Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Discussion Time: RPG Gameplay
So, my humble beginnings with RPGs started with some Final Fantasy game, I can't remember which. It soon went into a downright spiral of SNES RPG love: I played Chrono Trigger. I played FFIV and V and VI. I played SMRPG, I played... a bit of Breath of Fire? Can't say I got too far because I was too impatient as a kid. My elder brother, Elvin was the gateway to those games, and I am very thankful for it. Without it, I doubt I would even be here. I'd probably be in some Ivy League school and being a haughty little shit about my career. Video Games? HAH! I turn my nose up at thee and your filthy presents, NERDS!
Okay, I doubt it would entirely end up like that.
RPGs are kind of hard. You have to have patience and grind, grind, GRIND until you're a decent level to handle everything. You have to think before you act. Equip the best damn things you could afford and hope to god something drops enough gold to line your pockets for days. I can understand why most people don't feel like dealing with them. Over the years, though, they've become more vibrant and complex. Sometimes, more than they need to be. And they tend to have some sort of story behind them. You can't just slap on a story in a platformer! Nobody will care!
So, my question to you guys who play RPGS: What do you look for in an RPG? And how do you normally play them?
Typically, these days, I don't really care about the grinding. I have more time than I can use watching all those youtube videos. Grinding is just a reflection of life, of doing mundane things constantly until we finally achieve a "level" and a big fat paycheck. Okay, maybe not, but there's really no way around it. Minimal grinding is nice, but balance is tricky. I mean, go look at Pokemon Gen II. They have the absurdly lowest level curve ever, and it is easy enough to overlevel and trash most of the gyms. Except Whitney. You might get EXPLODED on.
Innovative gameplay? Eeeh, you can't really stray too far, although I don't mind REAL LIVE ACTION COMBAT HOLY SHIT. Turn based gives you a chance to think before you act, so I kinda gravitate towards those. I prefer RPGs with lots of customization in terms of things I can do. There's something about combining the powers of two classes into one that makes me happy. I also tend to blow things apart if I get the right combo. Booyah, bitches. If you also put in team attacks, my god I will love you forever. RPGs need more team attacks like Chrono Trigger. Those were nice and usually had awesome effects. Maybe team attacks based on affection? I dunno...
Story? Yes, please. I want something meaningful, something to draw me in. Sure, I could possibly go back and play FFI and II and not really care much about the lack of story, but its an added bonus. I'd also like to be given hints as to where to go rather than stuck in one place with no NPC telling me what I need to know to go kill their villain. Compelling stories are part of my blood, and if an RPG has one, its... Well, it might win me over, if everything else is in place. You kind of can't have a good story in a game that's otherwise complete shit with gameplay elements. It turns people away and frustrates those who somehow stick with the janky controls and the absurd level curves.
My gameplay style is more focused around magic. Yes, did I ever mention I fucking love mages? LOVE EM. My entire RP roster is mages. All of them. Er, anyway, you usually see me with a party of two mages: one focused on support, one on offense. Summons are a plus. I always have a physical fighter in the group, and ALWAYS a tank. Then its all a matter of finding the particular weaknesses a monster has and nailing them with it hardcore. For bosses, it varies, but the whole strategy is the same: find weaknesses, boost physical defenses and magical defenses, study the boss patterns, then go out to town. I do not try to let the battle linger, in case the boss has an ace up its sleeve when it gets down to low HP. In other words, I play cautiously and really aggresively, because the last thing I want is for me to look like I'm winning, only to be nailed by like some bullshit Ultima up the ass and wiped. And if I don't win? I back off and go grind until I have the proper skills to handle it, and try again. And if that doesn't work... well, what other choice do I have but to try to figure out what's wrong with my strategy?
So guys and gals, tell me about your RPG experiences. Bad, good, weird, whatever. Maybe I can reccomend a good game? (haha as if i played enough RPGs to reccomend a few outside of the whole mainstream stuff)
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Performer and Shapeshifter
Hans. John. Tisel. Ronald. James. Jacob.
Kristel could hear all of them hooping and hollering as she walked out onto the stage, clad in a silk blue dress, a satchel amongst her hips, her colorful hairpin in her black hair, shoes tapping across the wooden floor. They worked themselves into a frenzy, hungry for action. She knew that they didn't come all the way over to the Golden Goose for their food and drink. No, they came here for the dancers, the performers. The swans keeping the tavern afloat.
With every graceful move she made, their eyes followed. With every word she sang, their ears were perked. She figured that if she wore perfume, one would be daring enough to come close enough to smell it. For now, she ignored them, taking solace in her dance, her own song calming her nerves. The world around her meant nothing to her, fading into the background. She was the star, and she would not let anyone distract her from her role.
At least, until a man yelled, "Ey, pretty girl, come and dance on daddy's lap, won'tcha?"
Gracefully, she twirled and pulled a knife from the satchel and tossed it as casually as a poker dealer dealing a hand. The knife got stuck in the wooden table, ever so close to the rude patron. She smiled as he stared in shock and disbelief. When the dance and song was done, she could barely hold in her laughter as she bowed and walked backstage.
Kristel sighed as she saw the other performers getting ready. "Be careful, girls," she said, slipping the satchel off. "There's a pervert in the audience. I wouldn't reccomend getting too close.
"I bet its Hans again, that creep," one girl squeaked. "I remember when he grabbed my ass just as I was on waitress duty."
"You think that's bad?" said another. "He was brazen enough to grab my breasts!"
"I gave him a warning," Kristel said with a giggle before sitting down and changing her dancing shoes into boots, her dress into shorts and a blue shirt. "He wanted me to give him a little dance. Even called himself 'Daddy'."
"You should have shapeshifted and tore his tongue out, Krisy!"
"He's not worth the trouble. I have more important things to worry about, like, you know, building up a resistance group?" The girls giggled before she continued, "Anyway, my shift's over, so go out and knock 'em dead! Literally, if Hans tries fondling any of you!"
The dancing troupe waved goodbye as she picked her satchel up and ran on out, ready to take on the world.
---------------------
It was a long way from the Golden Goose to Juan's house, about five miles away. Walking that far made her feet hurt, so Kristel always made sure to shapeshift into a horse to make things easier on herself. She galloped and galloped, eager to say to hello to a longtime friend and his big, stupid dog. She pondered for a moment if he bought enough dog food to satisfy Jasper. Wait, Juan wasn't stupid enough to not buy about two or three packs for that giant beast. Probably hunted some extra meat, too, to satisfy that big doof's cravings for raw food.
She traveled by the River Solis until she came across a small shack. A variety of flowers grew out in front, while a little plot of land had crops in the back. Kristel shapeshifted back into a human and knocked upon the door. She didn't have to wait long before the door creaked open and Jasper greeted her with a tackle and big, sloppy kisses. "Woah there, Jaspy," she laughed as she tried to get up, petting the black lab on the head. "Calm down! I'm here, I'm here! Back from work, at any rate! Is your master here?"
"You don't even need to ask," a voice called out. Kristel smiled as she walked into the little shack and took a seat. There he was, sitting right in front of her and reading a book: Juan Lyon, Spirit Summoner. He didn't turn his eyes away from the pages as he asked, "Guess if you're visiting little ol' me, you wanna talk?"
"Is that a crime all of a sudden? Of course!" Kristel replied, whistling and beckoning Jasper to sit beside her before she turned her attention back to Juan. "Work was fun today, but Hans was being a perv again. Sometimes I wish I could turn into a golem and smash him."
"I would reccomend against that," Juan said casually, turning a page in his book. "Did he touch you?"
"He said something really disgusting. 'Ey, pretty girl! Come and sit on daddy's lap!' He probably smells of pork blood. Doesn't he work as a butcher?"
"Last I remember, he does. Sensed some sadness from his wife whenever she's around him. I'm guessing the marriage isn't turning out too well."
"Really? Awww, man. I feel sorry for her. All he does is come to the Golden Goose after work and oggle at all the dancers. Its creeping all of us out and we can't really do much about it. Probably pays the owner a pretty penny."
"Unfortunately."
Kristel sighed before giving Jasper some scratches behind the ear. "And what about you, Juan? Found some recruits for our cause? Probably someone who knows how to deal with a shapeshifter?"
She could hear a groan escape his lips. "I wish," he grumbled as he shut his book tight and slumped in his chair. "All of them were good canidates, up until they took the trials and failed to deal with a magical rabbit."
"They underestimated it?"
"Judging by the fact that someone got their arm charred black after taunting it too much... Yes."
"I wouldn't want to be that guy," Kristel said with a shiver. "And none of them have dealt with a shapeshifter before?"
"I doubt it. After your little fiasco, most people are afraid of shapeshifters." The tall man sighed and slumped even further into his chair. "I really wished I wasn't the only one capable of handling them aside from you. It gets kind of hard to deal with if they're a powerful monster and rapidly losing their minds to instinct."
Kristel froze. For a moment, her mind was clouded. Her body shuddered as she recalled her masacre. The screams, the cries... the blood. She looked into his eyes, lip trembling. Her voice suddenly increased in volume when she asked, "D-did you have to... did you have to deal with another case like that? I- I thought.. I thought I was.... I thought I was the last one...!"
A cold nose pressed against her leg, snapping her out of her state. Juan straightened up in his chair and reached out to her, taking her hand in his. "I'd die before I let another case like that arise on my watch," he said, conviction in his voice. "I'm not letting you get back to that state... nor will I let anyone else get there, if I ever find out about it."
The performer took a deep breath, clearing away all her thoughts before she spoke again. "S-sorry... I just... when I hear that you're still the only one who knows how to put shapeshifters to sleep for a little while... I get...scared."
"Its fine, Kris." His grip tightened around her hand before letting it go and standing up. "Should I make you some tea? You could probably do with some."
Kris smiled, putting her hands together. "Please." Pause. She put a finger to her chin and asked, "Also, why hasn't Edward learned about that technique? He's probably strong enough to wrestle with a shapeshifter."
"He'd probably wrestle them until they got too tired to fight back and keep up their form. That's the way he is. Didn't you forget?" the empath replied as he head toward the kitchen close by, opening the cabinets and rifling through his tea selection.
"Oh, right! He says he wants to suplex a dragon one day, didn't he? I want to see that. Gods know I can't suplex a dragon, but I can probably take those selfies with one! And make friends with one. Ah, bonding over dance and song... Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn't it?"
