Just For Clarity...

...I am more or less taking the holidays off in my YouTube endeavors and my blogs, aside from random small things and things that are already scheduled, and, well, New Years is a holiday. So updates next week. Just FYI.

Merry Christmas!!!

Another year, and another Christmas come and gone. I love Christmas, because it is the best chance to see my family all year. And because I get stuff. But mostly the family thing. Today was a particularly fun Christmas. Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by dinner. Dinner last night as well. And lots of gifts. I've had a rough time recently due to things that I'm not ready to post about, but today and last night gave me a new set of happy memories to cherish. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, cherish your memories of friends and family while you can, because each moment comes only once. And remember, I love all you guys, and want to wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy Holidays.

Update

I had planned to do another two (yeah, I said two) full-length reviews/Something Awesome posts today and tomorrow to make up for the fact that I've been really lax this week, but something awful happened today and I just can't do it. Maybe I'll feel up to it tomorrow, but I don't know. I have a few creative writing posts still scheduled to post, so the update on AwesomeJohn Writes this Sunday will go up regardless, but, unless something changes, these sites are on hiatus until at least Monday.

Something Awesome #36 - Mark Reads

*Apologies. It seems that after I wrote this Monday I forgot to publish it. Whoops.*

As I haven't done a real, full-length Something Awesome in a while and have said on many occasions recently that I have had many ideas for weeks...it makes sense that I decided to instead discuss something which I only discovered a few days ago, while referencing the subject in the intro! Intrigued? Then it's time for AwesomeJohn22 to talk about Mark Reads.

One of My Videos, and A Good Video, Too!

There is a review of...something coming later tonight, or maybe tomorrow, but first I just wanted to share some videos with you guys.

First we have maybe the cutest thing since cute things:

And second we have a video of mine, in keeping with my promise to post my YouTube videos here as well:

Random Awesome

So this is the first of the guaranteed short Wednesday updates. It's a little late (I almost forgot that I had a thing after work today). It's a bit random, as there are a few things that I want to talk about, but mostly I want to talk about the awesome that was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last night. It was the season (mid-season?) finale, and it was great. Joss has once again created human characters who we can't not care about, and who are awesome but still do dumb, stupid human things. It was great.

Let me put it this way: The first season of the show was good. It started really strong with the premier, but petered out a bit until about mid way, and then just blew you away repeatedly with big reveals and bigger action pretty much every episode, tying into Captain America: The Winter Soldier, up until the big action finale. Then season two rolled around, and it was just as big right from the start, stayed amped up, and then last night, in the finale, it went bigger than it ever has before. A main character was killed and the entire character dynamic of another was changed forever, and plot threads were left unresolved completely for future use.

Mind = blown.

Seriously, anyone who isn't watching this show needs to. Now.

Also, here is a new trailer that you may not have seen that I think is pretty sweet looking, and a couple of my own toy review videos. Check them out, and comment below!

 

  

Overview - The Twelfth Doctor

So I know I said that this was coming a long time ago, and then I put it off, and put it off, and put it off. I just couldn't find my voice on this one (I'm also lazy...). No matter the things that I disliked about this latest Series of the long-running scifi adventure show, I found it difficult to talk negatively about the Doctor in any real way, and spoilers: there will be negatives in this overview, very strong ones. Finally, however, any other projects which have been vying for my attention have been relegated to the back of my mind, and I have come up with what I think is a pretty concrete way to analyze the character of the Doctor in any of his forms. I call it The TARDIS Test.

New AwesomeBlog Schedule

So I thought about it, and seeing how I write my content here as I sit down to it, with little preparation, I think that the easiest thing to do would be to just do the following:

-Monday: Some kind of full-length Something Awesome post. I post a YouTube video on Monday, but it is always ready in advance, so I would have time (the Twelfth Doctor in-depth overview will fall into this category, and will come this coming Monday).

-Wednesday: A guaranteed short post, maybe an A Little Something Awesome or something else about the same length. I might even start doing weekly journal entries or something, I dunno.

-Thurs/Friday: A review of something. This is because I will typically go see a new movie on a Thursday or Friday night and write the review of it after, and while I won't be seeing/reviewing a movie every week, it will be nice to have my "review something" day coincide with the day that I would normally review something.

I will reinstate Saturday Doctor Who reviews as well once the show starts up again, though on weeks when I saw no new shows or movies and am pressed for time, I might count this as my weekend review. And, of course, other awesome things, from musings, to cuteness, to poems (yeah, I said that, I'm surprised too!), to cool videos, to A Little Something Awesomes, will come as they come. For example, here are two awesome videos from this past week! I have mixed feelings about both, for wildly different reasons, but they are still both really cool:

Finally, I want to say that this schedule will be implemented next week. I am taking the week off from YouTube, and would be taking the week off from AwesomeJohn Writes if the posts weren't already queued, so it only makes sense to start up here again when I start those up again as well.

It's Been A While

So it's been a few weeks since I've posted here, which is something that I didn't want to happen again. I enjoy posting on this blog, even if I'm too lazy to promote it and pull in readers. I can't blame my other blog, as most of the content there comes from an every expanding buffer of chapters, or my work on YouTube, because it's pretty simple and stable. I can't even blame my job, which gives me a daily hour long lunch during which I can write. I can only blame myself.

