“Up in the sky! It‘s a… fire breathing raven….and a werewolf…and what looks to be a 5 year old witch…and a monster? ”

Before getting to the meat of Fables Vol. 16: Super Team, we read a mini story about Bufkin, the flying monkey and clerk of the Main Office, who captured the destructive Djinn in his lamp before he destroyed the world, and defeated Baba Yaga a few issues before that. For those of you who don’t remember who Baba Yaga is, she is the Chicken-hut wielding witch that helped Gepetto in his hostile takeover of the homelands that forced all the fables to seek refuge in our world.

After a conversation with the bodiless head of Frankenstein’s monster and the talking mirror, Bufkin is convinced that he is one of the grand heroes of old, and sets off on a quest to find all the lost kingdoms that lay hidden in the long dark corridors of the enchanted business office. After embarking on his quest, Bufkin finds that he’s made his way back to one of the many worlds of Oz, his home fable. Oz is In the midst of a revolution and he decides to make his plight their own, helping the nearly enslaved people.

Elsewhere, The Fables decide to combine their powers in order to stand up against Mister Dark, the arch-villain for the volume 16 storyline. Pinocchio convinces Ozma, the strongest witch among the fables; now that Frau Totenkinder has moved on to a happy life and that, in order to be a successful super team fighting against Mister Dark, they need to take on the attitudes of the super heroes in his favorite comic books. After batting it around a bit, Ozma goes with the notion, and begins to delegate each of the strongest, or most skilled fables into tactical units.

Ozma calls Bigby back from his current mission to send him with Fly (The Frog Prince) who shows him that Mister Dark is just outside the borders of Haven. Haven is the last place the fables can run to. Fly is channeling all of his power to keep Dark from breaking into their place of refuge but he fears that it wont hold for very long. Bigby realizes he’s been called back for one last stand against Mister Dark.

Down in the Dark Lands, Mrs. Spratt, Jack Spratt’s rubenesque wife, has agreed to help Mister Dark take over Haven purely out of hatred and spite for the fables she feels betrayed her during her husband’s death. As a reward for her service, Dark agrees to make her the “Fairest Lady Of Them All”. She begins to lose weight, and hires Werian Holt, to teach her to fence.

During this time Mr. North, Bigby’s father, is figuring how he can get away with killing the zephyr child born to Bigby and Snow when she delivered their litter. In his eyes, this invisible 7th child is an abomination. One that shouldn’t be allowed to live. If he were to kill the zephyr child, however, he would forever lose the trust of his grandchildren and daughter-in-law. More importantly, he would destroy any chance at a relationship with Bigby, the son he abandoned.

The resolution is a truly heartbreaking end to a great story line. If you are expecting me to tell you about it. I’m sorry to disappoint. You will have to pick it up and enjoy it for yourself.

There is also a small side-story at the end. It involves Sleeping Beauty and a new kings quest to find her a handsome prince. Just when you think they’ve forgotten a slice of the primary story, Bill Willingham and his writers along with illustrator Joao Ruas bring it back with added relevance. Fables Vol. 16: Super Team is one of the greats.

Since the beginning, I’ve had a few different accounts and met a few people along the way. Made what I call cyber friends. Some have become closer than that, but I do live halfway across the world from everyone else I seem to know. In the twitterverse, where whatever you want to do, you can do except, maybe be local. Let’s face it, if I wanted to be Superman I could be, right? What I can’t be is next door or around the corner or even across the state.

This long distance RP tweeting has caused a couple of challenges, one being communication. Sometimes you can’t really get across what you are saying. We all know this. Like when I say, sure, I could mean, sure thing, or I could mean sure whatever. I don’t know how many times something as simple as that has been taken the wrong way. Or the difference in the use of words and names between Australia and the States. Dunny = toilet, it’s fair dinkum = I’m telling you the truth. Even with watching a lot of American TV still there were things I really had to learn about the States to look like I fit in with the others. Those around me have helped me and were only too happy to educate me into a Southern gentleman or a redneck. I am not quite sure which.

But my greatest challenge as a role player from the land down under, is not the people, not the imagination of those you play with and the stories you tell. It’s the time zones.

