Best 5 Random Facts About the Origins of Some Video Game Characters

5. Lara Croft was a whole lot of things before she became the character we know today. First off, she was originally supposed to be a dude, with a whip and a hat. Somewhere along the line, the developers of Tomb Raider found that that idea sounded very… similar to another character, and decided to make Lara into a woman. Before settling on an upper class British archeologist-adventurer, the developers envisioned her as: a tough Spaniard, a burly woman, and a Nazi-esque militant.

4. The Legend of Zelda’s Link bears more than a coincidental resemblance with his Japanese creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. Many traits of the elfin hero are taken directly from Miyamoto, like his left-handedness. The crazy thing is, Link was left-handed in every Legend of Zelda game except for one: Twilight Princess for Wii. Why? Because the game’s developers knew that 85% of the world’s population is right-handed, and they didn’t want people to get confused with the sword controls.

3. When Sonic the Hedgehog was still in the planning stage, one of the concepts pitched was a girlfriend for the Sega mascot. A human girlfriend, named Madonna. Luckily, some people at Sega of America said, “Dudes, this is weird,” and the idea was dismissed.

Best 5 Ark Music Factory Videos (Because It's Not Just Rebecca Black's "Friday")

While nothing compares to the sheer delight that is Rebecca Black's "Friday", the rest of the the singers at Ark Music Factory sure try their darndest to put up a fight. Give it time; sooner or later, these tweens will be stars. And, with that sentiment in mind, we begin with #5.

5. C.J. Fam - "Ordinary Pop Star"

 With my well-trained ear from years of watching American Idol, I would have to say that C.J. Fam has the best voice of these five singers. So the hilarity of this video does not come from the vocals, but rather the ridiculous concept of Fam wanting to be an ordinary girl instead of a pop star, when she is in fact an ordinary girl, not a pop star. Even if we make the assumption that this song is simply wishful thinking, it's pretty ridiculous watching this 11 year old prancing around photo shoots and the red carpet.

4. Alana Lee - "Butterflies"

I don't really want to make fun of this one. It's not really any worse than any other cookie cutter tween song; it's just a simple song about a guy who gives Lee butterflies. The only thing that makes it really silly is the seemingly obligatory rap interlude by the same dude who appears in every video on this list. Really, in the only video he doesn't rap ("Ordinary Pop Star"), he's still there as some sort of director. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's always there as a reassuring presence, whether it's here where he promises Alana that everything's going to be alright with her boy, or in Rebecca Black's "Friday" where he agrees with the 13 year old singer that Friday is indeed the time to party. The dude's great. 

3. Kaya - "Can't Get You Out of My Mind"

 Of all the videos here, this one seems to have the best chance to be a legitimate hit (although really, the competition's not that fierce). Kaya looks like a mini-Ke$h, and at the end of the video she gives a smirk and turn away that you swear will be followed by an "I like your beard." And half way through the video, just when you think it'll be a typical late 2000's girl singing at the camera in the club video, she switches it around, breaking out the typical early 2000's synchronized dance moves. You see, she's full of surprises.

2. Britt Rutter - "Without Your Love"

This very well could be the music video if the future; the song encompasses a relationship contained entirely on a computer. Disregarding the fact that the actual song has nothing to do with the video, it's impressive that Britt Rutter manages to have a boyfriend who she never talks to in real life. And, when said boyfriend strays, Ark Music Factory Rap Dude is there to cheer her up! Yay!

1. Rebecca Black - "Friday"

And of course, the original bad Ark Music Factory video. What's there to say that hasn't been said about this heaping pile of awfulness/awesomeness? Should I talk about Rebecca's need to "have [her] bowl"? Her agonizing choice between kicking it in the back or front seat? Her repeated incantation of "fun fun fun fun" at the chorus as if that could be a replacement for an actual lyric? Or the much-needed lesson at the end of the song that teaches us all the proper order of the days of the week? Well, I guess just talked about all those things.

Best 1 Way For a Snake to Die

What a way to go. In a actual story, an Israeli model Orin Fox was doing a photo shoot with a boa constrictor when she decided it would be a good move to lick the snake. It soon became apparent that it was not. The snake bit her boob and held on for about 5 seconds before being taken off by an assistant. And get this: the snake later died of silicon poisoning! Now here's the a video of the bite from a Spanish language TV station.

I'm going to be honest; even though it's being stated that the snake died from the silicon, the announcer says that this is being reported by numerous websites and blogs, and that's not the best source of correct information. But if it's true, wow.

Best 5 Ocean Currents

An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water, influenced by factors such as wind, salinity, tides, and temperature. Like many things in life, some ocean currents are more awesome then others. These are their stories.

5. California Current

According to my detailed, thorough research, the California Current, a southward flowing cool water current that spans the West Coast, is supposed to be one of the most important of the 17 major ocean currents. To be honest though, I can’t really find anything that makes it very interesting. Sure, it apparently creates a rich nutritional environment for plankton, and thus whales and the like, but other than that, I don’t see it. Personally, I think it’s West Coast bias; I bet the person who decides which currents are “the most important” lives in Cali and just wants to brag. 

4. Agulhas Current

Located in the southwest of the Indian Ocean and flowing down the eastern coast of Africa, this current is the second swiftest in the world. The reason it’s a pretty cool current (wrong choice of words; it’s a warm water current) is its historical significance. In their attempt to sail to India in search of spices, the Portuguese tried to go around the southern tip of Africa, running straight into… the southward flowing Agulhas. It took a couple tries for the Portuguese figured out how to successfully navigate the fast moving current, but as we all know they eventually did. So I guess it’s not significant, as it only delayed the Portuguese, but still.

3. Labrador Current

If a current could be an economic party pooper and general disliker of people, it would be the Labrador Current. This southward flowing cold water current off the coast of Canada and the East Coast of U.S. just seems to enjoy messing with us. It gets a little wacky sometimes, bringing icebergs from Greenland right into trans-Atlantic shipping lanes, and, when it mixes with the Gulf Stream, a warm water current also in the Atlantic, it creates dense fog that’s hard to navigate. And it makes parts of Canada and northern New England colder! I’m sure they don’t like that. Sure, it also creates some rich fishing grounds, but I since I read the negative stuff first, I’m sticking in the anti-Labrador camp.

2. Humboldt Current

The Humboldt Current flows northward flowing and is cool, in both senses of the word. Spanning the southern tip of Chile to the northern coast of Peru, this current is chill (again, in both senses of the word) because it displays just how important currents are. Sure, obviously they affect water-related things, like the abundance of marine life, but they also influence things you don’t necessarily relate with the flow of the ocean, like the arability of land. You know why northern Chile is arid? Because of the Humboldt Current. It cools down the coast, in addition to creating the most productive marine ecosystem in the world. Pretty awesome, no? 

1. Gulf Stream 

The Gulf Stream flows from the Gulf of Mexico north to Europe, bringing warm water with it. Like the Humboldt, it affects weather, making Western Europe warmer than places at similar latitudes. But there’s a downside to this; although it might make the climate in the U.K. more comfortable, in the Gulf of Mexico, the warm water intensifies hurricanes. There’s still some good news, though. As the world’s fastest current, the Gulf Stream is very powerful. Scientists are now trying to harness that power to hopefully create a new renewable energy source. How inserting the gigantic turbines that would be needed to accomplish this goal affects the environment is something, however, that remains to be seen.

For the people who were depressed that this post contained info about the Labrador Current, and not Lab puppies