What happened, Torrid?

Dear Torrid,
Hi, it’s me, I know we haven’t really spoken like ever, but I was wondering what happened to you? There was a time when you were the go to spot for girls who wanted Hot Topic like clothing but couldn’t fit into the XS sizing– somehow that’s changed, hasn’t it. It’s like you got a date to the prom with the Captain of the Football Team and decided that wearing Invader Zim’s Gir on your shirt didn’t look as good as it used to– you abandoned the style you thought you had and instead took on the guise of the Couture Girl who knows everything about how to make her fat as look good in those tailored Z. Cavaricci jeans and weirdly patterned top that just screams “I was going for a pirate look, but because it has sequins, it makes it fashionable.”

Believe me when I say I’m not the only one who misses the days when we could get Invader Zim, Anime, Manga, and Band merchandise from you– and I’m not just talking Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber (really, Torrid?), I’m talking bands that your sister store covers, but somehow you’ve got it in your head that every fat chick in the world wants to look as fashionable as possible, so you figure that 80$ vest is a better investment than a couple of comfortable, of size shirts with some characters we might have become familiar with and grown up with. What? You offer Hello Kitty stuff? That’s great! What about the rest of the spectrum of random ass cartoon characters we love and wouldn’t mind having around? I miss those days when I could look fashionable and still be myself by representing something that meant something to me, or means something to me.

I can barely even recall the early days before the site went all pink and your entire styling thoughts went towards High Class Fat Girl Boutique, but I assure you, I miss those days. Yes, I’ve seen you collection of corsets and mini-skirts– they’re very nice, and I do like their edge, but I still miss the shirts and comfortableness– it’d be awesome to get a super soft t-shirt in my size that extols my love for Five Finger Death Punch, or even Bullet for My Valentine (I know, guilty pleasure, right?), but somehow I’m stuck looking for men’s sizes at Hot Topic instead of getting that from you. Wasn’t that your original purpose? Or am I confusing you with another store?

We miss you, Torrid, please come back to us as you were meant to be in the beginning.

Sincerely,
Andrea, and countless others.

Jul 20 2010

2 Comments

Buffy, Episode Dissection, Fun, Internet, Television

Dissecting Buffy: Band Candy

It has been a long time coming, but hopefully everyone’s on board with this. Here we go.

General Review

I think this has become a fan favourite episode just because of the development between Giles and Joyce– I think everyone had an odd attraction to those two as a couple– I know I did, I thought Giles and Joyce would have been awesome together, but alas, it was never to truly be. While the episode feels completely filler in its own way, it does develop the plot, at least in part, as it gives insight moreso into what the Mayor has planned, and what he’s about exactly.

Also, there’s the formidable reappearance of Ethan Rayne, who will be seen at least once more before disappearing from the series altogether– while most people see him as outwardly evil, I see him as what he is, a worshipper of chaos. If it’s chaotic, he loves it, it just so happens that evil tends to be more chaotic than good, at least as far as this series goes. That being said, I think he lends something to this episode that isn’t filled by anyone else- cowardice. Everything he does is for his own gain but the moment it seems like it’s going to fall apart, he’s out like a bandit, it’s kind of amusing in its own right.

Honestly, the entire episode reeks of a single, long-standing message- “Be careful what you wish for.” Buffy has her whole tirade about wanting to be treated more like an adult, and how she’s fully capable of managing herself, and soon finds herself one of the most ‘adult’ people within Sunnydale, faced with her own daily struggles (vampires, demons, etc), as well as trying to police her mother and the other so-called grown-ups. I mean, come on, it’s the very epitome of “be careful what you wish for” because most of us don’t realise exactly what we’re asking for when it happens, right?

All in all, a great episode, and one I don’t mind watching over and over, though sometimes it does feel like it’s dragging on just a bit– some parts feel completely filler and detract from the flow of the plot.

