Nico

Okay, so let me get this straight. Valve is a greedy, money whoring company because of micro-transactions? Let's see if I can possibly allude to you why this is nothing more than a good business practice for them and does absolutely nothing at all to hurt you. First off, Portal 2. Memes? So what if they're forced? I didn't particularly feel that they were, but I honestly didn't care that much. Why? Because I still enjoyed the game for what it was: A damn good game. Portal and Portal 2 are both undeniably classic hits of this generation, and will never be viewed as anything less. They pioneered a whole new kind of puzzle-solving game and gave birth to yet another exceedingly popular character who doesn't talk, as well as talking robots that everyone loves. Memes are everywhere for these games, you're right. And they may have done that on purpose. But ultimately it's us, the gamers, who are at fault, because after all, we make the damn memes. Not like memes ever affect you playing the game, though. Doesn't change the gameplay. There isn't a "keyboard/nyan/lol cat" puzzle to solve or anything. Also, as for the micro-transactions in Portal 2... They're OPTIONAL and PURELY COSMETIC, meaning they do not affect gameplay, give players any advantages, etc. So, therefore, if someone wants to sink money into something that is, effectively, quite worthless, then why does it bother YOU that Valve gave them that option to buy a hat for their robot? Meanwhile, to make a complaint about how the game has a perpetual lineup of levels to play by way of a very well thought out level editor is just foolish. Valve is a large company that is busy, believe it or not. They still publish updates for their games, including Team Fortress 2, a game you seem to hold disdain for, but they don't necessarily have the time to exactly create a veritable Portal 3. Therefore, having community made maps gives players more to do for, what, $20 these days? It's nothing if not an amazing value. Then there's Team Fortress 2. To complain about this game is the equivalent of receiving free candy, chewing it a bit, and then spitting it back out and saying: "Well, thanks for the candy, but I don't like lemon flavor, jackass!" This game is completely free with optional in-game purchases that are completely unimportant and unnecessary! You can enjoy the entire gameplay of this game for free, having never paid a dime for it. Not only that, but Valve finds the time to continuously update this game in which they could quite possibly make no profit off of and add new content to it. When people buy items from the Mann Co. store, it's of their own free will, and it's the only profits TF2 sees. Without these people who enjoy hats and guns, TF2 may not be able to receive the updates that help it remain a fun game. Not saying Valve is perfect, here, but come on... They're not money-grubbing anymore than any other company you love out there, and they're sure as hell providing good enough service to constitute something. My rant is finished now.

Well, not all of them, man. I mean, that picture of Zoop in the middle is totally from somewhere else. Bald man would be a terrible president, honestly. He'd make everyone bald. But what would you care, you're in Sweden anyway. @_@

Hey there! If you're reading this you've stumbled across my latest blog, which is dedicated to expressing my thanks to the people of the forums whom I call my friends. What better way to start this blog out than with the first friend I had here on the site? That's right. None other than our forum's great and benevolent bald Administrator, Zoop. When I first joined this place there are a few things you just might not believe about this man. First off, this guy would not make his avatar a pony. It wasn't until I found a rather interesting picture of Berry Punch that he caved in and swapped out his animu for pony goodness. That's right, folks; he may love Fluttershy, but it was Berry Punch that brought him to his glorious bald knees. But I digress. Another thing is that this man was (DRUM ROLL)... NOT AN ADMIN when I joined! Okay, so I'm sure a lot of you might already know that. But yes, this guy used to be an average every-man like the rest of us. Now he's an administrative every-man, so yeah. That changed relatively quickly, actually, but his bald, beating heart remained as lukewarm as ever. Oh, and also, his name makes me think of an old Super NES game. Just sayin'. "What's the point of all this babbling, Nico?" you're asking, I'm sure. Be patient! I'm getting to it! I just wanted to lay down a bare-bones and bald history on things for this wonderfully bald man before I jumped into why knowing him is such a big deal to me. It's not really hard to understand, though. Hell, anyone who knows the guy can attest to the fact that he's awesome. But it's more than just knowing an awesome guy who happens to lack fur on his scalp. If it wasn't for Zoop, I literally wouldn't have stuck around with the forums, and then I would have never ended up meeting anyone else here, either, or have been changed so much by this place in general. Even though I've kind of had my moments with this forum where I just felt like the place was dead to me, and I haven't talked to a lot of my friends from here afterwards, Zoop is still around to call me 'brah' all the time. Because that's a baldass term. Seriously, though, I've shared a lot with this guy, and he's shared a good bit with me, too. We've had our serial conversations now and again, and he's been around to listen when I've had an issue, which is great considering I haven't been the best friend in always being there to return the favor. Despite that, however, I feel that my friendship with him is still good, even if we don't have quite as much to talk about in 2013 as we did back in 2011. This bald man has cozied himself up in my heart and made tracks all over it with his fuzzy pink bear slippers. Oh, did I mention the years 2011 and 2013 earlier? Hot damn, it's hard to believe that I've known this bald being of benevolent bear-footed ban-hammering so long! "It's only a year, Nico, chill out!" you might say. Shut the hell up, you, and quit interrupting my entry! A year of knowing a guy whom I befriended on a forum is pretty damn good, and the fact that he still loves me even though his likeness in my copy of Worms: Revolution dies constantly is great, too. That's right, this man is in my video games, too, kickin' shit up and accidentally leaping to his doom by way of drowning in a lake. But that's beside the point. This guy has been a great help for me, as he not only kept me here and listened to my woes, but his companionship is something entirely awesome on its own. Hell, without him in my life I'd feel bald. Here's to knowing you for many more years, you (arguably) beautiful bald man! Keep rocking those pink bear slippers, @@Zoop! (Images were totally not stolen straight from Kyronea's blog entry.)

