20061227

wait, what?

So for Christmas I got the Legend of the Five Rings 3rd Edition book. Nerrrrrrrd. Anyway, apparently "Getting out of bed" is an example of a mundane action that you'd only have to roll Difficulty 5 for. Shouldn't that really be an automatic action? What does it mean if you fail to get out of bed? Do you get to try again later? What kind of skill would you use for this?

In conclusion, this seems like the kind of oversight that would be fun to abuse as a GM. So don't let me run L5R for a while, OK? For your own benefit.

Also: if you have problems with this, here are some tips for getting out of bed. Apparently this is a major problem. Here are basic instructions, in case you forgot.

20061223

harry potter and the deathly hallows

I was going to post this as a comment on Megan's LiveJournal, but I figure it could be put to better use here. It works much better if you understand that the name of the new Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (SPOILER WARNING!)

Deathly: 1. Of, resembling, or characteristic of death: a deathly silence. 2. Causing death; fatal.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Hallow: 1. To make or set apart as holy. 2. To respect or honor greatly; revere.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Synopsis: Something cool happens at the beginning of the book, and then Harry just kind of dicks around for about fifty chapters. Things get cooler at the end, though, as Ron, Hermione, and Harry have a threesome, Tonks writes long, sad posts in her Wizards' LiveJournal, Snape says "BTW I'm the Deathly Hallows," and Harry Potter once again has to get someone else to rescue him. In the end, it is revealed that Voldemort's spirit is hiding inside the necromantically reanimated body of Dumbledore, and so, Harry must kill Dumbledore one last time. (SPOILER WARNING!) Dumbledore dies.

In conclusion, there are many fantasy novels better and less predictable than the Harry Potter series. Like China Mieville. Assuming that you ignore the endings of all his novels, which are terrible (possibly because he is a Marxist).

20061220

babycart assassin

So Mitch just called me today to ask if Lone Wolf and Cub is a good manga. That was kind of random. Lone Wolf and Cub is a good manga. Also: I have only two more volumes to go until the end! After that, I figure I'll work on Astro Boy or something.

20061216

ray mansera: more interesting than presented here

Ray had figured out the meaning of the spiral. He had found it in a book about ancient Rome. There was a Pictish cult in Scotland, on the very border of the Empire: the White Howlers. Their deity was something called the Three Worms. Or maybe it was one Worm with three heads. But one was War, one was Hunger, and one was Corruption. The Worms lived at the center of Hell, in the Black Spiral Labyrinth. The Black Spiral Labyrinth twisted nine times. It was exactly how Ray had always seen it. During the cult’s initiation rituals, their members would “Dance the Black Spiral Labyrinth.” As the cultist danced closer and closer to the center, his madness grew and grew until he was “Like a Wilde Beaste.” It didn’t explain why the spiral was inside him, but it was clear that Anya knew something. And if the spiral was madness, then what would happen to Ray after he finished traversing all the Labyrinth’s paths and then reached the center? And what would happen to his friends?

20061209

hi, nat!

So Nat, this girl from my art history class (whom I have mentioned before, briefly and somewhat undescriptively) has managed to find this here blog. I'm very impressed, since many of my regular friends can't even find it (rimshot). I'm still trying to figure out where this lies on the Weird-Awesome Continuum, but I'm leaning towards "Awesome" because she is a pretty cool girl.

BONUS FOR MEGAN:

I have started reading Dinosaur Comics and I really enjoy the side characters, like the Devil. Or the raccoons and cephalopods! And who could forget Morris?

20061206

why my art history ta is pretty cool

"I hit my head today, and I think I have a concussion, because I feel really weird."

20061204

work

So for those who haven't heard, I got a job working at circulation in the university library. It pays minimum wage, and I mostly just move books around so far. Although eventually, I'll be trained for actually checking them in. I have a seven-and-a-half-hour shift Sundays, which sucks because it's quiet, lonely, and dusty. But at least I get paid.