Ambrosia and Nectar Recipie

For all you Percy Jackson fans, me and Kyogreman have successfuly made Ambrosia squares and Nectar.  In the book and natural Greek mythology, the gods feasted on ambrosia and nectar.  Demigods can eat the food but can't each too much or they'll explode.  On Youtube, Feast of Fiction made these as edible for humans.  We tried making some today and they were an absolute success.  We decided that we should share this video with you so that all you Percy Jackson fans may enjoy these fine treats.  For those of you who don't like coconut, we provided a perfect substitute; oatmeal; so that the mass remains the same, plus it's healthy.  An so we give to you, Feast of Fiction Ambrosia Squares and Nectar!

 

 

Lord of the Rings Review

This is a movie review and a comparison to the books.  I chose to write this post, because I believed I needed to explain my opinion on J.R.R. Tolkien's work even further. 

 

I for one love the movies, even though sometimes I was confused as to why certain things were happening one way and not the other way around.  I thought for a book adaption they were really spot on.  The truth?  I have never read a single Lord of the Rings book. 

 

I know.  How could I say the movie was better when I haven't even read the book?  Simple.  If you look at how much paper and text there is in those books, their adaption was perfectly normal.  I couldn't even read the book at a young age.  I did read snipits of the book, mainly the Fellowship of the Ring because that's my favorite of the three.  By reading these snipits of the book I figured out that Tolkien lacked something very important to story. 

1. If you think about it, in order to truly understand anything Tolkien says, you'd have to read the Similarion to understand anything he talks about. 

2. The language he uses is very complex, confusing, and far more difficult to read than the Hobbit. 

3. His story lacks one crucial element that is sort of my pet peeve: Character.  Characters in lord of the rings are plain flat.  Gandalf himself merely does exposition most of the time.  His characters have no emotional depth as far as I could see.  That's why I favor the movies.  Peter Jackson managed to give character to Tolkien's characters, and made the story make sense to the best of his ablities. 

So, that's really all I have to say.  Keep reading my friends!

,Starvix Draxon

Big News in the new year

The Pokémon company has stated that the new year will bring new things that will evolve the Pokémon world as we know it. Check back on January 8th and I will post what it is.

The Hobbit Movie Review

On Friday I went to see the Hobbit movie.  By this point I have read up to the events in Mirkwood so I knew I had read up to what the movie had covered.  So I will be comparing the movie to the book as I write this. 

 

Question 1. Which was better?  Book or Movie?

 

Answer:  Movie!  Deffinately!

 

Question 2.  Was the movie accurate to the book?

 

Answer:  Yes, though there were some differences, but those differences were really good and added more depth to the story

Question 3.  What kind of differences?

Answer: The movie included more exposition about a war between orcs and the dwarves at Moria that happened a while back.  The group is actually chased by the orcs a couple of times.  Also the character is far more developed than in the book. 

Something that is sort of my pet peeve is weak characters.  If a story is just exposition and more exposition, then I get bored quickly.  I love character.  To me, character is the most important aspect of the story.  Without it, you have nothing but exposition.  That's why I don't typically care for Tolkein's work, because 1, his language is difficult to understand, and 2, he includes so much exposition about the rings and other stuff that he loses the chance to develop characters.  I'm not saying he's a bad writer.  He's an exellent author, but not the best story teller for character. 

Question 4.  Was the acting good?

Answer:  Yes!  Peter Jackson cast really good actors for The Hobbit.  I don't know anyone else who could have played Bilbo as well as Martin Freeman.  He really nailed the character down really well. 

Question 5.  Was the ending solid?

Answer:  Yes.  Peter Jackson chose a perfect stopping point to end his film.  It ends on a good note and leaves one waiting for the next film. 

Question 6.  What are you excited for? 

Answer:  I'm excited to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Smaug.  He literally is doing body scan imaging like they did with Gollum, so I'm really excited to see how they're going to do that with a dragon.  I also can't wait to see the Necromancer in action.  I mean they have to do something to explain the third movie.  I also have to finish the book.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon. 

Well, that's all.  I'm really excited for the next film.  I hope everyone gets a chance to see it.  Keep reading my friends. 

,Starvix Draxon
 

Mark of Athena Review

Well, I don't have much to say about this story.  It was utterly awesome!  Rick Riordan has done his job once again.  It was very fun to read.  I loved the cliffhanger.  I'm dying to find out what happens next.  Riordan sure knows how to keep his reader's attention.  Well, that's really all I have to say.  Keep reading everyone!

 

,Starvix Draxon

Oz: The Great and Powerful Trailer 2

Here is the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful trailer 2.  Hope you enjoy the trailer. 

Jack The Giant Killer Trailer 2

Here is the second and latest trailer for Jack The Giant Slayer movie.  Hope you enjoy it, everyone.

Details on the new saga in the Japanese anime

New details are coming in for the team plasma saga of the Pokémon anime. The promotional picture shows N with Corless, Ghetis, and a computer screen showing genesect. But that's not the most exciting thing Ash's Charizard will be making its return!!!!!!!! Also team rocket is back.

Legend of Korra noodles.

