desperate times, undesperate measures (i hate morning classes and peecrastination)

So I was laying there in bed Thursday morning, tossing and turning in the retardedly stuffy weather, when I decided to just say: fuck it, I'm going to stay up all the way till 6AM and then just go to class. It was 2AM at the time - what an unwise idea. I ended up getting about 2 hours of actual sleep, woke up, took a shower, ate a pot of instant ramen, and left the house. I knew I was pretty fucked up because my left eye was pulsating, and when I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror, my eyes looked like I had just come from a Blade movie or a party hosted by Lamar Odom. I managed to arrive at school somehow, grabbed my project that was due, and went upstairs to prepare for the ultra-shitty critique was about to happen. The project was technically the midterm for this class since there had only been one other major assignment prior to this one - mind you - and about half the class showed up late, entering in 30 minute intervals. Good shit. So after said critique (which wasn't so bad after all), he kept ranting on about these amazing billboard ads yadah yadah yadah. Yea some of 'em were cool, like the Mustang blurry glass one and the McDonald's sundial one, but for the most part I was A) really fucking tired  B) really wanted the teacher to shut the fuck up and  C) browsing Shoryuken forums to find some tips on Dictator vs. Guile. I think I was completely zoned out at one point trying to think of ways to get in on Guile without baiting Flash Kick using Devil Reverse when my teacher says my name from across the classroom. "Chris! It's your turn. Which product are you going to make a billboard for?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......... Street Fighter Four?"

"Ok good! Should be interesting!" Oh my fucking god =.= I can't believe I got myself into this shit. I usually keep a book of ideas, and I have a TON of billboard ad ideas that I could've just picked out of a hat and used to a pretty successful degree. Instead, I'm stuck with SF4 ideas for billboards. Eh, could be worse.

Towards the end of class I really had to go pee. I was also trying to keep my eyes open while my face was throbbing from lack of sleep. Then I just couldn't take it anymore. I picked up my stuff, stood up, looked straight at my teacher with one and a half eyes, saluted, and fucking left the room without saying anything. I was hoping he wouldn't follow me or anything like that, so I fast walked all the way down the stairs and out the entrance around the back side of the building. Whew, I got out of class. I started looking for my car, only to remember that I parked on the other side of school on the far end of the opposite parking lot. Fuck. I start fast walking again, but this time something doesn't feel right. My body was slow to remind me that I still had to fucking pee. So I'm stuck in the middle of the parking lot, halfway between school and halfway between my car, ready to just collapse, piss all over myself, and call it a day. I then look to my left, in desperation. I see a tiny strip mall consisting of Quizno's, Miyako Sushi, and The Christian Store. I quickly did some mental math - if I went to Quizno's, I'd probably have to buy something; I remember the sign in Miyako stating that the restroom was for "customers only"; I had never walked into The Christian Store before. I just had to pee. Now.

This was the greatest act of infiltration in my life, and I am very proud of it. I stroll into the store, looking like a stoner from hell, hair tossled and bloodshot eyes, carrying nothing but a schoolbag. I pretend to be scouting the aisles, looking for the Bible Studies section. I put on a genuine face and pretend I'm the good boy that goes to church every sunday and sings songs about god and flirts with all the cute-but-secretly-slutty girls, when I finally finish walking through the entire store. Where the fuck is the bathroom? How can there not be a john in here? Do Christian people not pee? I was about to leave when I saw an ajar door at the far corner of place, next to the storage room. I dash over but in a walking way, so as to not draw too much attention. I don't think my bladder has ever gone through so much pain (except for the time I had to pee and got on the tour bus while I was in China. I figured it wouldn't be so bad, but 30 minutes into the drive I ask my tour guide how much longer it would take to get to the destination. 3 hours. Yea I was so desperate I drank the rest of the tea in my bottle for the off-chance that I could have used the bottle as a canister for my piss. Unfortunately my dick head could not fit into the neck of the bottle and I didn't want to risk pissing all over the bus, so I basically held my piss for 3 hours + the tea I just downed. Yea when we arrived my bladder was numb. Wow that was a fucking long tangent). After the glorious urination, I exit the restroom and casually walk around to the Bible Studies section as if nothing happened. I picked up some shit and pretend to thumb through a few pages then saw that one of the workers was engaged in some conversation with another customer. I darted the fuck out of there and straight to my car.

