Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Couch potato cosplayers only. NO GAMERS ALLOWED!!!

Time to interrupt your laughter for a while because...it's time to get serious. I'd just received a letter from a certain anime otaku from a certain area I can't tell where he or she is. The letter told me that people can dress whoever and whatever they want and regarding about my sister's Serena cosplay last Easter, the letter sender told me that no other girl would want to dress in her new outfit and they could just stick to the original outfit especially the ones as seen in the XY video games. The letter sender told me not to order anyone to do whatever I want.



Well, to the letter sender who wrote this message from me via my Tumblr, I reply you with a really big "DAMN YOU" because let me ask you one thing. Have you ever seen some Pokemon fan attending in a convention dressed as Serena in her new outfit like in the anime series? The answer is a really big NO because even if she watched the anime several times, she thinks that she like the old one better than the new one and that's disgraceful. Call yourself an anime fan? How dare you. And why do you want to dress as a video game character?

On the subject of Best Wishes cosplay, watching someone dressed as a female character never appeared in the Pokemon Best Wishes anime in the likes of Hilda or Rosa rather than Iris not only sounds degrading to the anime community but also a disgrace to those who have a concept of race and ethnicity. Says what but damn them who never watched that BW anime years ago.

Here's a top tip about Pokemon cosplay: COSPLAY AS THE ONES YOU SAW ON THE ANIME SERIES, NOT ON THE VIDEO GAMES! Just do as I told to do. Although I won't force you to do this, I hope you'll join my cause because I want to show the world that dressing as characters you saw on TV is better than dressing as video game characters and who can blame it?

There's nothing bad about cosplaying as your favorite character because cosplaying is our way to pass the time if you got bored and it's part of keeping our lives running like...pinching on your sibling and be the first to say ouch, crying on a funeral of someone who isn't your relative, drinking some sleeping pills and fight it with exercise, and watching your pet goldfish swim.

What really grinds my gears right now is people dressed as video game characters in a convention specifically made for couch potatoes who spend the rest of the time watching TV shows (cartoons, anime, sci-fi, drama, action), movies, even web shows like Bee & PuppyCat, RWBY, or Bravest Warriors. Of course, you can call yourself a couch potato when you spend too much time playing video games but this is totally off course now. I am sick of seeing anyone dressed as video game characters because for them, they think TV is for wimps and they better off playing than flickering some channels with their remotes.

Yes, I don't mind bumping on people dressed as video game characters because seeing them just makes me furious, furious enough to throw a golden axe to their controllers, hand held consoles, or smartphones while playing some pointless app games. I just want to see people dressed as their favorite TV and movie heroes and villains, not the ones from video games!

I know that sounds very harsh but what about video games that do have TV shows or movies? There was the Super Mario Bros. that do have their own terrible TV show and a movie (I know, I saw them and they were horrifying), Street Fighter that does have a not-so-bad TV cartoon, a web series called Assassin's Fist, and some live-action movies with the latter called The Legend of Chun-Li (which doesn't look bad for me), Pac-Man did have two cartoons with the latter is the utterly brilliant Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Sonic The Hedgehog that spawns several cartoon shows with the latest Sonic cartoon called Sonic Boom, Resident Evil (Biohazard) that spawned numerous live-action films and they have big plans for the series' 20th anniversary next year, The iDOLM@STER which spawned some totally different anime shows as well as last year's movie...umm...there's too many to list but you know what, let's take it into consideration because this column is getting ugly right now.

As both a couch potato, a gamer, and a blogger who covers almost everything I saw, I respect people who dressed as their favorite characters. It's not that I'm upset or anything but seeing people who are into video games rather than those they've seen on their televisions at a convention is a strand too far and I'm starting to cross the line right now because gamers don't deserve to live in the community made by geeks and nerds for geeks and nerds. I know that geeks and nerds are different in every scientific way but if I see a gamer dressed as a video game character, I would really smash them to the ground, and by smashing them to the ground, I will LITERALLY smash them to the ground. FINISH HIM! Oops, there goes that video game line I wouldn't say that in this column.

