So, Tao is my favorite character in Blaz Blue so far. Who's my second-favorite?
Rachel Alucard.
"Snooty" doesn't even begin to describe her. She is a stuck-up bitch to the max! I love her dialog, and her delivery is just so delicious. She looks more like a character out of either Disgaea or Touhou. I know that's not true, because Disgaea characters always speak in a melodramatic manner, and Touhou characters have very little detail in canon, but Rachel is a fleshed out character, and never gets overly excited. (She even brags about her calm demeanor.)
Man, I can only imagine how fun it would be to write in character as her. I think I'll attempt that sometime in the near future.
"I find your presence insulting."
Okay, I need a Rachel avatar now. Be right back.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Cool cat(girls) are a dime-a-dozen these days
Hi you guys and gals! xm here! And boy do I have a treat for you!
I just bought a game for my PS3! But you know what's funny? This game came out simultaneously for the Xbox 360, and yet, I went with the PS3 version. Why is that? Answer: I like the PS3 controller more than the 360 controller! It's a lot easier for me to play a fighter with a Playstation controller than with an Xbox controller-
-Oops! Did I give away what I bought already? Well, okay, I bought a fighting game for my PS3, and as you know, the only fighting games I ever loved were Naruto: Ultimate Ninja and Guilty Gear, but this isn't either of them, but, I still bought it anyways. It was so hard finding a copy! No video store carries a copy for rent! And it's completely out of stock at the Targets in town, too! I had to buy a used copy at a Gamestop, although, the price was marked down, and the disc was in near-perfect condition, mew mew! So-
-"Whoa whoa, hold that thought. Xm, have you been talking like a girl this entire time?"
*nods head*
"And, you haven't been indulging in anything CLAMP and Touhou related, have you?"
*shakes head*
"So why did you just say, 'mew mew'!? Those are cat sounds, and you're talking like a girl . . . wait, are you impersonating a catgirl!?"
Uhh . . . *nervous giggle*
"But I thought the only catgirls you ever liked were Chen and Orin, but they've never appeared in the Touhou fighters . . . what could possibly make you talk like a catgirl now?"
Oh, I don't know, a game from the same makers of Guilty Gear?
"Gasp! You mean!"
BLAZBLUE!
"BLAZBLUE CALAMITY TRIGGER!"
That's right!
. . . . . .
And man, it's been a long time since I've seen 2D sprites this detailed!
But, you know something? You know what about BB that's caught my attention more than anything else?
"Taokaka?"
Taokaka! What's funny is, she's not cute in appearance, but she has the cutest voice ever! And she says the funniest, and cutest things! In fact, you wanna know what I've been enjoying most about BB?
Teach Me, Miss Litchi!
Wherein the catgirl herself, the third ever I've taken a genuine liking to, takes advice from Miss Litchi Faye-Ling herself! (Good freaking God, she looks like what a Dead or Alive chick would look like if the DOA games were ever in 2D. Those are sooooo fake.) And everything is just utterly kawaii! I play the story mode just for that . . . and also to listen to the witty banter between battles. ^ ~ ^
"Gawd! I can't stand this anymore! He's totally ruining what Blaz Blue represents! Oh wait, I know what to do in situations like this; scare 'em striaght. Oh, xm."
Yes, mister Blue Yoshi?
"I'd like to introduce you to a hero of our age. A hero who needs no introduction. Take it away, sir!"
*The sound of a sword being unsheathed is heard*
"I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction.
I! AM! HAKUMEN!
THE END HAS COME!!!!"
. . . . . . . . .
Holy shit. I'm boned.
Uh, in short, I do not regret buying BB: CM thus far. Uh, can I do another cat smilie? No more cat smilies? Whatever you say, mister Hakumen.
I just bought a game for my PS3! But you know what's funny? This game came out simultaneously for the Xbox 360, and yet, I went with the PS3 version. Why is that? Answer: I like the PS3 controller more than the 360 controller! It's a lot easier for me to play a fighter with a Playstation controller than with an Xbox controller-
-Oops! Did I give away what I bought already? Well, okay, I bought a fighting game for my PS3, and as you know, the only fighting games I ever loved were Naruto: Ultimate Ninja and Guilty Gear, but this isn't either of them, but, I still bought it anyways. It was so hard finding a copy! No video store carries a copy for rent! And it's completely out of stock at the Targets in town, too! I had to buy a used copy at a Gamestop, although, the price was marked down, and the disc was in near-perfect condition, mew mew! So-
-"Whoa whoa, hold that thought. Xm, have you been talking like a girl this entire time?"
*nods head*
"And, you haven't been indulging in anything CLAMP and Touhou related, have you?"
*shakes head*
"So why did you just say, 'mew mew'!? Those are cat sounds, and you're talking like a girl . . . wait, are you impersonating a catgirl!?"
Uhh . . . *nervous giggle*
"But I thought the only catgirls you ever liked were Chen and Orin, but they've never appeared in the Touhou fighters . . . what could possibly make you talk like a catgirl now?"
Oh, I don't know, a game from the same makers of Guilty Gear?
"Gasp! You mean!"
BLAZBLUE!
"BLAZBLUE CALAMITY TRIGGER!"
That's right!
. . . . . .
And man, it's been a long time since I've seen 2D sprites this detailed!
But, you know something? You know what about BB that's caught my attention more than anything else?
"Taokaka?"
Taokaka! What's funny is, she's not cute in appearance, but she has the cutest voice ever! And she says the funniest, and cutest things! In fact, you wanna know what I've been enjoying most about BB?
Teach Me, Miss Litchi!
Wherein the catgirl herself, the third ever I've taken a genuine liking to, takes advice from Miss Litchi Faye-Ling herself! (Good freaking God, she looks like what a Dead or Alive chick would look like if the DOA games were ever in 2D. Those are sooooo fake.) And everything is just utterly kawaii! I play the story mode just for that . . . and also to listen to the witty banter between battles. ^ ~ ^
"Gawd! I can't stand this anymore! He's totally ruining what Blaz Blue represents! Oh wait, I know what to do in situations like this; scare 'em striaght. Oh, xm."
