So as some of you know, and many others do not, a lot of my inspiration actually comes from my very few dreams, and far far more frequent nightmares. Admittedly nothing that is published so far has any sign of this inspiration in it, but a lot of unused plots are pulled directly from nightmares or dreams, and actually a central character to Carabia's upcoming sequel is pulled from the most terrifying nightmare I have ever had.
Anyway, I always thought it was somewhat funny that I turn to nightmares for inspiration. But I have always had a very vivid imagination when it comes to scaring the crap out of myself at night. Having indistinct shapes all around the room in the dark is much less fun when your brain won't stop coming up with funtastically horrifying things they could potentially be! But a lot of my dreams are actually very strange and original, and of course I already know they are scary. So my real question is if anyone else gets inspired this way? Or am I just crazy as hell?
Either way, that's how I roll. This morning I actually had one of the coolest dreams ever, woke up wanting to just return to it. Sadly, I had work. But it was much more in line with the kind of light hearted, uplifting story that I have been hoping to write, and I gleaned a lot of ideas from it. Don't want to say too much just yet (especially since there has been more than one false rut buster alarm lately) but things are looking up!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Nostalgia
Now typically I am not one to look to the past all that often. I have a lot of memories that are tough ones that made me the person I am today, and I think those memories have made me overlook the value of the other, happier ones. Today I was going through boxes of my stuff from grade school with my mom and brother, and it brought up a lot of great memories.
That along with some of my recent movie viewings (Big Hero 6, Wreck It Ralph) has made me really rethink my approach to the next project I work on. I have been in a real slump lately as far as new material goes, though there has been plenty to do on the publishing side of things, and I am hoping this will help. I am trying to come up with a more small scale, personal plot that focuses on the characters struggle in a world that they do NOT play a big part in. All of these large, world altering plotlines that I have been doing lately have worn me out slightly, and left me wanting something simpler. I'll be updating you as this develops!
That along with some of my recent movie viewings (Big Hero 6, Wreck It Ralph) has made me really rethink my approach to the next project I work on. I have been in a real slump lately as far as new material goes, though there has been plenty to do on the publishing side of things, and I am hoping this will help. I am trying to come up with a more small scale, personal plot that focuses on the characters struggle in a world that they do NOT play a big part in. All of these large, world altering plotlines that I have been doing lately have worn me out slightly, and left me wanting something simpler. I'll be updating you as this develops!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Friends
Well the wife is home on spring break, and we have been spending a lot of time just lounging around together, so I have been watching a lot more TV than normal. We recently discovered 'Friends' and have been watching it....for way too long actually. Great show and I can see why it was so iconic when it was on the air. Haven't been this into a show since we found 'How I Met Your Mother'. I imagine most of you have already watched 'Friends', but I thought I would share.
Although I have to say, Rachel is pretty awful to Ross at times. Just like Lily with Marshall. I get really annoyed when these 'perfect, adorable' television couples are so sub par.
Although I have to say, Rachel is pretty awful to Ross at times. Just like Lily with Marshall. I get really annoyed when these 'perfect, adorable' television couples are so sub par.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
30 Days (PART 3!!!)
Haha so second day of watching the show, and for the first time we have discovered episodes that are not endearing us to the program. Lucky we started with the fun episodes halfway through what is available on Netflix, if these were the first ones we saw we would likely have stopped viewing it at all, because these two episodes are seriously stupid.
The first episode is about minimum wage. Admittedly, I wanted to watch this episode because I believe that there are ways to get by with minimum wage income. Now before anyone gets all angry, my opinions are not based in ignorance. I worked with nothing but guys from the lower class at my last two jobs, which were for a moving company and landscaping company. Both entry level positions, manual labor, no credentials required. I also previously worked for Walmart. Here is what I have seen at those jobs. One coworker was living out of a motel because of lack of credit. Motels cost more than an apartment, so that is a waste of money. At least two co-workers were paying child support to ex-girlfriends they knocked up. One co-worker told me that he bought a fifty dollar bag of weed, smoked it in one night. Then the next day his cell phone was turned off because he hadn't paid his phone bill... All of my co-workers regularly drank, most of them smoked weed, almost all of them smoked cigarettes. A few were resourceful enough to ride bikes or buses instead of drive, but since they partake in these other money sinks, it hardly does them any good. A lot of my co-workers had also been in trouble with the law, and had court fees or required drug tests they had to pay for. Now, everything I have listed above are CHOICES. They are not costs that you need to have. They all resulted from poor decisions that cost them extra money, money they did not have.
So moving on to the episode. The premise was that the host and his wife would both live off of minimum wage jobs for a month to see how it works. The minimal wage at the time was $5.50, or about $4.75 after taxes. Now they are assuming a 40 hour work week each. Now let us run the numbers. 2 people, 40 hours a week each, 80 hours total. 80 hours for $4.75, that is $380.00 a week total income. 380x4=1520 a month. Now first of all, this was in 2002 or 2003, so the cost of most things was cheaper back then, but for my hypothetical I am going to use my own living expenses as a model, which means it should be MORE expensive than the show portrayed.
So in the show, not only did both people get jobs that paid ABOVE minimum wage, but they were incredibly bad with their money. They got a bus pass instead of driving, which was good. So let us go through a list of expenses. Rent, food, utilities, and insurance if you have extra. They have no loans, no debt, no cars. They find an apartment for an amazing $325.00 a month, very cheap. This leaves you with $1195.00. Now my own utilities bill for two people is under $100.00 a month, so let us assume that amount as well, leaving with $1095.00. Me and my wife also spend less than $500.00 on groceries a month, so we can use that number. $695.00 left. Oh look, that is all your necessities, and you have $700.00 left. You could have stayed in a NICE apartment and still had money left. And yet, they somehow cannot manage to make ends meet. Let me point out why.
First of all, they went to the movies and bought drinks there. If you are struggling to survive, you don't get luxuries. Otherwise you are struggling not to survive, but to afford privileges. They also went out to dinner once in a while. Now how did this eat away their $700.00? I imagine this would be enough left over for your average spending money. But no, what happened was both of these mid 30's people went to the hospital in the same month. The bill was about $500.00 total. Well I guess if you are some kind of idiot who almost dies monthly then yeah, affording that is hard.
Now, I didn't mention insurance above. Personally, the extra $700.00 they had could cover the same renters, health and dental insurance me and my wife have now, and I imagine this was cheaper 12 years ago, as most things were. So I honestly have no idea how they were struggling, especially since all of my calculations are based on minimum wage, and they were making more than that. But I don't know as much about their experience as I do my own, so let us try something else.
The minimum wage now is $7.25 an hour. According to Google (if you have something more concrete let me know) the income tax in 2013 started at 10%. That would be around seventy cents an hour. I don't feel like doing exact calculations, so let us round up. Taxes are a dollar an hour in our assumption, leaving us with $6.25 an hour for two people. Two people, eighty hours a week total, that is $500.00 a week, or $2,000 total a month. This is actual money you have to spend, since taxes are done.
Alright, we are using my own life and real expenses as an example, because I KNOW that this life style not only is possible, but is actually very, very enjoyable. There is nothing I go wanting for. So here we go. The apartment me and my wife share is less than $900.00, so we will use that number to keep the math simple. Our food is less than $500.00. Now, we do not live a minimalist lifestyle, so I am going to make some extrapolations. If we were stuck in the same situation as the people on the show, we would assume no student loans and no cars, since they took the bus. So transportation is free after a one time bus pass cost. That is a total living cost of $1,400.00 so far. Utilities, $100.00. Let us assume they get really fast internet, the same as we have. $50.00. $1550.00 total thus far. Well what else do we need? Basic food, water, shelter and entertainment are covered already (stream your shows you lazy people), leaving us with optional things. First up on optional, insurance. Renters: <$100.00, Healthcare for two people <$400.00, Dental <$100.00. With all of the same insurance that me and my wife have NOW, that is a total of $2,150.00.
So you are a little over. If you're barely surviving, get a $600.00 apartment. Just going down in luxury for living space will give you $150.00 spending money a month, and I have seen apartments for less than $500.00. This is all without government assistance of any kind, and you now have all your living costs covered, full insurance for your stuff and your well being, as well as outright luxuries like internet. You can use Skype for free to make phone calls, or you can splurge on cell phone plans (which can come with free phones) using your spending money.
So there you have it. A workable plan to survive the modern day on nothing but minimum wage, with money left over. My wife and I have these exact expenses, except we also have student loans from college and car payments and such. If you went to college, you shouldn't be working minimum wage for long, and if you can't afford a car, you shouldn't have one. If you think this plan isn't workable, please comment and let me know your doubts or objections (in a civil manner) and we can discuss it.
Now that I have laid out my own plan for living if I was forced to work minimum wage, allow me to outline all of the ways that most people could live more cost effectively without being crazy. I am going to do this by listing the ways I have seen people hemorrhage their money. #1 alcohol. Alcohol is a luxury, and a stupid one since it not just costs a lot, but damages your body and can cause things like tickets, hospital trips, etc. #2 drugs/cigarettes, another example of burning money. Neither are needed, neither are healthy, and both can lead to complications in health or in court depending on your drug of choice. #3 Children. A lot of people say how hard it is to be a parent working minimum wage. Then DON'T HAVE KIDS. Sex is optional, birth control is free if you lack self restraint. You CHOOSE to risk having kids, so any cost associated with them is not something you get to complain about. If you want kids eventually, you had best get a better job or work long enough at your current one to get a promotion. #4 court/parole/required drug tests, etc. To quote a favorite movie of mine "STOP BREAKING THE LAW ASSHOLE!" (Jim Carrey, Liar Liar) It really is that simple.
