The Snow Files
Welcome to The Snow Files! Collection and site updates can be found here. Some collection and fandom-related, blog-like posts may also be found here and there. For archived updates from previous years, scroll down the page and click the link there.
See Lioness's to-do list for the latest updates and changes that need to be done yet I haven't gotten to doing at the moment. You can also see what's coming soon in the future!
See Lioness's to-do list for the latest updates and changes that need to be done yet I haven't gotten to doing at the moment. You can also see what's coming soon in the future!
October 14, 2018
8:34 PM CDT
- No site updates or collection news. Today is just some Meowloween goodness.
Onto Meowloween day 14.
Here's an urban legend that has been told to the folks in the town I grew up in. This is a small backwater Texas town of less than 2,000 people, so any little thing that got people talking was enough to spook us all.
To get a better sense of the urban legend, you need to know a bit about the town. The town I grew up in used to be a decent-sized hub in the early 1900s when transportation by railroad was the only way to get to the city. The town had a jeweler, a market, a newspaper, and a hotel. Fast forward to the present day and the town has a nice-looking school but the jeweler, market, newspaper, and hotel are long gone and things of the past. The only thing the town has going for it is a post office and a newly built Subway. Let me put it this way in how small the town is: a Walmart was built a little outside of town and the whole place acted like it was the best thing in the world and showed up on opening day. Yes, it was that small and quiet that a Walmart got people excited.
The old buildings that used to belong to the jeweler, market, and hotel are still standing to this day. The newspaper office has long been demolished. The one with the most bizarre history and scary stories are that of the hotel. It is now a delapidated, sad-looking building that has seen better days. To this day the building is up but boarded the last time I saw it. During its heyday it was a nice place for couples to stay at. Men working at the railroad would take their families to stay at the hotel.
On a Halloween night (or any other night, depending on who you talk to), a murder took place at the hotel and that is what really led to its demise, not the fact that the town was sinking fast, but whatever. A man chopped up his wife with an axe and her ghost haunts the place regardless of what day or month it is of the year, but you can find her clearly on Halloween nights.
Do I believe in this story and it has a supernatural presence? I believe the story, but I want to say no on the supernatural. There was one time I was taking a walk in the late evening with the sun setting and I passed by that same building. The windows were not boarded up at the time and I looked inside to get a glimpse of what was in there. I saw a shadow and, yeah, that freaked me out a bit. It more than likely was the owner of the building or a squatter, but the history of that place made me a tad freaked out. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that at one time I wanted to trespass on the property and explore it a bit for a bit of excitement because, remember, I lived in the middle of nowhere and that was the most excitement I would have ever had in a long time. I no longer wanted to set foot in that place after what I saw. Not of ghosts, but there are some hostile building owners and squatters out there. This is Texas. The stereotype of people owning guns and not hesitating to shoot at trespassers is not there for laughs.
That's the urban legend for tonight. Tomorrow I have another one to share. We had some interesting stories in our small town. But, I guess that makes them more exciting, not less.
Happy Meowloween, gatos.
8:34 PM CDT
- No site updates or collection news. Today is just some Meowloween goodness.
Onto Meowloween day 14.
Here's an urban legend that has been told to the folks in the town I grew up in. This is a small backwater Texas town of less than 2,000 people, so any little thing that got people talking was enough to spook us all.
To get a better sense of the urban legend, you need to know a bit about the town. The town I grew up in used to be a decent-sized hub in the early 1900s when transportation by railroad was the only way to get to the city. The town had a jeweler, a market, a newspaper, and a hotel. Fast forward to the present day and the town has a nice-looking school but the jeweler, market, newspaper, and hotel are long gone and things of the past. The only thing the town has going for it is a post office and a newly built Subway. Let me put it this way in how small the town is: a Walmart was built a little outside of town and the whole place acted like it was the best thing in the world and showed up on opening day. Yes, it was that small and quiet that a Walmart got people excited.
The old buildings that used to belong to the jeweler, market, and hotel are still standing to this day. The newspaper office has long been demolished. The one with the most bizarre history and scary stories are that of the hotel. It is now a delapidated, sad-looking building that has seen better days. To this day the building is up but boarded the last time I saw it. During its heyday it was a nice place for couples to stay at. Men working at the railroad would take their families to stay at the hotel.
On a Halloween night (or any other night, depending on who you talk to), a murder took place at the hotel and that is what really led to its demise, not the fact that the town was sinking fast, but whatever. A man chopped up his wife with an axe and her ghost haunts the place regardless of what day or month it is of the year, but you can find her clearly on Halloween nights.
Do I believe in this story and it has a supernatural presence? I believe the story, but I want to say no on the supernatural. There was one time I was taking a walk in the late evening with the sun setting and I passed by that same building. The windows were not boarded up at the time and I looked inside to get a glimpse of what was in there. I saw a shadow and, yeah, that freaked me out a bit. It more than likely was the owner of the building or a squatter, but the history of that place made me a tad freaked out. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that at one time I wanted to trespass on the property and explore it a bit for a bit of excitement because, remember, I lived in the middle of nowhere and that was the most excitement I would have ever had in a long time. I no longer wanted to set foot in that place after what I saw. Not of ghosts, but there are some hostile building owners and squatters out there. This is Texas. The stereotype of people owning guns and not hesitating to shoot at trespassers is not there for laughs.
That's the urban legend for tonight. Tomorrow I have another one to share. We had some interesting stories in our small town. But, I guess that makes them more exciting, not less.
Happy Meowloween, gatos.
October 13, 2018
6:44 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates. I would like to get out of the way that yes, I have played Rockman 11 and I am loving it so far. It is nothing innovative. There are some new surprises that went into it that I like and it's a great game for newer generations to get into. It's just that if you have played these games for over 25 years, it's really nothing new. It's just a new entry into the classic series and that's about it. But if you love anything Mega Man like I do (well, I don't like the EXE series, but that's not here nor there), it's worth the buy.
- Here's Meowloween day 13.
Hey, day 13. If day 13 landed yesterday it would have been perfect! Fun fact: Friday the 13th will only happen if a Month begins on a Sunday. This October began on a Monday so no Friday the 13th for October. For shame.
We'll be getting the next closest thing- the 13th of October. I'll be giving a Halloween anectode today. I am done with movies and I'l give some more relevant safety tips as the time for Halloween comes.
I stopped trick-or-treating a long time ago. I stopped around elementary age but one thing I continue on as an adult is that I hand out candy, but dressed up for the trick-or-treaters and give them a little scare.
The best Halloween I ever had was when I was giving out candy and I had this really scary-looking werewolf mask that I got at some party store. It was more wolf-like than the usual werewolf mask. It was so realistic that I scared one of my cats with the mask, and this cat I am talking about rarely gets scared. His tail puffed up and he ran away from me as fast as he could. I felt bad for that, but I didn't think he would react to it at all.
Then I wore the mask and gave out candy. I don't remember which year this was. I know it was before 2012 because this happened in a town I lived in before I moved that year. I scared a few people, even adults who seemed to be scared of anything. I tried to make some wolf-like growls that came off sounding more like a Chihuahua getting freaked out, but it was enough to scare enough of the trick-or-treaters. The one I felt bad about scaring was a family with a baby. I had the mask on and the growling actually made him cry in fear. I took off the mask to show that I was just a regular human giving out candy and felt the need to apologize to his parents for what happened. They were nice and understanding.
Next up were the teenagers and young adults who were still out trick-or-treating. These were the people who shouldn't have been scared of the wolf mask because it is still just a mask, but hey, I genuinely scared them and that made me feel good because unlike babies, they're adults and they should know the mask is fake.
I was running out of candy and one of the last few trick-or-treaters I got looked to be like a girl that was seven or eight. She was the only one who knew the mask was fake and didn't react to it negatively at all. She was very proud about it, too. Considering the amount of people who got scared of the damn thing, she might as well be.
But wearing that mask and scaring trick-or-treaters was the best Halloween experience I have ever had. I remember my times trick-or-treating as a child. I never wore anything scary. When I couldn't choose my constumes, my parents dressed me up as a clown as my first Halloween costume. How lovely of them. I don't remember being a clown but they have photos to prove it so yes, I was a clown one time. Imagine ocelotlrama as a clown. I do remember dressing up as Tom from Tom and Jerry. That was cute. To actually scare people with that mask was a nice experience, not because I scared people, but because I got a reaction to what I purchased. I didn't put any effort into a costume. I just had that wolf mask and it scared people. Well, it scared most people...
As for what happened to the mask, I don't know. I have moved around a lot and it may have gotten lost in between the moves somewhere. I plan on giving out candy without a costume on. I just love looking at people in their costumes. If you are a child or an adult enjoying yourself, I won't judge. We all like to have a little fun, right? As long as you are not killing others. That I do not condone.
That's my story for today. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Meowloween day 14.
Toodles, cats and kittens. Happy Meowloween.
6:44 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates. I would like to get out of the way that yes, I have played Rockman 11 and I am loving it so far. It is nothing innovative. There are some new surprises that went into it that I like and it's a great game for newer generations to get into. It's just that if you have played these games for over 25 years, it's really nothing new. It's just a new entry into the classic series and that's about it. But if you love anything Mega Man like I do (well, I don't like the EXE series, but that's not here nor there), it's worth the buy.
- Here's Meowloween day 13.
Hey, day 13. If day 13 landed yesterday it would have been perfect! Fun fact: Friday the 13th will only happen if a Month begins on a Sunday. This October began on a Monday so no Friday the 13th for October. For shame.
We'll be getting the next closest thing- the 13th of October. I'll be giving a Halloween anectode today. I am done with movies and I'l give some more relevant safety tips as the time for Halloween comes.
I stopped trick-or-treating a long time ago. I stopped around elementary age but one thing I continue on as an adult is that I hand out candy, but dressed up for the trick-or-treaters and give them a little scare.
The best Halloween I ever had was when I was giving out candy and I had this really scary-looking werewolf mask that I got at some party store. It was more wolf-like than the usual werewolf mask. It was so realistic that I scared one of my cats with the mask, and this cat I am talking about rarely gets scared. His tail puffed up and he ran away from me as fast as he could. I felt bad for that, but I didn't think he would react to it at all.
Then I wore the mask and gave out candy. I don't remember which year this was. I know it was before 2012 because this happened in a town I lived in before I moved that year. I scared a few people, even adults who seemed to be scared of anything. I tried to make some wolf-like growls that came off sounding more like a Chihuahua getting freaked out, but it was enough to scare enough of the trick-or-treaters. The one I felt bad about scaring was a family with a baby. I had the mask on and the growling actually made him cry in fear. I took off the mask to show that I was just a regular human giving out candy and felt the need to apologize to his parents for what happened. They were nice and understanding.
Next up were the teenagers and young adults who were still out trick-or-treating. These were the people who shouldn't have been scared of the wolf mask because it is still just a mask, but hey, I genuinely scared them and that made me feel good because unlike babies, they're adults and they should know the mask is fake.
I was running out of candy and one of the last few trick-or-treaters I got looked to be like a girl that was seven or eight. She was the only one who knew the mask was fake and didn't react to it negatively at all. She was very proud about it, too. Considering the amount of people who got scared of the damn thing, she might as well be.
But wearing that mask and scaring trick-or-treaters was the best Halloween experience I have ever had. I remember my times trick-or-treating as a child. I never wore anything scary. When I couldn't choose my constumes, my parents dressed me up as a clown as my first Halloween costume. How lovely of them. I don't remember being a clown but they have photos to prove it so yes, I was a clown one time. Imagine ocelotlrama as a clown. I do remember dressing up as Tom from Tom and Jerry. That was cute. To actually scare people with that mask was a nice experience, not because I scared people, but because I got a reaction to what I purchased. I didn't put any effort into a costume. I just had that wolf mask and it scared people. Well, it scared most people...
As for what happened to the mask, I don't know. I have moved around a lot and it may have gotten lost in between the moves somewhere. I plan on giving out candy without a costume on. I just love looking at people in their costumes. If you are a child or an adult enjoying yourself, I won't judge. We all like to have a little fun, right? As long as you are not killing others. That I do not condone.
That's my story for today. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Meowloween day 14.
Toodles, cats and kittens. Happy Meowloween.
October 12, 2013
8:13 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates today. Nothing but Meowloween day 12 for today.
But before I get into that, I want to say that I got a little bit of backlash in regards to saying Cannibal Holocaust was a good splatter movie when I thought TCM:TB and The Human Centipede were awful considering they were fake through and through and Cannibal Holocaust did exploit the suffering of animals and even the actors working on the movie (some weren't paid and they were forced to do scenes they didn't want to do).
I will have to eat crow as I did not really know too much about the behind the scenes stuff. I knew about the killing of live animals on set, and I do have to apologize for me saying that if you watch the cut version that you are watching the "I am a huge sissy" version. There are some versions of the film that cut out the scenes of the killing of living animals, and I can understand that that can upset people. It's one thing to watch props being butchered, but real animals... yeah, I'll concede on that one. If you watch any version that cuts out those scenes, I do not blame you. The animal deaths were unneccesary and needlessly cruel. Even the director admitted to his mistake and regrets using live animals. So I do apologize for my wording for those of you who do not want to watch animals being butchered on film for the entertainment of people. That is exploitation and I understand.
This is a brutal film and does need a trigger warning, which is why I added it. I don't use that term as a joke. I mean it. Even with the animal deaths cut out, prepare for other upsetting images. While fake, the acting and images are gruesome.
- So, with that out of the way, onto Meowloween day 12!
I want to talk about exploitation horror instead of the safety stuff I wanted to talk about today. I'll do that some other day, for now, onto a really uncomfortable topic.
Some exploitation films are harmless, some are not. The ones that are not so harmless are the ones that deal with the subject of horror. These movies can be hit or miss. I hate it when they exploit a subject that can be painful to other people, but one person's horror can be another person's entertainment, as sick as it may seem.
I've talked about Cannibal Holocaust, but that's far from the only exploitation film that is in the realm of horror out there. It's the most controversial thanks to said animal abuse, but it isn't the only one out there meant to scare and repulse you.
Mondo films are probably my favorite. Those documentary-like films always added an extra layer of disturbing content. One of those films is Ultime Grida Dalla Savana. It's a fake documentary that goes into uncomfortable territory that isn't as graphic as Cannibal Holocaust, but it can be disturbing to those who are not prepared to watch what they are watching.
There is a scene of a pride of lions mauling a man who wants to take a photo. I don't feel like I am spoiling anything because that is something that has been well known for a long time. There is a lot of debate whether the scene is real or not. I personally do not think it is real. The way the narration describes the scene seems to be the exact opposite of what is portrayed. It's a sickening scene if you are squeamish, but fake-looking. I think the way the scene was shot was what led to how disturbing it looked.
Of course, there are the typical scenes of natives in their lands being attacked and murdered by foreigners. I won't go beyond what is known and leave out anymore spoilers.
This film was part of what is called the Savage trilogy, but it's more of the same of what is seen in Ultime Grida Dalla Savana. Mondo films all have one thing in common- they are the documentaries of death. They exploit the people and nations the filmakers are using to shoot their films to create entertainment.
As bad as these films are, they are still worth a watch. I doubt the deaths are real. None of them look real. But still, nothing for the faint of heart.
Now, I am not going to go into the degenerate exploitation film that is A Serbian Film. That film is has way too much exploitation that I can stand and I refuse to watch that shit. But if you want good horror exploitation, watch Mondo films. They are complete crap, there is nothing artistic about them unless you consider exploitation a genre of its own right (I personally don't), yet you cannot take your eyes off them. They aren't bound by Hollywood bullshit and they can get over the top. They're just something for those who enjoy horror and want a bit more than the stupidness Hollywood peddles out. Oh, and Tom Six.
That's all for now. Have a good night. Hopefully some more collection updates to come and hopefully I'll be here tomorrow for Meowloween day 13.
Have a good night, cats. Happy Meowloween.
8:13 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates today. Nothing but Meowloween day 12 for today.
But before I get into that, I want to say that I got a little bit of backlash in regards to saying Cannibal Holocaust was a good splatter movie when I thought TCM:TB and The Human Centipede were awful considering they were fake through and through and Cannibal Holocaust did exploit the suffering of animals and even the actors working on the movie (some weren't paid and they were forced to do scenes they didn't want to do).
I will have to eat crow as I did not really know too much about the behind the scenes stuff. I knew about the killing of live animals on set, and I do have to apologize for me saying that if you watch the cut version that you are watching the "I am a huge sissy" version. There are some versions of the film that cut out the scenes of the killing of living animals, and I can understand that that can upset people. It's one thing to watch props being butchered, but real animals... yeah, I'll concede on that one. If you watch any version that cuts out those scenes, I do not blame you. The animal deaths were unneccesary and needlessly cruel. Even the director admitted to his mistake and regrets using live animals. So I do apologize for my wording for those of you who do not want to watch animals being butchered on film for the entertainment of people. That is exploitation and I understand.
This is a brutal film and does need a trigger warning, which is why I added it. I don't use that term as a joke. I mean it. Even with the animal deaths cut out, prepare for other upsetting images. While fake, the acting and images are gruesome.
- So, with that out of the way, onto Meowloween day 12!
I want to talk about exploitation horror instead of the safety stuff I wanted to talk about today. I'll do that some other day, for now, onto a really uncomfortable topic.
Some exploitation films are harmless, some are not. The ones that are not so harmless are the ones that deal with the subject of horror. These movies can be hit or miss. I hate it when they exploit a subject that can be painful to other people, but one person's horror can be another person's entertainment, as sick as it may seem.
I've talked about Cannibal Holocaust, but that's far from the only exploitation film that is in the realm of horror out there. It's the most controversial thanks to said animal abuse, but it isn't the only one out there meant to scare and repulse you.
Mondo films are probably my favorite. Those documentary-like films always added an extra layer of disturbing content. One of those films is Ultime Grida Dalla Savana. It's a fake documentary that goes into uncomfortable territory that isn't as graphic as Cannibal Holocaust, but it can be disturbing to those who are not prepared to watch what they are watching.
There is a scene of a pride of lions mauling a man who wants to take a photo. I don't feel like I am spoiling anything because that is something that has been well known for a long time. There is a lot of debate whether the scene is real or not. I personally do not think it is real. The way the narration describes the scene seems to be the exact opposite of what is portrayed. It's a sickening scene if you are squeamish, but fake-looking. I think the way the scene was shot was what led to how disturbing it looked.
Of course, there are the typical scenes of natives in their lands being attacked and murdered by foreigners. I won't go beyond what is known and leave out anymore spoilers.
This film was part of what is called the Savage trilogy, but it's more of the same of what is seen in Ultime Grida Dalla Savana. Mondo films all have one thing in common- they are the documentaries of death. They exploit the people and nations the filmakers are using to shoot their films to create entertainment.
As bad as these films are, they are still worth a watch. I doubt the deaths are real. None of them look real. But still, nothing for the faint of heart.
Now, I am not going to go into the degenerate exploitation film that is A Serbian Film. That film is has way too much exploitation that I can stand and I refuse to watch that shit. But if you want good horror exploitation, watch Mondo films. They are complete crap, there is nothing artistic about them unless you consider exploitation a genre of its own right (I personally don't), yet you cannot take your eyes off them. They aren't bound by Hollywood bullshit and they can get over the top. They're just something for those who enjoy horror and want a bit more than the stupidness Hollywood peddles out. Oh, and Tom Six.
That's all for now. Have a good night. Hopefully some more collection updates to come and hopefully I'll be here tomorrow for Meowloween day 13.
Have a good night, cats. Happy Meowloween.
October 11, 2013
7:43 PM CDT
- Okay, before I get onto Meowloween, I want to get the important stuff out of the way. I finally got Rockman 11 and the rest of the Japanese exclusives in the mail today. I want to enjoy this game but I won't be able to play it until tomorrow because:
1. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I need to get up very early for that and,
2. I don't want ANY interruptions when I play this game. I want to enjoy it and I don't want my work or my appointment messing with that.
It actually got here on the 9th, but like my numbered list above, here's another numbered list why I didn't get it until today and it may affect later gets in the future:
1. The post office has changed locations. Deliveries will be made in another zip code's post office while the post office that's in my zip code area will be taking care of other zip codes that are not my zip code. Sound confusing? Yeah, I don't get it, either.
2. The new post office effed up the EMS pink slip that they leave when no one is home and marked it as a letter. It was believed to be a package belonging to another member of the house and there was a big mixup in getting the package. This box is MASSIVE. How in the hell can you confuse this thing for a letter?
3. I had to be the one to pick up the box. If I am not in the area or I do not have the time, another person in my household is kind enough to pick it up for me without a hassle. This time, I was the one who needed to be there to pick up the package and sign it. This has never happened before. I understand security but it's not like the address has changed on any ID of household members. Just look at their ID to confirm the address and be done with it.
Oh, how fortunate am I when this is the only problem I have to deal with? Seriously, if your only problem in life is video games and a mixup at the post office, consider yourself blessed.
So, that's an item I am happy to have. I cannot wait to play the game. I hate to be pretentious and call it Rockman 11 but it is the version I have. I do not plan on getting the American release but... we'll see. If I do get it, it may be a digital download or I'll just get a physical copy of the game without the exclusives.
- Now, without further delays, here's Meowloween day 9.
Why I postponed days 9 and 10... you know what? Fuck it. I put them off because I ran out of ideas to talk about and I didn't want to sit here thinking all night what to talk about for either day. For day 9, have at this:
7:43 PM CDT
- Okay, before I get onto Meowloween, I want to get the important stuff out of the way. I finally got Rockman 11 and the rest of the Japanese exclusives in the mail today. I want to enjoy this game but I won't be able to play it until tomorrow because:
1. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I need to get up very early for that and,
2. I don't want ANY interruptions when I play this game. I want to enjoy it and I don't want my work or my appointment messing with that.
It actually got here on the 9th, but like my numbered list above, here's another numbered list why I didn't get it until today and it may affect later gets in the future:
1. The post office has changed locations. Deliveries will be made in another zip code's post office while the post office that's in my zip code area will be taking care of other zip codes that are not my zip code. Sound confusing? Yeah, I don't get it, either.
2. The new post office effed up the EMS pink slip that they leave when no one is home and marked it as a letter. It was believed to be a package belonging to another member of the house and there was a big mixup in getting the package. This box is MASSIVE. How in the hell can you confuse this thing for a letter?
3. I had to be the one to pick up the box. If I am not in the area or I do not have the time, another person in my household is kind enough to pick it up for me without a hassle. This time, I was the one who needed to be there to pick up the package and sign it. This has never happened before. I understand security but it's not like the address has changed on any ID of household members. Just look at their ID to confirm the address and be done with it.
Oh, how fortunate am I when this is the only problem I have to deal with? Seriously, if your only problem in life is video games and a mixup at the post office, consider yourself blessed.
So, that's an item I am happy to have. I cannot wait to play the game. I hate to be pretentious and call it Rockman 11 but it is the version I have. I do not plan on getting the American release but... we'll see. If I do get it, it may be a digital download or I'll just get a physical copy of the game without the exclusives.
- Now, without further delays, here's Meowloween day 9.
Why I postponed days 9 and 10... you know what? Fuck it. I put them off because I ran out of ideas to talk about and I didn't want to sit here thinking all night what to talk about for either day. For day 9, have at this:
You'll hate me in the end. If you already seen it, still watch it. That's day 9. The end.
- For day 10, here it is again...
- For day 10, here it is again...
- Perfection! Now for day 11!
No scary anectodes or film stuff (I'm saving some good stuff for later), but a precaution to all of you trick-or-treaters out there who purchase their costumes as some party shop or even their local Walmart.
Whatever you do, do NOT try out the masks at the store. Here's something scary you can contract if you are unlucky enough to wear the mask worn previously by a person with terrible hygeine: head lice. Yes, head lice can be contracted just by trying on a mask because anyone can wear those masks and look cute or scary for their selfies. Yeach...
If the mask can be cleaned and rid of the lice, do so even if there is no danger in the mask. It's a good idea to disinfect those things anyways because you never know who wore them previously, but head lice is just plain gross and it can be easily contracted. If you are especially handy with the sewing machine, make your costume from the ground up! That'll get plenty of more scares and along with your one-of-a-kind costume, your risk of getting head lice are nil. Unless you stand close to someone who already has it, of course. I cannot tell you how to fix that problem.
More safety stuff tomorrow. I'll give anectodes along with it to make it less boring and more of a precaution. Be safe from that disgusting lice.
Happy Meowloween, cats. We don't have to worry about lice. Fleas are our problem.
No scary anectodes or film stuff (I'm saving some good stuff for later), but a precaution to all of you trick-or-treaters out there who purchase their costumes as some party shop or even their local Walmart.
Whatever you do, do NOT try out the masks at the store. Here's something scary you can contract if you are unlucky enough to wear the mask worn previously by a person with terrible hygeine: head lice. Yes, head lice can be contracted just by trying on a mask because anyone can wear those masks and look cute or scary for their selfies. Yeach...
If the mask can be cleaned and rid of the lice, do so even if there is no danger in the mask. It's a good idea to disinfect those things anyways because you never know who wore them previously, but head lice is just plain gross and it can be easily contracted. If you are especially handy with the sewing machine, make your costume from the ground up! That'll get plenty of more scares and along with your one-of-a-kind costume, your risk of getting head lice are nil. Unless you stand close to someone who already has it, of course. I cannot tell you how to fix that problem.
More safety stuff tomorrow. I'll give anectodes along with it to make it less boring and more of a precaution. Be safe from that disgusting lice.
Happy Meowloween, cats. We don't have to worry about lice. Fleas are our problem.
October 9, 2018
12:46 AM CDT
- I'm sorry I was not present yesterday to give Meowloween Day 8. Day 8 and 9 will be posted today. It's just that I had some last minute real-life things to get out of the way and that ate up a lot of my time. What I'll be talking about... we'll see. I haven't decided yet. I have so much material yet I don't know what to post first and save the best for last. I already thought of something for day 8, but day 9 is still on the backburner. I'll think of something.
For now, have a good night cats. See you later today.
3:01 PM CDT
- It is now 3:01 PM, and now I am read for Meowloween days 8 and 9.
First off for day 8, I wanted to talk about creepy experiences. One of my favorite YouTube channels is a channel belonging to Mr. Nightmare. He tells stories in the same vein as telling a scary campfire story with true stories in relationship to eachother (he'll have scary gym stories, scary dog-sitting stories, pretty much anything in this world can turn scary). He has the voice to tell these stories without coming off as obnoxious but rather he immerses you into the stories submitted by viewers.
I have never submitted a personal scary story of mine to him due to me being a big wussy baby, for one thing. He also may have a ton of material to work with but he can only fit in so much. But I do have a story that I hope at least entertains if not serves as a precautionary tale, especially for young people driving at night in the middle of nowhere.
In 2007, I was on vacation with a friend of mine and we decided to visit two cities four and six hours away from where we lived. It was spring break so we both had the time off from school and work. The trip we went on wasn't all that great. It wound up raining and my grandfather had died the same weekend we went on our trip so while we had our fun moments, overall it was just a dreary experience marred by events we really couldn't help.
A six hour drive to and from a destination is bound to eat a lot of gasoline, so on the final two hour stretch home, we needed to stop for gas and the only gas station around was this one gas station that was in the middle of nowhere. The sun was also setting so it was starting to get really dark. I didn't have a credit card at the time so I had to pay with cash inside the station before putting in gas into my car. It was uneventful until I was approached by this... gentleman who looked to be in his 50s or early 60s.
He asked if he could borrow five dollars. I gave him the money he needed and my friend and I were about to leave until he decided to make idle conversation and asked us if we would like to meet his wife and he will be giving me a thank you card in the mail. The sun was setting and the place was getting dark. I was parked in a well-lit area but his van was parked so far away where there are no lights and from the looks of it, he either had curtains or duct tape blinding the back windows because I couldn't see anything back there. I couldn't even see anybody in the front seat of the van, for that matter.
He was persistent we meet his wife too, as if what I had done for him was the greatest thing in the world. I mean, I gave him $5, not $500. There was no need to feel so gracious enough that you would want me to meet your wife, much less have me walk all the way to your car in a poorly-lit area.
My friend and I started to get a bit creeped out after what seemed like the millionth insistence we go meet his wife. We said no, we are in a hurry so we both backed into my car and got in as soon as the door unlocked and I immediately locked it. The man asked me to roll down the window, which I did, but just barely so he couldn't get his hand inside or anything. He said thank you and I should be expecting that thank you card soon in the mail.
I never gave him my address, by the way. Good thing I didn't, either.
When we left, we passed by the van and we did see something blinding the back windows upon further inspection. I also do not recall seeing a person in the front seat, either. There are just some real creeps out there. Be generous, but don't be stupid and go to a random stranger's car. I don't know what would have happend if my friend and I went to that man's van, but we don't really want to know either. The thought has stayed with me to this day. Probably the scariest thing I have ever been through, besides my house almost catching fire that one time cooking with oil... but that's not a scary story. That's just a story on not to be an idiot in the kitchen.
For day 9, I'll be posting a bit later tonight. As a sign-off to day 8, happy Meowloween, cats!
12:46 AM CDT
- I'm sorry I was not present yesterday to give Meowloween Day 8. Day 8 and 9 will be posted today. It's just that I had some last minute real-life things to get out of the way and that ate up a lot of my time. What I'll be talking about... we'll see. I haven't decided yet. I have so much material yet I don't know what to post first and save the best for last. I already thought of something for day 8, but day 9 is still on the backburner. I'll think of something.
For now, have a good night cats. See you later today.
3:01 PM CDT
- It is now 3:01 PM, and now I am read for Meowloween days 8 and 9.
First off for day 8, I wanted to talk about creepy experiences. One of my favorite YouTube channels is a channel belonging to Mr. Nightmare. He tells stories in the same vein as telling a scary campfire story with true stories in relationship to eachother (he'll have scary gym stories, scary dog-sitting stories, pretty much anything in this world can turn scary). He has the voice to tell these stories without coming off as obnoxious but rather he immerses you into the stories submitted by viewers.
I have never submitted a personal scary story of mine to him due to me being a big wussy baby, for one thing. He also may have a ton of material to work with but he can only fit in so much. But I do have a story that I hope at least entertains if not serves as a precautionary tale, especially for young people driving at night in the middle of nowhere.
In 2007, I was on vacation with a friend of mine and we decided to visit two cities four and six hours away from where we lived. It was spring break so we both had the time off from school and work. The trip we went on wasn't all that great. It wound up raining and my grandfather had died the same weekend we went on our trip so while we had our fun moments, overall it was just a dreary experience marred by events we really couldn't help.
A six hour drive to and from a destination is bound to eat a lot of gasoline, so on the final two hour stretch home, we needed to stop for gas and the only gas station around was this one gas station that was in the middle of nowhere. The sun was also setting so it was starting to get really dark. I didn't have a credit card at the time so I had to pay with cash inside the station before putting in gas into my car. It was uneventful until I was approached by this... gentleman who looked to be in his 50s or early 60s.
He asked if he could borrow five dollars. I gave him the money he needed and my friend and I were about to leave until he decided to make idle conversation and asked us if we would like to meet his wife and he will be giving me a thank you card in the mail. The sun was setting and the place was getting dark. I was parked in a well-lit area but his van was parked so far away where there are no lights and from the looks of it, he either had curtains or duct tape blinding the back windows because I couldn't see anything back there. I couldn't even see anybody in the front seat of the van, for that matter.
He was persistent we meet his wife too, as if what I had done for him was the greatest thing in the world. I mean, I gave him $5, not $500. There was no need to feel so gracious enough that you would want me to meet your wife, much less have me walk all the way to your car in a poorly-lit area.
My friend and I started to get a bit creeped out after what seemed like the millionth insistence we go meet his wife. We said no, we are in a hurry so we both backed into my car and got in as soon as the door unlocked and I immediately locked it. The man asked me to roll down the window, which I did, but just barely so he couldn't get his hand inside or anything. He said thank you and I should be expecting that thank you card soon in the mail.
I never gave him my address, by the way. Good thing I didn't, either.
When we left, we passed by the van and we did see something blinding the back windows upon further inspection. I also do not recall seeing a person in the front seat, either. There are just some real creeps out there. Be generous, but don't be stupid and go to a random stranger's car. I don't know what would have happend if my friend and I went to that man's van, but we don't really want to know either. The thought has stayed with me to this day. Probably the scariest thing I have ever been through, besides my house almost catching fire that one time cooking with oil... but that's not a scary story. That's just a story on not to be an idiot in the kitchen.
For day 9, I'll be posting a bit later tonight. As a sign-off to day 8, happy Meowloween, cats!
October 7, 2018
7:00 PM CDT
- Those gets I got yesterday? Here are some good ones. I got the Jazwares Mega Man dot sprite plushies along with the figure of Mega Man and Dr. Wily begging. Yeah, that awesome thing. It was too cool of an offer to pass up. The item that I was not able to get was a Mega Man 11 artbook. That was a shame, but maybe for another day. For now, I am happy to announce what has been purchased.
- Onto Meowloween Day 7.
For the past six days, I've only been talking about things that are gross, scary, and/or just plain depressing. Today's topic will be much more lighter since I've kinda made myself depressed with these entries, especially yesterday's. I cannot get the Cannibal Holocaust theme out of my head since talking about it and when it comes to my mind while I'm eating, I just feel sick and cannot eat anymore. Meh, I'll get over it, but onto something fun for once.
Halloween movies made for children are more fun, for the most part. When I was growing up, the Halloween movies that were made were fun yet scary enough for children without having to go to far with the intensity.
Hocus Pocus was one of those movies. I LOVE this movie but I found it harder to watch ever since my beloved black cat has passed away. I love black cats and this movie should make you love black cats, too.
Despite my personal reasons, it's a fun movie but it did scare me when I was little. I don't remember if it was or wasn't successful in theaters but it went on to be a hit when they showed it during the months of October after it was released on video. Oof. Back then, it took forever for a movie release to hit VHS. Now it takes maybe four months, at most.
I guess I found this movie much more charming the more I grew up and watched it every year. I found it less scary and more whimsical. It's one of those movies that doesn't age but you grow to love it. As a matter of fact, you can announce a sequel with the same actors and you'd have people jump out of there seats in joy. I know I would.
Not only that, you can count on it being entertaining. There's just something about dark and gritty movies that's hard to get right. My personal take on that is that if it's been done once, it's hard to do it again. Oh wow. People getting cut up with a machete or a chainsaw and constant cussing to make a sailor blush. Yawn. Seen that before a billion times. With the stuff made for families in mind, you get more opportunities to explore areas that are not there to just scare you. It may scare your kids, but your kids will grow up to find charm in what scared them when they were younger.
Either way, Halloween should be a fun time, and that includes the movies shown. Have some frightening scares if you want them, but make room for the fun along with the horrifying. Feeling scared or even sad are negative emotions and while it's okay to feel those emotions, having only negative emotions shouldn't be the dominating factor in anyone's life. That's just not healthy.
So, like with my previous entries, no spoilers on Hocus Pocus. It's got its scares, but overall, it's very charming. Go watch it for a fun time, and black cats!
Happy Meowloween, cats.
7:00 PM CDT
- Those gets I got yesterday? Here are some good ones. I got the Jazwares Mega Man dot sprite plushies along with the figure of Mega Man and Dr. Wily begging. Yeah, that awesome thing. It was too cool of an offer to pass up. The item that I was not able to get was a Mega Man 11 artbook. That was a shame, but maybe for another day. For now, I am happy to announce what has been purchased.
- Onto Meowloween Day 7.
For the past six days, I've only been talking about things that are gross, scary, and/or just plain depressing. Today's topic will be much more lighter since I've kinda made myself depressed with these entries, especially yesterday's. I cannot get the Cannibal Holocaust theme out of my head since talking about it and when it comes to my mind while I'm eating, I just feel sick and cannot eat anymore. Meh, I'll get over it, but onto something fun for once.
Halloween movies made for children are more fun, for the most part. When I was growing up, the Halloween movies that were made were fun yet scary enough for children without having to go to far with the intensity.
Hocus Pocus was one of those movies. I LOVE this movie but I found it harder to watch ever since my beloved black cat has passed away. I love black cats and this movie should make you love black cats, too.
Despite my personal reasons, it's a fun movie but it did scare me when I was little. I don't remember if it was or wasn't successful in theaters but it went on to be a hit when they showed it during the months of October after it was released on video. Oof. Back then, it took forever for a movie release to hit VHS. Now it takes maybe four months, at most.
I guess I found this movie much more charming the more I grew up and watched it every year. I found it less scary and more whimsical. It's one of those movies that doesn't age but you grow to love it. As a matter of fact, you can announce a sequel with the same actors and you'd have people jump out of there seats in joy. I know I would.
Not only that, you can count on it being entertaining. There's just something about dark and gritty movies that's hard to get right. My personal take on that is that if it's been done once, it's hard to do it again. Oh wow. People getting cut up with a machete or a chainsaw and constant cussing to make a sailor blush. Yawn. Seen that before a billion times. With the stuff made for families in mind, you get more opportunities to explore areas that are not there to just scare you. It may scare your kids, but your kids will grow up to find charm in what scared them when they were younger.
Either way, Halloween should be a fun time, and that includes the movies shown. Have some frightening scares if you want them, but make room for the fun along with the horrifying. Feeling scared or even sad are negative emotions and while it's okay to feel those emotions, having only negative emotions shouldn't be the dominating factor in anyone's life. That's just not healthy.
So, like with my previous entries, no spoilers on Hocus Pocus. It's got its scares, but overall, it's very charming. Go watch it for a fun time, and black cats!
Happy Meowloween, cats.
October 6, 2018
7:41 PM CDT
- Some collection updates. My local Gamestop blows, and ever since Toys R Us closed, there really isn't a whole lot of places that offer things without being sold out in a few days.
That's where my good friend, syminka, comes in. She helped buy me a treasure trove of goodies that I unfortunately couldn't find locally and costs a bundle on eBay. What are they? I'll reveal them tomorrow since there is one more item I would love her to pick up for me and I am hoping she is able to get it.
- I did get the Litten Retsuden stamp in the mail. The one I only wanted to pay $1 for but ended up paying full price for it. Drat. Well, its here and its adorable. That's something good. The clearfile was not a US purchase so it will not be here for another week or two. I'll update when it is here.
- So, now for Meowloween day 6.
I got the garbage splatter movies out of the way. Now for a good splatter movie that is intense, uncomfortable, yet horrifying at the same time: Cannibal Holocaust.
This is a gruesome movie. It was so bad that it was mistaken to be a real snuff film and was either censored or outright banned in many countries. It's still banned in a few countries to this day that have strict laws on how brutal these movies can get.
The director, an Italian filmaker named Ruggero Deodato, was charged with obscenity and murder due to the film's nature. For a while, it was thought to be an authentic snuff film that made its way to the viewing public. Of course, none of it was real (there is one thing that was real and I'll get to that in a bit) and it was just really good acting and one giant fake, bloody mess, but the portrayal was realistic enough to become one of the most brutal splatter films in history.
