Life likes to throw curve balls and Second Top 10.

So it's been a lot longer than I wanted it to be between my previous post and this one. There isn't really a viable excuse for it, because I could have been working on it, but I DID have the flu... then an allergic reaction to the medication I was taking because of the flu, and now I'm on steroids for a couple of days. Otherwise, life has been pretty non-eventful. Got a hair cut. Went to a basket ball game. Got graduation stuff out of the way. And that's not really in any particular order.

This posts' list is the Top 10 Best Literary Characters. Onto the list!

(Marcello Mastroianni as Meursault, 1967)

10. The Stranger: Meursault Albert Camus- Meursualt was probably the epitome of the Existential conflict. He lived life to the fullest, but he didn't enjoy life; he could have died and he wouldn't have cared. He walked the fine line, and by walking that line, he dies. The Stranger is one of my favorite novels, and the conflict that is Meursault makes a compelling character. He doesn't even know how old his mother is, the next day after his mother's funeral he takes a woman home to sleep with, and he shoots a man just because the sun shines in his eye the wrong way. Sounds like a horrible character right? Honestly, for most of the novel I didn't like Meursault, but it's in the last chapter, when he's about to be hanged for killing a man, that the reader really feels for him. It is in his last moments that Meursault becomes able to appreciate life, the one thing he should have been doing the entire time. His death really left me sitting there going "WHAT THE CRAP?!"

 (Todd Lockwood's Drizzt Do'Urden, 2009)

9. The Legend of Drizzt Novels: Drizzt Do'Urden R.A. Salvatore - Drizzt was first introduced to his legions of fans as a supporting character in Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy. He didn't seem like much, with Wulfgar and Bruenor in comparison. But then, he began to worm his way into the hearts and minds of thousands of fans with his racial conflicts and the simple fact that he wasn't like most other Drow - he actually cared about others. Now, spanning an entire series, readers have followed Drizzt on adventures and watched him grow into a being so unlike the rest of his race. It kind of helps that he's ridiculously good with dual wielded scimitars, and has an iron morality. He knows what's right, and what's wrong. His foil, Artemis Entreri makes for another interesting character, actually accenting the goodness that Drizzt represents. He's a great bastion of the conflicts of our own society, as he's discriminated against for the color of his skin and the long history of his blood thirsty people, the Drow.

(Larry Elmore's Raistin Majere)

8. Dragon Lance Series: Raistlin Majere Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Honestly, there isn't another character when all the reader can think "WHAT SIDE ARE  YOU ON?!" when it comes to a confusing character. Raistlin Majere has been both protagonist and antagonist, changing sides at the drop of a hat, with the wittiest, snarkiest come backs that could even rival Severus Snape in mean-ness. In order to understand him even a little bit, here's a little back ground info on him: he's a twin, but unlike most twins, he and his brother are like night and day. Raistlin is weak, relying on his brother's strength for the most part. Raistlin, however, is an extremely powerful wizard, with an intellect that can't be rivaled. He was cursed by his mentor when he flat out killed a mirage of his brother - to see everything as if it was decaying for the rest of his life. So, on top of being sickly all the time, Raistlin only ever sees talking corpses and decaying buildings when he looks at anything. I think he's more or less allowed to be a snarky jerk. But it's deeper than that, when it comes to Raistlin. His greatest ambition is to be a God, and he'll do whatever it takes to get to that point, betray whoever, and kill whoever to get it.

 ( Gerard Butler as The Opera Ghost, 2004)

7. The Phantom of the Opera: The Opera Ghost (Erik) Gaston Leroux - Erik - in the novel - is not a pretty boy. In the musical only half of his face is deformed and he cries a lot more. In the novel, The Phantom's whole face is deformed, his eyes are yellow, and he has a cavity where his nose should be. And he murders a lot of people for Christine. A lot. The reader spends most of the novel not really seeing the Phantom, he's just a name. But once he makes his appearance he is seared into the reader's mind. There isn't really a past for the Opera Ghost, and hints are only really dropped here and there (such as the fact that he came from Persia). The reader doesn't even know his age, or where he was born, but for some reason, his character is the most compelling of the novel. He kidnaps, murders, and threatens his way into the reader's heart. You can't help but feel for him as he laments his existence, promising Christine that once he finishes his master piece he's going to "go to sleep and never wake up."

