ZeldaFreak

Hey, maybe if we all remember we can all necrobump this thread in 2030 and see how we did

Sounds like a solid goal to have to me!

Hey there, sorry you had to go through all that. I went through a similar thing, although my incident was more along the lines of slowly, depressingly walking towards my method of self-execution with my head looking down, whereas it sounds like you had more of a breakdown. Super glad you didn't go through with it and things seem to be going better for you, and I'm REALLY glad you have that genuine feeling of hope for the future. I know very well how intoxicatingly euphoric that feeling is after you've had little to no hope for so long. Hold on to that feeling as tight as you can, because it's the best feeling in the world after you go through so much hell. Hope you had a decent Christmas, and I'll raise a glass of 'nog in your name. Here's to a better and brighter future for you

Thank you, I really appreciate it a lot I've already made a good bit of progress compared to the place I've been in the last few years thanks to therapy (which I'll be starting up again early next year) and gaining some very good friends, so hopefully I can keep the momentum going. I don't mind if it takes 10, 20, 30 years to get my mental health and weight in check, just as long as the end result is a person content with their life

Alright, bit late here, but that's alright! Unsure who exactly my Secret Santa was, hopefully they'll reveal themselves after I post this Regardless though, they did a really great job! I got Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for the Nintendo Switch, as well as a couple really cool little Nintendo scratch-off games from the late 80's. I feel like I remember getting something very similar to those scratch-offs a couple years back, so I wonder if it's the same person again Thanks to whoever my SS is, you did wonderfully!

Big thing for me would be to get my various mental health issues in check. Hopefully then I can finally start making progress in life again without being at a permanent standstill. Perhaps pursuing a higher education, getting a job, deciding on a potential career path, or otherwise pursuing my hopes and dreams, whatever it may be. I would give anything to greatly reduce, let alone entirely eradicate my depression and, to a lesser extent, my anxiety issues. I'm doing much better than I was last year given my encounter with suicide that I thankfully survived, but it's still not great. Would be nice to feel a consistent feeling of happiness, or at the very least contentedness. Would help me immeasurably in trying to dig up the motivation to start going somewhere in life, and I imagine that would do wonders to the rate at which I procrastinate. Next thing up would be the usual weight loss goal, but to be fair I am quite the appleish man, so it's warranted. I lost a solid 20 or 25 pounds last year when I started speaking to a nutritionist, but I've managed to gain that weight back again due to the previously mentioned encounter with suicide kind of getting in the way of my progress there. Still though, that proved to me that it's perfectly doable, and once I start working on my motivation levels, I may be able to fully commit to that a bit better. I've learned that if I try to plan too big, too optimistically and a little too detailed, it will usually all fall apart, so I figure it's best for me to keep it simple: Fix mental health, fix weight, as they both pose direct threats to my overall lifespan, among other reasons. On a more lighthearted note, I do hope to start getting back in to the collecting scene, probably sometime in the latter half of the decade. I've been on a hiatus for a good while now, as I got one big item and figured that's about the best stopping point I could ask for, but I've always planned on getting back in to the game, I've never intended and still do not intend for this hiatus to be permanent. Can't really think of anything else honestly, those are the big ones. First half of this decade wasn't too bad for me, but then the second half of it pulled a fast one on me and gave me a swift kick to the dick. Hopefully a little more consistency for me this coming decade would be nice, that would be my overall wish for what I hope this decade is like.

Phew, glad you liked it! @8-bit_boice I was your Secret Santa this year, hello I try to go for quality over quantity as best I can with these, and hopefully you're OK with that. Took me a lot of narrowing down to do, I looked through your whole collection, looked at all the unlicensed ones you didn't have, and I was getting a bit worried as I was nearing the end, and all the potential contenders either had no good condition ones online, or they were just barely out of my budget, but thankfully near the end of the list, I arrived at Tagin' Dragon, found a good priced one in very good condition and managed to snag it. I would've loved to get you one of the 6-in-1's or something like that, and I totally would've, but that just doesn't fit within my budget unfortunately. Still though, hopefully this is an alright compromise I know you keep your collection very up to date, but I consistently had this irrational fear in my mind of "Oh god what if the collection is wrong, what if he already has this one and I sent him a double, oh no" but thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case! Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year man, you deserve it, as do all of the rest of you folks in this thread I'll get to posting the gift I received here in just a bit. Also, I will add to what everyone else is saying by also thanking @captmorgandrinker for hosting this year's Secret Santa once again, did an absolutely fantastic job with it, as always Anyway, hope all you folks drink plenty of 'nog, maybe light a fire, and have an alright time with your family and/or friends. Or hey, maybe spend it alone, nothin' wrong with that. Spend the time in whatever way makes you happy! Last holiday season of the decade after all, gotta make it a good one! Cheers to you all, and cheers to the 2010's, on to a new and exciting decade. Let's make it a good one!

