Thursday, December 31, 2015

Accomplishments of 2015


Sometimes as I fight back all the negativity in my life, I have to look back and see what things I did manage to accomplish this year.  Like with my last post, I will do this in a list format.

Completely (re)wrote The End of Utopia, the first of many novels in the Search for Eden Series.

Completed Masters of all Terrain with a Ruck Sack

Completed T3 (a harder Tough Mudder) with a Ruck Sack, becoming a Regiment Elite

Set myself on the path to make a Ted Stage future appearance

Placed Second  in my first Hearthstone Tournament

Managed to read more than 30 books.

Escaped from working a worthless and menial job.

Returned to School and passed my classes.

Created a Blog that is active.

Helped Create a Startup Company

Went on Birthright and saw Israel

And most importantly of all I am much closer to the path of success than I have been for the last 10 years of my life.

I don't know what 2016 will bring, but here is to hoping its better than 2015.  Happy New Year everyone.



Monday, December 28, 2015

Bucket List


What follows is a list of goals I have before I die that have not been met.

Climb the tallest mountain on each continent.
Marry a Jewish Woman
Run a marathon in all 50 states in the USA
Visit Romania
Go to the haunted Island in Italy
See all of Europe
Explore Japan, South Korea, China, India
Visit Russia
Hike across Israel
Bike across the United States
Become an accomplished writer and entertainer
Meet: Laura Baily, George RR Martin RA Salvatore, JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini, and Brandon Sanderson
Meet Louis C. K. Louis Black, and Bill Maher
Study at a Yeshiva in Israel
Study Kabbalah in Tzvat
Visit Auschwitz and other Prison Camps
Go to the haunted castles throughout Europe
Explore Antarctica
Drive down ever major Interstate Highway in the United States
Go spelunking deep in the earth
Go to Blizzcon and Dragoncon
Go to a music Festival
Explore New York City
Explore Mexico City
Visit the Sahara
Learn to Surf
Train myself in Poison Resistance
Master multiple martial arts styles
Gain a concealed carry gun license
Gain enough Ethos to make a difference in the world
Help Create a better a world for Autistics, Schizophrenics, Jews, Muslims, Romani, Gays, Trans-gendered, and any minority that wants to live its life in peace but cannot due to racism and fear.


I'm sure there are more but this is my list.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas from this Jew, to you

I'll keep this brief as most of you are with your families.  I wish you a happy holiday and new year.  And if you do not celebrate Christmas, I hope whatever you may be doing on this day is going well. (or at least as well as everything being closed can.)

As for me, unlike many of my fellow Jews, I will not be eating Chinese as I am a very picky eater who can count the number of foods I eat on two hands.  Still, I have spent most of this day writing and to be honest acting as life as usual.

This of course should not detract from the rest of you enjoying the relative peace of the day.  It just happens that for me, this is just another day.  A day where everything happens to be closed.

Happy Holidays all and may 2016 be even better than 2015 :)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Hunter x Hunter Review (Spoiler Free)

I actually finished this Anime about a week ago, but I finally have found time to write the review.  As usual, with these reviews I will do the best I can to avoid spoilers.

Hunter x Hunter is a slightly longer Anime than the others that I watched leading up to it, and I had not seen an anime of this length since Dragon Ball Z. (which is much longer)  The ability to have multiple story arcs within the world created is the obvious benefit.  anyway, here we go.

Hunter x Hunter follows the story of young Gon (an obvious Goku Expy) on a search to find his father.  This journey will lead him to take the hunters trial, rescue his new friend, learn about the power of Nen (functional magic) deal with a world spanning mafia, fend off attacks from an incredibly dangerous band of thieves, survive an incredibly dangerous game, fight against an incredibly dangerous species, and then help decide the fate of the Hunters Association.

Along the way Gon finds allies in Kilua, a "former" assassin (hes my favorite of the good guys) Kuripika, a man (yes a man) out to avenge his now dead people, and Leorio a man who seems to do everything for money and power (or does he?)

With hours of nonstop tears and laughs right alongside, it is understating just how great of an Anime this has been to watch.  The show did a fantastic job of getting me attached to many of the characters, including the villains.

In fact it really is the villains that drive this anime.  Even more so than in other animes.  For the obstacles needed to be overcome is the central theme of Hunter x Hunter.  And to that end, the show delivers.

I have already written blog posts about Chrollo Lucillfer and Hisoka, really showcasing how much I enjoyed them.  However, the verdict is out and out of all the villains in the anime, my favorite has to be this person:

Pitou notably has just about every single power I could possibly want in a fictional setting.  Pitou also has an ambigious gender.  Pitou has lots of things and I will be writing a future blog post about them.  For now, just understand that out of the villains, this creepy feline is my favorite.

I already wrote a blog post on the Chimera Ant Arc which to me is the best part of the series as well as where the above character appears.

One of the best life lessons I learend growing up is reinforced at the end of the anime and it is the perfect way to end the series (for now) as well as the post:
"You should enjoy the little detours.  To the fullest.  Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want."

This has certainly been true for me this year, and really the way I see it, this is the best way to live life.

My next detour has me watching Naruto and since its a very very long Anime, it will be quite a while before I will be writing a review on it.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Back on Track

Its been a while since I was able to write properly.  I have been overwhelmed with my job and other issues in my life that have been over shadowing my life.  Things that have been preventing me from doing what matters in my life.

But that changed this week.  Due to an opportunity presented by my computer having a slight malfunction, I had the ability to escape from the trappings imposed by my room.  My room had after all become my newest prison.

I had fooled myself into thinking that since my life was more open that I had more freedom.  Instead, I trapped myself.  But after reminding myself that writing is what is most important to me, I am back to how I should be.

I feel myself again for the first time in a long time.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Star Wars (Not Spoilers)


Its been a very very long time since a Star Wars movie has come out.  It has also been a while since I have written anything on Star Wars.

I am certainly not the biggest Star Wars buff on earth.  While I do know a fair amount about the lore, a true fanatic on the series will crush me.

What does matter is that I to some degree do live my life according to the Sith Creed (minus the force as I do not seem to be force sensitive)  And that in reality, the Jedi are the real villains of this entire universe.

If you don't want to take my word for it, do some of your own research.  After all, the desire for more power and knowledge is a Sith idea is it not?

Anyway, lets talk about my childhood for a moment.

At first, I encountered Star Wars and quickly loved Han Solo.  To this day, I have never been  fan of the Hero unless he is the Anti-Hero and it is very likely that Star Wars began pushing me towards this.  (Likely though Final Fantasy IV's Kain Highwind was the real culprit) But I always understood that Luke was a whiny and annoying character.  I certainly was not a fan of him.  As a kid I kept hoping that Han would suddenly become a Jedi and high-jack the plot.  It never happened.

But as I watched through Episode 5, I came in contact with my actual favorite character in the Star Wars movies.  Though it would take till episode 6 for me to realize it.  I speak of course, of this guy:


And its the above action in the 6th movie that made me wonder if the Jedi were really the coolest thing to be.  Jedi don't shoot lightning at people after all my much younger self thought. (I learned about Dark and Grey Jedi later.  Stick with me for now) Also, as I said earlier, he got bonus points for beating the crap out of the annoying hero that I had come to despise by this point in the movie.

Even better, although I did not realize I felt this way till years later, I always enjoyed that Star Wars was all about Luke confronting Darth Vader and defeating him.  But the fact that Darth Sidious is many magnitudes of power beyond Vader was what made this scene in Return of the Jedi so great.

I mean sure, Sidious dies because in most movies the good guy has to win (I know, its boring. Its why I don't always follow this rule in my own books) but still, his display of power was unlike anything I had seen in the movies.

And then the prequels were made, and the only true redeeming quality of the first two piles of garbage  were that Darth Sidious was in them.

I managed to enjoy the third much more purely because the entire movie is just Darth Sidious crushing the entire Jedi Order.

As I explored the Extended Universe (you will always be canon to me EU) and learned more about the Force and stuff like Darth Bane, I really became a true Sith Lord Wannabe.  I even have proclaimed that I would rather go to Korribon than Hogwarts.

But, today, I get to go back to a Galaxy so very far far away.  I return to a part of my childhood that I do miss.  I hope that Star Wars has done more good in your life than ill.  It sure has in mine.

Let the Sith Flow Through You.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Hunter x Hunter Chimera Arc (spoiler free)

I normally don't write a review for an Anime until I have finished it in its entirety (or in what is currently its entirety if the anime is still technically ongoing) but I feel the need to do a review on the Chimera Arc for Hunter x Hunter on its own.