Sadly, I wouldn't want to do such thing because I might disappoint someone who reads this, especially to a special buddy I met. That special buddy I met on the internet turns out to be a fan of The iDOLM@STER, just like me, and her favorite iM@S character is Haruka Amami, just like me. If you read this, I'm sorry. I've never meant to hurt your feelings because you were not just a good gamer but also a great anime otaku and an iM@S fan just like me. I'm very sorry for writing this because...I was just having fracas over the Serena cosplay from Pokemon.

Anyway, I guess I should end this column for now. Hope I don't get stressed by the time I wrote this and very sorry for those who got offended by this column. Please don't take it very seriously because I'm not taking it very seriously and I would never do that to a fellow nerd and geek like you.

How to dress as Bonnie

Bonnie is the little sister of Clemont, the Lumiose City Gym Leader, and although she’s too young to be a trainer just like her big brother, she has a very special friendship with a cute Electric-and-Fairy Pokemon named Dedenne. If she sees a very pretty lady, she would come approach to one and ask if she can take of her big brother. Sounds humorous but never mind because if you’re planning a Pokemon cosplay, here’s how to dress as Clemont’s little sister, Bonnie!




We’d recommend having a little girl from your family at a preschool age but in case you haven't got a little kid in your family, don’t worry because you can do this to yourself, unless if you’re a girl and if you have an adequate amount of budget to pull that off.

1) Start by finding a short-sleeved brown T-shirt but hopefully, the sleeves should not be too long or it will spoil it. If you got that kind of shirt, feel free to add a black ribbon on your shirt.

2) You need a white miniskirt for the outer part of your cosplay and for the inner part, some skin-tight cycling shorts (black, obviously).

3) Your hair needs to be blonde and short, although it’s difficult to match Bonnie’s hairstyle because of those round parts on it.

4) Although it’s difficult to find a yellow handbag similar to Bonnie’s, any handbag will do as long as it’s shoulder-carry and yellow.

5) Your shoes need to be pink. Any shoes will do as long as they’re pink and they’re not long-heeled. For a recommendation, why not find some pink clogs?

6) Optional: Bring a Dedenne plush with you

And there you have it. You can dress yourself as our favorite little sister who loves to ask out to take care of her big brother when she sees a pretty lady. That sounds comical but if you want to dress as Bonnie from Pokemon XY, follow these steps in no time.

Subaru Crossover7

When Subaru announced that they will discontinue their Exiga MPV after seven years, we were very skeptical about Subaru planning a replacement for the departed Exiga and as it turned out, their replacement turned out to be an Exiga risen from its grave like a zombie after dark, only to find out its been given some tougher looks and a new name.

2016 Subaru Crossover7

It's still an Exiga but since it has some new looks on the once-departed MPV, it's now been called the Crossover7 or to be more precise, the Exiga Crossover7. Yes. It's that concept MPV you saw at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show now became a reality and it's now ready for those who are ready with their Golden Week plans.

The Exiga Crossover7 maybe considered an SUV but in reality, it's just an MPV with some added ground clearance to make it look like it's ready to take on the world but even though this is a revived Exiga in the form of a so-called SUV, it's not half bad at the start because with seven seats inside, looks like a typical Japanese family will have their things to do during Golden Week ready. Think skydiving or going on a concert or kayaking, or whatever things a normal Japanese out-of-towner will do during Golden Week, this crossover MPV was made to do such purpose.

2016 Subaru Crossover7 interior

2016 Subaru Crossover7 interior

Since this is a family car, the Crossover7's interior matches the theme for being an adventurous car, although you do get some concessions of comfort such as satellite navigation, heated front seats, climate control, cup holders, so on, so forth. It its seven-seater arrangement, the boot space is not half bad and it's about as long as a golf cart lying down horizontally, which means, that's a lot of grocery shopping to be filled in. If you want more space, you can stow away the third row seats and that's more than enough to fit two medium-sized balikbayan boxes.