Yes, mister Blue Yoshi?
"I'd like to introduce you to a hero of our age. A hero who needs no introduction. Take it away, sir!"
*The sound of a sword being unsheathed is heard*
"I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction.
I! AM! HAKUMEN!
THE END HAS COME!!!!"
. . . . . . . . .
Holy shit. I'm boned.
Uh, in short, I do not regret buying BB: CM thus far. Uh, can I do another cat smilie? No more cat smilies? Whatever you say, mister Hakumen.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
the music of awesomeness
I've discovered some more Touhou music I like. These can all be accessed from tvtropes' Touhou music page, so I won't link them.
Pray, by IOSYS. It's a remix of Sanae's theme. It's very beautiful. It might make you cry.
Floating Darkness, by TatashMusicCircle. It's a remix of Nue's theme. It's the kind of rock that makes you grin in an evil manner and say, "Exactly as . . ." you know where I'm going with this.
Poltergeist 東方, by おるたねーと. It's a remix of Kana's theme. I love Kana's theme, it being one of the best Touhou pieces ever, not just from the PC-98 era. This remix really does the original justice. Beautiful, sad, and happy, all at once. You may need a tissue. (And yes, Kana will appear in Mentor and Protege. I guarantee that.)
There's a video out there that uses a techno remix of Bad Apple for its music. I love that video; the animation looks like something out of a Final Fantasy cutscene, even though it's only in black and white. Be sure to watch the Megpoid version, too!
EX Devil's Rush (Road of Pandemonium). It's a remix of Rumia's theme. I don't really like the original theme of Rumia, but I sure like this version! It rocks.
And there's just so many more! Also, I have an update; I have been writing more Mentor and Protege recently. I have a deadline: chapter 5 will be uploaded on or before Thanksgiving, of this year. Look forward to it.
Pray, by IOSYS. It's a remix of Sanae's theme. It's very beautiful. It might make you cry.
Floating Darkness, by TatashMusicCircle. It's a remix of Nue's theme. It's the kind of rock that makes you grin in an evil manner and say, "Exactly as . . ." you know where I'm going with this.
Poltergeist 東方, by おるたねーと. It's a remix of Kana's theme. I love Kana's theme, it being one of the best Touhou pieces ever, not just from the PC-98 era. This remix really does the original justice. Beautiful, sad, and happy, all at once. You may need a tissue. (And yes, Kana will appear in Mentor and Protege. I guarantee that.)
There's a video out there that uses a techno remix of Bad Apple for its music. I love that video; the animation looks like something out of a Final Fantasy cutscene, even though it's only in black and white. Be sure to watch the Megpoid version, too!
EX Devil's Rush (Road of Pandemonium). It's a remix of Rumia's theme. I don't really like the original theme of Rumia, but I sure like this version! It rocks.
And there's just so many more! Also, I have an update; I have been writing more Mentor and Protege recently. I have a deadline: chapter 5 will be uploaded on or before Thanksgiving, of this year. Look forward to it.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The truth about xm0123, EXPOSED
"Greetings, friends. Vile01 here. I found out something about xm that he was willing to tell the people of Doujinstyle.com, but not us. The information I found is hidden in a journal of sorts. This is that journal now."
September 2nd, 2009.
{xm0123} HOLY SHIT this show called Kurokami is good! I have to blog about it!
September 5th, 2009.
{xm0123} I LOVE KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
But I don't have a crush on her.
I swear! She's like Nausicaa and Rosette Christopher; she's a fascinating character! That's all!
Septmember 10th, 2009.
{xm0123} Ah man! This show really crapped out towards the end! Oh wait, there is a manwha version. Heh heh. I will not be separated from my Kuro-chan.
September 13th, 2009.
{xm0123} Okay, I just started reading the manwha version of Kurokami, and Jesus fucking Christ, is Keita an asshole! He's practically a villain! Oh! Kuro's contractee is actually a Villain Protagonist! That'd make a good plot twist! But I swear to you; NOTHING will come between me and Kuro-chan, not fanboys, not self-aggrandizing Squall ripoffs, not anyone! And is it just me, or does she have really pretty legs in the manwha? KAWAII! ^ _ ^
September 15th, 2009, 11:37 AM.
{xm0123} (originally posted on doujinstyle.com) I am completely incapable of becoming sexually aroused by a fictional character. No matter how "hot" some anime and video game chicks may be, I cannot "fap" to them. I'm all about real life girls, you see.
September 15th, 2009, 5:07 PM.
{Stalker-san} (in response to what I wrote earlier that day in DS.com) Y-you... wait... seriously?
You're such a rare creature on this forum. ō_ō;
September 15th, 2009, 7:56 PM.
{xm0123} (in response to what Stalker-san wrote earlier that day in DS.com.) Yeah. I was planning on telling you all sooner, but it's true.
However, I would be lying (another secret of mine coming up) if I said I never got attached to fictional characters period. I have formed what you might call non-sexual, non-romantic crushes on a few characters. (If you've read my blog, then you already know this.) Sometimes, I see characters that just utterly captivate me, and I get all, "Oh! She's so cute! Hugs and cuddles! Kawaii! ^ _ ^" I usually get over them within a few months, but sometimes, I can't help myself. In fact, I have one such crush right now; Kuro from Kurokami. But I can't help myself if she's adorable beyond words! She's just so cute!
September 18th, 2009.
{xm0123} So I read what volumes of Kurokami are out in America right now. There are some things about it I like more than the anime, but there are some things about it that are worse than the anime, (Keita, slower plot pace, Keita, still a lot of untranslated volumes, did I mention Keita is a completely loathsome asshole in the Manwha?) but it does not matter, for I have Kuro-chan on my bookshelf now.