While this is by no means a lighthearted Anime, this arc showed that no punches would be pulled.  Children have their heads eaten.  Characters begin dropping dead like flies.  Many of the heroes suffer from a loss of innocence on a profound level.  There are shocking betrayals and multiple bouts of death by despair.  It comes topped off by an ending that brought me to tears and I am not ashamed.

This arc gets a whole lot of criticism from the fan base due to its massively dark departure from Hunter x Hunter as well as the Shonen Genre in general.  Others don't enjoy its incredible darkness and the themes that are far more advanced in my opinion than the rest of the Anime.

Of course, to me, the deconstruction of Shonen alongside the overwhelming darkness and loss of innocence are exactly why I love this part of the story so much.

The whole arc to me is a play on the ideas of war as well as what it means to be human.  themes that I grapple with myself.  And I assure to any of you who have not yet watched the Anime, that the final couple episodes will be among the most unforgettable experiences in Anime.

I will be sure to write a full review of the Anime when I complete the last arc.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

8th Night of Hanukkah


For the first time in many years, my expectations for an event has been exceeded.  As I outlined in another post, I despise this time of the year.

The holidays are a time for people to visit their pasts, go back to where they once were.  My past is fraught with weakness and regret.  I wish to never revisit that place.

As a result, I am left all alone for many months at a time.  Left to stew in hatred and loneliness.  This in turn makes me a more bitter individual.

But that was not the tale these last 8 nights.  With the help of new and old friends, I have found light that last for all 8 nights.  and not once during this time period did the darkness creep back in.

It has been many years indeed since I have felt included during the holidays.  i time where for a very long time, I have felt nothing but loneliness and despair.   But to feel included this year.  Now that was exceptional.

I cannot adequately put into words, how thankful I am for the friends that took time out of their week to spend it with me.  This Hanukkah has been one of the best I have had in years.  Thank you to all who had a part to play in it.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Running Again with Team Regiment

Team Regiment

After I finished T3, I hit a slump partially caused by a string of horrible jobs and partially due to apathy and neglected to keep my body in shape.  I started struggling with depression, a mindset that I had thought long defeated and buried. The lack of Dopamine influx was having quite a number on my mental stability.

Still I was offered a way out a few months ago, and escaped the vicious cycle of working jobs that keep you poor. Having freed myself from this very dark place, I finally returned to my passion.  Working out, especially the grueling Spartan  Races that have become a beacon of pride for me.

As a Regiment Elite I am held to a higher standard to my workouts and the races I run.  While I may not always be on the podium, I find that it is my duty to help ensure that the next group of recruits can help bring themselves to an apex of physical ability.

And to that end, I will be testing myself tomorrow at Masters of All Terrain.  It is the first long distance event I have participated in since T3.  And since, for me, running a half marathon is too easy, I will be bringing a ruck to the race.  While it will slow me down considerably, the extra weight will give me the challenge I now crave as a Regiment Elite.

To cheer on my teammates who are running the even harder 50 mile race, or to see what events we have, or even better, how you can become part of the team, check out http://www.regimentrunning.com/

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

One Sentence Blurb


One sentence blurbs, or the one sentence description of a novel is something I have always had trouble talking about adequately.  Still I have been working tirelessly for The End of Utopia as the Kickstarter begins this week if not next week.

I have tried again and again to properly give this novel that has been my flesh, blood, and soul for the last few years.

So here as follows is the one sentence that reflects my heart and soul.  It is also a reflection of the work I have spent over these years:


"A man's search for a missing brother finds him trapped on an alien world with an ancient evil stalking him."


It was not easy to pick the words as this is an expansive novel, but I hope that it will suffice as well as perk your interest in this novel.

With luck, things will be rolling on the 12th but if not then, soon after, the ball will be rolling, and I ask that those who want to have a chance to bring this project to the world help if able.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Pearl Harbor Rememberance

Today is December 7th.  In America, it is a day that has and always will live in infamy. Pearl Harbor came as a surprise to America.  Up until, and through World War I, America felt invincible.  There were plenty of problems in the world, but they were across oceans, or far to the south in the other America, but Japan ended that feeling of safety.

And to this day, during and after World War II, we remind ourselves each year that we will not forget.  Many veterans and active soldiers make a pilgrimage of sorts to Pearl Harbor to remember what was lost, both American feelings of safety as well as the lives lost.

This is a pilgrimage I intend to make.  Though I am not a soldier, I feel an obligation to see this place that drastically changed the course for American History.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Martin O'Malley: The other Democrat Running for President


With the news so abuzz with the names Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Carson, and Rubio.  You rarely get to hear about anything else in the political world in America (for now)

But today I am gonna talk about the other Democrat. The one you don't hear about in the media.

Most people recognize him as that other person on the stage with Hillary and Bernie.  But hes a bit more than that.

O'Malley is the former governor of Maryland and former Mayor of Baltimore.  Some will make the claim that he made the police in the state more brutal.  others will say he stemmed the tide of an impossible problem (temporarily at least) While many in media have attempted to blame the riots in Baltimore on him, the data goes in circles trying to prove the point.

The main reason he is not getting the same exposure has nothing to do with how he presents himself.  the guy can speak.  Hes a very talented orator.  I think hes far more charismatic than Hillary, but that's just me.

The reason you do not hear about him is that he has not been around as long.  Hes young relatively speaking, but this also means he has plenty of time to make a difference in America.  O'Malley is a candidate I will be watching closely over the next few years or so.  He is likely making a bid for Vice President.  He knows he won't beat out the other two, but he is doing a good job as far as exposure is concerned by staying in the race.

And I have most recently become pleased with some of his statements.  After doing research on O'Malley, I was convinced his focus is purely on domestic issues.  But around September, he gave a press conference on foreign policy, namely dealing with Isis and Boko Haram, and he had an unexpectedly well thought out series of plans.

I am eagerly awaiting to see what the next few years hold for O'Malley, and hopefully you the reader will be interested enough to do some research of your own.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Chrollo Lucilfer


As promised in my prior blog post, I will spend today giving tribute to my other favorite character in Hunter x Hunter. Chrollo Lucilfer, leader of the Phantom Troupe, better known as the Spiders.

If Hisoka is more of a flamboyant psychopath as his killer clown archetype tends to be, then Chrollo far better fits in with the idea of stereotypical sociopath.  Charming and manipulative, hes a master of trickery which plays in perfect with his Nen Power (if you want to know what it is, watch the Anime)

Hes also a warrior poet which goes hand in hand with his sociopathic personality.  His charisma commands the anime when he is present.  While he is not nearly as visible as Hisoka, Chrollo does incredible things with the little screen time he is given by himself.  Normally, he appears just to give commands to the other Spiders.

Near the end of the arc that I have at the time of this writing completed, Chrollo is shown to have a greater importance to the Spiders than he thought of himself.  Sadly, the results of this revelation have left a sour taste in my mouth, I am not happy with how the arc was resolved (watch the anime if you want to know what I am talking about.)

Still his power with his limited screen time, his eloquent speeches and his philosophies and deep topics that are mentioned whenever he appears ensure that he is up there with Hisoka as one of my favorite Anime Characters.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Hisoka


There will be a follow up blog post in 2 days to this one, where I give justice to another character from Hunter x Hunter, but for this one, I'm gonna focus on everyone's favorite killer clown who may or may not be a pedophile depending on who you ask.

As I am a huge fan of Kefka, Joker, and Dimentio it was a no brainer that I would also greatly enjoy Hisoka in Hunter x Hunter.  He has quickly risen to one of my favorite characters in Anime (Thats right, ranked up there with Pride, Lelouch, and Vegeta)  I may only be 1/3 of the way through the 2011 version of the Anime, but I have quite a bit of confidence that I will like this character at the (very distant) end of this Anime.

But what separates this guy from the G-d of Magic, the Agent of Chaos, and the only villain that has ever managed to kill Mario, Bowser, and Peach without breaking a sweat?

I would say part of it is that he fits in the world of Hunter x Hunter so well.  Not that the world of FF6 is any less of a crapsack world but Kefka fits his own world, while Hisoka fits this one perfectly.  The world of Hunter x Hunter is one where the strong are able to prey on the weak.  And this killer clown is certainly strong.  Strong in a world that considers A Family of Assassins,  Charles Manson Style Serial Killers,  A Relatively More Competent Mafia than in the real world, and Eldritch Abominations that live on more than 3/4ths of the planet.  And through it all, this guy not only survives, but thrives.

