But besides that - PERSONA 4 PERSONA 4 PERSONA 4 PERSONA 4.

I'm only six hours in, and I LOVE THIS GAME TO DEATH OH MAN. It's amazing, and not easy! :< I swear the random battles can be harder than the bosses! But the characters are so charming and well-rounded, fusing Personas is surprisingly enjoyable, and the whole 'Social Links' thing sounds pretty ridiculous, but it's actually quite interesting and addictive. Plus, the music is nothing short of fabulous - it's no wonder that they give you a bonus disk of the soundtrack! PERSONAAAAAA *3*

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Tagged by StargamerX.

--

Here are the rules:

1. Put Your iTunes (or other music player) on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Tag at least 10 friends.
6. Anyone tagged has to do the same, because fun pointlessness spreads like a virus.

--

1. If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say:

Can't Take It - The All-American Rejects

2. How would you describe yourself?

Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie

3. What do you like in a girl? (I assume that's 'guy' for me. )

The (Shipped) Gold Standard - Fall Out Boy

4. How do you feel today?

Emergency Exit - Beck

5. What is your life's purpose?

Tiffany Blews - Fall Out Boy (what the heck is that supposed to mean?)

6. What is your motto?

I Wanna - The All-American Rejects (that's not a very good motto, methinks )

7. What do your friends think of you?

Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued - Fall Out Boy

8. What do you think of your parents?

But It's Better If You Do - Panic! At The Disco

9. What do you think about very often?

AEIOU - Charlotte Sometimes

10. What is 2+2?

G.I.N.A.S.F.S - Fall Out Boy (why so much Fall Out Boy today?! DX)

11. What do you think of your best friend?

Unwell - Matchbox Twenty

12. What do you think of the person you like?

I Don't Care - Fall Out Boy (appropriate :lol

13. What is your life story?

Qué Onda Guero - Beck

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! At The Disco

15. What do you think when you see the person you like?

She Had The World - Panic! At The Disco

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?

My Moves Are White [White Hot, That Is] - Cobra Starship

17. What will they play at your funeral?

Fame - David Bowie (yeah, right)

18. What is your hobby/interest?

Little Of Your Time - Maroon 5

19. What is your biggest fear?

This Is The Sound - The Last Goodnight

20. What is your biggest secret?

Angie - Cobra Starship

21. What do you think of your friends?

Dance Inside - The All-American Rejects

22. What will you put as the title?

Shiver - Maroon 5

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Microsoft:

I missed some parts of Microsoft's show, but ultimately, it sounds like it was pretty good! I was a bit underwhelmed by Kinect - I felt its games were a little too similar to what the Wii has been doing. However, I did like Ubisoft's fitness game somewhat, and the game selection could rapidly improve (besides, we really only got a glimpse). I'm also really liking how you can use voice commands to play movies and music on your Xbox. Also, that Metal Gear game with Raiden slicing things up looks wicked awesome, as well as Fable 3, Codename Kingdoms, and Dance Central (Harmonix + music = awesome, naturally). Plus, of course, there's the Xbox 360 Slim. I'm still waffling over the redesign, but hey, it's alright.

EA:

I didn't see much, but their Star Wars trailer was mighty fine!

Ubisoft:

The Soup is one of my favorite television shows, and I totally crush on its host, Joel McHale, so having him host Ubisoft's conference just makes everything a little better. Their Ghost Recon game was pretty amazing looking, and I am highly intrigued by ManiaPlanet (anything that lets you customize your own RPG is right up my alley!). They also revealed Rabbids Travel Through Time, and Rayman Origins! This new Rayman game is 2D and has a gorgeous art style! I love it!

Nintendo:

I shamelessly admit that I screamed with joy at least once during Nintendo's show. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Mario Sports Mix, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, GoldenEye 007, Epic Mickey, Kirby's Epic Yarn (so cute!), Dragon Quest IX, Metroid: Other M, Donkey Kong Country Returns, the 3DS, Kid Icarus: Uprising (OH MY GOD YES!!!!), Kingdom Hearts 3D, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, Shin Megami Tensei, Paper Mario and Star Fox (both for the 3DS!) - like WOW! Just the sheer number of games is fantastic!

