kingdom! Bowser has a small eternity each and every time he kidnaps her to force her to marry him, force her to turn over control of her kingdom, woo and charm her or whatever. He squanders this time while Mario inexorably mows down Bowser's legions (Which itself makes his leadership exceedingly poor) and eventually defeats him. Bowser, a gigantic monster with firebreath, an armored hide and a kingdom of his own, cannot defeat a portly plumber. Add to the weird issues at work that allows him to forget all that and enjoy a friendly game of golf, tennis or cart racing, and you have a shabby villain indeed.

4: Exodus, Ultima 3. What we're told to expect? A demonic entity that is the offspring of the two most evil mages to ever walk the face of the Earth. What the buildup is? A mastermind who is so devious that even the floor obeys his command, destroying your party more easily than anything they've faced! What we get? A computer that's defeated by feeding it punch cards.
...
Feel cheated yet? I know I did.

5: A tie between Carter Burke and Colonel Miles Quaritch. James Cameron is like the Blizzard of the movie world. Good at three things: Streamlining, ripping off juuuust enough that you know exactly where the fuck it's from and making money. Carter and Miles both prove that Cameron knows nothing about BOTH how the military works and how corporations work. Oh, do not get me wrong for an instant, Cameron is a *master* filmmaker. But a storyteller...? No. Burke's motivations are to bring back something that has proven to be so troublesome, so loathsome that just ONE of them were responsible for the destruction of a multi-billion dollar spacecraft and nearly all hands. Hey Cameron! Companies have something called a cost/benefit analysis. If something is a proven risk, a company will avoid it like the plague. And as for Colonel Characterture, the man is more disappointingly hollow than a chocolate Easter Bunny and more shallow than a puddle. He's not even a character so much as he is a prop that moves by itself. Both of these men are highly disappointing.


Overrated-
1: Kratos, God of War. Let's not mince words here. Kratos is a villain. He's the main character of the 'story' of God of War, but he is as villainous as they come. He's a murderer, a psycho, a monster, a dickhead, an asshole and about as emotionally and mentally believable as Colonel Quaritch. Kratos is to anyone who will defend him and the God of War games as Bella Swann of the Twilight novels is to people who enjoy those books. One through which reader or player can vicariously live out a fantasy of dominance, control and being the object of desire. Kratos deserves not an ounce of the praise and accolades heaped at his feet and he'll always be a villain in my book. A GROSSLY overrated one at that.

2: Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street. What began as a terrifying villain from whom there was no escape, now we have only a half-baked reboot and on the tail end, some really disappointing sequels. A victim of his own success, Freddy became less a menace and more a cartoon character made flesh. It would have been nice to see all the aspects of a killer who stalks you in your sleep more fully explored rather than devolving into comedy.

3: Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th. How can we bring more understanding between us and people with Downs Syndrome? Why, turn one into a hockey mask-wearing, teleporting murderer of course! Ice-thin revenge motivations and a really sick Oedipus complex leave you really wanting more in a villain. If you want a horrifying, inexorable force to be reckoned with, look to the Necrons of Warhammer 40,000. Not a character written by a chump who was creeped out by kids with Downs Syndrome.

4: Sepiroth, Final Fantasy 7. Speaking of Oedipus complexes, this guy is loved mostly because he is a... ugh... do I really have to say it...?... because he is a... 'Bishie' and because he has good chemistry with Cloud Strife, who himself is pretty overrated since anyone half as emotionally troubled as he is wouldn't have the kind of combat prowess as he does. Sepiroth has only a few things going for him... the Cloud Chemistry, the daikatana he buried in Aeris' back and a kickass theme song. But these things do not a villain make. His motivation was the tired old 'World destroying' but the veneer we're given is so thin he might as well just be doing it because someone laughed at his wiener as a kid.

