10/25/06 - The ReBlog - A Because we can special

I decided it may be fun to go back and visit some old blogs and add more commentary or clarify things that don't make sense to anyone but myself. This one goes back to the myspace blog posted on 10/25/06 entitled "With the really crappy theme music...". The Current mood at that time was "Hating Alan Thick and Kirk Carmeron right now"

Remember all those really bad 1980's sitcoms with the really bad theme songs. You know the kind of songs that make you want to stop watching a show that will neither be offensive or really entertaining. A show that will neither challenge your perseptions nor your concept of what is funny. The really worse parts of this are of course the opening credits where they decide to tell and show you who everyone is in case it's too hard to simply read the end credits and match names with the characters they play (remember this was the 80's where you were actually forced to see the end credits rather than a split screen telling you what was up next or next week or tommorrow). Most of the time we can get through these with only a sense of stupidity or embaresment that you are watching a show devoid of comedy and talent. There are a few where for some reason the director said "do something random and then look directly at the camera, break the third wall and smile like an idoit" and then the underpaid camera man films it and you are forced to watch it. That's it just had to get that out there.

Now first to give you a taste of what I am talking about. This example includes some of the other bits such as look at what I'm doing. They only look at the camera about two or three times in this one and since it was from a latter season one could think that maybe they learned their lesson.

A mistake was the breaking the third wall. This term is breaking the fourth wall but I wrote third wall cause I was on a rant at the time. This term is when someone in a film, cartoon, play or other theatrical work stops what they are doing to address or talk to the audience. The looking at the camera like a fucking moron and smiling is a smaller version of this. Also I included growing pains as my example but if you look at any theme in the eighties for sitcoms long enough you will find more of these.

The comments include an exchange between steve and myself about being stuck in a freezer and kevin spacey opening a pet store across the street. These are four separate references to the clerks animated series. Look it up as it was funny for the six episodes there were. They are way better than any of the shit kevin smith has been putting out lately.

Alignment and you

So the subject of alignment popped into my head just recently. We all had a conversation bach in the day bout hitlers alignment. So he's evil right? Well yes but not in his mind. Obviously this isn't really true to our system. He is evil but really a different kind of evil. Had he toned it some with the anti everyone else he may be painted as a sort of patriot in circles. Sadly this wasn't the case. I remember back to parties were everyone in the party was evil. These groups were fun but the reasoning of their evilness wasn't always there. Some characters have to be evil by design of their race or undeadness. We all know there are exceptions to this and vice versa. The usual bent of most groups are non-evil. In the present there seems to be alignment requirements for the groups we play. This could be done for the reason that the campaign was supposed to be a flavor and being chaotic evil in a group of lawful goods doesn't always work. The other bit that I always thought is that "how do the other players know what my alignment is". Now I know there are spells but who really needs to go casting this all the time. There are times when it is needed but in a group the one thing that shouldn't pop up is the alignment issue. I can't work with so and so cause he's evil. In most bits I think someones actions should dictate the other characters perception of them. Another thing is the alignment change. Doing one really horrible thing might make you evil but in most terms it should take over time to develop into full blow evilness. The road there is more fun then simply being there from the beginning. Sure there can be exceptions but when everyone is evil is rarely takes much to go on before things go over the edge. When all are willing to sacrifice and kill everyone they find it loses its charm. It isn't as kewl when it's the norm instead of the exception. When there is one guy who doesn't always go with the flow and do the norm it's refreshing. When there is an awesome story to go along with it; it's even better. The usual evil doers who happen to be good is also fun. When the norm for the characters is not what their motivation is it can be fun. I have kind of swayed away from alignment due to it being too much of a tool and restriction rather than a resource. It seems to be something that defines the players actions rather than a construct defined by the players actions. It tends to dumb decisions into "could he do this" rather than "ya lets do this". Some prestige classes require it and then it becomes "only this type of person can do this". In some cases this is warranted, in others just horrible. It becomes less amusing when one or two rules dictate what is and what will never be rather then decisions that create a story that is fascinating to witness and create.

This has been a Because we can presentation. No rights are reserved.

Adult swim...Fucking it up again...

So the new anime was the old anime sort of. Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood. This is the second anime based on the manga and this is the one that follows the manga. Course you could just wiki this if you wanted to know that. The main difference is the scope is easier to follow and contains less flashbacks and plot points that get forced down your throat. And following the manga it has the other million or so characters that the original anime didn't have. So how would I be able to make this judgment only after seeing one episode. Cause I have already watched the first twenty episodes. And no I didn't illegally download this... it's on the fucking internet already. On youtube funimation has been streaming these in the uncensored, undubbed, subbed, japanese version. With only a minute or two of commercials interspersed in the streaming it's also easier to watch on the internet. That's right... when ever the fuck you want to. But sometimes the English version is easier to digest for some people. First off the themes both opening and closing are clipped. This seems to be something that adult swim does to Fullmetal only. Even bleach with it's fucking eighty two thousand themes gets played in its entirety. Now this isn't the issue that one could complain about. The voice acting is as good as the first but I can't help but hear Al as sounding a bit younger than he should. Also major hughes stays in his wacky voice way longer than is tolerable (course it ain't like he's gonna live that long) but this isn't really an issue either. The real issue is that adult swim made a purchase of something that we can see unedited for free. They have a tendency to edit out blood and nudity cause we are in the USA. Even airing a disclaimer means you have to play around with the natural order. Blood isn't a problem. Nudity isn't much of a problem. Stop fucking with things. Also if you are stuck on this no blood thing then you are missing the other animes that are nice and bloody that we will never get to see on tv over here. Still since I mostly work saturday nights (cause I suck okay) I really don't get to see these things. The good is that I will not have to complain as much. The bad I won't get to complain as much (I miss complaining already).

