Richard Rants

On Anders Behring Breivik and the dangerous rise of fascism in Europe

Physical punishment means nothing to Breivik, as he has already got what he wanted and more. A successful terrorist attack on what might have been future prime ministers and politicians of Norway. Attention from mass media and a platform to convert more to his fascist ideology of hate.

What’s even more disturbing than his extremist views on immigration and race is his view on democracy, and how he felt that cruelly butchering all those human being for their political beliefs was a justifiable action. He, in his mind, dehumanized those youths and people. He maintains even now that before being human beings with a right to an opinion, a right to even their lives, that they were “traitors” who deserved death for their treason - not sharing his political views. Pure fascism. Something many of our nations fought to eradicate from the world in the 20th century, because of the unprecedented level of human suffering and evil it had wrought upon the world.

The only way I would ever be satisfied would be to see Breivik educated, to see him break down crying after he has regained empathy, to see him regret his murders in the name of fascism. To admit he was wrong… only then would I be satisfied. It’s so tempting to say execute him, torture him, but that’s exactly what extremist right wingers approve of. They love violence. They want actions dictated by our irrational, negative instincts. It’d be giving him (again) what he wants. The only correct response to his actions would be to demonstrate they don’t work. To defeat his ideas themselves. Answer his fascism with more liberal democracy. I’d allow an increase in immigration into Norway just to throw a wrench in his plans (whereby he estimates that after a three year backlash, the government will make concessions out of fear).

I truly despise this man possibly more than any other person I’ve ever known to exist. I don’t think he’s insane. No, he’s just the antithesis of everything the best parts of modern society were founded on. He’s the opposite of the potential of humanity. Breivik represents fear, hate, and brutality. That’s what his political views stem from. We must meet it with hope, love, and civility for the sake of the liberty and equality we cherish and aspire to improve in our societies. We must safeguard democracy and liberty. We must embrace multiculturalism, and in the process we must move past nationalism - which Einstein labelled an infantile disease of mankind - which as a species holds us back and has locked us into power struggles and wars for the half a millennium nation states have been around.

I dream of a future of humanity that rejects Breivik’s ideology in its entirety, a humanity where people are judged not by the borders they were born within, not by their skin colour, not by their religion, and not by their sex or sexuality, but by the content of their character. A politically united Earth with no artificial borders to divide people into separate groups that must oppose each other.

To live to see that would be my dream come true, and Anders Breivik’s nightmare and punishment.

Want to sell following figures. No original boxes, DO come with accessories/parts, will provide photos of items if requested, prices don’t include P&P:

EMAIL ME AT RICHARDHARO.J@GMAIL.COM - STUFF WITH STRIKETHROUGH IS SOLD

GURREN LAGANN

Name: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann - Revoltech - No. 062 (Kaiyodo) !—-VERY RARE—-!
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/4090_tengen_toppa_gurren_lagann_revoltech_no_062_kaiyod
Condition: Used, but almost good as new.
Price: £30 (Has a going price of £60+ on Ebay)

Name: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann - Chou Ginga Gurren-Lagann - Revoltech - 71 (Kaiyodo Gainax)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/7967_tengen_toppa_gurren_lagann_chou_ginga_gurren_lagan
Condition: Used, but almost good as new.
Price: £25

Name: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann - Gurren-Lagann - Revoltech - No. 058 Full Drillized Ver. (Kaiyodo Gainax)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/2430_tengen_toppa_gurren_lagann_gurren_lagann_revoltech
Condition: Used, but almost good as new.
Price: £18

Name: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann - Lazengann - Revoltech - No. 052 (Kaiyodo) !—-Very Rare—-!
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/1394_tengen_toppa_gurren_lagann_lazengann_revoltech_no_
Condition: Damaged, right wrist snapped and glued hand in place. Otherwise still in working condition.
Price: £15 (Again, usual price is £60+ on Ebay for brand new)

Name: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann - Yoko Littner - Revoltech - 1/10 - Fräulein Series No. 010 (Kaiyodo)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/2936_tengen_toppa_gurren_lagann_yoko_littner_revoltech_
Condition: Very Used, but good condition except slight wear and tear, but all joints are still in very good condition and it looks almost good as new. Gun strap and scope have fallen off a couple of times, but been glued back in place.
Price: £20 

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HARUHI

!!SOLD!!Name: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu - Suzumiya Haruhi - Revoltech - 1/10 - Fraulein Series Special No. 1 (Kaiyodo)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/5509_suzumiya_haruhi_no_yuuutsu_suzumiya_haruhi_revolte
Condition: Used but almost good as new.
Price: £17

Name: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu - Nagato Yuki - Figma - Evil Witch School Uniform - 015 (Max Factory)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/2379_suzumiya_haruhi_no_yuuutsu_nagato_yuki_figma_evil_
Condition: Damaged, wrist joints snapped and glued in place. Otherwise, good.
Price: £8