Now, I believe that the reasons listed in the paragraph above are the dumbest things I see people waste their money on when they cannot afford to. There are also things like eating fast food constantly and just making poor monetary decisions, but there are so many of those I can't go into them all. These are the top, glaringly obvious, decisions you should be avoiding if you are struggling to get by. I am not an economist and I don't even really budget (until this blog obviously) but I know for a fact not doing the four things above will save you some money.
Now the one concession I will make is this. The show assumed, as did I, that there would be TWO people living in one place and working together for their common good. With one person, you would have to cut all of your costs in half. Insurance and food should be cut in half just by subtracting one person, because I did not factor in if there was a discount for group insurance. Me and my wife have individual plans through different companies. However, utilities won't cut in half, and rent will be hard to since a couple can share a bedroom without discomfort where one person needs a bedroom still, and even with a roommate, you want separate rooms. So yes, I do think that for single people it is hard to get by on minimum wage. Even with a roommate.
One last thing that throws all arguments out the window. My above plans work with minimum wage and forty hours. The only doubt is if you are single or have some kind of additional expense like medical conditions, etc. Well if you have a medical condition, tough luck, I don't have a solution for you and I am sorry. However, if you find my plan unworkable for any reason, or if you are single and struggling because of not having someone to share the burden, there is a simple answer. Work more than one job. If you get an extra 20 hours a week, you will have SO MUCH more money than you need.
So there you go. Full proof assuming nothing ridiculous happens. If you disagree let me know, I love discussing things with people. If you want more information I am happy to provide it. If you're an internet troll, your comment will be deleted without remorse. So long as you are articulate, logical and present your case, I would love to hear it.
The first episode is about minimum wage. Admittedly, I wanted to watch this episode because I believe that there are ways to get by with minimum wage income. Now before anyone gets all angry, my opinions are not based in ignorance. I worked with nothing but guys from the lower class at my last two jobs, which were for a moving company and landscaping company. Both entry level positions, manual labor, no credentials required. I also previously worked for Walmart. Here is what I have seen at those jobs. One coworker was living out of a motel because of lack of credit. Motels cost more than an apartment, so that is a waste of money. At least two co-workers were paying child support to ex-girlfriends they knocked up. One co-worker told me that he bought a fifty dollar bag of weed, smoked it in one night. Then the next day his cell phone was turned off because he hadn't paid his phone bill... All of my co-workers regularly drank, most of them smoked weed, almost all of them smoked cigarettes. A few were resourceful enough to ride bikes or buses instead of drive, but since they partake in these other money sinks, it hardly does them any good. A lot of my co-workers had also been in trouble with the law, and had court fees or required drug tests they had to pay for. Now, everything I have listed above are CHOICES. They are not costs that you need to have. They all resulted from poor decisions that cost them extra money, money they did not have.
So moving on to the episode. The premise was that the host and his wife would both live off of minimum wage jobs for a month to see how it works. The minimal wage at the time was $5.50, or about $4.75 after taxes. Now they are assuming a 40 hour work week each. Now let us run the numbers. 2 people, 40 hours a week each, 80 hours total. 80 hours for $4.75, that is $380.00 a week total income. 380x4=1520 a month. Now first of all, this was in 2002 or 2003, so the cost of most things was cheaper back then, but for my hypothetical I am going to use my own living expenses as a model, which means it should be MORE expensive than the show portrayed.
So in the show, not only did both people get jobs that paid ABOVE minimum wage, but they were incredibly bad with their money. They got a bus pass instead of driving, which was good. So let us go through a list of expenses. Rent, food, utilities, and insurance if you have extra. They have no loans, no debt, no cars. They find an apartment for an amazing $325.00 a month, very cheap. This leaves you with $1195.00. Now my own utilities bill for two people is under $100.00 a month, so let us assume that amount as well, leaving with $1095.00. Me and my wife also spend less than $500.00 on groceries a month, so we can use that number. $695.00 left. Oh look, that is all your necessities, and you have $700.00 left. You could have stayed in a NICE apartment and still had money left. And yet, they somehow cannot manage to make ends meet. Let me point out why.
First of all, they went to the movies and bought drinks there. If you are struggling to survive, you don't get luxuries. Otherwise you are struggling not to survive, but to afford privileges. They also went out to dinner once in a while. Now how did this eat away their $700.00? I imagine this would be enough left over for your average spending money. But no, what happened was both of these mid 30's people went to the hospital in the same month. The bill was about $500.00 total. Well I guess if you are some kind of idiot who almost dies monthly then yeah, affording that is hard.
Now, I didn't mention insurance above. Personally, the extra $700.00 they had could cover the same renters, health and dental insurance me and my wife have now, and I imagine this was cheaper 12 years ago, as most things were. So I honestly have no idea how they were struggling, especially since all of my calculations are based on minimum wage, and they were making more than that. But I don't know as much about their experience as I do my own, so let us try something else.
The minimum wage now is $7.25 an hour. According to Google (if you have something more concrete let me know) the income tax in 2013 started at 10%. That would be around seventy cents an hour. I don't feel like doing exact calculations, so let us round up. Taxes are a dollar an hour in our assumption, leaving us with $6.25 an hour for two people. Two people, eighty hours a week total, that is $500.00 a week, or $2,000 total a month. This is actual money you have to spend, since taxes are done.
Alright, we are using my own life and real expenses as an example, because I KNOW that this life style not only is possible, but is actually very, very enjoyable. There is nothing I go wanting for. So here we go. The apartment me and my wife share is less than $900.00, so we will use that number to keep the math simple. Our food is less than $500.00. Now, we do not live a minimalist lifestyle, so I am going to make some extrapolations. If we were stuck in the same situation as the people on the show, we would assume no student loans and no cars, since they took the bus. So transportation is free after a one time bus pass cost. That is a total living cost of $1,400.00 so far. Utilities, $100.00. Let us assume they get really fast internet, the same as we have. $50.00. $1550.00 total thus far. Well what else do we need? Basic food, water, shelter and entertainment are covered already (stream your shows you lazy people), leaving us with optional things. First up on optional, insurance. Renters: <$100.00, Healthcare for two people <$400.00, Dental <$100.00. With all of the same insurance that me and my wife have NOW, that is a total of $2,150.00.
So you are a little over. If you're barely surviving, get a $600.00 apartment. Just going down in luxury for living space will give you $150.00 spending money a month, and I have seen apartments for less than $500.00. This is all without government assistance of any kind, and you now have all your living costs covered, full insurance for your stuff and your well being, as well as outright luxuries like internet. You can use Skype for free to make phone calls, or you can splurge on cell phone plans (which can come with free phones) using your spending money.
So there you have it. A workable plan to survive the modern day on nothing but minimum wage, with money left over. My wife and I have these exact expenses, except we also have student loans from college and car payments and such. If you went to college, you shouldn't be working minimum wage for long, and if you can't afford a car, you shouldn't have one. If you think this plan isn't workable, please comment and let me know your doubts or objections (in a civil manner) and we can discuss it.
Now that I have laid out my own plan for living if I was forced to work minimum wage, allow me to outline all of the ways that most people could live more cost effectively without being crazy. I am going to do this by listing the ways I have seen people hemorrhage their money. #1 alcohol. Alcohol is a luxury, and a stupid one since it not just costs a lot, but damages your body and can cause things like tickets, hospital trips, etc. #2 drugs/cigarettes, another example of burning money. Neither are needed, neither are healthy, and both can lead to complications in health or in court depending on your drug of choice. #3 Children. A lot of people say how hard it is to be a parent working minimum wage. Then DON'T HAVE KIDS. Sex is optional, birth control is free if you lack self restraint. You CHOOSE to risk having kids, so any cost associated with them is not something you get to complain about. If you want kids eventually, you had best get a better job or work long enough at your current one to get a promotion. #4 court/parole/required drug tests, etc. To quote a favorite movie of mine "STOP BREAKING THE LAW ASSHOLE!" (Jim Carrey, Liar Liar) It really is that simple.
Now, I believe that the reasons listed in the paragraph above are the dumbest things I see people waste their money on when they cannot afford to. There are also things like eating fast food constantly and just making poor monetary decisions, but there are so many of those I can't go into them all. These are the top, glaringly obvious, decisions you should be avoiding if you are struggling to get by. I am not an economist and I don't even really budget (until this blog obviously) but I know for a fact not doing the four things above will save you some money.
Now the one concession I will make is this. The show assumed, as did I, that there would be TWO people living in one place and working together for their common good. With one person, you would have to cut all of your costs in half. Insurance and food should be cut in half just by subtracting one person, because I did not factor in if there was a discount for group insurance. Me and my wife have individual plans through different companies. However, utilities won't cut in half, and rent will be hard to since a couple can share a bedroom without discomfort where one person needs a bedroom still, and even with a roommate, you want separate rooms. So yes, I do think that for single people it is hard to get by on minimum wage. Even with a roommate.
One last thing that throws all arguments out the window. My above plans work with minimum wage and forty hours. The only doubt is if you are single or have some kind of additional expense like medical conditions, etc. Well if you have a medical condition, tough luck, I don't have a solution for you and I am sorry. However, if you find my plan unworkable for any reason, or if you are single and struggling because of not having someone to share the burden, there is a simple answer. Work more than one job. If you get an extra 20 hours a week, you will have SO MUCH more money than you need.
So there you go. Full proof assuming nothing ridiculous happens. If you disagree let me know, I love discussing things with people. If you want more information I am happy to provide it. If you're an internet troll, your comment will be deleted without remorse. So long as you are articulate, logical and present your case, I would love to hear it.
Monday, March 23, 2015
30 Days (part 2!)
Well my love of controversy and discussion is driving me to continue posting as we watch further episodes. Enjoy!