I drove to IHOP and ate breakfast alone. I got the Spinach/Mushroom omelette (which I was very unimpressed by) and chowed down while listening to these two bitches from OCC scream "OMG" "NO WAI" "SO LIKE" and "OH NO HE DIDN" for 20 straight fucking minutes. I didn't think those kinds of people actually existed, but whatever. I get back in my car and drive back to school, park in the lot, roll down my windows, and pass out. I wake up about 45 minutes later to the sound of a guy ranting on his cellphone about 10 feet away from my car. He was in FRONT of my car and he could OBVIOUSLY see that I was fucking SLEEPING. How inconsiderate can these fuckers be? I still had another half hour before class, but I was so pissed I just grabbed my stuff and went into the building. I've been absent in this class (Advanced Image Manipulation) for two weeks straight, so I have no fucking idea if an assignment is due or not. I enter the classroom and everyone is working on this collage thing. I sit down and eye my neighbor's piece. I then ask him if it was due today and he said just the digital copy. Well shit. Apparently we had to make a collage based on a quote based on our interests. I have a fuckton of interests, but the hard part is making sure you have all the pictures for them. So I'm trying to come up with a theme for my collage when it's already 12:30 and my teacher walks in. "OKAY GUYS I'M GOING TO LOOK AT YOUR DIGITAL VERSIONS TODAY". Oh shit. Luckily he started on the other side of the room. I hurry the fuck up and grab all sorts of random pics....Magneto, fuckin...an American flag, a Japanese flag, a Chinese flag...fucking M. Bison. I fucking love M. Bison....grab a Blazblue picture...picture of an HRAP 2 Arcade Stick and go to town. About 20 minutes later he gets to me and I fuckin show him what I have.

random ftw.

So yea, I've had this teacher before and he loves to make all sorts of hardcore suggestions. I ended up editing the fuck out of it with his direction and this is what I came out with:

Title: Chris, the American Magneto Lover

Totally not what I wanted it to look like, but whatever. As long as my teacher is happy, I'm happy. But for all those out there reading this - do you like this one or the previous one better? I definitely like the first one though I do agree that it lacks a focal point. Anyways, one of the students asks, "Hey Darque, is this entire class lab time?" He nods. "Then I'm going to leave my stuff here and get something to eat, you're not going anywhere right?" lol Darque responds, "Uhh, I'm going home soon. Yea." I love this guy. I get some grades sorted out with him (2 A's on my other assignments, fuck yea) and I peace the fuck out. There's more to this story, but the rest of it is largely irrelevant and/or not funny and/or I was totally so fucking tired I forgot the rest of it. I ended up visiting Tiffany for a bit which was pretty fun then ended up watching Terminator Salvation with Ehd, Alex, Aarum, and Dean. The movie was alright, but the pacing was awful and so was Bruce Way- I mean, Christian Bale's acting. I'd spoil something for people that haven't seen it, but just know there is a super lawl moment waiting for you once you get to the Skynet Headquarters part. Seriously, I still can't believe they did that (though it makes sense for the story). All in all, good info/fanservice, but mediocre summer action flick trying too hard to be epic at the same time.

Wow I kinda wrote a lot. Thanks for reading all of it if you did. I don't want to go to class tomorrow either. And the Lakers lost @ home. wtf. FML.

i'm still in training mode (guilty gear one year later)

It's about a little over a year that I've decided to play Guilty Gear pretty seriously. Unfortunately for me, the SoCal Guilty Gear scene is much weaker than it was two years prior. Way to join a party way too late.

This year, the fighting game genre will witness a rebirth unlike any in its history. The advent of Street Fighter 4 has brought new and old generations of fighting game players back into the fray. With Tekken 6, King of Fighters 12, Marvel vs Capcom 2 (again), and Blazblue on the way, the fighting game community is going to burst (no pun intended). And while I'm glad for this revitalization, I'm afraid at the same time: the game, Guilty Gear, that I've come to love so much, is probably going to see its last year.