"Not much of a dream if you can make it happen," Juan replied happily, pulling out a tea pot and summoning Undine.
And as he prepared to make tea, Kristel relaxed at last, finally feeling right at home.
Kristel could hear all of them hooping and hollering as she walked out onto the stage, clad in a silk blue dress, a satchel amongst her hips, her colorful hairpin in her black hair, shoes tapping across the wooden floor. They worked themselves into a frenzy, hungry for action. She knew that they didn't come all the way over to the Golden Goose for their food and drink. No, they came here for the dancers, the performers. The swans keeping the tavern afloat.
With every graceful move she made, their eyes followed. With every word she sang, their ears were perked. She figured that if she wore perfume, one would be daring enough to come close enough to smell it. For now, she ignored them, taking solace in her dance, her own song calming her nerves. The world around her meant nothing to her, fading into the background. She was the star, and she would not let anyone distract her from her role.
At least, until a man yelled, "Ey, pretty girl, come and dance on daddy's lap, won'tcha?"
Gracefully, she twirled and pulled a knife from the satchel and tossed it as casually as a poker dealer dealing a hand. The knife got stuck in the wooden table, ever so close to the rude patron. She smiled as he stared in shock and disbelief. When the dance and song was done, she could barely hold in her laughter as she bowed and walked backstage.
Kristel sighed as she saw the other performers getting ready. "Be careful, girls," she said, slipping the satchel off. "There's a pervert in the audience. I wouldn't reccomend getting too close.
"I bet its Hans again, that creep," one girl squeaked. "I remember when he grabbed my ass just as I was on waitress duty."
"You think that's bad?" said another. "He was brazen enough to grab my breasts!"
"I gave him a warning," Kristel said with a giggle before sitting down and changing her dancing shoes into boots, her dress into shorts and a blue shirt. "He wanted me to give him a little dance. Even called himself 'Daddy'."
"You should have shapeshifted and tore his tongue out, Krisy!"
"He's not worth the trouble. I have more important things to worry about, like, you know, building up a resistance group?" The girls giggled before she continued, "Anyway, my shift's over, so go out and knock 'em dead! Literally, if Hans tries fondling any of you!"
The dancing troupe waved goodbye as she picked her satchel up and ran on out, ready to take on the world.
---------------------
It was a long way from the Golden Goose to Juan's house, about five miles away. Walking that far made her feet hurt, so Kristel always made sure to shapeshift into a horse to make things easier on herself. She galloped and galloped, eager to say to hello to a longtime friend and his big, stupid dog. She pondered for a moment if he bought enough dog food to satisfy Jasper. Wait, Juan wasn't stupid enough to not buy about two or three packs for that giant beast. Probably hunted some extra meat, too, to satisfy that big doof's cravings for raw food.
She traveled by the River Solis until she came across a small shack. A variety of flowers grew out in front, while a little plot of land had crops in the back. Kristel shapeshifted back into a human and knocked upon the door. She didn't have to wait long before the door creaked open and Jasper greeted her with a tackle and big, sloppy kisses. "Woah there, Jaspy," she laughed as she tried to get up, petting the black lab on the head. "Calm down! I'm here, I'm here! Back from work, at any rate! Is your master here?"
"You don't even need to ask," a voice called out. Kristel smiled as she walked into the little shack and took a seat. There he was, sitting right in front of her and reading a book: Juan Lyon, Spirit Summoner. He didn't turn his eyes away from the pages as he asked, "Guess if you're visiting little ol' me, you wanna talk?"
"Is that a crime all of a sudden? Of course!" Kristel replied, whistling and beckoning Jasper to sit beside her before she turned her attention back to Juan. "Work was fun today, but Hans was being a perv again. Sometimes I wish I could turn into a golem and smash him."
"I would reccomend against that," Juan said casually, turning a page in his book. "Did he touch you?"
"He said something really disgusting. 'Ey, pretty girl! Come and sit on daddy's lap!' He probably smells of pork blood. Doesn't he work as a butcher?"
"Last I remember, he does. Sensed some sadness from his wife whenever she's around him. I'm guessing the marriage isn't turning out too well."
"Really? Awww, man. I feel sorry for her. All he does is come to the Golden Goose after work and oggle at all the dancers. Its creeping all of us out and we can't really do much about it. Probably pays the owner a pretty penny."
"Unfortunately."
Kristel sighed before giving Jasper some scratches behind the ear. "And what about you, Juan? Found some recruits for our cause? Probably someone who knows how to deal with a shapeshifter?"
She could hear a groan escape his lips. "I wish," he grumbled as he shut his book tight and slumped in his chair. "All of them were good canidates, up until they took the trials and failed to deal with a magical rabbit."
"They underestimated it?"
"Judging by the fact that someone got their arm charred black after taunting it too much... Yes."
"I wouldn't want to be that guy," Kristel said with a shiver. "And none of them have dealt with a shapeshifter before?"
"I doubt it. After your little fiasco, most people are afraid of shapeshifters." The tall man sighed and slumped even further into his chair. "I really wished I wasn't the only one capable of handling them aside from you. It gets kind of hard to deal with if they're a powerful monster and rapidly losing their minds to instinct."
Kristel froze. For a moment, her mind was clouded. Her body shuddered as she recalled her masacre. The screams, the cries... the blood. She looked into his eyes, lip trembling. Her voice suddenly increased in volume when she asked, "D-did you have to... did you have to deal with another case like that? I- I thought.. I thought I was.... I thought I was the last one...!"
A cold nose pressed against her leg, snapping her out of her state. Juan straightened up in his chair and reached out to her, taking her hand in his. "I'd die before I let another case like that arise on my watch," he said, conviction in his voice. "I'm not letting you get back to that state... nor will I let anyone else get there, if I ever find out about it."
The performer took a deep breath, clearing away all her thoughts before she spoke again. "S-sorry... I just... when I hear that you're still the only one who knows how to put shapeshifters to sleep for a little while... I get...scared."
"Its fine, Kris." His grip tightened around her hand before letting it go and standing up. "Should I make you some tea? You could probably do with some."
Kris smiled, putting her hands together. "Please." Pause. She put a finger to her chin and asked, "Also, why hasn't Edward learned about that technique? He's probably strong enough to wrestle with a shapeshifter."
"He'd probably wrestle them until they got too tired to fight back and keep up their form. That's the way he is. Didn't you forget?" the empath replied as he head toward the kitchen close by, opening the cabinets and rifling through his tea selection.
"Oh, right! He says he wants to suplex a dragon one day, didn't he? I want to see that. Gods know I can't suplex a dragon, but I can probably take those selfies with one! And make friends with one. Ah, bonding over dance and song... Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn't it?"
"Not much of a dream if you can make it happen," Juan replied happily, pulling out a tea pot and summoning Undine.
And as he prepared to make tea, Kristel relaxed at last, finally feeling right at home.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Instinct
She bore a terrible sin on her shoulders.
An army fell to her claws, crying out for salvation. Women and children wept and wailed as the blood splattered onto the ground, their husbands, their fathers slain. The nobles were restless, demanding for more able-bodied men, even bloody peasants to stand up against the beast. They would not soil their hands, even while trying to protect the town they ruled.
All of this senseless slaughter. One sin after another.
Kristel didn't care, though. Or rather, she did, but her mind was slowly degrading away. When you were trained to think like a beast, act like a beast, be a beast, thinking for herself was not high on her priority list in the midst of battle. Her heart twisted in pain with every life she took, but slowly became numb to it. The more lives she took, she less she cared. She even forgot the whole reason for coming...
Slay the commander, and watch as their neatly made formations fall like dominos.
After sneaking through the pitch black darkness as a cat and shapeshifting into a chimera, Kristel did just so. However, the beast within her stirred as the peasants panicked. Bloodlust. Rational thought was not enough to stop her instincts from kicking in and devouring one poor soul. Panic amongst the ranks increased as she slew them, even as her mind begged for her to stop.
Soon, the nobles ran out of fodder to feed the beast. There was no sense in calling mages: chimeras were known to be one of the few beasts that could resist magic in Levia. All they could do was run, run for their lives and hope that the beast didn't think of catching up to them. But running prey was tempting prey, and Kristel had plenty of energy left to chase after them. She crouched, ready to sprint and slay the last remnants of this town's leaders-
"Kristel!"
A sharp pain shot through her sides as cold, sharp steel pierced her hide. She howled in pain, turning towards her new enemy and growling. A man stood before her with a scythe, his green longcoat blowing in the wind, his hand holding his hat down. Beside him was a dog, black as night, wearing thick armor. She would recognize them as Juan and Jasper, but her mind was clouded by rage. She gave a loud roar. All the warning she could possibly give before her entire mind was clouded.
Kristel saw her friend's lips move, but she ignored him and instead lunged upon him, claws at the ready. Jasper jumped in to defend him and bit her, a loud scream piercing the night. She thrashed about and slammed the dog with her tail before biting into his armor, eager to rip it off. Her teeth gnashed and tore at the armor as the dog struggled to get her off, unable to stop its own armor from falling apart. The scythe sliced at her again, turning her attention away from her next meal. She was greeted with a stream of fire to the face, but she jumped towards her target in spite of it.
CHOMP. Jasper bit her tail hard once she turned her attention away for too long. She screeched, flailing about and swinging the dog about with her tail in a desperate attempt to shake him off. He clung on like a stubborn crab, however. She didn't even think as to why, just that she wanted him OFF. NOW.
Kristel didn't even pay too much attention to the thick, sticky thread wrapping around her and binding her, shooting from the fingertips of the man. Only when it was too late and her energy was spent did she notice.
She thrashed about and screamed as Juan bent over to her, digging into his pocket and pulling out a syringe. He pricked her neck and, within a few seconds, Kristel stopped thrashing about. Her breathing slowed down, her body relaxed. Slowly, claws turned into fingertips and fur turned into long, black hair. Her mind was hers again, the beast within returning to its slumber until she would call upon it once more. However, blood still stained her body. The blood of those lives she took.
With a tiny voice, she asked, "Am I... Am I sane again...?"
Unable to wait for an answer, she let the darkness whisk her away and rob her of light.
