You Shall Not Pass......Do not underestimate me old man

I know that I usually only post one FCFF a week but, last night I was inspired by a debate with a friend on who the better wizard was. So instead of blogging the conversation. I decided to make a special FCFF.

Raistlin Majere Vs Gandalf

Bio: Raistlin Majere, Archmage of the Order of Black Robes and TRUE master of the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas. A physically weak and sickly man, even before the Test of High Sorcery forever shattered his health. He is the youngest mage in Krynn history to ever take and pass the Test of High Sorcery. It was during the test, that Raistlin made a deal with a lich, unknowingly giving the lich exactly what he was a looking for. From the moment the lich entered Raistlin's body till the time Raistlin expelled it using the Dragonorb, they would fight a battle of wills on a daily basis. During the Chronicles Trilogy up until midway through Dragons of Springs Dawn, Raistlin had worn The Robes of the order of Red Mages. It was during his time away from the group that he switched from red to black and ultimatly concocted the plan to bring down the Queen of Darkness from the inside out. Once the war of the lance ended, Raistlin Cloistered himself in his tower studying all manner of things from exotic and dangerous spells, to history, to language. Before the events of Legends, Raistlin took on an apprentice Dalamar The Dark, a dark elf acting as a spy for the Conclave. It was during the Legends Trilogy that Raistlin would go back in time to confront the man who would eventually become the Lich living in his body Fistindantalus. Using his cunning and charm, Raistlin became one of Fistindantalus's apprentices got to know the man's weaknesses and then fought him to the death and took his place to keep the Flow of history the same knowing full well an ever present watchful eye was recording the events. Raistlin along with his twin brother would follow the path of history until they reached the place where Raistlin would try for godhood. Raistlin is a dangerous, cunning, manipulative and sometimes sweet wizard. He is cold and calculating to which many of his friends turn to him for advice when it comes to making plans. Bitter and jaded from all the tormenting he recieved throughout his life, he uses his emotional detachment to keep himself in a position to never be hurt by people. His power as a wizard is something to be feared, had he not had a sudden change of heart at the end of Legends, he would have destroyed Takahisis and taken her place as the God of Time and Darkness.

Bio: A member of and later leader of the Istari a seemingly immortal race of wizards who can only be killed in violent ways hence why they seem to have particularly long lives. Gandalf is kind and compassionate, yet can be stern and quick to point out your short comings. His temper is legendary and so is his fight with the Balrog having died in the fight only to be brought back to life to continue the fight with Sauron. Gandalf has been seen to do many extraordinary feats of magic as well as feats of physical combat with his sword Glamdring the counter part to Bilbo and later Frodo's short sword Sting. Gandalf was the one who defeated Saruman the former leader of the Istari and replaced him.

It is a battle of two great wizards and it is going to be epic. Raistlin while appearing to be outmatched even by the old wizard Gandalf, appearances can be deceiving. I see this fight going down to the wire with both Wizards spent from casting and casting at each other. I know I am gonna get A LOT of heat for this but I give the win to Raistlin. ON THE GROUNDS, that he has the advantage of having Fistindantalus's Blood Stone. A Stone which heals any and all wounds inflicted on holder.

Homemade Dressing (a cooking post)

This post is random I know but I figured I would share my joy of cooking with my readers. This is the Salad Dressing I make at home for salads to accompany dinner.

Please not that this is not an exact recipe the contents change daily and I am ever improving on the taste.

What you will need
1 Shallot
Sea Salt Grinder
4 Seasons Pepper Grinder
Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard (Or Yellow whichever you prefer)
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive oil

What you need to do
Dice and chop half of the shallot or the whole shallot depending your preference to it. Once chopped place into a small measuring cup. From this step grind the salt and pepper on top perferably one to two grinds for each. Pour in 1 to 2 teaspoons of the Gulden's mustard. Pour in about 1 to 1 and a half teaspoons of honey. Drizzle in Balsamic Vinegar, then drizzle and whisk in extra virgin olive oil. This should make about 1/3 cup of dressing (at least that is what my measuring cup told me) pour dressing over the salad and mix to coat the salad. Enjoy.

