From all of us here at Spwug, we wish all of our American readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
To all of our non-American readers, we wish a happy and wonderful day. No reason for the day to be any less happy for the non-Americans.
Greetings, Pilgrims!
This is really weird, right? What the heck am I doing updating on a Monday night? Well… due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I will be up in Pennsylvania visiting my folks. Since they live up in the mountains of northwestern PA, my access to cel phone and internet will be limited. Therefore, no update. My sincerest apologies.
To try to make up for it, I leave you with this. It’s my favorite scene from my favorite Thansgiving film - Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Okay, there really aren’t that many Thanksgiving films out there, so having this be my favorite doesn’t carry much weight. But, I love this movie.
Give it a look-see, and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Greetings, Vampire Killers!
I’m sick.
No, not sick in the head (Actually, the voices tell me that I am. Are you there, Todd? It’s me and Margaret.). But, that isn’t the sick I’m referring to. I’ve been dealing with a monster cold for over a week now that likes to play “Pretend You’re Leaving So the Guy You’ve Taken Residence In is Lured Into a False Sense of Recovery, Then Smack Him in the Face!!”
I hear this game is popular in Germany. Or France. Or in the back alley behind a shop that sells broken dreams and used library cards.
Don’t mind me. I’m just delirious with sick.
I started off with just a light cold before Nekocon weekend. Nothing major, and nothing I couldn’t handle. Then, during Neko, it got promoted to Major Annoyance. Then, the following Friday, it decided we were in Fight Club.
We didn’t talk about Fight Club.
That’s when it knocked me on my ass, and I’ve been trying to bounce back ever since. Unfortunately, I’m not made of rubber… no matter what your adhesive consistency might be, or what elementary school fables dictate.
So here I’ve been, trying to recover from Captain Trips for over a week now. Between that and exhaustion it has been extremely difficult to get any writing or other projects done.
But, I didn’t want to let all of my reader down. That’s why I’ve propped myself up in desk chair with a stick to tell you what I’ve been spending my dying days extended illness doing.
I’ve been playing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on my Nintendo DS.
I gotta tell you – as a Castlevania fan since Simon first brandished the whip on the NES – there is currently no other game I would rather play on the DS right now to carry through my fevered delirium.
This game is incredible – hard evidence that side-scrolling, 2-D games can still hold their own in today’s 3-D gaming world. The graphics are some of the best the DS Castlevania series has ever seen. The designers manage to sneak in some really amazing 3-D effects amongst the 2-D sprites as well. Don’t let the screen cap below fool you, as it’s blown up a bit for display purposes. On the dual screens of the DS, this game looks astounding.
Then there’s the soundtrack. If there’s one thing the Castlevania series is well-known for, it’s great music. From gothic symphony pieces to guitar-riddled rock cues, Castlevania: OoE delivers. I have to admit, I didn’t think this game soundtrack was as good as we’ve seen in previous entries of the series, but it sure doesn’t suck either (it also didn’t hurt that I got a 6 track OoE soundtrack CD free when I preordered the game). And if you’re itchin’ for a blast from the musical past, throughout the game you can find little record albums that unlock music from the original NES Castlevania. And once you unlock them, you can set them to play while you’re playing through the game.
The game play is where Castlevania: OoE really shines. A lot of fans and gamers (including me) have been enjoying the “Castleroid”-style of game that was first introduced to us by Symphony of the Night (which continues to be my favorite game in the series). Since that first step into a more Metroid-style of game play (hence the nick name above), pretty much every Castlevania that has come out since for the GBA and later the DS has been in that style.
That’s where Order of Ecclesia differs. Though it still utilizes that style once you actually enter Dracula’s Castle, it’s only featured in the last third of the game. Everything leading up to it has been revamped to fit more in the style of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. There are several areas to fight through, all selectable from an overhead map as you unlock them. There is also a central village that you can visit repeatedly where you can shop for items or take on quests imparted to you by several villagers that you first have to rescue throughout the game. All of these elements combined make it the perfect marriage between Symphony and Simon’s Quest.
There is also plenty of replay value to the game. Not only can you unlock an alternate character after you complete your first playthrough, but there is also the famous Boss Rush mode (a timed level where you fight through several bosses). You can also keep all of your experience, stats, items and other stuff when you start a new game from your finished game save, as well as the ability to play in HARD mode. Take all that and add to it the ability to buy and sell items with other players through Wi-Fi, and you’ve got yourself a great, little, $30 game.
