Little Kuriboh's Placebo

WTF Romero?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:15:41 GMT

Let me start off by saying I'm an enormous George Romero fan. I think the man's nothing less than a genius. Even without the classic Living Dead trilogy, he still has a tremendous filmography under his belt. Martin is one of my fave horror movies ever. And no, not just because I share the same first name as the titular character.

However, having just watched Diary Of The Dead, I have to wonder if this is indeed the same George Romero I grew up watching. It must be, since it has his brand of dark humour and goresome allegory, but it also stinks to high heaven. There are aspects of greatness, but it ultimately seems messy, amateurish (even for a movie that's supposed to look like a student film), soap opera-esque, and saddest of all, redundant. Did we really need to reboot the Dead franchise with something so ham-fisted and poorly conceived? There's a flashback (complete with heavy-handed narration, just in case you missed the point) every four minutes in this movie. It's horrendous.

But on the other hand, it does have one of the coolest characters ever - Samuel, the deaf amish guy. He was amazing. The whole movie should've been about him. Not these unappealing wankers waving digital cameras around while spouting meaningful and witty phrases about YouTube message boards (???).

The saddest thing is I'm a huge fan of this estranged sub-genre of faux-handheld docu-blockbusters. I adored Cloverfield, and went giddy over Blair Witch Project when that first came out (okay, I still love it). And I'll defend those movies to my death if I have to. Whilst Diary I would gladly kick in crotchular area. Go figure, huh?

Also, Comic Con looks less and less likely for me. Financial problems abound and I'm just in too much of a bind to do anything about it. I'm really struggling to survive in general, and if I make the slightest false move I might end up screwing myself and Safty out of a honeymoon. And that is not. Going. To happen. Because I might end up choking to death on a plushie Jamaican crab if Safty doesn't get to visit Disneyworld.

And please don't even consider donating money via the PayPal link on the YGO Abridged site - or even by purchasing shirts at our store - because none of that money goes to me. It goes to either the website or the people who make the shirts. I don't want you guys spending money on something thinking it'll help me, when it doesn't. Heck, I don't really want anybody spending money on anything related to me whatsoever. Not that it wouldn't be appreciated, I'm just... I'm not worth it. Really.

Thanks for listening, as always.

Initial Brawl Impressions

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:55:55 GMT

I remember now why I didn't understand all the hype about Super Smash Bros. Melee. I'm rubbish at it. It's one of those things I'm sure I'll be ridiculed for in the coming days when you all inevitably beat me at it, but eh. It's fun to play regardless.

Having said that, the game has its fair share of flaws. For starters, the Subspace Emissary mode - which I thought looked sweet as hell - turns out to be one of the most intentionally infuriating videogame modes I've ever experienced. And not in a fun way. It's actually kind of a chore. The cut-scenes and boss encounters are tremendous, but those platforming sections are just... well, I don't think the fighting gameplay works in a platforming environment. It's far too punishing for the silliest of reasons. Some of these levels you can't even get through without dying several times purely because you need to play them about seven or eight times to know what you're supposed to be doing.

Lag is a major issue during online play. And I don't know if it's my Wi-Fi or what, but whenever I see someone online it rarely lets me join their game and I usually have to resort to creating my own room. Which entails standing around flailing at a sandbag w/ features for about twenty minutes before anyone considers joining my brawl.

I've never been huge into fighting games, but Brawl's charm and plethora of features, not to mention its killer roster, have lured me in. It's just a shame it seems to have a downfall for every success. Maybe I'll come to enjoy it more over time, but I dunno.

All Work & No Brawl Make LK... Something... Something

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:01:51 GMT

Brawl is finally out in the UK.

I have it. I also have a friend code. It's 1075-2189-7815. Name's YGOAS on there.

What's yours?

Meeting Of The Minds

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:15:04 GMT

So it would seem tomorrow I am meeting up with fellow Yu-Gi-Oh lampooner and all 'round awesome gal, pdutogepi. It's quite an auspicious event, since I can say without any uncertainty that she inspired me to make the Abridged Series in the first place. So hopefully some fun shall be had.

Next week, my best man is coming over to visit. I doubt he'd appreciate coming all the way from Scotland only to find me glued to my computer doing voicework and editing footage from a Japanese cartoon, so I doubt I'll be able to work on Abridged for the duration of his stay. Excuses, excuses, right?