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Gundam 00

Name: Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 - GN-0000 - 00 Gundam - Robot Damashii <Side MS> (Bandai)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/9576_kidou_senshi_gundam_00_gn_0000_00_gundam_robot_dam
Condition: Heavily used, damaged
Price: £5

Name: Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 - SVMS-01X Union Flag Custom II - Robot Damashii <Side MS> (Bandai)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/10177_kidou_senshi_gundam_00_svms_01x_union_flag_custom_
Condition: Used, but still good.
Price: £10

Name: Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 - GN-006 Cherudim Gundam - Robot Damashii <Side MS> (Bandai)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/9580_kidou_senshi_gundam_00_gn_006_cherudim_gundam_robo
Condition: Tail is glued together, otherwise still good condition
Price: £10

Name: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Feldt Grace - DX Heroine Figure 3 B (Banpresto)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/1642_kidou_senshi_gundam_00_feldt_grace_dx_heroine_figu
Condition: Used but undamaged, good condition
Price: £10

Name: Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 - AEU-09Y812/A Al Saacheez’s AEU Enact Custom Agrissa Type - 1/144 (Bandai)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/16381_kidou_senshi_gundam_00_aeu_09y812_a_al_saacheez_s_
Condition: Used
Price: £3

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MISC

Name: Shin Seiki Evangelion - Ayanami Rei - Revoltech - 1/10 - Fräulein Series No. 001 (Kaiyodo)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/1152_shin_seiki_evangelion_ayanami_rei_revoltech_1_10_f
Condition: Used but almost good as new.
Price: £13

Name: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS - Nakajima Subaru - Figma - 064 (Max Factory)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/21215_mahou_shoujo_lyrical_nanoha_strikers_nakajima_suba
Condition: Used, but good as new.
Price: £25 (£50+ On ebay)

Name: Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch - C.C. - Pizza (Banpresto)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/495_code_geass_hangyaku_no_lelouch_c_c_pizza_banpresto
Condition: Used but undamaged, good condition
Price: £10

Name: Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor - AV-98 Ingram 1 - Revoltech - No. 010 (Kaiyodo)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/1339_kidou_keisatsu_patlabor_av_98_ingram_1_revoltech_n
Condition: Damaged, right shoulder fallen off and been glued back in place, otherwise still in very good condition.
Price: £5

Name: Fate/Stay Night - Saber - Figma - 003 (Max Factory)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/172_fate_stay_night_saber_figma_003_max_factory
Condition: Damaged, left shoulder joint snapped. Quite flimsy.
Price: £5

Name: Final Fantasy VII - Tifa Lockhart - Play Arts (Kotobukiya Square Enix)
MFC: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/1458_final_fantasy_vii_tifa_lockhart_play_arts_kotobuki
Condition: Used but undamaged, good condition.
Price: £5

50 hours of Skyward Sword later, here are my final thoughts after beating the latest Zelda.

Warning: A boss, dungeon, and game mechanic are mentioned in paragraph four and five for those who want to be purer of anything that could possibly be perceived as spoilers than the Virgin Mary.

Five years after the last home console Zelda game, and 25 years after the series debut, Zelda is back, bigger and more ambitious than ever. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the game the Wii, and motion controlled gaming itself, was waiting for. This is the game that should have been there five years ago, for Nintendo to show gamers that motion controls can be taken seriously and used properly in games other than casual shovelware. Instead, the game comes out as a last hurrah for the Wii, which is in its dying throes and soon to be replaced by the next generation WiiU.

Gameplay is the most important thing about a game, and the most important thing about Skyward Sword’s gameplay is that it uses WiiMotion+, which allows 1:1 tracking, thus Link will do exactly what you do with the WiiMote, whether it’s a verticle slice or just casually moving his arm around. Twilight Princess’s motion control felt clumsy and blunted, but in Skyward Sword it feels very natural and intuitive. The combat, as a result, is amazing. Waving the WiiMote around randomly (colloquially known as “waggling”) will not work, and you’ll find that death will come swiftly should you try it. You need to discern where enemies having left an opening in their guard and exploit it. Each fight requires the use of your brain to win, and every new enemy is a new puzzle as well. This is probably the best motion controlled gaming will be for a very long time, since the WiiU is not focused on the WiiMote, instead going for tablet and touch interface, and it’s unlikely that Microsoft or Sony will make motion controlled gaming the heart of their next consoles.

