WHEW!
I did it, we did it.
One whole year of blogging.
I do not know what to say.
Well, I could always do my cast roll like I was going to yesterday. I've actually been kind of busy all week, trying to get this job I applied for, working on my schedule, things have been chaotic, but one thing I have looked forward to is this day. This day is special, it's my Blogiversary!
And I'm actually not feeling too hot today, leave it to me to kind of feel a bit sick on my Blogiversary.
Fuck..........
So, tomorrow you get my Blogiversary vid and also the secret, the secret behind the one missing day that was supposed to be legitimately missing ( and not like the other missing days that are missing due to laziness).
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Four Cat Pics, as I Promised
Here are my Four Cats:
Addy
Cali
Garfield
Lucky
No reason for this blog, just showing off my cats, because cats are awesome!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The 5-4-5 of My Biggest Screw-Ups
When you blog, you try to spell-check and proof-read everything you put out. This not only makes your work look nice and at least somewhat professional, but also grants you some necessary skill work for an office setting (if that's your jam) and also makes it look like you give two shits about what you put out on the internet for everyone to read. However, every once in a while, you tend to get the ever delightful error slip through.
Although, maybe if they introduced themselves, we wouldn't be
having this conversation, your thoughts Link?
I looked back through my blog and found some of my biggest screw-ups, some that were simple typos to things that were just plain wrong, or even just things that only I noticed, here are my Top 5 Screw-Ups!
5
In the Beginning... Was I Drunk?
In the Beginning... Was I Drunk?
In this we are going back to the VEEEERY beginning of this blog, back to last year. After my intro piece, I wrote a blog that was supposed to be a review of Snow White and the Huntsman. I mention that the movie felt like it had ADHD. Talk about the movie having ADHD, that whole post needed to be on Ritalin, no offense to people who have ADHD, I'm not neurotypical either. But I digress. This was also before I established the "No names of friends and such unless I have permission" rule, so that was a bit odd when looking back. So, of all my friends, you know know the names of three so far. Again, I digress.
Was it so hard for me to keep on track? Well, maybe it was. I grew so much as a blogger, so much, that you can see it in my writing. However, comparing that to my other posts back in the early days, there was no excuse.
I must've been drunk...
4
Game Trek III: The Search for Rock
Game Trek III: The Search for Rock
Let me tell you a story about this image here:
This was taken way back when I first started playing Neverwinter Nights, and in the post called Just Don't Barge In, I referenced the story of which this picture was for. So I type up the story, and that is when I realized that I didn't have the picture, so I searched the old desktop, no pic. My thumbdrives turned up empty to. In fact, one of them was completely empty, but I digress. I knew it was on my old derelict MySpace, but I was unsure of the password. This lead me to messaging Destiny, since I somehow got onto my MySpace on her laptop, but alas, the password wasn't saved. So I sat there, MySpace staring into my soul like the evil abyss it is, and I typed in the first thing that came to mind...
The point of the story was that, I spent about two hours trying to find one pic that I probably didn't even need. I mean, it's not like I take pics of the games I am playing, so already you HAVE to take my word for it. However, all things had to be dropped until this pic was found. If it was between finding the Grail or this pic, the Grail would be relegated to being a simple little dinky cup compared to this picture. I feel silly for wasting a lot of time on this pic, but now you all know the backstory.
3
Grandia and I are in Couples Counseling
I still LOVE Grandia, which is still, for the lack of better terms, my favorite video game ever! In fact, I remember stating that everytime I say the word LOVE when it comes to this game, I would put it in capital letters, LOVE and not love.
I LOVE Grandia, LOVE it, so much so I have to put LOVE in capital letters every time I write about this game. Honestly, I don't know what it is about this game. The plot is for the most part predictable, I've only beaten it once, so why do I love it so much?Let me emphasize that a bit more
I've only beaten it once, so why do I love it so much?This is just as bad as a business man who is in a monogamous relationship having a mistress, and when the wife meets the mistress under the assumption that she is just a friend, and he says to his wife, "here is my girlfriend Cindy!" I guess the honeymoon is over...
2
Fire in the Fast Food Joint!
Chronomancy is fun. It's like Doctor Who meets your fantasy RPG, except without the incredibly awesome form of transport that is basically a British police box form the 60's that is basically it's own universe inside of it. Forget Planescape and Spelljammer, this brings up the awesomeness to Matt Smith. However, when half of your ebook discusses the complexities of the "grandfather paradox" in a magical setting, while interesting to me, you would lose people quicker than a political bandwagon. Futurama probably couldn't keep people interested long enough!
But this is not about Philosophy, this is about Fast Food, and one thing you find in every fast food joint, fire!. Yes, fire, one of the Four Elements, and the most fun to. This is also about fries, those delicious little cuts of potato that America loves so much, an attempt was made to change their name from French Fries to Freedom Fries
Well, I think, when you order fast food, and it has been a while since I did this, last time I went my friend ordered for me since I lost money at a casino like an idiot (never play slots), but I think you don't order any fire with your meal. What is this, the Neolithic Era? What's next, ordering a good Auroch Steak? Yet, there I go...
