Leaderboard

Well I just landed myself a PS5 thanks to an email invite, thank fucking god. On a fricken adrenaline high right now and so freaking pumped because it means I finally get to play Cyberpunk. Gah!!!!!!! If you'll excuse me I'm going to go calm down now and let this adrenaline high subside.

I got a promotion with my job yesterday. I'll now be making more than I ever have doing this. $60k a year to do something I barely got paid $35k for at my previous company. The best news is that I'll have Saturdays off, and get off by 6-7pm on most days. I don't have to go to bed like some retiree anymore. So hopefully by the end of this year. Battlefield 6 will be out... it will be good... and maybe we can get the band back together @Sledgstone and @Strider Hiryu. Even though Strider is PC master race. I'm sure it'll have cross play. My gaming life has really suffered these past 3 years.

A friend was able to score me a PS5 while I was at work today. I'm pretty pumped!

The Hobbit trilogy in 4k are completely different cuts of the movie. I had no idea. I was skimming through youtube tv the other day, put on Battle of the Five Armies in the background while I got some stuff done. Then when I sat down I figured I'd finish the movie. I put on the 4k version instead and wtf. Not only is the movie visually stunning.. I had no idea my tv could look this good. I could see every strand of hair on everyone's head and everything was so crisp I could almost tell when scenes used a green screen to film. But what really blew me away was all the extra scenes and the gore. Its like this is the R rated cut. WTF. Bodies getting crushed, heads and limbs getting cut off and blood.. blood everywhere. WTF. And theres one extra scene where Thorin jumps on a goat and is like "I'm going to the top of Raven hill to kill that Azog bastard" and Dain says "How do you plan on getting past that army?" 6 more of Thorin's dwarves show up in the war chariot. Thorin: "We'll manage." and then theres like a 7 minutes scene of them tearing ass and mass murdering orcs on their way to Raven Hill. WTF. In the original movie, Thorin says he'll go to Raven Hill to kill Azog, the scene changes and we see Thorin and the others on some mountain goats ascending the hill. The amount of blood and gore in this new scene is brutal. I was shocked. But it was f*cking awesome. Now I need to watch the rest of the movies in their 4k versions to see what else is new. I read the LoTR 4k versions are also getting new scenes.

I went to Ohio to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Yes, there is covid, but we were careful. We did restaurant style rules for eating, masks on when getting plates of food, my brother's familys at their own tables all 6 foot+ away from the other tables while eating. We kept our masks on near my dad because of his immune system being compromised by the cancer treatments. Aside from that we kept the windows open to keep fresh air circulating in. We took our masks off when we'd be 6 feet away from him and each other. Its good that my mom's house is so big, the kitchen/greatroom is literally big enough to have parties of 50 people. Our handful of people was able to keep distances pretty easily. Its been 4 days since Thanksgiving and nobody is coming down with any covid symptoms so I'm guessing we did good. It was a fun time. Alot of good memories. I hardly ever visit Ohio during winter months because of winter snow storms in NY. We lucked out and its been in the 50s and only raining off and on. I caught a ride back and forth with my cousin who now lives in NY also. He had a covid test done the day before we left which was negative and I quarantined in my house for 2 weeks leading up to the trip. I'll be quarantining again for another 2 weeks just in case, but that doesn't bother me much.

Fruits Basket ep 16.... the onions.... so many cut onions.... 😭

Street Fighter V was free last month. I loaded it up for the first time, played 4 matches and now my forearms are on fire... yeah I'm too old for this.

Turns out I had some sitemap issues, SEO issues and some issues with the https changeover that google absolutely did not like. It looks like google wasn't crawling the site or at least not crawling and indexing the site like it should have been for who knows how long. I think thats all fixed now and I think google is indexing correctly again. Will this increase our users online? I have no idea, lol. But at least the site should be a bit more visible with google now.. at least until google gives me another email about errors again. As of now from over the last 5 months our best search term that gives us results is: "one punch man english dub" The lowest search terms that somehow loads one of our pages: "utz cheddar cheese balls"

I'm stepping up my manscaping. lol. I bought a "MANGROOMER Ultimate Pro Back Shaver" off amazon. I've only used it once and I already highly recommend it. My back is like a wookie. And this thing shredded through all that hair and didn't pull a single one. No pain and no red marks or irritation on my back. Link for reference: https://www.amazon.com/MANGROOMER-Ultimate-Shaver-Absorber-Extreme/dp/B00FULYKG4 Its got a rechargeable battery. I was really impressed with it. I'd post before and after pics of my back, but I don't want to traumatize people with my back hair bathroom mirror pics.