Wait a second; I just realized something: I absolutely hate one character, yet absolutely love another. And not only that, I loved the earlier episodes of the anime version of Kurokami, but didn't like the later episodes. My gawd . . . I've become tsundere for Kurokami, haven't I? So this is what it's like to be tsundere . . .
(Note to self: don't tell anyone outside of DS.com what you really think about Kuro. It took me months to live down Yukari-chan.)
The present day.
"Oh crap! He's coming to write something again! Gotta jet!"
So I just read vol. 7 of the manwha version of Kurokami, and . . . . .
THIS IS THE BEST VOLUME YET!!!!
Not once does Keita act out of line! In fact, he even has a Crowning Moment of Awesome in this volume! Has he really done it? Has he redeemed himself, a la Luke Fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss? If so, then consider me sold.
There is so much badassery, so much plot twisting, I can't keep up! And . . . and . . . I learned some stuff about Excel and Steiner that was never elaborated in the anime, and now, I can officially say, the manwha portrayal of both Excel and Steiner is superior to their anime portayal! As they say in Excel's native Germany; Wunderbar! Wunderbar, indeed. (You know, I wish this blog would stop underlining foreign words, even ones I spell correctly.)
Say, speaking of Excel, you wanna know something funny? I couple of nights ago, I had a dream. I was playing a SNES game, you know, for old time's sake, when suddenly, someone says from behind, "Having fun playing such an old game?"
I freak out and turn around, seeing it's Excel! Only thing is, I don't remember what happened after that. She was by herself, and she was speaking in Stephanie Sheh's voice, but . . .
"What the hell!? You dreamed about Excel, but not Kuro!?"
Who said that!? Oh wait; Vile01? What are you doing here?
"I heard you were gonna write about Kurokami again, so I came here. Your articles about Kurokami are very passionate, so I couldn't miss it. But anyways, you dreamed about Excel but not Kuro, what's up with that?"
Yeah, you'd think if I was gonna dream about anyone from Kurokami, it'd be Kuro-chan, but nope! Excel pops into my head, instead! And before you ask, no it was not a wet dream. We had our clothes on the entire time.
"Uh huh. Say, have you ever talked about Kurokami outside of your blog?"
Why you ask?
"Oh, you know, like have you told anyone on DS.com about Kurokami?"
Uh . . .
"Like the things you write in your private journal? In fact, I actually found you mentioning something in response to a-"
-YOU TOLD THEM!?!?!?!?
"What!? You said it was a platonic crush! That's harmless!"
I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!
"WAIT! WAIT! uh, take your frustration out on Keita instead!"
Why would I do that!? He was actually a likable person in the last volume!
"Uh oh. That means you're not tsundere for Kurokami anymore, are you?"
That's right. I'm all deredere now.
"Well then in that case, love conquers all, right? And who's someone you love? Someone who's a tomboy, and a girly girl at the same time? Someone who has more guts than any typical shonen protagonist? And someone who, in the manwha version anyways, has really pretty legs? In fact, it seems your crush started only after you started reading the Kurokami manwha. When you said Kuro was awesome back in early September, you just said that, but now, now it's more than that, right? Tell us, has she melted your heart, as well as won over your heart, as much as an illustrated girl could, anyways?"
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
OH NO! NOT KURO!
I CAN'T GET HER OUT OF MY HEAD NOW! KURO-CHAN IS LOVE!
KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
She'd get me out of this mess.
"Okay, that's all I needed to hear. Later."
Okay, this is officially the weirdest review I've ever written in my life.
Oh, and Stalker-san, if you're reading this, I just wanna say hello!
September 2nd, 2009.
{xm0123} HOLY SHIT this show called Kurokami is good! I have to blog about it!
September 5th, 2009.
{xm0123} I LOVE KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
But I don't have a crush on her.
I swear! She's like Nausicaa and Rosette Christopher; she's a fascinating character! That's all!
Septmember 10th, 2009.
{xm0123} Ah man! This show really crapped out towards the end! Oh wait, there is a manwha version. Heh heh. I will not be separated from my Kuro-chan.
September 13th, 2009.
{xm0123} Okay, I just started reading the manwha version of Kurokami, and Jesus fucking Christ, is Keita an asshole! He's practically a villain! Oh! Kuro's contractee is actually a Villain Protagonist! That'd make a good plot twist! But I swear to you; NOTHING will come between me and Kuro-chan, not fanboys, not self-aggrandizing Squall ripoffs, not anyone! And is it just me, or does she have really pretty legs in the manwha? KAWAII! ^ _ ^
September 15th, 2009, 11:37 AM.
{xm0123} (originally posted on doujinstyle.com) I am completely incapable of becoming sexually aroused by a fictional character. No matter how "hot" some anime and video game chicks may be, I cannot "fap" to them. I'm all about real life girls, you see.
September 15th, 2009, 5:07 PM.
{Stalker-san} (in response to what I wrote earlier that day in DS.com) Y-you... wait... seriously?
You're such a rare creature on this forum. ō_ō;
September 15th, 2009, 7:56 PM.
{xm0123} (in response to what Stalker-san wrote earlier that day in DS.com.) Yeah. I was planning on telling you all sooner, but it's true.
However, I would be lying (another secret of mine coming up) if I said I never got attached to fictional characters period. I have formed what you might call non-sexual, non-romantic crushes on a few characters. (If you've read my blog, then you already know this.) Sometimes, I see characters that just utterly captivate me, and I get all, "Oh! She's so cute! Hugs and cuddles! Kawaii! ^ _ ^" I usually get over them within a few months, but sometimes, I can't help myself. In fact, I have one such crush right now; Kuro from Kurokami. But I can't help myself if she's adorable beyond words! She's just so cute!