5: Sara Kerrigan, Starcraft. Blizzard's a repeat offender... Kerrigan has no other goal other than to increase the swarm and control the Koprulu sector. Admittedly, She's had plenty of success in trying to reach her goal (Starcraft: Broodwar), though whenever someone is going to talk about her achievements, they make her sound like a character from a Michael Bay movie(Michael Bay=tons of explosions, Kerrigan = tons of casualties). So what? Nothing she has done makes me empathize with her. Nothing she says or does makes me want to laugh and the most memorable thing about her is her monstrous appearance rather than anything *about* her. Worse still, she's a bit of a Mary Sue in that she's some super-special-awesome 'chosen one' who has the power to stop the coming bad guys. The connection she has to the main protagonist (Jim Raynor) is for the most part through an awkward love story. Finally, what's so interesting about a villain who's a complete monster? Unless the good guys does something to make her into a human again (Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty), she will always be an infested Terran, which means her actions and interactions will be very predictable and repetitive, and she will show no signs of being human, other than her humanoid appearance.


Underrated-
1: John Doe, Se7en. A complicated man who believes the world has fallen to corruption and the only way to wake it up is to make living and grisly representations of the Seven Deadly Sins. He picked his victims carefully and masterminded a plot to undo a good man and police detective. Even though he only lasted the one movie, he was fully committed to his goal, to the point that he knew his life was the final part of his gruesome masterpiece. He deserves more notoriety than he presently has.

2: The Kurgen, The Highlander. It doesn't get much more badass, villainous and dismissively overlooked. Killing the hero (the first time). Abusing prostitutes. Living as an immortal. Making lewd gestures at nuns. Sword fighting. Delivering great one-liners. Raping the woman (He believed) of a man he just decapitated. And most of this done while listening to Queen. Clancy Brown's portrayal of the Kurgan is hard to top when it comes to villainy. As a warrior who used to toss babies to hungry dogs, the Kurgan survives the centuries by killing other immortals for the sake of receiving "the prize." To receive the ultimate Quickening, however, means the Kurgan must face Connor MacLeod in combat once more. And though he failed, he still lives on in many hearts and minds as a terrifying and wild villain.

3: Vincent, Collateral. Tom Cruise gets a lot of hate, mostly because of his strange activities when not acting. But this is no way to judge his performances, and he has put out some brilliant ones over the years. Probably his best since Rain Man and Vanilla Sky is his portrayal of contract killer Vincent in Michael Mann's Collateral. Vincent is so memorable because of how he changes from an articulate, insightful commentator on life one minute, to a fast, brutal assassin in the next, with no changeover period. He takes apart the reasons his job does not affect him emotionally with precise and reasonable logic, but there are moments throughout the film when Max (Jamie Foxx) appears to successfully reason with him in a way that gives him pause. This side of him finally comes out completely, as fatigue takes over and he allows Max to get away alive, before dying himself – as if to say, "it was only business". Cruise manages to play the villain of both an action thriller and a crime drama in one brilliant movie.

4: Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke. Here's a woman who I pause to call a villainess. It's more appropriate to call her an antagonist. She's pure pragmatism and ambition but in spite of her drive to succeed and make something of herself and her town, she is compassionate to her fellow humans. She brought harem women out of their lives of prostitution to earn an honest living and she saved a bunch of lepers and gave them both shelter and purpose. Yes, she did not try to understand the Forest or its guardian spirit. Yes, she disregarded Ashitaka's advice every time he dispensed it, but was she evil? Oh no. She most assuredly was not. *That* is the mark of a well-made antagonist.

5: Zira, Lion King 2. Exiled from Pride rock for the crime of staying loyal to Scar in the face of disaster, she and her supporters manage to live in the harshest land and thrive on the edge. Fueled with a hatred so deep and bitter that while she loves her children, she would place them in harm's way if it meant destroying Simba, the undoer of Scar's regime. A hatred so vast that she would rather let herself fall to certain doom rather than be saved by the child of Scar's unmaker. Her motives beyond revenge are clear. Rule the Pride Lands through her son, Kovu, who she has invested all her wisdom, strength and passion into. While not the deepest character, she's often thrown under the bus as two-dimensional. Her *thinking* is more two dimensional, but her character has more facets to it than first glance suggests.

There you have it!

Many apologies for those of you eagerly awaiting the continuation of Lone Candle.

Left on a bit of a clifhanger there for a bit ^_^;;

Myself and my artist, Egardn, were taking a short holiday hiatus. He's back on the job and Lone Candle will be posted as soon as it's ready!