If you want to kick it up a bit chop in some garlic with the shallots. Please remember that this recipe changes practically daily. Please give this dressing a try and tell me what you think.

I am slightly underwhelmed

The hype for a movie produced by Michael Bay is always the same, people will rant and rave no matter what. When I see Michael Bay attached to any project I usually cringe at the thought and see it when it comes out on DVD. But when I saw it wasn't directed by Michael Bay I was more optimistic. The director of this film is best known for his work on Disturbia and Eagle Eye, having never seen either of these films I am not sure how he truely fairs as a director.

I am Number Four is a movie based off a book by the same name. The story in the beginning of the movie is slightly confusing due to the the jumpy scene transitions and lack of lighting. Both of these issues rear their ugly head a lot in this film. We follow a boy known only as John Smith. Maybe it is due to my lack of reading the book, or maybe it was the writer of the screen play condensing everything down. But the story was very very jumpy in spots and smooth in others. I didn't understand anything until after Tim Olyphant told John about his powers. I do however understand how hard it is convert something that is meant to be complex into the span of 90 minutes and keep it intelligible.

The lighting was an issue for me in this movie, it was always going from very dark and hard to make out the characters to very bright with only a few scenes that were in between. This movie does however have some merits for it do not get me wrong. The acting was good, not OMG BEST ACTING EVER, but good. The dialog while choppy in some spots was still fairly decent and understandable. On a scale from one to ten, I give I am Number Four a six. If you are looking to kill to hours go ahead and see it, but do what I did and go see it for free with the Optimum Triple Play Reward (Free Movie Tuesday)

Clash at Merc Mouth

The night time is a perfect time to go out, have some beers and catch a movie. Or if you are these two, kill some dope that pissed off the wrong people. Welcome to this week's FCFF a time in my blog where I pit two fictional characters in fight to see who would come out on top. The way I judge these is based on my knowledge of the characters and how they would fair in one on one combat. This week the fight is going to be long; rough; bloody; awkwardly funny and brutal.

 

RIDDICK VS WADE WILSON (A.K.A DEADPOOL)

 

BIO: Richard B. Riddick known to everyone else as just Riddick, a Furyan a sub-sect of the human race. Born and bred fighters, Furyans are tough, brutal and extremely hard to kill. Riddick however is the last of his race and is known as the Alpha Furyan basically making him the strongest because he is the last. Unlike the rest of the Furyan race, Riddick has eyes that can see in pitch black darkness. This ability is known only as eyeshine, which as the story Riddick tells is an operation he got from a guy in Butcher Bay (A prison planet) for 20 Menthol Kools. The only drawback to the eyeshine ability is that he cannot switch it off which makes his eyes highly sensitive to light, hence why he wears welding glasses at all times. Due to his Furyan DNA Riddick gains these abilities, heightened speed, reflexes, senses and immense stamina, along with his fast healing and a high pain threshold and the ability to convert pain and anger into energy for his attacks. Along with those abilities he is also highly trained in both hand to hand combat and weapons of various types.

 

Bio: Wade Wilson, Deadpool A.K.A The Merc with the mouth. A mercenary who prides himself on breaking the fourth wall, killing a target without thought rhyme or reason and always being the smartass comic relief. Do not let his wise cracking style fool you; Deadpool is one hell of a fighter and crazy to boot. Wade has genetically enhanced DNA from the Weapon X project during his time with Alpha Flight in Canada. His DNA was given some of Wolverine's giving Wade the mutant power of Regeneration despite his lack of actually being a mutant. Before the gene splicing however Wade was a cancer patient, the regeneration does not cure Wade of the cancer but instead amplifies it, kills it, re-grows it in a never ending cycle which takes a mental toll on Wade and turns him crazy. Crazy to the point where he talks to the yellow thought blocks in head, refers to knowing he is in a comic book and generally views the world in a skewed way. Trained in martial arts and sword fighting and multiple firearms Deadpool is a close range to long distant fighter and with his Regeneration he does not fear death giving him an advantage over many fighters mutant and human alike. His crazy randomness has saved him on many occasions having once beaten the formidable Taskmaster in a fight beating Taskmaster's power to perfectly mimic a fighting style and then predict the next moves as if he had been using the style his entire life. Deadpool is not one to be messed with lightly, he can and will stick a grenade into your mouth and watch it blow up just for shits and giggles.