2016 Subaru Crossover7

The Crossover7 comes with the updated version of the FB25 boxer engine with Lineartronic CVT gearbox, like you get in the latest Subaru Legacy range. It produces 173PS of power output, 235Nm of torque, and thanks to its Lineartronic CVT gearbox, fuel economy is around 13.2km/L by JC08 Mode standards. Not quite as fuel efficient as the other MPVs but for a crossover of this magnitude, that doesn't sounds so bad.

As for the handling, well, thanks to Subaru's Symmetrical AWD, it's handy capable enough even when on places that are slippery when wet. If it's snowing in Hokkaido, the Crossover7, again thanks to its AWD, is well prepared to take on the worst and it's not half bad for an MPV that came back from the dead.

The Exiga Crossover7 costs 2,754,000 Yen, which is somewhat more expensive than the Forester but because this is the only seven-seater in the lineup, the Crossover7 is the only family-oriented Subaru you can buy and this would be the ideal car not just on the Golden Week but also on your upcoming summer holiday as well.

Available colors: Crystal White Pearl, Tungsten Metallic, Dark Blue Pearl, Platinum Grey Metallic, Crystal Black Silica.

Photo: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

FH2 Storm Island: Welcome to Storm Island

There's a new challenge awaiting for me and this new challenge takes me on a brand new location where speed is no longer the issue, well perhaps some, because toughness and survival are the main course and if you want to achieve this kind of goal, you have to be the toughest to survive the most challenging place ever told. Welcome to Storm Island.

Forza Horizon 2 Storm Island is an XBOX One-only expansion and as the name suggests, you have to survive the harshest weather conditions and the most unforgiving terrain in order to become the Island Champion. There are new kinds of races you can find on Storm Island such as Brawl, Rampage, Extreme Cross Country, and the Gauntlet. There are more challenges to take on here and if you're tough enough to take on Storm Island, this might do the trick if you're looking for some more challenges. It's available to purchase at the XBOX Live marketplace.



Kicking off my survival of the fastest journey is this 2014 Ford Ranger T6 Rally Raid, a specially-prepped version of the said pickup truck that is no longer for sale in America. While this is fully-prepped to take on the most punishing terrain just like what it does during the Paris-Dakar, it comes with a race-prepped 5.0L engine developing 349HP of power and 413lb-ft of torque. It's yours to keep during your maiden voyage at Storm Island and on my maiden voyage, I'm taking on the first championship of this new location and yes...extreme weather occurs even in nighttime. Scary!



A heavy rainfall will kill me at the dead of the night but I managed to survive my first challenge. Although I might be expecting another threat of a heavy rainfall, I can't rest in my laurels here because I only got 11 more championships to complete to access the Island Finale.

For now, I'm taking myself a well-deserve rest before the next big one happens. Sigh...

When a Range Rover gets converted into a pickup

No. This isn't some kind of an editing trickery done by some sly mongrels. What you're looking here is one of STARTECH's creations and this is how an ultra luxurious Range Rover converted into a sport utility truck.

To be showcased at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show, STARTECH, a division of Brabus, managed to chopped the roof down and convert this uber-luxury SUV into a sport-utility truck. It's not just limited to such a bizarre conversion because it also comes with a widebody kit, 23-inch wheels, new suspension, custom exhaust, new interior, and an upgraded 5.0L supercharge V8 creating 526HP of power output.

When completed, it will be classified as a commercial vehicle rather than a luxury SUV, so import prices come cheap but in the meantime, it remains a show car set for its Shanghai debut so dream on.

Report: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/15/brabus-startech-range-rover-pickup-shanghai-official/

Let's Do The News! (April 16, 2015)

- One year has passed since the deadly Sewol tragedy where 304 people, mostly school students taking on a field trip, were killed when the ferry submerged somewhere in Jindo island. South Korean president Park Geun-hye has promised to salvage the ship as possible.

