Yup. Sorry, guys - I'm writing more of my novel (or a second short story, I'm not sure which!) today, and I needed the extra time :)

See you tomorrow for some Crochet!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Saturday Casual Gaming 303: Idle Pins on Kongregate

In Which I Am Very Sleepy

I'm typing this up at midnight because I'm 99% sure I'm going to either sleep in like a fool or wake up early to get things done, but either way, I am a sleepy birb.

When I'm tired but cannot sleep, I do one of two things: I watch videos on YouTube or I play idle games.

I have elected to play idle games, since for some reason (which I can't figure out) my computer has decided that a fairly good internet connection be damned, it's going to refuse to load YouTube videos. At all. It's horrifying. We're talking 144p.

Thankfully, you don't need a whole lot of crazy internet speeds or whatever to play a sweet little idle game like Idle Pins.

Idle Pins is a fairly new idle game on Kongregate. Made by publisher Arkshija and published on December 17, 2019, this game is a fun combination of RPG, idle game, sci-fi, and blatant copyright flummery. Seriously. There are a lot of references to other video games which the publisher is unlikely to have had a hand in. I'm not gonna complain about having my pins in the "Charmander" formation... or the one that looks like Sonic... or the one that looks like a Koopatroopa...

What I'm saying is that this game is very tongue-in-cheek. The story is pretty upfront about the fact that it doesn't really matter, but that's one of my big problems with it. When I logged on at the start of January, I had no idea what any of the mechanics were. You're given walls of text that make little to no sense and are left to do just... wait around and hope that something good happens. I'm still not 100% sure what pins go where in a formation!

You have pins, which are little buttons, and you're sending them to kill bad guys. You do this by loading them in formations (you start with "Noob", and it's trash, but you'll need it anyway) and hoping they don't die. Pins are... basically idle Pokemon. Except instead of kidnapping them and forcing them into combat, you either find or create them. This is also a little confusing at first, but here is my advice for if you're going to start playing this game:

1. If you have two pins that are the same (such as, a pair of "Alpha" pins), drag one on top of the other in your inventory. This will fuse them and make them stronger (two "Alpha" make one "Beta" for instance).
2. If it seems like you should be able to do something (crafting, tuning, etc) but you can't figure out how, just chill. You haven't found that ability yet.
3. Don't freak out about Tuning or the SynthLab. Tuning is a way to improve your pins with extra stats. SynthLab adds batteries to your pins and levels them up. You'll find batteries eventually, or you can deconstruct the higher tier pins you have (Gamma and up) for energy. Again, don't worry about this.
4. Bosses will kill you a lot early on.
5. You're not gonna keep the cool pins when you soft reset after Area 4 on the game map, so don't invest too heavily in them.

While the game did frontload a lot of conflicting or confusing info early on, I found that after I started to accumulate Formations and Unlockables (and even Event Items!), the game was better able to explain itself.

If you're looking for an idle game that asks you to practice some basic logic and reading comprehension, then definitely give Idle Pins a try. Now that I kind of understand what I'm doing, it's a lot of fun!!! Arkshija has done a great job here, and the fact that they're continually updating and tweaking the game tells me that they care about the game itself and how much fun you'll have playing it.

I'm going to bed now :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Filmic Friday 303: Pacific Blue and the Roku Channel App

I don't always use this blog to talk about tv,
but when I do, it's primo nonsense.

I don't watch a whole lot of tv. It's not something I wear like a badge of honor or anything, I just don't really do the whole... programming thing. I usually go online, watch movies, or check things out on my Roku.

Well, the Roku has an app called the "Roku Channel", and it's become my new best friend.

See, the Roku Channel has some of the tv shows I never saw growing up in the 1990s, and I remember tv as being delightfully cheesy back then, so when the opportunity to watch Pacific Blue came up... I had to do it.

Woo, 90s!

So what the heck is Pacific Blue?

Santa Monica Pier needs protecting, and the best way for cops to patrol a pedestrian-heavy area is by foot or... bike.

Yeah.

It's bike cops.

CHIPS without engines.

And with very muscular legs

The world of Pacific Blue, however is what attracts me, far more than the police-procedural-but-on-a-beach aspect. This is a world where drugs are plentiful on the pristine beaches of Santa Monica, people have relationship issues, there's someone stealing and stripping cars, and...

Micky Dolenz from the Monkees is the mayor.

Yes. You read that right.

It's incredible.

So yeah, this show is a blatant ripoff of Baywatch, but it's got those sweet 1990s XTREME BIKING camera angles, it looks great, the music is awesome, the acting is... well, let's face it, it's very Baywatch.