In the meantime though...

Here's a question: Would you prefer small vignettes to explain the background information of Spira (The world on which Lone Candle takes place) and the nature of things like how magic works and how the Thirteen Houses came to be?

Also! I am going to be running a little program soon to get some money flowing for the comic so that Elliot and I can get someone to help us out with the 'pay to download' side comics and other such things.

Five dollars and you can have yourself or your OC cameo'd as a background character in a page of Lone Candle!

Ten dollars and your character can be given a line!

Note me for details and I'll tell you more ^_^

Okay everyone, we've gone thirty pages so far and Elliot's speed in getting them posted in increasing!

I saw the last poll before my Premium went down, so I'll ask you all for your thoughts on Lone Candle as it is so far and what you all think myself and Elliot can do to improve it.

I ask you just review it over, have a looksie and let me know what you think of the story flow so far!

Now, in light of the last poll, it was felt by the majority that you'd like a few 'fact-pointers' about Lone Candle's universe.

How would you like them presented? I'm open to suggestions, but have a few ideas myself ^_^

Thanks for checking out the comic and staying loyal, readers!

http://lonecandle.smackjeeves.com/

Swords and sorcery in a post-Steampunk, Neo-Victorian setting!

Now some have said it's not as Steampunkish as they'd like...

One of the problems with Steampunk these days is that it clobbers you over the head with the Steampunkiness. Gears on everything, dapper English attire or bits and pieces of it, smokestack backpacks (Burn your ass and back what good) and cogwheels the circumference of the Ventruvian Man everywhere!

Nah... then everything becomes just a characterture of itself. It starts to look like everything you've come to associate with Steampunk and therefor wanes in originality.

I won't tread on it, but let me just remind that it's *post* steampunk. Meaning it's a more modern society that evolved *from* steampunk.

Anyway... That's about it! Just reminding everyone to take a peek at the site ;)

Twenty-eight today and what a ride!

Bandit was right though, I need to stop worrying and get my head back on straight.

And for those of my detractors who are among those who believe we'd all be better off back in the wilderness, stripped of technology and all its benefits, then keep in mind that back in those days I would be a wizened elder at 28 and my life expectancy would be cratering.

No, seriously, I'm not kidding!

Like society, I'll just keep marching onward and upward and learn all the lessons God has in store for me.

Thanks to all my dear friends both online and off, who remind me of the inherent goodness of people.

I'll be twenty-eight.

That's just two years away from 30... >_<;;

Feeling pretty spooked... But I'll manage! I've got friends who survived turning 30 ^_^;

Anyway...

I'm gonna be tampening down the political rants again a little. There's four years of observation more to come, but that's plenty of time and life's too short to be complaining all the time about self-crowning elitists thousands of miles away.

So yeah... In five days, it will have been twenty-eight years since the birth of Transformers, since the stamp cost twenty cents, since the U.S. and the Vatican exchanged diplomats after a century-long hiatus, since Ronald Reagan won a landslide victory, since Syria freed the captured US Navy pilot, Lieut. Robert C. Goodman, Jr. and since the former Soviet Union withdrew from the Summer Olympic Games.

Wow...

Here's to many more years of freethinking!

P.S.: Nathanounce's story's next chapter will be posted this Saturday when I get my laptop back! ^_^

And it's thanks to Changeling Scribe!Thank you so much, hun ^_^

Be good pals and go commission her! She's really, really good and her prices are friendly!

Where might the new Lone Candle site be?

Why, here of course:

http://lonecandle.smackjeeves.com/

Now you may be asking yourself... 'Will you stop posting here and on DA?'

The answer? I will continue posting here and DA, but it would mean a great deal to me if you would go to the site anyway! Besides, it has archives and Next Comic buttons and everything!

Also, rating would be much appreciated! ^_^

Anyway, thank you all, dear fans, friends, Romans and countrymen!

http://www.indiegogo.com/SaveMyWolves

A friend of a friend is having some problems and has been forced to move. He will have to euthanize his legal pet wolves if he cannot get anyone to help.

