UPDATES AND NEWS 2016
December 20, 2016
12:16 PM CST
- Today is picture day! I have already taken all the pictures I have of my Gen VII toys, so in the meantime, I will be creating the Gen VII page and uploading them there. No information will be added just yet. Only the images I took and the artwork I created will be put up.
Once that is up, I will be taking the rest of the images I need and uploading them later this evening.
- It is now 12:57 PM. You'll notice it is 41 minute difference between now and my last update. It took 41 minutes to take pictures of only five toys (I had probably taken 15 shots altogether since a lot of the images I took had to be scrapped and retaken for clarity), upload them onto my computer, edit them, create a new page, and upload all of them onto this site,
It would have been less the time had Weebly not made one annoying change since the last time I had a picture day. Instead of automatically adjusting the image into a thumbnail image when I want to place text next to it, it no longer allows that. Whatever the size of the image was beforehand will no longer be adjusted and the text will be placed underneath. What an awful "update." One step forward, a million back with these companies. It never fails to astound me that a lot of these tech companies make unnecessary changes while disguising it as "updates." There's rarely a change that makes a difference.
Well, it's not a lost cause. Now I just have to manually adjust the images to thumbnail size in Photoshop. But take notice: 40 minutes to get five toys uploaded! I have quite a few more to take and while I am not 100% certain, but this is probably going to stretch into the next day. I hope to get all of my new toys pictures taken today, but uploading them all in a day will probably not happen and there is the chance that some photos needs to be retaken due to errors.
I guess we'll see. Anyways, off to take more pics. No more updates for a few hours. If you want to see what little I have of Generation VII, come and look!
- It is now 3:40 PM, and all images have been taken! Now I have to take a look at all of them and edit what I want to show here. There's still a few hours left of daylight (in reality, I live in PST and the time is 1:40 PM) so should any retakes need to be done, it can still get them done today.
- On a totally different note, both forms of Lycanroc are getting plushes!!! They will be getting a release date of January 26th! I leave the US on January 28th, so I won't be here to get them, but I will be buying them the instant they come on sale!
Now off to edit and upload photos!
- Another update for 4:01 PM. Lowering the image with a width of 250 works fine, but the quality differences compared to the images that were automatically adjusted by Weebly is noticeable. It's not bad, but there is a difference. I hate it when there is a lack of consistency and if that's going to be a thing from now on with them making me manually adjusting images, I might as well adjust all the images on this site manually for consistency's sake.
Now that I am thinking about it, that may not be a bad idea. I still need to add Japanese information to items that were imported, so I can get both done at the same time.
Okay, off to finish editing and uploading. The next update will be to let you know when I'm finished or if any images need to be retaken.
- Okay, it is now 6:43 PM and I am done with editing all of the images I want to post here. Unfortunately, ONE managed to come out blurry in every single shot I took of it and now the sun is going down. No more natural light so I'm going to attempt to retake it again tomorrow.
Also, another toy that I did take a picture of but decided against uploading was the TruForce X-Boost figure. The picture was just of the box because I didn't want to take the figure out of the package just yet. It's more a fear of not knowing where to display it afterwards than keeping it mint in package. I'd rather display it, of course. I just need to make a bit more room. Tomorrow I will be taking it out of the package and showing it the way it was meant to be shown off!
I'm going to take a break and after that, little by little, I'll be uploading all the images taken onto this site. No info will be added for a whole week after it is placed. Once the week is up, then I'll be adding titles and bits of info to each image. Like always. =)
Now I am done with all the updates for today! Come by often to see what I upload!
12:16 PM CST
- Today is picture day! I have already taken all the pictures I have of my Gen VII toys, so in the meantime, I will be creating the Gen VII page and uploading them there. No information will be added just yet. Only the images I took and the artwork I created will be put up.
Once that is up, I will be taking the rest of the images I need and uploading them later this evening.
- It is now 12:57 PM. You'll notice it is 41 minute difference between now and my last update. It took 41 minutes to take pictures of only five toys (I had probably taken 15 shots altogether since a lot of the images I took had to be scrapped and retaken for clarity), upload them onto my computer, edit them, create a new page, and upload all of them onto this site,
It would have been less the time had Weebly not made one annoying change since the last time I had a picture day. Instead of automatically adjusting the image into a thumbnail image when I want to place text next to it, it no longer allows that. Whatever the size of the image was beforehand will no longer be adjusted and the text will be placed underneath. What an awful "update." One step forward, a million back with these companies. It never fails to astound me that a lot of these tech companies make unnecessary changes while disguising it as "updates." There's rarely a change that makes a difference.
Well, it's not a lost cause. Now I just have to manually adjust the images to thumbnail size in Photoshop. But take notice: 40 minutes to get five toys uploaded! I have quite a few more to take and while I am not 100% certain, but this is probably going to stretch into the next day. I hope to get all of my new toys pictures taken today, but uploading them all in a day will probably not happen and there is the chance that some photos needs to be retaken due to errors.
I guess we'll see. Anyways, off to take more pics. No more updates for a few hours. If you want to see what little I have of Generation VII, come and look!
- It is now 3:40 PM, and all images have been taken! Now I have to take a look at all of them and edit what I want to show here. There's still a few hours left of daylight (in reality, I live in PST and the time is 1:40 PM) so should any retakes need to be done, it can still get them done today.
- On a totally different note, both forms of Lycanroc are getting plushes!!! They will be getting a release date of January 26th! I leave the US on January 28th, so I won't be here to get them, but I will be buying them the instant they come on sale!
Now off to edit and upload photos!
- Another update for 4:01 PM. Lowering the image with a width of 250 works fine, but the quality differences compared to the images that were automatically adjusted by Weebly is noticeable. It's not bad, but there is a difference. I hate it when there is a lack of consistency and if that's going to be a thing from now on with them making me manually adjusting images, I might as well adjust all the images on this site manually for consistency's sake.
Now that I am thinking about it, that may not be a bad idea. I still need to add Japanese information to items that were imported, so I can get both done at the same time.
Okay, off to finish editing and uploading. The next update will be to let you know when I'm finished or if any images need to be retaken.
- Okay, it is now 6:43 PM and I am done with editing all of the images I want to post here. Unfortunately, ONE managed to come out blurry in every single shot I took of it and now the sun is going down. No more natural light so I'm going to attempt to retake it again tomorrow.
Also, another toy that I did take a picture of but decided against uploading was the TruForce X-Boost figure. The picture was just of the box because I didn't want to take the figure out of the package just yet. It's more a fear of not knowing where to display it afterwards than keeping it mint in package. I'd rather display it, of course. I just need to make a bit more room. Tomorrow I will be taking it out of the package and showing it the way it was meant to be shown off!
I'm going to take a break and after that, little by little, I'll be uploading all the images taken onto this site. No info will be added for a whole week after it is placed. Once the week is up, then I'll be adding titles and bits of info to each image. Like always. =)
Now I am done with all the updates for today! Come by often to see what I upload!
December 19, 2016
8:30 PM CST
- Good evening!
No new gets right now. I want to take this time to mention that, yes, picture day is still on for tomorrow. I have the camera ready, I have the backdrop ready... all I need is good lighting with clear skies and sunny weather and it'sa go from there!
I also have the artwork ready for the Sun and Moon (Generation VII) pages. I drew what I currently have toys of, but maybe their evos will get toys in the future? I hope so! I really want to collect and even draw Torracat and both Lycanroc forms!
- Website address update: I do not have to worry about paying for a Weebly starter account until January 1st. By then, I'll hopefully have the money to pay for a renewal of the account so there will not be any hassle in returning back to the old standard Weebly address. I did mention that funds are short but, fingers crossed, I can get this paid for the day the account expires.
8:30 PM CST
- Good evening!
No new gets right now. I want to take this time to mention that, yes, picture day is still on for tomorrow. I have the camera ready, I have the backdrop ready... all I need is good lighting with clear skies and sunny weather and it'sa go from there!
I also have the artwork ready for the Sun and Moon (Generation VII) pages. I drew what I currently have toys of, but maybe their evos will get toys in the future? I hope so! I really want to collect and even draw Torracat and both Lycanroc forms!
- Website address update: I do not have to worry about paying for a Weebly starter account until January 1st. By then, I'll hopefully have the money to pay for a renewal of the account so there will not be any hassle in returning back to the old standard Weebly address. I did mention that funds are short but, fingers crossed, I can get this paid for the day the account expires.
December 15, 2016
8:22 PM CST
- New updates! Got myself a Litten Tomy figure since my last update. It will be getting here after the announced picture day of the 20th, but that's okay. I will be taking any pictures of any toys I have left before I leave for an entire year on January 28th. That is the official day I am leaving. I already got the tickets and everything. I'll be missing the snow. I love the snow and cold. Now onto tropical weather, rainforests with rain on the forecast every single day, and switching to speaking Spanish as my primary language! Exciting times!
Also, I never mentioned this previously because I was so excited about Sun and Moon toys, but I did preorder and eventually paid for the Super Mega Man and Cut Man figures on the Sentinel website. Buying directly from the website proved to be a much cheaper option compared to what is sold on Big Bad Toy Store and eBay. The only reason it was as high as it was was because of the shipping, which only had EMS available. Oh well... I am beyond stoked for these figures and if I had to pay the EMS price to get them, I say they were well worth it. They'll probably not be here before the 20th, but again, I'll take pictures of these figures before I leave.
- Onto site updates. The bigcatcollections.com domain will not be redirecting to this site until around January 15th due to funds being short. I did have an emergency that required me to cancel a couple of preorders that were to come out this month, and I forgot both this site and the domain name were expiring around this time, too. I was only able to pay for the extention of the domain for another year but the Weebly site will no longer be under the starter pack at the beginning of January. What that means is that in order to access this site, it can only be accessed with the Weebly extention of bigcatcollections.weebly.com. It blows, but hey, emergencies happen when you least expect it. I got the domain name first because it is the easiest and cheapest at the moment.
Be sure to mark that down in your bookmarks temporarily. Any privileges I got with the starter plan will be gone during that time frame. Just be patient and things will be back to normal in no time. =)
- Another site update. I will be starting a Generation VII page with artwork of Litten and Rockruff! Should their evos get toys, they'll get artwork as well. For now, I'll be focusing my efforts on what I already have! Can't wait to show these guys off!
- The name Big Cat Collections will be turning 2 this year on picture day (December 20th), with the actual site having turned 3 on the designated day of May 25th (since I started this site on May of 2013 and don't remember the exact day). I can't believe it'll be turning 4 next year. I've been at this hobby for 6 years and still loving every moment of it! More to come folks! Even if I am not going to be here for the next year to update with picture updates, I will stay updated with new purchases and December 2017 will be a bonanza of new pictures to come!
8:22 PM CST
- New updates! Got myself a Litten Tomy figure since my last update. It will be getting here after the announced picture day of the 20th, but that's okay. I will be taking any pictures of any toys I have left before I leave for an entire year on January 28th. That is the official day I am leaving. I already got the tickets and everything. I'll be missing the snow. I love the snow and cold. Now onto tropical weather, rainforests with rain on the forecast every single day, and switching to speaking Spanish as my primary language! Exciting times!
Also, I never mentioned this previously because I was so excited about Sun and Moon toys, but I did preorder and eventually paid for the Super Mega Man and Cut Man figures on the Sentinel website. Buying directly from the website proved to be a much cheaper option compared to what is sold on Big Bad Toy Store and eBay. The only reason it was as high as it was was because of the shipping, which only had EMS available. Oh well... I am beyond stoked for these figures and if I had to pay the EMS price to get them, I say they were well worth it. They'll probably not be here before the 20th, but again, I'll take pictures of these figures before I leave.
- Onto site updates. The bigcatcollections.com domain will not be redirecting to this site until around January 15th due to funds being short. I did have an emergency that required me to cancel a couple of preorders that were to come out this month, and I forgot both this site and the domain name were expiring around this time, too. I was only able to pay for the extention of the domain for another year but the Weebly site will no longer be under the starter pack at the beginning of January. What that means is that in order to access this site, it can only be accessed with the Weebly extention of bigcatcollections.weebly.com. It blows, but hey, emergencies happen when you least expect it. I got the domain name first because it is the easiest and cheapest at the moment.
Be sure to mark that down in your bookmarks temporarily. Any privileges I got with the starter plan will be gone during that time frame. Just be patient and things will be back to normal in no time. =)
- Another site update. I will be starting a Generation VII page with artwork of Litten and Rockruff! Should their evos get toys, they'll get artwork as well. For now, I'll be focusing my efforts on what I already have! Can't wait to show these guys off!
- The name Big Cat Collections will be turning 2 this year on picture day (December 20th), with the actual site having turned 3 on the designated day of May 25th (since I started this site on May of 2013 and don't remember the exact day). I can't believe it'll be turning 4 next year. I've been at this hobby for 6 years and still loving every moment of it! More to come folks! Even if I am not going to be here for the next year to update with picture updates, I will stay updated with new purchases and December 2017 will be a bonanza of new pictures to come!
November 30, 2016
11:11 PM CST
- Hello folks! Tomorrow is officially the last month of 2016 and not a moment too soon. Normally when a year ends, it's kind of a bittersweet moment. A year comes to an end and you say goodbye to something that'll never come back but prepare for a new beginning.
2016 is not one of those years.
I cannot WAIT for 2016 to be over! This year was 2014 on steroids! I wanted it over back in August, now I just want it to end in sweet relief! I'm not joking, either. This year has been pretty evil in so many ways.
GAH! Well... onto why I updated. My goodies from Sunyshore arrived! My first Sun and Moon items to be part of my collection. I cannot wait to show off these beauties! Love my Littens and Rockruffs! <3
Just an update on new gets and me complaining of 2016. Is it 2017 yet? Heck, is it 2020 yet??
Toodles for now, folks!
11:11 PM CST
- Hello folks! Tomorrow is officially the last month of 2016 and not a moment too soon. Normally when a year ends, it's kind of a bittersweet moment. A year comes to an end and you say goodbye to something that'll never come back but prepare for a new beginning.
2016 is not one of those years.
I cannot WAIT for 2016 to be over! This year was 2014 on steroids! I wanted it over back in August, now I just want it to end in sweet relief! I'm not joking, either. This year has been pretty evil in so many ways.
GAH! Well... onto why I updated. My goodies from Sunyshore arrived! My first Sun and Moon items to be part of my collection. I cannot wait to show off these beauties! Love my Littens and Rockruffs! <3
Just an update on new gets and me complaining of 2016. Is it 2017 yet? Heck, is it 2020 yet??
Toodles for now, folks!
November 26, 2016
5:58 PM CST
- An update! I apologize for having to postpone picture day to December. I have too much to do from now til December 14th, along with getting ready to leave home for a full year. That's the unfortunate news. The good news is my Sun and Moon goodies will be arriving before the next picture date I have set (at December 20th). I'll be drawing up what I want to collect and making a new Gen VII page. Can't wait to start that!
- Speaking of Sun and Moon, I am enjoying the game a lot! I found Sun to be a lot more fun than X and Y and maybe even ORAS, as well. The games have a difficult curve that is just the right amount to make them fun yet challenging. I love it! I am not finished with the game yet since, hey, priorities. Still, I'm trucking through!
5:58 PM CST
- An update! I apologize for having to postpone picture day to December. I have too much to do from now til December 14th, along with getting ready to leave home for a full year. That's the unfortunate news. The good news is my Sun and Moon goodies will be arriving before the next picture date I have set (at December 20th). I'll be drawing up what I want to collect and making a new Gen VII page. Can't wait to start that!
- Speaking of Sun and Moon, I am enjoying the game a lot! I found Sun to be a lot more fun than X and Y and maybe even ORAS, as well. The games have a difficult curve that is just the right amount to make them fun yet challenging. I love it! I am not finished with the game yet since, hey, priorities. Still, I'm trucking through!
November 16, 2016
8:47 PM CST
- Hey all! Some collection news for today! Sun and Moon items are out and I went onto Sunyshore to buy what I can! Unfortunately, they will all be arriving after picture day which I have set for November 21st. The good news is, my year-long trip to Panama has been postponed for January. I'll set a picture day for those items alone in December and a lot more will accumulate during my trip. When I come back in December 2017, there's going to be A LOT to take pictures of! Cannot wait!
What did I buy? Rockruff and Litten items! For Rockruff, I got the Tomy figure, PC plush, and Tomy Plush. For Litten, I got the PC 1:1 plush and Tomy plush. I'll be purchasing the PC Litten plush and Tomy figures for another time. I really want my paws on those! I hope I am getting to them before January before I leave and can get pictures of all of these goodies! Gah! So much cool merch coming out.
Also, in the excitement, I forgot Sun and Moon are coming out this Friday! I'm getting my work done extra early so I don't have to worry about that and just play my games!
- I hope you are all well folks. I know this past week has been very stressful for a lot of people (it's been depressing for me). My hobby cheers me up. Also, donating to causes helps, too.
Please don't give up hope and again, know you are not alone. I love you all! <3
8:47 PM CST
- Hey all! Some collection news for today! Sun and Moon items are out and I went onto Sunyshore to buy what I can! Unfortunately, they will all be arriving after picture day which I have set for November 21st. The good news is, my year-long trip to Panama has been postponed for January. I'll set a picture day for those items alone in December and a lot more will accumulate during my trip. When I come back in December 2017, there's going to be A LOT to take pictures of! Cannot wait!
What did I buy? Rockruff and Litten items! For Rockruff, I got the Tomy figure, PC plush, and Tomy Plush. For Litten, I got the PC 1:1 plush and Tomy plush. I'll be purchasing the PC Litten plush and Tomy figures for another time. I really want my paws on those! I hope I am getting to them before January before I leave and can get pictures of all of these goodies! Gah! So much cool merch coming out.
Also, in the excitement, I forgot Sun and Moon are coming out this Friday! I'm getting my work done extra early so I don't have to worry about that and just play my games!
- I hope you are all well folks. I know this past week has been very stressful for a lot of people (it's been depressing for me). My hobby cheers me up. Also, donating to causes helps, too.
Please don't give up hope and again, know you are not alone. I love you all! <3
November 11, 2016
12:10 AM CST
- Time has changed again. Back to CST since this past Sunday! Hope you changed your clocks since then!
I had all my 'zard plushies shipped from SMJ and they'll be getting here sometime next week. Just in time for the next picture day! Can't wait!
- Off-topic time. Nothing to do with collecting and it's going to be political. I can understand if you do not want to tune in, so for now I am done with updates. See you next time!
For those who want to listen, the elections are finally over and who is going to be our next president is... pretty bad. I am not thrilled about the choice. As a matter of fact, I downright hate him and refuse to acknowledge him as my president. However, to those who are going to be directly affected by the new administration's policies, please do not give up hope. There are plenty of people out there who are, like me, with you and we are going to do everything we can to help out. Please donate to the ACLU, LGBTQ+ organizations, women's shelters, NAACP... pretty much any organization who will be fighting for the rights of others. If you are feeling like taking your own life and need someone to talk to, please call a hotline for help. Here are some numbers to help you out:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
The Trevor Project: 866.488.7386.
Know you are not alone. I hope my site helps in bringing joy. I will be using my artwork to make people happy and I hope to bring more positivity instead of sarcasm into my sentences in the future.
As a person of color myself, I will be making sure my fellow human beings are safe and that this man is nothing more than a one-term president who will be nothing more than a bad dream. I am not going to sugarcoat it. Damage will be done and is in the process of happening. He has four years to let that persist. However, let's not give up. Let's not let hate win.
12:10 AM CST
- Time has changed again. Back to CST since this past Sunday! Hope you changed your clocks since then!
I had all my 'zard plushies shipped from SMJ and they'll be getting here sometime next week. Just in time for the next picture day! Can't wait!
- Off-topic time. Nothing to do with collecting and it's going to be political. I can understand if you do not want to tune in, so for now I am done with updates. See you next time!
For those who want to listen, the elections are finally over and who is going to be our next president is... pretty bad. I am not thrilled about the choice. As a matter of fact, I downright hate him and refuse to acknowledge him as my president. However, to those who are going to be directly affected by the new administration's policies, please do not give up hope. There are plenty of people out there who are, like me, with you and we are going to do everything we can to help out. Please donate to the ACLU, LGBTQ+ organizations, women's shelters, NAACP... pretty much any organization who will be fighting for the rights of others. If you are feeling like taking your own life and need someone to talk to, please call a hotline for help. Here are some numbers to help you out:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
The Trevor Project: 866.488.7386.
Know you are not alone. I hope my site helps in bringing joy. I will be using my artwork to make people happy and I hope to bring more positivity instead of sarcasm into my sentences in the future.
As a person of color myself, I will be making sure my fellow human beings are safe and that this man is nothing more than a one-term president who will be nothing more than a bad dream. I am not going to sugarcoat it. Damage will be done and is in the process of happening. He has four years to let that persist. However, let's not give up. Let's not let hate win.
October 30, 2016
12:11 PM CDT
- Happy Halloween Eve! I won't be online much tomorrow due to Halloween shenanigans, but I'll wish you all a happy one today!
In today's update, the invoice for the large Banpresto Charizard plush came today! $36! I can live with that! Remember, I initally thought this thing was going to cost almost $200, so that's fantastic. I can't wait to get these beauties! I've been wanting them ever since I first saw them. =)
- In Sun and Moon news, the final evolutions of the starters were revealed recently and yes, the leaks were true. Littens final evo is going to be bipedal. I found it kind of a dick move that they had Torracat as a quadruped and then they turn around and give the final evo a bipedal form. It's like for the past two generations, the middle starter became bipedal and with this generation you'd think they would keep the whole line on four legs. Nope! Game Freak ends up doing this.
Well, it's all cosmetic and I'm still going with Litten. Incineroar will grow on me. I like him a lot, but not as much as his first two forms. I will be collecting the whole line. Can't wait to start! There's lots coming out to show for it!
That's all for now! Have a great Meowloween!
12:11 PM CDT
- Happy Halloween Eve! I won't be online much tomorrow due to Halloween shenanigans, but I'll wish you all a happy one today!
In today's update, the invoice for the large Banpresto Charizard plush came today! $36! I can live with that! Remember, I initally thought this thing was going to cost almost $200, so that's fantastic. I can't wait to get these beauties! I've been wanting them ever since I first saw them. =)
- In Sun and Moon news, the final evolutions of the starters were revealed recently and yes, the leaks were true. Littens final evo is going to be bipedal. I found it kind of a dick move that they had Torracat as a quadruped and then they turn around and give the final evo a bipedal form. It's like for the past two generations, the middle starter became bipedal and with this generation you'd think they would keep the whole line on four legs. Nope! Game Freak ends up doing this.
Well, it's all cosmetic and I'm still going with Litten. Incineroar will grow on me. I like him a lot, but not as much as his first two forms. I will be collecting the whole line. Can't wait to start! There's lots coming out to show for it!
That's all for now! Have a great Meowloween!
October 23, 2016
1:17 PM CDT
- The large-sized Banpresto Charizard plush was released a few days ago and thank God, it's not as expensive as I thought it was going to be! There was a preview image of it a while ago with very blurred font that I thought read 20,000 yen, which is around $200 when converted to USD. I thought it was going to be some lottery prize or very limited plush sold at various Japanese outlets, but no! It got one for myself at 1700 yen! The $200 price tag originally seen could have been to another item on the same magazine page that wasn't shown in the preview image. Can't say I'm not relieved. =D
I am not sure what the fees added will make the final price of this plush look like, but hey, it beats $200!
He'll be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- There is one thing that I have postponed that I would love to finish before I leave the country for a full year, and that's finishing the garage kits. I know I have been putting that aside for a long time already. I guess I am a little nervous on continuing. I mean, I know painting them will have to eventually get done, but I am nervous about using the airbrush I got. I am wondering if using a simple hobby paint brush would be good enough. I'd love to practice using the airbrush before I get to painting one-of-a-kind figures like what I have with it.
I still have to get the masking process done and I was able to get a new X-Acto knife for the job, so I am looking to getting that done soon enough.
1:17 PM CDT
- The large-sized Banpresto Charizard plush was released a few days ago and thank God, it's not as expensive as I thought it was going to be! There was a preview image of it a while ago with very blurred font that I thought read 20,000 yen, which is around $200 when converted to USD. I thought it was going to be some lottery prize or very limited plush sold at various Japanese outlets, but no! It got one for myself at 1700 yen! The $200 price tag originally seen could have been to another item on the same magazine page that wasn't shown in the preview image. Can't say I'm not relieved. =D
I am not sure what the fees added will make the final price of this plush look like, but hey, it beats $200!
He'll be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- There is one thing that I have postponed that I would love to finish before I leave the country for a full year, and that's finishing the garage kits. I know I have been putting that aside for a long time already. I guess I am a little nervous on continuing. I mean, I know painting them will have to eventually get done, but I am nervous about using the airbrush I got. I am wondering if using a simple hobby paint brush would be good enough. I'd love to practice using the airbrush before I get to painting one-of-a-kind figures like what I have with it.
I still have to get the masking process done and I was able to get a new X-Acto knife for the job, so I am looking to getting that done soon enough.
October 18, 2016
6:53 PM CDT
- Important news! Please read.
Instead of being out of the country for a month as originally stated, I will be away from December 2016 to December 2017. It is an opportunity for me to not only go to school abroad but to also work and beef up my résumé.
What does it mean for this site? The bad news is it means no picture updates the entire year. I will not have access to my brother's camera and none of my collection is going with me. As a matter of fact, whatever isn't in the display case will be put in storage to prevent dust collection.
The good news is I will be purchasing figures that I would love to own during that time frame. I will not be getting these packages in-person since the country I'll be in doesn't have a reliable mail system (and the private mail system is EXPENSIVE), but I do have someone to take care of any new gets I get! I will keep this site updated with news, but no picture updates will be done.
When I come back, I will be moving from my current location to a new state! Better job opportunities and times on the horizon!
- In the meantime, I am happy to announce that all my purchases have arrived! Everything from the Disney Store, the otter Funko mini fugure, and package from Syminka with a Funko figure of the Bullseye bull terrier of Target! Today was a great day!
Toodles for now!
6:53 PM CDT
- Important news! Please read.
Instead of being out of the country for a month as originally stated, I will be away from December 2016 to December 2017. It is an opportunity for me to not only go to school abroad but to also work and beef up my résumé.
What does it mean for this site? The bad news is it means no picture updates the entire year. I will not have access to my brother's camera and none of my collection is going with me. As a matter of fact, whatever isn't in the display case will be put in storage to prevent dust collection.
The good news is I will be purchasing figures that I would love to own during that time frame. I will not be getting these packages in-person since the country I'll be in doesn't have a reliable mail system (and the private mail system is EXPENSIVE), but I do have someone to take care of any new gets I get! I will keep this site updated with news, but no picture updates will be done.
When I come back, I will be moving from my current location to a new state! Better job opportunities and times on the horizon!
- In the meantime, I am happy to announce that all my purchases have arrived! Everything from the Disney Store, the otter Funko mini fugure, and package from Syminka with a Funko figure of the Bullseye bull terrier of Target! Today was a great day!
Toodles for now!
October 17, 2016
12:22 AM CDT
- More Lion Guard mini figures! I managed to get most of the figures I wanted and needed with the expections of Fighting Janja (the one I REALLY wanted) and Timon. I did get two figures of Dogo! I don't mind getting duplicates of him because he's such a cutie. =D Make a plush of him, Disney! I'd love that! Him and Reirei!
There was also this massive playset at Wally World that had nice figures of Kion and Janja on display, but it cost way more than what I was willing to pay for. At least at the moment. I don't care too much for playsets since they take up so much room and that's one thing I do not have too much of right now, but I don't know. It did look cool and maybe I'll go back and purchase it. Not a guarantee but I'm fickle. I may change my mind.
12:22 AM CDT
- More Lion Guard mini figures! I managed to get most of the figures I wanted and needed with the expections of Fighting Janja (the one I REALLY wanted) and Timon. I did get two figures of Dogo! I don't mind getting duplicates of him because he's such a cutie. =D Make a plush of him, Disney! I'd love that! Him and Reirei!
There was also this massive playset at Wally World that had nice figures of Kion and Janja on display, but it cost way more than what I was willing to pay for. At least at the moment. I don't care too much for playsets since they take up so much room and that's one thing I do not have too much of right now, but I don't know. It did look cool and maybe I'll go back and purchase it. Not a guarantee but I'm fickle. I may change my mind.
October 13, 2016
12:55 AM CDT
- Wow, where was my brain? The previous two days I had the year as 2013. Can't believe I didn't catch that til now... jeez.
Well, new purchase for Lioness's to-do list! I finally purchased the Finding Dory otter mini Funko figure! I'm guessing it was one of the rarer figures since it was more expensive compared to the other figures in the same set. I managed to find a decently priced figure to add to my otter collection!
12:55 AM CDT
- Wow, where was my brain? The previous two days I had the year as 2013. Can't believe I didn't catch that til now... jeez.
Well, new purchase for Lioness's to-do list! I finally purchased the Finding Dory otter mini Funko figure! I'm guessing it was one of the rarer figures since it was more expensive compared to the other figures in the same set. I managed to find a decently priced figure to add to my otter collection!
October 12, 2016
7:25 PM CDT
- Today I purchased quite a few of the new blind packed Lion Guard mini figures. Not a bad haul. I did get doubles and doubles of two characters I really didn't care to get (Bunga and Ono). I did manage to get the roaring Kion figure, the hyrax, Reirei, Thurston, and copper Fuli. Really would have loved to get my hands on Dogo and battle Janja! I'll be going back for more figures. The blind packs are actually cheaper than what's on eBay and I wouldn't mind getting the rest of what I need that way.
Happy to have what I have! All are going to be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- It is now 9:19 PM and I am happy to say that I won the last 'zard plush needed: the Mega Charizard Y plush! Last plushie to get is the large size plush being released later this month! Can't wait!
7:25 PM CDT
- Today I purchased quite a few of the new blind packed Lion Guard mini figures. Not a bad haul. I did get doubles and doubles of two characters I really didn't care to get (Bunga and Ono). I did manage to get the roaring Kion figure, the hyrax, Reirei, Thurston, and copper Fuli. Really would have loved to get my hands on Dogo and battle Janja! I'll be going back for more figures. The blind packs are actually cheaper than what's on eBay and I wouldn't mind getting the rest of what I need that way.
Happy to have what I have! All are going to be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- It is now 9:19 PM and I am happy to say that I won the last 'zard plush needed: the Mega Charizard Y plush! Last plushie to get is the large size plush being released later this month! Can't wait!
October 11, 2016
2:13 PM CDT
- The lot with the Mega Charizard X and Y plushes were lost, but that's not too concerning. Again, they're pretty common. Now I'm bidding on two plushes separately that were less than the original price of the previous auction I lost. I won the X plush! Now to get the Y plush. We'll find out soon enough.
- One item I pre-ordered and was looking most forward to got bumped from a November release December. That's pretty disappointing, but gotta be patient. I just hope it's not going to be that kind of situation where they bump the release date three months after its initial release date. Just gotta prepare for that happening.
2:13 PM CDT
- The lot with the Mega Charizard X and Y plushes were lost, but that's not too concerning. Again, they're pretty common. Now I'm bidding on two plushes separately that were less than the original price of the previous auction I lost. I won the X plush! Now to get the Y plush. We'll find out soon enough.
- One item I pre-ordered and was looking most forward to got bumped from a November release December. That's pretty disappointing, but gotta be patient. I just hope it's not going to be that kind of situation where they bump the release date three months after its initial release date. Just gotta prepare for that happening.
October 9, 2016
6:20 PM CDT
- New gets!
Lots of Disney Store items coming soon! Coming soon are two different Stitch and Si & Am ornaments from the Sketchbook series, a Disney's Babies Stitch with blanket plush, a beanie Sven plush, and interactive Finding Dory otter plushes! All except the Babies plush were at a discount so I had to take advantage of the offer. Can't wait to get these goodies! They'll be arriving soon!
Next on the list- those adorable Charizard plushes I've been dying for them to release! I managed to win the regular Charizard plushes (and they're the two I am most excited for), but I am still in the middle of an auction for X and Y. Hopefully I win those soon. I'm not too worried if I lose them since they're pretty common right now. Doesn't mean I want to lose since I want them already!
The large Charizard plush will be released on the 18th. I expect him to run at a fairly steep price but my wallet is ready. What has been purchased will be placed in Lioness's to-do list!
- Picture day will probably be set around the week of Thanksgiving. School eats up the most of my time but I should be free around that time. How does November 21st sound? December is pushing it a little too far and I won't even be in the country at that time so we'll make it before that. It's not set in stone but that's the date I'm pushing for. It could be sooner or a bit later.
6:20 PM CDT
- New gets!
Lots of Disney Store items coming soon! Coming soon are two different Stitch and Si & Am ornaments from the Sketchbook series, a Disney's Babies Stitch with blanket plush, a beanie Sven plush, and interactive Finding Dory otter plushes! All except the Babies plush were at a discount so I had to take advantage of the offer. Can't wait to get these goodies! They'll be arriving soon!
Next on the list- those adorable Charizard plushes I've been dying for them to release! I managed to win the regular Charizard plushes (and they're the two I am most excited for), but I am still in the middle of an auction for X and Y. Hopefully I win those soon. I'm not too worried if I lose them since they're pretty common right now. Doesn't mean I want to lose since I want them already!
The large Charizard plush will be released on the 18th. I expect him to run at a fairly steep price but my wallet is ready. What has been purchased will be placed in Lioness's to-do list!
- Picture day will probably be set around the week of Thanksgiving. School eats up the most of my time but I should be free around that time. How does November 21st sound? December is pushing it a little too far and I won't even be in the country at that time so we'll make it before that. It's not set in stone but that's the date I'm pushing for. It could be sooner or a bit later.
October 4, 2016
6:51 PM CDT
- The middle-stage starters for Sun and Moon were revealed today. I adore Torracat! Looks like Pignite is going to be my second favorite middle-stage starter thanks to this kitty. Very tiger-like and I like the fact that it is quadrupedal! Really hoping the final form is a quadrupedal tiger! Of course, if the supposed leaked final forms are the real things, I guess I'm okay with that. I mean, it's a feline and I see myself collecting it either way. Popplio's second form... er, I'm not too keen on it. I liked the cartoonishness of the little seal and to see it become more elegant-looking and less animal-like is really not my thing. I'd like to collect Popplio but I don't see myself starting with it.
So, Litten and Torracat are Pokémon I want to collect for sure. Can't wait to see the final form! Also looking forward to the Rockruff plushies! I'm still not sold on Solgaleo. I'm really not too into collecting legendaries but at the same time, it would be a great 'mon to start a legendary collection off of.
We'll see.
6:51 PM CDT
- The middle-stage starters for Sun and Moon were revealed today. I adore Torracat! Looks like Pignite is going to be my second favorite middle-stage starter thanks to this kitty. Very tiger-like and I like the fact that it is quadrupedal! Really hoping the final form is a quadrupedal tiger! Of course, if the supposed leaked final forms are the real things, I guess I'm okay with that. I mean, it's a feline and I see myself collecting it either way. Popplio's second form... er, I'm not too keen on it. I liked the cartoonishness of the little seal and to see it become more elegant-looking and less animal-like is really not my thing. I'd like to collect Popplio but I don't see myself starting with it.
So, Litten and Torracat are Pokémon I want to collect for sure. Can't wait to see the final form! Also looking forward to the Rockruff plushies! I'm still not sold on Solgaleo. I'm really not too into collecting legendaries but at the same time, it would be a great 'mon to start a legendary collection off of.
We'll see.
September 27, 2016
11:30 PM CDT
- 17 days since my last update. Must be setting a record here. School has been eating up a lot of my time. Well, I'm here to change that!
I received my packages from SMJ with the postcard and the Charizard Kororin plush. I can confirm now it is the large sized plush I received! I'll be getting the smaller variant in the future. The 2010 PC new year postcard I was most excited to get! I have been wanting this for years and I finally have it in my house! The search for it is officially over and I can now move on to greener pastures in search of other items in the top of my list.
- I will be leaving the country in December to visit family in Central America! It'll be my first time out of the US and I am looking forward to it. I have to be careful with my finances as I would love to have money with me for this trip. The next items I will be purchasing will be limited to pre-orders and whatever I have commissioned. Also, adorable Charizard plushes coming out in October!
This is going to be a slow few months in regards to updates. I think I'll have a picture day to offset the slowness. Maybe sometime in November? Depends if my workload will die down around that time.
Well, that's all I have for now. Toodles, folks!
11:30 PM CDT
- 17 days since my last update. Must be setting a record here. School has been eating up a lot of my time. Well, I'm here to change that!
I received my packages from SMJ with the postcard and the Charizard Kororin plush. I can confirm now it is the large sized plush I received! I'll be getting the smaller variant in the future. The 2010 PC new year postcard I was most excited to get! I have been wanting this for years and I finally have it in my house! The search for it is officially over and I can now move on to greener pastures in search of other items in the top of my list.
- I will be leaving the country in December to visit family in Central America! It'll be my first time out of the US and I am looking forward to it. I have to be careful with my finances as I would love to have money with me for this trip. The next items I will be purchasing will be limited to pre-orders and whatever I have commissioned. Also, adorable Charizard plushes coming out in October!
This is going to be a slow few months in regards to updates. I think I'll have a picture day to offset the slowness. Maybe sometime in November? Depends if my workload will die down around that time.
Well, that's all I have for now. Toodles, folks!
September 10, 2016
4:03 PM CDT
- The Sentinel Mega Man figure(s) have been shipped, and since I requested express shipping, I should be getting them sometime on Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait! Still don't know if I'll be selling the extra right away. I would like to wait a bit for the value to go up. A win/win for me if that happens. =D
Also, TruForce has sent the announcement that they are going to be shipping the X-Boost figure throughout the month of September. I hope to get it sooner than later! Can't wait!
4:03 PM CDT
- The Sentinel Mega Man figure(s) have been shipped, and since I requested express shipping, I should be getting them sometime on Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait! Still don't know if I'll be selling the extra right away. I would like to wait a bit for the value to go up. A win/win for me if that happens. =D
Also, TruForce has sent the announcement that they are going to be shipping the X-Boost figure throughout the month of September. I hope to get it sooner than later! Can't wait!
September 4, 2016
10:11 PM CDT
- A new get! This one... oh my gosh! I have been searching for 10 years and it has come to this glorious moment that my search is now over!
What is it? It's the 2009/2010 PC New Year postcard featuring the Electabuzz-line and Raikou! I have the envelopes with the same design thanks to my wonderful fox friend, syminka! However, I was never able to get the actual postcard, and after all this time, I never thought I would see it again. This thing was released in 2009 and I didn't know of its existence until October of 2010, way after the fact that they were no longer being sold at Pokémon Centers anymore! I think I may have seen it come up for sale two times (one in a sales post and the other in an auction) and both times I remember either missing out due to someone snatching it first or the price was jacked up to a point where I couldn't go on.
Fast forward to September 2016... almost 6 years! 7 if you include the date it actually was released. Oh, I forgot to mention, it's also mint in package! Ahh! You have no idea how excited I was to purchase this baby! Now, the search for this postcard won't be officially over until I get it in my house. I just want to pay for it and have it shipped over! I can't wait!
Sorry for all the exclamation points but I'm just on cloud nine here! Other than this fortunate find, there isn't much else to report. I did get my package from pokemoncenter.com. Yay for that, too!
More updates soon! Toodles!
10:11 PM CDT
- A new get! This one... oh my gosh! I have been searching for 10 years and it has come to this glorious moment that my search is now over!
What is it? It's the 2009/2010 PC New Year postcard featuring the Electabuzz-line and Raikou! I have the envelopes with the same design thanks to my wonderful fox friend, syminka! However, I was never able to get the actual postcard, and after all this time, I never thought I would see it again. This thing was released in 2009 and I didn't know of its existence until October of 2010, way after the fact that they were no longer being sold at Pokémon Centers anymore! I think I may have seen it come up for sale two times (one in a sales post and the other in an auction) and both times I remember either missing out due to someone snatching it first or the price was jacked up to a point where I couldn't go on.
Fast forward to September 2016... almost 6 years! 7 if you include the date it actually was released. Oh, I forgot to mention, it's also mint in package! Ahh! You have no idea how excited I was to purchase this baby! Now, the search for this postcard won't be officially over until I get it in my house. I just want to pay for it and have it shipped over! I can't wait!
Sorry for all the exclamation points but I'm just on cloud nine here! Other than this fortunate find, there isn't much else to report. I did get my package from pokemoncenter.com. Yay for that, too!
More updates soon! Toodles!
August 31, 2016
4:03 AM CDT
- Dammit! I pre-ordered the Mega Man Sentinel figure on Hobby Link Japan for a better deal than what was offered on Big Bad Toy Store. Payment was asked for today, and to my shock, I come to find out that I accidentally ordered two figures! These aren't cheap figures, may I add. At four inches, I paid what amounts to $37 each! No, I am selling the extra figure on eBay. I cannot afford to keep it. I'll sell it for the same price I bought it for. Or should I keep it and wait for the value to go up? We'll see what happens. For sure I'm not keeping it.
Well, that's something for Lioness's to-do list. It's a gorgeous figure and I cannot wait to get my paws on it!
- On an off-topic note, I just want to mention that I cannot stand months that have 31 days! I don't know why. I guess it's because I just want the month to end. August wasn't a bad month but it did wear out its welcome. I guess it's the heat.
4:03 AM CDT
- Dammit! I pre-ordered the Mega Man Sentinel figure on Hobby Link Japan for a better deal than what was offered on Big Bad Toy Store. Payment was asked for today, and to my shock, I come to find out that I accidentally ordered two figures! These aren't cheap figures, may I add. At four inches, I paid what amounts to $37 each! No, I am selling the extra figure on eBay. I cannot afford to keep it. I'll sell it for the same price I bought it for. Or should I keep it and wait for the value to go up? We'll see what happens. For sure I'm not keeping it.
Well, that's something for Lioness's to-do list. It's a gorgeous figure and I cannot wait to get my paws on it!
- On an off-topic note, I just want to mention that I cannot stand months that have 31 days! I don't know why. I guess it's because I just want the month to end. August wasn't a bad month but it did wear out its welcome. I guess it's the heat.
August 30, 2016
1:18 AM CDT
- Gets post update! Today I managed to find all four Mega Man Funko figures locally! Not all at once, of course. I found three at a Gamestop and the last at a Toys R Us. Still, that's something! I would have hated to purchase these figures online.
But that's not all! I also found the Mega Man X and Zero Tamashii Buddies figures while on my search!
Yesterday was a great day! I was going to update yesterday but I got a bit side-tracked. I couldn't sleep, so now's a good a time to bring this news forth!
There are still the color-variant Funko figures that were online exclusives that I would love to get my paws on, but I'll leave those for another day.
More for Lioness's to-do list!
1:18 AM CDT
- Gets post update! Today I managed to find all four Mega Man Funko figures locally! Not all at once, of course. I found three at a Gamestop and the last at a Toys R Us. Still, that's something! I would have hated to purchase these figures online.
But that's not all! I also found the Mega Man X and Zero Tamashii Buddies figures while on my search!
Yesterday was a great day! I was going to update yesterday but I got a bit side-tracked. I couldn't sleep, so now's a good a time to bring this news forth!
There are still the color-variant Funko figures that were online exclusives that I would love to get my paws on, but I'll leave those for another day.
More for Lioness's to-do list!
August 28, 2016
1:51 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so I decided to browse around for the Lapras PC plush. There isn't a single plush for sale on Yahoo! Japan or Pokevault so I decided to look in eBay. It has bounced up to over $200!! What the hell...? It went from $32 to $200 in that time period! Why, oh, WHY did that person have to flake out at sending me this plush at retail price???
Screw that noise. I bought the American version instead on pokemoncenter.com. While I prefer the Japanese version for the tags and the better quality, I'm not THAT desperate. Should they decide to rerelease it, sure, I'll buy it. For now, this'll do. =) As long as I have the plush itself, I am in no hurry to buy the Japanese plush. $200 is not worth it and I'm not going to pay for the "cheapest" available (at $70-$80).
Also, to get free shipping, I thought I would take advantage of buying more for my buck. I also purchased the Charizard-Ex Red and Blue Collection pack- figure and all. I will be taking the figure out of the box and opening up the packs on this one. The figure looks so cool and I want to display it.