I promised things here, but part of the reason that I have split up my main blog, my creative writing, my toy reviews, and my gaming is because now all of these things have different categories. It's also part of the reason that I've started tagging every post. See, if I try to do too many similar creative things at once, I have trouble deciding which to work on, and all work on all of the things grinds to a halt. It was the reason for several long gaps in the updates of my fanfictions on yugiohcardmaker.net, and it is the reason for the long gaps in updates here. My mind is just very easily pulled in so many directions at once that it can't focus.

This is why I will begin striving to post weekly updates on planned larger posts, as well as more short ideas and musings again. I will also be working out a schedule here regarding which update types come when, whether they be new reviews or updates to old reviews, or full length Something Awesomes or whatever. I will also begin reposting every toy review video that I make here as well. Hopefully this will help me sort out my ideas more concisely and get more varied posts flowing again on a more regular basis. Expect a schedule to be posted soon.

Happy Birthday Skyrim

I love the Elder Scrolls series of games. When I was in school years ago, a friend of mine had Morrowind, and I loved the design of the game. It managed to feel fantastical and alien at once, and despite the fact that I loathe the game's combat system, it was an experience. As recently as a few months before Skyrim came out, I finally bought and played Oblivion, and while it wasn't as fun, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the central region of the continent of Tamriel, and Cyrodiil became my favorite location in the franchise to date.

However, in Morrowind I mostly ran around exploring Dwemer ruins, and in Oblivion I mostly ran around the woods or Imperial City, or died a lot to Umbra. I never actually got into the stories of the games, or the lore, or the modding community. Skyrim was the game that changed that. Now I love modding other games as well, and I've developed a deep appreciation for the lore of Tamriel, which has become my favorite fantasy world.

At three years old, Skyrim is still a fantastic game with fantastic fan content that I enjoy playing on a regular basis. I plan to start a new play through of the game soon, as a let's play series. Happy birthday, Skyrim, and thanks for being my favorite game.

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0811 and 0812: Dark Water and Death in Heaven

We already talked about the first part of this episode last week, but what came last week isn't what I would call a review. I'd call it something akin to a summary of points of interest, and interesting those points were. Between the revelation that Missy is the Master, and the startling scene where Clara betrays the Doctor, Dark Water was probably the first really memorable lore episode of the Series. Of course, this week, we will be looking deeper into that episode, and taking a look at the second as well, so we should probably start out be elaborating on some of the points that I made earlier.

Movie Reviews - Big Hero 6

I don't enjoy math, and I don't see the point of it a lot of the time, but even I understand that sometimes the simple application of addition can improve a product or situation exponentially. This movie, which I saw the local premier of earlier tonight, embodies this statement. This movie is almost entirely made up of seemingly unrelated things added together to create something better. Marvel Comics plus Disney Animation Studios equals a brilliant new medium for telling great stories to a broader audience. San Francisco plus Tokyo equals a vibrant, visually interesting story setting. A moving story of dealing with loss plus a really action packed, fun, and funny superhero origin equals Big Hero 6.

 

A Surprise Something Awesome - Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Cover of Space Oddity! From Space!!

Chris Hadfield, one of the few cool Canadians (just kidding, I love you Canada!) did something really cool a while back: he did a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity.

AwesomeJohn, you ask, what is so cool about that? Loads of people do musical covers, don't they?

Well, yeah, but how many people do you know who have made a music cover in freakin' space?!

And if this weren't enough awesome, there is even more to this story. The reason that this post is titled A Surprise Something Awesome is because no one ever expected to see this video online again. It had been flagged and taken down due to copyright infringement before I could originally blog about it here way back when (I don't remember when exactly it first went up, sorry). This situation seemed permanent, until David Bowie himself saw the video and said, "hey, what are you guys doing flagging that video. It was awesome! Get off that guy's back and let him do awesome stuff."

Okay, maybe I'm paraphrasing a bit, but either way this video is so cool that the original creator of the song has officially endorsed it. How awesome is that?!

The answer is really awesome.

Thank you Mr. Hadfield for being a cool astronaut and making this video, thank you Mr. Bowie for being awesome and letting the video go back up, and thank you Phillip Defranco, AKA Sxephil on YouTube for including the fact that this video had been returned to YouTube in your Today In Awesome segment today (otherwise I wouldn't have known it was back!). And thank you, people of the internet, for existing, giving me a reason to seek out such great videos to share. Check the video out below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.

Doctor Who Series 8 Finale Update

So part one of the Doctor Who Series 8 finale was tonight, and it was pretty cool. It tied up a lot of the loose ends that have been left unraveled through the Missy ending scenes of several episodes since the start of the series, and even revealed the identity of the mysterious character. I will not be reviewing the episode here, but will be waiting for part two and reviewing them together. I will talk about a few interesting things from this episode, however, after the jump. As always, spoilers ahead.

Happy Halloween!!

My personal favorite holiday is coming to a close. With no parties to go to or anything like that, I spent my time trolling the halls of Target for halfway decent scarey decorations for next year, listening to Creepypasta readings from the likes of MrCreepyPasta, CreepyPastaJr, and MissShadowLovely on YouTube, and watching some game footage of great horror games that I am too cheap to own, like Amnesia: the Dark Descent, and Five Nights at Freddy's, and it was a blast!

How did you spend your Halloween? Did you dress up? Maybe hit a haunted house or two? Or did you do something like I did, and maybe check out some of the great Halloween content online, or watch some scarey movies? Let me know in the comments below, and have a happy Halloween! And hey, because I like you all so much, I'm gonna help you have a happy Halloween by sharing with you one of my favorite Halloween videos ever, the classic Disney cartoon The Skeleton Dance edited to the tune of the fantastically fun and frightening song Spooky Scarey Skeletons. It's two Halloween classics for the price of one! Enjoy!