An international role playing friend of mine agreed with me when I played a song recently, I say good morning and it’s midnight. That’s what it’s like when you join a group of crazy Americans, all of whom know much more about role playing than me, but for some reason, they seem to think I am ok at this. This role playing sucks you in and you find yourself awake at 1 a.m. in the morning, when you know you have to be up again at 6. Making time during your weekend to catch up with them so you can tweet with them during their evening, instead of them getting up at 5 or 6 a.m. to catch you before you finally crash. Sneaking in a tweet when you should be working, but then I reckon we have all done that, haven’t we?

In saying all of this, I’m happy to have found something I seem to be good at. Something I never thought I would be. Me, a writer? Well miracles do happen, after all. The only thing I would change is sitting here while everyone else is asleep, writing a blog to keep a storyline going. At the end of the day, I have just realized, it’s more about the interaction, the surprise of what incredible thing the other person will say next or how far we as a group can take our imaginations that keeps me coming back.

A guest article written by Jake Purifoy, International, Internet Werewolf of Mystery

Mississippi’s oldest and largest science fiction, fantasy and gaming convention, CoastCon takes over the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS March 16-18, 2012. It is the main sponsored event of CoastCon, Inc., a non-profit literary organization run by a 10-member volunteer board who give their time during the year to develop events and gatherings to promote reading, education, fellowship, and of course science fiction, fantasy and gaming. The Bionic Woman (Lindsay Wagner) joins Babylon 5‘s Lyta Alexander (Patricia Tallman) and Author Guest of Honor Timothy Zahn whose more than 30 sci-fi novels include the bestselling Thrawn Triology and five other novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe at CoastCon 35.

Mobile, Alabama welcomes Mobicon, an annual three-day science fiction, fantasy, gaming, anime, paranormal, horror, and comic convention, May 18-20, 2012. This year organizers and attendees will be celebrating MobiCon XV with guests including Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager (Ethan Phillips). MobiCon is a not for profit convention and proceeds benefit the Mobile Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA).

UltimaCon an Anime, Gaming and LARPing Convention set for May 25-27, 2012 at the Sheraton New Orleans. This event caters to a variety of interests such as Japanese culture and animation, video gaming, tabletop miniatures and collectible card gaming, Live-Action-Roleplaying (LARP) and other intertwining interests. Among the most unique events making this a weekend for fans to remember is the AMV or Anime Music Video showcase featuring video game or anime footage set to music. Guests include Pinky (Rob Paulsen) from Pinky and the Brain and The Thunder Cats‘s Tygra (Matthew Mercer whom some may also recognize as Mortal Kombat 9‘s Stryker). 

BayouCon, held in the heart of Southwest Louisiana, is Lake Charles’ original fan produced convention. This two-day event will offer new and exciting things in June 30 and July 1, 2012 including a move to a better location, Exhibition Hall. In 2012 BayouCon is something of a Klingon assembly with guests General Martok (JG Hertzler) and Chancellor Gowron (Robert O’Reilly) in attendance. By the way, these wonderful characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will be there, the actors are attending in costume.

Atlanta’s legendary Dragon*Con bills itself as “the largest multimedia and popular culture convention focusing on science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, pop art, designer toys, literature, art, music film and fun in the universe!” True or not, there’s no arguing that when it comes to comic cons in the South, Dragon*Con is a perennial fan favorite. And no wonder with guests like Farscape‘s (Gigi Edgley), Grayza (Rebecca Riggs) and Zhaan (Virginia Hey) joining Star Trek‘s Captain Pickard (Patrick Stewart), Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nicholls) and Worf (Michael Dorn) as well as authors ranging from Timothy Zahn to Laurrell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series of novels) at this years event August 31 through September 3, 2012.

MechaCon™ bridges the genres of Anime and Transformers with Japanese cultural exhibits, panels and presentations. Edward Elric (Vic Mignogna), Ling Yao (Todd Haberkorn) and Envy (Wendy Powell) from Fullmetal Alchemist are among the guests demonstrating why MechaCon™ was the first and best convention of its kind.  It will be held September 7-9, 2012 at Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

If you are lucky enough to be attending Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con this weekend you can find out more about some of these wonderful upcoming events as all but Dragon*Con will have representatives onsite. Tickets are already on sale and hotel accommodations are going fast for some of these events so if you want to go consider arranging your travel now.