 

THE FIGHT

 

This fight is going to be long and drawn out with neither combatant giving the other a chance to breathe. Deadpool is at a slight disadvantage with his constant rambling and wise cracking. Which would give Riddick the chance to get angrier during the fight and get stronger (like fighting a leaner less green hulk). But in the long run even these formidable combatants will tire and become less hard hitting. The fight I see ending with Deadpool coming out on top but close to a draw. I give the slight with Deadpool because break him, cut off limbs, shoot him in the head he will come back for more. Even fatigued his regeneration gives him a enough strength to finish the fight. It is a close fight but in the end The Merc With the Mouth gets the last laugh

This weeks FCFF needs your help

Okay so one of the fighters in this weeks Fiction Character Fiction Fight will be Riddick and I can not come up with a character badass enough to fight him. I was originally going to put Dean Winchester in the fight but figured it would be a no contest.

So I have narrowed down my Choices to these, please comment and tell me who you think should Fight Riddick

1. Dean Winchester
2. Deadpool
3. Sincestro
4. Cloud Striffe
5. Darth Bane

Cast your vote and thanks for reading.

First Impressions Last Forever....or was it Diamonds

Disgaea Hour of Darkness, was remade from it's original platform to the DS. That is the game I am currently playing. At first glance of this Strategy J-RPG you don't really think much of it. It seems odd that you are playing these anime style characters and the story at first seems out place. But as you go a long and you get to work with the main characters you begin to feel more connected to them.

Your main characters are Laharl, Etna and Flonne. They are easily the most likable characters in the game. As I played this game, the story and character development especially between Laharl and Flonne. I found myself smiling as I read the dialog between them and it is rare that a game can do that (at least for me). Etna and Flonne have become my favorite characters in the game so far. Their polar opposite personalities have the potential to make them great friends.

For my first impression of the game, I am really really enjoying it. I haven't enjoyed an RPG this much since Final Fantasy IX. If you can find a copy go out and buy this game it is a lot of fun.

The Rise of the pre-cybermen?

With the latest spectacle of Watson at Jeopardy, it seems not just TV game shows are getting the AI treatment. Hasbro entertainment has unveiled the first dice and paper-moneyless Monopoly game titled Monopoly Live. In an attempt to revitalize the dieing board-game genre, Monopoly has been revamped with an infrared watchtower which stands at ten inches tall and dominates the center of the board. The tower monitors player moves, rolls the dice, tells you instructions and corrects you if you make a mistake. The all seeing eye tower of monopoly live will take the element of subtle cheating out of the game. Tell me honestly that you never once cheated at a game of monopoly.

Monopoly live is meant to appeal to younger kids who are so enthralled with digital downloads and apps. Hasbro has also announced a board-game version of Angry Birds is in the works.

Lets face it, technology is vastly out classing and outmatching the archaic old school. With a generation who is so used to instant gratification, things like boardgames will be a thing of distant memory. AI taking over game-shows and now boardgames, what is next robotic vacuum cleaners.......wait we have that already (Roomba lol)

To my readers (Updates, Blog News and Questions)

Updates: Well I have been busy busy busy for the blog here trying to find interesting things to talk about. Still looking for regular work, which is a drag.

