As an avid gamer I am well aquainted with the process of picking and designing a new character for my self but after reading this post by Nadia @xxxlovelylollipop I thought I’d give it a go and see what my list might be if I could ‘really’ be any new character I wanted.

To be honest I really don’t feel like I have much of a solid character anyway, I’m very changeable and able to morph to the environment I’m in so this could be tricky but i’ll see.

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To start with if I were given the choice now I’d have picked female as a gender, not that there’s anything wrong with being a man it has it’s benefits…but on balance Girls have a better deal I reckon. So my first choice is this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motoko Kusanagi the Cyborg lead character in the superb Ghost in the Shell Anime.

Not only is she mostly robot (another strong temptation for me for some reason) but she’s strong, intellegent and has had her grasp on reality and perception loosened by connection to a global data network that has given her god like perception and powers. A fascinating and layer character who is all at once able and unbreakable but also fragile and alone.

Staying with Anime but moving to the male persuasion I choose Dante from the Devil May Cry video games.

A character designed to be a personification of Cool, Dante would just be fun because he can do anything, is almost entirely indestructable (due to the part of him that is Demon) and has a general sense of humour about everything and a very layed back cool attitude.

But like Dante there is a temptation in me that draws me to characters that have a darkness or something hidden within…and none could be darker than Caleb a character from a very early PC game called Blood.

Caleb was a gunslinger back in the old west when he met Ophelia who was a member of the Cabal an evil cult that worshipped the dark god Techernobog. After years of service Caleb became one of the four most powerful and evil members of the Cabal.

But suddenly without warning Techernobog turned on his most trusted lieutenants and set three terrible beasts on Ophelia, Gabriel and Ishmael while casting down Caleb back to his mortal body.

Confused by his betrayal and worried for Ophelia Caleb goes on a bloody rampage against the Cabal destroying everything in his path, eventually he finds that Ophelia has been killed and then vows destruction on his dark god. As the game continues you find each of the lieutenants dead and gather their strength eventually reaching Techernobog in the other worldly halls of epiphany.

There he tells you that his plan was to make you his second in command and with the power you have gained you and he could rule together. But Caleb who is now even more powerful than he was before and only loved one thing in his live which Techernobog took from him turns down the offer and kills the god. As THIS ending scene shows he’s not a hero but I really like the concept of someone so totally evil hunting down other evils and ending them sort of a classic Anti-Hero type deal.

So when i’m feeling alone and somewhat dark this is the sort of character that I imagine offers a kind of freedom.

A slightly more posetive version of this type of ‘beast within’ character would of course be The Hulk (and lets be honest who thought i’d get through this list without adding at least one superhero

I don’t really need to introduce this guy do I?

The classic story of the quiet nerd who has the Hulk within, love the concept of this sort of like Dr.Jeckel and Mr.Hyde…but with less murder :/

Okay so this one might be a bit of a cheat because this is a character from the game MassEffect 1 and 2 which is kind of someone you can create and guide to be who you want, but still both me and my brother worked together to create and guide Commander Nova Shepard and she is one of the coolest, toughest and most honourable hero’s we’ve ever made in a game.

Shes fair and balanced while not being weak or compromising…she can also be kinda scary lol It’s a real credit to the game writers how real this character has become and how important every choice in-game becomes.

If I were a hero this is the person I’d want to emulate.

And finally the character I have admired for years ever since as a kid I would listen to the Lord of the Rings on tape.

Samwise Gamgee. A perfect example of loyalty, bravery and companionship, willing to follow his friend to his death all the while a smile on his face and a kind word to say.

I truly admire this sort of heroism and selflessness.

It’s been dry and VERY cold recently here, the ground is freezing and the air is crisp and fresh. There’s even been a few sunshine days and today was one of the better ones, so I went for a walk to the Lion.

The Lion is what we call an outcropping of rock across the fields from our house. I’ve walked and paddled by it for years and know it well but I realised that to an unfamiliar eye it must be quite an interesting site so below are some photos from today of the Lion.

It also has a stone finger close by which is the place I should have Plunk when I needed to plank for the ASSCAT…but due to laziness and lack of commitment I didn’t, so also included in this short photoblog is the Plank that should have been Plunked

 

The Needle:

 

The Needle with a dude on it:

 

The Lion and the Needle (or finger):

 

Scale shot…not too bad getting up there bit scary if you think about it too much :S

 

The Lion…Can you see it?

 

Maybe a better angle:

 

The view from the head of the Lion, which is flat and juts out for a lovely view.

 

Breathing the wind from atop the Lion.

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