New Steamwork Velosotor and Warador Has Been Revamped

As the Masquerade nears its end these two Steamwork pets should make the pain go away a little easier. I am somewhat disappointed that there wasn't a plot this year. But, hey, at least there was some fun to it. Plus new Steamwork pets for those looking for the perfect pet and color.

The Steamwork Velosotor is a nice mechanical dinosaur for you to live with. A great creature to defend you and maybe play cards with.

The Steamwork Warador has been revamped and still has a deadly air to it. I wouldn't suggest treating it lightly at all. It seems to have a worn down look.

Tobias and Me 4

Talking to Cat was nice. I didn't yet know how or if I would get back home to Earth. I could only hope and talking to the woman was reassuring. When she couldn't hear me that well I would resort to thought speak to get a point across.

She showed interest in the topic of Yeerks. Or maybe it was the fact that we didn't have to discuss our feelings for the other that made the topic so interesting to her. We could each pretend that when we got to Earth we wouldn't speak again. But we might meet up once or twice after that and then go our separate ways. Who knew? We had to get to Earth first.

I had told her I planned to take her home though I didn't know how. That didn't seem to surprise her.

Hork-Bajirs can hear very well. So it was with Hork-Bajir hearing that I heard the Skrit Na converse between themselves. I stood up and Cat tensed as if to prepare herself to fight. It wasn't the movements of a seasoned warrior, but it was the movements of someone scared that was getting prepared to react to something they had no clue how to.

"Hang on." I told her and went over to the Skrit Na.

What's going on? I asked them as the last Skrit Na went into their ship. We had a deal!

I knew they wouldn't keep the deal if they thought they'd die by helping me. Useless cowards! They were so scared that they had left some of their cargo. That must mean...

"What is it?" Cat asked and I would've jumped if I hadn't heard her approach me.

"Yeerks." I replied with loathing in my voice.

I didn't know if I was more angry at the Skrit Na abandoning me or the Yeerks as a whole. I knew that all Yeerks weren't evil, Aftran being one of the good ones, and so I hoped I wasn't hating Yeerks as a whole.

"Let's go to my ship." I said and I didn't have to grab Cat's arm for her to start moving.

"Are you sure?" She asked, fear permeating her question.

"The Skrit Na wouldn't abandon you if it wasn't a big danger. Yeerks are the baddest thing in the galaxy."

I didn't bring up the Ellimist or Crayak. Those two beings were more powerful than the Yeerks by a long shot, but I didn't know how much the Skrit Na knew about those two. Besides, if those two wanted to attack anyone there wouldn't be much of a fight. There wouldn't be enough time to even begin to explain them to Cat.

As those thoughts went through my head I could see some Bug fighters coming in the distance as the Skrit Na went away.

"Bug fighters!" I shouted to Cat and we started to run towards my Bug fighter.

I made sure to stay equal to her speed and not go too far away from her. If there was one thing I didn't want to happen, it was to let her die on an alien planet.

As we got close to my Bug fighter the enemy Bug fighters started firing around the area. They must have tracked it somehow. Who knew how, maybe a tracker they put on all their ships. I'd ask Ax when I got back. If I got back.

By pure instict I covered Cat with my body, though that wouldn't do anything if they started firing at us. It's not like Hork-Bajir skin is strong enough to stand laser based weapons. But it was the only thing I could think to do at the moment.

I looked at my fighter and watched as it exploded. The movies prepare you only for a little bit of how big explosions are when you're close to one. The heat of the explosion seemed beyond huge and little bits flew towards Cat and myself. I managed to only get a few minor cuts and Cat only had a cut on her arm.

Cat screamed in pain and I turned to our only way home now destroyed. The Yeerks must have wanted to make me feel helpless as they could've just erased it from existence. At least that's how it would appear as.

"Run." I hissed and shook my head before Cat could ask. "No time to think, just run."

As we raced across the alien landscape, the enemy Bug fighters shooting at random around us, I was scared. Especially for Cat. At least I had the ability to morph but she was just human. Being human wasn't bad in normal circumstances, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. This was way beyond normal.

I'd have to give her the morphing ability. And if she was captured? No, she wouldn't be captured. I'd make sure of it.

We ran for a long time, or at least it appeared like a long time to me, before hearing a sound. I turned my head slightly and saw some of the natives. They looked like cats in the sense of Ewoks looking like little bears. Each looked deadly but adorable in the same instant.