Sony:

Sony had some pretty awesome stuff as well! Killzone 3 was pretty cool, and they're going to rerelease the Sly Cooper trilogy in HD! :3 They explained how Playstation Move works, and showed it with a game called Sorcery, both of which looked very good! They also showed a game called Heroes on the Move, some kind of Ratchet & Clank/Jak and Daxter/Sly Cooper Move-based crossover. I definitely want to know more about this crazy game. They also showed God of War: Ghost of Sparta and Patapon 3, both for the PSP. They then showed Little Big Planet 2 - I really like the emphasis on how you can create levels in any genre. They've also introduced the ability to add NPCs and create your own cinematics. There was also Playstation Plus, and Portal 2 for the PS3! And Infamous 2!

So, all in all, I'd say the E3 conferences turned out pretty well! What'cha think?

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But enough about me!

So, I finished Shadow of the Colossus (while my little sister beat it for the fourth time - I'm so behind -_-). Still rolling the ending around in my head, trying to see if I just liked it, or if it was great, but as a whole, the game was FANTASTIC. The final boss was all like, "WHOA SO HUGE".

So, Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out yesterday! Now, I really love Metacritic, especially since it helped me convice my mom to buy The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (which my mother and brother both ADORE - I'm going to play it soon). I noticed that SMG 2 is currently at a score of 98/100! I was looking at other scores, and this means that currently, there are only five games on Metacritic that are equal to or higher rated than SMG2. With that and the marvelous gameplay and soundtrack, I REALLY want it now. :3

Does anyone here watch Adventure Time? My siblings, several of my friends, and I all love it! It's quite silly and fun, with a nice smattering of jokes for older watchers. It's awesome (or Mathmatical)!

Ah, my brain is all fuzzy. I'm gonna go draw, and I'll get back to proper blogging soon. TTFN! :3

EDIT: Oh, I just remembered! My parents bought Plants vs. Zombies while I was at college! I'll blather on about the joys of zombie killing or something tomorrow or something - right now I'm sleepy. XP

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POKEMON BLACK AND WHITE:

OMG.

The fans have nicknamed the starters, from left to right, Smugleaf, Pignition, and Derpderp. Their real names are Tsutaaja, Pokabu, and Mijumaru. The pig is probably my least favorite, but not really because he's bad or anything - it's just that I adore the other two so much! ^.^ I want Smugleaf myself - he's just SO COOL! I'm anticipating their evos very much right now.

They have the full designs for the new trainers, too. They're supposed to be older than any player characters before which is pretty darned cool. The girl's shorts are a little bizarre, but I can get over that. They simply ROCK! I like how they're actually dressed like they're rooted in reality and prepared for hiking and traveling (albeit in opposite climates, it seems ).

PORTAL IS FREE:

I obsess over Portal quite a bit, you might notice. Would you believe I've never actually played it? XP But, to celebrate the launch of the Steam client on Mac (and probably to double a bit with Portal 2), Portal is available for free for Macs and PCs until May 24th.

Yes. PORTAL FOR FREE. Why wouldn't you buy a game that costs $0.00?

http://store.steampowered.com/freeportal/

I know that this game is pretty darned awesome. I'm getting it later today myself.

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS:

Not really news, but my current video game progress. I'm about six colossi in, so I'm coming along pretty well. If it keeps up and consistently gets even better and more exciting than it already is, it might just become my new favorite game EVER, beating Ratchet & Clank and Diablo II and Phantom Hourglass and all those. It's just THAT GOOD. 8D

Okay, back to unpacking. Have a lovely day!

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I felt like blogging (which is infinetely more fun than the homework I should be doing or the sleep I should be getting)! But all I can think of tonight is music!

Sooooo, anyway...

So, Fall Out Boy's on some 'indefinite hiatus'. To me, that says, 'reunion in five-to-ten years', maybe? I dunno. And I never got to see them live! Ah, best not to dwell on that, though. That's quite alright with me, because in a search for a more currently-active band, I have found some LOVELY stuff! I think I like what I've found almost more than FOB (and that's a lot!)

(Hmm, I'm making this up on the fly. I think I'll link to a few of my faves from each band.)

Cobra Starship!

The Scene Is Dead, Long Live The Scene

One Day Robots Will Cry

Cobra Starship is so fun! They always make me either want to dance or sing along (especially with their earworm tunes and playful lyrics), and every member sings vocals of some kind, so you get a lot of really nice harmonies or people singing different parts.

Ludo!

Girls on Trampolines

Lake Pontchartrain

Ludo is awesome! They really like to tell a story with a song, sometimes serious, and sometimes just a thing of silly awesomeness. I really dig the guitar work and vocals in particular.