Once he's gone, however, I should have free reign to take it to the hoomph and get Episode 30 made ASAP.

Nevermind The Rickroll

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:36:59 GMT

You've just been Vicroll'd.

God, I used to love Vic & Bob. And you guys know how averse I am to comedy in general. I just think their early stuff was the perfect blend of comedy and surrealism. Things started to go downhill during Shooting Stars, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for Big Night Out and Smell Of Reeves & Mortimer.

And I always preferred Bob. Always.

I would've loved for them to make a Slade In Residence spin-off. Would have gladly sat through 30 minute episodes of this.

Easily one of the most bizarre comedy sketches I've ever seen.

"And I did NOT make your stupid dinner cryyyyy!"

And I have a tummy ache, too

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:50:07 GMT

I'm going to have to politely ask people to stop applying for the task of supplying art for my little pet project, as mentioned a few entries ago. Not that I don't appreciate the immense support, but I'm literally getting dozens and dozens of very, very talented artists throwing pictures and animations at me. And I suppose until I say "Okay, that's enough!" I'm going to keep getting submissions until the video's released.

So yeah, I now have more than enough potential candidates to choose between, and I'm going to have to ask you all to give my inbox a wee chance to rest. I'm really happy that I got a chance to look at all your work - I only wish I could draw half as good as you guys. I honestly believe you're all far more creative than I could ever hope to be. You each have remarkable imagination and skill.

First run-through of Henry V is tomorrow. Maybe doing that will allow me to muster up some genuine enthusiasm for the play.

Also, today I bought our wedding rings. *smile*

The Movie Is The Disaster

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:59:45 GMT

Hectic week ahead of me. A lot on my plate, including rehearsals for both Henry V and Angels In America, so if I'm unresponsive or slow to post I apologise.

Also, I highly doubt I'll have the new episode finished for the end of the month. Which is a shame, because it means longer to wait for you guys. At this rate, I'd expect to see it in two weeks at the earliest. Really very sorry.

But not as sorry as the people who're making Disaster Movie should be. Could there be a more suicide-inducing trailer? I'm inclined to say no.

A doo-wop, a dooby-doo wop!

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:54:11 GMT

Candidate for worst videogame ending ever? I think so. Spoilers for anyone who hasn't played Limbo Of The Lost. Not that any of you were planning to, of course.

Oddly enough, it looks not unlike the new episode of Eden: The Zhang Chronicles. If that ever surfaces.

And now for a request. Are there any aspiring artists out there who feel up to drawing me a couple of images of Yami and Kaiba? They'd have to be full body pics, and I'd want four or five frames worth of facial animation for dialogue purposes. I know I could probably just search for appropriate footage, but I want both characters to look somewhat consistent with one another. And with the way the animation style often changes from episode to episode in YGO, I'm not sure I'd get what I'm looking for. Funnily enough, this isn't even for a Yu-Gi-Oh video, just a small pet project I'm working on.

If anyone's interested, feel free to contact me via email (littlekuriboh@gmail.com) to discuss details. I'm willing to pay for the work if that's an issue at all.

Why, Anna, Why?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:56:25 GMT

Dear lord, how can they make a movie where Anna Faris walks around in skimpy clothing for ninety percent of the running time, yet it doesn't appeal to me? Hell, I put up with the atrocious "comedy" material in the Scary Movie series purely because of her adorability factor. Yet somehow this really puts me off. It might be because of the bogus message it's giving out to young women. Or maybe my crush on Miss Faris is waning. Ironic, considering how she's just now becoming a star in her own right.

Any idea what I should sing at my wedding reception? My first notion was "F**k Her Gently" by Tenacious D, just for shock value. Though considering a large proportion of the audience will probably be 50+, I'm not sure if I wouldn't wind up killing them all of heart attacks (therefore I am Kira!). Perhaps something Flight of the Conchords related?

Also, my paid LJ account runs out very soon. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

*edit*

Eep! Um, thankyou pikaporeon for paying for an extra 12 months of paid accountness. I really didn't mean to sound like I was asking anybody to pay for it... But thankyou very much all the same. :)

Props

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:03:38 GMT

You're all very awesome, you know that?

