Ramblings of a bored twenty-something.

COPYPASTA'N

2008-05-11T00:50:42Z

SAD STORY TIEM NAO

This isn't mine, but I did piece it together from various ideas and threads. There's a lot of detail in it and I felt it was good enough to share. I didn't proofread any of this - as it's not my writing and I don't care - so try to excuse any spelling or grammatical errors and just read. Without delaying it anymore, BRING ON THE BAWWWWWWW. ->

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Did one ever know the reason why the pacing and story development change after Ash was hit by lightning in the beginning episodes? How Ash and his world were relatively normal until after the incident? I have a theory. The accident with the bike put Ash in a coma. Days later he was found and was hurried to the hospital and treated with heavy medications. This is why Team Rocket became less menacing. The medication took effect and stabilized his coma dreams, instead of being terrifying, they became idyllic, and he's able to live out his Pokémon master fantasies.

If one had noticed, the early episodes of Pokémon were of amazing quality. The rest of the series is just the results of his subconscious mind fulfilling his desires, as well as attempting to escape them. Should Ash realize he's in a coma, he would wake up, but suffer brain damage. So he has to take down all his mental barriers one by one until he can come to grips with what he is and escape his coma.

This explains why he doesn't change much physically. Also, the worldwide socialism can be explained if you once again realize that this is a dream world; he thought up a safe system of government that would run smoothly and keeps the world going allowing his adventures to work like they do. It also explains a few other things, such as how a child can go off on his own in a world full of dangerous untamed animals, and why every Pokémon center has the same exact nurse. Joy and Jenny he knew from his hometown, and they act as a safety net or anchor, allowing him to feel safe no matter where he goes. The professors, like the Joy's and Jenny's represent stability, and ash's ideals. This is why Gary became a professor. It's also the reason that every time he enters a new region, virtually no one has heard of him, despite his conquests, and why Giovanni leads Team Rocket. How could Paul, the rival of the Sinnoh area, not know of someone who has placed in at least the top 16 of all three leagues and had destroyed the Orange league and Battle Frontier?

If one recalls, there were real animals early in the show and references to animals in the game and show. For example, a clear case to point out is the aquarium of fish in the Cerulean City Gym or that by the Pokédex that Pikachu is a “rat-like” Pokémon. But they don't matter to Ash's psyche so they don't come into play much. If Ash had loved puppies, everything would be about different breeds of dogs, and a dog fighting circuit. But, as the series goes on longer, we've been seeing less realistic animals and more Pokémon. This could be a sign of Ash’s mind deteriorating. As he's in this coma, he's losing concepts of some animals and machinery and replacing them with Pokémon. It could explain things like electric Pokémon working as power generators. A sign that his memory of the old world is slipping more and more as time goes by. The Pokémon realm will be idealized continuously the longer he has no stimulus from the real world. He may or may not be mentally deteriorating , but he is becoming more accustomed to his fake world's rules. The wild Pokémon are his rationalizations of the functioning of the world. It’s the "A wizard did it" Syndrome. If he doesn't know how it works, his mind says Pokémon. He justifies anything he can't explain with Pokémon, and real animals fall into the background because he has no real interest in them.

Ash’s travelling partners are actually aspects of himself he can enjoy, but doesn't like to associate with himself. Brock is Ash's repressed sexuality. He fell into the coma a virgin and needed an outlet for his growing sexual frustrations. Since he can never experience sex, Brock must never succeed. Brock is a projection of his sexuality, and is constantly shot down because Ash could never “know” sex. Brock isn't just Ash's latent sexuality, he's also his fatherly instincts, neither of which Ash can come to terms with. Brock leaves his siblings to "journey" with Ash. because Ash can't cope with having that much responsibility, much as his foray with a real relationship ends on mysterious terms. Ash just cannot handle commitment at his mental level. Brock's Stay with professor Ivy was an attempt to outright suppress his sexuality. You'll notice that James got much more dialogue in this part of the series, as well as getting more touchy feel-y with his pokemon and getting most of his backstory. Ash didn't enjoy this much, hence the reasons Brock comes back all horrified, and refuses to speak about it. (ash's subconscious was repressing him at the time, so other than a general feeling of dread he has no idea of what went on then.) This is also why brock keeps coming back to the series....Usually AFTER Ash meets a new girl aspect of himself. Misty is an image that Ash had of a girl. This is why she plays so prevalently in the series but is ultimately unattainable because he never really knew her before the coma. Likely the one that helped get him to a hospital. I have a theory in line with this: Since Misty was his initial love interest (if only subconsciously), he needed her to reach a level of womanhood. He felt that people could only have relationships when they've matured. But in practice, it turned out he couldn't cope with it and just wanted the normal, pushy, arrogant Misty he knew, and wouldn't let her keep Togepi anymore.

Team rocket are aspects of Ash's personality that he has deemed "bad" James implied homosexuality, and Jesse’s vanity. You'll remember that Meowth has the potential for rehabilitation, and doesn't want to be evil, so yet again this fits in with the conflicting personalities and demonized self theory. Team rocket started cross-dressing because ash had to come to terms with that part of himself. It was something he was able to allow his gay/vain side to experiment with (and by virtue of that himself) When he found that it wasn't something for him, his "Free" side stopped playing with it. Further, their methods of capture become more and more ludicrous (and physically impossible) because Ash is just a kid dreaming these things up. This is the reason Team Rocket's disguises are always believed. He knows it's them (on some level), but chooses to ignore it, so he can better himself, in a sense the Ash who wants to escape is sabotaging the ash who wants to stay lost in his mind. So that there can be more conflict, and hopefully an eventual escape. The filler episodes that don't focus on Ash and the gang are his mind working through, and humanizing the parts of himself that he demonized. It's a way for him to deal with issues that Ash and crew wouldn't touch, because it involves treading ground he himself had sworn not to go near. As I said, Team Rocket and the episodes they occupy are Ash dealing with ground he feels uncomfortable with tackling on his own. Jessie is Ash's vanity and gullibility, she will trick Ash's submissive homosexuality into doing her bidding so she can please father. James' troubled childhood is his way of justifying his latent homosexuality. Now James is Ash's latent homosexuality, hence why he is constantly punished by Pokémon and attacked by random attractive girls.

Mr. Mime is actually a stand in for Ash's father, one that can't emotionally abuse him or his mom. He is a Pokémon, a peace loving creature that's oddly humanoid, but that can never hurt a human. Ash's was never really hurt by a Pokémon, so he sees them all as harmless; whereas, in the real world they may be quite feral or vicious (as seen in the early episodes). Again falling back to the theory that the only real Pokémon are the ones from the first season, and everything else is just further speculation coming from his mind on what new species would look like.

The Pokémon in Ash's team are his issues, for example Charmander represents his sex drive (not his sexuality like Brock) at first it's a cute easy to control thing, but eventually becomes a raging inferno of disobedience. Acquiring his team means getting at his issues, but as he trains them, he works said issues out. Other trainers are more direct forms of his issues, ones that he must either come to terms with or outright suppress. Gym leaders are more primary aspects of his personality with each Pokémon being stronger than the last, to display a level of skill he could be capable of if only he gave into it. In effect, he is doing battle with a part of him that he would rather not have in control. Bulbasaur was Ash's unwillingness to change, this is reflected when it declines to evolve and how it almost decided to stay behind unless he battled it. Squirtle was his willingness to follow the lead of others, as evidenced by the gang it ran with, even though he ran the gang, they were viewed as one group, and ash's subconscious just gave him the strongest one. Butterfree was his crushing loneliness, which he dealt with when he released it to join a flock. His bird types are his recklessness, always willing to sacrifice something at a moment's notice for the win.