Hey y'all check out this video. It includes a recipe for water tribe noodles as seen in Legend of Korra; Book One Chapter Five (The Spirit of Competition) when Bolin takes Korra out on a date to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery.

Intro and some beginning news from Kyogre's Avatar World

Ok I'm starting a new part. I will now, in addition to posting Pokémon news and various reviews, be keeping y'all up to date on everything to do with Avatar: the Last Airbender (ATLA) and The Legend of Korra (LOK)

The first bit of pretty exciting news is that in the upcoming season of LOK Grey DeLise (who voiced Princess Azula in ATLA) will be returning to voice a character who has not been talked about much.

Second Book two will be named "Spirits" and will be split between spending time in republic city and some time in the rest of the world when not in the spirit world.

Well that about does it for me this time I'll post more when I know more.

Big exciting news

Coming to the Pokémon anime in Japan it looks like team plasma and their mysterious leader N are going to be featured in upcoming episodes. Check out this Link to watch the teaser clip.

Wereworld: Nest of Serpents Release Date

I just now found out that Wereworld: Nest of Serpents, book four of the Wereworld series is scheduled to come out January 15th 2013.  I'm so excited!  I don't have to wait a whole like I did with Rage of the Lion.  Keep reading, my friends. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Pokémon speculation

Hey y'all follow this link to a speculative article on why the Pokémon company is rushing through this generation.

Merlin

In my first non Pokémon post I will be talking about a British fantasy show that has delighted me over the last 5 years and is coming to a close early next year. That's right I'm talking about Merlin! So Merlin is a show centered on the great warlock Merlin (only he is about 20 and hasn't mastered magic yet) and his interactions with the king to be Arthur , Arthur's adopted "sister" Morgana, Morgana's maid servant the Lady Gwenevere, and Arthur's father king Uther. Some major events from the legends are covered over the course of the series including Excalibur in the lake and the stone, the formation of the knights of the round table, and establishment of Merlin as a council to Arthur.


The series provides a wonderful balance between comedy and drama as shown in this clip.

Overall this is a wonderful show and I highly recommend it.

Black 2

I just picked up Pokémon Black 2 for the Nintendo DS and will be playing through it over the next week. After I go through I will post a overview and review.

Kane Chronicles Review

As a fan of Rick Riordan, I love the fact that he wrote the Kane Chronicles.  Egyptian mythology is my absolute favorite mythology.  However, I do have a few things to say about it. 

 

Overall, I love the series.  My favorite part is the Sadie and Anubis romance.  I thought that was very romantic.  Anubis, for shame, you're acting like a Greek god.  The romance between Carter and Zia was also romantic.  Overall the story covered the basics of Egyptian mythology, definitely incorporated the culture of Egypt.  However, there are a few criticisms I have for the series. 

 

First criticism, I didn't like his interpretation of the Egyptian gods.  What I love about Egyptian mythology is the animal heads.  The gods who are human and animal to me represent man and nature as one.  So when Rick Riordan gives them human heads instead of their animal heads, that really ticked me off.  He should have kept the animal heads.  For example, Horus should have had a falcon head, Anubis should have shown of his jackal head, Set should have had his Set-animal head, and Ra should not have been a muscular grandpa.  If Rick Riordan truly wanted to produce the cycle of rebirth for Ra, he should have made him younger, and have his head the shape of a phoenix/falcon/dragon.  I say dragon because of a slight bias from the Yu-gi-oh card Winged Dragon of Ra.  But it would at least set the difference between Ra and Horus. 

 

Another thing is that the book does not mention and include every Egyptian god or myth.  I can understand some of this partly because the mythology itself is old, scattered, and partially destroyed.  But still, he could have atleast added Aten, the solar disk that sits upon Ra's head.  He could have even added Wepawet, Anubis's brother, the wolf god of war.  Yes that is a real god, I did my research.  He's often mistaken for Anubis for some reason.  That would have been cool to add Wepawet to the story.  It might have added a lot of character development for Anubis.  And then he also forgot that Maa't was also a goddess of order.  I always wondered why he didn't include that. Also in the Egyptian guide book that was later published, it says that Anubis's father is actually Osiris rather than Set, based on the myth of Nephthys getting Osiris drunk and impregnating her and Set getting really angry at her.  In actuality, Rick Riordan is right about Set being Anubis's father.  There are actually three myths to the way Anubis was born.  One is the more popular Osiris myth, the other his Set, the third is actually that he is the son of Ra.  Personally I think that Set makes more sense than the other two. 

 

The last thing I have to say about the Kane Chronicles is that the stories were good.  It could have been better.  I think Rick Riordan could have researched the mythology a bit more, search for the myths in Egypt and maybe work on his grammar.  Often times I felt that the story was rushed, and I also felt that the sentence wording could have been improved.  To me, Riordan clearly knows his Greek and Roman mythology better than Egyptian.  Like I said, the series was good.  It could have been better.  I still rate a four star because I really loved it, my criticisms were minor preferences, and I'm a sucker for Egyptian mythology. 

 

That's all I have to say for right now.  I also want to make an announcement.  I am in the process of reading Mark of Athena.  I hope to be finished soon, but it might be awhile before I write a review on that book due to Finals in college. 