Reply to this post to be told by me that you are awesome. Because you are.

Especially you. *points*

Random Goings On

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:30:46 GMT

There's a bunch of stuff I haven't mentioned to you folks recently. Not that I've been intentionally keeping secrets from you or anything - after all, you thousands of internet strangers are like my second family. I just forgot to mention most of 'em, mainly because I didn't think they required their own entry. But now you're gonna hear about them.

We gave another performance of "Art" down in the Scawby Villlage Hall a few weeks ago. It went very well - as I'm sure gayalondiel will attest to, since she was in attendance. The first few rehearsals before the performance were a bit panicky, since Stuart and I couldn't stop giggling like schoolboys. I blame Stuart, because he's a lot funnier than me so I doubt I was making the two of us laugh.

I've since been cast in two small roles for the LTC production of Henry V. I only asked to be given a small part because of my upcoming wedding/honeymoon, just so I have a backup excuse in case I give a terrible performance. To be honest, Shakespeare isn't something I'd usually go for, but the director was nagging me quite persistently and the guy playing Henry (the aforementioned Stuart) is clearly going to be gangbusters in the role. And I don't just say that because he browses my LiveJournal from time to time.

Episode 30 isn't on hold, it's still going forward. I even have a title - a fairly good one, though if I told you what it was I'm sure some brainy fan would figure out the direction the episode will be taking. It's funny, I always try to make each new episode veer off at a different comedy angle, depending on the reaction to the previous episodes. I'm sure I fail miserably, but I do take into account what each and every one of you says. So please don't be disheartened if I don't always respond. Especially those of you who are sending me private messages on LiveJournal, as most of you have your privacy settings altered so I can't reply back to you. I'm always available at littlekuriboh@gmail.com so feel free to use that.

Video following Episode 30 will probably be Cr@psule Monsters Episode 2. Partly because of fan demand, and also because if I don't make it soon I'm sure I'll never get around to it. Cr@psule Monsters is one of those things I would have preferred to delay indefinitely if I had the choice, because I think the first episode was uncommonly good by my own standards and I don't know if it'll be a good idea to continue down that particular road. But who knows, maybe it'll be even funnier than my other series.

Saw No Country For Old Men. Will have to dwell on that for a while. Maybe read the novel. I'm fairly certain I liked it. I might even have loved it. But that ending...

Speaking of endings that incite confused grunts, what is up with the mid-season finale of Battlestar Galactica? Razza frazza gazza...

"This Is Good... Isn't It?"

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:31:50 GMT

So my promise to not play any videogames until episode 30 was finished has been broken, as any of you who've spotted me on the PSN will know I caved and purchased Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, finishing it within about two days. I shall now give my brief and relatively spoiler-free thoughts.

I'll be perfectly frank with you. The first two acts did not sit well with me. Metal Gear Solid has always been, to me, a game where Snake is left on his own in the middle of nowhere with little to no backup, forced to fend for himself in a hostile environment where everybody is out to get him. That's always been a huge part of the series' appeal to me. Sticking a guy in the middle of a situation where, if he's spotted by anybody, he's a goner. I love the emphasis on stealth over straight-up combat. The fact that a cardboard box is often more useful to Snake than a machine gun... That's one of the things I cherish about these games.

But MGS4 changes things around. You're no longer on your own - not at first, at least. Here you're fighting alongside a constantly spawning militia group who will, on occasion, gladly lend you a hand. And the game keeps switching locations, taking you from one region of the globe to the next. When I first started playing, this seemed to gut the whole idea of Snake being left in the middle of nowhere. "Oh, you screwed up, Snake? Let's just fly you out of there and take you someplace else so you can fix it!"

Let me assure you, these aren't valid criticisms. These are my personal feelings, and they're as biased as anything else you'll find on the internet. The fact that the game has made these alterations is obviously a step forward. It's just not a step I would have taken myself, given the opportunity.

Having said that, when I got to Act 3, the game completely saved itself in my eyes. There was a newfound focus on stealth, and some startling plot revelations that didn't stop coming until the very last line of the very last cut-scene. Looking back on Metal Gear Solid 4, it managed to remind me precisely why I love each individual game in the series, and why I love the Metal Gear universe and characters as a whole, as well as providing a unique and moving experience. And Safty will attest to the fact that I teared up at least once during this game.