If that sounds like your cup of tea - a cop show on bikes surrounded by models in bikinis - then swing on over to your Roku and look up the Roku Channel to see it! It's absolutely worth a half hour of your time at least :)

Go Enjoy Something,
FC

Thursday Art Walk 303: Thank You Liger

In Which I Finish!

Remember how last week I gave you a black-and-white photo of my in-progress picture?

Here's the finished product!

"Thank You Liger"; permanent marker on Sketch paper, 2020

I coordinated the bubbles using the lyrics for Jushin Thunder Liger's theme song. Actually, I'm trying to figure out how to do a digital version of this style so that I can start doing commissions based on people's favorite songs, poems, lyrics, etc!

The color pallet for this picture is white, two shades of red, silver, gold, and black (I actually can't tell which color Liger's cape is, so I used both metallic shades).

Any suggestions for my next bubble project? How about any suggestions for next week's Art in general? I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Wednesdaymania 303: The State of Wrestling in 2020

In Which I Blather About Wrestling

It's a new year, and wrestling is... very different than it was in January of 2019.

Let's go through, company by company, and see what's up on the Wrestling front as of 15 January, 2020!

WWE:

• RAW and Smackdown numbers are down pretty badly
• NXT has massively risen in popularity
• Local people are actually talking about wrestling now in my home town
• The Big Show is back in the ring
• R-Truth isn't a punchline, he's throwing the punchlines. And he's great.
• There is a lot more money being funneled to the talent.

ROH:

• The outlook is pretty grim, actually :(
• Due to talent being gobbled up by pretty much every other promotion, ROH is struggling to keep their roster up
• They managed to keep Marty Scurll by:
• paying him a ton of money
• making him booker
• telling him he only needed to wrestle a few times a year

NJPW:

• Despite losing a lot of talent (Kushida, the Bucks, Cody, Kenny, etc), NJPW has managed to really soup-up their roster with some amazing Young Lions (Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors) and really pushing their great talents (Naito, Ibushi, Shingo, Takahashi, etc)
• The LA Dojo and the US shows are fantastic
• Jushin Thunder Liger retired
• It's really fun, but there's a definite change in how matches flow. It's both more and less western, and the only way to explain that is to see it.

MLW:

• Holy mole, they lost a lot of talent when AEW formed
• Still, they have held onto some great guys and worked well with their roster to create interesting programming
• Also, they signed on with ICM Partners with an eye to better TV deals in the future, which could be huge.
• There's a lot of upward momentum, I think, despite the blows they took to their roster.

NWA:

• Oof, the Cornett stuff was bad, but they handled it fairly well, once people pointed out that there was flummery afoot.
• Dat roster, tho - it's both one of the best and worst rosters in wrestling, with some of the most charismatic and fantastic wrestlers... as well as some who I don't get why they're popular, but that's my own opinion, and you should really see the show for yourselves.
• Question Mark. That's all I'll say. Make your own judgments.
• I love, love, love the commercial segments, the cheesy set, the music... it's the real deal, and I love how corny it is. It's its own beast.
• Nick Aldis continues to be a National Treasure, and having Big Poppa Pump show up is amazing.
• Yes.

AEW:

• From their inception and debut, AEW has grown by leaps and bounds
• They have one of the most bizarre and interesting rosters of any show right now
• The seamless blending of internet content and television content, along with the way both storytelling mediums mix, is fantastic and definitely sets it apart as a new creature
• They just got renewed through 2023
• I really, really, really want to see more every time I watch
• I still don't really get the appeal of Britt Baker in the ring, but I like her as a person. Same with Brandi.
• I'm not 100% behind Riho as women's champion, because I feel like the storytelling is fairly lackluster with her.
• I'm 100000000% behind Kris Statlander, and I am beyond thrilled with the interactions between her and Orange Cassidy on BTE.
• Oh man, just... I love this company, and I hope they continue to grow and improve.

IMPACT:

• It's last here because I know next to nothing about it
• They employ some of my favorite workers, but I can't watch the show (legally), so I have no idea what's going on there.
• Hope everyone's getting paid!
• Hope everyone stays safe!
• Have fun, guys!

So those are my thoughts on wrestling as it stands today!

Any companies I should look into and cover more? Anything anyone would like to add? Let me know!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday 303

In Which The Blather Continues Unabated

It's Tuesday, which means this doofus gets their blab on! This past week has been very odd, for me. A lot has happened, but not much has gotten done, if you follow.