As one could see, it is very likely that Ash is trapped in his world. But like every dream, everything, there is a beginning and an end. What would happen if Ash could fully recover? What would happen if he never does? There are infinite branches of possibilities that spiral upwards and intertwine towards the top at a single point, both in his “world” and the real world. In his hospital room, we see Delia, obviously distraught talking to a doctor with a grim look in his eye. He's saying that their insurance is up, and the boy has had no change in brain activity for seven years. That a shock like this may awaken him. She tearfully agrees.

Professor Oak is there to comfort her as they take Ash off life support.

In Ash’s “world”...

Ash has finally defeated the elite four, and one by one the people around him start disappearing. eventually everything is black. Pikachu comes dashing towards him glowing brighter and brighter in the darkness. Eventually Pikachu reaches ash and the two embrace one last time.

Back in his room, as his life signs fade, Ash mutters his genuine, final words.

I...Want...To...Be,
The...Very...Best.

The image of his gaunt, tube-fed, ten-some-year bed ridden body on the bed. His head appears bulbous from atrophy. As he utters his last words, he barely opens his eyes, seeing a silhouette of the figure at the center of his turbulent emotions, his mother, her face obstructed by her hands wiping away tears. He makes contact with her eyes and lets out one last tear before losing all strength. She breaks down in hysterics.

The worst part of all this is that Ash will die, never having experienced actual love. Imagine if you will, having lived in a world like his, completely shut off from all things but yourself, and your perception of yourself, with nothing but better yourself. No other people to interact with and issues to solve with no guiding hand.

The boy will die, never having known his dream, except as naught but a dream. The second he gets out into reality for that last moment, part of him knows it was all a lie. His faithful Pikachu? His friends? All his imagination, and maybe, he could have fought and clung to life, maybe even made a full recovery. But knowing that his efforts and ambitions had all been for naught, he just gave up and let the motion carry him away, just so he could be with Pikachu, in a place where his friends were waiting.

I would like to think that he'll realize that his mother loved him and was holding out hope that he'd recover all that time. On the flip side, though, when he sees her he knows that the hope she had is totally broken and she'd come to the crushing realization that the worst thing that can befall a parent has happened to her: outliving her only child. At once he knows he is loved and that it means that the one closest to him is utterly crushed.

Still, there are other possibilities. The fountain of time flows in mysterious ways. One could not go back, against the current such as Gatsby; but, one could never see what is waiting for him downstream. Ash finally defeats Lance, only to be confronted by not Gary Oak, but a mute, mirror image of himself.

The voice of the narrator speaks to him, telling him that now he can finally escape the prison of his own mind. One by one, his friends appear and melt away into more copies of him, all cheering him on. After a long tough battle against himself with the assistance of all of his Pokémon he had ever befriended, he jolts awake.

In his hospital room he sees his parents asleep; he finds himself unable to speak.

Ash pushes forward towards his recovery. Going through physical therapy, training harder and harder with rehabilitative Pokémon, until he can walk on his own again. This time, an older and wiser ash sets out on a journey. Just like last time, he's late getting to Professor Oak's laboratory. And when there's only one Pokémon left....He suddenly recalls all his memories of his "life" and realizes that all his friends are gone forever. As he sets out with his new companion, he finds the world is darker than he imagined. More “real”, Pokémon and people die; he too has aged.

He vows to become the Master he dreamed he was. He vows to himself.

He vows to “them”.

He WILL be the very best.

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[END]

No tits here, just us rants.

2008-02-18T19:39:39Z

This is something I've wanted to say for a long time, but never really bothered because I enjoy laughing at the wank from the sidelines with my popcorn and remote control. But I feel it's time to break out of my shell a bit. (It also helps that this was a comment I recently posted, but I feel merits its own post.)

It happens every patch, really. Some change comes about that people don't enjoy, be it a class change or an instance fix. Those don't bother me much because yes, certain classes ARE currently balanced better than others (not overpowered, balanced), whereas the rest are left to hang dry. Ranting about that is something I've been a part of all along, to a lesser extent. But what really ticks me off is the elitist faction of high-end raiders complaining that Blizzard is making things "too simple" and are "ruining the game".

So, regarding everyone whining that certain changes "break the game" or make it "too easy", or "catering to the casualfags"...

These people need to step the fuck back and realize it's a game, for one. I personally would add that they should cancel their accounts, because if they're taking an entertainment tool this serious, then I'd hate to see what they're like in the real world.

"OMG MAH STOCK WENT DOWN 2%, IMMA RANT ABOUT IT ON MAH BLOG. FUCK U WALL STREET SRSLY"

"HAY THIS IS KETCHUP AND I ASKED FOR MUSTARD, I'M GONNA WHINE ABOUT IT TO THE POLICE NOW"

I digress. As much as I get a kick out of the elitist 3% of the game ranting and raving about how changes affect them (hell, I used to be one of them, pre-BC) and how Blizzard is making the game too easy and catering to people who don't "want to work for their epics"...

Well, yes. That's exactly what Blizzard is doing - making certain points of the game less prohibitive to people who just don't have the time or don't feel like spending ludicrous amounts of gold learning encounters. You're forgetting that this is a game that everyone pays the same money per month to play (not taking into account global currency rates of course). And you also have to look at this from a marketing standpoint: Blizz isn't going to waste time adding things that less than a tenth of the players are going to see. If the entire game was as the high-end raiders wish it to be, there'd be very few customers and subscriptions. To put it simply, the game would absolutely tank, hard and fast. Making things available to most (not 'everyone', because there's still things that your average Joe Tauren can't do) isn't Blizzard screwing the raiders, it's making their product more all-reaching in terms of demographic. This is why I stand by the fact that no one "deserves" anything more than another player.

To the folks who are crying that people should have to work for where the high-end folks got to... "Work"? Really, people? How about "fun", ever hear of that? No, you probably can't remember what "fun" is because that concept went out the window when you started acting like an elitist "special snowflake" prick. Well, let me enlighten you. Fun, for the majority of us, isn't spending dozens of hours on a single boss fight every week just to get marginal upgrades. Fun, for some, isn't getting our asses kicked in Arenas day in and out for gear that isn't any good in any "real" content outside of said Arenas anyways (not to mention a Rating that means squat). Fun is about enjoyment, not "work". Games are supposed to be fun. If the upper echelon of the player base had their way, WoW would not be fun.

To summarize: Log off, get a drink, and come back when reality's hit you square in the crotch a few good times. This is my rant, and I'm done.

Game's over.

GO HOME.

Wonderful.

2007-08-29T22:28:16Z

So, here's a little issue that I need some help with.

Every time I try to run WoW, I get a little window...

"Failed to find a suitable display device. Exiting program."

I have no clue what to do, but I'm blaming it on Bioshock fucking up most of my PC. Tried system restore, can't restore. Did a virus and spyware scan, found nothing. I'm completely confused.

Anyone willing to help me out? :|

EDIT: Fixed. Disregard!

Shortie!

2006-11-28T06:39:46Z

Zomg, new icon. Made it myself because I was bored, and I'm a bubbling whore.

Yeah XD

Meme thingie, again!

2006-09-24T07:45:07Z

I like these. Though, I tend to be FAR more descriptive than what's needed. XD

Anyhow, here goes. Feel free to fill your own out on your ljs. Hell, I sure as hell stole it from another. :P

Basics
1. What is your name: Matt
2. How old are you? 19
3. School: out, heading back in in the fall of '07.
4. Job: service clerk @ grocery store.

Living arrangements:
5. Do you share a room with anyone? No.
6. Do you live with your parents? Yeah.
7. Siblings? Nope.
8. Where do you live? Small town, in MA.
9. Do you have any pets? A whole mess of cats~.