(Roger Allam as Inspector Javert, 1980)

6. Les Misérables: Inspector Javert Victor Hugo - If you've ever seen or read Les Mis you know that Javert is not the good guy. You know that he's more or less the reason Jean Valjean is on the run, and his version of morality has no room for gray areas. But for some strange reason, Javert is much loved, by myself included. He strives to uphold the law, and once his idea of the world crumbles he simply cannot handle it. But I'm not going to reveal too much, I suppose. What we know of Javert is that his mother was a prostitute and he was born in a jail, and because of this, he hates criminals. He spends the entirety of the novel chasing Valjean all over France as Valjean evades capture. But it's at the end, when Javert's world crumbles that Javert's nature becomes apparent, and we all love him even more for it.

(Edward Booth as Hamlet, 1870)

5. Hamlet: Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark William Shakespeare - Honestly, who hasn't read Hamlet? If you haven't, shame on you. But I understand that. Hamlet IS hard to read. When I first started it, I didn't like Shakespeare. It frustrated me. But then Hamlet started to plot his revenge against Claudius and I was hooked. Hamlet is a hard character to even understand, honestly. He goes from extremes; stark raving mad, to depressed and unable to move forward with his plan. The reader begins to wonder if Hamlet is really insane or not, and by the time everything is out in the open, they still don't know. Hamlet plays his part so well, that it's hard to determine where his mind is. And at the end - as all tragedies - when everyone dies the reader is left wanting more; some kind of explanation for this whole thing seems in order, but we never get it. We're given a snippet of Hamlet's life, and nothing more. In such a short time frame we come to be engrossed in Hamlet's endeavors, and when it's over, we're left behind, empty.

(Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, 1997)

4. Lolita: Humbert Humbert Vladamir Nabokov - In books about sexual obsession, one character stands out among the rest, and that is Nabokov's Humbert Humbert. This is the character that coined the term Nymphet, and with that, Lolita became synonymous with pedophiliac desires. The thing about Humbert is that he SEEMS to be a normal, and seems to tell the truth, but the reader never knows if he is really telling the truth. He twists every word and phrase to make him seem like a powerless man, a slave to Lo's sexuality. One has to wonder what he instigated and what he didn't, and what really happened. The entire novel the reader knows that Humbert is in jail, and several hints are dropped along the way as to why he's there until the end, when it's all out in the open; he killed a man. It isn't until the end that we really figure out why he committed murder (and no I'm not telling you). The thing about Humbert is that he's a biased narrator, and definitely the villain, but we love him anyway.

(Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, 2001 - 2011)

3. Harry Potter series: Severus Snape J.K. Rowling - Honestly, Snape is my favorite character of literally all time. He's a snarky bastard, but there's more to him than just that. In order to NOT reveal anything, I've got to tip toe around the facts, but I will reveal things you should already know. Snape has a pretty good reason for his behaviors; he was bullied by James Potter and Sirius Black his entire Hogwarts career, horrible things happened with someone that is yet to be revealed, and his father beat his mother. Seriously, Severus Snape has probably the worst existence ever. But despite this, he still fights back. He may be a flat out horrible person, but it's the reasons behind his horribleness that make him so compelling. Again, I can't reveal too much because the new movie isn't out yet... but once things are revealed, no one will view Snape the same as before. Seriously, I've read The Chapter at least six times, and it still makes me bawl like a baby. Snape's the most compelling character I've come across in a very long time.

(John Simm as Raskolnikov, 2002)

2. Crime and Punshiment: Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov Fyodor Dostoevsky - I actually know the least about this character out of the ones I'm reviewing, as I'm not even half way done with Crime and Punishment yet, but he's honestly one of my all time favorites. Raskolnikov's mental and moral anguishes are the center point of the novel and as such, the reader becomes engrossed in them. The novel's premise is that Raskolnikov is a struggling former student, and he concocts a plan to murder a pawn-broker to take her money. Seems simple, but really, Raskolnikov spends the rest of the novel anguishing over what he's done, rationalizing it in any way possible, and by the end of it, we've become invested in Raskolnikov's story. If there's anything Dostoevsky is good at, it's making us fall in love with a murderer.