Why is this movie better than Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and that festering pile of Indie garbage known as The Human Centipede? I think it has to do with the documentary-style feel to it that gives it an extra disturbing vibe. It feels like a lost footage video that someone found in their basement and have just come across something that belongs in the evidence room of the local police station. It doesn't use big-budget actors nor is its main intent is to gross you out. It's not the goriest movie in the world, but its main intent is to make you as uncomfortable as possible. Even the name of the movie is grotesque.
This movie needs a massive trigger warning as there are graphic depictions of... EVERYTHING. This movie has everything in it to make everyone uncomfortable. Have one fetish that's depicted in the movie that you'll get your rocks off to? Well, something else comes out to make you feel squeamish. It's not just one thing that happens like in the ultra predictable TCM:TB and the gross out madness of The Human Centipede. It exists to make every single person squirm, and I like that. This was another movie I had watched when drawing scenes from horror movies for shirts. This one did not disappoint.
Do not watch this movie if you do not plan on feeling squeamish. It's not a feel-good movie. It's going to make you feel like you want to die. Don't let the nice-sounding music in the intro fool you. They play it throughout the movie during some intense scenes. This is a real splatter film that is actually scary- unless you watch the cut and edited versions, in which case you can pretty much call it the "I am a huge sissy" version in that it isn't even remotely scary and ruins everything about what made the movie so interestingly horrific in the first place.
No major details because I don't want to give away any spoilers nor do I want to get too graphic in my depiction. If the film is banned in your country, there's nothing I can do for you, folks. I will not be linking to any place to find it.
One spoiler that I'll white out so you'll be prepared for the most brutal parts of the movie that are actually real and sickening: there are real animals used that are decapitated, shot, and eaten on-screen. All of the animals ARE real and not props.
Happy Meowloween, cats. Tomorrow I'll talk about something a lot more light-hearted.
7:41 PM CDT
- Some collection updates. My local Gamestop blows, and ever since Toys R Us closed, there really isn't a whole lot of places that offer things without being sold out in a few days.
That's where my good friend, syminka, comes in. She helped buy me a treasure trove of goodies that I unfortunately couldn't find locally and costs a bundle on eBay. What are they? I'll reveal them tomorrow since there is one more item I would love her to pick up for me and I am hoping she is able to get it.
- I did get the Litten Retsuden stamp in the mail. The one I only wanted to pay $1 for but ended up paying full price for it. Drat. Well, its here and its adorable. That's something good. The clearfile was not a US purchase so it will not be here for another week or two. I'll update when it is here.
- So, now for Meowloween day 6.
I got the garbage splatter movies out of the way. Now for a good splatter movie that is intense, uncomfortable, yet horrifying at the same time: Cannibal Holocaust.
This is a gruesome movie. It was so bad that it was mistaken to be a real snuff film and was either censored or outright banned in many countries. It's still banned in a few countries to this day that have strict laws on how brutal these movies can get.
The director, an Italian filmaker named Ruggero Deodato, was charged with obscenity and murder due to the film's nature. For a while, it was thought to be an authentic snuff film that made its way to the viewing public. Of course, none of it was real (there is one thing that was real and I'll get to that in a bit) and it was just really good acting and one giant fake, bloody mess, but the portrayal was realistic enough to become one of the most brutal splatter films in history.
Why is this movie better than Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and that festering pile of Indie garbage known as The Human Centipede? I think it has to do with the documentary-style feel to it that gives it an extra disturbing vibe. It feels like a lost footage video that someone found in their basement and have just come across something that belongs in the evidence room of the local police station. It doesn't use big-budget actors nor is its main intent is to gross you out. It's not the goriest movie in the world, but its main intent is to make you as uncomfortable as possible. Even the name of the movie is grotesque.
This movie needs a massive trigger warning as there are graphic depictions of... EVERYTHING. This movie has everything in it to make everyone uncomfortable. Have one fetish that's depicted in the movie that you'll get your rocks off to? Well, something else comes out to make you feel squeamish. It's not just one thing that happens like in the ultra predictable TCM:TB and the gross out madness of The Human Centipede. It exists to make every single person squirm, and I like that. This was another movie I had watched when drawing scenes from horror movies for shirts. This one did not disappoint.
Do not watch this movie if you do not plan on feeling squeamish. It's not a feel-good movie. It's going to make you feel like you want to die. Don't let the nice-sounding music in the intro fool you. They play it throughout the movie during some intense scenes. This is a real splatter film that is actually scary- unless you watch the cut and edited versions, in which case you can pretty much call it the "I am a huge sissy" version in that it isn't even remotely scary and ruins everything about what made the movie so interestingly horrific in the first place.
No major details because I don't want to give away any spoilers nor do I want to get too graphic in my depiction. If the film is banned in your country, there's nothing I can do for you, folks. I will not be linking to any place to find it.
One spoiler that I'll white out so you'll be prepared for the most brutal parts of the movie that are actually real and sickening: there are real animals used that are decapitated, shot, and eaten on-screen. All of the animals ARE real and not props.
Happy Meowloween, cats. Tomorrow I'll talk about something a lot more light-hearted.
October 5, 2018
4:10 PM CDT
- Aww, ten more minutes and I could have made my terribly unfunny 420 joke. Oh well.
Some updates. First, I found the Charizard San-Ei plush. I had it in storage with another group of plush that needs to be put up. Great. Well, he'll have his picture taken in the next round of picture takes. Whenever that will be. I still have not decided on a date.
- Second update: the Rockman 11 game and extras are on their way to my house via EMS and they'll be here in about a week.
On the subject, I watched some let's plays and blind run cutscenes of Mega Man 11 on YouTube and I have to take back what I said about the voice acting. It is not that bad. I mean, it's not Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 levels of ridiculousness. I think the acting in Mega Man Powered Up was a lot better (and these characters were voiced by the people from Blue Water Studios- Ocean Productions lesser budget cousin), but overall, it's tolerable. With that said, I still think Rockman 11's voice acting is superior which is why I got the game in the first place, and it's not like I am missing any of the storyline because, again, I've been watching playthroughs on YouTube for the cutscenes. I haven't watched playthroughs as that'll spoil the actual playthrough when I get the game.
So, yeah. Not too terrible like I made it seem. I just wish they got an actual child actor or even a woman who can imitate a child to play Mega Man. Ben Diskin is a great actor and I enjoy his work, but he's just not Mega Man to me. That's my two cents. I can't wait to get this game.
- Now, onto Meowloween day 5.
I talked about crap movie #1 yesterday, onto literal crap movie #2 today. God bless it... this one's a painful one.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence). I didn't even bother with the sequels because sitting through this movie was like going through that scene in Clockwork Orange where Alex's eyes were kept open which was used to torture him.
Why did I watch this movie in the first place? Back in 2011, I was an artist for a local t-shirt company (it was very local so it wasn't that impressive) that reproduced scenes from horror movies. I had to recreate scenes that I wish I never had to draw, but hey, it paid the bills and I got a bulk of my collection with that money. From Silence of the Lambs to Friday the 13th, there was a lot of material I had, some not so bad, and some that made me want to cut off my own hands for drawing such filth.
One of that pieces of filth was a scene from The Human Centipede. Unlike the other scenes I have redrawn, this is one movie I have never seen. I wanted to watch the movie to get a feel for what I needed to draw.
This movie ruined my brain and I cannot unsee any of it. I still remember scenes that need to die and go to hell where it belongs. I wanted to refuse to draw any image from this movie, but they offered me a huge sum and I couldn't refuse because of the damn bills. Oh, a lot of it went to toys, too. I don't even remember which toys I bought with that money. I feel gross thinking about it.
Unlike Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, I will not be talking about anything that happened in The Human Centipede. Nothing! That movie is not safe for life! If you haven't seen it, don't watch it! I am serious. If you value your brain with no bleach needed, just don't watch it. It's the worst thing I have ever seen and it delves into territory that only the most strong, none-feeling person can watch. If you can make it through this movie eating a hot dog and a plate full of nachos, you deserve a $10,000 prize... and I'm not joking.
I will say this about Tom Six- he's a sicko who dresses pretentiously for his profile pictures.
Look, when it comes to splatter and torture films, I don't find that stuff scary. I can sit through them and while they can sometimes be uncomfortable to watch, like the Saw movies and pretty much anything made before 1980, they're not something that frightens me to an extent that I think about them for the rest of the day or even week. They're just gross. Sure, now I can sit through the Saw movies and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning without getting grossed out and mostly watch them out of boredom because I've seen enough gory films to where they are all just the same to me.
The Human Centipede was gross, it was uncomfortable to sit through, and while it didn't scare me, it unfortunately will never leave my mind and I can never watch that... thing again. It just comes off as a fetish film for those who get off to this kind of stuff. It's not for horror fans. It's for people who like the thought of.... I'm not saying it! But if you like that stuff, I am not here to judge. Just don't tell me you like that stuff.
If you actually want to watch this because you like what you read on Wikipedia or IMDB, go ahead and go to town. For everyone else, stay as far away as possible. It'll eat you, then you'll be eating again, and again, and again... ugh...
Happy Meowloween, and tomorrow I'll actually talk about a good movie. Later, cats and kittens.
4:10 PM CDT
- Aww, ten more minutes and I could have made my terribly unfunny 420 joke. Oh well.
Some updates. First, I found the Charizard San-Ei plush. I had it in storage with another group of plush that needs to be put up. Great. Well, he'll have his picture taken in the next round of picture takes. Whenever that will be. I still have not decided on a date.
- Second update: the Rockman 11 game and extras are on their way to my house via EMS and they'll be here in about a week.
On the subject, I watched some let's plays and blind run cutscenes of Mega Man 11 on YouTube and I have to take back what I said about the voice acting. It is not that bad. I mean, it's not Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 levels of ridiculousness. I think the acting in Mega Man Powered Up was a lot better (and these characters were voiced by the people from Blue Water Studios- Ocean Productions lesser budget cousin), but overall, it's tolerable. With that said, I still think Rockman 11's voice acting is superior which is why I got the game in the first place, and it's not like I am missing any of the storyline because, again, I've been watching playthroughs on YouTube for the cutscenes. I haven't watched playthroughs as that'll spoil the actual playthrough when I get the game.
So, yeah. Not too terrible like I made it seem. I just wish they got an actual child actor or even a woman who can imitate a child to play Mega Man. Ben Diskin is a great actor and I enjoy his work, but he's just not Mega Man to me. That's my two cents. I can't wait to get this game.
- Now, onto Meowloween day 5.
I talked about crap movie #1 yesterday, onto literal crap movie #2 today. God bless it... this one's a painful one.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence). I didn't even bother with the sequels because sitting through this movie was like going through that scene in Clockwork Orange where Alex's eyes were kept open which was used to torture him.
Why did I watch this movie in the first place? Back in 2011, I was an artist for a local t-shirt company (it was very local so it wasn't that impressive) that reproduced scenes from horror movies. I had to recreate scenes that I wish I never had to draw, but hey, it paid the bills and I got a bulk of my collection with that money. From Silence of the Lambs to Friday the 13th, there was a lot of material I had, some not so bad, and some that made me want to cut off my own hands for drawing such filth.
One of that pieces of filth was a scene from The Human Centipede. Unlike the other scenes I have redrawn, this is one movie I have never seen. I wanted to watch the movie to get a feel for what I needed to draw.
This movie ruined my brain and I cannot unsee any of it. I still remember scenes that need to die and go to hell where it belongs. I wanted to refuse to draw any image from this movie, but they offered me a huge sum and I couldn't refuse because of the damn bills. Oh, a lot of it went to toys, too. I don't even remember which toys I bought with that money. I feel gross thinking about it.
Unlike Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, I will not be talking about anything that happened in The Human Centipede. Nothing! That movie is not safe for life! If you haven't seen it, don't watch it! I am serious. If you value your brain with no bleach needed, just don't watch it. It's the worst thing I have ever seen and it delves into territory that only the most strong, none-feeling person can watch. If you can make it through this movie eating a hot dog and a plate full of nachos, you deserve a $10,000 prize... and I'm not joking.
I will say this about Tom Six- he's a sicko who dresses pretentiously for his profile pictures.
Look, when it comes to splatter and torture films, I don't find that stuff scary. I can sit through them and while they can sometimes be uncomfortable to watch, like the Saw movies and pretty much anything made before 1980, they're not something that frightens me to an extent that I think about them for the rest of the day or even week. They're just gross. Sure, now I can sit through the Saw movies and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning without getting grossed out and mostly watch them out of boredom because I've seen enough gory films to where they are all just the same to me.
The Human Centipede was gross, it was uncomfortable to sit through, and while it didn't scare me, it unfortunately will never leave my mind and I can never watch that... thing again. It just comes off as a fetish film for those who get off to this kind of stuff. It's not for horror fans. It's for people who like the thought of.... I'm not saying it! But if you like that stuff, I am not here to judge. Just don't tell me you like that stuff.
If you actually want to watch this because you like what you read on Wikipedia or IMDB, go ahead and go to town. For everyone else, stay as far away as possible. It'll eat you, then you'll be eating again, and again, and again... ugh...
Happy Meowloween, and tomorrow I'll actually talk about a good movie. Later, cats and kittens.
October 4, 2018
3:07 PM CDT
- No new gets or site news. Onto Meowloween day 4.
I know yesterday's update was more depressing than scary. I know I found myself feeling sad. I and my fellow Americans who have cell phones also got an emergency alert test from the federal government while I was writing that, and that scared me more than what I published because I thought it meant having to be forced to listen to Trump's Tweets everyday. If that ever happened, I would have my phone off. Forever. Or at least until that orange-tinted stain is out of office.
Okay, enough about that windbag. I promise not to do any political Meowloween entries. I was just mentioning something that happened yesterday while I was writing yesterday's entry and thought it would be worth mentioning. Or not. Who knows? Only you, the reader, knows.
My entry for yesterday was actually going to be something related to Halloween- horror movies. But... since I read what felt like something from Through the Looking Glass, it would have been a nice change of pace.
Today I'll be talking about one horror movie that repulsed me so much, I never went to the theater to watch horror movies again, because they all seem like torture and splatter porn than anything actually trying to scare the viewer. If you visit the Bulbagarden forums, you probably know which movie I am talking about since I've mentioned it a few times.
There are two horror movies that sickened me. Today I'll be talking about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Man, fuck this movie. Everything about it was so predictable, but here's the main thing about it that it lacked- horror. It was not scary. Everything was very predictable because it was a prequel. It was as if I was watching a snuff film that really grossed me out about this schlock.
This movie was the prequel to the 2003 film, which was a remake of the 1974 original. I didn't mind the remake. It wasn't a gross out fest like its 2006 prequel would become. Sure, it had some gruesome moments and of course it was predictable, but it didn't feel like I was watching someone getting murdered, and while people were murdered, it didn't feel like I was watching it for real. If you read the IMDB reviews of The Beginning, there are two groups of people who watched this film- people who loved it or people who hated it. I hated it, of course, but not for the reasons many of the lovers of this piece of garbage believe. I did go into the theater expecting a gory movie, but I didn't go in thinking that was all it was pretty much going to be. This was 2006. It was the beginning of the end for the horror genre because these producers seem to think more blood and dismemberment means a scarier product. Oh, and jumpscares. How could I forget those?
I hated almost everything about this movie- the characters, the origin of Leatherface, the forced dark humor, the extreme brutality that was relentless, and the length of this movie which just didn't seem to end. The only one person who I liked in this movie was R. Lee Ermey and his character. May that man rest in peace.
I don't want to go into too much detail about this movie because I don't want to give away spoilers just in case you actually want to watch this movie, which is what I don't like about talking about movies. But spoilers: All the teenage twits die in the end. Including the last girl.
If you actually want to watch this piece of shit, I should stress that there is a scene in the movie that is so goddamn tasteless and executed so poorly that I am going to put a trigger warning on it. I don't mess around with that term, either. This movie just seems to exist just to be sadistic. Stupid trash movie.
Oh, and did I mention Michael Bay was one of the producers for this movie? This and a lot of other worthless horror remakes? I know he's an easy target, but still, I rest my case.
Happy Meowloween and I'll catch you cats tomorrow with another crap horror movie.
3:07 PM CDT
- No new gets or site news. Onto Meowloween day 4.
I know yesterday's update was more depressing than scary. I know I found myself feeling sad. I and my fellow Americans who have cell phones also got an emergency alert test from the federal government while I was writing that, and that scared me more than what I published because I thought it meant having to be forced to listen to Trump's Tweets everyday. If that ever happened, I would have my phone off. Forever. Or at least until that orange-tinted stain is out of office.
Okay, enough about that windbag. I promise not to do any political Meowloween entries. I was just mentioning something that happened yesterday while I was writing yesterday's entry and thought it would be worth mentioning. Or not. Who knows? Only you, the reader, knows.
My entry for yesterday was actually going to be something related to Halloween- horror movies. But... since I read what felt like something from Through the Looking Glass, it would have been a nice change of pace.
Today I'll be talking about one horror movie that repulsed me so much, I never went to the theater to watch horror movies again, because they all seem like torture and splatter porn than anything actually trying to scare the viewer. If you visit the Bulbagarden forums, you probably know which movie I am talking about since I've mentioned it a few times.
There are two horror movies that sickened me. Today I'll be talking about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Man, fuck this movie. Everything about it was so predictable, but here's the main thing about it that it lacked- horror. It was not scary. Everything was very predictable because it was a prequel. It was as if I was watching a snuff film that really grossed me out about this schlock.
This movie was the prequel to the 2003 film, which was a remake of the 1974 original. I didn't mind the remake. It wasn't a gross out fest like its 2006 prequel would become. Sure, it had some gruesome moments and of course it was predictable, but it didn't feel like I was watching someone getting murdered, and while people were murdered, it didn't feel like I was watching it for real. If you read the IMDB reviews of The Beginning, there are two groups of people who watched this film- people who loved it or people who hated it. I hated it, of course, but not for the reasons many of the lovers of this piece of garbage believe. I did go into the theater expecting a gory movie, but I didn't go in thinking that was all it was pretty much going to be. This was 2006. It was the beginning of the end for the horror genre because these producers seem to think more blood and dismemberment means a scarier product. Oh, and jumpscares. How could I forget those?
I hated almost everything about this movie- the characters, the origin of Leatherface, the forced dark humor, the extreme brutality that was relentless, and the length of this movie which just didn't seem to end. The only one person who I liked in this movie was R. Lee Ermey and his character. May that man rest in peace.
I don't want to go into too much detail about this movie because I don't want to give away spoilers just in case you actually want to watch this movie, which is what I don't like about talking about movies. But spoilers: All the teenage twits die in the end. Including the last girl.
If you actually want to watch this piece of shit, I should stress that there is a scene in the movie that is so goddamn tasteless and executed so poorly that I am going to put a trigger warning on it. I don't mess around with that term, either. This movie just seems to exist just to be sadistic. Stupid trash movie.
Oh, and did I mention Michael Bay was one of the producers for this movie? This and a lot of other worthless horror remakes? I know he's an easy target, but still, I rest my case.
Happy Meowloween and I'll catch you cats tomorrow with another crap horror movie.
October 3, 2018
12:55 PM CDT
- Gets update. Today I got my sweet, sweet eBay bucks. Up to $10, almost $11. I decided to redeem it on something around the $10-$15 area so that way I can get an item off my eBay wants list. Oh hey! I had the Litten Retsuden stamp as a want and it was around that price. I would have only paid $1 for it out of pocket! Well, instead of using the option to use the eBay bucks because I was too excited and pushed buttons too soon like a moron, I purchased it at full price, instead. God bless it.
So instead, I used the eBay bucks to purchase the Pikazard Mega Tokyo clearfile, which was around the same price. I jumped the gun a little too quickly there with the stamp. I guess I shouldn't be too upset. I mean, I've been wanting to get that stamp along with the clearfile for a while but I've been putting them off for other releases.
But that's the get update.
- Now for the site update. I will be drawing an Alolan Persian image for the Generation I page to go with regular Persian. I know Alolan Persian is a Gen VII Pokémon, but it is a variant of something that already exists in Gen I and I do not see a need to add it to a different page. So expect that in the future.
Also, I am dead set on starting a Garurumon collection. I have taken pictures of the small collection I have of him. There's just not a whole lot I have that warrants making a new page at the moment. I want to get at least ten more items before a new page can be created.
- Now with the important stuff out of the way, onto Meowloween day 3. I have to warn you that this is real stuff and has been documented by local news media. This isn't here to gossip or sway opinion, but it is a rabbit hole that I really wish I didn't go down and I find it really disturbing.
One of my favorite channels on YouTube is Big Cat Rescue. It is what it says in the name. They are a sanctuary for big cats that have been abused or neglected by people who take in these animals but not knowing what they are getting themselves into. If you are an animal lover, you have more than likely have heard about them in some way.
Not too many people know about the backstory of BCR. They originally did start off as a roadside zoo that was to be combined as a bed and breakfast where you could actually sleep with the wild cats. In other words, the complete opposite of a sanctuary. Their previous name was Wildlife on Easy Street and there are photos and videos of the owners and visitors handling the animals by hand. Today, they have a policy of no human contact and they are a real sanctuary as defined by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. It is quite a change, but a good change, nonetheless. To be fair about their past as a bed and breakfast, they do not hide that fact and in fact mention it when you look up the origins of BCR. What they have not been so open about is that they have also lied about certain animals' pasts, creating fake sob stories about an animal that was in fact purchased by BCR themselves in the 90s and shown as cubs without any health problems.
"But ocelotlrama," you say, "this isn't scary and Meowloween worthy. This is a good change of pace that is endearing, you hack!"
Yes, the way the sanctuary currently is run now, nobody would know about their past. But let's dig a bit deeper.
The sanctuary, again, was meant to be a bed and breakfast attraction that allowed guests to stay overnight on the property with all sorts of exotic animals. It was opened by millionaire couple Jack Donald Lewis and Carole Baskin. There are a lot of rumors about Carole Baskin herself and, once again, I am not here to gossip so I will not be addressing those rumors.
Don Lewis, on the other hand, well... his story is bizarre. He dabbled in real estate and that's how he made his millions, which would explain how they were able to aquire the property for the animals they keep. He also tried to get a protection order from his own wife and he went missing since 1997. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.
Here's his bio on The Charley Project. You'll read some... interesting stuff in that link. What happened to the co-founder of BCR? Who knows? The fact he went missing and they have yet to find him or even his body is disturbing. Because of the animals they kept, the thought of what could have happend to him or his remains can lead to unsettling conclusions. They could be wrong conclusions, but it's not difficult to let your mind wander to some dark places.
Don was not the only person who wanted a protection order against Carole. A man by the name of Jay Baykals also felt the need to get a protection order because he claims she had taken his gun and hid it, while her own gun is always with her and fully loaded.
I must mention a third time that this is not gossip. Here are the documents that were filed as protection orders- Don's and Jay's. Don has also been declared legally dead since 2002.
You read something like this and what you loved before can never be looked at the same again. I am sure the staff and volunteers love what they do at BCR and now they are doing good in taking care of these animals, but this is something that is hard to ignore. You look at that and it just comes across as a disturbing past of something that seems very humane.
I hope Don is just somewhere not wanting to be found and is alive. This is a real rabbit hole that I wanted to share. If you want to dive into that rabbit hole some more, just look up Don's name. Still donate to help the animals. Big Cat Rescue still has their resident cats that need care. This is all public information that I wanted to share for this day because it's a gritty, harsh, and disturbing background to an otherwise uplifting veneer of rescuing those who cannot speak for themselves.
On a much lighter note, people have mistaken my site as an affiliate of Big Cat Rescue or assumed I collect real big cats. Obviously, I am not affiliated with an animal sanctuary and I do not collect real big cats. Big cat plushes, sure.
Happy Meowloween, all you cats and kittens out there.
12:55 PM CDT
- Gets update. Today I got my sweet, sweet eBay bucks. Up to $10, almost $11. I decided to redeem it on something around the $10-$15 area so that way I can get an item off my eBay wants list. Oh hey! I had the Litten Retsuden stamp as a want and it was around that price. I would have only paid $1 for it out of pocket! Well, instead of using the option to use the eBay bucks because I was too excited and pushed buttons too soon like a moron, I purchased it at full price, instead. God bless it.
So instead, I used the eBay bucks to purchase the Pikazard Mega Tokyo clearfile, which was around the same price. I jumped the gun a little too quickly there with the stamp. I guess I shouldn't be too upset. I mean, I've been wanting to get that stamp along with the clearfile for a while but I've been putting them off for other releases.
But that's the get update.
- Now for the site update. I will be drawing an Alolan Persian image for the Generation I page to go with regular Persian. I know Alolan Persian is a Gen VII Pokémon, but it is a variant of something that already exists in Gen I and I do not see a need to add it to a different page. So expect that in the future.
Also, I am dead set on starting a Garurumon collection. I have taken pictures of the small collection I have of him. There's just not a whole lot I have that warrants making a new page at the moment. I want to get at least ten more items before a new page can be created.
- Now with the important stuff out of the way, onto Meowloween day 3. I have to warn you that this is real stuff and has been documented by local news media. This isn't here to gossip or sway opinion, but it is a rabbit hole that I really wish I didn't go down and I find it really disturbing.
One of my favorite channels on YouTube is Big Cat Rescue. It is what it says in the name. They are a sanctuary for big cats that have been abused or neglected by people who take in these animals but not knowing what they are getting themselves into. If you are an animal lover, you have more than likely have heard about them in some way.
Not too many people know about the backstory of BCR. They originally did start off as a roadside zoo that was to be combined as a bed and breakfast where you could actually sleep with the wild cats. In other words, the complete opposite of a sanctuary. Their previous name was Wildlife on Easy Street and there are photos and videos of the owners and visitors handling the animals by hand. Today, they have a policy of no human contact and they are a real sanctuary as defined by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. It is quite a change, but a good change, nonetheless. To be fair about their past as a bed and breakfast, they do not hide that fact and in fact mention it when you look up the origins of BCR. What they have not been so open about is that they have also lied about certain animals' pasts, creating fake sob stories about an animal that was in fact purchased by BCR themselves in the 90s and shown as cubs without any health problems.
"But ocelotlrama," you say, "this isn't scary and Meowloween worthy. This is a good change of pace that is endearing, you hack!"
Yes, the way the sanctuary currently is run now, nobody would know about their past. But let's dig a bit deeper.
The sanctuary, again, was meant to be a bed and breakfast attraction that allowed guests to stay overnight on the property with all sorts of exotic animals. It was opened by millionaire couple Jack Donald Lewis and Carole Baskin. There are a lot of rumors about Carole Baskin herself and, once again, I am not here to gossip so I will not be addressing those rumors.
Don Lewis, on the other hand, well... his story is bizarre. He dabbled in real estate and that's how he made his millions, which would explain how they were able to aquire the property for the animals they keep. He also tried to get a protection order from his own wife and he went missing since 1997. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.
Here's his bio on The Charley Project. You'll read some... interesting stuff in that link. What happened to the co-founder of BCR? Who knows? The fact he went missing and they have yet to find him or even his body is disturbing. Because of the animals they kept, the thought of what could have happend to him or his remains can lead to unsettling conclusions. They could be wrong conclusions, but it's not difficult to let your mind wander to some dark places.
Don was not the only person who wanted a protection order against Carole. A man by the name of Jay Baykals also felt the need to get a protection order because he claims she had taken his gun and hid it, while her own gun is always with her and fully loaded.
I must mention a third time that this is not gossip. Here are the documents that were filed as protection orders- Don's and Jay's. Don has also been declared legally dead since 2002.
You read something like this and what you loved before can never be looked at the same again. I am sure the staff and volunteers love what they do at BCR and now they are doing good in taking care of these animals, but this is something that is hard to ignore. You look at that and it just comes across as a disturbing past of something that seems very humane.
I hope Don is just somewhere not wanting to be found and is alive. This is a real rabbit hole that I wanted to share. If you want to dive into that rabbit hole some more, just look up Don's name. Still donate to help the animals. Big Cat Rescue still has their resident cats that need care. This is all public information that I wanted to share for this day because it's a gritty, harsh, and disturbing background to an otherwise uplifting veneer of rescuing those who cannot speak for themselves.
On a much lighter note, people have mistaken my site as an affiliate of Big Cat Rescue or assumed I collect real big cats. Obviously, I am not affiliated with an animal sanctuary and I do not collect real big cats. Big cat plushes, sure.
Happy Meowloween, all you cats and kittens out there.
October 2, 2018
11:44 AM CDT
- A great update. Mega Man 11 has been released today and congrats to all of you getting your games today. I got the Japanese version of the game so I have to still wait. However, I would be on the watch during the next two years before fans start clamoring "Where's Mega Man 12, Capcom? You guys hate Mega Man!" I admit I take a bit of joy at ribbing this fandom in particular but if you go to any Mega Man fansite with a comment section before Mega Man 11 was announced, people would complain about Capcom as if they murdered children. Hey, don't get mad at me for making fun of the fandom at their expense. They provide all the material needed to make some easy jokes.
But yeah, the game's out today. If you ordered it online, you'll have to wait a bit longer. If you ordered from Japan, you'll have to wait even more longer. But hey, waiting just makes getting the game more exciting.
- Meowloween is on its second day. Good thing October lasts 31 days. I need to save the best for last on the 31st,
Back on the subject of haunted houses, McKamey Manor is the most intense and brutal of any haunted house in the world. Hands down. Yet I've been to a couple of haunted houses that were very tame in comparison and there were people who still couldn't finish going through the buildings. I've been to one where two girls had to use the haunted house's safe word to get out right away. Getting through the haunted house's maze of darkness, loud noises, strobe light effects, and grisly-looking props can be too much for some people to bear.
Then you have the shittiest haunted houses that bilk you for money, make you wait in line for hours, and you find the experience so underwhelming that you want to yell at the owner for your money back. I've been to one haunted house where the experience was so lackluster. Like I'm going to be afraid of the guy wearing a Mario shirt while also wearing a skull mask purchased at Walmart and exclaiming "Whhoooo! Give me your cell phone!" I did get chased by a guy with a chainsaw, but that's about it.
The best haunted house I have been to was in an abandoned warehouse-turned haunted house. The atmosphere was perfect and the actors would get so close to you with sharp objects that you feared for your life. Unfortunately, I have since moved from the area so I can no longer enjoy what they bring every new October. I heard they got Gunnar Hansen to do an autograph session while people waited in line before he passed away in 2015. To have gotten his autograph would have been amazing!
But fuck half-assed haunted houses like the one I mentioned about the guy in the Mario shirt. I mean, really? I waited in line for three hours and paid $20 admission just for that? I don't want torture porn levels of crazy but c'mon! You also had to be over 18 to attend that haunted house, which I don't get because it wasn't scary. They could have allowed children. Well, maybe getting chased by a guy with a chainsaw was a bit too extreme but that's about the only thing I remember about that stupid place being scary.
There's a haunted house in a warehouse-like building in a nearby town I am going to visit. I hear good things about it and it isn't cheesy. Not McKamey Manor brutal (nothing can be McKamey Manor brutal except an actual torture session) but still intense.
Happy Meowloween! Tomorrow I'll be talking about something else other than haunted houses. Be cool, cats.
11:47 PM CDT
- This section of the site will no longer be called Updates and News. The new name for this page along with future pages will be called "The Snow Files" as Snow the Snow Leopard will be taking over and giving the usual updates and news along with the occasional banter here and there for Meowloween and fandom stuff. Previous years will stay as Updates and News as those are archived and will not be changed.
Have a good night, everyone.
11:44 AM CDT
- A great update. Mega Man 11 has been released today and congrats to all of you getting your games today. I got the Japanese version of the game so I have to still wait. However, I would be on the watch during the next two years before fans start clamoring "Where's Mega Man 12, Capcom? You guys hate Mega Man!" I admit I take a bit of joy at ribbing this fandom in particular but if you go to any Mega Man fansite with a comment section before Mega Man 11 was announced, people would complain about Capcom as if they murdered children. Hey, don't get mad at me for making fun of the fandom at their expense. They provide all the material needed to make some easy jokes.
But yeah, the game's out today. If you ordered it online, you'll have to wait a bit longer. If you ordered from Japan, you'll have to wait even more longer. But hey, waiting just makes getting the game more exciting.
- Meowloween is on its second day. Good thing October lasts 31 days. I need to save the best for last on the 31st,
Back on the subject of haunted houses, McKamey Manor is the most intense and brutal of any haunted house in the world. Hands down. Yet I've been to a couple of haunted houses that were very tame in comparison and there were people who still couldn't finish going through the buildings. I've been to one where two girls had to use the haunted house's safe word to get out right away. Getting through the haunted house's maze of darkness, loud noises, strobe light effects, and grisly-looking props can be too much for some people to bear.
Then you have the shittiest haunted houses that bilk you for money, make you wait in line for hours, and you find the experience so underwhelming that you want to yell at the owner for your money back. I've been to one haunted house where the experience was so lackluster. Like I'm going to be afraid of the guy wearing a Mario shirt while also wearing a skull mask purchased at Walmart and exclaiming "Whhoooo! Give me your cell phone!" I did get chased by a guy with a chainsaw, but that's about it.
The best haunted house I have been to was in an abandoned warehouse-turned haunted house. The atmosphere was perfect and the actors would get so close to you with sharp objects that you feared for your life. Unfortunately, I have since moved from the area so I can no longer enjoy what they bring every new October. I heard they got Gunnar Hansen to do an autograph session while people waited in line before he passed away in 2015. To have gotten his autograph would have been amazing!
But fuck half-assed haunted houses like the one I mentioned about the guy in the Mario shirt. I mean, really? I waited in line for three hours and paid $20 admission just for that? I don't want torture porn levels of crazy but c'mon! You also had to be over 18 to attend that haunted house, which I don't get because it wasn't scary. They could have allowed children. Well, maybe getting chased by a guy with a chainsaw was a bit too extreme but that's about the only thing I remember about that stupid place being scary.
There's a haunted house in a warehouse-like building in a nearby town I am going to visit. I hear good things about it and it isn't cheesy. Not McKamey Manor brutal (nothing can be McKamey Manor brutal except an actual torture session) but still intense.
Happy Meowloween! Tomorrow I'll be talking about something else other than haunted houses. Be cool, cats.
11:47 PM CDT
- This section of the site will no longer be called Updates and News. The new name for this page along with future pages will be called "The Snow Files" as Snow the Snow Leopard will be taking over and giving the usual updates and news along with the occasional banter here and there for Meowloween and fandom stuff. Previous years will stay as Updates and News as those are archived and will not be changed.
Have a good night, everyone.
October 1, 2018
2:23 PM CDT
- No collection or site updates. I got that crap taken care of yesterday. Now is the moment I really wanted to share!
Today is the beginning of Meowloween, and unlike Halloween, it lasts the entire month because here at Big Cat Collections, we just couldn't wait until the 31st. Sit back, watch scary movies, go to your local stores to see the costumes and all the candy they have for sale, go for a drive and see the spooky setups your neighbors may have, and visit your local haunted house. My favorite thing about this month are the haunted houses so I'm hoping they don't half ass it and really scare the bejeesus out of me. But not too scary that I want to die like that of McKamey Manor, and that's the first thing I will be talking about on this special month.
For those who do not know, McKamey Manor is the ultimate and most extreme haunted house in the world. Once located in sunny San Diego, the attractions have now moved to Tennessee and Alabama. There are no safe words (they say there were but I don't believe them), you are mind fucked for hours, and it can get so bad that grown men the size of bears who were once marines have cried like children. There is literal physical and mental abuse that you have to endure for eight hours or more, though the current record is set at six hours.
Why would people sign up for what amounts to S&M? There is a waiting list of more than 20,000 people! Before all you needed to do was donate a can of dog food for a local shelter and be over the age of 21 to enter the haunted house, plus you had to sign a waiver so it was not like nobody knew what they were getting themselves into. Now? Look at the requirements needed to get in in the link I provided. It's all that plus the waiver. They will do everything they can to talk you out of it, but once you are in, you are in and you are in for the worst night of your life. Watching the videos are hard enough, but imagine living through it. I will not be posting any of the videos because they are too intense, but you can watch them on their website or their YouTube channel.
People do crazy things all the time knowing the dangers involved. But this... this is just enduring torture. You know you will survive, but to endure this for hours is insane. Try watching a video and know what you are watching is not a horror movie, but an actual group of people entering a haunted house where they had to pass all sorts of medical and background tests to "enjoy" everything that is offered, ranging from force feeding all sorts of gross shit to having snakes, roaches, and spiders crawl on your face while you are pinned down in a cage. They will simulate drowning in water. They drench you in blood and whether it's fake or not is up for debate. Your biggest phobias will be coming true. I could go on but that will go into too graphic territory. They advertise it like living through a horror movie and they couldn't be more correct.
They are offering cash prizes for those who really know how to endure this torture. Hey, if you are into that kind of thing (and I am not here to judge), join up and win an easy $20,000 for doing what you enjoy! But yeah, this haunted house is not for pussies who get scared over a simple loud sound. Even the bravest can only take so much.
Feeling adventurous and want to join up? Follow all their rules, be sure to psych yourself up, and wait out the waiting list until it is your turn. If you found them through this website and you decided to go through that haunted house, know that Big Cat Collections nor I, the webmaster, are not responsible for anything that happens. I'm just here to talk about scary things. Know McKamey Manor is also not responsible. They warn you repeatedly. Hell, I warned you.
Happy Meowloween, cats.
2:23 PM CDT
- No collection or site updates. I got that crap taken care of yesterday. Now is the moment I really wanted to share!
Today is the beginning of Meowloween, and unlike Halloween, it lasts the entire month because here at Big Cat Collections, we just couldn't wait until the 31st. Sit back, watch scary movies, go to your local stores to see the costumes and all the candy they have for sale, go for a drive and see the spooky setups your neighbors may have, and visit your local haunted house. My favorite thing about this month are the haunted houses so I'm hoping they don't half ass it and really scare the bejeesus out of me. But not too scary that I want to die like that of McKamey Manor, and that's the first thing I will be talking about on this special month.
For those who do not know, McKamey Manor is the ultimate and most extreme haunted house in the world. Once located in sunny San Diego, the attractions have now moved to Tennessee and Alabama. There are no safe words (they say there were but I don't believe them), you are mind fucked for hours, and it can get so bad that grown men the size of bears who were once marines have cried like children. There is literal physical and mental abuse that you have to endure for eight hours or more, though the current record is set at six hours.
Why would people sign up for what amounts to S&M? There is a waiting list of more than 20,000 people! Before all you needed to do was donate a can of dog food for a local shelter and be over the age of 21 to enter the haunted house, plus you had to sign a waiver so it was not like nobody knew what they were getting themselves into. Now? Look at the requirements needed to get in in the link I provided. It's all that plus the waiver. They will do everything they can to talk you out of it, but once you are in, you are in and you are in for the worst night of your life. Watching the videos are hard enough, but imagine living through it. I will not be posting any of the videos because they are too intense, but you can watch them on their website or their YouTube channel.