Appearance
11. What color eyes do you have? Brown.
12. ...and your hair? Black.
13. How tall are you? 6' 2".
14. Do you consider yourself attractive? Sometimes.
15. Do others find you attractive? /shrug O_o
16. What is your best physical feature? No clue.
17. If there was one part of your body you could change, what would it be? Stomach could stand to lose a few pounds.
18. Are you happy? Yep!
19. Do you have freckles? Some, yes.
20. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Glasses, because I can't stand contacts. And my glasses look cool. >_>
21. What kind of clothes do you usually wear? Usually just jeans and a tshirt, sometimes a hoodie.

Experiences:
22. Do you enjoy school? Depends, different days.
23. Do you enjoy work? Almost every day, I don't really "work" much. XD
24. Do you have a car? Yes.
25. How many true friends do you really have? That's for me to know.
26. Do you get mad, or get even? Mad, then even.
27. Have you ever been in a verbal fight? Er, duh.
28. What about a physical fight? Once, maybe.
29. Ever been to the hospital for something serious? Nah. I'm pretty injury-resistant.
30. Ever broken a bone? Nope.
31. Have you been to Prom/ Homecoming? No, skipped it to play videogames with my friends. XD
32. Have you ever done anything for the thrill? Yeah
33. Have piercings/ tattoos? No.
34. Ever run away from home? Nope.
35. Did you get caught? N/A.
36. Ever been arrested? No.
37. Ever done illegal drugs? No.
38. Do you smoke? No.
39. Do you drink? Only on holidays. Mainly New Year's or St Patrick's Day.
40. Have you ever driven drunk? Nope.
41. Ever cheated in school? Nah.
42. Have you ever donated anything to charity? Rofl, maybe at work once.
43. Ever stayed up for more than 24 hours straight? Yes, haha.

Relationships
44. Single or Taken? "One is the lonliest number~..."
45. Have you ever been in Love? Thought so.
46. Ever cheated on someone you were with? No.
47. Do you look for serious relationships or just a friend to go on dates with occasionally? Depends on the person. Sometimes friend, sometimes serious.
48. Have you ever gotten with anyone of the same sex? Nope.
49. Have you ever had sex with anyone of the same sex? Nope.
50. What is the most important thing in a relationship? Just to be able to have someone who loves me for who I am, and who I can just love for who they are, despite both our failings.

Lasts...
51. Thing you ate: Candy, Mike & Ikes. XD
52. Place you went: Walgreens.
53. Person You were with (not dating): Uh, Cory, I think.
54. Person you kissed: .....Ok, it's been a long time.
55. person you hugged: ...long time, also. Not counting parents..... I dunno? O_o;
56. person you talked to on the phone: Cory. XD
57. Time you saw your parents? I'm in their fucking house, I see them all the time. XP
58. thing you said? "Rofl." Yes, I say things like rofl in real life.
59. song you heard? Listening to at the time of this question: "Round and Round", by Ratt.
60. Movie you saw? The Protector. Tony Jaa is awesome.

Preferences
61. pearls/lace: O_o Wtf.
62. coffee/ cappuccino: Neither, can't drink the stuff.
63. Abercrombie/ PacSun: Neither, K-mart and JC Penny! XD
64. hot/ cold: hot, cold sucks.
65. summer/ winter: Summer.
66. Breakfast/ dinner: Dinner, I don't get around to breakfast, usually.
67. cell phones/ i-pods: I have both, my iPod actually gets more use, though.
68. Radio/ CDS: Car radio's broken, and my iPod has replaced my CD player.
69. Computer/ palm pilot: Computer.
70. Florida/ California: Haven't been to Cali, but I have been to FL. So, FL.
71. New York/ Chicago: NYC, Chicago's boring.
72. rap/ rock: *Classic* rock.

Random(?)
73. Do long distance relationships work? Depends on the person. Honestly, I've found that certain relationships work better the LESS you see of each other. That is, if you're not in a relationship with someone who absolutely "needs" to see you every freakin' day.
74. Are you "scene": Wtf?
75. Look behind you: No, my neck hurts.
76. Which side of the bed do you sleep on? Side closer to my wall/bookshelf.
77. Whats in your closet? Stuff that will probably never get used again. Ever.
78. Do you ever sign off myspace? Eh, I don't use myspace much.
79. Do you write in cursive or in print? Print, my cursive blows.
80. Do you own a cell phone? Yes.
81. Name one thing that no one else would guess about you: I used to play drums.
82. What time is your curfew? Don't have one, lol.

In the Future...
83. What are you doing tomorrow? Work, then sleep.
84. Next week? Enrolling for fall '07 classes.
85. This Summer? Over already, get with the program.
86. Next year? Uh, too far ahead. Back up.
87. What do you want to be? Truly, a videogame tester. But, failing that, archaeologist~!
88. Do you want to get married? Maybe, later on in life.
89. Do you want kids? We'll see.
90. Where do you see yourself 20 years from now? /Shrug.

Do you believe in...
91. God? A Creator, maybe, but not the christian God. Still working on details.
92. Heaven? All in the mind.
93. Abortion: Eh, I believe I'm pro-choice, and I'm not subject to questionable christian "morality".
94. Capital Punishment: Electric chair or lethal injection, but only for the most severe of crimes.
96. love at first sight? Sometimes.
97. soul mates? Of course, friends can be soul mates too.
98. yourself? Wouldn't be here if I didn't.
99. miracles? Yes, but I don't believe they're caused by some esoteric "higher power". (Aka, more like extreme luck/chance than the "hand of God".)
100. science or religion? Both are fucked.

Ok, bedtime. G'night!

Blargh, notice!

2006-09-17T07:38:30Z

Forgot to mention this before.

Tomorrow (or today, really) will be the last day I'm able to come online much for awhile. Could be a few weeks before I'm able to go on for any substantial amount of time. This goes for any guildies who are reading this, as well. No raids for me for a while. :/

Just some stuff that came up during the week that needs to get taken care of. I'll be back soon.

Meme time!

2006-09-16T16:05:10Z

Usually these are filled out about myself. But this time, it's your turn, everyone. Here goes.

(Also: Lol, cake.)

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:

HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...

1. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
2. Whats your philosophy on life?
3. Would you have my back in a fight?
4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
5. What is your favorite memory of us?
6. Would you give me a kidney?
7. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
8. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?
9. Can we get together and make a cake?
10. Have you heard any rumors of me lately?
11. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?
12. Do you think I'm a good person?
13. Would you drive across country with me?
14. Do you think I'm attractive?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?
18. Would you go on a date with me if i asked you?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Will you repost this so i can fill it out for you?

Guess what? Shoe.

2006-07-03T15:20:50Z

So, yeah. Superman Returns was good. Would have been a whole lot better if it wasn't for the whole, "omg superman has a kid even though he's been gone for five years lolol" part.

I mean sure, I could see if he boned Lois Lane before leaving and she had the kid, that part I can take. But hooking up with Richard and passing the kid off as his? What the fuck? There's no way she could have married Rich and convinced him the kid was his before she began to show any signs of pregnancy.

Or maybe she did, and Lois is just a slut. Who knows, but that was really the only plothole I could find that was worth noting, at least. Others might complain about the astronomers "finding" Krypton and then Supes goes and finds out it's really just blown to shit, like the recording from his dad said.

HOW did the astronomers see Krypton then, some might ask? Well, if you know your astronomy, or basic fucking PHYSICS.... Then you'd know that it takes time for the light bouncing off the objects in space to reach us, here at earth. Hell, the sun's light takes eight minutes, and that's not even that far away, relatively. So I'm sure images of Krypton that the astronomers were seeing were from millions of years ago, possibly before Superman was even BORN.