So, if you have a Nintendo DS and are looking to add a fun, challenging, monster-fighting side-scroller to your collection, or if you need another game to put on your Christmas list, I definitely recommend this one.
And you never know, it may just save your life one day. Okay, maybe not, but it could, at least, help you get through a horrible, never-ending, curse the gods and men kind of cold.
The Don realizes that constant sneezing and a touch-screen don’t mix.
Greetings everybody! Anybody?
Lemme first extend very humble apologies as I’ve been off the radar the past few weeks. But not for lack of effort! Behold! A 1024×1280 desktop for those… two fans of your resident Crybringer’s comic - The Demon Mages!
This month, and months before had been pretty touch-and-go. As you’ll see in the following post, a lot’s been going on that’s off the usual nerdy-beaten path. We’ll start back at:
HALLOWEEN! Yessir, if it’s Halloween, it only means one thing — COLDPLAY IN CONCERT! (Wait, what?–Huh? …uh, so Coldplay ISN’T a Halloween tradition?) The band took the stage at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. to a sold out crowd. Personally speaking, this author *knew* Coldplay’s songs — most of them — without actually… *knowing* who Coldplay WAS? Funny thing that, as when the first strains of “Yellow” kicked in I knew I was in for a treat, and more importantly who it was who was on stage!
(l. to r.) Jonny Buckland, Lead vocalist Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, and their EPIC drummer Will Champion were complimented by a crazy stage direction full of light, sound and enough walkway to put the men right in the thick of their heady crowd. “The Scientist” was performed DIRECTLY across the walk from my seat in the stadium, and I’d have bumrushed their spot if I’d known they were going to dive right in sooner. “Vida La Vida” was a killer outro, and “Lovers in Japan” is probably my favorite song of both the show, and their entire discography. Neither because I like Japan and am in love, just that it’s got a brilliant sound. Drinks and food prior to the show, a nice Metro ride to and from — a great Halloween, and to think, not a speck of candy!
THE WEEK AFTER COLDPLAY! Nekocon! Honestly, consult our resident Great American Hero, The Don for the big discourse. But I will say these things: painted bowling pins, Soukyugurentai on the Sega Saturn, laptops and OpenCanvas are very necessary things, fruit flies aren’t, nothing beats waffles at 2 in the morning, gin & tonics at 1, bedtime at midnight at a con sucks, friends are the best part of cons, yaoi cheerleader chants are the worst.
Again, Soukyugurentai — not since Radiant Silvergun had I played something so epic on a Saturn — made the weekend.
THE DAY AFTER THAT! I GOT THUNDER FORCE VI! AND I STILL HAVEN’T PLAYED IT! Player sentiments haven’t been all that kind to the game, but they got kinder as they started ramping up the difficulty and unlocking the secrets. Seems like overall, the game at first glance is a weak, bland game that’s called Thunder Force… but at it’s highest difficulties and most restricted (whaddaya know) it tightens up, smooths out and raises the hackles like previous games in the series. It’s never been a particularly BEAUTIFUL game — probably the best looking were the Sega Genesis iterations of TF III & IV — but I’m looking forward to when I can take a big healthy bite out of it, and watch it bite me right back.
I ALMOST FORGOT — Rockn’Rolla was a GREAT movie.
Really, a reassuring return-to-form from director Guy Ritchie. I’m personally a huge, huge fan of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and the introduction of a new batch of highly skilled, highly endearing actors, plus Gerard “King Leonidas” Butler as a well-meaning but thick Scottish muscle-for-hire made this one worth seeing again. Now, I will spoil this for you readers (if you haven’t been reading The Wiki lately) — there’s a sequel in the works, possibly a trilogy. I HATED that. It’s the one thing that soured the whole experience of Rockn’Rolla. Although at the same time, the pace was much slower and less scattered than Lock-Stock/Snatch, to it’s benefit.