I did get a chance to see it in theaters with my family, and it was indeed absolutely amazing and breathtaking. People always comment on the visuals, which are certainly astonishing, but one thing in particular I noticed in our theater was the audio. The audio was equally as amazing, obviously stuff like the lip-syncing, but even just the artillery going off all around you, gunshots, bullets whizzing by. The whole thing was an amazing and eye-opening experience for sure. I would definitely highly recommend that anyone watch this film. It may not quite have the same effect as it does watching it in 3D in a big theater with good surround sound, but it'll still be sure to leave you amazed. Still hoping to get the blu-ray at some point so I can show it to my grandparents next time I visit, as I'm sure they'd enjoy it.

Alright, finally got my list in! Been having a busy few days and I must admit I was being a bit lazy with it, but I finally got it done at the end of the day. Let me know if there are any issues with it, there shouldn't be though

See my above best-selling novel on why you should watch The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is the movie I watched most recently. Good god. I wish more people had heard of it, it seems like it's only getting a little bit of attention. I can't really describe much about the movie without getting in to heavy spoilers, but I personally loved it. The basic plot synopsis is... well, two lighthouse keepers get stranded on a small island with a lighthouse on it (hence the title) in the 1890's, and they slowly start to lose their sanity whilst constantly butting heads with each other. That isn't even scratching the surface of the movie, but it's the most basic possible description of the plot. It primarily stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, who both give the performances of their careers for sure. I was in slack-jawed awe the whole movie with how good these two were, but in distinct ways. It's filmed in 1.19:1 (very, very old aspect ratio mostly used in films from the early 20th century, similar to 4:3) and in black and white. While the film could perhaps be described as artsy, the choice to film in that aspect ratio in black and white did not to me come off as a gimmick. It added a ton to the claustrophobia and overall feel of the movie. I felt that if the movie was not filmed in this manner, it would've actually detracted from the experience, especially given the impeccable lighting that could only really be done effectively in black and white. The characters also speak in a sort of old-timey sailor dialect that is very accurate to the time period and setting, but can sometimes be a bit hard to understand. Again, though, that adds a lot to the movie. It's one of those movies that kind of defies genre in a lot of ways, but the best way I could describe it would be a lovecraftian psychological horror mystery with a bit of comedy mixed in. Like I said, it's hard to fit it in to one genre It's a heavily ambiguous film in a lot of ways. Because of that, one of the things I loved about it is that it's one of those movies that you can't just sit back and enjoy without thinking, you're constantly trying to put puzzle pieces together in your head as the movie progresses, figuring out what means what, that sort of thing. Makes you feel like you're going insane along with the characters, another aspect I like about it. Gets in to your head. It facilitates discussion, and keeps you thinking about it long after the credits roll, trying to piece together what in god's name you just witnessed. The cinematography is also absolutely amazing. The way it's shot very authentically makes it feel like a much older movie than it is. The score is also great as well. It kicks in at the best possible times, and along with what was happening on-screen, the score contributed in sending chills down my spine on multiple occasions. Particularly the track "Why'd Ya Spill Yer Beans?" and the circumstances that go along with it. I get chills just listening to it again. I will say this movie also has one of my favorite shots of all time from any film, but I won't say what it involves on account of spoilers. It comes from the scene in which the previously mentioned track plays over. Possibly one of my favorite scenes from any horror movie I've seen. Anyway, I know none of you asked for a damn review of the movie, I just really enthusiastically loved it and wanted to get my thoughts out on it. Definitely going to be re-watching it on numerous occasions once it's theater run ends, and it immediately became one of my favorite horror movies of all time, up there with The Thing and the Shining for me personally. Kind of funny all my favorite horror movies begin with "The." Anyway, VERY highly recommend anyone who likes horror to see this movie. It may not be for folks who like definitive answers, but for everyone else, it's quite a ride. TL;DR The Lighthouse, two men go insane on an island, cosmic horror, period-accurate dialogue with amazing performances, amazing score and cinematography, one of my favorite horror movies of all time, very good movie IMO, highly recommend to lovers of horror and character-driven movies.