It just too bad the only thing a Philosophy degree would ever get me is the chance to ask why someone would like fires with that. I kid, I kid.Destiny pointed out this error to me, and I found it too funny to not keep. So there it stands for posterity.
1
Amadeus, the Not-So-Punctual Paladin
So right after the Winter Solstice in 2012, as we were picking up the pieces of our post-apocalyptic world (since, as we all know, the world ended December 21st, 2012), I wrote up a blog post about how I finally got to see The Hobbit, which answered, for me, what happens when one's best-friend and bromantic partner fakes their death by falling off of a tall building.
My apologies to the Sherlock Fandom, which means apologies
to myself to
However, the reason I bring up that post is that at the end of it I mentioned that the next blog post would be about Amadeus the Naked Paladin. About half-way into January and we finally get to him. What brings this up, and why is this my biggest screw-up? Well, it is the best example of my procrastination. This also inculdes why there is no Post for the number 7 in my Blogiversary count-down, or why Table Plan didn't exist for a while. I am a procrastinator. Scrap metal in my truck? Let's leave it sit in there for like two months and not go to a scrapyard (yet I will HAVE to do so next week). Temp Agency? We'll just see where my current application gets me, maybe it'll work out.
However, I also bring it up because, as fate would have it, my post about the Naked Paladin turned out to be the most popular post on my blog, now pushing triple digits (it's not the most read, however), and the words "dnd" and "naked" are together one of the most popular searches for my blog. Most of you were probably looking for this awesome blog, called Playing D&D With Porn Stars, it is an awesome blog, and was where I found out that Stoya plays D&D. Sorry Milla Monroe, but until you start rolling the 20's, Stoya has taken your spot as the #1 Porn Star I would like to meet..... kind of creepy that I have a list like that.... moving on.
While Amadeus may no longer be with us, we now have, in the campaign I am playing, Lazlo inside Amadeus' body, and the blog describing that chapter is still forth coming. Maybe Lazlo the Rogue Paladin shall become the biggest meme of this blog. Move over Charlemagne!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Campaign World 8
Normally I do not type a lot about my campaign world for a lot of my fantasy game stuff, but today, I will tell you eight things about my fantasy setting, which I have been working on and writing up for a while. Note that these are the mainstays for my settings, and are not the full details:
Pendragon's Cauldron, the Hub of the Setting
A lot of my setting revolves around a big port city that grew from and old trade route taver/hostel from which the city got its name. The city is, despite being between two nations, generally self-ruling, with a some-what elected City Council. I say somewhat elected since mainly it's a plutocratic government. Because of this, despite there being general protection, corruption is somewhat commonplace. One thing, however, that makes this plutocracy better than others, is that the poor do not really go hungry or without shelter. Sure, there is no guarantee that they are safe, protected, or healthy, but that sense of hospitality never left the city. The city has a canal system that links it to a river that runs through the city, splitting one-third of the city off from the rest of it. The river was constructed, but by whom they do not remember, seeing as it was there since the days when the city was just one tavern/hostel.
The Church of Illian, God of Light and Order
The setting generally follows a monistic religion that worships the god Illian. Illian was at one time a minor deity in the pantheon until his cultus grew to be the largest (akin to the god Vishnu in real life). Illian is said to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. However, Illian is also said to only be one of these at one time, and is approached in the form of four different deities. Illian the All-Powerful takes the form of a mighty Warrior-King, whom wields both a Sword of Power, Illian the All-Knowing takes the form of a blind-seeress, blinded with a cloth around her eyes, and wields a Black Mirror that can see the flow of time itself. Illian the Ever-Present takes the form of a pregnant mother, whom holds in her hands a chalice that never runs empty. Illian the Beneficient is seen as a wise priest or sage, whom holds a Scepter that grants wishes. While approached in these four forms, the worshipers remember that there is only One Illian, whom is said to take the form of a mighty Gold Dragon or Eagle.
Dwarves and Elves on an Empire Sized Scale... only conquered by Humans
The two main empires in my setting were once Dwarven and Elven whom, at one time were peaceful, during Orc and Goblin raids from a nearby land (the land fell to shit, so they were pushed to survival, the Orcs and Goblins really are nice people, see below) they entered into arguments that became all out warfare. This lead to having them subsumed into the Empire of Amenthes. Granted, now there is the Eastern and Western Amenthes Empires, but at one time it was really grand. The Western Empire, inspired by the Elves and the more magic based and liberal population; and the Eastern Empire, conservative and built strong on tradition and Dwarven independence. However, they are peripheral in my adventures, usually only the capitals of each being important. The Western capital being Phildelos, once known to the Elves as Beth-Il (it's a really old city), and the Eastern capital being Camdros.
Orcs and Goblins aren't evil!
Once upon a time, they scratched a living in the Borderlands, a region near this desert. However, during a time of desertification, they turn to bloody rituals devoted to a deranged, eldritch god. For a time, in return for their worship and bloody sacrifices, the forgotten deity blessed them, but then the deity grew greedy and even more blood-thirsty, and the people staged a popular uprising again their priest-kings. Because of this, Goblins and Orcs had caused their empire to fall, and turned to looting and pillaging to survive in some regards. Despite this, they try not to kill, and if they have to, they try to do it as bloodlessly as possible, in fear of the possibility that the Forgotten God is still watching. Many Orcs and Goblins also turned to civilization for protection, and lead very comfortable lives.
