Author Archives: beviannajaxon

Obligatory Pokemon Go, Post

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By Joshie Jaxon 

Greetings, geek fans! Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two days, I’m certain you’re aware that Pokemon launched a new free app, designed to give us the closest thing yet to being Pokemon trainers here in the real world. However, they haven’t given a lot on in game tutorial information. There’s a quick start guide, but it’s iffy. Fortunately, people like me are here to share my experiences, and what I’ve been able to gather from friends so far. Let the geeks begin! 


First order of business. Right now it can be a pain in the ass to try and get signed in, let alone be able to play. It can be frustrating, but when you think about the fact that everyone has been waiting to be a trainer for 20 years, it makes sense. Granted, the designers should’ve known and anticipated the size of their audience, but I’m not bitching. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not unheard of for gamers to invest hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into a handheld installment. Add that up over 20 years, and you have a lifetime of bliss. Don’t let the muggles tell you otherwise. They have no joy in their lives, and their inner children are pouting in a corner. 


Once you’re able to actually get signed in, you’ll get to create your avatar. There’s a variety of choices, though it’s not as vast as it could be, again, not complaining. So far, I’ve not found a way to change your look after you set it, so be 100% sure before you save it. You may not be able to go get the purple hair you originally wanted. You’ll also have to pick your name. Sounds easy, but this is an online game, names are snatched quickly. Don’t be surprised if you have to be pkmstr848277. Only slight exaggeration. After your avi is created, you’ll encounter one of the Kanto starters. I found a Bulbasaur hanging out in the street. I’ve seen people with Squirtle, but no Charmander so far. 


 
I’m getting a head of myself though. The game needs your GPS active, as it goes off of your real world position. It will give you a street view of your area, not in Google level detail, but the main routes and roads are all there. 


Once you encounter a Pokemon, you’ll face off with it. There’s no battle involved, think of it more like the Safari Zone. All you have to do is toss your Pokeball. There are two views while trying to capture a Pokemon, and I’ve gotta say, have the AR view can make things hilarious. I had a mouse appear in front of my cat, and thank the powers that be, you’re allowed to take pics and screencaps. 


After you throw your ball, and deal with the real feeling of anticipation that it causes, as it decides if you caught it or not, the Pokemon is registered in the Pokedex. You can name them, so it retains the personal touch of the handhelds. You also get stardust, which is like currency, as well as candy for that Pokemon. For example, you can’t give Pikachu candy to a Charmander. The candy is used to evolve them. As you can see, it will tell you how many candies you need for it to evolve. There are no evolution stones, so once you have 50 Pika treats, you’ll get Raichu. From what I’ve seen so far, most two-stage evolutions need 50 in order to evolve to that final form. Three-stage need in the 20’s for first form, and higher from there. Those that don’t evolve, like Tauros, for example, can still use their candy. It allows them to power up and raise their CP, which is how hard they’ll hit in a gym battle. 


From your overhead view of your avi, there’s a list of three Pokemon in the lower corner. If they’re in shadow, you haven’t caught them yet. I thought that was just a visual of what three were nearby. However, if you tap it, you’ll actually get a view of 9 nearby Pokemon, which could be some of the same kind or all different. There are footprints under them to indicate how close they are to you. You can tap on one while in that nine view, and it will change the three on the map to that specific one, so you can see how much closer you may be. I saw a Charmander shadow, but never found anything that brought me closer to him. Oh well. 


You can carry up to 250 Pokemon, and since this is currently Kanto only, we’re limited to the original 150. That being said, don’t discount catching 10 Pidgey. Not only do you get candy and experience for each catch, you might find a stronger one than you currently have. They may also have different battle moves. Another reason to catch a lot is that you can trade them in to the professor for more candy, which then helps you have what you need to help them evolve. The amount of candy you have is listed under the individual Pokemon. Don’t worry, the candy type doesn’t change when they evolve. Oddish candy will still be Oddish candy, even after you have Gloom. Said Gloom will still use Oddish candy to become Vileplume. You can filter your Pokemon by number, recents, and CP. Number is easiest if you’re wanting to transfer in your 20 Paras for candy. 


Finally, I’ll comment on items, but I’ve not had much experience yet, so I’ll probably be back here to update later. Potions are used when you take damage at a gym, but aren’t knocked out. Revive will take care of that. You can acquire incense that will draw more Pokemon to you, but I didn’t notice a difference when I used it. Gyms are all over, and I don’t quite know how they work. Once you challenge a gym at level 5, it’ll have you pick a team, which corresponds to the legendary bird trio. As you probably saw from my pic above, I went with Zapdos. Those teams help determine what kind of gym challenge you’ll have. I know that much. Also, I’ve heard as you level up, you’ll be able to encounter stronger and different Pokemon. Dunno if that’s for set levels. I’ll give more detail when I come across it, but I hope this helps you get started and not feel like you’re thrown in the deep end. Until next time, stay geeky, and catch ’em all. 