 (Sidney Paget's Sherlock Holmes, 1891)

 1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Honestly there isn't a more eccentric character  that anyone could review. Holmes spawned a whole genre of novels, and is even the inspiration for the popular television show House, M.D. And like House, Holmes is a walking contradiction. He uses his AMAZING deductive skills to catch criminals and save lives, but if it isn't interesting he doesn't want the case. He doesn't care about such "trivial things" as the fact that the earth revolves around the sun, but spends all of his time finding out about trivial forensic and esoteric "solutions" to crime. He's ridiculously strong, but about as skinny as a rail, going days at a time without eating just because he wants to concentrate on a case. The biggest character flaw in my mind is that despite his brilliance, Holmes is lazy, snarky, and a drug addict. Despite all of these flaws and quirks, Holmes solves his cases, his brilliant mind using the smallest clues to discover the means and mode of the crime and because of that, he's probably the most compelling, entertaining, and engaging literary character.


That's the list folks! Next time is more ranting and another list, so please stick around. :) I hope you enjoyed this, and if you have any tips or concerns, please leave a comment. Ta - Ta!

Introductions and the Top 10 Best Video Games from the last 20 years

So, here's the obligatory into: My name is Traci, but I go by Rosemary on the inter-webs, and I'd like it to stay that way. The idea for this literally came to me at 1 'o clock in the morning when I was bored out of my mind. I know the idea probably isn't very original, but whatevs.

I intend to have a list of the Top 10 Best and Worst for pretty much whatever I feel like. The first one that I'm doing is the Top 10 Best Video Games from the last 20 years. I could do from All Time, but I think that would have to be extended beyond 10. Maybe when I've gotten a little better at this, I'll attempt such a list.The other reason I decided to go with the last 20 years is because...to be honest, I've only recently gotten back into gaming. Kinda sad, I know.
This blog will also serve as my reviews for movies or video games once I've watched them or played them...or they've been announced.

All you really need to know about me is that I'm graduating from High school this year, I enjoy reading, video games, anime, and music, and I don't have much of a life. My life consists of a few friends, my cat, and my books. Sad, I know.

On to the list!

10. Rome: Total War (PC) - Probably the best Strategic Turn Based game in a while. The fact that it is based on the historical Roman Empire makes for an interesting idea. The fact that you can fight Carthage - Rome's greatest enemy, is kinda awesome. It has quotes from various historical Romans on each loading screen, which I see as a kind of "food for thought" while you wait for the loading screen to load. What makes this game so great, and innovative, is the fact that it combines Real Time AND Turn Based Strategy, something I haven't seen very often. Playing as historic Roman Families has a certain appeal too. Overall, this game is great, and very innovative for it's time. Truly, it - and the other Total War games will continue to be as popular as they are.

9. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2, PSP) - I'm actually listing this one for two reasons. One, because of my friend Izzy. He enjoys this game series quite a bit, so it's certainly garnered my interest. The other reason, is that it's hailed as a pretty awesome RPG. And if you know me, you know I love RPG's. Most of you don't, but whatever. ANYWAY. In Persona 3 you play as a High school kid and you join this special group who goes around when everyone else is asleep (sounds like a suck-y job to me) and you fight Demons. The whole Persona thing comes into play when each character summons a Persona (to I guess fight for you or to have some kind of effect) WHICH YOU SUMMON BY SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE HEAD. Ahem. The theme of Death is pretty heavy in Persona 3, I must say. It's been described to me as RPG ("Go kill some monsters in this dungeon") meets Dating Sim ("Wanna go back to my place?"). Sounds like loads of fun. Game play is mostly Role playing and Simulation.

