Don't Adventures Ever Have an End?

My dear People,

I shall not keep you long. I am writing this post for a Purpose. Indeed for Two Purposes!

First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that three years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable bloggers. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Secondly and finally, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT. I regret to announce that - though, as I said, three years is far too short a time to spend among you – this is the END.

I am going.

I am leaving NOW.

GOOD-BYE!




















There was a flash of light, and when it faded, no one was sitting at the computer.

Filby was never seen in the blogosphere again.




















Okay, now that that's over... yeah, it's true. Barring the unforeseen, I'm done blogging.

Part of it is this: I've signed up for the U. S. Job Corps, and on Tuesday, I'm moving out of my family home to go live in a dorm. Wireless Internet will be much more difficult to come by there, so my computer time will be sorely curtailed.

But more to the point, my heart just isn't in it. Lately I've been updating only once a month, if that. I used to be fairly active in the comics blogosphere, but sometime around the spat between Ragnell and Valerie D'orazio I got fed up with drama and rivalries; it became less fun, somehow. Plus, now that I have a Twitter account, I can do all my ranting about pop culture in quick, two- or three-paragraph bits instead of having to come up with a page-length post.

I'm not cut out for writing. Which is not to say that I'm giving up. I'm just, ah, strategically withdrawing while I look for something at which I'm more suited. ;)

Like I said, three years is too short a time. I've made a few good friends just from blogging, and I'd like to take the time to acknowledge some of you.

DAVID WYNNE - You inspire me. Really. A workaday stiff like yourself writing and drawing a damn good webcomic on a regular basis - and not only that, but becoming a published author - gives me hope for my own endeavors. But more importantly, you're a good friend. I don't think I know anyone with a stronger moral core than you. I know I can count on you for moral support... even if you are a dire grump. Thanks.

(And for the rest of you lot, check out MindHack TODAY!)

DJ BLACK ADAM - YOU ROCK. You're the coolest guy I know, no lie. Author, DJ, filmmaker, superhero! Is there anything you can't do? I value your insight on current events, and your thoughts on comics never fail to entertain. You've even changed the way I think about Christians and Christianity. One thing, though: when your plans for world domination come to fruition, leave me a spot as Viceroy of the Bahamas, huh?

AMI ANGELWINGS - You are wonderful, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. When you're happy, it brightens my day. Your enthusiasm for the things you like always makes me smile, and your commitment to what's right is inspiring. I've learned a great deal from you about a lot of things I'd previously taken for granted. I don't want to embarrass you, but you've been a huge influence in how I see the world. You're far more awesome than you give yourself credit for, and not a day goes by that I don't want to give you a great big hug. Take care of yourself.

In addition to my friends, I'd also like to give a shout out to some of the people whose blogs I've followed: Tom Foss, Sally P, Loren Javier, Linkara, Dokebi, K-Box, Steven Padnick, and many others. Even though few or none of you will likely read this, I want to say how awesome, entertaining, and informative you all are. Rock on!

Now, words to the contrary, this isn't the absolute end. I won't be updating this weblog any further, but I will keep checking in on my friends' blogs and leaving comments when I can - just expect the frequency thereof to drop a bit. You're also all welcome to follow my Twitter feed, either on my LiveJournal or directly on Twitter.

Once again, I want to say that it's been a blast. I've had a lot of fun here at Bag End. Even as I walk off into the sunset, I'll never forget the times I had here, even as I look forward to the road ahead of me.

Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Not as long as we're around to keep having them.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say...

What D&D Means to Me

I remember about twelve years ago, when I first discovered Dungeons & Dragons – not playing it, just looking at the rulebooks at bookstores and enjoying the pretty pictures – my mother told me that she felt taking on roles in RPGs "left you open" to demonic possession. This weirded me out, because she’s a very liberal, anti-establishment lapsed Catholic, albeit with a mystical worldview. She based her assumption on a friend’s daughter who played Vampire and got involved in the then-popular goth subculture; this young woman had a history of mental illness, and if she ever acted out her problems through the game, those problems were there to begin with and just looking for any outlet. I suspect my mother had also heard some of those alarmist reports from the ’80s about RPers committing suicide.

For my part, I’ve rarely had an opportunity to actually play D&D or any other tabletop RPG, but my mere exposure to such games has had such an impact on me I barely know where to begin. Poring over various Monster Manuals and Fiend Folios piqued my interest in world mythology. Delving into the worlds of Planescape and its fractious Factions opened my mind to philosophy and new ways of thinking (I like the Athar, personally). My immersion in words and statistics improved my literacy and math skills. Wandering the lands of Ansalon, Faerûn, and the Flanaess broadened my own creative horizons.

