Memorial for Homestuck

As most who have met me know I am a huge fan of a webcomic called Homestuck. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the genre of the webcomic, it usual comes in the form of picture, text, and a link to the next page. Or alternatively it can simply be a comic book page with a link to the next. Homestuck is the former.

The author Andrew Hussie has produced several other webcomics, such as Problem Sleuth, but with Homestuck he did something different. Often instead of a simple picture the page will include a gif instead, adding more life. Then later on some pages will include music, really good music. Well that’s my opinion anyway, my family describes the music as “video games on drugs.” But what is really exciting is when the page includes a flash animation, or even a mini-game (although the mini-games tend to be kinda tedious).

Homestuck is the story about 4 kids who live far apart you start to play a new gam called Sburb, but they soon find it’s unlike any normal game. 1 kid connects to another as the server player and manipulates their surroundings, builds up their house, deploys devices. Or usually throws a toilet about somewhere. Long story short they find that there are giant meteors heading for Earth, 4 of them heading straight for their houses. But if they can use the machines correctly, their houses and anyone inside teleports to a place called the Medium, where the majority of Homestuck takes place.

All 4 kids eventually enter and start playing, they fight imps gain resources, etc. That’s where things go badly though. An enemy in the game called Jack Noir becomes superpowered due to unfortunate circumstances, and their forced to use the Scratch. The Scratch resets the game, and them too, but they escape it using awesome powers they gained by going God-tier, or in Jade’s case Dog-tier.

How did they know to do all this you ask? Through guidance by 12 other kids, from another game session that also failed. These kids are trolls and while they completed the games mission and created a new universe (Earth’s one) their reward was taken from them by Jack Noir, who escaped the Scratch into the troll’s session. The trolls are awesome, if very confusing and they bring a lot of new concepts into Homestuck, most notably new romance prospects.

So the kids scratch their game, Earth gets reset and a new game begins. But who will play this game? 4 new kids, who turn out to be the original kids Parents, but the Scratch switched time around so these new kids were raised by adult versions of the originals (sort of, its complicated). Then we find out the trolls session was also scratched, meaning there are 12 other trolls to meet. And then there is a third race the cherubs, though there are only 2 of them, and one of them becomes the big bad guy, Lord English.

So anyway, all this stuff happened over 7 years of updates that started on 13/4/09 or as the (American) fans call it: 413. So now, 7 years later Homestuck is going to end, and it is going to be huge. Last Wednesday we had an 19 minute video go up, and considering several years ago a 12 minute video crashed the site(s) it was hosted on Hussie was smart and uploaded it to Youtube instead. So farewell Homestuck, you weird random, ambiguously awesome unsung hero. }:(

Stephen Wynton

President’s Guide to Supanova

Ah it’s that wonderful time of year again when conventions begin, and the first big one is Supanova. Supanova was actually the first convention I ever went to, and it was fantastic. Just like always it’s held at the Melbourne Showgrounds in one of the large buildings. There are lots of stalls set up selling things, as well as artists advertising their works.

But of course one of the major pulls for me at least is the “Supa-star” Guests, selling autographs and/or photos. But watch out these can be pretty expensive so it’s a good idea to limit yourself. My maximum is two autographs per convention, but I’ve already gathered quite a few in my time. My picks for this year are Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto from Torchwood), and Amy Acker (Fred from Angel).

But let’s not forget about the awesome cosplayers that always make every one else feels kinda inadequate. At conventions such as these it’s not unusual to find at least 5 assassins, 7 ninjas, and about 5000 Doctor’s, trust me. I myself have cosplayed twice, and plan to do so again this year. But I’m nowhere near these guy’s levels.

If you do come make sure you don’t come unprepared always bring:

·       Snacks

·       A drink bottle

·       Money

·       Your Ticket (Pre-paying is the best way to go)

·       A camera

But barring any massive catastrophes you’ll be good to go!

Stephen Wynton

World of Warcraft Review

http://tespa.org/plnu/games/world-of-warcraft/

World of Warcraft would have to be my favourite game! Well, at least it was before the last three or so expansion packs! :/ For those of you who do not know much about the game, it was made and is owned by Blizzard and involves many different realms around the world you can play on. You can create characters out of either the horde or the alliance options and then even customize their appearance and what class you want them to be. My personal faves are night elf, discipline priests!

The whole aim of the game is to level your character up and complete quests! You can also do dungeons, battle grounds, arenas and heaps, heaps more! The way you do all this is completely up to you! It is a very social game as you also have the option to join guilds which are groups of other players you can chat to and play the game with! I really like the social aspect of the game as it makes it more memorable and fun!

Quite a lot of the people I play with (when I have the time to play WoW) I have known for a couple of years! Our favourite thing to do is do battlegrounds. When it comes to these, I must admit, I am impartial to Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin. They are classic WoW battlegrounds that you cannot go wrong in; unless you have a ton of rogues who decide to camp the graveyard!

I have been playing the game for about 10 years and I have to say, it is not the same as it used to be! :*( No one really knows what Blizzard was thinking when it came to releasing expansions such as Mists of Pandaria. The idea was really innovative and creative but a lot of people got bored and stopped playing. Saying this though, a lot of the older players from the beginning have stopped playing, yet there has been an increase in the younger generation playing (16-25 year olds). 

If anyone is interested or has any questions about the game, feel free to send me an email or even contact me in game if you want to pvp together! My main character's name is Rebibi on Nagrand!