Oh, and my most favorite webcomic artist also loves Ludo, so that's a bonus.

That'd be this webcomic: Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name Forgive me! D: I'm hopelessly and utterly addicted to this webcomic, and I am literally trying to get everyone I know to read it. So, you'll have to put up with my shameless promotion tonight, I'm afraid. IT ROCKS. SO MUCH.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, music. I've been listening to some Panic at the Disco, trying to gauge exactly how much I like it. I'm not a huge fan of their first CD, but I'm really digging Pretty.Odd. so far. It has a bit of a Beatles vibe to me. ^_^

Oh, and I hear that the lead singer of Fall Out Boy is releasing a CD in the middle of this year. I WANT IT. RIGHT NOW. I DON'T CARE WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE - I JUST LIKE HIS VOICE AND COMPOSITIONS THAT MUCH. O_O

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I quite liked YouTube's April Fools surprise - they added a mode called TEXTp. It turns pictures into symbols, and it's kind of hard to describe accurately, so why don't you just watch this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFwaV-0XZvc

I wish they hadn't gotten rid of it! I'd use that all the time!

I'm also planning to finally buy a PlayStation 3 once the semester ends. I want Final Fantasy XIII, Katamari Forever, and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.

And now I shall go do my boring homework. -_- Thanks for stopping by! X3

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NAO, I'M GONNA LEAVE FOREVR, BCAUSE YOU PEOPLE ARE WIERD.

I'LL GO FIND ME A VAMPIRE, AND HE WILL BE MY LOVLY DARLING. TEAM EDWARD!

April Fools! X3

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GLaDOS - "Still Alive"

As we perch on the brink of this year's Game Developers Conference, rumors of some of the biggest gaming establishments of the year are already trickling in. As I have been happily watching the news stream in from various sources, two announced games have particularly grabbed my attention, each one the first sequel to a franchise that altered the face of gaming in ways we never could have predicted. What are these games, you may ask?

ITEM #1:

Scribblenauts 2

With 10,000 new words and 120 new levels, 5th Cell is literally improving on what we thought was impossible in the first place (remember, the first game recognized 22,802 words already). An emphasis is going to be placed on adjectives this time around, which were completely absent in the previous game. I am crossing my fingers that I can give Maxwell a purple bazooka.

While no exact date has been given as of yet, they are planning to release Scribblenauts 2 this fall, only one year after the original. With luck, they may address the control and camera issues present in the first game, and maybe even give the game an actual storyline to help motivate the player, which could make this game...well, how should I put it? REALLY REALLY REALLY COOL. (Calm down, self.)

ITEM #2:

Portal 2

Well, would you look at that? Three years after the original game was released as a part of The Orange Box, we will be getting Portal 2 this holiday season. I personally find the way they hinted towards this to be a brilliant use of patching - mere days before, the original Portal was updated, adding radios that would play strange messages when positioned correctly, and also adding a slight tweak to the ending scene of the game. The internet community was sent into a tizzy, trying to piece together what all of this meant.

***{Spoilers Below!}***

Taking place hundreds of years after the original game, Portal 2 follows Chell, the protagonist from the first game, as she wakes up from stasis (or something like that). GLaDOS, after being nearly destroyed in the first game, has attemped to rebuild the Aperture Science lab, which has not been touched by human hands since the first game, but has instead been overgrown with plants.

And you know what else stinks for Chell?

GLaDOS remembers everything.

***{End Spoilers}***

The game will be a good sight longer than the original, and will also feature a co-op mode, as well as many new objects to solve puzzles with, like laser-redirecting cubes and paint with strange physical properties. The writing also sounds promising, and they promise not to reuse things like the cake being a lie. I like this fact, because if they did anything more with the cake, we'd all get tired of it, and then I'd be sad! Frankly, I'm extremely excited, even though I still haven't gotten to play the original yet.

***

Ah, so we have some exciting games coming out towards the end of 2010! Now, I generally like sequels - I like more of a good thing, and if something didn't work the first time, then hopefully it will be fixed the next time around (and the concept of improving on things definitely influnced my title choice, I admit). But, there is something interesting I cannot help but notice: where the general early consensus on Scribblenauts 2 is that it will definetely be better than the first, people are more mixed over Portal 2, a few even going so far as to boycott it already. Why is that?

One word: expectations. Let's talk about sequels and their reception by the denizens of the Internet.