People do crazy things all the time knowing the dangers involved. But this... this is just enduring torture. You know you will survive, but to endure this for hours is insane. Try watching a video and know what you are watching is not a horror movie, but an actual group of people entering a haunted house where they had to pass all sorts of medical and background tests to "enjoy" everything that is offered, ranging from force feeding all sorts of gross shit to having snakes, roaches, and spiders crawl on your face while you are pinned down in a cage. They will simulate drowning in water. They drench you in blood and whether it's fake or not is up for debate. Your biggest phobias will be coming true. I could go on but that will go into too graphic territory. They advertise it like living through a horror movie and they couldn't be more correct.
They are offering cash prizes for those who really know how to endure this torture. Hey, if you are into that kind of thing (and I am not here to judge), join up and win an easy $20,000 for doing what you enjoy! But yeah, this haunted house is not for pussies who get scared over a simple loud sound. Even the bravest can only take so much.
Feeling adventurous and want to join up? Follow all their rules, be sure to psych yourself up, and wait out the waiting list until it is your turn. If you found them through this website and you decided to go through that haunted house, know that Big Cat Collections nor I, the webmaster, are not responsible for anything that happens. I'm just here to talk about scary things. Know McKamey Manor is also not responsible. They warn you repeatedly. Hell, I warned you.
Happy Meowloween, cats.
September 30, 2018
2:05 AM CDT
- It is now the following day after picture day and I managed to get everything I wanted to post as of now. The only items that need to be retaken were those seven I mentioned, along with taking the rest of the pictures in what's in Lioness's to-do list, of course.
The items that were colored orange were the biggest pain to take a picture of. I don't know why. There was a large glare in the left side of the images that was blinding. It did the same thing to the Alolan Persian plush. The weather was just terrible but I already put off picture day for three weeks and I wasn't going to put it off for a fourth. Tomorrow I will continue and finish what I started. For now, have a look and see what I have posted. There are some placeholders up but those will be deleted once the images that are supposed to be placed there are posted up.
Have a good night, cats.
1:50 PM CDT
- Today is a brand new day. The weather has not improved, but I only have a few more things to take pictures of, so let's get to it.
3:03 PM CDT
- So far things are going smoothly, expect for one thing- I cannot find the Charizard San-Ei plush. I would not have placed it in Lioness's to-do list unless I had it in my house. It's here somewhere but I have a lot of things that need to be put away and I may have accidentally put it away with the rest of my collection for display or it's in another room. Either way, I'm tired and what I have taken will be put up and I'll leave the San-Ei plush for next picture day because I just want to be done with this.
4:36 PM CDT
- Okay, all pictures with the exception of the Charizard San-Ei plush have been posted, meaning I am done. I am done taking pictures and I just want to reorganize my room before the next batch of goodies get here. The Charizard San-Ei plush will be saved for next picture day, which will likely be in December or January.
I think the thing I dislike the most about picture day is editing. If none of the pictures of an item came out good, then I have to retake them and go back to editing again. Taking pictures and posting them online is not the hard part. Editing is. Well, I can put that behind me for now. I'm sorry this took three weeks to get to. Again, bad weather and a bad week had me postponing the date. Good thing I'm done right now, too. The natural light is now gone.
So in other news, tomorrow is the beginning of October! So spooky times ahead! I have a lot of ideas I'd love to share on this site. A nice break from picture day.
Enjoy what I have up now. I'll add info later. For now, be cool, cats.
2:05 AM CDT
- It is now the following day after picture day and I managed to get everything I wanted to post as of now. The only items that need to be retaken were those seven I mentioned, along with taking the rest of the pictures in what's in Lioness's to-do list, of course.
The items that were colored orange were the biggest pain to take a picture of. I don't know why. There was a large glare in the left side of the images that was blinding. It did the same thing to the Alolan Persian plush. The weather was just terrible but I already put off picture day for three weeks and I wasn't going to put it off for a fourth. Tomorrow I will continue and finish what I started. For now, have a look and see what I have posted. There are some placeholders up but those will be deleted once the images that are supposed to be placed there are posted up.
Have a good night, cats.
1:50 PM CDT
- Today is a brand new day. The weather has not improved, but I only have a few more things to take pictures of, so let's get to it.
3:03 PM CDT
- So far things are going smoothly, expect for one thing- I cannot find the Charizard San-Ei plush. I would not have placed it in Lioness's to-do list unless I had it in my house. It's here somewhere but I have a lot of things that need to be put away and I may have accidentally put it away with the rest of my collection for display or it's in another room. Either way, I'm tired and what I have taken will be put up and I'll leave the San-Ei plush for next picture day because I just want to be done with this.
4:36 PM CDT
- Okay, all pictures with the exception of the Charizard San-Ei plush have been posted, meaning I am done. I am done taking pictures and I just want to reorganize my room before the next batch of goodies get here. The Charizard San-Ei plush will be saved for next picture day, which will likely be in December or January.
I think the thing I dislike the most about picture day is editing. If none of the pictures of an item came out good, then I have to retake them and go back to editing again. Taking pictures and posting them online is not the hard part. Editing is. Well, I can put that behind me for now. I'm sorry this took three weeks to get to. Again, bad weather and a bad week had me postponing the date. Good thing I'm done right now, too. The natural light is now gone.
So in other news, tomorrow is the beginning of October! So spooky times ahead! I have a lot of ideas I'd love to share on this site. A nice break from picture day.
Enjoy what I have up now. I'll add info later. For now, be cool, cats.
September 29, 2018
12:57 PM CDT
- Picture day is today and it will stay as today. As a matter of fact, I am taking pictures right now.
Remember, as with all picture days, some pictures may become blurry and with daylight becoming more scarce, whatever bad pictures I have taken will be retaken tomorrow, if need be. These things also have to go through Photoshop and edited for the site. So, be patient, hopefully no errors occur, and I'll have them all up by this evening.
4:00 PM CDT
- As of this hour, all natural light is gone and I will resume tomorrow taking what I missed today. It is a cloudy day and the sun is setting much sooner than it used to. Then again, I am not sweating my brains out and I don't feel like crap.
All images that I have taken of will be uploaded unto Photoshop and edited. If there is something that was not taken correctly, I will retake it tomorrow. For now, be patient while I get them edited. I will update when I am finished.
7:44 PM CDT
- The pictures are taking a lot longer to upload because my host is being a bitch and it won't just upload an image without spazzing out. I'm taking a few breaks in between but I already have two items that need to be retaken tomorrow. So I won't forget, I'll mention they are the Midday Lycanroc US Tomy figure and the Torracat keychain. I'm not done editing so there could be more.
8:28 PM CDT
- That number of retakes has been bumped up to seven. The Growlithe Kororin and San-Ei plush, Alolan Persian PC Plush, Torracat Chupa figure, and the Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush need to be retaken.
12:57 PM CDT
- Picture day is today and it will stay as today. As a matter of fact, I am taking pictures right now.
Remember, as with all picture days, some pictures may become blurry and with daylight becoming more scarce, whatever bad pictures I have taken will be retaken tomorrow, if need be. These things also have to go through Photoshop and edited for the site. So, be patient, hopefully no errors occur, and I'll have them all up by this evening.
4:00 PM CDT
- As of this hour, all natural light is gone and I will resume tomorrow taking what I missed today. It is a cloudy day and the sun is setting much sooner than it used to. Then again, I am not sweating my brains out and I don't feel like crap.
All images that I have taken of will be uploaded unto Photoshop and edited. If there is something that was not taken correctly, I will retake it tomorrow. For now, be patient while I get them edited. I will update when I am finished.
7:44 PM CDT
- The pictures are taking a lot longer to upload because my host is being a bitch and it won't just upload an image without spazzing out. I'm taking a few breaks in between but I already have two items that need to be retaken tomorrow. So I won't forget, I'll mention they are the Midday Lycanroc US Tomy figure and the Torracat keychain. I'm not done editing so there could be more.
8:28 PM CDT
- That number of retakes has been bumped up to seven. The Growlithe Kororin and San-Ei plush, Alolan Persian PC Plush, Torracat Chupa figure, and the Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush need to be retaken.
September 26, 2018
2:37 PM CDT
- Some site updates. I added more links in the CONTACT AND LINKS page to where I get my news and toy information from. It is woefully short but I will be adding more in the future as some of the places I get my info are not even websites, but YouTube channels. Unfortunately, I could not have banners for all the sites since there are a few that simply do not have them, so I just linked to the pages instead. They get the general idea across and I hope people visit them for their collection news, if you haven't already, of course.
2:37 PM CDT
- Some site updates. I added more links in the CONTACT AND LINKS page to where I get my news and toy information from. It is woefully short but I will be adding more in the future as some of the places I get my info are not even websites, but YouTube channels. Unfortunately, I could not have banners for all the sites since there are a few that simply do not have them, so I just linked to the pages instead. They get the general idea across and I hope people visit them for their collection news, if you haven't already, of course.
September 25, 2018
7:41 PM CDT
- First, new gets! I got all 5 Mega Man 66 Action Vol. 2 blind box figures (not including the secret figure). It includes one figure from a series that I really never cared for but got anyways because I wanted the other figures without the extra costs. Yes, I'm talking about the Star Force figure. It'll be the first figure from the alternate EXE universe that I'll be adding to the collection. Yay, I guess. The other four figures are must haves, though. I cannot complain about that. I would love to get all the figures from Vol. 1 but, again, it includes the EXE figure. I'll probably get those later in October or November.
Also, I purchased a few figures from the Loyal Subjects line. They are also blind boxed and I only purchased what I would love to have right away. These are not the greatest figures I have ever purchased in terms of quality and I'll explain more of that when I get their pictures taken. But, for what I got, stay tuned for this Saturday.
- That illuminati Ditto thing I mentioned that appeared in Pokémon GO has a name and it is expected to be a new Pokémon for Generation VIII. It's called Meltan and it even has Sugimori artwork of it made.
I bet this has a lot of the hardcore Pokémon gamers' panties in a knot considering the people who played such a filthy casual game like GO got to see a new Pokémon first before they did. Okay, that's not funny, I know. That's actually really hilarious. Oh, but even funnier than that is that Niantic probably had a huge role in creating this thing and I know lots of Pokémon fans who really hate them for bringing in all the casual players they did so they can go cry me a river.
That's all I have for now. Stay cool, all you cats and kittens out there. Night.
7:41 PM CDT
- First, new gets! I got all 5 Mega Man 66 Action Vol. 2 blind box figures (not including the secret figure). It includes one figure from a series that I really never cared for but got anyways because I wanted the other figures without the extra costs. Yes, I'm talking about the Star Force figure. It'll be the first figure from the alternate EXE universe that I'll be adding to the collection. Yay, I guess. The other four figures are must haves, though. I cannot complain about that. I would love to get all the figures from Vol. 1 but, again, it includes the EXE figure. I'll probably get those later in October or November.
Also, I purchased a few figures from the Loyal Subjects line. They are also blind boxed and I only purchased what I would love to have right away. These are not the greatest figures I have ever purchased in terms of quality and I'll explain more of that when I get their pictures taken. But, for what I got, stay tuned for this Saturday.
- That illuminati Ditto thing I mentioned that appeared in Pokémon GO has a name and it is expected to be a new Pokémon for Generation VIII. It's called Meltan and it even has Sugimori artwork of it made.
I bet this has a lot of the hardcore Pokémon gamers' panties in a knot considering the people who played such a filthy casual game like GO got to see a new Pokémon first before they did. Okay, that's not funny, I know. That's actually really hilarious. Oh, but even funnier than that is that Niantic probably had a huge role in creating this thing and I know lots of Pokémon fans who really hate them for bringing in all the casual players they did so they can go cry me a river.
That's all I have for now. Stay cool, all you cats and kittens out there. Night.
September 24, 2018
2:36 PM CDT
- No updates or site news today.
I did want to bring up that new "Pokémon" that has been showing up in Pokémon GO. I have to ask: did they allow Niantic to create their own Pokémon or was this a Game Freak thing? Is it a gimmick that's just for laughs or is it really the new Pokémon that was set to appear in Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee and they just spoiled any surprises to come out of those games?
Whatever's the case, it looks like a silver Ditto wearing a hexagonal illuminati symbol on top of its head. In other words- bleh.
Whatever. Nothing surprises me, anymore. Guess there will be more to come when the Let's Go games come out.
Later.
2:36 PM CDT
- No updates or site news today.
I did want to bring up that new "Pokémon" that has been showing up in Pokémon GO. I have to ask: did they allow Niantic to create their own Pokémon or was this a Game Freak thing? Is it a gimmick that's just for laughs or is it really the new Pokémon that was set to appear in Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee and they just spoiled any surprises to come out of those games?
Whatever's the case, it looks like a silver Ditto wearing a hexagonal illuminati symbol on top of its head. In other words- bleh.
Whatever. Nothing surprises me, anymore. Guess there will be more to come when the Let's Go games come out.
Later.
September 22, 2018
6:15 PM CDT
- Lots of updates today, but unfortunately, no pictures. Let me get this out of the way first. Picture day has been postponed again for next Saturday, on the 29th. I am not going to go into detail why the date has been postponed, but let me just say these past two days have been nightmarish and I just lost any joyful I had feeling of getting pictures up today. My muscles ache and I feel like I am coming up with the sniffles, to top things off. My god. It's like something in the universe does not want me to take these pictures.
- On the bright side, I did receive the Rockruff figure. It's adorable and it needs to be shown off! Thanks Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday. Thanks a lot.
- Another topper- I have pre-ordered Mega Man 11, or should I say, Rockman 11. Yes, I decided to get the Japanese version of the game instead of the English version. The Switch is not region locked and what is given in the Japanese limited edition pack is just amazing. I would much rather have that than the measly amount given at Gamestop. Both versions come with the Amiibo, but the treasure trove of goodies given in Japan was just too much to pass up. I may get the game a bit later than most fans in the US, but I'll get to hear superior voice acting, original Robot Master names, and my collection will get a serious boost with the limited edition items. Can't wait!
- My room's closet is receiving a renovation that will be turned into more space for my collection. Where are all my clothes going, then? Another room in the house that is barely used will be my new closet, so yay! More space for my toys! I will not be buying the giant IKEA doors for this room since they are way too small, so the regular, much cheaper glass displays will be purchased for the space. What will go in there is anyones guess. There's a lot to move around.
A little work needs to be done, like getting some lighting in there along with a fresh coat of paint all around, but it's nothing too terrible. Again, can't wait!
That's all for today. I'm sorry picture day had to be postponed again. I am praying next Saturday will be the day for taking pictures. Ciao for now, gatti.
6:15 PM CDT
- Lots of updates today, but unfortunately, no pictures. Let me get this out of the way first. Picture day has been postponed again for next Saturday, on the 29th. I am not going to go into detail why the date has been postponed, but let me just say these past two days have been nightmarish and I just lost any joyful I had feeling of getting pictures up today. My muscles ache and I feel like I am coming up with the sniffles, to top things off. My god. It's like something in the universe does not want me to take these pictures.
- On the bright side, I did receive the Rockruff figure. It's adorable and it needs to be shown off! Thanks Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday. Thanks a lot.
- Another topper- I have pre-ordered Mega Man 11, or should I say, Rockman 11. Yes, I decided to get the Japanese version of the game instead of the English version. The Switch is not region locked and what is given in the Japanese limited edition pack is just amazing. I would much rather have that than the measly amount given at Gamestop. Both versions come with the Amiibo, but the treasure trove of goodies given in Japan was just too much to pass up. I may get the game a bit later than most fans in the US, but I'll get to hear superior voice acting, original Robot Master names, and my collection will get a serious boost with the limited edition items. Can't wait!
- My room's closet is receiving a renovation that will be turned into more space for my collection. Where are all my clothes going, then? Another room in the house that is barely used will be my new closet, so yay! More space for my toys! I will not be buying the giant IKEA doors for this room since they are way too small, so the regular, much cheaper glass displays will be purchased for the space. What will go in there is anyones guess. There's a lot to move around.
A little work needs to be done, like getting some lighting in there along with a fresh coat of paint all around, but it's nothing too terrible. Again, can't wait!
That's all for today. I'm sorry picture day had to be postponed again. I am praying next Saturday will be the day for taking pictures. Ciao for now, gatti.
September 19, 2018
6:40 PM CDT
- First things first, updates! New items that were pre-ordered: the Litten and Dusk Lycanroc Kuttari beanie plushes. They will not be released until later this month but I have them pre-ordered for the day they come out. Unfortunately, they will not be here by picture day, nor does it look like the Rockruff figure I ordered earlier will make it by this Saturday, either. That's okay. More for the next picture update in the future.
- Now onto some stuff just to cover my ass from the last update. I really shouldn't have to do this but I feel it is necessary. If you don't give a damn, feel free to skip and I'll catch you next time.
I know everything I have said about TBBT and all of Chuck Lorre's sitcoms are subjective, along with everything else that I feel is bullshit that becomes popular somehow. They obviously have an audience and TBBT, along with Two and a Half Men, have lasted 12 years, which means they somehow got the ratings to last as long as they did.
Do I take back everything I said? Of course not. I do, however, will not shame you if you like TBBT or any other program produced by Lorre. That is not my intention. I personally hate the stuff he produces and while I do not hate Lorre as a person, he just doesn't make anything that is memorable or even somewhat good. Maybe he learned with Young Sheldon and decided to nix the laugh track and will do so with future comedies. I don't know. All I can say is that based on his résumé, it's going to take a lot of trial and error to make something that isn't a cringefest of stolen jokes, easy low-brow sex jokes, and a laugh track that has to laugh hard to remind us that the joke is somehow funny.
Okay, now I am officially done with talking about sitcom stuff. Sitcom fandom and lovers, go and collect Golden Girls toys. Yes, there are toys of The Golden Girls and every sitcom lover should own them!
That's all for now. More stuff to come! If you are a fan of the month of scary stuff, be sure to come by in October while I gather all the Halloween stuff I can find. Toys and collecting will be a huge focus, but all kinds of media are going to be talked about here.
But as of this week, let's focus on this coming picture day! No major storms are expected so I am good to go.
Be cool, cats.
6:40 PM CDT
- First things first, updates! New items that were pre-ordered: the Litten and Dusk Lycanroc Kuttari beanie plushes. They will not be released until later this month but I have them pre-ordered for the day they come out. Unfortunately, they will not be here by picture day, nor does it look like the Rockruff figure I ordered earlier will make it by this Saturday, either. That's okay. More for the next picture update in the future.
- Now onto some stuff just to cover my ass from the last update. I really shouldn't have to do this but I feel it is necessary. If you don't give a damn, feel free to skip and I'll catch you next time.
I know everything I have said about TBBT and all of Chuck Lorre's sitcoms are subjective, along with everything else that I feel is bullshit that becomes popular somehow. They obviously have an audience and TBBT, along with Two and a Half Men, have lasted 12 years, which means they somehow got the ratings to last as long as they did.
Do I take back everything I said? Of course not. I do, however, will not shame you if you like TBBT or any other program produced by Lorre. That is not my intention. I personally hate the stuff he produces and while I do not hate Lorre as a person, he just doesn't make anything that is memorable or even somewhat good. Maybe he learned with Young Sheldon and decided to nix the laugh track and will do so with future comedies. I don't know. All I can say is that based on his résumé, it's going to take a lot of trial and error to make something that isn't a cringefest of stolen jokes, easy low-brow sex jokes, and a laugh track that has to laugh hard to remind us that the joke is somehow funny.
Okay, now I am officially done with talking about sitcom stuff. Sitcom fandom and lovers, go and collect Golden Girls toys. Yes, there are toys of The Golden Girls and every sitcom lover should own them!
That's all for now. More stuff to come! If you are a fan of the month of scary stuff, be sure to come by in October while I gather all the Halloween stuff I can find. Toys and collecting will be a huge focus, but all kinds of media are going to be talked about here.
But as of this week, let's focus on this coming picture day! No major storms are expected so I am good to go.
Be cool, cats.
September 17, 2018
1:59 PM CDT
- The first day of fall begins on the 22nd of this month. Feels like fall already. The weather is slightly (by Texas standards) cooler. I don't have the AC set to 82 during the day anymore. I can see winds coming from the north and, of course, there is a lot more rain.
What does this have to do with collecting? Plenty. As a matter of fact, it has to do with a lot of things.
Let's get the biggie out of the way. Taking pictures while the sun is beating down on my house causing the AC to have to be cranked up into the 80s is the pits! It is a pain in the ass having to take pictures in the heat. So, picture days will now be limited to the fall, winter, and spring months. The summer time will never have a picture day unless I can fix the house's AC unit and install more insulation. That's not happening by next year and after work is over, my day as I know of is also over and I am going to use the time to goof off with a popsicle instead of doing something I know will be drenching me in sweat.
Also, art trades. I love doing these things. They are a lot of fun. During the summer time, not so much. I work both from home and out of the home when it comes to art. My job. It's not fun having to draw when the sun is at its highest and just beating down on me. But... deadlines. Getting paid, sure. I'll draw in the heat. For fun or for art trades... note me in the fall, winter, and spring months.
May through August are going to be no fun months. By that, I mean no picture days and no art trades. Of course I'll keep the site updated with new gets and fandom stuff, but as far as getting pictures ready, which requires the use of Photoshop, may I add, I just cannot do it in those months. Those months, after work, are dedicated to me, ice cream, a glass of ice-cold water or fruit punch, and marathoning through That '70s Show or Monk.
- Speaking of That '70s Show, The Big Bang Theory is finally coming to an end. A show that has really outstayed its welcome. I know I shouldn't speak of That '70s Show and TBBT in the same breath because those two do not even compare, but when I watched what little I could of TBBT, I couldn't help but notice a lot of the jokes they had that were actually funny were stolen from That '70s Show. I'm pretty sure they have stolen jokes from sitcoms that I am not even aware of, but yeah, the two shows cannot even be compared. Haha, dorks with PhD's and high-paying jobs who like nerdy things and use nerdy jargon with the loudest laugh track on earth compared to a bunch of idiot high school kids who we can actually relate to. Yeah, fuck The Big Bang Theory.
That's all for today. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and I can get a little bit of pictures taken. We'll see.
Catch you cats later.
10:36 PM CDT
- Well, well... I found a video on YouTube of The Big Bang Theory without the stupid laugh track and I got to say, it is scary as hell. Not scary as in "OH DEAR GOD! I'M GOING TO WET MY PANTS IN FEAR!" but scary as in "this is really fucking creepy" scary
I have to admit that I like Young Sheldon because not only is there a lack of a laugh track but the characters are a lot more relatable than the schmucks that populate the world of TBBT. Hearing Howard's one-liners as being a "ladies man" and "adult" Sheldon's awkward dialogue is not only not funny, but really creepy. I guess that's why they add that loud as hell laugh track. LAUGH AT THEM!!! LAUGH, DAMMIT! IT'S FUNNY, SO LAUGH!!!
Chuck Lorre really knows how to create some real shit, and I mean SHIT. The guy has no talent in the world of sitcoms yet why his shows are successful is beyond me, and this is coming from someone who hopes you find what I write is funny. But man, the guy is a hack when it comes to sitcoms. Even his vanity cards aren't funny. He used to do some family-friendly stuff and maybe he should have stuck with that. His edgy stuff just isn't good and if he has to steal jokes to make a good program to get people to laugh, then yeah, stop making this crap.
I'm sorry for getting so off-track but I hate it when bullshit becomes successful. It's the same thing in the land of video games and the land of music. It's also the same thing in the land of toys, and I've seen this way too many times when it comes to the stuff I collect.
But... enough about that. I could go on all night about Chuck Lorre and I really do not want to. I'll stick with actual comedy and the stuff that was meant to be serious but came off as unintentionally funny. Maybe he should pull a Tommy Wiseau and create a drama. That's maybe how he'll produce real comedy.
Hopefully my next update won't be as stupid as this one. Night.
1:59 PM CDT
- The first day of fall begins on the 22nd of this month. Feels like fall already. The weather is slightly (by Texas standards) cooler. I don't have the AC set to 82 during the day anymore. I can see winds coming from the north and, of course, there is a lot more rain.
What does this have to do with collecting? Plenty. As a matter of fact, it has to do with a lot of things.
Let's get the biggie out of the way. Taking pictures while the sun is beating down on my house causing the AC to have to be cranked up into the 80s is the pits! It is a pain in the ass having to take pictures in the heat. So, picture days will now be limited to the fall, winter, and spring months. The summer time will never have a picture day unless I can fix the house's AC unit and install more insulation. That's not happening by next year and after work is over, my day as I know of is also over and I am going to use the time to goof off with a popsicle instead of doing something I know will be drenching me in sweat.
Also, art trades. I love doing these things. They are a lot of fun. During the summer time, not so much. I work both from home and out of the home when it comes to art. My job. It's not fun having to draw when the sun is at its highest and just beating down on me. But... deadlines. Getting paid, sure. I'll draw in the heat. For fun or for art trades... note me in the fall, winter, and spring months.
May through August are going to be no fun months. By that, I mean no picture days and no art trades. Of course I'll keep the site updated with new gets and fandom stuff, but as far as getting pictures ready, which requires the use of Photoshop, may I add, I just cannot do it in those months. Those months, after work, are dedicated to me, ice cream, a glass of ice-cold water or fruit punch, and marathoning through That '70s Show or Monk.
- Speaking of That '70s Show, The Big Bang Theory is finally coming to an end. A show that has really outstayed its welcome. I know I shouldn't speak of That '70s Show and TBBT in the same breath because those two do not even compare, but when I watched what little I could of TBBT, I couldn't help but notice a lot of the jokes they had that were actually funny were stolen from That '70s Show. I'm pretty sure they have stolen jokes from sitcoms that I am not even aware of, but yeah, the two shows cannot even be compared. Haha, dorks with PhD's and high-paying jobs who like nerdy things and use nerdy jargon with the loudest laugh track on earth compared to a bunch of idiot high school kids who we can actually relate to. Yeah, fuck The Big Bang Theory.
That's all for today. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and I can get a little bit of pictures taken. We'll see.
Catch you cats later.
10:36 PM CDT
- Well, well... I found a video on YouTube of The Big Bang Theory without the stupid laugh track and I got to say, it is scary as hell. Not scary as in "OH DEAR GOD! I'M GOING TO WET MY PANTS IN FEAR!" but scary as in "this is really fucking creepy" scary
I have to admit that I like Young Sheldon because not only is there a lack of a laugh track but the characters are a lot more relatable than the schmucks that populate the world of TBBT. Hearing Howard's one-liners as being a "ladies man" and "adult" Sheldon's awkward dialogue is not only not funny, but really creepy. I guess that's why they add that loud as hell laugh track. LAUGH AT THEM!!! LAUGH, DAMMIT! IT'S FUNNY, SO LAUGH!!!
Chuck Lorre really knows how to create some real shit, and I mean SHIT. The guy has no talent in the world of sitcoms yet why his shows are successful is beyond me, and this is coming from someone who hopes you find what I write is funny. But man, the guy is a hack when it comes to sitcoms. Even his vanity cards aren't funny. He used to do some family-friendly stuff and maybe he should have stuck with that. His edgy stuff just isn't good and if he has to steal jokes to make a good program to get people to laugh, then yeah, stop making this crap.
I'm sorry for getting so off-track but I hate it when bullshit becomes successful. It's the same thing in the land of video games and the land of music. It's also the same thing in the land of toys, and I've seen this way too many times when it comes to the stuff I collect.
But... enough about that. I could go on all night about Chuck Lorre and I really do not want to. I'll stick with actual comedy and the stuff that was meant to be serious but came off as unintentionally funny. Maybe he should pull a Tommy Wiseau and create a drama. That's maybe how he'll produce real comedy.
Hopefully my next update won't be as stupid as this one. Night.
September 15, 2018
9:27 PM CDT
- Okay, about today. First things first, picture day will be postponed for the 22nd.
As for why picture day was postponed, it was a combination of two things.
1. The weather was dreadful. I mean, DREADFUL. It was certainly nothing compared to what is happening with Hurricane Florence, and there is no but. It's just not as bad, period. My power stayed intact and nothing happened expect major flooding in flood zones. However, it was dark. So dark that the natural lighting would have been messed with and none of the pictures would have come out good.
2. I am getting rid of my cable package and that required a good portion of my time in the afternoon as the cable guy was getting everything in order (and no, not that unfunny hack, Larry, aka Dan "haw haw, rednecks r funny git r dun" Whitney). This included changing the wi-fi.
The weather is expected to be the same tomorrow. So... the 22nd is my best shot at getting picture day done. IF (and that's a big IF) the weather permits and I have the time, I could start taking pictures during the week and continue on the 22nd. I do work from home but from time to time I may not be home and when I am home, it's dedicated to working. I do hate that the day that I picked to be my picture day was set up months in advance only for the weather to be terrible, but worse things could happen so I shouldn't complain.
But there's a bright spot to all of this. I got my paws on a new Rockruff figure that looks too cute to pass up. Hopefully he'll get here next week. The seller is in the US so I shouldn't have to wait too long.
Just stay safe, my fellow cats and kittens.
9:27 PM CDT
- Okay, about today. First things first, picture day will be postponed for the 22nd.
As for why picture day was postponed, it was a combination of two things.
1. The weather was dreadful. I mean, DREADFUL. It was certainly nothing compared to what is happening with Hurricane Florence, and there is no but. It's just not as bad, period. My power stayed intact and nothing happened expect major flooding in flood zones. However, it was dark. So dark that the natural lighting would have been messed with and none of the pictures would have come out good.
2. I am getting rid of my cable package and that required a good portion of my time in the afternoon as the cable guy was getting everything in order (and no, not that unfunny hack, Larry, aka Dan "haw haw, rednecks r funny git r dun" Whitney). This included changing the wi-fi.
The weather is expected to be the same tomorrow. So... the 22nd is my best shot at getting picture day done. IF (and that's a big IF) the weather permits and I have the time, I could start taking pictures during the week and continue on the 22nd. I do work from home but from time to time I may not be home and when I am home, it's dedicated to working. I do hate that the day that I picked to be my picture day was set up months in advance only for the weather to be terrible, but worse things could happen so I shouldn't complain.
But there's a bright spot to all of this. I got my paws on a new Rockruff figure that looks too cute to pass up. Hopefully he'll get here next week. The seller is in the US so I shouldn't have to wait too long.
Just stay safe, my fellow cats and kittens.
September 12, 2018
1:56 PM CDT
- Okay. Some bad news...
I really, REALLY was hoping this wouldn't happen, but picture day MAY be postponed. There is a 50% chance. Why? There is a tropical storm headed to my neck of the woods on Friday and it won't go away until Saturday. It's not as bad as a hurricane but it is stronger than your average thunderstorm. They can develop into hurricanes given the right conditions, but it formed so close to the state that it doesn't have the time to develop into an actual hurricane, and thank goodness for that. We're still recovering from last year's Hurricane Harvey and the last thing we need is another disaster like this.
This could cause postponement if the power goes out. Tropical storms are powerful enough to where they can knock out the power for a few days. If the power does not go out, picture day will go on. If not... well, picture day will be postponed for the following Saturday on the 22nd. I cannot say for sure. If I don't update on the 15th, it will be postponed. All I ask is that you please be patient with me at this time and we'll see how things go.
- As for what I wanted to post today, I was watching a YouTuber called Chills and he makes horror-themed top whatever videos. Unlike other top number countdowns, his stuff isn't clickbait and what you see in the thumbnail is what you see in the video.
However, one video got my attention. It is titled "12 Scariest Lost Tapes Which Were Found." Some of the videos are obviously edited and fake, and some are genuine because arrests were made. Of the 12 shown, #3 scared me the most, yet it was the most obviously fake.
Here's a video of the original:
1:56 PM CDT
- Okay. Some bad news...
I really, REALLY was hoping this wouldn't happen, but picture day MAY be postponed. There is a 50% chance. Why? There is a tropical storm headed to my neck of the woods on Friday and it won't go away until Saturday. It's not as bad as a hurricane but it is stronger than your average thunderstorm. They can develop into hurricanes given the right conditions, but it formed so close to the state that it doesn't have the time to develop into an actual hurricane, and thank goodness for that. We're still recovering from last year's Hurricane Harvey and the last thing we need is another disaster like this.
This could cause postponement if the power goes out. Tropical storms are powerful enough to where they can knock out the power for a few days. If the power does not go out, picture day will go on. If not... well, picture day will be postponed for the following Saturday on the 22nd. I cannot say for sure. If I don't update on the 15th, it will be postponed. All I ask is that you please be patient with me at this time and we'll see how things go.
- As for what I wanted to post today, I was watching a YouTuber called Chills and he makes horror-themed top whatever videos. Unlike other top number countdowns, his stuff isn't clickbait and what you see in the thumbnail is what you see in the video.
However, one video got my attention. It is titled "12 Scariest Lost Tapes Which Were Found." Some of the videos are obviously edited and fake, and some are genuine because arrests were made. Of the 12 shown, #3 scared me the most, yet it was the most obviously fake.
Here's a video of the original:
CREDIT: SVENY
This video kept me up all night, both because it scared me a bit but there was something about the video I remembered. It was the creepy background music when the red screen pops up. Then I remembered it was a theme that played at a numbers station during the Cold War that consisted of nothing but gongs and chimes playing ominously with a German-speaking woman saying a round of random numbers at the end.
CREDIT: TheConetArchive
The topic of numbers stations I'll leave for you to research because I don't want to insult your intelligence by talking about numbers stations like a pretentious douchebag if you already know about these things but they're also really fascinating to learn about if you don't know too much about them and you should learn more on your own. I'll just give the cliff notes version- they were number jargon and cacophonous noise played on a radio frequency during the Cold War days that were never meant for the general public to get. Some are defunct, some are still up to this day for various reasons.
But yeah, the "lost tape found in a basement" shown above is an obvious fake. Yet, it's still creepy enough to have kept me up at night. It's that red background and font they chose. Amazing how an obvious edit can still catch you off-guard if something scares you enough. But if you have heard something enough times, you'll piece things together and realize, yeah, I've been had. Had with lost hours of sleep because I'm still a huge wimp.
Should I have saved this off-topic subject for October? Maybe, but I didn't want to forget what I had planned in writing this. Does a subject like this fit on this site? Of course! It's horror-fandom related, and all fandom stuff is fair game here. But more scary tidbits and stuff will be saved for October. I have a lot of stuff planned out. Some lighthearted Halloween stuff from the stuff I collect along with the stuff you wish you have never seen. I'll be sharing that in the month of October! Of course, too extreme stuff will have a warning because I don't want to scar any visitors for life.
That's all for today. Here's hoping this Saturday's picture day stays as planned! Later, cats.
But yeah, the "lost tape found in a basement" shown above is an obvious fake. Yet, it's still creepy enough to have kept me up at night. It's that red background and font they chose. Amazing how an obvious edit can still catch you off-guard if something scares you enough. But if you have heard something enough times, you'll piece things together and realize, yeah, I've been had. Had with lost hours of sleep because I'm still a huge wimp.
Should I have saved this off-topic subject for October? Maybe, but I didn't want to forget what I had planned in writing this. Does a subject like this fit on this site? Of course! It's horror-fandom related, and all fandom stuff is fair game here. But more scary tidbits and stuff will be saved for October. I have a lot of stuff planned out. Some lighthearted Halloween stuff from the stuff I collect along with the stuff you wish you have never seen. I'll be sharing that in the month of October! Of course, too extreme stuff will have a warning because I don't want to scar any visitors for life.
That's all for today. Here's hoping this Saturday's picture day stays as planned! Later, cats.
September 11, 2018
9:09 AM CDT
- Today is the 17th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack committed on American soil. Not all of the victims were American, so this should be a global day of reckoning for all those who lost their lives. I wanted to do an off-topic post about a YouTube video that I found, but I'll put it off for tomorrow only because the subject matter is just not appropriate for a day like this. Don't worry. I will not forget to update.
For what I am getting later today (hopefully), I'll update on that later because it's a collection update. I say hopefully because the weather has been nothing but rain for these past couple of days and packages can get delayed.
I'll catch all of you cats later. If that package comes later, I'll be updating. If it doesn't, I'll still be updating to say it isn't here and probably got delayed. It's UPS Ground so I'll know either way.
10:45 PM CDT
- Update time! The Dante and Miguel statue has arrived on time! It is a good size statue and beautifully made. I cannot wait to show off this beauty. It is a work of art.
That's all for now. I will talk about that YouTube video tomorrow because I found it so fascinating and a tad frightening (so bad it kept me up). I could save it for October as it is the month of scary stuff and Halloween, but I don't want to forget about it. Besides, there's plenty of scary stuff that I can talk about next month, like those terrifying as hell prevent-it.ca PSAs, or the upcoming mid-term elections. Either one is horrifying for the month.
For now, have a great night- or morning, evening, afternoon... wherever you are. Just keep cool and chill... like a cat. Night.
9:09 AM CDT
- Today is the 17th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack committed on American soil. Not all of the victims were American, so this should be a global day of reckoning for all those who lost their lives. I wanted to do an off-topic post about a YouTube video that I found, but I'll put it off for tomorrow only because the subject matter is just not appropriate for a day like this. Don't worry. I will not forget to update.
For what I am getting later today (hopefully), I'll update on that later because it's a collection update. I say hopefully because the weather has been nothing but rain for these past couple of days and packages can get delayed.
I'll catch all of you cats later. If that package comes later, I'll be updating. If it doesn't, I'll still be updating to say it isn't here and probably got delayed. It's UPS Ground so I'll know either way.
10:45 PM CDT
- Update time! The Dante and Miguel statue has arrived on time! It is a good size statue and beautifully made. I cannot wait to show off this beauty. It is a work of art.
That's all for now. I will talk about that YouTube video tomorrow because I found it so fascinating and a tad frightening (so bad it kept me up). I could save it for October as it is the month of scary stuff and Halloween, but I don't want to forget about it. Besides, there's plenty of scary stuff that I can talk about next month, like those terrifying as hell prevent-it.ca PSAs, or the upcoming mid-term elections. Either one is horrifying for the month.
For now, have a great night- or morning, evening, afternoon... wherever you are. Just keep cool and chill... like a cat. Night.
September 10, 2018
12:00 AM CDT
- The small-sized sleeping Litten plush has arrived, and it is as big as I pictured it. Not big at all, but it is cute.
- Other gets- the Pokémon Time Litten and Midnight Lycanroc items have also arrived. The clearfiles are amazing and the mini mascot plushes are adorable, though not exactly "cuddly." They are made of a material that seems they were made more for using on a backpack than an actual plush to carry around as a "travel buddy." The Pokémon that got real plushes are the ones that people in Japan are known to love and buy to the point of selling out in minutes (Rowlet and Mimikyu are two of the biggies).
