Those that know me, or have been following my personal bloggings for the last year, know that I have a thing for French Bulldog puppies. You see, whenever I’m sad, or am having a bad day, all I have to do to help thwart the pain of my current predicaments is do a google image search for the inarguable cuteness that are French Bulldog puppies. Most of the time this works to an amazing degree. I developed the habit when I was working at Blizzard and my teammates and I would participate in ‘image search races’ where we would use the google function to try and find the best, weirdest and funniest or most random images the fastest.

This tradition and practice has continued into my new job. Although there is no official ‘race’ everyday, there is still the occasional need to find the weird and obscure. To this end, and in celebration of this weird and delightful net-surfing pastime I present to you my collection for today of the weird and unusual from ye olde interwebz. Behold:

A creepy man in a creepy hat

“Spiders are the fiercest hunters on the planet!”

this is why furries frighten me… O_O

. . .

And there you have it, my image findings for the day, enjoy, smile, and try not to think too hard about the weirdness that is out there waiting to be found on purpose or by accident in the digital-web-i-sphere.

–Aleister

‘Allo Normalinauts! Sorry, I’m not sure what new moniker to give to our loyal, almost double digit readership here, but for now, I’m throwing Normalinaut into play to see how it fairs. Anyone else who has a better one they’d like to throw down, by all means, please do.

Ok, so we’ve been on a fairly serious bent it seems for the last couple of posts, and with good reason, as what’s currently going on with the Presidential race will certainly effect not just the US but peoples in any other country where our nation’s sticky tentacle pull any sort of influence. So thank you for indulging us (and specifically, the more activist minded Kilian).

Now I’m not saying that this trend of seriousness, when serious issues come up will not be coming back to the forefront here on the old Normality, but I did want to take a moment to touch on some of the not-quite-as-serious things that have also been going on. Not to bend this to a completely egotistical outing, but there it is anyway.

So firstly, for anyone interested, and I assume that we’re seeing some new faces around here from ye olde MyTrix community as well as from Trickster Online Revolution in general, let me take this opportunity to say thank you very, very, very much for all of the truly heart-string-strumming comments on the final Megalo Life that went up this last Monday on the official Trickster Online Revolution website. I meant every last word that typed out in the episode’s commentary and a lot more that would really not be appropriate or in anyway professional for me add as well. I really did love (and hate using the past-tense) working on the strip week after week, and it is my belief thatthe silly little comic outing worked great to promote not only the game, the company, the community and to shed some light on the fact that the game is brought to its loyal players by real people who are weird, wonderful, falable and overwhelmingly human. This was, to my thinking, something that really set us apart from other games and communities that are out there. Obviously, there are games with better graphics, mechanics, support or any other individual component that you could name, than TOR, but I always held the belief that the strength of the title despite the uphill climb against newer, flashier titles and the seemingly endless stream of even-newer-debuting titles, was the community and the way it could interact with the company behind the game.

For me, Megalo Life was one of our several pronged efforts to create and sustain that sort of unusual community/company involvement, and in the passing of the comic, I am bitterly happy to see that I wasn’t too far off the marks in my thoughts. As it turns out, the community does seem to have enjoyed the comic. I never made the thing to have people start clammering that it was the greatest thing to hit the internet since porn, or even the best webcomic out there. It really was, at its inception and at its core, a means for those of us behind TOR to pull back the OZ-like curtain and say, ‘No, it’s ok, there is a man back here, it’s cool,’ and then /wave in a friendly manner. For whatever reason, it was pulled, canceled or decidedly ended… however you want to put it, it doesn’t matter the ultimate outcome was/is the same: the series is no more.

But as I said, the one really positive thing to come out of all of this, especially as the title to this post might suggest, is that when the air started to clear and emotions could be stowed for a bit to re-asses the aftermath, there was nothing more evident than the fact that the fallout of the series has shown what I might humbly term as overwhelming community support for the strip and my efforts.

