Taking the Black: A Nuzlocke Prologue

Nuzlocke runs are the Pokémon games' version of your local dominatrix. Apart from turning an already fun series into something out of the bowels of Hell, it's a great way to get into the psyche and mindset of the persons involved. It binds you into a routine that has you pulling your hair out of sheer agony, yet at the same time leaves you begging for more pain.

However, there's one glaring difference between a Nuzlocke run and a domme. One has you tied up against your wishes (even though you wanted it to begin with) and proceeds to put you through a session so blisteringly painful you wish you set up a safe word beforehand. The other is a dominatrix.

Lame bait-and-switch joke aside, I've played a few Nuzlockes (my first two are still ongoing as of this day). I've suffered minimal casualties on those runs (so far *crosses fingers*), and it helps that the games I'm running in - X and Omega Ruby - are games I've technically played before (via Y and Ruby respectively). Thing is, I don't think I fully appreciate the serious business that Nuzlockes are supposed to generate. And like a certain father voiced by Mark Hamill once said, "[I] will learn respect, and suffering will be [my] teacher." (Cue scar being made on the wrong side.)

Just hit "A" already...

This is why I'm going to start a blind Nuzlocke run on Pokémon: Black Version 2. Before I begin the prologue though, I think I need to explain a few things. I'm pretty sure I have so, considering that the average stranger probably has no idea what any part of that first sentence even means. So, we'll take a quick musical break and I'll explain both myself and those words above in greater detail in a bit.

FTL 1-1: Meet the Voyager Voyeur!

Alrighty, ladies and gents. It's time to traverse the galaxy and run away from the evil clutches of the guys who want us dead because we're on the losing side! It's time to look at my first-ever Let's Play! (Or at least the first part of it.)

Take it away, FTL: Faster Than Light!

By Virtual Design

Sometime in my teen years I began to notice that I possessed a rather peculiar talent. A group project would show up in one of my high school classes, and the teacher would state that a presentation was to be given. As the class started to look around the room in search of potential project mates, some people began eyeing me for a few particular reasons.

1. I actually did the necessary research and work.
2. I could write a killer paper and/or speech if necessary.
3. If we used digital visuals (e.g.: PowerPoint), I knew how to make our work stand out from everyone else's.
4. Our work (combined with the results from reason 3) netted us nothing but "A's."

In short: I made things look good. (I just wish I could say the same about myself. =P)

Yeah, I know - such a talent isn't of any particular use in the real world. Sure, you have some people go into some kind of job with the generic title of "{blank} Designer." In the end, most of them are (unfairly) ridiculed for not possessing an "actual" job like "other people." What makes these people stand out is the fact that the people with this kind of talent are usually proud of it - with some of them going to great lengths to show their skill (or "skill" - some do suck) to the world.

In my case, I use it in video games. In games with some kind of character creation (be it an MMO or a fighting game), you can count on me to make a character who fits my aesthetic designs. These have ranged from the exceptionally beautiful to the plain everyman to the horribly disfigured. (In one particular case, I took someone beautiful and had her scarred. It happened in her storyline, so it would make sense for me to do that.) In games where I'm given free reign to construct objects (such as Minecraft), I've set up various buildings - from the practically-designed to the kinds that demand that you look at them.

Just what lies beyond the door of this rather large building?

So what happens when I apply this skill in a social simulation game like Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Well, allow me to show you... if you're willing to keep reading on. Prepare to be amazed (at how dorky I can be)!

The Pacific Media Expo 2012 Entry

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh MAN. Pacific Media Expo this year was just amazing. This opinion may seem quite biased, but believe me when I say that it was nothing short of extraordinary for this Veterans Day Weekend.

(Yes, I'm too lazy to actually type anything new. In case you didn't notice, the above paragraph was taken from 2011's Pacific Media Expo entry. Oh, sue me!)

The floor of the Los Angeles Airport Hilton during Pacific Media Expo 2012.