Hes also a creepy guy, forget the clown makeup even.  He makes pedophile like stabs at the heroes of the anime almost every time he confronts them, and then proceeds to beat the absolute shit out them.  I remember in the earliest parts of the Anime, this guy was the dreaded.  At the current place as of this writing, hes more of a wild card (not that this wasn't obvious from the get go)

I also love how the Anime keeps drilling into my head that this guy is vastly more powerful than the Heroes.  To me that is what drives a story.  Without deadly antagonists, protagonists have no purpose.

Expect a followup post on my other favorite Hunter x Hunter Character: Chrollo Lucilfer

Sunday, November 29, 2015

What the Word "Terrorist" Actually Means


After seeing the back and fourth arguments in our political system about who and what is and is not a terrorist, I am getting tired of having to argue the point with both sides of the aisle.  Once again I am reminded that I am surrounded by idiots

But lets look at two statements that are said by differing parties.  

Conservatives like to repeat the following statement: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims"

Liberals like to repeat the following statement: "America and Israel are the real terrorists in the world."

I would like to point out that neither of these statements are true.

Now, here is what is true.

A terrorist is an individual who uses fear to influence actions, usually through violence, but sometimes through threats.

What does this mean?

A Radicalized Religious Fanatic that acts on it is a Terrorist.
A Radicalized Nationalist that acts on it is a Terrorist.
A Radicalized Computer Hacker that acts on it is a Terrorist.

You get the point.  Religion, (or lack of) or a belief system alone does not make someone a terrorist.  

Action makes one a terrorist.

Isis is a Terrorist Group

The White Supremacist that attacked Planned Parenthood is a Terrorist

Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group.

The Klu Klux Klan is a Terrorist Group.

Chinese Nationalist Hackers are Terrorists.

A bully who terrorizes students in class is a Terrorist.

It is time for us to identify the truth to the word, and use the label correctly.  it is the first step to a more peaceful world.  For to defeat an enemy, you must first understand it.

Friday, November 27, 2015

On Thanksgiving

This time of year is always the hardest of the year.  Most people look forward to going home to their families and seeing old friends.  They get to reflect on their pasts.  They get to reflect on a simpler time for themselves.

I have a different relationship with Thanksgiving, although it is related to the same ideas outlined above.  I do not wish to return to my past.  Chicago is no longer my home.  My past was wrought with weakness, pain and a version of myself that I chose to gut and skin long ago.

I have no interest into returning to who I once was.  I have no interest in even remembering who that person was.  They need to stay buried.  Even worse, my family is not exactly the paragon of healthy.  I love my parents, but I cannot be around them too long before I wish to be away.  One of my brothers I find there is still some lingering strain although I have a great relationship with my other one.

Many of the friends I had back in Chicago have moved away.  The ones left, most of them are not really friends of mine anymore.  Just people I used to know.  There is no reason for me to revisit my past.  I have a future to focus on.  Yet Thanksgiving is a holiday that focuses on the past.

Being that I have no interest in this concept, I find myself very alone.  Even worse, I am constantly reminded of these problems through the month of November.

I think I understand how Harry Potter feels when everyone goes home for the holidays and he is at Hogwarts all alone.  Like him, I dread the Summer and Winter, while enjoying the Spring and Fall.  For it is in those months that I feel wanted, and not alone.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Why Climate Change Always Has been and Almost Always Will Be the Greatest Threat to Civilization

As usual, something that is common sense and shouldn't even be part of a debate has become political charged.  What a surprise!

So lets explore the malcontent.  Many people are upset that multiple politicians, namely Bernie Sanders, are making statements that Climate Change is above and beyond more dangerous than Isis (or Isil, or Daesh)  Predictably, this has been hit with criticism by a majority of people.

I don't think that it needs to be pointed out that a majority of human beings on this planet lack vision, or really have a grasp of common sense (oops, did I point it out again?) But instead of going on some Calvinist Rant about how hopeless our species is, instead I'll explain why Sanders is right and a majority of the Human race (as usual) is wrong.

Lets compare the two groups.

Isis in the worst case scenario, gets a nuclear missile with launch capabilities and fires at a a densely populated city.  Lets use New York which has a population of roughly 8.5 million.  The explosion will kill almost all of these people, the radioactive decay will kill roughly another 1 million over the next 10 years or so.  Also New York will be rendered uninhabitable for a while along with the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, lets look at a scenario that is pretty bad considering climate change, but is not the worst case scenario (Ill get to one of those in a moment.) The water levels rise a couple hundred feet due to melting ice.  New York City goes underwater, along with about 1/3 of its population, which is not 8.5 million.  Here's the problem, New York won't be the only city affected.

EVERY SINGLE CITY ON THE COASTS WILL BE HIT

Sorry for the all Caps there, but I needed to get the point across.  Now I don't know how many people total live on America's coast, but I can assure you that if roughly 1/3 of that population is killed in floods, its a much higher number than 8.5 million.  Also unlike the nukes, these areas are permanently uninhabitable.  Nuclear Fallout pales in comparison to flooding on this scale.

Now lets look at how to stop both these problems.

Isis, can be stopped by a combination of not letting fear control our lives and military might.  The good thing about Isis is that it is run by people.  People have this unfortunate problem of being able to get killed.  Its called mortality. You may have heard of it.

Climate change can be stopped by a combination of...  actually, it can't be stopped, it just kinda happens.  We can slow it down so we don't get hurt by it, (which is what needs to be done) but if a flood is coming, the best thing to do is run away from the problem.  You can have all the guns and weapons you want.  Mother Nature laughs in the face of your pathetic mortality, and when she is done with you, you will be killed like the gnat you are.

So yes, clearly one of these is a bigger problem than the other.  Also, should (when) the floods happen, lots of people will become refugees.  And since most of the refugees in the world have for our history, been considered terrorists and or enemies of the home country, I curiously wonder what happens when the people who are most hateful of refugees become their own enemy?

Oh and to go back to my older point about worse disasters, there is a volcano in Yellowstone National park, that when it erupts, will kill every single person in North America.  Good luck fighting that.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Overwatch: Impressions

I was fortunate to finally get a chance to play Overwatch this weekend during the stress test event. And for those of you who were not lucky enough to play, I will, leave you with some impressions.

I like how the games are objective based rather than kill based.  This stops a lot (but not all) camping.  Also those lovely kill-streak rewards that make games like Call of Duty obvious within 5 minutes of the game starting which team is going to win.

In Overwatch, I have lost games that I thought were easily in my grasp.  I have won games that seemed hopeless.  It was quite rare in my experience where the game was very one sided.  And even when you keep getting wrecked, every time you do what is intended by your role (shooting bullets, healing people, capturing objectives) your ultimate bar fills.  And most of these abilities are strong enough to be game changing.  One mistake by the enemy team can change the balance for the rest of the match.

The cooldowns that the characters make use of to activate their abilities are quick enough that they can be utilized multiple times a game adding to dynamics of the battles.  Best of all, none of the characters seemed absolutely broken.  There were times that a skilled player was capable of making a character seem broken (looking at you Bastion) but that was more due to the player being skilled at the game rather than the game being unfair.

The ability to switch characters is vital in this game.  Certain team compositions can render other characters completely useless.  I appreciate this dynamic as it allows both teams to keep each other on their toes.

I played many of the heroes and will make a nod to Bastion, Soldier 76, McCree, Lucio and Reinhardt as my favorite heroes to play.  I wanted to be good at playing Reaper, but I am finding this to be difficult with the way I play.  I also want to master Widow as I have never been good at sniping, but that will have to wait for another time likely.

Instead of telling you what each of them do, I challenge you to check that out for yourself.  This game will certainly be worthy buying and my only regret is that my beta access vanishes tomorrow.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Reflections

I wanted to take some time and reflect on what I have accomplished over the last year.  I have written an entire novel, have a blog with almost 5000 views and have gained the confidence to manage a website and promote myself.  I am the most free I have ever been.

But the work is only beginning.  i have long to go before I reach the acclaim of the elite writers like JK Rowling.  For those of you who read this, let your friends and family know about me.  I seek to educate, entertain, and tell compelling tales with as many mediums as I can get my hands on.

Its been a great year and this next will be only better.  Thank you to those of you who have joined me on this journey.  One that I will continue to take.  I appreciate your support.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Fear: The Most Powerful Emotion



There is a famous saying that love conquers all.  But this is a foolish notion.  Love is itself a derivative of a far more potent emotion.

Fear.