Another item purchased was the Mega Charizard X and Y TCG deck box they had on sale. Might as well get these as I planned on purchasing them one day. I am happy and can't wait to get them!
All items will be added to Lioness's to-do list. That's all for the updates for now. I'll probably be back later today. For now, I'm going to bed. Toodles.
1:51 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so I decided to browse around for the Lapras PC plush. There isn't a single plush for sale on Yahoo! Japan or Pokevault so I decided to look in eBay. It has bounced up to over $200!! What the hell...? It went from $32 to $200 in that time period! Why, oh, WHY did that person have to flake out at sending me this plush at retail price???
Screw that noise. I bought the American version instead on pokemoncenter.com. While I prefer the Japanese version for the tags and the better quality, I'm not THAT desperate. Should they decide to rerelease it, sure, I'll buy it. For now, this'll do. =) As long as I have the plush itself, I am in no hurry to buy the Japanese plush. $200 is not worth it and I'm not going to pay for the "cheapest" available (at $70-$80).
Also, to get free shipping, I thought I would take advantage of buying more for my buck. I also purchased the Charizard-Ex Red and Blue Collection pack- figure and all. I will be taking the figure out of the box and opening up the packs on this one. The figure looks so cool and I want to display it.
Another item purchased was the Mega Charizard X and Y TCG deck box they had on sale. Might as well get these as I planned on purchasing them one day. I am happy and can't wait to get them!
All items will be added to Lioness's to-do list. That's all for the updates for now. I'll probably be back later today. For now, I'm going to bed. Toodles.
August 27, 2016
11:13 PM CDT
- Collection update! I bought four items off of Sunyshore today. It would have been five but, I kid you not, one of the items sold out in the days leading up me actually being able to buy these items. As much as I hate that, there's always eBay or Yahoo! Japan.
The items obtained: a Pokémon With You Charizard charm, three sets of Pokémon Center document cases (Charizard, Lapras, and Snorlax), and the Kuttari Growlithe plushes (both awake and asleep). I was going to order the Lapras PC plush but that one sold out. Funny, when I could finally buy it, it sells out. Figures. Well, guess I'll have to keep looking for that plush.
These will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
11:13 PM CDT
- Collection update! I bought four items off of Sunyshore today. It would have been five but, I kid you not, one of the items sold out in the days leading up me actually being able to buy these items. As much as I hate that, there's always eBay or Yahoo! Japan.
The items obtained: a Pokémon With You Charizard charm, three sets of Pokémon Center document cases (Charizard, Lapras, and Snorlax), and the Kuttari Growlithe plushes (both awake and asleep). I was going to order the Lapras PC plush but that one sold out. Funny, when I could finally buy it, it sells out. Figures. Well, guess I'll have to keep looking for that plush.
These will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
August 26, 2016
12:28 AM CDT
- New item get: the Kororin Friends Charizard plush! I am not sure if it is the large plush or the regular-sized plush, but I managed to get my paws on one of them! I am 85% sure it is the large-size plush since the seller compared the size to a water bottle and mentioned it was 30 cm, which is around a foot long. I'd have to get my hands on it to know the difference.
Anyways, new item get! Toodles for now!
12:28 AM CDT
- New item get: the Kororin Friends Charizard plush! I am not sure if it is the large plush or the regular-sized plush, but I managed to get my paws on one of them! I am 85% sure it is the large-size plush since the seller compared the size to a water bottle and mentioned it was 30 cm, which is around a foot long. I'd have to get my hands on it to know the difference.
Anyways, new item get! Toodles for now!
August 25, 2016
5:23 PM CDT
- Collection update! TruForce Collectibles have another great figure out for sale: the X-Boost X figure! A discount from $500 down to $90 is something that, of freaking course, I'm going to be taking advantage of.
While I was a backer and able to take advantage of this offer, it is a little lame the way TruForce keeps offering these deals only to backers who backed the original Kickstarter in early 2015. I'd be upset too to see these great figures offered at a massive discount and anyone who would want them couldn't take advantage of that. By the way, don't bother giving the discount code to those who didn't back the original Kickstarter. It will not go through if your email is not already in their list of backers from 2015. I tried using a different email address and it wouldn't allow it. Yeah, I tried.
Well, for those of you who couldn't get it, try to keep an eye for this figure on eBay. Maybe you'll find someone who is selling it at discount price. Doesn't hurt to check.
5:23 PM CDT
- Collection update! TruForce Collectibles have another great figure out for sale: the X-Boost X figure! A discount from $500 down to $90 is something that, of freaking course, I'm going to be taking advantage of.
While I was a backer and able to take advantage of this offer, it is a little lame the way TruForce keeps offering these deals only to backers who backed the original Kickstarter in early 2015. I'd be upset too to see these great figures offered at a massive discount and anyone who would want them couldn't take advantage of that. By the way, don't bother giving the discount code to those who didn't back the original Kickstarter. It will not go through if your email is not already in their list of backers from 2015. I tried using a different email address and it wouldn't allow it. Yeah, I tried.
Well, for those of you who couldn't get it, try to keep an eye for this figure on eBay. Maybe you'll find someone who is selling it at discount price. Doesn't hurt to check.
August 22, 2016
11:28 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates. More like an "art" update.
I hate eating my own words, but... I decided to enable my FurAffinity page. I'm not going to waste money making a portfolio site and, well, after the scare I had almost busting this site to create a subdomain, I figured, "hey, it's a free site. Why bother going somewhere else."
At the same time, I'm going to try not to obsess over it. I'll post when I wanna post and I shouldn't feel like I have to burn myself out just to entertain the 50 people I have watching me. It should be fun, not a drag.
Anyways, my account is back and I'll post stuff when I feel like it. One of these days I'll give advertising a go to see what I can draw in. I'd love to take commissions one of these days. At only 50 watchers, I doubt I'll get too much business with what I have alone, but it is something I would like to try out. Doesn't seem like it would hurt. =)
That's all I wanted to mention for now. Expect collection updates in the coming days!
11:28 PM CDT
- No site or collection updates. More like an "art" update.
I hate eating my own words, but... I decided to enable my FurAffinity page. I'm not going to waste money making a portfolio site and, well, after the scare I had almost busting this site to create a subdomain, I figured, "hey, it's a free site. Why bother going somewhere else."
At the same time, I'm going to try not to obsess over it. I'll post when I wanna post and I shouldn't feel like I have to burn myself out just to entertain the 50 people I have watching me. It should be fun, not a drag.
Anyways, my account is back and I'll post stuff when I feel like it. One of these days I'll give advertising a go to see what I can draw in. I'd love to take commissions one of these days. At only 50 watchers, I doubt I'll get too much business with what I have alone, but it is something I would like to try out. Doesn't seem like it would hurt. =)
That's all I wanted to mention for now. Expect collection updates in the coming days!
August 19, 2016
6:42 PM CDT
- I purchased a Growlithe Pokémon Center plush on PKMNcollectors! I've been dying for this plush and since the last seller wasn't able to come through in shipping me this beautiful plush, I have to say second times the charm! Just gotta keep my fingers crossed and hope USPS doesn't mess this one up.
Lioness's to-do list has been updated with this plush and the previous figures that needed to be added!
- In case you haven't noticed it yet, the dollar to yen rate has, once again, reached equal lows. It's not as bad as 2011 levels, but it's not good. Not good for us collectors who want to buy toys for cheap. The reason for this? I'm perfectly aware of the reason, which is why I am not going to talk about it. Unlike the last set of lows, this one is entirely political and the events are still ongoing. Not my place to point fingers.
Anyways, while it blows, it's just something to know and be prepared for. There are quite a few items I want from Japan in the coming months and I can only hope I can get these items for a good price. If not, well, guess we'll just have to wait for a stronger dollar or a weaker yen. It's just the nature of an increasingly unpredictable world.
Toodles.
6:42 PM CDT
- I purchased a Growlithe Pokémon Center plush on PKMNcollectors! I've been dying for this plush and since the last seller wasn't able to come through in shipping me this beautiful plush, I have to say second times the charm! Just gotta keep my fingers crossed and hope USPS doesn't mess this one up.
Lioness's to-do list has been updated with this plush and the previous figures that needed to be added!
- In case you haven't noticed it yet, the dollar to yen rate has, once again, reached equal lows. It's not as bad as 2011 levels, but it's not good. Not good for us collectors who want to buy toys for cheap. The reason for this? I'm perfectly aware of the reason, which is why I am not going to talk about it. Unlike the last set of lows, this one is entirely political and the events are still ongoing. Not my place to point fingers.
Anyways, while it blows, it's just something to know and be prepared for. There are quite a few items I want from Japan in the coming months and I can only hope I can get these items for a good price. If not, well, guess we'll just have to wait for a stronger dollar or a weaker yen. It's just the nature of an increasingly unpredictable world.
Toodles.
August 15, 2016
5:38 AM CDT
- 12 days since my last update. I'm sorry folks. It's been a busy 2 weeks.
Okay, okay. Some updates! The items I purchased on the 3rd, they have arrived! I have yet to add them to Lioness's to-do list, but that'll be happening later today.
- On the subject of adding items to my wants list, I found this excellent site called Pokeshopper.com. It's a website dedicated to nothing but Pokémon merchandise and does a great job keeping up with big-time items expected to come out later in the year. Look what they had to show off! The Charizard items I am really anticipating!
5:38 AM CDT
- 12 days since my last update. I'm sorry folks. It's been a busy 2 weeks.
Okay, okay. Some updates! The items I purchased on the 3rd, they have arrived! I have yet to add them to Lioness's to-do list, but that'll be happening later today.
- On the subject of adding items to my wants list, I found this excellent site called Pokeshopper.com. It's a website dedicated to nothing but Pokémon merchandise and does a great job keeping up with big-time items expected to come out later in the year. Look what they had to show off! The Charizard items I am really anticipating!
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These were the plush I mentioned in a previous update but couldn't find any images of. They are going to be released sometime in October, which gives me plenty of time to save up for these beauties! Can't wait! The 24 cm plush is going to be pricey from what I saw in a bad quality image. I'm taking what I saw with a grain of salt and expecting it to run at around $200. Again, the quality was bad so I may have mistook the price, but better safe than sorry. I want these!
Thanks to Pokéshopper, I'll be adding a few upcoming merch to my wants list. I know it's in need of a big update and I'll be getting to that later this week.
For now, toodles!
Thanks to Pokéshopper, I'll be adding a few upcoming merch to my wants list. I know it's in need of a big update and I'll be getting to that later this week.
For now, toodles!
August 3, 2016
10:40 PM CDT
- It is now August and I am no longer in buying hiatus!
New items to come! First one the list are items purchased on Pkmncollectors. Let's see, there are two Electabuzz mini model figures, both green but one being a solid figure and the other clear! Also, I purchased some Buizel and Floatzel Kid figures! One is of Buizel crossing his arms, another on his belly, and a regular Floatzel figure! Can't wait to get these beauties!
10:40 PM CDT
- It is now August and I am no longer in buying hiatus!
New items to come! First one the list are items purchased on Pkmncollectors. Let's see, there are two Electabuzz mini model figures, both green but one being a solid figure and the other clear! Also, I purchased some Buizel and Floatzel Kid figures! One is of Buizel crossing his arms, another on his belly, and a regular Floatzel figure! Can't wait to get these beauties!
July 27, 2016
11:40 AM CDT
- Dammit! Today is the 27th! I thought it was the 28th. I want July to be over already! To add more to that crappiness, there are 31 days in this month, so it will not be over until next Monday.
Well, good for the kiddies who are on summer break.
Some collection updates! I went onto Big Bad Toy Store (why do I always accidentally write "Story" at the end of Toy? The movie?) and looked at some of the products they had for pre-order. Mostly thanks to Protodude's Corner, he showed what was going on in the Mega Man department.
Lots of goodies to be released at the end of the year and more! I ordered the sliding Mega Man Figuarts Zero figure and both classic Sentinel figures available. Not the .EXE figure as I was never a fan of that part of the franchise.
Oh, they have the 25th anniversary statues for sale again along with a red recolor that was sold at SDCC. I won't be getting either. They also have a few X goodies that I would love to get, such as the TruForce figure and Tamashii Buddies, but nope! Gotta wait until August for that one! I'm not going to break my rule on buying items without extra funds until August! I stand by that. Both items obtained during the summer months were grabbed with extra funds I earned through commissions, so those don't count.
There's more to come in the later months, so stay tuned!
11:40 AM CDT
- Dammit! Today is the 27th! I thought it was the 28th. I want July to be over already! To add more to that crappiness, there are 31 days in this month, so it will not be over until next Monday.
Well, good for the kiddies who are on summer break.
Some collection updates! I went onto Big Bad Toy Store (why do I always accidentally write "Story" at the end of Toy? The movie?) and looked at some of the products they had for pre-order. Mostly thanks to Protodude's Corner, he showed what was going on in the Mega Man department.
Lots of goodies to be released at the end of the year and more! I ordered the sliding Mega Man Figuarts Zero figure and both classic Sentinel figures available. Not the .EXE figure as I was never a fan of that part of the franchise.
Oh, they have the 25th anniversary statues for sale again along with a red recolor that was sold at SDCC. I won't be getting either. They also have a few X goodies that I would love to get, such as the TruForce figure and Tamashii Buddies, but nope! Gotta wait until August for that one! I'm not going to break my rule on buying items without extra funds until August! I stand by that. Both items obtained during the summer months were grabbed with extra funds I earned through commissions, so those don't count.
There's more to come in the later months, so stay tuned!
July 25, 2016
5:14 PM CDT
- No site updates, and while I am going to go off-topic here, it does pertain to Big Cat Collections in a way.
For those of you who have followed me on FurAffinity, thank you. I appreciate all the kind words. However, as of today, I have disabled the page. I caught myself obsessing over the site lately and I told myself, no matter what, I will not obsess over that damn site. Today I did. I hate obsessing over sites and things that I cannot change. If I caught myself dwelling on it ONCE, I will be getting rid of it. FurAffinity doesn't offer the option to delete a username, so I did the next best thing- disabling the page.
Believe me, the obsession is NOT worth it. I am not making anything out of posting there and I REFUSE to advertise.
Why did I post there in the first place? To create an online space for my artwork. However, I hate that you cannot disable favorites, comments, and other unnecessary things in regards to posting. Well, I don't mind comments, but people rarely left them. I would much prefer those over favorites. Also, since it had the unlimited space to where you can post your work, I thought it was better than other image hosting sites where you have to pay to get unlimited posting. Turns out it wasn't and to be honest, the whole thing made me feel self-conscious. Submitting art in the same place where super-talented artists posted felt more like a contest than anything. I sort of felt that having a ton of watchers and commenters meant my own art was good enough. That is NOT okay. That defeats the purpose on me posting my art there and no, I will not be having that. If I am not having fun posting there and feel inadequate compared to other artists, that is not acceptable!
The next best thing is to make an online portfolio showcasing my work without having to worry if my art measures up to that same person who posts on the same site with a billion more watchers and commenters. Wix was recommened to me by my friends at school but, meh, I gave it a try and I don't care for it. It has too much to offer and it's a bit confusing to navigate through.
My third option is to have a subdomain to Big Cat Collections. This site is already paid for and, hey, why pay for more domains when I can just expand on this one?
Don't worry, BCC will still be a collection site, first and foremost. The only thing is I'll be using the subdomain to showcase my art. I'm in the process of doing more research on how to go about it but I am excited to get started!
- Okay, it is now 9:06 PM, and you know what? Nevermind what I said about the the third option regarding the subdomain. I almost mucked up my this site messing with the subdomain and domain features so, yeah, forget it. I put way too much work in this site to screw with the mechanics so no subdomain for this site.
I'll probably be making a portfolio with Weebly on a site independent from this one. Who knows? I've got a lot of work to do before September and this will be keeping me busy.
As for this site, it'll forever be a collection site through and through. I know that's all what people care about when visiting this site and I agree! It's just... I wanted to save money on a new domain, you know?
Oh well. Expect lots of gets to come in this August!
5:14 PM CDT
- No site updates, and while I am going to go off-topic here, it does pertain to Big Cat Collections in a way.
For those of you who have followed me on FurAffinity, thank you. I appreciate all the kind words. However, as of today, I have disabled the page. I caught myself obsessing over the site lately and I told myself, no matter what, I will not obsess over that damn site. Today I did. I hate obsessing over sites and things that I cannot change. If I caught myself dwelling on it ONCE, I will be getting rid of it. FurAffinity doesn't offer the option to delete a username, so I did the next best thing- disabling the page.
Believe me, the obsession is NOT worth it. I am not making anything out of posting there and I REFUSE to advertise.
Why did I post there in the first place? To create an online space for my artwork. However, I hate that you cannot disable favorites, comments, and other unnecessary things in regards to posting. Well, I don't mind comments, but people rarely left them. I would much prefer those over favorites. Also, since it had the unlimited space to where you can post your work, I thought it was better than other image hosting sites where you have to pay to get unlimited posting. Turns out it wasn't and to be honest, the whole thing made me feel self-conscious. Submitting art in the same place where super-talented artists posted felt more like a contest than anything. I sort of felt that having a ton of watchers and commenters meant my own art was good enough. That is NOT okay. That defeats the purpose on me posting my art there and no, I will not be having that. If I am not having fun posting there and feel inadequate compared to other artists, that is not acceptable!
The next best thing is to make an online portfolio showcasing my work without having to worry if my art measures up to that same person who posts on the same site with a billion more watchers and commenters. Wix was recommened to me by my friends at school but, meh, I gave it a try and I don't care for it. It has too much to offer and it's a bit confusing to navigate through.
My third option is to have a subdomain to Big Cat Collections. This site is already paid for and, hey, why pay for more domains when I can just expand on this one?
Don't worry, BCC will still be a collection site, first and foremost. The only thing is I'll be using the subdomain to showcase my art. I'm in the process of doing more research on how to go about it but I am excited to get started!
- Okay, it is now 9:06 PM, and you know what? Nevermind what I said about the the third option regarding the subdomain. I almost mucked up my this site messing with the subdomain and domain features so, yeah, forget it. I put way too much work in this site to screw with the mechanics so no subdomain for this site.
I'll probably be making a portfolio with Weebly on a site independent from this one. Who knows? I've got a lot of work to do before September and this will be keeping me busy.
As for this site, it'll forever be a collection site through and through. I know that's all what people care about when visiting this site and I agree! It's just... I wanted to save money on a new domain, you know?
Oh well. Expect lots of gets to come in this August!
July 24, 2016
11:12 PM CDT
- July is coming to an end and all I can say is freaking good. With August coming up, my workload will be picking up again and you know what that means. That's right, no more buying hiatus! Lots of goodies to buy and more! What is coming out at the end of the year... damn, I can't wait for them to come out so I can own them!
For now, patience!
11:12 PM CDT
- July is coming to an end and all I can say is freaking good. With August coming up, my workload will be picking up again and you know what that means. That's right, no more buying hiatus! Lots of goodies to buy and more! What is coming out at the end of the year... damn, I can't wait for them to come out so I can own them!
For now, patience!
July 21, 2016
4:08 AM CDT
- I hate doing this but it's going to have to be done. No, it isn't anything bad, but I am going to remove this from the FAQs page and create a whole new page all on its own for the homepage: A privacy policy.
Why am I not a fan of doing that? Because as much as I want this site to be enjoyed by many, I also want to cover my ass because it does use cookies. Also, I do get e-mails and an extra layer of peace of mind for visitors would probably be in my best interest.
I may be paranoid over nothing but in this digital day and age, you can never be too careful. Even a small, personal site like this can cause people to be apprehensive in browsing over something like cookies and, really, I can't blame anyone for that.
It will not be done right away. I am going to take my time in making it so I can be as clear and to the point as possible. Give me a day or two to get ready and I'll be updating when I have that ready to be posted.
4:08 AM CDT
- I hate doing this but it's going to have to be done. No, it isn't anything bad, but I am going to remove this from the FAQs page and create a whole new page all on its own for the homepage: A privacy policy.
Why am I not a fan of doing that? Because as much as I want this site to be enjoyed by many, I also want to cover my ass because it does use cookies. Also, I do get e-mails and an extra layer of peace of mind for visitors would probably be in my best interest.
I may be paranoid over nothing but in this digital day and age, you can never be too careful. Even a small, personal site like this can cause people to be apprehensive in browsing over something like cookies and, really, I can't blame anyone for that.
It will not be done right away. I am going to take my time in making it so I can be as clear and to the point as possible. Give me a day or two to get ready and I'll be updating when I have that ready to be posted.
July 19, 2016
9:42 AM CDT
- The auction I was bidding on has been won! The item that will be added to my collection- the original Lapras American Pokédoll. It started at an excellent price and I had no competition so, in the end, it worked out to my advantage.
I know that I would have preferred the Japanese plush, but the reasons I went for this auction was
1.) I know the seller who had these plush for auction, the awesome Godudette! She is very knowledgeable on authentic items and bootleg merchandise. I do not trust eBay when it comes to the original American Pokédolls because they never seem to post an actual photo of the item in question. 95% of the time it's always a stock photo.
2.) She started her auctions off at an excellent price. The prices for these plush, when they are shown to be authentic, are usually not cheap. Hey, I can't pass an opportunity like this!
So yes! Another get for my collection! Now to get the Japanese plush and I'll be in heaven. =D Another one for Lioness's to-do list!
9:42 AM CDT
- The auction I was bidding on has been won! The item that will be added to my collection- the original Lapras American Pokédoll. It started at an excellent price and I had no competition so, in the end, it worked out to my advantage.
I know that I would have preferred the Japanese plush, but the reasons I went for this auction was
1.) I know the seller who had these plush for auction, the awesome Godudette! She is very knowledgeable on authentic items and bootleg merchandise. I do not trust eBay when it comes to the original American Pokédolls because they never seem to post an actual photo of the item in question. 95% of the time it's always a stock photo.
2.) She started her auctions off at an excellent price. The prices for these plush, when they are shown to be authentic, are usually not cheap. Hey, I can't pass an opportunity like this!
So yes! Another get for my collection! Now to get the Japanese plush and I'll be in heaven. =D Another one for Lioness's to-do list!
July 18, 2016
11:50 AM CDT
- No updates today. Just some collection talk.
I was looking at my Charizard plushies and the one that caught my eye was the Takara Tomy plush. I LOVE that plush! I want to say it is my favorite plush in my entire collection (excluding customs, because I love those even more). However, browsing around auction sites and such, it is amazing how much it has skyrocketed in price since I purchased mine.
There have been numerous times (to my annoyance) where an item will be released, sell out, skyrocket in price on eBay, only for it to be rereleased and sold at retail price again. It's annoying because you never know if they are going to rerelease these things or not, and this plush is the perfect example of what I am talking about.
This plush was never rereleased and goes for something as high as $300 on eBay. When it was a retail item, it cost as much as $70! That's how much I paid for mine, and at the time, I felt this pang of buyer's remorse. I felt $70 was too much for a plush like this. Yes, it was well-made, but $70 for a stuffed toy was ridiculous. Seeing it being sold at more than 4x the price doesn't make me feel so bad about buying it at $70 anymore.
I am not a collector who looks at the monetary value of an item. What I buy stays with me forever (unless I really, REALLY need the money). However, it is bone irritating buying an item at a higher price only for it to be rereleased down the road. I am not a fan of that. I don't mind if I paid retail price, it skyrocketing in price for a while, then being rereleased at retail price again. It's when I pay more that it becomes a problem. So far, this has only happened maybe three times? I bought the Disney Store Sven plush at a higher price than what was sold in retail and it was eventually rereleased. That incident didn't really bother me because it was just at $25 more and I've seen people cough up way more than that. Also, it was so cute and I had to have it right away! ^^
Still, this isn't the first time it has happened and it won't be the last. Amiibo prices went skyhigh before they saw a rerelease. They're really only worth something if you keep them mint in package otherwise how would you know if the figure you have came from Japan or Europe? The Gold Mario Amiibo is pretty valuable in the US packaging, but out? Not so much.
Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. Of all the plushes that would benefit from a rerelease, the Takara Tomy Charizard plush would have been nice. $300 is nuts when it sold for $70 at retail. This isn't a limited edition statue or a one-of-a-kind custom. This was a retail item! An expensive retail item, but a retail item, nonetheless. With that $300, you're better off going to a custom plush artist and getting something that doesn't have an official plush.
That's why it is best to buy an item as soon as it comes out- so you don't have to cough up more just if it happens to sell out and you will not feel the annoyance when it happens to be rereleased and sold at a cheaper price. Unless the item you are after is never rereleased, than that's an even bigger bummer. Either way, yeah, it's always good to buy these things when they are released. Unfortunately, that cannot always happen, and it blows when you have either situation in your hands.
11:50 AM CDT
- No updates today. Just some collection talk.
I was looking at my Charizard plushies and the one that caught my eye was the Takara Tomy plush. I LOVE that plush! I want to say it is my favorite plush in my entire collection (excluding customs, because I love those even more). However, browsing around auction sites and such, it is amazing how much it has skyrocketed in price since I purchased mine.
There have been numerous times (to my annoyance) where an item will be released, sell out, skyrocket in price on eBay, only for it to be rereleased and sold at retail price again. It's annoying because you never know if they are going to rerelease these things or not, and this plush is the perfect example of what I am talking about.
This plush was never rereleased and goes for something as high as $300 on eBay. When it was a retail item, it cost as much as $70! That's how much I paid for mine, and at the time, I felt this pang of buyer's remorse. I felt $70 was too much for a plush like this. Yes, it was well-made, but $70 for a stuffed toy was ridiculous. Seeing it being sold at more than 4x the price doesn't make me feel so bad about buying it at $70 anymore.
I am not a collector who looks at the monetary value of an item. What I buy stays with me forever (unless I really, REALLY need the money). However, it is bone irritating buying an item at a higher price only for it to be rereleased down the road. I am not a fan of that. I don't mind if I paid retail price, it skyrocketing in price for a while, then being rereleased at retail price again. It's when I pay more that it becomes a problem. So far, this has only happened maybe three times? I bought the Disney Store Sven plush at a higher price than what was sold in retail and it was eventually rereleased. That incident didn't really bother me because it was just at $25 more and I've seen people cough up way more than that. Also, it was so cute and I had to have it right away! ^^
Still, this isn't the first time it has happened and it won't be the last. Amiibo prices went skyhigh before they saw a rerelease. They're really only worth something if you keep them mint in package otherwise how would you know if the figure you have came from Japan or Europe? The Gold Mario Amiibo is pretty valuable in the US packaging, but out? Not so much.
Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. Of all the plushes that would benefit from a rerelease, the Takara Tomy Charizard plush would have been nice. $300 is nuts when it sold for $70 at retail. This isn't a limited edition statue or a one-of-a-kind custom. This was a retail item! An expensive retail item, but a retail item, nonetheless. With that $300, you're better off going to a custom plush artist and getting something that doesn't have an official plush.
That's why it is best to buy an item as soon as it comes out- so you don't have to cough up more just if it happens to sell out and you will not feel the annoyance when it happens to be rereleased and sold at a cheaper price. Unless the item you are after is never rereleased, than that's an even bigger bummer. Either way, yeah, it's always good to buy these things when they are released. Unfortunately, that cannot always happen, and it blows when you have either situation in your hands.
July 17, 2016
1:54 AM CDT
- Banner updates! The Pokémon and Nintendo banners got updated to reflect the themes of their pages. As of now, I have all the banner images done and I am not looking to update any other banner on this site anytime soon. So banners... done deal for now!
I will be updating the homepage directory sprite with something else. It'll still be my jaguar purr-sona, but what pose will she be in? That's a question for another day.
- On the subject of the homepage directory, I was THIS close to getting the banners linked with the homepage URL. Unfortunately, it had the nasty side effect of also linking the body text with the URL, too. It is possible to create a custom HTML/CSS code to include the URL, but it's way more trouble than it's worth. Also, I would only be able to use one banner for the enitre site, and where's the fun in that?
I guess the way the site is already configured should be good enough. Still, I would like to add a homepage link to the top of the page that isn't a text link in the navigation bar just to make navigating the site a little easier. There is one other thing I would like to try but that's going to have to wait until later in the day. It's late and I should be calling it a night.
So night.
- So much for a good night sleep. It is 5:53 AM, I couldn't sleep, so I came up with the best thing couldn think of as my homepage navigator- ocelotlrama as a plushie! I am appeased. When I obsess over something, it is hard for me to just let it go. I am persistent, dammit!
I'm still on the fence on either replacing all the bottom navigation sprites with this current drawing or just getting rid of them altogether. I'm not going to think too hard about it right now since my brain is dead from lack of sleep. Must... get... sleep...
Night for now. This time I mean it. :)
- It is now 10:30 PM, and I decided to do away with the sprites at the bottom of the pages altogether. They were there since I wanted a way to allow people to return to the homepage in someway without the link being in the navigation bar but since I now have the image on the top acting as my homepage directory, there really isn't a need for them to be there.
- The disclaimer at the bottom of the homepage had an overhaul and I hope it's more coherent than it was before.
1:54 AM CDT
- Banner updates! The Pokémon and Nintendo banners got updated to reflect the themes of their pages. As of now, I have all the banner images done and I am not looking to update any other banner on this site anytime soon. So banners... done deal for now!
I will be updating the homepage directory sprite with something else. It'll still be my jaguar purr-sona, but what pose will she be in? That's a question for another day.
- On the subject of the homepage directory, I was THIS close to getting the banners linked with the homepage URL. Unfortunately, it had the nasty side effect of also linking the body text with the URL, too. It is possible to create a custom HTML/CSS code to include the URL, but it's way more trouble than it's worth. Also, I would only be able to use one banner for the enitre site, and where's the fun in that?
I guess the way the site is already configured should be good enough. Still, I would like to add a homepage link to the top of the page that isn't a text link in the navigation bar just to make navigating the site a little easier. There is one other thing I would like to try but that's going to have to wait until later in the day. It's late and I should be calling it a night.
So night.
- So much for a good night sleep. It is 5:53 AM, I couldn't sleep, so I came up with the best thing couldn think of as my homepage navigator- ocelotlrama as a plushie! I am appeased. When I obsess over something, it is hard for me to just let it go. I am persistent, dammit!
I'm still on the fence on either replacing all the bottom navigation sprites with this current drawing or just getting rid of them altogether. I'm not going to think too hard about it right now since my brain is dead from lack of sleep. Must... get... sleep...
Night for now. This time I mean it. :)
- It is now 10:30 PM, and I decided to do away with the sprites at the bottom of the pages altogether. They were there since I wanted a way to allow people to return to the homepage in someway without the link being in the navigation bar but since I now have the image on the top acting as my homepage directory, there really isn't a need for them to be there.
- The disclaimer at the bottom of the homepage had an overhaul and I hope it's more coherent than it was before.
July 15, 2016
4:40 PM CDT
- A few updates:
1.) I am bidding on something that I have been after for a long while. I had extra funds available and it's super cheap for now if I do not get any competition. It's going to be awesome if I were to win it!
2.) The last image I need to get done for the Nintendo page is being colored in and should be done by tonight or tomorrow. It's taking a while since it's a large image with a lot of colors put into it. I can't wait for that to be done!
Also, a few of the banners in this site will be updated to fit the themes of their pages. A few act as placeholders but once I get the main art images done, the banners will get a makeover.
- It is now 10:42 PM and with that, I got all the images done for the site! Check out what I have in the World of Nintendo page! Since I am no longer using any of their sprites, The Spriters Resource will no longer be credited in the disclaimer page, but a huge shout-out to them for allowing the use of their sprites! Check them out for your spriting needs!
- I'm currently making some edits to my wants lists. I updated the Amiibo checklist page with what I am currently after. I buy two Amiibo, a billion more come out. Typical.
4:40 PM CDT
- A few updates:
1.) I am bidding on something that I have been after for a long while. I had extra funds available and it's super cheap for now if I do not get any competition. It's going to be awesome if I were to win it!
2.) The last image I need to get done for the Nintendo page is being colored in and should be done by tonight or tomorrow. It's taking a while since it's a large image with a lot of colors put into it. I can't wait for that to be done!
Also, a few of the banners in this site will be updated to fit the themes of their pages. A few act as placeholders but once I get the main art images done, the banners will get a makeover.
- It is now 10:42 PM and with that, I got all the images done for the site! Check out what I have in the World of Nintendo page! Since I am no longer using any of their sprites, The Spriters Resource will no longer be credited in the disclaimer page, but a huge shout-out to them for allowing the use of their sprites! Check them out for your spriting needs!
- I'm currently making some edits to my wants lists. I updated the Amiibo checklist page with what I am currently after. I buy two Amiibo, a billion more come out. Typical.
July 10, 2016
2:36 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so I got another image done for the World of Amiibo page! Check it out! This one I was wracking my brains out on creating, since I wanted to draw something that wasn't Charizard. Then I got an idea... how about an Amiibo holding an Amiibo? I drew my two favorite Amiibo with an added twist. I hope it captures the spirit of collecting Amiibo! I really enjoyed coming up with this one!
2:36 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, so I got another image done for the World of Amiibo page! Check it out! This one I was wracking my brains out on creating, since I wanted to draw something that wasn't Charizard. Then I got an idea... how about an Amiibo holding an Amiibo? I drew my two favorite Amiibo with an added twist. I hope it captures the spirit of collecting Amiibo! I really enjoyed coming up with this one!
July 9, 2016
4:35 PM CDT
- Another art image has been uploaded! Check out my drawing for the Mega Man page! I drew the pets of the series because I really wanted to try my hand in drawing them. Drawing them was a blast! I had a lot of fun with this one. =)
Now to finish the pieces for the World of Nintendo and Amiibo page then I'll be done in the art department for now.
Also, before I go, I want to mention that since their sprites are no longer being used, I have removed Sprites INC from the disclaimer list. A huge thank you to them for allowing the use of their images during the time I used them!
- It is now 7:08 PM and out of curiousity, I looked at my pageviews for the site. It stands at 508 a week, which is not bad for not making any major updates these past few days. It shouldn't get to me, but my views per week used to be a lot higher when the Bulbagarden forums allowed signatures to be viewed by everybody. Now it's limited to members only so the number of people who visit my site has shrinked since they moved from using vBulletin software to Xenforo.
Then again, my views during the summer months actually decrease because nothing new comes into my mailbox for a long period of time. I guess that's my own fault, but meh, I am thankful this site gets that many hits to begin with. I can't be mad at 500 a week! Heck, even 200 a week is good enough for me! If I had nothing but, let's say, 2 people coming to this site a week, then I would be feeling sorry for myself and thinking if this whole endeavor is worth it.
Looks to be for now! Look forward for new art updates!
4:35 PM CDT
- Another art image has been uploaded! Check out my drawing for the Mega Man page! I drew the pets of the series because I really wanted to try my hand in drawing them. Drawing them was a blast! I had a lot of fun with this one. =)
Now to finish the pieces for the World of Nintendo and Amiibo page then I'll be done in the art department for now.
Also, before I go, I want to mention that since their sprites are no longer being used, I have removed Sprites INC from the disclaimer list. A huge thank you to them for allowing the use of their images during the time I used them!
- It is now 7:08 PM and out of curiousity, I looked at my pageviews for the site. It stands at 508 a week, which is not bad for not making any major updates these past few days. It shouldn't get to me, but my views per week used to be a lot higher when the Bulbagarden forums allowed signatures to be viewed by everybody. Now it's limited to members only so the number of people who visit my site has shrinked since they moved from using vBulletin software to Xenforo.
Then again, my views during the summer months actually decrease because nothing new comes into my mailbox for a long period of time. I guess that's my own fault, but meh, I am thankful this site gets that many hits to begin with. I can't be mad at 500 a week! Heck, even 200 a week is good enough for me! If I had nothing but, let's say, 2 people coming to this site a week, then I would be feeling sorry for myself and thinking if this whole endeavor is worth it.
Looks to be for now! Look forward for new art updates!
July 6, 2016
10:07 PM CDT
- The FAQs page has been updated! Wanna know the inspiration to making this site? Take a look!
10:07 PM CDT
- The FAQs page has been updated! Wanna know the inspiration to making this site? Take a look!
July 4, 2016
3:41 AM CDT
- To all those in the US, happy 4th of July! It's the middle of the night, so no fireworks are popping and no barbecues are cooking, but in another 12 hours, that'll all change!
- Now onto some collection-related stuff. I was looking on Yahoo! Japan and came across a manga set I really want. It's the Cyborg Kuro-chan manga rerelease contained in 6 volumes instead of the usual 11. As much as I want to buy them, I hate purchasing manga on Y! Japan. They look cheap on the price tag, but they can drop a real bomb on you with shipping, and manga, especially when shipped as a set of volumes, can be on the heavy side. The heavier the item is, the more expensive it is to ship. Why do they not mention shipping on the auction page again?
Some sellers will mention how much shipping will be in the description but it always has me stumped why they just cannot mention this information on the auction page. My theory is that since Japan has so many regions, it's not like here in the US where it's one price for all. I have seen pages where some shipping companies charge a different price depending how far a package has to travel to a different region. It looks to be based on distance.
I always found that strange since Japan is a country much smaller than the US, but when you think about it, that's actually kind of smart. Not that I want to give USPS ideas for their trash services, but charging based on distance could actually get them out of the pickle they are in. Of course, if they were to charge based on distance and still do a pathetic job in delivering packages, I can see many people switching to private companies for their mail deliveries, instead.
- Website-related news, I did take a break from drawing the last images I need for the site. I faced a bit of a burn out drawing for the site and wanted to stop for a while instead of half-assing these images. I'll be getting back to them sometime this week.
And while I am on the subject, I'm thinking of replacing all the ocelotlrama sprites on the bottom of the pages with just a drawing of the character. Of course I would rather Weebly allowed the banners to have URL links attached to them but for now, bottom images will do.
Well, off to bed. It's super late and I have a barbecue to attend later in the day! TTFN!
3:41 AM CDT
- To all those in the US, happy 4th of July! It's the middle of the night, so no fireworks are popping and no barbecues are cooking, but in another 12 hours, that'll all change!
- Now onto some collection-related stuff. I was looking on Yahoo! Japan and came across a manga set I really want. It's the Cyborg Kuro-chan manga rerelease contained in 6 volumes instead of the usual 11. As much as I want to buy them, I hate purchasing manga on Y! Japan. They look cheap on the price tag, but they can drop a real bomb on you with shipping, and manga, especially when shipped as a set of volumes, can be on the heavy side. The heavier the item is, the more expensive it is to ship. Why do they not mention shipping on the auction page again?
Some sellers will mention how much shipping will be in the description but it always has me stumped why they just cannot mention this information on the auction page. My theory is that since Japan has so many regions, it's not like here in the US where it's one price for all. I have seen pages where some shipping companies charge a different price depending how far a package has to travel to a different region. It looks to be based on distance.
I always found that strange since Japan is a country much smaller than the US, but when you think about it, that's actually kind of smart. Not that I want to give USPS ideas for their trash services, but charging based on distance could actually get them out of the pickle they are in. Of course, if they were to charge based on distance and still do a pathetic job in delivering packages, I can see many people switching to private companies for their mail deliveries, instead.
- Website-related news, I did take a break from drawing the last images I need for the site. I faced a bit of a burn out drawing for the site and wanted to stop for a while instead of half-assing these images. I'll be getting back to them sometime this week.
And while I am on the subject, I'm thinking of replacing all the ocelotlrama sprites on the bottom of the pages with just a drawing of the character. Of course I would rather Weebly allowed the banners to have URL links attached to them but for now, bottom images will do.
Well, off to bed. It's super late and I have a barbecue to attend later in the day! TTFN!
July 1, 2016
4:29 PM CDT
- Item get update! The Red Nendoroid figure has arrived! It's what I pictured it to be- good quality and great eye candy for display! Can't wait to show that off in the next picture day!
- Site update time- I updated the FAQs with another entry regarding ads on the site. It's not a question that has been asked, but I did want to add it just so I can clarify that, no, ads will never be put on this site. I could monetize the site if I really wanted to, but yeah, no one has to worry about that happening.
Does this mean I will never monetize an idea if it becomes big enough? If that were to happen, it wouldn't involve Big Cat Collections. Keep in mind the FAQs page only regards this website. If I were to hit it big on say, FurAffinity, and I made an art website that allowed me to quit my job and make a decent living off of what I produced, then yes, I would take advantage of ads to monetize the site. It has more to do with the subject matter of the sites.
I can produce art and regard it as a commodity, but Big Cat Collections isn't an art site. It's a place where I can showcase what is in my private collection of toys and to monetize that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't make the toys nor am I technically reviewing them. Hell, I even razz some of the toys I have and I doubt companies are going to look at that and say, "yeah, that's a person we want to advertise our product!"
Also, ads are freaking everywhere. There isn't a place where they don't creep up. At their absolute worst, the ads can actually slow down a browser to a screeching hault thanks to malware and AdBlock has to come into play just to alleviate the symptoms. Wikia pages are notorious for this. I hate using AdBlock on places that require ads to stay up, but when my computer is forced to take in all this trash and slows down at a snail's pace, yes, I will be using AdBlock so I can get my computer to run normally without worrying about something like malware.
So yes, no ads for this site.
That's all for today! Toodles!
4:29 PM CDT
- Item get update! The Red Nendoroid figure has arrived! It's what I pictured it to be- good quality and great eye candy for display! Can't wait to show that off in the next picture day!
- Site update time- I updated the FAQs with another entry regarding ads on the site. It's not a question that has been asked, but I did want to add it just so I can clarify that, no, ads will never be put on this site. I could monetize the site if I really wanted to, but yeah, no one has to worry about that happening.
Does this mean I will never monetize an idea if it becomes big enough? If that were to happen, it wouldn't involve Big Cat Collections. Keep in mind the FAQs page only regards this website. If I were to hit it big on say, FurAffinity, and I made an art website that allowed me to quit my job and make a decent living off of what I produced, then yes, I would take advantage of ads to monetize the site. It has more to do with the subject matter of the sites.
I can produce art and regard it as a commodity, but Big Cat Collections isn't an art site. It's a place where I can showcase what is in my private collection of toys and to monetize that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't make the toys nor am I technically reviewing them. Hell, I even razz some of the toys I have and I doubt companies are going to look at that and say, "yeah, that's a person we want to advertise our product!"
Also, ads are freaking everywhere. There isn't a place where they don't creep up. At their absolute worst, the ads can actually slow down a browser to a screeching hault thanks to malware and AdBlock has to come into play just to alleviate the symptoms. Wikia pages are notorious for this. I hate using AdBlock on places that require ads to stay up, but when my computer is forced to take in all this trash and slows down at a snail's pace, yes, I will be using AdBlock so I can get my computer to run normally without worrying about something like malware.
So yes, no ads for this site.
That's all for today! Toodles!
June 25, 2016
6:43 PM CDT
- The Champion Red Nendoroid set has been purchased! Of all the items that I was dying to get my mits on, this is one of them! Seriously, I'm not even a Red fan but the figures here look fantastic! It's a must have, especially as a Charizard collector.
The set will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- My wants list is in for a serious overhaul. By that, I mean remove the stuff I am no longer interested in owning and adding a million other things I want to add to my collection. I haven't been able to find an image or a post mentioning the large-size Charizard and Mega Charizard plushes, but once I do find them, I'm adding them to the wants list as soon as possible. Those are big wants because they're actually something unique in terms of Charizard merch. For one thing, instead of making him look ferocious and threatening, he looks cute and cuddly! I can't wait for better images to be released so I can show you what I mean!
The other pages need a facelift, as well. The Disney wants page in particular. Later towards the end of July I hope to have the Mystery Mini otter figure in my collection! Also, Dug has a new Funko Pop figure I am looking to get!
- With Sun and Moon on the way, the Pokémon I'm looking to collect are the likes of Litten, Popplio, Iwanko, and Solgaleo. The first two may just be relegated to side collections because, c'mon, I don't want to go all out on collecting starters, but the rock pup and legendary lion look like must haves! If I do decide to collect Solgaleo, it'll be the first Legendary I'll ever collect! I have thought of collecting the Legendary Beasts, but nah. They have items that are too rare and too expensive that they don't look like they would be worth the effort. For now, newer Pokémon are something to look forward to!