Without D&D, my world would be a far poorer place. I’m forever indebted to the late Mssrs. Arneson and Gygax for their gift to the world.

Apologies

Sorry for the lack of activity, folks. I've been in a real funk for the last month, largely due to unemployment and the first anniversary of my father's death this past Saturday. I've been consuming about the same amount of pop culture, but I haven't felt up to writing much about it. I've kept active following my friends' blogs, but mine has gone fallow.

I'm just posting to let y'all know what's up with me and why I haven't been around much. I'm not giving up blogging, but expect activity to remain on the low side for the foreseeable future.

While I'm here, I also felt like sharing this keen portrait I found of one of my favorite video game villains, Porky Minch from Nintendo's classic RPG, EarthBound.


Porky Minch -Practice- by ~Bagatelle on deviantART

Très fly, Monsieur Minch. I find the sheer repugnance of an obese 13-year-old asshole strangely refreshing in a field dominated by whiny, conflicted pretty boys. If you have the time, I highly recommend this guy's playthrough (with commentary!) of EarthBound, one of the shining gems of the Super Nintendo.

So yeah, that's all I have to say for now. Excelsior, y'all.

BOO! The 13 Posts of Halloween

I'm back, baby! Happy Halloween!

Well, it's been a month, and I'm feeling about ready to get back into the habit of posting again. I'm doing a lot better now; not up to 100%, but getting there.

Anyway, while I was on my break, I had a great idea: Why not do a series of 13 posts, one per day, sharing creepy, Halloween-related, or just plain weird things related to comics, movies, and other pop cultural things I like talking about on my blog? Great way to motivate myself to write a bit more often, right?

Unfortunately, I only thought of it three days ago.

So instead of counting down to All Hallow's Eve, I've decided to start on the 31st and keep going from there. Stretch the season out by two weeks or so. It'll be like the Twelve Days of Christmas, only spookier!

Index
Oct. 31 - Changeling: The Dreaming
Nov. 1 - The Deader the Better
Nov. 2 - Always 2
Nov. 4 - The Max Headroom Incident
Nov. 5 - Death Seen
Nov. 6 - Hansel and Gretel
Nov. 8 - That Lovecraft Feeling
Nov. 8 - Anatomy of a Scream
Nov. 9 - The Enigma of Amigara Fault
Nov. 10 - Ravenloft
Nov. 11 - Repercussions of Evil
Nov. 12 - Frankennerd
Nov. 12 - Finale

Since it's going to take me a little while to plan this whole thing out, all I have to share today is a sketch I drew a few years ago when I still had a working scanner. I promise that most of the posts I write from here on out won't be this self-indulgent.


Beastie by ~Filby on deviantART

For a short while in my adolescence, I was a fan of Changeling: The Dreaming, a role-playing game published by White Wolf Game Studio as part of their World of Darkness line (which also included Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and a half dozen other games titled Noun: The Noun). Unlike the other games, though, Changeling had a much more pronounced sense of idealism, even whimsy, though it still had its fair share of things that go bump in the night.

The idea of the game was that the players were fairies* disguised as humans, trying to fight off the banality of the modern world lest they fade away. Players were given a variety of different types of fairies to play as, from the beautiful Sidhe and mighty Trolls to the inventive Nockers and vicious Redcaps; fairies of all types were aligned with one of two Courts: the haughty yet benevolent Seelie or the cold and amoral Unseelie. One of the fairy types, or "kith" as they were called, associated with the Unseelie were the Beasties, who thrived on the fear of little children. The bogeymen, the monster in the closet, whatever you want to call them.

Beasties come in all shapes and sizes - anything that anyone would find scary, really. The one I drew was supposed to look sort of like a corrupted stuffed animal, a teddy bear gone bad. You can probably tell I saw Gremlins (which I may or may not also end up posting about) before drawing it.

Since I drew this, Changeling: The Dreaming has been discontinued and I've drifted away from RPGs, but I still like this piece. I'm not a terrific artist by any stretch, but I think I did a fair job at making it look good 'n' creepy.

That's it for now. Watch this space!

*I refuse to say "faeries". It's trendy, yeah, but it misses the point that fairies were supposed to be downright dangerous, and that calling them "fair" was supposed to be a way to get on their good side and keep them from spoiling your crop, poisoning your livestock... or abducting your children.

Oh, and while I'm here.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been kinda depressed lately and my devotion to a lot of my hobbies and interests has waned. I wish I could guarantee more frequent posts, but, well, I've always done this blogging thing for myself alone and I don't believe in posting just so I can I say I posted something. Luckily my "audience" such as it is is small enough (like, four?) to get away with it.

