Bat-Homage? Bat-Knockoff? Bat-Analogue? Bat-Similarities? Ah, Screw It!

What’s up, Internet? Since the year is coming to an end, I’ve decided to try something a bit different for December. Back in September, I did something different for Superman Month. Instead of just looking at Superman, I looked at the different analogues/homages/ripoffs that were based off of Superman’s world and status. I had fun with it and wondered what other character I could do this with. Suddenly, a Bat Signal went off in my head and I started to look for the many characters that are analogues to Batman.

A bit over-exaggerated in my research. I also think this gif perfectly works when you see something messed up on the Internet.

I had the inverse for what I had with Superman. It got harder when I got to looking. It was pretty easy with Superman. If the guy could fly, have a cape, and stand for Truth and Justice, he fit the role. With Batman, it was a little different. They are out there, but they aren’t as easy to find. Ultimately, I decided to include characters that may not be direct analogues but have enough similarities to Batman. I also have a couple of surprises toward the end. Who are they? Only The Shad… uh, I mean, only I know!

Since I want to look at different characters across the medium, I won’t be including a lot of Batman’s supporting cast here. While they are the first to look at when looking for characters like Batman, I want to look at other characters this time. I may look at one story that features ones like Nightwing, Robin, and others but I’m not sure yet. So, stay tuned. Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.

Favorites - 14 Favorite Dragon Age Companions

Since I’ve gone through all of the Dragon Age games, it’s finally time to see  who are my 14 favorite companions. The series is pretty similar to the Mass Effect series in that the companions are usually one of the best parts of the game. I love the banter from all of the characters. Some of them even have some good personal missions that add a lot to their character and the game as a whole. Some are even some good companions to have in battle. These are just some of the traits I look for when choosing these favorites.

The only thing that kind of sucks is that you don’t get a lot of companions that stick around in the games. Since the lead character tends to change, you usually get stuck with new characters. Within the Mass Effect series, you’ll get holdovers like Garrus, Liara, and Tali along for the ride in all three games. You would even have former companions around in the trilogy somewhere.  If you’re wondering, Fenris won’t be on here. There’s only so much mercy I’ll give and I won’t give it to the mage-hating, mopey, depressing elf. I’m going with 14 since there are a lot of companions to choose from this time around.

Favorites - Top 10 Cover Songs

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about anything related to music, so here’s something a little different. For the longest time, songs have been covered by other artists. Whether it’s for TV, a random artist, or some random bloke on YouTube, just know that they are out there. For this list, I’m pretty much talking about covers by professional artists. Let’s just leave the Glee stuff out of this. What was the appeal of that show? Anyway, most if not all covers are pretty inferior to the original. There are a lot of examples out there. Then, there are some that are pretty decent but still aren’t as great or memorable.

Today, here are some of the covered songs that I think are as good or are greater than the original songs. It’s not in order and I’m leaving it at ten. There are other songs out there but I have to cut it off somewhere. I was curious in seeing what songs were covers and a couple actually shocked me. I’ll include links to both the original and cover so you can make up your own mind.

Random Thoughts #39 - Wisdom Teeth... Who Needs Them?

Well, I’m in tonight.  I cracked one of my wisdom teeth a couple of weeks ago, so they came out today. Kids, don’t put something like this off for a year. There was no way I could go to work post-procedure. It actually has gone on well so far. There’s just some bleeding and pain. Other than that, it’s been an okay week. God’s good, work’s good, and women…well,  I’ll find one.  I think it’s time for some Random Thoughts.

Complaints, Itching, Moaning, Whining… Whatever

Is it just me or is the Internet have a lot of whiners? I mean, I know they’re out there. Heck, I’m one of them sometimes though mine are aren’t fricking annoying. It seems like it’s got worse for some reason. You go to one place and you see someone complaining about the new Star Wars movie. You go to another place and see someone getting irate about some red cup at Starbucks. You find another place that talks about guns, immigrants, and poultry. Then, you go over to another place and see someone complaining about how other people complain about sh…. Oh. Anyway, I’m just tired of it all. I do get that there are really important issues that need to be addressed, but everything under the sun doesn’t need to be whined about. Maybe we all need a break from the Internet or something.

Halloween

Well, I did it. I decided to finally go all out for Halloween. Usually, I’d just do a ninja get up and throw on some black clothing. This time, I more or less did the World War 2 version of Captain America. In other words, I was going to go save Bucky. I even made my own shield from tape and cardboard. I ended up hanging out with a friend who decided sort of dress up as Storm. Deitra, if you actually read this, I just wanted to say good job. I had a fun time overall. The shield actually kept up throughout the night. I now have something I could use at a convention if I ever go to one.

Ran into a female Joker at the comic shop. A weird but nice team-up.

Star Trek back on TV? Sort of...

Now this was a little interesting to hear. CBS is apparently going to make another Star Trek show. I have to say that it’s about time! Seriously, if there’s one place where Trek can be done well, it’s on TV. While I liked the newer movies, I have to admit that they aren’t the best of Trek by a long shot. Unfortunately, the show (which is supposed to appear in 2017) is supposed to air on CBS’s All Access site. I don’t know how that will work out with me or anyone. All I can hope is that it’s well-casted and good. A friend of mine actually has who she would want to be on there and it’s not a bad list.

Batman Homage Month

Now this is something I’ve though long and hard about. At the end of September, I thought about doing a month where I’d look at heroes that are analogues to Batman. I’m running into a little problem with that. It’s pretty easy to see who was an analogue to Superman. With Batman, it’s kind of hard to see who fits his modus operandi. I know there are characters out there, so this will be a challenge to do. So, look out for something in December.

Well, that’s all I have today. I recently heard about the attack in Paris, so keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They’ll be in mine. Peace, God Bless, and please be careful out there.

"It's a Video Game!" - Dragon Age: Inquisition

Well, I’m back with the next game in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game was released during November of 2014 on current-gen consoles, next-gen consoles, and PC. I ended up getting the game in 2015. I guess it was during July or August, I’m not sure. I do know one thing: man, this game’s long! The world has been expanded in a big way. I put in over 80 hours of gameplay on it. I haven’t played any of the DLCs yet. I can’t play two of them since EA decided to be money-grubbing idiots and have them exclusive to next-gen consoles and PC. Leaving my PS3 out... yes, I’m still bitter on that!

DAI takes place sometime after the events of Dragon Age 2. Mages and Templars went to war with each other in the land of Thedas.  The game starts out during a botched attempt at a truce between the warring parties. Something happens that causes a Rift in the Fade and demons begin to show up in the real world. You play as the Inquisitor (in my case, Michelangelo… yeah, I named my guys after the TMNT), the only survivor of the truce. You are marked with a piece of the Fade so you are able to close the portals. You get drafted by the Inquisition, a long-dead group that has been reformed by different and familiar faces in Thedas. The main goal is to find out what has caused the Rift to appear in the sky and to help heal the land from the various wars that have cropped up.