a place for posts to go

this is going to be a hell of a day ughhh

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:48:59 -0400

this is going to be a hell of a day

ughhh

flavorpill: It’s like Middle America’s nightmare made flesh,...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:15:49 -0400

It’s like Middle America’s nightmare made flesh, an articulate and angry black man first trying to live the American dream, then transcending it, then rejecting it. Rarely has a career followed such a compelling and coherent narrative arc, and if you think the guy following it is just a cashed-up egomaniac, well, you’re putting an awful lot of faith in providence.

“If You’re Laughing at Kanye West, the Jokes On You”

japaneseanimes: ok my steam is working fine like i can navigate to any fucking page but my chat is...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:22:58 -0400

japaneseanimes:

ok my steam is working fine like i can navigate to any fucking page but my chat is saying i’m offline

steam has maintenance on tuesdays

i just dropped google reader off of my bookmarks and replaced it with feedly

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:35:49 -0400

rip ;-;

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:06:26 -0400

This is the End and the endless jokes about rape

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:44:49 -0400

crackopenfemur-suckoutmarrow:

diaphenia:

Let’s talk about This is the End.

It’s celebrity rpf (Apocalypse AU) and whatever, the beginning of the movie is sort of fun, with a lot of cameos and celebrities running around partying.

Read More

tl;dr version: Ton of rape jokes, Emma Watson made so uncomfortable during filming that she walked off set and was subsequently mocked for it, and everything we know about Seth Rogen’s ‘comedy’ is confirmed.

1atula: 1atula: 1atula: 1atula: 1atula: 1atula: im gonna watch madoka magica!!!!! why did i...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:18:31 -0400

1atula:

1atula:

1atula:

1atula:

1atula:

1atula:

im gonna watch madoka magica!!!!!

why did i do this. i fucked up. i fucked up. i fucked up. i fucked up. i fucked up. im so sorry. im trash.

nO PURPLE MADOKA NO

NO YELLOW MADOKA NO!!!!!!!

ITS ONLY THE THIRD FUCKING EPISODE WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT KIND OF SHOUJO ANIME IS THIS

videogamedad: metalqueersolid: incredible evidence that big...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:01:51 -0400

videogamedad:

metalqueersolid:

incredible evidence that big boss isn’t who we thought he was.

intense video game analysis over here

turns out varinn is the new protagonist

rjinswand: thisistheverge: Robot Wars: An oral history of the...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:25:03 -0400

rjinswand:

thisistheverge:

Robot Wars: An oral history of the birth and death of BattleBots - SBNation.com

The second Robot Wars competition in 1995 was bigger and better, including 49 creators and their machines and a professional announcer. Attendance nearly doubled. Most importantly, with a year of combat and practice under their belts, designers focused on perfecting their methods of destruction. Ingenuity took a quantum leap forward. It’s ironic, then, that the robot that made the biggest impact that year lacked an actual weapon.

hahaha shit i actually remember a bunch of the robots from that gifset

doctorsage: SHINGEKI NO LUCHADEER / ATTACK ON GIANT BOMB

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:09:04 -0400

doctorsage:

SHINGEKI NO LUCHADEER / ATTACK ON GIANT BOMB

"[I hate YouTube because] the player is so ugly, and it’s presented in such a terrible manner. I want..."

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:40:09 -0400

“[I hate YouTube because] the player is so ugly, and it’s presented in such a terrible manner. I want everything I do to be presented in an art context, as this is a form of sonic art. I was an artist originally, I have been in art school since I was 5 years old. I got scholarships to three art schools, Art Institute of Chicago, Saint Xavier, and the American Academy of Art, where I ended up going—and I dropped out because I had an assignment where I was supposed to do an ink painting or something, and I would take two weeks to do it, and when I looked at my work, I just felt that I would never be one of the great visual artists of the world. I just felt like I would end up like—and this is no knock to anybody that does this—but I felt like I would end up working at an ad agency or something like that. I wanted to make something of impact. I found that when I would drop samples, my friends would react to it more. I felt that I had a real talent in chopping and appropriating music. What I want people to understand about sampling and producing is that it’s really similar to—and I know this is obvious what I’m going to say, because I’m a black guy so I’m gonna name the ‘most obvious artist in the world’—Warhol, but it’s very similar to the way Warhol would appropriate a Campbell’s Soup can is the way I would sonically appropriate a Ray Charles sample or a Michael Jackson sample. Right now it’s a fight against the separation and constant dumbing down of culture, and I’m standing in the middle of it. So if you know what people say are my lowest moments, those moments where I sat and saw them try to dumb down culture, and I would not allow it to happen on my clock. So when I used to go to fashion shows with my boys and we’d be eight deep, it was almost like a civil rights, like a sit-in. They wouldn’t even let us in. They had no idea what rap would mean to this world, what rap would mean to the art world. Before the Kendrick Lamars and the A$AP Rockys, it was Kanye West in a hotel room at the Le Maurice getting a ‘no, no, no, no’ to every single fashion show. But I thought it was so important to get close to the artists who worked so hard on making a usable form of art—like this furniture right here, like everything that is in all these rooms that inspire us so much—and I fight in my position of being a very commercial celebrity boyfriend, I fight to push culture forward every chance I get. And I only frown because paparazzi ask me dumbass shit all the time, and I think about changing the world, and I think about what I can do to make things better. And, without further ado, I want to play you guys my new album. It’s called Yeezus.””