Super easy 10 for me. Favorite band of all time, so much raw talent emanating from each of them individually, that when you combine them all in to one group, the results are astounding. The Show Must Go On is my personal favorite song of all time, largely because, as I've mentioned in the past, at the time I first heard it I was dealing with a lot of personal issues, my depression was getting to me, and I was heavily considering committing suicide, but right at the worst moment of that, I saw the song pop up in my little recommended tab on Youtube. I listened to it, and I am not afraid to admit I did start crying. That song, along with support from my friends, had a profound affect on me and was instrumental in keeping me alive and well today. I actually love some of their less well-known songs more than the big ones, personally. Some of my favorites are The Show Must Go On (obviously) Who Wants to Live Forever, Made In Heaven (Another personal favorite,) Scandal, Seven Seas of Rhye, March of the Black Queen (Which I personally prefer over Bohemian Rhapsody, even though they are very similar songs in a lot of ways,) The Invisible Man, I Want it All, Now I'm Here, Hammer to Fall, Stone Cold Crazy, Coming Soon, and I'm sure SO many more that I'm forgetting about. They have an amazing discography, and they have a ton of variety in their music, lots of genres. I think there's a little something for everyone buried somewhere in their long careers, even if you're not like me and just love all of it.

That's a good question actually, I personally get around this by having an absurdly long list so I have no clue what items from the list my secret santa will pick, but I know a lot of people just don't like having a list at all.

YYYYYEEES! I'm so glad you guys managed to pull it off this year! Absolutely in, as always. I'll get together a list as soon as I can

I think mine is pretty self explanatory

HA! I dunno how I only just now noticed this, I dunno if it's always been there and I'm blind or if it's new, but they literally just slapped on a .png of the NA logo up in the top right corner, as if to say "Yeah guys, this is still the NA you know and love! Right?" Christ almighty, I'm a pretty easygoing guy and I'm not one to say stuff like this at the drop of a hat, but Jesus Christ that really is just pathetic.

Yeah, I know this is a somewhat unpopular opinion, but while I know objectively the latter is probably better, subjectively I actually like March of the Black Queen better than Bohemian Rhapsody, I find myself listening to it a lot more often. And yeah, Scandal has definitely been one of my favorites ever since I first heard it. Just has such a unique sound to it, even among all the very unique Queen songs. Same with Coming Soon actually. Also, I can't BELIEVE I forgot to mention Who Wants To Live Forever, another song that had a profound affect on me! what kind of Queen fan am I?! Very glad to see some more love for Queen around here, though. I feel like a lot of people don't know just how good Queen's discography is even beyond the classics. I've listened to every one of their albums at least a couple times each, and honestly I dunno if I could choose a favorite, I'd have a really hard time. Even when they're at a lower point in their career like with Hot Space, they're STILL miles above a lot of the music that was coming out even at that time! (And I like Hot Space a lot actually, I just know at the time that was one of their most disliked albums)

Yeeeaaah, as much as I like the idea of everyone being able to discuss whatever their heart desires in the Everything Else tab, that's probably a good call. It's damn near impossible to have a reasonable, civilized discussion about politics without it devolving in to an argument nowadays. I think maybe just having a single dedicated thread for discussing politics would possibly be a decent idea, but I can't say I'm very knowledgeable on how to run a forum like this, what works and what doesn't, so that could very well be the worst idea in human history.

Hey, you have a point. That new site fit the season well, because it gave me the shock of my life signing in to it for the first time.

Nice! Yeah, I was makin' some pretty good headway on my N64 NFR collection, but I sold a decent chunk of them to get one bigger item, the aforementioned holy grail. Just couldn't pass up that opportunity. I still have a couple of rarer ones though, and I think I'm one of the few that actually cares about those back stickers and what condition they are in. For instance, I have an Ocarina of Time NFR that is identical to the typical NFR in every way... except it has a weirdly shaped rectangular back-sticker instead of the usual square one. Literally the only difference, but hey, that counts to me as a variant, even if it counts to literally nobody else I just love tracking down those weird, obscure variants that nobody else knows or frankly really cares about. As much as I am somewhat enjoying taking a break from the hobby, I really can't wait to get back in to the scene. It's gonna feel good trying to hunt down some of those lesser-known rares again.

Nice! I had most of the ones on the right at one point, and... I think I must've had a Skyward Sword NFR at some point too, but I must've sold it. I dunno where it is now if I didn't, haven't thought about it in years.

I've downsized quite a bit over the years, and am now taking a temporary hiatus on collecting since I acquired one of my holy grails and that felt like a pretty good stopping point, but NFRs still very much interest me, with Nintendo 64 NFRs being my main interest. I'm very jealous of your collection, I hope to acquire one similar to that someday. I'm also interested in kiosks as well, the things the NFRs were meant to go in to. Those things are pretty awesome, although right now I only have an incomplete Gamecube one and a fully complete Genesis one.

Yeah, exactly my thoughts as well

Ooo, I really like 3 personally. It's not too sharp and jarring like 2 and 4. It's just distinctive enough to be attention-grabbing, but not ear-piercing and annoying. I think out of these contenders, 3 would probably be the best for a notification sound in my opinion.