Pride Post – Life Support

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Pulse Wave Background

Pulse Wave Background Original Vector Illustration

By Joshie Jaxon

 

There’s no Pulse! Rally the community! Clear!

Still no Pulse! Try again! Don’t you dare quit on me! Clear!

Call it. Time of death, 2am.

Wait! We lost the pulse, but the body is still alive.

That’s not possible.

It is. The community is recovering, and getting stronger. We’ll get the Pulse back.

 

Greetings, geek fans. As you know, I’m not much for politics, and find them to be a bothersome, if not counterproductive, aspect of our world. I try to avoid them as much as possible, but given the recent tragedy that hit close to our community, I don’t think I can keep myself out of this one. A gunman took out fifty lives, and people are losing their minds over it. I don’t blame them. If that happened here, I’m sure I’d feel more for the situation than I already do, and I’m not a very emotional person as it is.

However, I’ve noticed that rather than focusing on those lives, people are instead focusing on the one who took them, and using this incident to push their own agenda about it. I told Bri Bones just the other day that this is going to become a measuring stick that people will bring out when they want to make a point; “It’s the worst shooting since…” All that will adhere to time is the event itself, much like September 11th, Sandy Hook, Columbine, etc. People know what happened and where, but not how many lives, or even the name of a single victim. That’s the reality we live in.

Back to agendas, I saw a post this morning that was titled “What if someone had shared Jesus with the Orlando killer?”, and that’s what got me thinking about the selfishness of people as a whole. All these people want is to have a headline that will create controversy, and get people spouting their opinions, without actually having read the content.

What religion a person does or doesn’t have is irrelevant. This person took the lives of fifty people. Those people will never get to have their dreams realized. They’ll never be the author/baker/dancer they wanted. They won’t get to have children. They won’t get to find the love of their life. They won’t get to see their nieces or nephews grow up. Everything they had been building their lives towards was taken in an instant, and can never be returned. It sickens me that someone could hate a group so much that they would snuff out the lives of its members.

People are calling for more gun control, and stopping things like this from happening, but it doesn’t solve the problem at its source. Why can’t we all just accept people as they are, and as long as they aren’t doing anything that harms our lives, let them be? Oh, right, because that doesn’t generate revenue or ratings. People being kind to one another can’t be sensationalized by the media. Controlling the weapons doesn’t stop the people that want to use them, it just forces them to find a different method to attack us.

I’m part of a community that can be gunned down simply for existing. How is that right? I know that I try to keep my head down, and not make a target of myself, but the reality that I could get shot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, frightens me. Not so much that I’m not going to continue to live my life, but that’s something that has been added to my mind as something to be aware of. I don’t like that this is the world I live in. Though perhaps I always have, and I’m just more aware of it now.

At any rate, people only care about things that they can relate to. The only way to get the conservatives/Republicans to care about gun violence is if a Klan meeting were shot up by a group of extremist homosexuals or transgender individuals. You can bet money that they would care about restricting access to such weapons if they were the ones on the receiving end of the violence.

Whatever the case may be, this isn’t problem that’s going to go away anytime soon. People need to be taught to respect others, even if they don’t agree with them. Do what you want, but harm none isn’t a bad way to live. It’s the way I live my life, and it has worked well for me so far. I’ll continue to try and bring a little joy to the world, and hope that you continue to enjoy every moment of your life, before someone else decides that it’s no longer worth living.

victim

Character Crush – Vegeta

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By Joshie Jaxon 

Greetings, geek fans! My housing drama is nearly over, and I’ll be able to devote the time and energy to my posts that you deserve. As previously stated, I’ve acquired lots of new media/games that I’ll be posting on. Some of which I’ve never seen/played before, but are cultural icons. It’s going to he fun. Until then, I know that Ani-May was severely short changed for you, and I apologize. I’ll pepper in some anime during the rest of the year to make up for it. I owe you that much. Until then, I’m going to at least give you another anime related Character Crush, this time on the prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta. Let the geeks begin!