With that said, I'm going to put a disclaimer right now stipulating that 2012's PMX entry will not be as long as 2011's. I was enjoying myself too much to accurately remember every fine detail that happened - mostly because if I wasn't sleeping, I was likely on duty. That, and I wasn't able to get enough pictures (I'm going to blame me working way too hard this year.), so there's not enough things for you lazy Americans to "not read."

However! This does not mean I'm going to cop out of making a decent entry! No, no... rather, you'll get to see and hear about some cool things.

Just one of the many items I procured for future use against you.

No, I'm serious; you'll see/hear cool and awesome things in this entry. Should you not believe me, then go ahead and let me know. I bought myself a sentry turret from Aperture Laboratories and I'm just dying to give it a field test.

So, without much further ado (and so I can complete the opening with a pun), let's gun our way through my memories of Pacific Media Expo 2012 (for science)!

Montage of Mystery

So I haven't really been motivated to get out of bed today.

I had to tell myself to get up. It took a while because I was comfy texting lying there listening to music content with how the morning was going.

It's been somewhat rough these past few days. It's been apparent on the blog here - short entries, a lack of concentration, thoughts drifting elsewhere when I should be working on things...

...oh, wait. That's what I've been exhibiting in real life? Uh... riiiight. *sheepishly clears throat* Ignore all this, then. I'm just spouting nonsense that can't be explained and won't be explained for now. (Or can it and will it...?)

Resolution Absolution

Today's a lovely Friday, and as it's the end of the start of the new year, I think it's time I deliver something so large and outrageous it'll take you a good while to read and digest.

I guarantee a great entry today and awesome things to boot - this post took almost a week to make, so consider this a late Christmas present or a belated "Happy New Year" greeting of some kind.

Much, much better than fireworks.

So without further ado, kick off the new year for us, Nyan Cat!

Wishes That Never Were

I want this blog entry to be finished when I told myself it would be finished! If that was actually on my Christmas wish list, I wouldn't have received this, then. I'm going to be honest here: TV Tropes essentially stole about three hours' worth of potential typing time because it's so frakkin' addicting!

But no more! (For now, at least. I CAN QUIT WHEN I WANT TO!) I'm going back to typing this entry up so y'all can read something interesting! *cue three more hours spent on TV Tropes, playing Mario Kart 7, and/or eating din-din*

...

*adds "the opportunity to freely slap the magnificent bastard who introduced TV Tropes to me" to the Christmas 2012 wishlist*

The Frakkin' PMX 2011 Special!

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh MAN. Pacific Media Expo this year was just amazing. This opinion may seem quite biased, but believe me when I say that it was nothing short of extraordinary for this Veterans Day Weekend.

So what're you waiting for? If you're reading this, then chances are that one of the following two things are true:

1. You're reading this on the main page and have yet to click the "Please, Sir, May I Read More?" link that links you to the rest of the page.
2. You're reading the whole entry from start to finish and you just so happened to start from here

If Option One is true: stop bantering on and click that link below already!
If it's Option Two and you're already on the entry's page: just keep reading.

Insert Silly Photo Montage Here

Evening, everyone. Wondering why it took me so long to get my butt on here and type stuff? I spent the day going through my computer and cleaning things out. As I did that, I encountered a folder containing a gazillion pictures that I've acquired over the years.

They say that "a picture is worth a thousand words." I sure hope they're right, because I couldn't think of anything to talk about for today's entry. So, without further ado: a bunch of pictures I found while compy-cleaning (some mine, some from the Internets) and a silly commentary-slash-pseudo-story to go along with all of it!

...euhm... ...well, let's retry this! *reloads*

It's a bad sign whenever you see something like this at work. The fact that I actually saw this pop up at one of my store's registers just blew my mind. I mean, you'd have to screw up really bad - and I mean really bad - for something like this to show up.

Either way, I found it to be funny. Now, uhm... let's start over properly. *clears throat*