An army fell to her claws, crying out for salvation. Women and children wept and wailed as the blood splattered onto the ground, their husbands, their fathers slain. The nobles were restless, demanding for more able-bodied men, even bloody peasants to stand up against the beast. They would not soil their hands, even while trying to protect the town they ruled.
All of this senseless slaughter. One sin after another.
Kristel didn't care, though. Or rather, she did, but her mind was slowly degrading away. When you were trained to think like a beast, act like a beast, be a beast, thinking for herself was not high on her priority list in the midst of battle. Her heart twisted in pain with every life she took, but slowly became numb to it. The more lives she took, she less she cared. She even forgot the whole reason for coming...
Slay the commander, and watch as their neatly made formations fall like dominos.
After sneaking through the pitch black darkness as a cat and shapeshifting into a chimera, Kristel did just so. However, the beast within her stirred as the peasants panicked. Bloodlust. Rational thought was not enough to stop her instincts from kicking in and devouring one poor soul. Panic amongst the ranks increased as she slew them, even as her mind begged for her to stop.
Soon, the nobles ran out of fodder to feed the beast. There was no sense in calling mages: chimeras were known to be one of the few beasts that could resist magic in Levia. All they could do was run, run for their lives and hope that the beast didn't think of catching up to them. But running prey was tempting prey, and Kristel had plenty of energy left to chase after them. She crouched, ready to sprint and slay the last remnants of this town's leaders-
"Kristel!"
A sharp pain shot through her sides as cold, sharp steel pierced her hide. She howled in pain, turning towards her new enemy and growling. A man stood before her with a scythe, his green longcoat blowing in the wind, his hand holding his hat down. Beside him was a dog, black as night, wearing thick armor. She would recognize them as Juan and Jasper, but her mind was clouded by rage. She gave a loud roar. All the warning she could possibly give before her entire mind was clouded.
Kristel saw her friend's lips move, but she ignored him and instead lunged upon him, claws at the ready. Jasper jumped in to defend him and bit her, a loud scream piercing the night. She thrashed about and slammed the dog with her tail before biting into his armor, eager to rip it off. Her teeth gnashed and tore at the armor as the dog struggled to get her off, unable to stop its own armor from falling apart. The scythe sliced at her again, turning her attention away from her next meal. She was greeted with a stream of fire to the face, but she jumped towards her target in spite of it.
CHOMP. Jasper bit her tail hard once she turned her attention away for too long. She screeched, flailing about and swinging the dog about with her tail in a desperate attempt to shake him off. He clung on like a stubborn crab, however. She didn't even think as to why, just that she wanted him OFF. NOW.
Kristel didn't even pay too much attention to the thick, sticky thread wrapping around her and binding her, shooting from the fingertips of the man. Only when it was too late and her energy was spent did she notice.
She thrashed about and screamed as Juan bent over to her, digging into his pocket and pulling out a syringe. He pricked her neck and, within a few seconds, Kristel stopped thrashing about. Her breathing slowed down, her body relaxed. Slowly, claws turned into fingertips and fur turned into long, black hair. Her mind was hers again, the beast within returning to its slumber until she would call upon it once more. However, blood still stained her body. The blood of those lives she took.
With a tiny voice, she asked, "Am I... Am I sane again...?"
Unable to wait for an answer, she let the darkness whisk her away and rob her of light.
Friday, February 21, 2014
School, Dungeons, and Other Personal Things
Note: This talks about personal shit, obviously. If you're more interested in my dungeons and dragons char concept, scroll down. If you're wondering how I'm doing in general, scroll AAAALLL the way down.
Well, school's back up. The 200 dollar plane tickets are rolling in, but I'm not even sure I can get a ride. Spring break is 3 weeks away. And by spring break, I can probably sorta tell you guys about my classes. I don't need to wait that long, because holy shit, its been a doozy. 3+ weeks of school is probably enough to judge most of my classes. Now, here's my little list of classes:
History - This is supposed to be a class I take my sophomore year, but after some fuckups on my part,
I wasn't able to take it then. Its certainly fun, though! The teacher talks about it so excitedly and always seems so hype about it. He also explains it in interesting ways, which I am thankful for. History can be so damn boring with the wrong kind of teacher. Just look at me at high school: "bluh bluh bluh amuricah" "um what" Then I end up with a D in the class. (I was also lazy as shit.) After that last test I took, though, there's this one guy sitting near me and trying to copy my stuff. There are a few girls that tend to talk shit about the class. If you're gonna sit here and snark, sit in the back, geez. Either way, I like this class, I don't particularly like my classmates.
Spanish 101 - So I mentioned I was hispanic, yes? "But Harpy, why are you taking this class if you are?" Because I suck shit at it. The teacher is also kinda chill and a bit exciting, but I tend to tune her out after a while. I also tend to cringe when people pronounce a spanish word I know of wrong, but that's probably just me. Not much to say, it kinda gets boring by the nature of the class of have and reading out of the book. Praticing words out loud, etc. I also get a bit annoyed at people who ask for the definition for a word... that we explained just a few seconds ago. Seriously, at least pay attention a tiny bit?
I say as I tap away on my keyboard..
Genetics- Oh lawdy. I admit, the class is a little boring. I just tend to tune the teacher out, but I should probably pay more attention. Either way, nothing special for now, just kinda Zzzz. Lab is more interesting and hands on. I mean, we're gonna do fly labs! ONLINE! And I actually learned statistics easier here than in my actual Stats class. Like, holy dicks, dude.
Physics- UUUUUGH. I... I really dislike the physics lecture. I really do. The teacher is nice, but she has a difficult accent, doesn't explain things too well, doesn't go over homework problems herself, and, recently, canceled class and pushed a test back without informing anyone via email, since she told everybody she wasn't taking attendence this week. Seriously. Communicate, woman! I turned up
yesterday ready to take a test (and probably fail half of it?). I might have gotten myself a bias, though, as she called me out on my laptop usage but...not everybody else who had a laptop? She said someone complained about it, but why are you banning them when your powerpoints are online and you go too fast? Sigh, its irritating...
Now, LAB? Okay, Lab's good. All boring stuff at first: measurements and graphing and all. The teacher mades sure to give powerpoint copies and explain just about everything. Sure, its a bit droll, but he makes sure to be complete about it. My classmates are okay, too. I get to lead a group, since nobody else would like to tell directions. I don't particularly like doing that, but whatever to get the job done, eh?
Medical Sociology- The absolute best class. I don't even care I'm not allowed my laptop, its the best.
The teacher is fun and doesn't take bullshit (if you cheat, you fail the course. Full stop.). Her tests are easy to understand and are pretty much "Write as much as you can". She gives you a study guide and talks about every damn point on there, if not most of them. If she doesn't talk about it, its not on the test. She also kind of gets you thinking about how people tend to act when it comes to medical issues. One class, we got into groups and read an article about whether or not inmates should donate organs and, if they could, should they get some sort of compensation? Pretty complex stuff.
I'd have that teacher for all my classes if I could, but I'm not a Sociology major. Nor a minor. Derp.
-----------------------------------------------
That's all for school stuff. Now what the fuck is up with the dungeons part? Well, I'm joining in on Cornwind Evil's Dungeons and Dragons campaign, even though I forgot like half the shit about it. I need something to fill in my saturdays, and I can't say "no" to new friends, right? Possibly? Maybe?
The character concept here is a half-elf that wants to be a fairy (or IS a fairy? HMM), working as an Invoker who pretty much blasts everything. Arrogant, intimidating in spite of her size. Probably more than eager to bash some faces in. Probably sorta Good (I forgot Chaotic Good isn't even in 4th Ed.), since she doesn't tollerate people abusing others. She's the hammer of vengence for those who can't speak for themselves, and holy shit, she is piiisssed. She would leave diplomatic affairs to other people and rather go brawl in a bar (or at least get some information out of people) than sit around listening to people talk, talk, talk, talk.
The way her spells are set up, Kristina is a little ball of wrath waiting to happen. Psychic powers are there to fuck up the minds of others. Thunder powers to daze them before letting a very sharpy and pointy angel fuck their shit up. All her feats? Focused around either bashing the everloving shit out of everybody's skulls with magic, or making her go fast.
Very fast.
Very, very, VERY fast.
As far as stats go:
Str: 9
Dex: 11
Con: 19
Wis: 21
Int: 16
Cha: 15
For those of you who don't play D&D, I'm gonna summarize it: Her strength is lacking. Swatting at a goblin is only a last resort, and it never will be. Her hits feel like being slapped with a wet noodle than an actual weapon actually clanking against steel. She's not particularly nimble either, just bumbling around like a duck and prone to possibly tripping on her face. However, she's not the type to get sick or go down easily, even for a mage. If you hit her, she's not gonna drop like a sack of potatos. No, Kristina's gonna take it. Then she's gonna crush your mind and make you regret ever getting close to her. She knows the streets and land well, not from books or anything, but from actually going out there and experiencing the world. To her, learning was not studying, but doing, and that allowed her to connect with her god and other people almost too well. That's not to say she doesn't read books: She does, and she makes sure to study up. Its just not her highest priority. Finally, in spite of her rude ways, she can talk to people fairly well. Some ask her, "Why don't you just talk it out diplomatically?"
She'll reply, "Have you ever seen the color drain out of a king's face after intimidating him really good?"
In other words, she's good with people, she just prefers to look intimidating. She does get a bit lonely from people avoiding her because of course SOMEONE is gonna hear about her intimidation skills, but she'll manage without others.
All there is left to do is give her the equipment and watch her break face.
--------------------------
Finally! Personal life stuff! Its been kind of busy, between games and school and...games. Nothing important has happened. Grandma's death was mourned for, but part of me thinks I didn't mourn enough. I'm connecting with more friends and being actually.... happy for once in my life?
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. I've been happier for the past year now, compared to the same time LAST year. Awful time, especially with Academic Probation hanging around my head like a guillotine positioned to chop my head right off. I managed to get around it, in spite of my worries, but I worry that I might slip again or start getting TOO selfish and show-off...y?
I'm a bit eager to roleplay again, but I also want to finish my writings. I want to finish up the two Siren stories in order, then do another Apollo story, then start on writing up teasers for Psychicplot and Sonia Revel's plot. After all that, I can FINALLY say I'll be able to continue the whole dystopian Levia story, hopefully before RP season starts.