I got involved in Dragonball Z when the Cell Saga was airing on Cartoon Network back in the early 2000’s. As such, I missed Vegeta’s initial arc and storyline during the Freiza Saga. I think that’s why, at least for me, I find Vegeta to be his best from Cell forward. Don’t get me wrong, the earlier stuff is great, but I prefer him as an anti-hero to full villain. Plus, by the Buu Saga they’d really found their comedy not just in visual gags, but in the various one-liners the characters got off. Vegeta had some of my favorites. Like saying he wanted to wish for new boots, while in the middle of a fight to save Earth. Classic.

  

To give an accurate history on our Saiyan prince, we have to look at the Z/GT series, as well as the movies. I haven’t seen Resurrection F yet, but it’s part of my newly acquired media. Anyhow, Vegeta’s father of the same name, who ruled the planet of the same name, yes, I’m serious, had his people working for Freiza. Saiyans were sent all over the universe to exterminate the inhabitants of the planets he wanted to conquer. Vegeta was one of a few Saiyans who happened to be away on a mission when Freiza destroyed his entire race. Despite his father’s death, and technical ascension to King, Vegeta still considers himself the Saiyan prince, out of respect. 

He came to Earth after Raditz had lost to Goku, to finish the job. It was during this initial appearance that we got our first real look at his personality. Vegeta is arrogant and believes himself to be an elite with no equal. He destroys Nappa, one of the last of his kind, just to prove a point. Sadly, he’s defeated, and sent packing with his tail between his legs. Oh wait, it was cutoff. My bad. He returns to Freiza and gets healed while plotting his next move. 

  

During his exploits on Namek, Vegeta gets his ass handed to him, but we learn when a Saiyan gets beaten, it just makes them that much stronger when they heal. Personally, I think he and Goku should have beat each other half to death, taken a senzu bean, and done it again and again. That’s just me though. Freiza manages to kill Vegeta, who tells Goku to avenge their people. I’ll spare you Goku’s story, but he wins, and Vegeta eventually gets wished back to life, and settles on Earth. He hooks up with Bulma, and they have a son, Trunks. As price of a warrior race, Vegeta doesn’t relax during times of peace, and is always training. When the androids appear, he’s able to go Super Saiyan himself, since he refuses to be second to Goku. 

The other defining characteristic of Vegeta is the thrill of battle, and wanting to be the best. When Imperfect Cell states that he’s able to become stronger, Vegeta wants to see his power, so that he can test himself against it. He doesn’t care if it puts Earth in danger, he wants what he wants, and everyone else can suck it. Which I would. Just Saiyan. Yes, I went there. I’m not sorry. Moving on. When Cell “kills” Future Trunks, Vegeta goes mad with rage and attacks Cell to avenge his fallen son. He loses, but he at least began to realize that he had priorities other than training and fighting.

  

The Buu Saga brought my favorite incarnation of Vegeta, the smartass. When Kid Trunks goes Super Saiyan, and mentions Goten can too, Vegeta makes a crack about it being a Super Saiyan bargain sale. He then asks Trunks to try and hit him, stating that if he does, he’ll take him to the park for an hour. Trunks manages to graze him, and Vegeta backhands him good. Trunks says that Vegeta didn’t say he’d hit back. Vegeta says he didn’t say he wouldn’t, either. He then tells Trunks to dry his eyes cause they’re going to the park right now. Such a good dad. 

The battle with Buu also brings us another great version of Vegeta; Majin Vegeta. Tired of Gohan not finishing a fight quickly, he says he could do better. Babidi calls him a beautiful, arrogant, selfish piece of work. He boosts Vegeta’s power, and turns him back to the dark side. Vegeta, still retaining his pride, refuses to follow orders, and instead wants to use this new power to finally beat Goku. To accomplish this, he murders hundreds of stadium people, prompting Goku to agree to a fight. For a while, Vegeta has the upper hand, but they are still evenly matched. Only by distracting Goku and knocking him out does he technically win. Vegeta then goes to take on Buu, and in the end, realizes that he’s been a bad father to Trunks. He hugs him, then knocks him out. In an act of heroism, Vegeta sacrifices himself to try and stop Buu. 

Ultimately, Vegeta acts in the Earth’s best interest, and tries to rally people to helping Goku win the battle. He becomes a loving husband, father, and friend, while maintaining his hard edge. I adore Vegeta, and always root for him, cause that’s what you do. You’ve gotta respect royalty. Until next time, stay geeky, and keep gabbing! 

  

Character Crush – James 

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By Joshie Jaxon 

Greetings, geek fans! I know that new posts have been slim as of late, but I’m in the process of moving, and a great deal of my media is packed away. That won’t stop me from still making contributions and keeping you entertained. Besides, I’ve still been acquiring new retro toons to post on once life settles back to normal. Until then, I thought I’d feature another character crush that’s been on my mind. Prepare for trouble! Er, let the geeks begin! 