I've been to the post office and educated on the proper boxes to use for shipping if I want to ship things cross-country or internationally only to discover the sample boxes I brought home aren't quite long enough... I've been asked to help my dad out with some tech stuff. I've helped my sick partner out and also done a bunch of laundry. I took back some returnables. I've stared for hours at a blinking cursor trying desperately to get the words out.

It's been busy.

Not much has been finished (besides laundry and recycling).

I haven't even seen an un-reviewed movie lately! Though I did rewatch Hocus Pocus...

Needless to say, I feel a little off-kilter and adrift. I have four days to finish that short story, and the worst part is that I know I can do it. I just... am having a hard time doing it.

Regardless.

It's time to talk blog.

• Tomorrow I'll talk about some more wrestling - probably about how awesome Wrestle Kingdom was, but also maybe about some other coolness
• Thursday I'll have a finished work of art for you
• Friday I'll find a movie to talk about (possibly Strangers on a Train!)
• Saturday I'll tell you about a very weird game
• Sunday we'll talk noodz again, I'm pretty sure
• Monday will have me showing off how big that Scrapghan we started is, but also the start to a vintage-style crochet project I've been putting off.
• Next Tuesday I'll blather some more

It's shocking how quickly my coffee has run out. I'm still fuzzy-headed because we have some new wildlife (well, not new exactly, just loud).

The other night, an owl sat outside my window and called out in a way I only associate with meeting mates for over an hour and a half - it was past midnight. Last night, around midnight, a coyote decided that it needed to scream-howl for a few minutes. Usually, this isn't such a big deal, but it was so weird-sounding that my brain went on vigilant-mode and wouldn't let me relax. Thankfully, YouTube has my back and I threw on a 10 hour video of a blizzard, which put me right out.

Still, I'd like to start waking up earlier instead of sleeping later, and that's hard to do when nature doesn't want you to get some dingdang sleep.

I'll be working on some stuff today (including my story!) and hopefully that will help things work out for the next week or so!

I also want to start making a cardigan, so keep an eye out for that on Mondays ;)

For now,

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday 303: Failure is Always An Option

In Which I Have Failed!

Yup, you read that right, I've botched it :)

But FC, you may be thinking, if you've botched it, then why do you seem so happy?

Ah, my friends, when you fail at one project, it opens the door to another.

My failed earwarmer

I was originally working from this pattern, but then the unfathomable happened: I ran out of yarn.

Normally, this would be a Very Big Problem, but since I was using leftover yarn to begin with, I decided that I'd fulfill one of my dreams this year. 2020 might just be the year of the Scrapghan!

What the heck is a Scrapghan?

So, you know how when you're working on projects, you'll occasionally have a few yards of leftover yarn? A Scrapghan is a blanket made from your leftovers. There are, of course, infinite versions of the Scrapghan, but I've come up with my own version of a Granny Square to do this with!

First, form a Magic Ring and chain 3, then yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull all the way through.
Basically, you're forming a starting 3dc cluster!

From your first cluster, chain 3, then make another 3dc cluster and chain 3 again.

two clusters with chains after each

Then make two 3dc clusters without chaining between them, then chain 3.

I know, it looks a little wonky, but trust me!

After that chain-3, you make a 3dc cluster, chain 3, make two 3dc clusters, and chain 3. Then you slip stitch into the top of the first cluster you made!

Pull your magic circle closed, and you have a strange little flower!
How cute!

Now that we have our center spoke, the pattern is pretty simple.

You slip stitch over to the next ch3 space, chain 3, then dc twice. Then you ch3, then dc 3 times in the same space! You've just formed a corner.

My new starting corner.

Now, once you have a corner, you're just going to yarn over and slip your hook between the clusters that are right next to each other. Dc three times, then move onto the next ch3 space to make another (dc 3, ch3, dc 3) in the space. Repeat this all the way around. I know that slipping between the closer petals can be a pain, but it's worth it!

You can see a rectangle forming!

Don't forget to slip-stitch into the top of your starting ch3 and slip stitch to the next ch3 so that it's easier to start your next round.

A handsomely completed round!

Now keep doing that until you start to run out of yarn again. Once you're down to about a foot of yarn left, it's probably a good idea to slip a stitch marker onto the last stitch you completed and set the rectangle aside until you have more scrap yarn.

Which will take a while for this yarn, because I had gotten to 50 rows
on the earwarmer before I was forced to admit defeat...

So there you have it - you can turn negatives into positives through the magic of switching gears. Yes, this means no earwarmer, but! Now I have a fallback project for when I'm between designs.

I'll try to figure out a better way to write out this pattern (and possibly chart it for those of you who operate better with charts), but for now, I hope this helps you start your own vaguely rectangular blanket :)

Go Enjoy Something,
FC