When a game is given a sequel, the opinion can range from joy to sheer hatred, all mostly depending on how the original was received by the public. Let's consider some examples, and hopefully the motivations of the Portal 2 hating minority will become clear.

I suppose I will illustrate some pre-release sequel scenarios to hopefully prove my point. Of course, any of these viewpoints could be wrong once games are released - it's the pre-release hype that is being addressed here.

SITUATION #1: Generally bad game gets sequel. (Slightly edited - now with example!)

So close, so very, very close, and yet so absymally far. I feel your pain, bro - no, actually, I'm lying. I don't.

This isn't hard: if people hate a game, they will automatically assume that anything else related to it will be bad as well (or at least will look upon it with suspicion).

I could not think of a game that followed this pattern, but fellow GameSpot user Just-Adam suggested Tony Hawk's Ride, which is an excellent example - generally panned by the gaming world, it is already recieving a sequel. Hopefully, this quickly-announced Ride 2 means that they have a good idea on how to fix the numerous flaws present in the first game.

SITUATION #2: A game that is generally considered very, very good, but not 'so-good-angels-must-have-descended-to-earth-and-delivered-it-unto-us' gets a sequel.

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is sometimes considered by fans to be the best game in the series, while others say it's Up Your Arsenal. I prefer Up Your Arsenal myself. I feel like I'm picking one dirty pun over another. >_>

Also pretty straightforward: before release, the sequel will be anticipated with joy that directly correlates to the enjoyment and quality present in the first game. If the sequel improves on what was present in the first game and adds subtle yet fluid improvements, then people will be extremely happy.

MAXWELL I DID NOT TELL YOU TO JUMP IN THE WATER ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.

Alternatively, the original game could have had the potential to be spectacular, but was hindered by inherent flaws, like the character controls in Scribblenauts - how many people here accidentally and repeatedly told Maxwell to jump into a lava pit? *raises hand* While Scribblenauts was amazing in concept and still a very good game, issues like this held it back. Thus, an announced sequel makes fans very, very happy - they know that the developers will almost certainly fix the flaws and improve on the overall experience, and there are not many ways in which they could easily and completely ruin the game.

SITUATION #3: A long-running and popular series, known for being extremely good, plans to release another sequel.

Here's a fun game: Pick any entry in the Final Fantasy series, and count every person who says they hate it. You will get a very large number.

Now, this is where issues begin to pop up among the gaming communities. The more well-known a game is, the more loved it is, and the more hated it is. When any innovation or crazy new thing is announced for an upcoming game, like the voice-acting in Final Fantasy X or the real-time combat of Final Fantasy XII, cries of 'RUINED FOREVER' begin to resound. I think this is mostly driven by fear - if the new game turns out to be bad, all the detractor's joyous memories of the series will be slightly tainted by this new game that failed to live up to expectations.

SITUATION #4: A single game is widely considered to be 'so-good-angels-must-have-descended-to-earth-and-delivered-it-unto-us'. It also is (or seems) self-contained storywise, implying that no further action is necessary in the franchise. The game later gets a sequel.

If you though people complained about Final Fantasy games, then you ain't seen nothing yet. I think the key thing in this type of complaint is that the original game could stand alone. After all, not many people complain about there being three God of War games, because I think the original was set up to have sequels.

Rapture didn't turn out so well at the end of Bioshock. How can there be a game set later in Rapture's timeline? Oh, that's easy - we'll just undo all those plotlines we tied up in the last game! Deus ex machina, baby!

With a game like Bioshock or Portal, most people tend to really like it. It also stands alone, so if you decide to make a sequel, you will probably incur the wrath of said fans, even though they would probably love some more of the game. The problem is, as I have mentioned eariler, expectations. You see, there are sort of only three ways a sequel can go:

#1: It is exactly the same quality as the original game - "Well, this is an okay game, I guess, but it's really the same, so I'm dissapointed."

#2: The game is worse than the original game - "This game SUCKS! HATERAGEHATE YOU HAVE KILLED MY HAPPY MEMORIES OF MY PRECIOUS GAME!"

What is being aimed for is reaction #3: The game is actually better than the original. It takes a very gifted developer to pull this off - keeping the original game intact storywise and fan-reaction-wise while also improving on it and naturally and smoothly adding to the story are not easy feats, especially when a story is pretty much begun and ended in the one game. It takes skill to reopen a plot without breaking down the inherent logic and semblance of reason. The stakes end up extremely high, and this might be why some people don't like the sound of Portal 2. However, I have faith in Valve - The Orange Box looks like a boxfull of joy and happiness, so I think they can pull it off. We shall see...