- Kanye West (via tweepunk)

I love that Kanye can balance on that knife’s edge between art and commerce. His fashion sense was the first thing that drew me to his music … I really appreciate that breadth of interest and taste because all of that stuff feeds into everything he creates.

It’s fucked up that he has to make that aside about being a black man when he talks about Warhol, but I like that he calls people on it. And I like that he thinks about music in the larger context of culture and art … it’s easy to work creatively in a field and get trapped in the mindset of only watching movies to inform your own movies or only reading comics to inform your own comics.

(via ananthymous)

bradofarrell: Oh man, all these people are playing Animal...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:23:09 -0400

bradofarrell:

Oh man, all these people are playing Animal Crossing New Leaf and it’s their first Animal Crossing game ever and they’re totally missing out on some poignant story elements.

In each game you can talk to Sable every day and she’ll gradually open up to you and tell you more about her life.

When the Able Sisters were young their parents passed away. Mable was too young to understand the situation, and Labelle was older and frustrated and ran away to the big city leaving Sable to act as the sole parent to Mable. These events left Mable introverted and withdrawn. She works so hard because she had to take on the responsibility of raising Mable after their parents died and her big sister abandoned her.

In Animal Crossing City Folk, you can enter Gracie’s shop to buy high-end clothing and one of her employees is Labelle, the lost Able sister. Through a series of conversations with various characters you can trick Labelle into dropping her phoney proper accent and speaking in a more relaxed “country” accent. She opens up and talks about her past and her family. In New Leaf, Labelle has moved home. In the back of her shop you can see a newspaper clipping and a ribbon that used to be part of her old uniform.

If you consider that newspaper clipping compared to the backstory from the previous games it paints a sad picture. Labelle moved to the city to get away from her family but she fell on hard times and her family took her back. People who haven’t played the previous games don’t realize what a big deal it is to see those three sisters finally reunited in the same store!

In Wild World, Sable would get sad sometimes around January. If you talk to her consistently she’ll tell you this story about Tom Nook:

“Well, the first letter I got from him arrived at just around this time of year… The other day, before bed, I pulled that letter out… and just looked at it. Tee hee! It was adorable! Sure, the handwriting was a little messy, but… You could hear his determination in every word of that letter… Sweet, young Tom Nook… His call to arms, his ethos, was “Dreams before money!” He was so pure that people wondered if he’d survive this crazy old world. I did too. Every night before falling asleep, I would wish him… ‘Please keep Tom Nook’s pure spirit protected,” I’d whisper in the darkness. “Keep him safe from the apathy that breeds in the alleys of the big city…’

I don’t know why I’ve told you so much about Tom Nook and I… All those memories of our shared youth must bore you. Please forgive me.

[Tell Me More!]

…Ohh, OK, if you insist!

“The Tom Nook that left for the big city… He sent me letters quite frequently, actually. One day, I received a wooden box, not a letter. When I opened it, I was quite astonished!

[A ring?!]

Oh goodness, no! Are you kidding?! [NAME], I think you’ve been watching too many made-for-TV movies! …Ohh, I’m so sorry. Heh, I didn’t mean to snap. That just took me off guard.

No, inside the box, there was a pair of fancy, burnt-orange colored… scissors. Incredibly strong and sharp scissors! The finest scissors I’d ever laid eyes on. The enclosed letter said, “Happy birthday, Sable!” So…sweet… At the time, I was so busy that I’d even forgotten it was my birthday. To think Tom Nook had remembered it… I’m sure life was hard for Tom Nook in the city during that time… I know his job paid poorly, so for him to buy those scissors for me… When I think about it, it makes me so happy that I cry!

Oh really, [NAME]… You want to hear my memories again? I’m warning you, not all my memories are fond ones you know…

[Really?]

Well, we shared a lot of good times, Tom Nook and I. Before there was an observatory in dear old [TOWN NAME]… We used to climb up the roof when we wanted to look at the stars… Ohh, yes! We even made constellations together, I remember! I made one called the “Star Shirt.” Tom Nook’s looked like one of those old-time markets. He called it… “The Farmer’s Market Bargain Bin Constellation.” Ohh that takes me back…

[Nice story]

Yes, it is… Shortly after that, Tom Nook moved to the big city… Yes, he left to chase his dreams… When he returned to [TOWN NAME], he came back a totally different soul… I still believe that… if he had just clung to those sweet memories like I do… he would have shaken off the heartsickness of those city years… Memories can be sad, but they can also save you…”

There seems to be a general theme in the Able Sisters storyline of the city representing running away. The implication is that the fast lifestyle of the city can make you sick with ennui and that taking it easy in a small town is the cure. The Animal Crossing series, as a whole, is about not running.

