Yes, her coming out is a truly inspirational thing for those who are both young and old struggling to come to terms with their sexuality. What she did was one of the bravest thing a person can do. However, I feel ashamed by it also. Ashamed in the fact that in 2014 I am still living in a society where "coming out" requires bravery, requires people to make personal sacrifices, requires inspiration. People bash homosexuality as "unnatural" and "wrong" when, looking at the grand scheme of things, it's the most natural thing that we as a civilisation do to this day. Hundreds, if not thousands of animals are known to exhibit homosexual tendencies on this planet. That's all we are; animals. We have are only "better" than other animals because of our intelligence, but that doesn't make us any less of an animal. It's all relative. We're the smartest, sure. We're the most civilised, sure. But looking at other things that can be of importance; the cheetah is better than mankind because it's the fastest, the blue whale is better than mankind because it's the biggest. Homosexuality is not unnatural, it goes against the basic principle of reproduction yes, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. We're a species of 7 billion in number we're beyond the need for everyone to reproduce to keep numbers up, it's no longer as important for the future of our race. That's just one side of the argument, though.

I don't want to make a big deal of this because Ellen is brave, because it isn't a big deal or rather, it shouldn't be. So what if she likes women, you've got hazel eyes, get out of my face you freak.

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The thing here is I consider myself a really creative person with a lot of ideas in my head and usually that's where they stay. This is an attempt at physically plotting one of these ideas out. As a fantasy nut naturally this will be a work of fiction and magic so if this isn't you're thing then you are more than welcome to leave right now, this instant. Now. Go. Seriously. You won't like it if you don't like fantasy.

I have no idea where I'm going with this, I'm literally writing what I come up with and hoping for the best. At times it might be sloppy and inconstant but this is an a craft I'm still very much new to so any critism would be immensely helpful. The aim really is to write a coherent story with seeds of information to a world grander than you think, where things are hinted but never expressly stated. This is because, from the perspective of the protagonist this is a completely ordinary world, and in a world where the extraordinary is the ordinary there isn't much need for explanation. Obviously overcoming this is a challenge but as what you're about to read will tell you, the perspective of the story should lend nicely to explanation. I want to get better at creating plot points, interesting narratives, a lore that I can stick to and fully understand, and be able to tie up lose ends and explain the odd with knowledge already gifted tor readers. Essentially this is an attempt in becoming a story teller, and a good one too!

With all that in mind I hope you enjoy this, and look forward to hearing what you all have to say.


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"When they made this particular hero, they didn’t give him a gun, they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn’t give him a tank or a warship or an x-wing fighter, they gave him a call box from which you can call for help. And the didn’t give him a superpower or pointy ears or a heat ray, they gave him an extra heart. They gave him two hearts. And that’s an extraordinary thing; there will never come a time when we don’t need a hero like the doctor."

- Steven Moffat

This is the reason why I will always think Doctor Who is one of the greatest shows to ever exist.

Okay so the first of "The Day of the Doctor" trailers has been released online by the BBC this morning following last nights leaks on several websites showing the trailer a day earlier than intended. While I understand fans wanting to see the content as soon as possible (myself, being a fan of the show), why can't people just hold off a little? It kinda ruins the special occasion for people such as myself who thrive on the hype and anticipation of a new trailer or photo being released during the advent of a show. When I've presented such an argument to people before I get the same inane response "Well, just don't watch it". I wouldn't complain about it and then go and watch it, would I? As intended I'm holding off on watching it until the intended broadcast of this trailer later tonight, but I now have to go out of my way to avoid discussions I enjoy on the websites I enjoy to avoid spoilers for something I should be witnessing along with everyone else. I hate it when the television companies hands are forced to release something early because of idiots posting content they are obviously privvy to, early. It brings me back to the whole trailer shown at Comic-con debacle. I get that fans will be upset that a lot of people who don't even like or watch Doctor Who saw the trailer early, but at the same time, it was a rough cut and something we'll see eventually anyway. Fans like this need to exercise a little patience, and the same occurs here. My enjoyment of a show should not be impeded by morons on the internet trying to get 5 minutes of fame for being "the guy who leaked the trailer first".