I've been a bit more nervous as of late for probably a variety of reasons, but I'll manage. Its nothing I can't handle.
But yeah, that's all for today. Derp.
Well, school's back up. The 200 dollar plane tickets are rolling in, but I'm not even sure I can get a ride. Spring break is 3 weeks away. And by spring break, I can probably sorta tell you guys about my classes. I don't need to wait that long, because holy shit, its been a doozy. 3+ weeks of school is probably enough to judge most of my classes. Now, here's my little list of classes:
History - This is supposed to be a class I take my sophomore year, but after some fuckups on my part,
I wasn't able to take it then. Its certainly fun, though! The teacher talks about it so excitedly and always seems so hype about it. He also explains it in interesting ways, which I am thankful for. History can be so damn boring with the wrong kind of teacher. Just look at me at high school: "bluh bluh bluh amuricah" "um what" Then I end up with a D in the class. (I was also lazy as shit.) After that last test I took, though, there's this one guy sitting near me and trying to copy my stuff. There are a few girls that tend to talk shit about the class. If you're gonna sit here and snark, sit in the back, geez. Either way, I like this class, I don't particularly like my classmates.
Spanish 101 - So I mentioned I was hispanic, yes? "But Harpy, why are you taking this class if you are?" Because I suck shit at it. The teacher is also kinda chill and a bit exciting, but I tend to tune her out after a while. I also tend to cringe when people pronounce a spanish word I know of wrong, but that's probably just me. Not much to say, it kinda gets boring by the nature of the class of have and reading out of the book. Praticing words out loud, etc. I also get a bit annoyed at people who ask for the definition for a word... that we explained just a few seconds ago. Seriously, at least pay attention a tiny bit?
I say as I tap away on my keyboard..
Genetics- Oh lawdy. I admit, the class is a little boring. I just tend to tune the teacher out, but I should probably pay more attention. Either way, nothing special for now, just kinda Zzzz. Lab is more interesting and hands on. I mean, we're gonna do fly labs! ONLINE! And I actually learned statistics easier here than in my actual Stats class. Like, holy dicks, dude.
Physics- UUUUUGH. I... I really dislike the physics lecture. I really do. The teacher is nice, but she has a difficult accent, doesn't explain things too well, doesn't go over homework problems herself, and, recently, canceled class and pushed a test back without informing anyone via email, since she told everybody she wasn't taking attendence this week. Seriously. Communicate, woman! I turned up
yesterday ready to take a test (and probably fail half of it?). I might have gotten myself a bias, though, as she called me out on my laptop usage but...not everybody else who had a laptop? She said someone complained about it, but why are you banning them when your powerpoints are online and you go too fast? Sigh, its irritating...
Now, LAB? Okay, Lab's good. All boring stuff at first: measurements and graphing and all. The teacher mades sure to give powerpoint copies and explain just about everything. Sure, its a bit droll, but he makes sure to be complete about it. My classmates are okay, too. I get to lead a group, since nobody else would like to tell directions. I don't particularly like doing that, but whatever to get the job done, eh?
Medical Sociology- The absolute best class. I don't even care I'm not allowed my laptop, its the best.
The teacher is fun and doesn't take bullshit (if you cheat, you fail the course. Full stop.). Her tests are easy to understand and are pretty much "Write as much as you can". She gives you a study guide and talks about every damn point on there, if not most of them. If she doesn't talk about it, its not on the test. She also kind of gets you thinking about how people tend to act when it comes to medical issues. One class, we got into groups and read an article about whether or not inmates should donate organs and, if they could, should they get some sort of compensation? Pretty complex stuff.
I'd have that teacher for all my classes if I could, but I'm not a Sociology major. Nor a minor. Derp.
-----------------------------------------------
That's all for school stuff. Now what the fuck is up with the dungeons part? Well, I'm joining in on Cornwind Evil's Dungeons and Dragons campaign, even though I forgot like half the shit about it. I need something to fill in my saturdays, and I can't say "no" to new friends, right? Possibly? Maybe?
The character concept here is a half-elf that wants to be a fairy (or IS a fairy? HMM), working as an Invoker who pretty much blasts everything. Arrogant, intimidating in spite of her size. Probably more than eager to bash some faces in. Probably sorta Good (I forgot Chaotic Good isn't even in 4th Ed.), since she doesn't tollerate people abusing others. She's the hammer of vengence for those who can't speak for themselves, and holy shit, she is piiisssed. She would leave diplomatic affairs to other people and rather go brawl in a bar (or at least get some information out of people) than sit around listening to people talk, talk, talk, talk.
The way her spells are set up, Kristina is a little ball of wrath waiting to happen. Psychic powers are there to fuck up the minds of others. Thunder powers to daze them before letting a very sharpy and pointy angel fuck their shit up. All her feats? Focused around either bashing the everloving shit out of everybody's skulls with magic, or making her go fast.
Very fast.
Very, very, VERY fast.
As far as stats go:
Str: 9
Dex: 11
Con: 19
Wis: 21
Int: 16
Cha: 15
For those of you who don't play D&D, I'm gonna summarize it: Her strength is lacking. Swatting at a goblin is only a last resort, and it never will be. Her hits feel like being slapped with a wet noodle than an actual weapon actually clanking against steel. She's not particularly nimble either, just bumbling around like a duck and prone to possibly tripping on her face. However, she's not the type to get sick or go down easily, even for a mage. If you hit her, she's not gonna drop like a sack of potatos. No, Kristina's gonna take it. Then she's gonna crush your mind and make you regret ever getting close to her. She knows the streets and land well, not from books or anything, but from actually going out there and experiencing the world. To her, learning was not studying, but doing, and that allowed her to connect with her god and other people almost too well. That's not to say she doesn't read books: She does, and she makes sure to study up. Its just not her highest priority. Finally, in spite of her rude ways, she can talk to people fairly well. Some ask her, "Why don't you just talk it out diplomatically?"
She'll reply, "Have you ever seen the color drain out of a king's face after intimidating him really good?"
In other words, she's good with people, she just prefers to look intimidating. She does get a bit lonely from people avoiding her because of course SOMEONE is gonna hear about her intimidation skills, but she'll manage without others.
All there is left to do is give her the equipment and watch her break face.
--------------------------
Finally! Personal life stuff! Its been kind of busy, between games and school and...games. Nothing important has happened. Grandma's death was mourned for, but part of me thinks I didn't mourn enough. I'm connecting with more friends and being actually.... happy for once in my life?
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. I've been happier for the past year now, compared to the same time LAST year. Awful time, especially with Academic Probation hanging around my head like a guillotine positioned to chop my head right off. I managed to get around it, in spite of my worries, but I worry that I might slip again or start getting TOO selfish and show-off...y?
I'm a bit eager to roleplay again, but I also want to finish my writings. I want to finish up the two Siren stories in order, then do another Apollo story, then start on writing up teasers for Psychicplot and Sonia Revel's plot. After all that, I can FINALLY say I'll be able to continue the whole dystopian Levia story, hopefully before RP season starts.
I've been a bit more nervous as of late for probably a variety of reasons, but I'll manage. Its nothing I can't handle.
But yeah, that's all for today. Derp.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Bravely Default Sheenanigans: Gameplay (MECHANICS SPOILERS)
I'm sure you all remember that a while ago, I went and played the Bravely Default demo and complete it in a blazing fury of bored college students hopped up on sugar. I commented on how it feels like a Final Fantasy game (and technically, it's a part of it: It was supposed to be an indirect sequel to Heroes of Light! ...Which I haven't played.), what with the job system and all. It also has the benefit of not having encounters every goddamn step you take. The Brave and Default system (in a nutshell, Defend more = more points to do actions with) works smoothly and makes you think about how to spend your actions. Do you Default? Do you Brave(spend an additional action point) and try to take care of two things at once? There's a little more strategy involved than "get element/powerful weapon, whoop everything in one fell swoop", which I am grateful for. Honestly.
With the official game out, though, I can now go ahead and say holy shit, did Square get a brain for just a moment and make workarounds for the common pitfalls of RPGs? Seriously, wow!
For one thing, when you're stuck in a tough spot, there's essentially an entire journal there to use as hint guide and everything, so you don't have to always run to an FAQ whenever you get stuck: its right there in the game! Weapon info, story progressing info, tutorials, monster info? Long as you've seen it, its just right there! Its perfect for people who like comparing things. That and being OCD and going on a weapon collect-a-thon. Because haw.
Another important thing that many RPG players will probably fucking scream about: Encounter rates!
Alright, let it out. You hated random encounters. You could go a long time without encounters or every single damn step involved a battle with a mob of angry monsters, eager to taste human flesh. Its just irksome, even though the battles are beneficial in getting EXP. Sometimes you just want to fucking get to town, but noooo, these crazy horses are coming in fours and oh look, they crushed my white mage's skull in and Inns don't revive people. And I don't have phoenix down. OhohohohoAHAHHAHA-
Ahem. No, I'm not bitter, not at all.
So, what did Square do to fix this?
They allow the player to adjust the encounter rates. They can raise it in case they don't feel confident enough to take on a hard boss and want to go on a grindfest, or lower it in case they just want to zoom back to town for equipment and healing. You can either double it or lower it to nil, so its essential if you don't want to absolutely go nuts like any RPG player has in the past.
Now, job classes! Job Classes are the same as in FFIII or FFV, with a few key differences:
1. You have to fight the job (or asterisks, in this case. Why do they call em that? Eh.) in order to get the job. It gives you a nice preview in what kind of damage you'll be dealing and what kind of skills you're gonna get, along with learning your own class's weaknesses. This is pretty fantastic, although a certain source (*coughstevencough* ) told me that some of the job class fights are pretty damn challenging. (That may or may not be his words exactly. :U )
2. You can equip support skills! As in, more than one of them! That's grrrrrreaaat! Because who wouldn't want a Monk that could dodge an attack and get a buff, then counter attack like a truck going at 200 MPH. A very angry, sentient truck.
3. black mage looks neat- wait that's not a key difference shit
Aside from that, there's still the standard stuff that comes with an RPG, aside from being able to summon friends who are farther than you and possibly destroying some boss, building up a village to get better equipment, having a little fairy to give you additional information in case you jump back into the game 20 years later, special moves with certain requirements to pull off (you can chain them! And also it gives your party a buff! Yiss.), yadda...
