"Blaze" It Up! (Late Post #4)

Key Characters in BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Over the summer, I've had the pleasure of diving into the "BlazBlue" universe, as I call it. So far, BlazBlue has been expanded through 3 main entries (Calamity Trigger, Continuum Shift, and ChronoPhantasma, respectively). With each new game that's released, new character are introduced, as well as both the overall main story and each character's backstory (for both new and veteran fighters) become more elaborated (as it should be). Since the BlazBlue universe has gotten considerably bigger (through spinoffs, an anime series, and supplemental novel and manga publishings), there's just too much info to share on this one blog post, but click here and it'll take you to BlazBlue's wiki page. All pertinent info can be found here.

 BlazBlue, in short, is a 2D J-Fighter, mixing elements from Capcom's classic Street Fighter and Marvel v. Capcom series, as well as a personal favorite series, Killer Instinct. BlazBlue, like KI, requires much time and patience to learn (let alone master), since much of the action is fast-paced.

What I've been enjoying most lately has been the game's soundtrack. It's difficult to label the genre (there's nothing wrong with that - a soundtrack with many flavors is greatly appreciated), but I'd say it's mostly hard rock/speed metal with melodic and symphonic elements infused in each music. However, the Chronophantasma remakes (marked by "ii") are full of surprises. So while, I'm not currently playing the games at the moment (damn you, adult responsibilities), at least I have to the soundtrack to drool over.

Here is Noel Vermillion's Bullet Dance II, from BB:CP:

Here is Jin Kisaragi's Lust SIN II, also from BB:CP: 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

"My name is Benjamin Button and I was born in unusual circumstances..."

I had the fortunate pleasure of watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a few days ago. For me, this was one of those movies where it just snuck past me. I knew about its existence since its theatrical release, but I never was compelled to watch the movie until recently.  In short, I loved it. While it was essentially Forrest Gump in reverse, Benjamin Button is one of those rare gems in film where you're not only watching it, you're immersed in it. However, it's just not the story alone that draws you in. It's the people, the places, and even the circumstance that do so. For as long as time moves forward, many people will age, circumstances will give and take life, and life itself is never still.

In some ways, taking the time to watch films that are more artistic, story-driven, and at times emotional seems to reflect the growth I'm going through as a person. For those who've known me over the years, these types of movies were not always my "cup of tea," so to speak. Maybe it has to do with all the reading I've been immersing myself with lately, as well as my binging on so much music that is sometimes unexpected, even for myself. Now, more and more of these types of films are giving me a satisfaction that, if my younger self would encounter the same film, he would dismiss them altogether. I want to continue going on this path and see where it takes me and just how much I'll change in the days, months, and years ahead of me. 

My Chain of Memories

Thanks to being sick these two weeks, I've been using my free time being bed-ridden to catch up on my gaming, especially considering I'm at the mercy of of my demands and expectations to both work and school. As the title of this blog post suggests, I've been frantically playing Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories, trying to complete the game before all my free time is all used up. That and trying to squeeze in all  the Kingdom Hearts games (yes, even Re:Coded) before the highly-anticipated Kingdom Hearts III is finally released (and I mean finally!). 

While Chain of Memories is an interquel, bridging Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II together, CoM also explores key motifs and themes revolving around memories and how those memories "chain" people together, establishing relationships not so easily broken, or separate two people indefinitely. By the end of the game, Sora had, essentially, lost all of his memories of the people he met, the places he visited, and adventures he shared with Donald, Goofy, and the myriad companions met along the way. The only memories retained at the top of Castle Oblivion were the critical memories that had motivated Sora to protect The One Most Dearest To Him, as well as not to forget the bond of friendship that tie Sora, Donald, and Goofy together.

In this context of the game, I often found myself reflecting about the people I know, the people I'm connected to, and the people most important to me. I know that I have people that are just like Goofy and Donald: they won't forget me, no matter how much time and distance separate us. I think of these people constantly, and I'm confident that they think of me, too. These people, I'm not too worried about, because we've been through too much to forget it all, even if now, the tiny details of our time together are either warped or marred indefinitely.

It's the people that I've met over the course of my life that this really strikes hard in my heart. I've made friends, shared moments, and had an adventure or two with the people I've met throughout my life. However, I constantly wonder: Do they remember me? Us? I still do, but...do they? I guess this all can be reduced down to the surprising revelation of the number of people that are deeply connected to Sora, and this revelation made me question the number of people that are connected to me, also. I know there are people, as mentioned earlier, that, without a shadow of a doubt, I am connected to; but on the other side of the coin, I also know that there are others where the connection may or may not exist at all. This makes me feel uneasy about myself sometimes.

Perhaps, this is just the rambling of  a self-conscious of Little Big Man who worries he may not have too many friends in his life. Who knows really? This could be a personal reminder to seek out those who matter to him most to reconnect, share, and live life together. 

Mixed Signals & Gambling

This is a different story about a girl (not this story about about a girl), since I've been trying to move on from the first one (if this makes any sense to anyone). Long story short, I've been bonding with a girl over dumb jokes, quips, and an overall genuine concern of our daily existence (small talk, I know, but it leads to deeper topics of discussion). At first, I didn't really notice notice her (that came later), but I just thought it was kind of cool to talk to somebody on a daily basis. Like I said, over time, I really began to notice her, like her laugh, her smile, her hair even (yeah, yeah, don't laugh). Maybe it's just me (and most likely it is just me), but I was certain she was into me, too. Her body language gave me all the right signals, and after some internal debate with myself, I decided to take leap of faith and ask her out on a date. And this is where it was a pain to know the answer. She hesitated and mulled over a possible to give me. All the while, there I am, waiting and anticipating an answer. My heart was beating so loudly, and all the sounds surrounding my were washed out, replaced by the bass-heavy beating of my hear. In the end, she wasn't interested, apologizing for leading me on and letting to believe such things. In reflection (this happened yesterday Aug. 3, 2013), I'm not at all upset. If anything, I feel disappointed. I really thought to have a future of sorts with this girl. Oh well, she's not interested in me and there's nothing I can do but to move on. The search continues...damn it.

Later on that day, I began to work my shift. With the recent hang-up looming over my conscious, my work-shift was immediately tarnished. Not to mention that dreaded PowerBall Lottery jackpot had climbed up to $300 million (it's $300,000,000 written out). Which, in turn, only amplified my bitter perspective of my day. As you all know, my view of the lottery is a very cynical one. For the lottery (or any gambling mechanism in general) dangles false hope upon foolish participants stupid enough to think that they can become filthy rich overnight (and no, that's not from a book - it's my honest, and humble, opinion). Which does happen and it's extremely rare when it does, but it'll never happen to you. And if you have read my "Give Me The Winning Ticket!!!" post, then just know that I loathe the system that is the lottery for the reasons posted in my previous post, with a passion of a thousand suns (you can thank my friend for that one! Ha!). 

So all these trite and predictable comments, multiplied with my romantic hangups have made me extremely bitter for the day. And here I am, venting to the digital world, hoping for an ear of sympathy, yearning to be heard, and finally desiring to connect with another person half a world away. Thank you for reading, listening, and responding (if you choose to reply) to this lengthy vent. It wasn't easy nor comfortable, but thank you nonetheless. Have a good night, good morning, and good afternoon.