Half-Masked

If I am overly defensive about my opinions, even when it isn’t called for, I apologize. It stems from a lifetime of being discarded as a source of rational contribution over the most non-significant crap, from the smallest of people. I have been shunned for having the tiniest discretion of opinion. God forbid I not fall in line with 100% of every single popular belief. People are disturbingly ready and willing to throw people away at the slightest provocation. If you think you are friends with someone, online or In Real Life, even if you have been this way for many years, and they eliminate your alliance because you don’t like Beyonce as much as them, or because they worship a different god than you, or vote a different way, they were never your friend. They never DESERVED to be your friend. Good riddance.

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Tomorrow, I will observe the first anniversary of the day I sat down and actually watched an episode of Azumanga Daioh. I mentioned it in passing on my blog, unaware that an entire series of articles would follow. I examined and celebrated the show and its characters, and those posts marked my progress of thought from the first to the last episode. From this, I came to an astonishing conclusion: I have never enjoyed television more.

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by Alex Hill

Left 4 Dead 2 may be the most toxic experience you can get from a video game. It is unfit for human consumption, without a doubt the worst example of this medium in the last ten years. It has the most game-killing glitches, and the worst design-choices born from innate contempt for its audience. Worse than anything I’ve ever seen. Worse than Hotel Mario. Worse than “Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties”. Worse than that root canal I had where the freezing wore off halfway, and the television in the same room featured Kelly and Regis interviewing Larry the Cable Guy.

I’m not entirely convinced it deserves a rating, because that would suggest merit. One could say that a game this addicting must surely have something redeeming. Heroin is addictive too. I guess this game is better than being addicted to heroin, but I’m really reaching here.

But, you know, it’s a lot gorier now. Because that’s what’s important.

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In the last ten years, I have been introduced to my favourite television show, one of my favourite video games, and my favourite person. I have changed, and I have not. I have improved as an artist and a writer, and have even managed to be a smidgen less immature(just a smidgen). And as recently as this month, for the first time I saw my characters come to life, thanks to “Crispy” of Deviant Dead. Thanks to the interwebtron, I have been exposed to a colourful gallery of scalawags. These things have greatly improved the quality of my life, and my world-view. For this I am grateful.

On the other hand, I went through a teenage depression so severe I had to exile myself to recover, and to avoid taking it out on the people I care about. In doing this, I lost many opportunities to get closer to certain people I will never see again. I have contributed a few things, but I am left with many regrets.

I”ll consider the last decade a draw. What I have to look forward to in 2010:

• -A hugh-jass series of “Best Of…” lists for the last ten years.
• -”Phoenix”, A Halo 3 Machinima series
• -A revamped, less angry take on my awful webcomic.
• -More drawings
• -Less Doucheyness
• -and my forgetting this new years resolution in less than a month. <_<

END OF DECADE

~A.H.