A Little Something Awesome - Daniel Radcliffe Raps Alphabet Aerobics!

Who knew that the boy who lived is also the boy who raps? Daniel Radcliffe continues to prove that how incredibly talented he is, between eight popular films in the Harry Potter franchise, and a new film coming to theaters very soon, and what seems to be a genuinely good personality and sense of humor, and now this, Mr. Radcliffe is a celebrity who I am proud to be a fan of. But don't take my word for it, check out the video below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0810: In The Forest of the Night

This week we have yet another Series 8 Doctor Who episode entitled The Happening...er...I mean In the Forest of the Night. Okay fine, not a good comparison. After all, in The Happening the trees actually were trying to kill everyone, while in this episode we only think that they are. Still, these two stories do have something in common: they are both really dumb.

TV Reviews - Constantine Episode 0101: Non Est Asylum (SPOILERS)

As a DC Comics fan (and a comics fan in general), you might assume that I have at least a passing familiarity with all of the well-known DC characters, including the exorcist John Constantine, and you would be correct. However, my first exposure to Constantine was actually the old Keanu Reves movie of the same name which was...not too good. Don't get me wrong, it had some really twisted horror imagery, which is something that I just EAT UP, but its world-building was pretty cruddy, and it hardly answered any of the questions that it presented the audience with. That and Keanu isn't really the most expressive actor, so the character came off less "defeated man who presses on regardless" and more "I just don't give a crap". Since then my exposure to the character has been limited to a few random comics, so despite the fact that this character and his adventures seem right up my alley, I have very limited knowledge of said adventures or the world in which they take place, and I'm glad, because this show was great, and now I can experience this world and it's rules and characters as the show presents them.

A Little Something Awesome - Age of Ultron First Trailer!!!

So the first teaser for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron dropped yesterday, and it is GLORIOUS!

Enough said, watch it, and come back later for another Something Awesome.

 

A Little Something Awesome - Punpkin Juice, and Agressive Comix On YouTube!

I still do have some full-length Something Awesomes in progress, I really do, but until then, I wanted to share this video I found. I love this channel, particularly for Geekgasm, hosted by Jenny, who is featured in this video as well, who I just...is love to strong a word when speaking of someone who I have never actually met? Anyway, with this being the Halloween Season, the most wonderful time of the year, and because I am a Harry Potter geek, I was particularly impressed by this episode today and thought that I would share. If you are a geek who, as an adult, still loves to indulge their geeky hobbies, check out the video and the channel, and come back later for another Something Awesome.

Just don't watch the video with your young children...

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0809: Flatline

Another week, and another Doctor Who, and just as I thought, this one was pretty intense. Where last week's episode was more intriguing, this one had that air of desperation that was often characteristic of Matt Smith's time on the show, mixed with some intellectualism. It was a very interesting mix, but did it succeed as a Who episode?

A Little Something Awesome - A New Digimon Series With the Original Cast!!!

Woot woot, the original characters return in a new Digimon Adventure series coming in 2015! This news has been floating around for a few months, but I only just stumbled upon it tonight, and, of course, only one character, Taichi Kamiya (he had a different last name in the Japanese version I think, but whatevs), has been announced, but still, I am so excited! Check out the teaser trailer below, and let me know what you think!

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0808: Mummy on the Orient Express

So I mistakenly thought that this episode was the mid-series finale, but I was wrong. That episode, Clara's final episode (as far as I understand), is still in the (near-ish) future. My bad. Just FYI.

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0807: Kill the Moon

This was a Doctor Who episode about abortion.

Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.

 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0806: The Caretaker

It's Doctor Who night again, and this episode was really something special. Finally, finally, the Doctor meets Clara's boyfriend Danny Pink. I will admit that I wasn't really super excited to see this happen (I wanted to see it, but not, like, really badly or anything), I just wanted one of Moffat's new storylines to progress a little bit. Seeing as that's what I wanted out of this episode, I'd say I got what I wanted, though I'm on the fence as to whether or not that's a good thing.

A Little Something Awesome - BendGate

I hate, hate hate hate, the iPhone. Is it because I don't like to give in to hype? Maybe. Is it because I'm a little counter culture? Almost definitely. Is the iPhone a good product despite my obviously exaggerated detest? I guess. I don't like it or its UI at all, but I can see why some might. Either way I find it absolutely hilarious that one of the two new iPhone 6 models (whichever is the large one) is made of a relatively thin aluminum and bends very easily. Absolutely. Hilarious. I even tweeted about it. Me!

TV Reviews - Gotham

And another fall season comes and brings with it more series premier reviews. however, there are fewer new shows this season that I am interested in. Maybe I'll do some season premiers eventually, but first, there is something that I need to do.

I am a fan of comic books and comic book stories, so you may be surprised that I didn't post this yesterday. After all, this is the show that everyone has been talking about. Batman is a big deal. The old Burton/Schumacher films still have fans today, and the Nolan movies were a wide commercial and critical success. Batman is more popular than he has ever been. I should have been looking forward to this movie that tells the very early origins of Batman by telling the story of the early rise of one of the caped crusader's closest allies, Jim Gordon, in the GCPD, but I wasn't. I was apprehensive. A Batman story without Batman? That's like a Superman story without Superman! However, where the other series that we all know that I am referencing still featured the character in their established role, this show will not feature Bruce Wayne as the hero. As I already said, this is Gordon's story, and what better way is there to tell the story of a cop these days than in the form of a cop drama?