Yeah, that's enough astronomy for one day.

Regarding WoW....

So, yeah. I'm trying to make one of every class, just to see what everyone whines that their class is missing, or how they're "nerfed". My last alt was a mage, and I can see how they needed a buff pre-patch, but now they're insanely too good. And yet mages whine that the Arcane tree got a nerf. Big deal, it fucking sucked before the patch, too.

Warriors don't seem to have too many issues, except for the fact that Protection warriors can't do much other than tank. Though that IS all the tree is FOR, so I don't know why people complain about that.

Paladins.... well. If you know me, you'd know that was my first "main" class, and that I felt the 1.9 patch was a complete nerf, at least in terms of PvE/soloing. They basically turned us into healbots. Buffed the Holy tree for better raiding, nerfed Protection so that soloing sucks, and buffed Retribution for the whiners who complained that they weren't doing enough DPS. Wtf, Paladins aren't a goddamned DPS class, first of all. Roll a fucking rogue, sheesh.

Oh, rogues. Yeah, Stealth is all but useless now. Freaking every class has an AoE that can rip 'em right out of stealth, making it near-useless in PvP unless they get lucky enough for the first shot. And for PvE, stealth isn't that great either. Not like you can stealth in MC/ZG (Core Hounds, anyone?), and even if you could, getting first hit would take too much aggro, and you'd fucking die anyway. So, yeah. Rogues need a little bit of a buff. Not in terms of DPS, but maybe just in survivability.

Hunters are fine, no nerfs to speak of, outside of the damage normalization (and they had it coming). But they need to stop taking my fucking shaman weapons.

Shamans, obviously, I know enough about. The 1.11 patch was a HUGE buff, and now we pretty much are as overpowered as we can get. Hell, the only way they could make us better is by giving us Plate armor. Which I wish they would. The Enhancement tree could have been done a bit better, but it's much better than it was pre-patch, so I have no complaints. I'm Elemental spec anyhow, and that's the most overpowered tree of all three. Though NO tree is horrible, per se. All of them make for great shamans. Enhancement is obviously best for PvP and soloing UP to lvl 60. Elemental is also great for PvP, but even better for questing/instancing AT level 60. Restoration is only good for once you've hit 60, and only if you feel like being a damn healbot. Which I'm never doing. Thank god for Elemental spec. Now if all the tier sets didn't have fucking Resto stats and set bonuses, I'd be a lot happeier. Can't ask for that miracle, though.

Priest I have no desire to try, because I already know the complaints. They're just a damn healing class, no more. What the hell do these people expect? You want shadow damage? Roll a fucking warlock, then. If not, then heal, bitch.

As for warlocks, well... That's my latest alt. Frankly I see nothing wrong with the class, except that it's just boring to level. Not slow, because I haven't had an easier time killing things since my hunter, but... It's just like mage, you figure out a pattern of spells and stick with it. Right now, all I do is Immolate, Corruption, Curse of Agony, and if there's any health LEFT, Shadowbolt the rest down. If I can get the damn bolt off, because the casting time sucks and the DoTs usually take the mob down before I can finish casting it. The only complaint I can possibly think of with warlock is that it's like mage, a completely itemized class. Then again, so is Warrior, so that's really not a valid complaint. And it's not like warlocks only have ONE good talent tree like MOST classes, no. All three are acceptable and viable for building a good warlock. It just depends on your playstyle.

Yeah, that was a long rant. But you read it, so it's your fault.

In other news... Well, there's not much else to tell. Gotta work today, then god knows what once I get home. WHEN I get home. I'm a freaking part-timer who works more hours than some of the fulltimers. D:

Not that I mind, because I actually have enough money to survive, among other things. Having a job isn't as bad as most think, though it is a necessary evil.

Anyhow, I gotta hit the bank before work. And then work. Yeah. :/

Oprah Windfury? roffle. xD

2005-10-02T22:47:47Z

Ok, for anyone who might read my journal but has not added and/or been added by me, this is your notice. And it'll be up here for a while, so take your time. XD

This is the last "Public" entry on my LJ. Well, the last four or five were Private ones anyhow, so it's not much of a change. Again, this is obviously for the people who read my LJ but aren't on my Friends list. The rest of you already see it, so.. Yeah. No change for you, obviously. :P

As to why? Well, number one, I need a layout, and I don't feel like posting public in a bland journal. Sounds tacky, I bet. But before you say anything, friends, look at your own journals and your spiffy layouts. Would you honestly be posting on a bland, no-banner LJ, whose colors are little more than variations of one, monotonous color? (I'm looking at YOU, color Grey. XD)

No, you wouldn't. :P So, again, I need a layout. Anya, I'd ask you to make one, but you're too busy with school and the comic (and I'd feel bad if I was the cause of my favorite webcomic being late. :P). And congrats for 100 comics, though I know it's a bit late. :D I've been away from comics for a bit. But yeah, anyone else who happens to have some time to design a layout with me, please do.

The LJ communities were no help, because they don't do commissions. They have lists of layouts relating color and theme, but none of them are really interesting, because they all just look like really bad Winamp skins or something. And besides, who wants to use a layout that someone else could have picked from the same list?

[WorldOfWarcraft update in the next post. Possible photojournal, if I can gather enough interesting caps. :P]

Hoku - 'Perfect Day'

2005-08-30T06:33:34Z

Sun's up,
It's a little after twelve.
Make breakfast for myself,
Leave the work for someone else.

People say,
They say that it's "just a phase",
They tell me to "act my age".
Well I am!

On this perfect day,
Nothing's standing in my way.
On this perfect day,
When nothing can go wrong.

It's a perfect day,
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon.
I could stay forever as I am,
On this perfect day.

Sun's down,
A little after ten.
I pick up all my friends,
In my Mercedes Benz.

Wake up!
Don't tell me it's "just a dream",
'Cause when I've had enough, you'll hear me say,
Now don't you try to rain on my...

Perfect day,
Nothing's standing in my way,
On this perfect day,
And nothing can go wrong.

It's a perfect day,
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon.
I could stay forever as I am,
On this perfect day.

I'm in the race, but I already won,
And getting there can be half the fun.
So don't stop me 'til I'm good and done,
Don't you try to rain on my...

Perfect day.
It's the perfect day.
It's the perfect day.
Nothing's gonna bring me down.

I could stay forever as I am.
On this perfect day,
Nothing's standing in my way.
On this perfect day,
Nothing can go wrong.

I'm in the race, but I already won,
And getting there can be half the fun.
so don't stop me til I'm good and done
don't you try to rain on my...

Perfect day.
On this perfect day.
On this perfect day!
_________________________________________________________________
[End]

...Don't ask what it is with me and corny songs like this, because I don't friggin' *know*, ok? XD

Just seemed to fit the mood at the time, I guess, and it's not a bad song, either way. Real update coming in a bit, sit tight. :P

I think I forgot something >_>;;

2005-07-28T14:41:46Z

Ok, time to upload a huge backlog of screenshots from WoW. Keep in mind that many of these are not current, as I haven't even posted any screeenshots of WoW yet -_-;; Btw, my characters shown are Quinet (Human paladin), Gerflan (Dwarf Warrior), maybe Vhalin (Dwarf hunter), and Maklari (Troll shammie :D). Enjoy!

01. The Light and How to Swing It --Uther.

XD XD XD I want that.

02. Yet another reason why Warlocks weird me out.

>_>;;

03. This is what happens when a bunch of PvP rejects decide to invade our quiet RP server because their servers were down.