And best of all...
MRGRGRRRRR
"Wait what the fuck did you just spew out of your mouth"
Oh, you'll see if you get a chance to play the official game. Next time: I'm actually gonna do a stupid story about a game and characters and hrng
so basically next episode: Tiz the Sheep Wrassler and Agnes the burny burny witch
With the official game out, though, I can now go ahead and say holy shit, did Square get a brain for just a moment and make workarounds for the common pitfalls of RPGs? Seriously, wow!
For one thing, when you're stuck in a tough spot, there's essentially an entire journal there to use as hint guide and everything, so you don't have to always run to an FAQ whenever you get stuck: its right there in the game! Weapon info, story progressing info, tutorials, monster info? Long as you've seen it, its just right there! Its perfect for people who like comparing things. That and being OCD and going on a weapon collect-a-thon. Because haw.
Another important thing that many RPG players will probably fucking scream about: Encounter rates!
Alright, let it out. You hated random encounters. You could go a long time without encounters or every single damn step involved a battle with a mob of angry monsters, eager to taste human flesh. Its just irksome, even though the battles are beneficial in getting EXP. Sometimes you just want to fucking get to town, but noooo, these crazy horses are coming in fours and oh look, they crushed my white mage's skull in and Inns don't revive people. And I don't have phoenix down. OhohohohoAHAHHAHA-
Ahem. No, I'm not bitter, not at all.
So, what did Square do to fix this?
They allow the player to adjust the encounter rates. They can raise it in case they don't feel confident enough to take on a hard boss and want to go on a grindfest, or lower it in case they just want to zoom back to town for equipment and healing. You can either double it or lower it to nil, so its essential if you don't want to absolutely go nuts like any RPG player has in the past.
Now, job classes! Job Classes are the same as in FFIII or FFV, with a few key differences:
1. You have to fight the job (or asterisks, in this case. Why do they call em that? Eh.) in order to get the job. It gives you a nice preview in what kind of damage you'll be dealing and what kind of skills you're gonna get, along with learning your own class's weaknesses. This is pretty fantastic, although a certain source (*coughstevencough* ) told me that some of the job class fights are pretty damn challenging. (That may or may not be his words exactly. :U )
2. You can equip support skills! As in, more than one of them! That's grrrrrreaaat! Because who wouldn't want a Monk that could dodge an attack and get a buff, then counter attack like a truck going at 200 MPH. A very angry, sentient truck.
3. black mage looks neat- wait that's not a key difference shit
Aside from that, there's still the standard stuff that comes with an RPG, aside from being able to summon friends who are farther than you and possibly destroying some boss, building up a village to get better equipment, having a little fairy to give you additional information in case you jump back into the game 20 years later, special moves with certain requirements to pull off (you can chain them! And also it gives your party a buff! Yiss.), yadda...
And best of all...
MRGRGRRRRR
"Wait what the fuck did you just spew out of your mouth"
Oh, you'll see if you get a chance to play the official game. Next time: I'm actually gonna do a stupid story about a game and characters and hrng
so basically next episode: Tiz the Sheep Wrassler and Agnes the burny burny witch
Friday, February 14, 2014
Valentine's Day
Ah, today's the day! The day where everybody gets hyped up because they're totally gonna get laid love tonight! Candles are lit up, people dress up as cupid (maybe?), candygrams are passed around the campus...
And, most importantly, chocolate goes on sale. Hell yeaaaah.
But wait, its a day of LOOOVE and GIRLFRIENDS and BOYFRIENDS! Oh mah gawd you should be liek going out hur hur
To be honest, the minute everybody in elementry school stopped doing that whole valentines thing, I stopped caring. Okay, maybe not. I have had a long history of internet dating (or rather, "lel teenage gurls" phase) and I guess I took it seriously at some points. But really, is it that serious? There's no need to be desperate for love. Trust me, I've done it, and it didn't work well for anyone, worst of all myself. Desperation is a red flag to any sane person. It speaks of insecurities and issues within yourself. Things that you want to validate by having someone with you and coddle you until they get tired of it.
To me, Valentine's Day is just another normal day, commercialized so that people have an excuse to stuff their faces with candy. I need no such excuse: I do that every day. Love? Yeah, I do that too. Every day. Love can't just be bought with fancy steaks and expensive chocolate. Material goods are nice, but in the larger scheme of things, love is a two-way street of commitment, honesty, and caring. It's not just limited to boyfriend-girlfriend-husband-wife things, either. It can be platonic or family love. Relationships of all kinds. They should be cherished today, but also every other day.
Most importantly, though, I think people should work on the relationship that matters the most: the relationship with your own self. Take care of yourself and make sure you're okay. Don't feel bad about feeling selfish, unless you take it to the extreme. Everybody is selfish to an extent; its when it starts to affect others negatively when it becomes a problem. This valentine's day, though, treat yourself like you would any other person: with kindness and respect.
Why am I writing this? Well, its partly for the benefit of others. The other part is a giant reminder for myself. I kind of forget to take care of myself while worrying about others, even after traumatic stuff happened. Its kind of odd how selflessness can hurt yourself: giving and giving and giving can get pretty tiring. I'm happily taken and have a lot of good friends, but I don't think I cherish myself as much as I think I do, even after all the self-improvements I've done. I guess its only a sign to keep working at it until I love myself like I love everybody else.
Sorry for the ramble. Be sure to stuff yourself with chocolate today!
And, most importantly, chocolate goes on sale. Hell yeaaaah.
But wait, its a day of LOOOVE and GIRLFRIENDS and BOYFRIENDS! Oh mah gawd you should be liek going out hur hur
To be honest, the minute everybody in elementry school stopped doing that whole valentines thing, I stopped caring. Okay, maybe not. I have had a long history of internet dating (or rather, "lel teenage gurls" phase) and I guess I took it seriously at some points. But really, is it that serious? There's no need to be desperate for love. Trust me, I've done it, and it didn't work well for anyone, worst of all myself. Desperation is a red flag to any sane person. It speaks of insecurities and issues within yourself. Things that you want to validate by having someone with you and coddle you until they get tired of it.
To me, Valentine's Day is just another normal day, commercialized so that people have an excuse to stuff their faces with candy. I need no such excuse: I do that every day. Love? Yeah, I do that too. Every day. Love can't just be bought with fancy steaks and expensive chocolate. Material goods are nice, but in the larger scheme of things, love is a two-way street of commitment, honesty, and caring. It's not just limited to boyfriend-girlfriend-husband-wife things, either. It can be platonic or family love. Relationships of all kinds. They should be cherished today, but also every other day.
Most importantly, though, I think people should work on the relationship that matters the most: the relationship with your own self. Take care of yourself and make sure you're okay. Don't feel bad about feeling selfish, unless you take it to the extreme. Everybody is selfish to an extent; its when it starts to affect others negatively when it becomes a problem. This valentine's day, though, treat yourself like you would any other person: with kindness and respect.
Why am I writing this? Well, its partly for the benefit of others. The other part is a giant reminder for myself. I kind of forget to take care of myself while worrying about others, even after traumatic stuff happened. Its kind of odd how selflessness can hurt yourself: giving and giving and giving can get pretty tiring. I'm happily taken and have a lot of good friends, but I don't think I cherish myself as much as I think I do, even after all the self-improvements I've done. I guess its only a sign to keep working at it until I love myself like I love everybody else.
Sorry for the ramble. Be sure to stuff yourself with chocolate today!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Psychics and Fairies and Demons! (Oh my!) Part 1: Vigilante
Five hundred Carats. Brilliant white-blue. Only as big as the palm of as a hand, but worth millions and millions of dollars. It was such a shame to just leave it on a plush cushion in a glass prison. That little thing could pay off loans a dozen times over. The Cullinan diamond may not be as huge as some people would like it, but it was worth its purity in gold.
And by pure, dumb luck, it found its way into a gemstone exhibit at the Augusta Meuseum. Brian Goodman, or, as he was called by the police, "The Shadow", wasn't going to complain. With his wife spending money like a frat boy chugs several liters of booze, the thief was more than willing to end his financial issues once and for all. Who cares if he stole several other gems before? Those were chump change compared to this beauty. The police? Enough sleeping gas through the air vents knocked out any security that would even think of calling the police. As an added bonus, whoever was watching the security footage was knocked out colder than drunk during the Super Bowl.
Blending in with the darkness, the Shadow crept towards the glittering prize, ignoring the brilliant white pearl necklace that was said to adorn the neck of a Queen suspected of having fey blood, scoffing at the opal that was said to be a deterterant of plague and evil in spite of its size, choking back laughter at the microscopic sapphire that adorned a ring belonging to some random rich family who adored the small. He took out a key he snagged from from the security, eager to open up the cage and free the brilliant prisoner.
Brian ignored the mechanical eyes that followed him. He could simply go back and erase the camera data before security had a clue. Maybe he could dress up as one of them and pin the crime on an innocent. He wasn't too worried though. When he finally reached the cage, all his worries drifted away as he opened it up and reached out for the prize-
"I wouldn't take that if I were you, my dear thief," said a voice. Brian slipped and nearly dropped the diamond. That voice was too close for his own comfort. "Careful! We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Now, dear thief... the Shadow, was it?" the voice asked. Brian looked under the cushion and spotted a little speaker underneath. "Don't look at me like that with those eyes. Hardly befitting of a man who shamelessly stole gems and stones right underneath the noses of men. Now, put that diamond back where you found it, my dear. Didn't your mother tell you not to steal? Oh, she must be turning in her grave!"
The Shadow smashed the speaker with a balled fist. Who was she to talk about anything? How'd she find out he was here?
How did she know he was looking at the speaker?
Suddenly, there were flashes of light. He shielded his eyes and cursed under his breath as he realized everything was turned on, every security camera pointed towards him. It was too late to duck under a blind spot, and he could hear footsteps getting louder and louder. The whole damn thing was a trap, he realized too late. To his great disbelief, the Shadow's streak was broken, his prize placed back into the cage he freed it from. The cold, hard steel snapping around his wrists only cemented the horrible job into his mind.
And somewhere, somehow, he could hear the dramatic, overblown laugh of the girl he spoke to, ringing through his ears.