They done went and did it like I was predicting, Finally. I've been wanting to play this since I beat Automata and now we'll get to play a remaster. Was kinda hoping they'd remaster both games but I'm quite happy with one of them (as the story beats are only slightly different between Gestalt and Replicant). Now if only they'd give us a release date (better not be in September, that's Cyberpunk time x.x). Not entirely sure what this will be about but we're also getting a smartphone game. Still haven't announced if it's getting a release over here or not but still cool to see we're getting more Nier titles to continue the fantastic lore of this universe.

I checked error logs but I couldn't find anything. So I changed a couple settings for the gallery and did a couple test uploads. One image loaded fine, the other upload was 3 images at once. Everything worked ok. One of the issues might have been a file size limitation. Anything around 4mb might have been timing out. I increased the upload size for all usergroups. If anyone wants to test some image uploads, go for it. 10 mb is now the largest image the forum will take at the moment. All of my test images were no bigger than 1.5 mb. We still might get an image upload timing out for large images but that might be a hard server setting I'd have to look for.

So after counting the cash and gift cards I got for my birthday in Oct and for Christmas I finally just broke down and ordered a Switch today all because I want the new Smash Brothers (damn you Nintendo, why do you do this to me. You know I have an obsession with SSB). So yeah, I now get to start the journey of being a Switch owner (I just wish it didn't cost so much freaking money x.x).

With the summer simuldub season coming to a close, it played out like I predicted more or less. I'll wait a bit longer before I post my review. Pretty lackluster overall. But for me, the Fall Lineup is pretty stacked. Fairy Tail, SAO Season 3, and Black Clover continues which has become a lot more promising after this last arc I just watched... by far its strongest and most compelling. I watched the first episode of Double Decker! Doug & Kirill which was entertaining, and SSSS.GRIDMAN seems to be a Pacific Rim clone. Overall a return to more action adventure series, and lighter on the fan service heavy series.

Finally got our house today. All the legal paperwork is done and keys in hand.

So I finished watching the first season of My Hero Academia tonight and you were right DX I absolutely love the show. I think most of that has to do with my absolute adoration for All Might but I could be wrong (but I'm sure I'm not, you can't hate the man he's just fucking perfect). Gotta say for a shounen series it certainly has a lot going for it. Great humor, awesome character development and characters , a good story (I only say good for now as it's only S1 that I've finished, I hear it gets a lot better), and a pretty kick ass soundtrack. Not going to say I don't have any problems with the show (it suffers from some of the things I hate about shounen series) but those are greatly overshadowed by everything I said before. I'm honestly looking forward to starting S2 tomorrow (thank god I'm on vacation) and hopefully starting S3 before I go back to work (if I don't get lost in the myriad of other things I have to do this week).

After four days of playing I finally beat Detroit: Become Human or should I say finished my first play through and boy was it a pleasure. It's been a very long time since I've played a game with such an amazing story behind it and it's been even longer since I've felt such emotion while playing. This is my game of the year and nothing will come close to over taking it. A little early to be saying this? Probably but the chances another game as rich in story, character development, and emotional attachment coming out this year is slim to none. Games like these are what influenced my decision to get my degree (even if I'm not using it or working in the industry) and it's games like this that I've always wanted to create. True, the story has problems (and an extremely slow start after the first mission (the demo mission if you haven't played it)) and borrows heavily from real life events (civil rights movement is the big parallel with Markus coming off as the android MLK (depending on what choices you make)) and covers some pretty heavy subjects (domestic abuse, drug use, what does it mean to really be alive, etc) but they are few and far between and do little to detract from the narrative being told (in fact I think it gives the story more character). This game also does an extremely good job of making you feel the consequences of the choices you make and drives those points home later on down the line (every choice you make effects how the story ends, even the most mundane). All three main characters are interesting in their own ways and it was a joy seeing them all evolve throughout the course of the story and while I admit some of them were bland (Connor coming to mind, his character arch is the most interesting but his character is rather bland until about half way through the game) that hardly detracts from the story. If I had to choose I'd say Kara's story was my favorite for pure emotional reasons and Connor's being the most enjoyable (mostly due to the Detective he works with). Don't get me wrong Markus's story is good and the beginning of it really makes you feel for him but overall it doesn't outshine the other two. Plus the actor's they got to play these characters did an extremely amazing job bringing these characters to life so much so that I became emotionally attached to each one of them (this goes for secondary characters as well, I had to make some real hard choices at the end of the game and it was heartbreaking to do so). While I'm not one to gush about graphics I must say this game is beyond beautiful and the motion capture and animation are top notch (not to mention the starting screen is probably the most unique one to date). It's obvious this is a game and everything is CG but sometimes you forget given how well they nailed the likeness of the actors/actresses they used (almost all the main characters and certain side characters share their likeness with the actor/actress that portrayed them). I also have to say the soundtrack is rather amazing (now to rip it off my PS4 for my listening pleasure). All in all this game was an emotional ride and probably the best $70 I've spent on a game in years. I can't recommend it enough but I warn you this game is not for everyone. There is very little action (and what little there is completely consists of quick time events) and it's completely character driven, think of it as a CYOA movie that takes some input from the audience. Plus if you've never played a Quantic Dream game (Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls) then you probably won't really enjoy it. However if this sounds like something you'd like I highly recommend it. As I said it's been a really long time since I've enjoyed a game this much and I can't wait to play it again this weekend to try out the paths I didn't take (and to get all the trophies, this will probably be the only game I 100%) and see the other endings (I got what could be considered the best ending).

