Special Fiftieth Post Super Gigantic Edition!

Yeah, so I haven't posted in ten days. But don't worry, because today's post will be bigger than ever! Of course, quite a bit of it is about WEWY, which most of my audience probably doesn't care about at all. Which really just means I need a bigger audience! Umm... tell all your friends?
Anyway, there's plenty of other stuff here, so if you're lazy, I guess you can just skip the first part.... *grumblegrumblegrumble*

Also, this is my fiftieth post since starting this blog. Yay!

First off, I finished The World Ends With You. It was really amazing, and had a spectacular ending (more on that later). In addition to finishing the main story, I completed all of the secret objectives there are in each chapter, unlocking all the "secret reports" that explain more about the game's world. Apparently some of the people who did the original articles on this wiki hadn't read the secret reports at the time, so I've been editing things to fix stuff that was just speculation or was entirely incorrect.
Anyway, even after all that, there's still a ton to do. I have about 47 hours total spent on the game; it will probably pass up my highest (Pokemon Pearl Version, at 72 or something like that; I've had it for about a year, I think) at some point.
Right now I'm trying to get better psych pins (each one gives you a new attack, and you can hold up to six at a time). Each pin has it's own experience bar, of sorts, and there are three ways to fill it. When it reaches its maximum level, it might change into an even better one, depending on what was the "dominant" type.
So you can fill it by fighting battles, by shutting off the game and not playing for a while, or by using the "Mingle" mode and encountering other people who are using their DS wirelessly (they don't even have to be playing the same game, but if they are, you can see information on their characters, how far they are in the game, etc.). Anyway, up until now, I haven't been able to get the pins you need to use Mingle PP ("Pin Points", like experience) to get, but earlier today I borrowed my brother's DS to farm some... heh.
I'm looking forward to the next time we go into Chicago, so I can leave my game in Mingle mode. Maybe I'll actually run into some people playing WEWY, but probably not.... Although the game has been selling surprisingly well, last I knew. Better than in Japan, I think, which is pretty strange, really. Considering it's about as Japanese as it gets.
I got to thinking, and there really needs to be a sequel. I hope it does end up selling really well, so they actually want to make one. The game ends in a very open way (again, more on this later), so they could easily make a sequel with the same characters. This would be boring, though, as they've already gone through all that development, and they'd be stale and unchanging throughout most of the story, probably. For example, at the beginning, your main character, Neku, is a total jerk. He comes around throughout the course of the game, but now what? He's less interesting now. This may sound like I want all fictional characters to have massive flaws, but that's the way it is. Perfect characters are boring. They don't seem like real people, so they're impossible to relate to. Think about any fictional character. They probably are either boring or have some kind of flaw, issue, or struggle of some kind they have to deal with. It's what makes them people.
Of course, on the opposite side of things, it's really stupid when there's a downright evil character that never gets better and is somehow supposed to be the hero.
But I'm getting too far from the point, here.
There are tons of other things they could do for a sequel, though. They could just use different characters and have it still take place in Shibuya. But it'd be even cooler if it took place in an entirely different place. One of the characters, Joshua, mentions that the "Underground" is separated into different sections that are independent from one another (and I realize at this point that you won't really get what I'm talking about, but keep reading anyway). So then I wondered, what about making it take place in Chicago or New York City or something? Maybe it'd sell better in Japan; one could theorize that the original's success over here can be attributed to the setting being so foreign. Different is cool.
Anyhow, I just thought that would be interesting. It probably won't happen, but... I hope some kind of sequel happens, at least.

Now on to a subject more of you will find interesting. Actually, I forgot what it was, so I'll be back later. But for you, it'll be now. So I'm not sure why I'm even typing this. It's just what I do. I guess I enjoy it for some reason.

OK, here I am. "Later" ended up being "tomorrow." Oh well.
Now to talk about endings! I've discussed them before, with the Zelda games as my good example (and maybe something else, but I forgot what it was).

As I was saying, the ending to The World Ends With You is really nifty. There were a ton of crazy surprises towards the end. Then the little ending sequence just before the credits roll was really neat, cinematically (even though it consisted of very little actual animation). It wrapped things up really well.
See, the way I see it, the ending is the most important part of pretty much anything. You want to leave a good example. Some of the best ones are the ones that make you really want there to be more, even though you know it has to end. The Chronicles of Narnia books were like this for me. Like there's no way there could be anything after the seventh book; it's all over. But it was almost disappointing that there weren't any more.
So what makes a good ending?
Well, I'll tell you! Five quick things that are summed up in quotes (please excuse me from using the most-quoted quote in movie history, ever, because I couldn't think of anything better for that one) from a book, a movie, an epic poem, and, yes, a video game (because they often have much better plots than non-gamers tend to think).
If you're into writing or something like that, maybe these will be helpful?
Here you go:

1. Surprises!
It can't be predictable. There should be at least one crazy thing you didn't expect at all. Usually these go at the climax, though, not the end.

