Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Zoro Wado and Cosplay "replica" swords

So, a slew of folks on eBay seem to have misunderstood One Piece's Zoro in an attempt to quickly cash in on selling his swords.

"This sword is a high end replica from the world famous One Piece Anime. In the show it is carried by Zoro Wado."

...seriously? What. The @#$%. Looks like someone did no research and just looked at other sales of prop katana, decided his name was half of what title they saw, and then applied it to all their listings. Moron. It takes very little to research something as a seller, especially if you understand it's a character from One Piece!

Meh.

Anyway, I have a replica sword and am looking for two more to complete my Zoro set (I need sandai kitetsu and wado ichimonji). These swords aren't even good enough for carrying for cosplay, usually, which sucks because they cost around $30 (low end) to $100+ (high end). I don't buy anything more than $20-30, though, because I know they're crap. My shusui's hilt has been cloth-wrapped to "hide" a molded dragon that was on the original white blade's hilt. So it's not "authentic", because I can clearly see the fracking Chinese dragon on the hilt between the wrap.

I like the idea of wooden cosplay swords, but they're so expensive I can't even think of buying them. We'll see. I'm still researching for what's the cheapest in case I fall into some money on ebay (lol).

Monday, April 6, 2015

Shoulder Puppets, glee! (also, Drabbit for sale)

I used to go to Renn Faires a lot when I lived in my home state. I love them. We have a big one here in the Land of Flat as well, but my husband is not so fond of the heat and walking combined, so we never go. Plus, he tells me bees & wasps are RAMPANT there, like nobody's business, and there is one thing I am terrified of on God's Green Earth and that is bugs. Especially bees and wasps. So, yeah, we've never gone.

But I've been to so many back at my old home state, and I always loved shoulder dragons. In my day they were all fabric and sewn together to twist on your arm/shoulder with wired tails and the like, though. Puppets were a novelty - I never saw them at one I went to. But I've kept up my knowledge and seen what folks made over the years. Marvelous! I've wanted one for awhile. I re-researched and found two names: Woodbabies and Drabbits. 

Let me mention that I was completely unbiased going into this. I didn't know anything about any bad blood, lawsuits, etc., or anything anyone else said about the puppet types. I just looked at both the websites and peeked about on eBay. Only sites I could find at first, actually, were those two, it seemed the main ones. I lucked out and got a "Drabbit" gryphon on eBay for way less then it should have been (adult, 2 cable). When it arrived I immediately placed him somewhere safe and tootled around with the cables. The one bobbled his head about like it was broken, creepily, but kind of cute. The other sort of just... I don't know ... humped his butt? (I know, I know, but it's as good a description of what he does as I can think of.) The feet and legs dangled and got tangled as well. Hmm. Not very sturdy, I thought. And bad choice for real fur - wetting it is bad, and repair is a nightmare.

Okay... hey, it also looks like I'd have to get a saddle for him, which cost another $30 plus shipping or sommat. Whut? To me, this dude looks like he's just milking money out of folks. His stuff is more expensive, and then you have to buy a saddle to boot? Meh.

What prompted this post? I just got the package that would change my puppet days. A little mouse woodbaby, adorable, (real fur again). The eyes were better (the drabbit had "cloudy" cheap-looking eyes), the design was better, the cable movements were way more realistic and it seemed far more sturdy. I love him! Now I understand why folks praise the "Midsummer Night Dream guy" instead of the "Drabbit guy". One is clearly better, made with way more love, and priced better - with more options so that folks that aren't rich can get one.

Nice. I'm constantly checking his Etsy page now so I can adopt a new critter. I love these!

* the drabbit is right now up for sale on eBay... he's already sold, thanks :D

Click eBay Link Here




Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Pokemon ORAS GTS

*stares at title*

Acronym, much?

Yeech. Anyway, I trade a lot on the GTS - Global Trade System -- on Pokemon. Always. I like it because it's more anonymous than trading directly, and it allows for me to specifically state what I want, in-game. Well, to a point, which is why I'm griping right now.

The GTS allows you to pick:
+ what type of Pokemon you want
+ what level
+ what gender

The GTS does not allow you:
+ to choose if you want a shiny
+ to show if any Pokemon has the Pokerus
+ to show the natures of Pokemon

Now, human nature will always want more, more, more - for less, less, less. I understand. I really do. But I'm realistic. You're not going to get a shiny, level 100 Manaphy for a level 2 zigzagoon you caught at the beginning of the game. You're just not. Hope is great, but there are too many to slough through if you're searching for a shiny, like myself. Heh.

I should point out now that I've finished the game, beaten the elite four a bunch, collected over a million bucks, finished the extra plots, won all the contests, gotten all the pokemon possible for my region and everything for my secret base (as well as over 1,000 flags). The only thing left to do is breed/collect/trade shiny pokemon, which is what I'm doing. I use the GTS because it's easier than hard trading with people that are super fussy and only want shiny pokemon in return, or event types that I don't have extras of.

In collecting "shinies" through GTS, I noticed a disturbing trend. Everyone wants shinies. People with trash ask for them, of course, but it's become normal to ask in the comment section for "SHINY PLZ" even if you're just doing a normal trade! Shiny pokemon are special because they're a bit rarer (although easier to get in this game). Asking for a rare when you damn well know you don't have one worth it smacks of the child that always got what they wanted from mummy & daddy. Suck it up, ask for something reasonable. Zigzagoons are crap, ralts are crap, don't ask for a shiny impossibility. Even koffings - a common type in this game -- all have legendaries asked for them when you search. It's ridiculous.

Another gripe I have is the "tricky" idiots. The ones who lie or put "DON'T TRADE", hoping someone will do it so they can get a rare. The ones who flat out lie and say they have shinies when they clearly do not - wtf, man, we can see your pokemon next to the others. If it's not different, then it's not shiny. Ugh.

Don't ever ask for a "shiny for shiny" trade on the GTS. You can't enforce it, and since you went in knowing this, you're going to be sore when you get a regular pokemon for your shiny. And, in my opinion, if you have a level 1-30 (maybe 50) shiny, a level 90+ hard to evolve pokemon is a decent trade for it. You know why? You know all shiny pokemon aren't real. Most are hacks. There's no way to tell on the GTS, so I assume everything is fake. It's safer that way.

Oh, and I've got boxes and boxes full of 91+'s and legendaries (some events) to trade for shinies... I'm just hoping that some folks out there ask for reasonable trades. That's what makes this game fun!