When you love someone, that is an example of fear, the fear of losing them.
When you hate someone, that is an example of fear, the fearing of losing to them.
When you own a gun, that is an example of fear, the fear of being killed.
When you climb a mountain and look down, that is an example of fear, the fear of falling, fatally.
When you are alive, that is an example of fear, a fear of death.

All things are born of fear.  They fade in fear.  Xehanort claimed it was darkness in Kingdom Hearts, Slaanesh claimed it was desire in Warhammer.

But as author HP Lovecraft said so eloquently, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

And you can see how that fear of the unknown destroys good, aids evil, and breeds wickedness and chaos.  The abandoned Syrian Refugees, the paranoia and fear of Muslims and Jews, the hatred that blacks have for whites, these are all out of fear.  Fear of the unknown.

I tend to preach about defeating hatred is to love, but how does one defeat fear?  Fear is the derivative of both love and hate.  Is it possible to defeat the key emotion that makes a human a human?  The emotion that makes a being alive?

Is it possible that the meaning of life is to be afraid?

The more I look around at the world, especially as a response to all the too recent terror attacks in Paris, I wonder if Thomas Hobbes was right about Human nature.

I wonder as I feel the darkness consuming us all, if the reason we stop being afraid of monsters under the bed, is because we realize the monsters are actually all around us, and inside us.

I am beginning to winder if there is no point in hoping for a better future.  How can we have one when fear controls us no matter what we achieve, or no matter what we create?

Monday, November 16, 2015

The End of an Era

Today I will take a break from politics, and instead talk about Starcraft II Legacy of the Void.

This is a game that has been long in the making and ties up the plot of the Starcraft Universe while also adding new units for the sake of multiplayer.

I will not spoil the campaign for those of you who have not finished it, but most of the story is satisfying.  Its gets a little weird at the end but what story that involves eldritch abominations doesn't?

As far as Blizzard is concerned though, I think this is the end of the line for Starcraft.  There is just much more to gain financially from Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm.  those are Blizzards two largest money maker and it would not surprise me if Overwatch also contributes to the money once it is released.

The problem is, RTS (Real Time Stratagy) games have fallen out of favor with players who have flocked to MOBAs (games like League of Legends, Dota2, and Heroes of the Storm)  Its not hard to see why.  RTS is a solo game with a steep learning curve.  MOBAs by no means have an easy learning curve, but the curve is lessened by having teammates.  In Starcraft, when you lose, it is your fault alone.

This high stress factor is why I gave up on learning the game and playing at any reasonably competitive level.  I gave up ever being good many years ago.  Still, I had to play the campaign, I am a story driven person after all.  So now that its wrapped up, I feel like I should enjoy the game, but I do not know if I am ready to deal with the stress.

Still, I will give Starcraft what its due.  It is the reason many of my friends call me so, and I did spend a large portion of the last 4 years playing it.

My Life for Aiur, but since I'm not good at this game still, to the Shadows, I go...

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Paris. Beirut. Baghdad.


The media has been aflame.  Isis planned, they bided time, they struck.  And the results are disastrous.

In Paris, more than 100 dead, many more injured.  A wave of terror has spun outwards and at they time of this post is spiraling across the EU at large.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad, explosions turned a funeral into a mass grave.  Isis planned, they bided time, they struck. This attack is being ignored by the media.

Meanwhile, in Beirut, suicide bombers killed 50 more. Isis planned, they bided time, they struck. This attack is being ignored by the media

And there are whispers that in Nigeria, Isis' bigger and far scarier sibling, Boko Haram has struck as well. Boko Haram planned, they bided time, they struck.  This attack is being ignored by the media.

And worst of all, the response of the world has played directly into Isis' hands.  First, remember that Isis/Boko Haram is a terrorist group bent on utter domination.  they use fear as their primary weapon. It comes with the name.

Europe and the USA have responded by assuming that the Syrian Refugees who are fleeing from the violence are the enemies of the west.  This is further boosted by one of the attackers carrying a Syrian Passport.  Of course, the question that should be raised, especially by those who are into police TV shows or murder mysteries is the possibility that the passport is a plant.

Its obvious at least to me, that Isis would benefit greatly from the west not trusting the citizens of Syria.  After all, if the refugees are not let into any country due to the potential for acts of terror to be committed, where do they go?  That's an easy one.  they go back to Syria.  They go back disillusioned and hateful of the west that has thrown them overboard.

What if I told you that Isis is also hateful of the west?

That's right, ISIS is hoping we do this so that they can turn the entire population of Syria into cells in their radicalized army.  And they will turn those cells right on Assad.  You do not need to doubt that.

It  may surprise you then that Iran is not the only one that possess illegal nuclear weapons.  That's right, Assad does too.  If you think Iran is scary with nukes, imagine ISIS with them.  And also imagine them with Saran Gas, a very dangerous chemical weapon.  If they beat Assad, they will get these toys.

So as the media continues to push the peaceful Muslims away with lack of coverage, and turn them into Demons that we watch for in the night, they turn into the very monsters we accuse them of, just as ISIS planned.  Do you think attacking Paris was a coincidence with the refuge crisis?

France has taken in a lot of the Syrians.  And if my hypothesis on this holds true, then Berlin, you better watch yourself.

You. Are. Next.  

And as they attacks happen, we as a world come to fear Islam more and more and thus create our own enemy.

What needs to happen is that we must fight to stop this radicalization.  We must help the Syrians.  We do not need to lower our defenses.  its very possible that there are a few trouble makers mixed in with them, but most of them just want to be safe.

But since I know how people feel about this issue, they will turn away the Muslims in general.  And I hate to break it to you.  this does not mean victory for us.

This is a victory for ISIS.  They are winning this fight.  We are trying to fight them as if they are a physical entity.  But they are an idea, and ideas are much harder to kill.

Instead, we need to seek our humanity for one another.  Working together is how we will stop this cycle of radicalization.  It is the only way to kill the idea of ISIS.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Starbucks Cup


I really can't believe I am writing about this.  I feel dirty every single time I add another letter to this post.

Can we just all come to grips with reality please?  A cup is offending you?  Please go back to whatever planet of stupid you came from and stay there.  Stop infecting us with your uselessness.

Real talk though.  It really does show how blessed some people are in their lives that their biggest concern is the color of a coffee cup.  I mean, its not like there are far worse problems out there.

Ya know, problems like: Starvation, Child Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Terrorism, Beheadings, Rampant Sickness, Extreme Poverty, Grotesque Greed, Lack of Goodwill for our Fellow Man/Woman, and so many other countless issues that I cannot begin to even list them all.

Instead, I will leave you with this.

Also, next time I am in Starbucks, I will tell them my name is "Hail Satan"  I don't drink Coffee, nor do I believe in the Christian Devil.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The 4th Republican Debate


As I watch the most recent Republican Debate, I feel that it is important for me to listen with an open mind.  As a Democrat and Liberal, it is too easy to dismiss the people on the other side of the aisle.

A few things of note that I find to standout.  First, Trump has not talked as much as I expected, the other candidates however have spoken a whole lot more than expected.

Also candidates are at each other's throats.  And not the ones I expected.  So far, Rubio and Rand have gone at it, Jeb has gone against everyone.  And Fiorina is trying to be a mediator.  Kasich has fought a few times too and as I expected, I like him the most of the GOP candidates.  Nobody has fought with Carson.

An incredible thing I noticed was when Jeb Bush pointed out that the GOP Candidates fighting each other does nothing but help the Democratic Cause.  Of course, he is doing this to try and become more relevant.

Also Kasich is acting a lot like Jim Webb on the first debate.  Fighting for more time.  Carson is making viable points as he speaks.  I still don't trust him though.

I disagree with Trump wanting to let Putin kill Isis.  That just helps Assad.  Many of the candidates argued for some time to decide what needed to be done in the middle east.

As they debate Dodd Frank, I have to wonder if these people really have America's back.  Still they do bring up a good point with Clinton's voting record in the same breaths.

I have to agree with Marco Rubio when he describes that the banks are too big to fail.  They need to be shrunk so they are not big anymore.  Still Kasich to the rescue to remind why i like him.

The entire GOP is clearly filled with hatred towards Hillary.

Trump continues to point out that both parties are part of the problem in an effort to appear to the American people as the candidate outside the system.

So while the GOP debate was still an overly played out circus, I think there are still things we can learn from these candidates.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Too Early for Christmas

This is a message for many of my American friends, but is not limited to just that country.  It is November.

DO NOT POST YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS YET

For the sake of civil people everywhere just don't do it.  Just please.   Wait til the night of December 24th if not later.  the sane world will very much appreciate it.