Again, for anyone interested, especially those from the TOR community, I am deeply thankful that you enjoyed the series, and I am very, truly moved by the outcries of support and even unhappiness to see it/me go. So thank you. I don’t know a better way to express it, than to just keep saying thank you over and over again.

I suppose that it was something of a pipe-dream to think that overwhelming outcries from the community would possibly spring some sort of rethinking to the cancellation decision as the evidence mounted to the fact that strip (like some of the other efforts, such as the now still missing GM Blog) actually did work. It did encourage interaction and involvement in the community and for the game itself. It was a useful effective tool to help set us and our collective efforts apart from the other, and oft-times behemoth-y-juggernaut-like competitors in the online gaming world who always have more money and resources to throw at things than we could dream of. Because of the players, the Tricksters, the community members and the readers of the Megalo Life series that returned week after week, and especially have been showing their support in the final installment, I think it is now assured that the points have been proven. There should no longer be a question as to whether or not it was effective, useful, and basically a good thing.

Doubt can no longer be attributed to the quantifying of the effort - and no question can reasonably be raised as to whether or not the series itself was a much needed bridge between players and corporation.

Thank you once more, sincerely and whole heartedly to every single one of you Tricksters who have come forward in the comment section on the final Megalo Life and in the My Trix thread to show your support and even your surprise at the sudden ending of the webcomic. My heart’ still heavy from the ending of it all, but I can watch now with a smile on my face because I know that I did make a difference, and I made that difference because you let me. Thank you.

The decision always has been and is still now, out of my hands. If I could change it, I would, and perhaps I thought naively that you could effect change as well. Maybe that will still happen, at this point my crystal ball can’t see quite that far into the future ^__^ but I’m glad to have your efforts behind it just the same.

As Megalo Life has ended, in a somewhat traumatic sort of way, suddenly, and without any real warning (announcements, or even being posted on the normal day of the week) I will be taking this week off to finish recuperating from what can only be described as a tumultuous, emotional, rollercoaster of crazy bat shit, and will not be posting a new strip for NR today. I should be able to return to form once more next week, and in the meantime I offer some other stimulus for visual trauma:

If you’ve noticed on the top right side of the NR site here, there is a new section added, along with the Comic Archive, and the Vote Campaign for TopWebComics, and other information, there is a new section (still being polished so be nice, please) titled Gilgrim’s Artwork. So if visual stimuli is what you crave, as they say, buy the ticket, take the ride.

Cheers,

–Aleister

KMFDM - Last Things

Well, I didn’t want to take down gilgrim’s post (since it is well written and heartfelt) for one quick thing…so anyway, read this and let your imagination pique at the possibility…

And I, for one, vote for Normalinauts!

–Kilian

Happy Saturday Normalinauts!

I have found a ‘Threadless-like’ company that has come up and is trying to do something very similar it seems. It’s V2W (Vote 2 Wear, I believe), and with a format seemingly identical to the NakedNoMore trend setter before them, it should be a home for artists and designers to show their stuff, and to have it considered for final production. And how do the pieces get considered for printing (on shirts usually) ? By the power of voting!

Now isn’t that a novel idea? I mean, especially in light of our recent surge of seriousness here at the NR, where we’ve been scrambling to decipher what options our vote will have in the upcoming elections in less then a yea, and figuring out which candidates are best, or at least the most likely nominees… but for those decisions, since we’re in a Republic, we don’t actually get direct say all the time. So everyone scrambling for Obama, Clinton, Kerri, Huckabee, and Ron Paul to make it through the party primers and primaries, really are sitting on their hands. Oddly enough this country is touted in the public eye (ask most people on the street) as a Democracy, which we’re not, we’re a Republic, slight difference and it was done on purpose.

But if you really want a taste of Democracy, just like you had it in High School when you were voting for class leaders or for Prom themes, then here’s your chance to do just that!