- Speaking of which, two of my close friends, clair2522 and hebilea, have gone to Japan and they have let me know that they got me a surprise! Now I am all a flutter of what they have gotten me. I think I am more excited to see pictures and hear stories of their trip than what they have gotten for me, but man... I don't deserve the friends I have. I am very blessed to have such great friends who go out of their way for me even if they don't have to.
That's all for now. Have a good night, cats and kittens.
9:03 PM CDT
- I do want to update that yes, picture day is still on for this coming Saturday. All items that I have received since the last picture day will be taken and uploaded unto the site. The date can still change if there is an emergency, bad weather prevents good lighting, or if the power in the house goes out all-together. There has been a lot of rainfall in my neck of the woods but nothing disastrous. For those of you in the path of Hurricane Florence, stay safe.
On another note, there will be an update tomorrow because I purchased something that has been a big want of mine since I first saw it but didn't have the funds for it. I'll give a hint- it was a purchase from the Disney Store online and it is Coco related. It will be arriving tomorrow sometime around 3 PM. It will be the last item to get before picture day. Can't wait to get it!
Have a good night! I probably won't get a wink of sleep but big cats are mostly nocturnal, anyways. It isn't because I watched something I wish I had never laid my eyes on. No way.
12:00 AM CDT
- The small-sized sleeping Litten plush has arrived, and it is as big as I pictured it. Not big at all, but it is cute.
- Other gets- the Pokémon Time Litten and Midnight Lycanroc items have also arrived. The clearfiles are amazing and the mini mascot plushes are adorable, though not exactly "cuddly." They are made of a material that seems they were made more for using on a backpack than an actual plush to carry around as a "travel buddy." The Pokémon that got real plushes are the ones that people in Japan are known to love and buy to the point of selling out in minutes (Rowlet and Mimikyu are two of the biggies).
- Speaking of which, two of my close friends, clair2522 and hebilea, have gone to Japan and they have let me know that they got me a surprise! Now I am all a flutter of what they have gotten me. I think I am more excited to see pictures and hear stories of their trip than what they have gotten for me, but man... I don't deserve the friends I have. I am very blessed to have such great friends who go out of their way for me even if they don't have to.
That's all for now. Have a good night, cats and kittens.
9:03 PM CDT
- I do want to update that yes, picture day is still on for this coming Saturday. All items that I have received since the last picture day will be taken and uploaded unto the site. The date can still change if there is an emergency, bad weather prevents good lighting, or if the power in the house goes out all-together. There has been a lot of rainfall in my neck of the woods but nothing disastrous. For those of you in the path of Hurricane Florence, stay safe.
On another note, there will be an update tomorrow because I purchased something that has been a big want of mine since I first saw it but didn't have the funds for it. I'll give a hint- it was a purchase from the Disney Store online and it is Coco related. It will be arriving tomorrow sometime around 3 PM. It will be the last item to get before picture day. Can't wait to get it!
Have a good night! I probably won't get a wink of sleep but big cats are mostly nocturnal, anyways. It isn't because I watched something I wish I had never laid my eyes on. No way.
September 3, 2018
1:44 AM CDT
- Hey everyone. Happy Labor Day to all of those who celebrate it.
Some news. The sleeping Litten plush was released and Pokevault does have it, but only the small plush. There were three sizes: small, medium, and large. I would have much preferred the large but unfortunately, Pokevault didn't have it.
It wasn't a cheap plush, either. At a small size, it's listed at 34.99, but Pokevault's shipping bumped it up to $40. He offers coupons that can knock off 10% of the item's price, but for the shipping, you're on your own on that.
I'm not knocking Brian or his store for the shipping prices since he packs everything very well and he ships straight from Japan. He has to make his money somewhere and his prices are genuinely good if you want these items without having to worry if he's legit or not. At the same time, and this is not a knock to Brian but to the people who actually made the plush (being Takara Tomy), for something small, this is pretty expensive.
Then again, Takara Tomy has never released a plush that was reasonably priced. Their American plush, yeah, if they are made of that garbage material. I don't know what it is. It's not velboa. It's actually something worse and feels more solid. Those are sold at maybe $10 at most if you buy them straight from a retailer. Their Japanese products and softer American plushes? Well, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
I would love the larger plush if I can find it. I will probably skip the medium or put it off as the larger size is of a bigger priority.
- Fun fact: did you know that the Banpresto giant Lapras plush is 6' wide? Flipper to flipper, 6'! For those of you who use the metric system, that is 183 cm. That thing would have been a down payment for a car to ship alone!
Yeah, that thing is now a grail. No way can I afford that now.
That's all for now. Night.
1:44 AM CDT
- Hey everyone. Happy Labor Day to all of those who celebrate it.
Some news. The sleeping Litten plush was released and Pokevault does have it, but only the small plush. There were three sizes: small, medium, and large. I would have much preferred the large but unfortunately, Pokevault didn't have it.
It wasn't a cheap plush, either. At a small size, it's listed at 34.99, but Pokevault's shipping bumped it up to $40. He offers coupons that can knock off 10% of the item's price, but for the shipping, you're on your own on that.
I'm not knocking Brian or his store for the shipping prices since he packs everything very well and he ships straight from Japan. He has to make his money somewhere and his prices are genuinely good if you want these items without having to worry if he's legit or not. At the same time, and this is not a knock to Brian but to the people who actually made the plush (being Takara Tomy), for something small, this is pretty expensive.
Then again, Takara Tomy has never released a plush that was reasonably priced. Their American plush, yeah, if they are made of that garbage material. I don't know what it is. It's not velboa. It's actually something worse and feels more solid. Those are sold at maybe $10 at most if you buy them straight from a retailer. Their Japanese products and softer American plushes? Well, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
I would love the larger plush if I can find it. I will probably skip the medium or put it off as the larger size is of a bigger priority.
- Fun fact: did you know that the Banpresto giant Lapras plush is 6' wide? Flipper to flipper, 6'! For those of you who use the metric system, that is 183 cm. That thing would have been a down payment for a car to ship alone!
Yeah, that thing is now a grail. No way can I afford that now.
That's all for now. Night.
August 30, 2018
12:41 AM CDT
- I'm sorry the last update on the 28th's post was so brief. I really wanted to get that info in before the date changed to the 29th beat my own record that exists only in my head.
But yeah, I did get the Funko Bronx figure and being a huge fan of Gargoyles, I am hoping to see more come in the future. Funko Pop figures do not mean new merch will come, but if something is popular enough, they'll milk it for all it's worth. Their Pop figures are hit or miss, but their mini blind boxed figures are of much better quality, so I am hoping to see more come for the Gargoyles series. Of all shows I wish they would revive, it's this one.
Second, yes, I was stupid enough to have completely forgotten to add information to Elekid's new can badge that has been posted here a long time ago. That has been corrected and there is now info added to complete the page. I'm going to have to do a scan of all the pages to make sure nothing else is missing. I'll take care of that tomorrow. I'm normally more careful in regards to that, but I guess my mind blanked out when adding info. It's also a page I don't update often so I guess that went over my head, as well.
I hope I don't let that happen again.
Have a good night, cats.
12:41 AM CDT
- I'm sorry the last update on the 28th's post was so brief. I really wanted to get that info in before the date changed to the 29th beat my own record that exists only in my head.
But yeah, I did get the Funko Bronx figure and being a huge fan of Gargoyles, I am hoping to see more come in the future. Funko Pop figures do not mean new merch will come, but if something is popular enough, they'll milk it for all it's worth. Their Pop figures are hit or miss, but their mini blind boxed figures are of much better quality, so I am hoping to see more come for the Gargoyles series. Of all shows I wish they would revive, it's this one.
Second, yes, I was stupid enough to have completely forgotten to add information to Elekid's new can badge that has been posted here a long time ago. That has been corrected and there is now info added to complete the page. I'm going to have to do a scan of all the pages to make sure nothing else is missing. I'll take care of that tomorrow. I'm normally more careful in regards to that, but I guess my mind blanked out when adding info. It's also a page I don't update often so I guess that went over my head, as well.
I hope I don't let that happen again.
Have a good night, cats.
August 28, 2018
2:24 PM CDT
- No updates, sadly, but some fandom stuff ahoy.
I haven't seen this video in years by KingCrab35.
2:24 PM CDT
- No updates, sadly, but some fandom stuff ahoy.
I haven't seen this video in years by KingCrab35.
It's as funny today as it was back then. In other words, super funny. I thought the video was so funny, I'd quote it a few times even to this day.
The thing is, if you read the comments, people actually took this video seriously. Yes, there were actually people who took this obviously sarcastic video parodying the Angry Video Game Nerd seriously because he "made fun" of a classic such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I don't remember people getting mad at him for mocking the AVGN, just that he committed the sacrilege act of saying that Sonic 3 & Knuckles was a bad video game as a joke because they cannot take a joke. I mean, c'mon! Look at the title! He calls it Sonic 3 vs. Knuckles!
What is it with people online getting their feelings hurt over stuff like this? Psst... people... when you see a video of someone talking about a beloved video game with the sentence "hippopotamuses with horns" in the video...
The thing is, if you read the comments, people actually took this video seriously. Yes, there were actually people who took this obviously sarcastic video parodying the Angry Video Game Nerd seriously because he "made fun" of a classic such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I don't remember people getting mad at him for mocking the AVGN, just that he committed the sacrilege act of saying that Sonic 3 & Knuckles was a bad video game as a joke because they cannot take a joke. I mean, c'mon! Look at the title! He calls it Sonic 3 vs. Knuckles!
What is it with people online getting their feelings hurt over stuff like this? Psst... people... when you see a video of someone talking about a beloved video game with the sentence "hippopotamuses with horns" in the video...
Don't take things that have to do with video games and parodies too seriously.
I also want my Pokémon Time stuff to come in the mail already!
More to come cats.
11:58 PM CDT
- Okay! More has come, cats! Two minutes to the 29th. Let's see if I can beat the time.
1. My Bronx Funko figure came! He is gorgeous!
2. I forgot to add info to Elekid's new can badge. I posted that image months ago! Dammit!
Huzzah! 11:59 PM! Off to get info in and go to bed.
Adios, gatos.
I also want my Pokémon Time stuff to come in the mail already!
More to come cats.
11:58 PM CDT
- Okay! More has come, cats! Two minutes to the 29th. Let's see if I can beat the time.
1. My Bronx Funko figure came! He is gorgeous!
2. I forgot to add info to Elekid's new can badge. I posted that image months ago! Dammit!
Huzzah! 11:59 PM! Off to get info in and go to bed.
Adios, gatos.
August 27, 2018
8:15 PM CDT
- No site or new gets today. Just some fandom fun.
So I've watched a few episodes of that new Mega Man cartoon fans all over were split about, Mega Man: Fully Charged. It's not that bad. You can tell Man of Action put their own creative spin on the classic series without making it the actual classic series. I can say it's a lot better than the Ruby-Spears cartoon. Funnily enough, a lot of the same voice actors from the RS cartoon are also in this show, as well.
The designs are different like they were in the Ruby Spears version. Don't expect original Japanese designs in this show. Actually, do not expect some of the same characters to appear in the show. Expect all new characters created solely for this show, kinda like how the Archie comics had their own characters.
I'll see adults crying about how this cartoon should have stuck to the original designs and been more faithful to the games, it's what they grew up with in their childhoods, blah blah... You know that tired schtick that's been around this fandom since, like, 2006 when Mega Man Powered Up came into the scene (despite the designs being the same except being chibified versions of the same characters, but I digress). It was stated, from the beginning, and I mean the VERY beginning when this show was announced, that this show was intended for elementary kids. They did mention they wanted to offer something for both old-school fans and new-comers to enjoy, but I think the former was the more difficult part in the process when making this show.
So yeah, the show is decent. It's no masterpiece, but then again, it's better than a few Mega Man media I have seen in the past. It's certainly heaps better than a lot of those crappy web series where "animators" and "voice actors" have these characters say "bitch" every ten seconds.
So, give the cartoon a chance. If it's not your cup of tea, that's okay, too! At least you gave it a try.
11:24 PM CDT
- On something related to collecting since I am waiting for all those lovely toys from Sunyshore to get here- when are they going to release those sleeping Litten plush? Unless the date got postponed from the 25th? I get my info from Pokeshopper so I'm going to have to go with they probably postponed the release date because I cannot find it on eBay, either. Oh, well. Delays happen. I do get a little aggravated when a delay happens so close to the release date, but I've just learned to deal with it because there's nothing I can really do to make the process go along any faster.
Night, cats.
8:15 PM CDT
- No site or new gets today. Just some fandom fun.
So I've watched a few episodes of that new Mega Man cartoon fans all over were split about, Mega Man: Fully Charged. It's not that bad. You can tell Man of Action put their own creative spin on the classic series without making it the actual classic series. I can say it's a lot better than the Ruby-Spears cartoon. Funnily enough, a lot of the same voice actors from the RS cartoon are also in this show, as well.
The designs are different like they were in the Ruby Spears version. Don't expect original Japanese designs in this show. Actually, do not expect some of the same characters to appear in the show. Expect all new characters created solely for this show, kinda like how the Archie comics had their own characters.
I'll see adults crying about how this cartoon should have stuck to the original designs and been more faithful to the games, it's what they grew up with in their childhoods, blah blah... You know that tired schtick that's been around this fandom since, like, 2006 when Mega Man Powered Up came into the scene (despite the designs being the same except being chibified versions of the same characters, but I digress). It was stated, from the beginning, and I mean the VERY beginning when this show was announced, that this show was intended for elementary kids. They did mention they wanted to offer something for both old-school fans and new-comers to enjoy, but I think the former was the more difficult part in the process when making this show.
So yeah, the show is decent. It's no masterpiece, but then again, it's better than a few Mega Man media I have seen in the past. It's certainly heaps better than a lot of those crappy web series where "animators" and "voice actors" have these characters say "bitch" every ten seconds.
So, give the cartoon a chance. If it's not your cup of tea, that's okay, too! At least you gave it a try.
11:24 PM CDT
- On something related to collecting since I am waiting for all those lovely toys from Sunyshore to get here- when are they going to release those sleeping Litten plush? Unless the date got postponed from the 25th? I get my info from Pokeshopper so I'm going to have to go with they probably postponed the release date because I cannot find it on eBay, either. Oh, well. Delays happen. I do get a little aggravated when a delay happens so close to the release date, but I've just learned to deal with it because there's nothing I can really do to make the process go along any faster.
Night, cats.
August 25, 2018
10:52 PM CDT
- No site updates or new gets today. Just one thing.
Next year's Pokémon Worlds tournament will be taking place in Washington DC. I don't have a Twitter account but I do look at the Twitter page of the official Pokémon account. There were mostly complaints about the tournament being in the US again, which is a fair complaint. I mean, they call it Worlds but the tournaments are always taking place in the USA. They once had it in Canada but that seemed to be more like a novelty than TPCI making an effort to have these tournaments internationally. It hasn't been done since.
Then... because of the location, you get the political jokes, which, again, to be fair, were begging to be made. I make jabs at Trump whenever I can at times because he's the easiest guy in the world to make fun of, so yeah, I acknowledge he's an easy target. But I should mention that 2019 will probably be the time when presidential hopefuls put their hats into the ring for the 2020 presidential election (which is bound to be a shitshow to rival that of 2016) so hopefully people just go to the tournament without any politics attached and just enjoy themselves while ignoring the toxic bullshit. I'm not saying to ignore politics, but go, have fun, and worry about that stuff when you get home.
Best of luck next year to all who are going.
10:52 PM CDT
- No site updates or new gets today. Just one thing.
Next year's Pokémon Worlds tournament will be taking place in Washington DC. I don't have a Twitter account but I do look at the Twitter page of the official Pokémon account. There were mostly complaints about the tournament being in the US again, which is a fair complaint. I mean, they call it Worlds but the tournaments are always taking place in the USA. They once had it in Canada but that seemed to be more like a novelty than TPCI making an effort to have these tournaments internationally. It hasn't been done since.
Then... because of the location, you get the political jokes, which, again, to be fair, were begging to be made. I make jabs at Trump whenever I can at times because he's the easiest guy in the world to make fun of, so yeah, I acknowledge he's an easy target. But I should mention that 2019 will probably be the time when presidential hopefuls put their hats into the ring for the 2020 presidential election (which is bound to be a shitshow to rival that of 2016) so hopefully people just go to the tournament without any politics attached and just enjoy themselves while ignoring the toxic bullshit. I'm not saying to ignore politics, but go, have fun, and worry about that stuff when you get home.
Best of luck next year to all who are going.
August 25, 2018
12:16 AM CDT
- Three things today:
1. The Rockruff Ensky puzzle arrived today! I will be assembling it and framing it.
2. The new Pokémon Time items have been released and I purchased what I wanted the most, which were the mascot plushes and clearfiles of Litten and Midnight Lycanroc. What I reallly wanted were the plushes, so I am happy those will be on their way.
3. The banner in the home page has been changed. The look of ocelotlrama just glaring at visitors on the home page was not one of my greatest ideas. For now, there is a placeholder banner of a happy 'rama until I can replace the banner with a permanent image. That will happen once I get an art trade done.
I am still waiting for that sleeping Litten to be released. Sunyshore nor Pokevault have it. I'll keep my eyes on both sites hoping to get one of those cuties! If not, eBay will be another place to check. If that fails... well, I guess I'll be using a deputy service. I'd rather not use a deputy service but sometimes these things do not become available to international customers without paying an arm and a leg.
Here's hoping the Pokémon Time items get here before the September 15th!
Stay cool, cats.
12:16 AM CDT
- Three things today:
1. The Rockruff Ensky puzzle arrived today! I will be assembling it and framing it.
2. The new Pokémon Time items have been released and I purchased what I wanted the most, which were the mascot plushes and clearfiles of Litten and Midnight Lycanroc. What I reallly wanted were the plushes, so I am happy those will be on their way.
3. The banner in the home page has been changed. The look of ocelotlrama just glaring at visitors on the home page was not one of my greatest ideas. For now, there is a placeholder banner of a happy 'rama until I can replace the banner with a permanent image. That will happen once I get an art trade done.
I am still waiting for that sleeping Litten to be released. Sunyshore nor Pokevault have it. I'll keep my eyes on both sites hoping to get one of those cuties! If not, eBay will be another place to check. If that fails... well, I guess I'll be using a deputy service. I'd rather not use a deputy service but sometimes these things do not become available to international customers without paying an arm and a leg.
Here's hoping the Pokémon Time items get here before the September 15th!
Stay cool, cats.
August 23, 2018
3:15 AM CDT
- There are two more items I am waiting to get my paws on from eBay- a Rockruff Ensky jigsaw puzzle and the before-mentioned Pokémon strategy guide. When they get here, I will be sure to mention it.
September 15 is right around the corner. I doubt any of the August 25th items will be here by that date, but there will be another picture date scheduled for December or January 2019. Wow, 2018 is almost over. Good. This year blows ass, and there's still four more months to go of this heaping crap of a year. Fantastic.
See ya cats when these two items make it to my house. OR... after I order all I want on the 25th.
10:51 PM CDT
- Nevermind! I got something in the mail today. The Pokémon strategy guide has arrived. It's so nice to see one of the first things that got me into my favorite game series of all time even more than the Red and Blue commercials back in 1998. To have this in my collection brings a bit of tears to my eyes. This was an item I loved having and I now have it back. It may not be the original copy I had a long while back, but it is the same print. I cannot wait to show this baby off.
- On a completely off-topic ramble, I just sat through a Walmart commercial with them playing "With a Little Help from My Friends." I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, but I love this song. I hate Walmart.
Don't ruin that song for me, Walmart. It's bad enough you get toy exclusives at your disgusting stores, you gotta ruin good songs, too.
Don't ruin good songs, cool cats. But y'all are cool cats. I don't expect that from any of you.
3:15 AM CDT
- There are two more items I am waiting to get my paws on from eBay- a Rockruff Ensky jigsaw puzzle and the before-mentioned Pokémon strategy guide. When they get here, I will be sure to mention it.
September 15 is right around the corner. I doubt any of the August 25th items will be here by that date, but there will be another picture date scheduled for December or January 2019. Wow, 2018 is almost over. Good. This year blows ass, and there's still four more months to go of this heaping crap of a year. Fantastic.
See ya cats when these two items make it to my house. OR... after I order all I want on the 25th.
10:51 PM CDT
- Nevermind! I got something in the mail today. The Pokémon strategy guide has arrived. It's so nice to see one of the first things that got me into my favorite game series of all time even more than the Red and Blue commercials back in 1998. To have this in my collection brings a bit of tears to my eyes. This was an item I loved having and I now have it back. It may not be the original copy I had a long while back, but it is the same print. I cannot wait to show this baby off.
- On a completely off-topic ramble, I just sat through a Walmart commercial with them playing "With a Little Help from My Friends." I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, but I love this song. I hate Walmart.
Don't ruin that song for me, Walmart. It's bad enough you get toy exclusives at your disgusting stores, you gotta ruin good songs, too.
Don't ruin good songs, cool cats. But y'all are cool cats. I don't expect that from any of you.
August 22, 2018
12:26 AM CDT
- The Dusk Lycanroc Style figure has arrived. It's a gorgeous figure. This one I cannot wait to show off. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list. That list is just growing and growing. Depending on the weather, I may have to dedicate two days to taking pictures of all of my items that I currently have.
- One of the things I thought would be announced this month were the next batch of Pokémon Fit plush. There's still a few days of August left, but it was mentioned that all 151 Pokémon would have a plush released by October. Well, they have two more months to get feat accomplished. That, or it was some shitty rumor that got my hopes all up. That better not have been a rumor. I doubt it is because some big time collectors who are more knowledgeable than I am with this stuff mentioned what Fit was going to be all about, but if it was a rumor that turned out not to be true, well, we got punked.
- Despite the lack of Pokémon Fit news, there is some more items to look forward to this coming August 25th. Pokémon Time will be releasing a batch of Gen VII merchandise along with a sleeping Litten plush that I am dying to get my paws on. That is something to really look forward to. I'm hoping Denkimouse has them on her site, but Pokevault is another great place to get these items without going bankrupt.
More to come. Sleep well, cats.
12:26 AM CDT
- The Dusk Lycanroc Style figure has arrived. It's a gorgeous figure. This one I cannot wait to show off. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list. That list is just growing and growing. Depending on the weather, I may have to dedicate two days to taking pictures of all of my items that I currently have.
- One of the things I thought would be announced this month were the next batch of Pokémon Fit plush. There's still a few days of August left, but it was mentioned that all 151 Pokémon would have a plush released by October. Well, they have two more months to get feat accomplished. That, or it was some shitty rumor that got my hopes all up. That better not have been a rumor. I doubt it is because some big time collectors who are more knowledgeable than I am with this stuff mentioned what Fit was going to be all about, but if it was a rumor that turned out not to be true, well, we got punked.
- Despite the lack of Pokémon Fit news, there is some more items to look forward to this coming August 25th. Pokémon Time will be releasing a batch of Gen VII merchandise along with a sleeping Litten plush that I am dying to get my paws on. That is something to really look forward to. I'm hoping Denkimouse has them on her site, but Pokevault is another great place to get these items without going bankrupt.
More to come. Sleep well, cats.
August 20, 2018
10:23 PM CDT
- I don't remember mentioning this but I did win an auction for a Litten Pokémon Center keychain plush a while back and it has arrived in great condition. That has been added to Lioness's to-do list.
- For today's true update, two things.
First, the Funko Bronx figure was just released and has been shipped today! I cannot wait for this figure! Say what you will about Funko Pop figures. Yes, they can be hit-or-miss, but Gargoyle's merch after all these years is a huge welcome, no matter the company. Will they come out with mini figures next? Please, make this happen!
The second get is an item that got me further into the world of Pokémon in 1998. It was the first strategy guide I had read to learn more about the games and I had a copy that unfortunately got damaged thanks to one of my asshole teachers in the sixth grade. A real piece of my childhood will be coming over to join me again. Like other misc. Pokémon merch, it will probably be added in the Side Collections page under the misc. section.
I remember this strategy guide to this day even though I have not seen that book since 1999. It came with stickers of all 150 Pokémon in Red and Blue sprite form and they were meant to be used as markers for what you have captured. Again, there is a story behind that.
So what happened with my original copy of the book? Jeez, where to start. I loved bringing that book with me to school to read and draw the characters before class started. I remember this very well: during science period, I was drawing of all Pokémon, an Electabuzz. Class started and I was putting the book away, then suddenly, the teacher takes both the book and the drawing away, I guess she thought I was disrupting this class, even though it just started. She was not the nicest teacher I have ever had, I guess I would go as far that she was so unpleasant that I wondered why she became a teacher in the first place if kids annoyed her, but that's not what angers me the most. What really pissed me off the most was at the end of the school year when she gave me the book back. It was water-damaged and a few of the stickers were taken out. I know she had children of her own so I was wondering if she gave the book to her damn kids to use until it was time to give me my book back. That cupid stunt. She didn't even give me the drawing back, too. Well, it was just a crappy sketch I drew on notebook paper, but still... the book thing irks me the most and the fact that I still remember this incident and her after 19 years shows I really need to let it go.
And I probably will, thanks to a new book coming my way. The seller mentioned there was some light wear on the cover, but the stickers are all intact and the pages are like-new. A new book is coming, I'm excited to have this back again!
Catch you cats next time!
10:23 PM CDT
- I don't remember mentioning this but I did win an auction for a Litten Pokémon Center keychain plush a while back and it has arrived in great condition. That has been added to Lioness's to-do list.
- For today's true update, two things.
First, the Funko Bronx figure was just released and has been shipped today! I cannot wait for this figure! Say what you will about Funko Pop figures. Yes, they can be hit-or-miss, but Gargoyle's merch after all these years is a huge welcome, no matter the company. Will they come out with mini figures next? Please, make this happen!
The second get is an item that got me further into the world of Pokémon in 1998. It was the first strategy guide I had read to learn more about the games and I had a copy that unfortunately got damaged thanks to one of my asshole teachers in the sixth grade. A real piece of my childhood will be coming over to join me again. Like other misc. Pokémon merch, it will probably be added in the Side Collections page under the misc. section.
I remember this strategy guide to this day even though I have not seen that book since 1999. It came with stickers of all 150 Pokémon in Red and Blue sprite form and they were meant to be used as markers for what you have captured. Again, there is a story behind that.
So what happened with my original copy of the book? Jeez, where to start. I loved bringing that book with me to school to read and draw the characters before class started. I remember this very well: during science period, I was drawing of all Pokémon, an Electabuzz. Class started and I was putting the book away, then suddenly, the teacher takes both the book and the drawing away, I guess she thought I was disrupting this class, even though it just started. She was not the nicest teacher I have ever had, I guess I would go as far that she was so unpleasant that I wondered why she became a teacher in the first place if kids annoyed her, but that's not what angers me the most. What really pissed me off the most was at the end of the school year when she gave me the book back. It was water-damaged and a few of the stickers were taken out. I know she had children of her own so I was wondering if she gave the book to her damn kids to use until it was time to give me my book back. That cupid stunt. She didn't even give me the drawing back, too. Well, it was just a crappy sketch I drew on notebook paper, but still... the book thing irks me the most and the fact that I still remember this incident and her after 19 years shows I really need to let it go.
And I probably will, thanks to a new book coming my way. The seller mentioned there was some light wear on the cover, but the stickers are all intact and the pages are like-new. A new book is coming, I'm excited to have this back again!
Catch you cats next time!
August 18, 2018
9:51 PM CDT
- The Charizard Sumi-e Japanese plate has arrived today. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- After playing FarmVille: Tropic Escape for almost a week, I will have to eat a little bit of crow and realize why games like this and Candy Crush are not seen in a good light. They're fun, but they do come with a nasty little catch- you have to play them everyday and you cannot advance on in certain places without buying what you need to progress through the game because they make it bone-crushingly impossible to progress. By buying, I mean using your real, hard-earned money, not the game's currency.
App Zone is a good app, but every single game they have there requires payments to advance for a reason. My solution? When you use up your credits for the day, plug in your phone to a charger and let the game run until it is time to get those sweet points. You don't have to play the game to get those points. The game just needs to be running. The game will eventually get out of rotation so you cannot farm for points on those apps anymore, but you can delete those apps, download new new apps to play, and do the same thing without having to waste your time. There is one downside to this trick and it's if you use your phone or tablet for this app, you cannot do anything with it until the time runs out to get those points. Oh well. I am on my laptop right now while the game is running because, yes, I used up my credits for the game. I'll still get points in App Zone, regardless.
I got rid of the bingo games because they are tedious, but I still have FarmVille up because it is fun. It's a fun time waster when I am out and about and feel the 3DS is too clunky to take with me on a day trip. Other than that, yeah, App Zone is great. Cannot wait to redeem my points.
Now you keep cool, cats. This summer heat is atrocious.
9:51 PM CDT
- The Charizard Sumi-e Japanese plate has arrived today. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- After playing FarmVille: Tropic Escape for almost a week, I will have to eat a little bit of crow and realize why games like this and Candy Crush are not seen in a good light. They're fun, but they do come with a nasty little catch- you have to play them everyday and you cannot advance on in certain places without buying what you need to progress through the game because they make it bone-crushingly impossible to progress. By buying, I mean using your real, hard-earned money, not the game's currency.
App Zone is a good app, but every single game they have there requires payments to advance for a reason. My solution? When you use up your credits for the day, plug in your phone to a charger and let the game run until it is time to get those sweet points. You don't have to play the game to get those points. The game just needs to be running. The game will eventually get out of rotation so you cannot farm for points on those apps anymore, but you can delete those apps, download new new apps to play, and do the same thing without having to waste your time. There is one downside to this trick and it's if you use your phone or tablet for this app, you cannot do anything with it until the time runs out to get those points. Oh well. I am on my laptop right now while the game is running because, yes, I used up my credits for the game. I'll still get points in App Zone, regardless.
I got rid of the bingo games because they are tedious, but I still have FarmVille up because it is fun. It's a fun time waster when I am out and about and feel the 3DS is too clunky to take with me on a day trip. Other than that, yeah, App Zone is great. Cannot wait to redeem my points.
Now you keep cool, cats. This summer heat is atrocious.
August 16, 2018
10:27 PM CDT
- My package from Noppin arrived yesterday and all items I ordered are accounted for. They will all be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- Going on my last blurb on FarmVille and "fake games" (are they imaginary and I was dreaming all along?), I came across this little gem:
10:27 PM CDT
- My package from Noppin arrived yesterday and all items I ordered are accounted for. They will all be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- Going on my last blurb on FarmVille and "fake games" (are they imaginary and I was dreaming all along?), I came across this little gem:
Image from The Knights of Gaming
I honestly cannot tell if this is satire. This HAS to be satire. Please tell me this is satire! Even if it is just to appease me!
This looks to have been written on Facebook and had it available to friends only, so... nah, I got nothing. I can't tell at all. I am assuming it isn't satire. I plucked it straight from an article from The Knights of Gaming and the author found it on their feed and devoted an entire article around it. It is from an older blog back in 2013, but the comment is unfortunately relevant today in the year of our Lord 2018. Why? Because humans are the dumbest creatures in existence. The Knights of Gaming have a nice article around the above Facebook post, but like last time with the banned episode of Pokémon and the Jynx online discussion bingo card, I am not here to talk about "FEEEMALES" and gaming. I am not touching that shit with a 50 foot pole because again, like with racism, I don't want to talk about that kind of heavy subject.
If this isn't satire, and I am 98% sure it isn't, whoever you are who wrote this, wherever you are, and you know who you are, despite this being written five years ago, you should feel really bad for writing this and, no, the comment is never going away. By feeling bad, I mean feeling really freaking stupid because Nintendo games like Zelda and Pokémon are incredibly mainstream. I'm talking so mainstream they attract millions in sales on their release dates. Pokémon is meant to be a children's game that adults like myself still play because of their charm and timeless gameplay. They seem to be geared towards families nowadays with more storyline added than ever. They have something for everyone, which is why the games are so popular. Yes, even popular enough for FEEEMALES, because popularity is what FEEEMALES only desire. They're willing to spend $300 on a console and another $60 on a game... for popularity. On shit almost everyone on the planet has heard of. Okay? My goodness, why not include Mario in that list of "non-mainstream games" while you are at it? You know, that jolly Italian plumber even my grandmother recognizes.
You really don't want to be into the mainstream stuff like the rest of us plebeian fakers? Go play ET for the Atari 2600. God, I miss the pre-Internet days where you could play games for fun and not have to come across this bullshit.
If this is satire, well, this person should still feel bad they wrote this because I bet there are people out there who actually agree with this and not getting the joke, because some people just cannot put two and two together.
Like what you want, play what you want, have fun, and to hell with everyone who tells you otherwise. Oh, and watch what you post online. A comment could be sixteen years old and if it's dumb enough, you'll still be mocked for it.
Keep cool cats. Night.
This looks to have been written on Facebook and had it available to friends only, so... nah, I got nothing. I can't tell at all. I am assuming it isn't satire. I plucked it straight from an article from The Knights of Gaming and the author found it on their feed and devoted an entire article around it. It is from an older blog back in 2013, but the comment is unfortunately relevant today in the year of our Lord 2018. Why? Because humans are the dumbest creatures in existence. The Knights of Gaming have a nice article around the above Facebook post, but like last time with the banned episode of Pokémon and the Jynx online discussion bingo card, I am not here to talk about "FEEEMALES" and gaming. I am not touching that shit with a 50 foot pole because again, like with racism, I don't want to talk about that kind of heavy subject.
If this isn't satire, and I am 98% sure it isn't, whoever you are who wrote this, wherever you are, and you know who you are, despite this being written five years ago, you should feel really bad for writing this and, no, the comment is never going away. By feeling bad, I mean feeling really freaking stupid because Nintendo games like Zelda and Pokémon are incredibly mainstream. I'm talking so mainstream they attract millions in sales on their release dates. Pokémon is meant to be a children's game that adults like myself still play because of their charm and timeless gameplay. They seem to be geared towards families nowadays with more storyline added than ever. They have something for everyone, which is why the games are so popular. Yes, even popular enough for FEEEMALES, because popularity is what FEEEMALES only desire. They're willing to spend $300 on a console and another $60 on a game... for popularity. On shit almost everyone on the planet has heard of. Okay? My goodness, why not include Mario in that list of "non-mainstream games" while you are at it? You know, that jolly Italian plumber even my grandmother recognizes.
You really don't want to be into the mainstream stuff like the rest of us plebeian fakers? Go play ET for the Atari 2600. God, I miss the pre-Internet days where you could play games for fun and not have to come across this bullshit.
If this is satire, well, this person should still feel bad they wrote this because I bet there are people out there who actually agree with this and not getting the joke, because some people just cannot put two and two together.
Like what you want, play what you want, have fun, and to hell with everyone who tells you otherwise. Oh, and watch what you post online. A comment could be sixteen years old and if it's dumb enough, you'll still be mocked for it.
Keep cool cats. Night.
August 13, 2018
3:57 PM CDT
- No items have come in the mail since my last update. They're all from Japan so the shipping process will take a while.
- On an off-topic yet fandom-related entry, I started playing FarmVille: Tropic Escape. "OMG! FARMVILLE! U FEIK GEIMURER!"
Before I get into that beloved talking point gamers all over the world shriek about, let me explain how I got there. To be fair, I didn't think too much of FarmVille, either. It just didn't look too much like my cup of tea and didn't want to waste memory downloading it. It's a huge reason why I don't download games onto my phone. They are a big drain on my phone's battery.
Despite that, one channel on YouTube had an advertisement for an app called AppZone. It's one of those apps that allows you to play games, earn points, and redeem them for prizes. I know how those apps work, but I wanted to help the YouTube channel out and downloaded the app. I downloaded four games that would help me waste my time, one of them being FarmVille: Tropic Escape. You know what? I am having a lot of fun playing this game. It's no adventure game and there are no characters that are too memorable, but the point of the game is to just have fun. I am playing with Facebook friends and it's fun.
If you feel games should be hardcore, edgy, or made by Nintendo to have any value, I can't change your mind. I am not here to change minds. But I am here to say that games should be fun. A real game is fun whether it's catching Pokémon or playing the game competitively, shooting down soldiers and zombies, or just growing stuff on a fake farm and passing the time idly. Because God forbid anyone have fun, you know? You cannot enjoy both video games that require skill and FarmVille at the same time.
That's just a peeve of mine. Again, my words are not going to change minds, but I'll continue doing what is fun. Also, I get to buy toys for this site playing such a game, so there's that, too.
Keep cool, cats.
3:57 PM CDT
- No items have come in the mail since my last update. They're all from Japan so the shipping process will take a while.
- On an off-topic yet fandom-related entry, I started playing FarmVille: Tropic Escape. "OMG! FARMVILLE! U FEIK GEIMURER!"
Before I get into that beloved talking point gamers all over the world shriek about, let me explain how I got there. To be fair, I didn't think too much of FarmVille, either. It just didn't look too much like my cup of tea and didn't want to waste memory downloading it. It's a huge reason why I don't download games onto my phone. They are a big drain on my phone's battery.
Despite that, one channel on YouTube had an advertisement for an app called AppZone. It's one of those apps that allows you to play games, earn points, and redeem them for prizes. I know how those apps work, but I wanted to help the YouTube channel out and downloaded the app. I downloaded four games that would help me waste my time, one of them being FarmVille: Tropic Escape. You know what? I am having a lot of fun playing this game. It's no adventure game and there are no characters that are too memorable, but the point of the game is to just have fun. I am playing with Facebook friends and it's fun.
If you feel games should be hardcore, edgy, or made by Nintendo to have any value, I can't change your mind. I am not here to change minds. But I am here to say that games should be fun. A real game is fun whether it's catching Pokémon or playing the game competitively, shooting down soldiers and zombies, or just growing stuff on a fake farm and passing the time idly. Because God forbid anyone have fun, you know? You cannot enjoy both video games that require skill and FarmVille at the same time.
That's just a peeve of mine. Again, my words are not going to change minds, but I'll continue doing what is fun. Also, I get to buy toys for this site playing such a game, so there's that, too.
Keep cool, cats.
August 9, 2018
3:10 PM CDT
- I got my invoice for Noppin's shipping. 25 bucks. Yeah, unless I am buying stuff that needs to be shipped EMS, I won't be using them for a while. Unless the holiest of holy grails pops up for a good price and I'll be bidding my ass off, but even SMJ offers EMS and good shipping options. Noppin has... an automatic refund option. If SMJ had that, they'd be amazing. Oh well. Requesting a refund isn't as painful as requesting what kind of shipping option you want, so I'll be going back to SMJ for any goods on Yahoo! Japan that I will be purchasing in the future.
- eBay was offering 15% off on all items purchased for one day only. Not a bad deal, so I decided to browse around for a $25 item so I can save a few bucks. I found one item to purchase that was perfect- a Charizard Sumi-e Japanese platter plate. Gorgeous artwork on the plate. It will be the third plate in my collection.
