Walk the walk...

Hull 1 - Man United 3

2009-12-27T18:03:02Z

I think what the team lack this season is.. focus? To be consistent over the entire 90 minutes.

Still, a win is a win.

A classic

2009-12-25T19:09:35Z

Freespace 2. Oh how I love this game, and how it has inspired me so in my writings, and my current sci-fi setting.

korsriddare @ 2009-12-25T15:43:00

2009-12-25T07:38:22Z

Merry christmas to all!

korsriddare @ 2009-12-19T14:00:00

2009-12-19T05:52:53Z

Tousen, I think the following word describes what happened to you well.

PWNED.

korsriddare @ 2009-12-17T01:11:00

2009-12-16T17:04:31Z

INTP - "Architect". Greatest precision in thought and language. Can readily discern contradictions and inconsistencies. The world exists primarily to be understood. 3.3% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

On the newest chapter of Bleach

2009-12-11T15:19:40Z

Tousen, you just make yourself sound like a super hypocritical whiner.

Quoted for the Greater Truth

2009-12-07T18:54:04Z

'I love the internet.

Someone's worse than you? They're a baddie. Someone's better than you? They have no life.'

Anthology snippet #2

2009-12-02T18:19:29Z

The Ventilation Safety Act was proposed and accepted by High Command during the infancy of the Terran Federation. The basic premise was that ventilation ducts and shafts employed in all military facilities must be impossible for a live human to fit into. It was a preemptive and compulsory measure put into place after suggestions by special op members who had successfully infiltrated enemy bases using this method. It also resulted in a major overhaul of multiple facilities throughout Federation space in order to comply with the new act.

Fortunately for Amanda Williams, Lieutenant Junior Grade, the Central Bank of New Hampshire was not a military facility. That also explained her choice of entry - crawling through a ventilation shaft after being inserted from the roof. The body suit she wore was comfortable enough, and together with her helmet served to keep her heat signature from showing up if her adversaries were using thermal scanners.

She shook her head as she paused to examine the schematics displayed on her visor. It was criminally stupid for the robbers to have no means of escape. InOp's briefing indicated that they had not expected the quick response from local law enforcement, and had likely panicked, taking everyone in the building hostage. Strike one. Strike two was that they had brought along military-grade weapons, which meant that the military would be called in. And to complete the three strikes, they actually shot a hostage, and thus High Command had called her in.

Amanda confirmed her location as her preplanned entry point, hooked her fingers into the maintenance hatch's handle, and waited patiently. The superimposed thermal view on her visor showed a warm body moving towards her section of the ventilation shaft, and she smiled. She was one of the more unique operatives, not just in her batch, but the entire unit. Her marksmanship was distinctively bad among her peers, even if it would still be considered excellent compared to the rest of the Defense Force. She shone, however, in athleticism and close quarter combat so much that she was considered a specialist within a specialist unit.

The figure passed directly below her, and she murmured a quiet "Mark" to start a sixty-seconds timer display at the side of her visor.

The hatch was pulled open as she dropped down on the unsuspecting man, her hands reaching out and twisting his head with such speed that the robber's neck broke before her feet landed on the ground. There were only six of them in total, and thus they had probably decided to have patrols close to the main hall where the hostages were kept. It was sound logic, but it also gave her a larger window of opportunity to work with.

She took three powerful strides, accelerating to her maximum speed. Having being picked out by military scouts when she was young, her education was supplemented by intense physical training, and the extend therapy all citizens of major star nations got meant that she had even more time to hone her muscles. The nanofibres of her body suit further enhanced her muscle output, causing one Amanda Williams to move at a speed of approximately twenty-five meters per second. She reached the hall in barely a second, and drew both hypertitanium swords out from the sheathes on her back, zeroing on the nearest man highlighted on her visor display. Even without the aid of the advanced software electronic suite, the energy rifle in his hands was a clear indication that he was one of her targets.

The average human reaction time was two hundred milliseconds. The man was talking to a fellow accomplice, and it took him an extra half a second to notice the black figure charging at him. In that half a second, she had travelled nearly three-fifth of the distance between him and the corridor she entered from. By the time he had recognised her as a threat, she was almost onto him. His arms were just about to lift his weapon up when a blade severed his head from his shoulders, as his body began to collapse.