September 18th, 2009.
{xm0123} So I read what volumes of Kurokami are out in America right now. There are some things about it I like more than the anime, but there are some things about it that are worse than the anime, (Keita, slower plot pace, Keita, still a lot of untranslated volumes, did I mention Keita is a completely loathsome asshole in the Manwha?) but it does not matter, for I have Kuro-chan on my bookshelf now.
Wait a second; I just realized something: I absolutely hate one character, yet absolutely love another. And not only that, I loved the earlier episodes of the anime version of Kurokami, but didn't like the later episodes. My gawd . . . I've become tsundere for Kurokami, haven't I? So this is what it's like to be tsundere . . .
(Note to self: don't tell anyone outside of DS.com what you really think about Kuro. It took me months to live down Yukari-chan.)
The present day.
"Oh crap! He's coming to write something again! Gotta jet!"
So I just read vol. 7 of the manwha version of Kurokami, and . . . . .
THIS IS THE BEST VOLUME YET!!!!
Not once does Keita act out of line! In fact, he even has a Crowning Moment of Awesome in this volume! Has he really done it? Has he redeemed himself, a la Luke Fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss? If so, then consider me sold.
There is so much badassery, so much plot twisting, I can't keep up! And . . . and . . . I learned some stuff about Excel and Steiner that was never elaborated in the anime, and now, I can officially say, the manwha portrayal of both Excel and Steiner is superior to their anime portayal! As they say in Excel's native Germany; Wunderbar! Wunderbar, indeed. (You know, I wish this blog would stop underlining foreign words, even ones I spell correctly.)
Say, speaking of Excel, you wanna know something funny? I couple of nights ago, I had a dream. I was playing a SNES game, you know, for old time's sake, when suddenly, someone says from behind, "Having fun playing such an old game?"
I freak out and turn around, seeing it's Excel! Only thing is, I don't remember what happened after that. She was by herself, and she was speaking in Stephanie Sheh's voice, but . . .
"What the hell!? You dreamed about Excel, but not Kuro!?"
Who said that!? Oh wait; Vile01? What are you doing here?
"I heard you were gonna write about Kurokami again, so I came here. Your articles about Kurokami are very passionate, so I couldn't miss it. But anyways, you dreamed about Excel but not Kuro, what's up with that?"
Yeah, you'd think if I was gonna dream about anyone from Kurokami, it'd be Kuro-chan, but nope! Excel pops into my head, instead! And before you ask, no it was not a wet dream. We had our clothes on the entire time.
"Uh huh. Say, have you ever talked about Kurokami outside of your blog?"
Why you ask?
"Oh, you know, like have you told anyone on DS.com about Kurokami?"
Uh . . .
"Like the things you write in your private journal? In fact, I actually found you mentioning something in response to a-"
-YOU TOLD THEM!?!?!?!?
"What!? You said it was a platonic crush! That's harmless!"
I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!
"WAIT! WAIT! uh, take your frustration out on Keita instead!"
Why would I do that!? He was actually a likable person in the last volume!
"Uh oh. That means you're not tsundere for Kurokami anymore, are you?"
That's right. I'm all deredere now.
"Well then in that case, love conquers all, right? And who's someone you love? Someone who's a tomboy, and a girly girl at the same time? Someone who has more guts than any typical shonen protagonist? And someone who, in the manwha version anyways, has really pretty legs? In fact, it seems your crush started only after you started reading the Kurokami manwha. When you said Kuro was awesome back in early September, you just said that, but now, now it's more than that, right? Tell us, has she melted your heart, as well as won over your heart, as much as an illustrated girl could, anyways?"
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
OH NO! NOT KURO!
I CAN'T GET HER OUT OF MY HEAD NOW! KURO-CHAN IS LOVE!
KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
She'd get me out of this mess.
"Okay, that's all I needed to hear. Later."
Okay, this is officially the weirdest review I've ever written in my life.
Oh, and Stalker-san, if you're reading this, I just wanna say hello!
sequential art done mostly right
Let me review some manga.
XXXHolic 14.
Not quite as good as the last 4 books. The later chapters do tie in to Tsubasa, however.
Tsubasa 23.
EPIC! Epic with a capitol E.
Tsubasa 24.
I learned some stuff about Shaoran and Sakura, stuff that blew my mind. Although Tsubasa is coming down with a case of Evangelion Syndrome, it's at least still enjoyable. (And even Eva itself was still entertaining at its weirdest.)
Fullmetal Alchemist 20.
Ah yeah, baby. Crowning Moment of Awesome in the first chapter, important plot exposition all throughout, this is really good, even by FMA standards. What will Arakawa think of next?
Good stuff, man. Good stuff.
"Heh! Now I can expose the truth!"
XXXHolic 14.
Not quite as good as the last 4 books. The later chapters do tie in to Tsubasa, however.
Tsubasa 23.
EPIC! Epic with a capitol E.
Tsubasa 24.
I learned some stuff about Shaoran and Sakura, stuff that blew my mind. Although Tsubasa is coming down with a case of Evangelion Syndrome, it's at least still enjoyable. (And even Eva itself was still entertaining at its weirdest.)
Fullmetal Alchemist 20.
Ah yeah, baby. Crowning Moment of Awesome in the first chapter, important plot exposition all throughout, this is really good, even by FMA standards. What will Arakawa think of next?
Good stuff, man. Good stuff.
"Heh! Now I can expose the truth!"
I think I might have a reprieve
Reprieve from my busyness in the real world.
Well now, in my Touhou forums, I've mentioned that there's another Touhou fanfic I'd like to write. I probably won't be able to write it for a long time, but I've got an idea:
What was Reisen's life like before she came to Gensokyo?
Why Reisen? Well, of all the Touhou characters out there, Reisen is probably the only one I can relate to. And also, I'm curious, what was her life like when she still lived on the moon? I wanna know. However, this idea of mine is still in the conceptual phase, so I don't know if it will ever materialize, but consider that if I finish Mentor and Protege, I'll have something else to write.