 

I hope you all learned a little mythology from me.  All I have to say now is well...Keep reading my friends. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Update

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD, according to KH Insider, is 80-90% complete.  Yay.  The next question is when is it coming to America?  That's all I have for news.  Stay informed.

 

,Starvix Draxon

Sherlock and The Hobbit

For all you Sherlock fans, here's something that might interest you.  Bilbo Baggins in the latest upcoming the Hobbit movie is played by Martin Freeman, who plays Dr. Watson in Sherlock.  Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock Holmes, will be voicing Smaug, and playing a roll called the Necromancer.  If you are a J.R.R.Tolkein fan, and you know exactly what this character is, please let me know.  All I know is that when I clicked on the Necromancer, on imdb, it took me to Sauron's page.  I've been reading The Hobbit, and so far I have not seen a character called the Necromancer.  Either way I find it interesting that those two actors are in the same movie.  Stay informed my friends. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Take a look at the Final Fantasy XIII website.  Here it shows four videos describing the new video game, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

 

http://www.finalfantasyxiii.com/LR/

 

 

Kingdom Hearts: Cards vs Command Deck

Check out this neat article on Kingdom Hearts card and command deck system.  The article discusses the evolution of the game's battle system, from cards to commands.  It's short, but I found it interesting. 

http://www.khinsider.com/news/From-Cards-to-Commands-The-Evolution-of-Birth-by-Sleep-s-Battle-System-3133

 

 

 

Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk Review

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and give a quick critique of the book and the series as a hole.  I want to point out some good qualities about the series and qualities that the story lacks.  WARNING!  May contain spoilers!

 

In Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf, Drew discovers that he is a werewolf and rightful king of Lyssia in the seven realms.  The story has good character development, develops Hector as a kind young boar lord willing to aid Drew in anyway even it means using the forbiden art of necromancy.  We also meet Gretchen, the werefox, how she starts off as a selfish noble and ends with a changed personality, far more kind and friendly.  All in all, the first book was really great. 

 

Then comes book two and three, Rage of the Lion, and Shadow of the Hawk.  Note that I have not finished book three, but I've read enough to where I have to give a review now.  In Rage of the Lion, Drew attempts to rescue Gretchen, while trying to escape his fate as king of Lyssia.  I will say when I read that, I thought at first cliche, but then I argued that it made sense that someone like Drew would not want to be king.  However, I felt it could have been better, made more convincing.  Near the end of Rage of the Lions, Drew accepts his fate as king after escaping his fate of being mauled by undead corpses, only to be boared onto a ship, enslaved by the weregoat Kesslar.  Why does Drew suddenly accept his fate as king.  I for one thought that resolution was rather rushed.  I needed a bit more story than a bunch of action scenes to be convinced that he grew to accept his fate as rightful king of Lyssia.  If I was in Drew's predicament, I would need more than the severing of my own paw to get me to accept my fate as king.  So far in Shadow of the Hawk, Drew has accepted his fate and seems more noble, but his character seems a little flat.  He talks and persuades people like his father would, but he does not seem to be in turmoil.  Perhaps Drew's determined to suceed in his quest to free the people of Lyssia from the vile catlords from Bast.  He might be a better character now in the third book, but I still need to be convinced. 

 

Hector, on the other hand, is an example of a great character.  Curtis Jobling clearly put more effort into developing Hector's character.  As we know in Rise of the Wolf, Hector is a kind young boarlord.  Once we get into book two, Rage of the Lions, we see the effects of his necromancy take its toll on him.  He begins to see creatures called viles.  We see him slowly deteriorate.  Duke Bergan, the werebear, and the rest of the wolf council find out about his necromancy and strip his membership of the wolf council.  Then along comes his brother Vincent, who caused their father's death, as well as bankrupted their city.  Vincent proceeds to blackmail his brother's necromancy in exchange for the title of their city.  If Hector refuses, he will tell the people of his necromancy, that may as well cause the people to revolt against the wolf.  The conflict between the two brothers escalates, and Hector shoves his brother over a railing and falls to his death.  Vincent's soul becomes a vile and torments Hector.  Count Vega, the wereshark, helps conceal his brother's fate.  As the story continues, the Wolf Council is forced to flee the invading forces of the Catlords.  Hector by then has discovered the ability to control the vile and make it do his bidding by harming others.  By then I've already had an idea that Hector was going to turn evil.  My suspicions were confirmed in Shadow of the Hawk. 