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Old but depressing news. I'd jump at the chance to play a localised versions of Tales of Hearts R and Tales of Innocence R on the PS Vita. Could even be the thing to increase Playstation Vita sales in NA and UK Tales of Hearts R Tales of Innocence R Tales Playstation Vita

Hideo Baba , the producer of the "Tales of" game series, revealed to the website Kotaku that Namco Bandai Games currently has no plans to release "Tales of" PlayStation Vita games, including Tales of Innocence R and Tales of Hearts R (pictured right)...

This short film has left me completely speechless. Such an emotionally evocative and well made film about those who face torment and bullying for being "different" in a world where no one person is the same.

Well, it's been a long time since I last blogged. So to commemorate me coming back on this one occasion I thought it would have to be something that I am entirely and completely in love with... so what better than Doctor Who!? I'll confess this blog has arisen because of comments I have seen in the Doctor Who forum on predictions for the next incarnation of the Doctor following the news announced early June that Matt Smith is stepping down from the Doctor at the end of the year, as well as possibilities as to Who the Doctor is we saw at the end of the Series 7 Part 2 finale episode "The Name of the Doctor" and as to how he relates to the 50th Anniversary airing on November 23rd, exactly 50 years after the broadcast of "An Unearthly Child" in 1963.
So without further adieu, lets get going!

Beware! The following blog post contains major plot spoilers. If you have not watched "The Name of the Doctor" or are avoiding 50th Anniversary news, stop reading now

Despite the above warning, it's been almost 2 months "The Name of the Doctor" aired on UK televisions so there is a fair chance than even if you didn't watch it, you know what went down (thank you Tumblr). At the end of the episode was saw the Doctor face off against his nemesis The Great Intelligence at Trenzalore, the final resting place of the infamous Time Lord on the fields of his final battle. Back in Series 7, which seems like eons ago now, Trenzalore was given a foreshadowing during the series finale in the catacombs of the Headless Monks, when Dorian recited the prophecy:

Dorian: “On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered."
The Doctor: What question?
Dorian: The oldest question. Hidden in plain sight. The question you have been running from all your life. Doctor... who? Doctor Who? Doc-tor-WHO?
The series finale was called "The Name of the Doctor", something that has been a mystery since those first words were spoken 50 years ago - just what is the name of the Doctor? Well it turns out Moffat was being a troll (again), but in fact we learn more about the Doctor and his secret, which isn't his name surprisingly! No, his secret comes in the form of John Hurt... no, seriously. We saw The GI walk into the Doctor's time stream, appearing at every victory the Doctor has ever had and stopping him. The stars went out, every good deed the Doctor had done was being undone, etc However, Clara came to the rescue and jumps in after him, thwarting him at every opportunity, looking after the Doctor, and making sure he saves the day. Out of the way Donna Noble, the most important Woman in the Universe, Clara is probably the single most important Companion to exist in the Whoniverse.

But anyway, that's not the point. All those events lead up to The Doctor then jumping into his own time stream as well (oh, I should clarify when he dies all that is left is a Time Scar, every moment of his life floating in the form a pretty strip of light) which leads us to the discussion of the Doctor's name, or rather his chosen name and why he chose it. It is during this revelation we see John Hurt, the real secret of the Doctor.

So, now we have the background, on to the theory!