But since I know none of you reading this will listen, I just want to remind you that every time you hang up a light before Thanksgiving, G-d kills a reindeer.

Don't be a murderer.  Only you can prevent premature Christmas Lights.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Blacksea Odyssey


A close friend of mine decided much like myself, that working a menial job for someone else was overrated.  Instead, he with a few other friends of his decided to create a video game.

And its looking to be loads of fun.  Last night, I got a chance to play the game myself at an expo, and it was loads and loads of fun.  And although I am not particularly accomplished at the type of game that genre wise Blacksea Odyssey falls into, it was fun to play, despite seeing the game over screen quite a few times.

But what is this game?  Its an overhead action shooter with equal parts rogue-like and RPG elements. As a bounty hunter, you are tasked to go across the galaxy slaughtering increasingly powerful monsters in space.

The RPG elements come in the form of runes.  Lootable items dropped from treasure chests and monsters that bestow more abilities on your character.  The Rogue like qualities take the form of permadeath.  Dying means starting from square 1.  No checkpoints.


I know I intend to preview the game on a future Twitch Broadcast.  And to my friends who are creating this game, I congratulate you on the success so far, and hope it gets even better.

The Alpha is available for people to play here: http://blackseaodyssey.com/ and quite frankly, this game is highly polished in the relatively short amount of time that the game has existed.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Jews and double standards

I have covered this topic before.  I have covered this topic many, many times on this blog and other places.  This issue also applies to other minority groups, namely Autistics, Schizophrenics, Gays,  and Gypsies among others.  But today I will be focusing on how these double standards affect the Jewish people.

Lets look at Israel.  The Jewish country and the homeland of the Jewish people. A country surrounded by countries wracked by civil war as well as human rights violations as numerous as the desert sands of the region. And yet, its Israel that takes the blame for these problems.  A terrorist looks to incite trouble in Jerusalem, Israel reacts.  The world reacts.  they ignore the terrorist threat.  All blame goes to Israel.

Despite what media and political correctness may have you believe, the Palestinians are not being oppressed by Israel.  If anything, they are being oppressed by themselves. And despite this, a majority of them just want to live happy healthy lives, ya know, like most normal people.

Its the radicalized ones that pose a problem.  and these radicalized individuals that are causing problems for Israel.  They seem to have studied their history books.  In the 1800s, all one had to do to make good on public relations was to bait the Austrian Hungarian-Empire into war and magic happened.

Italy is a country today and so is Germany because of this tactic.  And now radical extremists throughout and outside the middle east wish to copy this plan and make Israel into the public enemy in their mad bid for independence.

Their independence looks bleak indeed though.  Israel let Gaza govern itself.  I don't think it takes much effort to figure out how that turned out.  The Palestinians need leaders who actually have their interests at heart, and not selfish political agendas in their blood before there can be peace.

Back to Israel though, and the Jewish people that guide her steps, we are named "the chosen people" by Torah and this certainly has not helped us make friends.  But "Chosen People" does not mean we get to lord over the rest of the world.  Instead, it means we have an obligation to help improve the world and stand as an example for goodness.

This does not make life easy when are enemies are rabid vultures that peck at us and call foul when we hold our hands up in defense.  It makes us hard pressed to protect ourselves when these individuals will stop to ever deeper lows in their attempts to see us destroyed.

Sadly, the rest of the world has accepted that a majority of the middle eastern countries do not care for their people.  Instead they focus on the country that does care.  The one that shares their beliefs in Democracy, Reasonable Capitalism, and Social Liberalism.

In a sea of Ultra Religious Fanaticism and Death, Israel tries to stay strong, but its not only the nations of the deserts that see Israel in an unfair light.  The entire world needs to understand that to turn on Israel really is Antisemitism.  We cannot be afraid to use the word.  its a dirty word, but the troubles in Israel and the Middle East are dirty.  That's just the way it is.  For those of you wondering how one should define Antisemitism, I find the simple method to be the best.

If you have to question whether a statement is Antisemitic or not, it IS.

As I pray for peace in the Middle East, I also pray for an end to hypocrisy as well as these double standards that impede not only peace, but innovation and a brighter future for all of us.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Overwatch Beta



The Overwatch Beta test is in full swing.  And I don't have a key.  Yes I know, the salt is real.  The desperation to have one is even more real.

What I have learned from being a Beta Tester in the past, is that Blizzard looks for a few traits when selecting its testers.

First: If you are well known in the gaming community.  Popular Streamers and Casters get a high chance of entering into any video game Beta.  Not just a Blizzard one.

Second, if one has a history of being a Beta Tester, that ups their chances.  Especially when they report bugs and help fix errors in the game.

Third, standard players are chosen at random.  These are people that are not well known.  These people allow the mid to high and (even low) levels of skill play itself out for the sake of balancing and such.

Fourth and finally which is the purpose of this blog post, the final way to increase chances of getting into the beta is to talk about it.  Blizzard wants people who promote their products to continue promoting.  its common sense that they would do so here.

Now pray with me that I get in. And if you are competing with me for a spot.  May I get in first.

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Why I love Halloween

I have always loved October 31.  It is the final day of the year I enjoy before the back to back Hallmark holidays that remind me why I hate people.

Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, (with its abhorrent music) and worst of all, Valentines Day.  Better known to me as the day every worthless person in America feels the need to come out of the cave to prove that they are the most devoted to their current squeeze.

But enough about those days, lets talk about Halloween.

As should be obvious from my writing, I love the fantasy elements of Halloween.  Demons, Vampires, Witches,  if you have read anything I write, these types tend to appear.  The whole concept of not being me for a day also is appealing.

There are always people who claim Halloween of being some holiday of great evil.  Or even dumber, that it is some warship day of some pagan g-d that looks like a giant red gargoyle.  I ignore these people.  They are just jealous that their beliefs do not allow them to enjoy this super fun day that evolves with age.

When I was a child, it was all about the candy.  As i got a little older, it became a day to scare people.  Or to go to scary locales with friends.  Now, it is a fun day to find who has the most, umm, interesting costumes, fill myself with charitable amounts of alcohol, and in the spirit of the holiday, still, I try to find some scary locales.

Happy Halloween all!  Don't drive so that you can safely make poor decisions.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Florida Bear Hunt


Before I begin, many of the people who frequent my blog will not like this post.  Many who read this will be expecting my opinion to be on a certain side.  I will warn you, that on this issue, it is not how it seems.  With that out of the way, let us begin.

Let me begin by saying I DO NOT OPPOSE the bear hunting in Florida.

Still with me?  I bet few are but now that I have scared away most of my readers I will explain the reasoning for my post.

Nature is very effective at what it does.  It creates a balancing act that takes each and every variable into account.  Climate change?  Nature is adapting.  Humans cutting down the trees?  Nature is adapting.  Vegans causing animal overpopulation and starvation? Nature is taking that into account too.

But humans are part of this nature of balance and that begins us on our way to understanding the truth of this bear hunt.  In this case, the bears of Florida are too high for their numbers to adapt without many of them dying.  And nature has taken into account that humans kill animals when they intrude on territory.

Saying that humans should set aside more land for the animals is great and all, but our own population will have trouble adapting to that.   In reality, the choice with the bears is a slow death as well as the potential for them to harm other populations of animals (including humans) as they scavenge for an ever decreasing food supply.

So whether we kill them, or nature does it, the bears will die.  this is not some horrible sin on our part.  Its just the reality of life.  Life is not some black and white fairy tale where there is a right answer that is clearly better than the others.  Real life is Blue and Orange, Green and Red, Purple and Yellow.  Morality is nothing more than perspective.

Nature will come up with a way to control the human population in given time.  Bu it is our obligation to help protect the bears from their own overpopulation.  Its not pretty, its not kind.  But life is neither of these things.  Life is filled with opportunists who shoot the bears that are pregnant instead of the ones that are not.  Its filled with sadists who drown themselves in the blood of their kills.  But it is also filled with humans who do what they think is right and as a result, bring nothing but more ruin to the world.

Time down the road, I believe, will indicate, that despite how foul this deed appears, it will benefit the bears as well as Florida's ecosystems in general.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Peace and Tranquility

As of the writing of this post, I live in Florida.  It is perpetually warm here.  There is no winter to speak of.  There is ample sunshine which is good for my emotional state.

As I write the words on the page, I am reclining on my outdoor couch, staring out at the parking lot before me.  I would watch the sunset but these pesky things called clouds are in the way.

A car drives by, but all is quiet.  The world seems peaceful.  Peace is something that seems to elude me as of late.