So yeah. I'm still around, I'm doing okay, kinda busy with school and job hunting. Just checking in.

The Magic is Gone

I hate to say it, but I think it's time for me to stop collecting Magic: The Gathering cards and move on to more productive hobbies.

One problem is that I'm just not playing with anybody. I'll play with my sister maybe once every other week, but she's playing with my cards and I always beat her so there's really no reason to bother. There are no gaming shops within my area, and even if there were I'm too shy to walk into one and start a game with people I don't even know.

But more importantly, this hobby is expensive. I've probably spent close to four-hundred dollars on Magic cards over the last year. That was fine when I was making $200 a week, but now that I've left my job to go back to school, I need to be a lot more frugal with my money. I've been buying cards not to play with but just to own them, and that's an incredible waste of money.

So, yeah. No more cards for me.

Yeah, so, I almost died.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

The following is a completely true story. Any resemblance to Stephen King's Stand by Me is purely coincidental and probably pretty tenuous at best seeing as I only saw the last half of the movie and never read the book. I'm posting this here because I find it a remarkable story that may serve as a cautionary tale of sorts, and because I am an attention whore.

I arrived home from work today around 6:30 (I'd left at 4:20) and wrote the following on my LiveJournal:

fucking jesus christ i need a hug.

i thought I could walk home from work. Oh god, the traffic. no sidewalks. cars. 45 mph. I think I almost died.

Covered in mud. scratched up. torn my pantsd. need a shower. Need food. fuck dinner, i'm ordering out.

i am so fucking stupid

Around 8:00, I amended my post, adding the following:

After work, I went out to wait for the bus for the first time - for my first two weeks I'd been relying on rides from family or coworkers. I waited for perhaps 40 minutes before realizing I wasn't 100% sure where the bus I was waiting for went, and set off to find a more certain bus stop. I wandered around, basically lost in relation to the bus route (though I knew where home was relative to my position), without finding any bus stops. At that point I said "screw it" and decided to walk home, as I thought it would actually take less time than waiting for the bus and getting a transfer back up. I knew two routes home; I was aware that one of them had a reputation for being a very dangerous route for pedestrians, and knew little to nothing about the walking conditions on the other. So I took the latter.

Little did I know that I had sailed away from Scylla directly into the maw of Charybdis.

After taking a very scenic, lovely side road from Page Boulevard to Worcester Street, I set out down the latter to find that there was no sidewalk. So I'd walk on the shoulder, I thought, and set out. Unfortunately, there was no shoulder - in most places, a wall of impenetrable vegetation came right up to the road. This is where I started to get nervous. Well, fine, I told myself, there was enough distance for oncoming cars to see me coming and get into the left lane.

Except there wasn't.

In at least three places that I can remember, there were curves in the road that made it impossible for drivers to see me, and I had to listen very carefully for oncoming traffic before inching my way forward. This is where I started to be genuinely frightened for my well-being. After coming within six inches of being hit by speeding SUVs and getting splattered all over the road one too many times, I started to panic, waited for a break in the traffic, ran across, and got off the road into the woods. And this is where I went from "stupid asshole walking on the highway" to "panicked fool fearing for his life."

Around this point I tore a small hole in my slacks walking next to the guard rail and sustained a long but harmless scratch on my leg. I saw a stream running parallel to the road and thought I could follow its shore safely for some distance, but it turned out that what looked like solid dirt was actually very viscous mud, and both my feet sunk in several inches, covering both my feet and one pants leg in grime - and here I thank goodness that it was casual Friday and I'd worn my sneakers. I think I started to limp at this point. I reached a point where the stream flowed out of a man-made culvert beneath a slope covered with loose stones, and was still lucid enough to realize that if I tried to walk across them I'd most likely fall and break a leg at the least, so I threw my bookbag across, climbed up the slope and around the rocks, and back down before climbing further up the slope to a railway that crossed Worcester Street on a bridge and sat down on the rocky ground to let my heart rate come back down to a reasonable pace.

Physically, it was easier going after that point, but mentally, I'd started to lose it. I found a fence and followed it parallel to Worcester Street, pushing my way past sumacs and almost tripping on bittersweet vines, getting blackberry thorns stuck in my clothes (I am so fucking glad I wasn't wearing shorts) before finally coming to a relatively open stretch next to the road and wading through crab grass and thistle, hoping I didn't pick up any ticks or mites (I didn't) before finally, thank goodness, catching sight of a large abandoned business complex at an intersection with a sidestreet, whereupon I finally knew exactly where I was and started the long trudge home.