As you’ve figured out, this particular crush is on one half, or one third depending on who you ask, of Team Rocket. James has been around since the second episode of the anime, where we were initially led to believe that he and Jessie were competent, and dangerous villains, instead of the comic relief they’ve turned into in subsequent years. He starts off as kind of a smooth talker, but after a few too many thunder shocks from Pikachu, he’s since become easily overwhelmed and expressive about it. 

James may not be the most powerful trainer in the world. He’s certainly not going to be winning gym badges any time soon. He doesn’t have to be a strong trainer; he’s got a strong heart. Aside from his Koffing at the beginning of the series, and any obtained off screen, James generally befriends his Pokemon, and asks them to come with him. He feeds, helps, or takes care of them, and they love him for it. Heck, Mime Jr pretty much forces his way onto the team, all the while being treated like gold. That’s the kind of guy you bring home to mom. 
  

When he’s not hatching evil schemes, James has a rich, geeky, personal life. He collects bottle caps. He’s a great Poke Ringer. His best skill lies in his cosplay. He’s been Professor Oak, Juan, Jessie, and many others. He’s got the outfits, as well as the nuance of the person he’s portraying. Something always manages to go wrong and reveal the truth, but until then, people think he’s the genuine article. 

Since it’s a kids show, the topic of his sexuality doesn’t really come up, but there’s evidence that James is a little light in the loafers. He’s got a fiancé that his parents arranged, but he has no interest in. Or any woman really. Yes, there’s a not so dark corner of the internet full of Jessie and James couple pictures, but there’s nothing to back up they’re anything more than good friends. James is sensitive, caring, compassionate, and good with animals. Everything you’d want in an animated boyfriend. Or a real one. Hey! I could get a real one. If I ever left the house. Like you’re so great. Love ya! 
Until next time, stay geeky and keep gabbing! 
  

Character Crush – Light Yagami

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By Joshie Jaxon 

Greetings, geek fans! Welcome to the first entry in this year’s Ani-May event. This crush is from a show that I’ve loved for years. I’ve read all the manga, watched all the anime episodes, and even the live action Japanese with English voiceover movies. That’s right, I’m talking the cultural event known as Death Note. Yes, it had it’s own controversy, but we’re not gonna focus on that. Instead we’re gonna look at the dreamy Light Yagami, voiced by the equally dreamy Brad Swaile. Don’t believe me, see for yourselves. 

   

I honestly think a huge part of the crush factor on Light is because of Brad’s delivery. But enough about Brad, we’re here to focus on Light. The series starts with Light as a typical Japanese student. He’s smart and at the top of his class. One day, he discovers the death note that was dropped in our world, and his life changes. After reading the instructions, Light tests the book’s power. Unlike some who might have used it to off a pesky person in their lives, Light’s tests involve a criminal, and an attempted rapist. Light sees that the world is rotting, and needs to be improved. Using the power of the notebook, he begins passing judgment on criminals, and cleaning things up. Sounds like a standup guy, right? 

The fun thing about Death Note is that Light is killing people. They’re dying because of his actions. Yet, through the series, I’m still rooting for him. He’s doing wrong things, but for the right reasons. Granted, he begins taking out good people simply because they’re trying to stop him. One of the people in his path is L. No, that’s not a typo, his name is L. L is the other side of Light’s coin, in that he also sees himself as an agent of justice, but tries to avoid murder as the means to an end. Through the course of the series, the dance between these two characters is filled with homoerotic subtext. Not only are they handcuffed to one another, but there’s a scene where L offers Light a foot rub. It gives things an interesting perspective, as both are pursuing each other without knowing it. 

  

Light’s original mission is one I can understand. Given the ability, I’d want to make the world a better place, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill people to get there. Even with the separation of only having to write a name in a book, I just couldn’t do it. Light has no such problem. He’s focused on his end game, and having a world he can rule. I don’t know what it is about me that I like bad boys, especially as they aren’t who I date, but there’s just something about them. I won’t spoil the series in case anyone hadn’t seen it, but Light has me on his side, almost all the way to the end. Watch it for yourselves, and see what I’m talking about. 

This crush is short, but sweet. Until next time, stay geeky, and keep gabbing! 