The fourth episode of the day was about pro-choice woman living among those who are pro-life. This is one of my favorite topics, mostly because logic tends to hold little sway in the arguments of either side. It is almost always an emotional argument, which is useless, as no one emotion is more valid than another. My personal view is that if you don't want to get pregnant, you probably shouldn't be having sex at all. But since my views on sexual behavior are wildly out of sync with the world I live in, I cannot expect everyone to abide by this. So I believe that our current laws are fantastic. Th reality of living in a country filled with millions of people is that we have to compromise to function. People seem to forget this a lot, insisting on getting their way and throwing tantrums when they don't. The abortion laws as they exist are a very good example of effective compromise in action, and one that is all too rare. It always allows early abortions, always bans later ones, and leaves the middle ground up to the state.
But on to the actual episode. The hosts were members of a church, ministers who ran a shelter that would help people raise their children as an alternative to abortion. I honestly sided very much with the pro-choice guest in this case. She had an abortion earlier in life, and works in an abortion clinic, and everything she said seemed very supportive of the women, whatever they decide. The minister and his family seemed less concerned about helping the women than about condemning abortion and harassing those who sought abortion services. Personally it irks me that these two sides cannot come to reasonable terms with each other. The solution is simple. Those who are pro-life and want alternatives to abortion, work WITH abortion clinics. If the clinics provide all alternatives, all the choices, it all falls on the pregnant women. The clinic hands out information on these shelters, and women can seek them if they wish. What pisses me off is when these people stand outside the clinic and make an already tough situation more difficult for their own selfish ends, rather than worrying about the women who are already in turmoil. Their well being comes first, so stop making their lives more difficult because of your own personal opinions. I respect both sides of the argument, but I think that they also both need to examine their decisions. As far as being responsible goes, I am on the side of pro-life. If you don't want to be pregnant, don't have sex. If you take the risk, you reap the reward, no matter what precautions you took. There is always a chance. As far as freedom goes, I think it is ridiculous to ask women to risk their lives for a 'person' who doesn't exist yet if there are health issues. It is their choice, their lives that are being affected, so stop trying to decide for them. This two sided opinion of mine is why I agree with the current compromise laws. I am happy to say both sides seemed to learn something from the experience.
The next episode is about animal rights, and I honestly don't feel much like tackling it. I personally am a fan of animals dying to make sure products are safe so people aren't killed by unsafe products. Animals are food, we are omnivorous for a reason. I am all for humane treatment and such, but I think the animal rights activists go too far more often than not.
EDIT: alright I had to mention this. The silly animal rights activist was talking with the visiting hunter. She keeps saying that animals are the same as people and have the same rights. He says if he had the choice between saving ANY person, or saving his dog, he would choose the person every time. She was appalled. Really? You would rather save a dog than a person? What the hell is wrong with you? Also, if animals are the same as people, people are of course the same as animals. That means that if animals kill each other for food, then people should be able to kill animals for good. And the animal rights silly person was claiming that killing animals for food is the same as.... the Holocaust. Wow, you are truly ridiculous
Now they do go on to show cruelty and such. Yeah, I think some of the methods are wrong, so protest THAT. Stop with your ridiculous ultimatum of not eating any animals and shoot for humane treatment like a reasonable person. The process of eating animals isn't an issue, it is the methods sometimes used. But of course you also have to balance this with the fact that expedience is required to keep food cheap, so people in the lower economic class can afford to eat. I personally am fine with animal cruelty if it keeps people fed instead of starving or dying
The problem with PETA is that they have some good points. Animal cruelty should be minimized without risking human safety. But then they go on from activism to extremism, and lose all of their credibility. If you say something like 'I don't think that cows should be tossed out and allowed to slowly die', then alright. But then you compare the eating of meat to being a Nazi, and now I don't care what you have to say, because you're obviously crazy. You're hurting your own cause by pushing incredible extreme views on reasonable people, who are going to ignore you and continue living their lives. As well they should.
Examples of extremism shown in the episode: meat eating makes you a Nazi, they trespass and steal at one point, at another point they indecently expose themselves by having two women be completely naked and painted plaid to protest fur.
The fourth episode of the day was about pro-choice woman living among those who are pro-life. This is one of my favorite topics, mostly because logic tends to hold little sway in the arguments of either side. It is almost always an emotional argument, which is useless, as no one emotion is more valid than another. My personal view is that if you don't want to get pregnant, you probably shouldn't be having sex at all. But since my views on sexual behavior are wildly out of sync with the world I live in, I cannot expect everyone to abide by this. So I believe that our current laws are fantastic. Th reality of living in a country filled with millions of people is that we have to compromise to function. People seem to forget this a lot, insisting on getting their way and throwing tantrums when they don't. The abortion laws as they exist are a very good example of effective compromise in action, and one that is all too rare. It always allows early abortions, always bans later ones, and leaves the middle ground up to the state.
But on to the actual episode. The hosts were members of a church, ministers who ran a shelter that would help people raise their children as an alternative to abortion. I honestly sided very much with the pro-choice guest in this case. She had an abortion earlier in life, and works in an abortion clinic, and everything she said seemed very supportive of the women, whatever they decide. The minister and his family seemed less concerned about helping the women than about condemning abortion and harassing those who sought abortion services. Personally it irks me that these two sides cannot come to reasonable terms with each other. The solution is simple. Those who are pro-life and want alternatives to abortion, work WITH abortion clinics. If the clinics provide all alternatives, all the choices, it all falls on the pregnant women. The clinic hands out information on these shelters, and women can seek them if they wish. What pisses me off is when these people stand outside the clinic and make an already tough situation more difficult for their own selfish ends, rather than worrying about the women who are already in turmoil. Their well being comes first, so stop making their lives more difficult because of your own personal opinions. I respect both sides of the argument, but I think that they also both need to examine their decisions. As far as being responsible goes, I am on the side of pro-life. If you don't want to be pregnant, don't have sex. If you take the risk, you reap the reward, no matter what precautions you took. There is always a chance. As far as freedom goes, I think it is ridiculous to ask women to risk their lives for a 'person' who doesn't exist yet if there are health issues. It is their choice, their lives that are being affected, so stop trying to decide for them. This two sided opinion of mine is why I agree with the current compromise laws. I am happy to say both sides seemed to learn something from the experience.
The next episode is about animal rights, and I honestly don't feel much like tackling it. I personally am a fan of animals dying to make sure products are safe so people aren't killed by unsafe products. Animals are food, we are omnivorous for a reason. I am all for humane treatment and such, but I think the animal rights activists go too far more often than not.
EDIT: alright I had to mention this. The silly animal rights activist was talking with the visiting hunter. She keeps saying that animals are the same as people and have the same rights. He says if he had the choice between saving ANY person, or saving his dog, he would choose the person every time. She was appalled. Really? You would rather save a dog than a person? What the hell is wrong with you? Also, if animals are the same as people, people are of course the same as animals. That means that if animals kill each other for food, then people should be able to kill animals for good. And the animal rights silly person was claiming that killing animals for food is the same as.... the Holocaust. Wow, you are truly ridiculous
Now they do go on to show cruelty and such. Yeah, I think some of the methods are wrong, so protest THAT. Stop with your ridiculous ultimatum of not eating any animals and shoot for humane treatment like a reasonable person. The process of eating animals isn't an issue, it is the methods sometimes used. But of course you also have to balance this with the fact that expedience is required to keep food cheap, so people in the lower economic class can afford to eat. I personally am fine with animal cruelty if it keeps people fed instead of starving or dying
The problem with PETA is that they have some good points. Animal cruelty should be minimized without risking human safety. But then they go on from activism to extremism, and lose all of their credibility. If you say something like 'I don't think that cows should be tossed out and allowed to slowly die', then alright. But then you compare the eating of meat to being a Nazi, and now I don't care what you have to say, because you're obviously crazy. You're hurting your own cause by pushing incredible extreme views on reasonable people, who are going to ignore you and continue living their lives. As well they should.
Examples of extremism shown in the episode: meat eating makes you a Nazi, they trespass and steal at one point, at another point they indecently expose themselves by having two women be completely naked and painted plaid to protest fur.
Inspirations of the Day
So I have noticed I have the tendency to just post a IotD and nothing else. So instead of doing one every day, I am going to use them to fill days on which I have nothing of interest to talk about. Be expecting more varied and engaging posts than the previous monotony!
30 Days (part 1?)
Alright, so today my wife and I discovered a show called '30 Days'. It is one of the most interesting shows I have ever seen. The concept is that it takes a person with a set of beliefs, and places them somewhere that is outside of those beliefs. The concept is really entertaining, as it seems like it is intended to show people how to be open minded, and the show is exactly as entertaining as I thought it would be.
The first episode we viewed was about a devout Christian in America going to live in a Muslim community, also in America. We selected this one because it seems to be a very relevant topic at this time, and we hoped it would be entertaining to watch. It certainly was. Initially the Christian was incredibly close minded and bigoted, afraid that this religion was all about hating Americans and violence. It was very interesting to watch him confront the fact that these are just ordinary people with different beliefs, and beliefs that are actually very similar to his own at the heart. I enjoyed learning more about the Muslim faith myself, and about how similar their beliefs are to ours. The strangest thing I think was the separation of men and women. Women prayed behind the men because having them pray in front, and having to lean forward in a kneeling position, would be a distraction to the men. While I honestly couldn't fault the logic, I find it strange to dictate this behavior. By far the weirdest example of this is when the male of the hosting family leaves, and says that the visiting man cannot stay at the home while he is gone, because women aren't allowed to be alone with men who are not their husbands. I found it very strange that mistrust of your spouse was built into the faith. If you trust your spouse to not cheat on you, it seems that it doesn't really matter who you leave her with, unless you're concerned they are a rapist. But again, I got all of this from an hour long TV show so I may not have the whole picture. I was very impressed by the discipline and devotion displayed by the Muslim community, and the visitor also mentioned how impressive it was at their services. The services were not about hate, violence, or anything political. They were just about reverence for God, and it seems like that is how faith should work.