Plates are difficult to collect because they are fragile and unlike plush or plastic toys, you drop them, you are boned. On the other hand, my floor is carpeted so the blow is softened, but still. You have to be extra careful with these things.
- My Jynx rant yesterday reminded me of two things:
1. Not too many people give a shit about Jynx and my ranting because I guess not too many people care about her, and
2. I am getting into the habit of cussing on my site.
The second one, fuck it. I am tired of holding back and I am not here to be a babysitter to any kids who find this page. Kids, don't use this language offline or your parents will either knock the crap out of you or your teacher will be sending you to the nearest principal's office. Once you turn 18, kick back, relax, and let the trash talk flow.
On another note, my dislike of Jynx is well-known, but I really have no problems with her pre-evolution, Smoochum. I am not a big fan, but it's sort of cute. I don't hate it at all. Those big eyes and that happy-go-lucky attitude it has in the anime can be charming. If Bulbagarden has a discussion on Jynx and Smoochum... er... I wouldn't touch that touchy subject on the forums if I were in charge of the Pokémon of the Week thing.
Another fun fact about Jynx- the anime has a bad habit of making human-like Pokémon the choice for villains. They have little personality and when they do show up, they are written with the most arrogant attitudes. Jynx and Smoochum managed to escape that treatment. Every episode focusing on these two had them portrayed in a good light. That's... great, I guess. Good for the fans of this Pokémon getting that kind of treatment. I wish the same can be said about some of my favorites, but good for the HumanShape to be treated decently in the anime. Her and Mr. Mime.
I actually don't hate Mr. Mime. A combination of the anime and just how goofy-looking it is, I can't hate it. But Americans hate mimes. You've seen it in a lot of cartoons. Americans just don't like mimes for some reason. No wonder Mr. Mime is only limited to Europe in Pokémon GO.
Speaking of Pokémon GO, I saw a Mr. Mime at a local gym. Gee... either that person has been to Europe and is showing off or they are already from Europe. I live near a college town where people from all over the world go to study so seeing such a rare site like Mr. Mime was fascinating. Farfetch'd is also a common site since a lot of people from the East Asian region come over to study here. Pretty cool to see stuff like this.
So that was a conversation jumper. I hope you enjoyed listening through my fandom rambles.
Later kittens.
9:11 PM CDT
- I was wrong when I said I wouldn't touch the subject of Jynx in the Pokemon of the Week discussion on Bulbagarden, because they already had a discussion on her. Week 14. I just didn't participate in the discussion. To be fair, the discussion on Bulbagarden was civil and the people who participated in the discussion made their cases pretty well. Not a lot of love for it, but no outright hatred, either. Glad I didn't participate in that forum. I would have been the only one to have been uncivil, not to the other members, but to the Pokémon herself.
I will say I wish they would stop calling Jynx, Electabuzz, and Magmar as part of a "trio" because I hate Jynx and for her to be part of something that includes my favorite Pokémon of all time (I don't mind it being opposite to Magmar) really irks me, but me wishing something isn't going to make it stop. I just don't see the evidence they were part of some sort of "trio" like the legendary birds and beasts. Just because they had the same typing as the legendary birds (with Jynx being dual typed) and having Baby Pokémon in Gen II? C'mon. Jynx was also not a capturable Pokémon in Gen I, so that trio thing doesn't make too much sense. It's a free Internet out there, I guess. So if you think they are a trio, go ahead. I wish you would stop, but that ain't going to do anything so do what you want.
Goodnight to all you cats and kittens out there.
3:10 PM CDT
- I got my invoice for Noppin's shipping. 25 bucks. Yeah, unless I am buying stuff that needs to be shipped EMS, I won't be using them for a while. Unless the holiest of holy grails pops up for a good price and I'll be bidding my ass off, but even SMJ offers EMS and good shipping options. Noppin has... an automatic refund option. If SMJ had that, they'd be amazing. Oh well. Requesting a refund isn't as painful as requesting what kind of shipping option you want, so I'll be going back to SMJ for any goods on Yahoo! Japan that I will be purchasing in the future.
- eBay was offering 15% off on all items purchased for one day only. Not a bad deal, so I decided to browse around for a $25 item so I can save a few bucks. I found one item to purchase that was perfect- a Charizard Sumi-e Japanese platter plate. Gorgeous artwork on the plate. It will be the third plate in my collection.
Plates are difficult to collect because they are fragile and unlike plush or plastic toys, you drop them, you are boned. On the other hand, my floor is carpeted so the blow is softened, but still. You have to be extra careful with these things.
- My Jynx rant yesterday reminded me of two things:
1. Not too many people give a shit about Jynx and my ranting because I guess not too many people care about her, and
2. I am getting into the habit of cussing on my site.
The second one, fuck it. I am tired of holding back and I am not here to be a babysitter to any kids who find this page. Kids, don't use this language offline or your parents will either knock the crap out of you or your teacher will be sending you to the nearest principal's office. Once you turn 18, kick back, relax, and let the trash talk flow.
On another note, my dislike of Jynx is well-known, but I really have no problems with her pre-evolution, Smoochum. I am not a big fan, but it's sort of cute. I don't hate it at all. Those big eyes and that happy-go-lucky attitude it has in the anime can be charming. If Bulbagarden has a discussion on Jynx and Smoochum... er... I wouldn't touch that touchy subject on the forums if I were in charge of the Pokémon of the Week thing.
Another fun fact about Jynx- the anime has a bad habit of making human-like Pokémon the choice for villains. They have little personality and when they do show up, they are written with the most arrogant attitudes. Jynx and Smoochum managed to escape that treatment. Every episode focusing on these two had them portrayed in a good light. That's... great, I guess. Good for the fans of this Pokémon getting that kind of treatment. I wish the same can be said about some of my favorites, but good for the HumanShape to be treated decently in the anime. Her and Mr. Mime.
I actually don't hate Mr. Mime. A combination of the anime and just how goofy-looking it is, I can't hate it. But Americans hate mimes. You've seen it in a lot of cartoons. Americans just don't like mimes for some reason. No wonder Mr. Mime is only limited to Europe in Pokémon GO.
Speaking of Pokémon GO, I saw a Mr. Mime at a local gym. Gee... either that person has been to Europe and is showing off or they are already from Europe. I live near a college town where people from all over the world go to study so seeing such a rare site like Mr. Mime was fascinating. Farfetch'd is also a common site since a lot of people from the East Asian region come over to study here. Pretty cool to see stuff like this.
So that was a conversation jumper. I hope you enjoyed listening through my fandom rambles.
Later kittens.
9:11 PM CDT
- I was wrong when I said I wouldn't touch the subject of Jynx in the Pokemon of the Week discussion on Bulbagarden, because they already had a discussion on her. Week 14. I just didn't participate in the discussion. To be fair, the discussion on Bulbagarden was civil and the people who participated in the discussion made their cases pretty well. Not a lot of love for it, but no outright hatred, either. Glad I didn't participate in that forum. I would have been the only one to have been uncivil, not to the other members, but to the Pokémon herself.
I will say I wish they would stop calling Jynx, Electabuzz, and Magmar as part of a "trio" because I hate Jynx and for her to be part of something that includes my favorite Pokémon of all time (I don't mind it being opposite to Magmar) really irks me, but me wishing something isn't going to make it stop. I just don't see the evidence they were part of some sort of "trio" like the legendary birds and beasts. Just because they had the same typing as the legendary birds (with Jynx being dual typed) and having Baby Pokémon in Gen II? C'mon. Jynx was also not a capturable Pokémon in Gen I, so that trio thing doesn't make too much sense. It's a free Internet out there, I guess. So if you think they are a trio, go ahead. I wish you would stop, but that ain't going to do anything so do what you want.
Goodnight to all you cats and kittens out there.
August 8, 2018
5:57 PM CDT
- Both the Torracat and Midnight Lycanroc Chupa Surprise figures have arrived and they will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- All items that I have bid on on Yahoo! Japan have arrived at Noppin's warehouse so I put in an order to have them shipped to me. I had completely forgotten that EMS is their default form of shipping. Why do these deputy services do this? There is always one little thing they have to make harder. Why they do not give options for shipping and you have to manually ask them how you want your items shipped doesn't make any sense to me.
- Now onto a fandom topic. I found this on Dogasu's Backpack Twitter feed:
5:57 PM CDT
- Both the Torracat and Midnight Lycanroc Chupa Surprise figures have arrived and they will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- All items that I have bid on on Yahoo! Japan have arrived at Noppin's warehouse so I put in an order to have them shipped to me. I had completely forgotten that EMS is their default form of shipping. Why do these deputy services do this? There is always one little thing they have to make harder. Why they do not give options for shipping and you have to manually ask them how you want your items shipped doesn't make any sense to me.
- Now onto a fandom topic. I found this on Dogasu's Backpack Twitter feed:
This was made by Dogasu a while ago and I have seen it pop up a few times in the past but this was brought up again in light of a recent banned Pokémon Sun and Moon episode. I am not too surprised of the episode being banned. What I do find unbelievably depressing is the fact that I almost got 10 bingos on this thing. The only talking point I haven't seen is "But black people aren't really black!" because what the hell? If anyone actually typed that out without a hint of irony, I am going to eat a bar of soap. Yet knowing I have seen people type things much dumber without a hint of shame, I am expecting someone to have actually typed that. Out loud. Without any shame, whatsoever. So no soap eating for me. As a matter of fact, let me go a step further for all of you playing out there with me- Mr. Mime isn't racist against white people, he is racist against FRENCH people. So is Smeargle and the entire Kalos PokéDex.
Despite me bringing this image up, I am not here to talk about the recent banned episode. It was a boring episode and nothing of value was lost. I want to talk about this bingo card and how common these talking points are in regards to Jynx. What I find really funny about Jynx as a whole is that I have maybe met only a handful of people who really like her. I am talking a small portion of the fandom. Jynx is a very unpopular Pokémon. I am talking so unpopular that you'd think a majority of the fandom would love to get rid of the damn thing. Yet when the Carole B. Weatherford issue comes up (she is the woman who brought attention to Jynx resembling blackface and pretty much forced Game Freak's hand into redesigning it purple), I'll see people defend Jynx and her original design as if she was beloved by the fandom. She is so sacred that she should not have been changed, dammit! Except we hated her then like we do now, but that's not the point blah blah... I guess the only people allowed to hate Jynx and want to erase her from the PokéDex are those who are not racist, but (give whatever reason you hate about Jynx here; double points if your reason is racist). You are not allowed to want Jynx gone if you think she's a racist creation.
Personally, I don't think she was intentionally meant to be racist, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that the design crossed a line that brought the attention of the general public to this character in an op-ed written for a respectable newspaper that was enough to force Game Freak to change the design, and this has everything to do with the US's unfortunate history. Not Japan's, the US's. But if they want to sell these games to people in the US, yes, the change needed to be made because the design was deemed too offensive. I've always found Jynx to be a hideous abomination of a Pokémon. I thought she was terrible since I first laid my eyes on her and I wouldn't mind erasing her from the PokéDex to this day, but that's just me.
I really don't want to get into a discussion of something as heavy as racism, but it is something I noticed in this fandom when it comes to Jynx. She's a Pokémon that gets a lot of shit except for the most shitty quality about her. It's anything BUT the blackface thing and people come up with all kinds of excuses for a cartoon character that they more than likely don't like but feel the need to white knight over anyways from that meanie Weatherford. Wow, white knighting a fictional character that a majority of the fandom dislikes... it's actually a thing. It's really unfortunate. If one of your excuses for Jynx or any other blackface-like stunt in Pokémon is on this card, just fucking stop. It's embarrassing and I cannot take any of these points seriously. Maybe except the FREE space.
On another note, if you like Jynx as a favorite Pokémon and you do defend her because she genuinely is your favorite, enjoy her as she is now and try not to take my displeasure of her too seriously. I cannot do anything about her existing so at the end of the day, you can enjoy her to your heart's content like many others do with their favorites. But yeah, don't use any of the above points in the bingo card if you want to make your opinion known.
I'll catch you cats later.
Despite me bringing this image up, I am not here to talk about the recent banned episode. It was a boring episode and nothing of value was lost. I want to talk about this bingo card and how common these talking points are in regards to Jynx. What I find really funny about Jynx as a whole is that I have maybe met only a handful of people who really like her. I am talking a small portion of the fandom. Jynx is a very unpopular Pokémon. I am talking so unpopular that you'd think a majority of the fandom would love to get rid of the damn thing. Yet when the Carole B. Weatherford issue comes up (she is the woman who brought attention to Jynx resembling blackface and pretty much forced Game Freak's hand into redesigning it purple), I'll see people defend Jynx and her original design as if she was beloved by the fandom. She is so sacred that she should not have been changed, dammit! Except we hated her then like we do now, but that's not the point blah blah... I guess the only people allowed to hate Jynx and want to erase her from the PokéDex are those who are not racist, but (give whatever reason you hate about Jynx here; double points if your reason is racist). You are not allowed to want Jynx gone if you think she's a racist creation.
Personally, I don't think she was intentionally meant to be racist, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that the design crossed a line that brought the attention of the general public to this character in an op-ed written for a respectable newspaper that was enough to force Game Freak to change the design, and this has everything to do with the US's unfortunate history. Not Japan's, the US's. But if they want to sell these games to people in the US, yes, the change needed to be made because the design was deemed too offensive. I've always found Jynx to be a hideous abomination of a Pokémon. I thought she was terrible since I first laid my eyes on her and I wouldn't mind erasing her from the PokéDex to this day, but that's just me.
I really don't want to get into a discussion of something as heavy as racism, but it is something I noticed in this fandom when it comes to Jynx. She's a Pokémon that gets a lot of shit except for the most shitty quality about her. It's anything BUT the blackface thing and people come up with all kinds of excuses for a cartoon character that they more than likely don't like but feel the need to white knight over anyways from that meanie Weatherford. Wow, white knighting a fictional character that a majority of the fandom dislikes... it's actually a thing. It's really unfortunate. If one of your excuses for Jynx or any other blackface-like stunt in Pokémon is on this card, just fucking stop. It's embarrassing and I cannot take any of these points seriously. Maybe except the FREE space.
On another note, if you like Jynx as a favorite Pokémon and you do defend her because she genuinely is your favorite, enjoy her as she is now and try not to take my displeasure of her too seriously. I cannot do anything about her existing so at the end of the day, you can enjoy her to your heart's content like many others do with their favorites. But yeah, don't use any of the above points in the bingo card if you want to make your opinion known.
I'll catch you cats later.
August 6, 2018
3:04 PM CDT
- First items to arrive from eBay are the regular and metallic Incineroar Moncolle figures. They will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- All but two items have been put into storage over at Noppin. Once all items have been stored, I will be putting in an order to have them shipped. Hopefully it will be before picture day in September.
3:04 PM CDT
- First items to arrive from eBay are the regular and metallic Incineroar Moncolle figures. They will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
- All but two items have been put into storage over at Noppin. Once all items have been stored, I will be putting in an order to have them shipped. Hopefully it will be before picture day in September.
August 3, 2018
12:21 AM CDT
- The final item I have won on Yahoo! Japan was a Torracat keychain. It's also coming paired with a Xurkitree keychain. I am not a fan of Ultra Beasts but Xurkitree is the one that I probably like the best if I was to choose one. I don't care for it, mind you, but it's not the worst of the bunch. No, my least favorite Ultra Beast, and probably in the top ten of my least favorite Pokémon of all time, goes to the abomination known as Guzzlord. That thing sucks.
So, that's a-coming. I will probably have the invoice sometime tonight and I'll pay it off and have them shipped over the weekend. Can't wait!
- LOTS of eBay gets. Nothing too expensive, but now I thought would be a good time as any to get items that wouldn't break me financially and would be good for the collection.
What was purchased:
For now, keep cool and meow on, kittens.
12:21 AM CDT
- The final item I have won on Yahoo! Japan was a Torracat keychain. It's also coming paired with a Xurkitree keychain. I am not a fan of Ultra Beasts but Xurkitree is the one that I probably like the best if I was to choose one. I don't care for it, mind you, but it's not the worst of the bunch. No, my least favorite Ultra Beast, and probably in the top ten of my least favorite Pokémon of all time, goes to the abomination known as Guzzlord. That thing sucks.
So, that's a-coming. I will probably have the invoice sometime tonight and I'll pay it off and have them shipped over the weekend. Can't wait!
- LOTS of eBay gets. Nothing too expensive, but now I thought would be a good time as any to get items that wouldn't break me financially and would be good for the collection.
What was purchased:
- Torracat Chupa figure in an Ultra Ball
- Midnight Lycanroc figure in a Great Ball
- Dusk Lycanroc Style Figure
- Pokémon Center "Summer Life" acrylic keychain with Rockruff and Litten
- Both regular and metallic Incineroar Moncolle Get figures
For now, keep cool and meow on, kittens.
August 1, 2018
9:56 PM CDT
- Alright! Some big news. I have won two clearfiles that I have been after for a long time. I mean, one over the other, but let me explain. The biggie clearfile that I wanted? The Pokémon Conquest clearfile with all of the Unova starters. I have been wanting that clearfile for the longest time and I have finally won it. Apparently, other people wanted it, too. I got outbid numerous times until I put in my max bid. Something I was willing to pay and feel no shame in doing so. They gave up, and it is now mine. Of course, it will not be going up in Lioness's to-do list until I get it in my house.
The other clearfile was a replacement for the Liepard clearfile I already have. This one is mint in its plastic. The one I have is opened and has been scratched. Once that clearfile gets here, I will be swapping both and using the one I currently have for storing papers. Win/win!
There is one more item I am bidding on and that'll be the final item for now. I should mention that I only use a deputy service if I cannot find the item on eBay or any other store that ships to the US. Gee... that's something I should mention in the Contacts and Links page. I'll do it, soon.
- Speaking of Lioness's to-do list, I will NOW be updating it. I know it took longer than it should have. There is just so much to do that I've been putting it off until now. Afterwards, I need to finish an art trade than do more reorganizing of my room. My closet will now be converted into a space for more of my collection. I look forward to that.
Lioness's to-do list should be updated before the day ends. There's a lot of stuff to add, so be on the lookout when it's done.
For now, keep cool, kittens.
9:56 PM CDT
- Alright! Some big news. I have won two clearfiles that I have been after for a long time. I mean, one over the other, but let me explain. The biggie clearfile that I wanted? The Pokémon Conquest clearfile with all of the Unova starters. I have been wanting that clearfile for the longest time and I have finally won it. Apparently, other people wanted it, too. I got outbid numerous times until I put in my max bid. Something I was willing to pay and feel no shame in doing so. They gave up, and it is now mine. Of course, it will not be going up in Lioness's to-do list until I get it in my house.
The other clearfile was a replacement for the Liepard clearfile I already have. This one is mint in its plastic. The one I have is opened and has been scratched. Once that clearfile gets here, I will be swapping both and using the one I currently have for storing papers. Win/win!
There is one more item I am bidding on and that'll be the final item for now. I should mention that I only use a deputy service if I cannot find the item on eBay or any other store that ships to the US. Gee... that's something I should mention in the Contacts and Links page. I'll do it, soon.
- Speaking of Lioness's to-do list, I will NOW be updating it. I know it took longer than it should have. There is just so much to do that I've been putting it off until now. Afterwards, I need to finish an art trade than do more reorganizing of my room. My closet will now be converted into a space for more of my collection. I look forward to that.
Lioness's to-do list should be updated before the day ends. There's a lot of stuff to add, so be on the lookout when it's done.
For now, keep cool, kittens.
July 29, 2018
3:19 AM CDT
- A bit of bad news. The GEM Garurumon figure has been lost.
While I am saddened about that, all is not lost. There are other figures out there waiting to be bid on. I'll get one of these babies one of these days.
For now, there are a few more auctions that I am looking forward to winning. I mean, I hope I win them. There is a chance I could lose all of them. There is a chance I could win all of them.
I'm hoping for the latter!
More to come later, cats!
4:00 PM CDT
- Now for some good news! Two items have been won- the original Arcanine 151 badge and the Pokémon Center Dark-type clearfile. I got it for Liepard, but Houndour and Houndoom being on the same side makes it an even better get.
Two more auctions are still on-going and they will not be over for the next two to three days. They end very early in the morning, too, when Japan is at its evening time and the US is just starting to wake up. Only one item I am bidding on is a gigantic want, and there is no way in hell I am mentioning what it is because I don't want competition. I'll be up early to raise my max bid in case I get competition at the last minute. It's not a grail, but I've been wanting this for a long time.
If it was a grail, I'd take the day off from work just to win it.
That's all for now, cats. Later and keep cool.
3:19 AM CDT
- A bit of bad news. The GEM Garurumon figure has been lost.
While I am saddened about that, all is not lost. There are other figures out there waiting to be bid on. I'll get one of these babies one of these days.
For now, there are a few more auctions that I am looking forward to winning. I mean, I hope I win them. There is a chance I could lose all of them. There is a chance I could win all of them.
I'm hoping for the latter!
More to come later, cats!
4:00 PM CDT
- Now for some good news! Two items have been won- the original Arcanine 151 badge and the Pokémon Center Dark-type clearfile. I got it for Liepard, but Houndour and Houndoom being on the same side makes it an even better get.
Two more auctions are still on-going and they will not be over for the next two to three days. They end very early in the morning, too, when Japan is at its evening time and the US is just starting to wake up. Only one item I am bidding on is a gigantic want, and there is no way in hell I am mentioning what it is because I don't want competition. I'll be up early to raise my max bid in case I get competition at the last minute. It's not a grail, but I've been wanting this for a long time.
If it was a grail, I'd take the day off from work just to win it.
That's all for now, cats. Later and keep cool.
July 28, 2018
12:53 AM CDT
- I am bidding on a lot of things from Noppin. It looks like they got rid of their crescentjones account and are using a new account to prevent internal bidding. I don't know if it's the same account for everything like crescentjones or if they have multiple accounts like SMJ but I'd thought I'd give them a try to take advantage of such a high yen exchange rate.
Things I am bidding on are a bunch of clearfiles that are on my wants list and this gorgeous G.E.M. Garurumon figure with Yamato. Really cool. I hope I win it. Another item I hope to get is an Arcanine 151 badge MIP.
- Some fandom rambling. Why do I prefer the Japanese version of both Pokémon and Digimon? Again, comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.
Pokémon is just better in Japanese overall. The lines aren't as cringe-inducing, the music is superb, they know that SILENCE IS GOLDEN in certain situations where music does not need to be played... The voice acting isn't terrible, but I much prefer the Japanese voices. The Japanese voices just fit the characters more, though some of the English voices fit their character very well, so points for them on that.
Digimon is a different beast altogether. The English voices are actually not that bad. True, I much prefer the Japanese voices, but the English voices fit their characters very well. Still, there's this charm to having a big, bad draconic creature and metallic wolves with voices that sound child-like. They have the same actors in all forms, even if they are played by women. The English version doesn't do this, and again, the voices fit. It's not as charming, but it fits.
No, what I dislike the most about the English version of Digimon is the music change (which is even more obnoxious than Pokémon's music change) and the obnoxious dialogue. It's like they want to make certain characters as unlikable as possible. True, they didn't Americanize it like 4Kids did with Pokémon, but when you watch the Japanese and English verisons, you can see and hear the difference, and it is grating.
Pokémon's WB movie premiers weren't amazing and were quite the stinkers, but Fox wanted to make Digimon a rival to the Pokémon franchise by releasing their own movie. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to fuck up the Digimon movie even worse than what WB did with Pokémon, That is quite a feat. Congrats, WB. You are the tallest dwarf.
Are there any dubs I prefer to subs? Yes, but they don't really fit with the spirit of this site. Besides, if I want to see good ol' Western works in action, I'd watch Western programs. I don't watch Disney programs in Japanese, I don't watch How to Train Your Dragon in Japanese. I watch what makes me happy.
Toodles to you cool felines out there. Keep cool in this summer heat.
12:53 AM CDT
- I am bidding on a lot of things from Noppin. It looks like they got rid of their crescentjones account and are using a new account to prevent internal bidding. I don't know if it's the same account for everything like crescentjones or if they have multiple accounts like SMJ but I'd thought I'd give them a try to take advantage of such a high yen exchange rate.
Things I am bidding on are a bunch of clearfiles that are on my wants list and this gorgeous G.E.M. Garurumon figure with Yamato. Really cool. I hope I win it. Another item I hope to get is an Arcanine 151 badge MIP.
- Some fandom rambling. Why do I prefer the Japanese version of both Pokémon and Digimon? Again, comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.
Pokémon is just better in Japanese overall. The lines aren't as cringe-inducing, the music is superb, they know that SILENCE IS GOLDEN in certain situations where music does not need to be played... The voice acting isn't terrible, but I much prefer the Japanese voices. The Japanese voices just fit the characters more, though some of the English voices fit their character very well, so points for them on that.
Digimon is a different beast altogether. The English voices are actually not that bad. True, I much prefer the Japanese voices, but the English voices fit their characters very well. Still, there's this charm to having a big, bad draconic creature and metallic wolves with voices that sound child-like. They have the same actors in all forms, even if they are played by women. The English version doesn't do this, and again, the voices fit. It's not as charming, but it fits.
No, what I dislike the most about the English version of Digimon is the music change (which is even more obnoxious than Pokémon's music change) and the obnoxious dialogue. It's like they want to make certain characters as unlikable as possible. True, they didn't Americanize it like 4Kids did with Pokémon, but when you watch the Japanese and English verisons, you can see and hear the difference, and it is grating.
Pokémon's WB movie premiers weren't amazing and were quite the stinkers, but Fox wanted to make Digimon a rival to the Pokémon franchise by releasing their own movie. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to fuck up the Digimon movie even worse than what WB did with Pokémon, That is quite a feat. Congrats, WB. You are the tallest dwarf.
Are there any dubs I prefer to subs? Yes, but they don't really fit with the spirit of this site. Besides, if I want to see good ol' Western works in action, I'd watch Western programs. I don't watch Disney programs in Japanese, I don't watch How to Train Your Dragon in Japanese. I watch what makes me happy.
Toodles to you cool felines out there. Keep cool in this summer heat.
July 27, 2018
6:21 PM CDT
- Two things arrived at my house today. The first item was the mini Garurumon gashapon figure that I got a few days back. He is incredibly cute and well-made. This kicks off my Digimon collection and once I get enough items to make a new page for this site, of course he will be shown off.
- The second thing to arrive is the Arcanine Pokémon Fit plush. Anyone who has been to Japan and seen/pictured these plush in-person have already mentioned it, but now that I have a plush of my own, I can mention of few things about it:
1. It is incredibly well-made and it is very soft. Two favorite things to look for in a plush.
2. If you were expecting something decently large, I'm afraid Pokémon Fit does not fit into that criteria. That's not a pun, I swear. These plush are about the size of my hand, maybe a bit larger. Depending on how large or small your hands are, that's about how big they are. Unless your hands are the size of Donald Trump's then these plush would be gigantic. Yes. YES. I had to make that joke. It was screaming to be made.
So well-made, soft, but not large. They are maybe the size of a Poké Doll. If you want a space saver, they're perfect. If you want a travel buddy, they are perfect. If you want a snuggle buddy, they are still good at the job. They are not standard Pokémon Center large, but they are worth getting. I cannot wait to get the rest of my favorites.
That's all for today. Keep cool, cats.
6:21 PM CDT
- Two things arrived at my house today. The first item was the mini Garurumon gashapon figure that I got a few days back. He is incredibly cute and well-made. This kicks off my Digimon collection and once I get enough items to make a new page for this site, of course he will be shown off.
- The second thing to arrive is the Arcanine Pokémon Fit plush. Anyone who has been to Japan and seen/pictured these plush in-person have already mentioned it, but now that I have a plush of my own, I can mention of few things about it:
1. It is incredibly well-made and it is very soft. Two favorite things to look for in a plush.
2. If you were expecting something decently large, I'm afraid Pokémon Fit does not fit into that criteria. That's not a pun, I swear. These plush are about the size of my hand, maybe a bit larger. Depending on how large or small your hands are, that's about how big they are. Unless your hands are the size of Donald Trump's then these plush would be gigantic. Yes. YES. I had to make that joke. It was screaming to be made.
So well-made, soft, but not large. They are maybe the size of a Poké Doll. If you want a space saver, they're perfect. If you want a travel buddy, they are perfect. If you want a snuggle buddy, they are still good at the job. They are not standard Pokémon Center large, but they are worth getting. I cannot wait to get the rest of my favorites.
That's all for today. Keep cool, cats.
July 25, 2018
11:20 PM CDT
- When my site was new and starting to peak, I was getting as many as 700-1000 views a week. It's now down to the 300s and 400s. I am still getting more views than I expected, but I wonder what caused such a huge drop in the number of views? I thought my opinionated blog turned away people from my site and that could have been a problem. Also, Google messed with the algorithm where only sites with SSL enabled got bumped up in Google's search results, which I was finally able to get when Weebly gave it for free regardless of what plan you had. Oh yeah, there is also the Bulbagarden forums where the people most likely to see the advertisement of my site can only be seen by members who are logged in thanks to XenForo software.
Or it could be my infrequent updates.
I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me in the end since I don't monetize my site with ads and people are still visiting my site, but I'm just curious in what brought the number down. It could be a combination of all of that I mentioned, but the SSL situation was fixed and I got rid of the blog.
It's really a situation that is beyond my control. No way I am paying for advertising on a site I am not even monetizing, nor do I want to get on social media because I hate it. I guess I get what I get.
Now if my views were at 0, then I would feel bad. Bad enough where I would just shut down the site since paying for a site that is not getting any views doesn't seem worth it. I am getting views, and that's all that matters, regardless of the numbers.
By the way, the only reason why I know what my numbers are is because Weebly forces me to see it before I can edit this site. It's the first thing seen when I login. I'm not obsessed with how many people see my site. It's just something I saw and decided to bring up. For those who have stuck around, thanks for being a Big Cat Collection fan! I plan to add more in the future and make my collection even bigger so please stick around and have fun.
- Onto some real news, the Growlithe SANEI plush has arrived. It's, of course, adorable. When is a Growlithe plush ever not adorable? Never, I say!
The plush I am looking forward to arriving is the Arcanine Pokémon Fit plush, only to get a look at how big and well-made it is. Once I get my hands on this baby, I'll be updating on that.
I cannot wait to see August's line! Can August get here already?
11:20 PM CDT
- When my site was new and starting to peak, I was getting as many as 700-1000 views a week. It's now down to the 300s and 400s. I am still getting more views than I expected, but I wonder what caused such a huge drop in the number of views? I thought my opinionated blog turned away people from my site and that could have been a problem. Also, Google messed with the algorithm where only sites with SSL enabled got bumped up in Google's search results, which I was finally able to get when Weebly gave it for free regardless of what plan you had. Oh yeah, there is also the Bulbagarden forums where the people most likely to see the advertisement of my site can only be seen by members who are logged in thanks to XenForo software.
Or it could be my infrequent updates.
I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me in the end since I don't monetize my site with ads and people are still visiting my site, but I'm just curious in what brought the number down. It could be a combination of all of that I mentioned, but the SSL situation was fixed and I got rid of the blog.
It's really a situation that is beyond my control. No way I am paying for advertising on a site I am not even monetizing, nor do I want to get on social media because I hate it. I guess I get what I get.
Now if my views were at 0, then I would feel bad. Bad enough where I would just shut down the site since paying for a site that is not getting any views doesn't seem worth it. I am getting views, and that's all that matters, regardless of the numbers.
By the way, the only reason why I know what my numbers are is because Weebly forces me to see it before I can edit this site. It's the first thing seen when I login. I'm not obsessed with how many people see my site. It's just something I saw and decided to bring up. For those who have stuck around, thanks for being a Big Cat Collection fan! I plan to add more in the future and make my collection even bigger so please stick around and have fun.
- Onto some real news, the Growlithe SANEI plush has arrived. It's, of course, adorable. When is a Growlithe plush ever not adorable? Never, I say!
The plush I am looking forward to arriving is the Arcanine Pokémon Fit plush, only to get a look at how big and well-made it is. Once I get my hands on this baby, I'll be updating on that.
I cannot wait to see August's line! Can August get here already?
July 23, 2018
10:26 PM CDT
- This summer heat is just getting worse every year. 101 degrees, feels like 111?? Gross!
I want July to end just so I can see what the new Pokémon Fit plush for August are going to be.
I also saw the size of that Bandai Lapras plush compared to the Pokémon Center large plush. It is gigantic! Yeah, that thing has been updated to grail status. There's no way I can afford the shipping on that thing. The large size PC Lapras plush was $100 alone to ship it. This will cost much more.
But one day... never say never.
- Aside from Pokémon Fit, I want to get a bit of a Digimon collection going. Next item to be purchased will be in August. Must have more Digimon toys!
If ocelotlrama were a Digimon, would she be Ocelotlmon and evolving into Metalocelotlmon? Me and my stupid head characters.
Night, you silly cats.
10:26 PM CDT
- This summer heat is just getting worse every year. 101 degrees, feels like 111?? Gross!
I want July to end just so I can see what the new Pokémon Fit plush for August are going to be.
I also saw the size of that Bandai Lapras plush compared to the Pokémon Center large plush. It is gigantic! Yeah, that thing has been updated to grail status. There's no way I can afford the shipping on that thing. The large size PC Lapras plush was $100 alone to ship it. This will cost much more.
But one day... never say never.
- Aside from Pokémon Fit, I want to get a bit of a Digimon collection going. Next item to be purchased will be in August. Must have more Digimon toys!
If ocelotlrama were a Digimon, would she be Ocelotlmon and evolving into Metalocelotlmon? Me and my stupid head characters.
Night, you silly cats.
July 22, 2018
4:20 AM CDT
- Oh, look. It's 4:20... AM. There's no rule against the AM part, right? I mean, be responsible and don't drive to work if you plan on it.
Okay, I just wanted to take advantage of that joke until I got to the real reason of this update. I couldn't sleep, so I was watching something I have not seen in a long time- Digimon. I LOVE the Digimon Adventures and Tamers series. It was one of those things my peers in school couldn't get about me when that I was a fan of both Digimon AND Pokémon when the two were "rivals." You either had to love one or the other. Geez. It was possible to love both, you know. God forbid people have fun.
After what is going on 20 years, comparing the two franchises is like comparing apples to oranges. If anything, I found both series to be similiar to Tamagotchi than each other, with the only thing they shared was the suffix -mon and evolution (which was and still is common in Japanese monster shows).
The only reason I stuck with Pokémon all these years compared to Digimon is that Digimon did go in a direction I was not a huge fan of. It took concepts and expanded them all over the place. I felt that the original goofiness of the originals and Tamers became more geared to what seemed like an adult audience then back to children. It wasn't fun and it became so convoluted that I gave up in following it.
But! Back to my point, I was watching the Japanese version with English subs of the Adventure series and I am in love with the series again. I also got a glimpse of tri. and I am in even bigger awe at how much they can take a fun series and still make it fun for the fans who grew up with the show and for younger audiences, as well. I... want to have a small collection for my favorite Digimon. This I do want to set up space for. I want to have a Garurumon and evos collection. He was always my favorite Digimon of the series, but I love Greymon and Metalgreymon, too. I want the D-Arts figures so bad but they cost a fortune. Almost all Japanese imports are pricy, but this I actually want to do. We'll see what goes on from here. This is probably the most excited I have been in starting a new collection.
What I get first, stay tuned!
- I have been getting some very nice emails from fans of my site! Again, thank you for the kind words and for all you new out there coming to visit my site, welcome!
I have also been getting emails with offers of rare, juicy items that I would love to get my paws on, even if I did say I wasn't buying from visitors at the moment. I will be changing my FAQs page and Items Wanted pages to include info that I will be buying from sellers, but the item and along with the shipping has to be for items $30 or under. I can go over $50 only at the beginning of the month. I'll make those changes later today.
July is almost over. Good. Now we need August to piss off and beautiful fall weather will be closer to coming. I really want that!
For now, toodles to you beautiful felines. Canines, too. If you're a canine, I don't judge. I'll hiss, but nothing more than that.
10:25 PM CDT
- First Digimon purchase- an adorable Garurumon gashapon figure. I'm going to go small here and limit myself to well-made yet cheaper items. No D-Arts figures will be purchased anytime soon. Those are way too expensive, but man, they are so boss looking!
- FAQs and Items Wanted pages will be updated to include I will be buying from visitors, but my spending limit will be at $30 and that will begin August 1st. It's the end of the month and I cannot buy from visitors right now.
So if you have an item in my wants list that is $30 or under, feel free to sell to me in August. I don't have a lot of wants that are in that price range, but I am willing to throw my money at you if you have an item that I am looking to add and in need of cash.
Is it only $30 an item in one go? No. I can spend $120 in one complete purchase, but I am expecting four items or more that add up to $120 in the mix. It depends on what I am looking for.
So in need of money and are selling something stuff at that price range? E-mail me! But not until August 1.
For now, keep cool and meow on, cool cats.
4:20 AM CDT
- Oh, look. It's 4:20... AM. There's no rule against the AM part, right? I mean, be responsible and don't drive to work if you plan on it.
Okay, I just wanted to take advantage of that joke until I got to the real reason of this update. I couldn't sleep, so I was watching something I have not seen in a long time- Digimon. I LOVE the Digimon Adventures and Tamers series. It was one of those things my peers in school couldn't get about me when that I was a fan of both Digimon AND Pokémon when the two were "rivals." You either had to love one or the other. Geez. It was possible to love both, you know. God forbid people have fun.
After what is going on 20 years, comparing the two franchises is like comparing apples to oranges. If anything, I found both series to be similiar to Tamagotchi than each other, with the only thing they shared was the suffix -mon and evolution (which was and still is common in Japanese monster shows).
The only reason I stuck with Pokémon all these years compared to Digimon is that Digimon did go in a direction I was not a huge fan of. It took concepts and expanded them all over the place. I felt that the original goofiness of the originals and Tamers became more geared to what seemed like an adult audience then back to children. It wasn't fun and it became so convoluted that I gave up in following it.
But! Back to my point, I was watching the Japanese version with English subs of the Adventure series and I am in love with the series again. I also got a glimpse of tri. and I am in even bigger awe at how much they can take a fun series and still make it fun for the fans who grew up with the show and for younger audiences, as well. I... want to have a small collection for my favorite Digimon. This I do want to set up space for. I want to have a Garurumon and evos collection. He was always my favorite Digimon of the series, but I love Greymon and Metalgreymon, too. I want the D-Arts figures so bad but they cost a fortune. Almost all Japanese imports are pricy, but this I actually want to do. We'll see what goes on from here. This is probably the most excited I have been in starting a new collection.
What I get first, stay tuned!
- I have been getting some very nice emails from fans of my site! Again, thank you for the kind words and for all you new out there coming to visit my site, welcome!