8. Red Dead Redemption (PS3, XBox360) - From the people who brought you Grand Theft Auto, we get RDR, an interesting Free Roaming Western video game. In this game you play as John Marston, a former Bad Guy trying to save his family, and it just so happens that he more or less becomes a Bounty Hunter in order to do this. You mostly run around on your horse killing baddies, doing farm work, and sometimes getting into nasty bar fights. Why is this game so awesome, you ask? The plot. Over the course of the game you ARE John Marston, trying to free your family and get revenge against your former gang mates. It also helps that John Marston is also a very likable character. You can really sympathize with him, which is important to keeping gamers interested. SOME PEOPLE find random acts of violence kinda boring. Having a reason is much more entertaining and engaging.

7. Dead Space (PC, PS3, XBox360)  - I decided to lump these two games together mostly because the plot overlaps heavily in these games. It just so happens that I have not played these games, but for some inexplicable reason, I'm drawn to them (and I HATE Zombies or anything close). I find Isaac's dementia and the FREAKY NECROMORPHS almost fascinating. It's a Science Fiction 3rd Person Shooter that also has Survival Horror thrown in. And it is terrifying. It's in the same vein as the Silent Hill and F.E.A.R. franchises, which means it is Nightmare Fuel with a capital 'N'. The story is that Isaac (you) goes to a space ship that has lost communications, and once you get there, the WHOLE SHIP is full of reanimated dead bodies. Sounds like fun? Yeah-no. You're girlfriend is somewhere on this ship and you're looking for her, and the reason this happened. Not to give too much away, but uh... things get FUBAR. The various types of Necromorphs and the even more various ways of getting rid of them is definitely the stuff of nightmares, but it makes for interesting game play.

6.The Halo Franchise (XBox, XBox360, PC)  - As much as it absolutely pains me to add this game series to the list... I must. Halo is pretty rich in game play and plot. It's one of the best 1st Person Shooters out there (this puts such a bad taste in my mouth to say!) If you haven't already played this game series (Wow, you're like a Unicorn!) the main plot is an interstellar conflict/war and you play as Master Chief (who everyone loves for some reason), the Hero of the series. The humans and the Covenant are at war and you're some kind of superhuman trying to save humanity. And then a planet called Reach gets involved and from there I'm kinda hazy on the details. All I know is that EVERYONE LOVES IT. And what little I do know of it sounds pretty cool. In a round about way. In my opinion, the best thing that ever came out of Halo is Red Vs. Blue. Regardless, I hate this franchise for how ridiculously over-marketed it is. I REALLY don't think it's as amazing as everyone thinks. But because it IS a good game series, and it's done a lot for the gaming industry, it deserves a place on this list.

5. Neverwinter Nights (PC) - Also known as "Neversleep Nights" in my house hold, this game is addictive. The fact that it's developing company is Bioware means something. It's a 3rd Person perspective Role Playing Game based in the realm of the Forgotten Realms series, which was made popular by writer R.A. Salvatore. Anyway, it really depends on the expansion pack you play, but the main story line is that you're one of many heroes who has sojourned to Waterdeep to help the city, because the whole city is afflicted with a mysterious plague. Long story short, your travels take you a lot of different places with epic boss battles after epic boss battles, with betrayal along the way. Truly worth every sleepless hour spent playing it.

4. Devil May Cry Series (PC, Xbox360, PS2, PS3) - Developed by Capcom, this hack and slash game series was born as a spiritual sibling of Resident Evil. In this particular series, you play as Dante (and in DmC 4, Nero) who happens to be half demon, fighting other demons. Dante's characterization is probably what makes this game series so popular, and as a Dante Fangirl, I can agree with this statement. The game centers around Dante's desire for revenge for his Mother's murder which COULD be considered a freaky Oedipus Complex to some. It also so happens that Dante has a brother, Vergil (I like the fact that they're all named after Roman or Italian historical figures....my history loving heart was stolen pretty quickly), who has renounced his human parentage and makes Dante reaalllllyyyyyy angry. Throughout the games Dante is a gun/sword for hire, killing other demons mostly because he gets payed (it's pretty implied - to me - that he's looking for whoever was responsible for Mommy-dearests' death). Dante's devil may care (aha did you see what I did there? I'm a genius!) attitude is a big reason he's so popular, and by extension, the games. In the game play department, it's pretty unique in that you're "graded" on your performance in battle and how many combo's you can manage to pull off.... which can be hard if you don't have very good hand-eye coordination - like me.