The Sea-Kin Kingdom and the Sahuagin Kingdoms under the sea
Under the seas near Pendragon's Cauldron are two small kingdoms that have been at war with each other for centuries, the Sea-Kin and the Sahuagin. Both share claim to territory they both say are special to their respective Gods. Both trade with Pendragon's Cauldron, which leads to very interesting adventures and incidents, making the Docks one of the most dangerous places in the city.
Entheart Forest and Blacknell Mire, regions of Opposites
Notice a theme in my main setting, there are a lot of opposites, and no place symbolizes that more than the differences between the Entheart and Blacknell. The Entheart is a huge forest filled with life, said to have portals to different planes that fill it with life. Blacknell Mire is a region full of death, and many necromancers travel here to find rare reagents to strengthen their spells. Zombies and Skeletons walk the land, especially Undead Giant Crocodiles and Snapping Turtles.
The Order of Flametenders
The Flametenders is an order of combat nuns sworn originally to the Mother of Fire, and old Goddess that is still worshiped in some frontier towns. The order today, for the most part is devoted to Illian the All-Powerful. They are his brides, and thus learn to use the spear and the bow, to be the piercing rays of the sun (originally, they were the sacred weapons of the Mother of Fire). They royally kick ass. Besides being masters of combat, they are similar to the Geisha, where they are told many varieties of entertainment, seeing as how the Mother of Fire was also a Goddess of the Home and Mirth. Despite being rededicated to Illian, the highest rank is still the Daughter of Fire, and some frontier abbeys do still have shrines to their patron Goddess.
Practical Magic
From Phildelos to Camdros, from the Dragonridge Mountains to the Sea, the world uses practical magic a la Mystara and Eberron. As such, it is accurate to say this is a magitech world.
Pendragon's Cauldron, the Hub of the Setting
A lot of my setting revolves around a big port city that grew from and old trade route taver/hostel from which the city got its name. The city is, despite being between two nations, generally self-ruling, with a some-what elected City Council. I say somewhat elected since mainly it's a plutocratic government. Because of this, despite there being general protection, corruption is somewhat commonplace. One thing, however, that makes this plutocracy better than others, is that the poor do not really go hungry or without shelter. Sure, there is no guarantee that they are safe, protected, or healthy, but that sense of hospitality never left the city. The city has a canal system that links it to a river that runs through the city, splitting one-third of the city off from the rest of it. The river was constructed, but by whom they do not remember, seeing as it was there since the days when the city was just one tavern/hostel.
The Church of Illian, God of Light and Order
The setting generally follows a monistic religion that worships the god Illian. Illian was at one time a minor deity in the pantheon until his cultus grew to be the largest (akin to the god Vishnu in real life). Illian is said to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. However, Illian is also said to only be one of these at one time, and is approached in the form of four different deities. Illian the All-Powerful takes the form of a mighty Warrior-King, whom wields both a Sword of Power, Illian the All-Knowing takes the form of a blind-seeress, blinded with a cloth around her eyes, and wields a Black Mirror that can see the flow of time itself. Illian the Ever-Present takes the form of a pregnant mother, whom holds in her hands a chalice that never runs empty. Illian the Beneficient is seen as a wise priest or sage, whom holds a Scepter that grants wishes. While approached in these four forms, the worshipers remember that there is only One Illian, whom is said to take the form of a mighty Gold Dragon or Eagle.
Dwarves and Elves on an Empire Sized Scale... only conquered by Humans
The two main empires in my setting were once Dwarven and Elven whom, at one time were peaceful, during Orc and Goblin raids from a nearby land (the land fell to shit, so they were pushed to survival, the Orcs and Goblins really are nice people, see below) they entered into arguments that became all out warfare. This lead to having them subsumed into the Empire of Amenthes. Granted, now there is the Eastern and Western Amenthes Empires, but at one time it was really grand. The Western Empire, inspired by the Elves and the more magic based and liberal population; and the Eastern Empire, conservative and built strong on tradition and Dwarven independence. However, they are peripheral in my adventures, usually only the capitals of each being important. The Western capital being Phildelos, once known to the Elves as Beth-Il (it's a really old city), and the Eastern capital being Camdros.
Orcs and Goblins aren't evil!
Once upon a time, they scratched a living in the Borderlands, a region near this desert. However, during a time of desertification, they turn to bloody rituals devoted to a deranged, eldritch god. For a time, in return for their worship and bloody sacrifices, the forgotten deity blessed them, but then the deity grew greedy and even more blood-thirsty, and the people staged a popular uprising again their priest-kings. Because of this, Goblins and Orcs had caused their empire to fall, and turned to looting and pillaging to survive in some regards. Despite this, they try not to kill, and if they have to, they try to do it as bloodlessly as possible, in fear of the possibility that the Forgotten God is still watching. Many Orcs and Goblins also turned to civilization for protection, and lead very comfortable lives.
The Sea-Kin Kingdom and the Sahuagin Kingdoms under the sea
Under the seas near Pendragon's Cauldron are two small kingdoms that have been at war with each other for centuries, the Sea-Kin and the Sahuagin. Both share claim to territory they both say are special to their respective Gods. Both trade with Pendragon's Cauldron, which leads to very interesting adventures and incidents, making the Docks one of the most dangerous places in the city.