You hear all the time about charities that promise to help wildlife, yet chiefly help their 'administrative costs' which all too often wind up being around seventy five cents on the dollar.

Please help these wolves. It's a sure-fire way to give honest aid to real animals.

Thank you.

Here's an entry to May's art raffle.

Please visit here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3513465/

Plenty of great priced artwork!

Just want to see more comments, folks! I need all the input I can get so I know how you, the reader, is enjoying or not enjoying the comic ^_^;

So if you read the comic and you like what you see, I humbly ask one of two things. Either post a comment, even going back to earlier pages, or tell a friend or two about Lone Candle.

Thank you kindly, and take care!

A convention badge raffle is being held by the talented artist Dixie Von Fur http://www.furaffinity.net/user/dixievonfur/ and Dixie's looking to bolster some watches!

That is user views and looksouts, not to say Dixie's a watchmaker ^_^;

Dying art, that...

Anyway, go check out Dixie's page and pop into the raffle if you like too!

This has been Zucca Xerfantes, and it doesn't hurt a bit!

Here's the journal in question: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3265210/

Howdy! I'm gonna be showing off my massive bronyism by typing down my thoughts, realtime, as I watch the latest episode! I may or may not make a regular thing with this.

Apparently this is going to be a Fluttershy episode. Power to that pegasus! The title implies that she might double her mass via backbone growth.

Some may say that she probably already has it on account of other events happening in her recent days. The dragon, the cockatrice and so on. But old habits tend to die hard.

OKay, starting!

Fluttershy's feeding.... Wow, she's feeding her animals a bunch of what look like Templeton pellets! I was in 4-H for ten years raising animals and I'd recognize those pellets instantly! Best dry food for a wide variety of animals.

And.... wow.... Angel bunny's being a bit of a dick.

Sorry, a REAL dick.

Sorry, a melodramatic dick.

Sorry, an abusive, offensive dick...

Why do I get the impression that if they were marries, he'd smack her six ways from Sunday while hollering 'MAKE ME A GODDAMNED SANDWICH, WOMAN!!!'

*HUff*

Anyway...

So, like a battered wife, rather than calling the cops... although, calling them to tell that your fluffy bunny is abusing you would probably get you laughed off the line... she agrees to try to make the salad.

Heh... COPS: Equestria.

COPS is filmed on location with the stallions and mares of Her Majesty's Peacekeeping Task Force. All ponies are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law!

SO Fluttershy goes to market to get the ingredients for Angel's salad.

And immediately gets trounced on as she tries to get asparagus and everyone cuts in front of her. She of course, in what little protest she puts up, is ineffectual in her attempts.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie notice this and begin to lend a hand.

Heh, the last one to get some asparagus, a... nerd pony who looks like a friend of mine (Not kidding either!) and... *SNRK* Rarity begins to use her feminine wiles.

Hey Rarity, you really want to get his attention, agree to play D&D with him!

SO Rarity flirts the asparagus back and pops it in Fluttershy's bag.

The tomato stand wants two bits for three tomatoes and Fluttershy pays, though she wonders why it's two now when it was one earlier. I'm not even gonna touch the economic hoobajoo that I could and I'm here to watch My Little Pony, not stand on a soap box. Pinkie Pie, master of the Weirding Way, gets the price back down to one bit and they both tell Fluttershy that asserting yourself can be fun.

I'm more passive-aggressive, though not so aggressive. I'm a diplomat, but an assertive one.

So Fluttershy needs a cherry, and in her openness, admits that she wants it badly.

The salespony is shrewd, telling her that she can have it for ten bits.

I've watched enough American Pickers and Storage Wars and read enough books on negotiation to know that you NEVER show your desire for something you want.

Fluttershy should've flapped up, told him that he's lucky that he's the only cherry stand there since that one cherry that's left has bruises and cherries totally went out of demand weeks ago. But she's there to relieve him of the burden of this tarnished cherry for one bit.

Wow.... she tries to flirt like Rarity did and...

*Laughs*

Watching Fluttershy try to flirt is a unique experience ^_^;;

She tries Pinkie's approach and botches...