 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0805: Time Heist

Another week, and another episode of Doctor Who. Not for the first time this series, this episode has me divided. On one hand, it is again a Moffat episode, but on the other it is co-written by Stephen Thompson...who hasn't really written any Doctor Who episodes that I've actually liked very much. He wrote Curse of the Black Spot, which I'm completely indifferent about, aside from the cool pirates, and Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, which I'm pretty much completely indifferent about with no exceptions, as almost everything in the episode contradicts what the rest of the franchise has established about said vehicle, and felt like it only existed to add another layer to the "Clara is strange" plot that had already started to get old. I have long since felt that neither of these episodes needed to exist. Did I think the same of this episode? Perhaps. Read on to find out.

 

 

Something Awesome #35 - Movie Reviews - The Maze Runner

And already I contradict myself, and the next Something Awesome that I write is, once again, a movie review. Don't worry, I have a couple of non-movie review full length Something Awesomes coming soon. First, though, I gotta talk to you guys about a movie that I saw the local premier of tonight: The Maze Runner, and, spoiler alert, I really liked it.

 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0804: Listen

So this is going to be a different kind of Doctor Who review than the last few have been, in that it will probably be more typical of my Doctor Who reviews overall. Where the past few reviews have been very lengthy and in-depth with deep analysis, this one will be simpler and more concise, because really less happens in this episode than in the past couple. Don't, however, take that to mean that this episode is not good, because the quickie review is that I quite enjoyed this episode. It was good right off the bat, with a great payoff that didn't advance the plot of the series, but ended up being a good look at the Doctor's overall character and expanding the overall mythos of the show. Also, before we get going with this thing, be aware that there will be spoilers, not just for this episode, but for the franchise lore.

A Little Something Awesome - Epic Game Music

Recently, while watching a video on another awesome YouTube channel, The Game Theorists, I was directed to this guy, Epic Game Music, who makes absolutely amazing covers of game music and opening themes from TV and web series, and who is criminally under-viewed on YouTube relative to the sheer quality of his work. I thought that I would do my best to remedy this. Check out this sample of his work below, if you like it, consider subscribing, and either way come back later for another Something Awesome.



TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0803: Robots of Sherwood

I mentioned last week that putting a Dalek episode so soon after the very different Series 8 premier was a smart play on Moffat's part, due to the popularity of said monsters, but I never said that is was the right move. The new Doctor this series, as played by Peter Capaldi, is not just new in that he has a new face, he is new in that he seems to be taking his life more seriously than the previous few Doctors have, and that is very new for the common viewer these days. I have mentioned that Moffat seems to be taking Doctor Who back to its roots as serious SciFi drama mixed with historically-based stories, forgoing a lot of the humor that the series has come to be known for in recent years. I don't really think that this is a bad idea, but putting two such heavy stories as Deep Breath and Into the Dalek back to back, I think, was a mistake. If it had been me, I would have put this episode second in the series, and, in fact, I think it actually fits better there anyway.

 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0802: Into the Dalek

Another Saturday, and another episode of Doctor Who Series 8. To appease those who might be put off by the rather unconventional series premier, the second episode featured the most popular, prolific, and dangerous of the Doctor's enemies, the Daleks. One who is unfamiliar with the Whoniverse likely finds the Daleks a bit silly, seeing as how they are basically tall kitchen garbage cans with a plunger sticking out of them, and I have my own opinion on the Daleks that I will get into later, but it cannot be argued that a majority of Whovians love these guys, and Dalek stories being pretty conventional Who, it was a pretty good move on Moffat's part to put this episode where he did to keep younger fans hooked. But did this succeed or not?



 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0801: Deep Breath

First of all, two quick notes. One: yes, I'm reviewing individual episodes in this new series of reviews, particularly individual episodes of Series 8 of Doctor Who. This is something that I've never done before, so I'm a little nervous. Two: Regardless of what I think of these episodes, I will not be making these reviews into Something Awesome reviews. I'm trying to actually reduce the number of Something Awesomes that are reviews of movies or TV, as its starting to feel like I'm cheating.

That out of the way, let's move on.

Being out of town during the premier of a new Doctor Who episode that you intend to review is frustrating enough, but then the episode is a series premier, an introduction to a new actor playing the Doctor, and written by Steven Moffat, the show runner since Series 5, and a man who seems to write complicated scripts like the rest of us breathe. In the end, I not only got a late start on the episode, but it was also an episode that required more than one viewing before I could really form an opinion.

Now, having watched the episode twice, I think I can speak (or rather write) about it with relative certainty.



Something Awesome #34 - Movie Reviews - Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United

Not to long ago, Marvel Animation Studios released an animated movie that promised to introduce a new, high tech form of animation that combined CG and cell shading, unite two popular heroes in an original story, and tie into the then-recent Avengers film. That movie was called Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United. I panned it, saying that it was advertised as a tie in to The Avengers only as a cash grab, that it was poorly written with lame humor, and that the animation still seemed unfinished. I don't really remember how I rated it, but I remember that I rated it low. For these reasons, I avoided the second movie in this series like the plague, and after finally getting up the courage to view it, I wish I'd done so sooner, because I actually really enjoyed it.

A Little Something Awesome - Chris Pratt...Just Chris Pratt

This guy is hilarious. Ever since Guardians of the Galaxy became a hit, he's been exploding all over media circles, mostly the internet, and I think that's great. Below, Mr. Pratt accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. He's not really doing much of anything in the video, but it's still hysterical. Check it out and see what I mean.