Entheart Forest and Blacknell Mire, regions of Opposites
Notice a theme in my main setting, there are a lot of opposites, and no place symbolizes that more than the differences between the Entheart and Blacknell. The Entheart is a huge forest filled with life, said to have portals to different planes that fill it with life. Blacknell Mire is a region full of death, and many necromancers travel here to find rare reagents to strengthen their spells. Zombies and Skeletons walk the land, especially Undead Giant Crocodiles and Snapping Turtles.
The Order of Flametenders
The Flametenders is an order of combat nuns sworn originally to the Mother of Fire, and old Goddess that is still worshiped in some frontier towns. The order today, for the most part is devoted to Illian the All-Powerful. They are his brides, and thus learn to use the spear and the bow, to be the piercing rays of the sun (originally, they were the sacred weapons of the Mother of Fire). They royally kick ass. Besides being masters of combat, they are similar to the Geisha, where they are told many varieties of entertainment, seeing as how the Mother of Fire was also a Goddess of the Home and Mirth. Despite being rededicated to Illian, the highest rank is still the Daughter of Fire, and some frontier abbeys do still have shrines to their patron Goddess.
Practical Magic
From Phildelos to Camdros, from the Dragonridge Mountains to the Sea, the world uses practical magic a la Mystara and Eberron. As such, it is accurate to say this is a magitech world.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Nine Philosophical Thoughts About Blogging
With a year of blogging, and now running two blogs, I have come to think about a lot of things, a lot of interesting things:
You're not always going to get readers
I think my first major shock was that, despite some marketing, I am not a very well read or circulated blog, and that's okay. I don't think blogging will ever become a living for me, and that's okay to. Blogging is an artform to some degree, and the most important thing about art is that it comes from within, and that it becomes your passion. I don't write the best poems, or play a mean game of Floorball, but I enjoy it, and I turn it into art.
Aristotle saw that we experience catharsis through art, and that the imitation art brings is good. To me, that is a lot healthier than the ever ascetic Plato, who saw art as a lie (and that is coming from a Neoplatonist, then again, Neoplatonists love art).
You meet a lot of other interesting bloggers
Burlesque performers, atheist philosophers, not much else beyond that, but still. In a sense, blogging opens up the world, because people actually wind up wanting to read your thoughts on kittens, sex, video games, important stuff, etc. This opens you up to new ideas and new expressions.
Verbosity and Expression
Writing blogs has lead to me being more verbose and thus more able to express myself. I always had a sucky time trying to put my thoughts in writing, well, accorsing to SOME English teachers, some thought I was a-ok at it. Either way, this has opened up new things for me, like my campaign setting and table-top rpg that I am making. In a sense, bloging has helped me reach a sense of eudaimona, and knowledge of what could possibly be my True Will. It has opened me to experiencing new emotions as well.
Wuv, twu wuv
Mawage, mawage is what bwings us togevuh today.
Blogging has opened me up emotionally to new experiences to, as I stated right above this. My Dystopia Rising character was in some ways born because of this blog. Finnegan as a character I believe shares a birthday with this blog. I have broken out of my shell and set my emotional shield aside for the first time, and its exciting.
Talking about my hobbies strengthens them
Like I also stated above, this blog has started me on the path of strengthening my Role-Playing, and even writing my own stuff for role-playing (like my own table-top RPG). Strengthening my hobby also makes it possible to turn it into a source of income, which can fuel my life They say you should do what you love, and I think that is, for once, a diamond of wisdom within capitalism that echos eudaimona and the True Will.
Dear Kyberia, it's me, Kyle
Remember how I said that, for the most part, no more spirituality here, here is one of those exceptions. Blogging has opened me to new spiritual experiences. For whatever fears I had over Pagan Blog Project consuming this nerdy blog (and thus why it switched to my Pagan blog), it deepened my connection to the divine, and brought new inspiration.
What is laziness?
So blogging means I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, which means my very active carpenter father thinks I am being lazy. But what is laziness, but idling ones time not doing something constructive. And as we have seen what this blog has done for me, isn't that contructive? And working on my RPG entails a lot of trial, error, and testing. That doesn't sound lazy at all.
What is Blogging
So then what is blogging if it is not inspiration and art? Is it also entertainment, it sure keeps me entertained. It brings me joy, and thus...
The Meaning of Life
Life is suffering and pain. We seek to find joy and happiness despite that. Therefore, the meaning of life is to find joy, the good life, the eudaimona. This blog has given me that :)
You're not always going to get readers
I think my first major shock was that, despite some marketing, I am not a very well read or circulated blog, and that's okay. I don't think blogging will ever become a living for me, and that's okay to. Blogging is an artform to some degree, and the most important thing about art is that it comes from within, and that it becomes your passion. I don't write the best poems, or play a mean game of Floorball, but I enjoy it, and I turn it into art.
Aristotle saw that we experience catharsis through art, and that the imitation art brings is good. To me, that is a lot healthier than the ever ascetic Plato, who saw art as a lie (and that is coming from a Neoplatonist, then again, Neoplatonists love art).