6:43 PM CDT
- The Champion Red Nendoroid set has been purchased! Of all the items that I was dying to get my mits on, this is one of them! Seriously, I'm not even a Red fan but the figures here look fantastic! It's a must have, especially as a Charizard collector.
The set will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- My wants list is in for a serious overhaul. By that, I mean remove the stuff I am no longer interested in owning and adding a million other things I want to add to my collection. I haven't been able to find an image or a post mentioning the large-size Charizard and Mega Charizard plushes, but once I do find them, I'm adding them to the wants list as soon as possible. Those are big wants because they're actually something unique in terms of Charizard merch. For one thing, instead of making him look ferocious and threatening, he looks cute and cuddly! I can't wait for better images to be released so I can show you what I mean!
The other pages need a facelift, as well. The Disney wants page in particular. Later towards the end of July I hope to have the Mystery Mini otter figure in my collection! Also, Dug has a new Funko Pop figure I am looking to get!
- With Sun and Moon on the way, the Pokémon I'm looking to collect are the likes of Litten, Popplio, Iwanko, and Solgaleo. The first two may just be relegated to side collections because, c'mon, I don't want to go all out on collecting starters, but the rock pup and legendary lion look like must haves! If I do decide to collect Solgaleo, it'll be the first Legendary I'll ever collect! I have thought of collecting the Legendary Beasts, but nah. They have items that are too rare and too expensive that they don't look like they would be worth the effort. For now, newer Pokémon are something to look forward to!
June 23, 2015
5:40 PM CDT
- No new gets, but some collection-related news, especially to the stuff that I collect.
A shipload of new Charizard merchandise has been released or plans to be released sometime in the future. Some very large plushes that retail for an arm and a leg are coming out, along with a D-Arts/S.H. Figurarts re-release that now includes multiple fire accessories along with the ability to pose giving a Seismic Toss attack. That's... fascinating, I guess? It's a Japanese Bandai web exclusive retailing at 7,020 yen. I am going to assume only people living in Japan can purchase this thing.
The plushes actually look cute and I do plan on purchasing them when they are released, but the S.H. Figurarts figure? I don't know. The D-Arts figure wasn't that great of a figure to begin with and to purchase the same thing with a few extra accesories doesn't seem worth it.
Also, I do plan on purchasing the Nendoroid Champion Red PC Online exclusive. I managed to come into some extra funds and yes, I can purchase this beautiful set! Only problem? PayPal was being a douche in regards to giving me the money that I have earned. They had just released it today, but now I have to place that money into my bank account since the Pokémon Center online will not take PayPal. So yeah, another 3 to 5 days, and that doesn't include the weekends. Fantastic.
Well, let's see how this goes. I heard they had a decent amount of figures left so hopefully they'll still have them by the time the money makes it to my card.
- I am steps close to getting a custom plush from a fantastic artist! She will be getting back to me over the weekend and we will be working out the details. Oh boy, I can't wait!
- Garage kits have been postponed for now (if it wasn't painfully obvious from the lack of updates). I will be buying an x-acto knife in July to help me with the masking process because it is highly needed. Once that's done, then no more beating around the bush until the painting process starts.
- Artwork for the site is coming along swimmingly. I wasn't able to finish as fast as I would have liked, but I see myself being done by the end of the weekend. What I have readily available... I hope you'll love it! I wanted to include what I prefer to draw rather than the subject matter at hand. What the hell does that mean? You'll see. =D
5:40 PM CDT
- No new gets, but some collection-related news, especially to the stuff that I collect.
A shipload of new Charizard merchandise has been released or plans to be released sometime in the future. Some very large plushes that retail for an arm and a leg are coming out, along with a D-Arts/S.H. Figurarts re-release that now includes multiple fire accessories along with the ability to pose giving a Seismic Toss attack. That's... fascinating, I guess? It's a Japanese Bandai web exclusive retailing at 7,020 yen. I am going to assume only people living in Japan can purchase this thing.
The plushes actually look cute and I do plan on purchasing them when they are released, but the S.H. Figurarts figure? I don't know. The D-Arts figure wasn't that great of a figure to begin with and to purchase the same thing with a few extra accesories doesn't seem worth it.
Also, I do plan on purchasing the Nendoroid Champion Red PC Online exclusive. I managed to come into some extra funds and yes, I can purchase this beautiful set! Only problem? PayPal was being a douche in regards to giving me the money that I have earned. They had just released it today, but now I have to place that money into my bank account since the Pokémon Center online will not take PayPal. So yeah, another 3 to 5 days, and that doesn't include the weekends. Fantastic.
Well, let's see how this goes. I heard they had a decent amount of figures left so hopefully they'll still have them by the time the money makes it to my card.
- I am steps close to getting a custom plush from a fantastic artist! She will be getting back to me over the weekend and we will be working out the details. Oh boy, I can't wait!
- Garage kits have been postponed for now (if it wasn't painfully obvious from the lack of updates). I will be buying an x-acto knife in July to help me with the masking process because it is highly needed. Once that's done, then no more beating around the bush until the painting process starts.
- Artwork for the site is coming along swimmingly. I wasn't able to finish as fast as I would have liked, but I see myself being done by the end of the weekend. What I have readily available... I hope you'll love it! I wanted to include what I prefer to draw rather than the subject matter at hand. What the hell does that mean? You'll see. =D
June 22, 2016
11:06 AM CDT
- Alrighty, the rest of the Disney page will have all the information and titles typed in today. Sorry for not finishing sooner. I did have some offline stuff that required my attention, but for now I'm free and I'm off to finish what I started!
- It is now 12:15 PM and I am done adding stuff to the Disney page! With that, all blank images have been filled and this site is no longer under construction. I still have some artwork to finish for three more pages but those are less noticeable.
- Now, onto some more rambly bits to continue on from yesterday. If you don't like these, then just disregard.
I shouldn't have to do this, but I feel I should. I must clarify that I didn't want to dislike Mighty No. 9. Like I said, if I didn't have the Wii U version that was a broken, glitchy mess, I probably would have thought it was nothing more than a mediocre Mega Man game. I would probably place it above Mega Man 5 or X3 or something.
Believe me when I say that I hate dissing on something just because a lot of people hate it and it's something cool to hate. Hate bandwagons are garbage fires and I tend to steer clear away from them nowadays. The only things that I will be razzing on is stuff that I have personally played and saw for myself how bad something is. The Wii U version is a bad game, but the other versions, from what I've seen through blind playthroughs on YouTube, look decent. Not stellar, but decent. A 6 out of 10 decent. It's definitely something with the miniscule budget they had (4 million is NOTHING to make the quality game backers were expecting).
All my previous opinions still stand, though. I think the characters lack charm and their voices are annoying as hell. It feels more like a Mega Man knockoff than it does a 'spiritual successor.' Also, I cannot stand that term "spiritual successor." It just means "I want something different but not too different. I just want more of the same thing that I am personally comfortable with, but with a little more flavor." Because god forbid anything new come into the scene with its own style, right? It all has to come from one's childhood because people refuse to grow up and witness new things.
I am probably beating a dead horse when it comes to this. I mean, MN9 started going downhill all because people cannot tell the difference between a community manager on a shoddy custom forum over a game developer. I have a feeling that's where things started and people just started hating anything that came out later.
Despite that, I dislike MN9 for the opposite reasons a lot of other people dislike it for. Unless we agree that the game is just mediocre drivel that was overhyped by self-entitled people with a chip on their shoulder, no, I don't dislike it over a community manager just trying to do her job and people had a problem with her for whatever was the reason of the day, I don't dislike it because of delays (delays happen- go to your local bridge and get over it), I didn't dislike it over a stupid trailer that people got offended over (again, go to your local bridge), and I don't dislike it over the fact that Comcept put the cart before the horse (though I will admit that didn't help). I dislike it for what I mentioned previously and for what it also represents: self-entitled people thinking Kickstarter is a store (even more laughable- an investment). I can't even look at the character of Beck without thinking of crying adults with no understanding of how the real world works.
I am done talking about MN9. I've said my piece about the whole thing and I will no longer be talking about it, through here or through e-mail. Don't expect the "franchise" to share a page with Mega Man on this site. I will not be buying any of the collector's edition items and I didn't fork over more than $25 on this Kickstarter, so no t-shirts, art books, or toys to have in my collection. I think I'll sleep pretty well tonight knowing that.
If you were reading my rants, thanks for sticking around. If you found yourself getting angry at my opinions and are in the process of writing an angry e-mail at me, take a deep breath, go outside, get some fresh air, and think to yourself "am I really going to show this person by cussing them out because they didn't share the same opinion as me?" Trust me, you won't.
11:06 AM CDT
- Alrighty, the rest of the Disney page will have all the information and titles typed in today. Sorry for not finishing sooner. I did have some offline stuff that required my attention, but for now I'm free and I'm off to finish what I started!
- It is now 12:15 PM and I am done adding stuff to the Disney page! With that, all blank images have been filled and this site is no longer under construction. I still have some artwork to finish for three more pages but those are less noticeable.
- Now, onto some more rambly bits to continue on from yesterday. If you don't like these, then just disregard.
I shouldn't have to do this, but I feel I should. I must clarify that I didn't want to dislike Mighty No. 9. Like I said, if I didn't have the Wii U version that was a broken, glitchy mess, I probably would have thought it was nothing more than a mediocre Mega Man game. I would probably place it above Mega Man 5 or X3 or something.
Believe me when I say that I hate dissing on something just because a lot of people hate it and it's something cool to hate. Hate bandwagons are garbage fires and I tend to steer clear away from them nowadays. The only things that I will be razzing on is stuff that I have personally played and saw for myself how bad something is. The Wii U version is a bad game, but the other versions, from what I've seen through blind playthroughs on YouTube, look decent. Not stellar, but decent. A 6 out of 10 decent. It's definitely something with the miniscule budget they had (4 million is NOTHING to make the quality game backers were expecting).
All my previous opinions still stand, though. I think the characters lack charm and their voices are annoying as hell. It feels more like a Mega Man knockoff than it does a 'spiritual successor.' Also, I cannot stand that term "spiritual successor." It just means "I want something different but not too different. I just want more of the same thing that I am personally comfortable with, but with a little more flavor." Because god forbid anything new come into the scene with its own style, right? It all has to come from one's childhood because people refuse to grow up and witness new things.
I am probably beating a dead horse when it comes to this. I mean, MN9 started going downhill all because people cannot tell the difference between a community manager on a shoddy custom forum over a game developer. I have a feeling that's where things started and people just started hating anything that came out later.
Despite that, I dislike MN9 for the opposite reasons a lot of other people dislike it for. Unless we agree that the game is just mediocre drivel that was overhyped by self-entitled people with a chip on their shoulder, no, I don't dislike it over a community manager just trying to do her job and people had a problem with her for whatever was the reason of the day, I don't dislike it because of delays (delays happen- go to your local bridge and get over it), I didn't dislike it over a stupid trailer that people got offended over (again, go to your local bridge), and I don't dislike it over the fact that Comcept put the cart before the horse (though I will admit that didn't help). I dislike it for what I mentioned previously and for what it also represents: self-entitled people thinking Kickstarter is a store (even more laughable- an investment). I can't even look at the character of Beck without thinking of crying adults with no understanding of how the real world works.
I am done talking about MN9. I've said my piece about the whole thing and I will no longer be talking about it, through here or through e-mail. Don't expect the "franchise" to share a page with Mega Man on this site. I will not be buying any of the collector's edition items and I didn't fork over more than $25 on this Kickstarter, so no t-shirts, art books, or toys to have in my collection. I think I'll sleep pretty well tonight knowing that.
If you were reading my rants, thanks for sticking around. If you found yourself getting angry at my opinions and are in the process of writing an angry e-mail at me, take a deep breath, go outside, get some fresh air, and think to yourself "am I really going to show this person by cussing them out because they didn't share the same opinion as me?" Trust me, you won't.
June 21, 2016
11:21 AM CDT
- Okay, the Disney page will have all blank images filled with title and information by the end of today. If not, tomorrow the latest for sure.
Also, more art coming soon. With that, Sprites INC and The Spriters Resource will be removed from the disclaimer section on the homepage. Not now, of course, since I am still using their sprites, but I'm just letting you know that time will come eventually.
- I'm going to go on a video game and fandom ramble right now with some strong opinions involved. If you do not care for that, come by later for more news! I hope you stick around, though.
Good news! Mighty No. 9 has been released on a few platforms today. If you planned on getting the game for XBox One or a PC that isn't Windows, you're SOL as those games have been delayed even further. I took advantage of the moment and had the Wii U version to play with. Big mistake. I've complained of the problems with this particular port on the forums I frequent well enough and a lot of game news and review sites have already gone over the problems.
I feel like I should mention again that no, this game will not brick your Wii U. The slow down has been known to freeze the game, which is BS in its own right, but bricking is a terrible word to use. Bricking means it totally shuts down the system to where the console is about as useful as a simple brick. All you have to do is reset and voilà! Thawed garbage!
For prosperity, I will be mentioning the problems I have with this game and why the bad reviews it gets are warranted. Now mind you, this isn't a terrible game. I think if I got the PC version instead, I would have given the game a 5 or 6 out of 10 instead of the Wii U's 1 out of 10. It isn't great even when it works fine. The Wii U version compounds the problem with its bad programming but taking those problems out of the equation, you still have terrible voice acting, characters that are very forgettable, graphics that date the game back to the year 2000, and lackluster gameplay. The dashing mechanic is bleh and, unfortunately, it's a huge part of the game.
It is amazing how much Comcept was able to run amok with its stretch goals and nobody, not even the backers, thought to ask "Hmmm, is porting this game to over a million consoles a good idea?" Even that didn't have to be a bad thing. What they could have done was made the game for the PC or one console and just ported the game once it was polished enough over time. Better quality, people get what they want, and they didn't sink all the Kickstarter money into one stretch goal.
Now for something I couldn't mention on other sites because of rules. Since this is my site, I'm taking off my polite gloves on this.
This has been a fascinating 2 and a half years to witness. It was fascinating watching people root for an Indie company thinking they were sticking it to Capcom (when in reality it did little to nothing to the company) all while giving hundreds if not thousands to Comcept just to say "See Capcom?? That could have gone to you if you had just made MML3!" At the time it seemed edgy and people were cool to be sticking it to the man, but later on, it just made the whole thing seem petty and overhyped. This was the bandwagon spectacle if I ever saw one. It's also hilarious now seeing people go grovelling back to Capcom with gems like "Now it's up to Capcom to bring the Blue Bomber back."
I know I can be sarcastic to the point of hostility when it comes to anything Mega Man, and if you want a reason why I'm like this, this is it. This whole thing has put me completely off to the fandom. Yeah, I know all fandoms have their bad apples, but I have never witnessed anything like this. Oh sure, I have met some wonderful people who were fans of the games, but they seem to be the exception instead of the rule. There are people who put their entire identities to this title and any little thing sets them off. The fickleness I mentioned a while back is there, and really, it's to a point where I have to say I am kind of ashamed to be a fan of the series. There are a few places where good fans post, but Protodude's corner certainly isn't one them. TMMN is another place with a lousy comment section. I love their blogs and news sections, but their comment sections are just trash! It's come to the point where Sonic fans are more reasonable to deal with.
This is really embarrassing. That whole situation with the community manager was a real low with how a fandom handled things they personally didn't like and people who blame her for the problems in the game are just scapegoating the real issue; Comcept was feeding on the anger towards a triple A company that wasn't catering to self-entitled demands, pandered to that self-entitlement, and gave something that wasn't exactly what was expected in return. Yet you know what? As bad (or lackluster at best) as Mighty No. 9 is, I can't help but say this is the game that is truly deserved. The only people I feel bad for are the fans who backed the game out of genuine interest and had no interest in harrassing a woman out of an entry level job or getting back at a company that didn't release a game that wasn't greenlit to begin with.
Well, Mighty No. 9 won't be having a sequel with the way things went, and I'm going to bet even further that the cartoon series isn't happening, either. It was a good lesson in crowdfunding. It was an exceptional lesson on group-think and bandwagon hopping. This is a sociologist's dream! I just can't wait until the name Mighty No. 9 is gone like a bad dream.
11:21 AM CDT
- Okay, the Disney page will have all blank images filled with title and information by the end of today. If not, tomorrow the latest for sure.
Also, more art coming soon. With that, Sprites INC and The Spriters Resource will be removed from the disclaimer section on the homepage. Not now, of course, since I am still using their sprites, but I'm just letting you know that time will come eventually.
- I'm going to go on a video game and fandom ramble right now with some strong opinions involved. If you do not care for that, come by later for more news! I hope you stick around, though.
Good news! Mighty No. 9 has been released on a few platforms today. If you planned on getting the game for XBox One or a PC that isn't Windows, you're SOL as those games have been delayed even further. I took advantage of the moment and had the Wii U version to play with. Big mistake. I've complained of the problems with this particular port on the forums I frequent well enough and a lot of game news and review sites have already gone over the problems.
I feel like I should mention again that no, this game will not brick your Wii U. The slow down has been known to freeze the game, which is BS in its own right, but bricking is a terrible word to use. Bricking means it totally shuts down the system to where the console is about as useful as a simple brick. All you have to do is reset and voilà! Thawed garbage!
For prosperity, I will be mentioning the problems I have with this game and why the bad reviews it gets are warranted. Now mind you, this isn't a terrible game. I think if I got the PC version instead, I would have given the game a 5 or 6 out of 10 instead of the Wii U's 1 out of 10. It isn't great even when it works fine. The Wii U version compounds the problem with its bad programming but taking those problems out of the equation, you still have terrible voice acting, characters that are very forgettable, graphics that date the game back to the year 2000, and lackluster gameplay. The dashing mechanic is bleh and, unfortunately, it's a huge part of the game.
It is amazing how much Comcept was able to run amok with its stretch goals and nobody, not even the backers, thought to ask "Hmmm, is porting this game to over a million consoles a good idea?" Even that didn't have to be a bad thing. What they could have done was made the game for the PC or one console and just ported the game once it was polished enough over time. Better quality, people get what they want, and they didn't sink all the Kickstarter money into one stretch goal.
Now for something I couldn't mention on other sites because of rules. Since this is my site, I'm taking off my polite gloves on this.
This has been a fascinating 2 and a half years to witness. It was fascinating watching people root for an Indie company thinking they were sticking it to Capcom (when in reality it did little to nothing to the company) all while giving hundreds if not thousands to Comcept just to say "See Capcom?? That could have gone to you if you had just made MML3!" At the time it seemed edgy and people were cool to be sticking it to the man, but later on, it just made the whole thing seem petty and overhyped. This was the bandwagon spectacle if I ever saw one. It's also hilarious now seeing people go grovelling back to Capcom with gems like "Now it's up to Capcom to bring the Blue Bomber back."
I know I can be sarcastic to the point of hostility when it comes to anything Mega Man, and if you want a reason why I'm like this, this is it. This whole thing has put me completely off to the fandom. Yeah, I know all fandoms have their bad apples, but I have never witnessed anything like this. Oh sure, I have met some wonderful people who were fans of the games, but they seem to be the exception instead of the rule. There are people who put their entire identities to this title and any little thing sets them off. The fickleness I mentioned a while back is there, and really, it's to a point where I have to say I am kind of ashamed to be a fan of the series. There are a few places where good fans post, but Protodude's corner certainly isn't one them. TMMN is another place with a lousy comment section. I love their blogs and news sections, but their comment sections are just trash! It's come to the point where Sonic fans are more reasonable to deal with.
This is really embarrassing. That whole situation with the community manager was a real low with how a fandom handled things they personally didn't like and people who blame her for the problems in the game are just scapegoating the real issue; Comcept was feeding on the anger towards a triple A company that wasn't catering to self-entitled demands, pandered to that self-entitlement, and gave something that wasn't exactly what was expected in return. Yet you know what? As bad (or lackluster at best) as Mighty No. 9 is, I can't help but say this is the game that is truly deserved. The only people I feel bad for are the fans who backed the game out of genuine interest and had no interest in harrassing a woman out of an entry level job or getting back at a company that didn't release a game that wasn't greenlit to begin with.
Well, Mighty No. 9 won't be having a sequel with the way things went, and I'm going to bet even further that the cartoon series isn't happening, either. It was a good lesson in crowdfunding. It was an exceptional lesson on group-think and bandwagon hopping. This is a sociologist's dream! I just can't wait until the name Mighty No. 9 is gone like a bad dream.
June 19, 2016
9:14 PM CDT
- Titles and information have been added to all the sections of this site that needed them with the exception of the Disney page. Those images will be left blank for tomorrow.
9:14 PM CDT
- Titles and information have been added to all the sections of this site that needed them with the exception of the Disney page. Those images will be left blank for tomorrow.
June 18, 2016
7:18 PM CDT
- I added new fresh header images to the Disney, HTTYD, and Cyborg Kuro-chan pages! I hope they look better than the sprite images I had before. Just two more pages to go! I'll get started soon enough!
- I was supposed to start adding information and titles to the blank images I have throughout the site but I'm just getting to it tonight. I apologize for the delay. I'm not going to lie; I forgot, okay. I just plain forgot. I'll rectify that by adding the information needed!
That is, as soon as the sun goes down because, by golly, is it hot! It's impossible to work during the daytime! I can only get things done at night when it's 30 degrees cooler. 30 degrees! If I was still in Texas, I'd have to deal with 90-100 degree weather during the day and 80 degree nights. Texas weather in the summer sucks, but summer sucks here, too. I hate it. I want summer over already. Can it go away now?
7:18 PM CDT
- I added new fresh header images to the Disney, HTTYD, and Cyborg Kuro-chan pages! I hope they look better than the sprite images I had before. Just two more pages to go! I'll get started soon enough!
- I was supposed to start adding information and titles to the blank images I have throughout the site but I'm just getting to it tonight. I apologize for the delay. I'm not going to lie; I forgot, okay. I just plain forgot. I'll rectify that by adding the information needed!
That is, as soon as the sun goes down because, by golly, is it hot! It's impossible to work during the daytime! I can only get things done at night when it's 30 degrees cooler. 30 degrees! If I was still in Texas, I'd have to deal with 90-100 degree weather during the day and 80 degree nights. Texas weather in the summer sucks, but summer sucks here, too. I hate it. I want summer over already. Can it go away now?
June 14, 2016
12:03 AM CDT
- I have been adding custom drawings to this site since, well, yesterday at 11 PM and since it is now the next day, I might as well add a new entry. I do want to mention that all the Pokémon artwork have been uploaded! I hope you like them! I worked really hard on them and it was something else drawing them all in unique poses.
What will not change are the menu sprite Pokémon images that sometimes appear at the end of a Generation page when multiple Pokémon appear on one item. Those images are the property of Bulbagarden but allow the usage of them under their Fair Use clause, and since no money is made off this site, I do not see the harm in using them full time. They have been credited on the front page in the disclaimer. Since I am no longer using PkParaíso's models, I have removed them from the front page disclaimer, but a big thank you to them nonetheless for allowing the X and Y models to be used during the period of time I had them on this site.
I had a lot of fun drawing my favorite Pokémon, but now to get started on newer images for other pages! What will come next? Stay tuned!
For now, it's time for bed. Night to all!
12:03 AM CDT
- I have been adding custom drawings to this site since, well, yesterday at 11 PM and since it is now the next day, I might as well add a new entry. I do want to mention that all the Pokémon artwork have been uploaded! I hope you like them! I worked really hard on them and it was something else drawing them all in unique poses.
What will not change are the menu sprite Pokémon images that sometimes appear at the end of a Generation page when multiple Pokémon appear on one item. Those images are the property of Bulbagarden but allow the usage of them under their Fair Use clause, and since no money is made off this site, I do not see the harm in using them full time. They have been credited on the front page in the disclaimer. Since I am no longer using PkParaíso's models, I have removed them from the front page disclaimer, but a big thank you to them nonetheless for allowing the X and Y models to be used during the period of time I had them on this site.
I had a lot of fun drawing my favorite Pokémon, but now to get started on newer images for other pages! What will come next? Stay tuned!
For now, it's time for bed. Night to all!
June 13, 2016
1:14 PM CDT
- Picture day is today! I have already started taking pictures and have four uploaded to the site! Still have quite a few more to take, but things are going smoothly so far. The hard part is taking the items off their display and when I'm done, putting back some of them will be harder than it should be, but hey, I got to get them photos taken someday! I hope to finish all today if nothing goes wrong so wish me luck! I'll be back for more updates soon!
- It is now 2:52 PM and I am very close to finishing. I got a good portion of the pictures taken and uploaded, but the rest that are on the list... they're so big that I'm going to have to expand the size of the backdrop. I mean, they're not Substitute giant big, but the backdrop I have is actually a lot smaller than I usually have it, and I didn't expect three items to give me so much trouble. I'll get to doing that today since there's still plenty of daylight left to take advantage!
For now, I'm going to upload the rest of what I have then break time!
- It is now 5:35 PM and all the pictures have been taken! There was one I omitted because, really, it's not too big a deal to include on this site. I'm talking about the Mr. Big figure that came with Kozlov the polar bear. That little guy was such a pain to take that I gave up after, what, the fifteenth time? It was a nightmare and not really worth it.
Another item that was complete pain to take was the large size Sven plush. What made it a pain were his antlers! The plush is not terribly big but his antlers make him so much taller than he should be, and thus, the backdrop had to be expanded to accomodate his large size. What I had was still not enough but the picture came out decent enough that I decided to keep it. The background is not exposed but a piece of his antler was hidden between a fold in the blanket. It really sucks that that happened, but what can you do? Space is limited, so I made it work as best as I could.
The best thing to happen in this site is that I was able to add settei and animation cels! Both can be found in the Cyborg Kuro-chan page! There is one more cel I have to take of this series but I have quite a few settei images that need to be framed! This, along with Pokémon! No cels from Pokémon, unfortunately. Since the series is a lot more popular, those cels go for quite a bit. One day...
Oh well. Off to upload the rest of the images. They'll be left blank until the 17th, which is a Friday. That's when I'll add info and titles to these images.
- It is now 11:01 PM and I have some more news! I was finally able to get all the Pokémon artwork for the site finished! I'll be uploading them tonight and tomorrow, I'll get started on drawing the artwork for the other parts of this site! Can't wait!
1:14 PM CDT
- Picture day is today! I have already started taking pictures and have four uploaded to the site! Still have quite a few more to take, but things are going smoothly so far. The hard part is taking the items off their display and when I'm done, putting back some of them will be harder than it should be, but hey, I got to get them photos taken someday! I hope to finish all today if nothing goes wrong so wish me luck! I'll be back for more updates soon!
- It is now 2:52 PM and I am very close to finishing. I got a good portion of the pictures taken and uploaded, but the rest that are on the list... they're so big that I'm going to have to expand the size of the backdrop. I mean, they're not Substitute giant big, but the backdrop I have is actually a lot smaller than I usually have it, and I didn't expect three items to give me so much trouble. I'll get to doing that today since there's still plenty of daylight left to take advantage!
For now, I'm going to upload the rest of what I have then break time!
- It is now 5:35 PM and all the pictures have been taken! There was one I omitted because, really, it's not too big a deal to include on this site. I'm talking about the Mr. Big figure that came with Kozlov the polar bear. That little guy was such a pain to take that I gave up after, what, the fifteenth time? It was a nightmare and not really worth it.
Another item that was complete pain to take was the large size Sven plush. What made it a pain were his antlers! The plush is not terribly big but his antlers make him so much taller than he should be, and thus, the backdrop had to be expanded to accomodate his large size. What I had was still not enough but the picture came out decent enough that I decided to keep it. The background is not exposed but a piece of his antler was hidden between a fold in the blanket. It really sucks that that happened, but what can you do? Space is limited, so I made it work as best as I could.
The best thing to happen in this site is that I was able to add settei and animation cels! Both can be found in the Cyborg Kuro-chan page! There is one more cel I have to take of this series but I have quite a few settei images that need to be framed! This, along with Pokémon! No cels from Pokémon, unfortunately. Since the series is a lot more popular, those cels go for quite a bit. One day...
Oh well. Off to upload the rest of the images. They'll be left blank until the 17th, which is a Friday. That's when I'll add info and titles to these images.
- It is now 11:01 PM and I have some more news! I was finally able to get all the Pokémon artwork for the site finished! I'll be uploading them tonight and tomorrow, I'll get started on drawing the artwork for the other parts of this site! Can't wait!
June 12, 2016
2:10 PM CDT
- The camera is back and yes, picture day is happening tomorrow for sure! No more delays! Unless something really bad were to happen, picture day will be happening! Please stop by tomorrow for more updates!
- On the drawing side of things, I took a break from drawing for the site. It was nice to break out into something else, but I really should be getting back to work. Only 4 and a half more Pokémon to go! The half being the Substitute plush, just in case you are wondering.
- Stupid eBay... I'm selling a lot on there for a friend who got locked out of her own eBay account. You can find it on Pkmncollectors to see what she's selling.
She wrote the description, but I made a huge mistake that isn't going to cost the lot but it's going to make me look like a huge fool. Well, in my mind. People were kind enough to not bring it up when asking questions. I also want to clarify that this wasn't my friend's fault. I was the the one who added this and I really should have read what I wrote out loud for me to catch that I made an embarrassing mistake.
"PLEASE BID BEFORE READING" Yeah, I really want you to bid before reading. Seriously. That's why I had it in all caps.
"Wait, ocelotlrama," you say, " if it was your fault, why are you calling eBay stupid, stupid?" Because eBay doesn't allow revisions without the old one still being there. Meaning I cannot even fix a mistake quietly without the damn thing showing my original mistake. I can understand that they do not want people to double cross on the fact that they could change something that's serious and bind bidders into that revised contract, which I'll admit is good that they do this because, hey, that's a douchebag move for anyone to do, but a simple fix to a mistake like this shouldn't be that big a deal.
To make things worse, the original is placed FIRST before the revision! Shouldn't the revision be placed before the original to show that I updated it?? I mean, I can understand compare and contrast, but the fact that the original is old hat should mean it shouldn't be first. It's really dumb, and it's one of the many reasons why I hate selling on eBay.
This is my friend's lot and I am doing her a favor, but damn, I hate eBay. >.> Selling on there, at least. Buying is awesome. Selling... not so much.
2:10 PM CDT
- The camera is back and yes, picture day is happening tomorrow for sure! No more delays! Unless something really bad were to happen, picture day will be happening! Please stop by tomorrow for more updates!
- On the drawing side of things, I took a break from drawing for the site. It was nice to break out into something else, but I really should be getting back to work. Only 4 and a half more Pokémon to go! The half being the Substitute plush, just in case you are wondering.
- Stupid eBay... I'm selling a lot on there for a friend who got locked out of her own eBay account. You can find it on Pkmncollectors to see what she's selling.
She wrote the description, but I made a huge mistake that isn't going to cost the lot but it's going to make me look like a huge fool. Well, in my mind. People were kind enough to not bring it up when asking questions. I also want to clarify that this wasn't my friend's fault. I was the the one who added this and I really should have read what I wrote out loud for me to catch that I made an embarrassing mistake.
"PLEASE BID BEFORE READING" Yeah, I really want you to bid before reading. Seriously. That's why I had it in all caps.
"Wait, ocelotlrama," you say, " if it was your fault, why are you calling eBay stupid, stupid?" Because eBay doesn't allow revisions without the old one still being there. Meaning I cannot even fix a mistake quietly without the damn thing showing my original mistake. I can understand that they do not want people to double cross on the fact that they could change something that's serious and bind bidders into that revised contract, which I'll admit is good that they do this because, hey, that's a douchebag move for anyone to do, but a simple fix to a mistake like this shouldn't be that big a deal.
To make things worse, the original is placed FIRST before the revision! Shouldn't the revision be placed before the original to show that I updated it?? I mean, I can understand compare and contrast, but the fact that the original is old hat should mean it shouldn't be first. It's really dumb, and it's one of the many reasons why I hate selling on eBay.
This is my friend's lot and I am doing her a favor, but damn, I hate eBay. >.> Selling on there, at least. Buying is awesome. Selling... not so much.
June 10, 2016
10:12 AM CDT
- Some bad news, folks. There was a problem with the camera and the problem will not be fixed until Saturday being the earliest. Sunday is hopefully the latest and with that, I am postponing picture taking for next Monday. Not the longest wait, but still, I was really hoping on getting those pictures taken as soon as I could. I'm sorry this is so last minute. I didn't check the camera until it was actually time to start taking pictures.
I really need to get my own camera. I'm going to invest in one this August or September. I want to get the same model for consistency, but should I get something even better, there could be a chance I'll be updating every single picture on this site. Now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea. I also want to change the color of the backdrop blanket from gray to white. The only problem with that is that'll be a hell ton worth of work. I'm talking a month at least!
That's a discussion for another day. For now, the gray backdrop stays and I'll be using my brother's camera once it's back from the shop. Fingers crossed there will be no more delays and Monday will be the day pictures will be taken!
- Drawing update- Got the Litleo-line drawn and colored! Now I just need the rest of the Gen VI bunch finished along with the Subsititute plush and I am done for good with drawing Pokémon (for this site only; I'll still be drawing Pokémon for fun, of course). After that, I'll get started on drawing characters from other games and cartoons I collect!
That's all for now, folks. Toodles til Monday!
10:12 AM CDT
- Some bad news, folks. There was a problem with the camera and the problem will not be fixed until Saturday being the earliest. Sunday is hopefully the latest and with that, I am postponing picture taking for next Monday. Not the longest wait, but still, I was really hoping on getting those pictures taken as soon as I could. I'm sorry this is so last minute. I didn't check the camera until it was actually time to start taking pictures.
I really need to get my own camera. I'm going to invest in one this August or September. I want to get the same model for consistency, but should I get something even better, there could be a chance I'll be updating every single picture on this site. Now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea. I also want to change the color of the backdrop blanket from gray to white. The only problem with that is that'll be a hell ton worth of work. I'm talking a month at least!
That's a discussion for another day. For now, the gray backdrop stays and I'll be using my brother's camera once it's back from the shop. Fingers crossed there will be no more delays and Monday will be the day pictures will be taken!
- Drawing update- Got the Litleo-line drawn and colored! Now I just need the rest of the Gen VI bunch finished along with the Subsititute plush and I am done for good with drawing Pokémon (for this site only; I'll still be drawing Pokémon for fun, of course). After that, I'll get started on drawing characters from other games and cartoons I collect!
That's all for now, folks. Toodles til Monday!
June 9, 2016
12:43 AM CDT
- Drawings update- I am completely done with generations I though V! Generation V took the longest because, hot damn, these Pokémon are much more detailed compared to their previous generation counterparts. Emboar was a pain to draw and especially color! I am glad to put that behind me. All's I need are the Pokémon of generation VI and I'll be uploading everything I have when that happens! After that, onto drawing other characters from other collections in this site. =D Thank goodness. I'm a little burnt out on drawing Pokémon characters and I just want to move on.
- Remember, tomorrow is picture day! The list of items this time isn't as long, but that doesn't mean mistakes may not happen. I hope to have everything taken tomorrow, along with all the photos edited and uploaded to this site. Be sure to stick around for that!
That's it in the update department! Toodles!
12:43 AM CDT
- Drawings update- I am completely done with generations I though V! Generation V took the longest because, hot damn, these Pokémon are much more detailed compared to their previous generation counterparts. Emboar was a pain to draw and especially color! I am glad to put that behind me. All's I need are the Pokémon of generation VI and I'll be uploading everything I have when that happens! After that, onto drawing other characters from other collections in this site. =D Thank goodness. I'm a little burnt out on drawing Pokémon characters and I just want to move on.
- Remember, tomorrow is picture day! The list of items this time isn't as long, but that doesn't mean mistakes may not happen. I hope to have everything taken tomorrow, along with all the photos edited and uploaded to this site. Be sure to stick around for that!
That's it in the update department! Toodles!
June 1, 2016
5:02 PM CDT
- Wow, it's now June. We're already halfway through 2016. Time has been flying, huh? Where has it all gone?
There were quite a few toys released that I will not be able to get my hands on until August. What a shame. The Five Nights at Freddy's funko minis have been released and I cannot purchase them. Well, I can, but I hate blind boxes and I don't want to spend my money on blind packages at the moment. I'd rather purchase them individually come August.
With that said, I really want to save my money for Sun and Moon toys! If Litten and Popplio get awesome evolutions, I want to collect them, and even then, there could be more Pokémon that'll get the collection treatment once the games come out. I can't wait!
- While nothing in the gets department (though I did get my otter Tsum Tsum yesterday courtesy of syminka!), I have been hard at work creating new art for the collection pages and I got all the Pokémon from generations I, II, and IV completed, even those from my side collections! I still need generations III, V, and VI. I hope to get every single piece of art finished by the end of the month. If nothing out of the ordinary happens, that can be accomplished!
- A friendly reminder that picture day is June 10th! Most of the items in Lioness's to-do list will be uploaded onto the site with pictures uploaded first, with titles and descriptions coming later in the week. I will upload the few cels and settei sheets I got framed, but not all could be framed at this time so those will be saved for next picture day.
5:02 PM CDT
- Wow, it's now June. We're already halfway through 2016. Time has been flying, huh? Where has it all gone?
There were quite a few toys released that I will not be able to get my hands on until August. What a shame. The Five Nights at Freddy's funko minis have been released and I cannot purchase them. Well, I can, but I hate blind boxes and I don't want to spend my money on blind packages at the moment. I'd rather purchase them individually come August.
With that said, I really want to save my money for Sun and Moon toys! If Litten and Popplio get awesome evolutions, I want to collect them, and even then, there could be more Pokémon that'll get the collection treatment once the games come out. I can't wait!
- While nothing in the gets department (though I did get my otter Tsum Tsum yesterday courtesy of syminka!), I have been hard at work creating new art for the collection pages and I got all the Pokémon from generations I, II, and IV completed, even those from my side collections! I still need generations III, V, and VI. I hope to get every single piece of art finished by the end of the month. If nothing out of the ordinary happens, that can be accomplished!
- A friendly reminder that picture day is June 10th! Most of the items in Lioness's to-do list will be uploaded onto the site with pictures uploaded first, with titles and descriptions coming later in the week. I will upload the few cels and settei sheets I got framed, but not all could be framed at this time so those will be saved for next picture day.
May 27, 2016
10:30 AM CDT
- Good morning, lovelies. It's been a while since my last update, so here's another!
An actual get in the mix! Syminka went over to her local Disney Store and picked me up a Finding Dory baby otter Tsum Tsum! Not only that, she also got me a blind bag otter figure! Like The Lion Guard figures, they're not super blind. You can just feel the package and know which figure you are getting. That's why high-end blind vinyl figures use a box, so you cannot "feel" what you are going to get.
Speaking of which, I need the otter Funko Mystery Mini in my life! More otters! God, I can't wait for this movie!
- Garage kit updates (or lack of)- I hit a roadblock in regards to painting. I haven't been able to start because of the masking process. The best kind of knife to use in this step is an X-acto knife. I misplaced my X-acto knife set somewhere in my house. I know I was using the damn things to cut foam blocks for an assignment and I placed them somewhere that may have been moved again by a family member. Seriously?! They're always around when I don't need them. Now that I actually do, I can't find them. Never fails.
Once I do find them, I'll get started.
- Site updates! I am drawing all the images to the collection pages and while it's a slow process, everything is going pretty well. It's actually a lot of fun! I love drawing all the characters I adore in fun poses. It's taking time since I enjoy quality over quantity, but you can bet I'll start posting them once I have them all ready.
- Okay, onto some non-collection, non-site related babbling, though it does involve one of the games I collect merch from. I'm going to warn you that this is going to be opinionated, so if you are just here for the updates, I'm done for today. See you around when I upload the pictures to the collection pages!
I'm pretty sure a lot of people by now have heard about (and seen) the new Mega Man cartoon's design. The reaction was... less than welcoming.
You know what? I am not at all surprised, by both the design and the reaction. First of all, I knew this was going to be different. I think the previous interviews with Man of Action should have kind of clued people in that this was going to be something different. Also, because it was done by a western company, it was kind of a given that they were going to take creative liberties with the property.
Second of all, the demographics range. It is actually really hilarious seeing grown adults act so indignant towards a cartoon that really wasn't made with them in mind. It's made for kids. Kids aged 6 to 11. These people act as if it wasn't what they grew up with, then nobody should have it. It should be cancelled because it wasn't what "I knew as a kid! Kids today? Screw them!"
In all fairness, I am not a fan of the design or the premise myself. However, I know that it's made with kids in mind. Knowing kids today, they'll probably love it, and really, that's probably what matters to Man of Action, and the studio that's going to produce it, most.
I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm going to say it again. I love the Mega Man series! I love it more than Mario and I grew up with these games during the span of my elementary years. They were, and still are, my go-to games when I had a bad day. I collect the toys and I intend on collecting the physical copies of the Japanese games in the future. However, while the games are popular with me and a few hundred other people, they're really not huge money makers. We as fans like to think they make lots of money, but the reality is, they probably sell better as toys than they do as games.
After all that, I'm fine with not having any more Mega Man games. There's plenty to collect and there's newer games from brand new IPs to play. I know people, especially people who grew up in the 80s and 90s, want what they are familiar with, but the truth is, maybe it's best if the franchise moved on. Mega Man fans are notorious for this mentality of wanting something different but wanting pretty much the same thing at the same time, and I guess that is why I always find myself being sarcastic when it comes to this property. I'm not kidding when I say they're fickle, at best. Mega Man 8 is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. It was the same and different at the same time, but people at the time hated it. Now they love it, of course, because it's cool to love it now.
What people want is more of the same thing with "deep" storytelling, but what is there to do with this series where you have eleven games that offer nothing but the exact same thing, over and over? Riveting. They're fun to play, but let's be honest, there is nothing innovative about them. The two games that managed to do something different (7 and 8) were reviled at the time of their release but now they're suddenly great? It kind of reminds me of the X games where they were cool at the time of their release but now they're "too gritty" and suddenly they suck, something I read more often than not. Like I said, FICKLE. Don't get me started on the devout "loyalty" with Comcept and Mighty No. 9 while claiming Capcom is the devil of games. Of course I'm the pot calling the kettle black since I did, at one point, bitch about the cartoon. I guess my opinion changes when the majority starts complaining. That, or when I read about the demographics, I guess you can say my attitude softened a bit about it. Maybe both. If there's one thing I learned about Xover and Mighty No. 9, never jump on bandwagons.
Now I can see why MoA is going for a new demographic. All I can say is I hope they stick to their guns and give something for the demographic they're aiming for. I acknowledge it isn't for me but I'll still watch it if it's compelling. I'll save my judgment for when the show actually airs.
10:30 AM CDT
- Good morning, lovelies. It's been a while since my last update, so here's another!
An actual get in the mix! Syminka went over to her local Disney Store and picked me up a Finding Dory baby otter Tsum Tsum! Not only that, she also got me a blind bag otter figure! Like The Lion Guard figures, they're not super blind. You can just feel the package and know which figure you are getting. That's why high-end blind vinyl figures use a box, so you cannot "feel" what you are going to get.
Speaking of which, I need the otter Funko Mystery Mini in my life! More otters! God, I can't wait for this movie!
- Garage kit updates (or lack of)- I hit a roadblock in regards to painting. I haven't been able to start because of the masking process. The best kind of knife to use in this step is an X-acto knife. I misplaced my X-acto knife set somewhere in my house. I know I was using the damn things to cut foam blocks for an assignment and I placed them somewhere that may have been moved again by a family member. Seriously?! They're always around when I don't need them. Now that I actually do, I can't find them. Never fails.
Once I do find them, I'll get started.
- Site updates! I am drawing all the images to the collection pages and while it's a slow process, everything is going pretty well. It's actually a lot of fun! I love drawing all the characters I adore in fun poses. It's taking time since I enjoy quality over quantity, but you can bet I'll start posting them once I have them all ready.
- Okay, onto some non-collection, non-site related babbling, though it does involve one of the games I collect merch from. I'm going to warn you that this is going to be opinionated, so if you are just here for the updates, I'm done for today. See you around when I upload the pictures to the collection pages!
I'm pretty sure a lot of people by now have heard about (and seen) the new Mega Man cartoon's design. The reaction was... less than welcoming.