There's plenty more, such as the guild , which was made almost immediately after Frostwolf went down, and is comprised with 30+ members, all level 1, with names ending in "girl". =_=;;

04. Sometimes, you're lucky....

And sometimes you just humiliate the crap out of people :D

05. The one shovel... TO RULE THEM ALL! XD

06. Umm, helloooo? o.o

All alone :(

07. On top of the old man's house in Darkshire.

08. Mor'Ladim Woes, Pt. 1

He was almost to Darkshire with us! X.x And that's not the end of it, either.

09. Mor'Ladim Woes, Pt. 2

XD I think he can only go so far before he stops moving then just stares at you. It was funny, we were making faces at him, poking him, and he didn't do anything. XD Couldn't attack him either, though. :/

10. I have nothing to say about this:

*Sigh* The random convos we have in WoW, honestly. And we're supposed to be this nice RP server! XD

11. This is what happens when a Dwarf can't pay rent, kiddies. :(

12. The Mug of Tanaris? >_>;

I dunno, there's some beer stein sitting way out in Tanaris, for no reason. So I took a screenshot :D

13. Normal size Paladin...

14. Bite-size Paladin!

Aww, so cute. DIE BASILISK! >_>;

15. The Adventures of Noob-Quinet and Friends!

Taken from when I was only a widdle level 12 Paladin in Loch Modan. Aww :D Sorry about the size, couldn't fix it. Stupid fraps.

And that's it for now. More to come :D

A request? Gasp!

2005-07-14T00:38:31Z

Hear ye, hear ye, denziens of LJ and MMO players from across the globe!

Well *that* sure was corny. Alright, listen up. I'm not sure if anyone even reads my LJ anymore (though I do sepnd quite a lot of time reading everyone else's XD), but I need a favor, or at least some decent advice.

I need a layout. That's right, Mr. Simplicity is looking for a layout. Get over it. I want it to, preferably, be something centered around one of these base themes/topics:

1. Red Mage (of 8-Bit theater fame, of course.)
2. World of Warcraft (Possibly involving my main character, screenshots, etc.?)
3. Mithras (Yes, of FFXI. XD)
4. Rhapsody (The european progressive metal band, not the music program, and no, *not* Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, as cool as that song may be.)

I may think of one or two more, but that's what I'm stuck on for now. The basics that I want to incorporate are a background, header/footer image, and possibly a different configuration for the placement of the entry line... I don't like it being centered on the page like this, or having it this freakin' WIDE. -___-;;

To whomever wants to help: If you need pics, screenshots, lyrics/quotes (might have text incorporated into the BG? O__o ), etc... I can supply those easily, I already have a few from at least one of those topics, if not all.

Also, once Lyla and I get the comic up and running and actually going decently strong, I might ask for a new layout involving the characters of our story. And for those of you who didn't know that we're making a webcomic... well, there ya go. You know now :D

Moving on... Any help given will be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to seeing some results :D Again, thank you for your time (you whom still read this journal :P), and I'll see you later. If you want to reach me, comment on this entry and I'll get back a reply w/ my AIM/MSN messenger addresses, so we can start working. And for those of you who already KNOW my aim/msn, well, there ya go. XD

Matt out.

:D :D :D

2005-06-24T07:32:34Z

Aaaaaahahahahahaha~!

Ok... got Shaman to 20. Trained. Did wolf dance.... And nearly died laughing. :D

So freaking awesome yet cute all at the same time.

<3 Ghost Wolf. Who needs a mount? :P

Bahahaha!!

2005-06-14T20:39:36Z

Yeah, like I wasn't expecting this:

how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

Search your feelings, you know it to be true. XD

Solo away!

The XM 80s station ROCKS! XD

2005-05-23T01:04:00Z

Yeah, yeah, long time no post, again. Deal with it! XD

Not much to talk about. I'm in WoW right now, riding from Theramore to Refuge Pointe. Yes, I'm an Alliance "whore" AND a Paladin, so there. Say what you will, but the Horde quests bore me. I'm all about story, and Alliance quests have tons. Finished Mor'Ladim a few days ago (I was 30 when I did it too :D), and just now finished The Missing Diplomat at 32, even though the guards and Hendel were all 35s :P

Paladins, overpowered? Bah, what makes you say that? >_>; XD Ok, maybe a little, but a lot of it is skill, our armor, and a little luck. A newbie wouldn't get paladin past 20-25 range, trust me. And my main is a hunter, so you can't hate me for taking paladin. I was the worst-off and most nerfed of the classes, and now I'm one of the best-off and uberpowered. I feel my reason is justified. :P Paying 90g for a mount is ridiculous.

Anyhow, moving on... Not much new, just kinda sitting around. I might be getting a second job at Lowe's. My interview is on monday, wish me luck! :D And school has been over for like, the longest time (story behind that, ask later. XD).

Um... Let's see, what else... Oh! Visiting Lyla in July, hopefully. Not sure if I mentioned that, so there ya go. :P Should be a fun as hell time, i'm hoping. :D And, now that summer is finally here, it's time to get to visiting friends more. This means more Soul Calibur II and Super Smash Brothers Melee for all! XD

Favorite in SCII: Maxi/Necrid
Favorite in SSBM: Luigi, and MAYBE I'll use Mr. Game & Watch every now and then.

Ok, I don't have much to say, so.... Bye? XD I'll post once I have something interesting. Anyone who wants to duel me in WoW, bring it on XP

I'm out, people! :P

-Matt

WTB: [Life] x1 PST!

2005-04-13T07:24:34Z

Hey everyone, long time no post. Again. XD Anyhow.

Not a lot's been going on lately, as usual... Working on getting a secondary job for extra summer money, and playing far too much WoW, but other than that, nope, not much. Oh, and the comic's finally getting off the ground. :P

Might as well get this quiz thingie out of the way:

If You Ruled the World: by oomarilynmonroe
Username
national religion
Type of Government
How you take over
You would name it
You would overthrow	synthlights
Your second in command would be	jcdelacroix
Your sex slave is	iiyaya
Commander of the military:	kanonbell
Put to death for insubordination	simplicity_x
Figure head in the puppet government	sakura_exe
You are overthrown by	z3r0cr171c4l

Quiz created with MemeGen!

If that isn't some F'ed up shit, I dunno what is. Hehe, sex slave. XD Moving on.

Went over cory's house the other day, we kicked each other's asses in Super Smash Bros Melee. Then tried to take on Fox and Falco together, at difficulty lvl 9. I played Luigi, and Cory was Marth, as usual. Got our asses handed back to us, then beat them after a few tries. I swear, fighting them is just NOT fair. lol.

In regards to the comic (which I know I haven't really said much of anything about), it's still under way. We've reworked some character designs and concepts, added new people, lost some other people, etc etc... We have 4 main characters so far, and that's enough for an adventuring party, I think. :P The only thing that's going to be remotely difficult is pushing ourselves to actually DO this comic on a weekly basis. I'm sure we can do it, but it'll take some getting used to.

Oh, and for anyone who's thinking about buying Star Wars: Republic Commando -- Do it. It's a fun game. Short as hell, but more fun than playing as some stupid jedi like every other knock-off SW game out there. Also, Brothers In Arms (Road To Hill 30) isn't THAT bad.... but it's not that good, either. The voice acting is so horrible, and you know how that can just ruin the environment of the game. But control- and gameplay-wise, it's great. Realistic as all hell, too. It still doesn't beat WW2 game series like Medal Of Honor, or Call Of Duty.

I'm feeling like writing some scripts (or at least parts) before bed, so i'm gonna go get a snack and do that now. See you guys later.