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm normally not a fan of Super Robot mech shows (more of a Real Robot guy myself (Gundam/Macross)) and never really have been (there are exceptions but they are few) so that will tell you just how much I adored this show. It took me 11 years to finally sit down and watch it (and it's spent many years on my Netflix to watch list (I watched in on CR though) but I finished Gurren Lagann tonight and I have to say I absolutely fucking adored it. I don't understand why it took me so long to finally watch it but god am I glad I finally did. I haven't been this pumped after watching a show since I finished Kill la Kill (funny considering Trigger is also responsible making that gem). I'll admit it was a little rough in the beginning and if it wasn't for Kamina I would of dropped it but man am I glad I stuck through it, it only kept getting better. I'll admit, my taste for shows like this has dwindled over the years and I'm not really into the over the top, ridiculous shit anymore but god this just scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. Sure, I have my issues with the show (some pretty poor character development in some of the secondary characters, story is a little hard to follow after a certain point, some of the mech based science bugs me, and the whole Spiral Energy thing is ridiculous) but god damn do they seem insignificant when put up against an awesome soundtrack, awesome visuals (a little jenky considering how old it is), and a downright stellar main cast. If it wasn't for my absolute love for Zeta Gundam this might have taken the place as my all time favorite mech anime (you all know me well enough to know how high of praise this is). I can't wait to watch the movies this weekend (yea they're recaps but apparently the second movie makes the final fight even more epic then it already was) and I'm sad to think there is no more of this wonderful show to watch (manly tears were shed at this realization).

Finally got around to seeing Thor: Ragnarok (just finished in fact). Gotta say it was a really good movie, really enjoyed where they went with it and thought it was a downright blast. Good amount of comedy (I thought it was a nice direction considering what we'll be getting in a little over a month), nice action sequences, and seeing Thor get the snot kicked out of him by Hulk was pretty damn funny. Was also nice to see Thor actually use his damn powers for once (the bridge fight was pretty fucking epic). If I didn't love the first Guardians as much as I do I'd say this would probably be my favorite Marvel movie (considering how much I hated the first two Thor movies that's pretty high praise from me).

fuckin orange chins need killin

Finally got caught up on my backlog of Marvel movies over the last two weeks (well the backlog of ones I wanted to watch, the only one's I haven't seen are Thor 2, Homecoming (which I will watch eventually), Ant Man (no real interest in seeing it) and I've only seen half of the first Captain America). Will say things make a lot more sense now in the big picture after getting them watched, thoughts below: Winter Soldier: As much as I hat Cap I really enjoyed this movie and when my friend said shit hit the fan he wasn't kidding. I finally understand why Shield wasn't around in Avengers 2 (I really had no idea what was going on since I never watched the TV show and I really had no interest in watching Winter Soldier until recently) so a lot of my questions about certain things were finally answered. Really like how it played out more like a spy/action flick then a superhero flick, definitely one of my favorites in the the Marvel verse behind GoG 1 & 2 and Civil War. Civil War: Good god I really enjoyed this movie though I do feel like the whole movie focused more on Cap and Stark's underlying past issues (and personal issues) then it did on the real issues at hand (it really felt more like a Cap obsessing over Bucky and Stark reliving his daddy issues more then a flick about a superhuman civil war). Have to say I'm completely pumped to see the Black Panther flick, after seeing him in Civil War I'm sold on him (great actor choice and the character alone is really interesting). I have a ton of questions and theories now about how Infinity War is going to play out (can anyone say Nomad). Doctor Strange: I honestly didn't know about this one and based on the reviews I had seen about it I wasn't even sure if I'd like it. Glad to say I'm wrong. Though I really don't like Strange (his attitude rubs me the wrong way) I really enjoyed the movie (fucking trippy as hell). Considering I knew nothing of this character I thought it was a really good origin story for the character (yes I know the actual origin story but for the MCU this is actually a great introduction). I have some issues with the movie (like a lot of people) but I'm interested to see what his role is in the MCU going forward (especially considering the Infinity War movies are going to reset the MCU (or at least kill off quite a few heroes)). Guardians 2: Watched this last night and I absolutely loved it, tied for favorite Marvel movie with Guardians 1. Brought back all of the charm and humor from the first one and backed it up with a pretty serious story. Was great to see how the interactions between all the characters have evolved from the first one and yes Baby Groot was fucking adorable (the beginning of the movie was freaking cute with him dancing, yes I said cute (get over it)). Overall the movie was a fun ride and the ending, while sad, was a great way to send off such a great character (even if he was an ass). So yea, gotta say the Marvel movies are really impressing me considering my general distaste for superheroes (I'm sorry my heroes as a kid were the Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. Superheroes never realy interested me, men in tight spandex beating up other men in similar costumes just seemed wrong). As I said above I'm really looking forward to the Black Panther movie and after finally watching Civil War I'm really looking forward to seeing how things play out in the Infinity War movies.