While there are certainly times where I can see a base and not view it as a valid piece of art, such as using a Pony Generator to design something, I would never say that using a base is something that can't ever be qualified as art. As an artist who specializes in creating things almost exclusively with others' parts, I do know that creating something new out of something old can be classified as a unique form of art in its own right. Is it as impressive as creating something from scratch? No, and I know that when I go into it. Even still, though, I create the art out of sheer desire to see just what something might look like, or to put together things in an artistic way for something such as a wallpaper. Take this image of mine as an example. It's a vector traced over a drawing that was originally of Pinkie Pie, seen here. The similarities are obviously there, and I do nothing to hide that I worked off of that piece of work, in fact trying to push the fact that I did so. However, the fact still also remains that my piece of art is different in many substantial ways from his, and in having it exist it does offer something that others may be interested in what with having color, or of being a different pony. I'm not trying to say that I make amazing artwork of my own right or anything like that. I'm simply saying that, even working with a base, my art still stands on its own with enough differences that to deny that it is art would be ignorant, honestly. Similar, yet different; the same, yet not. It's almost insulting to insinuate that just because I used a base my art isn't valid, so I thought that I would throw this out here.

It takes a truly special story to have an emotional impact on a player, and a well-crafted journey is the only one worth remembering. The Walking Dead by developer Telltale Games is nothing if not a riveting, expertly designed and, most importantly, immersive adventure. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." This quote by Ursula LeGuin summarizes everything about The Walking Dead, as this is a game finely tuned to react to your decisions, though it all leads to one similar end. The destination is the same for all players, yet the journey itself is something that will be drastically different for every player, and it is this journey which will lend the finale its impact in the first place. Players take the role of Lee Everett, an ex-university professor from Macon, GA, who is just being incarcerated on charges of murder. With no distinct details about him given, the game quickly thrusts him into the harsh new reality of the walkers, or zombies, who now overrun the world. Shortly after his first encounter with the undead, Lee meets up with a young girl who has kept herself safe inside a tree-house. This girl's name is Clementine, and though it isn't directly stated, she is the heart of the game, as well as the one who most closely touches yours. This Clementine, tugger of heartstrings. It doesn't take long for Lee and Clementine to become wrapped up in something more than just a personal endeavor, though. Soon after meeting one another, they are whisked into a situation with more survivors as they desperately try to escape the oncoming walkers. It is in this situation where Lee's morals are first able to be bent to the player's will, and this is the first true glimpse of one of the game's most enthralling features. Each action Lee takes will beget a reaction from other characters, with them taking note of his words and choices for the future, sometimes all the way up through the end of the game. It is Clementine herself who most notes his actions, however, with her young mind being quite impressionable. Lee's choice of words and moral decisions can shape her throughout the entire game, lending for her to become a liar, a coward, or a strong individual. A player with loose morals could end up not only in trouble with other survivors, but also turn her into a poor person, too. Nothing is so black and white as to be simply 'good or evil' in the game, however. Seeing a stranger being attacked by zombies in the street while on a supply run, do you put her out of her misery and alert the walkers with your gun, or leave her as bait and a distraction to buy yourself more time? When two members of your group dispute each other's decisions in a bid for leadership, whose side do you take? They will remember what you say, and it may affect you drastically later on. They're not exactly ones you'd want to piss off, either. It is in this character build-up and interaction that you become completely enthralled with the story, learning to truly care about the fates of everyone involved. Helping one person at one point could lead to them returning the favor, or possibly saving someone else. Chide someone for their cowardice and they may become braver in turn to prove you wrong. These are important factors, as Lee is no superhero, and cannot do everything alone. During what action moments the game has, Lee is often not able to help everyone who needs it at once. Sometimes he simply has to protect himself, other times he has to defend another, and at the worst of times, he has no choice but to save one life over another one. These moments, despite how brief they are, have a level of tension that few other games ever reach, as you have no time to think things over, having to make the decisions in the heat of the moment just as if in reality. You may truly regret actions later in the story, and few games can say such a thing. This ever-evolving story falls into place depending on your every little reaction, and it will be drastically different for one player than it will be for another. However, despite the choices you make on the journey, it is true that the end is always the same, so relish what happens as you go, love the characters you can and do everything to keep them safe as long as you can. And most importantly, stay away from spoilers on the ending! It's hard not to be depressed in the end of times, so keep close those you hold dear. This game is not about action or kicking zombie ass. It is about survival, relationships, and horrifying realities. Despite having moments of intensity and truly thrilling action, the majority of the game is spent in dialogue to create an extraordinarily personal and immersive experience. This is not for everyone, but anyone who loves a good story would be missing out on a golden opportunity to not play this. No other game in 2012, or possibly any other year, really, has created characters who feel so real and generate such true emotions. This is a journey worth taking, and though it may end in tears, it will stick with you forever. Not playing this game is hard to call anything other than ignorant. Find a way to play it, and enjoy it. It doesn't last forever, and that is a good thing in its own right, but it and its characters will be remembered forever to make up for it.