Rarity and Pinkie tell her that the cherry isn't worth that much and then some other pony lays down two bits for the cherry, which the seller agrees to, then utterly castrates Fluttershy by calling her a doormat.

Wow...

'Dear Princess Celestia... um... if it isn't too much trouble... would you please send this really mean pony to the moon?'

'Dear Fluttershy, That punishment was a one-time only event. I never chose my sister's fate. The Elements did. Further, using an ancient weapon against a pony you have a minor disagreement with is wrong. You just need to settle things with him in a mature and calm manner.'

'Dear Princess Celestia... He called me a doormat...'

'Dear Fluttershy, I'll go open the Elements vault...'

So Fluttershy makes the salad, without the cherry on top and...

And... Angel apparently clobbered Fluttershy and threw her, the salad and the cookbook outside....

'Dear Princess Celestia... if it isn't too much trouble, Angel bunny could use the Elements used on him too...'

'Dear Fluttershy, you wish to send him to the moon as well?'

'Dear Princess Celestia... Um... no. The sun.'

After Angel violently sends Fluttershy facefirst into the mailbox, she notices an ad for a willpower seminar being held in the hedges of Ponyville.

So, invoking Celestia as her witness, she declares she won't be anyone's butt monkey ever again.

Fluttershy heads to the front of the row and.... gets hit *again*, this time by Bonbon who's probably pissed that Lyra's not here with her.

Jeez, I'm surprised the poor thing doesn't have a black eye by now...

The seminar seems to be run by goats. Goats on security, goats on tech...

The stage opens up and a minotaur steps out, doing air punches and kissing his muscles.

Yanno, I was wondering when, in the Monster Manual, they'd be getting to one!

I can hear Lyra from the far back now...

'But a minotaur is half-bovine and half.... I KNOW HUMANS EXIST!!!'

The minotaur introduces himself as Iron Will and that he's there to get them all to stop being a pushover in their lives.

He tells them that he has utter confidence in his program and that it's for free if it doesn't work for them. Wait... Dr. Whooves is there. What's he need assertiveness lessons for? He's stared Daleks down for pity sake!

He tells them... DITZY DOO! I spotted her! Yay!

He... heh... pulls a Mr. T and tells them he pities the fool who doubts his methods.

Don't be shy, look em' in the eye! He tells them.

Iron Will selects Fluttershy as a volunteer... Heh... this is gonna hurt, isn't it?

One of Will's goat helpers blocks Fluttershy's way and Will tells her that she has to get past him. What's she to do?

She says she'll politely step around him. WRONG! Gingerly tiptoe around him? WRONG! Go back home and try again tomorrow? WROOOONG!

If somepony tries to block, show them you RAAAAAWK!!!!!

She shoves Flutershy into the goat, knocking him over. Heh.

NEver apologize when you can criticize, he tells her and then hollers 'WHY DON'T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING?!' at the goat.

Iron Will watches with bits in his eyes as she gets a little more backbone.

He then holds up Fluttershy, declaring that if his techniques can work for her, they can work for anypony and Fluttershy gets.... wow... one of her cutest smiles yet! :D

Later, she's talking to herself in the mirror, then steps outside to find the... gardener she met at the Canterlot Garden...?... over-watering her petunias. She asks if he'd stop, he tells her to let the professional handle it, so she stands on the hose and waits for a buildup.

Heh. He's all wet.

Her victory laugh is... heartmeltingly adorable...

There's a couple of ponies hauling garbage.... It's Bonbon and Daisy this time... And they're talking to eachother, trying to tell jokes. Fluttershy asks if they'd move their carts that are blocking the bridge and when they don't respond, she kicks their wagons... and not, so angry she wants to kick something, kick. I mean Applejack would applaud her potential applebucking skills, kick. I mean Kicks MacGillicudy kick.... The garbage topples onto them and they take the hint...

Fluttershy goes to Sugar Cube corner and... wow.... more assertiveness!

Ooooh dear... Pinkie Pie told a joke and was laughing, and Fluttershy recited 'You laugh at me, I WRATH AT YOU!' and retaliated...

Oh dear... I wonder if Discord's effects on her still linger?