So, what is the point here? Fans can be silly and fickle, which is sometimes justified. Developers should be careful when they make sequels to wildly sucessful games (unless they have established that they plan to do this sort of thing). And Portal 2 and Scribblenauts 2 are happening, and this makes me a happy person.

Oh, and have a happy Game Developers Conference, everyone!

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But I digress. After that flick, one of my friends showed us a demo video of Heavy Rain on Giant Bomb. You can see it here if you like, but I'll warn you that it's 25 minutes long. 25 glorious minutes.

I had previously heard of Heavy Rain and the concepts it presented, but I had never really seen it in action. Let me tell you, it's another bullet point on my "List of Reasons I Will Die If I Don't Get a PS3". I would really call it an interactive movie, and I've heard that you can actually mess up the story in ways - if you get a character killed during the course of events, they'll stay dead for the rest of that game, which can seriously affect the way the storyline progresses. It boggles my mind to think of how many different possibilities and storyline paths have been set up in the game... :3

And then there are rumors of what is being called the 'DS2', what may be Nintendo's next handheld gaming device. LINKAGE! According to Escapist Magazine (and probably other sources, but I'm too lazy to check), it might have tilt functionality, and The Pokemon Company is "getting special attention with it". It sounds to me that this might be the system that the fifth generation of Pokemon appears on, rather than the DS as previously thought.

Oh, and just in case you missed it, there is a fifth generation of Pokemon. I'm guessing that'll bump it up to approximately 600-620 total Pokemon. I find Zorua to be extremely adorable.

Now, back to work! I'm reading The Second Shepard's Play for British Lit, Penny Arcade, and The Adventures of Dr. McNinja all at the same time.

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Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name (Linked to the first page of the comic, not the most recent because the latest one has words not allowed on GameSpot, so I don't want to risk trouble. Besides, it's a continuing story, so why not start at the beginning? )

Actually, while I'm at it, read this one, too.

xkcd

See? I told you I'd keep it short!

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I don't get it. Why would you want to play a sports game when you could, oh, I dunno, go outside and play for real? I mean, you can't really play on rainy days, so I get that, and most people aren't in the NFL/MLB/LOL. Also, the Wii makes a heck of a lot of sense in this regard, because you can 'play' the sports and at least get a fraction of the movement and excercise. So, I just don't get why they make foot/baseball games for EVERY console EVERY year. Aren't they just ultimately the same? :\ Plus, you just push the buttons to do stuff, which doesn't seem like it would provide the same enjoyment as going outside and playing the actual game.

Well, I'm not a sports fan, except for the Olympics, so maybe I just don't understand.

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Well, I haven't blogged in a while. I can think of a few reasons:

1. Probably due to the homework I had to do during college, I haven't wanted to read or write.
2. I've been drawing like crazy! I'm back in my groove, I think - I'm actually pleased with what I'm churning out, plus I've been getting better at digital stuff! But for some reason, it's mostly video game fan art! You can look if you want, or not, whatever.
3. I've also been playing all the video games that I didn't have time for! :3 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (my little brother bought it recently), Spirit Tracks, all that sort of stuff. I'm expecting to come back on another break with at least on new PS2 game. Probably Persona 4. (Oh, boy, I wonder what my parents would think of that...)
4. I've also had a major case of writers' block. I don't really want to write a blog when I've got nothing to say, you know?

This is actually breaking up my writers' block a little! I'm going to write some more stuff! :3 And now for other random stuff.

1. My avatar hasn't shown up on my homepage in ages. Weird.
2. My sister and I got to see The Princess and The Frog a few days after my last blog. It made me so HAPPPPY! It was excellent!
3. Alright, this is officially my new favorite emoticon: :3
4. I want Kingdom Hearts III. Birth By Sleep sounds awesome, but I personally want Sora and co. to go to some new Disney worlds! (Ooh, The Princess and The Frog, perhaps? )
5. I found the latest Doctor Who special on YouTube! I iz gonna watch it all! YAYZ!

Ack, my sister wants on the Internet! *shakes fist* Well, TTFN!