The second episode was about a straight man staying with a gay man in an area heavily populated by gay people. The visiting straight man also happens to be a Christian who believes that being gay is a sin. This was another episode we were looking forward to (obviously, since we picked it out to watch). It was hilarious when he first showed up and we saw the room he was staying in. It was about dorm room sized, and the host stated it had been his closet until two days ago. First, I found it hilarious that he had a closet that size because it just fits the idea of a gay man so well. And just to go further, he had also gone all out. There wasn't a sofa, mattress on the floor or blow up bed. He had fully furnished and decorated this room very tastefully, for a very temporary guest. It was really sweet that he had gone to such lengths for this random stranger, at the same time it was just so fitting, in the same way that it was fitting when the straight guest turned the room into a mess while the host was keeping the rest of the house clean. The guest ended up being a bit hard headed though. When he went to a gay bar he got rather aggressive when he was hit on, when it seems like you should be expecting that to happen. Personally, I would find it very entertaining and flattering, maybe a bit odd, but nothing to get angry about. Later, he was speaking to the head of the local gay church he seemed unable to wrap his head around an alternative view point. Eventually he ended up being swayed at least somewhat. Personally, even if you believe being gay is a sin, it's not your business what other people do. And if you are going to make other people sinning your business, maybe focus on more severe sins, like murder for example, or people who break the Ten Commandments. Why pick only on gays? It doesn't make sense. My only issue with this episode was the gay church. In the above paragraph I mention how the faith was all about revering God, and yet it did not hold true for the gay church. They seemed focused almost exclusively on how gays are treated, rather than on faith. I thought it odd that it seemed more like a social club for homosexuals than a church, but this opinion is based on an hour episode, again. Maybe they just edited it to appear that way, but from what I saw, it seemed strange. Personally I don't see how someone could be okay with straight men and women sleeping around and cheating on each other for fun but be against two men or two women being together out of love. Of the two situations, I know which I find more offensive.
Lastly (that I will mention here) was the episode about an Atheist living in a Christian household. It sure seems like Christians are being put on the spot a lot, but hey, someone has to be. This was slightly more frustrating to watch just because the two sides seemed incapable of imagining the thought processes of the others. The Atheist kept saying things along the lines of 'I don't believe people get all their morals and thoughts from a book'. I don't think there is a person alive who derives every thought and moral from a book. It is mildly insulting to imply that religious individuals are that unthinking. But on the other hand, her host family did little to dispute these kinds of remarks. The Christian hosts would ask things like 'If she isn't teaching her kids based on the foundation of God, what is she teaching them?' She is teaching them LITERALLY everything ELSE. If every aspect of your life, from right and wrong to finances and your job, is based solely in religion, then you really need to get a mind of your own. The Bible (or any other book) doesn't have all the answers to every question. If we weren't meant to think for ourselves, we wouldn't possess the capability to. The idea that you can't be a moral person, a good and kind person, without some form of religion is utterly ridiculous. So I am happy to say the two groups ended up learning from each other (after some seriously painful discussions) and ended up with more open minds. The worst moment of the episode was when they were eating dinner with other Atheists and discussing how Atheists are persecuted by the government for their religion. Apparently they were trying to open an Atheist church and the state claimed that to be a church, they had to believe in some kind of deity. So they would not get funding. The Christians did think this was wrong, and a follow up question was asked of them along these lines: 'if the dollar bill said that there is no God, rather than saying In God We Trust, how would you feel?' A fair question, but the Christian would not answer. He simply kept saying 'Well it doesn't say that, it says In God We Trust.' And at one point even said 'if you don't like it, move.' Incredibly disappointing from an otherwise impressively intelligent and open minded individual. You should be able to answer a simple damn hypothetical question.
Anyway, those were my experiences today so far. We are still watching episodes, so there might be a follow up post. I am a huge fan of controversy and discussion for the further understanding of other human beings. If you dislike anything I said, please feel free to politely and articulately say so in the comments. I welcome debate, discussion and argument, but I am not prepared to tolerate trolling, flaming or hateful comments. If anything I said came across as prejudicial in any way, it was not intended as such, and please let me know if anything offended you so we can discuss it, though I won't likely apologize for it. It isn't my job to make sure I don't offend anyone, because then I would it would be impossible to say anything ever. There will always be someone to take offense, and the Constitution guarantees my right to say what I want, NOT your right to hear only what you wish.
The first episode we viewed was about a devout Christian in America going to live in a Muslim community, also in America. We selected this one because it seems to be a very relevant topic at this time, and we hoped it would be entertaining to watch. It certainly was. Initially the Christian was incredibly close minded and bigoted, afraid that this religion was all about hating Americans and violence. It was very interesting to watch him confront the fact that these are just ordinary people with different beliefs, and beliefs that are actually very similar to his own at the heart. I enjoyed learning more about the Muslim faith myself, and about how similar their beliefs are to ours. The strangest thing I think was the separation of men and women. Women prayed behind the men because having them pray in front, and having to lean forward in a kneeling position, would be a distraction to the men. While I honestly couldn't fault the logic, I find it strange to dictate this behavior. By far the weirdest example of this is when the male of the hosting family leaves, and says that the visiting man cannot stay at the home while he is gone, because women aren't allowed to be alone with men who are not their husbands. I found it very strange that mistrust of your spouse was built into the faith. If you trust your spouse to not cheat on you, it seems that it doesn't really matter who you leave her with, unless you're concerned they are a rapist. But again, I got all of this from an hour long TV show so I may not have the whole picture. I was very impressed by the discipline and devotion displayed by the Muslim community, and the visitor also mentioned how impressive it was at their services. The services were not about hate, violence, or anything political. They were just about reverence for God, and it seems like that is how faith should work.
The second episode was about a straight man staying with a gay man in an area heavily populated by gay people. The visiting straight man also happens to be a Christian who believes that being gay is a sin. This was another episode we were looking forward to (obviously, since we picked it out to watch). It was hilarious when he first showed up and we saw the room he was staying in. It was about dorm room sized, and the host stated it had been his closet until two days ago. First, I found it hilarious that he had a closet that size because it just fits the idea of a gay man so well. And just to go further, he had also gone all out. There wasn't a sofa, mattress on the floor or blow up bed. He had fully furnished and decorated this room very tastefully, for a very temporary guest. It was really sweet that he had gone to such lengths for this random stranger, at the same time it was just so fitting, in the same way that it was fitting when the straight guest turned the room into a mess while the host was keeping the rest of the house clean. The guest ended up being a bit hard headed though. When he went to a gay bar he got rather aggressive when he was hit on, when it seems like you should be expecting that to happen. Personally, I would find it very entertaining and flattering, maybe a bit odd, but nothing to get angry about. Later, he was speaking to the head of the local gay church he seemed unable to wrap his head around an alternative view point. Eventually he ended up being swayed at least somewhat. Personally, even if you believe being gay is a sin, it's not your business what other people do. And if you are going to make other people sinning your business, maybe focus on more severe sins, like murder for example, or people who break the Ten Commandments. Why pick only on gays? It doesn't make sense. My only issue with this episode was the gay church. In the above paragraph I mention how the faith was all about revering God, and yet it did not hold true for the gay church. They seemed focused almost exclusively on how gays are treated, rather than on faith. I thought it odd that it seemed more like a social club for homosexuals than a church, but this opinion is based on an hour episode, again. Maybe they just edited it to appear that way, but from what I saw, it seemed strange. Personally I don't see how someone could be okay with straight men and women sleeping around and cheating on each other for fun but be against two men or two women being together out of love. Of the two situations, I know which I find more offensive.
Lastly (that I will mention here) was the episode about an Atheist living in a Christian household. It sure seems like Christians are being put on the spot a lot, but hey, someone has to be. This was slightly more frustrating to watch just because the two sides seemed incapable of imagining the thought processes of the others. The Atheist kept saying things along the lines of 'I don't believe people get all their morals and thoughts from a book'. I don't think there is a person alive who derives every thought and moral from a book. It is mildly insulting to imply that religious individuals are that unthinking. But on the other hand, her host family did little to dispute these kinds of remarks. The Christian hosts would ask things like 'If she isn't teaching her kids based on the foundation of God, what is she teaching them?' She is teaching them LITERALLY everything ELSE. If every aspect of your life, from right and wrong to finances and your job, is based solely in religion, then you really need to get a mind of your own. The Bible (or any other book) doesn't have all the answers to every question. If we weren't meant to think for ourselves, we wouldn't possess the capability to. The idea that you can't be a moral person, a good and kind person, without some form of religion is utterly ridiculous. So I am happy to say the two groups ended up learning from each other (after some seriously painful discussions) and ended up with more open minds. The worst moment of the episode was when they were eating dinner with other Atheists and discussing how Atheists are persecuted by the government for their religion. Apparently they were trying to open an Atheist church and the state claimed that to be a church, they had to believe in some kind of deity. So they would not get funding. The Christians did think this was wrong, and a follow up question was asked of them along these lines: 'if the dollar bill said that there is no God, rather than saying In God We Trust, how would you feel?' A fair question, but the Christian would not answer. He simply kept saying 'Well it doesn't say that, it says In God We Trust.' And at one point even said 'if you don't like it, move.' Incredibly disappointing from an otherwise impressively intelligent and open minded individual. You should be able to answer a simple damn hypothetical question.
Anyway, those were my experiences today so far. We are still watching episodes, so there might be a follow up post. I am a huge fan of controversy and discussion for the further understanding of other human beings. If you dislike anything I said, please feel free to politely and articulately say so in the comments. I welcome debate, discussion and argument, but I am not prepared to tolerate trolling, flaming or hateful comments. If anything I said came across as prejudicial in any way, it was not intended as such, and please let me know if anything offended you so we can discuss it, though I won't likely apologize for it. It isn't my job to make sure I don't offend anyone, because then I would it would be impossible to say anything ever. There will always be someone to take offense, and the Constitution guarantees my right to say what I want, NOT your right to hear only what you wish.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
IotD #18
Today I found the second part of a pair of songs that I was being driven crazy over a few weeks back. They were both involved in a fan made music video that I thoroughly enjoyed. The first was 'Sea of Love' by Hunter_game. The second part, which I am talking about today, is 'Words and Chance (featuring Forrest)' by Eric Volta and Sebastian Voigt.