- Joao Vaccari, the treasurer of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party, resigned from his position after being arrested over allegations with the troubled oil giant Petrobras. He was charged over an alleged scheme in which the party received corrupted funds from inflated deals between oil executives and construction firms.

- Japanese transport ministry officials say that the Asiana Airlines jet was flying at a normal altitude a minute before landing and skidded off the runway at Hiroshima Airport. It veered off the runway while it was landing yesterday, leaving the wing and the left-side engine heavily damaged and injuring 25 people onboard.

- According to known sources, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe plans to express remorse for the nation's past actions during World War Two in an address to the Asian-African Summit in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, next week.

- Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal denies Senator Allan Cayetano's claims that his real name is "Datucan M. Abas".

- In the upcoming Pokemon XY movie titled "Hoopa and the Clash of Ages", Ash, Pikachu, and his friends will risk everything to protect the mythical Hoopa from an imminent threat that will spell doom for all mankind. And what was that imminent threat you may ask? If you say Hoopa, then you're right because Hoopa's true identity, known as its Unbound form, has been made public. In its Unbound form, Hoopa now becomes from Psychic-and-Ghost type to a Psychic-and-Dark type and based on its appearance, it's bigger and more intimidating than the normal form we first encountered.

- Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos gets her very own Nendoroid courtesy of Good Smile Company. Your favorite French beauty from the anime will be arriving this September for 3,889 Yen plus tax.

Nendoroid Charlotte Dunois

- The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa gets its high-performance OPC/VXR model, packed with
even more performance than the previous model.

2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR

- Comedienne Ai-Ai Delas Alas has signed a two-year exclusive contract with GMA, marking her return to the Kapuso network after 16 years.

- LITTLE DID YOU KNOW: There was a Filipina that wowed the crowd in a Taiwanese talent show. Her name is Birdy Cambonero and her performance of a popular song sung by a Chinese singer impressed not just the audience but the judges as well. Another one of the news where ordinary Pinoys became bigshots in foreign talent shows.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 2: The Horizon Finale

To unlock the Horizon Finale, you need to win 15 championships regardless of any championship you're taking on. I know, this stuff mentioned you at the moment you start Forza Horizon 2, but as you progress through the ranks, you're starting to realize how much you've grown through the ordeal and your love for cars have pushed you forward to who you are now, even me.

Anyway, enough sentimental stuff, onto the finale because you're free to choose whatever car you want and whichever car you choose reflects the opponents' car of choice regardless of the cars' Performance Index. Best to inform you that the finale is the most extreme challenge yet because this will be a sprint race through the entire Southern European area from Italy to France and back and forth. It goes without saying that this will be the toughest challenge yet and you need to pick a very fast car for the endgame.

For me, what car did I pick for the finale?



Yes. I know. I know it sounds crazy but there's a main reason why I pick the Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 for the finale because it's the cover car of the game and most of all, it wants to finish where it all starts. Where it all began, where it all will end. That's why I'll make the Huracan the hero of the festival but first...



Some major improvements have been made for the Huracan to be fully competitive for the finale and for some added style, I've festooned it with some iM@S fromage. See that Miki in my Lambo? That's my good luck charm for the finale because she knows I will going to finish what I started.



With preparations complete, the stage is set for one last ride at the festival and I'm starting to feel the jitters right now but with the championship title on the line, I'm preparing myself for the most epic race ever witnessed in the game. Hope you got your popcorn ready for this.



SUCCESS! I finally did it! I finally managed to finish the finale and gained the champion title! Looks like me and the Huracan finally finished what we've started! That's it! It's all over! Our work here is done so let's go home and celebrate.



With the champion is crowned, my life in FH2 is complete but our work isn't done yet because there's still more roads to explore, more championships to complete, more bucket lists to fulfill, and more cars to drive. I won't force myself to do this but even our journey ends, our new journey begins and you'll never know what comes ahead.

What should I do now? The decisions are up to me but I hope I'll make the right decisions.

Until next time!