Army Corps of Hell

Final Fantasy XII-2

In other Square Enix news, a playable demo for FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 is available today for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.
The FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 demo takes place in Bresha Ruins, with new character Noel and returning character Serah pitted against a gigantic and powerful adversary called Atlas. Atlas has mysteriously appeared due to an anomaly in time and space. The demo allows the player to experience many gameplay features and enhancements made after FINAL FANTASY XIII, including cinematic action sequences in battles and environments with multiple areas and paths to explore. The brand-new Paradigm Pack System is also available in the demo, giving players the opportunity to enlist defeated enemies into their party and develop them alongside Serah and Noel.
After spending a good two and a half hours on this demo, I can see the appeal. The addition of the monster companions that you can level and even FEED to one another (ala Persona style) is a nice touch. All in all, it’s a good download and will keep you busy for a good chunk of time.

BioShock Infinite

2K Games announced today that BioShock® Infinite from Irrational Games will feature a new form of play- the 1999 Mode, designed to challenge players in a variety of ways – each requiring substantial commitment and skill development.1999 Mode is a way of playing designed for gamers who long for the days of games that demanded more of the player. It will include tweaks and features that BioShock fans will not experience in a standard play-through of BioShock Infinite, no matter the difficulty level.

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” said Ken Levine, Creative Director of Irrational Games.

In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.

In addition to these permanent decisions, 1999 Mode will feature demanding weapon, power, and health management. The mode also takes a much harder stand on player respawning, sending the gamer directly to a “Game Over” screen if he or she lacks the resources to be brought back to life. It’s not for the faint of heart.

This game already looks absolutely amazing. Anything they decide to add at this point is just icing on the already ridiculously tasty cake.

“The milestone is important on several fronts and illustrates the vitality of the franchise on a global scale even after four films,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said in a joint statement issued to the press. “Stephanie Meyer’s story and characters were brought to the screen this time via the talented hands of Bill Condon along with the cast and crew that has been with the film franchise since its inception. We are very proud of the success the franchise has experienced and anticipate the saga’s conclusion this November.”

Despite surpassing the $700 million milestone, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is not (yet) the highest grossing of the franchise’s films. That distinction still belongs to The Twilight Saga: New Moon which tallied up almost $710 million at the box office. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse didn’t quite reach the $700 million milestone, falling just shy of it with $698.5 million in box office earnings. Surprisingly, the film that started it all, Twilight, only earned $390.4 million through box offices around the globe.

Significantly, although theses estimated figures are based on global box earnings, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has yet to be released in some significant markets including Japan and China.

Fans of The Twilight Saga have supported the films throughout their theatrical releases. In addition, The Twilight Saga has become a global cultural phenomenon both on and off screen. Currently there are a number of RP groups actively role-playing portions and variations of both the films and the books.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD just in time for Valentine’s Day on 11 February 2012.

The final chapter in The Twilight Saga is slated to open in theaters on 16 November 2012.

Before role players break out the champagne and make a mass exodus from Facebook for the Google+ party. however, there are a few things they should be aware of. Most importantly, the Google+ Names Policy states:

Don’t pretend to be someone else.
Impersonation is a serious issue. Pretending to be someone else could cause your profile to be deleted.

Further:

Your profile and name must represent you as an individual.
Personal profiles on Google+ are meant to represent you, not someone or something else with which you are associated. Therefore, your name may not represent a family, business, avatar, gaming handle, or other group of people. [emphasis added]

The Names policy does not address role players and role play characters specifically. Certainly RPers, particularly those role-playing an original character can argue that their profile represents them as an individual. Unfortunately, the definition of role play is to pretend to be someone or something you aren’t so such profiles are unlikely to pass the first test. Inquiries to Google+ for clarification of their policy regarding role play characters received no response.