No, Luke! I am your father!
-Darth Vader in Star Wars

2. Wrapping up.
It should tie up loose ends, but no more than necessary. When I finished A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was left with many, many unanswered questions. But it was done. There's nothing more that needs to be told.

"It is not the whole story, but it is enough. Under the circumstances, it is the best for which you can hope."
-Chapter 13 of The End

3. Happy ≠ Good
A lot of the weakest endings to things I've encountered involved everyone living "happily ever after." But that's boring. Things shouldn't be the same as when everything started. A strange space-time alteration shouldn't cause everything that had been destroyed during the course of the story to be recreated. Stories involve conflict. They should be resolved at the end, but they should also leave scars.

...And well it is that men their master-friend mightily laud,
Heartily love, and whence he goes,
From life in the body forlorn away.
-Beowulf, verse 41

4. "Essence" Capture.
A good ending should also capture the "spirit" or "essence" of the overall story up to that point. If there are lessons to be learned, make then very obvious, but not annoyingly so. Sometimes it's hard to see what the main themes of a story were until the end. I kind of like it that way, too. "Oh, so that's what this was about! That makes so much sense!"

" 'Trust your partner.'
And I do. I can't forgive you.... But I trust you."
-Neku Sakuraba in The World Ends With You

5. Impact.
Possibly the most important thing. Again, lessons should be made clear. But it doesn't have to teach something profound, just as long as you get to the end and think, "Whoah. That was amazing." It should remind you of all the moments you enjoyed throughout the course of the story. This is one of the merits of flashbacks, but they should only be used in some situations. Actually, they really don't work on any large level in writing. But quotes are good sometimes.
Still, it doesn't have to be specific things. Just as long as it reminds those experiencing it why they loved it.

(I don't have a quote for this one, because I can't think of one that would really sum this up. If you have an idea, let me know.)


Now it's RANDOM RANTING TIME!
How am I going to find something to rant about that is entirely random? Ooh! Great idea! I'm going to find anagrams for the phrase "random ranting time" and see what I come up with. I'll be right back (yeah, I know, I'm doing it again).

Here's one: "andante or trimming."
I suppose this is referring to music. Like, if it was a really slow piece and was too long. So it had to be shortened for some reason.
So should parts be cut out, or should it be sped up?
Wait a minute. This is going to turn into a strange discussion of the merits of both sides of something! That's not a rant! Let's move on.

"narrated miming ton."
Wow, narrated miming. That sounds like just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I mean, seriously, why would you want a narration of a mime? Isn't the act supposed to be silent?! So why explain it! It ruins it. It's like having to explain a joke. It's not funny anymore. So in this case, it just wouldn't be entertaining. It'd just be dumb.
And as if narrating it a little would be bad enough, narrating it a "ton." Wow.
I can imagine it now.
"Now he's moving his finger a quarter inch to the left, while he turns his foot clockwise twelve degrees..."
They'd have to talk very very fast to get that all in there. Actually, that would be pretty neat to do. But the person who talked quickly should get a better job that would actually be appreciated. Like... telemarketing. Or infomercials. They could pack a ton of information into a smaller segment of time.
Of course, that would probably just confuse people in addition to annoying them, so maybe that's not a good idea.
Well, I could actually continue this for quite some time, but I think I'll move on.

"marinading torment."
Hmm. Well, I imagine it would be pretty painful if you tried to marinade steak that was still alive. But probably not; the actual cooking would hurt more. Marinading would just be bothersome, don't you think? Unless they cut the cow open to marinade the "best cuts" while it was still alive. That'd be pretty sick. There you go, vegetarians, something even worse to complain about! Of course, I don't think any read my blog, but I know some. It wouldn't be too hard. (By the way, for any that ARE reading this, I'm not making fun of you at all.)
Anyway, that would be nasty. I don't see any benefit to it. Unless people enjoy torturing animals before eating them. OK, so there probably are some people like that....