I could do this for ya, but I think I'll need a bit more detail, if you could possibly provide it. Just let me know any details at all you can think of on what you'd like in the image and I'll try to implement it for you, okay? :3

Ah, Grim Tellings. I dredged this up from the deep, unfathomable trenches of MLP Forums' search function after being reminded about it due to one of your blogs, and I have to say that I feel it's worth ripping out of the graveyard of buried posts now that this place is so much more popular just so that more ponies can listen to it. It's a simply fantastic piece, really. I'm still utterly amazed by your talents, Feld0, even more than a year later.

Level: Blight Town in Dark Souls. Good God, this place made me want to throw my controller through the TV on my first run through it. These days it's not a problem for me at all, but argh, it was terrible! Boss: The Four Kings, also from Dark Souls. The battle takes place in a literal pitch black abyss, where depth perception is not even a remote possibility, and it's frustrating when the kings multiply and gang up on you, especially considering how much damage some of their attacks do. I still rage at these guys, even after beating the game multiple times.

I'd play some Resident Evil 6 campaigns with ponies, that's for sure! I'd have Twilight as my partner, because I'm sure she'd be nice and efficient in team-play. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash could play their own co-op campaign as different characters and we'd wait at the points where the campaigns intersected so we could all 4 play together when the characters met up with each other. Would be a riotous good time, I'm sure, though I think that having the only unicorn of the bunch on my team kinda makes my team better, along with me actually having fingers.

So, I'm not exactly sure if this kind of place already exists, but I couldn't get a search to pull anything up on it. I'm making this thread as a museum of sorts for all of the banners I've made for this site to go, so that everypony can see what banners were once up at the top of the forums. Bear in mind that these banners do not have any buttons on them, so some of them may look odd, as I was lazy at some points and cut things off where the buttons would have gone. I tried to order the banners in the same order that they were used on the site, but memory fails me a bit so I'm not sure if they're in perfect order. Either way, enjoy them, everypony! If anyone else who has made banners for the site would like to add their banners to the museum, just post them up here and I'll add them to the main post! I'll also work on making the banners more spaced out later and implementing them better when I'm less lazy.

For the uninitiated, this is based off of the comedy list-style writings of cracked.com!

