Well, there you go. My semi-annual absence, no longer than 2 1/2 months but no shorter than 1. And the grand total of shocked individuals equals... no one.

Usually when this happens I return with a backlist of deviations I meant to submit and didn't. But, you know, I need to hit that nonconforming teenager phase... so... surprise! I don't.
To be fair, Sketchy III (I seem to have a way with destroying sketchbooks faster than I can fill them) has some spare crap in him but I don't have time to go over it quite yet. I've got a paper, oral presentation (hahah oral) and all that community service I haven't done yet, due in about 4 days. I think I'll start on it in 3.

And I know I ought to be working on Jinxed but I just can't bring myself to write anything recently.
Kiley's still nagging about the Twilight parody, too. Which sounds exciting but I'm too lazy.

I don't have to go to bed for two hours and nobody is talking to me so I think I'll rant about some stupid video game I've been playing in my absence. Ignore it if you feel so inclined, I'm bored.

I don't feel like coming up with a witty closing remark.
See you after exams.

~Val

EDIT:
It just occured to me that I never tested link color. Ignore this please.
[link]
Damn it, that's what I thought.

So, while I've been busy actively avoiding doing any real work, Seth and Alyssa somehow managed to spark my interest in the newest generation of (Don't judge me) Pokemon games.
I know, I know, beneath the almighty Valentine, but I was bored and ran out of missions in Final Fantasy Tactics A2.
My synopsis on Platinum version (the one I'm playing ATM) is as follows:
'Damn you, Nintendo.' Seriously.

I didn't actually PLAY the previous two, since I thought I was better than that. But as you surely know by now, Nintendo likes to release them in groups of three. Two to start, which you have to buy both of to catch everything, tyvm4ur 60$ right there, and then a third version, vastly superior to the first two, which has everything the first two did combined and some extra content and you totally could have bought that one for 40$ instead but you have the memory span of a goldfish and it slipped your mind that they do this EVERY CONSOLE GENERATION.
And sure enough, this is the version to get if you didn't play the other two. Otherwise, don't bother.

As usual, they added extra content to Platinum to make it worth getting over the other two. Some added storyline bits here and there will surprise people that played Diamond and Pearl (which is a bit of a departure because usually they don't mess with the non-existent story). What may come as a surprise to you (hahah come) is that unlike the previous 3rd game generations, the other added content feels half-done. Sure, they added a bunch of knickknacks and doohickeys but most of them feel half-finished. The underground minigame is very addictive, and the capture-the-flag style gameplay had potential but there's really no point to finding that many different friends to play with, since even when you've captured as many as you need to clear your base you can still only have 10 objects in it. It looked better covered in rubble, IMO.

Same with the other interactive elements. Now there's Wi-Fi capability, but in what I can only guess was an attempt to stay child-friendly, communication has been dumbed down to a handful of stock phrases where you can only change a single word. Not only is this frustratingly restrictive, it defeats their purpose entirely, assuming that's what it was. For example, my player profile is currently set to:

"Glad to meet you!
I love
HEROINE!"

Which is a stretch but it still works.

Nor have they actually fixed the things they left half-done with the originals. Example? How about (snicker) Ball Capsules? Why do I have to remove them every time I want to put something in my box? Why is there a time limit on how long I can USE your shiny new Wi-Fi connection games room with other people? Are you afraid I'm going to grief them by beating them in Wobboffet Pop or whatever the hell it's called for over ten minutes? Why are there still stray pixels around my Pokemon in battle? (see: Ninetails against any dark background). A thirteen year-old with Photoshop can and regularly does do a better job than that.
I could go on and on, really. There's an alarmingly large list of 'added bonuses' that are, at the end of the day, half-done and lazy. It's as if Nintendo/GameFreak/WhoeverTheHellMakesThisShit needed some filler to add as features on the back of the box. Or as if it was ME working for them.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint. The GTS, or Global Trade Service. Or something. I dunno, maybe I made that up. Forgot. Anyway, it uses the DS's wireless capability to trade with people all over the world, and you don't even have to keep your DS on for the trade to complete. Just leave it, and come back later.
It sounds GREAT in theory, but it's the one thing that worked better in Diamond and Pearl.
I was wondering why for some reason, I was able to put up trades but not accept anyone else's. My pokemon were magically grayed out even if they met the person's requirements. Too lazy to call Nintendo and ask, nor did I want a long-distance call to Japan on my phone bill, I googled it. Apparently this is a known bug with Platinum edition, which Nintendo will happily fix for you if you don't mind having your data wiped.
I understand that bugs are unavoidable in many respects but for the love of Jenova, that just seems unnecessary.
Plus, they STILL haven't added any way to sift through ridiculous or impossible trades. Oh yes, I will totally trade you my legendary pokemon for a GODDAMN MAGIKARP ON LEVEL FIFTEEN! And for the last time, there is no such thing as a level 6 Houndoom, it evolves at 24! Things like this just clog up the list when you're searching for something actually reasonable.

If you can look past the fact that most of the 'additions' were left half-done, significant changes WERE made to this release. When the GTS WORKS, it's a beautiful thing. It's also pretty by DS standards, if a bit unpolished looking, and it's the same great Pokemon gameplay you vehemently insist is beneath you but still secretly love.
So if you haven't played the newest generation of it and are willing to play something that doesn't have testosterone-pumped space marines and chainsaws in it, Pokemon Platinum edition is the way to go. (Just be wary of the bugs.) If you played the previous two that are exactly like it in every damn way, and lets face it if you've read this far you probably did, then don't waste your money on it.