Currently, I have 2 designs up on V2W that have been ‘approved’. The contest sections that they were submitted for haven’t opened up yet, but just the same, here’s the picks:

Don’t Lose Your Head

HelloMotor

Now Like I said, I don’t think these are up and running just yet. But there’s a good chance that they will be in a week or so, as for now they are ‘approved’ and no longer ‘pending approval’… I think the ‘Battle’-ing as it is coined on the V2W website, will begin on our around January 16th. It really does cost nothing to vote or sign-up and since I’ve joined the site, I haven’t had any Spam or Junk (yet) so hopefully they’ll keep that up. But remember the best part, you get to decide what stuff gets made and what stuff doesn’t — that direct sort of voice being heard isn’t too common these days ^__^ so let’s go experience it together shall we! And besides, should my designs win, I get some money, and right now I need money. . . thank you!

–Aleister

Atreyu - Bleeding Mascara

Actually, if you wish to get technical, I’m very middenedly-buzzed off of Trader Joe’s 2 Buck Chuck! Sadly, I would have preferred a Merlot or Pinot, but this 25 proof grape juice, Sauvignon will have to do… by the way, this is entirely April’s fault.

And on we go to the Saturday embedded video post. I’m not saying this as some sort of homage or even copying in format of Ellis’ 4AM, because I really don’t know if this stunt will repeat itself anytime soon. But while we’re all here, and I have a captive audience, I will abuse it. And by abuse, I mean subject you to at least one video.

April found this video, as it is from a band that she at one time had a single album from, and has since lost it, or misplaced it, or simply had an extremely difficult time finding it ever again. While showing me the band in question, we had a discussion about what ‘type’ of music they would be categorized as in relation to the era in which they could’ve likely hit airwaves or mainstream media. Darkwave/Newwave seems to be the best fit, and in the search April found a connection between this weird musical troupe and one of my favorite movies of the 80’s/horror genre in general, which is Manhunter(!).

The band, Shriekback, did do at least one piece on the official OST for Manhunter, but it was not the video which will be posted below. And here is where you, hopefully far less drunk, Normalinauts, come into play: the following song from the band Skriekback, was hailed as their lead single from their album Oil&Gold, and both April and I are at least somewhat convinced that we’ve heard the damned thing in a film somewhere… yet Youube seems to be of no hope or help. So do you brave Normalinauts remember this song? Do you know where you might have heard it (aside from here of course)? Let us know!

Click-y Here For the Official Song In Question

SHRIEKBACK - NEMISIS

Help us please, where has this song been featured???

Thank you, I will continue to drink now,

–Aleister

Shriekback - Nemesis

Megalo Life has ended, as I’ve been talking about here on the Normality for a little bit. And just to retouch on the subject once more, if for no other reason than because the entire series and especially the readership was something very near and dear to my heart, I wanted to point out and say another heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been posting in the official comments for the series. At the current count, there are 5 full pages of comments, which means about 75 comments, 90+% of which are very endearing and lovely thanks, well wishes and pleads for the series to continue. So to everyone who’s taken the time out of their busy real-world lives to show their support for the series, to say thanks or merely to wish me, April, Salem and Wednesday well in the coming new adventures elsewhere, thank you very, very, very much.

For anyone who wants to check out the comments, or simply let me throw the final strip/episode in front of your eyes once more click here.

Otherwise, it is Monday, and that means more normal posts for old Normality Restored and all you Normalinauts out there in the digital wastes of the interwbez. I’m not sure but I expect that Kilian will be back to posting shortly bringing his own thoughts on life, love, lit and things geek-y or real life. In the meantime and especially for anyone who’s been wondering what will happen with the NR strip, fear not, we’re working on it. And not only are we working on it, it’s set to be something completely new and special. And by special we don’t mean ‘window licking’ special, but I suppose that you’ll have to wait and see and come to your own conclusions when we start rolling it out. But rest assured, we are actually working on it right this very instant, through the wondrous miracle of g-chat communication!

Hope all Normalinauts are well! What the heck did you guys do this weekend anyway?

–Aleister

Metal Fingers - Special Herbs 9 + 0