-Matt :D

Betcha didn't see this coming. :P

2005-02-22T21:37:03Z

Updated profile page, bitches! XD

Felt like it was time for a change, so I simplified everything. If you think of anything that needs adding, feel free to comment. It always feels like I'm forgetting something >_>;

-Matt out!

Nightwish - Over the Hills and Far Away

2005-02-14T06:00:58Z

Good song here. If you don't already have it, or want to go through the trouble of finding it on KaZaA/WinMX/DC++ or whatever, message me on AIM ( ExtraStage300 ), and browse my "Get File..." directory. There's tons of good stuff in there now, just neatened it all up :P Anyhow, song lyrics first! ->
----------------------------------------------------------------
They came for him one winter's night
Arrested, he was bound
They said there'd been a robbery,
his pistol had been found

They marched to the station house,
he waited for the dawn
And as they led him to the dock,
he knew that he'd been wronged
"You stand accused of robbery,"
he heard the bailiff say
He knew without an alibi,
tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom

Over the hills and far away,
for ten long years he'll count the days
Over the mountains and blue seas,
a prisoner's life for him there'll be

He knew that it would cost him dear,
but yet he dare not say
Where he'd been that fateful night,
a secret it must stay
He had to fight back tears of rage.
His heart beat like a drum
For with the wife of his best friend,
he spent his final night of freedom

Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day
Far from the mountains and blue seas,
back in her arms he swear he'll be
Over the hills and far away

Over the hills and,
over the hills and,
over the hills and far away

Each night within his prison cell,
he looks out through the bars
He reads the letters that she wrote,
One day he'll know the taste of freedom

Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
back in his arms he swears she'll be

Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day
over the mountains and the seas
back in her arms is where he'll be

Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day
As sure as the rivers reach the sea,
back in his arms is where she'll be

Over the hills,
over the hills and far away

Over the hills,
over the hills and far away
----------------------------------------------------------------

Well, now that the lyrics are out of the way... Güten tag! :D And long time no post, I know. I've been busy, bitches. Deal. XD

Aaanywho. I bet you're all expecting a sad and depressing V-Day rant, aren't ya? One about how "Oh, woe is me, I don't have a valentine again this year. :(" Seeing as how most of you know I'm single, you're anticipating me ranting on how bad this day sucks, because I don't have a "significant other", that right? Well, too bad. You're not getting a rant like that, because I'm perfectly fine with being single. Not to say that there isn't someone who I'd gladly date, because there is ^_^ And a "valentine"? I guess you could say I have one.

You want a rant? You're getting a rant, but not a depressive one. You fuckers need to be told what's up here. This is a rant to educate you, so listen good.

To be honest, I really don't respect V-Day as a holiday, because that's not what it is. It's just an over-commercialized, capitalist creation, another attempt to pry even MORE money from the gullible and simple people of society. Obviously, some intelligent people realize this, but still go with it. Why? Because their "other half" would kill them if they didn't. And why is that? Because we've been forced into thinking that we HAVE to get gifts on this day. Truth is, we don't, and you all should know this. You don't need some "special day" to give your beloved person some gifts. You shouldn't need to be told WHEN to get fucking gifts for someone you care about. If you really cared for someone, you'd get them a gift whenever, it doesn't have to be some specific day that society has laid out for you. If you actually need a specific DAY or a REASON to get your other half something nice, then you're a fucked up individual, one who knows nothing of the meaning of the word "Love".

N O T H I N G .

If you love someone, you do nice things for them regardless of the day or circumstance. Who gives a flying fuck if you don't get anything back on the exact same day? You shouldn't even have the thought in your goddamned head about getting a gift back. Because I don't what's wrong with you people, but love is about giving, not "Give and expect something back immediately".

That's one reason I don't like V-Day. The other is because this "holiday" has been degraded to the point of, "Here's some [chocolate/flowers/card], let's fuck". And I hate that, with a passion. It's getting to the point where people can just give someone a gift and get some seks, then go home. It's fucking fubar (fucked up beyond all recognition), already. Seriously. This isn't Valentine's Day, this is "Chocolate and fuck me" day. Wtf mate. What happened to people actually, y'know, loving one another? I know a few people out there who actually know the meaning of the word. But unfortunately, I know twice as many who don't. I could mention names, but I'm not that much of an ass.

And I know there's plenty of sappy idiots out there right now that I just pissed off to high holy hell. Well, so be it. Suck on a nut for all I care. But don't even fucking THINK about making comments like, "U r just geting all mad cuz u don't have a gf! lololol", because I'm telling you right now, I'm going to fucking delete them. I don't think I've ever had to delete a comment before, and please, don't make me start now. If you're even GOING to comment, do so in a well-thought out, and educated manner. Don't type like you didn't even pass preschool, and don't just make posts like "You suck" or stupid shit like that. God, why can't you people give me something intelligent? If you're going to argue, at least make an effort to have some solid, debatable material on the table. And if you agree with me, fine, you can post that too. But again, post in an intelligent manner. I don't feel like comments that look like they were posted by the idiots that post on my friends' journals. Because man, even their compliments sounds stupid. And their whining is even worse, if that's even POSSIBLE.

Yeah, bet you people weren't expecting THAT kind of V-Day rant, were ya? Well suck my sack. Because that's what you got.

We're all told what love is as a child, right? But it's not so easy or simple to explain to a little kid in a few words, so we never really understand until we're older. Some people still don't understand at THIS age, for christ's sake. To me, love is more or less pretty simple.

Love is. That's it. There's no easy way to explain it. Love is just.. there. No, I'm NOT saying that it's meaningless, I would never say that. It's just hard to describe love. I guess you could say that love is the unconditional care you feel for someone. That's exactly what it is. But how do you describe how it happens? You can't, really. It just does. There's always reasons attraction, but a MUTUAL attraction? That's something, clicking somewhere, someHOW, that mankind can't even begin to explain. It just DOES. And it's beautiful, two people who are indescribibly in love. People who actually know what love's really about, and not just a relationship based off sex or physical attraction. That's not love, that's lust. And, if you're of the christian/catholic persuasion, Lust IS one of the seven deadly sins, remember? >_> *glare* Baka.

So, you might ask, what do *I* know about love? Have I ever even BEEN in love? Well, my friends, the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes". I've been in love (with absolute certainty that it actually WAS love), at least once. And as a matter of fact, I believe I still am. I've given people advice in the catagory, and have needed plenty myself, at one time or another. That's another thing about love. You can experience it to the end of time, but you'll still never truly know why. Why did you fall in love with that specific person? Why are you drawn to them, time and time again, no matter what the circumstance or consequence? No one really knows the reason why love starts. I guess that's another thing you could say about love: Love is unexpected. It can strike anyone, at any time, in any place. Love isn't bigotal. Love doesn't know skin color, or nationality, or looks. And we have no friggin' clue why, but we don't care, because true love = awesome.

Well, not much else to rant about regarding V-Day, I guess. I'm hoping you people actually have the attention span to READ all of this. And not skim through, either. XP Because dammit, this is a decently good post.

Also, in regards to the song lyric choice... Don't try to analyze or look into it. XD It doesn't represent my feelings at this moment. This post does, and I can safely tell you that I am...mellow. ^^ In regards to the song in general... I ask with every fiber of my body that you download anything by Nightwish. I don't like internet slang that much, but OMG they are good. I was just listening to some tracks on a new cd I burned a few days ago, and forgot "Over the Hills and Far Away" was on there. I WAS going to post "Numb", by Linkin Park, but I wasn't in that kind of mood O_o; I was more of in a "Glory, Honor, and Buttkicking" kinda mood, but I've already posted all the songs by Rhapsody that fit that description, and I don't like repeat-lyric posts. ^^;; So, something new got posted instead. If you like Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, etc... Then there's a decent chance you'll also like Nightwish. Plus, they're a chick band :D But that's besides the point.