Whether you were a big fan or not today is a tragic loss for the music world. Chester Bennington, lead singer and front man for Linkin Park, was found dead today at 41. I was a huge LP fan when I was younger (though I sort of lost touch with them over the years, their music past Meteora was so so) so this hits pretty hard for me. Their music, his music, helped me through a lot. RIP Chester, though you're gone your music and message will always remain.

I'm adopting a cat from the shelter. We went there last saturday and picked her out. A little kitten 4 months old. We're waiting to hear back from the place about when to pick her up. They give her full vaccinations, spay and a month of flea treatment. They have to spay her before they can release her to us, so we just gotta wait a few more days to find out when we can get her. They got hit with multiple large hoarding cases recently of saved animals and theres alot of volunteers there now. I hope this shelter doesn't screw this up. We have little cat toys and a new litter pan all ready for her.

So the new computer finally arrived and boy is it beautiful (and bigger then I thought, thing is huge). I'm now not looking forward to installing everything I need on it to get it up to snuff like my laptop is (so much to do). Sadly I won't be playing FFXIV tonight because it's going to take 3+ hours to download and install all the updates (not to mention Heavensward which I opted to dl instead of digging my disk out of the closet). I'll take pictures of it tomorrow and post them, to tired to do it right now as I spent the last two hours digging it out of the box and setting it up.

Finished Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans Season 2 last night. Gotta say it wasn't as good as the first season and it was kind of a let down story wise but the battles were freaking amazing (I am in love with Barbatos, that fucking machine is amazing). I think the title of "Kill them all" has finally been taken from Tomino, good god Nagai was kill happy (I honestly didn't think anyone was going to survive to see the end (yea, kind of a spoiler but not really as I didn't say who dies)). All in all a solid 7/10, definitely worth a watch if you looking for an action oriented show (not the best Gundam to come out but it definitely ranks up there as a damn good addition to the franchise as a whole). Also started watching Grimgar tonight since DX had mentioned what he thought of it it awhile ago (and it's up on Crunchy so I don't have to watch those fansubs I got a hold of). Only 4 episodes in and I have to say that was one hell of a gut punch, not because of his death but because of the way the others took it. Fucking hit me right in the feels. I do have to say that I was right, it feels like a cross between Log Horizon (being sucked into another world) and SAO (death being permanent) without the whole being a game aspect (since it seems it's never actually confirmed/denied). Overall I'm enjoying it so far, looking forward to what the next 8 episodes have to offer.

Two years after I bought it I finally started watching Tekkaman Blade. 16 episodes in and by god am I loving every minute of it (even if it is a bit campy). Great soundtrack, ok characters (hey not all anime has great characters), and a plot that's actually pretty good (if not recycled from other similar shows from the time). Also makes me miss the old days when anime was hand animated and we didn't have all this CG shit mixed in. Sure the art wasn't always great but damn the shows were still good. Also makes me miss when anime actually had good plot and stories, not this same recycled bullshit we get every year.