Also, in case you missed it when it originally popped up a couple weeks back, here is a great video where, when Mr. Pratt is asked what his favorite song lyrics are, he responds by rapping Eminem (NSFW). Put to music, as it is below, it's even more amazing. Give it a look, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



A Little Something Awesome - I Have Two Blogs Now!

I just started another blog. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to start doing more creative writing, beginning with moving my Yu-Gi-Oh! story from yugiohcardmaker.net to here. So I began a second blog, AwesomeJohn Writes, where I will do just that. Something Awesome and my various media reviews will stay here, while The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot, as well as any future creative writing endeavors, will be there from now on. So check out the new site, and come back later for another Something Awesome!

A Little Something Awesome - Star Trek Stars Take The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

I love the Star Trek franchise. Even the crappy stuff, I love it all, some of it for radically different reasons. I love it (well, except for Threshold, and A Night in Sickbay), and I love the actors involved with it. So many of them are really nice, really cool people, and this article about several of them becoming involved in the recently-exploded ALS Ice Bucket Challenge just proves this true. Give it a read, and come back a little later for another Something Awesome.

A Little Something Awesome - Hero Dog

In a story that punches you right in the feels and then hugs you and makes it better, a three-year-old girl was able to survive eleven days lost in the Siberian wilderness thanks to some quick thinking, and the heroic efforts of her puppy. Check out the full story as recounted by my pals over at youtube.com/sourcefed in the video below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



New Toy Reviews!

I keep saying that I will post here what it is that I've been up to during the long lulls between updates here. Well, long story short, I've been making video reviews of toys...mostly! To watch them, check out my YouTube page, youtube.com/awesomejohn22, go to the playlists, to the Awesome Reviews, and watch all of them. Then watch everything else on the channel too.

...

What, did you think I wasn't going to plug myself on my own blog? Please.

;)

A Small Update

Just a quick update for anyone who might read this blog. I write fanfiction, or something akin to it, set in the world of the anime/manga/game property Yu-Gi-Oh!. I'm not going to justify myself (I know fanfiction is often frowned upon and avoided), I just like that world and wanted to contribute my own characters and stories to it. Typically I post this fanfiction in the relevant section of the forum on yugiohcardmaker.net. However, and not for the first time, my login to that site has stopped working, making it impossible to update my threads on the forum. It has been like this for a few months, so I have decided to resume updating my facfiction here. First, however, I must decide if I should open up a second blog just for creative writing, and I want to post what I already have finished here on this site, which I want to do gradually, which will take a loooong time.

Strap in people, because it's coming in just the next few days. You have been warned.

Remembering Robin Williams

It was reported just recently (and I mean, like, within the last couple of hours) that comedian and actor Robin Williams was found dead today at the age of 63, likely of a suicide. Details on his death are cloudy at best, with many sites simply spouting rampant speculation, so I will not talk about his death, but his life, or more specifically him impact on mine.

Despite what some people might say, Robin Williams has always been entertaining, at least as far as I can tell. I enjoyed even his worst movies because he was there to lift the films' spirits, and his ability to light up a room with just that exuberant, fun-loving, kinda cheeky smile of his is legendary. He was a young soul trapped within the body of an aging man, and yet he never seemed old in any of his recent appearances, including his recently cancelled sitcom The Crazy Ones. His performance as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin, despite the problems that Williams himself took away from the role, is one of my favorite things ever, and I have been sad for years that he hasn't been doing more with his phenomenal talent. I can only hope to bring even a fraction of the joy to others which Mr. Williams has over the years.

All of this is sad enough, but it seems that Williams' death may have been related to depression, something that I find hard to imagine. It hurts me just to think that someone who seemed to fun-loving and happy could be in that kind of pain. I have suffered depression before. It guts you. Hearing that Mr. Williams may have been suffering depression for years tears me up inside. We must all strive to prevent this loss from overshadowing the happiness and joy which Mr. Williams stood for all of his life.

Robin Williams will be sorely missed, by myself and millions of others. Rest in peace, Mr. Williams. You will never be forgotten.

A Little Something Awesome - This Video

Just...just watch it. It's pretty great.

See, I told you.

Something Awesome #33 - Movie Reviews - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a franchise very near and dear to my heart. The old '87 cartoon is one of the first shows that I ever remember watching and re-watching as a kid, and my desire to own a version of each of the four turtles characters in action figure form is a big part of why I collect toys now. I have enjoyed all of the animated series of TMNT, though I like some better than others, and I enjoyed the movie titled TMNT from '07, and both of the live action movies from the '90's (what third movie?). When it was announced that my arch enemy, Michael Bay, would be responsible for bringing TMNT back to the silver screen, I was apprehensive, and when the movie finally came out this evening, I naturally went to see it and witness how completely it had failed so that I might laugh derisively. Too bad for me, though, I didn't hate this movie.

Something Awesome #32 - Movie Reviews - Guardians of the Galaxy

As a fan of Marvel Comics, science fiction and fantasy, even I find it surprising that I actually know very little about the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah I have a peripheral knowledge of them, enough to know a bit about the various incarnations of the team, the power sets of the characters, and to love Rocket the Raccoon and Groot. Enough to know at the time of its announcement that this movie would have a tough release if the marketing weren't handled perfectly. Well, it was, selling the truly unusual concept of a man, a green girl, a giant covered in red tattoos, a raccoon, and a tree coming together and becoming super heroes on par with the Avengers to the general public. Thanks to its brilliant marketing campaign, the idea of this movie has hooked even the more down to earth Marvel movie fan and helped to expand what they will accept as film entertainment. It also taught me something. Well, two things actually: that Karen Gillan is hot even bald and with robot parts, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are even more awesome than I thought.