...And "Kyle's Mom" just started playing on my stereo. XD I fucking love this song. And next is... Ooh! It's the theme to 'Love Hina Again'. Phear this l33t song :D I'll post the lyrics one day, just wait for it.

Aaaaand, I think that's a rap, folks. Nothing left to say today. Well, besides the fact that I'm probably quitting FFXI for WoW, but that's another post for another day. So for now, adios, ciao, goodbye! And remember what I said about leaving comments: Intelligent, well-thought out responses, not some gibberish that makes you look like a grade schooler. With that said, I'm out.

Later! ^o^

Whoa.

2005-01-13T22:25:11Z

Yeah, I forgot about this little tidbit of info.

SATA + Viper Bite record: 591 damage, on an IT++ mob, which was also strong versus dagger-class weapons.

I = Happy. XD

This is getting stoopid! XD

2005-01-13T22:20:59Z

Hi, me again. Yeah, yeah, I know I haven't updated in a while. Get over it. XP

Anyhow, I don't have TOO much to talk about. Work is the same as usual, nothing really changes being a cashier, lol. They showed us some dumb video about how we're not supposed to work "off the clock". For those of you who don't know (although I'm sure you all do), that means working when not punched in, and not getting paid for it..... Now, who the FUCK would be stupid enough to WANT to work off the clock?! No one's gonna work for free. I guess it's big enough of an issue to adress if they bothered to make a video about it, eh? XD But in any case, it's just common freakin' sense, people. I mean, you punch in when you get to work, then maybe forget to punch out when you leave at night. That I can *totally* understand, even I'VE done that. But that's not "off the clock", because you're still punched in. You can just call back and have someone punch you out. And yes, MAYBE it's slightly possible to forget to punch in before work, but again, this is a rare occurence, even among all the people I work with. We barely ever do something like that. And none of us... I repeat, NONE of us, would ever work there without being paid.

Oh yes, I'm sure the baggers would just looooove to push carriages around in the snow without getting paid. And I'm sure my fellow cashiers and I would just adore getting yelled at by the random idiot customers each day. Oh yes, that's so the high point of my day, Shaw's Supermarkets! ...Gimme a break, you fucktard corporate executives, no one is going to work in a supermarket (no matter WHAT department you're in) without getting paid for their hard work. Especially not the guys in grocery, those guys have it the worst.

In any case, I'm very horrible at keeping rants short, aren't I? XD Well, time to move on.

FFXI Update:
H'okay, leveling THF should NOT be as tough as it is right now. I got to 45, which I'm SO happy about. Treasure Hunter II is my savior, and Hide is just nasty to use, it's such an unfair advantage for me. XD But as of late, I've just been farming with my seek party tag up, and a warp scroll in my inventory. And still, no parties. I wait in Jeuno... Nothing. This is getting stupid. There's not even that many THFs on my server, so you'd think the demand would be high. But I knew when I got into the job, that I'd be struggling for parties compared to RDM and BRD. But I didn't care, all I really wanted to do was farm and make gil, leveling was just a route to farming faster.

You all may remember me as a Bard. Which, for a time, I was, and I enjoyed being. No shortage of parties, and I'm not a useless asset. Parties are definitely better off WITH a bard that withOUT one, that's for sure. BRD + RDM is an unstoppable team in a party that can almost totally cut off the need for a WHM, after level 40. But a few weeks ago, maybe a month or two.... I quit. Not FFXI, but I quit being a BARD. Why? Several reasons. First, I liked helping people, but no matter how much good I knew I was doing, it always felt like I was dead weight. Which I wasn't, I knew this myself. But not only that, I had people nearly scolding me when I quit bard, because they loved me in their parties O.o; Second, I hated not DIRECTLY being able to do damage. I mean, I'd buff up everyone else in the party (including me) but I'd only be doing a few points per hit, and I couldn't take more than a few smacks myself. But with my songs, I could buff the damage pool up to 150% of what a normal party without a bard would be doing. So I knew I wasn't useless.

...At least, not to them. Me, I see things in a damage perspective. (I love doing damage myself, I can't just sit and watch others do it.) The faster you can damage a target, the faster it will fall. Simple. Of course, you can't deny the need for a tank, or the healer. That'd be stupid. As stupid as inviting a MNK/RDM to your party. But, getting back to the damage aspect. So, you've got your tank, preferably a PLD. A NIN will do good, once they pass 37 and get their second blink ninjutsu, Utsusemi: Ni, which allows for almost continuous blink-tanking. Next, you've got your healer. I'm gonna keep this simple and make the healer a WHM, and preferably WHM/SMN or WHM/BLM.

...That leaves 4 slots open. Four slots which can be filled with almost anything, now that you've got the tank and the main healer down. Don't get me wrong, 4 WHMS and one PLD is NOT a good party. He'll never die, but you won't get fast EXP, either. So, the logical thing to do would be to get some damage dealers (DD). Now, there's so MANY DDs that it becomes hard to choose a good combo. To make this simple for you, I'll go ahead and add the first two which ANY party should have, after level 33: Samurai and Thief.

Why? Simple. Samurai have all the tools to not only successfully start a skillchain, but to END one as well. And don't you even DARE say ninjas can do the same. Ninja can't even touch what SAM can do. Ninja are good for starting, but suck for ending skillchains. Ok, so, Samurai get all these nice weapon skills, with at least one keyed to each element. Some probably overlap but also do other effects. Anyhow, the point is, they not only can start a skillchain on a good note, but end on a good one, and sometimes with themselves too.

And now we come to Thief. Now, I'm not just glorifying THF because I'm currently playing as one. If you've played FFXI for any amount of time, you know THF is the best DD until level 60, and now that Assassin has been added, even AFTER that level we're still better than most. The reason I picked Thief--IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAMURAI--is because THF is probably one of the best closers of skillchains. Two words: Viper Bite. This one little WS can close dozens of skillchains. And no, it WON'T always be Distortion, which is what you WANT, but that's not my point. Think about it: This ONE weapon skill can close that many skillchains. That's a good party member if I've ever seen one. And I'm talking about THFs who use daggers, and who are level 33+, not the ones who use swords and are pre-33, because they don't have Viper Bite yet.

Again, I picked THF and SAM together, not seperate. Together, they'll be doing about 70-80% (or more) of a party's total damage. Seeing as Viper Bite can CLOSE almost any skillchain which begins with a greatkatana, and Samurai can OPEN literally any skillchain with their weapon skills, it's a natural combo.

Time to rack up the damage from this one chain here. Keep in mind, this is in regards to my level (45).

{Tachi: Enpi} -> {Viper Bite} = {Distortion}, MB: {Ice}/{Water}

(200+) + (500+) + (200+) + (200+ if water, 300+ if ice) = 1100-1200+ damage.

H'okay, that's a shitload of damage. And that's not over a period of time. The time frame for that is like, 15 seconds, TOPS. And at the rate that SAM gains TP with their job abilites, and the rate THF gains TP with their low-delay weapons (and maybe a crossbow or a bow), you're talking 1100-1200+ damage twice a battle. That's in-fucking-SANE. I may be off a bit, I have a feeling I should tack on a bit more for the magic burst, but you get the idea. The point is that SAM + THF is quite possibly the best skillchain combo, and I've only given you ONE example. I could do more, if you wanted :P But I'll spare you.