And by pure, dumb luck, it found its way into a gemstone exhibit at the Augusta Meuseum. Brian Goodman, or, as he was called by the police, "The Shadow", wasn't going to complain. With his wife spending money like a frat boy chugs several liters of booze, the thief was more than willing to end his financial issues once and for all. Who cares if he stole several other gems before? Those were chump change compared to this beauty. The police? Enough sleeping gas through the air vents knocked out any security that would even think of calling the police. As an added bonus, whoever was watching the security footage was knocked out colder than drunk during the Super Bowl.
Blending in with the darkness, the Shadow crept towards the glittering prize, ignoring the brilliant white pearl necklace that was said to adorn the neck of a Queen suspected of having fey blood, scoffing at the opal that was said to be a deterterant of plague and evil in spite of its size, choking back laughter at the microscopic sapphire that adorned a ring belonging to some random rich family who adored the small. He took out a key he snagged from from the security, eager to open up the cage and free the brilliant prisoner.
Brian ignored the mechanical eyes that followed him. He could simply go back and erase the camera data before security had a clue. Maybe he could dress up as one of them and pin the crime on an innocent. He wasn't too worried though. When he finally reached the cage, all his worries drifted away as he opened it up and reached out for the prize-
"I wouldn't take that if I were you, my dear thief," said a voice. Brian slipped and nearly dropped the diamond. That voice was too close for his own comfort. "Careful! We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Now, dear thief... the Shadow, was it?" the voice asked. Brian looked under the cushion and spotted a little speaker underneath. "Don't look at me like that with those eyes. Hardly befitting of a man who shamelessly stole gems and stones right underneath the noses of men. Now, put that diamond back where you found it, my dear. Didn't your mother tell you not to steal? Oh, she must be turning in her grave!"
The Shadow smashed the speaker with a balled fist. Who was she to talk about anything? How'd she find out he was here?
How did she know he was looking at the speaker?
Suddenly, there were flashes of light. He shielded his eyes and cursed under his breath as he realized everything was turned on, every security camera pointed towards him. It was too late to duck under a blind spot, and he could hear footsteps getting louder and louder. The whole damn thing was a trap, he realized too late. To his great disbelief, the Shadow's streak was broken, his prize placed back into the cage he freed it from. The cold, hard steel snapping around his wrists only cemented the horrible job into his mind.
And somewhere, somehow, he could hear the dramatic, overblown laugh of the girl he spoke to, ringing through his ears.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Siren
(Author's Note: Now it comes with an audio because I just love the sound of my own voice. Listen here! )
Ah, what a great time to be me, Maximillion Ventura thought with a grin.
He sat in the tallest part of the tallest building in Augusta, MD. Ventura Co, his life's work. It did a lot of things: Security, computers, cell phones, even toys. Thousands of people slaved to keep this company running with all the things it did, since no other famous company would dare stand to be in a place full of psychics with some weird ass backyard right by. Max, though? He took advantage and made his little personal monopoly, sucking those little poor worms' money right out of their hands. Government regulation? Pah, government doesn't give two shits about a city full of freaks. President gave up on them once his constituents gave him hell for even thinking about helping them.
An entire city was in the palm of his hands, eating the shit right out of it. And man, he loved watching them buy his stuff because it was the only company they could get stuff from. No matter how high the prices went, they grumbled and gave their money with no huge outrage. Not a worry in the world weighed him down, because it could be solved with money or by pressing a big, fat red security-calling button on his desk. In emergencies, he had a gun in the safe to take care of things himse-
"Sir?"
A lady, dressed in formal business wear, stood in front of his desk, with a phone in her hand. Max groaned. "What do ya need this time, Serena?" he asked, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips. "Don't tell me that some idiots screwed up my next plans and missed the deadlines!"
"Um, no," Serena replied, adjusting her glasses a little. "Actually, someone was calling and demanded to speak to you."
Max snorted. "Some low class idiot, wanting to talk to the President of Ventura Co.? Not even worth my time. Put them on hold, indefinitely."
"But she says she has something serious to talk about-"
" 'Oh, she says she has something serious to talk about!' " her boss repeated mockingly before taking out a lighter and lighting up his cigarette. "Fuck what she says, put her on hold and redirect her to customer service. Probably wants to complain about all those microtransactions in that new phone game we released. Low priorities and all."
With a sigh, Serena left the office, leaving Max to himself. Finally. He was just about to relax when his own office phone rang. He let it ring and ring and ring until it finally stopped. Some idiot was desperate. What the heck could she be calling for? The microtransactions weren't that bad, were they?
Rrrrr. Rrrrrr. Rrrrrr.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and startled him, almost making him drop his cigarette out of his mouth. With a sigh, he picked it up and answered, "Maxamillion Hamilton Ventura, President and CEO of Ventura Co., how may I he-"
"Ignoring me won't save you, dear president," said the voice over the phone, sweet as honey, with a tint of poison.
"What are you talking about? You're just calling me to solve some problem that customer service can answer. Call them instead of-"
"Only you can answer for your sins, President. You might think you can escape without empathy for the people you drain of green gold, but unfortunately, there is no escape. Not after what you've done to my own."
Max gritted his teeth. What the hell was this girl talking about? 'Done to her own?' What was she, some sort of alien? "I'm sorry, but we speak english here. Tell me what the fuck you want or I swear, I'll call the police on you for this!"
The voice chuckled at him. "How naive you are. I have already thought of that. You won't find this number anywhere in a phone book. Nor will I even give you the pleasure of knowing my name, dear President. As for what I want? Ah, such crude words you use! Hardly befitting for a king who sits upon a throne of lies. Anyhow, what I want is for you to return the gem you stole from my kin. Return it by midnight, or else I will be forced to deliver divine punishment myself."
The president couldn't help but cackle at this girl's attempt at scaring him. "Oooh, divine punishment! You think you're some sort of hotshot? Try me! I have security to catch your face before they gun you down like the idiot you are, threatening me! As for your gem..."
Max stood up and walked over to the steel safe in the corner of his cozy office and opened it up, taking out the brilliant gem, shining with all the colors of the rainbow, and holding it up. It was as big as the palm of his hand, yet light like a feather.
With a shit eatting grin, he told the person on the other line, "It fits someone like me more than your little filthy friend. Good bye!"
Click.
He fondly remembered how he got this beautiful gem. Some girl had a jewelry stand with all sorts of sapphires and emeralds. Gems galore, pieces made by hand, stuff almost worthy of being worn by someone like him. Then he saw the greatest prize of all, sitting around her neck. Max asked how much it was, but that bitch told him it wasn't for sale; "It's special and important to my people," she had said. "It wards off the plague of death that a demon has cursed us with out of spite. I will not sell it, not to anyone."
The girl refused to sell it for a million. Two million. Ten million. No amount of money would convince her to give Max that beautiful gem. So of course, he paid people to forcibly take it away from her and hand it over, ignoring her cries and pleas. A gem like that was never meant to sit around some ugly bitch's neck. Oh no, it was more worthy being around his. He chuckled a bit to himself, ignoring that one of the security cameras happend to move on its own. Not that he would pay it any mind anyhow. That was their job. You know, keeping the place safe? There was no other thing they could be used for... was there?
----------------------
The next day, Maxamillion walked into his office and yawned, checking the safe to make sure the gem was still there. He made sure to close the door and relaxed in his comfy chair, basking in the sunlight. However, within a matter of minutes, the sun seemed to go down, while the moon went up. Max checked his watch. It was only 12 PM! Why was it so dark outside already?
He heard something rustle and froze, eyes darting across the room, looking out for any signs of intruders. He reached out and tried to press the button-
"Oh, don't bother. I made sure to disconnect it last night. Nobody will hear a thing, dear president!" said a familiar, honeyed voice.
Max looked up slowly and saw her: A woman with flowing blue hair, a purple, feathery mask, a blue dress and slippers, and... what were those, wings? "What's a shitty cosplayer doing in MY office?" he asked through gritted teeth. "If you're looking for trade secrets, I'm not telling you jack shit-"
"My, how quickly we forget," she sighed, shrugging and shaking her head. "I did not think you had the memory of a goldfish. Shameful, shameful. But I don't want your trade secrets. I don't even want your money. What I want is the gem you took from that poor girl. The one in the safe. Now, if you will."
"And what are you gonna do if I don't?" Max asked. "Gonna call my mommy? Call the cops? Please, I could buy my way out of it. Face it, sweetcheeks: You can't do jack, so go back home before you get hurt."
The girl yawned and rolled her eyes. "Sounds familiar... Hm, yes, that sounds like something that happened in one of Sammy's video games. What was it called? Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney?"
While the girl mused to herself, Maxamillion crept towards the safe and opened it up. The girl turned her head, curious, until she was met with a gun rather than a gem.
"Let me repeat myself, shall I?" Maxamillion said with a grin. "Go back home before you get hurt. Bet your boyfriend's worried sick. I wouldn't want to give him the bad news: that poor, wittle girlfriend got herself killed." He thought for a moment and added, "And tell me how you got in here and found out about where the gem was."
"How delightful," the girl said sarcastically. "One willing to use brute force and sweep it under the rug. I got in here by picking locks. For a company who claims to be the top in technology, you are quite behind the times in terms of locks. Honestly, some of the doors I could actually open with a card through the side. As for how I found out about the gem..." The woman pointed over to the security camera. "I had a little help from a mechanical friend."
Max sneered. "Thanks, sweetie. Now I know exactly how to fix those little problems... and fix the big one standing right in front of me. Au revoir, sweetcheeks!"
BANG.
The president chuckled as he blew away the smoke from his pistol. That girl wouldn't be a problem anymore. He mused out loud, "Now, I should probably invest in some fingerprint scanners and eye scanners for this room. And get rid of the security cameras. I don't want some idiot hacker to get any ideas from this. 'Divine judgement'? Ha, what a fucking joke. Kid took her cosplay too seriously, I bet-"
"A cosplay, you say?"
Maxamillion froze before turning slowly towards the girl. She was standing upright instead of collapsing like a corpse would. There was a bullet wound in the middle of her head, but she was smiling. Smiling! Creepier still, the blood wasn't the red color any human was used to seeing...
No, her blood was bright and multicolored like the gem he stole, running down the middle of her face and onto her mask. "How rude, gawking at me like that!" the girl said, tipping her nose up like a snotty girl. "Now, if you're done with-"
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG!