Its been a month since my root canal. I had another appointment yesterday for the rest of the work. They removed the temporary filling, xrayed it to make sure its all good, then did the permanent filling, then shaved/shaped the tooth for the crown, then imprinted my teeth/jaw line with a mold, then put on my temporary crown. Took them an hour. My new permanent crown will be ready in 2 weeks and then I'll finally be done. This root canal situation has been quite the experience. $1200 total after insurance. I have another tooth that might need one if it gets another cavity. If that happens I think I'll have that one pulled instead since its in the far back. Screw all this. x_x

Since I'm on my weekend atm from the new job (after 6 days of hell, fuck this essential business shit people be crazy) I decided to watch the new Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 that was put up on Netflix last Thursday. Note that this is only half of what we're supposed to get so my opinions are only reflective of that and they may change come the release of the final 12 episodes. With that in mind lets begin. As most of you know I'm a huge fan of the GitS franchise ever since I saw the first movie over 15 years ago and have since seen and read everything released since then with the exception of side stories never released in the US (and own all of that as well) so my opinions on this are coming from a long-time obsessive fan so please keep that in mind. Also I will refrain from divulging any spoilers as you'll probably watch this anyway when you get a chance (please note its in Japanese only with English subtitles due to the "rona"). Quite honestly I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this as a whole. On one end it's not bad I might go as far as saying it's pretty good for a cyberpunk show but this is not GitS and this is not SAC for me. Hell I never thought I'd say it but Arise is a lot better then this and I have way to many gripes about that show to even begin. At least Arise felt like a GitS show and story even if it was blandly done with some pretty bad writing (the Arise movie was grade A GitS though, I definitely suggest watching that). My major gripe is they explain nothing of what happened in the 11 year time span between Solid State Society and this, nothing. They go over world developments and why things are the way they are but they in no way explain major plot elements behind why the Major and her crew are in the US (2045 starts out in the US, not a real big spoiler), they vaguely explain the main premise driving the plot forward from that point (a point that does not seem very GitS like to me), why certain characters are no longer seen or heard from (until later in the 12 eps), and just all around weirdness that is this post Solid State Society world. It's aggravating because the way things were left at the end of SSS you would of thought we'd be getting another procedural GitS season driven forward by strong character driven episodes and interesting plot lines, instead we're left with boring long winded arcs that get nowhere (and maybe 2 enjoyable episodes not part of the overall plot) and in the end we're left with a major cliff hanger at the end. It's aggravating honestly and it seems more like this season was made to pander more to western audiences with short attention spans instead of the original core fanbase (sorry, venting a little. I felt very betrayed by this). Like I said though if this was non-GitS related I'd say it was a good show if not a little pandering. Music wise (yes I'm a huge fan of the SAC soundtrack, there's a reason I own all 4 soundtracks) I was utterly disappointed. Yoko Kanno is nowhere to be found here and it's extremely noticeable but it's to be expected as she's mostly retired from the industry. This left a sour taste in my mouth since, as I noted above, I'm a huge fan of the SAC soundtrack and it was one of the major reasons I enjoyed the first two seasons so much. Don't even get me started on the OP, not my cup of tea and certainly not something I'd associate with GitS (though I do like the ED). Animation wise I can't stand the full CGI or the character redesigns. This felt way to much like I was watching cutscenes from a game 10 years ago. Not to say the CG isn't crisp or anything it's very well done and the fight scenes are a joy to watch. Sadly this isn't Pixar level CGI and it shows. Maybe I'm bitter because they went full CGI instead of the traditional/CG blend they did with SAC and 2nd Gig but I found this to be way more off putting than I thought it would be. Plus the Major's redesign makes her look like a 14 year old teenager and that's just not my jam (where's my hot, sophisticated badass woman?). Thankfully the characters are the same and that was a joy to behold. Watching them interact with each other was extremely enjoyable and I'm happy to see they weren't changed one bit (this goes for the Tachikoma's as well so if you found them annoying they're still going to be annoying (I, personally, love the adorable little trouble makers)). The new characters are just as enjoyable and I just love Purin, she's beyond adorable with her little crush on Batou. All in all like I said above I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the show. Part of me wants to destroy all the masters and make everyone forget this and the other part of me just thinks it's a below average GitS that just so happens to be somewhat enjoyable. Granted we're only 12 episodes in and my opinion might change once we get the last 12 episodes (did they ever announce when that'd be?) but those are my current thoughts on the show. If I had to give it a rating out of 10 it'd mostly likely be a 6 (which pains me to do considering how generous I was with Arise). Do I suggest watching it? Honestly that's for you to decide. I gave my honest thoughts so take them how you will though but if you are a major fan of the GitS franchise don't get your hopes up to much (then again maybe this is to your liking).