Score: B-

Memorable Quotes

“Is it too late to join a tribe where they just pierce something or cut something off?” – Buffy

“I’m a very delicate person.” – Mr. Trick

“Actually, I’m looking forward to it. I do well on standardised tests. … What? I can’t have layers?” – Cordelia

“We’re not in the band.”
“And if I’d handed you a trombone, that would have been a problem, Summers” – Buffy and Snyder

“Does anyone else wanna marry Ms. Barton?”
“Get in line.” – Xander and Cordelia

“Do you fancy it?” – Giles (love his weird accentness)

The Good and the Bad

Good:
Joyce and Giles as a whole, though parts felt a bit meh.
Buffy’s threatening to beat up Giles if he kept being a prick.
Buffy bouncing the ball off the wall and smacking Giles in the head. Totally lolable.
For some reason, I REALLY like Buffy’s outfit in the beginning of this episode during her training and shiz
Joyce’s very ‘Juice Newton’ coat.

Bad:
Buffy’s determination to drive and being kind of bitchy. Honestly, bothers me that she’s glib about it.
Buffy’s driving ability period– I could have done without that whole Willow and she in the car scene
Buffy lying to both Giles and Joyce instead of just trying to be honest. Lies never get you anywhere
Buffy/Angel tormented wanna-be lovers thing. We get it already
Buffy’s hair. Why is it almost white in the front? Bad dye job, ergh.
Angel’s just mildly obnoxious for the little bit he’s in the episode.
How long it took them to figure out it was the chocolate. Wtf?

Interesting or Amusing Screencaps

Honestly, there wasn’t a lot in this episode that screamed out ‘Cap me!’, but I managed to get one that everyone should appreciate.

You cannot look at this image and refute it’s awesome. The kissing scene is one of the best, especially with Buffy storming by all doom and gloom and stopping short to watch her mom make out with her surrogate father. It’s awesomesauce.

Final Thoughts

I decided not to go ahead with my fashion dissection because it is being done, and being done amazingly and interestingly, but I honestly do think the episode holds up to the stand of time– while the fashion is dated and the cast looks wicked out of place for today’s interpretation of teenagers, I do feel that people can relate to it, regardless of those kinds of things.

In closing, I’d like to say that this is a rough draft of what I plan to do in the future with other episodes, just trying to get a feel for it.

Jul 12 2010

Why Do We Blog?

I’ve found myself unable to get around to blogging lately– I have topics I need to do, such as my Dissecting Buffy: Band Candy, which is actually my episode in queue for watching Buffy tonight anyway, as well as various gaming topics I’ve been meaning to get into writing about, but sometimes I wonder why it is that people blog? Do we decide that, somewhere along the line, the world would love to hear from us? I wonder.

Originally I thought my reason for blogging was because I thought I had ideas to share, and a unique point of view that would, in the end, make people realise that I might be of some worth to the world, but in the end people are only going to read your blog if they can get some kind of fulfillment out of it– as much as your friends may come by and read, they’re not there because you’re interesting, they’re there because you’re their friends, and in the end they’d have heard whatever spiffy idea you’d come up with anyway, and thought of it as the same kind of love they would when you publish it.

So what does it boil down to, then? Do people blog to get their ideas out there? To practice writing and get themselves known? To monetise their online lives into some form of capital gain? Is it all just narcissism that we think everyone wants to read our every thought on every subject? I thought about it, and all of these have applied to me at some point or another, whether recently or in the past. It makes me wonder just how valid my ideas can be if the methods and feeling behind them are so petty.

So I have a challenge for everyone– whether you’re blogging the top ten list of your favourite types of peanut butter, or writing about how Billy talked to you in Class today– let’s try to make our online experiences a bit more interactive for people. Encourage your reads, whether they’re your friends or not, to engage in conversation through your comments, to make friends, to learn new things– to come back and hear what you have to say tomorrow– promise them original content and mean it. It’s not that hard for us to be creative individuals it’s in our nature and in our blood. I just want more people to take their blog to a level higher, not just the same kind of content all the time (though, if you run a food blog, or a fashion blog, most people are coming to read that so go right ahead), but try to be evocative. I know I’m going to try to be.

Stay tuned for posts about SPiRiTLiNG, Buffy Dissections, Gaming News and thoughts, as well as personal blurbs about my life– and for the love of all that is holy, people, please try to engage me a bit more in comments if you’re peeking at this– I can’t become better at what I do unless people come out of their shells and leave me some comments.

(cross-posted in part at SPiRiTLiNG)

Jul 06 2010

2 Comments

Fun, Internet, Television

Dissecting Buffy.