  

Pride Post – Love Exposed 

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By Joshie Jaxon 

Greetings, geek fans! Your dear Joshie has been going through a lot of reflection lately, and decided to share with you what I’ve discovered. There’s so much pain and ugliness in the world that it could get anyone down, and I am no exception. Everyone seems to be losing their minds over trans people in the restrooms, interracial couples in commercials, etc. In the age of social media, everyone sounds off all their bile and venom, and it seems that those are the voices that are being heard more than ever. It’s depressing to feel like there are no champions out there trying to fight the good fight. I would like to be one of those champions. I want to do something to spread love and joy instead. I want to help lift people up, and help show them that they aren’t alone. I figured the best way to accomplish that, was to help break down some of the race/gender/body type/relationship barriers that are out there. We are all unique and beautiful, and deserve to be celebrated exactly as we are, without conforming to any of the standards that society has declared to be the norm. 

I consider myself a bohemian, and believe in things like freedom, beauty, truth, and love. Yes, I got that from Moulin Rouge. No, it doesn’t make my statement any less valid. My goal is to show the natural beauty that all people possess. I want the world to change what it thinks of as beautiful, and normal, so I’m going to start with me. I lay myself before you, raw, naked, and exposed. Literally. This is who I am. I’m damaged. I struggle with body issues, depression, and occasional suicidal thoughts. I’m gay, pasty, a bit overweight, and in the beginning of what could be a Polyamorous relationship with two great guys that accept all that I am. I have a talent for writing. I’ve written a book series that contains pieces of my soul, and inner pain. I also have this blog where I share my humorous take on a variety of subject. These aren’t the only contributions I want to make to the world. I would like to try my hand at standup comedy. I’m interested in adapting fairy tales for the LGBT community. More than anything else, I want my life to have meaning, and to help give meaning to the lives of others. Whatever condition we’re in, we’re not alone. 

  

I think a lot of the pain in the world comes from trying to carry our burdens on our own, because we think no one else cares about us. We’re all so consumed with our own issues, that we don’t take the time to see the pain the people around us are dealing with. I believe the first step we need is a paradigm shift. We need to be able to voice the things that bother us the most, only then can it truly begin to heal. As I mentioned, I’m overweight. Thanks to mainstream media, coupled with the impossible standards of the gay community, I’m not always comfortable in my own skin. I worry what others think of me, and that they’ll let my physical appearance keep them from getting to know me. I think I’ve figured out why people get so disgusted by the overweight. It isn’t that person specifically, it’s that “fat” is something that can happen to any of us. We ridicule people to reinforce to ourselves that we don’t want to be like them. I’m sorry, but I’ll take fat, kind, and smart over thin and douchey any day. When I look in the mirror, I like who I see, because I know that I do my best to stand up for those who may feel too low to stand up for themselves. 

I covered my battle with the suicidal thoughts in my head in an earlier Pride Post, and won’t rehash it again. I will touch on my depression though. There are days, for no good reason at all, that I feel like a useless piece of shit that the world would be better off without. Occasionally the darkness pulls me so far down that I don’t even get joy from my usual activities, like writing or gaming. I recognize those thoughts for what they are, and have to fight tooth and nail to try and claw my way out from under them. It’s on those days that I try to do something good for someone else, to defy my thoughts, and prove to myself that I still deserve to be here dammit. I know not everyone is so lucky. Stay strong, and don’t give up the fight, no matter how exhausting. You’re worth it. Keep telling yourself that. 

As a gay man I had to come out, because the world in which we currently live doesn’t allow people to just be themselves. If you are different in any way from the norm, you are called out on it, ridiculed, shunned, and more. Point the finger somewhere else, so no one looks at you. The problem with that, is that depending on the culture, they’re the abnormal ones. Again, I think it stems from not wanting to be away from the group, so people agree to extremes that they might otherwise not believe in, if they actually sat down and thought it out. Personally, I’m one of those who doesn’t mind standing alone for what I feel is right. As long as all parties are of legal age, are consenting, and not actively setting out to harm anyone, I see no reason why anything they do should bother us; let alone be our business that we somehow feel we’re entitled to weigh in on. All I want In life is for people to be happy, loved, and cared for. I hope that by sharing some of my pain, it helps you accept a piece of your own. 

There’s no amount of eating, no amount of shopping, no amount of sex that can fill the holes that have been punched in our hearts. The only thing that will, is love. I may not alway understand where some people come from, but I do my best not to hate them. They’re struggling with their own burdens, and must feel pretty miserable if they have to try and spread that pain around. I’m working on a project that will focus on spreading love, and giving a voice to our pain. It is my hope that this project will accomplish all that I intend it to. It can be located here –  https://love-xposed.com 

In the words of Christina Aguilera, “we are beautiful, no matter what they say”. My love and support to you all, no matter what you are struggling with, I’ll say it again, you’re not alone.

Love, Joshie