 

Hector further deteriorates, using his ability even more.  He also leads the members of the Wolf Council to an unknown spot of land, where he hears a voice calling to him, he finds a creature who says he can learn more about necromancy and Hector willingly let's the creature embrace him.  Count Vega rescues him as the group is attacked by dead bodies.  Hector later hallucinates, grabs Bethwyn, a lady in waiting for Queen Amelie, Drew's mother, and calls her "Gretchen" He talks to her as if she was Gretchen saying, "I dreamed it was you.  So caring and kind.  I was in such a dark place, Gretchen, so cold and alone.  And you were the warmth I could cling to.  It was your light that brought me back from the darkness.  It was your love,"  Now why he says that, I have no idea.  Could he be in a trance that has to do with Lucas, the young werelion who was in love with Gretchen, fated to have a dark fate?  What does that mean?  I have yet to figure out.  Eventually Vega threatens Hector or he'll spill the truth about Vincent's death.  At that point, Hector murders Vega and throws him overboard.  Hector is then tricked into leaving the ship, when the rest of the Wolf council finds out the truth about what he has done.  He resolves to betray his friends, believing they've betrayed him.  He goes to Slotha the werewalwrus and journeys back to Highcliff where the Lucas the werelion threatens to kill him, until Hector demonstrates his necromancy abilities by murdering Slotha.  Hector, believing Drew to be dead, and the wolf council having betayed him, he allies himself with the Catlords.  Little does he know that Drew is still alive.  The ratlords take him to the dead skull of Vankaskan where he robs the vile soul of its knowledge of necromancy.  Throughout the two books the black spot on Hector's hand, created in the first book, has consumed his entire hand by this point, withered and mumified. 

 

Hector reminds me of Morgana.  If you have watched the British TV show, Merlin, then you know what I'm talking about.  Morgana starts off as one of the good guys.  In season two her alliances slowly shift.  By season three she has shifted alliances and tries to destroy camelot. 

 

The next point I'd like to make about the story is Curtis Jobling's character abuse.  By character abuse I mean the constant introducing and disposing of characters throughout the series.  In Book two we meet Brogan, Duke Bergan's son.  He's in the book only for a short time, before he's killed, later zombified into an undead corpse by Vankaskan.  In Book three, we meet Drake, werecrocodile, who sides with Drew, however, he dies in the very first battle they fight together.  Jobling also kills, Bergan, Mikkel, Leopold,(by his own son.  Everyone seems to claim Bergan killed him.  Probably a cover-up story), and various other characters that I cannot think of, because I haven't finished reading Shadow of the Hawk. 

 

So far, my opinion of the third book is unconfirmed, rather mixed.  My conclusions so far, is that Curtis Jobling lacks in character development and character usage.  However, through the bloody action scenes and his discription, Curtis Jobling does illustrate the medieval time period rather acurately.  Have I studied medieval history?  No.  Do I know a little bit about medieval history?  Yes.  I know that our society today is far more secure than it was back then.  I can tell, the Jobling did his research on the time period.  I think that's what his book really is, an illustration of the back stapping, slave selling, alliance forming, kingdoms waring, medieval ages.  I want to finish the book series.  I really do.  I want to find out how Drew's going to handle Hector's betrayal.  I wonder how Hector's going to handle the fact that Drew's alive.  I bet the British know already, and I'm sitting here wasting my time writing a critique, and questions that have probably already been answered in the United Kingdom, while desperately waiting for the fourth book to come out in America.  I am almost tempted to by the U.K copy.  But alas, I have to wait.  That's why hesitate reading the third book.  If Curtis Jobling ends with another painful cliffhanger, I'm going to scream and throw the book across the house.  He knows how to keep one interested, that's for sure.  He's a clever author. 

 

Well, that's all I have to say for today.  Remember, you can find Shadow of the Hawk and the other two books in the children's section at your local Barnes and Noble book store.  Keep reading my friends. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

 

 

 

New Pokémon resource

Announced today in Japan an official Pokédex app for iOS devices. It looks like the same info from the Pokédex 3d which was recently released for the 3ds in America. The sprites in the app are the 3d ones used in the Pokédex 3d app previously mentioned.

Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir Release Date

Hey, everyone!  I've got news that I've been harboring for a while.  Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir comes out January 1st 2013!  Yay.  I was really excited when I finished the first book.  The book had one of those cliffhanger moments that leaves you wondering what will happen next.  I thouroughly enjoyed the first book, so I'm expecting an equally if not better well told story.  Here is a picture of the cover. 

 

 

Malificent

 

Fellow Fairy Tale fans, I'm pleased to announce that we have a new fairy tale film coming out March fourteenth 2014 called Malificent.  This story is told from the perspective of the evil witch, Malificent, who lays the sleeping curse upon Princess Aurora, a.k.a Sleeping Beauty.  Angelina Jolie stars as Malificent.  Elle Fanning plays as Princess Aurora.  Here is a promo picture. 

 

 

 

 

 

New Characters for Once Upon A Time

I've just looked at the Once Upon a time wiki and have a little update on characters we intend to see in further episodes.  It appears that one of the characters is, just as I thought, the little mermaid.  I had a feeling because of something Regina said in Skin Deep, something about a mermaid.  So we will find out sometime in season two just what Ariel is going to play a role in. 

 

On the list is also Aladdin and Jafar, so we'll be seeing an Arabian Knights tail.  Sadly there is nothing said about them. 

 

We also have a character called Barret who described by the wiki as, "A major recurring guest star role with an option for next season is being cast. A character named Barrett. He's in his 30s, kind and smart, but also has a very dark side and has beliefs and a way of life that he will fight fiercely to defend."