This is where I lost any pretense at sanity. By this point I was talking to myself, shouting at crows, and limping miserably step by step to my ultimate destination. At one point I started singing "The Road Goes Ever On and On" audibly to myself. Traversing a network of very scenic, very safe side roads with attractive little middle-class houses and passing mercifully few other people (and retaining just enough of myself to sneer derisively at a bumper sticker reading "Keep working! Millions on welfare depend on you!"), I found my house at last, limped up the steps, dropped my bag like a hot potato, hugged my dog like I hadn't seen him in a decade, stripped out of my muddy pants and socks, washed my hands, stuffed my face with some cake, got on the computer, and posted the above. After about a half hour had passed, thanks in part to some very soothing instrumentals by Joe Hisaishi, I regained enough presence of mind to go take a shower, and ordered a very fattening but very comforting calzone.

And here I am.

All I can say is that I returned home a very humbled man. I somehow survived thanks to my rudimentary survival skills learned at ECOS and a great deal of blind luck. I feel very stupid and very relieved, and very VERY glad that it's over, and from now on I am either bumming a ride off my coworkers or WAITING FOR THE GODDAMN FUCKING BUS.

And that's all.

Watch This Space

Hey folks. Sorry I haven't been updating lately. I've been busy with a new job (insurance customer service rep) and I just haven't had much time to put my thoughts together to talk about pop culture like I usually do. I can't guarantee that I'll be back posting more regularly, but I'll try not to go more than a week at a time without checking in.

Stuff I'm into right now: H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set (Eventide), Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!, Kurt Busiek's Trinity.

While I'm here, check out this awesome version of that Mario symphony I posted some time ago with added vocals!

You Know...

I just now realized, two weeks after it went out of business, the irony of shopping at a comic book store with an obese owner... in Springfield.

*facepalm*

Worst. Joke. Ever.

Yikes!

Wow, my last post got linked to by a couple of blogs with larger readerships than mine (read: greater than 4) and attracted a heck of a lot of responses. I'm not used to that! I mean, I get that I have to expect that when I publish my own writing on a public blog, but man, it's overwhelming! I don't know how Ami or the DJ deal with it. Especially when the attention I attract is negative (correct, but negative), that's just not something I'm prepared for. Well, at least no one's called me names or threatened violence... yet.

Phew.

Well, I just wanted to get that out there.

Watch this video.



"Maybe I'm just imagining things, but you look like you're enjoying yourself."

*nod*

Biff Bam Bust

Well, my friendly local comics shop, Biff Bam Boom, went out of business.

That's very disheartening.

I was really happy today 'cause I was done with finals and I just finished my last day of school, but when I got to the store all the shelves were empty. The owner, Tony, was at the register, presumably to break the bad news to his customers. He told me what was up. We quietly exchanged words and expressed regret over the turn of events. I thanked him for providing such an awesome service for so long, and he thanked me for my patronage. I wished him a good life. We went our separate ways.

I'm feeling pretty emotional about this for some reason.

Tony also told me that the only other comics shop in town had gone out of business three months ago. The nearest place now is in another state.

So now I have three options if I want to keep up my comics habit. I can get someone to drive me to Enfield, Connecticut week after week, which I really don't want to bother with because of the distance and travel time, not to mention the high price o' petrol. I can buy individual issues online, which will be more expensive because of shipping and handling. Or I can wait until the series I follow come out in trade paperback collections, which is less expensive but entails a delay of up to six months after the last issue comes out.

So, yeah. I'm kinda screwed.

Well.

So long, Tony. So long, Biff Bam Boom. Thanks for all the comics. Thanks for all the memories.

A Shameful Confession

This is kind of hard for me to say, because it could wreak havoc on my reputation as a blogger... but then I realized that I don't have a reputation as a blogger (which is exactly how I want to keep it), so what the hell.

I was surprised to learn that TV Tropes Wiki had such an extensive page on My Little Pony, and even more surprised that I actually remembered pretty much everything on it.

Yes, that's right. I watched and liked My Little Pony when I was a kid.

I'm not proud of it.

I think it came from being a fantasy-obsessed young boy with two little sisters. My Little Pony was pretty much the only thing on the Disney Channel that could sate my addiction in between episodes of Gummi Bears (this was before Aladdin hit the airwaves), and since my sisters were into it, it sorta just rubbed off.

Christ, I even remember liking the all-different "Ponies 90210" series that came later.

I have to say, that giant singing purple ooze from the movie freaked me out. I also remember Danny DeVito had a role in it as some kind of troll thing.