It's not without its flaws, and I would have preferred something a little more STEALTH-actiony than ACTION-stealthy, but it ties up every loose end in the MGS saga and gives amazing closure to the story of Solid Snake - though you may find yourself wondering if this was his story alone.

So yes, I have a special kind of love for this game. The kind of love that will hurt when it's faded from memory and I decide to play it through again, only to realise I can never play it again for the first time. And if this is indeed Snake's final mission, then I salute the guy. He's one of my heroes, and a videogame legend. I just hope it isn't the last game we'll see set in this particular world.

And how the hell did this game make me fall in love with Johnny Sasaki?!?!

I Don't Know What We're Yelling About!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:53:27 GMT

Before I go any further, I'd best come right out and say that the new episode is indeed online! Shock horror! LittleKuriboh actually made one of his phoney baloney deadlines!

Episode 29 - The Not-So-Super Roba Bros.

Like I said a few posts back, I had absolutely no clue what to do with this episode when I started writing it. Nothing happens that hasn't already happened at some point in the Yu-Gi-Oh series, so coming up with a way to lampoon it felt very much like recycling old material.

My main concern was how to tackle Espa Roba - particularly his voice. For a long time I was going to try and give him an original voice, but one thing I *always* found when watching his episodes was that his voice actor tended to SCREAM EVERY OTHER LINE. Then I decided to amplify that, as a sort of homage to the Inappropriate Comedy Tree from Perfect Hair Forever. I realise that this might seem more annoying than funny - whatever the case, I think it's faithful to my original intent with Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged. To pay tribute to the show and all its flaws.

A minor tidbit: I wrote at the top of the script for the episode "FOCUS ON THE CARD GAMES", because I wanted to add extra emphasis on the duel portion of the ep. I feel like I've literally just been editing the card games out of the show completely, which begs the question as to why I'm even abridging a show that revolves around the things. So yeah, hopefully in future eps you'll be seeing more card game gags.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the episode!

Men At Work

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:59:27 GMT

My apologies. The new episode was uploaded last night (Gasp! You mean I was on schedule?!), but the folks at Revver.com have yet to pull their heads out of their butts long enough to get the video online and available to the general public.

It shouldn't be long now. But you probably shouldn't hold your breath.

I suppose you could try emailing them somehow, but don't whine or complain - just write a nicely worded letter telling them to hurry it up perhaps.

I'm Pondering...

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:03:12 GMT

This may sound like a really bad idea, but I actually think it has potential to be awesome.

What if I intentionally wrote an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged to be only thirty seconds long? But still containing everything that occurs in the original episode/s, just glanced over extremely quickly. Would you all feel ripped off, or would it be amusing enough to warrant experimenting?

It just struck me now and I thought I'd run it past you guys.

Late Tuesday/Early Wednesday

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:07:30 GMT

That's when you should all expect the new episode.

Don't know whether it'll be good or not. I've mixed feelings, to be honest. This is the first time I've gone into the writing process with ZERO ideas for gags. Usually I'll have a bunch of stuff planned in advance - however, this time I was completely unprepared. I blame the fact that it's a fairly bland couple of episodes. I mean, there's a reason everybody keeps saying to me "Espa Roba? I completely forgot that guy existed!"

But yeah, I just have to finish editing the video and then it'll be uploaded. Been rather busy these past few days - codec glitch aside, I've been acting (a reprise of "Art" down in Scawby Village) and working. Parents are visiting tomorrow, so I won't have much chance to work on the episode then. Hence Tuesday/Wednesday. Sorry.

Y'wanna know what really ticks me off? When songs use the same exact words to rhyme. For example, Take That's god-awful "Rule The World" suffers thusly:

You light the skies up above me
A star so bright, you blind me
(...)
Yeah you and me
We can ride on a star
If you stay with me girl
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me
We can light up the sky
If you stay with me girl
We can rule the world
(...)
All the stars are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you
For you

Makes me want to freeze the entire band in carbonite and hand them to the nearest Hutt crimelord so he can better decorate his palace.

There ought to be a law against such lyrical bollocks.