His companion fared no better, as the other sword cut across his upper torso within the same swing, the flechette launcher sliced into two as well. Three more. Amanda utilised the momentum of her weapon swing to turn towards the next target, a pair of them standing guard across the main hall at the other corridor entrance.

She accelerated to full speed once more before the first corpse had even hit the ground, and the screaming of the hostages alerted the other two men to her presence. They brought their weapons to bear, but she was just too fast. In that hundreds of milliseconds for them to pull their triggers, she had already moved a little over four meters from the position they had aimed at. They noticed their mistake too late, and by the time they adjusted their aim, she had cut them both down.

Not stopping, she turned into the corridor, and flung a sword at the last man. High Command wanted at least one survivor for questioning, so she had to adjust her aim. The blade bisected the man's right forearm at a speed just above one-fifth that of sound, and the stunned gunman dropped to the ground, clutching his arm in pain.

"Hostiles neutralised, medical attention required for injured prisoner," she spoke into her comm, nodding with satisfaction as she eyed the timer. It still had forty-nine seconds to go.

Anthology snippet #1

2009-11-30T16:53:26Z

"The forts are in position, ma'am."

Admiral Angelina MacKenzie acknowledged the report with a nod, her eyes still fixed onto the main plot. It was set to show a scaled down version of the Sol system, with a sea of green icons, especially within the inner system. The Conclave had decided that holding Terra and the inner assets were more important than spreading out what ships the Terran Federation Navy could put out to cover the entire system.

Not that was much comfort, she thought harshly. The Republic of Luminaire's Navy had brought in almost five entire battle fleets above McKenna Station's orbital plane instead of through a jump point, catching the TFN by complete surprise. Latest reports indicated First Fleet running for the McKenna-Sol jump point after a brief but brutal exchange, and she read the print outs at the sidebar of the display with a frown.

That First Fleet could get away at all due to its ships having better acceleration was scant comfort that even if, which was a big if, it arrived in Sol with the rest of its ships intact, the total combat strength of the TFN here would be barely three battle fleets' worth - Home Guard, Fourth Fleet and First Fleet.

She could not help but think of how badly the Luminairieans had outwitted them. Taking into account the distance between McKenna Station and the nearest Republic major naval base, this attack must have been planned well before their fleets attacked the Terran Federation's outlying systems. Travelling via hyperspace tunnels was nearly instantaneous, though limited by the finite number of jump points each system had. Sol had three confirmed jump points, while McKenna Station had a staggering seven. Most interstellar traffic used those, as they were much faster, even if a ship had to make several transits. A modern starship's hyperspace drive also allowed it to transit into hyperspace, though it would require the ship to be a certain distance away from the system's star, and its speed would be at most a thousand or so times that of the speed of light.

Which meant that the RLN ships hitting McKenna Station must had been sent nearly a month ago, despite the fact that Federation's border systems were only attacked two weeks ago. For all she knew, there might be another Republican fleet ready to transit out of hyperspace.

Angelina shuddered inwardly. Her flagship, the TFNS Spiral of Winter, might be the largest vessel in either navy, but it was cold comfort against the juggernaut bearing straight for her. She was not going to roll over though, and at that, she smiled grimly.

Dragon Age humor

2009-11-18T05:46:22Z

On (super)heroes

2009-11-10T16:26:28Z

"Even more curious than that, and maybe more brave, we are proven something about Wally West here that has been starting to become distinctly clear since the second half of the Cadmus arc. The Flash is a superhero. He does good. Why, you might ask? "Because it needs to be done" is about the most reasoning you’d get from this Flash. That’s very square-jawed a concept, isn’t it? Well, couple that with his good-natured hedonism, or at the least, fun-loving. One might be tempted to get cynical when these personality elements join, but save his few youthful overindulgences or poorly-worded/timed comments, there is nothing contradictory about this union of characteristics. The real trick, it seems, is that it’s hard to look past his goofiness and see the hero within. That’s the problem that the other core Leaguers suffered under earlier in the show’s history, as the Flash’s complaints in The Ties That Bind attest to. But if the goofiness has no contradiction, why should it be so hard to bypass? Ah, the fault then lies with the beholder (that is, us), and not Wally. This is modern fatigue with idealism at its finest, ladies and gents. The idea that it is easier to accept an anti-hero with a scarred past and a difficulty telling right from wrong than it is to accept a happy-go-lucky guy who does the right thing because people would get hurt otherwise and then goes home to his modest apartment in satisfaction. Wally West, as Flash and Substance shows, has devoted his life to the people. It’s in his day job. It’s in his superheroics. It’s in his community service. Why? Because he can, and because it needs doing. “Because I can” has been a sad excuse of those who do bad things for years. Shouldn’t the do-gooders get to say it once in a while? Flash and Substance, in its own gentle and amusing way, reminds us that the only reason we would question a man like Wally West is that we are trying to justify our own inability to do the right thing when we know we both can and should. Wally seems to fit in a fence-painting into his busy schedule. When’s the last time you helped your neighbor when you saw him needing some assistance?"