3. Star Fox 64 (N64, iQue Player, Virtual Console, N3DS) - My favorite N64 game, hands down. This shooter game follows the story of Fox McCloud, a...fox... who's father was killed when he was young. So, in order to be keep his father's memory alive, he becomes a space pilot during the Lylat wars. A particular planet, Venom, has been exhibiting strange behaviors, so it's Fox's job to go there. This particular game is one of many in the Star Fox series, but in my opinion it's the only good one. I actually don't have much to say about this game, because it's pretty straight forward. You can't exactly move around the levels a lot, and there's only one way to go. The boss battles are ridiculously fun, though. All in all, the game has become a cult classic with a few meme's spawned from it.

2. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3, XBox360, PC) - For those few of you who actually know me, you know I LOVE Assassin's Creed. In particular, Ezio, but that's besides the point. In this 3rd person Stealth-Action game you reprise your role as Ezio Auditore da Firenze, now a middle aged man. It's pretty incredible, having watched Ezio grow from a hot-headed young man to the wise leader that he is. So, after the events of AC2, you return to Monteriggioni to live out a normal life once more.... but that doesn't really happen for you. The Templars find you and things start sucking. Ezio and his family flee to Rome, and over time, Ezio rebuilds the Assassins Guild, while trying to fight against the Pope and his family. What makes this game so AWESOME is the most amazing feature ever: summoning your Assassins whenever you want. If you haven't played this game, it's SO AMAZING. Instead of having to sit there and plan out how you're going to kill a guy to make a distraction you can send your Assassins to do that instead. Which makes me VERY happy...and probably quite a few other players. Also, the Online Feature (though I haven't played it - I hate online play) is pretty fun, and one of the best online features I've seen in a while.

1. Final Fantasy VII (PS, PC, PS3) - Now, I know the lot of you are probably collectively groaning from the fact that I've listed this game. But before you go away, please hear me out. I AM a little biased, but not because I'm blinded by it being "the best RPG EVAHHH". I was RAISED on this game. Literally. My mom would play it for hours and I would watch her. I can't tell you how often I've watched Aerith die (and if you didn't know, WHAT ROCK DID YOU LIVE UNDER?), Cloud give Sephiroth the Black Materia, etc, etc. The Turn based system - while it may be illogical - is what I know best. What makes this game - in my opinion - the best game in the last 20 years is the story, and the fact that without this game, RPG's wouldn't have gained popularity in the U.S. and I don't think so many U.S. Citizens would be playing Final Fantasy in general without it's introduction. But back to the story.... it's really convoluted and confusing and hard to explain if you haven't played the game. The gist of it is that the Super Evil Corporation Shin-Ra is literally sucking the life out of the planet and you (Cloud) start working for an Anti-Shin-Ra group called AVALANCHE to save the planet....but then Aerith, an Ancient, gets involved and then Sephiroth starts plotting to destroy the world for mommy (AKA Jenova), and then you become the Resistance. That's... about it. In a nutshell anyway. The story is incredibly engaging and you'll spend several sleepless nights trying to beat it. Anyway, there's a bunch of sub-plots and a ba-million details that I haven't explained but the best thing to do is to JUST PLAY IT. What does annoy me about this game isn't the actual game itself. It's the over popularity and the thousands of Fans who claim to love FFVII and have never played it. They've watched the movie, played the prequel and the sequel... but they haven't actually played this game. I know it's kind of expensive to buy, but if you're a real "Fan" you'll save every penny and buy it. I generally separate this game from the rest of the FFVII series when I'm playing it, and it's still ridiculously fun.

That's the list! At least, the first one. Next time I'll have a new list and probably rant a little about life, so please return to me. ;) If you have any opinions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment, I won't bite your head off. Ta-ta!