Now, not everything can be sunshine & roses. JURY DUTY, was the most powerful 11 hours of boredom I had to endure. No lies, actual state mandated jury duty was this past Tuesday for your resident Crybringer. And lemme tell you, some intense sitting, dozing, doodling, sitting, waiting, with a cadre of 200 equally bored and irritated strangers was… something else. And that was right after the home teams had to go and lose some important, season-defining games. Lucky thing they get to duke it out!
vs 
Sunday, December 7th!
For this newfound football fan, the (current residence) Washington Redskins and the (hometown) Baltimore Ravens actually have a LOT to be happy about — both have new first-year coaches, new offensive coordinators to actually come up with dominant play and healthy endgame scores. The Ravens have a rookie quarterback with a fierce throwing arm and what looks to be the start of a robust career, not to mention both have made the Super Bowl, the Ravens are the quintessential defensive unit and the Redskins are having fun and winning with a West Coast style of play. Good job fellas in putting faith back in the fans. Now, if the Redskins could have smashed their wounded rival Dallas Cowboys and buried their still-very-dead season, the sting of watching the Ravens get shredded by the nigh-unstoppable New York Giants might not have been so bad.
And that brings us to now. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for the next few weeks, because we’re about to ascend the roller coaster hill we call the Holiday Season. It shall be epic this year — this I know! See ya till then!
Greetings, Bugrom!
I have survived returned from Nekocon! And I bring presents!
Not really.
I did promise you a con report, however. So, I will do my best to accommodate.
*Ahem*
I sat behind a table in the Artists Alley all weekend. The End.
Okay, that’s not exactly fair. That’s a wee bit short for a con report. I will admit, I did sit at a table in the Artists Alley for almost the whole weekend, but I’m sure I can come up with more than that to spark some excitement in the crisp, November air.
To make it look official, let’s split it up into days, shall we?
Friday
Friday was an interesting beginning to the weekend. I didn’t do a whole hell of a lot. I spent most of it waiting for my 2wcOnline partner-in-crime to show up and join me. In the meantime, I made my rounds, met up with several staff members, artists, and friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. I made it to the Opening Ceremonies at 3 PM, where I was greeted by some of the other guests. When the MC my name to come up on stage, I found myself doing something that most people would only be caught doing if they were blind, insanely drunk –
I went up dressed as The Greatest American Hero.
I dunno what possessed me to do it. I literally woke up that morning, looked at my cat and said, “Wouldn’t it be completely silly and out there if I went to opening ceremonies in my Greatest American Hero t-shirt and Greatest American Hero cape that I got from my Greatest American Hero DVD collector’s tin?”
My cat looked at me as if to say, “Why the hell are you talking to a cat?”
And just like Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when he kept arguing with himself on whether or not he was going to go pick up Ferris so that they could have that day off that the title of the movie so seductively alluded to, I had a similar self-argument:
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Yup. I’m doing it.”
“No. No! That’s just nuts! You’re really nuts, man!”
“Like crunchy peanut butter. I’m doing it.”
“Like crunchy… what? What does that even mean?”
“I don’t care, cause it’s on like TRON!”
So there I was, sober, bright lights shining on my bearded visage, staring down a bunch of con-goers I couldn’t even see in silly defiance.
And the crowd loved it.
See, here’s a little sidebar – ever since 2wcOnline and The Draconia Chronicles have started to do some serious growing in popularity, I’ve started to move away from the whole Silent Bob thing more and more. And on that fateful day last Friday, I realized that I really don’t need to be Silent Bob any more. The crowd loves my antics no matter what. Especially as The Greatest American Weirdo. I don’t have a pic, but here’s a drawing a good friend named James Evans did:
Looks like I have a new regular convention costume. Time for a show down, Neo-Vader!
Saturday
Saturday was more of the same. Danny and I went to the web comics panel with the other web comics guests and had a great time. There was a huge turn-out and every one had plenty of questions. The best part? Danny and I have been doing this enough times now that we actually felt like a part of the group. We were able to add our 2 cents in quite often and it felt natural. It was a great feeling.
Later, we had a few aspiring artists and new fans come up to the table and ask us even more questions, or in one case, show us a portfolio of her work. Blair, you rock!
Sunday
Sunday wasn’t much of anything. Danny and I spent a couple more hours in the Artists Alley, getting in some last minute sales. We ended up doing really well, selling over half of our stock of 2009 Draconia calendars, as well as making a sweet killing with out other merchandise. After closing ceremonies, we packed up, regrouped, got a grip, came equipped, grabbed our proton packs out the back and we split. Found out about Viggo, the Master of Evil, try to battle my boys? That’s not legal!