Five more into the chest. Same blood. Same girl, still standing. She was starting to glare at him, though, while his eyes were trying to pop out of his head. This can't be real. No, it can't be. He's dreaming, right? This girl's bleeding rainbows. How is she not dead?! He just shot her chest and head! Why? Why? WHY?!
"Now, if you're done expending bullets and causing me pain," the girl said, "Its my turn."
She let out a piercing wail, making him drop his gun in favor of covering his ears. No good; the sound was beginning to make his ears ring. When the wailing stopped, he checked himself, making sure the rest of him was okay. The moment he did, though, he was kicked in the face and grabbed by the collar as the mysterious human-like thing hissed at him.
"Before I finish you off and take the gem back, let me inform you that the girl that you took the gem from? Her family, her clan? Everyone? They died of the plague she warned you about. You are a murderer thousands of times over, but of course, its all worth it if you can wear a priceless gem on your lapel and flaunt it to the world as a sign of your power, no?"
Maxamillion whimpered pathetically before she continued, "Either way, your crimes will be paid for. Lets see how you handle one of the Fey's curses!"
The fey? Max could vaguely recall a coffee shop barista talking about the tricksters. Something about them looking innocent, but actually being dangerous? He was unable to think more on this, though, as he looked down and saw that his body was turning into a hard gem. Brilliant, beautiful, powerful. Just like him. He marveled and marveled at himself , even when he could no longer move his neck when it solidified, too.
He marveled and marveled until he could marvel no more, his body turned to pure opal. And when the illusion of night faded, all who wandered in casually could see that in the middle of the brilliant statue of Maxamillion Hamilton Ventura, there was a heart of stone, as dark and black as could be.
And the Siren? She left not a trace of her presence.
Ah, what a great time to be me, Maximillion Ventura thought with a grin.
He sat in the tallest part of the tallest building in Augusta, MD. Ventura Co, his life's work. It did a lot of things: Security, computers, cell phones, even toys. Thousands of people slaved to keep this company running with all the things it did, since no other famous company would dare stand to be in a place full of psychics with some weird ass backyard right by. Max, though? He took advantage and made his little personal monopoly, sucking those little poor worms' money right out of their hands. Government regulation? Pah, government doesn't give two shits about a city full of freaks. President gave up on them once his constituents gave him hell for even thinking about helping them.
An entire city was in the palm of his hands, eating the shit right out of it. And man, he loved watching them buy his stuff because it was the only company they could get stuff from. No matter how high the prices went, they grumbled and gave their money with no huge outrage. Not a worry in the world weighed him down, because it could be solved with money or by pressing a big, fat red security-calling button on his desk. In emergencies, he had a gun in the safe to take care of things himse-
"Sir?"
A lady, dressed in formal business wear, stood in front of his desk, with a phone in her hand. Max groaned. "What do ya need this time, Serena?" he asked, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips. "Don't tell me that some idiots screwed up my next plans and missed the deadlines!"
"Um, no," Serena replied, adjusting her glasses a little. "Actually, someone was calling and demanded to speak to you."
Max snorted. "Some low class idiot, wanting to talk to the President of Ventura Co.? Not even worth my time. Put them on hold, indefinitely."
"But she says she has something serious to talk about-"
" 'Oh, she says she has something serious to talk about!' " her boss repeated mockingly before taking out a lighter and lighting up his cigarette. "Fuck what she says, put her on hold and redirect her to customer service. Probably wants to complain about all those microtransactions in that new phone game we released. Low priorities and all."
With a sigh, Serena left the office, leaving Max to himself. Finally. He was just about to relax when his own office phone rang. He let it ring and ring and ring until it finally stopped. Some idiot was desperate. What the heck could she be calling for? The microtransactions weren't that bad, were they?
Rrrrr. Rrrrrr. Rrrrrr.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and startled him, almost making him drop his cigarette out of his mouth. With a sigh, he picked it up and answered, "Maxamillion Hamilton Ventura, President and CEO of Ventura Co., how may I he-"
"Ignoring me won't save you, dear president," said the voice over the phone, sweet as honey, with a tint of poison.
"What are you talking about? You're just calling me to solve some problem that customer service can answer. Call them instead of-"
"Only you can answer for your sins, President. You might think you can escape without empathy for the people you drain of green gold, but unfortunately, there is no escape. Not after what you've done to my own."
Max gritted his teeth. What the hell was this girl talking about? 'Done to her own?' What was she, some sort of alien? "I'm sorry, but we speak english here. Tell me what the fuck you want or I swear, I'll call the police on you for this!"
The voice chuckled at him. "How naive you are. I have already thought of that. You won't find this number anywhere in a phone book. Nor will I even give you the pleasure of knowing my name, dear President. As for what I want? Ah, such crude words you use! Hardly befitting for a king who sits upon a throne of lies. Anyhow, what I want is for you to return the gem you stole from my kin. Return it by midnight, or else I will be forced to deliver divine punishment myself."
The president couldn't help but cackle at this girl's attempt at scaring him. "Oooh, divine punishment! You think you're some sort of hotshot? Try me! I have security to catch your face before they gun you down like the idiot you are, threatening me! As for your gem..."
Max stood up and walked over to the steel safe in the corner of his cozy office and opened it up, taking out the brilliant gem, shining with all the colors of the rainbow, and holding it up. It was as big as the palm of his hand, yet light like a feather.
With a shit eatting grin, he told the person on the other line, "It fits someone like me more than your little filthy friend. Good bye!"
Click.
He fondly remembered how he got this beautiful gem. Some girl had a jewelry stand with all sorts of sapphires and emeralds. Gems galore, pieces made by hand, stuff almost worthy of being worn by someone like him. Then he saw the greatest prize of all, sitting around her neck. Max asked how much it was, but that bitch told him it wasn't for sale; "It's special and important to my people," she had said. "It wards off the plague of death that a demon has cursed us with out of spite. I will not sell it, not to anyone."
The girl refused to sell it for a million. Two million. Ten million. No amount of money would convince her to give Max that beautiful gem. So of course, he paid people to forcibly take it away from her and hand it over, ignoring her cries and pleas. A gem like that was never meant to sit around some ugly bitch's neck. Oh no, it was more worthy being around his. He chuckled a bit to himself, ignoring that one of the security cameras happend to move on its own. Not that he would pay it any mind anyhow. That was their job. You know, keeping the place safe? There was no other thing they could be used for... was there?
----------------------
The next day, Maxamillion walked into his office and yawned, checking the safe to make sure the gem was still there. He made sure to close the door and relaxed in his comfy chair, basking in the sunlight. However, within a matter of minutes, the sun seemed to go down, while the moon went up. Max checked his watch. It was only 12 PM! Why was it so dark outside already?
He heard something rustle and froze, eyes darting across the room, looking out for any signs of intruders. He reached out and tried to press the button-
"Oh, don't bother. I made sure to disconnect it last night. Nobody will hear a thing, dear president!" said a familiar, honeyed voice.
Max looked up slowly and saw her: A woman with flowing blue hair, a purple, feathery mask, a blue dress and slippers, and... what were those, wings? "What's a shitty cosplayer doing in MY office?" he asked through gritted teeth. "If you're looking for trade secrets, I'm not telling you jack shit-"
"My, how quickly we forget," she sighed, shrugging and shaking her head. "I did not think you had the memory of a goldfish. Shameful, shameful. But I don't want your trade secrets. I don't even want your money. What I want is the gem you took from that poor girl. The one in the safe. Now, if you will."
"And what are you gonna do if I don't?" Max asked. "Gonna call my mommy? Call the cops? Please, I could buy my way out of it. Face it, sweetcheeks: You can't do jack, so go back home before you get hurt."
The girl yawned and rolled her eyes. "Sounds familiar... Hm, yes, that sounds like something that happened in one of Sammy's video games. What was it called? Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney?"
While the girl mused to herself, Maxamillion crept towards the safe and opened it up. The girl turned her head, curious, until she was met with a gun rather than a gem.
"Let me repeat myself, shall I?" Maxamillion said with a grin. "Go back home before you get hurt. Bet your boyfriend's worried sick. I wouldn't want to give him the bad news: that poor, wittle girlfriend got herself killed." He thought for a moment and added, "And tell me how you got in here and found out about where the gem was."
"How delightful," the girl said sarcastically. "One willing to use brute force and sweep it under the rug. I got in here by picking locks. For a company who claims to be the top in technology, you are quite behind the times in terms of locks. Honestly, some of the doors I could actually open with a card through the side. As for how I found out about the gem..." The woman pointed over to the security camera. "I had a little help from a mechanical friend."
Max sneered. "Thanks, sweetie. Now I know exactly how to fix those little problems... and fix the big one standing right in front of me. Au revoir, sweetcheeks!"
BANG.
The president chuckled as he blew away the smoke from his pistol. That girl wouldn't be a problem anymore. He mused out loud, "Now, I should probably invest in some fingerprint scanners and eye scanners for this room. And get rid of the security cameras. I don't want some idiot hacker to get any ideas from this. 'Divine judgement'? Ha, what a fucking joke. Kid took her cosplay too seriously, I bet-"
"A cosplay, you say?"
Maxamillion froze before turning slowly towards the girl. She was standing upright instead of collapsing like a corpse would. There was a bullet wound in the middle of her head, but she was smiling. Smiling! Creepier still, the blood wasn't the red color any human was used to seeing...
No, her blood was bright and multicolored like the gem he stole, running down the middle of her face and onto her mask. "How rude, gawking at me like that!" the girl said, tipping her nose up like a snotty girl. "Now, if you're done with-"
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG!
Five more into the chest. Same blood. Same girl, still standing. She was starting to glare at him, though, while his eyes were trying to pop out of his head. This can't be real. No, it can't be. He's dreaming, right? This girl's bleeding rainbows. How is she not dead?! He just shot her chest and head! Why? Why? WHY?!
"Now, if you're done expending bullets and causing me pain," the girl said, "Its my turn."
She let out a piercing wail, making him drop his gun in favor of covering his ears. No good; the sound was beginning to make his ears ring. When the wailing stopped, he checked himself, making sure the rest of him was okay. The moment he did, though, he was kicked in the face and grabbed by the collar as the mysterious human-like thing hissed at him.
