Thursday 13 #5: The Expanding VS Blogosphere

Welcome to Lost Hemisphere’s fifth instalment of the Thursday Thirteen blogomemethingy!

I had originally intended to post a Thirteen loosely based on the snowstorm last night that resulted in my beloved VW Beetle getting stuck trying to get out of the complex, but when Stubarnes speaks, the blogosphere listens!

The call has gone out, and who am I to deny it?

Lost Hemisphere’s Thursday Thirteen #5 is hereby dedicated to 13 VS-related blogs that inspire me, entertain me, or I’m just fond of for who knows what other reason.

The VS System corner of the blogosphere is currently under a renaissance of sorts  as more and more people toss their hats into the ring to expound on whatever tickles there fancy at the moment. I freely admit I’m to be counted among their number, though I sit in my rocking chair, having blogged about VS for almost two months now, and yell at those newcomers who are only a week or two old and tell them to get off my lawn.

These newcomers seem to be brimming with potential, and I’m rather intrigued to see how many of them will last the test of time and continue with regular updates after the first few weeks. I certainly wish them all the best, and encourage them to continue… but for the sake of this Thursday Thirteen I should point out that itis not a definitive list of my top thirteen favourite VS blogs.

Rather it’s a healthy mix of some of my favourites, some of the newcomers, and maybe a couple that I’m feeling oddly sentimental about.

On with the show! In alphabetical order with clicky banners (for those that have them)that will take you to the blogs in question! Gadzooks! Admittedly, the banners are a smidge wide for the collumn, but shucks, Gadzooks anyway!

1. Full Body Transplant, by Stubarnes

You’ll be hard pressed to find someone more dedicated to the VS System than Stubarnes, aka Rian Fike. His blog often meanders away from VS-related topics, but it’s always thought-provoking, and his encouragement has gone a long way towards fueling the current explosion of VS blogs.

2. It’s a VS Life, by OnyxWeapon

It kills me that Aaron, aka OnyxWeapon, is so bemused by the amount of fan traffic his blog has received. Aside from being the father of Facebook VS, he’s always pushing himself to make fun, entertaining decks and he’s never one to shy away from a challenge… even when I dare him to write up a competitive article about the much maligned Crime Lords. Expect the article any day now… 

3. Lost Hemisphere, by Gdaybloke

Yes, I’m amused and entertained by my own blog. I enjoy writing it - I better, I spend the better part of 10+ hours a week writing posts and articles for the enjoyment of all and sundry. The rampant presence of Beta Ray Bill is just gravy. See? He’s over there on the sideboard, inviting you to click him and vote for Lost Hemisphere. Do it. Do it now.

4. Planet Kalee, by KaleeshWarrior

Kaleesh really stepped up to the plate with his New Years Resolution to create a deck for each of the 50+ team affiliations in VS over the course of the year, and thus far he’s stuck with his resolution to the amusement of all. A fun writer, a cool dude, an entertaining blog.

5. Poppy the Cat, by Lord of Limbo

This blog has a sincere advantage in that its banner was designed by a very cool dude… hang on, it was me! (*boggles*) Lord of Limbo brings his British sensibilities to the game with pomp and circumstance, and every time it’s a delight and makes me want to have tea and crumpets.

6. Pyrahmancy, by Bungo Underhill

Pyrahmancy actually comes in two forms, that of a wordpress blog and then also as a video blog on Youtube. Another pommy VS player, Bungo is one of the few, the proud, the lads who do their best for their game despite less-than-favourable prize support. That he put together a Darkseid Legend deck around the time I was building mine for the marquee event has nothing to do with it…

7. read/RANT, by Foilball and assorted others

A community blog headed by the mellifluous Billy Zonos aka Foilball, read/RANT is less about VS and more about comic reviews. It makes the list because VS is about comic characters. See? It makes sense, really it does! Add in the whole community blog aspect, with comic reviews from different people with different tastes and passions in the comic world, and you get some cool stuff.

8. The brave and the blog, by Runaway

The first thing that attracted me to Runaway’s blog was the name. I’m a big fan of wordplay, and despite being one of the new kids on the block (step by step, ooh baby), he’s made a strong entrance and I really hope to see a lot more of his writing. I just noticed that he’s had the cajones to post a deck with a strong Legion of Superheroes presence - I know what I’ll be reading when I’m done here.