You meet a lot of other interesting bloggers
Burlesque performers, atheist philosophers, not much else beyond that, but still. In a sense, blogging opens up the world, because people actually wind up wanting to read your thoughts on kittens, sex, video games, important stuff, etc. This opens you up to new ideas and new expressions.
Verbosity and Expression
Writing blogs has lead to me being more verbose and thus more able to express myself. I always had a sucky time trying to put my thoughts in writing, well, accorsing to SOME English teachers, some thought I was a-ok at it. Either way, this has opened up new things for me, like my campaign setting and table-top rpg that I am making. In a sense, bloging has helped me reach a sense of eudaimona, and knowledge of what could possibly be my True Will. It has opened me to experiencing new emotions as well.
Wuv, twu wuv
Mawage, mawage is what bwings us togevuh today.
Blogging has opened me up emotionally to new experiences to, as I stated right above this. My Dystopia Rising character was in some ways born because of this blog. Finnegan as a character I believe shares a birthday with this blog. I have broken out of my shell and set my emotional shield aside for the first time, and its exciting.
Talking about my hobbies strengthens them
Like I also stated above, this blog has started me on the path of strengthening my Role-Playing, and even writing my own stuff for role-playing (like my own table-top RPG). Strengthening my hobby also makes it possible to turn it into a source of income, which can fuel my life They say you should do what you love, and I think that is, for once, a diamond of wisdom within capitalism that echos eudaimona and the True Will.
Dear Kyberia, it's me, Kyle
Remember how I said that, for the most part, no more spirituality here, here is one of those exceptions. Blogging has opened me to new spiritual experiences. For whatever fears I had over Pagan Blog Project consuming this nerdy blog (and thus why it switched to my Pagan blog), it deepened my connection to the divine, and brought new inspiration.
What is laziness?
So blogging means I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, which means my very active carpenter father thinks I am being lazy. But what is laziness, but idling ones time not doing something constructive. And as we have seen what this blog has done for me, isn't that contructive? And working on my RPG entails a lot of trial, error, and testing. That doesn't sound lazy at all.
What is Blogging
So then what is blogging if it is not inspiration and art? Is it also entertainment, it sure keeps me entertained. It brings me joy, and thus...
The Meaning of Life
Life is suffering and pain. We seek to find joy and happiness despite that. Therefore, the meaning of life is to find joy, the good life, the eudaimona. This blog has given me that :)
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Top Ten most read of my Blog Posts
I'm sure you are just as curious as I was as to the most read blog posts of this Blogging Year. Well I did not look at my most read Blog Posts of All Time until fairly recently, and as of today June 3rd, I make this list. This list had surprises in it, we cannot deny that at all. My old fear of having Pagan Blog Project take over my blog apparently was sound, half of this list was Pagan Blog Project, which I switched over to my other Blog: Once 'Round the Temple. The rest of the list, however, was fairly interesting:
Pagan Blog Project: Eclecticism Pt.1
You will read more on this below...
D&D Origin Month Pt.2: Eye of the Beholder
Looking back on this post, I noticed that I had a lot of padding to make it much bigger than it actually was. I think I could have summed the Self-Hating Evangelical Bisexual bit. I also made myself sound a lot dumber and like a certain game reviewer who complains about the controls sucking when he doesn't even read the instructions, and copies another, more well known reviewer (let's leave it at that, I love his ghost hunting show).
Pagan Blog Project: Eclecticism Pt.2
This was a big step on my blog, and for my involvement with PBP. Here I tackled a subject so heatedly debated, and unfortunately held onto by a lot of Neopagans, the ole "if it's not nailed down, then its fair game to me" doctrine. I'm surprised they weren't higher on the list, because this is big shit right here. I think my analogy with the fanfic of a fanfic was spot on about it.
Looking back on the two posts, I think I was a little harsh on the New Age Movement in them. I am not anti-New Age nor do I think people in the New Age Movement are dumb. The New Age and Neopaganism have a shared history if you go back to before they split off back around the time of the Occult Revival in the 19th Century. I also think new Age stores are really neat, and have an interesting numen about them. To have that criticism about the Movement is not hate, and I think I came off kind of strong when I wrote the posts.
I still, however, think that both should be given a good read, it's an eye opener, for both the unenlightened and the ones who are visceral about it.
Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
When I first heard this on Faux News, I thught this would be comedy GOLD! Looking back on it today, it still is comedy gold. I love when I get a chance to sarcastically take things to extremes like that, and any excuse for a Beyond Thunderdome reference is a god excuse. I still think Project Adventure was way worse than Dodgeball, and even though we never officially played it in school, I still prefered it to climbing up poles and trust falls.
I also have an interesting wax-play story, but that's a story for another time...
Pagan Blog Project: Eclecticism Pt.1
You will read more on this below...
D&D Origin Month Pt.2: Eye of the Beholder
Looking back on this post, I noticed that I had a lot of padding to make it much bigger than it actually was. I think I could have summed the Self-Hating Evangelical Bisexual bit. I also made myself sound a lot dumber and like a certain game reviewer who complains about the controls sucking when he doesn't even read the instructions, and copies another, more well known reviewer (let's leave it at that, I love his ghost hunting show).