"Before I finish you off and take the gem back, let me inform you that the girl that you took the gem from? Her family, her clan? Everyone? They died of the plague she warned you about. You are a murderer thousands of times over, but of course, its all worth it if you can wear a priceless gem on your lapel and flaunt it to the world as a sign of your power, no?"
Maxamillion whimpered pathetically before she continued, "Either way, your crimes will be paid for. Lets see how you handle one of the Fey's curses!"
The fey? Max could vaguely recall a coffee shop barista talking about the tricksters. Something about them looking innocent, but actually being dangerous? He was unable to think more on this, though, as he looked down and saw that his body was turning into a hard gem. Brilliant, beautiful, powerful. Just like him. He marveled and marveled at himself , even when he could no longer move his neck when it solidified, too.
He marveled and marveled until he could marvel no more, his body turned to pure opal. And when the illusion of night faded, all who wandered in casually could see that in the middle of the brilliant statue of Maxamillion Hamilton Ventura, there was a heart of stone, as dark and black as could be.
And the Siren? She left not a trace of her presence.
Harpy History: Pokemon
Oh man, what a doozy. So many pokemon arose ever since the first generation came out around the '90s. Or maybe it was the 80s? I forget. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm a straight up Nintendo fangirl. I don't even care if they're in a slump right now, they're better than the rest of them, the best of them. I mean, their systems are tougher than leather (and possibly titanium. Have you even seen that Game Boy that got nuked and still works? Jesus). PS3's good, too, 360 is kinda... eh. I only have it for Castle Crashers. I'd say Skyrim, too, but my brother is usually too fucking busy yelling at people on call of duty to even let me have a chance. Also I have it on the PC.
Wait, what was I talking about again? Oh, right, Pokemon! This is one of the earliest games I grew up with, along with SNES classics such as Super Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, Earthbound, and Final Fantasy in general. My elder brother, Elvin (aka the gateway brother into gaming), played Pokemon Blue, with Squirtle as his starter (I think? Last I remember, Blastoise was part of his team). I saw him play a bit, I watched the show, I even went on the old Pokemon site because POGEYS! I loved the series, I actually wanted to be like Ash! I mean, PIKACHU! (I still like Pikachu today, but there are better Electric types now. Sort of.)
I think my first time playing Blue was when I was on a road trip to Florida. We were visiting cousins, and so I was playing my brother's copy of Blue. I don't remember the team he used, but he was in Victory Road. I didn't know much about the series then until I got a Game Boy Color and Pokemon Yellow, so I kind of wandered around and killed things like it was no thing. When were were at the house, I could have sworn I left the game boy on my cousin's bed, then when I got back... Holy shit, it was gone. Where did it go? WHERE DID I PUT IT?
I don't think Elvin has ever forgiven me for that. He might act nice to me now, but I'm sure deep in the recesses of his heart, he still feels the utter hatred of an elder brother who lost a game when he was at Victory Road, all thanks to his dumb little sister.
Sorry, dude.
Anyway, my first actual Pokemon game that I owned was Pokemon Yellow. Or at least, I think so. Maybe it was Blue? My childhood memories are a blur. Regardless, I was stoked. I chose Squirtle as my starter (Wait, guess that means Blue was my first? Whatever), kicked Gary's ass, caught all the pokemon that were cute enough for my standards like a stereotypical Lass, memorized weaknesses like a boss... Yep, I was a bonafide Pokemon Trainer and I was gonna prove it to the world. Like every person in the world, I struggled against the E4, got mad at Gary for somehow becoming champion before me, and eventually beat the game. Woo!
Then came Pokemon Stadium and the N64. Oh man, that's a story. I was fucking pumped. Imagine a little 10 year old girl, playing the Little Cup with premade pokemon. FOREVER. The essence of cute. Oh, I also transfered 'mons over to use, since why not? I managed to beat most of the Gym Leaders and cups (or at least, Little Cup), but then... disaster struck!
I went to Santo Domingo. No, wait, first off, get a map. Look below Florida. Point to the eastern half of an island that looks like its split in two. That's the Dominican Republic, congrats! I was there one summer and I was playing Pokemon Stadium with my cousins, and I had stupidly brought my copy along when he had one. When I left, I took his copy instead of my own.
The lesson here is to fucking label your shit.
Anyway, I didn't play Pokemon Stadium 2, but I did play Gold and Silver. (I prefer Silver because lolLugia). Then Ruby and Saphire. Then Leaf Green. Diamond. I skipped Gen V because I'm a poor fuck. And now, Y is the latest addition to my collection.
Enough about my history, what about my playstyle? When I was younger, I just chose whatever was cute. Hello, Horsea, get the fuck on my team. Pikachu? Pleaaaase. Mareep? Give it to me! Clefairy? HOLY FUCK WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO FIND? (I took forever to find just one in Leaf Green. Worth it.) Now, I still follow that rule, but now I'm more aware of weaknesses and strengths. Water types, Electric types, Psychic types... Those are my favorites. Fairy type, too. I have a habit of nicknaming all of my pokemon. I mean, why not? Giving them names makes them important! That and I can tell the difference between pokemon. Imagine, people who don't nickname their pokemon yelling the pokemon names when two of the same type are on the field, then both get confused. Like, who the hell are you trying to talk to? Its like walking into a room full of Joes.
Do I play competitively? Not really. I do train EVs and breed for good IVs for shits and giggles after the postgame. Most of the pokemon I like probably wouldn't even be in the OU. Besides, people take themselves too seriously with all the movesets and perfection. Its stressful and time consuming. Why should I end up sacrificing most of my sanity just to breed that perfect Feebas to evolve into a Milotic? (I actually did that. The IVs were never satisfactory, unfortunately.)
So all in all, I'm a Pokemon fan 'til the end. I will also have stupidly cute pokemon in the end, too. Litwick is just another addition to my ever-growing team of super cuties. I also caught a few pokemon for a friend and appropriately named them because share the joy!
I do need to get the fuck on the belated Gen V train. Whoops.
Wait, what was I talking about again? Oh, right, Pokemon! This is one of the earliest games I grew up with, along with SNES classics such as Super Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, Earthbound, and Final Fantasy in general. My elder brother, Elvin (aka the gateway brother into gaming), played Pokemon Blue, with Squirtle as his starter (I think? Last I remember, Blastoise was part of his team). I saw him play a bit, I watched the show, I even went on the old Pokemon site because POGEYS! I loved the series, I actually wanted to be like Ash! I mean, PIKACHU! (I still like Pikachu today, but there are better Electric types now. Sort of.)
I think my first time playing Blue was when I was on a road trip to Florida. We were visiting cousins, and so I was playing my brother's copy of Blue. I don't remember the team he used, but he was in Victory Road. I didn't know much about the series then until I got a Game Boy Color and Pokemon Yellow, so I kind of wandered around and killed things like it was no thing. When were were at the house, I could have sworn I left the game boy on my cousin's bed, then when I got back... Holy shit, it was gone. Where did it go? WHERE DID I PUT IT?
I don't think Elvin has ever forgiven me for that. He might act nice to me now, but I'm sure deep in the recesses of his heart, he still feels the utter hatred of an elder brother who lost a game when he was at Victory Road, all thanks to his dumb little sister.
Sorry, dude.
Anyway, my first actual Pokemon game that I owned was Pokemon Yellow. Or at least, I think so. Maybe it was Blue? My childhood memories are a blur. Regardless, I was stoked. I chose Squirtle as my starter (Wait, guess that means Blue was my first? Whatever), kicked Gary's ass, caught all the pokemon that were cute enough for my standards like a stereotypical Lass, memorized weaknesses like a boss... Yep, I was a bonafide Pokemon Trainer and I was gonna prove it to the world. Like every person in the world, I struggled against the E4, got mad at Gary for somehow becoming champion before me, and eventually beat the game. Woo!
Then came Pokemon Stadium and the N64. Oh man, that's a story. I was fucking pumped. Imagine a little 10 year old girl, playing the Little Cup with premade pokemon. FOREVER. The essence of cute. Oh, I also transfered 'mons over to use, since why not? I managed to beat most of the Gym Leaders and cups (or at least, Little Cup), but then... disaster struck!
I went to Santo Domingo. No, wait, first off, get a map. Look below Florida. Point to the eastern half of an island that looks like its split in two. That's the Dominican Republic, congrats! I was there one summer and I was playing Pokemon Stadium with my cousins, and I had stupidly brought my copy along when he had one. When I left, I took his copy instead of my own.
The lesson here is to fucking label your shit.
Anyway, I didn't play Pokemon Stadium 2, but I did play Gold and Silver. (I prefer Silver because lolLugia). Then Ruby and Saphire. Then Leaf Green. Diamond. I skipped Gen V because I'm a poor fuck. And now, Y is the latest addition to my collection.
Enough about my history, what about my playstyle? When I was younger, I just chose whatever was cute. Hello, Horsea, get the fuck on my team. Pikachu? Pleaaaase. Mareep? Give it to me! Clefairy? HOLY FUCK WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO FIND? (I took forever to find just one in Leaf Green. Worth it.) Now, I still follow that rule, but now I'm more aware of weaknesses and strengths. Water types, Electric types, Psychic types... Those are my favorites. Fairy type, too. I have a habit of nicknaming all of my pokemon. I mean, why not? Giving them names makes them important! That and I can tell the difference between pokemon. Imagine, people who don't nickname their pokemon yelling the pokemon names when two of the same type are on the field, then both get confused. Like, who the hell are you trying to talk to? Its like walking into a room full of Joes.
Do I play competitively? Not really. I do train EVs and breed for good IVs for shits and giggles after the postgame. Most of the pokemon I like probably wouldn't even be in the OU. Besides, people take themselves too seriously with all the movesets and perfection. Its stressful and time consuming. Why should I end up sacrificing most of my sanity just to breed that perfect Feebas to evolve into a Milotic? (I actually did that. The IVs were never satisfactory, unfortunately.)
So all in all, I'm a Pokemon fan 'til the end. I will also have stupidly cute pokemon in the end, too. Litwick is just another addition to my ever-growing team of super cuties. I also caught a few pokemon for a friend and appropriately named them because share the joy!
I do need to get the fuck on the belated Gen V train. Whoops.
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