Big ups to FUNI to making sure the dub process for Fruits Basket Season 2 happened. I lost track since I haven't been logging in daily since the dubs all stopped from last season, but I checked in on a whim and saw the ep was uploaded a day or two ago and behold it was in English! 💓

I guess since I basically sleep my off days away and I'm stuck at work 10-12 hours a day I didn't notice too many April Fools pranks this year. I guess with the current times maybe people didn't feel is was appropriate. GW2's patch notes were pretty lame this go around, but the cats were funny. Azur Lane giving elite Universal Bulin a skin was probably my favorite. The cruelest was a Star Wars fan page posting about Original Cut Trilogy coming to Disney+. 😢 I actually fell for that one because all my days run together. I didn't even realize the Bulin skin event was a joke until I unlocked the skin and realized what day it was. X_X

#RIP my bank account in April. Not only does FFVII remake come out on my Bday, but the Trials of Mana remake and Sakura Wars comes out BOTH on the 24th and 28th. wtf. x_x I've been into a lot of Japanese games lately. After Ys: VIII, I've had an itch I've needed to scratch for old school style ARPGs. I picked up Tales of Berseria since it was on sale, and have been having a blast with it. I also still need to beat Astral Chain on Switch.

Random thought. How much is too much? I remember when I was young, and my parents had adult social gathering with friends, there was Budwiser, Miller, and Coors. Maybe some others here and there. When I came of age the selection got a bit more vast. I don't really drink beer anymore as the constant pissing and bloating isn't worth the small buzz it provides. Holy cow today there is so many damn beers tho. Like 6000 IPAs alone. How do you even decide? Especially if you're as adventurous as someone like me. You'd never be able to settle on a favorite because you want to try something new too much. There is so much that I'd forget something I liked after trying 30 more beers over the course of months. It kinda reminds me of damn yogurt. When I started in the grocery business there was 3 types of yogurt. Breyer's Cream Savers, Yoplait, and store brand. Now there's a 20 foot section of yogurt at every store... and let me tell you... MILLIONS of dollars go in the garbage every year from it going out of date. Its the biggest food waste in America. Anyways. Overall I don't drink anywhere near as much as I use to and when I do its bourbon/whiskey only. I have my tried and true, but I'd always like to venture out and try something here and there when something new would appear on the shelf... but now Bourbon is the same way. WTF My curiosity gets the better of me and I've tried nothing but new stuff the last 3 bottles I've gotten the past year. They've all been pretty good, but nothing mind blowing. I'm going to pick up something new again tomorrow for the kick off of Season 2 for COD. I'll stand there like an idiot for 20 min trying to decide, knowing that I won't be back for another 2 months. By that time 10 new bourbons will be out. I don't know whether to complain about it or be happy that the market is so robust after there was apparently going to be a bourbon shortage according to some reports a few years ago. I don't, and I never will drink cheap. If I can't afford the good stuff I go without. And now that I go through a bottle every 2-3 months rather than 1 a week or two like in my 20s. I'm willing to spend even more per bottle. I tried some Prichard Bourbon last time, it was pretty good but had some sweet tones like brandy I didn't care for too much. I like my bourbon to be rough and tough with that good oaky taste that incinerates your sinuses upon hitting your tongue. Before that I had Clyde May's Alabama Whiskey which was really good. There are a lot of staples that are releasing new stuff I want to try unless its that fruit infused crap. Uh damn Millennials ruining alcohol with there fruit flavors. White Claw is an abomination of mankind and shouldn't exist. /endrant.

Muh feels. Holy cow my eyes. 😭 MHA's dub fell a week behind last month so I just got to the end of the fight and the Nighteye hospital scene. I wasn't expecting that from MHA. It doesn't help that Kono Oto Tomare's finale was phenomenal and also misty eye inducing. Anime brutalized my emotions today.

Looks like hundreds of users are browsing AC in waves.. the ip#s are all almost the same, coming out of Singapore. It started like 3 days ago. Either somebody posted something very popular in Singapore, or theres some weird Singapore search engine that just wont be content until it searches through every single page on the site. Search engine bots running through the site:

So just found out Spotify has all of the My Hero Soundtracks (I now have epic music to game to) and all the music from Zombie Land Saga on it (even the insert songs, I get to listen to Saki's song legally now. Fucking yay!). Completely lost my shit when I found out. Glad to see Spotify is starting to get more Japanese music streaming rights and is finally getting all those anime OPs/EDs that I love. Makes listening to them so much easier now (instead of rummaging through my 191 gigs of music). Now if only they'd get there hands on Myth & Roid's shit (outside of the one album) so I can listen to some Shadowgraph (they're extremely protective of their stuff as it all used to be up on Spotify then it was all removed suddenly).