Zelda is practically an institution of gaming at this point. While it can be consigned to the action/adventure genre, many would claim it to be its own genre, due to its distinctive game mechanics that lie at the heart of the series. The tropes of series are what make it Zelda, and Skyward Sword is bound by those tropes and builds upon the last 25 years of Zelda games. As always, you play as Link, you venture into the unknown, going to dungeons to solve puzzles and vanquish foes in a quest to banish evil and save the day. Along the way you pick up a variety of items such as the bow, the bomb, and many more to help solve these puzzles. This is the way Zelda has always been, and always will be. So how does Skyward Sword compare or innovate? 

Skyward Sword has many great puzzles, some amazing boss fights (the six armed Buddha and the fabulous Ghirahim spring to mind) and some of the most memorable locations in Zelda history, such as the pirate ship dungeon. It doesn’t have that many dungeons in comparison with Ocarina of Time, which had thirteen, but in Skyward Sword getting to the dungeon is as time consuming and puzzle-filled as the dungeon itself! The game is certainly very linear in this way, as the locations are “levels” to be beaten rather than towns to be explored. Skyward Sword takes place in a time before Hyrule, with a very small amount of civilisation, where most tribes are nomadic. Getting back on topic, Skyward Sword introduces the upgrade system to the Zelda series. It’s rather self explanatory. It’s not very complicated, big and it’s not necessary, but nonetheless my OCD kicked in and I found myself compelled to upgrade everything, as soon as possible. Upgrading my shields was positively exciting.

One of the central game mechanics is being able to revert time back thousands of years in localised areas, which turns deserts into lush green forests in real time as you move. This allows for some very clever puzzle gameplay, as different things happened depending on whether it’s old or new. Different monsters will appear or disappear. This brings me onto the visual aspect of the game. It looks beautiful, the aesthetic style is that of the French impressionist Monet. This style is clever, as it does a lot to help hide the Wii’s awful lack of HD and anti-aliasing. In terms of audio, it is fully orchestral this time around, and has some very memorable melodies, but none of the harp melodies save Ballad of the Goddess are as instantly recognisable as some from Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, but that may be partly due to nostalgia.

The overworld in the game is reminiscent of Dreamcast game Skies of Arcadia Legends in that it is a world above the clouds, with floating chunks of land that you travel to and from by flying on your bird. This is a first for the series, and is a radicaly departure from the usual ground based overworld, usually featuring Link’s horse companion Epona in the previous three home console 3D Zelda titles. The bird riding is smooth, and jumping off your Loftwing to dive to your destination is always entertaining, but the lack of islands and sparsity of things in the sky makes exploration pretty boring in comparison with Wind Waker’s island filled ocean. 

Overall, Skyward Sword is a brilliant game that definitely deviates from the standard Zelda formula enough to mark it as its own game rather than an Ocarina of Time clone, which Twilight Princess was criticised for. It is not without its negatives, though. The overworld is a bit too empty, sometimes you feel like you’re backtracking a bit too much, the game holds your hand a bit too much, and the lack of skippable text is very frustrating. However, these do not detract from the overall experience too much. The amazing characters and gorgeous real time cutscenes make you forget about the minor niggles. Skyward Sword is a worthy addition to the Zelda franchise, perhaps the best Zelda yet, and a strong contender for game of the year.

9.2/10

Linecraft Progress!

krotch:

We’re not quite in alpha yet, but progress is good.  Lots of tweaking to the engine, lots of art assets that need to be drawn for the future.  All this work is really burning me out, might have to take an early vacation.

On Suicide

http://www.vbs.tv/en-gb/newsroom/aok…e-forest-v3—3

Watch it, it’s fairly short and it’s interesting

Led to me thinking about suicide


Even thinking about dying makes me feel nauseous. Death scares me in an indescribable way, a penetrating fear that digs right down into my bones and soul. How anyone can find living a miserable life worse than not existing? If you’re dead, you’re gone. There is no heaven and people who believe in any form of afterlife or reincarnation are simply making shit up or choosing to believe in convenient fiction so they don’t have to confront the truth, so they can feel content with death. Yet despite all the promises, people still cry and get incredibly emotional when people die, which reveals the innate human reaction to death: it’s bad, and everyone innately, subconsciously knows it’s final.

If you’re dead, you won’t be at peace because you won’t exist to think about it. It blows my mind. In fact, my own mortality scares the shit out of me. The idea that in 100 years, unless I do something incredible, I won’t even exist in other people’s thoughts makes me consider my existence pointless. Living is itself an intrinsic good, the reason for being is to continue being. Due to our own mortality the only way we can defeat (to a small degree) this monster is by making sure you, as a human being, live on after your death through other people, history books and the works of art you leave behind. There is only one goal, one driving reason in my life - to defeat the monster of death in such a way. Ultimately, it’s futile. In a thousand, million, billion years, not only will you be dead, but anything you did in your life will have been lost in the annuls of time, causing no significant change in the universe. You will be forgotten. This is the contradiction of life, and why I chose not to think about it, because I can not solve it.