You know what? I am not at all surprised, by both the design and the reaction. First of all, I knew this was going to be different. I think the previous interviews with Man of Action should have kind of clued people in that this was going to be something different. Also, because it was done by a western company, it was kind of a given that they were going to take creative liberties with the property.
Second of all, the demographics range. It is actually really hilarious seeing grown adults act so indignant towards a cartoon that really wasn't made with them in mind. It's made for kids. Kids aged 6 to 11. These people act as if it wasn't what they grew up with, then nobody should have it. It should be cancelled because it wasn't what "I knew as a kid! Kids today? Screw them!"
In all fairness, I am not a fan of the design or the premise myself. However, I know that it's made with kids in mind. Knowing kids today, they'll probably love it, and really, that's probably what matters to Man of Action, and the studio that's going to produce it, most.
I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm going to say it again. I love the Mega Man series! I love it more than Mario and I grew up with these games during the span of my elementary years. They were, and still are, my go-to games when I had a bad day. I collect the toys and I intend on collecting the physical copies of the Japanese games in the future. However, while the games are popular with me and a few hundred other people, they're really not huge money makers. We as fans like to think they make lots of money, but the reality is, they probably sell better as toys than they do as games.
After all that, I'm fine with not having any more Mega Man games. There's plenty to collect and there's newer games from brand new IPs to play. I know people, especially people who grew up in the 80s and 90s, want what they are familiar with, but the truth is, maybe it's best if the franchise moved on. Mega Man fans are notorious for this mentality of wanting something different but wanting pretty much the same thing at the same time, and I guess that is why I always find myself being sarcastic when it comes to this property. I'm not kidding when I say they're fickle, at best. Mega Man 8 is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. It was the same and different at the same time, but people at the time hated it. Now they love it, of course, because it's cool to love it now.
What people want is more of the same thing with "deep" storytelling, but what is there to do with this series where you have eleven games that offer nothing but the exact same thing, over and over? Riveting. They're fun to play, but let's be honest, there is nothing innovative about them. The two games that managed to do something different (7 and 8) were reviled at the time of their release but now they're suddenly great? It kind of reminds me of the X games where they were cool at the time of their release but now they're "too gritty" and suddenly they suck, something I read more often than not. Like I said, FICKLE. Don't get me started on the devout "loyalty" with Comcept and Mighty No. 9 while claiming Capcom is the devil of games. Of course I'm the pot calling the kettle black since I did, at one point, bitch about the cartoon. I guess my opinion changes when the majority starts complaining. That, or when I read about the demographics, I guess you can say my attitude softened a bit about it. Maybe both. If there's one thing I learned about Xover and Mighty No. 9, never jump on bandwagons.
Now I can see why MoA is going for a new demographic. All I can say is I hope they stick to their guns and give something for the demographic they're aiming for. I acknowledge it isn't for me but I'll still watch it if it's compelling. I'll save my judgment for when the show actually airs.
May 19, 2016
3:12 PM CDT
- Today I got a refund for both the Growlithe and Lapras PC plushes. I actually hate doing that to sellers, but there were two things that made me go this route:
1.) These items were expensive! If I only purchased one and I was in good standing with the seller, I would have probably forgiven it and just brushed it off as a lost case. No, I paid nearly $60 for these two plush combined, and while I would have rather had the plushes, that brings me to point #2.
2.) The fact that this was my first time dealing with this seller, it frustrates me when I never get my packages in a reasonable time period and they do have a reputation for not getting sellers their items. They marked my item as shipped ten days AFTER I sent payment! I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable. I can understand three, maybe even four days, but ten is way too long of a wait! That was my first tip off that this person either doesn't care or doesn't know what they are doing.
I guess you can say it was the postal system's fault and they lost it somewhere in space, but here's the thing: why is that not an isolated incident? A handful of other people didn't get their items, judging from the feedback. That doesn't just happen ALL THE TIME. Either they live close to a very garbage post office or the seller themself is doing something wrong. Either way, with that and the combination of the above two points, yes, I wanted a refund. The whole thing seemed sketchy.
In all fairness, they did give me a refund without any complaints and the situation was not nearly as painful as the whole Ty Sven incident in 2014, but I should really know better than to buy from someone who has feedback that isn't all positive. The thing is, their feedback was not bad. They had a feedback score of 99.9%, which is still good enough for me. Of the hundreds of items they sent out, only eight people had problems. I guess they can bump that number up to nine.
There is only one seller that I know of that has 100% score, and I think I'll just stick with him from now on to get my Japanese goodies. I hate taking chances if my packages are going to make it to my house or not.
Moral of the story: always take heed of the feedback. You'll avoid a mess like this.
- I wish that could have been a more positive update, so I'll make it up with this.
I got two drawings for the collection pages done. I wish I can upload them now, but it'll have to wait until I'm finished with all of them.
- Also, I am near the painting process of the garage kits. I just got started on masking, but I lost my X-acto knife set somehwere. Once I find them, I am going to get started on that, then it's off to.... *gulp* painting.
3:12 PM CDT
- Today I got a refund for both the Growlithe and Lapras PC plushes. I actually hate doing that to sellers, but there were two things that made me go this route:
1.) These items were expensive! If I only purchased one and I was in good standing with the seller, I would have probably forgiven it and just brushed it off as a lost case. No, I paid nearly $60 for these two plush combined, and while I would have rather had the plushes, that brings me to point #2.
2.) The fact that this was my first time dealing with this seller, it frustrates me when I never get my packages in a reasonable time period and they do have a reputation for not getting sellers their items. They marked my item as shipped ten days AFTER I sent payment! I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable. I can understand three, maybe even four days, but ten is way too long of a wait! That was my first tip off that this person either doesn't care or doesn't know what they are doing.
I guess you can say it was the postal system's fault and they lost it somewhere in space, but here's the thing: why is that not an isolated incident? A handful of other people didn't get their items, judging from the feedback. That doesn't just happen ALL THE TIME. Either they live close to a very garbage post office or the seller themself is doing something wrong. Either way, with that and the combination of the above two points, yes, I wanted a refund. The whole thing seemed sketchy.
In all fairness, they did give me a refund without any complaints and the situation was not nearly as painful as the whole Ty Sven incident in 2014, but I should really know better than to buy from someone who has feedback that isn't all positive. The thing is, their feedback was not bad. They had a feedback score of 99.9%, which is still good enough for me. Of the hundreds of items they sent out, only eight people had problems. I guess they can bump that number up to nine.
There is only one seller that I know of that has 100% score, and I think I'll just stick with him from now on to get my Japanese goodies. I hate taking chances if my packages are going to make it to my house or not.
Moral of the story: always take heed of the feedback. You'll avoid a mess like this.
- I wish that could have been a more positive update, so I'll make it up with this.
I got two drawings for the collection pages done. I wish I can upload them now, but it'll have to wait until I'm finished with all of them.
- Also, I am near the painting process of the garage kits. I just got started on masking, but I lost my X-acto knife set somehwere. Once I find them, I am going to get started on that, then it's off to.... *gulp* painting.
May 15, 2016
6:23 PM CDT
- I want to wish my wonderful friend and fellow collector, syminka, a happy birthday! I drew an image for her that I would love to share!
6:23 PM CDT
- I want to wish my wonderful friend and fellow collector, syminka, a happy birthday! I drew an image for her that I would love to share!
She loves Dodger from Oliver and Company! I can see why! He's such a loveable pup! Oliver is a cutie, too! I love this movie and drawing this really made me want to see it again.
Without syminka's help, a good chunk of the items in my collection would not be here. I rely on her for Disney Store pick-ups and pick-ups on other items that are not sold locally (because where I live, they hate collectors, apparently). Along with the drawings, I got her a couple of items, but those I am not revealing because I want them to be a surprise.
Happy birthday, syminka! <3 I hope this year is going to be a good one for you!
- Lots to do this week and I don't know where to start! Should I get started on the garage kits? Make the new art for the collection pages? Remake some of the banners? Goodness gracious... where to begin?
Right now I am really leaning towards finishing the garage kits, but at the same time I am really scared of starting the painting process. The pieces are primered and ready to be airbrushed. I'm just afraid of mucking up something really badly. I'm going to have to collect my thoughts before I begin.
Okay, I'm going in. Expect the garage kit page to be updated sometime this week.
That's all for today, but yes, expect more to come! Toodles!
Without syminka's help, a good chunk of the items in my collection would not be here. I rely on her for Disney Store pick-ups and pick-ups on other items that are not sold locally (because where I live, they hate collectors, apparently). Along with the drawings, I got her a couple of items, but those I am not revealing because I want them to be a surprise.
Happy birthday, syminka! <3 I hope this year is going to be a good one for you!
- Lots to do this week and I don't know where to start! Should I get started on the garage kits? Make the new art for the collection pages? Remake some of the banners? Goodness gracious... where to begin?
Right now I am really leaning towards finishing the garage kits, but at the same time I am really scared of starting the painting process. The pieces are primered and ready to be airbrushed. I'm just afraid of mucking up something really badly. I'm going to have to collect my thoughts before I begin.
Okay, I'm going in. Expect the garage kit page to be updated sometime this week.
That's all for today, but yes, expect more to come! Toodles!
May 14, 2016
12:32 AM CDT
- A whole ten days without any updates. I'm here to change that.
The semester is finally over so that means I can dedicate more of my time to maintaining this site. Before I get to my plans, let me just say I LOVE the starter Pokémon in Sun and Moon! A Fire-type cat?? Yes! A little circus-acting Water-type seal??? Even more yes! A Grass-type owl???? All the yes!
I am looking to Litten as being my starter, but as adorable as he is, there are still the final forms to look forward to. That is what is going to make or break this deal for me. In Generation VI, I know a lot of people went completely ape for Fennekin, but the evolutions for the little fox turned a lot of people off to it while jumping ship to Froakie. Personally, the overhyping of Fennekin turned me off to it, but that's just me. Over time I warmed up to the little guy.
Oh, and regardless of version exclusives, I'm choosing Sun. A lion legendary?? Will this be the first legendary that I'll be collecting? We'll see!
- Okay, onto the updates. First, regarding collection gets. Nothing new since the fourth, but there is a possibility that two items I was anticipating in getting will not be received: the Growlithe and Lapras Pokémon Center plushes. It's a shame since I really wanted those two, but the seller shipped them out almost ten days after I sent payment (which was April the 11th). It's been a month, and I am willing to wait until Monday to see whether it arrives or not. If not, I am looking to get a refund.
I should have known better. Their feedback isn't exactly perfect but they're good at communication. I would rather get these plushes in the mail, but it's looking less likely that I'll be getting them. Also, if I get a refund, I will not be purchasing them again until August. Them's the breaks.
- I cancelled my pre-orders that I had on BBTS, but only because the figures I pre-ordered are already available on eBay for a lot less. I don't plan on purchasing them right away, but this gives me more money to use over the summer time.
At least they aren't Amiami. If I don't have to commit to buy, then I'm taking advantage of the moment!
- Okay, with no pre-orders, is there anything else to come during the summer? The answer is yes!
Remember, I am commissioning someone for a custom plush! I can't mention yet since I haven't paid and it isn't set in stone, but once payment leaves my hands, I'll be happy to give a name drop! I won't be mentioning what I commissioned since I want that to be a surprise.
Also, let's not forget those garage kits! I hope to finish those before the summer ends!
- Sorry there isn't exciting news in terms of gets. Like I said, this is going to be a summer where I use my money for things that do not involve collecting. I will not be neglecting this site, so let me mention this: how about a new photo date? New items that are in Lioness's to-do list will be added to the site, say, June 10th.
June 10th it is! It'll be added to the front page.
- I am going to get rid of the sprites on this site and replace them with drawings. The sprites look a little out of place and I want to clean things up a bit more. Every single collection page in this site will be getting a unique drawing, so this will be a fun bit of maintenance!
Some of the banners will also be getting redone.
See, not all is going to be quiet around here! Stick around for more people! See you soon!
12:32 AM CDT
- A whole ten days without any updates. I'm here to change that.
The semester is finally over so that means I can dedicate more of my time to maintaining this site. Before I get to my plans, let me just say I LOVE the starter Pokémon in Sun and Moon! A Fire-type cat?? Yes! A little circus-acting Water-type seal??? Even more yes! A Grass-type owl???? All the yes!
I am looking to Litten as being my starter, but as adorable as he is, there are still the final forms to look forward to. That is what is going to make or break this deal for me. In Generation VI, I know a lot of people went completely ape for Fennekin, but the evolutions for the little fox turned a lot of people off to it while jumping ship to Froakie. Personally, the overhyping of Fennekin turned me off to it, but that's just me. Over time I warmed up to the little guy.
Oh, and regardless of version exclusives, I'm choosing Sun. A lion legendary?? Will this be the first legendary that I'll be collecting? We'll see!
- Okay, onto the updates. First, regarding collection gets. Nothing new since the fourth, but there is a possibility that two items I was anticipating in getting will not be received: the Growlithe and Lapras Pokémon Center plushes. It's a shame since I really wanted those two, but the seller shipped them out almost ten days after I sent payment (which was April the 11th). It's been a month, and I am willing to wait until Monday to see whether it arrives or not. If not, I am looking to get a refund.
I should have known better. Their feedback isn't exactly perfect but they're good at communication. I would rather get these plushes in the mail, but it's looking less likely that I'll be getting them. Also, if I get a refund, I will not be purchasing them again until August. Them's the breaks.
- I cancelled my pre-orders that I had on BBTS, but only because the figures I pre-ordered are already available on eBay for a lot less. I don't plan on purchasing them right away, but this gives me more money to use over the summer time.
At least they aren't Amiami. If I don't have to commit to buy, then I'm taking advantage of the moment!
- Okay, with no pre-orders, is there anything else to come during the summer? The answer is yes!
Remember, I am commissioning someone for a custom plush! I can't mention yet since I haven't paid and it isn't set in stone, but once payment leaves my hands, I'll be happy to give a name drop! I won't be mentioning what I commissioned since I want that to be a surprise.
Also, let's not forget those garage kits! I hope to finish those before the summer ends!
- Sorry there isn't exciting news in terms of gets. Like I said, this is going to be a summer where I use my money for things that do not involve collecting. I will not be neglecting this site, so let me mention this: how about a new photo date? New items that are in Lioness's to-do list will be added to the site, say, June 10th.
June 10th it is! It'll be added to the front page.
- I am going to get rid of the sprites on this site and replace them with drawings. The sprites look a little out of place and I want to clean things up a bit more. Every single collection page in this site will be getting a unique drawing, so this will be a fun bit of maintenance!
Some of the banners will also be getting redone.
See, not all is going to be quiet around here! Stick around for more people! See you soon!
May 4, 2016
3:53 PM CDT
- Wow, it's been a while since I last updated. I apologize for that. The semester is finally winding down to a close and I've been busy with final projects that eat up a lot of my time. I'll be officially done next Tuesday; so close yet so far!
Okay, okay! Now for some of those updates!
Syminka has sent me a box full of goodies! Inside were a Kion plush from JCPenny's, all the Jungle Book Tsum Tsums with the exception of Kaa (she was sold out). Wait, she? Or he? These Tsum Tsums were released to coincide with the 2016 movie but look more like their animated counterparts. Okay, this is confusing. When in doubt, I use the pronouns "they or them". I don't judge.
Err.. okay, back on topic. Another plush that was received was an adorable otter from the upcoming Finding Dory movie! I know sequels tend to get a lot of flak, especially from Pixar, but this is one movie I am dying to see! I mean, a movie with otters? Yes, please!
Last, but not least, in the list of gets are some Lion King cards! I love me some cards of my favorite characters!
Those are my current gets since my last update!
- Now for some upcoming items that are being released at the worst possible time but god... bless it! The Pokémon Center has a new promotion coming up later in the month of May that Substitute plush themed. I would have loved this promotion coming out later in the year, but the time when I use my money for other things that don't involve collecting? Dammit!
I'd love the items in this promo. I'm just hoping their prices don't go through the roof in the coming months. If it can wait until September, I'll be going crazy then. For now, I'm sticking to my guns in terms of not buying anything online for the entire summer, by the way. I'm not going forgo my social life just because I happen to collect these items.
The only items that will be purchased are those that were pre-ordered way back when, and I've already had the money for those a while back. I'm not even preordering the X-Plus Zero-series Zero figure because that's coming out around July and pre-orders just recently went live.
Just a year and a half til I finish school, then I can start my career and not be so tight like I am now...
- Just because no online purchases are going to be made doesn't mean this site is going to be gathering dust. I do plan on finishing those garage kits over the summer. I had to put them off thanks to school, but with that coming to a close, I can go back and finish what I started. Also, I am going to make sprites for all of the sections in this site so I will no longer be sponging off the work of other sites (with the exception of wants lists, of course). New banner art is going to be made for certain sections around the site and I'm going to rework some sprites along the way.
Lots to look forward to! Stay tuned!
3:53 PM CDT
- Wow, it's been a while since I last updated. I apologize for that. The semester is finally winding down to a close and I've been busy with final projects that eat up a lot of my time. I'll be officially done next Tuesday; so close yet so far!
Okay, okay! Now for some of those updates!
Syminka has sent me a box full of goodies! Inside were a Kion plush from JCPenny's, all the Jungle Book Tsum Tsums with the exception of Kaa (she was sold out). Wait, she? Or he? These Tsum Tsums were released to coincide with the 2016 movie but look more like their animated counterparts. Okay, this is confusing. When in doubt, I use the pronouns "they or them". I don't judge.
Err.. okay, back on topic. Another plush that was received was an adorable otter from the upcoming Finding Dory movie! I know sequels tend to get a lot of flak, especially from Pixar, but this is one movie I am dying to see! I mean, a movie with otters? Yes, please!
Last, but not least, in the list of gets are some Lion King cards! I love me some cards of my favorite characters!
Those are my current gets since my last update!
- Now for some upcoming items that are being released at the worst possible time but god... bless it! The Pokémon Center has a new promotion coming up later in the month of May that Substitute plush themed. I would have loved this promotion coming out later in the year, but the time when I use my money for other things that don't involve collecting? Dammit!
I'd love the items in this promo. I'm just hoping their prices don't go through the roof in the coming months. If it can wait until September, I'll be going crazy then. For now, I'm sticking to my guns in terms of not buying anything online for the entire summer, by the way. I'm not going forgo my social life just because I happen to collect these items.
The only items that will be purchased are those that were pre-ordered way back when, and I've already had the money for those a while back. I'm not even preordering the X-Plus Zero-series Zero figure because that's coming out around July and pre-orders just recently went live.
Just a year and a half til I finish school, then I can start my career and not be so tight like I am now...
- Just because no online purchases are going to be made doesn't mean this site is going to be gathering dust. I do plan on finishing those garage kits over the summer. I had to put them off thanks to school, but with that coming to a close, I can go back and finish what I started. Also, I am going to make sprites for all of the sections in this site so I will no longer be sponging off the work of other sites (with the exception of wants lists, of course). New banner art is going to be made for certain sections around the site and I'm going to rework some sprites along the way.
Lots to look forward to! Stay tuned!
April 19, 2016
8:45 PM CDT
- Some updates. Clair2522 has given me the most adorable Stitch plush I have ever seen! He'll be added to the site to be shown off to the world on how cute he is. First he has to be mentioned in Lioness's to-do list.
- Another get on SMJ- an actual new Electabuzz item to add to the collection! He had a Tretta puck released and I was dying to get my paws on it! Release more of my numero uno favorite, Game Freak and TPC! Gah, I was really hoping with them focusing on Gen I, they'd have more of this amazing beast. At the same time, I really shouldn't be too surprised. Would have been nice... Well, the 20th anniversary isn't over YET. I'd like to cling to that bit of hope that there will be something in the future.
Another addition to Lioness's to-do list.
- Five Nights at Freddy's plushes have made to numerous retail places in my area. God, I want a Foxy and Bonnie plush so bad! Unfortunately, I am going to have to put them off until May. Despite that, I am maxed up excited for the Funko Mystery Minis! Those figures look so cute and I'm tempted to buy the whole crate just so I can get the whole set! If I am going to buy a crate, looks like that'll have to wait until August. So many good things coming out this summer that I have to wait for. At least it won't be forever.
More to come, folks.
8:45 PM CDT
- Some updates. Clair2522 has given me the most adorable Stitch plush I have ever seen! He'll be added to the site to be shown off to the world on how cute he is. First he has to be mentioned in Lioness's to-do list.
- Another get on SMJ- an actual new Electabuzz item to add to the collection! He had a Tretta puck released and I was dying to get my paws on it! Release more of my numero uno favorite, Game Freak and TPC! Gah, I was really hoping with them focusing on Gen I, they'd have more of this amazing beast. At the same time, I really shouldn't be too surprised. Would have been nice... Well, the 20th anniversary isn't over YET. I'd like to cling to that bit of hope that there will be something in the future.
Another addition to Lioness's to-do list.
- Five Nights at Freddy's plushes have made to numerous retail places in my area. God, I want a Foxy and Bonnie plush so bad! Unfortunately, I am going to have to put them off until May. Despite that, I am maxed up excited for the Funko Mystery Minis! Those figures look so cute and I'm tempted to buy the whole crate just so I can get the whole set! If I am going to buy a crate, looks like that'll have to wait until August. So many good things coming out this summer that I have to wait for. At least it won't be forever.
More to come, folks.
April 11, 2016
2:47 PM CDT
- The male Pyroar Kid has arrived! I'm kind of disappointed that they shipped him without the box and card that these figures typically come with, but eh, I guess in the long run the figure is what matters the most.
- I was browsing the FurAffinity forums when I came across a custom plush artist who makes incredible creations for a decent price. I have the funds, so now is the perfect time to commission them for something I've been wanting for the longest time.
I am not going to mention who they are or what I plan to commission yet. For one thing, I'm on a waiting list that has me in either the May or June slots. While not a huge wait time, the second thing I want to mention is I have not paid for it yet. They do not request payment until they actually get to it. For that I am super grateful since I hate it when I am put on a wait list and artists expect payment right away. I can understand not wanting people to back out, but if you take forever and a customer is going to want a refund anyways, I just don't see the point. There are other ways to get people to commit without having them to pay right away. Believe me.
Once payment is sent, I'll be happy to give them a shout out and mentioned what I commissioned. 8D
- It is now 5:53 PM and I made two more purchases on eBay. New items obtainted- the Growlithe and Lapras Pokémon Center plush! The Pokémon Center has released quite a few generation I mons as part of their PC original plushes. I was eager to snatch those two since I see them skyrocketing in price sometime in the future. What's neat is that they also released a Vulpix plush, which is always nice to see more plushes of canid Pokémon.
Now for other Pokémon who barely have anything, like feline Pokémon (namely Persian)... just saying.
- On the subject of buying, I will be staying away from eBay and Yahoo! Japan for the summer starting in late May. I want to focus my funds on other things and to do that, I gotta put my collection off to the side for a bit. This site will not be neglected. I'll be making a few changes in the coming months and I am also not including offline purchases in this compromise, but since I rarely buy offline anyways on account of me living in a place that hates collectors like me, that's not going to be too much of a drain.
2:47 PM CDT
- The male Pyroar Kid has arrived! I'm kind of disappointed that they shipped him without the box and card that these figures typically come with, but eh, I guess in the long run the figure is what matters the most.
- I was browsing the FurAffinity forums when I came across a custom plush artist who makes incredible creations for a decent price. I have the funds, so now is the perfect time to commission them for something I've been wanting for the longest time.
I am not going to mention who they are or what I plan to commission yet. For one thing, I'm on a waiting list that has me in either the May or June slots. While not a huge wait time, the second thing I want to mention is I have not paid for it yet. They do not request payment until they actually get to it. For that I am super grateful since I hate it when I am put on a wait list and artists expect payment right away. I can understand not wanting people to back out, but if you take forever and a customer is going to want a refund anyways, I just don't see the point. There are other ways to get people to commit without having them to pay right away. Believe me.
Once payment is sent, I'll be happy to give them a shout out and mentioned what I commissioned. 8D
- It is now 5:53 PM and I made two more purchases on eBay. New items obtainted- the Growlithe and Lapras Pokémon Center plush! The Pokémon Center has released quite a few generation I mons as part of their PC original plushes. I was eager to snatch those two since I see them skyrocketing in price sometime in the future. What's neat is that they also released a Vulpix plush, which is always nice to see more plushes of canid Pokémon.
Now for other Pokémon who barely have anything, like feline Pokémon (namely Persian)... just saying.
- On the subject of buying, I will be staying away from eBay and Yahoo! Japan for the summer starting in late May. I want to focus my funds on other things and to do that, I gotta put my collection off to the side for a bit. This site will not be neglected. I'll be making a few changes in the coming months and I am also not including offline purchases in this compromise, but since I rarely buy offline anyways on account of me living in a place that hates collectors like me, that's not going to be too much of a drain.
April 8, 2016
5:02 PM CDT
- Syminka's box of goodies arrived today! What was in this magnificant box? Lots of stuff, including said Funko figure from Zootopia in the last update, a Lion Guard blanket and pin (!!), Penguins of Madagascar toys, a black kitty figure, and an assortment of Charizard items, including a card sleeve from the Mega Charizard Y promotion! Phew! That's quite a haul, and I am hoping I am not missing anything here!
The pin is what I was most surprised to see as she didn't mention it was going to be included, so that was a nice surprise! Lots of stuff to show off in June! Should I make a Dreamworks section of this site? I mean, not only do I have the Penguins figures, but I also got some Kung Fu Panda Funko figures to show off! I already have the HTTYD site up, but I really do not want to combine the two. As a matter of fact, as the collections grow, I am contemplating on creating a Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and Frozen section of the site. I guess Dreamworks can have its own section as I like a lot of their movies and would love to own more of what they have available, much like Disney. More stuff to think about!
- More item gets! New items purchased: I bought the only other Kozlov figure I can find, which is an action figure that includes a Godfather-looking shrew named Mr. Big. Can't wait to get them! With all the figures they released of this brute, you would think they would make a plush... care to make my dreams come true, Disney? =D
The other item I purchased is a doozy! It's the 2006 Pokémon Center Charizard Poké Ball pillow! With its original hang tag! I am on cloud 9 here! That's been a major want for years and to finally be able to say it's going to be mine... you don't know how happy that makes me!
All to be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- I've been thinking of ways to add to the site. Maybe giving some advise on how to keep a collection.
"But ocelotlrama," you say, "you've already tried that and you ended up deleting all the pages you made."
That is true, yes. However, the problem with that is that I wasn't able to organize this site as well at the time. I also went off-topic numerous times to the point where they came off as journal entries instead of helpful advice.
This time I want to make advice pages without going off-topic. I want to be able to help others who would love to have a collection. How to keep a collection, what kinds of shelves to get, what cleaning products to use... all of that.
Of course it won't be happening over night. It's an idea I had that I wanted to share. I have a lot of ideas for this site that I would love to impliment. If only I had the time right now to do it!
Well, that's something for later. Toodles.
5:02 PM CDT
- Syminka's box of goodies arrived today! What was in this magnificant box? Lots of stuff, including said Funko figure from Zootopia in the last update, a Lion Guard blanket and pin (!!), Penguins of Madagascar toys, a black kitty figure, and an assortment of Charizard items, including a card sleeve from the Mega Charizard Y promotion! Phew! That's quite a haul, and I am hoping I am not missing anything here!
The pin is what I was most surprised to see as she didn't mention it was going to be included, so that was a nice surprise! Lots of stuff to show off in June! Should I make a Dreamworks section of this site? I mean, not only do I have the Penguins figures, but I also got some Kung Fu Panda Funko figures to show off! I already have the HTTYD site up, but I really do not want to combine the two. As a matter of fact, as the collections grow, I am contemplating on creating a Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and Frozen section of the site. I guess Dreamworks can have its own section as I like a lot of their movies and would love to own more of what they have available, much like Disney. More stuff to think about!
- More item gets! New items purchased: I bought the only other Kozlov figure I can find, which is an action figure that includes a Godfather-looking shrew named Mr. Big. Can't wait to get them! With all the figures they released of this brute, you would think they would make a plush... care to make my dreams come true, Disney? =D
The other item I purchased is a doozy! It's the 2006 Pokémon Center Charizard Poké Ball pillow! With its original hang tag! I am on cloud 9 here! That's been a major want for years and to finally be able to say it's going to be mine... you don't know how happy that makes me!
All to be added to Lioness's to-do list!
- I've been thinking of ways to add to the site. Maybe giving some advise on how to keep a collection.
"But ocelotlrama," you say, "you've already tried that and you ended up deleting all the pages you made."
That is true, yes. However, the problem with that is that I wasn't able to organize this site as well at the time. I also went off-topic numerous times to the point where they came off as journal entries instead of helpful advice.
This time I want to make advice pages without going off-topic. I want to be able to help others who would love to have a collection. How to keep a collection, what kinds of shelves to get, what cleaning products to use... all of that.
Of course it won't be happening over night. It's an idea I had that I wanted to share. I have a lot of ideas for this site that I would love to impliment. If only I had the time right now to do it!
Well, that's something for later. Toodles.
April 6, 2016
10:26 PM CDT
- Syminka has shipped me a box of goodies and I cannot wait to have them in my house! Many figures were included, including an adorable Funko mini Kozlov polar bear from Zootopia. I'm thinking of purchasing the action figure since I adore this big brute! Well, at first I didn't, but syminka has opened a can of words and now I love this guy and have to get more!
Zootopia is such a charming movie, and I hope to get more of these adorable characters! I love all the characters in this movie and it is going to be difficult to control myself. For now, I'll just focus on what little Kozlov has.
- Something came in the mail today! It's X-Plus Roll! All in her Playstation/Sega Saturn glory! The box isn't as big as those of the previous three figures but she is bending over to give a cute wink. I will not lie and say the pose is a little bit... off-putting. They seriously couldn't have her standing up straight? They just HAD to have her in that pose? Yeah, yeah, I know she's a robot, but still... I wouldn't mind it so much if she weren't supposed to resemble a child. That's all shades of gross.
Either way, I'm going to display her and show her off once picture day comes. She has so little that it makes me a bit sad but in the end, they made a gorgeous figure of her. Too bad the pose couldn't be a bit more dignified.
10:26 PM CDT
- Syminka has shipped me a box of goodies and I cannot wait to have them in my house! Many figures were included, including an adorable Funko mini Kozlov polar bear from Zootopia. I'm thinking of purchasing the action figure since I adore this big brute! Well, at first I didn't, but syminka has opened a can of words and now I love this guy and have to get more!
Zootopia is such a charming movie, and I hope to get more of these adorable characters! I love all the characters in this movie and it is going to be difficult to control myself. For now, I'll just focus on what little Kozlov has.
- Something came in the mail today! It's X-Plus Roll! All in her Playstation/Sega Saturn glory! The box isn't as big as those of the previous three figures but she is bending over to give a cute wink. I will not lie and say the pose is a little bit... off-putting. They seriously couldn't have her standing up straight? They just HAD to have her in that pose? Yeah, yeah, I know she's a robot, but still... I wouldn't mind it so much if she weren't supposed to resemble a child. That's all shades of gross.
Either way, I'm going to display her and show her off once picture day comes. She has so little that it makes me a bit sad but in the end, they made a gorgeous figure of her. Too bad the pose couldn't be a bit more dignified.
April 3, 2016
3:50 PM CDT
- Got my eBay bucks today. I spent it on two things that I've been meaning to get for a long time.
The first item purchased- the male Pyroar kid. I've been putting him off because I was hoping for one to be released with free shipping. No, they're always going to be around 8 bucks, but I like it when they include the shipping price with the item because that translates to more eBay bucks. If you're a member of the eBay bucks program, never go for the items that are "cheap" with high shipping. Look for an item with free shipping of equal price or preferably less. It's best to always go for the cheapest option, of course, but I was just hoping to not pay for shipping. Guess I had to in the end.
The second item- the Gogoat-line PC charms! This I was super excited to purchase because I love charms, and the fact that I collect these fluffy bundles of grass without charms to their names... that's just unacceptable. So yes, charms!
Speaking of which, I need to make a list of all the charms I need to get. I have them all in the wants list, but here it is again just for clarity:
All those charms I would love to add to the collection. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers know the popularity of a lot of these Pokémon and sell the charms for a lot more than what they have been worth during retail. Growlithe-line, especially. Everybody loves the Growlithe-line. Beartic will probably be the easiest to purchase. Unfortunately for our polar bear friend, he is not as popular. It's okay, Beartic. I still love you.
- I'm thinking about making the next picture day sometime In June. I'll be off from school that time and I intend on enjoying the summer doing summer time things. Maybe do some rearranging of my collection during that time, as well. As for the actual date, we'll see.
I hope to make a Five Nights at Freddy's page during that time since Funko is releasing their toy line during the months of April, May, and June. By the next picture date, I'll be able to create the page, post pics, and best of all, create new sprite icons!
Speaking of sprite icons, I really need to make some for the video game pages. I mean my own instead of borrowed sprites from other sites. Guess that'll be another thing to do over the summer.
That's another two months from now, so until then, see ya around!
3:50 PM CDT
- Got my eBay bucks today. I spent it on two things that I've been meaning to get for a long time.
The first item purchased- the male Pyroar kid. I've been putting him off because I was hoping for one to be released with free shipping. No, they're always going to be around 8 bucks, but I like it when they include the shipping price with the item because that translates to more eBay bucks. If you're a member of the eBay bucks program, never go for the items that are "cheap" with high shipping. Look for an item with free shipping of equal price or preferably less. It's best to always go for the cheapest option, of course, but I was just hoping to not pay for shipping. Guess I had to in the end.
The second item- the Gogoat-line PC charms! This I was super excited to purchase because I love charms, and the fact that I collect these fluffy bundles of grass without charms to their names... that's just unacceptable. So yes, charms!
Speaking of which, I need to make a list of all the charms I need to get. I have them all in the wants list, but here it is again just for clarity:
- Growlithe-line Johto and National Dex charms
- Lapras Johto Dex charms
- Eeveelution Johto and National Dex charms
- Houndour-line Johto and National Dex charms
- Absol National Dex charms
- Buizel-line National Dex charms
- Beartic-line charms
All those charms I would love to add to the collection. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers know the popularity of a lot of these Pokémon and sell the charms for a lot more than what they have been worth during retail. Growlithe-line, especially. Everybody loves the Growlithe-line. Beartic will probably be the easiest to purchase. Unfortunately for our polar bear friend, he is not as popular. It's okay, Beartic. I still love you.
- I'm thinking about making the next picture day sometime In June. I'll be off from school that time and I intend on enjoying the summer doing summer time things. Maybe do some rearranging of my collection during that time, as well. As for the actual date, we'll see.
I hope to make a Five Nights at Freddy's page during that time since Funko is releasing their toy line during the months of April, May, and June. By the next picture date, I'll be able to create the page, post pics, and best of all, create new sprite icons!
Speaking of sprite icons, I really need to make some for the video game pages. I mean my own instead of borrowed sprites from other sites. Guess that'll be another thing to do over the summer.
That's another two months from now, so until then, see ya around!
March 31, 2016
9:39 PM CDT
- I was able to win the Tepig 2011 PC postcards that I accidentally ruined way back when. Got them mint in package and everything. Well, at least I think it's 2011... it could have been 2012's postcard set. Ah, I'll figure it out when I get it in my house.
It's been placed in Lioness's to do list.
9:39 PM CDT
- I was able to win the Tepig 2011 PC postcards that I accidentally ruined way back when. Got them mint in package and everything. Well, at least I think it's 2011... it could have been 2012's postcard set. Ah, I'll figure it out when I get it in my house.
It's been placed in Lioness's to do list.
March 30, 2016
4:30 PM CDT
- I got a text from syminka letting me know that Build A Bear has done it again! They have released another dragon plush to join the flock! The dragon of the hour is Barf and Belch! I am so happy they're giving this guy some love! He's also huge! He's a bit taller than both Toothless and Stormfly, so I see him taking up a lot of space in the shelves. Good thing I was able to purchase new shelves in time for this magnificent beast.
I picked him up as soon as I heard the news and now he joins my roost of dragons! I'm loving this! Make more dragons, Build A Bear!
- In the online purchasing department, Amiami has finally given me the invoice for the Roll X-Plus figure. Not that bad! I was expecting her to be less than Zero. She's about the same price as her brother so not too bad. Can't wait to get her!
- More gets in the mail! The Siamese cats Tsum Tsums and Disney Store plush arrived! These two devious kitties look great in person! I would love to get more that they have to offer! Love these two!
- Last item on the list of gets- the Charizard Y and Pikachu Mega Tokyo pin came today. It's a lot smaller than I pictured it, but that's alright! At least I have it! It's way too gorgeous not to get. I'm just sorry I waited this long to get it.
If they haven't already, all items mentioned here will be making it to Lioness's to-do list!
4:30 PM CDT
- I got a text from syminka letting me know that Build A Bear has done it again! They have released another dragon plush to join the flock! The dragon of the hour is Barf and Belch! I am so happy they're giving this guy some love! He's also huge! He's a bit taller than both Toothless and Stormfly, so I see him taking up a lot of space in the shelves. Good thing I was able to purchase new shelves in time for this magnificent beast.
I picked him up as soon as I heard the news and now he joins my roost of dragons! I'm loving this! Make more dragons, Build A Bear!
- In the online purchasing department, Amiami has finally given me the invoice for the Roll X-Plus figure. Not that bad! I was expecting her to be less than Zero. She's about the same price as her brother so not too bad. Can't wait to get her!
- More gets in the mail! The Siamese cats Tsum Tsums and Disney Store plush arrived! These two devious kitties look great in person! I would love to get more that they have to offer! Love these two!
- Last item on the list of gets- the Charizard Y and Pikachu Mega Tokyo pin came today. It's a lot smaller than I pictured it, but that's alright! At least I have it! It's way too gorgeous not to get. I'm just sorry I waited this long to get it.
If they haven't already, all items mentioned here will be making it to Lioness's to-do list!
March 28, 2016
5:28 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, but I spent this time adding more information and titles and ta-da! They're all finished! There is one item that I am doing more research on to figure out the name of, but I'll get to that later. Right now, I want to go to bed.
Toodles.
5:28 AM CDT
- I couldn't sleep, but I spent this time adding more information and titles and ta-da! They're all finished! There is one item that I am doing more research on to figure out the name of, but I'll get to that later. Right now, I want to go to bed.
Toodles.
March 27, 2016
7:01 PM CDT
- Hi folks! Yes, I am still in the process of adding more information and titles to a lot of the items I have. I am almost done, but it took longer than I anticipated. It's hard thinking of stuff to write down without sounding like a broken record.
Off to get more done. I'll update when I am finished.
7:01 PM CDT
- Hi folks! Yes, I am still in the process of adding more information and titles to a lot of the items I have. I am almost done, but it took longer than I anticipated. It's hard thinking of stuff to write down without sounding like a broken record.
Off to get more done. I'll update when I am finished.
March 25, 2016
6:40 PM CDT
- Today is the day I am going to be putting titles and information up to the images that were recently uploaded. I don't know if I'll get it all up tonight, but I am hoping to get it all done by tomorrow, at least.
Off to work I go!
6:40 PM CDT
- Today is the day I am going to be putting titles and information up to the images that were recently uploaded. I don't know if I'll get it all up tonight, but I am hoping to get it all done by tomorrow, at least.
Off to work I go!
March 23, 2016
9:46 PM CDT
- Awesome news! That auction that I mentioned I was bidding on on the 19th has been won and I can finally reveal what it was. The items won: the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp Disney Store plush! Not one, but TWO have been won in the same auction, and that's great cuz, hey, I can't just have one plush of the Siamese twins!
This goes hand-in-hand with that other item I purchased on eBay that I kept secret- I purchased the Siamese cat Tsum Tsums that were only released in Japan. I have no idea if they are getting a US release, but even if they did, I couldn't wait to get my hands on these kitties. They're too cute to just not get!
I adore the Siamese cats and they're my favorite characters from the movie! They have quite a bit of goodies that I would love to get my hands on and I can only look forward to get more featuring these two mischievous felines!
- The next bit of good news is I won the Charizard PC 2010 promotion card sleeves! I've been waiting to get my paws on these sleeves for the longest time and I can now claim them as my own. This was a bid on SMJ so I have no idea when the invoice will get here. When it does, I am paying the hell out of it so I can be one step further to completing my 2010 collection!
Speaking of which, as much as I would love to get everything from this promotion, I doubt I'll be seeing the t-shirts and sweater for sale. The caps are possible, but even then, the items from this promotion are nearing six years, and who wouldn't want to wear those cool caps and shirts during that span of time?
I'll probably remove them from my wants list. I am not too big on collecting clothes and those would be difficult to find nice and minty. I'd rather spend my money on toys and stationery items.
Well, that's all for now. I'll be placing all these gets in Lioness's to-do list. Toodles.
9:46 PM CDT
- Awesome news! That auction that I mentioned I was bidding on on the 19th has been won and I can finally reveal what it was. The items won: the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp Disney Store plush! Not one, but TWO have been won in the same auction, and that's great cuz, hey, I can't just have one plush of the Siamese twins!
This goes hand-in-hand with that other item I purchased on eBay that I kept secret- I purchased the Siamese cat Tsum Tsums that were only released in Japan. I have no idea if they are getting a US release, but even if they did, I couldn't wait to get my hands on these kitties. They're too cute to just not get!
I adore the Siamese cats and they're my favorite characters from the movie! They have quite a bit of goodies that I would love to get my hands on and I can only look forward to get more featuring these two mischievous felines!
- The next bit of good news is I won the Charizard PC 2010 promotion card sleeves! I've been waiting to get my paws on these sleeves for the longest time and I can now claim them as my own. This was a bid on SMJ so I have no idea when the invoice will get here. When it does, I am paying the hell out of it so I can be one step further to completing my 2010 collection!
Speaking of which, as much as I would love to get everything from this promotion, I doubt I'll be seeing the t-shirts and sweater for sale. The caps are possible, but even then, the items from this promotion are nearing six years, and who wouldn't want to wear those cool caps and shirts during that span of time?
I'll probably remove them from my wants list. I am not too big on collecting clothes and those would be difficult to find nice and minty. I'd rather spend my money on toys and stationery items.
Well, that's all for now. I'll be placing all these gets in Lioness's to-do list. Toodles.
March 21, 2016
12:40 AM CDT
- This update happened after the update below, at 4:23 PM, but since I go off complaining and I would rather have those kinds of things go after any real updates or news to this site, I am going to place this update here.
If you see any Dutch text to any of the blank images I have throughout the site, please know that it's just placeholder text until I actually start placing human-written text there.
Of course, I would have chosen English as the language for placeholder text. To go even further, I normally don't have placeholder text, period. The text and the language change must have been Weebly's doing. I do not speak Dutch and I for sure wouldn't place it there as if I was trying to be cool and knew the language. Even if I did know Dutch, the whole site's in English and I like to remain consistent. For reals, I don't get why that happened, but whatever. If you see it, don't fret.
- I'm going to update the Gen III and Gen VI introduction paragraphs over at the Pokémon section of the site. I want to clarify that Gen VI has officially taken the place of Gen III as my least favorite generation in the series. Congratulations, Gen VI, for the... honor? Or dishonor? Let's say dishonor.
I am going to clarify why in the next few paragraphs. If you don't care, don't read on and I'll see you for the next update.
Gen VI is my least favorite generation due to the lack of games, both from the core series and the spin-off games, rushing Gen V to get to X and Y only to call it a day in the end, meaning they're not going to bother fixing Kalos's flaws and other mysteries. ORAS, despite being the better of the two core games and enjoying them a lot, are remakes. I hate ranking a remake higher than the original of the generation. Unfortunately, with no newer games to give ORAS a run for its money, it looks like it is going to be the tallest of the two munchkins.
Of course this is all opinion. If you loved X and Y the way they were, hey, more power to you! I personally didn't. They were weak games and they failed in a lot of areas. The only good thing I liked were the Pokémon I decided to collect and the music, and even then, the music was very far removed from what I was used to in a Pokémon game. Someone on the Bulbagarden forums mentioned that the music should have been adventerous and thrilling, not elegant and refined. I couldn't agree more. I mean, I get the French theme, but c'mon. The music was good, but it didn't stand out as anything awesome. The two tracks that stood out to me were the Gym Leader battle music and the music from Route 15. Everything else was forgettable.