Pagan Blog Project: Eclecticism Pt.2
This was a big step on my blog, and for my involvement with PBP. Here I tackled a subject so heatedly debated, and unfortunately held onto by a lot of Neopagans, the ole "if it's not nailed down, then its fair game to me" doctrine. I'm surprised they weren't higher on the list, because this is big shit right here. I think my analogy with the fanfic of a fanfic was spot on about it.
Looking back on the two posts, I think I was a little harsh on the New Age Movement in them. I am not anti-New Age nor do I think people in the New Age Movement are dumb. The New Age and Neopaganism have a shared history if you go back to before they split off back around the time of the Occult Revival in the 19th Century. I also think new Age stores are really neat, and have an interesting numen about them. To have that criticism about the Movement is not hate, and I think I came off kind of strong when I wrote the posts.
I still, however, think that both should be given a good read, it's an eye opener, for both the unenlightened and the ones who are visceral about it.
Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
When I first heard this on Faux News, I thught this would be comedy GOLD! Looking back on it today, it still is comedy gold. I love when I get a chance to sarcastically take things to extremes like that, and any excuse for a Beyond Thunderdome reference is a god excuse. I still think Project Adventure was way worse than Dodgeball, and even though we never officially played it in school, I still prefered it to climbing up poles and trust falls.
I also have an interesting wax-play story, but that's a story for another time...
Me in wax and BDSM, I think you might need this again...
See above for most of the just for this...
Or else it gets the hose again...
This was the only time I ever rolled three 20's in a roll, and to this day I have never seen that again. I've almost seen two 20's come up, but it is phenomenal how the chances are with this kind of stuff, especially since, if you know how they smooth the dice, you don't actually have a 1/20 chance on a d20 to get the highest roll.
Unless you use these lil buggers...
My first PBP post was also my most viewed one. In truth, my altars have changed up and moved around my room. I might, on Once 'Round the Temple, do a look back on that post.
I also want to take a moment to discuss my involvement with PBP on this blog, and how this current post (the Top 10, not the Altars post) cemented my termination with PBP here and moving it to the other blog, and this will be, for the most part, the end of my discussion on real-world religion on this blog. I had a fear going into this that my involvement will turn my nerdy commentary blog into a Pagan one. While there is nothing wrong with Pagan Blogs (my other blog is one), that wasn't what Musings of a Lehigh Valley guy is supposed to be at all. And yet, seeing half of this list be Pagan posts kind of grounded the fear in reality. It's nobodies fault really, this blog was marketed there, and that brought the crowds. Build it and they will come, as they say.
That whole month was an interesting walk down memory lane, but none more so than this post. Here I was going back to my own childhood, way way back. I remember rereading the whole series of five posts and just shedding that single sexy tear, thinking back on the stories of the past, and reflecting on my much of my life I lived in them. I really grew as a person playing those games. And look at me now, I expanded to Pathfinder, The Window and Fable and Fudge, GURPS, and LARPing. I once denied I was a nerd, I have never been so wrong.
The man in the image to the left is Taylor Lautner, who played the roll of Jacob Black in the movie adaptation of Sucklight..... I mean, Twilight. We cannot deny that he is sexy. As a Bi man, even I must admit, sploosh, or whatever the male equivalent of sploosh is (which is sploosh, only with semen). Normally, ripped men aren't exactly my think, but there are times one must make exceptions.
And yet, Amadeus is, well, let's end this blog post with an embedded video...
Sunday, June 2, 2013
11 Doctor Who Thoughts
I come to today on a very news-worthy time for Doctor Who. We have the 50th, Matt Smith is leaving, and 12th Doctor speculations abound. So much to write about, so let's begin my 11 Doctor Who Thoughts!
1
As I'm sure you have read back in my blog post about the season finale, the chance to see William Hartnell and Jenna-Louise Coleman "together" was a remarkable moment. I was starting to get worried that we would see very little of the classic series, and I still am worried that seeing those glimpses would be the extent of it, but I will have to wait until November to see if I was all worried for nothing. Right now, just knowing that William Hartnell got to have a posthumous appearance as the Doctor is good enough for me.
2
So Matt Smith is leaving. That was the BBC's big news last night. I talked about it to some friends while watching Star Wars, and reactions are mixed, obviously. Myself? While Matt Smith isn't my favorite Doctor, I act so much like him, and grew used to him. A little ambivalent to see the death/regeneration scene, would it be like watching myself die? I mean, seeing as how I am, apparently, so much like him. Is it going to be like the Buddhist meditation on visualizing your body decaying after death? I'm not scared of death, not in the least bit; it would just be weird to watch my own death.
3
I do not know how I would feel about a female Doctor. Mainly for two reasons. One is that there are female Gallifreyans (Time Ladies) that exist, and if they wanted one, just have like Romana hidden away with a Chameleon Arch like The Master. Also, as much as he can write some good storied, Steven Moffat isn't the best at writing believable female characters sometimes. I wouldn't go as far as some people do and call him sexist, because I strongly doubt he is sexist at all, its just that I think he relies too much on tropes dealing with women. Don't believe me, just go to TV Tropes and read some of them, and then think back to one of his episodes.