Also, I recently bought more manga. Expect an overview soon.
"Hello? Is anyone here? Good. xm is gone. It's me, Vile01. I've unearthed some information about good ol' xm0123 that you may want to know. It concerns him and something he's gone . . . . . tsundere for, for lack of a better phrase. I can't give out details just yet, but trust me, you'll wanna see what I've found out."
Well now, in my Touhou forums, I've mentioned that there's another Touhou fanfic I'd like to write. I probably won't be able to write it for a long time, but I've got an idea:
What was Reisen's life like before she came to Gensokyo?
Why Reisen? Well, of all the Touhou characters out there, Reisen is probably the only one I can relate to. And also, I'm curious, what was her life like when she still lived on the moon? I wanna know. However, this idea of mine is still in the conceptual phase, so I don't know if it will ever materialize, but consider that if I finish Mentor and Protege, I'll have something else to write.
Also, I recently bought more manga. Expect an overview soon.
"Hello? Is anyone here? Good. xm is gone. It's me, Vile01. I've unearthed some information about good ol' xm0123 that you may want to know. It concerns him and something he's gone . . . . . tsundere for, for lack of a better phrase. I can't give out details just yet, but trust me, you'll wanna see what I've found out."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wherein xm practices a trope he hasn't till now
Okay, I know it's been over a month since I updated Mentor and Protege. I would write more, except . . . . I've been really busy in the real world lately. Hence why I haven't been updating recently.
Oh, speaking of which, I made my very first post on the Fanfiction.net forums not too long ago, in the Touhou section of course. I said in my post that I don't wanna give away what I "ship" Touhou-wise, but, there are three pairings I don't mind seeing. Remember what they were?
"Wait! I thought there was two!?"
Yeah, but it's up to three now. I don't mind seeing Reimu/Marisa, Yuyuko/Yukari, and also Kaguya/Eirin. Am I actually gonna write these (sorts of) relationships in my Touhouverse? Well, that remains to be seen.
However, I am intrigued by the prospect of Ship Teasing. I've actually done that before . . . but in my entirely original series, you know, the one that's not a fanfic that I can't release to the public right now because I might be able to publish that under my real name and make some real money off of it? Yeah.
But I wanna try that again, this time, in a "non-canon" short story.
Ahem.
Reimu was sitting on the porch, sipping tea. All was peaceful in her region of Gensokyo, at least until a beast appeared.
The beast was hideous, deformed in ways the author cannot describe with words. Reimu, seeing the thing, reached for her gohei rod and starting blasting danmaku at it. The beast suddenly stopped, and cried out . . . in a very distinct voice, "Oh no! Did I hurt you!? I didn't mean to!"
All of a sudden, the world around Reimu turned into what could best be described as an abstract background, a very brightly colored abstract background. The thing said, "I was only testing out this new illusion spell I learned!" The "beast" suddenly reverted into . . . a black-and-white witch girl, one surrounded by sparkles.
Reimu, seeing who it really was, replied in a very happy tone of voice, "Oh, Marisa-chan! You and your silly antics! I could never stay mad at you!" Reimu started to sparkle. Both girls' hair started moving dramatically, even though there was no wind outside.
Marisa answered, "I knew you'd understand, Reimu-chan! I would never harm a lady whose eyes reminded me of chocolate candies!" She was staring into Reimu's gorgeous dark brown eyes. (Author's note: Okay, I admit it; if there was a live-action version of Reimu, she'd have the most perfect dark brown eyes a human being could have. Because I said so.)
Reimu noted, "Yes, and I see you've taken care of your hair. It's so . . . so . . . YELLOW!"
Both girls went "aww!" and ran towards each other, with arms wide opened.
Right before they could embrace, Reimu jumped out of her bed, screaming.
"WAH! What a horrible dream!"
She poured herself some sake, downed it, and went back to sleep.
* * *
Does this make me a yuri fan now? Even though nearly every relationship I've written was of a non-sexual nature?
Oh, speaking of which, I made my very first post on the Fanfiction.net forums not too long ago, in the Touhou section of course. I said in my post that I don't wanna give away what I "ship" Touhou-wise, but, there are three pairings I don't mind seeing. Remember what they were?
"Wait! I thought there was two!?"
Yeah, but it's up to three now. I don't mind seeing Reimu/Marisa, Yuyuko/Yukari, and also Kaguya/Eirin. Am I actually gonna write these (sorts of) relationships in my Touhouverse? Well, that remains to be seen.
However, I am intrigued by the prospect of Ship Teasing. I've actually done that before . . . but in my entirely original series, you know, the one that's not a fanfic that I can't release to the public right now because I might be able to publish that under my real name and make some real money off of it? Yeah.
But I wanna try that again, this time, in a "non-canon" short story.
Ahem.
Reimu was sitting on the porch, sipping tea. All was peaceful in her region of Gensokyo, at least until a beast appeared.
The beast was hideous, deformed in ways the author cannot describe with words. Reimu, seeing the thing, reached for her gohei rod and starting blasting danmaku at it. The beast suddenly stopped, and cried out . . . in a very distinct voice, "Oh no! Did I hurt you!? I didn't mean to!"
All of a sudden, the world around Reimu turned into what could best be described as an abstract background, a very brightly colored abstract background. The thing said, "I was only testing out this new illusion spell I learned!" The "beast" suddenly reverted into . . . a black-and-white witch girl, one surrounded by sparkles.
Reimu, seeing who it really was, replied in a very happy tone of voice, "Oh, Marisa-chan! You and your silly antics! I could never stay mad at you!" Reimu started to sparkle. Both girls' hair started moving dramatically, even though there was no wind outside.