"Mandarin totem ring."
Wow, that sounds like a great title for a movie: "Indiana Jones and the Mandarin Totem Ring." Too bad they already said the Crystal Skull one is going to be the last.
I can't think of much to complain about here, so I'll move on.

"madman not retiring."
I can imagine how that would be extremely annoying. There's this guy who's absolutely nuts, and you have to work with him every day. And evidently he needs to retire soon, so I guess he's worked for long enough and has enough money or whatever. But he doesn't. Why? Because he's crazy, of course! And maybe he's even worked in the same position for a long time, so his boss is too scared to fire him. Or maybe it's the crazy guy who's in charge!
The second case is more likely, but if it was the first, it brings up all kinds of weird questions. Like how did he get hired in the first place? Was he always crazy? Or did he get that way?
Actually, those questions could apply to the first case, too, except even more come up: How did he get promoted? Did he start the business himself? Why would anyone want to work under him?
This brings up many odd questions. Don't you want to hear more about the situation now? Too bad it's probably hypothetical.

"matador rent mining."
What does that even mean? Did the matador decide to stop killing bulls and start mining, but he had to rent land? But if he didn't own it, he can't be digging in it, can he?
So here we have a situation where there's a guy who's gone from an incredibly disturbing occupation to a relatively honorable one, but he's going about it in a dishonest (and possibly illegal) way? This guy must be all kinds of creepy. Possibly he's a nutcase, too. Maybe he's the crazy guy who wouldn't retire? But he sounds like the sort of person who goes through jobs really quickly, so he probably doesn't fit both descriptions.

"arrogant denim mint."
Wow, the only thing worse than a denim mint is an arrogant one. I mean, you're expecting it to taste all nice and sweet, but then it's like... rough, thick fabric. And it knows it. And doesn't care. That's just cruel. And pretty much explains itself, so there's not much to say here.

"marina mending trot."
It kind of sounds like one of those "cancer walk" things, but with a really lame cause. Seriously, if you're going to do something for charity, at least make it an actual charity first! Otherwise nobody cares. That's why I only gave it four sentences, counting this one.

"a marred tinning Tom."
Is this some kind of crazy slang I don't know about? It's probably related to a specific trade I have no interest in (presumably something having to do with tin). Seriously, a "Tinning Tom?" You couldn't think of anything better? Yet you said it was "marred." I would have thought that someone like that would have said "busted" or something. Maybe it's someone with a bigger vocabulary who's just using the term because everyone has for years. I dunno.

"a ramming dinner tot."
Don't you hate it when you're minding your own business, eating your lunch, when some random little kid runs up to you and head-butts you in the gut? I do!
...Or, at least I would, if that had ever happened to you.
Of course, maybe I shouldn't be too hard on the kid. Maybe I was mistaken for someone else? Still, people need to teach their kids it's not good to go out for revenge... or else!
Heh... That was a joke, OK. Don't call me a hypocrite, because it's supposed to be funny.


Well, on to the comment-on-what-happened-today feature of the blog. I'm not saying I'll do it every day; just when I feel like it. So it can be considered "regular," still, right?

1830: Ecuador gains its independence. Cool. I wonder if everyone celebrates their independence the way we do in the States? By blowing stuff up in the air?
1888: Brazil abolishes slavery. Cool, but considering the reputation of South American civilizations and how they treat people, don't you think that was a bit late? Of course, I don't think anyone has a right to say stuff like that. Everyone was a bit late on that, really.
1956: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is born. I didn't even know who that was until now. The founder of the "Art of Living Foundation," apparently. Actually, I'd never heard of that, either. But who cares?! He has a great name. Sri Sri Ravi? Seriously?!
1958: Velcro is registered as a trademark. Imagine how annoying it'd be if everyone had to pay attention to stuff like that. We'd have to say "TM" about a hundred times a day! Heehee... sounds like it belongs in some stupid TV program. Someone should get on that.
Every year: Rotuma Day. To celebrate the island of Rotuma. Which I hadn't even heard of until now. Aww, see, now you're making me feel bad....
(OK, not really.)


Well, wasn't that a great post?!
I bet you're glad you stuck around!
Hopefully they'll stay this good, and keep getting better. Right?
Keep reading, and try to get more people to read it, too. And leave comments; that's always nice.

"Every generalization is false. Including this one."
-Mark Twain... or maybe it was Winston Churchill. Or someone else entirely. Apparently, nobody is really sure.

:::Source= Paul M-unit 19.91 MKII