1
As I'm sure you have read back in my blog post about the season finale, the chance to see William Hartnell and Jenna-Louise Coleman "together" was a remarkable moment. I was starting to get worried that we would see very little of the classic series, and I still am worried that seeing those glimpses would be the extent of it, but I will have to wait until November to see if I was all worried for nothing. Right now, just knowing that William Hartnell got to have a posthumous appearance as the Doctor is good enough for me.
2
So Matt Smith is leaving. That was the BBC's big news last night. I talked about it to some friends while watching Star Wars, and reactions are mixed, obviously. Myself? While Matt Smith isn't my favorite Doctor, I act so much like him, and grew used to him. A little ambivalent to see the death/regeneration scene, would it be like watching myself die? I mean, seeing as how I am, apparently, so much like him. Is it going to be like the Buddhist meditation on visualizing your body decaying after death? I'm not scared of death, not in the least bit; it would just be weird to watch my own death.
3
I do not know how I would feel about a female Doctor. Mainly for two reasons. One is that there are female Gallifreyans (Time Ladies) that exist, and if they wanted one, just have like Romana hidden away with a Chameleon Arch like The Master. Also, as much as he can write some good storied, Steven Moffat isn't the best at writing believable female characters sometimes. I wouldn't go as far as some people do and call him sexist, because I strongly doubt he is sexist at all, its just that I think he relies too much on tropes dealing with women. Don't believe me, just go to TV Tropes and read some of them, and then think back to one of his episodes.
On second thought, don't. I think I might have consigned you
to a slow yet informative death...
4
If anyone should play the Doctor, I would want to see either Rupert Grint or Sean Pertwee. Rupert would definitely beat out Matt Smith as the youngest actor to play the Doctor (before Smith it was Davison who was youngest). And I think it would be fitting to finally have the Doctor have his one biological wish, to be ginger, especially since what comes after the Twelth Doctor is... well... erm... how to explain this to the fan girls.
Sean Pertwee is the son of Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor. I like Jon's Doctor, especially how boss he was. Plus, it would also be interesting to see what would happen if the Doctor retook a form from early on in his life, but with some differences. Sean looks a lot like his father.
5
So with the Great Intelligence gone, and no Silence or Daleks really, who should the next Big Bad be for the Doctor. It is possible it could be the Valeyard, or whatever John Hurt would very curiously bring forth (I apologize for the Ollivanders reference there), I would love to possibly see Sutekh again. Sutekh the Destroyer was the antagonist of one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes of all time, the Pyramids of Mars. He is an Osirian, and Osirians are God-Like. I think one of the problems would be that this would have to be Sutekh before the Fourth Doctor encountered him, and also before his imprisonment by Horus, which might make things messy. Oh well, it was a good thought.
6
Whatever happened to Davros? Did the Planets in the Sky and the Reality Bomb actually happen? Was that restored after the Doctor fixed the cracks in space? If so, is Davros still alive? Moffat, please answer about this, and please don't make a stupid Reality Bomb plot. I think Davros is smart enough to not make some sort of Xanatos Gambit to defeat the Doctor.
7
I don't know what happened, but at least for one small cameo, bring back Christopher Eccleston. I actually rather liked the Ninth Doctor. It's a shame that he was only on for one season.
8
On that note, bring back Paul McGann for an episode or so. Despite the 8th Doctor being in more Radio Plays and Comics than any other Doctor, he only had one TV appearance in the somewhat lackluster TV Movie.
9
I'm starting to run out of thinks to think about, so I'm just going to type out a few words like: bingle bongle dingle dangle yickity do yickity ta ping pong lippy tappy too taa...
10
I want to see more of Jenny, no, not the Jenny with Vastra and Strax, but Jenny, Georgia Moffet's Jenny; Peter Davison's daughter's Jenny. She still has an awful lot of running to do, and I hated leaving her with that. I want her to possibly come back, if not as a companion, as a cameo in another episode.
11
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WHERE IS CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS!!!
Even Lemurs love John Barrowman!
Seriously, he was probably one of the best characters to ever come out of the New Series so far! He was like a charismatic William Riker to the more laid-back Picard of the Doctor. I was really hoping he would be there for the 50th. Alas, he won't be there, but I can always hope he will make another appearance, or that at least Torchwood will continue. I have my own thoughts on Torchwood to...
...but that's a story for another time.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
12 Zodiac Horoscopes from an Asshole Astrologer
I know this was supposed to be up yesterday, but this is close enough, and yesterday I was a bit of a wreck. So here is my first of twelve days on my second of them lol:
ARIES - Cut the dramatic bullshit when it comes to thinking you have prophetic dreams. With that said, you have had prophetic dreams. Shits about to go down. And remember, none of that histrionic bullshit!
TAURUS - You are Deanna Troi for today. Remember, Captain Picard depends on you!
GEMINI - Live like me.... lonely.... Gods do I need a god lay -_-
CANCER - You're on high energy today, so give me some of the stuff you're on, could use a bit of a boost!
LEO - Things hare just too complicated for you simple dumb mind. Thats okay, it looks to be the Season inale of Season 5 of the New Doctor Who kind of complicated. Just remember, the Doctor lies.