I was about to ask them what they were and if they were friendly. But, before I could, it appeared very clear that they were trying to direct us.

"Friends?" Cat managed to ask.

"Hopefully." I replied and we began to follow the creatures.

We eventually ended up going into an entrance located at the bottom of a tree. My Hork-Bajir stomach growled as it looked at the bark. I had to resist and followed the small entrance, with Cat behind me, into what eventually ended up being a small little neighborhood of these creatures.

As Cat and I looked around I realized that now I didn't have a way to check how much time I had been in morph. Nor did I have an internal clock like Andalites did.

I didn't know if any of these creatures were Controllers or if they would ultimately sell me out to the Yeerks. But I had no choice. I didn't want to become a nothlit.

So, pushing back any fear I had to the deepest part of my mind, I demorphed. My blades turned into feathers first and I shrank before any other features of my red-tailed hawk morph took form.

When I finished morphing I looked at Cat.

Hi. I said to her look of astonishment.
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All of Tobias and Me 

Cold Days (Jim Butcher)

Title: Cold Days

Series: The Dresden Files

Author: Jim Butcher

Released: 2012

Rating: 5/6

Basic Plot: After being murdered and then brought back to life, Harry Dresden soon realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Chicago’s only professional wizard.

He is now Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Her word is his command. And her first command is the seemingly impossible: kill an immortal. Worse still, there is a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could mean the deaths of millions.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent an apocalypse, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound infinite powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own…

His soul.
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Just Do It Already
Karrin and Harry belong with each other and every book I read in the series I wish I could scream at them to be together. I send words via my thoughts but I doubt they can pick them up. It's really infuriating in this book since they share two nice kisses but decide to remain apart. They were so close to being a couple and...and...ARG!

The Outsiders and Mac
The mystery of the Outsiders leads to a couple different revelations. You get to see what Mab's job really entails and Mac becomes more of an enigma. The Outsiders end up playing a very big part of the book's plot. They also become a lot more deadlier...well...you find out more about them and so they appear deadlier to you. But, truth be told, they're just as dangerous as they ever were.

Harry's Fear
Harry and Thomas end up getting into an argument around the time they first meet up in the book. Thomas is angry that Harry didn't contact him. Long story short: Harry died, became a ghost, went back into his body, and he's also the Winter Knight now.

Harry won't admit, but Thomas knows, that he tried to die so he wouldn't become a monster. Yeah, becoming the Winter Knight makes it very likely that Harry could turn to the dark side. This is a very heartbreaking scene as the relationship between the two brothers is so tense. But, being good brothers, they make up by the end. As a bonus, Thomas tries to help Harry control his emerging monster side.

Final Thoughts
I adore The Dresden Files series and this is yet another good entry into the series. There are moments of action, drama, romance, and learning about The Dresden Files universe. I liked seeing how Karrin reacted to Harry being alive. I also liked seeing Harry confused about what to do. And the fear about what to do about his daughter, stopping the big event, and how to handle his different relationships are all given equal importance. I'd recommend this book to those looking for a good fantasy/mystery.

Divergent (2014)

Title: Divergent

Director: Neil Burger

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2014

Personal Rating: 4.5/6

Oscars: N/A

Plot: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she's Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.
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From Book to Screen
I have read Divergent and so when I saw this movie I couldn't help but compare it to the book. One thing that bothered me was the fact that Peter is actually sort of likable in this movie. In the books there is no doubt that he isn't a good guy (and his arc in Allegiant will mean jack shit if they don't build him up to be a total asshole). I thought that the Tris/Four love story was done well. They at least got it out there though I think it was a little bigger in the book. Only problem with Four/Tobias was that I believe he was revealed to be Divergent earlier. I think double checking these facts is a good reason to re-read the trilogy!

Caleb
Okay, I won't say where his storyline goes for those who haven't read the book but...it's so heartbreaking seeing him on screen. I like how he is portrayed by being the brother who Tris admires. It's great seeing him be an outstanding member of the Abnegation faction and then seeing he wanted to be Erudite all along. The makers of the movie did a good job with this character.

Special Effects
They were good. There are different points in the movie where Tris goes into either her's or Four's fearscape. The fearscape is somewhere you enter by way of a serum and its purpose is for you to face your fears. It's used by Dauntless for their initiation. Besides the fearscape, the testing that Tris goes through in the beginning of the movie another serum is used. I especially liked the testing, though it didn't go down as in the book, since the effects used really contributed to the atmosphere the scene needed.