The song itself is rather boring for most of it, just rhythm and background. It is very relaxing to me as not much of my music is. A lot of what I listen to is either adrenaline rush or something that inspires a particular emotion. This is more laid back, and when there are lyrics it has the same kind of forbidden pleasure vibe that Sea of Love has. Overall it makes me think of the same kind of temptress character as the previous song, but I am having issues with further inspiration.
Temptress characters have been done a million times. They are so frequently used it is rare to find a storyline that is lacking one! The cliche nature of the archetype is not something that really deters me, but it does require that I find a way to make an old and well worn character seem new and interesting once again. On top of that, I am really just drifting on the sea of ideas right now with no real direction. Oh well, gives me time to get everything that is already complete published.
The song itself is rather boring for most of it, just rhythm and background. It is very relaxing to me as not much of my music is. A lot of what I listen to is either adrenaline rush or something that inspires a particular emotion. This is more laid back, and when there are lyrics it has the same kind of forbidden pleasure vibe that Sea of Love has. Overall it makes me think of the same kind of temptress character as the previous song, but I am having issues with further inspiration.
Temptress characters have been done a million times. They are so frequently used it is rare to find a storyline that is lacking one! The cliche nature of the archetype is not something that really deters me, but it does require that I find a way to make an old and well worn character seem new and interesting once again. On top of that, I am really just drifting on the sea of ideas right now with no real direction. Oh well, gives me time to get everything that is already complete published.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
IotD #17
Today I have another song for you. It's a fairly well known song I would imagine, and was recently featured in a popular zombie movie. The song is 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Metallica.
This song goes along with the previous IotD, where I was discussing the relentless, slow march of death that is the artillery barrage. This song differs slightly because it evokes different images, but I'll explain how they connect in a bit.
The opening music of the song is actually the most important part for me. It makes me think of large numbers of soldiers marching in formation toward war. They are not fighting yet, so there is no real violence or adrenaline, but they represent an overwhelming force. It is the inevitable, slow, steady approach of doom, the same as the slowly advancing impact of artillery shells as they bombard your lines.
Both are shows of force that can bring not swift death, but certain and slow. These aren't the stealthy ambush of a predator, the sure shot of a sniper, the quick assault of a commando team. You know it is coming, you even know where it is coming from. It just doesn't help you. It is this idea that has been churning around in my mind as of late. A juggernaut that simply bulls forward, trusting in it's strength to win out over anything the enemy might do to counter it.
This song goes along with the previous IotD, where I was discussing the relentless, slow march of death that is the artillery barrage. This song differs slightly because it evokes different images, but I'll explain how they connect in a bit.
The opening music of the song is actually the most important part for me. It makes me think of large numbers of soldiers marching in formation toward war. They are not fighting yet, so there is no real violence or adrenaline, but they represent an overwhelming force. It is the inevitable, slow, steady approach of doom, the same as the slowly advancing impact of artillery shells as they bombard your lines.
Both are shows of force that can bring not swift death, but certain and slow. These aren't the stealthy ambush of a predator, the sure shot of a sniper, the quick assault of a commando team. You know it is coming, you even know where it is coming from. It just doesn't help you. It is this idea that has been churning around in my mind as of late. A juggernaut that simply bulls forward, trusting in it's strength to win out over anything the enemy might do to counter it.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
IotD #16
Alright, first real blog post since my little illness break.
Today I am writing about an inspiration that actually came about from a movie. Most of the people I talk to about this movie are...less than enthusiastic about it. The movie in question is 'Battleship'. It was supposedly based on the game of the same name, but there was only really about ten minutes of reference to the game, and I think it was pretty clever, however realistic it was.
The movie as a whole is not the inspiration though, so I won't be going too deeply into it. There was one particular part, where they were retrofitting a decades old battleship for combat, where a song played. The song is 'Thunderstruck' by ACDC.
While this scene is often a cause of much of the criticism the movie receives, from myself as well, I find it very inspiring. Yes, it is awfully convenient that dozens of vets who served on the ship are not just alive and present when they need the ship, but are still physically capable of crewing it. They also managed to find active and working ordnance for the guns in a couple of hours, without going to the military at all. Presumably this was just lying around. The engines are also still in working order, and they fueled up the ship at some point. Since it runs on coal, I am wondering where this came from and how all of this was accomplished so quickly.
But anyway...
What I find so inspiring about the scene and the song is the idea of these old, retired soldiers coming back to the war because their country needs them. I also found the idea of old soldiers mentoring the new ones very moving. But the most inspiring part is the chorus, 'you've been....thunderstruck!' Every time the song gets to this point I imagine artillery, cannons, ships, tanks, ships, etc, firing all at once. It is a huge piece of the reason I find large, clumsy, loud, slow firing and inaccurate guns so very enticing. A sniper is so precise, so efficient. Even a missile can be guided and accurate. But an artillery barrage, a volley of cannon fire, to me it speaks to the brute force side of war. There is no refinement, no precision, they will just fire until you are dead, the land leveled around you, your fortifications demolished. It is the grinding, slow, steady advance of inevitable destruction that cannot be avoided. It is clumsy, inaccurate, and utterly devastating.
Today I am writing about an inspiration that actually came about from a movie. Most of the people I talk to about this movie are...less than enthusiastic about it. The movie in question is 'Battleship'. It was supposedly based on the game of the same name, but there was only really about ten minutes of reference to the game, and I think it was pretty clever, however realistic it was.
The movie as a whole is not the inspiration though, so I won't be going too deeply into it. There was one particular part, where they were retrofitting a decades old battleship for combat, where a song played. The song is 'Thunderstruck' by ACDC.
While this scene is often a cause of much of the criticism the movie receives, from myself as well, I find it very inspiring. Yes, it is awfully convenient that dozens of vets who served on the ship are not just alive and present when they need the ship, but are still physically capable of crewing it. They also managed to find active and working ordnance for the guns in a couple of hours, without going to the military at all. Presumably this was just lying around. The engines are also still in working order, and they fueled up the ship at some point. Since it runs on coal, I am wondering where this came from and how all of this was accomplished so quickly.
But anyway...
What I find so inspiring about the scene and the song is the idea of these old, retired soldiers coming back to the war because their country needs them. I also found the idea of old soldiers mentoring the new ones very moving. But the most inspiring part is the chorus, 'you've been....thunderstruck!' Every time the song gets to this point I imagine artillery, cannons, ships, tanks, ships, etc, firing all at once. It is a huge piece of the reason I find large, clumsy, loud, slow firing and inaccurate guns so very enticing. A sniper is so precise, so efficient. Even a missile can be guided and accurate. But an artillery barrage, a volley of cannon fire, to me it speaks to the brute force side of war. There is no refinement, no precision, they will just fire until you are dead, the land leveled around you, your fortifications demolished. It is the grinding, slow, steady advance of inevitable destruction that cannot be avoided. It is clumsy, inaccurate, and utterly devastating.
Overly Ambitious
Alright, well trying to tackle some additional blogging yesterday was a little ambitious. Got caught up talking to the in laws about Advocare and possibly selling it, which I will be doing here shortly. Still wasn't feeling a hundred percent either, but I think I will be returning to a regular blogging schedule now.
In other exciting news, I will be writing newspaper articles for my Warframe alliance. It is a video game I play on the PC, and while not a 'real' newspaper, it is still another format for me to write in, gain experience with, and I imagine it will still look pretty awesome on a resume. I have also been working on my first submission to a publishing company in a while, and hope to get that done today. With any luck they will like what they see! Wish me luck, and expect a IotD later on. I won't try and catch up from the weekend since I was ill instead of just absent minded.
In other exciting news, I will be writing newspaper articles for my Warframe alliance. It is a video game I play on the PC, and while not a 'real' newspaper, it is still another format for me to write in, gain experience with, and I imagine it will still look pretty awesome on a resume. I have also been working on my first submission to a publishing company in a while, and hope to get that done today. With any luck they will like what they see! Wish me luck, and expect a IotD later on. I won't try and catch up from the weekend since I was ill instead of just absent minded.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Getting Better
Some of you hopefully noticed I haven't blogged in several days. Well I have been sick, and haven't really felt up to writing much. Most of my time has been spent mindlessly making things explode on my computer screen, or watching random free movies. Or sleeping, lots and lots of sleeping. But my appetite is coming back and I am starting to feel much better now. Hopefully we will be looking at actual posts later on today rather than just my personal health update!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Inspiration of the Day 14-15
Yeah....not even a good excuse on this one. Just got caught up plotting!
IotD #14:
"Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones. I find that this song tends to explain itself. To me it is exploring the darkness of a mind lost in the thoughts of someone who is a sociopath or psychopath, or otherwise mentally unwell, and yet they are trying to resist it. They slide more into the cruel and uncaring side of their personality while trying to keep up an appearance of normality.
While this does somewhat fit into the darker aspects of the plot I had previously been planning, it has actually shifted significantly. The main character is actually more the light side of everything, where the supporting characters delve into the darker elements that will be present. I think that the new incarnation of the plot is a lot more light hearted and fun, while keeping some of the grim and dark aspects that I frankly love to write about.
IotD #15:
"1996" by Halestorm. This is a cover of a Marilyn Manson song, so I am sure you can all guess that it is another pretty dark one. The whole song is pretty much a list of things that the singer is against, and the list is pretty comprehensive, and sometimes includes things that you think people would be in support of. It also includes things that tend to be viewed as opposites, such as being both 'anti-girl' and 'anti-man'. Again, this song fits into the more willfully cruel and destructive character who doesn't care who gets in the way, all will be destroyed. It actually fits one of my supporting characters quite well.