I have also been getting emails with offers of rare, juicy items that I would love to get my paws on, even if I did say I wasn't buying from visitors at the moment. I will be changing my FAQs page and Items Wanted pages to include info that I will be buying from sellers, but the item and along with the shipping has to be for items $30 or under. I can go over $50 only at the beginning of the month. I'll make those changes later today.
July is almost over. Good. Now we need August to piss off and beautiful fall weather will be closer to coming. I really want that!
For now, toodles to you beautiful felines. Canines, too. If you're a canine, I don't judge. I'll hiss, but nothing more than that.
10:25 PM CDT
- First Digimon purchase- an adorable Garurumon gashapon figure. I'm going to go small here and limit myself to well-made yet cheaper items. No D-Arts figures will be purchased anytime soon. Those are way too expensive, but man, they are so boss looking!
- FAQs and Items Wanted pages will be updated to include I will be buying from visitors, but my spending limit will be at $30 and that will begin August 1st. It's the end of the month and I cannot buy from visitors right now.
So if you have an item in my wants list that is $30 or under, feel free to sell to me in August. I don't have a lot of wants that are in that price range, but I am willing to throw my money at you if you have an item that I am looking to add and in need of cash.
Is it only $30 an item in one go? No. I can spend $120 in one complete purchase, but I am expecting four items or more that add up to $120 in the mix. It depends on what I am looking for.
So in need of money and are selling something stuff at that price range? E-mail me! But not until August 1.
For now, keep cool and meow on, cool cats.
July 14, 2018
12:50 AM CDT
- There have been plenty of gets this week. I have purchased the San-Ei Charizard and Growlithe plushes. San-Ei plushes are well made and very soft. Too bad they're so damn expensive. Oh well. They're must have and are expected to sell out because they always do. Their prices are also jacked up later on so better to get them early. Sunyshore and Pokevault have them. Get them while they are hot.
- Some excellent news from Pokeshopper! There is a new brand of plush coming out called Pokémon Fit. All of the original 151 Pokémon are expected to get a plush! That's right. All of them! The two that I am the most excited for are Persian, and of course, the most important of all, Electabuzz! Persian has never had an official plush outside of a prototype that I doubt I am ever going to get my hands on, and Electabuzz has that supremely cute but tiny Bell Plush. Real plushies of these guys makes me happy. This is a dream come true for me as a collector and big lover of these Pokémon.
Will they go beyond the original 151? Who knows. I want them to make it at least to Hoenn so I can finally get an official Numel plush! Okay, I won't be greedy. I am very happy about the Pokémon Fit line and all 151 are expected to be out by November in batches. I want what I collect now!
Arcanine will be the first purchase. Of course Charizard, Lapras, and Growlithe will be purchased. I just don't feel too excited for them since they already have plushes. It doesn't change the fact that this is some exciting stuff!
- I've noticed one store that makes the rounds of recommendations for places to buy import games and toys and I am here to say skip them. That store is Play-Asia. I will not be linking to them because I would rather people not waste their money over there.
Once upon a time they were THE place to get import games and toys directly from Japan- despite being based in Hong Kong. Cringey use of dated memes and outrage bandwagon hopping aside (though it makes them look really unprofessional in the process), my biggest beef with them is how overpriced their items are. What is sold for hundreds of dollars can be purchased at a cheaper price on Amiami. When Play-Asia has a "sale," items are marked down at retail price. That's it. You're not getting a bargain, you're paying what you would have paid on any other import site. Sure, they could have gotten away with that in 2003, but not now. Their shipping prices are also astronomical.
What they do offer that no other import site offers is access to some hardcore pornographic games, movies, and figurines. If that's your thing, feel free to Google them and pay the extra price. I'm not here to judge.
For other things, go to Amiami or Japan Video Games. Hell, even Amazon is better when it comes to getting a good deal on imports.
That's all, you crazy kittens out there. Lots of great stuff ahead. For now, I bid you a good night.
6:19 PM CDT
- Some more news of the hour. The first Pokémon Fit plush to be purchased is Arcanine. Depending on whatever I collect in the batch will be purchased. For now, it's everyone's favorite Shishi.
- I will be making a massive overhaul of the Items Wanted page. Instead of wanting every single item like I had there, it will be reduced by a big number and limited to items to really want. The grails will stay, but what I will be wanting is going to be cut in half. That's only the Pokémon page since it's a huge part of my collection. The other pages will stay the same with nothing new I really want. What I have up is what I really want so everything else looks to be in order. There isn't really anything recent that I've been wanting with the exception of the Bandai Lapras plush, and that will be included as a grail.
So, that will be overhauled and Lioness's to-do list will be getting stuff added ASAP, as well. It's probably one of the laziest things not to update that page, but I also want to update it with official names so that when I actually take pictures, I'll have the titles ready without having to look them up again.
Off to give a clean makeover of the Wants List page. Ciao gatti.
12:50 AM CDT
- There have been plenty of gets this week. I have purchased the San-Ei Charizard and Growlithe plushes. San-Ei plushes are well made and very soft. Too bad they're so damn expensive. Oh well. They're must have and are expected to sell out because they always do. Their prices are also jacked up later on so better to get them early. Sunyshore and Pokevault have them. Get them while they are hot.
- Some excellent news from Pokeshopper! There is a new brand of plush coming out called Pokémon Fit. All of the original 151 Pokémon are expected to get a plush! That's right. All of them! The two that I am the most excited for are Persian, and of course, the most important of all, Electabuzz! Persian has never had an official plush outside of a prototype that I doubt I am ever going to get my hands on, and Electabuzz has that supremely cute but tiny Bell Plush. Real plushies of these guys makes me happy. This is a dream come true for me as a collector and big lover of these Pokémon.
Will they go beyond the original 151? Who knows. I want them to make it at least to Hoenn so I can finally get an official Numel plush! Okay, I won't be greedy. I am very happy about the Pokémon Fit line and all 151 are expected to be out by November in batches. I want what I collect now!
Arcanine will be the first purchase. Of course Charizard, Lapras, and Growlithe will be purchased. I just don't feel too excited for them since they already have plushes. It doesn't change the fact that this is some exciting stuff!
- I've noticed one store that makes the rounds of recommendations for places to buy import games and toys and I am here to say skip them. That store is Play-Asia. I will not be linking to them because I would rather people not waste their money over there.
Once upon a time they were THE place to get import games and toys directly from Japan- despite being based in Hong Kong. Cringey use of dated memes and outrage bandwagon hopping aside (though it makes them look really unprofessional in the process), my biggest beef with them is how overpriced their items are. What is sold for hundreds of dollars can be purchased at a cheaper price on Amiami. When Play-Asia has a "sale," items are marked down at retail price. That's it. You're not getting a bargain, you're paying what you would have paid on any other import site. Sure, they could have gotten away with that in 2003, but not now. Their shipping prices are also astronomical.
What they do offer that no other import site offers is access to some hardcore pornographic games, movies, and figurines. If that's your thing, feel free to Google them and pay the extra price. I'm not here to judge.
For other things, go to Amiami or Japan Video Games. Hell, even Amazon is better when it comes to getting a good deal on imports.
That's all, you crazy kittens out there. Lots of great stuff ahead. For now, I bid you a good night.
6:19 PM CDT
- Some more news of the hour. The first Pokémon Fit plush to be purchased is Arcanine. Depending on whatever I collect in the batch will be purchased. For now, it's everyone's favorite Shishi.
- I will be making a massive overhaul of the Items Wanted page. Instead of wanting every single item like I had there, it will be reduced by a big number and limited to items to really want. The grails will stay, but what I will be wanting is going to be cut in half. That's only the Pokémon page since it's a huge part of my collection. The other pages will stay the same with nothing new I really want. What I have up is what I really want so everything else looks to be in order. There isn't really anything recent that I've been wanting with the exception of the Bandai Lapras plush, and that will be included as a grail.
So, that will be overhauled and Lioness's to-do list will be getting stuff added ASAP, as well. It's probably one of the laziest things not to update that page, but I also want to update it with official names so that when I actually take pictures, I'll have the titles ready without having to look them up again.
Off to give a clean makeover of the Wants List page. Ciao gatti.
July 10, 2018
1:29 AM CDT
- I want to expand on what I was talking about in my last entry. There was something in the news that reminded me of a certain incident and I hate to bring this particular incident up but, unfortunately, it fits.
Shopaholic. Yes, it's a real thing. The more formal term is "compulsive buying disorder" or "oniomania." It is something very easy for a new collector to get into.
However, I discussed that already in my last update. What I want to talk about is collecting something you are not familiar with and paying a fortune for it. It has happened, I have seen it, and there isn't a more infamous example than Gary Dell'Abate and him wanting to buy an animation cel of "Baba Booey." For those not in the know, Dell'Abate was on the Howard Stern show in the early 90s and they got into the topic of cel collections. He had mentioned that he wanted to buy a cel from that cartoon he saw in the 50s of the character "Baba Booey." That cartoon was Quick Draw McGraw and the character's actual name is "Baba Looey." Stern and the rest of the crew never let him live it down, and he is stuck with the nickname Baba Booey to this day. It has become famous for people screaming the name during golf games and a prank call with the president.
My point is, those animation cels cost a fortune, especially animation cels of cartoons from the 50s. He was going to purchase a cel of a character whose name he couldn't even get right. According to Dell'Abate, he mispronounced the name because in the the cartoon, the character would be referred to as "Baba Boy," with Boy pronounced as "Booey." Fair enough, but still. That's like me wanting to buy a cel of some random cartoon in the 90s I barely watched and wanted only to mispronounce the name later on.
If you want to collect something, you should have at least a bit of familiarity towards what you are going to collect. It goes back to the shopaholic post in the last update. Just because you really want it, doesn't mean you are meant to have it or should even have it.
I have seen this on Pkmncollectors, I have seen this on YouTube collecting videos. People end up regretting their choices afterwards. When it comes to collecting, people need to be more wise with their choices otherwise you are going to have something in your possession that you paid hundreds or even thousands for and you're not even familiar with, making you less happy with that choice. The chances of you selling it at the price you paid for is small, unless you are patient and you wait ten more years for the value to increase.
So be careful out there, and don't be a Baba Booey.
Be a cool cat. Night.
1:29 AM CDT
- I want to expand on what I was talking about in my last entry. There was something in the news that reminded me of a certain incident and I hate to bring this particular incident up but, unfortunately, it fits.
Shopaholic. Yes, it's a real thing. The more formal term is "compulsive buying disorder" or "oniomania." It is something very easy for a new collector to get into.
However, I discussed that already in my last update. What I want to talk about is collecting something you are not familiar with and paying a fortune for it. It has happened, I have seen it, and there isn't a more infamous example than Gary Dell'Abate and him wanting to buy an animation cel of "Baba Booey." For those not in the know, Dell'Abate was on the Howard Stern show in the early 90s and they got into the topic of cel collections. He had mentioned that he wanted to buy a cel from that cartoon he saw in the 50s of the character "Baba Booey." That cartoon was Quick Draw McGraw and the character's actual name is "Baba Looey." Stern and the rest of the crew never let him live it down, and he is stuck with the nickname Baba Booey to this day. It has become famous for people screaming the name during golf games and a prank call with the president.
My point is, those animation cels cost a fortune, especially animation cels of cartoons from the 50s. He was going to purchase a cel of a character whose name he couldn't even get right. According to Dell'Abate, he mispronounced the name because in the the cartoon, the character would be referred to as "Baba Boy," with Boy pronounced as "Booey." Fair enough, but still. That's like me wanting to buy a cel of some random cartoon in the 90s I barely watched and wanted only to mispronounce the name later on.
If you want to collect something, you should have at least a bit of familiarity towards what you are going to collect. It goes back to the shopaholic post in the last update. Just because you really want it, doesn't mean you are meant to have it or should even have it.
I have seen this on Pkmncollectors, I have seen this on YouTube collecting videos. People end up regretting their choices afterwards. When it comes to collecting, people need to be more wise with their choices otherwise you are going to have something in your possession that you paid hundreds or even thousands for and you're not even familiar with, making you less happy with that choice. The chances of you selling it at the price you paid for is small, unless you are patient and you wait ten more years for the value to increase.
So be careful out there, and don't be a Baba Booey.
Be a cool cat. Night.
July 6, 2018
9:55 PM CDT
- New gets! The Alolan Persian plush along with new Pokémon Center charms featuring the Alolan cat along with her Kanto counterpart have been purchased (or should I say purr-chased).
I had all this money saved up for a plush I am not even going to buy so I might as well get the items I have been wanting to get now that I actually have the money. That Lapras plush is going to cost a fortune, but I'll get one in the future. Probably as early as 2019 or sometime as late as 2030. Who knows. I know I would rather have the Heartland Tomy Charizard plush first. If I am going to spend more than $900, I'd rather get my top grail first.
What happens happens. That's the thing about being a collector. You be wise with your money, first and foremost. Save for what you'd like, but if the toy you wanted is well out of your price range, do not go broke buying it. There is a thing called "buyers remorse" and it happens way too often. I am serious that this is not a hobby for the shopaholic. You build up a collection over time. You do not want to have a big collection overnight. None of this happens overnight. Toy collectors like Denkimouse, Pixel Dan, Sui-Kune, and myself didn't amass our collections overnight. It took years to get where we are at.
The point of toy collecting is that it is supposed to be fun. I do not feel obligated to buy the most expensive and rarest toys at this very moment because I know my limits. Save up for it or move on to something else. Do not let it become an obsession otherwise the fun is sapped out and it becomes more of a chore than a fun hobby. Do I feel a bit bad I couldn't get the Bandai Lapras plush? Yes. I really wanted it. Again, I recognized that it is way too out of my price range. People really need to understand this before they get into something like toy collecting. I cannot stress this enough.
So yes, new gets. Not a lot of fanfare, but they are something I am looking foward to having in my collection. Bigger gets will come in due time. For now, let's just kick back, relax, and enjoy what is yet to come! More in the future.
Peace out to all you cats and kittens out there.
9:55 PM CDT
- New gets! The Alolan Persian plush along with new Pokémon Center charms featuring the Alolan cat along with her Kanto counterpart have been purchased (or should I say purr-chased).
I had all this money saved up for a plush I am not even going to buy so I might as well get the items I have been wanting to get now that I actually have the money. That Lapras plush is going to cost a fortune, but I'll get one in the future. Probably as early as 2019 or sometime as late as 2030. Who knows. I know I would rather have the Heartland Tomy Charizard plush first. If I am going to spend more than $900, I'd rather get my top grail first.
What happens happens. That's the thing about being a collector. You be wise with your money, first and foremost. Save for what you'd like, but if the toy you wanted is well out of your price range, do not go broke buying it. There is a thing called "buyers remorse" and it happens way too often. I am serious that this is not a hobby for the shopaholic. You build up a collection over time. You do not want to have a big collection overnight. None of this happens overnight. Toy collectors like Denkimouse, Pixel Dan, Sui-Kune, and myself didn't amass our collections overnight. It took years to get where we are at.
The point of toy collecting is that it is supposed to be fun. I do not feel obligated to buy the most expensive and rarest toys at this very moment because I know my limits. Save up for it or move on to something else. Do not let it become an obsession otherwise the fun is sapped out and it becomes more of a chore than a fun hobby. Do I feel a bit bad I couldn't get the Bandai Lapras plush? Yes. I really wanted it. Again, I recognized that it is way too out of my price range. People really need to understand this before they get into something like toy collecting. I cannot stress this enough.
So yes, new gets. Not a lot of fanfare, but they are something I am looking foward to having in my collection. Bigger gets will come in due time. For now, let's just kick back, relax, and enjoy what is yet to come! More in the future.
Peace out to all you cats and kittens out there.
July 4, 2018
9:11 PM CDT
- Happy Independence Day to all of my fellow US citizens out there. The day is starting to wind down here but there's fireworks popping and my cats taking sweet refuge away from the noise. Poor kitties. I am not a fan of fireworks, myself, but 4th of July celebrations don't go too long into the night. It's New Year's Day when the fireworks will begin at midnight and last until 2 AM. Popping them in the city limits is also illegal but no one enforces that law, so bombs away. The only thing I really worry about is if the conditions are dry, that's a recipe for a fire. Thankfully, it is humid, wet, and while hot, that alone cannot create the conditions where these things will be dangerous to life and property.
- Okay, I've rambled about fireworks for a bit too long there. There are updates- my US Tomy Lycanroc figures have arrived! Very good looking figures. Not as good as the quality as Japan gets and what we get as direct imports, but they're still beautiful in their own right.
- Some good news and some bad news. The bad news is I found out how much the giant Lapras Bandai plush is going to cost. At a minimum, it is $750 just for the plush. I was expecting it somewhere in the $300-400, maybe even around $500. $750, and that's not even including the shipping fees, is way too rich for my blood. I simply just do not have the money for a plush like this. Yes, I expect it to jump up in price in the future. I'll probably have it as a grail item in the mean time. I'm sorry, but I just cannot afford that. With how much shipping can cost, it can cost as much as $900 to ship, and that's not including a commission fee. It doesn't help that it sold out and it's going to be sold on Yahoo! Japan for a ridiculous amount.
So that plush is officially off my current wants list and will be considered a grail item. I am content enough with my Pokémon Center Lapras at the moment.
The SANEI Charizard is still a huge want, and since I saved up for a Lapras plush I am not even going to purchase, I am thinking of getting one piece of Lapras merch that won't make my wallet's ass cry- the GEM Lapras and Ash figure. Another item I am looking to get is the Alolan Persian Pokémon Center plush since I love that stupid cat as much as her Kanto counterpart. Lots to get!
After that, I will be taking a break from collecting and doing some massive reorganization of my collection, using my unused closet space for more display space. I am also looking to go back to Panama next year to visit that wonderful country. I will not be staying for months but just for a visit. Hell, maybe if I find a nice, isolated house in the mountains, I can just kick back and relax, work from home without the hussle and bussle of the city life, away from stupid government drama, and drunk networking that involves me schmoozing things up to the point where I am kissing ass.
That would be heavenly.
- Ever since I upgraded to SSL security, updating this site takes a few seconds longer than it would have previously. It's not a problem, just a bit annoying. It doesn't impact the updates to this site at all unless I am super impatient for the day.
That's about it for tonight. Have a good night, kittens.
9:11 PM CDT
- Happy Independence Day to all of my fellow US citizens out there. The day is starting to wind down here but there's fireworks popping and my cats taking sweet refuge away from the noise. Poor kitties. I am not a fan of fireworks, myself, but 4th of July celebrations don't go too long into the night. It's New Year's Day when the fireworks will begin at midnight and last until 2 AM. Popping them in the city limits is also illegal but no one enforces that law, so bombs away. The only thing I really worry about is if the conditions are dry, that's a recipe for a fire. Thankfully, it is humid, wet, and while hot, that alone cannot create the conditions where these things will be dangerous to life and property.
- Okay, I've rambled about fireworks for a bit too long there. There are updates- my US Tomy Lycanroc figures have arrived! Very good looking figures. Not as good as the quality as Japan gets and what we get as direct imports, but they're still beautiful in their own right.
- Some good news and some bad news. The bad news is I found out how much the giant Lapras Bandai plush is going to cost. At a minimum, it is $750 just for the plush. I was expecting it somewhere in the $300-400, maybe even around $500. $750, and that's not even including the shipping fees, is way too rich for my blood. I simply just do not have the money for a plush like this. Yes, I expect it to jump up in price in the future. I'll probably have it as a grail item in the mean time. I'm sorry, but I just cannot afford that. With how much shipping can cost, it can cost as much as $900 to ship, and that's not including a commission fee. It doesn't help that it sold out and it's going to be sold on Yahoo! Japan for a ridiculous amount.
So that plush is officially off my current wants list and will be considered a grail item. I am content enough with my Pokémon Center Lapras at the moment.
The SANEI Charizard is still a huge want, and since I saved up for a Lapras plush I am not even going to purchase, I am thinking of getting one piece of Lapras merch that won't make my wallet's ass cry- the GEM Lapras and Ash figure. Another item I am looking to get is the Alolan Persian Pokémon Center plush since I love that stupid cat as much as her Kanto counterpart. Lots to get!
After that, I will be taking a break from collecting and doing some massive reorganization of my collection, using my unused closet space for more display space. I am also looking to go back to Panama next year to visit that wonderful country. I will not be staying for months but just for a visit. Hell, maybe if I find a nice, isolated house in the mountains, I can just kick back and relax, work from home without the hussle and bussle of the city life, away from stupid government drama, and drunk networking that involves me schmoozing things up to the point where I am kissing ass.
That would be heavenly.
- Ever since I upgraded to SSL security, updating this site takes a few seconds longer than it would have previously. It's not a problem, just a bit annoying. It doesn't impact the updates to this site at all unless I am super impatient for the day.
That's about it for tonight. Have a good night, kittens.
June 30, 2018
12:37 AM CDT
- Something I purchased yesterday but forgot to mention- with a coupon from eBay, I was able to purchase a lot with both the Midday and Midnight Lycanroc American Tomy figures. They are different from the Japanese figures, which I found to be a nice surprise.
Will Tomy be making brand new figures for Western audiences? I love what they did for the Litten-line. Dusk Lycanroc does not have a new figure YET. It may come. I hope it comes.
I mention this because I was not too happy when Jakks lost the license to making Pokémon toys. They started off as meh in terms of quality but their toys started to improve to a point where I was happy with the figures. There were some downsides. Jakks had a huge problem with item distribution (one toy store can have every figure made for the season while another store wouldn't have anything for months, sometimes not even). Tomy isn't much better when it comes to redistribution and some of their high-quality plushes can make a wallet cry. I was actually kind of miffed that the figures they sold were just imports of the Japanese figures. The good thing about Jakks is that they were their own figures.
Looks like Tomy's US line of toys are now starting to take off in that direction. That is good news for Pokémon collectors, indeed.
- I'm sorry I didn't post this yesterday but it was a hectic day. Lots of meeting new people and all that lovely networking. I can be a huge suckup for that prized spot in showcasing my work, but tis the life of trying to sell stuff.
I'm getting off topic to what I really wanted to post. Toys R Us has officially closed as of June 29, 2018. Now, I live close to San Antonio. It's one of the largest cities in Texas and I can find whatever I want that I found in Toys R Us in another store without any problems. That's not the point.
The point is, and I am sure I share this sentiment with many of my viewers, the store had a big part in our childhoods and adulthood, whether it be buying toys for our personal collections, sharing that experience with our own children, or both. Say what you will about corporate America and it was just another giant looking to make money. As a kid, I didn't care about that. I just wanted to look at all the toys available. Hell, my introduction to the Pokémon world started off as a curiousity to a commercial with Charizard in it, and my parents took me to a Toys R Us at one time in 1998 for me to find a guide on the games for Red and Blue. At that time I was hooked and had to know more about the game and play it!
Pokémon TCG tournaments were held at that same TRU when it was that huge pop cultural thing that Pat Robertson warned was of the devil. I met some wonderful people along with the occasional douchebags who thought they were the best because they would abuse Haymaker deck strategies pulled right out of Serebii. Still, I had fun and I cherish those moments with the friends I did make. All of these tournaments happened in the TRU breakroom.
It's not about the toys themselves. Yes, they were all in one store and it was magical. These same toys can be found at places like Target or even a local hobby shop. Online retail is where I get a lot of my toys since it is more convenient and I just don't have the time to make a trip to a retail store thanks to work. That doesn't change the fact that once in a while, I would hop into my car and make a trip to a Toys R Us, just to see what was new and just experience that feeling I had like when I was 11-years-old again.
Looking at toysrus.com, the Play on! sign off made me a bit teary eyed. That's a big piece of history coming to a close. This is a store that has been around since the 50s. There could be a sense of sadness from the Boomer generation all the way to the Touch-Screen generation. It's not just about the toys, but the history. The memories that were made. I will forever hold those memories. On the bright side, Europe and Canada got to keep a few of their stores! If your store is intact, cherish it for those of us who do not have our locations anymore.
That's all for now. I wish the ending could have been more upbeat, but a big part of my toy collection came from Toys R Us. It's not something I can ignore.
I'll catch you beautiful cats and kittens later. Have a wonderful night.
12:37 AM CDT
- Something I purchased yesterday but forgot to mention- with a coupon from eBay, I was able to purchase a lot with both the Midday and Midnight Lycanroc American Tomy figures. They are different from the Japanese figures, which I found to be a nice surprise.
Will Tomy be making brand new figures for Western audiences? I love what they did for the Litten-line. Dusk Lycanroc does not have a new figure YET. It may come. I hope it comes.
I mention this because I was not too happy when Jakks lost the license to making Pokémon toys. They started off as meh in terms of quality but their toys started to improve to a point where I was happy with the figures. There were some downsides. Jakks had a huge problem with item distribution (one toy store can have every figure made for the season while another store wouldn't have anything for months, sometimes not even). Tomy isn't much better when it comes to redistribution and some of their high-quality plushes can make a wallet cry. I was actually kind of miffed that the figures they sold were just imports of the Japanese figures. The good thing about Jakks is that they were their own figures.
Looks like Tomy's US line of toys are now starting to take off in that direction. That is good news for Pokémon collectors, indeed.
- I'm sorry I didn't post this yesterday but it was a hectic day. Lots of meeting new people and all that lovely networking. I can be a huge suckup for that prized spot in showcasing my work, but tis the life of trying to sell stuff.
I'm getting off topic to what I really wanted to post. Toys R Us has officially closed as of June 29, 2018. Now, I live close to San Antonio. It's one of the largest cities in Texas and I can find whatever I want that I found in Toys R Us in another store without any problems. That's not the point.
The point is, and I am sure I share this sentiment with many of my viewers, the store had a big part in our childhoods and adulthood, whether it be buying toys for our personal collections, sharing that experience with our own children, or both. Say what you will about corporate America and it was just another giant looking to make money. As a kid, I didn't care about that. I just wanted to look at all the toys available. Hell, my introduction to the Pokémon world started off as a curiousity to a commercial with Charizard in it, and my parents took me to a Toys R Us at one time in 1998 for me to find a guide on the games for Red and Blue. At that time I was hooked and had to know more about the game and play it!
Pokémon TCG tournaments were held at that same TRU when it was that huge pop cultural thing that Pat Robertson warned was of the devil. I met some wonderful people along with the occasional douchebags who thought they were the best because they would abuse Haymaker deck strategies pulled right out of Serebii. Still, I had fun and I cherish those moments with the friends I did make. All of these tournaments happened in the TRU breakroom.
It's not about the toys themselves. Yes, they were all in one store and it was magical. These same toys can be found at places like Target or even a local hobby shop. Online retail is where I get a lot of my toys since it is more convenient and I just don't have the time to make a trip to a retail store thanks to work. That doesn't change the fact that once in a while, I would hop into my car and make a trip to a Toys R Us, just to see what was new and just experience that feeling I had like when I was 11-years-old again.
Looking at toysrus.com, the Play on! sign off made me a bit teary eyed. That's a big piece of history coming to a close. This is a store that has been around since the 50s. There could be a sense of sadness from the Boomer generation all the way to the Touch-Screen generation. It's not just about the toys, but the history. The memories that were made. I will forever hold those memories. On the bright side, Europe and Canada got to keep a few of their stores! If your store is intact, cherish it for those of us who do not have our locations anymore.
That's all for now. I wish the ending could have been more upbeat, but a big part of my toy collection came from Toys R Us. It's not something I can ignore.
I'll catch you beautiful cats and kittens later. Have a wonderful night.
June 24, 2018
12:39 AM CDT
- A minor site update in the FAQs page. I have mentioned in the past that there were things I wanted to collect but they never materialized. My answer- I either lose interest in what I wanted to collect or I want to collect a character or stuff from an entire video game series or movie/TV program, but I delay that for things I'd rather buy for collections I already have.
The delayed toy items are the ones most likely to be collected in the future. What I lost interest in will probably never happen.
9:20 AM CDT
- This was already discussed partially in the FAQs page, but I mentioned at one time (and I believed I received an email for that) that if I was going to showcase other collection websites to my site or affiliate with other sites.
The answer to both are, unfortunately, still no.
I am hard pressed to do either. Affiliating with any site is not easy. This is a collection site. Maybe if this was a site that focused on one thing, sure. It be easier to affiliate. But I'm just some schmoe with that collection site and the cartoon big cat characters. I don't really make anything that any other website would be worth affiliating with. Even if I could do that, I don't exactly collect one item to affiliate with an entire website. Other sites normally would like to affiliate with sites that only collect what they collect and nothing more.
As for showcasing other websites on my own, this is also a problem for a couple of reasons. The first reason is I want to showcase a variety of websites, not just Pokémon sites. Sure, it's the biggest part and draw to my site, but I also want to see variety in collection websites. That is hard because a lot of various collectors do not have websites. Nowadays collectors show off their goods on YouTube with sites that link only to their YouTube pages. That, or on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Not only that, I've yet to see anyone with a collection site that isn't Pokémon-related. If there are any other websites out there that also showcase How to Train Your Dragon merch or even Disney merch, I'm not seeing them in my searches. I am seeing social media sites everywhere, but not personal websites.
The second reason and this one is a biggie- even Pokémon collecting personal websites die off when the collector loses interest. I am not here to judge. There are a list of reasons a person will stop collecting, whether it be the collector is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new merchandise releases or they simply lose interest in the hobby and they no longer find joy in it. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about personal websites going up and dying. I was on a collection website that I enjoy visiting and most of the links to other websites were dead. I wish they would remove dead links but if they did, they would have to remove 4/5s of what they had, because a large chunk of them were dead. I don't want to constantly maintain that.
It's not that I don't want to show your website, but those are two things to consider.
So, the links I display are only to sites I have no affiliation with and I link on my own to show where other collectors can get their stuff. I am but a simple bundle of atoms and I'll just leave it at that. Maybe I'll show off one day the few personal collection websites I love to visit without expecting a return link to this page. When that'll happen, I don't know. Sometime in the future.
12:39 AM CDT
- A minor site update in the FAQs page. I have mentioned in the past that there were things I wanted to collect but they never materialized. My answer- I either lose interest in what I wanted to collect or I want to collect a character or stuff from an entire video game series or movie/TV program, but I delay that for things I'd rather buy for collections I already have.
The delayed toy items are the ones most likely to be collected in the future. What I lost interest in will probably never happen.
9:20 AM CDT
- This was already discussed partially in the FAQs page, but I mentioned at one time (and I believed I received an email for that) that if I was going to showcase other collection websites to my site or affiliate with other sites.
The answer to both are, unfortunately, still no.
I am hard pressed to do either. Affiliating with any site is not easy. This is a collection site. Maybe if this was a site that focused on one thing, sure. It be easier to affiliate. But I'm just some schmoe with that collection site and the cartoon big cat characters. I don't really make anything that any other website would be worth affiliating with. Even if I could do that, I don't exactly collect one item to affiliate with an entire website. Other sites normally would like to affiliate with sites that only collect what they collect and nothing more.
As for showcasing other websites on my own, this is also a problem for a couple of reasons. The first reason is I want to showcase a variety of websites, not just Pokémon sites. Sure, it's the biggest part and draw to my site, but I also want to see variety in collection websites. That is hard because a lot of various collectors do not have websites. Nowadays collectors show off their goods on YouTube with sites that link only to their YouTube pages. That, or on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Not only that, I've yet to see anyone with a collection site that isn't Pokémon-related. If there are any other websites out there that also showcase How to Train Your Dragon merch or even Disney merch, I'm not seeing them in my searches. I am seeing social media sites everywhere, but not personal websites.
The second reason and this one is a biggie- even Pokémon collecting personal websites die off when the collector loses interest. I am not here to judge. There are a list of reasons a person will stop collecting, whether it be the collector is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new merchandise releases or they simply lose interest in the hobby and they no longer find joy in it. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about personal websites going up and dying. I was on a collection website that I enjoy visiting and most of the links to other websites were dead. I wish they would remove dead links but if they did, they would have to remove 4/5s of what they had, because a large chunk of them were dead. I don't want to constantly maintain that.
It's not that I don't want to show your website, but those are two things to consider.
So, the links I display are only to sites I have no affiliation with and I link on my own to show where other collectors can get their stuff. I am but a simple bundle of atoms and I'll just leave it at that. Maybe I'll show off one day the few personal collection websites I love to visit without expecting a return link to this page. When that'll happen, I don't know. Sometime in the future.
June 23, 2018
8:25 PM CDT
- There's a group of plushes on Pokeshopper that caught my eye- four Pikachu plushes based on the Poké Maniac character in the games. More specifically, the one from HeartGold and SoulSilver, along with a Charizard, Tyranitar, and Hydreigon variant.
Pokémon is on a roll with going back and giving unloved characters or forgettable concepts new toy ideas. I think that's great. I personally do not care for the Poké Maniac plushes and I'll be skipping out on getting the Charizard outfit, for now. I can't say never, of course. Still, there's a good chance Pokémon I loved may get a plushie one of these days. They seem to be giving love to the Pokémon I do not collect. I want a Numel plush bad and I am still salty about them not releasing a Numel plush when ORAS was a thing.
I just wanted to bring that up. No real updates for today.
Catch ya cats later.
8:25 PM CDT
- There's a group of plushes on Pokeshopper that caught my eye- four Pikachu plushes based on the Poké Maniac character in the games. More specifically, the one from HeartGold and SoulSilver, along with a Charizard, Tyranitar, and Hydreigon variant.
Pokémon is on a roll with going back and giving unloved characters or forgettable concepts new toy ideas. I think that's great. I personally do not care for the Poké Maniac plushes and I'll be skipping out on getting the Charizard outfit, for now. I can't say never, of course. Still, there's a good chance Pokémon I loved may get a plushie one of these days. They seem to be giving love to the Pokémon I do not collect. I want a Numel plush bad and I am still salty about them not releasing a Numel plush when ORAS was a thing.
I just wanted to bring that up. No real updates for today.
Catch ya cats later.
June 22, 2018
11:29 AM CDT
- A very minor update and a picture day postponement. Don't worry, it's for a good reason.
I changed the disclaimer by deleting the part about this site being better used with Chrome or Firefox, yet there are so many other web browsers where my site functions normally, I do not see the reason why those two browsers should stand out the most. Use Safari? Still works. Use Internet Explorer? Still works. I haven't used IE in ages, but I am assuming they have updated their software enough to a point where CSS looks good without any muckups on their part. This isn't Web 1.0 anymore. I'm sure all browsers have caught up with the times.
Having Japanese font support can still be mentioned as my computer didn't have it on until I changed the settings to include it. Maybe there will come a day when Web 3.0 will include all languages into a single computer without having to go through the settings to turn whatever on. It will even include joke languages like Pig Latin and Klingon.
- Now for date postponement. I will be postponing picture day for September 15. July and August are going to be great months for toys and I don't expect purchases to arrive at my house until late August. By that time, I will probably have everything I'd like to have by September 15th so I don't have to dedicate two picture days before 2018 is over.
That's pretty much it for now. Catch you cats later.
11:29 AM CDT
- A very minor update and a picture day postponement. Don't worry, it's for a good reason.
I changed the disclaimer by deleting the part about this site being better used with Chrome or Firefox, yet there are so many other web browsers where my site functions normally, I do not see the reason why those two browsers should stand out the most. Use Safari? Still works. Use Internet Explorer? Still works. I haven't used IE in ages, but I am assuming they have updated their software enough to a point where CSS looks good without any muckups on their part. This isn't Web 1.0 anymore. I'm sure all browsers have caught up with the times.
Having Japanese font support can still be mentioned as my computer didn't have it on until I changed the settings to include it. Maybe there will come a day when Web 3.0 will include all languages into a single computer without having to go through the settings to turn whatever on. It will even include joke languages like Pig Latin and Klingon.
- Now for date postponement. I will be postponing picture day for September 15. July and August are going to be great months for toys and I don't expect purchases to arrive at my house until late August. By that time, I will probably have everything I'd like to have by September 15th so I don't have to dedicate two picture days before 2018 is over.
That's pretty much it for now. Catch you cats later.
June 17, 2018
11:42 PM CDT
- It's techincally not summer yet (yeah, I know it feels like it and more). Summer officially begins on the June 21, which means that it's just going to get worse before it gets better. Damn, I hate summer. It is my least favorite season.
- But no more of that complaining. I got new gets today. I guess UPS was open for business since my box from the Pokémon Center arrived today. All items are accounted for. They were a lot bigger than I thought they would be. I knew the Charizard figure would be large because it is a DX figure, but Litten was also pretty big considering it wasn't a DX figure. The binder was expected to be large. Next month, I hope to get another binder and the playmats that were for sale. Well, maybe not next month. There's a giant Lapras and SANEI Charizard plush with my name on them that I have been wanting them bad.
- On another completely off-topic subject, I think I am doing decent on FurAffinity. I'm not "OHMYGOD SOPOPULAR!" But you know what? I don't care at this point. The people who do find me and watch me make me happy enough and I love doing trades and seeing what talented artist can cook up with my characters in their style. Here's an amazing image of ocelotlrama done for me by the super talented Kitchy.
11:42 PM CDT
- It's techincally not summer yet (yeah, I know it feels like it and more). Summer officially begins on the June 21, which means that it's just going to get worse before it gets better. Damn, I hate summer. It is my least favorite season.
- But no more of that complaining. I got new gets today. I guess UPS was open for business since my box from the Pokémon Center arrived today. All items are accounted for. They were a lot bigger than I thought they would be. I knew the Charizard figure would be large because it is a DX figure, but Litten was also pretty big considering it wasn't a DX figure. The binder was expected to be large. Next month, I hope to get another binder and the playmats that were for sale. Well, maybe not next month. There's a giant Lapras and SANEI Charizard plush with my name on them that I have been wanting them bad.
- On another completely off-topic subject, I think I am doing decent on FurAffinity. I'm not "OHMYGOD SOPOPULAR!" But you know what? I don't care at this point. The people who do find me and watch me make me happy enough and I love doing trades and seeing what talented artist can cook up with my characters in their style. Here's an amazing image of ocelotlrama done for me by the super talented Kitchy.
You have no idea how much I love to see my characters done in different styles! We will be doing another trade and this time she will be tackling Snow the snow leopard. For my half, I will be drawing one of her adorable canine characters.
Here's another trade I did with the talented Sharkrok! Ocelotlrama running though a tropical beach.
Here's another trade I did with the talented Sharkrok! Ocelotlrama running though a tropical beach.
Cool, huh? I would say "YES!"
As mentioned before, Kitchy will be drawing Snow for her part of out upcoming trade, and I cannot wait. =D
Well, that's all the updates for tonight. I am off to bed and I will be getting started on Kitchy's trade after work. Her next character is going to be so much fun to draw! I am looking forward to it. If you want to trade with me or commission me, check me out on FurAffinity. Please read my rules before asking for a trade or commission. Sorry for the plug, but I just wanted an excuse to show off these awesome arts.