Sometimes the most peaceful times are the most spontaneous ones.

Spontaneous and quick, like this blog post.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Life Parallels With Illidan Stormrage

As many gamers grow up, they find that one video game character that they realize is basically a more fantastic version of themselves.  For me, that character was and is Illidan Stormrage.

You are not prepared for me to drop this joke so I'll just get that out of the way.  Ok, now lets continue.

I have always seen a multitude of parallels to Illidan.  I have always known that I was destined for greatness.  i have always had a dark side that I barely keep in check.  I have a fascination with darkness as well as an obsession with using the powers of evil against itself.

But the parallels go much deeper than that.  Like Illidan, I have watched the women I loved choose vastly inferior men to myself.  And then told that what I see as so great about myself is nothing more than a fatal flaw.  Like Illidan, I made the mistake of listening to people who have less of a grasp on reality than I do when looking for advice.

Also like Illidan, I tend to get punished whenever I do what needs to be done.  I may save the day, but in the end, I'm the villain.  Don't mind the fact if not for my actions, you might not be able to judge me in the first place.

Also like Illidan, I have been back-stabbed by just about everyone I have ever trusted.  the more I trusted them, the deeper the knife was twisted.  even worse, these former friends love the idea of projection.  They accuse me of being a traitor while twisting the knife. 

Hatred as I have already explained at length is a powerful emotion, only competing with love and fear as far as the most potent of emotions.  Like Illidan, I embraced the inner darkness, which of course managed to alienate most of my friends.  Of course I realized at that point that the people I pushed away were never my friends anyway.  Just dogs looking for the scraps I dropped.  I am better off without them.

I am sure that as you read this, you think I fancy myself a egotist.  That I see myself above all others.  And while I may come off that way, and have justifiable reasons for thinking I am better than most people, at the end of the day, I am just a person who has the capacity to change the world.  The world just is not prepared for it.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Back to The Present

Today is the day where back to the future becomes the present.  10/21/2015 is the day that the characters who have captivated us all for many years arrive.  But looking around, I think they traveled to another dimension too.  Things look awfully weird in this back to the future (present) world.

I want to know where the hover boards are.  That clothing the people wear looks kinda neat, if not inefficient and lacking in comfort.  And while the Cubs are in the playoffs, it still is 1908 forever until they win.

Still, there are some cool things we have that this other world lacks.  Namely better computers and phones.  But I am blinded by the mediocrity of my life with all of these things and... oh someone give me a hover board right now!

But while we look at what we have and do not have, I am also looking into the future.  As a science fiction writer, I am spending much of today conceptualizing future tech to incorporate into my books.

Until the next future becomes the present, Happy Back to the Future Day!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Stormlight Archive Shows why Ben Carson would make a Terrible President

This blog post deals with two of my favorite things:  Novels by Brandon Sanderson, and Politics.

Stormlight Archive is considered Sanderson's magnum opus.  His crown jewel.  The story he has always wanted to tell.  I could focus on the very diverse cast for the sake of a blog post, but today I will focus on one character and one character only.

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, the character I refer to will not be named, except as "Character X".  Though, any that have read the series will know who I am referring to.

Character X has an unusual circumstance.  They wake up every morning with a different level of intelligence. After a series of tests to determine what Character X has as far as intellect that morning, a decision is reached.  If Character X has a non outlying level of intellect, they are allowed to leave their home.  However, should they be deemed either far below or above average, Character X is not allowed to leave.

This is done due to the fact that Character X has much political power where they live.  The advisers of this person learned the hard way before this system was implemented what happens when they are allowed to lead with one of these drastic levels of intelligence.

When Character X has far below average intellect, they tend to bring to the table social reforms for the good of all.  Reforms such as free healthcare and a larger amount of spending on items that would greatly benefit the common people.  However, these reforms if continued over a long period of time would lead to bankruptcy and would destroy the nation, thus being counter intuitive.  Emotions dominate over logic at this point.

When Character X has far above average intellect, they tend to bring to the table social reforms for the greater good.  Reforms such as selective breeding, and executions of people that are too dumb to live as well as the poor and homeless.  However these reforms if continued over a long period of time would lead to a police state along with genocide and would thus destroy the nation, thus being counter intuitive.  Logic dominates over emotion at this point.

Which leads me to Ben Carson.  Carson is a well learned medical doctor.  He has gained appeal because he is not held by strings to government officials.  He also has lots of schooling and has made some very tough choices.  All of them for the greater good.  This concept of greater good regardless of price is why Carson would make a terrible leader.

Ben Carson is the type of man who does not get held back by emotions.  He would do what seems logical.  This is all good and done when doing medical procedures as well as a multitude of sciences.  However, when dealing with living breathing people, equal parts emotion and logic are needed.

A strong, skilled leader does not throw away lives that can be saved, even if the outcome is desired as a result.  Nor does a leader that the President of the United States needs to be let what logic dictates to be common sense have the final word.  Common sense would dictate that brutal dictatorship will keep people in line.  Cold logic dictates that soldiers are willing to die the moment they sign up for armed service.

People are people though, and they cannot function with happy and fulfilling lives when one of the chief leaders of their nation sees them as more livestock than as human beings.

And so, I hope that our future leaders use both logic and compassion when they help bring America to greatness.  Neither must be flexed at the expense of the other.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Prayers for Israel

Every single day this week I have watched the news with dread wondering what new attack would happen in Israel and even worse, how the media would spin it for its own agenda.  And while between all the stabbings, explosions, political agendas, and fires, many people such as myself have friends, innocent and just, trying to live their lives.

Terror incites more terror and I fear that unless some drastic measures are taken, this cycle of death will only continue to escalate into the foreseeable future.  I weep for both the Jew and the Muslim. This conflict benefits neither as they continue to fight each other.  they continue to hate each other.  they continue to raise their kids to hate each other.

The only one winners in this conflict are the weapons dealers, the resource oligarchs, and groups hell bent on inciting terror.  Innocence is lost at a far younger age than normal and darkness begins to rein its head in a land that is supposed to be the center of light and hope for the world.

I also look at disgust as I watch the media descend on the land of Israel like a pack of vultures.  They lurk nearby watching, waiting to seize something, and idea, an incitement, or even false truths to manipulate their views to an agenda of their design.

The carrion feeders lurk in all corners of political spectrum.  They spin tales to make money of of violence and tragedy.  The words they speak are hand picked to help perpetrate the cycle of death, fear, and hatred that plagues Israel (and the Middle East at large)

As there is no one media station that actually seeks to end the violence and hatred, I will be one who will attempt to do so.  I offer my prayers to the Holy Land.  May we soon see a day where Palestinians raise children in a world where they do not need to hate their neighbors.  May we soon see a day where Israeli children do not have to instantly become soldiers as soon as they become adults.

I am not naive enough to think that these words will bring about the change that I hope for, but perhaps it can help lay the foundation for the snowball that once it has gathered enough momentum, can reach towards its ultimate goal quickly.

A goal of peace and light.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Lanfear

As I have run out of books by Brandon Sanderson and RA Salvatore to (re) read, I have began  re-reading the series that lead me to these authors: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

So as I have been making a habit of writing posts about characters who I really have enjoyed in fiction, I am glad to write one about my favorite Femme Fatale in all of fiction.

Lanfear is the psycho ex girlfriend that you hope to never see again.  Shes the one who willingly calls herself "Daughter of the Night" when she has been scorned a little too far.  Shes the one who you keep hoping will turn to the side of good, but never does.

Who says all evil women wear black or red?

In Wheel of Time, Lanfear is considered the most beautiful woman of her time period, and possibly of the later time period when she is awoken from her suspended animation.  Hunting the Dragon Reborn since his past self rejected her, she seeks to change that this time around.

Shes also serving the resident G-d of Evil and will do anything, and I do mean anything to have her beloved back.  This seems to entail forcing him to be just as evil and prideful as she is.  Good guys tend not to give in to those demands.

Still reject her at your own peril.  She has just as much magical power as she does beauty and considering that her favorite tactic is to torment you in your dreams, you won't be getting far.

If it was not apparent, from some of my other posts, I am a fan of the Vamp Female Archetype, or the one that uses beauty and seduction as a weapon and never turns to the side of good.  Still the reason she is my favorite of all, is because despite all of her negative traits, the reader still has pity for her.  All the way through the series, I secretly hoped she would be redeemed in the end.  I won't spoil her ultimate fate, but I did weep when I read it.

Robert Jordan may have died before he could finish his work, but a character like Lanfear stands the test of time.  There are quite a few Vamps within the novels I am writing and a piece of the Daughter of the Night has an influence on each and every one of them.