This year, at EVO and SBO, I hope Guilty Gear leaves a beautiful impression in everyone's eyes. It truly is a masterpiece (and arguably a classic) to have come as close to balance as any fighting game ever has. Each character has ALL the tools necessary to combat matchups, and nothing ever surpasses a 6-4 ratio. Considering the complete variety of playstyles available, I would have to give Arc Systems a round of applause for near-accomplishing the impossible.

Sorry my writing has been pretty short and sucky. I promise I'll write something juicy (and hilarious) next time.

much about nothing (mindless update)

So I've been pretty sloth-like the past few days and haven't gotten much done. Been working hard on homework assignments and a huge sideproject with my friends. Also been working on some unique Venom setups in Guilty Gear and a new Legacy archetype, Borzhov Aggro, in MTG.

You know what I noticed though? Everyone eats their tofu differently at BCD. I like to crack my egg into the pot, then take the tofu out of the pot and lather up my rice with it. Ehd on the other hand, likes to add rice to the big pot. Bryan I saw eating from the pot and the rice separately. My dad likes to stir the egg inside the pot and add onions. That's a pretty wide metagame if you ask me.

Anyways, I gotta get back to work. Here's something I made for my Typography II class featuring the font Niobium Black. Let me know what you think --

Yes it's from Gurren Lagann.

nerd art (chris's magic the gathering favorites)

It doesn't take a keen eye to appreciate the art that comes from Magic: The Gathering; it's just that good. The card game that everyone has come to know as the ultimate "nerd hobby", immerses its players in worlds of fantasy beyond the wildest of imaginations. I have to applaud the growth of the card game (and the art in particular); it sure has come a long way. 

Starting from Ravnica block, the art took a huge leap in quality. This can be both attributed to a higher budget and increase in use of technology. Some artists are still hardcore about painting canvas, like Greg Staples, and it really shows in the work, but there are less traditional artists these days. More artists illustrate using nothing but a Wacom tablet and are still able to achieve a unique "painterly" effect. Altogether, the artwork moved from simplistic paintings to more detailed fantasy paintings and now high-detail digital work. The level of intricacy is mindblowing.

Skyknight Legionaire from Ravnica

You can see the growth of these artists and the development of their styles: Greg Staples, Scott M. Fischer, Kev Walker, Aleksi Briclot, Brom, Matt Cavotta, Rebecca Guay, Chippy, and so much more. The list is ginormous. Keep an eye out the next time you play, you might just find a favorite artist!

Below I will list my top 5 card artworks. Honestly though, the list doesn't do much justice. There is just too much amazing work that I believe deserves attention - these are just the cards that pop up off the top of my head. 

5. Empyrial Archangel by Greg Staples

Greg Staples has been on the top of the A-list for Magic art since the beginning. One of the more notable works includes the Serra Angel versus Hypnotic Specter painting done for 10th Edition. His ability with traditional art is unparalleled as seen in his amazing brushstrokes and use of colors. 

4. Serra Avenger by Scott M. Fischer

Scott began to catch my attention during Mirrodin with Viridian Shaman and Pristine Angel. His artwork always featured abstract and ornate backgrounds, as seen above.  By the time we moved into Kamigawa, he went balls-out on these backgrounds, making it his signature style. His most famous card is Meloku, The Clouded Mirror.

3. Mayael the Anima by Jason Chan

Jason is a newer recruit amongst the ranks of WotC. His debut was during Lorwyn block, and his work features amazing use of color and composition, as well as superbly dynamic poses (note Apocalypse Hydra, Wilt-leaf Liege and Spellbreaker Behemoth). His two most popular cards were Nimbus Maze and Pact of Negation.

2. Master Transmuter by Chippy

If you want to talk about an artist whose style has improved tremendously, Chippy is your man. His focus on light, detail, and a-symmetrical balance is unparalleled. This picture above is one of the most amazing pieces of art produced for Magic, ever. His popular cards include: Grim Monolith, Faith's Fetters, Flowstone Slide, and Nightmare Void.