#1 Who is Hurt's Doctor
My personal theory is he is the incarnation between 8 and 9, and the one who took part (at least majoritively) in the Time War, which has been hinted at since the shows revival back in 2005. Looking at leaked pictures of him filming the 50th anniversary, his costume bears a striking resemblance to both of those Doctors, giving this theory some weight behind it. But why is HE The Doctor's greatest secret? Why and how is this any more important than his name? Well, no one knows yet. Again my theory will be because this incarnation was single-handedly responsible for the complete annihilation of the Time Lords and the Daleks, an act that stopped the Time War but putting the Time Lords in to a Time Lock, meaning the battle will be forever inaccessible and inescapable. Ever since then the Doctor has opted to not use a gun, obviously through the pain of having to end his entire race into to save all of reality. A lonely old mad man with a box.

#2 Will he be the next Doctor
Personal theory dictates not. While I can understand how it could be perceived as such, I don't think it will be. I think Hurt's Doctor is here to put an end to the Time War Arc so we can move on from it. While it is arguable that this is the story that gives the show so much gravitas and the propulsion to become as successful as it is, the show is all about change and it really is time we moved on from it.

Also, this has to be an incarnation from the Doctor's past, not just because of the aesthetic similarities as described earlier, but because the Doctor knew what his greatest secret was. While the argument exists that his secret was an argument of what he could become (the GI listed "The Valeyard" as a future alias of The Doctor, after all), I think wholeheartedly it is definitely a fear of what he was and what he did. Remember Room 11 in "The God Complex"? Hurt was probably in there too.

The counter argument also exists that he can't be a past Doctor because 11 is 11 and 10 is 10. If he were a past Doctor is would knock all the numbers up one. Well, this is both true and not. Thinking about it it's perfectly plausible for this argument to be correct while mine is still gracefully maintained. Hurt's incarnation "did what he had to do" but "not in the name of the Doctor". We've been numbering the incarnation of The Doctor, not of the person. So Smith is still Incarnation 11 of the Doctor, but not incarnation of the person who is represented as The Doctor... if that makes sense... meaning that while he is one incarnation shorter than before each Doctor can still be allocated their predisposed numbers, and in quite an elegant way if true.

#3 My hopes for the 50th Anniversary
My hopes are that it will center around the premise of the Time War. How is still something extremely unclear, since Moffat has thrown Tennant and Piper in to the mix who are meant to be residing in Pete's World (If Rose Tyler comes back any more I swear...) and with Hurt's Doctor being able to wander around and interact with Smith and Tennant's incarnations. But my hope is that we'll learn all about the time war, why it happened, how it happened, how exactly the Doctor went about creating the Time Lock, and then we can put an end to this story. Moffat has said it will be a perfect setting for a 50th anniversary show which looks both at the shows past, and it's future. The Time War was all preceded by the Classic Who episodes, all that took place led up to that Time War happening and the Time Lords plotting to destroy Time and become omnipotent beings of awesomesauce. While NuWho did nothing but reference and give hints to it throughout it's entire duration... up until now of course (Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS anyone? :#)

Nevertheless, this is all speculation and theory and nothing is for certain when Moffat is in the writing chair. All I know is that I cannot wait for November 23rd!!

Dragoon, out.

nuwho john hurt 50th anniversary doctor who other musingsthoughts

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The UK games retailer, GAME, revealed today on their twitter account that they will start selling Steam Wallet codes, becoming the first retailer in the UK offering the service over the counter.

The store will offer wallet codes for £5, £10, £15, and £20 which can be used to add credit to your steam account on a one-time basis. They're also offering a promotional discount in that until December 7, a week after the announcement, customers will receive a 33% discount on codes when they put trade-in credits toward purchases. Not only that but all trade-in code purchases will garner consumers some sweet extra GAME store credit.

GAME aren't the first retailer to offer the sale of steam wallets "in real life", however. US retailer GameStop started selling them in their stores in earlier in the year back in May.

SOURCE: GAMEdigital twitter

pc neoseeker related gaming related

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Could the loveable, green dinosaur be making it's way into the next generation of consoles? Best Buy thinks so. According to listings on their Canadian website "Yoshi's Land" will be landing on the new Nintendo Console, the Wii U.

