Hi y'all. Just putting up a journal to let you guys know Im still alive. It's been a few months since the last one. I was dealing with some real life issues that were really bringing me down and stifling my creativity. Suprisingly though, they all actually worked themselves out for the better, giving my usual pessimism a hard kick in the balls in the process.

Either way, Im doing a lot better now. Im moving back into my University tomorrow...so...yay, I get a three and a half hour drive -_-

Anyway, first things first. Throughout the period of months I have been referring to as "The Slump", I just don't feel like I was a good friend to a few people (you know who you are). I was moody, and feeling down. Im sorry y'all. I hate to make excuses, but I really haven't been in a good mindset for a good chunk of this summer. Im back now though.

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Alrighty, onto slightly brighter things. I may not have gotten much writing done over the summer because of my slump, but I HAVE been brainstorming the hell out of things. I plan on doing two series for now.

One will be set in the "Legacy" universe, a science fiction universe created by and will center on a siege of a large, human city. I will probably start this one first, since I haven't contributed much to the Legacy-verse yet.

The other series is set in 's world of Felarya, and will involve Fiona, Raina and a bunch of other characters. I will probably start this one after an entry or two in my Legacy series...and then jump between the two series until completion.

There will probably be other stories outside the two series as well, focusing on characters that play smaller roles, or no roles at all in the two main series. For those times when I just don't feel like working on those series.

That's the plan anyway. I hope to be more active as a writer, and in general when I get settled back into my dorm. I have all of next week off before classes start, and a fair amount of free time between classes.

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CLIFF'S GAMING CORNER:

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Going to try something different here. Since I like to think of myself as a gamer, I figure I might as well comment on what Im playing at the moment.

My newest game right now is BlazBlue for the PS3. This is a fast, fun, 2D fighting game from Arc System Works, the evil geniuses that brought us the Guilty Gear franchise.

I have to say that I have had a LOT of fun with BlazBlue. It is refreshing to play this kind of fighter again. I have to admit, Im not the biggest fan of the Street Fighter franchise. I own SF4, and I have fun on it...but Street Fighter always felt too rigid and focused on exact commands for my tastes. I also don't think its changed that much as a series. SF4 has made some improvments...but its essentially the same game as it was back in the 1990's. That isnt always a bad thing...but I don't know, I just have never really been able to get into Street Fighter.

BlazBlue retains all the speed, insane character design and charm of the Guilty Gear franchise that preceeded it, and still forges its own identitiy. Its flashy and as over the top as you'd expect from an Arc System Works fighting game. Guess I better just run down the list...

GRAPHICS: BlazBlue really is a pretty game. The hand-drawn artwork is beautiful, and the character sprites are some of the most intricate and well done I have seen in a long time. The animations are all very fluid and the attacks are all pretty cool looking and creative.

SOUND: I really like the music in BlazBlue. It has this kind of rock-opera sound to it that really goes well with the overall feel of the game, and really helps give it a very unique style. The english voice acting is suprisingly good as well, there's a line here and there that seems odd, but overall, its a fairly good dub. There are some very nice touches with the voiceovers as well...like how the things a fighter says in a fight changes depending on who they are fighting. It really gives each fight its own unique feel, and helps to enforce that there is a plot to this game.

STORY: ...suprisingly good. I know! A good story...in a FIGHTING GAME?! Its not going to win any awards, but all the twists and hints kept me coming back to finish each fighter's story mode and see the multiple endings. Each fighter's story can take a hour or two to clear, depending on if you're going for 100% (which you need to see the true ending to the game)..so there is a pretty hefty story mode to BlazBlue.

CHARACTERS: What would any fighting game be without a good cast of characters? Blazblue's 12 person roster might not seem as impressive as SF4's 25 fighter cast, or Marvel vs Capcom 2's ludicrous 50+ man roster...but it holds its own quite well. All of the characters are very well balanced, and each really does feel very different when you play as them.

GAMEPLAY: Fast, fun and flashy. This game is more accessible to newer players than Street Fighter, but has a lot of depth to it for those fighting game veterans who are always looking to improve. Online play is smooth and nearly lag-free. I know I haven't had any issues with lag yet. All my dozen or so online fights so far were smooth and didn't seem any slower than single player. You do get a few people that will spam cheap attacks, but that happens with all fighting games, and there are ways to counter them. BlazBlue really doesn't have as much trouble with spamming...but there are a couple characters, that in the right (or wrong, in this case) hands can border on somewhat cheap.

OVERALL: BlazBlue is a fast, fun fighting experiance. If you're a fan of fighting games, and own a PS3 or Xbox 360, I really reccommend this game. I prefer it over SF4 personally, although SF certainly has its merits as well.

** If any people reading this has a PS3 and wants to play sometime, send me a friend invite on the PS. my PSN name is RCfalcon **

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Anyway, hope everyone is doing good ^^

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My Friends:

*sorry if I forgot anyone. Just let me know an I'll put you in ^_^*



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