Spanner In The Works

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:54:48 GMT

Okay, so somehow my whole video editing process has been thrown out of whack. I don't know what did it, but every time I try to edit ANY video, the program I'm using inevitably crashes unless I watch the whole video through to the very end. Which means I can't make small, subtle changes - unless I want to sit there for a good half an hour just to edit a couple of frames. If I try to pause the video during playback, it crashes. If I try to edit out a large chunk of video, it crashes.

This completely kills any chance I have of finishing the new Abridged episode in the next few days, which was my initial intent. I wouldn't be so damn annoyed if I could figure out what the problem was. I'd just re-install the thing, except I don't know where I put my install key. Besides, I have a feeling there's more to it than that, since it seems to affect ALL my video editing software.

Does anybody have any helpful suggestions? I'm completely at a loss.

*EDIT*

Okay, I downloaded new codecs and the problem is solved.

Repeat after me: "What a digital dummy!"

Clarification

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:24:14 GMT

Just to set the record straight, as one or two of you seem to have garnered the wrong impression from my previous posts. I did not "bash" Death Note Abridged.

The only reason I even mentioned the whole Death Note Abridged concept was because I know from past experience that if I talk about watching/liking an animé, people always flock to my LJ and say "Well, if you liked ____, then you'll love ____ Abridged! Here's a link! Watch it and tell me what you think right now! Please endorse it! Please!" And I merely wanted to address those people before I got about ten or twelve replies saying the same exact thing.

I'm sure Team Dattebayo do a great job on their Abridged Series. I wasn't even aware their series existed, though I obviously had inklings that somebody had attempted to abridge the show - at this point, there's very few animés left that haven't been shortened down and poked fun at. The thing is, I just wouldn't enjoy watching an Abridged version personally, regardless of how hysterical it might be, because it'd be sure to miss out on the intricacies that made Death Note great.

One of the reasons I even attempted Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged was to make people aware that there was more to the show than just card games. And I'd like to think I succeeded, at least at first. A part of me is rather proud that Bandit Keith, who ninety percent of the animé fandom wouldn't give a hoot about three years ago, is now one of the most recognisable Yu-Gi-Oh figures.

I don't really think anything would be accomplished by abridging Death Note beyond humour. And humour itself just doesn't appeal to me. I also wouldn't approve of abridging Pokémon, since that series is effectively the same episode repeated ad nauseam, just revolving around a different creature each time. That doesn't mean I don't think an Abridged Pokémon could be very funny. I just wouldn't see the point. In case you haven't heard, comedy ain't my thing.

So by all means, I encourage you all to go watch Death Note Abridged. I bet it's a good laugh. I just doubt I'll be watching it anytime soon. And believe it or not, I'm perfectly entitled to not watch something.

New episode is coming along fairly swiftly now. Audio has just been recorded. I'm pretty happy with it thus far. There's lots of self-deprecating humour. My fave.

HD TV 4 MGS4 PLZ?

Fri, 30 May 2008 22:50:46 GMT

So I'm seriously tempted to cave in and pick up an HD TV, if only because I now have a Blu-Ray player in the form of my Playstation 3 and I want to be able to appreciate it as the dorky movie fan that I am. Also, I just wouldn't feel right playing through Solid Snake's final (or IS IT?!) mission in a crappy low resolution.

So does anybody know anything about HD TVs that I should know about before seeking them out? How does I get the best picture out of my PS3, is there some special way of connecting them? Am I asking too many stupid questions?

"Whoa, that's a man-kiss..."

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:41:17 GMT

Rehearsals went pretty well tonight. Didn't actually block any new scenes, but we did a lot of exercises to get in touch with our characters. This included having to wrestle each other, ad-lib scenes, and just plain yell a lot. I got to do a few random voices, surprising the others in the group. Andy, the director, keeps telling me I've got a genuine innocence in my performance - which I'm sort of proud of. I have a feeling it's another way of saying I come across as naive, but eh. If it works, it works.

And yes, I kissed the guy playing Louis today during one of the exercises. He's a LOT more bashful about it than I am, so I'm glad we're doing it sooner rather than later. If we still had all these inhibitions buzzing around close to the performance date, it'd only be more difficult to break 'em down.