So, back to the party setup. you've got a PLD/WAR, WHM/BLM(or WHM/SMN if you're lucky), SAM/WAR(SAM/THF sucks ass, don't listen to anyone who says otherwise), and lastly, the THF (THF/RNG, THF/NIN, and THF/WAR all work fine. I prefer THF/RNG, higher TP gain than the others, with my ranged weapons).

PLD
WHM
SAM
THF

....

{Hmmmm.} We have 2 slots open, don't we? Okie dokie. Ideally, you'd want a hard nuker next, right? Right. Again, to keep it simple, I'll give this "virtual party" a BLM. I'd say RNG, but RNGs draw more hate because they don't moderate their attacks like BLMs do. Black mages HAVE to moderate, because they can't take hits. Rangers can. So, rangers feel like they can pump shot after shot into the mob, because as far as they're concerned, that's all that matters. But I can't stand rangers myself, because they pull hate off the tank(s), and make it harder to skillchain (Missing SATA blows hardcore). And yes, my sub IS ranger, but I only leveled it for a sub, not for anything else. I just want free and fast TP. XP

Anyways, the nuker for this particular party shall be a BLM, most likely BLM/WHM. Not only for the nuking aspect, but also because only THEY can MB with full damage potential. A RDM can MB, but it'll be shitty compared to a BLM's. So that takes care of the nuker. Now, what do you fill the last slot with? Well, you've already got your required tank and healer, your two melee DDs, and a nuker.

What's left? Hrm, well, we COULD add another nuker, but that'd pull hate off the tank even more than the melee DDs. Could add another WHM, but that'd be pointless with the PLD there, he can take care of himself pretty darned good too. Another melee DD? Again, pulling hate off the tank, but it's do-able... So, looks like it comes down to the wire, here. With all the above options taken, the best thing to do would be to take someone who can do ALL of those things. Sure, he's not the "best" in the fields that he encompasses, but it's a nice mix. A "jack of all trades, but master of none", as they say in D&D.

And what fills this description, you ask? Why, the RDM, of course! Yes, folks, you knew it was coming. The Red Mage himself is the very embodiment of diversity and versatility, being able to do everything that the others can, and more. Like I said, he's not the best in each of those areas. But, to be the second-best nuker, the second-best healer, and a formidable force in melee all at the same time, that's no easy feat. And it's one that no one else can match.In the early levels, they may seem like an experiment to create the "perfect class" gone horribly awry. But, once they get around level 30-40 range, RDMs really get the tools they need, turning them into a whole different type of magic user. Passing level 40 is like the RDM's orgasm. (sorry for the visual.) They're no longer worried about being so dependant on their limited MP. It sure as hell isn't "limited" anymore. Healer low on MP but the melees are starting to hit the yellow after a pull in the nest gone wrong? Not a problem! {Convert} -> {Divine Seal} + {Curaga} = Instant party recovery! No resting and wasting away your TP there, melees, for the RDM is here! Finding the time between pulls to be too long? Not anymore! Slapping {Refresh} on that poor Cured-out WHM should bring the party back into the EXP chains.

So, recapping!

PLD
WHM
SAM
THF
BLM
RDM

Almost a perfect party. Of course, the players themselves must be good at their particular job, otherwise the party is doomed to low exp and long battles.

And so ends my FFXI rantage and update. :D

WoW Update:
Okay, have you SEEN this shit? Blizzard.com doesn't have any copies of WoW. BLIZZARD IS OUT OF THEIR OWN GAME. How?! Apparently, they're waiting a while to spread things out while they make new servers, they don't want to get overcrowded too fast. Which is a smart idea, and something Square-Enix and Sony should have thought of with FFXI, and Everquest II. But... DAMN, it's taking a long time. I want my friggin' Dwarf Gunsmith! XD Well, anyhow, no use in whining. I'll just wait for it, should be worth it, though I'll be WAY behind the curve.

Life update:
....{Huh?!} {What?} {Where?} {I don't understand.} Life {Can I have it?} -> {Reward}! XD XD XD
Nah, not much is going on. Work's the same, school is boring (though we haven't started yet lol), and I have a wonderful time traveling around in my car all the time. :D So yeah, I'm pretty much content right now. I'm trying to work on the comic Lyla and I are supposed to have up by now, but it's tough when I can't even think of one idea >_o; *twitch* Oh well, something'll happen in time. I know it.

For now, I'm out. Nice to be back on LJ, and I'll catch you all some other time. Oh, and JC, you still have your damn WoW account? I may take it off your hands if you don't want it anymore >_> I already have a time card on hold XD So gimme a ring. For the rest of you, adios!

-->Matt out.

bemani_ninja @ 2004-12-08T13:50:00

2004-12-08T18:51:09Z

You Are the Enthusiast

7

You are outgoing and playful - always seeing the happy side to life.

You're enthusiastic and excitable. You love anything new.

Multi-talented, you do many things well... and find success easy.

You prefer to keep things light with others. Opening up is hard for you.

What number are you?

w00t, lucky number 7! :D

O_O

2004-12-07T19:43:02Z

Your LJ Prison by redfrog021
Username
Favorite Deadly Sin
You are convicted of	Sticking up a 7-11 for Twinkies
And sentenced to	Life without Parole
Warden	yukita_chan
Abusive redneck guard	baka_kyou
Easy to bribe guard	synthlights
Cellmate	sword_master
Wants to make you their bitch	lolilove_x
Drops soap in the shower on purpose	adiktid2muzic
Works in the laundry and smells people's undies	kanonbell
Comes to see you for 'conjugal visits'	iiyaya

Quiz created with MemeGen!

...Okay, that's just wrong on SO many levels. XD

Later! Nyehehe.

bemani_ninja @ 2004-12-07T13:20:00

2004-12-07T18:22:08Z

New record for my 31 RNG/WAR:

{Sharpshot} + {Berserk} + {Barrage} = 352 damage O.o;; Owie. Can you say "dead mandragora"? XD

N1NJ4 - STYLE! O_O

2004-12-03T18:04:58Z

What type of ninja are you? by R-Do
Whats your name?
Whats your wepon of choice?
You are a	N1nj4
Your enemy is	Pirates
Your method is best described as	Fragging
Your Hit points are	230
Your code is	But why's the rum gone?!

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Ph34r t3h N1NJ4! XD

Scars - Papa Roach.

2004-11-20T22:19:27Z

------------------------------------------------------------
I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
My weakness is
That I care too much

And my scars remind me
That the past is real
I tear my heart open
Just to feel

Drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
I'm pissed 'cause you came around
Why dont you just go home?

'Cause you channeled all your pain
And I cant help you fix yourself
You're making me insane
All I can say is

I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
And my weakness is
That I care too much

And our scars remind us
That the past is real
I tear my heart open
Just to feel

I tried to help you once
Against my own advice
I saw you going down
But you never realized

That you're drowning in the water
So I offered you my hand
Compassion's in my nature
Tonight is our last stand

I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
And my weakness is
That I care too much

And our scars remind us
That the past is real
I tear my heart open
Just to feel

I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
You shouldn't ever come around
Why dont you just go home?

'Cause youre drowning in the water
And I tried to grab your hand
I left my heart open
But you didn't understand

You fix yourself!

I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
And my weakness is
That I care too much

And our scars remind us
That the past is real
I tear my heart open
Just to feel

I tear my heart open
I sew myself shut
And my weakness is
That I care too much

And our scars remind us
That the past is real
I tear my heart open
Just to feel
-------------------------------------------------------------

{/sigh}...

Feeling really crappy. Well, this whole week really. Very annoying, seeing as I'm used to almost always being bored but happy. Now I'm just bored and sad. u_u Whatever. I'll get better soon.

I can't think of anything important to say today.

Matt out. Later. {/goodbye}