Also, that spell in her hand, that's Balefire.  That magic would quickly bring The Hulk, Superman Prime, and Son Goku to their knees faster than you can say "Instant Transmission", before it erases them from existence.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Shape-shifting, the Underestimated, Game Breaker Super Power.

As I have just recently completed the newest Mistborn Novel, Shadows of Self, I have had my mind drawn back to the Kandra, somewhat Humanoid beings that can take on the shape and form of any being that they digest the bones of.  The extra twist with these abilities is that due to a combination of immortality and extreme cunning, Kandra are masters of wearing the mask.  They are so skilled at their craft that they are able to masquerade as the being they are impersonating to the point where they can pass sometimes for many years without being caught. (They rarely ever get noticed.)

Shape Shifting tends to be a stock superpower that never reaches the game breaker levels it is capable of.  Partially this is author lack of foresight in this department.  Partially it is also due to the writer's wishes to develop other concepts.

Still, when in the off chance, a writer uses the concept correctly, the ability to up the ante and intensity of a story increases as the abilities of shape-shifting are fully explored.  

The paranoia fuel that is capable with shape-shifters is without few to compare.  The only examples I can readily come up are planting bugs on a person's body, watching through their shadows to be anywhere, or linking their brain to a greater hive mind (and lesser forms of mind control)

When characters are forced to use code words to identify each other and will not share secrets with their closest confidants, that is when the idea is being used correctly.  When parents see their children as potential killers and vice versa, this idea is being utilized to its greatest potential.

There are other secondary abilities that can be tacked onto Shape-shitifng, or create all kinds of new (and sometimes kinky and squicky) situations.  Some examples of this are a shape-shifting seducer that in its true form is actually an Eldritch Abomination.  One of my favorite examples of this concept is the Yaclol which in its true form looks like this:
It other forms tend to be more akin to the mythological Succubus (in fact, in the setting where these things exist, they once were Succubae) 

But there are other non squicky concepts one can use with shape-shifting.  One which I am using heavily in the Search for Eden books.  When brought down to more of a science, some forms of this ability are a complete rewrite of cells.  If this is so, its not unheard of for healthy amounts of regeneration to be a side effect of such powers.  Regeneration of this magnitude makes shape-shifters incredibly hard to kill.

If you enjoy combinations of paranoia fuel and squickly situations, I highly recommend reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. 

I also recommend of course, my own writings which for sure also have these elements.

Monday, October 5, 2015

The Issue the Media is Ignoring About Gun Violence in America.

I refuse to go on a rant about gun control verses the second amendment.  I could go blue in the face and change not one opinion.  Instead, I will speak about a much bigger problem that the gun violence is one of many side effects of.

Lets look at how people have responded to gun violence.
Media Glorifies the killer.
NRA pushes for more guns.
Peace Activists push for less guns.
People rush to blame mental illness.

No one talks about the victims.
No one talks about how horrible it is that innocent people died.

These are the issues I will address today.

In Australia, when a single shooting like the countless ones in America occurred, they banned guns.  The violence stopped.  I do not think this would work in America.  Once again this is a result of a key cultural difference in this country.

In the USA, we have this thing called the American dream.  On the surface, its the idea that anyone who works hard enough will have a better life.  Deep down though, its far more sinister.  The idea becomes "I will succeed at any cost.  I will do whatever it takes, cheat whoever I can, steal from whoever I can, and take advantage of anyone I can."

You may notice that the word "I" is used frequently in the paragraph above.  That is my problem with Cutthroat Capitalism as I call it.  This philosophy is also what is the underlying cause of these shootings.  Even worse, it is the reason behind our entire countries' disregard for human life in general.

In Cutthroat Capitalism, Humans are rivals.  They are nothing more.  The "I" mentality has led to a complete disregard for all life that isn't our own.  You will not hear about how horrible these deaths are, except from people directly connected to them.  In the minds of most, death is nothing more than a statistic.

Ban the guns, people will find other ways to kill.  Keep the guns, people will keep killing with them.  So long as we view success in a cutthroat light, we will continue to see our fellow humans as obstacles instead of as people who should be respected.

Until then, the weapon does not mater, the killings will continue.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lok'tar Ogar

I have already elaborated on a few of the slogans that drive my life forward.  To review, these two slogans are as follows:
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Fear is the most powerful of all emotions.

Now, I will add the third aspect of what drives me.  The phrase listed above in the title is derived from Warcraft Orcish.  And while the most famous speaker of the quote is not one who my general beliefs align with (Garrosh Hellscream) there are plenty of Orcs that my personality does align closer with.  Notably a combination of Ner'zul Shadowmoon, Gul'Dan Stormreaver, and Varok Saurfang who also embody the three slogans listed all together.

Ner'zhul better known as the Lich King embodies the first.
Gul'dan the most powerful mortal Warlock may be one of the defining characters who defines the second.
Varok, who's incredible feats bring respect to Warcraft players as well as memes all over the world embodies the third (with his unstoppable cleaves)

But what you are likely asking yourself is, what does "Lok'tar Ogar" mean?

Quite simply it translates to: Victory or Death.

And this philosophy guides every aspect of my life just as hatred grants me the power to move forward.  This philosophy is what allows me to use fear as power rather than be shackled by it.

In every pursuit I make, in every attempt I in any aspect of my life, I will accept nothing short of success.  If I fail, I try again.  After all there are two ways to do something.  "You can do it right, or you can do it again." Neil Murphy.

For me, failure is not an option.  I have suffered too much and fought with just about every single living entity that has entered my life.  I will fight for victory in each and every endeavor or I will die trying.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Power of Hate

The internet would lead you to believe that love is equated with justice, honor, and goodness.  I am here today to bring the counterpoint:  That these ideas are false.  That these premises are false.  I will be using stupid amounts of Pathos to make this argument, so if you don't like that, go elsewhere.

Growing up I was raised like any other child.  Taught to believe that I should love everyone and treat everyone with respect. I was told that these things would make me a strong person.  I was also taught what hate looked like.  I was taught about groups like the Klu Klux Klan who hated others because of how they were born.  That hatred was the antithesis of good.  That hate led to all the troubles in the world.

I got a little older and went to school.  Being Jewish (and autistic but unaware of it at the time) I was picked on by the very people I was warned about.  They used their hatred to cause me harm.  They used their hate to isolate me.  So I clung to my beliefs that hatred was the problem and that I had been raised correctly.  I was reminded of this by the ever increasing scars and wounds on my body from bullies.

High School rolled around.  By this time I understood a bit about why I was picked on.  I also knew a bit more about Psychology and the power of the mind.  Unfortunately so did the bullies that were still very much picking on me.  Now they resorted to ruining me mentally.  Inflicting scars upon me which have still not healed and likely never will.

At this point, I began to wonder if I should embrace my enemies ideas and fight back.  But no I decided.  I would never become them.  Also, the best way I was told, to defeat a bully was to ignore them.  So I did.  I continued to be attacked in High School both physically and mentally and I continued to ignore them.  Though I was starting to realize that it was not working.

Then college came and the nightmare truly began.  It was at this time period where I learned the error of believing that ignoring bullies would make them go away.  I was introduced to an even more insidious form of bullying than Psychological.  I was introduced to Cyber Bullying.  This form of attack goes for integrity and thus the more you ignore the bully, the more powerful they become.

This form of attack tested my friendships and bonds far more than it tested me.  And that was when all that I had been taught my whole life began to fracture.  For now I was under attack by my friends and family more than anyone else.  They told me I would have to be put under watch by police, or locked up in a hospital.  When asked why they felt the need to help the people attacking me, they responded that they were doing it out of love.

That was when the truth began to hit me.  Hatred was not what was harming me but love, Very very misguided love was the root of my problems.  The bullies who picked on me because I am Jewish did it out of love for their own religious beliefs.  The ones who picked on me because I have Autism did it out of their love of power.  My family and close friends picked on me because of their love of keeping me in a cage to keep me safe from all harm.

I withdrew from my college.  I remember driving home in the dead of a  December night frantically searching for a bridge with a large enough drop to plunge myself to a bitter end.  Instead, I found a deer and ended up on the side of the road.

Deep in that darkness, I snapped.  I screamed to the cold wind.  I screamed to the world.  I screamed to the ground beneath my feet.  I professed my Hatred of the cold wind, my Hatred of the world, my Hatred of the ground beneath my feet.  But anger needs energy to feed. It is not that strong of an emotion on its own.  So I professed my hatred of my "friends". I professed hatred towards the family members that had turned their backs on me.  Still that was not enough.