The literal act of “running” is the only thing that the game ‘punishes’ you for doing - you’ll destroy flowers, scare away fish and bugs, and gradually tear away the grass. But the game still gives you the option to run, because it’s about choosing to slow down and enjoy the journey. It’s not about beginnings or endings, it’s about the calmness between those events. It’s sort of like the video game version of the Japanese concept of ma. Animal Crossing is a really beautiful thing and I’m so happy it exists.

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:43:52 -0400

i did definitely at one point try to research magic staffs on the internet in my dream to help my...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:40:50 -0400

i did definitely at one point try to research magic staffs on the internet in my dream to help my friends and discover a scathing takedown blog post on how all these magic media misrepresent actual magic including a long list of analogies to a show i’m pretty sure doesn’t exist

“harry potter not using a staff is as effective as john prescott’s singing career, the girls in madoka performing unassisted makes their job twice as hard as it needs to be” etc

dream bits ad pieces: magic girl shows sucks because actual magic needs wands as focuses so...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:32:34 -0400

dream bits ad pieces: magic girl shows sucks because actual magic needs wands as focuses so you’ve got all these kids ruing aroud trying to do magic except it’s really underpowered because they don’t have one

had a scee where i was driving around w/friends (picture roosterteeth GTA4 fuckery) and ended up ramping off into this Obvious Trap beach: sand receding away into nothingness with lots of crystal outcropping platforms with people kind of fake standing on them

i bailed out before i got there but my friends ended up getting stuck. the tide moved in and out rapidly adn whenever it came it all the people would disintegrate and blow in the wind up to the top of the beach where i was and then drift back when it went out again. the trick was to use my staff/wand to coalesce them at the top (as i was told when i kept trying for a while to no avail) but i wasn’t able to find one before i woke up

confusedtree: My dad stopped expressing disappointment in me...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:41:32 -0400

confusedtree:

My dad stopped expressing disappointment in me years ago and just sort of gets tired now

i forgot who i sent things to already 8( i’m basically just asking people ‘6 8...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:35:23 -0400

i forgot who i sent things to already 8(

i’m basically just asking people ‘6 8 9 23 27’ tho which imo are some of the best questions

3, 25, 28

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:33:10 -0400

3: bastion bastion bastion bastion. honorable mentions: fez, assassin’s creed 2, arkham series, psychonauts, beyond good and evil, portal 2, etc etc etc

25: forever ago with AR for the GCN but the disc broke after about a week of trying it. i have messed around with cheat engine a couple times (mostly for trying to grind out the last few achievements in PC vanilla SF4) but generally a very very last resort

28: already answered

pretentious is the worst adjective to ever apply to...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:30:21 -0400

pretentious is the worst adjective to ever apply to anything

it’s legit just “affecting more worth than it has” which means you’re saying ‘i think it’s shit and going to be shit and trying to be more than shit is fooling itself’

the only actual pretentious games you’ll find are the dashed-off parodies of art games you’ll see on kongregate and the like occasionally and even those are trying to be pretentious

but anyway the concept of interactivity and the inherent ability to control your experience within a videogame are the main benefits of the medium, even if it is incredibly difficult and impossible to budget actually being able to massively change your experience as a part of the game itself. some games manage to do that (the witcher 2’s second act is completely and wholly different based on your story decision!) but it’s mostly at cost of development time that publishers would rather spend on content that, you know, all players that play through the game will actually see.

so with that in mind, i support games that poke at the idea that playing the game will always pretty much end in a given outcome. your choice to continue playing the game instead of shutting it off is (admittedly) always there, even if it does seem a bit silly to hope people will make the conscious effort to go “I am into this game and story enough to actively decide to stop playing it because I cannot bear to have my hands bloodied with virtual deaths.”

but really though, it does make a good story to have the player themselves feel in some part responsible for what happens. it’s something the medium does allow for! plus up until relatively recently a large chunk games still centered around the idea that players should just constantly have positive feedback from their games which is GOOD but is also preeeeeetty limited

but here jed

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:15:55 -0400

#4: already answered

#17: i’m really honest about the games i play, there’s none really that i’d outright hide. i recommended magical diary ffs

#10: final fantasy tactics advance + advance wars for the gba i both tried really hard to get into but just completely fell flat on. i tend to be collectionist/completionist and making up my own strats for strategy games doesn’t really work out most of the time, so i just stopped