I saw the final episode of Death Note. Quite in awe of that show, really. Don't think I've ever been so hooked by an animé. But then, I really don't watch much animé in general. Either way, I was very impressed, and I'll certainly be buying the DVD sets when they eventually come out over here. Great characters. Matsuda is awesome.

I'm aware there is a "Death Note Abridged" out there, but before you ask I highly doubt I'll be checking it out or even attempting to make my own version. I don't think an Abridged version would work at all, and if anything would only serve to demean it as a piece of art. That's probably a stuck-up point of view, but honestly, I think the main reason an Abridged version of Yu-Gi-Oh "works" is because it's 90% a marketing scheme designed to hook kids into buying merchandise, and 10% a genuinely awesome show with great characters. Whereas Death Note is 100% the latter.

Urge To Sneak... Rising...

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:15:02 GMT

It would seem just about everybody had an opinion about whether I should leave out the naughty language/vulgar references. And I'm thankful for all your feedback. I know I don't always reply to everyone - sometimes I don't reply to anybody - but I do read ALL of the replies/messages I receive, and each of you has been very helpful.

Since that particular subject seemed to spark so much interest, I'm wondering if I shouldn't run this past you as well. Along with the "no more vulgar humour" rule, I have been toying with the idea of forbidding myself any internet meme references in future episodes. Now this wouldn't be so much like censoring myself - instead it'd be more like trying to make sure I refrain from using fads in place of genuine humour.

In your opinion, does the over-use of memes (e.g. in episode 27) bother you, or would you miss them if they were gone? Because I'm more than willing to rid the show of them completely.

I was, at one point, thinking of replacing the Duel Monsters cards with random cartoon/internet gags, along the same lines as episode eight with the black mage card, etc. I was going to keep all the memes and references in the duels themselves, so I don't always have to skip the card game aspect of the series altogether. But I figured that'd be tiresome and complicated. Eh.

I'm exhausted right now. I just want to sit here and watch angsty cartoon characters think loudly at each other.

Can't believe Metal Gear Solid 4 is out in a few weeks. How am I supposed to abstain from videogames now?

On Vulgarity

Tue, 27 May 2008 16:30:07 GMT

So I received an email from somebody complaining about the vulgar tone of the latest episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged. And I won't deny that it's something that's weighed heavily on my mind ever since the Duke Devlin episode, wherein I intentionally went overboard to see if there would be any inordinate backlash as a result.

Now I myself am not very easily offended, but I'm aware that this is no reason to go out of my way to BE offensive. In fact, I don't like to swear or be rude be in real life on principle. However, when it comes to comedy, the temptation to do so is always going to be there. Especially in a show where so much material can be made to appear sexual or homoerotic or whatever. I mean, that's something you see on the internet every single hour of the day - somebody'll post an icon of something from a random TV show or cartoon with a picture of a character, accompanied by an inappropriate caption. It's silly and harmless.

But if I am going to upset people by using such humour, I'd much rather avoid it altogether. So that's why I'm suggesting that perhaps I should regulate my work and enforce a rule that states I cannot use sexual or vulgar humour at all. Or would that just bother even more people in the end, since I'd be effectively censoring myself?

I used to be a lot more particular about excluding dirty humour in the show. I recall worrying about whether the series was inappropriate for children. One particular example, I remember there was originally going to be a running joke where Bakura's fangirls were actually going to feature at random intervals cheering him on (mainly in episode nine) and there'd be a whole host of them saying one thing, and then following them there'd be one lone fangirl screaming at him "Show us your c**k!"

I still don't think I'm ready to go quite that far.

Work colleague loaned me a copy of the first Death Note live action movie. It'll either be incredibly cheesy or very cool. One way or another, I'll enjoy it to bits.

Insight

Sun, 25 May 2008 06:26:23 GMT

Any roleplayers amongst you may be curious to check out ygodressing, as it's a predominantly Yu-Gi-Oh RP with a bunch of AU characters thrown into the mix. Not to mention that there's a whole heap of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged characters running around. I'm quite surprised by how well some of them are played, particularly their Yami. Some people actually think he's being played by me.