I don't know what direction Game Freak wants to take the series. They're obviously trying to do things fresh, but sometimes it's best to just stick to tradition. I am not saying for them to go back to Gen I style of simplicity, but they're trying to do something different with the series that is too different than what they have been doing for the past decade, and I don't care for that. I don't care for not revisiting a region without explaining the other mysteries. I don't care for the orchestrated pieces of music that don't sound like anything that belongs in a Pokémon game. I don't care for the massive focus on competitive battling. I don't care for the lack of spin-off games and what little they do release is so half-assed. I don't care about focusing on past games with remakes when they could put so much more effort into the original games of the generation. I don't care for any of this crap.
I'm just hoping Sun and Moon fixes this.
12:40 AM CDT
- This update happened after the update below, at 4:23 PM, but since I go off complaining and I would rather have those kinds of things go after any real updates or news to this site, I am going to place this update here.
If you see any Dutch text to any of the blank images I have throughout the site, please know that it's just placeholder text until I actually start placing human-written text there.
Of course, I would have chosen English as the language for placeholder text. To go even further, I normally don't have placeholder text, period. The text and the language change must have been Weebly's doing. I do not speak Dutch and I for sure wouldn't place it there as if I was trying to be cool and knew the language. Even if I did know Dutch, the whole site's in English and I like to remain consistent. For reals, I don't get why that happened, but whatever. If you see it, don't fret.
- I'm going to update the Gen III and Gen VI introduction paragraphs over at the Pokémon section of the site. I want to clarify that Gen VI has officially taken the place of Gen III as my least favorite generation in the series. Congratulations, Gen VI, for the... honor? Or dishonor? Let's say dishonor.
I am going to clarify why in the next few paragraphs. If you don't care, don't read on and I'll see you for the next update.
Gen VI is my least favorite generation due to the lack of games, both from the core series and the spin-off games, rushing Gen V to get to X and Y only to call it a day in the end, meaning they're not going to bother fixing Kalos's flaws and other mysteries. ORAS, despite being the better of the two core games and enjoying them a lot, are remakes. I hate ranking a remake higher than the original of the generation. Unfortunately, with no newer games to give ORAS a run for its money, it looks like it is going to be the tallest of the two munchkins.
Of course this is all opinion. If you loved X and Y the way they were, hey, more power to you! I personally didn't. They were weak games and they failed in a lot of areas. The only good thing I liked were the Pokémon I decided to collect and the music, and even then, the music was very far removed from what I was used to in a Pokémon game. Someone on the Bulbagarden forums mentioned that the music should have been adventerous and thrilling, not elegant and refined. I couldn't agree more. I mean, I get the French theme, but c'mon. The music was good, but it didn't stand out as anything awesome. The two tracks that stood out to me were the Gym Leader battle music and the music from Route 15. Everything else was forgettable.
I don't know what direction Game Freak wants to take the series. They're obviously trying to do things fresh, but sometimes it's best to just stick to tradition. I am not saying for them to go back to Gen I style of simplicity, but they're trying to do something different with the series that is too different than what they have been doing for the past decade, and I don't care for that. I don't care for not revisiting a region without explaining the other mysteries. I don't care for the orchestrated pieces of music that don't sound like anything that belongs in a Pokémon game. I don't care for the massive focus on competitive battling. I don't care for the lack of spin-off games and what little they do release is so half-assed. I don't care about focusing on past games with remakes when they could put so much more effort into the original games of the generation. I don't care for any of this crap.
I'm just hoping Sun and Moon fixes this.
March 20, 2016
4:40 PM CDT
- Two more Amiibo to scratch from the checklist! I went to pick up a copy of Pokken Tournament and, along with the game, I purchased the Famicom R.O.B. and Dr. Mario figures. I am so glad the US decided to sell the Famicom version. Saves a lot on importing one.
So, two new figures to make it to Lioness's to-do list!
- It is now 10:12 PM and I totally forgot to mention one more thing I purchased! A pack of Mega Charizard X and Y card sleeves! Here's the thing- these sleeves are the same released at Japanese Pokémon Centers, and I thought they were exclusive to PCs but they could have been sold there along in other venues that sell Pokémon merchandise. If they were PC exclusives, this could be the first I've seen PC merchandise sold at any run-of-the-mill Gamestop.
Unlike plushies, I really do not care about having both the US and Japanese versions of the same sleeves, so I'm content with this. Looks like another item to scratch off my wants list. This'll also be added to Lioness's to-do list!
Speaking of which, I really need to update that thing. Another fun-filled project for the future.
4:40 PM CDT
- Two more Amiibo to scratch from the checklist! I went to pick up a copy of Pokken Tournament and, along with the game, I purchased the Famicom R.O.B. and Dr. Mario figures. I am so glad the US decided to sell the Famicom version. Saves a lot on importing one.
So, two new figures to make it to Lioness's to-do list!
- It is now 10:12 PM and I totally forgot to mention one more thing I purchased! A pack of Mega Charizard X and Y card sleeves! Here's the thing- these sleeves are the same released at Japanese Pokémon Centers, and I thought they were exclusive to PCs but they could have been sold there along in other venues that sell Pokémon merchandise. If they were PC exclusives, this could be the first I've seen PC merchandise sold at any run-of-the-mill Gamestop.
Unlike plushies, I really do not care about having both the US and Japanese versions of the same sleeves, so I'm content with this. Looks like another item to scratch off my wants list. This'll also be added to Lioness's to-do list!
Speaking of which, I really need to update that thing. Another fun-filled project for the future.
March 19, 2016
6:50 PM CDT
- A new thing I am going to do; when I am updating the site, the HOME page will now display the latest time that I update along with the date. Sometimes I'll make multiple updates throughout the day and it's a great way to keep tabs on what's new.
- For site updates, the final two images that I had to retake (the Mega Man Felyne figure and Pikazard Y poncho figure) have been retaken and are now uploaded onto the site! Check them out!
- Collection gets! I was fortunate enough to go with a friend and make a two hour drive to the closest Disney Store! Unfortunately, there was not a lot offered as the items in-stock are pretty much the same as the last time we made the trip. That doesn't mean I came home empty-handed. =D The newest item they had available and for sale was a talking little Sven plush! He isn't exactly "new," but they didn't have him in stock the last time I went and I was able to get another Frozen figure set for half off! This set has Sven with baskets on his antlers! Way too cute! They also had a Sven plush that was even larger than the standard medium size plush. Where am I going to put this big guy?!
Along with those three oafs, I got an angry Stitch Tsum Tsum plush. I was contemplating on getting the gigantic Stitch Tsum Tsum, but I figured he'll always be there the next time I roll into town. It won't be until sometime in May, but I am confident he isn't going anywhere.
The last item in my list of gets was a Bolt medium size plush, of all characters! I had to snatch it up because I adore Bolt! It's not everyday I see a plush like this for sale.
Not a bad haul! There is something Disney related that I am bidding on on eBay, and if I happen to win it (I hope I do!), I'll make the announcement. I made a purchase on eBay relating to the same characters, but I don't want to mention them as I do not want to attract attention to the auction. When it ends, I'll spill the beans!
- Now onto something I need to mention. Those Mega Man statues and E-Tanks that are "exclusive" items to the PS4 bundle? Don't bother getting it if you already own the 25th anniversary statue. I'll be mentioning this when I post information to the newer items I uploaded, but I'll mention it here because why not? Everything is the same with the exception of the base (or lack of). Is it worth getting a second statue if you already own the 25th anniversary statue? Not really. The E-Tank is really not worth buying another statue for. If you can find that thing separately, go for it. More info on when I get to that. My recommendation is to just get one or the other.
That really goes hand in hand with what I mentioned in my February 27th update on needing to push these games out with these kind of incentives (with excess items in their inventory, at that), but I'll spare you.
- Item titles and information will be coming later this next week. I'll probably leave these images blank until Wednesday or Thursday, with Friday being the absolute latest.
For now, toodles!
6:50 PM CDT
- A new thing I am going to do; when I am updating the site, the HOME page will now display the latest time that I update along with the date. Sometimes I'll make multiple updates throughout the day and it's a great way to keep tabs on what's new.
- For site updates, the final two images that I had to retake (the Mega Man Felyne figure and Pikazard Y poncho figure) have been retaken and are now uploaded onto the site! Check them out!
- Collection gets! I was fortunate enough to go with a friend and make a two hour drive to the closest Disney Store! Unfortunately, there was not a lot offered as the items in-stock are pretty much the same as the last time we made the trip. That doesn't mean I came home empty-handed. =D The newest item they had available and for sale was a talking little Sven plush! He isn't exactly "new," but they didn't have him in stock the last time I went and I was able to get another Frozen figure set for half off! This set has Sven with baskets on his antlers! Way too cute! They also had a Sven plush that was even larger than the standard medium size plush. Where am I going to put this big guy?!
Along with those three oafs, I got an angry Stitch Tsum Tsum plush. I was contemplating on getting the gigantic Stitch Tsum Tsum, but I figured he'll always be there the next time I roll into town. It won't be until sometime in May, but I am confident he isn't going anywhere.
The last item in my list of gets was a Bolt medium size plush, of all characters! I had to snatch it up because I adore Bolt! It's not everyday I see a plush like this for sale.
Not a bad haul! There is something Disney related that I am bidding on on eBay, and if I happen to win it (I hope I do!), I'll make the announcement. I made a purchase on eBay relating to the same characters, but I don't want to mention them as I do not want to attract attention to the auction. When it ends, I'll spill the beans!
- Now onto something I need to mention. Those Mega Man statues and E-Tanks that are "exclusive" items to the PS4 bundle? Don't bother getting it if you already own the 25th anniversary statue. I'll be mentioning this when I post information to the newer items I uploaded, but I'll mention it here because why not? Everything is the same with the exception of the base (or lack of). Is it worth getting a second statue if you already own the 25th anniversary statue? Not really. The E-Tank is really not worth buying another statue for. If you can find that thing separately, go for it. More info on when I get to that. My recommendation is to just get one or the other.
That really goes hand in hand with what I mentioned in my February 27th update on needing to push these games out with these kind of incentives (with excess items in their inventory, at that), but I'll spare you.
- Item titles and information will be coming later this next week. I'll probably leave these images blank until Wednesday or Thursday, with Friday being the absolute latest.
For now, toodles!
March 17, 2016
1:58 PM CDT
- Hey all. I'm sorry for going AWOL all day yesterday. Since the passing of one of my parent's furbabies, it's been rough. I also had some unexpected business to take care of, so I thought it would be better to postpone things for today.
Here's some good news- the MM statue and E-Tank for the PS4 Legacy Collection bundle arrived today. I'll be taking pics of those goodies along with the rest!
I also just got finished taking pictures of the giant substitute plush with an expanded backdrop. He came out looking great! For this guy I had to stand back almost 6 feet away. If it wasn't for the alcove in my room, I wouldn't have been able to do that.
Shovel Knight is next then, with the exception of the animation cels, the rest of the items in Lioness's to-do list.
- It is now 4:10 PM and I am done taking all the pictures of the items that I had wanted to take! I am currently editing them all and posting them to the site. This is going to take a while since my internet connection is behaving rather slow so bear with me.
The Substitute plush is getting its own spot in the Side Collections page. As popular as it is, it doesn't warrant its own page since it technically doesn't have a whole lot. Yet. If more items are released in the future, I may reconsider it.
I am also going to have to draw its own sprite since I cannot find a standalone Generation VI sprite anywhere.
No information will be posted yet. Images with no titles and information are spotless so they can be easier to find. When I'm done, feel free to check them out!
Back to editing and posting.
- It is now 7:02 PM, and I am finished editing and posting all pics! There is only one that came out blurry, and I'll fix it tomorrow, but for now I have a placeholder image for it (Pikachu with Charizard Y Poncho figure).
It was a lot of work, but worth it! Have a look around the site at the cool new stuff I've added to my collection!
- At 9:11 PM, I just figured out there are going to be two picture retakes: the Pikachu Charizard Y Poncho figure and the MM Felyne figure, which I forgot came included with a peg. Actually, I didn't forget, but I did neglect to see it in the wrapper since it is as clear as the wrapper itself. I honestly thought mine didn't come with it but was happy to have it anyways. Now with the peg, I'll be taking a brand new picture to include it! It looks so much more awesome with it!
1:58 PM CDT
- Hey all. I'm sorry for going AWOL all day yesterday. Since the passing of one of my parent's furbabies, it's been rough. I also had some unexpected business to take care of, so I thought it would be better to postpone things for today.
Here's some good news- the MM statue and E-Tank for the PS4 Legacy Collection bundle arrived today. I'll be taking pics of those goodies along with the rest!
I also just got finished taking pictures of the giant substitute plush with an expanded backdrop. He came out looking great! For this guy I had to stand back almost 6 feet away. If it wasn't for the alcove in my room, I wouldn't have been able to do that.
Shovel Knight is next then, with the exception of the animation cels, the rest of the items in Lioness's to-do list.
- It is now 4:10 PM and I am done taking all the pictures of the items that I had wanted to take! I am currently editing them all and posting them to the site. This is going to take a while since my internet connection is behaving rather slow so bear with me.
The Substitute plush is getting its own spot in the Side Collections page. As popular as it is, it doesn't warrant its own page since it technically doesn't have a whole lot. Yet. If more items are released in the future, I may reconsider it.
I am also going to have to draw its own sprite since I cannot find a standalone Generation VI sprite anywhere.
No information will be posted yet. Images with no titles and information are spotless so they can be easier to find. When I'm done, feel free to check them out!
Back to editing and posting.
- It is now 7:02 PM, and I am finished editing and posting all pics! There is only one that came out blurry, and I'll fix it tomorrow, but for now I have a placeholder image for it (Pikachu with Charizard Y Poncho figure).
It was a lot of work, but worth it! Have a look around the site at the cool new stuff I've added to my collection!
- At 9:11 PM, I just figured out there are going to be two picture retakes: the Pikachu Charizard Y Poncho figure and the MM Felyne figure, which I forgot came included with a peg. Actually, I didn't forget, but I did neglect to see it in the wrapper since it is as clear as the wrapper itself. I honestly thought mine didn't come with it but was happy to have it anyways. Now with the peg, I'll be taking a brand new picture to include it! It looks so much more awesome with it!
March 15, 2016
11:22 PM CDT
- Four hours to a location out of town and another four hours back home can really drain a person, both physically and mentally. Also, a loss in the family fur clan has been brutal. I can make this update with what little mental energy I have left, so I'll make it short.
Picture day is going to be extended over tomorrow. I did some editing yesterday and looking at all the pictures, the two I need to retake are the Shovel Knight Amiibo and the giant Substitute plush. The latter is so big that I had to step about 5 feet away just to take it's picture. Unfortunately, my backdrop was not big enough for that behemoth since it's not only 2 feet tall but also 2 feet wide. This is the largest item in my collection and I never thought making the backdrop larger. It's an easy fix, and I'll get back to taking pictures sometime tomorrow.
The items that are left in Lioness's to-do list are what need to be taken, along with the Stitch mug and Charizard Gen I sprite charm. The pictures are expected to be posted the same day. More on that when it is all done.
Good night for now.
11:22 PM CDT
- Four hours to a location out of town and another four hours back home can really drain a person, both physically and mentally. Also, a loss in the family fur clan has been brutal. I can make this update with what little mental energy I have left, so I'll make it short.
Picture day is going to be extended over tomorrow. I did some editing yesterday and looking at all the pictures, the two I need to retake are the Shovel Knight Amiibo and the giant Substitute plush. The latter is so big that I had to step about 5 feet away just to take it's picture. Unfortunately, my backdrop was not big enough for that behemoth since it's not only 2 feet tall but also 2 feet wide. This is the largest item in my collection and I never thought making the backdrop larger. It's an easy fix, and I'll get back to taking pictures sometime tomorrow.
The items that are left in Lioness's to-do list are what need to be taken, along with the Stitch mug and Charizard Gen I sprite charm. The pictures are expected to be posted the same day. More on that when it is all done.
Good night for now.
March 14, 2016
3:58 PM CDT
- Picture day is here! I have not made too much progress in taking pictures as a lot of the stuff I had were still in their boxes, packages, etc. The MM board game took an exceptional long time as the figures came with small bases and I had to fit them all before the picture taking, and there's a lot of them so there's that. I'm pretty sure I spent 20 minutes gettting them all out and posing them for pictures. No, they were not taken individually as that would have taken me well over an hour to accomplish (only one was taken individually, but I'll show that later).
Other than that, things have been going smoothly. There is one group of items in Lioness's to-do list that will not have their pictures taken yet and those are the cel sheets. Only a few have been framed but there are many others where I do not want to get them out of their protective plastic until I can get them framed. I'll probably have a picture day made solely for cel sheets, as hey, those are dying to be shown off!
Okay, break time is over. Time to get back to taking more pictures.
- It is now 6:58 PM, a full three hours since I last updated. The good news is I got half the list done! All those pictures are being edited and ready to be shown on this site.
The bad news? The sun seems to have vanished! What the hell??? I thought daylights savings time was supposed to add an extra hour of daylight! The sun isn't completely down but I expected it to be a lot brighter than this. It'll be completely dark in another 30 minutes.
Well, I did get a lot done. I don't know if I'll be here tomorrow long enough to take them. I am going out of town and I honestly do not know when I'll be back. For sure I'll continue on Wednesday. I can guarantee the pictures will be posted the same day, unless something happens to my internet connection or I take numerous bad pictures.
Stick around for more updates later this week! Ciao for now!
3:58 PM CDT
- Picture day is here! I have not made too much progress in taking pictures as a lot of the stuff I had were still in their boxes, packages, etc. The MM board game took an exceptional long time as the figures came with small bases and I had to fit them all before the picture taking, and there's a lot of them so there's that. I'm pretty sure I spent 20 minutes gettting them all out and posing them for pictures. No, they were not taken individually as that would have taken me well over an hour to accomplish (only one was taken individually, but I'll show that later).
Other than that, things have been going smoothly. There is one group of items in Lioness's to-do list that will not have their pictures taken yet and those are the cel sheets. Only a few have been framed but there are many others where I do not want to get them out of their protective plastic until I can get them framed. I'll probably have a picture day made solely for cel sheets, as hey, those are dying to be shown off!
Okay, break time is over. Time to get back to taking more pictures.
- It is now 6:58 PM, a full three hours since I last updated. The good news is I got half the list done! All those pictures are being edited and ready to be shown on this site.
The bad news? The sun seems to have vanished! What the hell??? I thought daylights savings time was supposed to add an extra hour of daylight! The sun isn't completely down but I expected it to be a lot brighter than this. It'll be completely dark in another 30 minutes.
Well, I did get a lot done. I don't know if I'll be here tomorrow long enough to take them. I am going out of town and I honestly do not know when I'll be back. For sure I'll continue on Wednesday. I can guarantee the pictures will be posted the same day, unless something happens to my internet connection or I take numerous bad pictures.
Stick around for more updates later this week! Ciao for now!
March 13, 2016
10:44 PM CDT
- Picture day is tomorrow! Throughout the entire day, I'll be taking photos of everything that I have in Lioness's to-do list!
Best of all, there are a few more things to add that I received today!
Hebilea was so kind to do some pick ups for me and clair2522 during her trip to Japan! The items I asked for were the Charizard menu sprite cushion and charm. I was not expecting to get the cushion because they were really popular, but she managed to get it! I got both cushion and charm today! Those are the two items I was dying to get, so that made me really happy!
BUT! Hebilea and clair2522 surprised me even further! They managed to get me the Mega Man Felyne blind bag figure as a birthday present! I have never played Monster Hunter, but I loved what I saw since the kitties remind me of Siamese cats! I was not expecting to get this and I want to thank them both so much for surprising me with this wonderful figure! I cannot wait to show him off! =^^=
Clair2522 surprised me one more item she purchased off of eBay- a Stitch thermos cup! It looks so well-made and adorable! Yes, I know. I do not deserve my friends. They are so good to me! Hebilea's birthday is coming up in April so I am going to do something for her in return for going through all the trouble she went through. Clair2522 is also having a surprise come her way!
They have really made my day! I cannot wait to take pictures of all these wonderful goodies! There is a lot to do, but it's going to be fun! Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be clearing up so that means better lighting to take photos!
Ciao for now!
10:44 PM CDT
- Picture day is tomorrow! Throughout the entire day, I'll be taking photos of everything that I have in Lioness's to-do list!
Best of all, there are a few more things to add that I received today!
Hebilea was so kind to do some pick ups for me and clair2522 during her trip to Japan! The items I asked for were the Charizard menu sprite cushion and charm. I was not expecting to get the cushion because they were really popular, but she managed to get it! I got both cushion and charm today! Those are the two items I was dying to get, so that made me really happy!
BUT! Hebilea and clair2522 surprised me even further! They managed to get me the Mega Man Felyne blind bag figure as a birthday present! I have never played Monster Hunter, but I loved what I saw since the kitties remind me of Siamese cats! I was not expecting to get this and I want to thank them both so much for surprising me with this wonderful figure! I cannot wait to show him off! =^^=
Clair2522 surprised me one more item she purchased off of eBay- a Stitch thermos cup! It looks so well-made and adorable! Yes, I know. I do not deserve my friends. They are so good to me! Hebilea's birthday is coming up in April so I am going to do something for her in return for going through all the trouble she went through. Clair2522 is also having a surprise come her way!
They have really made my day! I cannot wait to take pictures of all these wonderful goodies! There is a lot to do, but it's going to be fun! Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be clearing up so that means better lighting to take photos!
Ciao for now!
March 12, 2016
1:41 AM CST
- A friendly reminder before I get into the update- be sure to set your clocks an hour forward March 13. Then again, in this digital age, who has a clock that needs to be manually set, nowadays? However, it's happening whether you like it or not. I don't care for it if I have morning classes, but since all my classes are in the afternoon, as well as work on the weekends, meh, I actually like the extra hour of daylight. It only sucks when I have to get up early. Also, it's happening during my spring break, so even better!
- Okay, okay. Now for the actual update. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to browse around eBay since I had the money to purchase a new item for my collection. The new item get- the Mega Man statue and E-Tank that came with the PS4 Legacy Collection bundle. They had one for sale without the game and, when taking it into consideration, I really don't want the game. Why? I already own these games for the 3DS AND as a digital download. I don't want the same $#@^ing thing for a console I don't even have. I've already complained about this on my February 27th update, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. Long story short, I just wanted the goodies that came with the PS4 bundle.
This will NOT be affecting picture day, which is this coming Monday on the 14th. I highly doubt it's going to get here by that time since I purchased it this very hour. The seller is known for being very fast in shipping, but unless a miracle happens, yeah.
I was thinking of something. Picture day is happening, but I was also thinking of taking a picture of the statue later in the week once I get it in the mail. At the same time, I can just put it off for a new picture day. More items will be coming in later months thanks to the Five Nights at Freddy's merch from Funko along with some pre-orders I still need to get the invoices for (I have three that I know of).
It depends on when I get it. I don't mind waiting Tuesday or Wednesday for it, but anyday afterwards will probably not be considered. Remember, the camera does not belong to me and I want to get the backdrop setup down as quick as I can as it takes up a lot of space.
We'll see. Hopefully, it'll be sooner than later!
- Speaking of space, the shelves were not purchased yesterday as I couldn't make the trip to IKEA. The area got hit with some very bad weather and I'm sorry, but these shelves are not worth risking my neck for. Nothing material is. When bad weather hits, I'll just postpone it for another day.
The Tuesday after picture day is when I planned on making that trip, but a convention in the city is going to triple the amount of traffic that already plagues the area. I hope I can just buy the shelves and make it home in 7 hours.
- The last thing I wanted to get done during spring break was those garage kits! I plan on buying the parts for the DIY spraybooth over the weekend. One of the hardware stores in the area is having a sale on everything, so that'll be a great place to look. Once I get that spraybooth made, I can finally paint these things and update the garage kit page!
Exciting times up ahead! For now, good night!
- It is now 1:46 PM, a full 12 hours since my last update! New item get- the Pikachu and Mega Charizard Y Mega Tokyo PC pin! I cannot believe how much it went up in price these past few months. Before they were selling for $20, now they're as high as $60! I got mine somewhere in between at $40, which is still $20 more than what it was originally. >.<
My friend and fellow collector, syminka, went to Japan last year and bought $600 worth of merchandise. If she had bought those same items off of eBay, she would have paid $1600! That is how much more Japanese sellers add on to these items on eBay.
Can I blame them for that? Not really. They are but one country and they have all these unique items for sale that have a lot of westerners drooling. I'd sell these items for twice what they are worth in the country they are made, too.
Well, thought I just mention it. This will be the last item I purchase on a whim. I really need to have money available for the three pre-orders I have along with the FNaF merch that is coming out.
The statue and the pin will be added in the next collection photo day. That has not been decided yet but I am going to guess it's going to be around June. I'll be adding them to Lioness's to-do list after everything else has had their pictures taken and removed from the list.
See you on Monday for picture day!
1:41 AM CST
- A friendly reminder before I get into the update- be sure to set your clocks an hour forward March 13. Then again, in this digital age, who has a clock that needs to be manually set, nowadays? However, it's happening whether you like it or not. I don't care for it if I have morning classes, but since all my classes are in the afternoon, as well as work on the weekends, meh, I actually like the extra hour of daylight. It only sucks when I have to get up early. Also, it's happening during my spring break, so even better!
- Okay, okay. Now for the actual update. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to browse around eBay since I had the money to purchase a new item for my collection. The new item get- the Mega Man statue and E-Tank that came with the PS4 Legacy Collection bundle. They had one for sale without the game and, when taking it into consideration, I really don't want the game. Why? I already own these games for the 3DS AND as a digital download. I don't want the same $#@^ing thing for a console I don't even have. I've already complained about this on my February 27th update, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. Long story short, I just wanted the goodies that came with the PS4 bundle.
This will NOT be affecting picture day, which is this coming Monday on the 14th. I highly doubt it's going to get here by that time since I purchased it this very hour. The seller is known for being very fast in shipping, but unless a miracle happens, yeah.
I was thinking of something. Picture day is happening, but I was also thinking of taking a picture of the statue later in the week once I get it in the mail. At the same time, I can just put it off for a new picture day. More items will be coming in later months thanks to the Five Nights at Freddy's merch from Funko along with some pre-orders I still need to get the invoices for (I have three that I know of).
It depends on when I get it. I don't mind waiting Tuesday or Wednesday for it, but anyday afterwards will probably not be considered. Remember, the camera does not belong to me and I want to get the backdrop setup down as quick as I can as it takes up a lot of space.
We'll see. Hopefully, it'll be sooner than later!
- Speaking of space, the shelves were not purchased yesterday as I couldn't make the trip to IKEA. The area got hit with some very bad weather and I'm sorry, but these shelves are not worth risking my neck for. Nothing material is. When bad weather hits, I'll just postpone it for another day.
The Tuesday after picture day is when I planned on making that trip, but a convention in the city is going to triple the amount of traffic that already plagues the area. I hope I can just buy the shelves and make it home in 7 hours.
- The last thing I wanted to get done during spring break was those garage kits! I plan on buying the parts for the DIY spraybooth over the weekend. One of the hardware stores in the area is having a sale on everything, so that'll be a great place to look. Once I get that spraybooth made, I can finally paint these things and update the garage kit page!
Exciting times up ahead! For now, good night!
- It is now 1:46 PM, a full 12 hours since my last update! New item get- the Pikachu and Mega Charizard Y Mega Tokyo PC pin! I cannot believe how much it went up in price these past few months. Before they were selling for $20, now they're as high as $60! I got mine somewhere in between at $40, which is still $20 more than what it was originally. >.<
My friend and fellow collector, syminka, went to Japan last year and bought $600 worth of merchandise. If she had bought those same items off of eBay, she would have paid $1600! That is how much more Japanese sellers add on to these items on eBay.
Can I blame them for that? Not really. They are but one country and they have all these unique items for sale that have a lot of westerners drooling. I'd sell these items for twice what they are worth in the country they are made, too.
Well, thought I just mention it. This will be the last item I purchase on a whim. I really need to have money available for the three pre-orders I have along with the FNaF merch that is coming out.
The statue and the pin will be added in the next collection photo day. That has not been decided yet but I am going to guess it's going to be around June. I'll be adding them to Lioness's to-do list after everything else has had their pictures taken and removed from the list.
See you on Monday for picture day!
March 9, 2016
4:18 PM CST
- I normally do not update on Wednesdays, but the workload this week was small and now I am able to update for today! Nice, because spring break starts soon and I do not want to have homework during that time. Nothing is lamer than that.
So, now for some updates! The Substitute lot is in town and is expected to arrive at my house tomorrow. That picture day on Monday March 14? Still happening! For once, it looks like a picture day is not going to be postponed!
Also, this Friday I will be making a 3 hour drive over to the nearest IKEA to purchase four BESTA shelves that I needed to display the rest of my collection. Unlike the BILLY bookshelves that are over 6' tall, these shelves are two feet tall at most. Perfect for the rest of the items I want to display! The only item that will not be in a shelf is the giant Substitute plush. That thing is not only 2 feet tall, but also 2 feet wide.
- So far, this has been a great week! Of course, the week couldn't go without any hiccups. My tablet pen is completely shot. It's gone to pen heaven. It's no more. It's now an ex-pen. The pen was over 9 years old, by the way. It was bound to go out any day and today was that day.
As much as I would love to buy a new tablet altogether (what I would do for a cintiq model), I simply cannot afford that option. My tablet is dated and reaching it's 16th annivesary soon, but still works like a charm, so why replace what isn't broken? Well, the pen is broken, but looking at eBay since Wacom doesn't make the pen I need anymore, they are still blooming expensive. At $60, I guess it's better than paying $200 for a brand-new tablet that is just as dated.
I know it doesn't seem like it has much to do with collecting, but I do make a lot of my money with commissions and this puts a halt on any projects I wanted to get out of the way. Also, that $60 I used to pay for the pen could have been put towards something to upload to this site. Well, priorities. I wouldn't be able to afford the items if it weren't for my trusty tablet (also my part-time job), so if I want to buy more toys, a new pen has to be purchased.
I doubt I'll be buying anything new in the meantime, so see you on Friday when I get back with the shelves I've been eyeing!
4:18 PM CST
- I normally do not update on Wednesdays, but the workload this week was small and now I am able to update for today! Nice, because spring break starts soon and I do not want to have homework during that time. Nothing is lamer than that.
So, now for some updates! The Substitute lot is in town and is expected to arrive at my house tomorrow. That picture day on Monday March 14? Still happening! For once, it looks like a picture day is not going to be postponed!
Also, this Friday I will be making a 3 hour drive over to the nearest IKEA to purchase four BESTA shelves that I needed to display the rest of my collection. Unlike the BILLY bookshelves that are over 6' tall, these shelves are two feet tall at most. Perfect for the rest of the items I want to display! The only item that will not be in a shelf is the giant Substitute plush. That thing is not only 2 feet tall, but also 2 feet wide.
- So far, this has been a great week! Of course, the week couldn't go without any hiccups. My tablet pen is completely shot. It's gone to pen heaven. It's no more. It's now an ex-pen. The pen was over 9 years old, by the way. It was bound to go out any day and today was that day.
As much as I would love to buy a new tablet altogether (what I would do for a cintiq model), I simply cannot afford that option. My tablet is dated and reaching it's 16th annivesary soon, but still works like a charm, so why replace what isn't broken? Well, the pen is broken, but looking at eBay since Wacom doesn't make the pen I need anymore, they are still blooming expensive. At $60, I guess it's better than paying $200 for a brand-new tablet that is just as dated.
I know it doesn't seem like it has much to do with collecting, but I do make a lot of my money with commissions and this puts a halt on any projects I wanted to get out of the way. Also, that $60 I used to pay for the pen could have been put towards something to upload to this site. Well, priorities. I wouldn't be able to afford the items if it weren't for my trusty tablet (also my part-time job), so if I want to buy more toys, a new pen has to be purchased.
I doubt I'll be buying anything new in the meantime, so see you on Friday when I get back with the shelves I've been eyeing!
March 6, 2016
7:00 PM CST
- No new gets today, but I want to talk about three things. First, I may add a new collection page to this site after all! Five Nights at Freddy's is getting a slew of new merchandise released during the months of April and May, courtesy of Funko! From what I've seen, they look great! I am especially excited for the Mystery Mini figures along with the plushes. Oh my goodness! I kind of want them all. =D Of course I will be buying the two characters I love the most, those being Bonnie and Foxy. I can't wait!
All this brings me to the second thing I want to bring up: I am glad an indie game franchise is getting this much hype. I think FNaF deserves all the praise it gets. I'll hear and especially read a lot of people giving the creator crap for milking the series, but it's funny how soulless corporations like Nintendo and Capcom can produce a franchise and get a free pass whenever they milk something popular. I guess indie developers are expected to hold a higher standard of doing it "for the art," which is stupid because the only difference between the two is that one is tied down by office politics and the other isn't. If I made a successful franchise with my own bare hands without any corporate funding, I sure as hell would continue it if it made me lots of money.
Anyways, I'm not saying you have to like FNaF. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea and I certainly didn't give it the time of day when it came out. I find jumpscares to be the biggest cop out in terms of scaring people and I thought these games were no exception. I only got into it because of a comedic Let's Play and one of my close friends got me into the characters. However, to give the creator and the series crap for being milked is just dumb to me. Like anyone out there wouldn't do the same thing if they could.
- Anyways, the third thing I wanted to talk about: the frigging jump to Pokémon Sun and Moon. I am going to warn you, this is going to be a big wall of text. I encourage you to read on because it gives some insight into the Pokémon series as a whole.
I think part of the reason why I am not complaining about Kalos not being expanded until my ears fall off is because the damage is already done and Generation VII is coming. Afterall, if it's coming, I cannot change it and if I cannot change it, there is no point in getting mad.
I would like to add that having a negative opinion does not mean that I am mad. I am just giving my opinion on why it freaking sucks.
Here's a window for Generations I-VI (in both Japan and the US):
It may seem like the window for some generations are really small. Generation I in the US only lasted about two years until Gold and Silver arrived. Generation II lasted about three years, from 2000 to 2003. The thing is during those five years, Generations I and II complimented each other like peanut butter and jelly. Generation I may have only lasted two years, but the Generation II games relied on Generation I to get a 100% completion. There were numerous Pokémon you couldn't get without them. Also, the backwards compatibility was amazing. These two generations were the only ones to really work with each other. It was limited, but hey, it's better than what they have going with the modern games! Had Pokémon Stadium 2? Hey, you don't need Gold and Silver (though they helped). Just use Red, Blue, or Yellow if you had them! You can even trade between Gen I and II without any of that "once you trade, it cannot come back" crap.
I guess that's why Gen I felt longer than it was, because it helped expand Generation II into what it was. I feel I may not give Generations I and II the credit they deserve, probably because I do not want to come off as some nostalgia-focused fan who can't see the good in the modern. Sure, the games aren't masterpieces, but the fact that they were able to go hand-in-hand was really nice. Generation II made numerous improvements to what Gen I didn't have. Still, it didn't feel forced. They allowed you to do things at your own pace without having to forget what you once had. Also, they had a ton of spin-off games to keep the average Pokémon fan of the time busy! It was awesome! The only thing I NEVER want to go back to is the Link Cable, and I'm glad that is a thing of the past.
Then Generation III came along. In the US, this generation lasted about three and a half years. I consider Generation III to be it's own thing. It couldn't rely on past generations as they weren't backwards compatible and it wasn't like it could do much for Generation IV other than act as something that would be useful in Pokémon hunting. I had a bit of a resentment thing going on with Ruby and Sapphire because of that. I am sure I wasn't the only one to feel this way. Where was Charizard? Where was Lapras? Elekid? Houndour? Lugia? I felt they were rebooting the series and that left a very bad taste in my mouth. These new Pokémon? They could never replace my old favorites.
Then came FireRed and LeafGreen. Back to Kanto six years after the first release in the US. The first remake in a series of remakes that are soon to follow over the years, probably because Game Freak realized how much money could be made with a shiny coat of paint with little work put in. Okay, yeah, I'm still a bit bitter about that. Still, it was nice to have this throwback not just for the nostalgia, but for the previous Pokémon that couldn't be obtained in Ruby and Sapphire. It improved Generation III by a large margin.
Emerald was the last core game in the series, but it took everything that was wrong with Ruby and Sapphire and single-handedly transformed Hoenn into something amazing! I think this is why ORAS was kind of bleh compared to Emerald. It will never be as amazing because Emerald made such excellent improvements while ORAS just remade Ruby and Sapphire. Woo hoo. Okay, to be fair, ORAS has their good points, but I'll get to that later.
The old-school fandom started to wane at this point thanks to Ruby and Sapphire's mess, so not too many got to experience the rest of these great games that made great improvements. The spinoff games were nothing terrible, either. I LOVED Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness! I wish they would make those kinds of games again!
Generation IV is where things get really fun, in a way. From 2007 to 2011, this generation lasted almost 4 years! That is impressive, especially considering all the fun games they had this generation! This is where the Mystery Dungeon series really started to take off, along with a Stadium-like game in Pokémon Battle Revolution. It wasn't as good as the N64 Stadium games and it felt rushed, along with the most broken levels you can possibly think of that were more of a headache to get through. Still, it was a console game where we could have 3D Pokémon battles online and on our television sets! Really bitching awesome! I know My Pokémon Ranch gets a lot of flak, but for what it was, it was pretty entertaining! Poképark Wii was a nice addition to the spin-off realm and probably one of my favorite spin-offs in the series.
Diamond and Pearl were nothing too spectacular, as with any core games that kick off a new generation. Platinum, like Emerald before it, improved these games TENFOLD! I consider Platinum my second favorite game in the series, and for good reason! It took all the things that made Diamond and Pearl bleh and improving them while keeping what worked! It was a masterpiece of a game and I play it to this day! It's just that good!
HeartGold and SoulSilver came along a bit afterwards, but unlike FireRed and LeafGreen where they were required if you wanted to catch them all, these games felt like a neat little throwback just for the sake of it. They were nothing revolutionary, but hey, they were heaps fun! Walking Pokémon?? Bring that back one of these days, Game Freak! HeartGold and SoulSilver were a big help if you wanted to complete your PokéDex, but with the previous Colosseum games along with FR/LG didn't make it too much of a necessity. Of course, if you didn't have either of those games, HG and SS did come in handy!
With the release of Generation V, I was a little saddened that I had to say goodbye to Generation IV, but surprisingly, I loved playing through White! Unlike Ruby and Sapphire where I didn't know whether they were rebooting the series or not, we already knew Game Freak had no plans on rebooting the series, and hey, White offered a lot of fun and I loved the Pokémon available! It deviated away from the traditional approach to what was typical in a Pokémon game, but it was great! Lots of great ideas in one game! These games were the first core games to actually get it right the first time around, and I consider White my favorite Pokémon game of all time. I felt that if a Grey version were to come along, I felt like it would either improve very little or fix what wasn't broken.
I guess Game Freak felt the same way, as Black 2 and White 2 were released about year later. I actually considered these games to be inferior to what Black and White offered. They were great as far as sequels were concerned, and to Game Freak's credit, they at least tried to do something new with the series, but they weren't memorable or as fun.
The spin-offs offered were pretty forgettable. Poképark 2 was no where near as fun as the original and the 3D PokéDex was bleh. This was also the first generation to not offer a Stadium-esque game. All the battling was done on a tiny handheld with boring-ass backgrounds and limited sprite movement. Wow. Cool. Not really.
Then came Generation VI and this is where things start to get unpredictable. Generation V wasn't even around for three years in the US and it was a surprise Generation VI was already going to be released. People went bananas for Fennekin, because foxes are awesome, and yes I agree with that sentiment. Not even an hour after the announcement I saw fanart and other works depecting the starters. Flocks of Pokémon fans lined up for these games and it looked like the series saw a new revival in attracting old-school and new fans alike!
X and Y were mediocre at best. Kalos was a gorgeous region, but it really did feel like Kanto 2.0 instead of it's own thing. The constant babbling of Mega Evolutions and how AWESUM SAUCE they are was beyond grating and them trying to go with a darker backstory felt out of place. The lack of new Pokémon were still overshadowed by the plethora of Mega Evolutions, and it just didn't click for me. Then again, I thought to myself, there could be a game in the future to fix those problems. This is where a third game or even a sequel could be used to fix those problems.
Nope! Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were announced to be released a year later! Yay! More remakes! I will admit I was a negative nancy about these games when they were first announced, but they are actually not that bad. The graphics looked more polished and colorful compared to X and Y. However, they are nowhere near as wonderful as Emerald was and instead of simply remaking them like they did with RBY and GSC, they went back and shoe-horned the Mega Evolution crap into the story because obviously we didn't get enough of it in X and Y. Other than that, they're not that bad. I loved the Super Secret Bases, the enhanced soundtrack, and Steven Stone. Initially I didn't care for this guy, but making him what they did in ORAS, I couldn't help but love the guy! I wish the more angsty and pretty boy characters had more moments like this! Fun at their expense! It was nice and shows they can be fun!
Spin-off games are almost non-existent in this generation. No Stadium game, no Poképark game, only a Mystery Dungeon game that was mediocre and Trozei, which is also kind of bland. We'll be getting Pokken Tournament and Pokémon Go, and while I am excited for Pokken Tournament, I would have much rather had a Stadium game since we already have fegging Smash Bros! Pokémon Go looks like fun, but it feels limiting by where you live.
"OCELOTLRAMA! WHAT ABOUT SUN AND MOON?"
Okay, okay. Now I am getting to that. ORAS was released in 2014, but 2015 went by without a single core Pokémon game. This isn't too terrible as there have been moments where a core Pokémon game takes a while to release. I thought that Kalos was going to come back. I thought that with the new Zygarde forms, there would be something in store for fans of the French-inspired region.
"You wanted Pokémon Z? You wanted to see more of Kalos? Nah, here's Sun and Moon instead!"
The reason I spent over two hours typing everything here, explaining the generations and their spin-offs, is because of this very moment. Generations V and VI hardly had any spin-offs to them to make them anything memorable, and it's only getting worse. It started with Generation V having only 2 sets of core games and Generation VI having one set of core games that are original and another set being remakes. The spin-offs are lousy and no where near as fun as they used to be. Is this what we get to look forward to in regards to Pokémon from now on? They couldn't even be assed to fix what was wrong with X and Y. They just had to go over it like it never existed and go on over to the next generation.
I remember complaining a while back that I was getting fed up with a new set of core games every single year. I honestly thought it couldn't get much worse than that. Oh boy, was I wrong.
The reason I put the dates and such to this is because I wanted to show that it was possible for a generation to last a short amount of time and still be good. Generation I was only a thing for two years in the US but stayed relevant during Generation II's heyday because of the backwards compatibility along with the numerous spin-off games that kept us entertained for hours. Generation III was not around too long but it was good because they went back and fixed what was wrong with the first core games while also having plenty of side games to warrant sticking around. Each generation has at least three sets of core games or more along with a few good spin-off games. Generation II is a different egg, but I'll get to that in the next paragraph.
Generation V actually lasted a decent amount of time in Japan, but that is not saying much. The first core games were great but the sequels were bleh. There were very little spin-off games to keep us entertained starring the Generation V bunch. Only two sets of core games. Yes, Generation II only had two sets, as well, but again, they went hand-in-hand with Generation I and it had numerous spin-off games. Generation VI also only had two sets of core games, but only one that was original, the other is a remake of what was already established with Emerald. That is pathetic! The spinoffs are nearly non-existent and they're not that much fun.
So the question is, is this what we, as Pokémon fans, have to look forward to from now on? Generations being pumped out without any thought put into them? No fun spin-offs that we can enjoy as a fun way to pass the time? If this is the future of Pokémon, that really does blow. These past few years have been underwhelming. The only thing I look forward to now is the merchandise. I love the stuff that comes out, of course. But, what happened to making good games and expanding on the worlds they introduce? Why are they so focused on just shoving a new set of games without any effort?