This is taken from a forum poster who reviewed the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and substance", and it is... strangely thought provoking. We do get a lot of anti-heroes nowadays, but seldom do we get someone like Flash, yes?

If you have not seen me online for the past few days..

2009-11-05T13:54:10Z

Dragon Age: Origins is epic.

That is all.

korsriddare @ 2009-10-31T00:55:00

2009-10-30T16:57:06Z

A forum poster on 'What exactly IS Hand of Reckoning?' (A spell in World of Warcraft)

"Blizzard wanted to name the spell Hand of Reckoning, The Grip that Strangles all Evil with the Power of the Light.

But that wouldn't fit so they had to shorten it. "

About cats.

2009-10-30T15:19:38Z

I find cats generally adorable. Not sure what else to say on that topic, but I will link this instead.

Halloween yay.

2009-10-30T15:17:48Z

I love Rath. His tendency to go '...' makes him such a cool stoic. He is even cooler than a wall 8D

That is all.

korsriddare @ 2009-10-20T16:59:00

2009-10-20T09:12:38Z

So, as I was waiting on a friend, who would be late, I decide to go to a nearby bookstore. Found Arthas, Rise of the Lich King, and read through it in about 30 minutes. I think my reading speed had improved without me knowing.

A few interesting notes:

Jaina and Arthas definitely have an active sex life. Well, most of the times they were together in the book either ends up in a make-out session or the former.

Jaina is clearly not over Arthas yet. Be it after Stratholme, or just before Wrath of the Lich King.

Arthas continues to think about Jaina a few times, even after becoming a Death Knight. Though it has more to do with how she 'broke her vow' of never denying him anything, and walking away after he decides that Stratholme has to be purged.

Kael'thas is physically perfect, supposedly, according to Arthas, when he was jealous/curious about how Jaina views the elf.

Sylvanas is far from being just a vengeful Forsaken. She got a little homesick when she smelled some herbs. And she definitely did not intent for the plague to be used on everyone. Just the scourge, and possibly the humans. Her hatred for the latter seem to stem from them being responsible for Arthas.

Arthas' steed is named Invincible. It retains that name when Death Knight!Arthas killed and reanimated it.

Flamestrike was reforged by Kael'thas to be used against Arthas after the original broke when his father died defending Qual'thalas. He lost again, but was able to momentarily stun Arthas and teleport away by telling the latter that "...she hates you now." Which was probably untrue, but Arthas did not know that.

Arthas regrets killing the citizens during the Culling, and it did not become easier even after the first few deaths, so that pushed him up a little on my sympathy list.

Teleportation (aka mage's blink and perhaps teleport) is a proper lore ability. Jaina was in Dalaran just before Arthas attack it, and Antonidas urged her to leave before the anti-teleportation wards were put in place. Kael'thas also teleported away to escape in his failed fight with Arthas.

I still do not understand his motivation from revenge against Mal'Ganis to killing and wiping out his own kingdom. Kael'thas descent into madness is much more.. logical? Even at the end, his only attack on Silvermoon City was to grab the Naaru.

That said, reading it makes me look forward to what happens in Icecrown Citadel more. And I hope both Jaina and Sylvanas survives.

korsriddare @ 2009-10-10T08:10:00

2009-10-09T12:07:32Z

I think the latest Naruto chapter is supposed to be some kind of epic reveal.