I bought a new power tool set on saturday: https://slickdeals.net/f/13466749-ryobi-18-volt-one-lithium-ion-cordless-6-tool-combo-kit-with-2-1-5-ah-lithium-batteries-dual-chemistry-charger-and-bag-179?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1 I checked that brickseek site and one of the home depots near me still had one in stock so I grabbed it quick. $70 off is a pretty damn good deal to me and comparable to the black friday deals last year. Most of last years BF deals for these tool sets were mostly larger combos with tools I didn't necessarily need and at a higher price, but still damn good deals. This set however has just about every tool I've been wanting except for an angle grinder. Its not brushless, but brushless tools would be more costly. That and all the brushless tool combos last black friday lacked multiple features the regular tools had like basic LED lights on the tools so you can see what you're doing. Now that I have tools I can do repair work on my deck. Which is how my weekend went. lol. I fixed a support piece with a new 1x6. I'll replace a couple deck boards this upcoming weekend and the deck should be good enough for winter.

Watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse tonight and I have to say the movie was spectacular and definitely lived up to all the hype surrounding it. Probably one of my favorite superhero movies now and I fully understand why it won an Oscar. Story was great from start to finish, though I really don't know what to think of the animation style it certainly worked in this movies favor (a little jarring at first but I was definitely starting to feel it toward the end), and while I'm not usually into the music used into the show I have to say the soundtrack is fucking awesome. Kinda wish I would of went to see this in the theater but that didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the movie. Really hope we get another one like this (seems there is a sequel of sorts in the works and a few spin-offs as well) because it definitely deserves one. I also have to say the Spider-Man Noir is probably going down as my favorite Spider-Man.

Anthem isn't perfect. It probably should have been delayed another 6-8 months, but its a hell of a lot of fun. I just find it funny how Destiny can rack up big review scores with the similar issues and significantly less content. The popular thing to do right now is crap on EA, and its justified... but it'll be a shame if this game gets the plugged pulled on it early. There is a lot of potential here to fill the gap until the next gen consoles come. Arekkz has the most realistic take on the game, the rest of the YT community is just spitting out talking points which is kinda sad too see since they're suppose to be the alternate to big game sites.

2018 was an interesting year. Here are my picks for best of the year. Game of the Year God of War Runners up GOTY Red Dead Redemption 2 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Anime of the Year Violet Evergarden Runners up AOTY Mob Psycho 100 My Hero Academia Movie of the Year Deadpool 2 Runners up MOTY Ready Player One Avengers: Infinity War Podcast of the Year The Joe Rogan Experience Runner up PCOTY 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff Biggest Letdown of 2018 Diablo Immortal Announcement Runner up BLOTY Battlefield V

Originally I wasn't going to say anything until I actually finished watching the series (which should be Monday or Tuesday night) but you were right DX, The Ancient Magus' bride is spectacular and I say this after only watching 15 episodes. I have to say it's up there with Violet Evergarden for both visuals and story (and it's been awhile since I've seen a show that has completely drawn me in to the point that I sacrifice sleep just to watch another episode). I honestly didn't think the premise would suck me in this much but I'm glad it did (and both episodes with Nevin were extremely well done (I shed some manly tears they were so emotionally impacting)). I honestly have to say this is probably going down as one of my favorites shows from the last few years (which isn't really hard considering my problems with the last few seasons), only taking second to the masterpiece that was Violet Evergarden. I can't recommend this show enough for those who want a story driven show focused on character development and world building (I'm just sad I only have 8 episodes and 3 OVA's left, really hope this gets another season once the manga gets further along).

Fucking hell that was a ride. Just finished watching Steins;Gate and I have to say its an amazing show. I finally understand why people love it so much. Characters are pretty interesting (pretty bland and stereotypical but none-the-less interesting), story is completely bonkers (we're talking Serial Experiments Lain and Boogiepop Phantom levels of bonkers) and amazing, and the sheer emotional ride this puts you through is both terrifying and exciting. Sure it starts out pretty slow but once you get to the halfway mark it seriously starts moving at an intense pace. I normally don't praise anime this much but this is truly a great show, almost a masterpiece if I've ever seen one (probably one of the only shows I have rated at 10 on MAL that actually deserves the rating for all the right reasons, not just pure enjoyment). I highly recommend watching it if you haven't, it's definitely worth the time investment (and I'll admit it's not for everyone but if you want a show that tears your emotions to shreds and makes you think this is definitely one for you). Seriously can't wait for Steins;Gate 0 to start airing on Thursday (really hope CR has the simulcast for it). Now I just need to find time to watch the movie and the OVA before it starts. Also need to hope the VN this is based off of goes on sale on Steam so I can see the actual story that wasn't adapted for the anime (and to see all the other endings).