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And GameFAQ is getting ready for it's annual Character Battle! This is the eighth one! I'm so excited, because this is the first one I've been around for from the very beginning! (When I first signed up for GameFAQs, I believe they were near the end of their Best Game Ever contest, so I didn't get to make a bracket or anything.) I'm working on my bracket right now. (I'm currently trying to figure out whether Aerith or Squall should move on...)

Hm...that made a much shorter blog than I was anticipating. CUTE DANCING PIKACHU TIME!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSYftLYJZd0

Really, I could be in the absolute worst mood ever, and that video would still make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There's also a long version, but I'll spare you this time. ^_^

Now, back to Final Fantasy III! *runs off*

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Fortunately, after Wednesday, I only have finals to deal with, and by next Wednesday, the semester is over! Then, I can get back to GameSpotting, editorializing, and some creative output. So, don't be surprised if I seem dead for the next few days - I have my French final on Saturday morning, and I'm going to need all the studying time I can get...

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1. I might get Final Fantasy III for the DS instead of/along with one of those PC RPGs at the moment, because it's a lot easier to find offline. (I'm too impatient for online shopping sometimes. )
2. I submitted some stuff to deviantART. It's not the best, but I'm pleased. Glitch City and Invader Zim
3. Surprised Kitty AWWWWWW! OMGSOCUTE!

So, schnauzer8 tagged me during my tagging blog! Is that even allowed?! Whatever - five more facts! (I figure I can get away with five, since I did fifteen last time. )

1. I could read when I was about 3.
2. I love Invader Zim and Avatar: The Last Airbender! I wish they would show them more often on TV!
3. My favorite word is 'defenestration'. It is the act of throwing something out a window.
4. Also loves the shows Good Eats, NCIS, The Mentalist, Doctor Who, and The Soup.
5. Um... I dunno. It's hard to think up things!

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This time I have 16 tidbits for y'all!

1. I have a brother and a sister, both younger than me. (She's 14, and he's 8 )

2. If I haven't eaten properly during the course of a day, and I then eat something with a lot of sugar, I will get extremely hyper.

3. Whenever my sister and/or brother watch a Pokémon movie, my father and I will sit there making commentary and cracking jokes at it the entire time (basically, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Pokémon style.) I like the Pokémon video games, but not the TV show, as you may be able to tell.

4. Not only am I a Monty Python fan &ndash; I am a fan of British humor in general. I like Mr. Bean, Black Adder, The Thin Blue Line, and Good Neighbors.

5. My favorite poem is Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, but my favorite poet in general is Shel Silverstein. That's a strange combination!

6. I'm a bit of a miser &ndash; one time, I actually stood in the grocery store, debating whether or not to buy a pack of chewing gum.

7. If I have nothing better to occupy me, I will become a bit obsessive-compulsive about cleaning the house.

8. I adore the Artemis Fowl books and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, and will not stop bothering my sister until she tries them.

9. Since my last tagging, I can now play Rock Band drums on Hard, vocals on Expert, bass on Hard, and guitar on Medium. I do have to actually know some of the song to sing it, though.

10. I adore LOLcats!

11. I use Mozilla Firefox as my Internet browser.

12. I scored 2010 (out of 2400) on my SATs in June 2008. That was actually the second time I've taken the SATs &ndash; the first time was when I was 13. The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth liked my seventh-grade standardized test scores, so they asked me to take the SATs in eighth grade.

13. I am vegetarian.

14. My favorite food is anything that involves potatoes, tomatoes, cheese, fruit, granola, or chocolate.

15. My favorite bands include Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, The All American Rejects, Sara Bareilles, The Last Goodnight, INXS, Beck, Shakira, Good Charlotte, Coldplay, Johnny Clegg, Owl City, Lady Gaga, Matchbox Twenty, and The Black Eyed Peas, among many others.

16. I love going shopping, despite the fact that I seldom buy anything.

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Well, I've seen some footage of Google Wave in action, and it looks rather cool. I know some people (in real life) who have access to the beta and can invite others - I might just have to ask around and see if I might could get in there...

What's that? You've never heard of Google Wave? What's wrong with you?! (I kid!) Google Wave is perhaps best described as e-mail, instant messaging, a wiki, and some other stuff all thrown together. It's primarily a tool for collaboration, ranging from making plans to go somewhere to working on a school project.

People type things in rich text (that's when you can bold and italicize it - like with a word processor) on the right side, and any participants in the wave can edit or comment. It looks like a great tool for collaborating on projects and plans. Plus, you can see what people type in real-time, as they type it! I don't think I've ever been this excited for an Internet whatchamacallit.