1. Windreaver by Aleksi Briclot

The man of the hour. Aleksi Briclot is, without a doubt, the most talented artist (along with Greg Staples) currently contracted by Wizards. There is an intensity in his work that has surpassed all the artists in his league and has really set the bar for the coming generations of artwork for the game. The saddest part about the art above is that the card is absolute trash, but the image is beyond words. I can say his other cards were insanely popular though - just ask the original 5 planeswalkers.

I hope this has opened everyone's eyes a bit more when they're looking at cards now. This game is so beautiful to look at it makes me cry.

Ugh, midterms week. 

banana jins and toki (tiers and skill factor)

Picking the correct character in any fighting game is a challenge for most. There are several points that a player must consider: appeal of the character design, comfort with the moveset, efficiency with playstyle, and position on the tier list. The most important point, however, is passion. If you don't love your character for whatever point you decide to emphasize on or you choose the wrong point, you will not be successful.

I can't pick!

The question of "who should I play?" comes up most often when there's discussion of tiers. How strong a character is in relation to the rest of the cast can come from a number of different attributes: normals priority, damage output, specials, supers, reversal options, damage modifiers, hitbox size, etc. If a character excels in multiple departments, he or she is generally considered "high tier". 

So what's the problem? 

People don't understand that picking a high-tier character doesn't automatically equate winning. It makes things easier, yes, but if you never had the skill or drive to pilot that character in the first place, you'll fall behind rather quickly. This argument is a strong one in Japan, where several players dedicate themselves to playing shit tier...all the way to the point where hard work, extensive knowledge, and impeccable execution can overcome even the greatest gap in tiers. In other words: it's possible. 

Just the other day I was playing Blazblue at AI (shocker) and Song, one of Tushar's friends from Denjin, walks on over and pops in two coins. I have no idea who this guy plays, but as soon as he moved his cursor over V-13, I just shook my head. V-13, for those of you who don't already know, is currently soft-banned in Japan. Why? She's SO good that it actually becomes un-fun to play the game against her. The match began as expected: I was foolish enough to try and outpoke her right off the bat with Jin's 5C. Bad move. I ate a dashing 2C combo into blah blah "JODAI TENKO!" for like 3K easy damage. That's some bullshit. However, I noticed that Song didn't use nearly as many D's as pulsr did (V-13's D's summon swords that are disjointed from her hit box. On launch, sword combos can do an average of 4K damage from full screen) and I could easily approach him via random Ice Cars. I'm sure he's watched pulsr play before, because he bursts really fucking early. In Blazblue, bursting early is asking for death, since you take double damage and lose the option to barrier afterwards. So after losing two rounds to bad jump-ins on my part, I decided to just save meter and use D Ice Car to get in there with a freeze. So when I got in on Song, he would instantly burst. The difference between Song bursting and pulsr bursting is that pulsr bursts to maintain momentum - he has an insane zoning ability that Song doesn't have. Song, on the other hand, bursted, did not anti-air me as I double-jumped in on him and scored a counterhit j.B into a knockdown > ghetto pressure > freeze and death combo. Eventually he caught on and I lost the match, but I re-tried again and beat him after I started including DP's into my game. I scratched my head. I thought V-13 was an unwinnable matchup. So what am I trying to say with this story? Just earlier today I played against pulsr and got absolutely decimated by his V-13. The gap in tiers made a small difference, but the gap in skill is the one true deciding factor in fighting games. 

What's the secret? 

There is no secret. If you have the drive to learn a character, to love that character, and to perfect and understand all facets of that character, you will do well. In America, though, that just doesn't happen. People are so concerned with just easily winning that they give up the notion of "mastery". There really is no shortcut in fighting games - growth only comes from experience, practice, and the willingness to make a conscious effort to improve. 

So to those who have a hard time picking a character: ignore tiers, honestly. Pick who you are most comfortable with and who you will love playing the most. The rest will fall into place. Trust me, I play Venom.

@ehd: fuck you, Kim Bum is MINE! I've been falling behind on anime - nothing is really capturing my attention this season except for Eden of the East and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. On the other hand, I might just be obsessed with K-drama at the moment due to Boys Before Flowers. I've begun downloading and watching Pure 19 (Hearts of 19) that features Koo Hye Sung (Geum Jan Di from Boys Before Flowers). Yes I'm obsessed - I just can't get enough of her cute face.