I also remember the creepy Michael Jackson pony mentioned in the article. :P

Side note: I find it interesting that I feel a sense of embarrassment talking about this, because a woman who admits to enjoying Transformers as a child probably wouldn't to the same degree. I could insert a rant about gender-typing here, but I don't have the energy.

Anyway... yeah. Just a strange little look into one blogger's past. Try not to think any less of me for it, huh?

(And for the record I did not play with the dolls. Even I have standards. :P)

OMG

I usually do all I can to avoid "metablog" talk about other blogs for fear of inciting Internet drama, but...

OMIGOD LOREN JAVIER CAME BACK

I knew there was a reason I kept his blog in my bookmarks.

I'd never have been exposed to awesome people like Thom Wade, Tom Foss, Ami Angelwings, and the incomparable DJ Black Adam if not for that guy.

If you're reading this, Mr. Javier -- Good to have you back.

Oh, my!

It seems that an essay on the Ottawa Skeptics website linked to my essay on moral panic as a reference! I feel so special! Heh.

Anyway, I still think it's a pretty good read I threw together if I dare say so myself, and invite any of y'all who haven't read it already to give it a one-over. ;)

"Well," he said, "I'm back."

I've been through a very rough time in the past week, with its fair share of tragedy. I wrote about it here.

But moping will get me nowhere. It's time to get back in the saddle and start blogging again.

Cheers,
Filby

Blog Break

Due to a family crisis, I'm taking a break from blogging for a while, both here and on LiveJournal. I'll still be checking and commenting on other people's blogs, but I won't be posting here for a little while. (Which is kind of a bummer 'cause I really wanted to talk some more about foreign cartoons, but some things are more important than anime, sadly.)

Cheers,
Will

I'm Too Sexy For My Blog

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been kind of wrapped up with personal stuff at home and at school, and just haven't had the energy. Maybe now that things are warming up outside (I suspect I have mild SAD) I might find the energy to post something substantial in the near future.

But until then, enjoy this music video of clips from Ouran High School Host Club set to Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy."

Filby's Wish List

Well, it seems that my pay has been doubled. That means I'll be able to pay off next semester's tuition and driving school by the end of January! Woohoo!

So that got me thinking: Now that I have a singularly disposable income, I really need to come up with something to dispose it on. I don't plan on being a total spendthrift (I'm part Scottish, after all) so it'll be maybe one item per month (two tops), but still...

• Books: The Children of Húrin by J. R. R. Tolkien.
  
• DVD: Vol. 2-4 of Mobile Police Patlabor (I already have Vol. 1) plus the movies and straight-to-video series, the special edition of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (I have the whole series on my HD but it's good enough for me to want it in tangible form), various Studio Ghibli movies (Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, etc.).
  
• D&D: Hard copies of the 3.5-edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. Screw 4th Edition, I ain't playin' it.
  
• MtG: The complete Lorwyn and Morningtide sets. I practically never play but I'm in love with the art.
  
• Comics: Trade paperbacks of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps from 2005 to the present.
  
• Electronics: Personal computer, scanner, printer.
  
• Art supplies: More of 'em.
  
• Some kind of automosomething.

Can I get any more recommendations?

Changes

Decided to change the blog name, mainly 'cause I'd been using the same name for my LiveJournal.

I've finally succeeded in swindling that fool Baggins out of house and home. Muahahaha!!!

Seven Things You May Not Have Known About Filby

I was tagged by DJ Black Adam some two weeks ago and am only now getting around to it. Exam season's a bitch, I tells ya.

Please follow the rules of this game to the best of your ability. The rules of the game are:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...

B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...

C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...

D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Facts About Filby

1) I'd really like to call myself a Democrat, but as long as the Congressional Dems keep being such spineless paper tigers I'm ashamed to do so. Until times change, I'm alone in independent Nader-land...

2) I first got into anime when I saw Fullmetal Alchemist, Record of Lodoss War, and Project A-Ko all in the same week by chance.

3) I got into comics because I was hyped about the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie (boy, was I let down) and read Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name. I got into DC specifically when I read Kingdom Come on a whim the week after that.

4) I think that Mister Terrific really should team up with Zauriel sometime. The angel and the atheist, tell me that isn't a great story waiting to happen. They could hang out at a bar and have deep theological discussions or something.

5) My favorite president is either Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy, depending on the day. My least favorite president is Warren G. Harding (Dubya comes in a very close second).

6) I'm pretty picky in my taste for music. I can't stand country, rap/hip-hop, metal, religious music, punk/emo, or the Beatles. I do like Canadian folk rock, though.

7) I cry easily at movies. Like, when Sam carried Frodo up Mount Doom, man, I was bawlin'.

I elect to break the rules and tag NOBODY! Mua-ha-ha!