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FELICIA DAY: Hey everybody.
Welcome back to The Flog.
I'm Felicia Day, and as always, this is my show.
In this week's segment, we explore a traumatic part of my
childhood with a very special guest.
But first, I want to share my favorite five things of the
week with you.
Fave Five.
A while ago on Twitter, I asked people to recommend
podcasts to me.
One that I continue to enjoy and listen to is called
Hardcore History.
There's something in the way Dan Carlin describes
historical events that really puts them in perspective.
I mean, I'd never heard of the Punic Wars before.
Punic sounds dirty.
But if you listen to his three-part podcast on them
where the Romans totally deny and destroy Carthage and all
their poor elephants, you may think twice about complaining
how bad your commute is, because seriously, in
perspective, we got it easy, ladies.
Number two this week is a Tumblr with a seriously
traumatic photo meme.
It's called One Tiny Hand.
I mean, the concept is pretty simple and obvious.
But for some reason, it's like, so disturbing,
Especially since viewer Sick Vicious sent me a picture of
myself with one.
Yeah, tiny hand codex, please no.
Next, people often ask me how I got started writing, what
inspired me, and how to be creative.
In a nutshell, I would recommend buying this book,
called If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland.
For years, I was too nervous to try writing anything but
after reading this book, I started.
Oh, and the book was written in 1938 so it's not like this
woman is hawking her book on Oprah or anything.
I mean, she's dead.
She's a skeleton.
But her advice is still timely and very inspiring.
If you want to be creative at anything, I would highly
recommend this book.
Number four, some people hate animated gifs, and they never
restrain themselves from commenting how much they hate
them every single time I share one on G+.
Whatever.
I think they're cool.
I like them, and I especially like how artist Zac Gorman
uses them on his blog, Magical Game Time.
He adds just enough movement to his comic panels and his
video game art pieces to bring them to life in an awesome,
awesome way.
So if you have good taste, check it out
and be sure to support.
So for the last of my Fave Five this week, I would like
to take on this idea of casual games and people not being
real quote unquote "gamers." I think this kind of talk is
bull [BLEEP].
I don't know where this magical checklist is that
measures whether you can call yourself a gamer or not.
But I think this attitude is elitist and prevents gaming
from being more acceptable and mainstream.
And the more accepted gaming is, the less likely your
girlfriend or boyfriend will complain about your raiding
four hours a night.
They may even join you.
When I have a few hours for a casual game, I go to one of my
favorite blogs called JayIsGames.com.
They list all the newest games from across the web, so
there's always something awesome there to discover.
And speaking of games, onto my childhood trauma.
This week's segment involves pixels and genetics--
oh, and these movie seats that I covered in lady fabric.
Check it out.
So I'm known for gaming but, little-known fact, I did not
have any consoles when I was a kid.
And this is my brother Ryon Day.
RYON DAY: Howdy.
FELICIA DAY: And we were deprived as children.
When other children-- we would go to their house, and we'd be
like, what do you have?
You have a Nintendo, and you have Mario, and
you have Final Fantasy.
And our mother would say, no, I don't want
you to rot your brain.
So she would buy an Amiga and let us play Math Blaster for
eight hours a day.
RYON DAY: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, too.
FELICIA DAY: And Faery Tale Adventure.
So when somebody would say, hey, did you
play the latest Mario?
No, we played Marble Madness.
RYON DAY: Shadow of the Beast and--
FELICIA DAY: Yeah.
RYON DAY: You can't convince anybody that that's better
than Mario.
FELICIA DAY: No.
They would look at us like we were the nerds--
RYON DAY: Because it's not.
FELICIA DAY: of gamer.
Like we were.
Anyway, so we're going to heal that wound of deprivation and
play through some games that we never got to
play through as kids.
So our first one will be Streets of Rage, I believe.
The graphics are not like they are now, are they?
Oh boy.
It's almost-- looking at this now--
I don't feel like I was deprived.
RYON DAY: Well, like 20 years ago, we would have looked at
this and would have been like, this is sweet.
Like, this is life-like.
FELICIA DAY: "This vicious syndicate," blah, blah, blah.
OK.
Start.
RYON DAY: You don't know what the backstory is?
FELICIA DAY: Start.
RYON DAY: There we go.
FELICIA DAY: Ooh, can I be Blaze?
RYON DAY: Adam's got a saucy grin on his face there.
FELICIA DAY: What is power?
RYON DAY: I don't know what I just did.
FELICIA DAY: What did you just do?
RYON DAY: Well , you're going to be who you are.
FELICIA DAY: I don't even know what my buttons do.
RYON DAY: OK.
Here we go.
I think there's three of them.
You can figure it out.
FELICIA DAY: Here, punch, punch.
RYON DAY: No.
That's me
FELICIA DAY: That's you!
RYON DAY: Stop it!
FELICIA DAY: Stop it!
Stop it!
RYON DAY: I'm on their side.
FELICIA DAY: Don't!
Come here!
Oh no, I'm sorry.
Oh, your health's going down.
RYON DAY: We really are reliving our
childhood with this.
FELICIA DAY: We need to turn off friendly fire.
RYON DAY: You can't turn off friendly fire.
That's at least a 1998 innovation in video gaming.
FELICIA DAY: I want an apple!
RYON DAY: There we go.