I am just hoping that the jump to Generation VII is going to be worth skipping Kalos over. This is unbelievable. Do I have high hopes for Sun and Moon. Not really. I will be buying them and playing them the day they come out, of course, but I do not have high expectations. Judging from when X and Y were released, they had 3 years to develop these games. Yeah, I am not expecting these games to be masterpieces. I am expecting the same animations from X and Y, I am expecting the same graphics, I am just expecting a shiny, ultra-new, super, cool, region that's not really any of those things and some new Pokémon with very little thought put into their designs. I am expecting the ever-present Dragon-type to continue dominating every aspect of the game and I am expecting bland town names and gym leaders to be present without a Dark-type gym. I am also expecting an Elite Four with very little thought put into them along with a Champion whose name I'll forget in the future.
Please, Game Freak! Prove me wrong!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading the ramblings of a big-time Pokémon fan. Three hours worth of typing, but I feel it was really worth saying. I don't want to see this series go the way it's going. I want to see the fun come back, I want to see the effort and the extras that made Pokémon fun in the first place! It isn't just about core games, but about what fun can be brought along with them, as well, which is why I mentioned spinoffs in this ramble. Here's hoping Generation VII proves my pessimism wrong and brings back the fun again!
7:00 PM CST
- No new gets today, but I want to talk about three things. First, I may add a new collection page to this site after all! Five Nights at Freddy's is getting a slew of new merchandise released during the months of April and May, courtesy of Funko! From what I've seen, they look great! I am especially excited for the Mystery Mini figures along with the plushes. Oh my goodness! I kind of want them all. =D Of course I will be buying the two characters I love the most, those being Bonnie and Foxy. I can't wait!
All this brings me to the second thing I want to bring up: I am glad an indie game franchise is getting this much hype. I think FNaF deserves all the praise it gets. I'll hear and especially read a lot of people giving the creator crap for milking the series, but it's funny how soulless corporations like Nintendo and Capcom can produce a franchise and get a free pass whenever they milk something popular. I guess indie developers are expected to hold a higher standard of doing it "for the art," which is stupid because the only difference between the two is that one is tied down by office politics and the other isn't. If I made a successful franchise with my own bare hands without any corporate funding, I sure as hell would continue it if it made me lots of money.
Anyways, I'm not saying you have to like FNaF. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea and I certainly didn't give it the time of day when it came out. I find jumpscares to be the biggest cop out in terms of scaring people and I thought these games were no exception. I only got into it because of a comedic Let's Play and one of my close friends got me into the characters. However, to give the creator and the series crap for being milked is just dumb to me. Like anyone out there wouldn't do the same thing if they could.
- Anyways, the third thing I wanted to talk about: the frigging jump to Pokémon Sun and Moon. I am going to warn you, this is going to be a big wall of text. I encourage you to read on because it gives some insight into the Pokémon series as a whole.
I think part of the reason why I am not complaining about Kalos not being expanded until my ears fall off is because the damage is already done and Generation VII is coming. Afterall, if it's coming, I cannot change it and if I cannot change it, there is no point in getting mad.
I would like to add that having a negative opinion does not mean that I am mad. I am just giving my opinion on why it freaking sucks.
Here's a window for Generations I-VI (in both Japan and the US):
- When Pokémon first came to the US in September 1998, Gold and Silver came a mere two years later in October 2000 with Crystal coming out in July 2001. However, in Japan, you had Red/Green, Blue, then Yellow released between February 1996 to September 1998 with Gold and Silver released in November 1999. Japanese Crystal came out in December 2000.
- Ruby and Sapphire came out in November 2002 in Japan, and FireRed/LeafGreen and Emerald coming out in January and September 2004. The US didn't get these games until November 2003, September 2004 for FR/LG, with Emerald coming out in May 2005.
- Diamond and Pearl didn't come out in Japan until September 2006. It came to the US in April 2007. Black and White didn't come out until September 2010. Between 2006 and 2010, you also had Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- Black and White, along with Black 2 and White 2 lasted from September 2010 in Japan to October 2013, with the worldwide releases of X and Y. The US and the rest of the world had these games from March 2011 to October 2013. At this point, all the games share a release date around the world and it no longer gets as confusing as it once was beforehand.
- You had ORAS released November 2014. The last core game released until Sun and Moon late 2016.
It may seem like the window for some generations are really small. Generation I in the US only lasted about two years until Gold and Silver arrived. Generation II lasted about three years, from 2000 to 2003. The thing is during those five years, Generations I and II complimented each other like peanut butter and jelly. Generation I may have only lasted two years, but the Generation II games relied on Generation I to get a 100% completion. There were numerous Pokémon you couldn't get without them. Also, the backwards compatibility was amazing. These two generations were the only ones to really work with each other. It was limited, but hey, it's better than what they have going with the modern games! Had Pokémon Stadium 2? Hey, you don't need Gold and Silver (though they helped). Just use Red, Blue, or Yellow if you had them! You can even trade between Gen I and II without any of that "once you trade, it cannot come back" crap.
I guess that's why Gen I felt longer than it was, because it helped expand Generation II into what it was. I feel I may not give Generations I and II the credit they deserve, probably because I do not want to come off as some nostalgia-focused fan who can't see the good in the modern. Sure, the games aren't masterpieces, but the fact that they were able to go hand-in-hand was really nice. Generation II made numerous improvements to what Gen I didn't have. Still, it didn't feel forced. They allowed you to do things at your own pace without having to forget what you once had. Also, they had a ton of spin-off games to keep the average Pokémon fan of the time busy! It was awesome! The only thing I NEVER want to go back to is the Link Cable, and I'm glad that is a thing of the past.
Then Generation III came along. In the US, this generation lasted about three and a half years. I consider Generation III to be it's own thing. It couldn't rely on past generations as they weren't backwards compatible and it wasn't like it could do much for Generation IV other than act as something that would be useful in Pokémon hunting. I had a bit of a resentment thing going on with Ruby and Sapphire because of that. I am sure I wasn't the only one to feel this way. Where was Charizard? Where was Lapras? Elekid? Houndour? Lugia? I felt they were rebooting the series and that left a very bad taste in my mouth. These new Pokémon? They could never replace my old favorites.
Then came FireRed and LeafGreen. Back to Kanto six years after the first release in the US. The first remake in a series of remakes that are soon to follow over the years, probably because Game Freak realized how much money could be made with a shiny coat of paint with little work put in. Okay, yeah, I'm still a bit bitter about that. Still, it was nice to have this throwback not just for the nostalgia, but for the previous Pokémon that couldn't be obtained in Ruby and Sapphire. It improved Generation III by a large margin.
Emerald was the last core game in the series, but it took everything that was wrong with Ruby and Sapphire and single-handedly transformed Hoenn into something amazing! I think this is why ORAS was kind of bleh compared to Emerald. It will never be as amazing because Emerald made such excellent improvements while ORAS just remade Ruby and Sapphire. Woo hoo. Okay, to be fair, ORAS has their good points, but I'll get to that later.
The old-school fandom started to wane at this point thanks to Ruby and Sapphire's mess, so not too many got to experience the rest of these great games that made great improvements. The spinoff games were nothing terrible, either. I LOVED Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness! I wish they would make those kinds of games again!
Generation IV is where things get really fun, in a way. From 2007 to 2011, this generation lasted almost 4 years! That is impressive, especially considering all the fun games they had this generation! This is where the Mystery Dungeon series really started to take off, along with a Stadium-like game in Pokémon Battle Revolution. It wasn't as good as the N64 Stadium games and it felt rushed, along with the most broken levels you can possibly think of that were more of a headache to get through. Still, it was a console game where we could have 3D Pokémon battles online and on our television sets! Really bitching awesome! I know My Pokémon Ranch gets a lot of flak, but for what it was, it was pretty entertaining! Poképark Wii was a nice addition to the spin-off realm and probably one of my favorite spin-offs in the series.
Diamond and Pearl were nothing too spectacular, as with any core games that kick off a new generation. Platinum, like Emerald before it, improved these games TENFOLD! I consider Platinum my second favorite game in the series, and for good reason! It took all the things that made Diamond and Pearl bleh and improving them while keeping what worked! It was a masterpiece of a game and I play it to this day! It's just that good!
HeartGold and SoulSilver came along a bit afterwards, but unlike FireRed and LeafGreen where they were required if you wanted to catch them all, these games felt like a neat little throwback just for the sake of it. They were nothing revolutionary, but hey, they were heaps fun! Walking Pokémon?? Bring that back one of these days, Game Freak! HeartGold and SoulSilver were a big help if you wanted to complete your PokéDex, but with the previous Colosseum games along with FR/LG didn't make it too much of a necessity. Of course, if you didn't have either of those games, HG and SS did come in handy!
With the release of Generation V, I was a little saddened that I had to say goodbye to Generation IV, but surprisingly, I loved playing through White! Unlike Ruby and Sapphire where I didn't know whether they were rebooting the series or not, we already knew Game Freak had no plans on rebooting the series, and hey, White offered a lot of fun and I loved the Pokémon available! It deviated away from the traditional approach to what was typical in a Pokémon game, but it was great! Lots of great ideas in one game! These games were the first core games to actually get it right the first time around, and I consider White my favorite Pokémon game of all time. I felt that if a Grey version were to come along, I felt like it would either improve very little or fix what wasn't broken.
I guess Game Freak felt the same way, as Black 2 and White 2 were released about year later. I actually considered these games to be inferior to what Black and White offered. They were great as far as sequels were concerned, and to Game Freak's credit, they at least tried to do something new with the series, but they weren't memorable or as fun.
The spin-offs offered were pretty forgettable. Poképark 2 was no where near as fun as the original and the 3D PokéDex was bleh. This was also the first generation to not offer a Stadium-esque game. All the battling was done on a tiny handheld with boring-ass backgrounds and limited sprite movement. Wow. Cool. Not really.
Then came Generation VI and this is where things start to get unpredictable. Generation V wasn't even around for three years in the US and it was a surprise Generation VI was already going to be released. People went bananas for Fennekin, because foxes are awesome, and yes I agree with that sentiment. Not even an hour after the announcement I saw fanart and other works depecting the starters. Flocks of Pokémon fans lined up for these games and it looked like the series saw a new revival in attracting old-school and new fans alike!
X and Y were mediocre at best. Kalos was a gorgeous region, but it really did feel like Kanto 2.0 instead of it's own thing. The constant babbling of Mega Evolutions and how AWESUM SAUCE they are was beyond grating and them trying to go with a darker backstory felt out of place. The lack of new Pokémon were still overshadowed by the plethora of Mega Evolutions, and it just didn't click for me. Then again, I thought to myself, there could be a game in the future to fix those problems. This is where a third game or even a sequel could be used to fix those problems.
Nope! Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were announced to be released a year later! Yay! More remakes! I will admit I was a negative nancy about these games when they were first announced, but they are actually not that bad. The graphics looked more polished and colorful compared to X and Y. However, they are nowhere near as wonderful as Emerald was and instead of simply remaking them like they did with RBY and GSC, they went back and shoe-horned the Mega Evolution crap into the story because obviously we didn't get enough of it in X and Y. Other than that, they're not that bad. I loved the Super Secret Bases, the enhanced soundtrack, and Steven Stone. Initially I didn't care for this guy, but making him what they did in ORAS, I couldn't help but love the guy! I wish the more angsty and pretty boy characters had more moments like this! Fun at their expense! It was nice and shows they can be fun!
Spin-off games are almost non-existent in this generation. No Stadium game, no Poképark game, only a Mystery Dungeon game that was mediocre and Trozei, which is also kind of bland. We'll be getting Pokken Tournament and Pokémon Go, and while I am excited for Pokken Tournament, I would have much rather had a Stadium game since we already have fegging Smash Bros! Pokémon Go looks like fun, but it feels limiting by where you live.
"OCELOTLRAMA! WHAT ABOUT SUN AND MOON?"
Okay, okay. Now I am getting to that. ORAS was released in 2014, but 2015 went by without a single core Pokémon game. This isn't too terrible as there have been moments where a core Pokémon game takes a while to release. I thought that Kalos was going to come back. I thought that with the new Zygarde forms, there would be something in store for fans of the French-inspired region.
"You wanted Pokémon Z? You wanted to see more of Kalos? Nah, here's Sun and Moon instead!"
The reason I spent over two hours typing everything here, explaining the generations and their spin-offs, is because of this very moment. Generations V and VI hardly had any spin-offs to them to make them anything memorable, and it's only getting worse. It started with Generation V having only 2 sets of core games and Generation VI having one set of core games that are original and another set being remakes. The spin-offs are lousy and no where near as fun as they used to be. Is this what we get to look forward to in regards to Pokémon from now on? They couldn't even be assed to fix what was wrong with X and Y. They just had to go over it like it never existed and go on over to the next generation.
I remember complaining a while back that I was getting fed up with a new set of core games every single year. I honestly thought it couldn't get much worse than that. Oh boy, was I wrong.
The reason I put the dates and such to this is because I wanted to show that it was possible for a generation to last a short amount of time and still be good. Generation I was only a thing for two years in the US but stayed relevant during Generation II's heyday because of the backwards compatibility along with the numerous spin-off games that kept us entertained for hours. Generation III was not around too long but it was good because they went back and fixed what was wrong with the first core games while also having plenty of side games to warrant sticking around. Each generation has at least three sets of core games or more along with a few good spin-off games. Generation II is a different egg, but I'll get to that in the next paragraph.
Generation V actually lasted a decent amount of time in Japan, but that is not saying much. The first core games were great but the sequels were bleh. There were very little spin-off games to keep us entertained starring the Generation V bunch. Only two sets of core games. Yes, Generation II only had two sets, as well, but again, they went hand-in-hand with Generation I and it had numerous spin-off games. Generation VI also only had two sets of core games, but only one that was original, the other is a remake of what was already established with Emerald. That is pathetic! The spinoffs are nearly non-existent and they're not that much fun.
So the question is, is this what we, as Pokémon fans, have to look forward to from now on? Generations being pumped out without any thought put into them? No fun spin-offs that we can enjoy as a fun way to pass the time? If this is the future of Pokémon, that really does blow. These past few years have been underwhelming. The only thing I look forward to now is the merchandise. I love the stuff that comes out, of course. But, what happened to making good games and expanding on the worlds they introduce? Why are they so focused on just shoving a new set of games without any effort?
I am just hoping that the jump to Generation VII is going to be worth skipping Kalos over. This is unbelievable. Do I have high hopes for Sun and Moon. Not really. I will be buying them and playing them the day they come out, of course, but I do not have high expectations. Judging from when X and Y were released, they had 3 years to develop these games. Yeah, I am not expecting these games to be masterpieces. I am expecting the same animations from X and Y, I am expecting the same graphics, I am just expecting a shiny, ultra-new, super, cool, region that's not really any of those things and some new Pokémon with very little thought put into their designs. I am expecting the ever-present Dragon-type to continue dominating every aspect of the game and I am expecting bland town names and gym leaders to be present without a Dark-type gym. I am also expecting an Elite Four with very little thought put into them along with a Champion whose name I'll forget in the future.
Please, Game Freak! Prove me wrong!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading the ramblings of a big-time Pokémon fan. Three hours worth of typing, but I feel it was really worth saying. I don't want to see this series go the way it's going. I want to see the fun come back, I want to see the effort and the extras that made Pokémon fun in the first place! It isn't just about core games, but about what fun can be brought along with them, as well, which is why I mentioned spinoffs in this ramble. Here's hoping Generation VII proves my pessimism wrong and brings back the fun again!
March 5, 2016
4:15 PM CST
- No new gets today. However, I do have an update regarding picture day.
There is a chance that picture day may be moved to something that isn't the 14th. I'm really hoping that is not the case but the chance is there. The reason? My Subbie items. I want to take their picture, as well, and even though I had them shipped via EMS, there is a chance they may not get here by March 14th. I trust Japan to ship them really fast. It's the US Postal Service that I don't trust. Japan can ship it to the US in a day while USPS will have me waiting a week for it.
Okay, enough beating that dead horse. I'm hoping it won't come to that and for once I would like to keep a date without postponing it. I doubt it's going to be anything much later and for sure picture day will be happening the week I have Spring Break (the 14th through the 18th, and I'm not even including weekends). Of course, if USPS decides to be a bigger dick than usual (it has happened where EMS packages arrive weeks late), that may not be the case. Still, like I said, the chances of that happening are really small, but just keep that in mind.
- I do want to explain why I have set dates for taking pictures instead of just taking them as soon as I get an item in the mail. Nobody asked why I do this as this is just me giving this information just because, but I'll probably be putting it in the FAQs page just in case.
For one thing, the camera that I use to take these pictures does not belong to me. I borrow it from my brother. His camera is fantastic and takes wonderful pictures. It isn't a cheap camera and I haven't purchased one for myself because of how expensive they are. One of these days I will be investing in a professional camera, hopefully refurbished so I don't have to spend too much on it. I would love to get the same model just so the pictures I take can remain consistent.
The second thing; even if I did have my own camera, picture dates will still be a thing because I also use a backdrop for my images and I have to set it up for each date. It isn't anything fancy as it only consists of a gray blanket you can buy at any Target or Walmart along with anything to hold it in place. However, the backdrop is big and takes a while to set up.
I also do not want to have that thing out all the time. There is no other place I can have this set up other than my room, and since my room is filled to the brim with my collection, I also need a place to walk around and place other items I get in the mail, so yes, the backdrop cannot stay up.
The third reason; I am new to having my own website so I am not sure if this is the right way to bring more visitors or not, but I do like letting all my visitors (old and new) know when new items are going to be placed on this site. I am pretty sure placing items whenever would also be a good idea as it would have people come everyday to see what's new, but I find that way to be kind of difficult to keep up with. I know other people who do that and I can never really tell what is new because they never really say. I guess I could just mention a photo taken and mention it here, but I'll refer you back to my first and second points why I do not take pictures every single time I get a new item.
So, that's why I have picture days. My pageviews really skyrocket when I post new images, and it shows that visitors pay attention to the dates I post, and that makes me happy. ^^
- It is now 7:28 PM, and the FAQs page was updated with what I wrote. Again, no one really asked this question, but it is helpful information just in case. :D
4:15 PM CST
- No new gets today. However, I do have an update regarding picture day.
There is a chance that picture day may be moved to something that isn't the 14th. I'm really hoping that is not the case but the chance is there. The reason? My Subbie items. I want to take their picture, as well, and even though I had them shipped via EMS, there is a chance they may not get here by March 14th. I trust Japan to ship them really fast. It's the US Postal Service that I don't trust. Japan can ship it to the US in a day while USPS will have me waiting a week for it.
Okay, enough beating that dead horse. I'm hoping it won't come to that and for once I would like to keep a date without postponing it. I doubt it's going to be anything much later and for sure picture day will be happening the week I have Spring Break (the 14th through the 18th, and I'm not even including weekends). Of course, if USPS decides to be a bigger dick than usual (it has happened where EMS packages arrive weeks late), that may not be the case. Still, like I said, the chances of that happening are really small, but just keep that in mind.
- I do want to explain why I have set dates for taking pictures instead of just taking them as soon as I get an item in the mail. Nobody asked why I do this as this is just me giving this information just because, but I'll probably be putting it in the FAQs page just in case.
For one thing, the camera that I use to take these pictures does not belong to me. I borrow it from my brother. His camera is fantastic and takes wonderful pictures. It isn't a cheap camera and I haven't purchased one for myself because of how expensive they are. One of these days I will be investing in a professional camera, hopefully refurbished so I don't have to spend too much on it. I would love to get the same model just so the pictures I take can remain consistent.
The second thing; even if I did have my own camera, picture dates will still be a thing because I also use a backdrop for my images and I have to set it up for each date. It isn't anything fancy as it only consists of a gray blanket you can buy at any Target or Walmart along with anything to hold it in place. However, the backdrop is big and takes a while to set up.
I also do not want to have that thing out all the time. There is no other place I can have this set up other than my room, and since my room is filled to the brim with my collection, I also need a place to walk around and place other items I get in the mail, so yes, the backdrop cannot stay up.
The third reason; I am new to having my own website so I am not sure if this is the right way to bring more visitors or not, but I do like letting all my visitors (old and new) know when new items are going to be placed on this site. I am pretty sure placing items whenever would also be a good idea as it would have people come everyday to see what's new, but I find that way to be kind of difficult to keep up with. I know other people who do that and I can never really tell what is new because they never really say. I guess I could just mention a photo taken and mention it here, but I'll refer you back to my first and second points why I do not take pictures every single time I get a new item.
So, that's why I have picture days. My pageviews really skyrocket when I post new images, and it shows that visitors pay attention to the dates I post, and that makes me happy. ^^
- It is now 7:28 PM, and the FAQs page was updated with what I wrote. Again, no one really asked this question, but it is helpful information just in case. :D
March 4, 2016
4:14 PM CST
- New gets today!
My local Toys R Us had Jigglypuff and Zero Suit Samus Amiibo available! I bought them since they tend to alternate those two every week and I just wanted to nab the chance to get them. Two more to scratch off the list...
...or is it three? Since I picked up a copy of Twilight Princess HD that came bundled with a Wolf Link and Midna Amiibo, along with the game's fantastic soundtrack!
I cannot wait to play this game! I've been waiting months for this thing and I finally have it!
All will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
4:14 PM CST
- New gets today!
My local Toys R Us had Jigglypuff and Zero Suit Samus Amiibo available! I bought them since they tend to alternate those two every week and I just wanted to nab the chance to get them. Two more to scratch off the list...
...or is it three? Since I picked up a copy of Twilight Princess HD that came bundled with a Wolf Link and Midna Amiibo, along with the game's fantastic soundtrack!
I cannot wait to play this game! I've been waiting months for this thing and I finally have it!
All will be added to Lioness's to-do list!
March 3, 2016
11:43 PM CST
- Only a few minutes left of March 3, at least for those in CST land. I am two hours behind, so it's techincally 9:43 PM here. I really should be using PST instead. Oh well. I prefer to go with CST since it's the "middle of the road" for those in the North America. I guess if I really wanted to be in the middle of the road, I'd use Greenwich Mean Time. Wow, I'm getting off topic here. Anyways, I'll be sticking to CST/CDT because why not? By the way, Daylight Savings Time starts March 13, so ten days from now I will be switching things back to CDT.
Okay, now for the real update, which is eBay purchases, and the last one until picture day! If any purchases are made, they will more than likely be made offline, but I am not going to pay for EMS on multiple items just so I can get them sooner than picture day.
I made the exception for this group of items. What items are they? More Substitute items! The lot included a Silicone iPhone 6 subbie jacket, a regualr hardcover iPhone case with little subbie designs, and a subbie charm! All in one!
I normally don't go for iPhone covers but the designs are not only really cute, the lot was also inexpensive and the charm was pretty much a freebie when the prices of the two cases are taken into consideration. A real bargain!
Yeah, I'm on a real Substitute kick. Ever since I got my giant-sized plush, I felt I might as well start another collection. Any more Substitute items I can get my paws on? We'll see!
11:43 PM CST
- Only a few minutes left of March 3, at least for those in CST land. I am two hours behind, so it's techincally 9:43 PM here. I really should be using PST instead. Oh well. I prefer to go with CST since it's the "middle of the road" for those in the North America. I guess if I really wanted to be in the middle of the road, I'd use Greenwich Mean Time. Wow, I'm getting off topic here. Anyways, I'll be sticking to CST/CDT because why not? By the way, Daylight Savings Time starts March 13, so ten days from now I will be switching things back to CDT.
Okay, now for the real update, which is eBay purchases, and the last one until picture day! If any purchases are made, they will more than likely be made offline, but I am not going to pay for EMS on multiple items just so I can get them sooner than picture day.
I made the exception for this group of items. What items are they? More Substitute items! The lot included a Silicone iPhone 6 subbie jacket, a regualr hardcover iPhone case with little subbie designs, and a subbie charm! All in one!
I normally don't go for iPhone covers but the designs are not only really cute, the lot was also inexpensive and the charm was pretty much a freebie when the prices of the two cases are taken into consideration. A real bargain!
Yeah, I'm on a real Substitute kick. Ever since I got my giant-sized plush, I felt I might as well start another collection. Any more Substitute items I can get my paws on? We'll see!
February 28, 2016
12:38 PM CST
- 2016 is a leap year, so expect a February 29th this year. I am kinda glad there's a 29th. I have art pieces due on the first of March and it gives me an extra day to get them done. I expect to get them all done tonight, so I get an extra day to get an assignment done, which is due Wednesday. Either way, lots of stuff I need to get done but I get an extra day to do them. Really cool.
Today is Sunday, and unless it's an EMS package, no packages will be delivered today. I just wanted to mention that the photo date of March 14th is still on, but at the same time, still subject to change. So two weeks from now, I'll be able to take photos of what I have in Lioness's to-do list. I can't wait. My room looks like a warehouse with all these toys in their packages just lined up waiting to have their photos taken. Is there a possibility it could change? Yes. Three packages I am expecting are still not here and I have to keep the date open for that. I am also planning on buying something I saw on eBay once I get my paycheck in. I plan on shipping it through EMS, so hopefully it'll get here before March 14th.
It's a bit of a bummer that I won't be able to get the garage kits painted by this time. As a matter of fact, I am just going to get to painting one over spring break. Just one! I have THREE that need to be painted. The hold up is the lack of a spraybooth. I still need to buy the accessories to make such a device. It's not that they are pricey, it's just that this semester has been a busy one and when I am buying supplies for school, the supplies needed for the spraybooth completely go over my head and I forget to buy them while I'm out.
It's a shame that I cannot use my school's spraybooth for this. They have one of those industrial ones that looks like it cost a pretty penny. However, since these are garage kits with numerous pieces that'll probably take over an hour to paint alone, I cannot hog the spraybooth for my personal hobbies. Also, I don't want to lug these pieces to and from my house, to my car, to my school, and all the way back in reverse. It's more trouble than it's worth, and I'd rather make one.
Those are just some things I wanted to mention before the week started. See you all around Thursday.
12:38 PM CST
- 2016 is a leap year, so expect a February 29th this year. I am kinda glad there's a 29th. I have art pieces due on the first of March and it gives me an extra day to get them done. I expect to get them all done tonight, so I get an extra day to get an assignment done, which is due Wednesday. Either way, lots of stuff I need to get done but I get an extra day to do them. Really cool.
Today is Sunday, and unless it's an EMS package, no packages will be delivered today. I just wanted to mention that the photo date of March 14th is still on, but at the same time, still subject to change. So two weeks from now, I'll be able to take photos of what I have in Lioness's to-do list. I can't wait. My room looks like a warehouse with all these toys in their packages just lined up waiting to have their photos taken. Is there a possibility it could change? Yes. Three packages I am expecting are still not here and I have to keep the date open for that. I am also planning on buying something I saw on eBay once I get my paycheck in. I plan on shipping it through EMS, so hopefully it'll get here before March 14th.
It's a bit of a bummer that I won't be able to get the garage kits painted by this time. As a matter of fact, I am just going to get to painting one over spring break. Just one! I have THREE that need to be painted. The hold up is the lack of a spraybooth. I still need to buy the accessories to make such a device. It's not that they are pricey, it's just that this semester has been a busy one and when I am buying supplies for school, the supplies needed for the spraybooth completely go over my head and I forget to buy them while I'm out.
It's a shame that I cannot use my school's spraybooth for this. They have one of those industrial ones that looks like it cost a pretty penny. However, since these are garage kits with numerous pieces that'll probably take over an hour to paint alone, I cannot hog the spraybooth for my personal hobbies. Also, I don't want to lug these pieces to and from my house, to my car, to my school, and all the way back in reverse. It's more trouble than it's worth, and I'd rather make one.
Those are just some things I wanted to mention before the week started. See you all around Thursday.
February 27, 2016
1:42 PM CST
- Hey everyone! Do you know what day it is? You don't? Let me remind you, then! Today is... Pokémon Day! That's right! Today is the official 20th anniversary of my favorite video game series of all time! To celebrate, I thought I would share a drawing of the three final evolution starters that started it all! It took me all of the 25th, yesterday, and this morning to finish it, but it was all worth it!
1:42 PM CST
- Hey everyone! Do you know what day it is? You don't? Let me remind you, then! Today is... Pokémon Day! That's right! Today is the official 20th anniversary of my favorite video game series of all time! To celebrate, I thought I would share a drawing of the three final evolution starters that started it all! It took me all of the 25th, yesterday, and this morning to finish it, but it was all worth it!
This was my surprise that I wanted to draw for this special day! What a great time to be a Pokémon fan! I am very excited for the VC releases of Red, Blue, and Yellow. For sure I'll be buying them. Unfortunately, with an art show coming up and an assigment due the same week, I won't be able to invest too much of my time to it.
Spring Break will also be the time I hope to take pictures and buy more shelves, but if time permits, I would love to spend my free time away playing these games, just like I did in middle school. Unfortunately, I cannot call them childhood games as, well, I was more of a pre-teen when they came to the US, but hey, at 29 years old (I'll be turning 29 next week!), I can say these games are very nostalgic for me!
No new gets today. I just wanted to wish you all a great Pokémon Day! Have fun, reminisce, draw, play R/B/Y, watch Indigo Plateau episodes, do whatever you can to enjoy this wonderful day. ^^ If you didn't get into the series til much later, I encourage you to take this time to enjoy what started the Pokémon series! It isn't just for people who first experienced it, but for everyone to enjoy!
- Nevermind what I said about not getting any gets! It is now 9:51 PM, but earlier (around 6, I think?) a truck came with a package from Gamestop. It was my Mega Man Legacy Collection 3DS game that came with a gold Mega Man Amiibo. Nice!
While I'm happy to get my hands on this, I do have to wonder why they included a gold Amiibo with this game. I know I can be a little sarcastic when it comes to MM and Capcom, but I am being serious here when I say I do believe they needed to sell it with an Amiibo just so they can actually push this game out. The only ones I see buying this game are collectors and big fans of the series (especially both). While I love the series, I do not see myself buying the other ports for the PS4 and XBox One. Why? I don't have either of those consoles. Those who are massive completionists probably will, but they are few and far between.
I guess what I am getting at is, I already own these games on multiple consoles. Hell, I already own the Legacy Collection in the form of a digital download. I just bought a physical copy with games I already own just for a figure with fake gold paint slapped on. I think that says more about me than anything else. No, you know what? Yeah, it says a bit about me, but I am not going to sugarcoat it here. Guess how much I paid for said game with Amiibo? Close to $60 (including shipping).
They want to make a cartoon of this series for 2017, but they had to include an Amiibo and the 25th anniversary statue for the PS4 release just to push these games out, otherwise nobody would have cared to buy them other than, as mentioned previously, collectors and major fans of the series. I'm sorry, but am I missing something here?
I love the Mega Man series. After Mario, they were games I used to play to death on the NES before I even learned to speak. To this day, they're my go-to games when things go bad at school or at work. The thing is, I don't think this series will ever see the popularity it had in the 90s. The only people who I see praise it nowadays are 80s and 90s kids who can't watch or play anything that doesn't remind them of their childhoods. Yeah, it would be nice if newer generations would play the games from this series, but I don't see too many of them making the effort. Even when I was a kid, not too many people played these games. The only one I could think of at the top of my head was a neighbor kid who found everything to be entertaining.
No, I am not knocking the series. Again, I love it. It's just I hate kidding myself into thinking the series is mind-blowingly popular enough to warrant so much to its name. I also hate to be pessimistic about these kinds of things, but it's hard not to be. I don't even want to blame Capcom for this. If anything, it has been proven time and again these games are not massive money makers. If they had to sell the game with an Amiibo with a slap of gold paint on it, it's kind of hard to believe that these games are going to sell well on their own.
Anyways, that's just my opinion on it. I'll be posting the game and Amiibo to Lioness's to-do list later tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of Pokémon Day and good night for now.
Spring Break will also be the time I hope to take pictures and buy more shelves, but if time permits, I would love to spend my free time away playing these games, just like I did in middle school. Unfortunately, I cannot call them childhood games as, well, I was more of a pre-teen when they came to the US, but hey, at 29 years old (I'll be turning 29 next week!), I can say these games are very nostalgic for me!
No new gets today. I just wanted to wish you all a great Pokémon Day! Have fun, reminisce, draw, play R/B/Y, watch Indigo Plateau episodes, do whatever you can to enjoy this wonderful day. ^^ If you didn't get into the series til much later, I encourage you to take this time to enjoy what started the Pokémon series! It isn't just for people who first experienced it, but for everyone to enjoy!
- Nevermind what I said about not getting any gets! It is now 9:51 PM, but earlier (around 6, I think?) a truck came with a package from Gamestop. It was my Mega Man Legacy Collection 3DS game that came with a gold Mega Man Amiibo. Nice!
While I'm happy to get my hands on this, I do have to wonder why they included a gold Amiibo with this game. I know I can be a little sarcastic when it comes to MM and Capcom, but I am being serious here when I say I do believe they needed to sell it with an Amiibo just so they can actually push this game out. The only ones I see buying this game are collectors and big fans of the series (especially both). While I love the series, I do not see myself buying the other ports for the PS4 and XBox One. Why? I don't have either of those consoles. Those who are massive completionists probably will, but they are few and far between.
I guess what I am getting at is, I already own these games on multiple consoles. Hell, I already own the Legacy Collection in the form of a digital download. I just bought a physical copy with games I already own just for a figure with fake gold paint slapped on. I think that says more about me than anything else. No, you know what? Yeah, it says a bit about me, but I am not going to sugarcoat it here. Guess how much I paid for said game with Amiibo? Close to $60 (including shipping).
They want to make a cartoon of this series for 2017, but they had to include an Amiibo and the 25th anniversary statue for the PS4 release just to push these games out, otherwise nobody would have cared to buy them other than, as mentioned previously, collectors and major fans of the series. I'm sorry, but am I missing something here?
I love the Mega Man series. After Mario, they were games I used to play to death on the NES before I even learned to speak. To this day, they're my go-to games when things go bad at school or at work. The thing is, I don't think this series will ever see the popularity it had in the 90s. The only people who I see praise it nowadays are 80s and 90s kids who can't watch or play anything that doesn't remind them of their childhoods. Yeah, it would be nice if newer generations would play the games from this series, but I don't see too many of them making the effort. Even when I was a kid, not too many people played these games. The only one I could think of at the top of my head was a neighbor kid who found everything to be entertaining.
No, I am not knocking the series. Again, I love it. It's just I hate kidding myself into thinking the series is mind-blowingly popular enough to warrant so much to its name. I also hate to be pessimistic about these kinds of things, but it's hard not to be. I don't even want to blame Capcom for this. If anything, it has been proven time and again these games are not massive money makers. If they had to sell the game with an Amiibo with a slap of gold paint on it, it's kind of hard to believe that these games are going to sell well on their own.
Anyways, that's just my opinion on it. I'll be posting the game and Amiibo to Lioness's to-do list later tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of Pokémon Day and good night for now.
February 26, 2016
1:09 AM CST
- Very early in the morning, but I cannot sleep! No new gets today, but I want to describe the massive Substitute and Buizel plushes I got from Pokevault! Oh, and some thoughts concerning the new Pokémon games.
Gosh, the Subbie plush... where to begin? First off, he's HUGE! No, that is not hyperbole. He is massive from head to bottom to arms to tail! =O
He's so fat and plump and soft and squishy! He's the biggest item I own from Japan (at 2 feet from top to bottom), bigger than the X-Plus figures from my MM collection! But I am not done yet! The Pokémon Time Buizel plush is not as large, but that is not to say he isn't big, because he is! He is probably larger than the sleeping Tepig plush, which is saying a lot! The photo on Pokevault made him look lopsided and derpy, but the plush I received looked so much more well made!
Brian really went the extra mile to ship out well made plush to his customers, and I couldn't recommend his store enough! He gets a lot of crap for the high shipping prices, but really, he does such a fantastic job in packing these items; I say they are worth it! If you are a Pokémon fan, go to Pokevault, subscribe to his newsletter, and be prepared to save 10-20% on the items in his store!
I hate to say that in the excitement of receiving these large plush, I forgot to mention another Subbie plush that I received in the same packages- the medium sized Substitute plush! He is a lot bigger than the "normal" sized plush, which is no larger than 5.5 inches. Technically, the medium sized plush is considered large while the large is considered giant (that's putting it mildly), and when I post them in the collection pages, I should word them correctly. For this page, I'll word them like this for now.
That's all I wanted to mention, plush-wise. Now I want those Subbie clearfiles and charms... Thanks, ORAS, for getting me into the Substitute craze! Nah, I love these guys! They should make this thing into a gimmick Pokémon. I'd use it on my teams! =D
- Alright. You probably heard by now- Pokémon Sun and Moon... Didn't they cover the sun and moon concept with gimmick Pokémon like Solrock and Lunitone? Are they are going to play a big role in those games?
First off, wow at those names. I remember a while back making a crack title for new Pokémon games called Mars and Venus. It wasn't anything serious. I thought the names were lame and since I was just trying to be funny, I came up with something as ridiculous sounding as Mars and Venus. Then came Sun and Moon... it makes my Mars and Venus joke look awesome in comparison. Sun and Moon? Shouldn't have used something as cool as Alpha and Omega in something as unremarkable as remakes, huh, Game Freak? Guess what? Now you're stuck with crap like Sun and Moon. Well, in all fairness, I don't play these games for their titles. I thought Heart Gold and Soul Silver were really stupid-sounding titles yet they are great games.
The thing I am worried about is gameplay. I am going to be pretty miffed if this is the end of Generation VI. The Kalos region is far from my favorite region, but that's only because I felt that Game Freak didn't do much with it. It has a lot of potential, but it does feel like they went "let's get a European country as a region out of the way and call it a day." NO! Do more with Kalos, please!
Is this the end of Generation VI? I don't know. I do know they are introducing a few new Pokémon to the PokéDex, but that doesn't mean a new generation. For all we know, Sun and Moon are going to take place in an updated Kalos. We could be getting our first 0.5 generation in the form of Generation 6.5 (how would you type that in Roman numerals?). Whatever it is, credit to Game Freak, they are actually trying to do something fresh with the series. I just hope they don't abandon the Kalos region. What a shame if they do.
- It is now 5 PM, and I have an outline of what I want to do for Pokémon Day, which is tomorrow. I would love to have it done by tonight so I can display it tomorrow. Can it be done? We'll see. =)
1:09 AM CST
- Very early in the morning, but I cannot sleep! No new gets today, but I want to describe the massive Substitute and Buizel plushes I got from Pokevault! Oh, and some thoughts concerning the new Pokémon games.
Gosh, the Subbie plush... where to begin? First off, he's HUGE! No, that is not hyperbole. He is massive from head to bottom to arms to tail! =O
He's so fat and plump and soft and squishy! He's the biggest item I own from Japan (at 2 feet from top to bottom), bigger than the X-Plus figures from my MM collection! But I am not done yet! The Pokémon Time Buizel plush is not as large, but that is not to say he isn't big, because he is! He is probably larger than the sleeping Tepig plush, which is saying a lot! The photo on Pokevault made him look lopsided and derpy, but the plush I received looked so much more well made!
Brian really went the extra mile to ship out well made plush to his customers, and I couldn't recommend his store enough! He gets a lot of crap for the high shipping prices, but really, he does such a fantastic job in packing these items; I say they are worth it! If you are a Pokémon fan, go to Pokevault, subscribe to his newsletter, and be prepared to save 10-20% on the items in his store!
I hate to say that in the excitement of receiving these large plush, I forgot to mention another Subbie plush that I received in the same packages- the medium sized Substitute plush! He is a lot bigger than the "normal" sized plush, which is no larger than 5.5 inches. Technically, the medium sized plush is considered large while the large is considered giant (that's putting it mildly), and when I post them in the collection pages, I should word them correctly. For this page, I'll word them like this for now.
That's all I wanted to mention, plush-wise. Now I want those Subbie clearfiles and charms... Thanks, ORAS, for getting me into the Substitute craze! Nah, I love these guys! They should make this thing into a gimmick Pokémon. I'd use it on my teams! =D
- Alright. You probably heard by now- Pokémon Sun and Moon... Didn't they cover the sun and moon concept with gimmick Pokémon like Solrock and Lunitone? Are they are going to play a big role in those games?
First off, wow at those names. I remember a while back making a crack title for new Pokémon games called Mars and Venus. It wasn't anything serious. I thought the names were lame and since I was just trying to be funny, I came up with something as ridiculous sounding as Mars and Venus. Then came Sun and Moon... it makes my Mars and Venus joke look awesome in comparison. Sun and Moon? Shouldn't have used something as cool as Alpha and Omega in something as unremarkable as remakes, huh, Game Freak? Guess what? Now you're stuck with crap like Sun and Moon. Well, in all fairness, I don't play these games for their titles. I thought Heart Gold and Soul Silver were really stupid-sounding titles yet they are great games.
The thing I am worried about is gameplay. I am going to be pretty miffed if this is the end of Generation VI. The Kalos region is far from my favorite region, but that's only because I felt that Game Freak didn't do much with it. It has a lot of potential, but it does feel like they went "let's get a European country as a region out of the way and call it a day." NO! Do more with Kalos, please!
Is this the end of Generation VI? I don't know. I do know they are introducing a few new Pokémon to the PokéDex, but that doesn't mean a new generation. For all we know, Sun and Moon are going to take place in an updated Kalos. We could be getting our first 0.5 generation in the form of Generation 6.5 (how would you type that in Roman numerals?). Whatever it is, credit to Game Freak, they are actually trying to do something fresh with the series. I just hope they don't abandon the Kalos region. What a shame if they do.
- It is now 5 PM, and I have an outline of what I want to do for Pokémon Day, which is tomorrow. I would love to have it done by tonight so I can display it tomorrow. Can it be done? We'll see. =)
February 22, 2016
11:41 AM CST
- I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait until Thursday to mention this! I got my packages from Pokevault today! Yes, remember I mentioned that they had to be shipped in two boxes to accomodate for their sizes.
They are BIG! Super big items that I am happy to finally own! I was afraid that I would never be able to get them due to shipping alone, but thankfully, I don't have to worry about that again.
Speaking of which, I hear they are making a massive Snorlax plush. That's... gonna be interesting. I'd hate to see the shipping cost of that thing.
I just wanted to mention these gets. Their descriptions will come later this week. Until Thursday, toodles!
By the way, I'm returning smilies and emoticons to this section of the site. I like using them, and hey, this site is all in good fun. No need for super seriousness. =D See what I did there!
11:41 AM CST
- I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait until Thursday to mention this! I got my packages from Pokevault today! Yes, remember I mentioned that they had to be shipped in two boxes to accomodate for their sizes.
They are BIG! Super big items that I am happy to finally own! I was afraid that I would never be able to get them due to shipping alone, but thankfully, I don't have to worry about that again.
Speaking of which, I hear they are making a massive Snorlax plush. That's... gonna be interesting. I'd hate to see the shipping cost of that thing.
I just wanted to mention these gets. Their descriptions will come later this week. Until Thursday, toodles!
By the way, I'm returning smilies and emoticons to this section of the site. I like using them, and hey, this site is all in good fun. No need for super seriousness. =D See what I did there!
February 21, 2016
7:20 PM CST
- Update before the week starts! Today I was able to make the 2 and a half hour drive to the Disney Store! Because I rarely am able to go to such a magical place, I wanted to make this trip worth it! So, lots of neat gets!
First up, I got a large-size young Sven face pillow! He was just the cutest and I had to get my paws on one of these!
Next up, a large Stitch Tsum Tsum plush! I wasn't able to get the normal size plush, unfortunately, but this was the next best thing! He looks like a little sausage dog! So cute!
Last, but not least, Lion Guard toys! This is what I was most excited to see for myself, and sure enough, they had a lot of toys to satisfy my love for all things Lion King! I was able to get a Fuli plush that wasn't derpy, a Janja plush (this one I was super excited to see as I thought he was an online exclusive), and a tumbler with some beautiful images on it with a Kion straw! I am so glad syminka picked up the Kion plush for me a while back since they ran out of those plushes, and not only that, almost all of The Lion King Tsum Tsums were gone. However, Janja I was relieved to see, as I was going to pay more for a plush of him on eBay. Thankfully, I paid the retail price for this lovely plush and I also didn't have to waste money on shipping.
I also found some other items I would have loved to get, but the problem is they come with extra figures that I have no desire to keep. This is especially true with the PVC figure sets that they sell. I'd love to just get what I collect, not the whole lot with characters I do not care about. Not only that, the paint jobs on those figures are BAD. I blame syminka for getting me to care so much about that.
