Second Session

Okay, I figured it would be easier for everyone if I just kept the same blog from English 1101 and just reformatted it for English 1102. No harm, no foul I hope.

DAMN IT.

not having internet has fully SCREWED me over. i missed the damn assignment for the kite runner, cause i can't check my stuff out of school.

:[ i hate everything.

okay FINE.

I NEVER post because I'm a complete failure. I did not realize the rough draft was due today. I have been keeping notes and watching a lot of documentaries, as well as finishing up Helter Skelter. So, I haven't written much of my rough draft. I am the type of person who sits down with a cup of tea and cranks out an A paper in two hours, which makes me bad with deadlines but okay in the longrun. Unfortunately I'm going to have to present something, so I have a few paragraphs and hopefully that's sufficient.
I am really looking forward to getting VISTA off my computer finally. I hate VISTA so much. If you for some reason are thinking about VISTA, buy a gun and shoot yourself in the leg instead. The experience is much the same. VISTA has completely ruined my wifi capability, due to some security glitch the people on the HP helpline can explain better than me. I was told the only way to fix my problem was install a new OS (or reinstall the old one); since I have no way to backup my files, I am not going to lose all my stuff for VISTA to screw me over. Again.
So, thankfully I have a wonderful friend named Jesse Wade who is helping me out with getting the virus that is VISTA off my computer and getting Windows 7 on there instead. Well, I mean, he is providing the OS, I am the one putting it on my computer. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT.
I am changing my major! Yep, the college freshman changes her major... surprised? No? Lol. Seriously though, I have been in Biology 1101 for almost an entire semester and I don't think I have ever hated a subject so much. I thought I would be okay with it, since I was in high school, but boy was I wrong. College Biology is a complete torture chamber for me. And if I hate Biology 1101 that much, what am I going to do in 1102? Microbiology? Anatomy and Physiology 1&2?!
The answer is now NOTHING, since I am dropping the BSN major like it's hot. I would like to be a nurse, but... it just isn't for me. I am not taking the easy way out, but why would I do something I absolutely do not like? Plus, I have a plethora of anxiety issues and I work poorly under pressure.
Not to mention, I really really really don't think I'd get along with other nursing students and ultimately other nurses. I am... not a preppy girl. And that seems to be about 95% of the nursing major students. If you are a nursing major and you aren't an bleach-blond tan gigglebox in $200 jeans, I am not talking about you. But if you are, chances are I won't get along with you. I have nothing in common with these people, and being someone who has been an outcast more or less msot of my life, I just don't want to feel that way anymore.
So... I am changing my major to IT! I am really good with computer stuff already, and I genuinely enjoy it. I am going to get my BS in Information Technology with a dual concentration in Software Development and Network Security. It's a mouthful, but it sounds like so much fun to me. And I can relate to other computer nerds. When I make jokes they don't just stare at me and kind of give an awkward insincere laugh. It is safe to say my humor is not for everyone. ...especially not most of the nursing majors.

So that is the News of Nichi. Hopefully the sheer volume of this post makes up for what I was lacking in previous posts. I'll cross my fingers.

i ain't trifling with no stale ass bread.

Ok, here's the deal. I know I'm supposed to update this twice a week, but I just can't bring myself to. Nobody else seems to be able to, either. I do try to update fairly regularly, but I no longer have wifi at home (thanks, drug-addled mother!) and have to use my iPhone's internet to do anything. Blogging from an iPhone is just not going to happen, I am sorry. And I've been so sick lately, my attendance has been sporadic. Hopefully it won't negatively impact my grade! I hate cold/flu season!
Anyway, I don't have much to say. I'm working on my research paper. My topic is The Manson Women, as in the female followers of Charles Manson. I find it really interesting that they followed him and three even killed for him. It's just really interesting that he was SO charismatic. I mean yes, he was a psychopath and a genuinely 'evil' guy, but he was charismatic enough to convince people to KILL OTHER PEOPLE FOR HIM. He fed them LSD and brainwashed them, and as much as it's sickening, it's IMPRESSIVE.
Enough about that, I'm sure I'll have to post my research paper when it's done anyway.
On a lighter note, and I hope nobody gets pissed off at me for using 'ass' (I have done so well up until now with keeping my cusses down to almost nothing!)...

BLOG post.

Under this is my essay, which is supposed to be posted. Should have posted it a while ago, which grouches me out cause I probably did it earlier than anyone else. But, I posted mine later!
I am not the best blogger, but hey.
Enjoy the essay, be kind.