The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot #10

---Last Seed, 29th, 4E 201---

  While retrieveing Odvar from Jorvaaskr, I decided to stop in and see what Farengar thought of the golden sword I found. He was unsure of its origin, remarking that it resembles the Daedric Artifact called Goldbrand, but that it cannot be, as Goldbrand has not been seen since the Great War. He thinks that it is perhaps a good replica. Its enchantment is stable, and it is sturdy, and of superior quality to my Skyforge Steel blade, so I have decided to carry it as my weapon of choice for the time being.

  On my way back down from the Cloud District I met a local girl named Lucia. She begs for food and coin in the city square, and sleeps on the floor of the Temple of Kynareth, as she has no parents. I spoke to Lydia, and she has agreed to arrange for my spare room to be outfitted as a child's room, and for Lucia to live in Breezehome under her care. Lucia is a sweet girl. Perhaps once I'm ready to settle down a bit, I'll adopt the girl properly. Odvar says that I'm quite the philanthopist, suited to the life of a Thane, but I think he's mocking me, and I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be if he weren't.

   Odvar and I rode the carriage through the night to Riften, sleeping on the way. It wasn't comfortable, but it did save time. Once here Riften became suspect immediately when the guards at the gate tried to shake us down for money, until I threatened to expose their scheme. Inside it became clear that Riften is little more than a slum with walls. It smells bad, is run behind the curtain by a preposterous group calling themselves the Thieves Guild, and the city's one wealthy family, the Black-Briars. I met a tough but beautiful Nord woman named Mjoll and her friend Aerin who agree. Mjoll is a former Adventurer who actively opposes the corruption in Riften. She and I are like-minded, and though she has yet to trust me enough to tell me why she stopped adventuring, she did agree to show me around the city, introducing me to the trustworthier citizens, and to accompany Odvar and I for a while.

  One of the places that Mjoll showed us was the local Temple of Mara, the only public building in the city that doesn't look like it's falling apart, and while there we were, as seasoned Adventurers, offerend a series of tasks by the priestess on Mara's behalf, to spread the cause of love throughout Skyrim. The tasks will not take us too far out of our way, and it is a worty cause. The first of the tasks is in nearby Ivarstead, the gateway town to the Graybeards' mountaintop. I sit here writing as the three of us prepare to set out for the town. We should be able to reach it by foot by tonight, giving me a chance to experience more of the Rift than this one depressing city. Once there I suppose that I'll have to decide once and for all what to do about the summons.

  I will also welcome Mjoll's help dispatching the Silver Hand nearby, though I must decide carefully how much to tell her of the true nature of my mission, and myself. Odvar could not be more accepting of my nature as a werebeast, but Mjoll might not be so forgiving.

  While arriving in town this morning, a dragon flew overhead. It remained just long enough to stir up the guards before it flew off toward the nearby peaks, but I'm sure, depite the morning fog, that it was not the black dragon from Helgen. That is three dragons now that I have seen in a week's time, and it concerns me. I also feel different since my transformation into a Werewolf. I enjoy the taste of raw or hardly-cooked animal meat, and I find that I am more eager to take up arms. Is my new nature doing something to my mind? If so I must strive harder to control it.



Mods Referenced in this Entry:

-Insanity's Goldbrand

The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot #9

---Last Seed, 28th, 4E 201---

  On the 26th of Last Seed, only two days ago, Skjor and Aela made me a Werewolf so that I might help them wipe out a legion of the Silver Hand. Initially the transformation was rough, but I recovered my head. By the time I did, however, I'd run with Aela to the fort where the Silver Hand were holed up. While Aela stayed behind to make sure I didn't harm myself or anyone else, Skjor went ahead. He fell to the Silver Hand and their skilled and powerful leader, The Skinner, before we could reach him. I tore the man's followers apart in my new beast form. In that form I am an unstoppable force, and even in my Human form I am stronger than ever. I rarely tire, and Aela tells me that I will never again have to feel the ravages of disease. I no longer have trouble controlling myself in my transformed state, either. The Silver Hand are right to be wary of the mad Werewolves which even Aela admits exist, but why do they hate the Companions so? I don't care anymore. They killed a member of my pack. They will all die for it.

  Leaving the fortress, I realized that I was near Wildhelm, and I was reminded of my reason for coming to Skyrim in the first place. My father, a half-Nord half-Imperial Officer in the Legion, and my mother, a Nord ambassador to Cyrodiil from Skyrim, were killed in the sacking of the Imperial City during the great war when I was very young. I hate the Thalmor for this, but I am no fool. I was but a boy, but even I knew at the time how close we came to losing the war. The White-Gold Concordat must last, or my parents will have died for nothing. Ulfric wants to dissolve the Concordat and renew the fight with the Thalmor. When I heard that he had murdered the High King of Skyrim, I knew he was moving toward a full-scale rebelion, and I gave up my comfortable life of exploring ruins, gathering loot, and wooing maidens with stories of my heroism to come north and try to convince him to stop. Stupid, I know, but I felt I had to try something. So I journeyed to Windhelm, stopping by the nearby Talos statue which overlooks the city. There I found a golden Akaviri sword which seems to be enchanted. Maybe it was sacreligious to do so, but I took it. It feels good to carry a light, swift blade again.