Overall, it was a very fun trip. I did other neat things besides going to the Disney Store, but as far as gets are concerned, that's where a lot of my money went. Can't wait to go back during Spring Break.
All items will be placed in Lioness's to-do list!
- I am quickly running out of space in my shelves, which was bound to happen. However, IKEA sells these storage cubes with doors called Besta. They are ideallic in that they are not as large as the shelves I purchased previously, so they can fit in my small car without any problems. I am also planning on buying 3 or 4 of them, which is the perfect amount for placing my new gets in.
That will also be happening during Spring Break! Lots of nice things to happen that week! Can't wait!
Three weeks from now. Just three weeks! Until then, another week of school and work... sigh. Back to real life. Later for now!
7:20 PM CST
- Update before the week starts! Today I was able to make the 2 and a half hour drive to the Disney Store! Because I rarely am able to go to such a magical place, I wanted to make this trip worth it! So, lots of neat gets!
First up, I got a large-size young Sven face pillow! He was just the cutest and I had to get my paws on one of these!
Next up, a large Stitch Tsum Tsum plush! I wasn't able to get the normal size plush, unfortunately, but this was the next best thing! He looks like a little sausage dog! So cute!
Last, but not least, Lion Guard toys! This is what I was most excited to see for myself, and sure enough, they had a lot of toys to satisfy my love for all things Lion King! I was able to get a Fuli plush that wasn't derpy, a Janja plush (this one I was super excited to see as I thought he was an online exclusive), and a tumbler with some beautiful images on it with a Kion straw! I am so glad syminka picked up the Kion plush for me a while back since they ran out of those plushes, and not only that, almost all of The Lion King Tsum Tsums were gone. However, Janja I was relieved to see, as I was going to pay more for a plush of him on eBay. Thankfully, I paid the retail price for this lovely plush and I also didn't have to waste money on shipping.
I also found some other items I would have loved to get, but the problem is they come with extra figures that I have no desire to keep. This is especially true with the PVC figure sets that they sell. I'd love to just get what I collect, not the whole lot with characters I do not care about. Not only that, the paint jobs on those figures are BAD. I blame syminka for getting me to care so much about that.
Overall, it was a very fun trip. I did other neat things besides going to the Disney Store, but as far as gets are concerned, that's where a lot of my money went. Can't wait to go back during Spring Break.
All items will be placed in Lioness's to-do list!
- I am quickly running out of space in my shelves, which was bound to happen. However, IKEA sells these storage cubes with doors called Besta. They are ideallic in that they are not as large as the shelves I purchased previously, so they can fit in my small car without any problems. I am also planning on buying 3 or 4 of them, which is the perfect amount for placing my new gets in.
That will also be happening during Spring Break! Lots of nice things to happen that week! Can't wait!
Three weeks from now. Just three weeks! Until then, another week of school and work... sigh. Back to real life. Later for now!
February 19, 2016
7:25 PM CST
- Update time! This time with some fantastic gets!
First up, Pokémon toys! Pokevault had a Valentine's day deal with all items being 20% for those who are subscribed to their newsletters. I had to take advantage because, hey, it's money off purchases and who doesn't love that, right?
The toys I bought were a large Pokémon Time Buizel plush and the large and medium size substitute plushes! Score! New items to knock off the wants list. The shipping was ridiculously expensive since, again, I had to go with EMS due to the size of the items. I think I spent less on the Zero X-Plus figure's shipping than I did on these items, but from what I've heard, all three are massive and had to be shipped in TWO boxes! Wow!
Next list of gets- syminka had a Jiji hand towel for sale. I bought it because I adore Jiji! For those not in the know, Jiji is a black cat from the movie Kiki's Delivery Service. I also own a little plush of him I got from Hot Topic. The temptation to start a Jiji collection is there. I want to get a few more items before I can create another page here. The same goes for the stuff of Five Nights at Freddy's since I'm getting into that series, too.
That's not all, she also got me some Pokémon Pracoro dice! I couldn't tell from the images she sent me if they have different poses from the dice I already have, but there's some new stuff in there, too! Charizard and Lapras are among them, but I have no Eevees and Arcanines, which is also in the mix! Can't wait to get these glorious pieces of plastic!
Last, but not least, I went on PKMNCollectors and my friend and fellow collector, hebilea, is going on a trip to Japan and picking up some wonderful Gen I goodies during her stay! I asked for a Charizard cushion and charm, but there is a slight chance that I may not get the cushion due to a limit cap placed on what she can pick up (those cushions are not small and I understand it can take up a lot of space). Hopefully she can pick it up, but if not, at least I'll have the charm! I can't complain about that.
All items, with the exception of the last two since I do not know if I am getting them or not, are going to be placed in Lioness's to-do list.
- I was looking at the Disney Store online and was saddened to see the lack of Lion Guard items. I really wanted a plush of Janja the Hyena (he was an online exclusive). He's sold out, which makes me a sad kitten. Hope they restock. I also hope they make plushes of the other two hyenas.
Speaking of The Lion Guard, syminka found a smorgasbord of large-size Kion plushes at her Walmart. I honestly don't know if my local Walmart carries anything because it sucks, but I'll have to look tomorrow. I have to go anyways to buy more supplies for one of my classes, so I guess it's a good time to kill two birds with one stone.
- Hmmm... I got a newsletter from Toys R Us and it looks like TPCI and Takara Tomy USA are acknowledging Pokémon's 20th anniversary. They have special edition Pikachu plushes and figures being sold. I have to admit, that's pretty cool. It's nice to see them acknowledge the franchise's anniversary in Japan to those of us in the US. It may not be our anniversary, but let's face it, I doubt anyone is going to care when Pokémon first came to North America. It wasn't created here, so why should it matter? The point is, it's a nice thing to see. You don't see TPCI giving western fans a bit of Japanese history too much, and it's a great change of pace.
The only thing they can do next is release the Japanese version of the anime to the states in collector box sets. I'll buy those in a heartbeat!
7:25 PM CST
- Update time! This time with some fantastic gets!
First up, Pokémon toys! Pokevault had a Valentine's day deal with all items being 20% for those who are subscribed to their newsletters. I had to take advantage because, hey, it's money off purchases and who doesn't love that, right?
The toys I bought were a large Pokémon Time Buizel plush and the large and medium size substitute plushes! Score! New items to knock off the wants list. The shipping was ridiculously expensive since, again, I had to go with EMS due to the size of the items. I think I spent less on the Zero X-Plus figure's shipping than I did on these items, but from what I've heard, all three are massive and had to be shipped in TWO boxes! Wow!
Next list of gets- syminka had a Jiji hand towel for sale. I bought it because I adore Jiji! For those not in the know, Jiji is a black cat from the movie Kiki's Delivery Service. I also own a little plush of him I got from Hot Topic. The temptation to start a Jiji collection is there. I want to get a few more items before I can create another page here. The same goes for the stuff of Five Nights at Freddy's since I'm getting into that series, too.
That's not all, she also got me some Pokémon Pracoro dice! I couldn't tell from the images she sent me if they have different poses from the dice I already have, but there's some new stuff in there, too! Charizard and Lapras are among them, but I have no Eevees and Arcanines, which is also in the mix! Can't wait to get these glorious pieces of plastic!
Last, but not least, I went on PKMNCollectors and my friend and fellow collector, hebilea, is going on a trip to Japan and picking up some wonderful Gen I goodies during her stay! I asked for a Charizard cushion and charm, but there is a slight chance that I may not get the cushion due to a limit cap placed on what she can pick up (those cushions are not small and I understand it can take up a lot of space). Hopefully she can pick it up, but if not, at least I'll have the charm! I can't complain about that.
All items, with the exception of the last two since I do not know if I am getting them or not, are going to be placed in Lioness's to-do list.
- I was looking at the Disney Store online and was saddened to see the lack of Lion Guard items. I really wanted a plush of Janja the Hyena (he was an online exclusive). He's sold out, which makes me a sad kitten. Hope they restock. I also hope they make plushes of the other two hyenas.
Speaking of The Lion Guard, syminka found a smorgasbord of large-size Kion plushes at her Walmart. I honestly don't know if my local Walmart carries anything because it sucks, but I'll have to look tomorrow. I have to go anyways to buy more supplies for one of my classes, so I guess it's a good time to kill two birds with one stone.
- Hmmm... I got a newsletter from Toys R Us and it looks like TPCI and Takara Tomy USA are acknowledging Pokémon's 20th anniversary. They have special edition Pikachu plushes and figures being sold. I have to admit, that's pretty cool. It's nice to see them acknowledge the franchise's anniversary in Japan to those of us in the US. It may not be our anniversary, but let's face it, I doubt anyone is going to care when Pokémon first came to North America. It wasn't created here, so why should it matter? The point is, it's a nice thing to see. You don't see TPCI giving western fans a bit of Japanese history too much, and it's a great change of pace.
The only thing they can do next is release the Japanese version of the anime to the states in collector box sets. I'll buy those in a heartbeat!
February 14, 2016
1:58 PM CST
- Happy Valentines day, everyone. I know this day gets a lot of hate for the commercialism, but it's on the calendar, so I'll be wishing it anyways.
The only site update for today! I fixed the Amiibo page and checklist to where I corrected the plural form of Amiibo. I shouldn't be worked up about it, and you want to say Amiibos, go ahead. I'm not going to be an uptight asshole about it. However, for the purposes of this site, it helps to correct myself.
- Oh, something I forgot to mention- the Japanese Pokémon Centers are getting an online store! Of course it is only open to those who live in Japan, but this is good news for those of us in the west, as well, since we can directly order from there with the help of a deputy service! We no longer have to worried about overpriced items! Just the usual deputy fees and shipping, but hey, it's gotta be better than people trying to overprice with pickups!
- No gets today, and since it's Sunday, I will more than likely not be online at all until Thursday or Friday to update this site, so I wanted to mention my thoughts on the Pokémon Center promotion for the 20th anniversary.
I'm going to be blunt. The first batch is beyond lazy. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt because they plan on doing more, but wow, so far I am very unimpressed.
What are the items? Game sprites. Not just any game sprites; Red and Green game sprites. Not even the sprites we got from Japanese Blue in the US (since it was released later in the year). I am talking about the worst sprites that didn't even get released in the US. Now, to be fair, this is obviously a promotion catering to the nostalgic Japanese crowd, and hey, their views of those creepy sprites are certainly different from mine. I didn't see those sprites until sometime in the 2000s and I never played the Japanese versions of Red and Green until much later after that, so they're certainly not going to be nostalgic to my western mind.
With that said, even for a promotion catering to those nostalgic for Red and Green, it is very lazy. The only thing awesome about the promotion are the cushions that are being offered. I definitely would love to get my hands on the Charizard one! The charms are meh, but I'd still get Charizard. The pencil box and towels are kind of okay. The shirts? They look like cheap iron-ons. I'm 99% sure they aren't, but still, they look so awkward with a giant square in the center of a black shirt.
And again, I want to stress this is the first batch. They plan on doing more in the future, so I'll be keeping an eye out on Pkmncollectors and the official Pokémon Center website for that. I want plushes of Gen I Pokémon so bad! Something that isn't Charizard or Lapras since they already have a ton (I won't be upset if they do get something, though). This is a perfect time to make some special items for the original 151 and I don't want them to blow this. Not like with ORAS.
Hopefully they'll get the lamest idea (game sprites) out of the way first and then actually put effort into future designs. One can hope!
- I'm still thinking of something that I'm going to do for the 20th anniversary. I'll probably draw something and post it on the Bulbagarden forums. I want to put a decent amount of effort into it, but I'll probably start sometime this week.
Toodles for now!
1:58 PM CST
- Happy Valentines day, everyone. I know this day gets a lot of hate for the commercialism, but it's on the calendar, so I'll be wishing it anyways.
The only site update for today! I fixed the Amiibo page and checklist to where I corrected the plural form of Amiibo. I shouldn't be worked up about it, and you want to say Amiibos, go ahead. I'm not going to be an uptight asshole about it. However, for the purposes of this site, it helps to correct myself.
- Oh, something I forgot to mention- the Japanese Pokémon Centers are getting an online store! Of course it is only open to those who live in Japan, but this is good news for those of us in the west, as well, since we can directly order from there with the help of a deputy service! We no longer have to worried about overpriced items! Just the usual deputy fees and shipping, but hey, it's gotta be better than people trying to overprice with pickups!
- No gets today, and since it's Sunday, I will more than likely not be online at all until Thursday or Friday to update this site, so I wanted to mention my thoughts on the Pokémon Center promotion for the 20th anniversary.
I'm going to be blunt. The first batch is beyond lazy. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt because they plan on doing more, but wow, so far I am very unimpressed.
What are the items? Game sprites. Not just any game sprites; Red and Green game sprites. Not even the sprites we got from Japanese Blue in the US (since it was released later in the year). I am talking about the worst sprites that didn't even get released in the US. Now, to be fair, this is obviously a promotion catering to the nostalgic Japanese crowd, and hey, their views of those creepy sprites are certainly different from mine. I didn't see those sprites until sometime in the 2000s and I never played the Japanese versions of Red and Green until much later after that, so they're certainly not going to be nostalgic to my western mind.
With that said, even for a promotion catering to those nostalgic for Red and Green, it is very lazy. The only thing awesome about the promotion are the cushions that are being offered. I definitely would love to get my hands on the Charizard one! The charms are meh, but I'd still get Charizard. The pencil box and towels are kind of okay. The shirts? They look like cheap iron-ons. I'm 99% sure they aren't, but still, they look so awkward with a giant square in the center of a black shirt.
And again, I want to stress this is the first batch. They plan on doing more in the future, so I'll be keeping an eye out on Pkmncollectors and the official Pokémon Center website for that. I want plushes of Gen I Pokémon so bad! Something that isn't Charizard or Lapras since they already have a ton (I won't be upset if they do get something, though). This is a perfect time to make some special items for the original 151 and I don't want them to blow this. Not like with ORAS.
Hopefully they'll get the lamest idea (game sprites) out of the way first and then actually put effort into future designs. One can hope!
- I'm still thinking of something that I'm going to do for the 20th anniversary. I'll probably draw something and post it on the Bulbagarden forums. I want to put a decent amount of effort into it, but I'll probably start sometime this week.
Toodles for now!
February 13, 2016
10:57 PM CST
- Only one hour and 3 minutes left of February 13th, so I better make the most of it.
New item gets! I managed to buy a Ness and King Dedede Amiibo from the same seller I bought Duck Hunt Dog from. They're known to be fast with sending out packages so I hope to get them soon. Two more Amiibo to knock off the list.
Yes, yes, I am going to use the correct plural form of Amiibo from now on. Not so I can appease those overly-pretentious purists who get so worked up over a word that was invented a stupid year and a half ago, but only because I recognize it as such, and hey, this is a collection site and I should know better.
- The rest of today's update is just reflections on the fandoms of stuff I collect. I encourage you to read as it may concern future plans.
#Pokemon20 is now a thing. I remember reading Dogasu from Bulbagarden and Dogasu's Backpack mentioning that we in the west really shouldn't be acting like we knew it was a thing in 1996 when we didn't know of Pokémon's existence until 1998 (and for some other countries, 1999). He isn't wrong. I sure as hell didn't know what Pokémon was until late 1998. I actually remember seeing one Pokémon commercial earlier in the year that I didn't give the time of day because the cute monsters in the commercial didn't interest me (I don't believe Charizard was in that commercial, otherwise I would have been hooked from the start).
The thing is, now with the internet being as advanced as it is today (especially compared to 1996), we know the concept started in the beginning of the 90s and was eventually released in 1996 as the games we know and love today. I know Pokémon fans who have been around since the Red and Blue days can be a little overbearing in terms of being "proud veterans," and I think that is what the underlying gist of not knowing it was a thing until 1998 is. It will not be the 20th anniversary in the west until 2018. It's kind of like with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary last year (though I rarely see people bragging about being there since the first Super Mario Bros. game). The first Super Mario Bros. game was released in Japan in 1985. We didn't get the game until 1987! The year I was born! Not only that, I didn't play a Super Mario Bros. game until 1990, the year Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in the US (that, along with Super Mario Bros., were the first two video games I've ever played). Our 30th anniversary will not be happening until 2017, and since I will be turning 30 that year, I guess I share a milestone birthday with the US version of Super Mario Bros.?
Getting back on track, in hindsight, what is the west going to do once 2018 rolls around? I doubt they are going to have a "Happy American Pokémon Day" thing going on. We are going to take what we can get. We'll acknowledge the release date being September 28, 1998 in the US (I don't know about the rest of the world), but I doubt we'll get anything beyond that when Japan is getting toys, PC promotions (as lazy as it is; I'll get to that later), special events, etc. We should acknowledge that we didn't know about Pokémon until 1998, but at the same time, we shouldn't just ignore the roots of this massive gaming icon.
I should do something special for Pokémon Day on this site, which is February 27th. It may not be anything too large, but I want to do something for my favorite series of all time. I'll think of something. For now, let's enjoy the upcoming Japanese Pokémon events that the 20th anniversary has in store!
10:57 PM CST
- Only one hour and 3 minutes left of February 13th, so I better make the most of it.
New item gets! I managed to buy a Ness and King Dedede Amiibo from the same seller I bought Duck Hunt Dog from. They're known to be fast with sending out packages so I hope to get them soon. Two more Amiibo to knock off the list.
Yes, yes, I am going to use the correct plural form of Amiibo from now on. Not so I can appease those overly-pretentious purists who get so worked up over a word that was invented a stupid year and a half ago, but only because I recognize it as such, and hey, this is a collection site and I should know better.
- The rest of today's update is just reflections on the fandoms of stuff I collect. I encourage you to read as it may concern future plans.
#Pokemon20 is now a thing. I remember reading Dogasu from Bulbagarden and Dogasu's Backpack mentioning that we in the west really shouldn't be acting like we knew it was a thing in 1996 when we didn't know of Pokémon's existence until 1998 (and for some other countries, 1999). He isn't wrong. I sure as hell didn't know what Pokémon was until late 1998. I actually remember seeing one Pokémon commercial earlier in the year that I didn't give the time of day because the cute monsters in the commercial didn't interest me (I don't believe Charizard was in that commercial, otherwise I would have been hooked from the start).
The thing is, now with the internet being as advanced as it is today (especially compared to 1996), we know the concept started in the beginning of the 90s and was eventually released in 1996 as the games we know and love today. I know Pokémon fans who have been around since the Red and Blue days can be a little overbearing in terms of being "proud veterans," and I think that is what the underlying gist of not knowing it was a thing until 1998 is. It will not be the 20th anniversary in the west until 2018. It's kind of like with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary last year (though I rarely see people bragging about being there since the first Super Mario Bros. game). The first Super Mario Bros. game was released in Japan in 1985. We didn't get the game until 1987! The year I was born! Not only that, I didn't play a Super Mario Bros. game until 1990, the year Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in the US (that, along with Super Mario Bros., were the first two video games I've ever played). Our 30th anniversary will not be happening until 2017, and since I will be turning 30 that year, I guess I share a milestone birthday with the US version of Super Mario Bros.?
Getting back on track, in hindsight, what is the west going to do once 2018 rolls around? I doubt they are going to have a "Happy American Pokémon Day" thing going on. We are going to take what we can get. We'll acknowledge the release date being September 28, 1998 in the US (I don't know about the rest of the world), but I doubt we'll get anything beyond that when Japan is getting toys, PC promotions (as lazy as it is; I'll get to that later), special events, etc. We should acknowledge that we didn't know about Pokémon until 1998, but at the same time, we shouldn't just ignore the roots of this massive gaming icon.
I should do something special for Pokémon Day on this site, which is February 27th. It may not be anything too large, but I want to do something for my favorite series of all time. I'll think of something. For now, let's enjoy the upcoming Japanese Pokémon events that the 20th anniversary has in store!
February 12, 2016
12:28 AM CST
- Okay, that update that was supposed to happen on the 5th got pushed aside. I either spent the entire weekend sleeping, working, or doing homework. At most, I spend less than an hour online. Get used to it until May in which I get two weeks off, then I start my summer classes.
What does that mean for this site? Well, I'll have less time devoted to it, that's for sure. I am going to try to stay updated as much as I can. Lioness's to-do list is going to have plenty of updates.
The good news is, there's spring break. If I do not have anything planned for that week (no homework, no work, no going out of town), I'll try to squeeze in a photo shoot on the 14th of March, which is a Monday. This is not set in stone and is subject to change.
- Now, onto the exciting stuff! First up, I pre-ordered the X-Plus Roll figure on Amiami. Hopefully she will not break me like Zero did! Oh yeah! Another Zero is getting the X-Plus treatment, but it's the Zero series version. A lot of people say that when they make that character into a figure, that's the end of the line for future MM figures. As much as I'd love to make fun of that kind of superstition, I can't say they aren't wrong. There is evidence of that being true...
Anyways, the contents of the board game... there is a lot. The number of figures are numerous and when I take their pictures, I will not be taking all of them individually. I'll have the minions in one picture, the heroes in another, along with the bosses, etc. There's just too much to take individually and I feel this way will be better. I also got a playmat and a few extra figures. I have a huge problem with one aspect of the game and that's the boss cards. They are so cheaply made and I paid an extra twenty two bucks for what I thought were going to have at least some interesting designs and instead, I got the same generic artwork on each card. Why they offered that is beyond me, considering the damn cards that I bought came with the game to begin with. It's not like they are anything unique. Well, in their defense, it was a Kickstarter and I can't say I didn't get what I paid for.
Also, why a bigger box was needed to ship these items is also beyond me. A lot of things regarding this game is beyond me. Honestly, there was nothing that required it. The playmat could be folded and everything else I got looked to have been packaged the same way those who got their games early received theirs. Well, whatever. I'm not going to dwell on it. It's just something I wanted to mention.
Syminka's packages included all the Lion King Tsum Tsums along with a Kion Disney Store plush, a Shovel Knight Amiibo, two Kung Fu Panda Funko figures (Po and Tigress), and a blue Tepig eraser!
I will be placing all of these items into Lioness's to-do list tomorrow! Yes, I mean it this time.
- The garage kits has also come to a stall. Unlike with going online, the reason for the delay is that I want to make a DIY spray booth. I am going to use enamel paints and that stuff isn't the safest to breath in. They're not as bad a lacquer paints, but they are still toxic to where you don't want to breath that junk in. Until then, they are on hold once again. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon. Hey, that'll be another project for spring break!
Night for now.
- Okay, it is now 11:47 AM, and when I said tomorrow beforehand, I meant later today. As you can tell, it was late and my sense of time was completely shot.
Lioness's to-do list has been updated. There were a couple of things I forgot to mention I received, like an Alien Stitch plush and the MM Tribute book. I was reciting everything from memory and look what good that did. I didn't even remember it being twelve in the morning.
I am also going to update the front page and mention the photo shoot date. Despite the fact that I mentioned it earlier this morning, I'll repeat it again- It is subject to change.
Now I'm off to organize my collection and add my new toys to the mix! Toodles for now!
- It is 7 PM on the dot and the FAQs page has been updated!
12:28 AM CST
- Okay, that update that was supposed to happen on the 5th got pushed aside. I either spent the entire weekend sleeping, working, or doing homework. At most, I spend less than an hour online. Get used to it until May in which I get two weeks off, then I start my summer classes.
What does that mean for this site? Well, I'll have less time devoted to it, that's for sure. I am going to try to stay updated as much as I can. Lioness's to-do list is going to have plenty of updates.
The good news is, there's spring break. If I do not have anything planned for that week (no homework, no work, no going out of town), I'll try to squeeze in a photo shoot on the 14th of March, which is a Monday. This is not set in stone and is subject to change.
- Now, onto the exciting stuff! First up, I pre-ordered the X-Plus Roll figure on Amiami. Hopefully she will not break me like Zero did! Oh yeah! Another Zero is getting the X-Plus treatment, but it's the Zero series version. A lot of people say that when they make that character into a figure, that's the end of the line for future MM figures. As much as I'd love to make fun of that kind of superstition, I can't say they aren't wrong. There is evidence of that being true...
Anyways, the contents of the board game... there is a lot. The number of figures are numerous and when I take their pictures, I will not be taking all of them individually. I'll have the minions in one picture, the heroes in another, along with the bosses, etc. There's just too much to take individually and I feel this way will be better. I also got a playmat and a few extra figures. I have a huge problem with one aspect of the game and that's the boss cards. They are so cheaply made and I paid an extra twenty two bucks for what I thought were going to have at least some interesting designs and instead, I got the same generic artwork on each card. Why they offered that is beyond me, considering the damn cards that I bought came with the game to begin with. It's not like they are anything unique. Well, in their defense, it was a Kickstarter and I can't say I didn't get what I paid for.
Also, why a bigger box was needed to ship these items is also beyond me. A lot of things regarding this game is beyond me. Honestly, there was nothing that required it. The playmat could be folded and everything else I got looked to have been packaged the same way those who got their games early received theirs. Well, whatever. I'm not going to dwell on it. It's just something I wanted to mention.
Syminka's packages included all the Lion King Tsum Tsums along with a Kion Disney Store plush, a Shovel Knight Amiibo, two Kung Fu Panda Funko figures (Po and Tigress), and a blue Tepig eraser!
I will be placing all of these items into Lioness's to-do list tomorrow! Yes, I mean it this time.
- The garage kits has also come to a stall. Unlike with going online, the reason for the delay is that I want to make a DIY spray booth. I am going to use enamel paints and that stuff isn't the safest to breath in. They're not as bad a lacquer paints, but they are still toxic to where you don't want to breath that junk in. Until then, they are on hold once again. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon. Hey, that'll be another project for spring break!
Night for now.
- Okay, it is now 11:47 AM, and when I said tomorrow beforehand, I meant later today. As you can tell, it was late and my sense of time was completely shot.
Lioness's to-do list has been updated. There were a couple of things I forgot to mention I received, like an Alien Stitch plush and the MM Tribute book. I was reciting everything from memory and look what good that did. I didn't even remember it being twelve in the morning.
I am also going to update the front page and mention the photo shoot date. Despite the fact that I mentioned it earlier this morning, I'll repeat it again- It is subject to change.
Now I'm off to organize my collection and add my new toys to the mix! Toodles for now!
- It is 7 PM on the dot and the FAQs page has been updated!
February 4, 2016
10:21 PM CST
- What a week! I am loving school, but man, it's getting intense! Along with a full-time schedule, I am working on projects that can take a whole class period AND an additional 5 hours of working on my own time. My online time is very limited, but I'll try to make time for when new gets come in the mail!
First things first, I finally got the Mega Man board game in the mail. I know I should have mentioned it earlier considering I spent the entire month of January bitching about it, but what's in the past is in the past. Everything is accounted for and I can finally put this whole thing behind me. Thank goodness. I'll go over the contents tomorrow as there is too much to mention and I am dead tired.
Next thing, two packages came from Syminka- the package mentioned in the last update that I spent a while venting about and another one that was sent Priority. The former package has been opened and they did an incredibly half-assed job taping it back up, but I'm just glad they didn't mess with or lose any of the contents. As with the board game, I'll go over the contents tomorrow.
Last but not least, my package from SMJ finally came. It was a single animation cel from Cyborg Kuro-chan and a Charizard bell keychain. A small amount that could be mentioned today.
Everything will be added to Lioness's to-do list tomorrow. For now, I'm off to bed.
Night.
10:21 PM CST
- What a week! I am loving school, but man, it's getting intense! Along with a full-time schedule, I am working on projects that can take a whole class period AND an additional 5 hours of working on my own time. My online time is very limited, but I'll try to make time for when new gets come in the mail!
First things first, I finally got the Mega Man board game in the mail. I know I should have mentioned it earlier considering I spent the entire month of January bitching about it, but what's in the past is in the past. Everything is accounted for and I can finally put this whole thing behind me. Thank goodness. I'll go over the contents tomorrow as there is too much to mention and I am dead tired.
Next thing, two packages came from Syminka- the package mentioned in the last update that I spent a while venting about and another one that was sent Priority. The former package has been opened and they did an incredibly half-assed job taping it back up, but I'm just glad they didn't mess with or lose any of the contents. As with the board game, I'll go over the contents tomorrow.
Last but not least, my package from SMJ finally came. It was a single animation cel from Cyborg Kuro-chan and a Charizard bell keychain. A small amount that could be mentioned today.
Everything will be added to Lioness's to-do list tomorrow. For now, I'm off to bed.
Night.
January 31, 2016
4:59 PM CST
- No new gets today, but there is something I want to mention. I am going to vent, so if you don't want none of it, I suggest skipping over this and I'll see you next time. There are no gets today, no garage kit news, nor are there any website changes, so there will be no updates after this.
Syminka sent me a big box of goodies on the 20th and I have yet to get it. Checking the tracking, it is 500 miles away, which, in USPS distance, isn't very far away. It's been stuck at that location since the 25th!
Delays happen, but dammit, I come to find out they are raising their rates yet again! Raising their rates so:
1.) I can get my packages a week late and not get notified of any delays
2.) Deal with lazy postal workers who leave crap in their trucks and say they shipped it when they didn't
3.) Deal with the rudest people in existence when I have to ship something out
4.) Pay extra just so I can be guaranteed to have my package or my money back!!!
Wow! Sign me up for that! Move over UPS and FedEx! Your way of making sure we know everything about our deliveries is so last year!
Okay,
1.) Delays happen, but the fact that notifications are nearly non-existent is absolutely terrible. I have to go to their website and while they do mention areas where packages can be delayed, they do not mention everything. It's generally a rule of thumb to know that wherever bad weather is ravaging an area, mail will be late. However, how about mentioning that on your website, USPS?
2.) and 3.) You know postal workers get paid a good amount, right? There is also almost no secondary education involved other than a high school degree. That is true to this day, and they are very difficult jobs to get. They have a job that numerous people would love to have. I've seen minimum wage employees at the same job for YEARS that are tons more friendlier than these people. Lighten up, assholes, and know you have a job that pays well and the chances of you losing it are slim to none. The least you can do is put a smile on your faces and not treat me and your other customers like we had the gall to waste your precious time.
4.) With rates rising, you would think they would put more effort into making sure packages never get lost. The fact that we trust them to ship stuff out to begin with should be enough, but no. You have to pay MORE just for extra security. Why is that an option?? How about being secure to begin with in the first place? I cannot believe I live in a world where this is a thing!
What makes me angrier is the fact that USPS services are borderline awful and they are raising rates for the same subpar, BS services that are only getting worse year after year. Why am I bringing this up on a collection site? If you are a collector, you are going to have to rely on USPS in some way, especially if you do not live in a city where everything under the sun is available. It is especially frustrating when it comes to imports. The toys and other knick knacks we want are expensive enough as it is, but USPS amplifies it and makes the experience a crapshoot, unless you want to pay more for extra security, which I recommend with expensive items.
Again, I am just venting. Is there anything I can do about this? No. As much as I would like to take my business to UPS or FedEx, some eBay sellers make it impossible and only allow USPS as an option. Still, this is just something I wanted to bring up. Expect a lot more venting in the future. It seems that being honest and upfront nowadays is almost impossible for some people and businesses.
4:59 PM CST
- No new gets today, but there is something I want to mention. I am going to vent, so if you don't want none of it, I suggest skipping over this and I'll see you next time. There are no gets today, no garage kit news, nor are there any website changes, so there will be no updates after this.
Syminka sent me a big box of goodies on the 20th and I have yet to get it. Checking the tracking, it is 500 miles away, which, in USPS distance, isn't very far away. It's been stuck at that location since the 25th!
Delays happen, but dammit, I come to find out they are raising their rates yet again! Raising their rates so:
1.) I can get my packages a week late and not get notified of any delays
2.) Deal with lazy postal workers who leave crap in their trucks and say they shipped it when they didn't
3.) Deal with the rudest people in existence when I have to ship something out
4.) Pay extra just so I can be guaranteed to have my package or my money back!!!
Wow! Sign me up for that! Move over UPS and FedEx! Your way of making sure we know everything about our deliveries is so last year!
Okay,
1.) Delays happen, but the fact that notifications are nearly non-existent is absolutely terrible. I have to go to their website and while they do mention areas where packages can be delayed, they do not mention everything. It's generally a rule of thumb to know that wherever bad weather is ravaging an area, mail will be late. However, how about mentioning that on your website, USPS?
2.) and 3.) You know postal workers get paid a good amount, right? There is also almost no secondary education involved other than a high school degree. That is true to this day, and they are very difficult jobs to get. They have a job that numerous people would love to have. I've seen minimum wage employees at the same job for YEARS that are tons more friendlier than these people. Lighten up, assholes, and know you have a job that pays well and the chances of you losing it are slim to none. The least you can do is put a smile on your faces and not treat me and your other customers like we had the gall to waste your precious time.
4.) With rates rising, you would think they would put more effort into making sure packages never get lost. The fact that we trust them to ship stuff out to begin with should be enough, but no. You have to pay MORE just for extra security. Why is that an option?? How about being secure to begin with in the first place? I cannot believe I live in a world where this is a thing!
What makes me angrier is the fact that USPS services are borderline awful and they are raising rates for the same subpar, BS services that are only getting worse year after year. Why am I bringing this up on a collection site? If you are a collector, you are going to have to rely on USPS in some way, especially if you do not live in a city where everything under the sun is available. It is especially frustrating when it comes to imports. The toys and other knick knacks we want are expensive enough as it is, but USPS amplifies it and makes the experience a crapshoot, unless you want to pay more for extra security, which I recommend with expensive items.
Again, I am just venting. Is there anything I can do about this? No. As much as I would like to take my business to UPS or FedEx, some eBay sellers make it impossible and only allow USPS as an option. Still, this is just something I wanted to bring up. Expect a lot more venting in the future. It seems that being honest and upfront nowadays is almost impossible for some people and businesses.
January 30, 2016
2:49 PM CST
- I didn't want to post this until I was absolutely sure because, really, I am tired of complaining and beating a dead horse; but finally! Jasco has sent out my package with a brand new tracking number and it is in transit to my house. Also, they upgraded to UPS Ground! I have to say, Jasco, that was a nice gesture. I'll admit the wait was painful and yes, I was frustrated, but now it is on it's way to my house and I can put a little bit of this behind me. I still need to wait for the protagonist cards, but that I am not in a huge hurry to get.
Of course, there is still the matter of making sure everything is in order (making sure the print is in good condition, checking the figures and cards for any defects and to see if nothing is missing). However, after all of this, I am saying every single prayer I know so that way nothing comes defective or goes missing.
- I am late to reading video game related news because school has been eating up a lot of my time, but oh boy. Mighty No. 9 was delayed AGAIN. Yes, I am about five days late with this news. Again, busy with either school or this website.
You know, as much as I like to poke fun at people who sound like entitled little kids over something like video games (especially in regards to MM and MN9), this is beyond ridiculous. Personally, I am indifferent to this. I did put a pledge, but again, I kind of feel iffy about the final product to begin with and it's not like one group got the game while another had to wait almost a month for the same thing (okay, enough of the Jasco bashing).
I am starting to feel... kind of sorry. I feel sorry for the backers who are not getting what they pledged for. I especially feel sorry for the ones who were genuinely excited for the game and didn't participate in the community manager moronic bash-o-thon. The ones who kept flaunting the "SEE CAPCOM! THIS MONEY COULD HAVE GONE TO YOU" mantra and the ones who made the community manager's job a living nightmare? I don't feel sorry for them as much. Actually, I don't feel sorry for those folks in particular at all, but I digress.
With delays after delays, at this point I want to see people get what they pledged for. I know Kickstarter isn't a store, but with how much was done, there is no reason why they should not be delivering by now. With all sincerity, I hope people get what they pledged for.
And with all of this, I am going to take a massive guess here, but that MN9 cartoon isn't happening, isn't it? Just assume it isn't happening.
2:49 PM CST
- I didn't want to post this until I was absolutely sure because, really, I am tired of complaining and beating a dead horse; but finally! Jasco has sent out my package with a brand new tracking number and it is in transit to my house. Also, they upgraded to UPS Ground! I have to say, Jasco, that was a nice gesture. I'll admit the wait was painful and yes, I was frustrated, but now it is on it's way to my house and I can put a little bit of this behind me. I still need to wait for the protagonist cards, but that I am not in a huge hurry to get.
Of course, there is still the matter of making sure everything is in order (making sure the print is in good condition, checking the figures and cards for any defects and to see if nothing is missing). However, after all of this, I am saying every single prayer I know so that way nothing comes defective or goes missing.
- I am late to reading video game related news because school has been eating up a lot of my time, but oh boy. Mighty No. 9 was delayed AGAIN. Yes, I am about five days late with this news. Again, busy with either school or this website.
You know, as much as I like to poke fun at people who sound like entitled little kids over something like video games (especially in regards to MM and MN9), this is beyond ridiculous. Personally, I am indifferent to this. I did put a pledge, but again, I kind of feel iffy about the final product to begin with and it's not like one group got the game while another had to wait almost a month for the same thing (okay, enough of the Jasco bashing).
I am starting to feel... kind of sorry. I feel sorry for the backers who are not getting what they pledged for. I especially feel sorry for the ones who were genuinely excited for the game and didn't participate in the community manager moronic bash-o-thon. The ones who kept flaunting the "SEE CAPCOM! THIS MONEY COULD HAVE GONE TO YOU" mantra and the ones who made the community manager's job a living nightmare? I don't feel sorry for them as much. Actually, I don't feel sorry for those folks in particular at all, but I digress.
With delays after delays, at this point I want to see people get what they pledged for. I know Kickstarter isn't a store, but with how much was done, there is no reason why they should not be delivering by now. With all sincerity, I hope people get what they pledged for.
And with all of this, I am going to take a massive guess here, but that MN9 cartoon isn't happening, isn't it? Just assume it isn't happening.
January 28, 2016
1:04 PM CST
- Clair2522 sent me some items for my collection! She got me an Elekid Kid figure, a clear Buizel gashapon strap, and a Tsum Tsum Stitch blind bag mini figure! She also sent me a Monferno plush and a black Vinylmation figure that can be painted over and customized (she knows that I'm getting into kit building and figure repainting). Yes, I know. I do not deserve my friends. They are way too good for me, but you know what? I am happy and very grateful to have such wonderful friends! Clair2522, you are so wonderful to me! I can't be anymore thankful! I am going to do something special for her, but I won't mention it because I want it to be a surprise.
I will be mentioning said gifts in Lioness's to-do list!
- I ordered the Mega Man Tribute book on eBay. It isn't the original print and those are pretty much impossible to find at this point, so when Udon reissued the book with a brand new cover, I jumped on the moment to buy it. I've seen a few tribute submission pieces on places like Deviantart and from what I've seen, I won't be disappointed! Can't wait to get it and look at those pieces!
- Garage kit update! I started adding primer to some of the kit pieces, and holy sh-----, this stuff reeks even worse than the liquid putty! I know I said the liquid putty was nasty, but primer is POTENT. I had to ventilate the room by having both windows open and a fan blowing air out of my room. That helped get rid of the smell, but I'm still getting used to primering. It's not as easy as it looks. I effed up on my first try but I started getting the hang of it the more and more I used it. One of the figures is fully primed and ready for paint. Those pictures will be put up over the weekend. Will the painting process begin this weekend? I hope so!
Oh, one more thing- wear gloves when handling primer. That gunk sticks to you like crazy and is a pain to get off bare skin. Wear a mask, too. They don't sell this stuff to minors for a reason.
1:04 PM CST
- Clair2522 sent me some items for my collection! She got me an Elekid Kid figure, a clear Buizel gashapon strap, and a Tsum Tsum Stitch blind bag mini figure! She also sent me a Monferno plush and a black Vinylmation figure that can be painted over and customized (she knows that I'm getting into kit building and figure repainting). Yes, I know. I do not deserve my friends. They are way too good for me, but you know what? I am happy and very grateful to have such wonderful friends! Clair2522, you are so wonderful to me! I can't be anymore thankful! I am going to do something special for her, but I won't mention it because I want it to be a surprise.
I will be mentioning said gifts in Lioness's to-do list!
- I ordered the Mega Man Tribute book on eBay. It isn't the original print and those are pretty much impossible to find at this point, so when Udon reissued the book with a brand new cover, I jumped on the moment to buy it. I've seen a few tribute submission pieces on places like Deviantart and from what I've seen, I won't be disappointed! Can't wait to get it and look at those pieces!
- Garage kit update! I started adding primer to some of the kit pieces, and holy sh-----, this stuff reeks even worse than the liquid putty! I know I said the liquid putty was nasty, but primer is POTENT. I had to ventilate the room by having both windows open and a fan blowing air out of my room. That helped get rid of the smell, but I'm still getting used to primering. It's not as easy as it looks. I effed up on my first try but I started getting the hang of it the more and more I used it. One of the figures is fully primed and ready for paint. Those pictures will be put up over the weekend. Will the painting process begin this weekend? I hope so!
Oh, one more thing- wear gloves when handling primer. That gunk sticks to you like crazy and is a pain to get off bare skin. Wear a mask, too. They don't sell this stuff to minors for a reason.
January 25, 2016
9:00 PM CST
- First day of classes! I'm so tired, but I have a feeling this semester is going to be great! Only one little nitpick- the supplies I have to buy are pretty expensive. They're also mandatory to purchase. The classes themselves are also mandatory as they are required for graduation. Well, I can't complain. It's a privilege to go to college and at this point in my life, I cannot finish fast enough.
Now onto the actual update. For the packages I received, it's pretty much everything I expected and more! The MM Nendoroid figure along with the airbrush set arrived in perfect condition. The Ed Tsum Tsum plush I ordered also made it today, which made me really happy to see.
The airbrush set came with three airbrushes and a compressor. I'll be using the double-action airbrush for painting the figures. I cannot wait to get started! I have already started cleaning the garage kits in Simple Green solution and cleaned the mold release off of them. Unfortunately, there was a nasty side effect with the Milliput in that it turned it orange and pretty much just dissolved the stuff off the figures. Not a total loss; I bought some liquid putty that worked 10x better than the Milliput. Problem is that stuff stinks to high heaven! Emphasis on HIGH! I think I got high breathing in some of the fumes... I had to wear a mask for this. It was some nasty stuff.
I took pictures of the Simple Green process but omitted the liquid putty part. It's not too much of a big deal and I just want to get to primering the damn things already. That'll happen over the week and I'll be posting pictures of the process during the weekend. I'll also begin painting that time! Ahh! So close!
- I had my SMJ goods batched and ready to be shipped to my house. There isn't much- just a cel and a Charizard Bell keychain. Regardless, they are must haves and I can't wait to get my grubby paws on them. What a great week already!
9:00 PM CST
- First day of classes! I'm so tired, but I have a feeling this semester is going to be great! Only one little nitpick- the supplies I have to buy are pretty expensive. They're also mandatory to purchase. The classes themselves are also mandatory as they are required for graduation. Well, I can't complain. It's a privilege to go to college and at this point in my life, I cannot finish fast enough.
Now onto the actual update. For the packages I received, it's pretty much everything I expected and more! The MM Nendoroid figure along with the airbrush set arrived in perfect condition. The Ed Tsum Tsum plush I ordered also made it today, which made me really happy to see.
The airbrush set came with three airbrushes and a compressor. I'll be using the double-action airbrush for painting the figures. I cannot wait to get started! I have already started cleaning the garage kits in Simple Green solution and cleaned the mold release off of them. Unfortunately, there was a nasty side effect with the Milliput in that it turned it orange and pretty much just dissolved the stuff off the figures. Not a total loss; I bought some liquid putty that worked 10x better than the Milliput. Problem is that stuff stinks to high heaven! Emphasis on HIGH! I think I got high breathing in some of the fumes... I had to wear a mask for this. It was some nasty stuff.
I took pictures of the Simple Green process but omitted the liquid putty part. It's not too much of a big deal and I just want to get to primering the damn things already. That'll happen over the week and I'll be posting pictures of the process during the weekend. I'll also begin painting that time! Ahh! So close!
- I had my SMJ goods batched and ready to be shipped to my house. There isn't much- just a cel and a Charizard Bell keychain. Regardless, they are must haves and I can't wait to get my grubby paws on them. What a great week already!