 

We also have a character called Gerhardt, who currently has no bio on him yet.  I'm not even sure if he's a fairy tale character.  He might be, but sadly I only know common fairy tales.  We will just have to wait and see. 

 

I for one loved the Tallahassee episode.  I noticed that Princess Aurora had the same dream as Henry, but that the difference was that the mysterious figure in the dream was different.  In Aurora's dream it was male, but in Henry's dream, it was a female.  What could this mean?  Is it possibly a new villain maybe even worse than Cora?  We will have to wait and find out.  So that's all the announcements I have for Once Upon A Time.  Keep tuning in and we might have more updates. 

Pokémon TCG news

Today the new English set in the Pokémon TCG was released in America.

Jack the Giant Killer Trailer

Here is another Fantasy movie trailer.  Hope you enjoy it. 

Oz: The Great and Powerful Trailer

Here is the trailer for this movie, starring James Franco in it. 

Once Upon a Time Promo Pics

Here are some promo photos of the cast members from Once Upon ATime.  I found these somewhat amusing.  Hope you all enjoy. 

The Hobbit: There and back with News

For all you Lord of the Rings fans, on December 14th 2012, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes out.  These are the following two trailers. 

 

 

 

It also has been confirmed that there are right now three parts to The Hobbit tirilogy.  The first one that comes out this december is called An Unexpected Journey.  The second is called The Desolation of Smaug.  (That one's going to be painful to watch.)  And the last one is called There and Back again.  As a little trivia for those who aren't familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein, There and Back Again is actually another title name for The Hobbit. 

 

I really am excited for this movie.  I love Peter Jackson's interpretations of these stories because I often think, and this is from watching the Bonus features on Lord of the rings, that Jackson often adds more character to the cast than in the original book.  So it will be interesting to see how this movie goes.  I'm currently reading the Hobbit so I can have fair comparison.  I can't wait for the movie.  Well, that's it for this post.  Keep staying excited Lord of the Rings fans. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Spirited Away: A Hayao Miyazaki Masterpiece

Studioh Ghibli is one of the best animation studios in the world.  They have released and produced several outstanding films, including My Neighborhood Tottoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Castle in the Sky, and Ponyo.  But the best film studio Ghibli ever created is Spirited Away.  This animation film was made by none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself.  He is indeed a master storyteller and this amazing film proves it.  I hope to also show you the elements of the story and reveal what makes this a literary and storytelling masterpiece. 

 

 

The movie is about a little girl named Chihiro who's moving to another town.  She starts as a whiny child setting the stage for the character growth.  Her father takes a wrong turn and they find themselves in front of an old dilapidated building.  They explore and find food Kiosks.  Chihiro looks around and finds a mysterious boy known as Haku, who tells her to leave.  When she finds her parents, they've been turned into pigs.  Chihiro begins to dissapear and Haku saves her by making her eat food from this world.  He promises to help her free her parents from the witch Yubaba.  In order to save her parents, she must get a job at Yubaba's bath house.  Chihro confronts Yubaba and continuously asks for a job.  Yubaba tries to turn her away, but Chihiro persists relentlessly.  Yubaba gives her a job and steals Chihiro's name, renaming her Sen.  If she forgets her name, she belongs to Yubaba forever.  Sen proceeds to work hard and actually helps a river spirit who gives her medicine.  Chihro soon saves Haku, who turns out to be a Japanese Eastern Dragon, from Zeniba.  Haku stole her golden seal and if she does not get it back, he will die.  The two escape from Zeniba and Sen gives Haku some of the medicine.  He spits out the seal and a black slug, Sen eventually stepping on it.  It turns out later that the slug was how Yubaba controled Haku, and that Zeniba's spell could only be broken by true love.  Sen also faces a demon called No-Face, who througout the movies continues to offer her more than what she needs.  When he offers her gold, she declines showing her innocence compared to the other bathhouse workers.  She then gives the remainder of the medicine to No-Face saving him from his disgusted self.  Sen goes to Zeniba to return the seal and apologize for Haku.  Haku appears and takes her back to Yubaba.  Sen then remembers Haku's real name as the Kohaku river.  Haku is now completely free and now can leave Yubaba.  Sen faces Yubaba with one final challenge and succeeds again.  Haku then tells her to go and hopefully someday they will meet again.  Her parents are alright and they head back to the car.  To their shock, the car is covered with leaves suggesting that all that happened really did happen. 

 

 

I love this movie because the story has a great artistic design.  Every scene has exquisite detail in the scenery and in the action.  The music also is very lovely.  Each music piece fits the mood of the story perfectly.  I love the story most of all because of all the story elements that are found in fantasy and in children's literature.  Facing an evil witch, parents being turned into pigs, someone that looks around their age wants to help them, a child's innocence versus and adult's greed.  I love how Chihiro grows as a character, from a whiny girl to a mature girl who can handle moving on.  I especially love the dragon, Haku.  This is a unique romance in that no direct feelings of love are expressed.  It is the actions of the characters and the feelings they share that make their love unique.  I think that's what Hayao Miyazaki was after when he wrote this story.  Love comes in all forms.  As for me, this is one of the best love stories in the world.  It's suttle and heart warming. 