Ugh, I forget how spoiled I am watching Netflix series where all the episodes are loaded in at once. Catching up on all these Simuldubs on Funi is like hitting a dead end when I reach a point to where I have to wait weekly. I started some more series. I was hesitant to start GARO -Vanishing Line- but I'm glad I did. I loved GARO: The Animation, but GARO -Crimson Moon- was kinda lack luster and I didn't finish it. Each series takes place in a different timeline with different characters that dawn the Makai Knight armors. The original was Medieval like, Crimson Moon was more feudal Japan themed, and VL is modern times. At first I thought it was gonna be some macho bullshit, because the main character is so western with big ass muscles. I was pretty surprised. But so far its excellent, and the Armor suits are actually drawn instead of CGIed like the first two series which is a pleasant surprise. First brawl I saw was so Michael Bay-like with a shaky cam and I was like "oh boy, not this" But ever sense they haven't really done it.

The new firefox update is amazing. It feels a lot faster even if it does look like a Windows 95 program.

I'm starting to get really good with Genji. I got gold in eliminations several times tonight, and carried at 51% kill participation in one of my matches. And with a buff to his ult in the pipeline, I won't have to worry about my fun getting nerfed for a while. There are few things that feel amazing in this game. Hooking airborne Phara with Roadhog, Hooking Tracer with Roadhog, Killing a good Zarya period, and deflecting an ult back at the enemy team with Genji... because I totally got McCree good.

So after playing TOR since it's release I've finally finished all the class stories this morning earning my Legendary Player status. I have to say TOR is an exceptional game with some of the best storytelling I've seen in an MMO to date (FFXIV takes second sadly, while the story is amazing it's just not personal enough like the TOR class stories are). Have to say my favorite Class Stories were Sith Inquisitor (even if it was a little predictable at times), Imperial Agent (I haven't played the Light Side version but the Dark Side one was pretty damn fun), and surprisingly Jedi Consular (which I beat this morning. While a little boring the twists and turns the story takes after Chapter 1 were fun). The other stories were just a little to bland for my tastes (Sith Warrior was okay but revenge stories just aren't all that great any more. Jedi Knight wasn't all that amazing but the final story mission was pretty cool. The rest I really don't have much to say about (though Smuggler was good for a few laughs)). Gotta say for their first time doing an MMO Bioware did a great job, even if the game has gone through more rocky points then most MMO's. The Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions were amazing, well done, and outside of the class stories had some of the best story writing I've seen in awhile (this goes for single player games as well). Can't wait to see what Bioware has in store for TOR in the future but I'm happy to say I can finally put this game on the back burner until it happens.

Looks like I get to play the For Honor beta this weekend, just got my code today. Can't wait, if only I didn't have to work Friday (this overtime shit is getting old).

Finished up GARO before my impending BF1 binge. I didn't realize there was an actual live action show, until I looked it up because I thought it was odd it was listed as GARO: The Animation. Anyways, it was enjoyable overall. I've seen the premise used a few times before, but the fights were bad ass. Its one of the few Hybrid-CGI looking anime that I feel worked well. I'll always prefer the classic style, but CGI effects become more popular as time goes on, probably because it's cheaper to produce.

I had the most epic 3-2 Victory on Lijiang Tower. It was probably the most intense, close, evenly matched bout I've ever had in competitive. We won the 1st, lost the next 2, and came back with two wins. The last match no one even captured the point for a good 5-6 minutes of contesting. I got 59 objective kills, 75 eliminations, and 30k damage as Junkrat. I wish every match was like that, instead I mostly get steam roller matches win or lose.

In BF4 my favorite troll was RPG chopper take downs. In Overwatch it's trap/mine Genji, especially in his ult with Junkrat. I'll have to upload my match later where two Genji's tried to harass me, I got the better of them both way more times than they got me.

Finished Coyote Ragtime Show, it was a really fun watch. It would have been better as a 24 ep anime. It felt a little rushed in places due to squeezing everything into 12... a lot of great action though. Now I'm watching Assassination Classroom which has been pretty good so far.

I finisned Aldnoah.Zero on Netflix. It was def one of the better mecha anime I've seen in a while. Serious plot, good political drama, awesome mecha design, and great action every episode. The emotionless child prodigy was a turnoff are first, but the supporting cast made it work.