I myself am playing Abridged Marik, who is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters to write for. I'm surprised at the number of ideas I'm getting for new episodes just by interacting with the other characters there. And in case you're worried that, gasp, I might be doing things OTHER than working on my series while I'm on my PC (perish the thought), I give you proof that I haven't ceased progress on Abridged.

Here and here you will see that I have already combed through the footage needed for episodes 29 and 30 and edited out each individual shot from the original videos. So now once the scripts are written, it won't take me nearly as long to finish the editing process. I hope. There you have it, anyway.

And just so this isn't just another post about Yu-Gi-Oh nonsense, I figured I'd share a video that I'm rather fond of. "More" by Mark Osborne. I'm sure most of you've already seen it somewhere or other, but I stumbled upon it the other day and remembered how effective it was the first time I watched it almost ten years ago. Maybe it's a little pretentious of me, but it seems even more poignant now that I've essentially become the inventor in the story.

Anyhoo.

For Those Interested

Sat, 24 May 2008 14:09:14 GMT

A few people requested to see some excerpts from the original script for Episode 28, in particular the parts pertaining to Steve. I don't have the full version of the script on my PC anymore as I saved over it with an edited draft, but fortunately I do have a version that still retains a few of the original gags that I ended up eliminating.

Bear in mind that I would have certainly liked to keep this stuff in. The only problem was that these gags were effectively one joke stretched out to a good thirty seconds, whereas I ended up using around three or four different gags in the same amount of time. It was a case of choosing between this stuff and the "Who's That Mokémon?"/Kaiba Blimp/Rex, Weevil, Mako stuff. And I ended up opting for those.

--

Yami: This Battle City tournament will be a piece of cake.

Yugi: But what if we lose? I won't be able to show my face in public if I fail at winning a card game tournament!

Yami: Haven't you seen Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie? It's bloody obvious we're going to win. How else would we end up with the three Egyptian God Cards?

Yugi: ... Uh?

Yami: I mean, uh, just believe in the heart of the cards and trust in your deck and everything will turn out fine. The fate of the world depends on us. Yadda yadda yadda. There. Is that better?

Yugi: Yeah! Now let's do that super sexy belt move I've been practising!

[insert footage of yugi putting on his belt set to the Abridged Series theme music]

Yugi: Huh. That seemed awfully familiar.

--

Steve: You'll find me a much greater challenge, Yugi!

Yami: You? Really? Pull the other one.

Steve: I'm serious. I am a Rare Hunter. That means I'm pure evil.

Yami: You're not pure evil, you're just generic evil. Your name is Steve, for crying out loud. I bet you don't even have your own backstory.

Steve: Y... Yes I do.

Yami: Oh yeah? What is it then?

Steve: My... My parents were killed when they were being mugged for duel monsters cards and-

Yami: You're making that up, aren't you? Your parents are alive and well and living in San Francisco, aren't they?

Steve: No, they were murdered by a-

Yami: Steve. Be honest.

Steve: You're right, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so evil. I just am.

Yami: That's better.

--

Yami: Well, if I were a generic villain with no genuine backstory, that's what I would be doing too.

Steve: Stop calling me generic! I'm a multi-faceted character! Honestly!

Yami: Weevil Underwood has more depth than you do! Face it, Steve, your genericness knows no bounds! Now, cower before my Egyptian Rage!

--

(this was the original post-episode scene, which would replace the callback to Grandpa and Black Luster Soldier)

Samuel L. Jackson: Hey Yugi. I'm Samuel L. Jackson. I want you in the mother***ing Avengers Initiative.

Yugi: Super special awesome post-credits easter egg!

"I like to steal, so here's your bill!"

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:36:19 GMT

Okay, up until now I was only mildly peeved at Rock Band's insanely high price over here in the UK, mostly because I've never been THAT tempted to buy it so it didn't seem like any real problem for me. As much as I love Guitar Hero, I don't think I'd play it nearly enough to warrant the cost.

But now... Now they're playing dirty by announcing they'll be making Devo songs available, starting with Thru Being Cool.

Dammit! Don't use my favourite band ever against me! I've been waiting YEARS for a decent videogame to feature Devo on its soundtrack. Adventures Of The Smart Patrol doesn't count, even though it did give us a fairly awesome song in That's What He Said.

It's times like this I wish I were a greedy rich bastard. With a rock and roll haircut.