 

This is my favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie.  I hope all of you get a chance to watch it.  I rate this movie a 100% and give it five stars.  I hope I have encouraged you to watch this masterpiece. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Night on Bald Mountain

It's Halloween when goblins, ghosts, and gouls prevail, where witches boil malevolent potions and werewolves howl to the bright full moon.  Sketletons dance clatter, clatter.  Demons, devils, and evil spirits whirl about dancing dark and seductive.  Halloween is coming up soon.  Be sure to dress up.  This is a tribute to our name sake, Fantasia.  The movie Fantasia had a special tribute at the end, something that fits the mood of Halloween.  We have here the musical piece of Night On Bald Mountain written by the Russian Composer Mussorgsky, followed by Frans Shubert's Ave Maria.  In the film Fantasia, the host tells the audience about the two contrasting pieces how one depicts Satan while the other shows the sacred nature of good.  In actuallity, the demon is not Satan but heathen slavic god, called Chernobog.  In slavic mythology, one set of the mythology believes in dualism between two gods, the white god, Byelobog, and the black god, Chernobog.  I find it very interesting how they use mythology for Mussorgsky's music.  It fits perfectly giving an appreciation of the culture.  It's the 15th of October, so I might as well share it now.  Ladies and gentlemen I give to you, Night On Bald Mountain!!!!!

 

 



 ,Starvix Draxon
 

Once Upon A Time Returns

If you liked the T.V show, Once Upon A Time, well get ready everyone, because the show is coming back.  The show starts tomorrow on Sunday.  Hope all of you are as excited as I am. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

 

New Pokémon game

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Labyrinth is the next installment in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series to be released in Japan for the 3DS later this year.

Pokémon Black/White 2

Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 come out on October 7. Also at this time you can pick up the Pokémon genesect over wifi connection starting October 7.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix

According to khinsider and the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, there is a new game, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix that will feature Kingdom Hearts Remix and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and from what I gather and based on the trailer, never before seen cutscenes from 358/2 Days.  The game is said to be for the PS3.  Here is the trailer. 

 

 

Exciterd?  I know I am!  Keep listening to the news. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

Mark Of Athena Release Date

For all you demigod fans, as we have known for some time now, Rick Riordan's latest book, "Mark of Athena" comes out October 2nd 2012. 

 

 

Excited?  You bet.  The plot thickens right where Book 2, "The Son of Neptune" left off.  What will happen next?  Will Camp Halfblood and Camp Jupiter get along?  Or will there be internal struggle and conflict?  I'm looking forward to it.  Mark the release date on your calendars, everyone. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

How to Train Your Dragon Review

When I saw the trailer for this movie, my first reaction was, Oh cool Dragons, oh wait, disgusting humor, never mind.  I never saw this movie in theaters for some stupid reason.  I guess I thought it was bad for some unknown reason.  But I eventually watched it, and I fell in love with the movie, How To Train Your Dragon. 

 

The dragons in this movie are very exotic and diverse.  Although I do not care for some of the appearances, each dragon has a different kind of personality.  My favorite dragon is Toothless, the Nightfurry.  Why?  Answer: HE'S SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!  I swear those eyes he has makes you want to just stab your heart out!!!!  You want to cry so badly, he's that cute!  I apologize, I just had a geeky moment.  Here's some images of Toothless.  What's interesting about Toothless, is all the expressions he uses with his eyes and ears.  When the pupils are large, he is showing a kinder emotion.  When his pupils are slits, he is angry or very focused.  His ears also express many emotions from flat unhappiness, to curriosity, or playfulness.  I have never seen a dragon so full of expression.  This dragon has cat and dog features.  Such features include rolling in the grass (dog) and chasing the light (cat) and expresses unique features that show the audience that these dragons are misunderstood creatures. 

 

 

The story starts off showing a conflict between the dragons and the vikings.  It's a typical conflict, but it works just fine.  We also meet Hiccup and we see that he and his father, Stoic the Vast, do not see eye to eye.  We see Hiccup attempt to kill dragons but always seems to get into a mess.  So there is a father son conflict and also a social conflict, because to be a viking is to be fierce, large, aggressive, everything Hiccup is not. 

 

Hiccup then shoots down a Nightfurry, a dragon that has never been seen, and has been feared more than anything.  But when he attempts to kill it, he cannot, so he releases the Nightfurry.  At first it appears that the dragon is going to kill Hiccup but doesn't and just flies away.  Throughout the movie, Hiccup learns more about dragons, and discovers that they are not the creatures that the vikings think they are.  But his father refuses to see that.  Hiccup and the Nightfurry, Toothless, develop a great relationship and change the minds of all the other vikings and learn to work together with dragons. 

 

I love this movie's music, it's detailed art, it's dragon design.  I loved the story's flow.  I loved everything about this movie.  For all you dragon lovers out there, I reccommend this movie.  I give this movie 5 stars and 100% approval.  I hope all of you see this movie. 

 

,Starvix Draxon

 

 

Final Fantasy XIII Game Review

Of all the Final Fantasy games that Square Enix has made, Final Fantasy XIII has by far impressed me the most.  At June 9th 2011, this game has sold over 6.5 million copies world wide.  And there's a reason why.  This game has astounded players in gameplay, artistic design, muisic, story, and world creation.  