Aimee's Book Corner: Eragon

Aimee’s Book Corner: Eragon

“One boy…One dragon…A world of adventure.” When the blurb of a book talks about dragons you have to start thinking to yourself “this is going to be great” (how can anything with dragons not be great?) The Inheritance Cycle is a whirlwind of strange words, new languages (which you will have to learn, much like Eragon himself) and dragon fights.

This is probably one of the few stories I have ever read with a male protagonist. Whether this is just because I am (shockingly) a girl, or whether there just aren’t many male protags any more is anyone’s guess. But Eragon is very much a typical 15 year old boy. That is, until he finds a dragon egg deep in The Spine.

Now, I won’t do any spoiling, because once you start reading these books you probably won’t stop. Paolini is an amazing story-teller, and he takes you from action-packed sequences to lulls in a way that makes you feel like you’re there. Riding alongside Eragon as he races to find….well, I’ll leave that for you to find out!

I’ve loved this series ever since I was like 10, and even though it might be a touch confusing (the languages especially) the first read through, the more you read it, the more you will learn to love the world of Alagaesia.  

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ – Definitely find, and read, this series. 

Insidious Movie Review

http://www.horror.land/insidious/

If you are looking for a creepy but not 'scary enough to keep you up at night' movie then Insidious is for you! Although, I would not say it is scary, it is kind of creepy as it explores what could happen to you, in your most vulnerable state, when you are dreaming. :/

Here is the movie trailer for any of yous interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZnRUcoWos

The story follows a family who moves into a new house where their sons, namely Dalton, start experiencing weird things and exhibiting strange behaviours. Without giving too much away, Dalton ends up going into a comatose state whereby he becomes a vessel for evil spirits. The movie more or less follows the family's 'quest' to bring him back to consciousness. 

There are not many movies that really creep me out but this is definitely one of them. I think it is because of the whole idea of evil spirits trying to take your body over when you sleep. When I think of sleeping, it is one of the most vulnerable parts of your day - dreaming, completely relaxed, eyes closed, etc! This being said though, the creepiness really added to the movie and made it that much better!

During Insidious, there are a couple of really obvious jump scares that really get you if you are not paying attention! I have to admit, I am one that easily falls for the jump scares and never sees them coming!  

The acting is okay - it is not the best, but it is definitely by no means anywhere near as bad as the acting in the Twilight series (please don't hate on me haha!). It's a real shame though because I did not really like the second movie! :*( This being said though, I have heard great things about the third one! 

Rating: 3.5/5

Bioshock 2 Review

steamcommunity.com

"For every choice, there is an echo. With each act, we change the world. One man chose a city, free of law and God, but others chose corruption and so the city fell. If the world was reborn in your image, would it be paradise or perdition?" - Sofia Lamb

Lately, I have been posting many Call of Duty related game reviews and so I wanted to change things up a bit. Although, I do play other games, I tend to always go back to the Call of Duty games as they are my favourite kind. In the past couple of months, I have been really interested in the Bioshock games and have started to play the second one. 

Honestly, before playing the game, I never understood how people could get so scared of a game, but now I do. It is not that Bioshock 2 are 'scary' per se, but it is really creepy!  

 Backstory:

http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Minerva's_Den_%28DLC%29

The game is city in an underwater city known as Rapture that was built in a bid to escape "the tyranny of governments". This did not work as class ranks were established and the creator of the city, Andrew Ryan, mass-produced ADAM by implanting it in orphans, now known as 'Little Sisters'. As attacks on Ryan increased, he tried to counter them by creating 'Big Daddies' which were psychologically wired to protect the Little Sisters.

In Bioshock 2, you take on the role of Subject Delta who was as prototype for the Big Daddies. During the game, you fight other Big Daddies and have the choice of either protecting or harvesting the Little Sisters for their ADAM. All of this is in a bid to recover the Little Sister, Eleanor, you were bonded to before Sofia Lamb (Eleanor's mother) took over Rapture.

The backstory is so interesting and makes for a really unique and engaging gameplay. Personally, I loved the game! The only thing I did not like about it were the graphics and the 'darkness' of the game, but for when it came out, the graphics were really good! In the second game, there are more weapons you can use, some of which you see the Big Daddies of the first game use, and there are more calculated enemies you have to beat.

All in all, the game is really intense and I love how you actually have a say in how the story plays out: would you save the Little Sisters or would you harvest them? It kind of hits your morally at times! Stay tuned for next week where I will be reviewing World of Warcraft for Supernova week!


  

BS: Top 6 Motivations

I don't know about all of you but I for one, am big on finding motivation and inspiration. We all have those periods in how lives where we ask ourselves questions such as  "why am I here?", "what is my purpose?" and "is there really even any point?" - these are questions I am constantly asking myself all the time. These kinds of questions can be both good and bad as they can allow you to reflect on yourself and your life path. On the other hand, they can also cause a lot of anxiety and stress!

One thing I generally find helpful is literally surfing the internet looking for motivational quotes and speakers. The small act of going on Pinterest looking for inspiring quotes instantly lifts your mood as it gives you hope and purpose! Below are my top 6 motivations that I always turn to during my uninspired ruts!

Getting active

Kayla Itsines

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-fitness-instagram-star-kalya-itsines-2015-3

Blogilates

http://1080.plus/HHn-oT3CEF4.video

Life

Nick Vujicic

http://the10bestreview.com/the-best-10-motivation-quotes-nick-vujicic/

  

 Sally Obermeder

http://thecarousel.com/health/wellbeing/sallys-top-tips-living-healthy-lifestyle/

Quotes

"I would rather die of passion than of boredom."

"Never allow waiting to become a habit. Live your dreams and take risks. Life is happening NOW."