In other news, I've just recently learned, after consulting with the computer help department, that the Wi-Fi here on campus is not compatible with Nintendo DS's! At all! Gack. Isn't that swell?! I think I've already missed the Arceus event for Pokemon Platinum by now...oh, well.

Oh, yeah, I have an editorial in the near-finished stages, but I'm afraid to post it! I feel like it's not relevant - it seems like a lot of editorials recently are about recent gaming news, and I just wrote about the role of graphics in the process of storytelling. I think graphics can have a positive impact on the way story is conveyed, and I feel like if I'm on the front page, I will so get bashed...

Finally, I want a computer game!!! I've been waffliing for ages, and I've decided I want a nice, cheap, old RPG. Right now, I'm looking at either Baldur's Gate II or Neverwinter Nights. My family does have an extra copy of Diablo II (which my family and I have been playing since I was 10! ), but I want to try something new. Has anyone ever played any of these games? Any thoughts?

Oh, weird, Diablo II came out a few months before Baldur's Gate II! Actually, I did play the Baldur's Gate games for the PS2, and they were quite fun. I think I'm going to get Baldur's Gate - now I just need to find a copy!

(EDIT: I am planning to get both Baldur's Gate II and Neverwinter Nights at some point - I'm just trying to decide which to get first.)

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First off, I have a new avatar. It's Aqua from the upcoming game, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. She looks awesome (I love her hair!) - she's the most magic-inclined fighter of the group (which also includes Terra and Ventus - see a theme?), but she's still wicked with a Keyblade. Oh, yeah, BbS is about a trio of Keyblade weilders about ten years before the original game's story takes place. This is the kind of game I would get a PSP for (I'm still not planning to get a PSP, though! )

At first, when I was making it, I though, "Oh, but she looks so serious. Does that really fit me? I can't picture her saying some of the things that come out of my mouth." But, as soon as I made it my avatar, it just clicked. I think you can expect me to keep this one for a loooong time.

New topic!

Now, you may or may not know that Fall Out Boy is releasing a Greatest Hits compilation on the 17th! (Or the 16th for international consumers - I envy you -_-) Now, I already have all of FOB's CD's - why would I need this? Oh, of course, they've thought of this: there are two brand-spanking-shiny-and-new songs on there! They've already released the single Alpha Dog (which I bought on iTunes the other day and constantly listen to - it's awesome! ), and I'm waiting for the CD to drop so I can get the other, From Now on We Are Enemies. (Also on iTunes, hopefully.)

IT'S FREAKING EPIC.

EPICNESS (If you're interested. Don't worry - it's not actually 6:27. It's only about 3:36 long. The rest of the video is empty.)

It's a crazy song. The beginning guitar riff is excellent, I think it's almost got a gospel-esque thing going on near the end, and the chorus is one of the best things I have ever heard! I personally think that Fall Out Boy can do any genre, style or influence that they want to. Plus, that lead singer has a fantastic voice (Come to think of it, I think he's also the primary composer.) Oh, and the lyrics are just brilliant! I don't get why some people hate them (I mean, go ahead and hate FOB if you do - I'm just never going to understand why. )

Although, the compilation would have lots of music videos and other goodies...but, I'm not really interested in that. I'm far more interested in the music, and I already have almost all the songs on there. I just need From Now on We Are Enemies!

*I'm just a man on a balcony, singing "Nobody will ever remember me". Rejoice, rejoice, and fall to your knees...* (That is too catchy for my own good.)

I'm still trying to work on that editorial. It's a bit short. However, after Thursday morning, I should have some time to work on it - this week is 'crazy homework week'. I had my English paper due on Monday, an artist presentation to give today, a French oral exam tomorrow, and a drawing due on Thursday. But, then, I'm good!

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I feel so bad that I haven't been active in my Unions - I pretty much only have the time to blog, because that's semi-planned. It's almost equivalent to having no time to visit your friends' houses, so you ask them to come to yours.

I am working on an editorial! Huzzah! I should be able to post it soon, after I'm sure that it makes sense and isn't about something that is totally obvious in retrospect. After reading comments, I've realized that some of my previous editorials are about things that were new solely to me. However, I now have the experience that comes with two-and-a-half college level English 200 papers, so that's got to count for something!

Cheese! Antidisestablishmentarianism! I'm goin' to bed! XP

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