    Take Yoshi on an epic adventure to remember in Yoshi Land for Nintendo Wii U. Check out Yoshi as you’ve never seen him before: in glorious high definition. Enjoy dual-screen control thanks to the Wii U Touchscreen GamePad, while you’ll also be able to experience full integration with Nintendo’s MiiVerse service.

The same site also leaked news of the Wii mini release, so while reports of this game are yet to be confirmed, chances are we'll be hearing news of the game soon. The listings on Best Buy and sister company Future Shop have since been removed. Was the game leaked a little too early, perhaps? Lets hope so.

The Wii U sold more than 400,000 units in its first week in NA, and with the launch of the console in EU later in the week, the console is proving to go from strength to strength. The same can't be said for the 3DS however. Embarrassingly for Nintendo recent sales figures show that the Nintendo DS system sold more than its 3D superior, selling 25,000 more copies in the midst of the Wii U launch due to "significant deals" during the Black Friday sales. Whoops!

wii ds neoseeker related gaming related

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Wow, it's been longer than I thought since my last blog update. Guess I don't have much to talk about these days but I thought I'd make a quick blog entry just to inform those that don't already know of my inactivity and why I'm going inactive, even though it's only for a (very) short period of time.

So recently the opening night for the production I'm in is drawing ever closer and although it's "Only a pantomime" it takes a lot of rehearsals, a lot of man power and a lot, and I mean A LOT, of energy. It's harder than you might think. Anyway, the opening night is this coming Friday (27th January) and we'll be running it that weekend and the next (3rd and 4th of February) with a total of about 8 performances in total, four of which include mantinee. "FML" springs to mind, yet I still enjoy it haha. As such I'll really be too exhausted over the coming week and a bit to really do all that much 'officially' but you'll still see me performing the odd IP frag on the wikis or the odd thread closure on the forums but will no way be watching over either as much I usually do with only an hour at best each day to look over them.

So that's really it, on top of that I've got several University open days to attend throughout the week (one of which is in Wales) and work when I'm not doing that. So if you want to contact me for the next week or so just leave a PM in my inbox and I'll reply as soon as I can. For anything moderator wise on the forums see my co-mod Reason for wikis and Chelskiman, Shane or any of the section moderators for Assassin's Creed Revelations.


musingsthoughts neoseeker related

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Hello, me again with another rendition as to what exactly I'm going to use this blog section for. After going through several phases such as updating it with all recent 3DS news, blogging my way through Legend of Zelda: Ocaria of Time 3D (which I never actually did because I was too damn lazy and enjoying the game to even care about blogging my journey through Hyrule) I decided just to settle with it being a blog. I'm like a woman clothes shopping really, liking the first thing they see but looking around for hours trying to find something better only to return to the original (and in this case most obvious) item. So yeah, I'm now using this for blogging purposes and anything else I feel like a long the way. Who'd have thunk it, eh?

First off all I just want to recap over the recent weeks of Neoseeker. A lot of things are happening all over the site currently; there's competitions, new features, and obviously the Neoseeker Presidential Elections 2011. I have no idea who I want to win haha, I have a lot of friends standing as either President or Vice President making it impossible to choose favourites. Thankfully all of my friends are in each of the parties (Quierta, Chad, Aether, Chelskiman and Stitch afaik) and are either presidenting and copresidenting (are those even words?) together anyway. Oh and yes, I am basing my decision based on the fact I know and get a long with these people rather than the faceless promises their making which, after my years on Neoseeker, I know they won't keep. It'll be a novelty for the first month or so with the Presidential tag coming (which I believe will only feature on the users profile... lol) and then they'll reside into their normal "not giving a shit" mode. But it's all in good fun, so why the hell not!? For the unaware in the goings on around Neoseeker as of July 21, 2011 I was promoted to the role of Wiki Super Administrator after my 2 1/2 years of working on the wikis. Not going to lie, it felt fantastic when I was asked and thus far has been a throughly enjoyable experience. I'm getting used to it and I'm getting there, slowly. I'm not going to preach to you all to go and edit the wikis because it gets us no where. You either want to work on the wikis or you don't, it's as simple as that. Neoseeker is not a wiki-based community and therefore it's unstandable that only a certain fraction of people want to commit their spare time to their cause. Fair play to you. But if you find yourself editing a wiki, don't be afraid to ask questions to the wikistaff or the Super administrators, we don't bite. Well... Gotenks might punch you, but to be fair, he does have Prometheus for an arse.