So yes, that is what I have for you all today for IotD anyway. I am considering posting a poem I wrote earlier as well, which relates directly to the book, but I am uncertain. You will certainly see it if I do decide to.
IotD #14:
"Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones. I find that this song tends to explain itself. To me it is exploring the darkness of a mind lost in the thoughts of someone who is a sociopath or psychopath, or otherwise mentally unwell, and yet they are trying to resist it. They slide more into the cruel and uncaring side of their personality while trying to keep up an appearance of normality.
While this does somewhat fit into the darker aspects of the plot I had previously been planning, it has actually shifted significantly. The main character is actually more the light side of everything, where the supporting characters delve into the darker elements that will be present. I think that the new incarnation of the plot is a lot more light hearted and fun, while keeping some of the grim and dark aspects that I frankly love to write about.
IotD #15:
"1996" by Halestorm. This is a cover of a Marilyn Manson song, so I am sure you can all guess that it is another pretty dark one. The whole song is pretty much a list of things that the singer is against, and the list is pretty comprehensive, and sometimes includes things that you think people would be in support of. It also includes things that tend to be viewed as opposites, such as being both 'anti-girl' and 'anti-man'. Again, this song fits into the more willfully cruel and destructive character who doesn't care who gets in the way, all will be destroyed. It actually fits one of my supporting characters quite well.
So yes, that is what I have for you all today for IotD anyway. I am considering posting a poem I wrote earlier as well, which relates directly to the book, but I am uncertain. You will certainly see it if I do decide to.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Musing on the Worst Subgenre of Horror Movies
Is it just me or is everyone else sick and tired of these people who write horror movies completely and utterly lacking imagination? Every horror movie ever is almost always predictable down to every single event. And when they aren't, the deviations are usually actually worse. I can think of only one notable deviation from my hatred of horror, and that is 'The Woman in Black'. It actually was atmospheric, creepy even when nothing was happening. And there was only one jump scare (which was done ludicrously well). All good things that other horror movies should try and do.
Note to directors, gore stopped being scary fifteen years ago when the effects got good enough to be realistic. Now, every nine year old has seen so much blood and death that it doesn't really matter. Get something new.
Also, why is it that everyone in every horror movie ever is a complete idiot, and also generally a person who makes bad or immoral decisions? Example: in Treehouse there is a curfew because some kids have gone missing, which apparently happens fairly often in this town. First of all, why is there no huge scale investigation into this string of disappearances? Secondly, why would the otherwise smart main characters flaunt this curfew to go into the middle of the woods, at night, OUTSIDE CELL RANGE, for fireworks and possible sex? Are most teenage males this idiotic in real life, or is it only horror movie ones?
I would also like to point out the stupidity of the female character in the opening scene. Not only is she dumb enough to investigate strange noises in her house rather than immediately calling the police, she then searches a couple of rooms BEFORE grabbing her shotgun. Then this girl, who is now barefoot AND diabetic, runs into the woods assuming that she can 1. catch the bad guys who took her brother and 2. actually do anything to stop them. And she does both of these things without informing anyone else, much less the cops. And guess what? She gets glass in her feet and is hobbled, then has a seizure or something, and is otherwise completely useless.
Oh and another fun fact. The girl leaves her shotgun behind rather than going back for it, and none of the idiot teens who came into the middle of the woods thought to bring so much as a knife.
Now, all of these are excusable. I mean, the reason everyone in horror movies is an idiot, helplessly unarmed, and not smart enough to call the police is because everyone who IS smart, armed and calls the cops wouldn't BE in a horror movie. They would be safe and warm at home, or the bad guy would have multiple holes through his torso. The exception to this rule is supernatural horror, where you either can't hurt the thing or no one believes you. But again, the reason this IS inexcusable is because of what I have been building up to, the awful, horrible, idiotic subgenre that this film belongs to.
That subgenre would be, the Hillbilly antagonist genre. Really? Hillbillies? As presented in this genre, the 'killer hillbillies' are always stupid, sometimes inbred, and almost never use guns. They aren't stronger than anyone else, unless they're inbred to the point of mutation, in which case they are so stupid it makes up the difference. They aren't faster than normal people either, so not hard to outrun. Oh, and if you hit them in the head with a rock? They die. Stab them with a knife? They die. Shoot them? Dead. They're just PEOPLE! But of course, no one has a gun when they run into hillbillies.
I mean ghosts? Yeah, that sucks because you can't really stop them, usually don't know what they want, and trying to get rid of them tends to be hit and miss. Monsters? Can be fast, strong, nigh unkillable, etc. But people? No.
Good horror movies are made when the main character does everything right, tries everything they can, and either makes a mistake or is simply outwitted, or there is no escape. Or when they actually do survive. I did like the ending of Treehouse since they fought back and killed them all. You know, what would actually happen if anyone with half a brain got caught in this situation. (although the idiots were in a house with a kitchen and didn't grab a KNIFE, idiots). It just took way too long for this to happen, especially considering all these kids live in a small town. NONE of them were armed? Are you kidding?
This whole subgenre is filled entirely with idiotic, pointless movies where intelligence (which evolution shows us trumps strength and speed every time) is defeated by low level animal cunning and a little bit of enhanced strength. Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw, Treehouse (duh), The Hills Have Eyes, etc. Not a one has anything truly scary about it, as anyone who had been properly prepared would survive. What is worse when these movies try and show you how helpless it is by having 'trained' professionals, such as cops and soldiers, taken out by the hillbillies. It's LAUGHABLE that this level of bad guy would even stand a chance against organized retaliation. The soldiers or cops who die are always inevitably the same level of stupid as the normal people.
I'm just saying, any horror movie that would be solved immediately by one slightly different action, particularly one that the characters SHOULD have made, is a fail. If the girl had kept her shotgun? problem solved. If both brothers had gone together back to the bike with the girl? They would at least have stood a chance. If soldiers actually act like soldiers instead of being incredibly easy to ambush and allowing completely untrained idiots kill them without resistance? End of story. If a horror movie would never have happened if one character was armed? Not scary, because anyone can be armed, and it is simple misfortune that an unarmed victim was selected.
So yeah. If that was TLDR: hillbilly horror movies are stupid because hillbillies are dumb, average speed, average strength, and easily killed.
Note to directors, gore stopped being scary fifteen years ago when the effects got good enough to be realistic. Now, every nine year old has seen so much blood and death that it doesn't really matter. Get something new.
Also, why is it that everyone in every horror movie ever is a complete idiot, and also generally a person who makes bad or immoral decisions? Example: in Treehouse there is a curfew because some kids have gone missing, which apparently happens fairly often in this town. First of all, why is there no huge scale investigation into this string of disappearances? Secondly, why would the otherwise smart main characters flaunt this curfew to go into the middle of the woods, at night, OUTSIDE CELL RANGE, for fireworks and possible sex? Are most teenage males this idiotic in real life, or is it only horror movie ones?
I would also like to point out the stupidity of the female character in the opening scene. Not only is she dumb enough to investigate strange noises in her house rather than immediately calling the police, she then searches a couple of rooms BEFORE grabbing her shotgun. Then this girl, who is now barefoot AND diabetic, runs into the woods assuming that she can 1. catch the bad guys who took her brother and 2. actually do anything to stop them. And she does both of these things without informing anyone else, much less the cops. And guess what? She gets glass in her feet and is hobbled, then has a seizure or something, and is otherwise completely useless.
Oh and another fun fact. The girl leaves her shotgun behind rather than going back for it, and none of the idiot teens who came into the middle of the woods thought to bring so much as a knife.
Now, all of these are excusable. I mean, the reason everyone in horror movies is an idiot, helplessly unarmed, and not smart enough to call the police is because everyone who IS smart, armed and calls the cops wouldn't BE in a horror movie. They would be safe and warm at home, or the bad guy would have multiple holes through his torso. The exception to this rule is supernatural horror, where you either can't hurt the thing or no one believes you. But again, the reason this IS inexcusable is because of what I have been building up to, the awful, horrible, idiotic subgenre that this film belongs to.
That subgenre would be, the Hillbilly antagonist genre. Really? Hillbillies? As presented in this genre, the 'killer hillbillies' are always stupid, sometimes inbred, and almost never use guns. They aren't stronger than anyone else, unless they're inbred to the point of mutation, in which case they are so stupid it makes up the difference. They aren't faster than normal people either, so not hard to outrun. Oh, and if you hit them in the head with a rock? They die. Stab them with a knife? They die. Shoot them? Dead. They're just PEOPLE! But of course, no one has a gun when they run into hillbillies.
I mean ghosts? Yeah, that sucks because you can't really stop them, usually don't know what they want, and trying to get rid of them tends to be hit and miss. Monsters? Can be fast, strong, nigh unkillable, etc. But people? No.
Good horror movies are made when the main character does everything right, tries everything they can, and either makes a mistake or is simply outwitted, or there is no escape. Or when they actually do survive. I did like the ending of Treehouse since they fought back and killed them all. You know, what would actually happen if anyone with half a brain got caught in this situation. (although the idiots were in a house with a kitchen and didn't grab a KNIFE, idiots). It just took way too long for this to happen, especially considering all these kids live in a small town. NONE of them were armed? Are you kidding?
This whole subgenre is filled entirely with idiotic, pointless movies where intelligence (which evolution shows us trumps strength and speed every time) is defeated by low level animal cunning and a little bit of enhanced strength. Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw, Treehouse (duh), The Hills Have Eyes, etc. Not a one has anything truly scary about it, as anyone who had been properly prepared would survive. What is worse when these movies try and show you how helpless it is by having 'trained' professionals, such as cops and soldiers, taken out by the hillbillies. It's LAUGHABLE that this level of bad guy would even stand a chance against organized retaliation. The soldiers or cops who die are always inevitably the same level of stupid as the normal people.