Marisa answered, "I knew you'd understand, Reimu-chan! I would never harm a lady whose eyes reminded me of chocolate candies!" She was staring into Reimu's gorgeous dark brown eyes. (Author's note: Okay, I admit it; if there was a live-action version of Reimu, she'd have the most perfect dark brown eyes a human being could have. Because I said so.)
Reimu noted, "Yes, and I see you've taken care of your hair. It's so . . . so . . . YELLOW!"
Both girls went "aww!" and ran towards each other, with arms wide opened.
Right before they could embrace, Reimu jumped out of her bed, screaming.
"WAH! What a horrible dream!"
She poured herself some sake, downed it, and went back to sleep.
* * *
Does this make me a yuri fan now? Even though nearly every relationship I've written was of a non-sexual nature?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Who says skeletons are bad?
I wanna talk about Master of the Wind some more.
The game's setting is quite detailed. It's not a medieval fantasy, because the world of Solest reminds me more of Renaissance Europe more than medieval Europe. (the setting of most old tyme RPGs.) What is unusual is that the Evil Empire in MOTW is . . . already destroyed. The world is at relative peace. The Gallian Empire (Not to be confused with the Gallia of Valkyria Chronicles) has been destroyed for so long, most of the races of the world live together without fear of oppression. This makes the game a little unique; usually, prejudice in fantasy settings is always something like elf against dwarf, or vampire against werewolf, or human against non-human. ("The only good non-human is a dead non-human." So sayeth Garithos from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne . . . . . . DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE WARCRAFT GAMES PRIOR TO WOW!?!?!?!?) Here . . . all of the races get along. The first town is populated with humans, elves, orcs, goblins, kobolds, fairies, and even reanimated skeletons. Usually, undead characters in fantasy works that aren't vampires are mindless automatons. Not so here.
If the Empire is dead, where does the threat come in? You see, the villains of the game are trying to reinstate Gallian values by force, values of ethnocentrism and bigotry towards non-humans and anyone who hasn't sworn fealty to Arcadius, the god favored by Gallia. The game makes a big issue about prejudice, and while lots of writers (myself included) have spoken out against the ills and dangers of prejudice, it bears repeating again and again. Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped, remember? The game explores other issues, and overall, I have no complaints about the narrative.
I do, however, have an issue with the battles. This may just be a limitation of RPGMaker XP, but the battles, particularly the boss battles, seem to be more about luck than strategy. There are times that when I did a boss fight, I got trounced in like three turns. Then, I'll reload, do the same exact fight without leveling up, use the same exact tactics . . . and I'll win! The AI often just picks its attacks at random, and sometime, I've won only out of dumb luck. Your stats don't go up much when you level up, and it takes a long time to level up, too, so while that option is viable, I just don't have the patience. I'm at arc IV now, and I'm stuck on a boss fight with no clue of what to do. I can't find a walkthrough for that part of the game anywhere. I'm either gonna have to devote a whole day just to level up my party just to get anywhere from where I'm at.
Other than that one flaw, I've been having a good time thus far. Most of the music picked for this game is good, too.
The game's setting is quite detailed. It's not a medieval fantasy, because the world of Solest reminds me more of Renaissance Europe more than medieval Europe. (the setting of most old tyme RPGs.) What is unusual is that the Evil Empire in MOTW is . . . already destroyed. The world is at relative peace. The Gallian Empire (Not to be confused with the Gallia of Valkyria Chronicles) has been destroyed for so long, most of the races of the world live together without fear of oppression. This makes the game a little unique; usually, prejudice in fantasy settings is always something like elf against dwarf, or vampire against werewolf, or human against non-human. ("The only good non-human is a dead non-human." So sayeth Garithos from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne . . . . . . DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE WARCRAFT GAMES PRIOR TO WOW!?!?!?!?) Here . . . all of the races get along. The first town is populated with humans, elves, orcs, goblins, kobolds, fairies, and even reanimated skeletons. Usually, undead characters in fantasy works that aren't vampires are mindless automatons. Not so here.
If the Empire is dead, where does the threat come in? You see, the villains of the game are trying to reinstate Gallian values by force, values of ethnocentrism and bigotry towards non-humans and anyone who hasn't sworn fealty to Arcadius, the god favored by Gallia. The game makes a big issue about prejudice, and while lots of writers (myself included) have spoken out against the ills and dangers of prejudice, it bears repeating again and again. Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped, remember? The game explores other issues, and overall, I have no complaints about the narrative.
I do, however, have an issue with the battles. This may just be a limitation of RPGMaker XP, but the battles, particularly the boss battles, seem to be more about luck than strategy. There are times that when I did a boss fight, I got trounced in like three turns. Then, I'll reload, do the same exact fight without leveling up, use the same exact tactics . . . and I'll win! The AI often just picks its attacks at random, and sometime, I've won only out of dumb luck. Your stats don't go up much when you level up, and it takes a long time to level up, too, so while that option is viable, I just don't have the patience. I'm at arc IV now, and I'm stuck on a boss fight with no clue of what to do. I can't find a walkthrough for that part of the game anywhere. I'm either gonna have to devote a whole day just to level up my party just to get anywhere from where I'm at.
Other than that one flaw, I've been having a good time thus far. Most of the music picked for this game is good, too.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
If you shout each other's name one more time . . .
It's never gonna end, is it?
Viz is still publishing it in English.
It's currently the fourth-most popular series on Fanfiction.net.
And now the anime version is back on the air.
By the way, would now be a bad time to tell you otakus that I think Rumiko Takahashi is an overrated hack?
Oh whatever. Inuyasha came, and it wants to stay.
But not if I have something to say about it.
A number of Inuyasha video games have been made. I myself have borne witness to an IY game.
xm0123 presents: Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale for the original Sony Playstation.
IY: AFFT is a 2D tourney fighter for the PS1. It was developed by Dimps and published by Bandai in December of 2002 in Japan and April of 2003 in America. According to Wikipedia, it was one of the last games made for the PS1.