As for the 3DS there are a lot of games that I want that won't be releasing until next year. Only games that are releasing this side of Chrismas that I am remotely interested in are: Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D World, Starfox 64 3D, and Tales of Abyss 3D (if Animal Crossing 3DS is releasing this year that also, I haven't really been updating myself with it's news :<). Of course there's also the Ambassador Program which is causing a lot of controversy in the forums all over the internet, mostly with people pondering whether or not it's fair on the early adopters and if Nintendo are just sticking the 'big V' to all Nintendo fans. Personally, I think it's a great idea. I mean, think about this logically. Early adopters of the 3DS are going to be able to download for free games that are no longer being produced... anywhere. GBA and NES games are obsolete and pricey due to their rarity these days, and Nintendo are handing them out to us free of charge. Sure there was a price drop by about $80 in the 3DS. Do I care? Not in the slightest. I'm getting my money's worth out of the console and have been since I got it back in May, in fact I'm all too happy that I spent the extra money on it becuase to me, it was worth it. For those that don't know what it is, in a nutshell; those who purchased a 3DS before the price drop and connected it to the eShop before 11:59PM on August 11th are entitled to 20 free games downloadable from the Nintendo eShop - 10 NES games and 10 GBA games. NES games are releasing September 1 whereas the GBA's release has only been detailed as 'later this year'. I can't understand the complaint in all this at all, and those who buy the 3DS at a reduced price and and moan about not getting these free games are spoilt babies expecting way too much for their money. Want the free games? Should have brought the handheld sooner tbh. Maybe this is because I'm one of the people entitled to this scheme, but nevertheless, even from the outside chances are I'd still think it's an amazing idea. As for 2012, there are actually less games I want than in 2011. Haha. But they're the ones I'm looking forward to the most. Heroes of Ruin and Kid Icarus: Uprising. I hate the fact that the EU release for KI was pushed back until 2012. Hopefully it won't be too late in the year - hoping the first half of January - but we'll just have to wait and see I guess. Heroes of Ruin is releasing March 21, 2012 though and I CAN'T WAIT. Haha!

What else? AH YES. The Whoniverse; Doctor Who and Torchwood (Sarah Jane Adventures as well, but I don't divulge I'm afraid). For those who don't know me or have seen me around the forums much, I'm a massive, MASSIVE Doctor Who fan. (as if the header to the blog didn't give it away :thick:). Series 6 Part 2 starts August 27 with "Let's Kill Hitler" can't wait for that, especially since the end of Part 1 left us knowing who exactly River Song is (Spoilers!), and right at the end of the episode as well, so excited! :D Torchwood is currently airing as well both in the UK and US, although the US are an episode ahead of us here in the UK currently (US: Episode 5, UK: Episode 4) which I don't understand since it's a British TV show, but promotion in America is good and since the majority of the filming was done there, why not? Anyway, I'm really confused with the plot of Miracle Day. I mean I get it, but I'm not sure where they're going with it. Basically, again for those that have no idea, Torchwood is a spin-off series of Doctor Who (boo you if you don't know what Doctor Who is, wikipedia it or something) featuring Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen and Rhy Cooper, as well as some other people whose name's escape me at this moment in time. The current series revolves around a phenomenon called 'Miracle Day' where no body dies. Not going to go any furhter, watch it yourself. ;D