2nd class human being...or the friends who aren't your friends but are friends with your friends (sort of)...

This is a special "Because we can..." Rant
Lately I as a person (or as close to a person as I can be) have been putting up with more than my fair share. In the last ten years or so I have become a punching bag. I have been dealing with my fair share and trying to deal with it without getting "Fucking Pissed" about it but even I have to fall victim to having the occasional outburst. Lately these have been increasing. I as a person really have been trying to just let the other guy win. Try not to let things bother you and later on you may get your chance to do what you want or have your pie (apple). Of course this is something that takes time. Too much time anyways. It has been observed that I let others run all over me. Who does this the most. Friends (not the show; although it gets on my nerves almost as much). They will step all over you and you will do the same. This kind of exchange is different then the bits you will have with other people or even family. It's the kind of forgive and forget that only is known by friends, bikers, and soldiers in war. This ability to want to kill someone and then decide that nah it's all okay is not the social norm. Usually if someone calls you a name or cuts in front of you in line then this means war. Well maybe not but they ain't someone you want to spend more time with. But most people can forgive a friend just about everything. Fights will ensue but eventually parties will console each other and be fine about it. There are some things that don't generally fit into these type of friendships. I took a look at some of my friends facebooks (proper tense?) and saw alot of people who used to be friends. Now lets never mind the fact that I have no real idea how these people know each other in all cases but this fucking pisses me off to no end. In all things known my most hated thing is (not the government) betrayal. In my mind friends are supposed to stick up for each other and acknowledge each others presence in the least. There are so many people right now who just look at me and pretend that we don't even know each other. This is the kind of things (well really just one of the many) that will turn you into a 2nd class human being. This is a term that for some reason applies to immigrants and natives in places you don't consider habitable by real people. I tell you what (ladies and gentleman mr. hank hill) this kind of thing pisses me off in itself but when "friends" treat you like this it takes on a much more sinister bent. The bit that gets me the most that if this is a person that you have shared your thoughts with (not in a work setting; though this will be addressed in some other blog some other time) or taken into your home then what is their fucking problem. Most of the time this problem seems to be something that they won't tell you and will be spoken in other circles. Some times these other circles are other friends. I have at least two sets of friends that seem to have written me out as if I didn't exist (With Lucas style who shoot first type special effects no doubt[not the band no doubt]). At times friends will part ways. But the whole lets all ignore them and stop hanging around them bit is the greatest insult ever (worse than andy dick). I myself have started to see this behavior in myself and had to knock it the fuck off. This bugs me more cause it should never be me doing the mature thing. So why does everyone else have to be bitches. Seriously. We all know that I am the last person to even think about the morally right decision in dealing with other people. This makes about as much sense as why people liked the movie titanic (spoiler: the boat sinks). I have lost many friends in the last decade but really I'm starting to not give a ham (cause you can't have any that's why). Really. This is about as mad as I can be and I can write a little bit on the internet that will be read by maybe two people and commented on by maybe one. Seriously. I am writing this for myself it seems and a few people may look at it and then carelessly shrug their shoulders and go on with their fucking lives. That's is why I have come up with something for this. Anyone who sees this forward this to the people who I am talking about. If you don't know who they are then I hope you aren't one of them. Have them read this and don't give them the whole "look what he's doing now" thing. This isn't a farce (right word?). As far as I am concerned this is my "Manifesto". From this point on I will make sure everyone knows what my bit is and in turn your all going to hate it. I have held back more then most CIA (CAPS!) agents have in a life time of crazy covert ops. At this point I want everyone to know where we stand. In turn I want to know what your "Fucking problem" is. And I hope you don't come prepared for an argument cause right now I could take on anyone and everyone if need be. From now on you will know that turning on me and thinking that's the end of it isn't how things will go. I always keep my friends close and never my enemies closer. To surround yourself with assholes prolly isn't what you should do. I would like to think that the people I associate with are friends. I also would like to think that the friends that used to associate with me think the same but if it's a no then "Go Fuck Yourself" and get off the fucking road (I'm not sure what that analogy was supposed to mean but it sounded cool at the time so I'm leaving it in). In closing if you are wondering why I feel I have the right to say all these things it's simple. Because I fucking Can...