Fluttershy calls for a taxi after stepping outside and when someone else hops in, she recites 'Cut in line and I'll take what's mine!' and then... leaps into the taxi and kicks the offending pony's ass... Which is not to say she harmed his donkey. No, she just went American History X on him...

Oh dear... Fluttershy just used the TRADITIONAL ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE on her animals...

She goes outside and finds that rather than the faithful Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo on mail route, it's a pony who's got a seeing problem. 'You apologize, I PENALIZE!' she recites, then stuffs him in a mailbox, slaps his ass with a stamp and walks off...

Jesus...

A tourist asks her for directions and she's about to oblige, but saying so makes her drop her mail. 'You make me lose, I BLOW MY FUSE!' she roars.... thought cutely... and hurls the tourist away, inadvertently showing him where he wanted to go.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie see this and tell her she's taking it too far, that he did nothing to deserve that.

Fluttershy... proceeds to verbally *destroy* them... Tells them that their life's work, the both of them, is pointless, frivolous and it's throwing their lives away.

It isn't until she sees her vicious reflection in the puddle that she realizes she's been the wrong one on this.

They tell her that Iron Will's techniques of yelling at everypony aren't working. That she doesn't have to be nasty about her assertiveness.

In other words, the Cesar Milan approach. Not being aggressive, just dominant.

Iron Will shows up, saying he's there to collect his fee since he says the program's worked for her.

Iron Will knocks on the door and asks Fluttershy for what he says she owes since he heard on the street his training is working for her.

She tells him no. Pinkie Pie faints.

She tells him that he promised one hundred percent satisfaction or she pays nothing. She's not fully satisfied.

Good assertiveness!

She tells him 'No means no!' and he shrugs, decides not to make a scene and leaves, saying that 'No means no' would make a good catchphrase for his next workshop. Heh.

Fluttershy writes her letter to Celestia, saying that she can be assertive without being mean, all the while feeding her critters and when it comes to Angel, he's throwing a fit and she uses The Stare on him... heh. Yay continuity!

Well, good episode overall! Really good one, really!

Final thoughts: Good lesson, great laughs and seeing Fluttershy get into fights was just priceless!

Yes, you sir! And you, madam!

I want you to stop what you're doing RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.

Do I have your undivided attention?

If I do not, then come back when you can give it.

If I do, then please listen to me.

I recently visited someone's page after they were kind enough to Watch me. Out of consideration to them, I am calling them by the androgynous descriptor to protect their privacy. I scrolled to their likes and dislikes. In the dislikes I saw some pretty foul and vile stuff. A slang that insulted me to the core and an ignorant clumping of my beliefs with the beliefs of madmen like Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptists.

My first inclination was to debate them, point by point on this matter. To deconstruct the stance they had taken. To tackle each thing that offended me so since as of late I've felt downright persecuted for my beliefs.

But then I stopped and began to think.

Why do they have this opinion? How truly often in their life has a Christian wronged them personally? How often have they gone to a Tea Party and seen with their own two eyes that they're not nearly as bad as they're made out to be by hackjobs in the media?

I do not blame this person for having this stance. For they trust what they hear and see on the television. They take it's word for it, never having before *needed* to see something with their own two eyes.

Then I began to think more.

How have Leftists personally hurt me? And I'm not counting online debates since that's only so much hot air.

Apart from a few instances I can count on only one hand, there's nothing.

How often have politicians hurt me though?

Plenty. Oh sure, they don't personally come to my door and kick me in the shin and shit on my couch.

But through their actions does ruin visit me and my kin.

And perhaps, in all fairness, the same could be said for Right-leaning politicians.

Thomas Jefferson suggested a long time ago that perhaps it would be best for the whole cabinet to be flushed out. Every public office in one grand motion to bring in new blood.

Friends... we've not hurt eachother for political reasons no matter what side we're on. And those few that have, and they exist on both sides of the aisle, make NO mistake, are the crazy ones who don't represent their side.

Who has hurt us though are the politicians. We need to look at the people running for office with a microscope. Their privacy is forfeit if they wish to serve us because that is a sacrifice they must be willing to make. Only those who are SERIOUS about service to the public are those who will endure the indignities and serve us.