News: The post Shameless English Vs American is currently the most popular post on the site with 88 views. Thank you all for constantly reading it. We are not even two months into 2011 and we are close to beating the amount of posts posted last year in 2010. Fictional Character Fiction Fight will become a regular weekly segment here on the blog. Another TV Show Comparison will be up soon because you all seem to enjoy that the most.

Questions to my readers:

I recently downloaded Audicity again and was thinking of creating a new podcast, would you guys listen to it, if I posted the RSS feed here on the site?

Should the Podcast be solo (meaning just me talking for an set amount of time each week)? Or should there be a co-host like my old Podcast?

Is the Losers A Winner?

Based off of the graphic novel of the same name, we follow a team of "dead" Special Forces Operatives who are expertly trained and highly skilled. The team runs like a dysfunctional family for the most part. A five man team with each member specializing in a different area of expertise, but can take over in another area in a pinch. Every mission The Losers take on is expertly planned and executed to the T. When you want a job done you go to one group. But if you want the job done right then you go to The Loser.

The Losers get their start in Bolivia where they are double crossed by a man named Max who orders the team dead via missile to air lift. But what max didn't calculate was the fact that the team wasn't on the air lift, the missile killedthe pilots some soldiers and twenty five innocent kids. Realizing that the missile drive by was meant for them, the team throws their dog tags into the burning wreckage and are proclaimed dead.

Living the lives of random citizens in Bolivia The Losers are discovered by Aisha and brought back to the states. With the promise of getting even with Max and clearing their names, The Losers get to work.

For a comic to film adaptation this movie is okay, it transitions well. This is what I like to call an Action/Comedy because it has the stuff of an action film but it lacks the seriousness. An example of what I mean comes when Jensen (Chris Evans, dude is just popping up all over the place) is confronted by three armed guards. He pulls out finger guns. "I am a killing machine, a top secret government project with Telekinesis." Guard goes to cuff him and POP. Then you have the groups leader Clay (Jeffery Dean Morgan) he is this serious guy on the field but when on leave. He turns into his son Dean Winchester a drinking womanizer. (Seriously did you not see the Supernatural Reference coming.)

I give this movie a 7 out of 10.

ITS TIME TO DU DU.......I CHOOSE YOU

This is the Anime Edition of Fictional Character Fiction Fights and this fight is gonna be be classically Anime Ridiculous Yugi/Yami Yugi Vs Ash Ketchum

BIO: Yugi Moto, is your typical Anime pushover, with a big heart and the willingness to stick up for his friends despite his short stature and odd very odd hair style. Yugi however has an alter ego a taller (somehow he changes size and no one seems to notice....thats anime for you) more confident and more importantly a game master. When the going gets tough Yugi activates his magical amulet to summon the spirit of Yami to his body to save the day. He has saved the world many times over and is considered a legend even in series where he is not the main character. His power is to summon the creatures of his cards to life.....wait no it is just hologram...until it goes to the shadow realm, then the monsters are real.

Bio: Ash is a 10 year old (15 if you are not an idiot)with the dreams of becoming the worlds greatest Poke'Mon Master, along with his best pal Pikachu travel the world and collect Poke'Mon and making friends and enemies all over the place. He has a total of 44 Gym Badges (which logically put his starter Pikachu at roughly level 90 how it gets beaten is beyond me). He has a tendency to be romantically clueless around the females he travels with and he has cross dressed on two known occasions.

THE FIGHT

It will be Set in the Shadow Realm, otherwise Yugi would just be chucking cards at the Poke'Mon. Here is where it would get interesting. The two would fight like they would normally fight. Both are battle geniuses so it would be pretty evenly matched on a strategy level. Until Yugi gets out his big monsters, then the battle would go into high speed and high power. I see the ending going to Yugi. Why because even with his high level pokemon, they are no matches for Yugi's toughest monsters like the Black Luster Soldier and the Egyptian Gods.