It just send me past facepalm straight into head-desking territory.

korsriddare @ 2009-10-06T23:34:00

2009-10-06T15:35:36Z

"I stand by my claim that physics students and physicists look at circuit diagrams in the exact same way other people look at pornography."

Is totally the quote of the day, attributed to =avancna , who commented here: http://e1n.deviantart.com/art/WAITT-nerd-taunts-88038972

korsriddare @ 2009-09-27T02:35:00

2009-09-26T18:33:18Z

"There seems to be some runaway ability inflation in Bleach. Soi Fon has that two-hit-kill shikai, so Barragan received an ability to neutralize it that basically left me completely at a loss as to how to explain how anything could have sparred with him to determine ranking. Just the idea that Starrk shot wolves at Barragan at some point in time in order to be at the top of the food chain makes my head hurt. To compensate for that ability, Hachi, of all people, pulls out an ability that could kill any other character by simply teleporting Aizen’s ego into his target’s body. To rein that whole enterprise in, instead of Starrk getting an even more ridiculously-powerful ability he smacks around Shunsui, Ukitake, Love, and Rose with ceros and spirit wolves, to make it seem like he’s powerful even though his abilities seem lame by comparison to Barragan’s morning breathe. However, if I really understood it, Shunsui’s ability was overpowered. It seems that he could have just walked over to Aizen, played reality-distortion tag with him, and that would have been the end of Bleach. Unless Orihime suddenly returns from Hueco Mundo, changes her name to Haruhi, and uncreates everyone that annoys her, I’m not sure how things are supposed to escalate on the power treadmill. Are we headed toward the end of Bleach, or is Aizen going to pull out another few years worth of new characters with a secret new scheme to start us back at zero?"

Lol, posted by a commentor over @ http://randomc.animeblogger.net/2009/09/26/how-did-he-get-to-be-number-one/

korsriddare @ 2009-09-25T23:33:00

2009-09-25T15:35:07Z

The Mentalist is win. So there. Simon Baker really acts well.

And Bleach. Really. Bleach. What crack are you smoking, Kubo?

Spoilers ahoy.

2009-09-19T12:46:57Z

Finally got around to watching Resident Evil: Degeneration. The graphics is just... amazing. Granted, I was watching it streamed, but even with that, everything just look great. Voices too, were well done, I never felt as if I was watching a movie where it was dubbed. Nice that they retained Leon's VA from RE4. However... no Ada, even in the Racoon City flashbacks. Very fail on that.

And earlier this afternoon, was at the library reading a few of the novels from The Legacy of the Force arc of Star Wars. Every time I read Mara's death it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, Wedge was win, as usual, and Luke did pwn Jacen quite nicely in their fights. Even Jacen acknowledged it, somewhere along the lines of 'him being the best swordsman in the galaxy, except possibly Luke, who might be the best ever'. Then again, just a few chapters before he fought Luke who was in BATTLE RAGE.

As for Naruto. Lololol. Absolute defense? I have a BETTER absolute than you! I might be following it now the way qieru is following Bloody Monday.

korsriddare @ 2009-09-14T03:16:00

2009-09-13T19:17:23Z

Annnd finally got another time card for WoW. Sub had ran out earlier this week.

Oh another note, I may start a writing month of my own, just to see how much I can write, since it is unlikely I will be able to take part during the official month.

The power of the RNG...

2009-09-08T15:29:27Z

So, I was playing SRW Original Generations, at the desert where Lune and Masaki sortied by themselves for a few turns. They got surrounded, and all the enemy mooks decide to go for Lune. Being in a relatively dodgy mech, and generic enemy pilots, they all had 25% chance to hit her.

4 of them hit her consecutively in a row. She dies. I did a soft reset. 3 out of 4 him her this time, so she survives.

So... 7 out of 8 attempts hit her. A quick calculation puts the odds of that occuring at 0.0045776%

Maybe I should go buy lottery tomorrow. Or I just used up the odds.

Why you should not order fragile things from China...

2009-09-02T12:40:59Z

And that is the China Post right there.

In which Kors cooks...

2009-09-01T16:07:34Z

Fried rice!

Eggs, minced meat, some sauce. It was pretty decent. First time too. Perhaps I should cook more.

Inability to obtain a job is proving to be a constant annoyance though.