Anyways, that's all for now... I think. No idea when the next update will be but until then. See ya~

musingsthoughts neoseeker related

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Many people are now aware of the 3DS and it has become something of a global sensation, but a console - or handheld in this case - is only as good as it's games and a lot of people complained due to the lack of 'good games' that were released alongside it back in March. Arguably people were just expecting First-Party games with the 3DS, wanting familiar franchises such as Mario and Donkey Kong. It would have seemed that people are afraid of trying new games because there was definitely a lot of good content out there. However, now the release of phenomenal games such as Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D and Dead or Alive Dimensions, the 3DS is certainly proving to be the handheld system of 2011. There are still a lot of games coming to the 3DS (and trust me, there's a lot) but the one that's shaping up to be a favourite of 2012 is Heroes of Ruin. Heroes of Ruin is a Role-Playing, Real-time Strategy, Action, Adventure game developed by N-Space who are long supporters of the Nintendo DS systems, creating games such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare DS, Star Wars: Force Unleashed DS, as well as Duke Nukem for the Playstation 2. It's also being published by Square Enix who have famously dealt with huge franchises such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

Heroes of Ruin is being explained to us as a Dungeon Crawler game much like the Diablo series and will undoubtably has the same feel to it. Developers at N-Space have said that they have taken inspiration from a plethora of games from as many genres as you can shake a stick at, including Diablo as well as World of Warcraft. The game will feature randomised content with the dungeon designs as well as the items that appear inside them, meaning even if you play this game 100 times, each time it will be a new and inviggorating experience. Not only this by the game boasts unlimited customisability with your character from one of either the 4 robust classes: Gunslinger, Alchitect, Savage and Vindicator. There will also be thousands of unique weapons and armor peices that can be found in the game contributing to hours upon hours of replay value and collectibility.

As already mentioned there are four classes that are playable in this game. The Gunslinger is driven by a massive monetary debt he needs to pay off, he is an evasive fighter and uses pistols and various other heavy duty guns aswell as multiple explosives. The Alchitect is a student from a far off academy who aims to be one of the most powerful and feared spell casters in the world. The Savage relies on brute force to get it out of trouble. He was exiled from his tribe and takes on the mission to help the king of Nexus in order to gain power and glory, and finally the Vindicator. His main artiliary is his sword. He aims to seek justice and takes on the mission to save the King of Nexus in order to redeem himself after his fall from grace from his order.

The dungeons in this game and items that appear inside it are randomised, allowing each visit to be different and unique. This means that your friend's game will be significantly different from yours. So where you may have triumphed on your game, when visiting a friend's game, the experience will be completely new. Oh yeah I forgot to mention one of the most innovative things about this game - it features 4 player drop in, drop out functionality. Meaning that at any point during your game, permitting that you allow it, people over WiFi or Local Wireless can enter your game and play along with you, this means you can play with complete strangers around the world! And with the use of the 3DS you can talk to one another, give tips on upcoming boss battles or even just talk and make new friends.

This game will also make full use of both SpotPass and StreetPass on the Nintendo 3DS. Through StreetPass you will be able to trade items and armor with other players through a system called "Traders Network". This is just outside the hub city of Nexus and will allow you to trade the items and armor you don't want for coins, which you can use to purchase items and armor that you haven't / can't obtain or want from another player who you have passed in the street. SpotPass will be used to distribute new challenges, missions, contracts, etc each and every day for the first year after the game is released, meaning there will be tons of content and new areas to explore each and every day.

This game is definitely turning out to be a favourite of mine as well as many other people around the globe, the official forums are buzzing with activity and the development team are even distributing podcasts every few weeks. Although at the moment not much information is known about this game, from what we do already know this is going to be a strong game for other companies to compete with during 2012 and maybe even the 3DS' lifespan completely.

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Shayn Dickens

  • Bedfordshire, England England UK
  • Joined Mar 16, 2009
  • Male
  • 20 years young
  • Lead Contributor @ Neoseeker