WINNER
YUGI

Guitar Hero R.I.P edition

Today videogame publisher Activision came out saying they will be discontinuing their Guitar Hero line for the foreseeable future. Even going so far as to halt and junk all the work going into the 2011 Guitar Hero game. They stated the reason for the discontinue of Guitar Hero was due to decrease in interest in the Genre. This is another big hit in the genre because back in December Viacom sold off Rock Band Developer Harmonix. Also last week Rock Band publisher MTV Games was officially shut down.

Activision has also discontinued their True Crime: Hong Kong. These two discontinuations will result in seven percent of Activision's work force being laid off.

Out of the ashes of this fire, Activision said that their pulling of the plug on those two franchises will help them focus on an internal studio dubbed "Beachhead" for future Call of Duty games and will be investing in a new online multiplayer game from Blizzard.

With the Death of Music Gaming Giant it is the end of an era so it seems. Fads come and go and come again. So maybe one day a few years from now we will see a rebirth of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Source Yahoo News
http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/374-activision-axes-guitar-hero-franchise/

America should not Run on Dunkin

Okay, before I get into this let first explain that I had been a fan of Dunkin Donuts for many years. Then things just started getting progressively bad. This story takes place back in 2008. I was working for a collections law firm at the time, everyday before work I would drive to the Dunkin Donuts and I would order my coffee and breakfast sandwich. First thing I noticed was the quality of the store had gone down once it received a new manager (I knew the guy was new cause it wasn't the usual manager who would greet me.) Thinking nothing of it I ordered my usual only to see my breakfast sandwich was burnt and so was my coffee. So I changed Dunkin Donuts, went to another same results burnt food and burnt coffee. Still not deterred I again went another Dunkin Donuts but changed my drink to one of their Latte's only to find out upon sipping it it was just Coffee with something called a turbo shot in it. AGAIN not deterred I went to yet another with the same results burnt food a Latte that wasn't a Latte and each store I had switched to dirty and the the food had made me sick that day.

I realize that when you are a high demand product especially in a fast paced environment things are bound to get hectic. BUT for god sakes will it kill you to clean when your not busy. Still undeterred I went back this time receiving an actual latte only to my disappointment they had burnt the espresso. Here it is eleven in the morning haven't had a good cup of coffee in months. My boss had noticed the change in my normal mood had gradually dropped from happy to be at work, to, talk to me and I swear I will end you. To which she had suggested I switch to Starbucks. I was no stranger to Starbucks but I was hesitant at first to completely change because Dunkin was on the way to work and convenient. But a change in driving schedule I found going to Starbucks wasn't a big deal.

Now for all of you who constantly say "STARBUCKS IS EXPENSIVE, I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOUR BUCKS FOR COFFEE!" Only the specialty drinks are higher in price. And to all of you who say "WE HATE HOW THERE COFFEE TASTES!" You do realize that you are probably drinking a bold blend. Try the Mild Roast Pike's Place. ALSO a cup of coffee (Not a specialty drink) is the same price as Dunkin.

It has been three years since I have switched to being a regular Starbucks customers and I haven't had any problems with the Quality of the stores or the products. The only way I would stray would be if America Suddenly got a chain of Tim Hortons Now that is good coffee.

Remember America Gets The Runs on Dunkin!!

Sorry to my friends in Texas

But I am hoping y'all get snow in Dallas!!! Why, because then we can have a classic Superbowl. It is high time these pampered professionals get down to their roots and beat the snot out of each other in subzero temperatures. Like back in the glory days as my friend's dad tells me. My friends fathers all tell me when we sit down to drink with them that "The players of today wouldn't last one quarter against the players from back in my day." I am sure that has a sprinkling of truth in it but the players of yore weren't hopped up on steroids and were smaller then your average linebacker of today. So that is just a fantasy match that can only played once we get time travel.

But for now all I can hope for is a SuperSnowBowl in dallas. Both teams have had two weeks to prep for this game so my pre-prediction may not be valid anymore. But I will not give a prediction because I do not want to jinx either team. (Superstitious person here :P )