- Some more fan of something-related ramble, but from something you wouldn't expect from me to talk about. My love for the first two Godfather movies are known to those who chat with me on the Bulbagarden forums. How could I love something so dark, serious, and violent when I go on ranting about violent video games?
The answer lies with what my dad grew up watching when he was in college and he would imitate Don Corleone every chance he got. Now, Don Vito Corleone's character is not something that even kids are ignorant to. I have seen so many Godfather parodies in children's shows that I am surprised censors even allowed it. These movies are not light-hearted nor do they show the good side of humanity. Vito Corleone is probably the closest case to a protagonist in the movie, but his son, Michael, goes down a brutal path worst than his father. The characters in this film are pretty terrible people who see any slight as a kiss of death (literally in the second movie).But these characters are human, despite the atrocities committed. There is something about mobster films that I love. I even loved Goodfellows. It showed flawed characters. None of them are good people, but it shows a part of humanity that the rest of us cannot comprehend. None of us live that life and the movie's intent is not to romanticize Mafia brutality, but to highlight how things can spiral out of control.
Violent video games don't offer that. Some of them are storybased, but you are the one making decisions. I don't care for that. I want to see what an artist can do with flawed characters. It fascinates me because these are not just characters. These are characters based on family, honor, and omertà. The last one means "keep your yap shut and take care of things yourself." Omertà itself is fascinating because it keeps people in line with a hint of keeping the "honor," when in reality, it was to keep people from going to the authorities and ratting out their local Cosa Nostra.
I know some people who do not care for mobster movies. But to me, they are fascinating. I do not condone criminal behavior, but to see the downfall of powerfall criminals who seem untouchable while they have corrupt politicians and policemen on their side just shows how malignant these characters are, yet how human they are, too. It isn't so much about their revenge (those can be entertaining, I hate to admit), but how much down the rabbit hole they can fall before it's too late.
I hope that explains my love for the movies. Despite their grim nature, I can blame my dad and my love for the downfall of powerfall, untouchable people to have a real good look at how vulnerable they really are.
That's enough for tonight. Toodles to all you lovely cats out there.
As mentioned before, Kitchy will be drawing Snow for her part of out upcoming trade, and I cannot wait. =D
Well, that's all the updates for tonight. I am off to bed and I will be getting started on Kitchy's trade after work. Her next character is going to be so much fun to draw! I am looking forward to it. If you want to trade with me or commission me, check me out on FurAffinity. Please read my rules before asking for a trade or commission. Sorry for the plug, but I just wanted an excuse to show off these awesome arts.
- Some more fan of something-related ramble, but from something you wouldn't expect from me to talk about. My love for the first two Godfather movies are known to those who chat with me on the Bulbagarden forums. How could I love something so dark, serious, and violent when I go on ranting about violent video games?
The answer lies with what my dad grew up watching when he was in college and he would imitate Don Corleone every chance he got. Now, Don Vito Corleone's character is not something that even kids are ignorant to. I have seen so many Godfather parodies in children's shows that I am surprised censors even allowed it. These movies are not light-hearted nor do they show the good side of humanity. Vito Corleone is probably the closest case to a protagonist in the movie, but his son, Michael, goes down a brutal path worst than his father. The characters in this film are pretty terrible people who see any slight as a kiss of death (literally in the second movie).But these characters are human, despite the atrocities committed. There is something about mobster films that I love. I even loved Goodfellows. It showed flawed characters. None of them are good people, but it shows a part of humanity that the rest of us cannot comprehend. None of us live that life and the movie's intent is not to romanticize Mafia brutality, but to highlight how things can spiral out of control.
Violent video games don't offer that. Some of them are storybased, but you are the one making decisions. I don't care for that. I want to see what an artist can do with flawed characters. It fascinates me because these are not just characters. These are characters based on family, honor, and omertà. The last one means "keep your yap shut and take care of things yourself." Omertà itself is fascinating because it keeps people in line with a hint of keeping the "honor," when in reality, it was to keep people from going to the authorities and ratting out their local Cosa Nostra.
I know some people who do not care for mobster movies. But to me, they are fascinating. I do not condone criminal behavior, but to see the downfall of powerfall criminals who seem untouchable while they have corrupt politicians and policemen on their side just shows how malignant these characters are, yet how human they are, too. It isn't so much about their revenge (those can be entertaining, I hate to admit), but how much down the rabbit hole they can fall before it's too late.
I hope that explains my love for the movies. Despite their grim nature, I can blame my dad and my love for the downfall of powerfall, untouchable people to have a real good look at how vulnerable they really are.
That's enough for tonight. Toodles to all you lovely cats out there.
June 14, 2018
2:12 PM CDT
- New gets! Items that were purchased today from the Pokémon Center website- a Charizard TCG binder and two Pokémon Gallery figures (Charizard using Blast Burn and Litten using Ember). Do not get the Japanese figures unless you want to keep them MIP. They are much more expensive and these are pretty much the same figure. I doubt there are countless flaws like what is seen between American and Japanese plushes.
- Picture day has been decided. I will take picture of all new items on August 11. The two items that I am waiting to buy is the giant Lapras plush from Bandai and the Charizard SANEI plush. Both have July releases and that month is going to make my wallet cry.
2:12 PM CDT
- New gets! Items that were purchased today from the Pokémon Center website- a Charizard TCG binder and two Pokémon Gallery figures (Charizard using Blast Burn and Litten using Ember). Do not get the Japanese figures unless you want to keep them MIP. They are much more expensive and these are pretty much the same figure. I doubt there are countless flaws like what is seen between American and Japanese plushes.
- Picture day has been decided. I will take picture of all new items on August 11. The two items that I am waiting to buy is the giant Lapras plush from Bandai and the Charizard SANEI plush. Both have July releases and that month is going to make my wallet cry.
June 13, 2018
3:11 PM CDT
- Sometimes I wish I had an editor to proofread my entries into the site instead of relying on my own two eyes to look at what I type and proofread at the same time. This is why English-class peer review is a thing. Then there are the mistakes I make on forums that are not so easy to fix. I always, without fail, misspell "harassment" as "harrassment." It has the same phonetic sound as "embarrassment," which is spelled with two r's and two s's. Harassment does not have two r's but I'm constantly reminded of the word to spell other words with the same phonetic sound. I guess you could say my spelling of "harassment" as "harrassment" has caused me some "embarrassment." =P I mean, it's one thing to type "the" as "teh" because you could be typing fast and you miss it, but "harassment" is just me being a semi-illiterate clod.
I fixed a few typos I found in the collection pages but I am sure there are much more. Remember, I have an email address in the Contact and Links page that you can email me at if there are any errors that need to be corrected.
Also, the email address has changed. Instead of ocelotlramabigcat, it has been changed back to ocelotlrama (@) gmail. I made the change because I was getting too many emails that have little to do with the site and more to do with comments I made on another site, which is not the point of the email being displayed on this site. Stay on-topic when it comes to this site. If you email me in regards to something off-site, it's going straight to the trash. If you want to talk to me about anything that has nothing to do with this site, send me a comment on whatever forum where you can find me or send a PM over at wherever. Just do not email me anything that doesn't regard the site.
- I said at one point I would love to start a blog stating everything on my mind ranging from a variety of things, but I'm having second thoughts about that. The blog that I had here wasn't very popular to the point where I had to get rid of it. As much as I would love to have a blog, I guess this site is enough. It makes me happy. It makes my visitors happy. As long as everyone is happy, I'm okay with that.
- Onto some site stuff- the good news is I may do a picture day in the summer since I got myself one of those aircondition cubes where you just add water and it lasts for 3 hours on high. That's roughly the time it takes to take pictures and edit them. My room is actually the most comfortable compared to the other rooms in the house thanks to this marvelous cube. If you live in an area that is hot as hell and you have the AC at 82 just so it won't overwork, get an Arctic Air cube. It's amazing. You'll see bad reviews on it but I am willing to bet those people did not read the instructions. If you work in a hot environment, it's worth it.
So with that, I am thinking the next picture day could take place in August, provided there are no hurricanes threatening the area. As for an exact date, I have yet to decide. I'll post that later this week.
For now, toodles!
3:11 PM CDT
- Sometimes I wish I had an editor to proofread my entries into the site instead of relying on my own two eyes to look at what I type and proofread at the same time. This is why English-class peer review is a thing. Then there are the mistakes I make on forums that are not so easy to fix. I always, without fail, misspell "harassment" as "harrassment." It has the same phonetic sound as "embarrassment," which is spelled with two r's and two s's. Harassment does not have two r's but I'm constantly reminded of the word to spell other words with the same phonetic sound. I guess you could say my spelling of "harassment" as "harrassment" has caused me some "embarrassment." =P I mean, it's one thing to type "the" as "teh" because you could be typing fast and you miss it, but "harassment" is just me being a semi-illiterate clod.
I fixed a few typos I found in the collection pages but I am sure there are much more. Remember, I have an email address in the Contact and Links page that you can email me at if there are any errors that need to be corrected.
Also, the email address has changed. Instead of ocelotlramabigcat, it has been changed back to ocelotlrama (@) gmail. I made the change because I was getting too many emails that have little to do with the site and more to do with comments I made on another site, which is not the point of the email being displayed on this site. Stay on-topic when it comes to this site. If you email me in regards to something off-site, it's going straight to the trash. If you want to talk to me about anything that has nothing to do with this site, send me a comment on whatever forum where you can find me or send a PM over at wherever. Just do not email me anything that doesn't regard the site.
- I said at one point I would love to start a blog stating everything on my mind ranging from a variety of things, but I'm having second thoughts about that. The blog that I had here wasn't very popular to the point where I had to get rid of it. As much as I would love to have a blog, I guess this site is enough. It makes me happy. It makes my visitors happy. As long as everyone is happy, I'm okay with that.
- Onto some site stuff- the good news is I may do a picture day in the summer since I got myself one of those aircondition cubes where you just add water and it lasts for 3 hours on high. That's roughly the time it takes to take pictures and edit them. My room is actually the most comfortable compared to the other rooms in the house thanks to this marvelous cube. If you live in an area that is hot as hell and you have the AC at 82 just so it won't overwork, get an Arctic Air cube. It's amazing. You'll see bad reviews on it but I am willing to bet those people did not read the instructions. If you work in a hot environment, it's worth it.
So with that, I am thinking the next picture day could take place in August, provided there are no hurricanes threatening the area. As for an exact date, I have yet to decide. I'll post that later this week.
For now, toodles!
June 10, 2018
12:01 AM CDT
- The next day moves on you fast.
No new gets or site updates for now. As a reminder, I did get all title and information stuff in, so that's done. Take a look if you haven't already. For now, I'm just going to go off on fandom rambling.
I rarely keep up with anything Sonic anymore. I roleplayed as the classic version on the Bulbagarden forums to celebrate his 25th anniversary in 2016 and Sonic Mania was a game I looked forward to playing, but I haven't been a big fan of the blue hedgehog since 2010 when I left the fandom for good. I never was a Sonic collector despite my love for the classic games at the time and I could not have been a collector anyways since it wasn't until late 2010 when I had a job that allowed me to have such a hobby. Between Sonic and Pokémon, of course I went with Pokémon collecting. To this day, I really don't want to collect anything Sonic-related.
Sonic has been getting a lot of love nowadays for his retro look coming back into the fold. I won't lie. I much prefer his retro design over the taller and green-eyed design that has been around since 1998. It's funny that the "newer" update lasted longer and is a product of the 90s. Go figure. But what has brought my attention to Sonic wasn't Sonic Mania or retro Sonic fever; it was the series now being licensed by IDW Publishing instead of Archie. This was announced in 2017, which really shows how out of the loop I am in regards to the Sonic comics.
This is a surprise because Archie has been the American Sonic comic publisher since 1993. I remember buying these comics around that time and just loving the goofiness of it all. These comics lasted 24 years until it all came to a close in 2017. It's bittersweet, really, but not too surprising. Lately Archie has been very successful with their own in-house comics and they even have a successful television series that airs on The CW. I doubt they'll hurt without the Sonic property.
Also, there was that whole drama with Ken Penders and his tantrum over the comic being successful under Ian Flynn which resulted in lawsuits, purged characters, and a rebooted comic.
I actually met Ken Penders and his wife at a convention and I genuinely enjoyed his work on the Knuckles comics at the time (I don't enjoy them so much anymore, for obvious reasons). He was polite, did a commission for me, and I had a great experience meeting him in person. However, I am reading that nowadays he charges for autographs, small sketches, and he'll even charge for autographs on comics he has never worked on. When I met him, he did not charge for autographs and he was nice enough to take the time to have a picture taken with me. Something about him has changed, and not for the better.
I am not here to gossip about the man and his personal life. I am especially not here to talk about his Lara-Su Chronicles book. But he does not have the greatest reputation for everything he has pulled. I bring him up because, as time went on, the comics started to get terrible in the mid-2000s. As for his writing that I do not enjoy as much anymore, if you go back and read the Knuckles comics, I noticed something about them that I didn't realize at the time. His comics were... too serious. There was a lot of death. There were the topics of divorce. There was a convoluted storyline about technology and the dangers of it. He abused references from pop culture that he probably grew up with like what was seen in Star Trek, Star Wars, and a few stories even had references to Beatles songs. Everything was out of place and it was like he was trying to shoehorn his version of a story into a comic about a cartoon hedgehog.
This was the downfall of the Sonic comics and Ian Flynn tried his damned hardest to save them, but then came the lawsuits, Archie messing things up by losing crucial contracts, and Sega now getting more involved in the process than ever. It was just a matter of time before Archie probably thought it wasn't worth renewing the license anymore.
So, now IDW takes over. Will we see any of the Archie-exclusive characters come on over that weren't purged during the Genesis wave arc? Who knows.
So, that's my Sonic ramble for the time being. I still have a big collection of those stupid comics from the Penders era. I doubt I'll be getting rid of them only because they do hold some nostalgic value for me, despite their blehness. No, I will not be dedicating a collection of the blue hedgehog or any of his friends. I can enjoy the games, but toys are a no... for now. I am not saying never, but for now, it's a no.
That's my fandom ramble for the night. Not all rambles deal with stuff I collect, but they are fandom-related nonetheless.
Catch you cats later.
12:01 AM CDT
- The next day moves on you fast.
No new gets or site updates for now. As a reminder, I did get all title and information stuff in, so that's done. Take a look if you haven't already. For now, I'm just going to go off on fandom rambling.
I rarely keep up with anything Sonic anymore. I roleplayed as the classic version on the Bulbagarden forums to celebrate his 25th anniversary in 2016 and Sonic Mania was a game I looked forward to playing, but I haven't been a big fan of the blue hedgehog since 2010 when I left the fandom for good. I never was a Sonic collector despite my love for the classic games at the time and I could not have been a collector anyways since it wasn't until late 2010 when I had a job that allowed me to have such a hobby. Between Sonic and Pokémon, of course I went with Pokémon collecting. To this day, I really don't want to collect anything Sonic-related.
Sonic has been getting a lot of love nowadays for his retro look coming back into the fold. I won't lie. I much prefer his retro design over the taller and green-eyed design that has been around since 1998. It's funny that the "newer" update lasted longer and is a product of the 90s. Go figure. But what has brought my attention to Sonic wasn't Sonic Mania or retro Sonic fever; it was the series now being licensed by IDW Publishing instead of Archie. This was announced in 2017, which really shows how out of the loop I am in regards to the Sonic comics.
This is a surprise because Archie has been the American Sonic comic publisher since 1993. I remember buying these comics around that time and just loving the goofiness of it all. These comics lasted 24 years until it all came to a close in 2017. It's bittersweet, really, but not too surprising. Lately Archie has been very successful with their own in-house comics and they even have a successful television series that airs on The CW. I doubt they'll hurt without the Sonic property.
Also, there was that whole drama with Ken Penders and his tantrum over the comic being successful under Ian Flynn which resulted in lawsuits, purged characters, and a rebooted comic.
I actually met Ken Penders and his wife at a convention and I genuinely enjoyed his work on the Knuckles comics at the time (I don't enjoy them so much anymore, for obvious reasons). He was polite, did a commission for me, and I had a great experience meeting him in person. However, I am reading that nowadays he charges for autographs, small sketches, and he'll even charge for autographs on comics he has never worked on. When I met him, he did not charge for autographs and he was nice enough to take the time to have a picture taken with me. Something about him has changed, and not for the better.
I am not here to gossip about the man and his personal life. I am especially not here to talk about his Lara-Su Chronicles book. But he does not have the greatest reputation for everything he has pulled. I bring him up because, as time went on, the comics started to get terrible in the mid-2000s. As for his writing that I do not enjoy as much anymore, if you go back and read the Knuckles comics, I noticed something about them that I didn't realize at the time. His comics were... too serious. There was a lot of death. There were the topics of divorce. There was a convoluted storyline about technology and the dangers of it. He abused references from pop culture that he probably grew up with like what was seen in Star Trek, Star Wars, and a few stories even had references to Beatles songs. Everything was out of place and it was like he was trying to shoehorn his version of a story into a comic about a cartoon hedgehog.
This was the downfall of the Sonic comics and Ian Flynn tried his damned hardest to save them, but then came the lawsuits, Archie messing things up by losing crucial contracts, and Sega now getting more involved in the process than ever. It was just a matter of time before Archie probably thought it wasn't worth renewing the license anymore.
So, now IDW takes over. Will we see any of the Archie-exclusive characters come on over that weren't purged during the Genesis wave arc? Who knows.
So, that's my Sonic ramble for the time being. I still have a big collection of those stupid comics from the Penders era. I doubt I'll be getting rid of them only because they do hold some nostalgic value for me, despite their blehness. No, I will not be dedicating a collection of the blue hedgehog or any of his friends. I can enjoy the games, but toys are a no... for now. I am not saying never, but for now, it's a no.
That's my fandom ramble for the night. Not all rambles deal with stuff I collect, but they are fandom-related nonetheless.
Catch you cats later.
June 9, 2018
12:02 PM CDT
- More updates to the titles and info on the site. I have everything in except for a lot of the stuff in the Generation VII page. There are a lot of toys in that page that need to be updated with information. I got the titles in, but info will take a bit longer.
In all honesty, I don't have to add info to a lot of these figures. I did that when I first started the site, but now I am just being repetitive in my describing most of them. Of course I find a big chunk of them adorable and awesome, but I guess I do it just to show how much I love the figure. If I only added info in regards to stuff I didn't like, there would be nothing but negativity in my site and I don't want that. I am also not a toy reviewer, so I am not going to go over every little detail.
I guess it doesn't hurt to add that information, regardless of how repetitive it is.
But while on the subject of my site, publishing it is taking longer and longer than it did before. The site is getting larger with each new picture update. The pages load fine when you are viewing it as a visitor, but when I am updating, the pages take a while to load. This is especially grating when trying to load stuff on a page with a lot of pictures, like the Charizard collection page. The problem isn't terrible on Chrome, but Firefox has a habit of freezing. I guess I just like things that work as fast as possible. Darn the fast internet age. I got spoiled with things going as fast as possible. I remember dial-up. I never want to go back to dial-up. I will never be nostalgic for dial-up.
11:15 PM CDT
- It is now 11:15 in the evening and I am finally finished typing in all titles and info to every single item I have had posted since March. I know. I know. It should not have taken as long as it should have. Blame offline stuff for the wait. Also, feel free to blame a little bit of this on me for forgetting at times when I had free time available and didn't take advantage of the moment. Well, pics are posted, and I am done.
Picture day will have to wait until September. It is WAY too hot to even go outside and take the garbage out. Setting up an entire studio-like setting for taking pictures is something I don't want to do until the weather cools down. Maybe I'll do have a surprise picture day on a cloudy day, but that doesn't look like it'll happen anytime soon. The heat has been relentless, so picture day will not be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy what I have uploaded and stick around for updates on new gets and maybe some fandom stuff here and there.
For now, toodles to all you cats out there.
12:02 PM CDT
- More updates to the titles and info on the site. I have everything in except for a lot of the stuff in the Generation VII page. There are a lot of toys in that page that need to be updated with information. I got the titles in, but info will take a bit longer.
In all honesty, I don't have to add info to a lot of these figures. I did that when I first started the site, but now I am just being repetitive in my describing most of them. Of course I find a big chunk of them adorable and awesome, but I guess I do it just to show how much I love the figure. If I only added info in regards to stuff I didn't like, there would be nothing but negativity in my site and I don't want that. I am also not a toy reviewer, so I am not going to go over every little detail.
I guess it doesn't hurt to add that information, regardless of how repetitive it is.
But while on the subject of my site, publishing it is taking longer and longer than it did before. The site is getting larger with each new picture update. The pages load fine when you are viewing it as a visitor, but when I am updating, the pages take a while to load. This is especially grating when trying to load stuff on a page with a lot of pictures, like the Charizard collection page. The problem isn't terrible on Chrome, but Firefox has a habit of freezing. I guess I just like things that work as fast as possible. Darn the fast internet age. I got spoiled with things going as fast as possible. I remember dial-up. I never want to go back to dial-up. I will never be nostalgic for dial-up.
11:15 PM CDT
- It is now 11:15 in the evening and I am finally finished typing in all titles and info to every single item I have had posted since March. I know. I know. It should not have taken as long as it should have. Blame offline stuff for the wait. Also, feel free to blame a little bit of this on me for forgetting at times when I had free time available and didn't take advantage of the moment. Well, pics are posted, and I am done.
Picture day will have to wait until September. It is WAY too hot to even go outside and take the garbage out. Setting up an entire studio-like setting for taking pictures is something I don't want to do until the weather cools down. Maybe I'll do have a surprise picture day on a cloudy day, but that doesn't look like it'll happen anytime soon. The heat has been relentless, so picture day will not be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy what I have uploaded and stick around for updates on new gets and maybe some fandom stuff here and there.
For now, toodles to all you cats out there.
June 8, 2018
2:26 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so more info and titles have been added, this time to the Mega Man page. All blank images have had info and titles added. All that is left are the generation Pokémon pages and I am done!
I apologize that this is taking longer than expected. Yes, there are excuses. Good ones. The biggest issue I am having is with my mouse. It double clicks when I don't want it to and it doesn't click when I actually want it to. Putting up titles and info is actually harder because of the stupid thing. It will be replaced with a wireless mouse in the near future.
Another thing is work-related. I'm just catching up on stuff that I didn't do when I got sick, but that uses a tablet, not the mouse, so that is going more smoothly.
I'll try to get the rest of the titles and info in soon. When? I don't know. This time I am not setting up a date and just stay tuned.
Goodnight everyone.
2:26 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so more info and titles have been added, this time to the Mega Man page. All blank images have had info and titles added. All that is left are the generation Pokémon pages and I am done!
I apologize that this is taking longer than expected. Yes, there are excuses. Good ones. The biggest issue I am having is with my mouse. It double clicks when I don't want it to and it doesn't click when I actually want it to. Putting up titles and info is actually harder because of the stupid thing. It will be replaced with a wireless mouse in the near future.
Another thing is work-related. I'm just catching up on stuff that I didn't do when I got sick, but that uses a tablet, not the mouse, so that is going more smoothly.
I'll try to get the rest of the titles and info in soon. When? I don't know. This time I am not setting up a date and just stay tuned.
Goodnight everyone.
June 3, 2018
12:16 AM CDT
- More title and info have been added. The only pages that are left are most of the Generation pages in the Pokémon section as well as anything new in the Mega Man page. After that, I'm done!
I really want to get this done tomorrow! Let's hope nothing comes up and gets in my way of finishing my updates.
Toodles for now!
12:16 AM CDT
- More title and info have been added. The only pages that are left are most of the Generation pages in the Pokémon section as well as anything new in the Mega Man page. After that, I'm done!
I really want to get this done tomorrow! Let's hope nothing comes up and gets in my way of finishing my updates.
Toodles for now!
May 31, 2018
1:37 PM CDT
- I was feeling better today and I decided to finish the last bit of artwork needed for the site, which is of Dante for the Disney page. I finally got him done and added some info in regards to the movie he is in and a bit more information on him and why I love him. I'll be peppering more titles and info throughout the day going into tomorrow so I hope to be finished soon until the next picture day, which currently doesn't have a date.
More coming soon today.
11:17 PM CDT
- I got a lot of Disney info in. I am not done, but I would say I am a good chunk of the way of getting done, hopefully by tomorrow or Saturday. Maybe Sunday since Saturday I may not be home to update this site, but we'll see.
I'll see you tomorrow. Toodles.
1:37 PM CDT
- I was feeling better today and I decided to finish the last bit of artwork needed for the site, which is of Dante for the Disney page. I finally got him done and added some info in regards to the movie he is in and a bit more information on him and why I love him. I'll be peppering more titles and info throughout the day going into tomorrow so I hope to be finished soon until the next picture day, which currently doesn't have a date.
More coming soon today.
11:17 PM CDT
- I got a lot of Disney info in. I am not done, but I would say I am a good chunk of the way of getting done, hopefully by tomorrow or Saturday. Maybe Sunday since Saturday I may not be home to update this site, but we'll see.
I'll see you tomorrow. Toodles.
May 30, 2018
7:20 PM CDT
- Bulbagarden updated on what the new Pokémon games are about. The thing that stuck out the most to me were:
That last one struck me a bit. I am not a GO player. It's not that I feel that I'm too good for GO (if you're a Pokémon fan and make fun of GO players for not being "real" Pokémon fans, get over yourself), I would just rather not devote a ton of memory in my phone to one game. I do go out with my brother, who does play GO, and have a good time looking at the hilarious places that are all gyms and landmarks (funnily, most of them are at the most inappropriate places like churches, community centers, cemeteries, and hospitals). Because of that, I just don't think I'll get a full experience playing either of these games.
That doesn't mean I won't play them. I am genuinely curious about them.
It just seems like a harmless spinoff game, something this franchise has been lacking. A lot of people are getting hyped that this will lead to something dazzling for Gen VIII. Who knows? Maybe it will. I still miss the days when a generation lasted four years instead of three with lots of good spinoffs to pad things out, but I've made that argument in the past and, as said in my last update, I just don't have it in me to complain about games anymore.
That's all for now. I know there is site stuff I need to get done. That'll be left for another day.
Toodles.
7:20 PM CDT
- Bulbagarden updated on what the new Pokémon games are about. The thing that stuck out the most to me were:
- They are not going to be Gen VIII games
- They're just an updated version of Pokémon Yellow and do not follow the complex stat system of the core games. I don't think you can really even battle with Pokémon you capture.
- It will work with Pokémon GO
That last one struck me a bit. I am not a GO player. It's not that I feel that I'm too good for GO (if you're a Pokémon fan and make fun of GO players for not being "real" Pokémon fans, get over yourself), I would just rather not devote a ton of memory in my phone to one game. I do go out with my brother, who does play GO, and have a good time looking at the hilarious places that are all gyms and landmarks (funnily, most of them are at the most inappropriate places like churches, community centers, cemeteries, and hospitals). Because of that, I just don't think I'll get a full experience playing either of these games.
That doesn't mean I won't play them. I am genuinely curious about them.
It just seems like a harmless spinoff game, something this franchise has been lacking. A lot of people are getting hyped that this will lead to something dazzling for Gen VIII. Who knows? Maybe it will. I still miss the days when a generation lasted four years instead of three with lots of good spinoffs to pad things out, but I've made that argument in the past and, as said in my last update, I just don't have it in me to complain about games anymore.
That's all for now. I know there is site stuff I need to get done. That'll be left for another day.
Toodles.
May 29, 2018
10:02 PM CDT
- I think the announcements of the new Pokémon games for the Switch broke Bulbagarden's forums. The site loads very slowly and I had to log off because it was unbearable.
I think the new games look cute. It also looks like Eevee is now going to be a Mascot alongside Pikachu in the Pokémon franchise from now on since it's just as popular. That doesn't surprise me too much.
If they are Generation VIII games, they look okay as far as what few details they released. A lot of people are complaining about them going back to Kanto and basically starting over, but I don't know. I like to read speculations but coming up with my own... that's not my thing. I just take what they release. I'm over 30 and I haven't speculated about a new game since Black and White (I was 23 when they were released).
But whatever. I am tired of whining about games. What they release is what I'll more than likely buy. Even the worst games in terms of what was released I still purchased. Who knows? They're still in the early stages and maybe there will be more content that will please a lot of people. You can't please everyone, but you can please a lot of people in some way.
- Fandom stuff out of the way, yes, I know I said I would update with titles and info yesterday and didn't get to it yesterday or today. I do have a good excuse for that. I had an emergency required a trip to the hospital. I am not releasing any more details than that, but it was a scare and I am just taking time off to recover while wasting time looking at Pokémon news. I will get back to updating this site when I am feeling much better. Right now, I still feel a bit tired because of the tests given. I'm very fortunate to work from home and I am very fortunate to live less than a few blocks away from the nearest hospital. I'm just happy it was nothing super serious. But yeah, enough about personal stuff. Titles and info will be postponed for a bit, but I'll keep in touch.
Catch you cats on the flip side.
10:02 PM CDT
- I think the announcements of the new Pokémon games for the Switch broke Bulbagarden's forums. The site loads very slowly and I had to log off because it was unbearable.
I think the new games look cute. It also looks like Eevee is now going to be a Mascot alongside Pikachu in the Pokémon franchise from now on since it's just as popular. That doesn't surprise me too much.
If they are Generation VIII games, they look okay as far as what few details they released. A lot of people are complaining about them going back to Kanto and basically starting over, but I don't know. I like to read speculations but coming up with my own... that's not my thing. I just take what they release. I'm over 30 and I haven't speculated about a new game since Black and White (I was 23 when they were released).
But whatever. I am tired of whining about games. What they release is what I'll more than likely buy. Even the worst games in terms of what was released I still purchased. Who knows? They're still in the early stages and maybe there will be more content that will please a lot of people. You can't please everyone, but you can please a lot of people in some way.
- Fandom stuff out of the way, yes, I know I said I would update with titles and info yesterday and didn't get to it yesterday or today. I do have a good excuse for that. I had an emergency required a trip to the hospital. I am not releasing any more details than that, but it was a scare and I am just taking time off to recover while wasting time looking at Pokémon news. I will get back to updating this site when I am feeling much better. Right now, I still feel a bit tired because of the tests given. I'm very fortunate to work from home and I am very fortunate to live less than a few blocks away from the nearest hospital. I'm just happy it was nothing super serious. But yeah, enough about personal stuff. Titles and info will be postponed for a bit, but I'll keep in touch.
Catch you cats on the flip side.
May 27, 2018
9:49 PM CDT
- Two updates for today.
The first update is I changed the favicon's color to a darker shade of orange and set it at a larger 64 x 64 pixels, unlike the previous 16 x 16. It looks much cleaner without any blur in the window tab.
Second, I finally started adding titles and information to a few toys here and there. I do not plan on finishing tonight and I was only allowed to dedicate a few minutes to it, but it's a start. I will get more in tomorrow.
In the meantime, take care folks.
9:49 PM CDT
- Two updates for today.
The first update is I changed the favicon's color to a darker shade of orange and set it at a larger 64 x 64 pixels, unlike the previous 16 x 16. It looks much cleaner without any blur in the window tab.
Second, I finally started adding titles and information to a few toys here and there. I do not plan on finishing tonight and I was only allowed to dedicate a few minutes to it, but it's a start. I will get more in tomorrow.
In the meantime, take care folks.
May 26, 2018
11:07 PM CDT
- I've died and gone to heaven. Look.
11:07 PM CDT
- I've died and gone to heaven. Look.
Image from New Toy News
I know Funko gets a lot of crap, and for good reason. But this... this is something I've been wanting for a long time! To see Gargoyles merch again, especially of Bronx... I'm a happy cat right now! I need to get my hands on that figure! They're on course to be released by August, but knowing Funko, it is possible they'll be pushed to a later date because they never seem committed to a release date. I get delays, but damn! I want Bronx bad!
- I got some gets from Sunyshore. Dusk Lycanroc figures and plushies, both from Takara Tomy. I'm guessing it's items from Ash's Lycanroc in the anime. The Dusk version is getting a lot of attention. Since one is a pre-order item, they will not be shipped until by the end of the month or the beginning of June.
Lots of stuff to add to Lioness's to-do list. I REALLY need to do get on the ball with this site but offline stuff is just keeping me busy. My ankle is getting a lot better so I don't have that excuse anymore. I am getting caught up with work, so that's been a factor. I'll update with more tomorrow. Get some titles and info in on toys already put up online and stick with that so I don't put it off any longer. Sound great? Good.
See you cats tomorrow.
- I got some gets from Sunyshore. Dusk Lycanroc figures and plushies, both from Takara Tomy. I'm guessing it's items from Ash's Lycanroc in the anime. The Dusk version is getting a lot of attention. Since one is a pre-order item, they will not be shipped until by the end of the month or the beginning of June.
Lots of stuff to add to Lioness's to-do list. I REALLY need to do get on the ball with this site but offline stuff is just keeping me busy. My ankle is getting a lot better so I don't have that excuse anymore. I am getting caught up with work, so that's been a factor. I'll update with more tomorrow. Get some titles and info in on toys already put up online and stick with that so I don't put it off any longer. Sound great? Good.
See you cats tomorrow.
May 23, 2018
10:35 AM CDT
- Weebly has been offering free SSL certificates for all website owners who host through them, regardless of what package you have purchased with them. Before it was only offered to those who purchased a $25 a month Business plan, and since my site is not a business, I thought my site would go through the cracks as being flagged as not-secure thanks to Google's update on flagging any site that doesn't have SSL protection earlier this year, which is indicated by the green padlock in the search box.
Now, I only run a personal website, but it gives me an extra layer of security when I submit my own information as well as my visitors since cookies are added when you visit the site (since Weebly serves primarily as an e-commerce site). However, if you do happen to run a business or e-commerce site, it is MANDATORY you have SSL enabled. I don't want to sound like a Weebly spokesperson, but they do offer it for free even if you haven't purchased the most basic plan. If you go into a website that offers goods but the site is not secure, I would not recommend purchasing from them, especially with a credit card. Really, thanks to Google's horseshit, SSL should be free to everyone, but there are sites that charge an arm and a leg for their services. It's unbelievable. Those are good for corporations, but some schmuck on the internet like me who just wants to run a personal website, or someone who just wants to run a small business? It doesn't need to be at $25 a month or more for something you can easily get for free on certain webhosts.
So yeah, that nice little padlock has been added to my site. Welcome to rest of the internet in 2018, Big Cat Collections. I think that may have been a contributing factor to my website getting less views since Google ranks non-secure sites very low, which I guess they're thinking of your safety. More like they're trying to control and monopolize things but I digress. Yeah, get the padlock if you can, especially if you sell things online.
Keep in mind, and this is very important, there can be scam stores that do have an SSL certificate in place. Hackers can get access to your information that way if you are not careful. Please verify if the store has a good reputation.
- Looking at the links that I have in my Contacts and Links page, there is only one site that is flagged as not secure- Sunyshore Pokemart. There are others that look like they don't have SSL, but type in HTTPS:// following the link in the search bar and they should pop up as secure. They just don't have the padlock showing for whatever reason.
The good thing about Sunyshore is that they take PayPal, which is encrypted and padlocked to the max. I don't recall them taking credit cards as I've only used PayPal with them. Still, there's another problem besides the use of credit cards, and that's access to your username and passwords, some very vital pieces of info you do not want getting into the wrong hands.
Sunyshore is a good and professional site, and I'll be sending an email hopefully to coax them into the right direction of getting this kind of security for their business. I don't want them to flop. On the contrary! I want them to be better, and they're already very good! Remember when I said not all places with SSL certification are reputable and I wouldn't recommend them for shit, but if Sunyshore had it, they could really blow out the competition. I am just looking out for fellow collectors.
7:39 PM CDT
- I received a very polite and informative letter in regards to SSL from Sunyshore Pokemart:
"Hi there,
Thank you for your kind email. We appreciate your feedback. We have looked into getting a SSL certificate in the past, but ran into some difficulties with our provider.
As a word of reassurance, we do not see any payment information on our side -- payment information is secured via PayPal when you check out. Regardless, we will definitely be looking into getting a SSL certificate again.
Thank you again for your kind email -- please let us know if we can help you with anything else."
I love it when people who love what they do take the time to respond in a timely and professional manner like this. It's very heartening. As the email stated, use PayPal when checking out and I would also use a password that is for this site only. Everything else is pretty much secured as stated.
I wish the best for Sunyshore and for all of my fellow collectors out there, be safe!
10:35 AM CDT
- Weebly has been offering free SSL certificates for all website owners who host through them, regardless of what package you have purchased with them. Before it was only offered to those who purchased a $25 a month Business plan, and since my site is not a business, I thought my site would go through the cracks as being flagged as not-secure thanks to Google's update on flagging any site that doesn't have SSL protection earlier this year, which is indicated by the green padlock in the search box.
Now, I only run a personal website, but it gives me an extra layer of security when I submit my own information as well as my visitors since cookies are added when you visit the site (since Weebly serves primarily as an e-commerce site). However, if you do happen to run a business or e-commerce site, it is MANDATORY you have SSL enabled. I don't want to sound like a Weebly spokesperson, but they do offer it for free even if you haven't purchased the most basic plan. If you go into a website that offers goods but the site is not secure, I would not recommend purchasing from them, especially with a credit card. Really, thanks to Google's horseshit, SSL should be free to everyone, but there are sites that charge an arm and a leg for their services. It's unbelievable. Those are good for corporations, but some schmuck on the internet like me who just wants to run a personal website, or someone who just wants to run a small business? It doesn't need to be at $25 a month or more for something you can easily get for free on certain webhosts.
So yeah, that nice little padlock has been added to my site. Welcome to rest of the internet in 2018, Big Cat Collections. I think that may have been a contributing factor to my website getting less views since Google ranks non-secure sites very low, which I guess they're thinking of your safety. More like they're trying to control and monopolize things but I digress. Yeah, get the padlock if you can, especially if you sell things online.
Keep in mind, and this is very important, there can be scam stores that do have an SSL certificate in place. Hackers can get access to your information that way if you are not careful. Please verify if the store has a good reputation.
- Looking at the links that I have in my Contacts and Links page, there is only one site that is flagged as not secure- Sunyshore Pokemart. There are others that look like they don't have SSL, but type in HTTPS:// following the link in the search bar and they should pop up as secure. They just don't have the padlock showing for whatever reason.
The good thing about Sunyshore is that they take PayPal, which is encrypted and padlocked to the max. I don't recall them taking credit cards as I've only used PayPal with them. Still, there's another problem besides the use of credit cards, and that's access to your username and passwords, some very vital pieces of info you do not want getting into the wrong hands.
Sunyshore is a good and professional site, and I'll be sending an email hopefully to coax them into the right direction of getting this kind of security for their business. I don't want them to flop. On the contrary! I want them to be better, and they're already very good! Remember when I said not all places with SSL certification are reputable and I wouldn't recommend them for shit, but if Sunyshore had it, they could really blow out the competition. I am just looking out for fellow collectors.