January 24, 2016
6:18 PM CST
- Home at last! I had a nice time out of state. A shame it had to end and now things go back to normal with the start of the semester. Also cold weather! Being in Texas got me used to mild winter weather again. I love Texas winter weather! I hate the summers, though. Those can go to hell.
I have quite a few packages waiting for me! I'll find out what they are tomorrow when the post office opens. I know for sure the MM Nendoroid from Amiami is here. Everything else... who knows? I really hope the airbrush and compressor set is here. That means I can finally move along with my garage kits.
- In the meantime, I stopped at Toys R Us and bought a few Amiibos. I got Lucas, Mewtwo, Villager, and three yarn Yoshis (green, blue, and pink). All will be placed in Lioness's to-do list.
Also, I remember reading someone who got all uppity about the plural form of Amiibo being "Amiibo." To reward that kind of pedantic obsessiveness, I took it upon myself to make the plural form of Amiibo "Amiibos" on this site, just for you all who give way too much of a damn. You're very welcome! =D
6:18 PM CST
- Home at last! I had a nice time out of state. A shame it had to end and now things go back to normal with the start of the semester. Also cold weather! Being in Texas got me used to mild winter weather again. I love Texas winter weather! I hate the summers, though. Those can go to hell.
I have quite a few packages waiting for me! I'll find out what they are tomorrow when the post office opens. I know for sure the MM Nendoroid from Amiami is here. Everything else... who knows? I really hope the airbrush and compressor set is here. That means I can finally move along with my garage kits.
- In the meantime, I stopped at Toys R Us and bought a few Amiibos. I got Lucas, Mewtwo, Villager, and three yarn Yoshis (green, blue, and pink). All will be placed in Lioness's to-do list.
Also, I remember reading someone who got all uppity about the plural form of Amiibo being "Amiibo." To reward that kind of pedantic obsessiveness, I took it upon myself to make the plural form of Amiibo "Amiibos" on this site, just for you all who give way too much of a damn. You're very welcome! =D
January 22, 2016
2:13 PM CST
- First time I update from my phone! Jasco has updated on the situation. I fall under their fourth point:
"For backers who have received a tracking number but still shows the order is processing, this means that we have printed the label but have been holding the order in our warehouse due to extra components that needed to arrive before we ship it out. We just received two more containers full of Mega Man the Board Game related items, and we can begin completing held orders. We are purchasing bigger boxes today for orders that had too many components to fit inside the prepackaged box from China. We anticipate most of these held orders will be going out on Monday of next week, since we will be working the entire weekend on getting these orders packed and ready to go."
Wow, that would have been very nice to know from the very beginning, Jasco, instead of, you know, two weeks after the last update. It could have quelled a lot of frustration in the end.
Not only that, but some of the people who did get their game already had some issues to begin with, such as missing cards, damaged prints, and damaged "components" that they don't really specify. So whenever the hell I get my game, is the next step having to dread finding any of these issues? That is f@#&ed!
Okay, okay. Speaking without injecting any of my feelings into the matter, yes, I understand that there were 2,369 backers who pledged towards this game. That means over 2,000 orders that needed to be fulfilled and, yes, that is a big job. Still, how difficult would it have been to go to Kickstarter and/or Facebook and type what I quoted above before the tracking labels were created? I would imagine not very long. If I had known that, I would NEVER have changed my address to the one I had in Texas and just waited til it was ready to be shipped to my address in Nevada. It is a waste of everyone's time.
Now it is planned on being shipped on Monday. Oh boy. The day I start my classes. Unlike last semester where I went to school part-time, I am taking a full-time load this semester and my time will be even more limited than before. So yeah, when I get the game in the mail, I won't be able to enjoy it because I'll be so busy.
Well, whatever. That's the update. Guess I'll just have to wait until Monday. I'm sorry my updates have been nothing but me complaining lately. Hopefully that game'll come soon and I can just put this behind me.
2:13 PM CST
- First time I update from my phone! Jasco has updated on the situation. I fall under their fourth point:
"For backers who have received a tracking number but still shows the order is processing, this means that we have printed the label but have been holding the order in our warehouse due to extra components that needed to arrive before we ship it out. We just received two more containers full of Mega Man the Board Game related items, and we can begin completing held orders. We are purchasing bigger boxes today for orders that had too many components to fit inside the prepackaged box from China. We anticipate most of these held orders will be going out on Monday of next week, since we will be working the entire weekend on getting these orders packed and ready to go."
Wow, that would have been very nice to know from the very beginning, Jasco, instead of, you know, two weeks after the last update. It could have quelled a lot of frustration in the end.
Not only that, but some of the people who did get their game already had some issues to begin with, such as missing cards, damaged prints, and damaged "components" that they don't really specify. So whenever the hell I get my game, is the next step having to dread finding any of these issues? That is f@#&ed!
Okay, okay. Speaking without injecting any of my feelings into the matter, yes, I understand that there were 2,369 backers who pledged towards this game. That means over 2,000 orders that needed to be fulfilled and, yes, that is a big job. Still, how difficult would it have been to go to Kickstarter and/or Facebook and type what I quoted above before the tracking labels were created? I would imagine not very long. If I had known that, I would NEVER have changed my address to the one I had in Texas and just waited til it was ready to be shipped to my address in Nevada. It is a waste of everyone's time.
Now it is planned on being shipped on Monday. Oh boy. The day I start my classes. Unlike last semester where I went to school part-time, I am taking a full-time load this semester and my time will be even more limited than before. So yeah, when I get the game in the mail, I won't be able to enjoy it because I'll be so busy.
Well, whatever. That's the update. Guess I'll just have to wait until Monday. I'm sorry my updates have been nothing but me complaining lately. Hopefully that game'll come soon and I can just put this behind me.
January 21, 2016
11:07 PM CST
- Well, I am on my way home. At the moment I am taking a break from driving at a nice, inexpensive motel in New Mexico. It's a three-day drive so I'll be home around Saturday. The good news is that I was able to get Jasco to change the address back to my original address in Nevaders. It's the least they could do after everything. Supposedly they are starting to ship out packages that were delayed due to the missing components, but I have yet to get any updates, so I'll take that news with a grain of salt.
Though I did see people complain about not getting their game before it hits retail on the Facebook page, and really, that is not what concerns me. It shouldn't be a concern for anybody considering the fact that the Kickstarter came with exclusives that are not going to be available at retail, so yeah, there's that neat privilage. Who gets what first isn't a concern for me. Believe me, if it were, I would have been mondo pissed about people getting their games first the moment they started shipping out.
No, what really sets me off is the lack of updates. I know I am beating a dead horse with this, but when there are no updates for nearly two weeks, it is horrendously irritating to deal with. Makes me just want to stop at Las Vegas on my way home and get my $#!@ing package in-person already. I won't be doing that because I just want to get home and I'm not going to waste my family's time over something like this. The temptation is there, and I am curious how difficult it would be to get to their business. I just want my game. That's it! I just want it so I can finally say I have it. I was really hoping to get it before school started but that's not happening! This is the douchebaggiest thing they can do right now with them withholding everything without updates and they're turning it into an art form. Urrgh! $#@! you, Jasco!
- Okay, I just needed to vent. Onto something more positive...
Syminka and clair2522 have introduced me to a game that I am madly in love with: Neko Atsume! I love it! It is such a cute little game about collecting cat profiles and taking their pictures and watching them being cute. I love cats, and the cats in this game are just so precious! What's more, there is merchandise! I am really thinking about expanding my site to include these kitties into my collection. There are so many plushes and I must have them all! Gah!
Thinking of these kitties has made me forget about Jasco's ridiculousness, already! There's so many cute things, I wouldn't know what to get first!
11:07 PM CST
- Well, I am on my way home. At the moment I am taking a break from driving at a nice, inexpensive motel in New Mexico. It's a three-day drive so I'll be home around Saturday. The good news is that I was able to get Jasco to change the address back to my original address in Nevaders. It's the least they could do after everything. Supposedly they are starting to ship out packages that were delayed due to the missing components, but I have yet to get any updates, so I'll take that news with a grain of salt.
Though I did see people complain about not getting their game before it hits retail on the Facebook page, and really, that is not what concerns me. It shouldn't be a concern for anybody considering the fact that the Kickstarter came with exclusives that are not going to be available at retail, so yeah, there's that neat privilage. Who gets what first isn't a concern for me. Believe me, if it were, I would have been mondo pissed about people getting their games first the moment they started shipping out.
No, what really sets me off is the lack of updates. I know I am beating a dead horse with this, but when there are no updates for nearly two weeks, it is horrendously irritating to deal with. Makes me just want to stop at Las Vegas on my way home and get my $#!@ing package in-person already. I won't be doing that because I just want to get home and I'm not going to waste my family's time over something like this. The temptation is there, and I am curious how difficult it would be to get to their business. I just want my game. That's it! I just want it so I can finally say I have it. I was really hoping to get it before school started but that's not happening! This is the douchebaggiest thing they can do right now with them withholding everything without updates and they're turning it into an art form. Urrgh! $#@! you, Jasco!
- Okay, I just needed to vent. Onto something more positive...
Syminka and clair2522 have introduced me to a game that I am madly in love with: Neko Atsume! I love it! It is such a cute little game about collecting cat profiles and taking their pictures and watching them being cute. I love cats, and the cats in this game are just so precious! What's more, there is merchandise! I am really thinking about expanding my site to include these kitties into my collection. There are so many plushes and I must have them all! Gah!
Thinking of these kitties has made me forget about Jasco's ridiculousness, already! There's so many cute things, I wouldn't know what to get first!
January 19, 2016
2:17 AM CST
- That moment you can't sleep... might as well update with something.
Classes start again next week on Monday, and I'll be back home by then. It's looking more and more likely that I will not be getting that package from Jasco by the time I leave. Really wonderful, and by really wonderful, I mean it really sucks. I'm sure it's a big package so when I pay out of pocket to have it shipped to me, it's going to cost a lot.
Say what you want about Mighty No. 9, but for some reason the delays involved with that game really don't upset me as much. As a matter of fact, it didn't phase me at all. I think I may have expressed some frustration, but that feeling went away as soon as it came. I don't know. It could be due to feeling kind of gross about the end product due to the harrassment the community manager received over the dumbest crap, but it more than likely doesn't bother me as much because everybody has to wait for that game.
For me and a slew of other backers in regards to Jasco's Kickstarter, we still have to wait while others are getting their rewards and YouTube unboxing videos are popping up everywhere. Not only that, some games are also being sold on eBay. It's frustrating because they gave us tracking numbers but failed to mention that certain components were not ready to be shipped out yet. At least with Mighty No. 9, the physical rewards were released without any hiccups from what I saw. Also, during their run, TruForce delivered everything within a timely manner along with timely updates, for both US and worldwide customers. They are also a small, startup company that proved to provide. Because of that, I'm not going to go easy on Jasco just because they are a small company. They suck at updating and keep popping up with dick moves one after the other. So yeah, this is a lot more frustrating.
But again, there is no point in getting angry. I can easily go over to their Facebook page or send them an email while yelling my brains out at them (TYPING IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS!!!11!!!), but really, what's that going to do? This is completely out of my control and since it is, why bother getting mad?
More updates soon.
2:17 AM CST
- That moment you can't sleep... might as well update with something.
Classes start again next week on Monday, and I'll be back home by then. It's looking more and more likely that I will not be getting that package from Jasco by the time I leave. Really wonderful, and by really wonderful, I mean it really sucks. I'm sure it's a big package so when I pay out of pocket to have it shipped to me, it's going to cost a lot.
Say what you want about Mighty No. 9, but for some reason the delays involved with that game really don't upset me as much. As a matter of fact, it didn't phase me at all. I think I may have expressed some frustration, but that feeling went away as soon as it came. I don't know. It could be due to feeling kind of gross about the end product due to the harrassment the community manager received over the dumbest crap, but it more than likely doesn't bother me as much because everybody has to wait for that game.
For me and a slew of other backers in regards to Jasco's Kickstarter, we still have to wait while others are getting their rewards and YouTube unboxing videos are popping up everywhere. Not only that, some games are also being sold on eBay. It's frustrating because they gave us tracking numbers but failed to mention that certain components were not ready to be shipped out yet. At least with Mighty No. 9, the physical rewards were released without any hiccups from what I saw. Also, during their run, TruForce delivered everything within a timely manner along with timely updates, for both US and worldwide customers. They are also a small, startup company that proved to provide. Because of that, I'm not going to go easy on Jasco just because they are a small company. They suck at updating and keep popping up with dick moves one after the other. So yeah, this is a lot more frustrating.
But again, there is no point in getting angry. I can easily go over to their Facebook page or send them an email while yelling my brains out at them (TYPING IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS!!!11!!!), but really, what's that going to do? This is completely out of my control and since it is, why bother getting mad?
More updates soon.
January 17, 2016
4:15 PM CST
- A few new things have been purchased!
The first few batch of items: syminka was so kind to go to her local Disney Store and pick me up all The Lion King Tsum Tsums available! The only one she couldn't get was Ed. *sniffle* He was the one I wanted the most, too. That's in no way syminka's fault and I am super grateful she was able to get me the others! I paid a bit more for him on eBay, but meh, he's a must have, considering the hyenas are my favorite characters in the movie!
She also got me a Kion plush from The Lion Guard! I have yet to see that show, but being a major Lion King fan, I'm going to have to make time one day. They had a Cheetah character, too, but I'm going to have to put her off til later. Don't worry, I'll be getting her one day! All my Lion King goodies will be here the coming week!
The next item on the list: the Mega Man Nendoroid figure! Unlike the X-Plus figures, EMS wasn't the only option for shipping. I chose EMS anyways because it wasn't that expensive. The figure itself is not very big so why the hell not. He will be arriving shortly, as well. No, I will not be going after the headphones and helmet/buster items (the miniatures, lamp, and an actual helmet/buster that would probably never fit). I really don't care for going after accessories like that. I'm a fan of the characters, not what they wear or use.
The last item is not a collection item but it is a necessity for my garage kits- an airbrush and compressor set! This is the one item that really kept me from continuing because I can't exactly set everything up without it. I'm not going to use a paint brush on these figures because I am not very good at using paint brushes and I want a more professional look to them. The other items such as soap for cleaning the pieces, paints, primer, masking tape, super glue and paint markers are all available at my local hobby store, so I'm not too worreid about those. As soon as I get back home, I'm going to start the garage kit process again! Looking forward to that!
With the exception of the airbrush set, all items will be mentioned in Lioness's to-do list!
- No Jasco updates. I am so looking forward to mentioning when they are finally shipping my items out!
But I did want to mention something. Zootopia figures and plushes are already available for purchase. I admit the movie looks cute and the one who really caught my eye was the fennec fox character, but... the movie isn't even out yet and they are selling all these toys already? Not only that, the movie isn't going to be out until March 4th, so why are they marketing these toys so aggressively already?
I don't want to collect a character that I literally know nothing about. The fennec may be cute, but what if he has a personality I cannot stand? I collect some villanous and douchey characters (Lucifer the cat, anyone?), but they had charm to them. Hey, I intend to get some figures of the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp! I don't know. I don't really care for collecting characters that I know nothing about. Guess I'll be waiting til March to collect that fennec, depending on his personality.
I do wish they had something of the Snow Leopard anchorwoman. Just one look at her and listening to her voice made me want to collect her. She may be a minor character with only that one scene, but what I would give...
4:15 PM CST
- A few new things have been purchased!
The first few batch of items: syminka was so kind to go to her local Disney Store and pick me up all The Lion King Tsum Tsums available! The only one she couldn't get was Ed. *sniffle* He was the one I wanted the most, too. That's in no way syminka's fault and I am super grateful she was able to get me the others! I paid a bit more for him on eBay, but meh, he's a must have, considering the hyenas are my favorite characters in the movie!
She also got me a Kion plush from The Lion Guard! I have yet to see that show, but being a major Lion King fan, I'm going to have to make time one day. They had a Cheetah character, too, but I'm going to have to put her off til later. Don't worry, I'll be getting her one day! All my Lion King goodies will be here the coming week!
The next item on the list: the Mega Man Nendoroid figure! Unlike the X-Plus figures, EMS wasn't the only option for shipping. I chose EMS anyways because it wasn't that expensive. The figure itself is not very big so why the hell not. He will be arriving shortly, as well. No, I will not be going after the headphones and helmet/buster items (the miniatures, lamp, and an actual helmet/buster that would probably never fit). I really don't care for going after accessories like that. I'm a fan of the characters, not what they wear or use.
The last item is not a collection item but it is a necessity for my garage kits- an airbrush and compressor set! This is the one item that really kept me from continuing because I can't exactly set everything up without it. I'm not going to use a paint brush on these figures because I am not very good at using paint brushes and I want a more professional look to them. The other items such as soap for cleaning the pieces, paints, primer, masking tape, super glue and paint markers are all available at my local hobby store, so I'm not too worreid about those. As soon as I get back home, I'm going to start the garage kit process again! Looking forward to that!
With the exception of the airbrush set, all items will be mentioned in Lioness's to-do list!
- No Jasco updates. I am so looking forward to mentioning when they are finally shipping my items out!
But I did want to mention something. Zootopia figures and plushes are already available for purchase. I admit the movie looks cute and the one who really caught my eye was the fennec fox character, but... the movie isn't even out yet and they are selling all these toys already? Not only that, the movie isn't going to be out until March 4th, so why are they marketing these toys so aggressively already?
I don't want to collect a character that I literally know nothing about. The fennec may be cute, but what if he has a personality I cannot stand? I collect some villanous and douchey characters (Lucifer the cat, anyone?), but they had charm to them. Hey, I intend to get some figures of the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp! I don't know. I don't really care for collecting characters that I know nothing about. Guess I'll be waiting til March to collect that fennec, depending on his personality.
I do wish they had something of the Snow Leopard anchorwoman. Just one look at her and listening to her voice made me want to collect her. She may be a minor character with only that one scene, but what I would give...
January 15, 2016
9:39 PM CST
- Some good news! My X-Plus Zero arrived two days ago! I didn't mention it earlier because I was a bit busy offline, but I thought I should share the good news here. The box was massive! Yes, $90 EMS shipped massive! I was amazed, my parents were amazed, my brother and sister-in-law were amazed, and when I get home, the cats will be amazed.
Hopefully this will be the last behemoth of a toy that I will be purchasing in a while. He's a gorgeous figure and I see him skyrocketing in price in the future, but yeah, I do not enjoy paying that much for shipping. I don't even like paying $20 for shipping, much less $90! Oh well, whatever. I can't wait to show this bad boy off! For now, he's been mentioned in Lioness's to-do list.
- Now for the bad news. Yes, Jasco still has not delivered the goods, but I sent them an e-mail and they let me know that packages that have not been delivered but have a tracking number processed means they have "one or two components missing and they want to ship everything off all at once." What are those components? Apparently the playmats that I added onto my backer rewards, which, by the way, are sold on their website at 26 units in stock. Those cards I mentioned previously are another one, but I remember specifically requesting those to be sent to me at a later date.
Really, this frustration could have been avoided if they had just been upfront. Instead of creating a tracking label for the damn package and getting my, along with a few other backers, hopes up like they did, they could have said certain items were not available and it was going to cause a bit of a delay.
They probably did not mention that because of the little mixup they had with the stupid cards and this would have just made them look even worse, and while I admit I would have been disappointed, again, my hopes would not have been up. If anything, this just made things much worse than being upfront. It's pretty much a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for them, and I know there would have been people upset if they had been upfront from the start, but I sure would not have been one of those people.
I don't know. I just want the game already. If it's shipped out when I go back to Nevada, I'm going to have to have it rerouted again. That'll not only be a massive waste of time, but a waste of money, too. It's too late to change the address and all I can say is, thanks Jasco. Thanks for screwing up on multiple fronts, getting people's hopes up, and just not being upfront. The latter two pisses me off more than delays. I'll be happy when I get that package in the mail and I can put this whole thing behind me. For now, still waiting.
9:39 PM CST
- Some good news! My X-Plus Zero arrived two days ago! I didn't mention it earlier because I was a bit busy offline, but I thought I should share the good news here. The box was massive! Yes, $90 EMS shipped massive! I was amazed, my parents were amazed, my brother and sister-in-law were amazed, and when I get home, the cats will be amazed.
Hopefully this will be the last behemoth of a toy that I will be purchasing in a while. He's a gorgeous figure and I see him skyrocketing in price in the future, but yeah, I do not enjoy paying that much for shipping. I don't even like paying $20 for shipping, much less $90! Oh well, whatever. I can't wait to show this bad boy off! For now, he's been mentioned in Lioness's to-do list.
- Now for the bad news. Yes, Jasco still has not delivered the goods, but I sent them an e-mail and they let me know that packages that have not been delivered but have a tracking number processed means they have "one or two components missing and they want to ship everything off all at once." What are those components? Apparently the playmats that I added onto my backer rewards, which, by the way, are sold on their website at 26 units in stock. Those cards I mentioned previously are another one, but I remember specifically requesting those to be sent to me at a later date.
Really, this frustration could have been avoided if they had just been upfront. Instead of creating a tracking label for the damn package and getting my, along with a few other backers, hopes up like they did, they could have said certain items were not available and it was going to cause a bit of a delay.
They probably did not mention that because of the little mixup they had with the stupid cards and this would have just made them look even worse, and while I admit I would have been disappointed, again, my hopes would not have been up. If anything, this just made things much worse than being upfront. It's pretty much a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for them, and I know there would have been people upset if they had been upfront from the start, but I sure would not have been one of those people.
I don't know. I just want the game already. If it's shipped out when I go back to Nevada, I'm going to have to have it rerouted again. That'll not only be a massive waste of time, but a waste of money, too. It's too late to change the address and all I can say is, thanks Jasco. Thanks for screwing up on multiple fronts, getting people's hopes up, and just not being upfront. The latter two pisses me off more than delays. I'll be happy when I get that package in the mail and I can put this whole thing behind me. For now, still waiting.
January 12, 2016
11:19 PM CST
- IT'S... not here.
My Jasco rewards did not arrive today, and you know what? I kind of expected that and braced myself for the disappointment. The tracking number they gave me didn't budge. It just showed they had a tracking number but it was not even on route. I kind of assumed that since it was UPS SurePost, it was not going to be as good as Ground. Why did I assume that? Because they work in conjunction with USPS. USPS does not have the best track record when it comes to reliable tracking, so I just thought they didn't update their system and hoped for the best. Today was supposed to be the day I received it, but it isn't here.
It's a little upsetting. I mean, the tracking showed it was supposed to arrive today and to not get something I have been waiting 2 years for is more than disheartening. Still, I don't see the point in getting angry. It's not here, it obviously hasn't been shipped yet, and there's nothing I can do about it. I phoned UPS about my concerns before e-mailing Jasco about the situation.
I don't mind waiting, but it would have been nice to not get the tracking number until they were very sure that they were going to ship the item out, you know? If it hasn't been shipped yet, don't give the tracking number that has an expected arrival date set.
Well, what can you do? Still waiting for that e-mail from Jasco.
- Now for some good news! My box of goodies from syminka has arrived today! The box is huge! I can see why she had to ship it manually. Lots of stuff to add to my collection in this wonderful box! I cannot wait to take pictures of everything.
11:19 PM CST
- IT'S... not here.
My Jasco rewards did not arrive today, and you know what? I kind of expected that and braced myself for the disappointment. The tracking number they gave me didn't budge. It just showed they had a tracking number but it was not even on route. I kind of assumed that since it was UPS SurePost, it was not going to be as good as Ground. Why did I assume that? Because they work in conjunction with USPS. USPS does not have the best track record when it comes to reliable tracking, so I just thought they didn't update their system and hoped for the best. Today was supposed to be the day I received it, but it isn't here.
It's a little upsetting. I mean, the tracking showed it was supposed to arrive today and to not get something I have been waiting 2 years for is more than disheartening. Still, I don't see the point in getting angry. It's not here, it obviously hasn't been shipped yet, and there's nothing I can do about it. I phoned UPS about my concerns before e-mailing Jasco about the situation.
I don't mind waiting, but it would have been nice to not get the tracking number until they were very sure that they were going to ship the item out, you know? If it hasn't been shipped yet, don't give the tracking number that has an expected arrival date set.
Well, what can you do? Still waiting for that e-mail from Jasco.
- Now for some good news! My box of goodies from syminka has arrived today! The box is huge! I can see why she had to ship it manually. Lots of stuff to add to my collection in this wonderful box! I cannot wait to take pictures of everything.
January 11, 2016
9:08 PM CST
- My Funko mini Toothless arrived today! He is so much cuter than I expected him to be! I am looking to get the whole set sometime later this month! At least all the Toothless figures available. I can't exactly get everything just yet.
- Tomorrow is the day I get my Jasco goodies! People all over the west coast have already gotten theirs and, man, oh, man, it makes me want my stuff even more now! Just got to wait a few more hours and it'll be in my house.
- One of my good friends has gotten me into a series I thought I would never get into: Five Nights at Freddy's. I was a bit intrigued at first when I saw a comedic playthrough done by LittleKuriboh as Seto Kaiba, but my friend just got me hooked! I normally don't like scary games and when I heard this game relied on jumpscares when I first heard about it, I was even more turned off; but looking more into it, I have to say I got more and more interested. I bought FNAF on Steam and played it. Not that bad!
My favorite characters are Bonnie the rabbit and Foxy. Will I be seeing a collection of those two in the future? Maybe. My friend got me a Bonnie keychain plush for Christmas and I ended up liking it a lot. I also saw some blind packaged figures that look really cute. There's not a whole lot out there and I may not dedicate a page to them on this site, but hey, I can't say I'll never do that. With a book release and a new movie in the horizon, there could be more to come!
9:08 PM CST
- My Funko mini Toothless arrived today! He is so much cuter than I expected him to be! I am looking to get the whole set sometime later this month! At least all the Toothless figures available. I can't exactly get everything just yet.
- Tomorrow is the day I get my Jasco goodies! People all over the west coast have already gotten theirs and, man, oh, man, it makes me want my stuff even more now! Just got to wait a few more hours and it'll be in my house.
- One of my good friends has gotten me into a series I thought I would never get into: Five Nights at Freddy's. I was a bit intrigued at first when I saw a comedic playthrough done by LittleKuriboh as Seto Kaiba, but my friend just got me hooked! I normally don't like scary games and when I heard this game relied on jumpscares when I first heard about it, I was even more turned off; but looking more into it, I have to say I got more and more interested. I bought FNAF on Steam and played it. Not that bad!
My favorite characters are Bonnie the rabbit and Foxy. Will I be seeing a collection of those two in the future? Maybe. My friend got me a Bonnie keychain plush for Christmas and I ended up liking it a lot. I also saw some blind packaged figures that look really cute. There's not a whole lot out there and I may not dedicate a page to them on this site, but hey, I can't say I'll never do that. With a book release and a new movie in the horizon, there could be more to come!
January 8, 2016
12:51 PM CST
- Jasco finally gave me my tracking number for my rewards! If I was still in Nevada, the game would have made it to me as early as today or tomorrow since they are being shipped from Las Vegas. Nope, for the next month I am in Texas, so that means the game is going to get to me by the 12th, which is next week on Tuesday. Well, once I get it, I know eventually that I'll be lugging my stuff all the way back to Nevada in February. Perfect timing.
Now onto those certain items I mentioned that they messed up on. It's nothing too major. One of the rewards was actually a stretch goal that included character cards that had no influence on the actual game. They were just a nice little bonus for backers to receive. Come to find out that Jasco had a mix up somewhere and they offered to give the cards as digital downloads, instead. It would not have bothered me so much if they mentioned it was going to be a digital download in the first place, they decided to drop that bomb at the last minute.
They gave two options if a backer really wanted those cards. The first option was to wait another 3 weeks and have the game, along with the cards, shipped at that time. The second option would allow those to have the game shipped right away and have the cards shipped later while paying for shipping out of pocket. I chose the second option, of course. I don't want to wait another 3 weeks. When something like this is out, that's when I start to get super impatient.
It's funny. I waited 2 years for this game, and during that course, I didn't feel the pangs of impatientness. It was actually a lot of fun reading process that went on into making a licensed game. The delays that happened were disappointing, but nothing terrible. When they announced that they had it finished and were finally shipping the rewards out, that's when I felt like a spoiled kid who wanted those toys NOW. I don't get it, but I'm glad I don't get impatient during the process of something, otherwise I would never be able to back a Kickstarter.
Oh well. The game is on its way with those cards coming a bit later. Again, I expect to get it on Tuesday.
- It is now 4:22 PM and now I can scratch another unknown figure off my list of unknown figures! One of my friends gave me a cube with Charizard in the center. I never knew what that thing was until I saw one go up for auction on Y! Japan. I now have an official name for the item and it has since been corrected.
12:51 PM CST
- Jasco finally gave me my tracking number for my rewards! If I was still in Nevada, the game would have made it to me as early as today or tomorrow since they are being shipped from Las Vegas. Nope, for the next month I am in Texas, so that means the game is going to get to me by the 12th, which is next week on Tuesday. Well, once I get it, I know eventually that I'll be lugging my stuff all the way back to Nevada in February. Perfect timing.
Now onto those certain items I mentioned that they messed up on. It's nothing too major. One of the rewards was actually a stretch goal that included character cards that had no influence on the actual game. They were just a nice little bonus for backers to receive. Come to find out that Jasco had a mix up somewhere and they offered to give the cards as digital downloads, instead. It would not have bothered me so much if they mentioned it was going to be a digital download in the first place, they decided to drop that bomb at the last minute.
They gave two options if a backer really wanted those cards. The first option was to wait another 3 weeks and have the game, along with the cards, shipped at that time. The second option would allow those to have the game shipped right away and have the cards shipped later while paying for shipping out of pocket. I chose the second option, of course. I don't want to wait another 3 weeks. When something like this is out, that's when I start to get super impatient.
It's funny. I waited 2 years for this game, and during that course, I didn't feel the pangs of impatientness. It was actually a lot of fun reading process that went on into making a licensed game. The delays that happened were disappointing, but nothing terrible. When they announced that they had it finished and were finally shipping the rewards out, that's when I felt like a spoiled kid who wanted those toys NOW. I don't get it, but I'm glad I don't get impatient during the process of something, otherwise I would never be able to back a Kickstarter.
Oh well. The game is on its way with those cards coming a bit later. Again, I expect to get it on Tuesday.
- It is now 4:22 PM and now I can scratch another unknown figure off my list of unknown figures! One of my friends gave me a cube with Charizard in the center. I never knew what that thing was until I saw one go up for auction on Y! Japan. I now have an official name for the item and it has since been corrected.
January 7, 2016
12:27 PM CST
- Well, what do you know. I got an interesting e-mail in my inbox this morning. The person who e-mailed me was kind enough to point out that I had the metallic variant Toothless Funko figure all along. Now that they mention it, I remember purchasing it from a Hot Topic a long while back. I still have the box and when I looked at it, alas, the figure I do not have is the normal variant.
I dare to call myself a collector! Well, I never called myself a "professional" collector, but you know what? In my defense, Funko does not make it obvious other than placing an exclusive tag on the box. The boxes, otherwise, are pretty much the same with the same name, same number, same characters displayed on the back. The Racing Stripes Toothless figures also recycled the same box, but the differences were much more obvious.
Also, remember that the metallic Toothless figure that I have was my first Funko figure ever and what got me to buying Funko figures in the first place. I didn't know anything about the different variants and I just bought what was convenient for me. I happened to be at Hot Topic at the time and I saw the adorableness that was Toothless himself. I did notice the Hot Topic exclusive tag on the box, but I may have thought Toothless himself was exclusive, not knowing he was a metallic variant of the original figure.
So, now I wasted eBay bucks on a figure that I already have. Not all is lost. I have a friend who has been so kind to me and if she doesn't have the figure already, I am planning on giving it to her. If she already has it, I guess I'll just keep it as my only MIP Funko figure. I like to take these things out of their boxes and display them so this'll be a change of pace if I do happen to keep it.
In the meantime, I'll be removing the metallic entry from Lioness's to-do list and changing the information in the HTTYD page.
- Jasco's Facebook page had an update today mentioning they got "90%" of all packages processed and shipped. That's funny. I could have swore they mentioned on New Year's Eve that they were shipping all packages that were not high-tier rewards that Thursday morning. You know, I don't mind waiting if they mentioned it was going to take another week to process, but when you use very specific language like that, it gets my hopes up just a tad and makes me a bit irritable.
I must be part of that 10% because I never got a tracking number. I am going to be fair here and give them the benefit of the doubt since they have over 2,000 packages to ship. It's probably going to take a while to get things finished and I understand that. Still, to be so close and yet so far! I want my stuff already!
12:27 PM CST
- Well, what do you know. I got an interesting e-mail in my inbox this morning. The person who e-mailed me was kind enough to point out that I had the metallic variant Toothless Funko figure all along. Now that they mention it, I remember purchasing it from a Hot Topic a long while back. I still have the box and when I looked at it, alas, the figure I do not have is the normal variant.
I dare to call myself a collector! Well, I never called myself a "professional" collector, but you know what? In my defense, Funko does not make it obvious other than placing an exclusive tag on the box. The boxes, otherwise, are pretty much the same with the same name, same number, same characters displayed on the back. The Racing Stripes Toothless figures also recycled the same box, but the differences were much more obvious.
Also, remember that the metallic Toothless figure that I have was my first Funko figure ever and what got me to buying Funko figures in the first place. I didn't know anything about the different variants and I just bought what was convenient for me. I happened to be at Hot Topic at the time and I saw the adorableness that was Toothless himself. I did notice the Hot Topic exclusive tag on the box, but I may have thought Toothless himself was exclusive, not knowing he was a metallic variant of the original figure.
So, now I wasted eBay bucks on a figure that I already have. Not all is lost. I have a friend who has been so kind to me and if she doesn't have the figure already, I am planning on giving it to her. If she already has it, I guess I'll just keep it as my only MIP Funko figure. I like to take these things out of their boxes and display them so this'll be a change of pace if I do happen to keep it.
In the meantime, I'll be removing the metallic entry from Lioness's to-do list and changing the information in the HTTYD page.
- Jasco's Facebook page had an update today mentioning they got "90%" of all packages processed and shipped. That's funny. I could have swore they mentioned on New Year's Eve that they were shipping all packages that were not high-tier rewards that Thursday morning. You know, I don't mind waiting if they mentioned it was going to take another week to process, but when you use very specific language like that, it gets my hopes up just a tad and makes me a bit irritable.
I must be part of that 10% because I never got a tracking number. I am going to be fair here and give them the benefit of the doubt since they have over 2,000 packages to ship. It's probably going to take a while to get things finished and I understand that. Still, to be so close and yet so far! I want my stuff already!
January 6, 2016
9:51 AM CST
- Amiami finally sent an invoice for the X-Plus Zero figure. The shipping was... holy sh... it was beyond ridiculous! The previous X-Plus figures I preordered were not as high, and they were pretty high by EMS standards! The yen rate did save my ass in the end and cost about $20 more than the previous X figure, but fffffff..... I can't imagine if the yen rate were still at 2011 levels bad. I would have been in serious hot water.
I'm guessing the extra few inches, heavier figure and box along with extra accessories may have had a hand in making the shipping so high. Doesn't help that Amiami only has EMS as an option for items that are larger than the state of Rhode Island. I'm just glad I had the money for that high shipping fee.
There is one more X-Plus figure coming out that I would love to get, and by the looks of it, it's going to be smaller than the previous figures (by X-plus standards), so the price of shipping shouldn't be too bad. It's still a pretty big figure and I'm going to bet that EMS is going to be the only option for it, but hey, it can't be any worse. *fingers crossed*
- Jasco has yet to give out a tracking number for my backer rewards. They were supposed to be shipped out last Thursday. Granted, there are over 2,000 items to ship out, but I don't even think other people got their numbers and rewards as I haven't seen or heard of anybody getting anything yet. I'm not going to lie; I'm getting a little bit impatient. I normally wouldn't be this impatient if nothing was said, but them saying they were going to start shipping things out and having a wait time like this is going to have some effect. It's been so long and I just want my items already. Bad enough they messed up with one particular item in the set (I'll get to that when I actually get the game in the mail), but the waiting is kryptonite!
If I were back in Nevada, the wait would have been 2 days at most. I'm back in my home state for the next month and now the wait is going to be a bit longer. Great. Guess, I have nothing better to do than wait. God, I hate waiting.
- Already 10:26 PM? Time goes by fast. I also accidently wrote 9:51 PM in the time stamp above. It was supposed to say AM. Sorry about that.
I got my eBay bucks certificate and I decided to buy two items with it. I got the metallic Funko Toothless figure along with a Funko mini Toothless from the blind packaged series. I was going to get something with Charizard but decided against it since I would love to have more Toothless items in my collection, especially those mini figures!
I don't know how much longer Funko can milk Toothless. He is an awesome character, but like Stitch, they're pretty much just rereleasing the same figure with:
- Racing stripes (Walmart exclusive)
- A metallic coat of paint (Hot Topic exclusive)
- A holiday reef around his neck (limited to 5 malls in the US)
Those three along with the normal color scheme. The only thing they can do now is give him a flocked version. Oh dear. I can see that one becoming a thing now.
Well, at least it's something different than Charizard. Can't wait to get them! Both are going to be added to Lioness's to-do list.
9:51 AM CST
- Amiami finally sent an invoice for the X-Plus Zero figure. The shipping was... holy sh... it was beyond ridiculous! The previous X-Plus figures I preordered were not as high, and they were pretty high by EMS standards! The yen rate did save my ass in the end and cost about $20 more than the previous X figure, but fffffff..... I can't imagine if the yen rate were still at 2011 levels bad. I would have been in serious hot water.
I'm guessing the extra few inches, heavier figure and box along with extra accessories may have had a hand in making the shipping so high. Doesn't help that Amiami only has EMS as an option for items that are larger than the state of Rhode Island. I'm just glad I had the money for that high shipping fee.
There is one more X-Plus figure coming out that I would love to get, and by the looks of it, it's going to be smaller than the previous figures (by X-plus standards), so the price of shipping shouldn't be too bad. It's still a pretty big figure and I'm going to bet that EMS is going to be the only option for it, but hey, it can't be any worse. *fingers crossed*
- Jasco has yet to give out a tracking number for my backer rewards. They were supposed to be shipped out last Thursday. Granted, there are over 2,000 items to ship out, but I don't even think other people got their numbers and rewards as I haven't seen or heard of anybody getting anything yet. I'm not going to lie; I'm getting a little bit impatient. I normally wouldn't be this impatient if nothing was said, but them saying they were going to start shipping things out and having a wait time like this is going to have some effect. It's been so long and I just want my items already. Bad enough they messed up with one particular item in the set (I'll get to that when I actually get the game in the mail), but the waiting is kryptonite!
If I were back in Nevada, the wait would have been 2 days at most. I'm back in my home state for the next month and now the wait is going to be a bit longer. Great. Guess, I have nothing better to do than wait. God, I hate waiting.
- Already 10:26 PM? Time goes by fast. I also accidently wrote 9:51 PM in the time stamp above. It was supposed to say AM. Sorry about that.
I got my eBay bucks certificate and I decided to buy two items with it. I got the metallic Funko Toothless figure along with a Funko mini Toothless from the blind packaged series. I was going to get something with Charizard but decided against it since I would love to have more Toothless items in my collection, especially those mini figures!
I don't know how much longer Funko can milk Toothless. He is an awesome character, but like Stitch, they're pretty much just rereleasing the same figure with:
- Racing stripes (Walmart exclusive)
- A metallic coat of paint (Hot Topic exclusive)
- A holiday reef around his neck (limited to 5 malls in the US)
Those three along with the normal color scheme. The only thing they can do now is give him a flocked version. Oh dear. I can see that one becoming a thing now.
Well, at least it's something different than Charizard. Can't wait to get them! Both are going to be added to Lioness's to-do list.
January 3, 2016
9:20 PM CST
- I am glad Sunday is coming to an end. I hate going through a weekend knowing I have stuff coming to me in the mail.
Oh well. To pass the time, I started to draw. What did I draw? A sprite for the Cyborg Kuro-chan page. I am not a big fan of having official artwork displayed in this site. At least not anymore ever since I started using game sprites as my images. Official sprites are okay but one of these days I would like to replace them all with original sprites, too. For now, I am content.
9:20 PM CST
- I am glad Sunday is coming to an end. I hate going through a weekend knowing I have stuff coming to me in the mail.
Oh well. To pass the time, I started to draw. What did I draw? A sprite for the Cyborg Kuro-chan page. I am not a big fan of having official artwork displayed in this site. At least not anymore ever since I started using game sprites as my images. Official sprites are okay but one of these days I would like to replace them all with original sprites, too. For now, I am content.
January 2, 2016
2:40 PM CST
- It may seem like 2016 is off to a slow start, but things will pick up starting next week! I am expecting a big box of Japanese goodies from syminka and the backer rewards from Jasco's Kickstarter (excluding certain cards, but I'll get to that later).
I'm going to be out of town for a while, but I had those packages forwarded to the address I'm going to be staying at, and I'll have internet service so it's pretty much going to be like I haven't left. The only thing is I won't be able to take pictures, but that's okay. I'm waiting for a certain build up of items to make it here. No official date yet, but it probably won't be happening until February or March.
Other than that, I'm working at putting Japanese titles here and there around the site. I'll make an announcement when I am at least 90% done. I am nowhere near that number yet.
2:40 PM CST
- It may seem like 2016 is off to a slow start, but things will pick up starting next week! I am expecting a big box of Japanese goodies from syminka and the backer rewards from Jasco's Kickstarter (excluding certain cards, but I'll get to that later).
I'm going to be out of town for a while, but I had those packages forwarded to the address I'm going to be staying at, and I'll have internet service so it's pretty much going to be like I haven't left. The only thing is I won't be able to take pictures, but that's okay. I'm waiting for a certain build up of items to make it here. No official date yet, but it probably won't be happening until February or March.
Other than that, I'm working at putting Japanese titles here and there around the site. I'll make an announcement when I am at least 90% done. I am nowhere near that number yet.
January 1, 2016
3:04 PM CST
- The beginning of the new year! Happy new year, everyone!
2015 has been archived below, and today marks the beginning of a new Updates and News page for 2016. Yes, I am making it sound more grand than it is. For god's sakes, let me!
I am going to be adding the banners with the newest "big" cat to join Big Cat Collections. It's Ocelot the ocelot! Since so many people have been curious about as to why my jaguar character is named ocelotlrama (read in the FAQs page if you are curious), I decided to add an actual ocelot character to create further confusion, er.. I mean, rivalry between the two! Battle of the ocelots! Who will win?
As you can tell, I love felines and I love creating characters! The more the merrier, I say! So expect new kitties to join the ranks in the future. What future cat will be joining? It could be anything from a cheetah to a cougar to a domestic cat and to the smallest sand cat and rusty-spotted cat!
As far as actual collection updates are concerned, nothing new has been purchased. It is freezing cold outside and I just want to enjoy the new year in the comfort of my home. USPS is also closed for the day and the postman will not be making any visits. Check out the 2015 page to see a recap of 2015 in a nutshell here at Big Cat Collections, just in case you missed it.
Here's to a happy and wonderful new year!
3:04 PM CST
- The beginning of the new year! Happy new year, everyone!
2015 has been archived below, and today marks the beginning of a new Updates and News page for 2016. Yes, I am making it sound more grand than it is. For god's sakes, let me!
I am going to be adding the banners with the newest "big" cat to join Big Cat Collections. It's Ocelot the ocelot! Since so many people have been curious about as to why my jaguar character is named ocelotlrama (read in the FAQs page if you are curious), I decided to add an actual ocelot character to create further confusion, er.. I mean, rivalry between the two! Battle of the ocelots! Who will win?
As you can tell, I love felines and I love creating characters! The more the merrier, I say! So expect new kitties to join the ranks in the future. What future cat will be joining? It could be anything from a cheetah to a cougar to a domestic cat and to the smallest sand cat and rusty-spotted cat!
As far as actual collection updates are concerned, nothing new has been purchased. It is freezing cold outside and I just want to enjoy the new year in the comfort of my home. USPS is also closed for the day and the postman will not be making any visits. Check out the 2015 page to see a recap of 2015 in a nutshell here at Big Cat Collections, just in case you missed it.
Here's to a happy and wonderful new year!