They have made the mistake of thinking themselves our masters, our royalty.

We are NOT the cattle they take us for.

The paradigm is already shifting. Push, my friends. When you vote, look at the merits of the people, not the letter that comes before their name.

And be it for God's sake or for the sake of sense and reason, do your research on these people. If you can't be bothered to research the candidates, then do the rest of us a favor and don't vote. This isn't a fucking popularity contest or beauty pageant.

That being said... I hope you all have a good day and I thank you for your attention.

God Bless America.

Twilight Sparkle:
[X] You have a huge collection of books.
[X] You value your alone time.
[ ] You have trouble making friends.
[X] You are very intelligent.
[ ] You write letters regularly.
[X] You find a lesson in everything.
[ ] You have trouble doing things “the old-fashioned way.”
[ ] You’ve recently moved to a new town.
[ ] You’re rather sarcastic.
[ ] You’re often accused of being a know-it-all.
Total: 4

Pinkie Pie:
[X] You’re the black sheep of the family.
[ ] You’re majorly hyper.
[X] You love to siiiing!
[ ] You’re known for throwing great parties!
[ ] You’re great at baking.
[ ] People sometimes don’t get your jokes.
[ ] You’re a prankster troll.
[ ] You’re a super-intense personality.
[ ] You have strange pets.
[ ] You are known to go to extremes.
Total: 2

Applejack:
[X] You’re very stubborn.
[X] You find great joy in working.
[X] You prefer the country to the city.
[ ] You speak with an accent.
[X] You HATE cheating.
[ ] You have freckles.
[X] You prefer casual wear rather than formal things.
[ ] You wear your hair in a ponytail(s).
[X] You have a large family.
[X] You have trouble lying.
Total: 7

Rainbow Dash:
[X] You love winning.
[ ] You like sports.
[ ] You have a funky haircolor.
[ ] You have fangirl tendencies.
[X] You have no problem speaking your mind.
[X] You will give up anything for your friends. (depends on the friend)
[X] You like being recognized for good things.
[ ] You have no problem defying traditional gender-roles.
[ ] You act now, think later.
[ ] You’re very brave.
Total: 3

Rarity:
[ ] You love being the center of attention.
[X] You have a cat.
[ ] You sew well.
[ ] It’s well-known that you’re somewhat vain.
[ ] You love the excitement of the city!
[X] You will overwork yourself to do something nice for your friends.
[ ] You wear makeup.
[ ] You’re prone to whining.
[ ] You have original taste in fashion.
[X] You enjoy bonding with your besties <3
Total: 3

Fluttershy:
[ ] You HATE being the center of attention.
[ ] You struggle with sharing your mind.
[X] You love animals and help them however you can.
[ ] You’re graceful.
[ ] You’re very quiet or soft-spoken.
[ ] You have a secret mean-streak.
[ ] You’ve been told you could model.
[ ] You’re the eldest of your friends.
[ ] You like wearing your hair loose and long.
[X] You’re very nurturing
Total: 2


To utterly nobody's surprise whatsoever, I'm most like Applejack!

Okay, as some of you may have guessed by my lack of online presence this past week, it comes on the heels of losing my desktop. The memory is totally recoverable, but there's nothing I can do outside of my laptop whose capabilities are more than a little limited.

For right now though, it'll be about until Friday before I get my comp fixed. Perhaps sooner.

Until then, bear with me pals!

I'm in the process of writing KC a birthday tale!

KC, of course being a good friend of mine and fellow character storyteller extraordinaire, (But he draws way better than I can!) http://www.furaffinity.net/user/the-furry-railfan/

Asked him what he wanted and he gave me the outline!

Granted, like all my projects, it'll take a bit of time to write (Taking into account my head injury no less!) but I wanted to wish my good friend a happy birthday and many more to come!

Enjoy this day, dude, it's yours!

In case you few who pay attention to journals and not submissions, check out my latest two!

In preparation for years, this is the beginning of a long tale that I wish to share with the help of the artist Egardn on D-Art.

So sit back, relax, and check in each week!

Oh, and tell your friends!

There be a free story written by someone who knows what they're doing up for raffle at the following link: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2536494/

Rules are found there!