7:39 PM CDT
- I received a very polite and informative letter in regards to SSL from Sunyshore Pokemart:
"Hi there,
Thank you for your kind email. We appreciate your feedback. We have looked into getting a SSL certificate in the past, but ran into some difficulties with our provider.
As a word of reassurance, we do not see any payment information on our side -- payment information is secured via PayPal when you check out. Regardless, we will definitely be looking into getting a SSL certificate again.
Thank you again for your kind email -- please let us know if we can help you with anything else."
I love it when people who love what they do take the time to respond in a timely and professional manner like this. It's very heartening. As the email stated, use PayPal when checking out and I would also use a password that is for this site only. Everything else is pretty much secured as stated.
I wish the best for Sunyshore and for all of my fellow collectors out there, be safe!
May 18, 2018
12:58 AM CDT
- My package from SMJ finally arrived. It was only one item- the Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush. One item I could have gotten off Pokevault but thought it would be cheaper to get on Yahoo! Japan. In reality, the prices were exactly the same. The only problem is I was forced to get Priority Mail due to the size of the item. It would have been the same on Pokevault but probably more expensive in the long run. I thought, "meh, what the hell... I'll get it in about a week!"
Like last time, the package went to the New York ISC. Why? I don't know. It's always random. And stupid. Los Angeles and Chicago also have ISCs, and it would be more practical for my item to be shipped to either of those places. To ship it all the way to the east only to go back to the central-south US is asinine. But whatever. It happened, and the wait was long. I made the order to ship a month ago! I just got it yesterday.
However, yesterday should have been two days ago, since USPS comes at whatever hour they feel like and if I am not home to sign a Priority or EMS slip, I have to wait the next day or two to get it at the post office. It's more of an inconvenience than just leaving it on my front door. I guess I should be happy for the extra bit of insurance since the package doesn't risk getting stolen. Thankfully, that has never happened to me or my neighbors. Heck, the whole city very rarely has this problem.
But, the point of this story is that my Dusk Lycanroc plushie is here. Oh, my Udon comics also arrived in the mail. Seeing them for myself, I can see why they are more expensive than the average comic. They are larger and technically imported since the author and artist is Japanese and all Udon did was color the images. Really, I am only buying these comics for the covers. They are boss!
- On another note, my friends clair2522 and hebilea are going to Japan later this summer and they offered to buy me stuff that I would probably have to pay through the nose to get imported. I kind of feel like an asshole taking advantage of that offer, but I am going to take advantage of that offer since that offer only happens once in a blue moon. I'll be emailing them a list of what I would like and giving them the money beforehand. Hopefully the usd to yen rate won't crap out thanks to stupid US politics by the time they go.
That's it for now. Yes, YES. The titles and information are coming. I know I have put that off long enough. I guess I was hoping that all the stuff I ordered could have had their pictures taken and posted along side with the stuff already uploaded, but that won't be happening. Might as well update sooner or later, but it WILL happen.
For now, I'm signing off. Goodnight, sweet kittens.
12:58 AM CDT
- My package from SMJ finally arrived. It was only one item- the Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush. One item I could have gotten off Pokevault but thought it would be cheaper to get on Yahoo! Japan. In reality, the prices were exactly the same. The only problem is I was forced to get Priority Mail due to the size of the item. It would have been the same on Pokevault but probably more expensive in the long run. I thought, "meh, what the hell... I'll get it in about a week!"
Like last time, the package went to the New York ISC. Why? I don't know. It's always random. And stupid. Los Angeles and Chicago also have ISCs, and it would be more practical for my item to be shipped to either of those places. To ship it all the way to the east only to go back to the central-south US is asinine. But whatever. It happened, and the wait was long. I made the order to ship a month ago! I just got it yesterday.
However, yesterday should have been two days ago, since USPS comes at whatever hour they feel like and if I am not home to sign a Priority or EMS slip, I have to wait the next day or two to get it at the post office. It's more of an inconvenience than just leaving it on my front door. I guess I should be happy for the extra bit of insurance since the package doesn't risk getting stolen. Thankfully, that has never happened to me or my neighbors. Heck, the whole city very rarely has this problem.
But, the point of this story is that my Dusk Lycanroc plushie is here. Oh, my Udon comics also arrived in the mail. Seeing them for myself, I can see why they are more expensive than the average comic. They are larger and technically imported since the author and artist is Japanese and all Udon did was color the images. Really, I am only buying these comics for the covers. They are boss!
- On another note, my friends clair2522 and hebilea are going to Japan later this summer and they offered to buy me stuff that I would probably have to pay through the nose to get imported. I kind of feel like an asshole taking advantage of that offer, but I am going to take advantage of that offer since that offer only happens once in a blue moon. I'll be emailing them a list of what I would like and giving them the money beforehand. Hopefully the usd to yen rate won't crap out thanks to stupid US politics by the time they go.
That's it for now. Yes, YES. The titles and information are coming. I know I have put that off long enough. I guess I was hoping that all the stuff I ordered could have had their pictures taken and posted along side with the stuff already uploaded, but that won't be happening. Might as well update sooner or later, but it WILL happen.
For now, I'm signing off. Goodnight, sweet kittens.
May 11, 2018
10:18 PM CDT
- Correction on yesterday's update regarding the giant Lapras plush. It is not going to be released by Takara Tomy but by Bandai. They have released plushes in the past, but I do not normally associate Bandai with plushes. On another note, the plush is set to be released in July. What day? Pokeshopper does not say. Just a July 2018 release.
Other Pokémon items I am going to buy on release day are a Dusk Lycanroc plush that is released on May 26, a Dusk Lycanroc figure released on June 16, and a Charizard Sanei plush that also has a July release with no specific date.
I am also looking to get the Charizard and Litten Gallery Figures on the Pokémon Center website. That will probably have to wait until my next paycheck, but I hope to get them soon!
More updates to come, especially in regards to adding titles and info to new photos. Stay tuned!
10:18 PM CDT
- Correction on yesterday's update regarding the giant Lapras plush. It is not going to be released by Takara Tomy but by Bandai. They have released plushes in the past, but I do not normally associate Bandai with plushes. On another note, the plush is set to be released in July. What day? Pokeshopper does not say. Just a July 2018 release.
Other Pokémon items I am going to buy on release day are a Dusk Lycanroc plush that is released on May 26, a Dusk Lycanroc figure released on June 16, and a Charizard Sanei plush that also has a July release with no specific date.
I am also looking to get the Charizard and Litten Gallery Figures on the Pokémon Center website. That will probably have to wait until my next paycheck, but I hope to get them soon!
More updates to come, especially in regards to adding titles and info to new photos. Stay tuned!
May 10, 2018
11:38 PM CDT
- Time for updates. My garage kits have been painted and will be given to me tomorrow or Sunday, depending on when my friend has the time to come and visit. I saw pics and they are nice! Now, keep in mind that he did not have the best references available. What I could find from the original artists are long gone since they were released way back when. He winged it and for that, I give him props for being as accurate as possible. If need be, I may need him to do over some inaccuracies that are too hard to ignore, but that's something for another time. Overall, I am pleased.
- I need to update Lioness's to-do list with the stuff I have. I haven't updated because I did have a nasty fall that left my ankle so sore that mere movement almost caused me to cry. I'm better, but it hurts to go downstairs. Upstairs, not so much. Maybe it's gravity and that combined with my body weight putting pressure on my ankle makes it feel like it's going to buckle any second.
- But enough about my ankle. No one wants to hear that crap. I looked on Pokeshopper and saw that another giant Lapras plush is going to be released. I think it's a Takara Tomy plush and I'll have to double check. I'd love to have it and I probably will get it. It' the most exciting thing to come out since... not in a long while. Pokémon-related items haven't been interesting me as much. Most of it is stuff that just doesn't interest me or it's something I can put off and get at a later date without worrying about a price increase.
In other collection related news that is not Pokémon-related, Mega Man has lots of new stuff coming out that I would love to get my mits on. I pre-ordered some figures on Big Bad Toy Store a few days ago and Jasco, the people who made the board game, are coming up with a sequel. If they put that thing on Kickstarter, I'm going to participate but it bugs me they are relying on Kickstarter when they should be able to make a board game without the need for it. They already made a decent killing with not only the first board game but they also had a Street Fighter game Kickstarted. Why are they relying on this platform? Did they not make anything with retail sales? I don't get it and I probably never will.
Also, Udon is coming out with a bunch of rereleases of stuff that went out of print years ago. I like Udon and the quality of their items but I am not a fan of how limited their items availability are and how overpriced their crap is. The Mega Man Mastermix comics cost an insane amount for something that has not only been released a billion times, but they are overpriced by comic standards. Also, guess what? They were limited. Fuck, I HATE it when a company artificially limits an item's availability to increase their value. But like the stupid person that I am, I still buy their stuff.
Well, whatever. That's it for today. Yes, I know there are items that still need to be named and in need of information. That will be done when I get some offline stuff out of the way since my ankle messing up didn't help things. I'll update in a few days. For now, catch you cats later.
11:38 PM CDT
- Time for updates. My garage kits have been painted and will be given to me tomorrow or Sunday, depending on when my friend has the time to come and visit. I saw pics and they are nice! Now, keep in mind that he did not have the best references available. What I could find from the original artists are long gone since they were released way back when. He winged it and for that, I give him props for being as accurate as possible. If need be, I may need him to do over some inaccuracies that are too hard to ignore, but that's something for another time. Overall, I am pleased.
- I need to update Lioness's to-do list with the stuff I have. I haven't updated because I did have a nasty fall that left my ankle so sore that mere movement almost caused me to cry. I'm better, but it hurts to go downstairs. Upstairs, not so much. Maybe it's gravity and that combined with my body weight putting pressure on my ankle makes it feel like it's going to buckle any second.
- But enough about my ankle. No one wants to hear that crap. I looked on Pokeshopper and saw that another giant Lapras plush is going to be released. I think it's a Takara Tomy plush and I'll have to double check. I'd love to have it and I probably will get it. It' the most exciting thing to come out since... not in a long while. Pokémon-related items haven't been interesting me as much. Most of it is stuff that just doesn't interest me or it's something I can put off and get at a later date without worrying about a price increase.
In other collection related news that is not Pokémon-related, Mega Man has lots of new stuff coming out that I would love to get my mits on. I pre-ordered some figures on Big Bad Toy Store a few days ago and Jasco, the people who made the board game, are coming up with a sequel. If they put that thing on Kickstarter, I'm going to participate but it bugs me they are relying on Kickstarter when they should be able to make a board game without the need for it. They already made a decent killing with not only the first board game but they also had a Street Fighter game Kickstarted. Why are they relying on this platform? Did they not make anything with retail sales? I don't get it and I probably never will.
Also, Udon is coming out with a bunch of rereleases of stuff that went out of print years ago. I like Udon and the quality of their items but I am not a fan of how limited their items availability are and how overpriced their crap is. The Mega Man Mastermix comics cost an insane amount for something that has not only been released a billion times, but they are overpriced by comic standards. Also, guess what? They were limited. Fuck, I HATE it when a company artificially limits an item's availability to increase their value. But like the stupid person that I am, I still buy their stuff.
Well, whatever. That's it for today. Yes, I know there are items that still need to be named and in need of information. That will be done when I get some offline stuff out of the way since my ankle messing up didn't help things. I'll update in a few days. For now, catch you cats later.
April 20, 2018
11:33 PM CDT
- Obligatory happy 4/20 out of the way, some news.
First, the garage kit process page will be removed from the site. One of my buddies who was a co-worker of mine in a job I had in 2014 will be doing the hard part of priming and painting. He can also fix some mistakes I made during the process of drilling (there's one major mistake I made and it's a doozy). I trust he can fix it. His work is amazing! He can modify toys and repaint them with no flaws. I trust he can do the dirty work. Best of all, he is local. I will be giving him my putty, enamel paints, model kit tape, and primer used during the process of when I was working on them. It may take a while, but he's good and I trust him.
I'm just glad to have these figures ready for display. I pussied out in the end, but it looks like they'll be ready to display soon. Can't wait!
- Second item I need to mention: new gets! Lots of older Lycanroc and Rockruff figures from Pokevault and a Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush. I also got the Kororin Growlithe UFO plush and a second Takara Tomy Lycanroc figure. Some Litten items were purchased locally and a Rockruff Pokémon Center plush keychain was purchased. Lots of stuff to show off. I will be adding titles and descriptions to items posted later this week. For now, I'm off to bed. Just a little update on this blessed 4/20, if you catch my drift.
Catch you next time, folks.
11:33 PM CDT
- Obligatory happy 4/20 out of the way, some news.
First, the garage kit process page will be removed from the site. One of my buddies who was a co-worker of mine in a job I had in 2014 will be doing the hard part of priming and painting. He can also fix some mistakes I made during the process of drilling (there's one major mistake I made and it's a doozy). I trust he can fix it. His work is amazing! He can modify toys and repaint them with no flaws. I trust he can do the dirty work. Best of all, he is local. I will be giving him my putty, enamel paints, model kit tape, and primer used during the process of when I was working on them. It may take a while, but he's good and I trust him.
I'm just glad to have these figures ready for display. I pussied out in the end, but it looks like they'll be ready to display soon. Can't wait!
- Second item I need to mention: new gets! Lots of older Lycanroc and Rockruff figures from Pokevault and a Dusk Lycanroc UFO plush. I also got the Kororin Growlithe UFO plush and a second Takara Tomy Lycanroc figure. Some Litten items were purchased locally and a Rockruff Pokémon Center plush keychain was purchased. Lots of stuff to show off. I will be adding titles and descriptions to items posted later this week. For now, I'm off to bed. Just a little update on this blessed 4/20, if you catch my drift.
Catch you next time, folks.
April 2, 2018
1:41 AM CDT
- No updates for today. Just some fandom-related stuff.
Apparently, you could have still viewed Bulbagarden's main forum during the April Fool's prank, but that eye-sore background they used with those greens and browns made it hard to look for anything beyond what was featured on the site. I guess I just wanted to hightail it out of there because that background was awful and hurt my eyes. I'm sorry, Bulbagarden mods. I know you put a lot of work into your April Fool's pranks, but this year's was bad on the eyes. I will admit I liked and laughed at the garden gnome top banner and the hilariously cheap "GardenGarden" forefront banner, but man, my eyes! I couldn't stay even if I did find the main forums.
Well, it's reverted back to the original format. There's always next year, Bulbagarden. I'm looking forward to it.
1:41 AM CDT
- No updates for today. Just some fandom-related stuff.
Apparently, you could have still viewed Bulbagarden's main forum during the April Fool's prank, but that eye-sore background they used with those greens and browns made it hard to look for anything beyond what was featured on the site. I guess I just wanted to hightail it out of there because that background was awful and hurt my eyes. I'm sorry, Bulbagarden mods. I know you put a lot of work into your April Fool's pranks, but this year's was bad on the eyes. I will admit I liked and laughed at the garden gnome top banner and the hilariously cheap "GardenGarden" forefront banner, but man, my eyes! I couldn't stay even if I did find the main forums.
Well, it's reverted back to the original format. There's always next year, Bulbagarden. I'm looking forward to it.
April 1, 2018
2:01 AM CDT
- I would come up with an April Fools Day joke for this site, but since it's actually April Fool's Day and any joke would be so obvious, I decided not to even bother.
- Kind of wish I didn't have to give up my precious blog as a compromise for views. My views shot up since getting rid of it. I guess there was a boycott of my site for allowing such a controversial page to my site. Well, my viewers win.
But fandom-related rambles are still allowed. Bulbagarden does an April Fool's gag every year and sometimes they know how to really pull my leg. This year's is terrible. Last year's was nice as they made it seem like Team Skull from the Sun and Moon games took over the site. That was awesome. This year... it's GardenGarden and the theme is plants. Nothing but plants. There is no way to have an actual Pokémon discussion or even an off-topic discussion that isn't about freaking plants. You get to be a part of the gag for maybe 5 minutes at most before you click the back button and wait for the 2nd to arrive. That is incredibly lame and I guess you could consider this year's gag as "jumping the shark."
2:01 AM CDT
- I would come up with an April Fools Day joke for this site, but since it's actually April Fool's Day and any joke would be so obvious, I decided not to even bother.
- Kind of wish I didn't have to give up my precious blog as a compromise for views. My views shot up since getting rid of it. I guess there was a boycott of my site for allowing such a controversial page to my site. Well, my viewers win.
But fandom-related rambles are still allowed. Bulbagarden does an April Fool's gag every year and sometimes they know how to really pull my leg. This year's is terrible. Last year's was nice as they made it seem like Team Skull from the Sun and Moon games took over the site. That was awesome. This year... it's GardenGarden and the theme is plants. Nothing but plants. There is no way to have an actual Pokémon discussion or even an off-topic discussion that isn't about freaking plants. You get to be a part of the gag for maybe 5 minutes at most before you click the back button and wait for the 2nd to arrive. That is incredibly lame and I guess you could consider this year's gag as "jumping the shark."
March 31, 2018
1:19 AM CDT
- Sorry for putting off adding more pictures to the site. I wasn't feeling too well earlier and I slept since the last update. Now I'm awake and it's the middle of the night. I guess I'm off to upload the rest of the images that need to be uploaded. I'll update when I'm finished.
- I am not done uploading images, but it's now 1:40 and I am getting fed up with my mouse double clicking when I don't want it to and not clicking at all when I want it to. I'll upload more when I wake up later. For now, catch you cats later.
9:12 PM CDT
- Every single image that needed to be taken and uploaded has been done. There are still some settei I need to get framed, but that'll happen over time. I'm thinking of nixing the garage kit page because I am getting cold feet over that. I would rather commission a professional to do it. The problem is none of the professionals are taking commissions at the moment. When one pops up, I'll be hitting them up for some help. I got a lot of the initial work done of sanding and wiring, so I hope I can get a discount on that at least. All I really need is for them to primer and paint.
- I have more toys coming in, today a box of Gamestop exclusives of the Litten-line made it to my front door. I also have more coming in from Pokevault. Maybe I'll take pics of them during the coming week instead of waiting for a new picture day. Depends on my mood. =D
For now, I am done uploading. Now to add item information and descriptions. That'll be happening over time. I usually don't get to that for a week or more. Again, depends on my mood. My mouse has not been working well and it makes working on my computer harder than it has to be. Looks like I'll be replacing it soon.
For now, take a look at the images that have been posted! They are all over the place so have fun!
1:19 AM CDT
- Sorry for putting off adding more pictures to the site. I wasn't feeling too well earlier and I slept since the last update. Now I'm awake and it's the middle of the night. I guess I'm off to upload the rest of the images that need to be uploaded. I'll update when I'm finished.
- I am not done uploading images, but it's now 1:40 and I am getting fed up with my mouse double clicking when I don't want it to and not clicking at all when I want it to. I'll upload more when I wake up later. For now, catch you cats later.
9:12 PM CDT
- Every single image that needed to be taken and uploaded has been done. There are still some settei I need to get framed, but that'll happen over time. I'm thinking of nixing the garage kit page because I am getting cold feet over that. I would rather commission a professional to do it. The problem is none of the professionals are taking commissions at the moment. When one pops up, I'll be hitting them up for some help. I got a lot of the initial work done of sanding and wiring, so I hope I can get a discount on that at least. All I really need is for them to primer and paint.
- I have more toys coming in, today a box of Gamestop exclusives of the Litten-line made it to my front door. I also have more coming in from Pokevault. Maybe I'll take pics of them during the coming week instead of waiting for a new picture day. Depends on my mood. =D
For now, I am done uploading. Now to add item information and descriptions. That'll be happening over time. I usually don't get to that for a week or more. Again, depends on my mood. My mouse has not been working well and it makes working on my computer harder than it has to be. Looks like I'll be replacing it soon.
For now, take a look at the images that have been posted! They are all over the place so have fun!
March 30, 2018
1:29 CDT
- I am finally done taking all the pictures I need for this site. Just to give you an idea of how long it takes, I started at 11:00 AM. It is now going to be 1:30. It takes a lot of work to take the pictures, and now I have to go through the ones I like best and edit them.
- As a compromise, I am taking the blog down because it really ruffles some people's feathers. I don't like to do it nor do I want to, but yeah, for now, it goes down. I'm glad I didn't put too much into it. I was going to draw a banner for the blog, but I'm still a bit bummed out about it.
In the future I will like to start a blog on its own site apart from this one. I'd love to do that. I mean, c'mon! The world sucks.
1:29 CDT
- I am finally done taking all the pictures I need for this site. Just to give you an idea of how long it takes, I started at 11:00 AM. It is now going to be 1:30. It takes a lot of work to take the pictures, and now I have to go through the ones I like best and edit them.
- As a compromise, I am taking the blog down because it really ruffles some people's feathers. I don't like to do it nor do I want to, but yeah, for now, it goes down. I'm glad I didn't put too much into it. I was going to draw a banner for the blog, but I'm still a bit bummed out about it.
In the future I will like to start a blog on its own site apart from this one. I'd love to do that. I mean, c'mon! The world sucks.
March 28, 2018
7:06 PM CDT
- More images have been uploaded! Tomorrow will be the last day I upload the rest of the newest items in my collection. There isn't too much left. A lot of the biggest pains to take images of have already been taken so tomorrow should be smooth sailing.
7:06 PM CDT
- More images have been uploaded! Tomorrow will be the last day I upload the rest of the newest items in my collection. There isn't too much left. A lot of the biggest pains to take images of have already been taken so tomorrow should be smooth sailing.
March 26, 2018
4:54 PM CDT
- More pictures were taken and are currently being uploaded unto the site. I'm getting the smaller figures out of the way first and working my way up to the larger plushes (with the two Dante Disney Store plushes being the exception). Enjoy what I have up for now!
4:54 PM CDT
- More pictures were taken and are currently being uploaded unto the site. I'm getting the smaller figures out of the way first and working my way up to the larger plushes (with the two Dante Disney Store plushes being the exception). Enjoy what I have up for now!
March 25, 2018
5:47 PM CDT
- No photo updates today. My cold has not improved today and I feel like I'm freezing, despite it being 70 degrees in the house. We'll see how my cold improves tomorrow. Hopefully, it'll be enough to allow me to take pictures!
5:47 PM CDT
- No photo updates today. My cold has not improved today and I feel like I'm freezing, despite it being 70 degrees in the house. We'll see how my cold improves tomorrow. Hopefully, it'll be enough to allow me to take pictures!
March 24, 2018
3:58 PM CDT
- I got a few pictures taken today, but not even a third of what I have to post and I am done for the day. My cold feels like it has gotten worse today and I am just not up to the task of taking everything I have. I will be taking more pics tomorrow and throughout the week because there is a lot of stuff to post. For now, enjoy what I have up.
3:58 PM CDT
- I got a few pictures taken today, but not even a third of what I have to post and I am done for the day. My cold feels like it has gotten worse today and I am just not up to the task of taking everything I have. I will be taking more pics tomorrow and throughout the week because there is a lot of stuff to post. For now, enjoy what I have up.
March 12, 2018
6:41 PM CDT
- The book that was ordered on the 9th will be here tomorrow. First time I receive a text message letting me know it's going to get here that day and I need to be home to sign the form! I wish USPS did that.
- My box from SMJ is still stuck in New York, and I doubt it'll be leaving the facility anytime soon due to the atrocious weather the northeast has been enduring. Also, I beleive EMS packages take priority and that coupled with the weather probably means I won't be seeing that package for another two weeks at the least.
I'm not too concerned about my package. For those of you in the area, be safe.
11:42 PM CDT
- The blog has been removed from the navigation bar and linked to the front page since it really doesn't pertain to collecting and it's about as off-topic and crude as it can get. I decided to link to it with a warning that I will not be containing my language or my thoughts. Don't worry. I am not like one of those raw dog comedy club shock jocks that you listen to on SiriusXM. Well, not completely, but it's not something that is there for shock value. I just want to use my platform as an outlet that is optional to my visitors.
So the blog stays, but it's off the navigation bar.
6:41 PM CDT
- The book that was ordered on the 9th will be here tomorrow. First time I receive a text message letting me know it's going to get here that day and I need to be home to sign the form! I wish USPS did that.
- My box from SMJ is still stuck in New York, and I doubt it'll be leaving the facility anytime soon due to the atrocious weather the northeast has been enduring. Also, I beleive EMS packages take priority and that coupled with the weather probably means I won't be seeing that package for another two weeks at the least.
I'm not too concerned about my package. For those of you in the area, be safe.
11:42 PM CDT
- The blog has been removed from the navigation bar and linked to the front page since it really doesn't pertain to collecting and it's about as off-topic and crude as it can get. I decided to link to it with a warning that I will not be containing my language or my thoughts. Don't worry. I am not like one of those raw dog comedy club shock jocks that you listen to on SiriusXM. Well, not completely, but it's not something that is there for shock value. I just want to use my platform as an outlet that is optional to my visitors.
So the blog stays, but it's off the navigation bar.
March 9, 2018
12:27 PM CST
- eBay had a promotional coupon of 25% any purchase, so I decided to take advantage of the moment and purchased the Pokémon Card Game Art Collection book with the code. Saved $10 with that coupon. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
12:27 PM CST
- eBay had a promotional coupon of 25% any purchase, so I decided to take advantage of the moment and purchased the Pokémon Card Game Art Collection book with the code. Saved $10 with that coupon. It will be added to Lioness's to-do list.
March 8, 2018
8:46 PM CST
- In the works for the site is an image of Dante the dog from the movie Coco. Along with that, I need to make a custom banner for my blog page.
- In collection news, I don't know why US customs did this, but my package from SMJ made it to... New York. Normally when I have incoming packages from Japan, they wind up in two places international USPS locations- Los Angeles or Chicago. Never further than that. I don't know what their thought process was, but the weather in the northeastern part of the US has been dreadful. Why would they ship my box to the northeast when I live in the central US? And when the weather is abysmal, may I add. I don't mind waiting for my package to wait out the weather, but why they shipped it so far is beyond me in the first place.
Hopefully it will be here for my next picture date!
8:46 PM CST
- In the works for the site is an image of Dante the dog from the movie Coco. Along with that, I need to make a custom banner for my blog page.
- In collection news, I don't know why US customs did this, but my package from SMJ made it to... New York. Normally when I have incoming packages from Japan, they wind up in two places international USPS locations- Los Angeles or Chicago. Never further than that. I don't know what their thought process was, but the weather in the northeastern part of the US has been dreadful. Why would they ship my box to the northeast when I live in the central US? And when the weather is abysmal, may I add. I don't mind waiting for my package to wait out the weather, but why they shipped it so far is beyond me in the first place.
Hopefully it will be here for my next picture date!
March 7, 2018
9:58 PM CST
- I created a blog page to prevent off-topic clutter on this page. All opinions and junk will be going there so I don't have to keep up with the warnings if an update is going to be a rant or an actual site update. All off-topic stuff can be found in the blog as of this year. I am not going to go back four years and add everything off-topic from there. What's in the past is in the past. I did try to add a blog to this site but didn't know how to fit it in. Now I do. So that's a good start. Unlike news of actual collecting or site content that many would rather read, the blog is totally optional, especially if personal stuff isn't your thing. I won't be too personal on it, but I will be more forthcoming with my off-topic opinions.
9:58 PM CST
- I created a blog page to prevent off-topic clutter on this page. All opinions and junk will be going there so I don't have to keep up with the warnings if an update is going to be a rant or an actual site update. All off-topic stuff can be found in the blog as of this year. I am not going to go back four years and add everything off-topic from there. What's in the past is in the past. I did try to add a blog to this site but didn't know how to fit it in. Now I do. So that's a good start. Unlike news of actual collecting or site content that many would rather read, the blog is totally optional, especially if personal stuff isn't your thing. I won't be too personal on it, but I will be more forthcoming with my off-topic opinions.
February 20, 2018
10:12 AM CST
- I will update Lioness's to-do list with new gets I am getting in the mail later today. I need to find all the websites I have purchased from so I can get some details correct. I don't want to leave any stone unturned.
More to come, folks.
10:12 AM CST
- I will update Lioness's to-do list with new gets I am getting in the mail later today. I need to find all the websites I have purchased from so I can get some details correct. I don't want to leave any stone unturned.
More to come, folks.
February 17, 2018
10:40 PM CST
- As you may have noticed, picture day has been postponed, once again. There really hasn't been anything too hectic. I just haven't been feeling too well.
Well, I have postponed picture day for later in March. March is a hectic month but I hope to have all pictures taken on March 24th and throughout the weekend. There's so much stuff to take pictures of, I may need two days! Yes, lots of goodies are arriving. Many from Sunyshore, Pokevault, Shopping Mall Japan, and eBay.
10:40 PM CST
- As you may have noticed, picture day has been postponed, once again. There really hasn't been anything too hectic. I just haven't been feeling too well.
Well, I have postponed picture day for later in March. March is a hectic month but I hope to have all pictures taken on March 24th and throughout the weekend. There's so much stuff to take pictures of, I may need two days! Yes, lots of goodies are arriving. Many from Sunyshore, Pokevault, Shopping Mall Japan, and eBay.
February 4, 2018
3:07 PM CST
- I hate it when this happens, but picture day has been postponed for this coming Saturday. The camera was not available for me to use until 6 PM, when the natural light is completely gone.
Today I'll be focusing on drawing Dante for the Disney page. Maybe during the week I'll be taking pictures and just upload them that Saturday. I normally don't take pictures during the week because of work, but I can take a few minutes off to take pictures here and there. So, see you on Saturday with brand new pics!
- In the collection news department, I have bought the near complete set of the Funko Pint Size Mega Man figures. The only figure I need to buy to complete the set is Yellow Devil, and I hate him so I don't mind putting him off. I will be getting him eventually, but for now, I am stoked on getting what I have purchased.
From what I read in Protodude's blog and other collection websites, Funkos are near reviled. Why? I don't know. I personally like them, especially the mini figures. I guess I can understand the normal, larger figures not being everyone's cup of tea. The beady eyed look of the figures can be a little off-putting to some people. I myself didn't care for them until How to Train Your Dragon figures came out. They are hit and miss when it comes to quality. The paint jobs aren't the best and getting some of them to stand can be a pain. Their smaller figures make up for it, but they are blind boxed or packaged and you know my feelings on those.
Well, that's something to look forward to in the coming weeks. These figures will not make it by picture day so the next picture day is when I'll be showing them off.
I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for the Blue Bomber, and not just in the merch department! I look forward to more information released soon over at Protodude's!
3:07 PM CST
- I hate it when this happens, but picture day has been postponed for this coming Saturday. The camera was not available for me to use until 6 PM, when the natural light is completely gone.
Today I'll be focusing on drawing Dante for the Disney page. Maybe during the week I'll be taking pictures and just upload them that Saturday. I normally don't take pictures during the week because of work, but I can take a few minutes off to take pictures here and there. So, see you on Saturday with brand new pics!
- In the collection news department, I have bought the near complete set of the Funko Pint Size Mega Man figures. The only figure I need to buy to complete the set is Yellow Devil, and I hate him so I don't mind putting him off. I will be getting him eventually, but for now, I am stoked on getting what I have purchased.
From what I read in Protodude's blog and other collection websites, Funkos are near reviled. Why? I don't know. I personally like them, especially the mini figures. I guess I can understand the normal, larger figures not being everyone's cup of tea. The beady eyed look of the figures can be a little off-putting to some people. I myself didn't care for them until How to Train Your Dragon figures came out. They are hit and miss when it comes to quality. The paint jobs aren't the best and getting some of them to stand can be a pain. Their smaller figures make up for it, but they are blind boxed or packaged and you know my feelings on those.
Well, that's something to look forward to in the coming weeks. These figures will not make it by picture day so the next picture day is when I'll be showing them off.
I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for the Blue Bomber, and not just in the merch department! I look forward to more information released soon over at Protodude's!
February 1, 2018
12:26 AM CST
- The month of January is finally over. One month felt like one year, but I digress.
There are no collection updates at the moment. Syminka did ship me a box of goodies but I have yet to get the package. Probably my local mail system being a little slow on delivering. They are always slow, but I will keep you updated on when the package will get here.
- In other news, there is a possibility picture day will have to be postponed. My brother is using his camera that same day. I asked, but he keeps giving me the runaround if he's deciding to stream or not. Well, it's his camera. I cannot force it from him. I guess it's about time I get my own camera. The probably will not happen until the end of the year since I will be going out of town twice this year and my money will be spend on fun stuff instead of a new camera. Besides, he didn't exactly say no, so here's hoping he'll lend me his camera!
- Some good news! I got the Torracat and Incineroar art done for the Generation VII page! Go take a look!
The only art needed is for the Disney page of the dog from Coco, Dante. I'll be collecting the winged jaguar, Pepita, as well. Dante came first since he had more items to his name, but that jaguar is awesome! I cannot not collect her.
That's all the news for today. Toodles!
12:26 AM CST
- The month of January is finally over. One month felt like one year, but I digress.
There are no collection updates at the moment. Syminka did ship me a box of goodies but I have yet to get the package. Probably my local mail system being a little slow on delivering. They are always slow, but I will keep you updated on when the package will get here.
- In other news, there is a possibility picture day will have to be postponed. My brother is using his camera that same day. I asked, but he keeps giving me the runaround if he's deciding to stream or not. Well, it's his camera. I cannot force it from him. I guess it's about time I get my own camera. The probably will not happen until the end of the year since I will be going out of town twice this year and my money will be spend on fun stuff instead of a new camera. Besides, he didn't exactly say no, so here's hoping he'll lend me his camera!
- Some good news! I got the Torracat and Incineroar art done for the Generation VII page! Go take a look!
The only art needed is for the Disney page of the dog from Coco, Dante. I'll be collecting the winged jaguar, Pepita, as well. Dante came first since he had more items to his name, but that jaguar is awesome! I cannot not collect her.
That's all the news for today. Toodles!
January 27, 2018
12:13 AM CST
- My goodies from Sunyshore arrived! The Lycanroc Pokédolls are freaking adorable, the Dusk Lycanroc Tomy figure kicks all sorts of ass, and the Dusk Lycanroc clearfile is a stunning work of art. I am very satisfied with these purchases!
- On a side note, Team Rainbow Rocket had a promotion in Japanese Pokémon Centers recently. Normally I wouldn't bother since bad guys are not my cup of tea with the exception of one person- Lysandre. Why? Because he has a Pyroar. As a big fan of the lion, I feel I need to get a couple of things that interest me the most in that promotion. Clearfiles are a must, and maybe even those spiffy necklaces they offered. Who knows? Right now there isn't too much in the Gen VII department that I am after that is super rare. We'll see what happens.
- Artwork for Gen VII is coming. I was able to finish my half of the trade with the talented Sharkrok of FurAffinity and most of my commission work is coming to a close, so now I am able to focus on the last three images I need to get done for this site. All will be posted on FurAffinity when they are finished, but you'll see them here first. I promise.
- In the non-collecting department, I will be attending the Pokémon World 2018 championships in Nashville this August. I have a friend who lives in the area and we will be going together. This will be my first attendance to Worlds, so I am very excited for this trip! I hope to bring something awesome to get autographed. As a long-time Pokémon fan, that will be my ultimate dream. Can't wait!
I'll also be gone in March on a road trip to Arizona. Not as exciting as my previous news, but hey! Going out of state is always fun!
That's all the news for now, my fellow cats and kittens out there. Toodles to all! Remember, picture day is next Saturday. See you soon.
12:13 AM CST
- My goodies from Sunyshore arrived! The Lycanroc Pokédolls are freaking adorable, the Dusk Lycanroc Tomy figure kicks all sorts of ass, and the Dusk Lycanroc clearfile is a stunning work of art. I am very satisfied with these purchases!
- On a side note, Team Rainbow Rocket had a promotion in Japanese Pokémon Centers recently. Normally I wouldn't bother since bad guys are not my cup of tea with the exception of one person- Lysandre. Why? Because he has a Pyroar. As a big fan of the lion, I feel I need to get a couple of things that interest me the most in that promotion. Clearfiles are a must, and maybe even those spiffy necklaces they offered. Who knows? Right now there isn't too much in the Gen VII department that I am after that is super rare. We'll see what happens.
- Artwork for Gen VII is coming. I was able to finish my half of the trade with the talented Sharkrok of FurAffinity and most of my commission work is coming to a close, so now I am able to focus on the last three images I need to get done for this site. All will be posted on FurAffinity when they are finished, but you'll see them here first. I promise.
- In the non-collecting department, I will be attending the Pokémon World 2018 championships in Nashville this August. I have a friend who lives in the area and we will be going together. This will be my first attendance to Worlds, so I am very excited for this trip! I hope to bring something awesome to get autographed. As a long-time Pokémon fan, that will be my ultimate dream. Can't wait!
I'll also be gone in March on a road trip to Arizona. Not as exciting as my previous news, but hey! Going out of state is always fun!
That's all the news for now, my fellow cats and kittens out there. Toodles to all! Remember, picture day is next Saturday. See you soon.
January 4, 2018
2:55 PM CST
- I updated Lioness's to-do list to keep up with all the items I own. Also, I updated the Generation VII page with an image of Dusk Lycanroc added! Last on the art to-do list for the site are Torracat and Incineroar. They are already outlined and just need to be colored.
Also, since I am starting a new collection with Dante, he will need artwork made for him too in the Disney page.
- First picture day of the new year: February 3! Mark your calendars and be sure to visit to see updates!
2:55 PM CST
- I updated Lioness's to-do list to keep up with all the items I own. Also, I updated the Generation VII page with an image of Dusk Lycanroc added! Last on the art to-do list for the site are Torracat and Incineroar. They are already outlined and just need to be colored.
Also, since I am starting a new collection with Dante, he will need artwork made for him too in the Disney page.
- First picture day of the new year: February 3! Mark your calendars and be sure to visit to see updates!
January 3, 2018
7:37 PM CST
- Happy belated new year from Big Cat Collections!
Lots of new Lycanroc goodies to add to the site along with a bit of Incineroar here and Dante there. Dante? I fell in love with the dog from Coco! I have been buying goodies of the Xolo pup and he is up there with Dug as one of my favorite Pixar characters. There's too much to mention at the moment since I am a bit pressed for time. I will be adding everything to Lioness's to-do list, which was transferred over from 2017 to the new 2018 page. As is tradition, when a year ends, it is archived and a new page is added.
7:37 PM CST
- Happy belated new year from Big Cat Collections!
Lots of new Lycanroc goodies to add to the site along with a bit of Incineroar here and Dante there. Dante? I fell in love with the dog from Coco! I have been buying goodies of the Xolo pup and he is up there with Dug as one of my favorite Pixar characters. There's too much to mention at the moment since I am a bit pressed for time. I will be adding everything to Lioness's to-do list, which was transferred over from 2017 to the new 2018 page. As is tradition, when a year ends, it is archived and a new page is added.