And then we socialized with the other guests and staff in the hotel lounge until the guest/staff dinner at the Olive Garden.
It was an incredible weekend, overall. Danny and I got to meet a lot of our fans face-to-face. We made some new friends. We enjoyed ourselves. We ended the weekend feeling like we belong with the rest of the web comic guests. And from what I heard, the con programming staff actually managed to pull off their plan of having two bands perform both Friday and Saturday night. Kudos to you guys! If you plan on pulling such a stunt again next year, let me know. I can get you a body guard for both bands real cheap.
I hear The Greatest American Weirdo works for peanuts.
Believe it or not, The Don is walking on thin ice.
You guys! I’m so sorry! I haven’t updated in forever! Personal stuff going on, not necessarily good…you know the drill.
But, here I am!
I’m not sure what I have to bring you today, so I guess I’ll just ramble on about some things I’m currently enjoying.
#1 - Slayers
Yes, the anime. The old one. The one from back in the day (it was a Wednesday) that most people cut their proverbial Otaku teeth on. You could say that I’m a Born Again Slayers fan. You see, like many, it was one of the first series I ever watched. Oh, how I loved Zelga…I mean, the show. Yeah, that’s it. I loved the WHOLE SHOW.
Oh, who am I kidding? I loved Zelgadis. He was my boy. One of my first big anime crushes. I remember buying the shitajiki (pencil board, for those of you who don’t speak weeaboo) with him in the modern day suit with his shirt unbuttoned. OOOH BABY. Give me a break, I was like 16 and easily excited. I taped it to my closet door. I’m sure my parents were thrilled. They were probably like, “Why is our daughter printing out pictures of this blue guy from the internet and taping them to the wall?” Being a budding fangirl was awesome.
Anyway, that said, I soon collected the whole first season on VHS and parts of TRY via low grade fansubs. My second love was Valgarv, in case anyone was interested. I must get off on those brooding, angsty types.
I never forgot my love of Slayers (or smutty Slayers fanfic) but for a long time I thought I’d seen it all and there was nothing left.
Then, just this past February, I finally got my hands on the entire second season on DVD. I had only ever seen the first four episodes of NEXT because I’m a very bad girl. I watched the hell out of it, and fell in love again. Then, this past summer, Slayers Revolution came out. Ever since, my life has spiraled out of control like a wayward Giga Slave!
Yeah, I went there.
Only recently I got my hands on the novels that started it all. That’s right, the 8 currently translated volumes of the Slayers light novels. Having sped through all of them in about 3 days, I’ve come to one conclusion: The anime is better. Sorry, Kanzaka-san!
Now, don’t get me wrong. The novels are good and I will probably read some of them again in the future. But as the author once admitted himself, there is no romance because he doesn’t know how to write romance. He’s just a D&D nerd who wanted to write an epic sword and sorcery tale that went into great detail about the workings of magic. He definitely succeeded! The novels are fantastic at explaining how the magic works, why the spells work the way they do, etc. They explain the relationships between all the different types of creatures prancing around the world, and the fighting and gore is top notch. Hey, I’m the type of girl that loves a good shounen series, okay? Don’t judge.
But I am a girl…which means I love to see more character relationships. That’s where the novels fall short. I don’t mean Lina and Gourry need to be making out all the time (although they should) or that Amelia and Zel should skip back to Seyruun singing their undying love for each other (although they should) but there is like NO chemistry in the novels at all. Trust me, I can usually FIND chemistry, even where it doesn’t exist. But not this time.
As a fan, I like them. I like having this grasp of the original material. But all the changes made for the anime have been good ones. And it’s not as if the author doesn’t have a say in the anime, anyway. He does, even for TRY which was not based on the novels.
My only beef so far is the huge dumb leap they made with the character Duclis in Revolution. Seriously, what? I’m not even going to go there. Watch it yourself.
Oh, um, and because I cosplay (which I know I’ve mentioned here once or twice) I totally made an Amelia costume for Halloween this year.
I totally rule.
Shut up, a girl can dream.