That's no typo by the way; there really is a IY game for the PS1, one of which that came out TWO YEARS AFTER THE SONY PLAYSTATION 2! At this point, the PS1 was obsolete, and even a game made to be in 2D (like what the PS1 was supposed to showcase, as opposed to the shitty-looking 3D games that came to dominate the console) could not compare to anything coming out on the PS2. This was a budget title, the kind of which you may find for ten bucks in the "old" games section at Target. Only one kind of person would own a game like this: an IY fanboy/fangirl.
Yeah, one of my anime-whoring assfuck "friends" owned this game. Showcased it to me one day, even offered me the chance to play it; I declined, because honestly, the game looked like shit.
IY: AFFT had decent graphics, and the artwork was very true to the anime version. The background music, I don't know if it was ripped from the show, but it was appropriate, sounding "Japanese-y." Being a budget title, the game was not dubbed in English. The text was in English, but the voices? Nihongo only. Of course, knowing them, they saw that as a high point.
The game suffered from very obvious slowdowns. For example, if someone did a super, the game would display a closeup of the character doing their super, and shouting in Japanese. (how do you say "Wind Scar!" in Japanese again?) However, it's a pretty obvious access pause, for whenever someone connects a super, the game pauses for about fifteen seconds, closeup and all, before getting back to the action. Not only that, the game itself isn't very fast-paced. I saw my "friends" try out all 12 of the playable characters, and none of it looked very exciting.
But the worst part? The game was unbalanced as Hell. Certain fighters could win by simply spamming certain attacks over and over. Some fighters had crazy good supers, while others had worthless supers. You know why I love the Naruto:Ultimate Ninja games and Guilty Gear XX AC+? Because they had balance. There's a fighter for every playing style. Not so in this game. If I remember correctly, it seemed like Koga and Kikyo could wipe the floor with everyone in IN: AFFT. I don't know if that's true to canon or not, but knowing me, I don't care.
Every other Inuyasha game I know is poorly received. I'm not surprised; the source material is crap, and the only people who would buy it or any other IY game would be anyone who shouts, "OMG! Sesshomaru (if you're attracted to guys, if not, substitute Sesshomaru with Kagome or Kikyo) is my Bishie/Waifu!" on a daily basis. Of course, things are different now: lots of "real" anime fans hate on IY for its popularity, and more sensible fans have come to their senses over the years. (Meanwhile, people like me, who hated IY from the start, are no longer seen as "freaks", but as people ahead of our time. Funny how patience has worked in my favor.)
Well, rest assured, IY is gonna go the way of the dodo sometime, only to be remembered by the most obsessive of fanatics. Until that day comes, though, I have one word of warning for Viz Media:
Do not tempt me with Kagome's hair!
And do not tempt me with her brown eyes either.
Or . . .
You know something? If Kagome was a likable character, I would list her somewhere on my list of Cute Anime Girls. Alas, she is only remembered as an unlikable female protagonist, albeit one with gorgeous black hair.
Hey, this fixation on just one aspect of her body, it reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged, how everyone remarks about Mai Valentine's breasts, but not Mai herself. You know, like, "I'm going on a date with Mai's breasts!" Or "Don't talk about Mai's breasts that way!" It's all too similar.
"Wait! You don't think Kagome's hair is a good female protagonist!? How rude! Don't talk about Kagome's hair that way, you hater! Go back to, uh, I don't know, obsessing over Youmu's dress, and leave anything related to Inu to us! Me/Kagome's hair 'til the day I die!"
Okay, have it your way.
Viz is still publishing it in English.
It's currently the fourth-most popular series on Fanfiction.net.
And now the anime version is back on the air.
By the way, would now be a bad time to tell you otakus that I think Rumiko Takahashi is an overrated hack?
Oh whatever. Inuyasha came, and it wants to stay.
But not if I have something to say about it.
A number of Inuyasha video games have been made. I myself have borne witness to an IY game.
xm0123 presents: Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale for the original Sony Playstation.
IY: AFFT is a 2D tourney fighter for the PS1. It was developed by Dimps and published by Bandai in December of 2002 in Japan and April of 2003 in America. According to Wikipedia, it was one of the last games made for the PS1.
That's no typo by the way; there really is a IY game for the PS1, one of which that came out TWO YEARS AFTER THE SONY PLAYSTATION 2! At this point, the PS1 was obsolete, and even a game made to be in 2D (like what the PS1 was supposed to showcase, as opposed to the shitty-looking 3D games that came to dominate the console) could not compare to anything coming out on the PS2. This was a budget title, the kind of which you may find for ten bucks in the "old" games section at Target. Only one kind of person would own a game like this: an IY fanboy/fangirl.
Yeah, one of my anime-whoring assfuck "friends" owned this game. Showcased it to me one day, even offered me the chance to play it; I declined, because honestly, the game looked like shit.
IY: AFFT had decent graphics, and the artwork was very true to the anime version. The background music, I don't know if it was ripped from the show, but it was appropriate, sounding "Japanese-y." Being a budget title, the game was not dubbed in English. The text was in English, but the voices? Nihongo only. Of course, knowing them, they saw that as a high point.
The game suffered from very obvious slowdowns. For example, if someone did a super, the game would display a closeup of the character doing their super, and shouting in Japanese. (how do you say "Wind Scar!" in Japanese again?) However, it's a pretty obvious access pause, for whenever someone connects a super, the game pauses for about fifteen seconds, closeup and all, before getting back to the action. Not only that, the game itself isn't very fast-paced. I saw my "friends" try out all 12 of the playable characters, and none of it looked very exciting.