Two sides of Pam

Google+ has added an appeals policy, which puts it a set ahead of Facebook/ If your google+ account is disabled you can submit your name for review. They still require proof of your identity but that proof can be of an established online identity with a significant online following or references to an established offline identity in print, film or news articles as well as a government issued ID.

Right now Google+ Pages, like Facebook Pages appear to be the best choice for role players. They can’t even associate their RP characters with the real life selves as a nickname because Google+ has declared that:

Your nickname should represent you as an individual, and should not be used to imitate any celebrities or historical figures. Don’t use a nickname that is offensive, primarily consists of symbols, or is a complete sentence.

A battle for privacy and anonymity has been won but the war isn’t over. Not only does the question of the rights of role players to be social remain unanswered, so too does the plight of persons wishing to shield their identity to protect their personal safety. The stated appeals process only considers individuals with established identities and/or “significant online following”. It doesn’t address those who may face persecution for political, religious, racial or other reasons who just emerging as voices and have not yet had time to establish themselves.

The art work of Joseph Lacroix and Dave Stewart is nicely reminiscent of the teaser artwork that has come out for the game so far. Everything is clean and crisp and helps to nicely establish mood. While the Diablo III artwork is dark, it’s not a muddied gray or brown – it’s appropriate to the setting and you can still make out all the detail, something especially appreciated given how much of the comic is set in caves or at night.

Most surprising though, is that you actually get involved in the story. Diablo as a video game series isn’t really known for its intricate storytelling and to be fair, this comic won’t be either. Still, writer Aaron Williams still does a nice job of crafting a tale that draws you in and makes you want to read more. The interactions with other characters, especially the Wizard, are enjoyable and the Archange Tyreal is never far from your mind either as his titular Sword of Justice helps ties everything together and reminds you that this these two issues are merely the start of an epic quest. It’s refreshing that we aren’t immediately thrust into the fight against Diablo, but that Aaron is taking is time to develop a back story for a character that traditionally has none in the video games. That said, the basic plot is fairly generic and likely won’t draw in readers who aren’t already into the video games. But if you enjoy Diablo mythology and can accept the inherent limitations on the plot, reading these books will help re-immerse yourself in the world that Blizzard has created and remind you why you picked up the book in the first place.

Diablo III  is a gaming comic done right. It’s not a substitute for the Diablo 3 game itself, but it can help take the edge off as we continue to wait.

“Audrey Geisel, widow of author Theodor ‘Dr. Seuss’ Geisel, is truly a friend of UC San Diego and has become my personal friend as well,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox in a statement to the media regarding the renaming of University House. “She and Ted understood the vision of UC San Diego, and supported the campus for many years. Preserving the architectural treasure that is Geisel House is so important, and we are so grateful for her generosity and her friendship.”

Located on seven acres in La Jolla Farms, Audrey Geisel University House (formerly University House) was built in 1952. Designed by noted Santa Fe-based architect William Lumpkins, it is a registered historical landmark at the local, state and federal levels as a result of its Pueblo Revival architecture.

The University of California system purchased Geisel House in 1967. It has been closed since 2004 when it was deemed uninhabitable due to seismic and systems deficiencies ranging from plumbing and electrical problems to the need to stabilize the slope of the canyon edge which provided the house’s breathtaking views.

In addition to the name change, the University of California Board of regents last week approved the second phase of renovations for the property. The entire cost of the Geisel House renovation, estimated at $10.5 million, will be covered by gift funds including $1.5 million gifted from the UC Office of the President to complete the project from the Searles Fund, an endowment used to fund general purposes of the university which cannot be covered by state funds. Ione R. Stiegler, AIA of IS Architecture is the principal architect guiding the renovation Geisel House.

“The rehabilitation of Geisel House is a wonderful opportunity for the campus to celebrate UC San Diego’s heritage and the Native American cultural values of the site,” said Stiegler, who specializes in historic preservation. “This project will encompass structural improvements and install 21st century amenities for the enjoyment of the chancellor and invited guests. For decades, this resource has served as an indispensable mainstay of the university’s community. With this renovation, it can continue to serve this purpose for future generations.”