#2 - Pushing Daisies
This is one of the best shows currently on TV. Its stylized storytelling and settings reminds me a lot of the movie “Big Fish”, so if you like that sort of thing you will definitely like this show. It’s a bit on the macabre side, which is what originally drew me to it. But the stories, characters, acting, and beautiful directing have kept me spellbound.
The show follows Ned, a young man who makes pies for a living. Ned has a particularly unusual ability. He can bring dead things back to life with just a touch. The problem is, a second touch makes them dead again forever. Also, if he brings someone (or something) back to life and then doesn’t make them dead again within one minute, something else nearby has to die to keep nature in balance.
Ned eventually brings his murdered childhood sweetheart back to life and keeps her there. He then finds himself teamed up with Emerson Cod, a private investigator who finds out Ned’s secret and uses him to help solve murder cases. Much hilarity ensues.
Ned’s friend and employee at his pie shop, Olive, doesn’t know his secret (or the secret of the secretly dead girlfriend) but she often gets mixed up in their shenanigans. The aforementioned dead girlfriend’s still living aunts, Lily and Vivian, are also an important part of the show. I would like to take this moment to point out that Lily is AWESOME. Then again, all the characters are awesome. I adore them all.
The show has a smarmy British narrator and a tongue-in-cheek view of life, death, love, family and pies.
If you’re not watching this show…WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?! Get on it!
#3 - 30 Rock
I don’t know how you guys feel about comedies, but I’m not a big fan. A comedy has to have a special something to get me involved with it. I’d have to say the last actual comedy I liked (I don’t count Pushing Daisies since it doesn’t fit the normal comedy mold) was Arrested Development, and you know what happened there.
Well, 30 Rock is very similar. It’s self deprecating and sometimes even a little offensive, but in a good way! Masterminded by Tina Fey, 30 Rock follows the behind-the-scenes goings on of a live sketch comedy show. Basically, it makes fun of SNL. Alec Baldwin steals just about every scene as Jack Donaghy, the head of the network. He’s a super conservative Republican who gets off on capitalism.
I don’t think I should say any more. Just watch it.
#4 - Heroes
After the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame second season (I blame the Writer’s Strike) it is finally starting to redeem itself a bit. Although I kind of wish people would stop screwing with the time line. It really isn’t helping. Haven’t these people watched Star Trek? Because if Star Trek taught me anything, it’s to NOT screw with the space time continuum!
Well, I think that’s all I have for tonight. I figured since I haven’t updated in a while, I should make it a big one!
Greetings, Ninja Science Team members!
I hope that one of you who reads this you all enjoyed the Hallowe’en series I did last month. And hopefully it was packed with enough win and nougat that you’ll forgive this week’s shortened feature. I’m a little pressed for time this week, as this weekend happens to be Nekocon. For our something-somethingth time in a row, I and my 2wcOnline cohort Danny Valentini will be in attendance as guests.
“Guests?” you scratch your head in wonder over. “Why in the hell would you be a guest, writer-boy?”
Excellent question! And by trying to insult me by calling me “writer-boy” (okay, okay – it stings a little *sniff*) you’ve partially hit the nail on the head! You know, like with a hammer. Cause… the hammer… hits the nail…
Nevermind!
The facts are these: once upon a time a writer and an artist love a creative idea very much and so they get together and write and draw and write and draw and nine months later a web comic comes out!
Or something like that.
But because of 2wcOnline’s ever-increasing popularity with the web comic “The Draconia Chronicles”, the Powers-That-Be at Nekocon were kind and gracious enough to invite us back each year for the past several to be guests, where we can talk ad nauseum at panels like we know the secrets of the universe (we don’t), as well as make you buy hock our wares in the Artist Alley.
By-golly, that’s what we intend to do.
And this year, we have a brand new Draconia calendar out for mortal consumption.
So, if you happen to be in the area or for some reason need a place to hide while fleeing from the cops, come hang out at Nekocon this weekend. I’ll be there to take your verbal abuse and angry rants about why I wasted a perfectly good Spwug article on trivial ramblings such as these.
Then next week I’ll give you a con report and an apology.*
Paid for by the Committee to Stop The Don From Paying for Committees.
*The Don not responsible or held liable for actual apology or lack thereof.
A Mark Goodson Television Production.