VIRGO - Today is the day to be a lazy ass. Make sure to spend the time to plan, but, screw it, you're probably too lazy to do that today to.
LIBRA - Be flexible, like the power cord I just
*SNAP*
On second thought, don't be flexible like the cord I just found....
SCORPIO - Today is a day to be artsy, so blow your paycheck at Michaels and then realize in horror that you have no art talent, and cannot recoup your losses on Etsy.
SAGITTARIUS - When one door closes, you must open a window. Seriously, it's hot out! Blah-dee-blah about opportunities too.
CAPRICORN - Reach out, reach out and touch someone, reach out, just to say.... hi... also, do not go all "sure, I'll hold." You dad will cut off your boyfriend's balls!
AQUAIUS - WHat Would Jesus Do? Hippie Jesus, not the Pat Robertson Jesus. Seriously, what's wrong with that guy?
PISCES - Be happy for who you are. If not, you will have to do work, and have you even felt the temperature and humidity out. Hot as balls out!
ARIES - Cut the dramatic bullshit when it comes to thinking you have prophetic dreams. With that said, you have had prophetic dreams. Shits about to go down. And remember, none of that histrionic bullshit!
TAURUS - You are Deanna Troi for today. Remember, Captain Picard depends on you!
GEMINI - Live like me.... lonely.... Gods do I need a god lay -_-
CANCER - You're on high energy today, so give me some of the stuff you're on, could use a bit of a boost!
LEO - Things hare just too complicated for you simple dumb mind. Thats okay, it looks to be the Season inale of Season 5 of the New Doctor Who kind of complicated. Just remember, the Doctor lies.
VIRGO - Today is the day to be a lazy ass. Make sure to spend the time to plan, but, screw it, you're probably too lazy to do that today to.
LIBRA - Be flexible, like the power cord I just
*SNAP*
On second thought, don't be flexible like the cord I just found....
SCORPIO - Today is a day to be artsy, so blow your paycheck at Michaels and then realize in horror that you have no art talent, and cannot recoup your losses on Etsy.
SAGITTARIUS - When one door closes, you must open a window. Seriously, it's hot out! Blah-dee-blah about opportunities too.
CAPRICORN - Reach out, reach out and touch someone, reach out, just to say.... hi... also, do not go all "sure, I'll hold." You dad will cut off your boyfriend's balls!
AQUAIUS - WHat Would Jesus Do? Hippie Jesus, not the Pat Robertson Jesus. Seriously, what's wrong with that guy?
PISCES - Be happy for who you are. If not, you will have to do work, and have you even felt the temperature and humidity out. Hot as balls out!
Epic Cleaning Day
I smell sex and candy....
....well, at least just the candy...
My ex is visiting to return some of my books, and so I can give her some of her stuff that somehow stayed in my house for over a year, hidden away in the dark recesses of my room, like some sort of Lovecraftian horror. One of her books seems to be resting somewhere, waiting for the stars to align I guess. But I found even greater horrors hidden in the recesses of my room, like an exploded bottle of Gods-know-what. I know, I'm a bit of a slob in real life.
The thing is, is that this is a remarkable time to reorganize and walk down memory lane, and find ancient campaigns and adventures hidden away under stacks of paper and shit. It is interesting to see bits and pieces of my old settings again, and how they persisted to my current settings and adventures, like Pendragon's Cauldron and the Church of Illian. Perhaps in time I will go over some of these things, but for now, just the memory of them lingering on is enough.
A while back, I mentioned the blurb on the back of the D&D Adventure Game box. My epic clean also uncovered that.
Let's see, there's the ones I found, and there is the one I was searching for. One, two, three... OH FUCK! I LOST ANOTHER ONE!
....well, at least just the candy...
My ex is visiting to return some of my books, and so I can give her some of her stuff that somehow stayed in my house for over a year, hidden away in the dark recesses of my room, like some sort of Lovecraftian horror. One of her books seems to be resting somewhere, waiting for the stars to align I guess. But I found even greater horrors hidden in the recesses of my room, like an exploded bottle of Gods-know-what. I know, I'm a bit of a slob in real life.
The thing is, is that this is a remarkable time to reorganize and walk down memory lane, and find ancient campaigns and adventures hidden away under stacks of paper and shit. It is interesting to see bits and pieces of my old settings again, and how they persisted to my current settings and adventures, like Pendragon's Cauldron and the Church of Illian. Perhaps in time I will go over some of these things, but for now, just the memory of them lingering on is enough.
A while back, I mentioned the blurb on the back of the D&D Adventure Game box. My epic clean also uncovered that.
There is something moving behind that door... Perhaps it's a vicious ogre waiting to tear you limb from limb. Or a horde of zombies thirsting for blood. Or maybe a terrifying dragon ready to engulf you in a maelstrom of fire. Problem? Nope, not for you. You're a hero - a powerful wizard, a strong fighter, or a sneaky rogue. You can handle whatever comes at you in this introduction to the greatest fantasy game of all time.You should have seen my face light up when I found it during my trek to find her one book. I had four of her vampire novels, since she tried to get me into Anne Rice.
Let's see, there's the ones I found, and there is the one I was searching for. One, two, three... OH FUCK! I LOST ANOTHER ONE!
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