When the renovations are complete, Geisel House, which boasts a unique blend of private and public areas will once more host campus celebrations and fundraising events. Geisel House consists of intimate living and dining areas and well as reception areas including patios and courtyards boasting magnificent coastal views. These areas, including a reception hall that can accommodate a sit-down meal for up to 60 and a patio that can accommodate up to 100 people, will be supported by an enlarged commercial kitchen and accessible public restrooms.

“University House has been as iconic to UC San Diego as the wonderfully eccentric library,” Audrey Geisel explained. ” I am so pleased that this uniquely designed historic home will once again be used as the chancellor’s residence and as an appropriate venue for campus events. I’m glad, too, that at long last the renovation will be moving forward. Ted would be deeply honored.

The naming of the Audrey Geisel University House reflects the Geisel’s longstanding relationship with UC San Diego. In 1995, following a $20 million gift from Audrey Geisel, the university library was renamed the Geisel Library in honor of Theodor Geisel. Mrs. Geisel has also donated more than 8,000 of her late husband’s sketches, drawings, books and other memorabilia to the university’s libraries. Last year, Audrey Geisel was awarded the prestigious UC San Diego Chancellor’s Medal in recognition of her lasting impact on nearly every area of the university campus.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

In only two days  in theaters, Underworld: Awakening has soared to the top of the box office charts earning more than $25 million. That’s good news for Sony and for fans of the Underworld franchise. It might even be good news for horror fans and movie goers in general since several reviewers have indicated Underworld: Awakening is the best of the sequels thus far.

Of course, Underworld: Awakening does have an edge on previous sequels in the series. It is the first film of the series to be released in 3D and 3D IMAX. This ostensibly gives moviegoers the chance to experience, to some degree at least, the not-too-far-in-the-future world where vampires and lycans battle each other and the human race battles them both.

Another advantage is the return of Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who mostly sat out the third film in the series Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Either may account for making Underworld: Awakening one of the most anticipated films of 2012 among fans.

Although it seems impossible to totally abandon all the history of the previous films not to mention the star-crossed love between Selene and the vampire-lycan-hybrid Michael, Underworld: Awakening does dispense with many of the detailed story threads, replacing them with, well, carnage. Even less so than its predecessors, Underworld: Awakening is not a film for the squeamish.

Directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein bring a new look and feel to the franchise but still deliver a film that is recognizably part of the Underworld universe. A team of  writers including:  Len Wiseman, John Hiavin, Allison Burnett and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5)  created an enjoyable script that makes the film’s 88 minute run-time seem far shorter.

Underworld: Awakening can be a bit choppy, which is only to be expected in a film which jumps 12 years from beginning to the primary period of the movie.  In addition, 88 minutes isn’t much time for audiences to really get to know new characters such as Eve (India Eisley). David (Theo James, also known as Jed Harper in Bedlam) or even Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea, whom you may recognize as Finch from V for Vendetta). Despite i’s shortcomings Underworld: Awakening is an exciting adventure offering both newcomers and fans of the Underworld saga much to like and talk about.

Have you seen Underworld: Awakening? Share your thought and reviews below!

The new LiveJournal apps are free to download from the Nokia mobile app store. Once installed on your Nokia smartphone, users will be able to:

• read their Friends Page
• post updates to journals and communities
• post pictures and images
• comment on entries
• send personal messages

These apps are especially good news for MeeGo users who learned in September 2011 that The Linux Foundation was moving their attention on the Tizen project whose goal is to build a new open-source operating system for devices that is based on Linux. What makes Tizen different from MeeGo is a shift towards HTML5. MeeGo is still on the scene, however, it is on its way out and users are understandably concerned that few new apps will be introduced.

Symbian Belle fans experienced similar concerns when Nokia announced Windows Phone 7 would be the primary OS on Nokia devices nearly a year ago. Rumors that the Symbian moniker may be dropped in favor of the name Nokia Belle and the continued introduction of apps from popular services such as LiveJournal seem to indicate this Belle is staying a while longer at the ball.

Do you have a Nokia device and a LiveJournal addiction (role-playing or otherwise)? We’d love to hear your thoughts on these new apps, just leave a comment below. You can also friend Mena and Pam on LiveJournal.