  Five minutes in Windhelm it became clear that there would be no convincing Ulfric. The first thing I saw when I stepped through the gate was a pair of Nords harassing and threatening a Dunmer woman while the guards stood by and did nothing. One of the men threatened to come to her home that night and teach her a lesson. So I broke his nose. I stayed in the city for a night, and even helped Ulfric's stuard catch a murderer who was trying to construct a Flesh Golem from parts of local girls, and I built a rapport with some of the Dunmer, who are forced by Ulfric and his guards to live in an unkept slum. Despite this, however, I don't intend to ever return to Windhelm while Ulfric sits on the throne, if I can help it. Even now I camp just outside the city walls.

  Tomorrow I take the carriage to Whiterun to get Odvar, if Ria has not killed him to prevent his constant advances, and then to Riften. Aela found clues in the fortress that the Silver Hand have a stronghold in The Rift as well. I'll kill them all, for Skjor.

 

 



Mods Referenced in this Entry:

 -In this entry I mention a weapon mod, Insanity's Goldbrand, which adds a lore weapon to the game that would not otherwise be present. In the lore, this weapon was supposedly last wielded by a soldier in the Imperial army, so I thought that it would make sense if the Dragonborn found it near a Shrine of Talos. This is also a reference to an older Goldbrand mod which has since disappeared from Steam and the Nexus.

The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot #8

---Last Seed, 25th, 4E 201---

  Nordic ruins may not be as rich in valuables as the ruins back home in Cyrodiil, but between the random gems and ores found so far during my journeys in Skyrim, the money I have earned from the Companions, and the money I recieved selling the Silver Hand's equipment, I have earned enough to afford the home available in Whiterun, and even furnish it modestly. It is a quaint little stead called Breezehome. I have turned over maintainance of the property to my housecarl Lydia.

  I was given another job by the other Companions today, one which I, as a Thane, was uniquely equipped to handle. Rorik, of nearby Rorikstead, was dragged away from the outskirts of the city earlier today by a pair of Falmer! That's right, the stories of the deformed decendants of the Snow Elves of old are actually true. I was the only Companion who could be spared, but as a Thane I had access to Lydia, and to a modest few town guards. And to Odvar, of course. The six of us were able to get Rorik back unharmed from the Falmer den in Shimmermist Cave north of Whiterun. There were far more than two Falmer in the cave, however. Enough to justify an order to organize the guard and clear out the cave while Odvar and I returned Rorik home.

  I sit here writing this in the local tavern in Rorikstead, the Frostfruit Inn. The town is nice. I might take some time to look around tomorrow before returning to Whiterun for my bounty.

 



Mods Mentioned in this Entry:

-UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul (for the mention of recruiting town guards)

A Little Something Awesome - Things That Dumbledore Did That'd Be Creepy If You Did Them

Love it or hate it, Harry Potter is littered with characters who often do things that would be questionable in real life situations. Yes, they had their reasons, but taken out of context, the actions of these characters could be considered a little...creepy. This video addresses this by looking at the actions of everyone's favorite whimsical, long-bearded headmaster, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, in a enjoyably humorous light.

 

 

If you liked the video let me know, check out the uploader over at Buzz Feed Video, and, either way, come back later for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #31 - Movie Reviews - Hercules

Been a while since I've been back here again, twenty-two days to be exact. Twenty-two average, boring days where there wasn't a whole lot of awesome really going on, except awesome of my own making, some of which will be posted here relatively soon. My life has been pretty un-awesome, and there haven't been any movie releases in the last few weeks which have caught my interest, until this evening with the release of Hercules, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the titular hero. If you are new to the blog, then you may not know that I love Greek mythology. I'm no expert on it, but I enjoy it, and I have more than a modest knowledge of it. Of all Greek myths, the story of Hercules (or Heracles as he should be called in a Greek setting, as Hercules is the Roman counterpart) is the most popular, and the most-often butchered. Probably the best adaptation to date was the TV series in the nineties starring Kevin Sorbo, Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, and it was still wildly inaccurate because of its nature as an episodic series. Due to the story's horrible track record, I had low hopes for this film, even though it looked better than past attempts. I almost didn't go to see it tonight when it opened. Having seen it, however, I'm glad that I did.

A Little Something Awesome - Star Trek Calls Out Star Wars...In This Dance Video!

Part of an ongoing series by ScottDW on YouTube, this is one dance video that anyone can enjoy. It's epic, and funny, and well-made. Check it out below, and if you like it subscribe to Scott on YouTube, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



Something Awesome #30 - Movie Reviews - Transformers: Age of Extinction

There are some things that are inescapable. People will always die, Justin Bieber will remain famous for doing nothing that contributes positively to the world, and Michael Bay will keep making dumb action movies, like the Transformers movies. These are facts of life, and they cannot be avoided. It's also a fact that the Transformers movies only peripherally capture what made The Transformers great as a TV series back in the '80's. It's true that you have to have some knowledge of the Transformers universe to follow the plots in these movies completely, and that there are going to be holes. However, I will continue to defend these movies (except for the second one, it was just trash), and despite myself, I feel that this review is going to devolve into me explaining why, unless I get the explanation out of the way quick.

Remembering Casey Kasem

According to ABC News, voice actor and radio personality Casey Kasem has passed away today at the age of 82. Mr. Kasem was the originator of the radio program American Top 40, and the voice of several classic cartoon characters, including three generation one Transformers, Robin in The Batman/Superman Hour and Super Friends, and Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo franchise. Mr. Kasem was a legend who seemed to genuinely enjoy entertaining others. I am truly sad to see him go, though I do hope he's gone on to entertain others in a better place.

"Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."

                                                                               --Casey Kasem, 1932-2014

A Little Something Awesome - Last Night, Friday the 13th

I wouldn't say that I'm a superstitious person (knock on wood), but I certainly enjoy the idea of an entire day devoted to superstitions. I love Friday the 13th, for similar reasons to why I love Holloween. It's fun, it's creepy, and I love to see the look on peoples' faces when I remind them what day it is. The looks range from cheerful, to mildly nervous, to downright anxious, and I find it all hilarious.

Maybe I'm easily amused, I dunno.

Anyway, whether you enjoy or are even aware of Friday the 13th, I'd be willing to bet that last night still somehow felt different to you. Not only was it Friday the 13th, it was also the night of the full moon, and that moon happened to be a yellow "honey moon", and at its perigee (or closest point in it's orbit around Earth, and therefor looks larger). Just the combination of a "honey moon" on Friday the 13th is so rare that it hadn't happened since 1919, and won't occur again until 2098. I'm actually starting to feel bad for not getting this update up last night as I'd planned (problems logging into the site, thanks Friday the 13th) to get the word out.

Either way, it was awesome. I got a pretty good look at the "honey moon" while I was walking around at midnight hoping to be bitten by, and turned into, a werewolf (it's something I do, don't judge me). For those who didn't get a chance to see it last night, there are plenty of great images to be found online, as well as a live broadcast which I'm sure will be uploaded to YouTube for repeat viewing eventually. Regardless, the night was awesome, and you can't deny that any more than you can not come back again later for another Something Awesome.



Something Awesome #29 - Movie Reviews - How to Train Your Dragon 2

I've had this blog for a while now, but, sadly, I haven't had it long enough to have been able to review the absolutely spectacular movie How to Train Your Dragon when it was released. It is for this reason that readers of this blog are unlikely to know that I am a huge fan of the Dragon's franchise, from the movies, to the books (upon which the movies are very loosely based), to the weekly animated series on Cartoon Network, which recently completed its second season, under the title Dragons: Defenders of Berk. Why wouldn't I love these stories? They are the perfect blend of humor, adventure, fantasy, and slice of life, and in the case of now both movies, some of the greatest visual effects work that I have ever seen or could ever imagine seeing. I was lucky enough to find time to go this evening to see the local premier of the sequel. I'll admit, I was apprehensive going in despite some really positive feedback from other critics, and let's just say that my apprehension has since been happily put to rest.

A Little Something Awesome - This Epic Music Video

Stuck all night, alone, in the Las Vegas Airport, Richard Dunn could have passed out in a chair somewhere. Instead he shot a music video to Celine Dion's All By Myself. It's impressively shot, impressively performed and lip-synched, and even a little touching from time to time. Check it out below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



A Little Something Awesome - Legend of Zelda 2015 Teaser Trailer at E3!

I am a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda games, characters, and worlds. I am terrible at said games, and have never been able to make through one all of the way myself, but I love them nonetheless, which is why I was very very excited to see the following video pop up from the E3 conference going on this week.

 

Are you a gamer? Are you a fan of the Zelda franchise? Let me know in the comments below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.

A Little Something Awesome - The 27 Most Mischievous Dogs Of All Time

Check out this video of awesome, crazy, adorable dogs and pups. love dogs? Let me know how much in the comments below, and come back a little later some another Something Awesome.

The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot #7

---Last Seed, 24th, 4E 201---

  I write this early in the morning. Farkas and I fought all through the night at Dustman's Cairn. It turns out that Farkas and the other members of the Companions' inner Circle are Werewolves! Not the mindless and insane supernatural beasts that you hear stories about, but men who can become powerful beasts, yet retain their faculties. I must admit that I find such a thing appealing. Farkas used the form of the beast to defeat a group of five warriors of the Silver Hand, who seem to be Werewolf hunters at war with the Companions in secret.

  The Silver Hand were strong and well equipped. I found myself often shooting around corners, healing myself, and even summoning the more taxing of my conjurable creatures, the Flame Atronach that I affectionately call "Betti". As always she fought hard for me, but left me with little Magika after each summons.

  Farkas and I are exhausted. We have set up camp off of the road and plan to trade watches until tomorrow morning, the 25th, when we will head back to Whiterun. I have brought food enough for both of us, and there is a stream nearby for water. If anything, I'm worried about another attack by the Silver Hand.

  In my pack I have the fragment of Wuthraad, but that is not all that I received in the halls of the ancient barrow. Deep within I discovered another of the etched walls, and received power from it as I did the wall in Bleak Falls. In my mind I see a word, "Yol", but I know not what it means. I do, however, recall the dragon at the watchtower saying it when he spat fire, and since defeating that dragon, I understand that the power of the walls comes in the form of words, and I understand the word I learned from the first wall, "Fus", which means force. Must I kill another dragon to glean understanding of this new power as well?

  Where did these walls come from? What do they have to do with my emerging powers as the Dragonborn? Farkas cares not, and offers no opinion. He is a man of actions, not words. There may be, in fact, no answer to these questions that has withstood the test of time, but if answers do exist, I'd like to find them. Perhaps the Greybeards have the answers? Am I ready to answer their summons? I do not know.

  I also find myself reflecting on the final battle in the Cairn between Farkas and I and a group of upwards of twenty undead, in the room with the Word Wall. Never before have I fought so many at once, and yet I found that I enjoyed the thrill. I blame my Nord blood.

 

Mods Mentioned in this Entry:

-N/A