Let's start with artistic design.  One of Square Enix's prime objectives is to be really imaginative.  And by far they have done a grandiose job at it.  Compared to all the other games, Final Fantasy XIII has surpassed all other games in graphics.   The clarity and amount of detail in the cut scenes and gameplay has by far surpassed all other Final Fantasy games.  It is treated like a Blue Ray HD movie.  The detail I cannot describe with words only that the scenery in the game is by far the most beautiful, most stimulating, and most captivating art in the gaming industry.  The following images are promotional artwork.  I rate the artistic design in the game 5 stars.

Let's now talk about music.  Final Fantasy XIII's music strikes at the heart in various styles of music such as Rock, and classical.  I am amazed at the high quality of music Square Enix has put into their game.  Not many games have such grand orchestrated music.  Here are some examples of the music. 

This music leaves me with images of all sorts, in my mind, especially the last two.  And that's just a few of them.  Massashi Hamazu composed Final Fantasy XIII music and he has earned my honorary respect for creating astounding pieces of music.  I rate the music 5 stars. 

Let's now talk world creation and Story.  The world in which the game resides is actually apart of a group of video games in the Final Fantasy XIII saga.  The collection is called Fabula Nova Crystalis.  In a Youtube video it displays the core theme of the Fabula Nova Crystalis series.  They at one time had an English Dub of  the video, but it no longer exists for some strange reason.  We do however, have and English Sub.  So this is the video of the Fabula Nova Crystalis Mythology.    

In Final Fantasy XIII we have divine god like machines with crystal hearts called Fal'cie.  It is actually a Latin  text to Famulus caelum, meaning sky servant or servant of the sky, which they are nothing like.  According to the Final Fantasy wiki, Pulse and Lindzei created more fal'cie.  Those created by Pulse became Pulse Fal'cie and those created by Lindzei are the Fal'cie that late build Cocoon.  In Final Fantasy XIII we have two worlds, Cocoon, the utopia in the sky, and Pulse, the lower world.  The cocoon fal'cie become known as Sanctum Fal'cie.  Here are some images of fal'cie

In this world Fal'cie have the power to create L'cie, humans that are branded by the fal'cie with a tattoo.  The tattoo is a focus.  The Focus is basically the quest or goal the fal'cie gives the human L'cie.  If they succeed and complete their Focus, they gain eternal life.......as a crystal.  If they fail, they turn into a mutilated monster called a cieth.  That is the main conflict of the game.  Here are the images of the Pulse and Sanctum L'cie brands.  

Sanctum and Pulse fal'cie wage a war against Cocoon.  Pulse was determined to destroy Cocoon but failed.  After that war, several centuries of peace began, and fear of the unknown barbaric world of Pulse grew.  Where the game starts is during an active Purge, deporting humans who had been living unknowingly next to a Pulse Fal'cie, for fear of contamination of Pulse L'cie.  That is another conflict in the story.  

In the story, we witness innocent victims of the purge lose loved ones and become Pulse L'cie.  As the story continues they struggle to move on when they know that death is inevitable since one either becomes a crystal or a cieth.  They also struggle to defy their fate from the curse they possess, ignoring their focus but coming to grips and believing that they were chosen to save Cocoon.  Another theme explored in the game is the idea of fear of the unknown and how it makes people to vile and immoral acts such as purging innocent victims for just being near something so feared, and waging a pointless war.  It shows how peace can also turn into violence through the act of fear.  

Characters in the story I find are incredibly round.  Each character we see change and develop in the game as each character has their own grudges, desires, hopes, and back stories that shape who they are and what they do.  Each main character has a unique personality, including the villains.  We see them struggle, feel that all hope is lost, but get back on their feet to save the day.  I rate the Story and World Creation 5 stars.  

Now comes the trickier and more harshly judged part of the review.  Unlike the other turnbased system games of the previous Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy XIII has a unique turnbased system called the Command Synergy Battle system.  It is more real time but still turn based.  The single player has an ATB gauge where the player stocks up on commands and then selects the target it wishes to unleash all the commands on, allowing a faster pace of gameplay and allows a decent amount of time to kill an enemy.  

The game also features a unique set of roles.  Commando, Ravager, Medic, Sentinel, Synergist, and Saboteur.  

Commando = Attack Commands

Ravager = Magic Commands

Medic = HP recovery and removal of negative stats

Sentinel = High Defence and protector of players

Synergist = Status enhancements

Saboteur = negative stats on enemies

In gameplay, the player must strategize his paradigm - the arrangement of the Roles for three characters, in order to defeat certain enemies and bosses.  

We also have the Crystarium, where characters level up their stats and gain commands and abilities along with HP, Strength, and Magic Points.  There are no Defense points in this game, making it more difficult to stay alive.  