Anyone who enjoys video games has surely seen the odd silly incident here and there while playing, especially with modern gaming. But there are some things which occur during a game that make you go from having a good time living out your completely sane fantasies of drowning people by way of pool ladder removal and grab you by the shoulders, shaking you violently as you scream and suck your thumb, just as you will every night as you go to sleep after having seen them. These are the soul tormenting, horrifying things that movie designers only wish they could create, and they are usually brought out as such unexpected surprises that they put all 'jump' moments to shame. If you are experiencing such abnormal game behavior, it's very well possible that your game may be possessed, and it is likely in that event that burning your TV or monitor is the only way to properly banish the images these daemonic apparitions bring upon you. Here are three of the most obvious signs that your video game may very well be possessed and you should likely consult Geek Squad's personal Exorcist: #3. Your Character(s) Clearly Become Daemons The Problem: So, you're just playing around in your little virtual world with your virtual little family, burning alive the virtual father of your virtual bundle of joy. All is well in the world of the Sims, when suddenly, having scorched his dear father, the bundle of joy transforms into an amalgamation of everything nightmarish. For those fortunate enough to be unable to watch the above video, just take one look at the creature in its still-frame. If that isn't enough to terrify you, then watching it as it slaps its horrific limbs across the ground in a scramble to the dresser should do the trick. This is not only no longer a human child, but the head has been entirely detached, now floating in mid-air as its body moves about on its own. Don't let it fool you. Beneath that cover is all that haunts your dreams at night. As if this weren't bad enough, there are actually two children afflicted with this horrifying plague, and only you, the player, are unfortunate enough to witness their unseemly deformations, as the family goes on about its business as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening at all. Then again, perhaps this is what you get for giving them the family name of "Buttmutant". The Solution: If possible, calmly exit the game. Do not save your progress, and if possible, reload it at a point where the child no longer exists in the game world. If this is not possible, do not delete the save file, as it is too late. The child (or children) have already unleashed their plague upon the world and the only reasonable solution is now to burn the Hard Drive which contains the data for this whilst dousing the flames with small amounts of Holy Water and reading verses from the Bible in Simlish. #2. Your Friends Forget How Necks Work The Problem: So, a local doctor just dug your sorry hide out of an early grave after you've had a bullet put in your head, and he's nursed you back to health. You awaken to a friendly voice and a fairly friendly smile from the bald man, and a feeling of safety washes over you. Suddenly, though, things take a turn for the worse as you realize this is no man who has saved your life, and he has only spared you for a time to devour your fresh soul while you're awake. This doctor will only be the start of your problems, however. You will see many more friendly faces along the course of your journey, and they will all see you, too, from the many angles at which their heads turn. Soon you will come to the realization that no place is sacred, no town is safe. Next thing you know you might run into a daemonic baby flopping its way toward you in the wasteland, but for now there's no time to worry about what-ifs when you have this to worry about: "I'll be seeing you in your nightmares." The Solution: Eject the disc, if you have one, and burn it. Meanwhile, cleanse the console or computer which you were playing on with a good old fashioned Alcohol Swab Baptism, ensuring to cleanse any data storage devices with extra care and attention, as they have been most afflicted. In the case that you are playing without a disc, simply skip to cleansing the computer or console and proceed to add a step afterwards where you plug in night-lights surrounding your device at all times in case of daemonic apparitions arising. #1. You are Chased by Undead Penguin Men The Problem: It should go without saying that penguins are extremely awesome, sliding around on their bellies to get around and such. It should also go without saying that zombies are a pretty common thing in this day and age, so seeing one in a video game isn't anything new. However, things go to eternally weird when penguin demons enter the souls of some men whom you've mercilessly launched off of a cliff and have them slide around on their bellies in an eternal ghastly pursuit of revenge. (Due to limits on media in blogs on the forums, the video for this entry is in a link below.) They slide around with wanton fury, hating only the man who has sent them to this tragic death. It starts out simple, with one lone penguin man simply keeping track of you, but as you brave the corpses of others that you have slain, you find that other penguin demons are more interested in haunting you for all of eternity, sliding along their undead human-host bellies in a desperate grab at revenge. This particular Penguin demon is confused, but he's still pissed off all the same. The Solution: There is only one way to escape penguins, and that is no way at all. It is in human nature to stay wherever penguins are near. You are now forever to be followed by the angry spirits of penguins embodied in the rigid, motionless shells of your former man, staring angrily at you as they go about your journey alongside you, instilling fear in your foes before you even unsheathe your sword.

(I totally can't read the text in that picture. @_@ ) But you're only a demon for eating me. NOW QUIT EATING ME!

First I'm eaten by the blue-eyed demon, then you get eaten by him and what do you do? You turn around and eat me again! Now I'm inside a rather awesome pony who is inside a horrible, disturbing pony with blue-eyes that pierce into the very depths of your soul.

Look at those eyes! They're the window to his soul! And you can see me in there, too! Someone get me out! This blue-eyed demon has swallowed me whole! SOMEONE! ANYONE!

I'm not just a portable gamer, but I do happen to have a 3DS and a Playstation Vita, though I play them more or less infrequently lately. I've been focusing a lot on my Wii U as of late, but I also own a 360 and a gaming PC. My gaming information can all be found on my profile, so feel free to add me on any console you want to play on sometime, though I currently actually have to get a new 3DS, so I guess that one's out of the question.

Friendly? I'm not friendly at all. How dare you even talk to me. What are you thinking? Did you just say "Good Morning" to me? Okay, but really, I try to be friendly whenever I possibly can. I'm not the friendliest person in the world, I suppose, as you won't see me making a mad sprint toward the nearest charity and throwing my money at them. I do try to be kind to people that I meet, however, and I will donate to those in need from time to time. Most of my kindness shows through in my interactions with people I actually talk with, though, in that I generally try to be respectful and mindful of anyone else's feelings, though some people can push me over the edge. I'd give myself a 7/10 on the 'Nice' scale.

Ooh. I really liked that. Quite a good pick! 8.5/10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9DJuJCvMDw