But the worst part? The game was unbalanced as Hell. Certain fighters could win by simply spamming certain attacks over and over. Some fighters had crazy good supers, while others had worthless supers. You know why I love the Naruto:Ultimate Ninja games and Guilty Gear XX AC+? Because they had balance. There's a fighter for every playing style. Not so in this game. If I remember correctly, it seemed like Koga and Kikyo could wipe the floor with everyone in IN: AFFT. I don't know if that's true to canon or not, but knowing me, I don't care.
Every other Inuyasha game I know is poorly received. I'm not surprised; the source material is crap, and the only people who would buy it or any other IY game would be anyone who shouts, "OMG! Sesshomaru (if you're attracted to guys, if not, substitute Sesshomaru with Kagome or Kikyo) is my Bishie/Waifu!" on a daily basis. Of course, things are different now: lots of "real" anime fans hate on IY for its popularity, and more sensible fans have come to their senses over the years. (Meanwhile, people like me, who hated IY from the start, are no longer seen as "freaks", but as people ahead of our time. Funny how patience has worked in my favor.)
Well, rest assured, IY is gonna go the way of the dodo sometime, only to be remembered by the most obsessive of fanatics. Until that day comes, though, I have one word of warning for Viz Media:
Do not tempt me with Kagome's hair!
And do not tempt me with her brown eyes either.
Or . . .
You know something? If Kagome was a likable character, I would list her somewhere on my list of Cute Anime Girls. Alas, she is only remembered as an unlikable female protagonist, albeit one with gorgeous black hair.
Hey, this fixation on just one aspect of her body, it reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged, how everyone remarks about Mai Valentine's breasts, but not Mai herself. You know, like, "I'm going on a date with Mai's breasts!" Or "Don't talk about Mai's breasts that way!" It's all too similar.
"Wait! You don't think Kagome's hair is a good female protagonist!? How rude! Don't talk about Kagome's hair that way, you hater! Go back to, uh, I don't know, obsessing over Youmu's dress, and leave anything related to Inu to us! Me/Kagome's hair 'til the day I die!"
Okay, have it your way.
Art for the sake of art
Seeing those videos of sucky RPGMaker games inspired me. Looking up tvtropes yet again, I discovered a freeware RPG game made by RPGMaker XP that you should check out.
Master of the Wind.
I'm at arc III right now. Despite the limitations of RPGMaker, the game is solid. And yes, you whores, the storyline is pretty good, too.
No spoilers for you; just play it.
Master of the Wind.
I'm at arc III right now. Despite the limitations of RPGMaker, the game is solid. And yes, you whores, the storyline is pretty good, too.
No spoilers for you; just play it.
Monday, November 2, 2009
"You're mocking me, aren't you?"
Happy birthday to me! I'm 24 now!
I wanna reflect on two birthday parties I had in the past.
One of which was November 2, 1996. I had turned eleven. Now, anytime before this, when I got presents for either my birthday or Christmas, the memorable present was always either a video game or a game console. Not so for my 11th. My most memorable present was something else. I don't even remember what else I got that year; all I remember was my favorite present from that birthday:
A VHS copy of Toy Story.
Remember, I don't watch movies in the theatre very often, so I hadn't seen the movie then. Also, Toy Story came out on video on October 29, four days prior to my birthday. How my parents snagged a copy of that, I don't know. (I should ask, though.)
Well anyways, I watched Toy Story for the first time right afterwards, and needless to say, I was floored. My eleven year old self had never seen CGI like that, and everything about the film gelled together so well, it was a complete experience, not just for me, but for the rest of my family. I still have that tape today, thirteen years later.
Four years after that exact date, I turned fifteen on November 2, 2000. (In the year, two thou-saaaaaaaaaand.) Guess what my best present was then, too? Toy Story 2 on VHS. Again, the film had just come out on video (on Oct. 17th, according to The Other Wiki), and yet again, my parents snagged a copy for me. And again, we watched, and we loved. I think the reason why Toy Story 2 works so well as a sequel is because it's not like a traditional movie sequel; it's more like a continuation of the original film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I've seen the trailer for Toy Story 3. Now granted, it's not coming out until next year, but when I saw that trailer, I felt as though, I was seeing old friends again. Woody, Buzz, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, they're like old friends I haven't seen in years, and they're friends I'm still on good terms with.
I guess Randy Newman meant it when he wrote and performed, "You Got a Friend In Me."
I wanna reflect on two birthday parties I had in the past.
One of which was November 2, 1996. I had turned eleven. Now, anytime before this, when I got presents for either my birthday or Christmas, the memorable present was always either a video game or a game console. Not so for my 11th. My most memorable present was something else. I don't even remember what else I got that year; all I remember was my favorite present from that birthday:
A VHS copy of Toy Story.
Remember, I don't watch movies in the theatre very often, so I hadn't seen the movie then. Also, Toy Story came out on video on October 29, four days prior to my birthday. How my parents snagged a copy of that, I don't know. (I should ask, though.)
Well anyways, I watched Toy Story for the first time right afterwards, and needless to say, I was floored. My eleven year old self had never seen CGI like that, and everything about the film gelled together so well, it was a complete experience, not just for me, but for the rest of my family. I still have that tape today, thirteen years later.
Four years after that exact date, I turned fifteen on November 2, 2000. (In the year, two thou-saaaaaaaaaand.) Guess what my best present was then, too? Toy Story 2 on VHS. Again, the film had just come out on video (on Oct. 17th, according to The Other Wiki), and yet again, my parents snagged a copy for me. And again, we watched, and we loved. I think the reason why Toy Story 2 works so well as a sequel is because it's not like a traditional movie sequel; it's more like a continuation of the original film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I've seen the trailer for Toy Story 3. Now granted, it's not coming out until next year, but when I saw that trailer, I felt as though, I was seeing old friends again. Woody, Buzz, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, they're like old friends I haven't seen in years, and they're friends I'm still on good terms with.
I guess Randy Newman meant it when he wrote and performed, "You Got a Friend In Me."
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