Final Thoughts
This movie was very enjoyable. The movie does a decent job at explaining the book's material to a theater audience. So if you know nothing about Divergent, when you leave the theater you should understand the world people like me have fallen in love with. If you see the movie and want to read the books I would say that's not a bad call as it will expand your understanding of the world of Divergent. I am probably one of the few hoping that a certain event in Allegiant isn't changed for the movie version. Here's hoping!

Let's Play Dead Space: Extraction (Parts 9 & 10)

I do some extra shooting fun and say good-bye for the evening.

Let's Play Dead Space: Extraction (Parts 6-8)

After many moons I return to the horror.

Shipping Confessions: Sifay (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Among many of the fandoms that I am in, I am a Whedonite. A Whedonite is a fan of Joss Whedon. Whedon recently made The Avengers and his show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which I will call AOS for the remainder of this post) is airing as of this blog post.

AOS takes a look at the S.H.I.E.L.D. members who don't have super powers and is a glimpse into the every day life of an agent. The cast includes Phil Coulson and Melinda May among others. As AOS is still in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there have been cameos from characters from the films.

The cameos include: Nick Fury, Stan Lee, and Sif.

This will be a first for Shipping Confessions as this pairing has only one episode together. I am hoping that they'll have a chance to be reunited again.

The ship of today's post is between Melinda May and Lady Sif. Someone on Twitter gave me the shipping name of Sifay so thank you very much person whose name I forgot!

Melinda May is a fierce fighter and has earned the nickname of "The Calvary". She doesn't like the nickname used, however.

She's loyal to Coulson but she seems to have other motives for helping him. May does reassure him on numerous accounts and there seems to be a very deep friendship between them, whatever May's ultimate allegiance is. Not necessarily romantic, but like a long-time friendship.

May looks at everything as how useful it will be for a mission and so at one point appears to help Skye get kicked off. However, it's later revealed that May did so so that Skye could work the mission better.

In short: May is someone you would never want to fight against.

Lady Sif is an Asgardian warrior. Besides her cameo appearance in this episode, she has been in both Thor movies. She has also shown herself to be a woman who is also not to be messed with.

In the first Thor movie she, with some other Asgardians, go down to check up on Thor. Yes, she is a love interest for Thor but the guy has his eyes set on the Misgardian (aka human) Jane. So there is a little jealously.

However, she is able to overlook her jealousy and helps Thor escape with Jane in Thor: The Dark World. So it's not like emotional ties would be the end of her. She knows when to let her emotions in and when to keep them out.

In the episode she is in ("Yes Men") she has obviously been hurt by Lorelei in the past, but doesn't let her hatred of the woman make her act foolish or slip in any major way. If Lorelei had thrown some of those burns at me I might've broken.

And the episode "Yes Men" really shows why I like this pairing so much and would love to see Sif appear again so I have more moments to add to this ship.

May and Sif are very much alike and the plot of the episode seems to go out of its way to show that. Even though it might be so that Sif can give useful information, it also gives the viewers a look at how well the two could work together.

Both May and Sif are able to put emotions out of the way when on a mission. Even though their emotions effect them more than they think, both are able to get through the mission of capturing Lorelei without their emotions causing too many problems.

Both May and Sif have lovers that Lorelei has used.

Both May and Sif are loyal to their causes. They are both warriors in their own rights.

There is a scene in "Yes Men" that really highlights the similarities between the two. Sif seems to know that May isn't telling the full truth because looking at the other woman is like looking at herself. There is a sense of bonding between the two throughout the episode and I highly suggest checking out "Yes Men" to see what I'm talking about.

Before I announce the next ship I must remind you why this post isn't as indepth as others: there has only been one episode with the two. While I can start to ship something in one episode, I can't put a lot of things up about it. I am posting this now because I'm unsure if Sif will return or not. And, if she does, I might do a special Shipping Confessions where I put an update about my feelings on Sifay.

What will I talk about in the next Shipping Confessions? A tough human and a sassy wizard ship from The Dresden Files! I will admit I haven't finished Cold Days yet and I tried to do a brief search to see if it's canon now or not. From the brief search it appears not so I'm going forward with that information in mind.

Picture From HERE

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