The negative aspect of the game play is its difficulty.  I would not recommend this game to first time gamers who are new to the RPG genre.  There is no Beginner's or Easy mode, nor is there a Hard mode.  It's just plain difficult.  Although it is a very fun game play, the game is in fact slow and annoying.  It is in the sense that it takes forever to defeat enemies.  The player has to struggle and spend more time gaining Crystogen points(EXP points), and even then it takes forever to kill the enemies, especially the bosses, making it rather difficult and extremely frustrating.  Since there is no Defense, the player has to worry about gaining more HP than anything else.  Some of the enemies are rediculously difficult to beat, with loads of HP and extremely lethal attacks, and some bosses have the Doom Counter making it even more annoying and worrisome to defeat a boss, especially when the player is almost close to defeating the enemy he has been fighting for 20 minutes.  If the player does not have the right amount of stamina strength and magic, the gameplay will be slow and boring, and soon the player will be so bored he'll put down the game and never finish it.  I haven't even beaten the whole game.  

But despite these minor downsides(actually, I wouldn't call them minor), the gameplay is still fun filled with spectacular graphics, unique combos, and of course the famous summons.  Each character has their own summon, and can first fight along side it in order to charge the summon's gauge.  Then the player can enter Gestalt mode and perform unique moves to the summon.  There are also minigames, but those should be played after the player defeats the final boss.  I still have fun playing them.  But it can get rather boring doing the same ATB gauge system over and over and over again.  I rate the gameplay....3.5 stars.  

Overall, the game has a unique game system, spectacular artwork and graphic design, mesmorizing music, and amazing world full of plot elements, story lines, characterization, and themes.  I rate this game 100% despite weaknesses in the gameplay.  It has impressed me through it's ability to stimulate my mind through the artistic beauty, passionate music, and an amazing complex story.  Square Enix is unlike any other game company in the world.  And so, I recommend this game to all game lovers who value a game for it's artistic beauty, storyline, and gampelay.  I hope this review statisfies any wonders about the game.  Thank you for listening.  

,Starvix Draxon

Pokémon stuff

Hey y'all Kyogreman here, the event for the colt Pokémon and the fourth Musketeer Keldeo.

 

Keldeo is downloadable at Gamestop stores around America to your Pokémon Black and White Version games. When transfered to Black 2 and White 2 allows you to teach him his exclucive move Secret sword will change him into his other forme.

New Final Fantasy XIII Game Announced

Hello, everyone!  According to http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2012/09/01/lightning-strikes-twice-square-enix-announces-lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii/ , Square Enix has announced it's new sequal to Final Fantasy XIII-2, called, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.  This particular source says that it is possible that the game may contain some real time gameplay elements.  I sure hope so.  Turn base can get boring sometimes.  But either type is good.  This game will include a new world and new characters.  I posted the website so anyone can see the news for themselves.  I have decided however to post some images that I found in that article. 

This place is called Novus Partus.  Lovely place.  Looks like an island.  This game company never ceases to amaze me. 

This next one is called Luxerion.  This place looks rather twisted. 

This is character design for what is called a red dragon.  I think its wings are deformed.  Definately a work of art though. 

So there you have it.  There are some videos on that website that you can play if you'd like to look and learn.  Feel free.  I really like these drawings.  What are your opinions on them? 

Latest News Report Out!!!!

,Starvix Draxon

Wereworld Shadow of the Hawk Release Date

Alright Wereworld Fans!!!!  We have a confirmed source of info on the release date of the one and only Book three of the Wereworld Series: Drumroll..........

Shadow of the Hawk

This book is to be released October 16th 2012!!!!  Hooray!!!  I don't have to wait a whole year for the next book to come out!!!!  Ding!!!!  Yes it took a whole year for book two to come out in America.  I waited entire year for book two.  The wait won't be much longer.  It is already September 2nd and the days keep going by.  Be prepared my furry friends.  The Story Continues!!!

,Starvix Draxon



Wereworld: Rage of the Lion Review

Alrgight.  Rage of Lions is Book 2 in the Wereworld series.  WARNING!!! PLOT SPOILERS MAY BE FOUND.  This story follows Drew's rescue mission to save the werefox, Gretchen from Prince Lucas, the werelion, while also running from his fate as rightful King of Lyssia.  Through the book we see Drew trying to run from his fate and in the end facing the truth that he is supposed to be King.  Typical, but the author's method of telling the story makes this typical cliche archetype work.  We also see Hector, boarloard of Lyssia go through a psychological disturbance from communing with the dead to often.  We see how he slowly deteriorates from sweet innocent to slightly dark.  We have yet to discover what will happen to him.  My suspicion is that he might turn villain.  I can't say for sure.  He seems to be heading in that dark direction. 

Over all the written language is easily readible.  The cliche of being the lost prince and the trying to run away from his fate fantasy cliche is written well enough to where it actually works and makes a good story.  We also get good characterization in the story as well as its predecessor.  However, if you are a child or rather a very sensitive child to pain and several casualties(in other words, death), and you have issues with severed limbs and blood, I'd wait a few years before you read this book series.  After finishing this book, well...I felt rather depressed.  But that's good, because you bond with the characters.  You feel their pain.  You want to then know, who will survive and what happens next.  The story does end on what is considered a cliff hanger.  So be excited for the next sequal to Rage of the Lion. 

,Starvix Draxon