9. the emo side of vs by brokenbyme

Oh, Brokenbyme, why oh why don’t you have a pretty banner for me to showcase? It must be because your life is so miserably depressing and emo. This blog caught my immediate attention with its opening post, a neat little serving of dedication to a team favourite we share, the Morlocks. I’m a fan of anyone who puts fun, characterful, thematic play ahead of strictly competitive play, and thus I’m a fan of this blog. Colour me emo. Or not, since too much black makes me look like I’m a sheet, pasty white boy that I am.

10. The Kamiza, by Kamiza

If anything’s going to drag European VS out of the dark ages it’s currently in, it’s this man. Kamiza (aka Steve) has consistently pumped out high quality goodness, working his British tuchus off to provide forums, a video blog, and even the central hub for all of the current VS blogs. Add to it a canny mind that can see through decks like swiss cheese (decipher THAT! Hah!) and his just generally being an excellent bloke in every sense, and you have spiffiness on a stick.

11. The Ring Has Chosen, by Captain Comet and HomerJ

This one’s not really a blog… rather, it’s a weekly podcast, available on iTunes, and posted weekly at VSRealms. For the link I’ve hooked you up to episode 42, because as we know, 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. One of these days we’ll work out what the question really was. Regardless, the two hosts consistently pump out deck ideas, set reviews, and mad nonsensical ramblings for two or more hours every week. How can you not love that?

12. Tier 2 Tutor by dMage

This blog is so brand new it still has the dealer plates… and yes, no banner for me to showcase. Get on that, dMage. The thing that attracts me to this blog is the concept behind it all. Not everyone has a playset of Enemy Of My Enemy, Mobilize, and other such goodness. There are players out there who are pretty much limited to getting their hands on boxes of year-old expansions, and have had no luck trading for the high-value cards. This blog is dedicated to those players who don’t have a bookshelf full of card binders to build their decks from. As VS experiences a resurgence, we’re going to see more and more new players who, similarly, don’t have deep collections to dig into - this one is for them, and I applaud the concept and the effort.

13. VS-Blog, by Carlos the Dwarf

Finally, since it’s the last name alphabetically, is Carlos’ VS-Blog. Whether this blog predates Full Body Transplant or not I don’t know, but I know that for the longest time this one was pretty much the only place to go for VS bloggy goodness. Carlos posts (almost) daily with news and happenings in the VS world, and I hear he doesn’t smell as bad as you think.

SO…

There’s thirteen nifty online VS blogs and such, I recommend them with a hearty thumbs up. You can find these and more at the VS Network List, just be sure you listen to Beta Ray Bill when he tells you to vote for Lost Hemisphere so we can move up the list and get more visibility

Finally, the conclusion to last week’s T13 Composite Superheroine contest!

Despite the best efforts of some, we only had a couple of entries that managed to nail all thirteen components. That’s right, two. What, was it too hard for you??? Put in some effort, ya gits!

The thirteen VS Superheroines who donated parts to the for the contest were:

1. Donna Troy @ Wonder Girl: Amazon Warrior
2. Psylocke: Second Skin
3. Indigo: Brainiac 8
4. Wasp: Janet Van Dyne-Pym
5. Medusa: Inhuman
6. Joystick: Janice Yanizesh
7. Nightshade: Eve Eden
8. Miss Martian: M’gann M’orzz
9. Girl 13: Traci Thirteen
10. Silver Sable: Silver Sablinova
11. Beautiful Dreamer: Forever People
12. Mirage: Miriam Delgado
13. Liz Sherman: Uncontrolled Power

Now, I’d posted originally that I’d be choosing randomly between the correct entries to see who gets a copy of Parallax: Embodiment of Fear, but I’m just so impressed by the two finalists that I’m going to give them both a copy.

Three cheers for VSRealm’s own Flashback, and my own local pal who often gets his name dropped on the Lost Hemisphere, the Eponymous Pablo!!!!!

Flashback, PM me your addy on the Realms and I’ll get a copy in the mail for you in the next week. Pablo, your copy will be waiting for you next time you’re able to join us at Hobby League.