Weird title, I know, but people who know me at all know what a fanatic I am about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how I tend to watch and re-watch the series more than is healthy, I’m sure– I think over the next few days I’m going to feature a few episodes that speak to me, for whatever reason, and get a bit into dissecting them as a whole– from perspective of back then, as well as today, and see if the message still works for everything that goes on these days.

Joss Whedon, being the genius he is, has probably more talent at doing this sort of thing in his pinky nail than I have in my entire body, but I feel the need to go through and have a bit of fun with that. Nothing will be off-limits, and as I recently read Buffy Fashion Roulette I might even get into the idea of prodding at the actual fashion and themes– we’ll never know until we try. I’m taking votes on which episode I should do first- instead of doing random pull, I figure I’ll give everyone a chance to voice in– if I don’t get anyone suggesting anything I’ll just pick one at random, but I’m hoping some people will help out.

Leave a comment here with which Buffy episode you want me to watch and dissect from all angles, no episode is off-limits as I have them all. <3

Jun 27 2010

6 Comments

Fun, Gaming, Internet, MMORPGs, Utilities

Essential World of Warcraft Add-ons.

If anyone here plays World of Warcraft, or might be trying to play it at some point in the future, I have a list of add-ons I honestly couldn’t live without, no matter what. I realise some of these will not apply to anyone, but there should be something for everyone– whether you like to raid or Role play, there’ll be something for everyone, or at least I hope.

IRP- Continued

Download – For RPers, there’s always this wonder if there’s a way to put other notes about your description and such up, and that’s where add-ons like IRP come in– most people use MRP or RSP or some such program, but I tend to go with IRP because it’s light-weight and easy to use– it’s not as bloated as the others, and it’ll allow you to put in the information you want people to see, as well as a prename, last name, and ‘title’ to go beneath your name. All of this information will only be seen by others who have some form of RP add-on, but IRP is cross-compatible, so people with RSP and otherwise will be able to see your information. It’s a must have if you plan to RP, at least in my opinion. Please do me a favour and if you use it, don’t put your life story or marital status in that description box, it’s for physical things– that’s why it’s a description box.

Recount

Download – Recount is essential for keeping ontop of your DPS numbers and adjusting what you’re doing to further your DPS output- it’s one of my favourite add-ons because it tends to motivate me to push myself further on my Rogue and just DPS my ass off. Most Raiding groups will be a bit iffy if you’re not pulling certain numbers, and they tend to run these kind of meters to figure out if you should continue running with them, so it’s good to have your own so you can adjust your numbers and make sure you’re as good as you can be for each raid. This doesn’t just apply to DPS, there is a meter that measures your healing done, as well as overheals¹, but I only use it for DPS as of right now.

NPCScan + NPCScan Overlay

Download – NPCScan requires you to delete a cache file in your WoW folder, so it might be a bit more for advanced users– there are many add-ons that do things similar, but I tend to prefer NPCScan because it gives less false positives, but it’s mostly meant for tracking Rare Spawns in various zones, and when coupled with NPCScan Overlay it can become essential to finding the one you want– as a rare spawn hunter it became a part of my add-on list recently, but I’d be lost without it.

Bartender

Download – Bartender is kind of a new addition to my WoW gaming experience– I used to just use the default UI And deal with it, but for some reason I came upon Bartender and just learned to love it– it allows you full control over your action bars, stance bars, vehicle bars, and otherwise– its become kind of natural for me to use now. You can have a few bars in the center of your screen for your actions, just one, just two, all of them, or none of them– it really is up to you where you want you bars to be to function for /your/ needs. My general setup is three action bars towards the bottom center of my screen and all my extra bars set vertically off to the side, and that’s what works for me.

Bag Sort

Download – This might sound ridiculous, but Bag Sort makes me not go insane at people or things because it automatically sorts all the things into my bags into like categories– quest items, ore, etc. It’s a very simple add-on, as all you have to do is type /bagsort and all your stuff is sorted. Honestly, it really would make me insane if I didn’t have it, I have weird OCD-like issues with sorting things out into their proper places, and this makes it easier for me. Be careful using /banksort as it can totally mess up your way of organising your bank.

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which helps determine your mana conservation which is essential in long fights [↩]