Friday, June 27, 2014

WORD OF THE DAY! 6/27/14!


cult of personality [kult-uv-per-sun-al-i-tee]
noun
1. A cult promoting adulation of a living national leader or public figure, as one encouraged by Stalin to extend his power.

EX. I have successfully found a way out of my contract with North Korea, after years of attempting to escape from the compound where they keep most bloggers, by stealing the PSP Vita of the "God-Son of Heaven", Kim Jong Un, and threatening to throw it in a trash disposal unless he release me from the pinky promise we made after a night of swilling wine brewed in the bladder of a panda and stuffing our guts with gold leaf crusted truffles. No longer do I carry the oppressive yoke of praising the great leader or his dance moves or continuing to promote his cult of personality. I can finally give it to you straight.

His haircut is bad.

Oh, also, he is just the third tyrant in his family to serve as a living god in North Korea, worshiped, adored, and prayed to by his people. His people starve, living in the crumbling remnants of a never finished paradise, like some sort of post apocalyptic film made by a foreign director. Except it is not fiction and the world keeps on turning. Meanwhile, as the world watches with bemusement and disgust, they feel powerless to stop the gloomy living nightmare of daily life in North Korea; defectors tell horror stories of the worst sorts of treatment imaginable, ranging from torture to rape to experimentation to an estimated death toll of 10,000 prisoners every year. Any opposition or criticism lobbied against the North Korean government is either shrugged off as propaganda against the state, a state propped up by propaganda and violence, or met with idle threats about nuclear retaliation. Even the release of this film trailer has been met with threats of retaliation against Seth Rogen and James Franco.

And we can do nothing but laugh, bitterly, at the insanity. And make bad jokes. About bad hair.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

WTF WED! WHAT THE EFF IS SKEFF?!



What the eff is Skeff?

Skeff is Paul ter Voode's brainchild and he originally shared it with the world back in 2012. The first installment was one of the last project's that Edd Gould of Eddsworld worked on, in which he served as a narrator, before passing away. It is a fantastic collaboration between like-minded artists, with the latest installment receiving help from artists like Pearl Zhang and Ukinojoe.

It follows the extra-ordinary adventures of a Skeff, a Danish lad and a respectable adult, as he ventures out into the dangerous world of Denmark. It's fantastically simple style mixed with a perfectly combined mix of narration and music create something that is indeniably charming and the humor, well, is the right sort of weird.

Seriously, ya'll need Skeff in your life!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

WTF WORD OF THE DAY! 6/24/14! WARNING! MAYBE NSFW!


boobaroos [boo-ba-roo]/ baps [baps]/ tumbly-whatsits [tum-blee-wut-sits]
noun
1. Game Grumps slang. Female breasts.

EX. I know what you animals want; baps, boobaroos, tumbly-whatsits!

Well, for once, I'll oblige your carnal desires by sharing this rather hilarious new series from Game Grumps following the boobalicious quest of Arin and Danny to get a volley ball partner, no matter how many frivolous gifts or games of butt bump it takes, and take a look at a game series that practically coined the term "breast physics".

But, in all seriousness, this is a funny series that combines the comedic back and forth that comes from Arin's almost too sincere quest to conquer the game's "complex" gift/friendship system and Danny's incredulity at the whole proceeding. Truly, this is a good time to be a grumpette.

Monday, June 23, 2014

MUSIC MON! STUDIO GHIBLI'S 25th ANNIV. CONCERT: JOE HISAISHI in BUDOKAN!


I decided to do something a little different this week. Rather than link you to a couple Game Grumps remixes or brentalfloss's newest riff or videogamedunkey being... dunkey, I've decided to share the soundtrack I've been listening to every day for the past week.

I've been working very hard on my newest Pathfinder setting; I've done a lot of research in the form of art and mythology, written out millennia worth of histories, written up new stat blocks, lore, and details for at least six new, revised, and/or reimagined races, and have been slowly working out the geography of the realm. While I love world-building, this can be slow, plodding and rather technical work at times. For one, compared to my knowledge of 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, my knowledge of 3.5 and Pathfinder are rather amateurish. So, a lot of this process has been about learning the books and learning to use their systems in conjunction with my own ideas, which often stretch beyond the boundaries of what the systems or my own knowledge of them can handle. This work has actually been rather mentally taxing and I've been spending a couple hours, minimum, per day just to eek out a few pages of solid content at  a time. 

One of things that helps me survive the process of writing, especially after such a long period of writer's block, is to drown all exterior distractions and distracting thoughts with music. My favorite soundtrack of all time, not only for this purpose but play in the background of D & D sessions, is Conan the Barbarian. It is one of my favorite film soundtracks of all time and I think it evokes all of the notes you want to hit for a game involving sword and sorcery, from the thrill of high adventure to mystical mystery, and when I listen to it, emotion swells in my heart and spurs me onto take on my quest-- whether that be doing dishes or finishing up a particularly difficult encounter write-up.But even I can get a little weary of listening the same soundtrack. What's a man to do?

 I turned to Joe Hisashi, a composer and sound director of over 100 films, including 25 years worth of Studio Ghibli's animated films, for a familiar but refreshing experience.

Studio Ghibli, of course, are the makers of such classic films as My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), and Spirited Away (2001). While not quite as nostalgic as Disney, taking a journey through a filmography very close to my heart definitely helps clear my head, warm my heart, and free myself to write. The unique and distinctive mix of themes and techniques provide an experience that, in the 25th Anniv. concert linked at the head of the article, provide me with an appropriate soundtrack for my writing process.

And so, rather than share a silly parody song, please take some time and enjoy this lovely performance of some of the greatest film tracks of all time from some of the greatest animated films of all time from one of the greatest animated film composers of all time.