I'm just saying, any horror movie that would be solved immediately by one slightly different action, particularly one that the characters SHOULD have made, is a fail. If the girl had kept her shotgun? problem solved. If both brothers had gone together back to the bike with the girl? They would at least have stood a chance. If soldiers actually act like soldiers instead of being incredibly easy to ambush and allowing completely untrained idiots kill them without resistance? End of story. If a horror movie would never have happened if one character was armed? Not scary, because anyone can be armed, and it is simple misfortune that an unarmed victim was selected.
So yeah. If that was TLDR: hillbilly horror movies are stupid because hillbillies are dumb, average speed, average strength, and easily killed.
Inspiration of the Day #12-13
Another dash titled blog post...meaning that yes I fell behind once more. You would think that posting once a day would be pretty straightforward and easy to remember, but oh well! It appears I am destined to have to double up once every few days, and I suppose I don't really have an issue with that.
IotD 12:
Well lately the darker side of my muse has been bugging me. It is the side that drives dark tales that deal with what could be seen as scary, evil, immoral, etc. Carabia, seductive, destructive and generally hellraising kind of person that she is, could be said to be representative of this. While on my way to the store today I realized I had left behind my iPod, so sadly I had to listen to the radio. Irresponsible of me, I know. While listening to it, I came across the song 'Follow Me Down' by The Pretty Reckless. Another pretty blatantly sexual song that has inspired thoughts of temptress like characters. I have applied these thoughts in a rather strange way for me however.
Lately I have been considering a plot that involves a reversal of roles. A main character who is male and embraces a dark existence, and seduces a female of reasonable morality into the darkness with him. Some may see my usual view of temptress characters being female as sexist, but it is far simpler than that. You see, in order to seduce you have to be sexy, tempting. The darkness that you welcome your victim into has to be made well worth it by the delights you offer. I have no idea how to write a male behaving in this manner.
Is that odd? I don't know. I can imagine what it would be like to have a woman tempt me into sin as I am a straight male. I find it far harder to imagine myself, or any male, seducing a woman in the same manner. It is quite simply impossible for me to imagine myself doing that because I don't even really have a flirtatious side, much less a seductive one. I never was in the scene of picking girls up, so I never learned the craft. For me, the acquiring of female company involved friendship, eventually building up to casual physical contact, kiss, and then eventually you are dating. Only after that point was any kind of intimacy really even entertained by my mind. (and even then, sex was always off the table until marriage.) So as you can see, changing from that mindset to a seductive one is a challenge.
On the other side of things, I have experienced the difficulty of trying to resist something you really know you shouldn't be doing. I had my fair share of girlfriends or female interests in college, and not all of them agreed with my waiting for sex policy. I can imagine quite easily the strain such temptation puts on the party being seduced. So however I manage to overcome them, those are my struggles with this concept.
IotD 13:
Secondly, we have 'Freak Like Me' by Halestorm. This song plays much into the previous idea of a character tempting others to a dark existence, but in this case rather than a personal seduction, it is the welcoming of brothers and sisters into a group or family. It invites all who hear it to embrace the 'freak' side of themselves, the dark and twisted side rejected by society. It very much fits into the plot I am considering at the moment, with a slightly different angle on it than the previously mentioned song.
So yeah, that's that. Thank you as usual for reading, and if you want to hear anything more specific about my inspirations, please respond in the comments!
IotD 12:
Well lately the darker side of my muse has been bugging me. It is the side that drives dark tales that deal with what could be seen as scary, evil, immoral, etc. Carabia, seductive, destructive and generally hellraising kind of person that she is, could be said to be representative of this. While on my way to the store today I realized I had left behind my iPod, so sadly I had to listen to the radio. Irresponsible of me, I know. While listening to it, I came across the song 'Follow Me Down' by The Pretty Reckless. Another pretty blatantly sexual song that has inspired thoughts of temptress like characters. I have applied these thoughts in a rather strange way for me however.
Lately I have been considering a plot that involves a reversal of roles. A main character who is male and embraces a dark existence, and seduces a female of reasonable morality into the darkness with him. Some may see my usual view of temptress characters being female as sexist, but it is far simpler than that. You see, in order to seduce you have to be sexy, tempting. The darkness that you welcome your victim into has to be made well worth it by the delights you offer. I have no idea how to write a male behaving in this manner.
Is that odd? I don't know. I can imagine what it would be like to have a woman tempt me into sin as I am a straight male. I find it far harder to imagine myself, or any male, seducing a woman in the same manner. It is quite simply impossible for me to imagine myself doing that because I don't even really have a flirtatious side, much less a seductive one. I never was in the scene of picking girls up, so I never learned the craft. For me, the acquiring of female company involved friendship, eventually building up to casual physical contact, kiss, and then eventually you are dating. Only after that point was any kind of intimacy really even entertained by my mind. (and even then, sex was always off the table until marriage.) So as you can see, changing from that mindset to a seductive one is a challenge.
On the other side of things, I have experienced the difficulty of trying to resist something you really know you shouldn't be doing. I had my fair share of girlfriends or female interests in college, and not all of them agreed with my waiting for sex policy. I can imagine quite easily the strain such temptation puts on the party being seduced. So however I manage to overcome them, those are my struggles with this concept.
IotD 13:
Secondly, we have 'Freak Like Me' by Halestorm. This song plays much into the previous idea of a character tempting others to a dark existence, but in this case rather than a personal seduction, it is the welcoming of brothers and sisters into a group or family. It invites all who hear it to embrace the 'freak' side of themselves, the dark and twisted side rejected by society. It very much fits into the plot I am considering at the moment, with a slightly different angle on it than the previously mentioned song.
So yeah, that's that. Thank you as usual for reading, and if you want to hear anything more specific about my inspirations, please respond in the comments!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #11
Got a new song for you guys. Well, not new, but it is one that I recently rediscovered. That song is 'Supermassive Blackhole' by Muse.
I've had a long day with the nerd friends doing roleplay, so I am going to keep this brief. (Also most of this song is about the feelings it inspires rather than a specific concept or part of the lyrics, leaving me less to describe.) Essentially what this song makes me feel is a sense of calm detachment. Someone watching a either incredible event or monstrous disaster, and being unmoved because they are either so jaded or just callous. The chorus, supermassive blackhole, is referring to their heart, or lack thereof. The glaciers melting is the disaster, or at least monumental change that has come to the world. Nothing specific about who or what this inspiration could be applied to, but we shall see.
I've had a long day with the nerd friends doing roleplay, so I am going to keep this brief. (Also most of this song is about the feelings it inspires rather than a specific concept or part of the lyrics, leaving me less to describe.) Essentially what this song makes me feel is a sense of calm detachment. Someone watching a either incredible event or monstrous disaster, and being unmoved because they are either so jaded or just callous. The chorus, supermassive blackhole, is referring to their heart, or lack thereof. The glaciers melting is the disaster, or at least monumental change that has come to the world. Nothing specific about who or what this inspiration could be applied to, but we shall see.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #10
If you read the previous post, you will know the kind of strange night I have been having. I thought I would compound on that, and take advantage of it, by getting this done as well.
On the menu this very, very early morning, we have 'Leave Out All the Rest' by Linkin Park. This was actually the first band I ever really listened to, and they got me to really love music. Anyway, the reason I pick this song is because it really speaks to the emotional roller coaster I have been on tonight.
Overall the song is obviously one that acknowledges the many failings of the person represented in the song, and it is something I find myself mulling over a lot tonight. I have made a great many mistakes, gone through some tough times, and though I am stronger for it, it is still painful to revisit those times. It is precisely those memories that have been so distracting to me tonight.
I am a pretty happy and confident person, and because of that I sometimes forget what got me to that point. The pain and struggles are forgotten at times, and I look down on those who have not reached the point I have. I judge them for failings I have learned to change, forgetting how recently I was just as bad, or worse than, them. At the same time I look at my many current failings and excuse them with my strengths, failing to give others the same credit. Tonight it really hit home how often I do this, and this song embodies it for me.
The lamentation, the desire to leave behind something worthwhile, the need to be someone who will be missed once they are gone, all feelings I am intimately familiar with. But more than anything what spoke to me was the forgiveness that is a huge undertone in the song. It speaks of no one being perfect, and it really made me realize that I often expect others to be perfect in ways that I certainly am not, and worse, forget that I struggled greatly to overcome my greatest faults. I have different flaws than many, and I tend to condemn their flaws more than my own because I do not understand them. Tonight I have decided I need to talk to some of the people close to me that I am guilty of doing this with, and give them some long overdue forgiveness.
The most moving line of this song to me is "I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through". This song I believe sums up the way I wall myself off from people for fear of being hurt. I put up a strong front to avoid this, and it prevents meaningful relationships. I am hoping to rectify this with at least a few key people in the near future. Wish me luck, pray for me if you believe in it, and please do what you can to learn from the mistakes of others. It has saved me a lot of time and pain, and the main reason I stress opening up to people is to give them that very opportunity. They need to know your mistakes, your flaws and faults, your shame, in order to learn from it. I hope to be a better model for this in the future.
On the menu this very, very early morning, we have 'Leave Out All the Rest' by Linkin Park. This was actually the first band I ever really listened to, and they got me to really love music. Anyway, the reason I pick this song is because it really speaks to the emotional roller coaster I have been on tonight.
Overall the song is obviously one that acknowledges the many failings of the person represented in the song, and it is something I find myself mulling over a lot tonight. I have made a great many mistakes, gone through some tough times, and though I am stronger for it, it is still painful to revisit those times. It is precisely those memories that have been so distracting to me tonight.