FELICIA DAY: I want the apple!
I don't know what that is.
RYON DAY: Why would you want a gross street apple?
It looks good.
FELICIA DAY: Wait!
That's my street apple.
RYON DAY: What is that?
I have a bottle.
FELICIA DAY: I'm embracing him.
Look, I'm french-kissing him, and them I'm going to do a
jete over his head.
RYON DAY: I think I got a bottle.
FELICIA DAY: Look at me, I'm holding his waist.
RYON DAY: My health is low.
I could use a street apple.
FELICIA DAY: C is jump.
Look!
Hooray!
RYON DAY: OK.
I'm going to wreck this phone booth.
FELICIA DAY: Stop it!
Does that give you points?
RYON DAY: I got a pipe.
FELICIA DAY: No!
That's my pipe!
RYON DAY: Would you hold a pipe like that?
FELICIA DAY: No.
I would not.
I mean, it seems that you would hold it lower.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
FELICIA DAY: Than holding it at the end so it's going to--
ergonomically--
RYON DAY: He's just learning how to be a vigilante.
He'll get better at it.
Oh, a street apple.
FELICIA DAY: No, the street apple.
RYON DAY: A dirty, filthy street apple.
It was hidden inside a phone booth, like someone dropped
that after they made a call.
FELICIA DAY: These are the most acquiescent bad
guys I've ever seen.
RYON DAY: Can you do like a triple--
uh-oh, I think we messed up.
FELICIA DAY: Oh, were we supposed to do it in time?
RYON DAY: Yeah.
FELICIA DAY: We gotta go faster.
We got 45 seconds.
Oh, no!
RYON DAY: (SINGING) When you're a jet, you're
a jet all the way.
FELICIA DAY: It's like Where's Waldo on steroids.
RYON DAY: I found him and his brother.
FELICIA DAY: Look at that machete.
That just seems like a--
RYON DAY: Oh whoa!
That was a trade off hip hugging.
FELICIA DAY: Whoa.
Dance.
RYON DAY: I think my hands are cramping.
FELICIA DAY: I don't know.
RYON DAY: These controllers are rough.
They're not ergonomic.
FELICIA DAY: What do you need them smooth, like a baby?
Do we get an achievement?
Those pesky rabbits.
RYON DAY: In their DeLorean.
FELICIA DAY: Did you see that still?
That is pretty badass.
Nothing's touching me.
RYON DAY: Street apple.
FELICIA DAY: So much denim.
Basically, in the late '90s, denim was the enemy.
I don't know.
It's so indeterminate.
RYON DAY: All right.
There we go.
FELICIA DAY: Is that a birthday cake?
I think it was a birthday cake.
RYON DAY: Feral cake.
FELICIA DAY: There's an ill wind in the air.
Look.
RYON DAY: An ill wind blows.
FELICIA DAY: Ow!
RYON DAY: Oops, sorry, collateral damage.
My bad.
FELICIA DAY: Come on, I need a street apple.
RYON DAY: Another clown.
FELICIA DAY: No, no.
I don't like this.
I want to stop.
I would say this is linear progression.
RYON DAY: I give this game--
the storyline, which we didn't listen to, probably wasn't
strong, so I give that one star.
FELICIA DAY: It was a half- page scroll.
RYON DAY: Zero stars for the graphics, of course.
FELICIA DAY: 16 stars.
16-bit.
RYON DAY: I don't know my character's motivation here.
FELICIA DAY: I don't understand our
relationship either.
RYON DAY: In the closing moments, I just want to beat
the crap out of my sister here.
FELICIA DAY: No!
It's a street--
RYON DAY: Streetsicle.
FELICIA DAY: No, it's a streetsicle.
I guess we'll see you next time.
Oh--
RYON DAY: Oh, what?
FELICIA DAY: What?
Oh my god, it's Haley Joel Osment.
Ooh, look at that guy creeping with his bad posture.
RYON DAY: He needs--
FELICIA DAY: He needs milk.
RYON DAY: --a backrub.
FELICIA DAY: What's happening?
RYON DAY: Again!
FELICIA DAY: I think they're our friends.
RYON DAY: That is great.
I like that.
FELICIA DAY: That's a good ending.
That's a good ending.
OK.
See you next time.
RYON DAY: And scene!
FELICIA DAY: I'll be doing retro game playthroughs
throughout the year.
So if you have a game you'd like me to play, please leave
it in the comments.
Finally, our question of note this week is from Just Jack,
who writes, if you could be an animal, what
animal would you be?
Good question.
Dear Mr. Jack, as far as animals go, people have said
that I most closely resemble a squirrel, even though
I don't like it.
I am pretty cuddly and adorable, but I don't really
like the idea of being a prey animal.
I'd much rather be a cat.
Cats are independent.
They have soft fur and a passive-aggressive surly
attitude they get away with by providing purring and
self-sustaining bathroom habits.
So my answer is cat.
Oh wait, are mythological creatures available in this
theoretical situation?
Unicorn.
Definitely a unicorn.
Sincerely, Felicia Day.
OK, Just Jack, your letter will be on its way.
And if you'd like to submit your own question, please
email TheFlog@geekandsundry.com.
OK.
That's our show this week.
Thank you for watching.
Please subscribe.
And I will see you next week.
Bye.
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