Mario v. Zelda

Video games are becoming a more and more integral part of childhoods. Over the years, several video game franchises have made their mark on the industry. Few, however, have attained the level of greatness that The Legend of Zelda and Mario Brothers have. If you look at any Top-10 list of video games, you are likely to see at least one appearance of each franchise (oftentimes, more than one). Suffice it to say, both of these video game moguls have altered history. While their profound impact on the world of video games is shared, there seems to be few other similarities, at least until one looks beyond the surface.
The first Mario Bros. game, if “Donkey Kong” (which only features Mario, in a primitive form) isn’t taken into account, appeared in 1983. This predates the release of the first Legend of Zelda game by three years. The first Mario Bros. game, simply titled “Mario Bros.”, was a stand-up arcade game, whereas The Legend of Zelda was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a home console (although Mario Bros. has been re-released multiple times, and is now available on the NES as well.) The general mode of game play is also very different. The Legend of Zelda is a complex and unique game (even in 2D), utilizing puzzle solving, action, adventure, and role-playing. While Mario Bros. was a relatively simple platform game, its descendents (while still maintaining the genre of ‘platform game’) evolved the game play in many ways.
The Mario Bros. franchise is unique, as it features two protagonists: Mario and his brother Luigi. For most of the 2D games, in one-player mode, you may play as either brother; in two-player mode you and a friend each play as one (although you never truly play ‘together’, you simply take over when they complete a level or die.) Mario tends to play a much larger role than that of his brother, though Luigi is definitely considered a protagonist of the series. The Legend of Zelda only has one leading man: Link. This character has gone through more complicated development than those of Mario and Luigi, evolving into a complicated story that spans centuries. Mario and Luigi are short and pudgy stereotype Italian-Americans, whereas Link is a lanky, elf-eared Hylian (one of many fictional races that appear in the Zelda series). Despite the characters’ vast differences, they share a common goal: save the princess.
The princesses, unlike their heroes, are actually vastly similar. Princess Peach of the Mario Bros. series and the titular princess Zelda are both blondes (usually), and both typically are seen wearing pink or other pastels. Both characters have a generally kind and dignified nature, and are fairly smart (despite their helpless roles). In most plotlines, they have both been captured by the main boss, and both rely on their respective saviors for rescue. This formula is not always used, but has been a major and oft-repeated theme throughout both series. The princesses are each featured in games in which the roles are reversed: Princess Peach saves Mario in Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS. Zelda sets off on her own adventure to return the favor in The Legend of Zelda: Zelda’s Adventure, and The Legend of Zelda: Wand of Gamelon on the Phillips CD-i, though it is important to note that these games were poorly-received and also not considered canon.
Both games require you to attack enemies, although the enemies are definitely not the same. Enemies from both series, however, tend to be fantasy rooted in reality. The enemies, while different, seem to share a common factor: they do not exist in our reality, but things like them do. Even the manner of attack itself is radically different; Mario and Luigi typically attack using a jumping mechanism, whereas Link uses a sword for most of his attacks (slingshots also play an integral role in his arsenal). A defining difference, though, is that Link has a shield, whereas Mario and Luigi are not able to block attacks in most games (they must simply get out of harm’s way in time.) Both games feature mini-bosses, and one main boss (Bowser in the Mario Bros series, Ganon in The Legend of Zelda), although the smaller bosses in The Legend of Zelda are admittedly a little harder to get rid of.
The system of being attacked is even different. In Mario Bros, when you are attacked, that is it. You start the level over, or from a checkpoint you came across earlier in the level. This is true in all instances without power-ups; if you have a power-up, you lose your power-up but remain playing until you are out of power-ups, and only then must you start the level over. The Legend of Zelda features a heart system; you begin with three hearts and toward the end of your game Link can have upwards of fifteen hearts (depending on the game and your skill level). When attacked, you lose a heart (or a fraction of one, if your enemy is weaker). When all hearts are lost, you begin at the beginning of the level again (usually further back than Mario Bros would send you). Albeit infuriating, both systems work well for their respective games.
Each game has its own unique fantasy world, with its own creatures and surroundings. The fictional world of Mario Bros consists of mushrooms, feathers, stars, and fire-flowers for power-ups, coins to be collected (100 coins usually gives you an extra life), and bricks that are jumped underneath and smashed with the player’s head. The enemies vary, but the most recognizable are the koopas (which resemble turtles) and goombas (which seem to be little mushrooms with angry eyebrows and pointed teeth.) Link’s world is more medieval, featuring many fantasy races of creatures such as Fairies, Gerudo, Gorons, Hylia, Koriki, Sheikah, and Zora. Link is faced with battling an array of opponents as well, usually fantastical renderings of bats (Keese) and spiders (Skulltula), or other imaginative fictional monsters. Both games feature one similar reoccurring enemy: a story bound incarnation of a Venus Fly-Trap plant (Mario Bros.’ Piranha Plant and the Deku Baba of the Zelda series).
These worlds are both elaborated upon and expanded throughout the span of each series, evolving immensely but still remaining familiar. This is perhaps one reason the games are so popular; the fantasy world you go into is the same (or very similar) each time you visit, be it in 2D on the NES or in sophisticated 3D on your Wii. It’s refreshing to know that although imaginary, the world seems finite and true to itself. The fact that these games have been around for so long, but are able to retain such a strong sense of acquaintance is nothing less than astounding, and is exactly what makes these games so great.
The fact that both games are able to attain this level of familiarity could be attributed to perhaps the most important similarity of all: they are from the same creator. Shigeru Miyamoto is responsible for the existence of both empires. Of course, he didn’t do it all alone, but the creative mind behind both games is the same. This creativity and ingenuity is precisely the reason he has come to be called the “Walt Disney of the video game world” and the “father of modern gaming”. This common factor explains the thorough development of the fictional worlds the games take place in, the attention to detail paid to the characters and enemies, and the captivating nature of these games. Almost every similarity these game empires share can be traced right back to Shigeru Miyamoto.
Of course, the defining similarity in these games is not their creator. The most crucial likeness of these franchises is simply their impact upon the world of video games. It is hard for most people, myself included, to imagine the world of video games as they are today without Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda. Often imitated, these games have become not only a great experience to the player, but they have become a mold for games to come. These games are not only a source of nostalgia; they are part of the strong and sturdy foundation that is laid for the future of gaming.