I professed my hatred of the concept of love.  A concept that had left me abandoned, alone, and with few real friends for my entire life.  And most of all I professed hatred of myself.  Such a weak feeble Human.  I had no spine. No one had respect for me.  I had little power, little influence.  I was pushed around like a rag doll.

And thus it was hatred, and not love that finally gave me the will to start pushing my car out of the snowbank.  And as I tried with all my might to move it.  That is when the miracles began.  A truck driving by saw my car on the side of the road and offered to use their chain on the back to tug my car out of the snow.

Once I was firmly on the road, I passed by a massive car wreck.  One that would have included me had I not encountered the deer.  I had decided earlier that love had betrayed me and thus, I discarded my old self into that car wreck.

The old me died that night.

The  me that was born that same night embraced the very hatred that I had feared my whole life. Quickly I moved away from the negativity in my life as well as the people who saw me as a weak and defenseless coward.  Instead, I found myself in Florida, ready to establish my new identity and bury the old one for good.

And now, I look at what I have accomplished, the friends I have made, and the places I have been.  I look at where I am going and the friends I will make.  Love has not been what has guided my aim true.  Sure, I do care about my friends and will defend them just as I know they would for me.  But it is hatred that drives my ambitions.  That drives my goals and dreams.

Hatred is what gets me to wake up each day.  Hatred is what compels me to write.  Hatred is what compels me to love.  Hatred is what compels me to forgive my family.  Hatred is what compels me to reconcile with my old enemies.

Are you confused as you read this?  I will elaborate.

I hated who I was.  I became something else entirely.  I hated that I was weak.  Now I am strong physically and mentally.  I was seen as a coward and spineless before.  Now I am seen as more powerful and even a little intimidating.  Even more recently I have been called a "Happy Person" which I find funny.  My hatred has formed such pragmatism which makes me seem strong and even a bit happy at times.

Do I still struggle?  Of course.  I even have some bad days from time to time.  But I do not withdraw into myself for long as I did when I held emotions such as love and longing in my heart.

Th day that I understood that light had forsaken me was the turning point of my life.  When I let darkness in, I became the person I had always wanted to be.

The new me a few years ago was presented from a ghost of my past.  One of the men who used to torment me so had a run in with me in a bar.  If you are expecting this to be the part where there is a morale to the story and we both become friends, you would be very mistaken.  He remembered who I was, and assumed even after all these years, that I would still be the weak man I once was.  He had not changed one bit.  But I had.

What he assumed would be a very one sided fight, ended with him pinned to the wall, my hand holding him by his throat.  I stared into his eyes, and felt deep ecstasy as I fed on his fear.  I whispered softly to him: "Who is the spineless coward now?"

I have not been bothered by him since.

And even now, most most noble endeavors are grounded in hatred.  I display my Judaism for all to know in hatred to Antisemitism.   I serve as a reminder that so long as even one Jew stands in defiance of them, they cannot win.  Instead of this Jewish person fearing these racist individuals who have a love of ignorance, I can bring fear back to these fools.  This is a motive that I will likely have for the rest of my life.

I announce to the world that I have Autism to further the right of people like me.  But deeper down, I announce to the world that I have Autism out of hatred to the so called normal people who think that their way is the only right way.  Even more so, I do this act out of hatred for Sociopaths everywhere who, should I make the changes to the world that I desire, the whole world will become a better place... at their expense.

The stories that I began writing as a child have suffered from the phenomenon of Cerebus Syndrome. As my personal life has become darker and more filled with hate, my books have adapted and become the same.  I write books and blog posts (like this one) in response for my hatred of existence. I use every ounce of energy I have to defy this world.  The first step in changing the world is changing ones self after all.

As I move forward into the future, I do so with extra energy and more of a step in my stride.  Most people expend so much energy fighting the hatred that lives within.  Instead, I embrace the darkness, the blight that exists within my soul and cast out the lies, deceptions, and illusions that light creates.

"For those who fear darkness have never seen the damage that light can do."  I have seen that damage and that is why I go into the future embracing the darkness, and casting out the light.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Yom Kippur: Fasting

Yom Kippur begins tonight and while many non Jews (and Jews) see it as a day of fasting, this is not the central theme of the day.  Of course I have written about that issue in the past, so here I am going to address a little tidbit I have found with the fasting itself.

A common saying one gives to another during and before Yom Kippur is "To have a peaceful fast"  I have a serious problem with this statement as does the laws concerning the Day of Atonement.

If the purpose of fasting is to abandon world desires for a day and focus on enlightenment, then the last thing any person should be desiring  is peace.  Instead, this should be a time of deep reflection.  Of inspiration.  Yom Kippur should be a tumultuous day.  One of great learning.

So instead, I will wish all of my Jewish friends an insightful fast, rather than a peaceful one.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Magus

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I will be continuing the trend of paying tribute to characters that have heavily inspired and influenced my writing.  The main event of this post is Magus from Chrono Trigger.

Hes a fan favorite among RPG Gamers for his neutral evil alignment.  He bad-ass one liners ensure he is never forgotten.  It also helps that he becomes a playable character for the final sections of the game and reaches game breaking levels of awesome with his access to the spell Dark Matter (sadly he lacks his elemental barrier and Geyser spell.)  He also uses a scythe as his weapon of choice if you didn't figure that out from the picture.

Magus helped codify the token evil teammate concept in fiction if you wish to understand his lasting impact on books video games movies and all other mediums of storytelling.  He also never changes to a good aligned personality.  He stays evil.  it just happens that your goals as well as his own intersect all the way till the very end of Chrono Trigger. (and assuming that he is Guile, Chrono Cross as well)

Now just like with Flemeth, there is one specific character in my series The Search for Eden that Magus has inspired in more ways than one.  This is of course The Demon Lord, who since most of you reading this will have not finished the first book in the series at the time of this being published, I will leave unnamed to avoid spoilers.  Just know that characters I write are multi layered and draw inspirations from more than one source.

Still I would be lying if I did not admit just how much of Magus has seeped into a few of my characters, the Demon Lord chief among them (they even almost share titles)

"The black wind begins to blow.. Okay... give me your best shot... If you're prepared for the void."- Magus, Chrono Trigger


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Flemeth



There are many characters in fiction that I draw inspiration from when I design those of my own, but not all characters are created equally and thus, some characters have more of an effect than others.  Flemeth from Bioware's critically acclaimed Dragon Age Series is one of those created more equally than others.

The Legendary Witch of the Wilds? Asha'Bellanar? An old woman who just talks too much?  A High Dragon? An Abomination? Something else entirely? (I know the answer but for the sake of spoilers will not answer which, if any of these, are true) This is a character who speaks and the player must pay attention to every word, very carefully.  Here is a character that one knows is probably a villain and yet does little to no villainous deeds.  Here is a character who for most of the series, the player still has no idea what she is planning.

This is the type of villain that is among my favorites in fiction.  One that keeps you guessing.  Fills the story with awesome dialogue, and most important of all, is such a show stealer that at times one is doing nothing more but counting down till the next encounter with such character.  The excitement always builds to what will occur in that next encounter.

Flemeth delivers incredibly.  First encountered at the very beginning of Dragon Age Origins, she sets up the entire plot, then does the same in the second game.  The best types of characters are associated with other incredible characters and Flemeth is no exception.  Her daughter is another well designed character.  In fact her daughter may be the most famous of all Dragon Age characters in media:


And don't worry, I will be writing a future blog post on Morrigan as well.  She has inspired just as many ideas in my writing as her mother.

But when it comes to characters I have written inspired by Flemeth, one stands tall, not just in pure awesomeness in my writing, but tallest in power in the fiction I have written so far.  For Flemeth is one of the strongest influences on my High Lady Demoness herself: Evesta

Sadly I do not have any fanart of what is becoming one of my fans favorite villains in my own works (I seek to fix this issue soon) but just know for now, that the mystery, allure, and witty banter that Flemeth brings to the table in Dragon Age, carries over to The End of Utopia with Evesta.  Obviously Flemeth is not the only influence on one of my main antagonists, but she certainly helped create the snarky and condescending attitude of the High Lady.

Before I wrap this up, those of you who have played Dragon Age, and have also read my book, should have a clear indication of who Morrigan did inspire in my novels, and remember, if the answer seems obvious, you have the right one.

Remember though, when dealing with any character designed with this personality in mind, "There is always a catch. life is a catch! I suggest you catch it while you can." -Flemeth Dragon Age II