I am a pretty happy and confident person, and because of that I sometimes forget what got me to that point. The pain and struggles are forgotten at times, and I look down on those who have not reached the point I have. I judge them for failings I have learned to change, forgetting how recently I was just as bad, or worse than, them. At the same time I look at my many current failings and excuse them with my strengths, failing to give others the same credit. Tonight it really hit home how often I do this, and this song embodies it for me.
The lamentation, the desire to leave behind something worthwhile, the need to be someone who will be missed once they are gone, all feelings I am intimately familiar with. But more than anything what spoke to me was the forgiveness that is a huge undertone in the song. It speaks of no one being perfect, and it really made me realize that I often expect others to be perfect in ways that I certainly am not, and worse, forget that I struggled greatly to overcome my greatest faults. I have different flaws than many, and I tend to condemn their flaws more than my own because I do not understand them. Tonight I have decided I need to talk to some of the people close to me that I am guilty of doing this with, and give them some long overdue forgiveness.
The most moving line of this song to me is "I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through". This song I believe sums up the way I wall myself off from people for fear of being hurt. I put up a strong front to avoid this, and it prevents meaningful relationships. I am hoping to rectify this with at least a few key people in the near future. Wish me luck, pray for me if you believe in it, and please do what you can to learn from the mistakes of others. It has saved me a lot of time and pain, and the main reason I stress opening up to people is to give them that very opportunity. They need to know your mistakes, your flaws and faults, your shame, in order to learn from it. I hope to be a better model for this in the future.
A Different King of Nagging
No, this is not about my wife despite what the title may suggest.
It has been a while since I posted anything other than IotDs, and for that I apologize. It was for this exact situation I implemented them in the first place, to ensure I always have material to blog about. It has worked thus far I think. But the reason for my silence is not lack of activity, quite the opposite. I have been working a ton on two different plots; Alekhine's Gun and a new plot, Vice and Virtue. I have a ton I would love to share, but sadly I cannot for fear that it will be taken. I try not to share plot specifics until it is published and in my name, just out of caution. So sadly my passion of late has been tempered by prudence, but that is not what this post is about!
Earlier I mentioned 'the nagging' (again not referring to my wife in any way!), and tonight I experienced something similar. Rather than a nagging feeling about a plot, character, etc, this was an introspective nagging. As you can tell from the time I am posting this (as I type this sentence it is 4:32 am and I have yet to sleep) it has literally kept me up all night. This nagging is forcing me to take a look at myself instead of a plot or book feature, and these naggings are far more insistent than their tamer brethren.
I will not turn this into a place to unload vast emotional burdens, but suffice it to say that a dear friend of mine (you know who you are canada girl) helped me figure something rather astonishing out about myself. It changed my perspective on a lot of my life, and it has inspired me to incorporate a great deal of it into my newest character for Vice and Virtue. I have rarely put anything directly from my life into books, though there are often symbolic allusions, and it frankly has me frightened.
A great many nights have been spent in turmoil, and more than a few tears shed over the issue of what kind of a person I am, and what I want to be. I think both are questions people need to examine more often. As usual, the two answers are not the same. I am not the person I want to be, not yet, maybe not ever. What matters is that I constantly strive to improve. But more importantly, I realized that there is a very small list of people that actually know me.
Upon realizing this, I decided I wanted to try and be more open with people. It is a great piece of what inspired this post of course, and what has me frightened. Walls have been built up over the years to protect myself, and they have been placed between me and virtually everyone I know. What I am proposing with this latest series is the breaking of these walls not between myself and friends, but between myself and complete strangers as well. Sharing a great deal of my personal life in the context of this tale is terrifying and cathartic at the same time. It is a relief to let out anything we keep bottled up, and yet trusting that to another is something wonderful and frightening at the same time.
Anyway, it has been quite the tumultuous night for me. Part of the reason for this post is to help get it off my chest, and begin the process of sharing myself with readers. It is also a likely vain attempt to calm my thoughts by writing them down so I can actually get to sleep. It is now 4:41 am after all, and I am sure my wife is tired of sleeping in that cold bed alone. Wish me luck everyone!
It has been a while since I posted anything other than IotDs, and for that I apologize. It was for this exact situation I implemented them in the first place, to ensure I always have material to blog about. It has worked thus far I think. But the reason for my silence is not lack of activity, quite the opposite. I have been working a ton on two different plots; Alekhine's Gun and a new plot, Vice and Virtue. I have a ton I would love to share, but sadly I cannot for fear that it will be taken. I try not to share plot specifics until it is published and in my name, just out of caution. So sadly my passion of late has been tempered by prudence, but that is not what this post is about!
Earlier I mentioned 'the nagging' (again not referring to my wife in any way!), and tonight I experienced something similar. Rather than a nagging feeling about a plot, character, etc, this was an introspective nagging. As you can tell from the time I am posting this (as I type this sentence it is 4:32 am and I have yet to sleep) it has literally kept me up all night. This nagging is forcing me to take a look at myself instead of a plot or book feature, and these naggings are far more insistent than their tamer brethren.
I will not turn this into a place to unload vast emotional burdens, but suffice it to say that a dear friend of mine (you know who you are canada girl) helped me figure something rather astonishing out about myself. It changed my perspective on a lot of my life, and it has inspired me to incorporate a great deal of it into my newest character for Vice and Virtue. I have rarely put anything directly from my life into books, though there are often symbolic allusions, and it frankly has me frightened.
A great many nights have been spent in turmoil, and more than a few tears shed over the issue of what kind of a person I am, and what I want to be. I think both are questions people need to examine more often. As usual, the two answers are not the same. I am not the person I want to be, not yet, maybe not ever. What matters is that I constantly strive to improve. But more importantly, I realized that there is a very small list of people that actually know me.
Upon realizing this, I decided I wanted to try and be more open with people. It is a great piece of what inspired this post of course, and what has me frightened. Walls have been built up over the years to protect myself, and they have been placed between me and virtually everyone I know. What I am proposing with this latest series is the breaking of these walls not between myself and friends, but between myself and complete strangers as well. Sharing a great deal of my personal life in the context of this tale is terrifying and cathartic at the same time. It is a relief to let out anything we keep bottled up, and yet trusting that to another is something wonderful and frightening at the same time.
Anyway, it has been quite the tumultuous night for me. Part of the reason for this post is to help get it off my chest, and begin the process of sharing myself with readers. It is also a likely vain attempt to calm my thoughts by writing them down so I can actually get to sleep. It is now 4:41 am after all, and I am sure my wife is tired of sleeping in that cold bed alone. Wish me luck everyone!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #8-9
This time I have a legitimate excuse. I was up all night since I had to go in to work at 3 am. Slept until afternoon of course, and then the wife was home to distract me. By the time I thought about blogging, it was after midnight! So I pushed it off since I was late anyway.
IotD 8:
This is a new song that I recently discovered by an artist I had never heard of before. It is called 'Sea of Love' by Hunter_Game and Freakme, and and I am not really sure what category to place it in. Electronic maybe? Anyway, it is a very long and relaxing song for me with very few lyrics, so it would be an exception to my aforementioned lyric rule. It is a very unique song and to me seems to bring up thoughts of the more intimate scenes that have, or will be, occurring in my writing. Which is actually very helpful as it is difficult to find songs like that. But due to the generally uncomfortable nature of that inspiration, I will be saying no more. Be sure to check it out though.
IotD 9:
In keeping with my apparent theme today, I am going to mention a very strange but interesting anime called Maria the Virgin Witch. It is essentially about a witch who uses her powers to try and stop war, and the angels show up warning her not to use her heretical powers any more or she will be SMITED. Yes, smited. Anyway, if she loses her virginity she loses her powers, hence the title of the show, which brought up an interesting concept to me.
Most of my characters tend to have unconditional power. They are either born with it, obtain it with no chance of losing it, or will only lose it when they die. The concept that you will only have your powers as long as you do certain things is very interesting to me, and will be explored in the future. I don't think there is much room for it in Alekhine's Gun, but I am brewing up yet another setting that would work perfectly with it.
In particular, I found the idea of having to restrain yourself from certain actions to hold onto your power very enticing. I am big on people learning self control after all, and the idea that such a thing would benefit you in very tangible and extreme ways is appealing indeed.
IotD 8:
This is a new song that I recently discovered by an artist I had never heard of before. It is called 'Sea of Love' by Hunter_Game and Freakme, and and I am not really sure what category to place it in. Electronic maybe? Anyway, it is a very long and relaxing song for me with very few lyrics, so it would be an exception to my aforementioned lyric rule. It is a very unique song and to me seems to bring up thoughts of the more intimate scenes that have, or will be, occurring in my writing. Which is actually very helpful as it is difficult to find songs like that. But due to the generally uncomfortable nature of that inspiration, I will be saying no more. Be sure to check it out though.
IotD 9:
In keeping with my apparent theme today, I am going to mention a very strange but interesting anime called Maria the Virgin Witch. It is essentially about a witch who uses her powers to try and stop war, and the angels show up warning her not to use her heretical powers any more or she will be SMITED. Yes, smited. Anyway, if she loses her virginity she loses her powers, hence the title of the show, which brought up an interesting concept to me.
Most of my characters tend to have unconditional power. They are either born with it, obtain it with no chance of losing it, or will only lose it when they die. The concept that you will only have your powers as long as you do certain things is very interesting to me, and will be explored in the future. I don't think there is much room for it in Alekhine's Gun, but I am brewing up yet another setting that would work perfectly with it.
In particular, I found the idea of having to restrain yourself from certain actions to hold onto your power very enticing. I am big on people learning self control after all, and the idea that such a thing would benefit you in very tangible and extreme ways is appealing indeed.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #7
Today I am giving reluctant props to a show that I actually am not a fan of, Game of Thrones. Overall, I find the series less than appealing, largely because of the fact that it tends to do horrible things to good characters, and let horrible characters get away with their stupidity. Yes, there are some redeeming moments (purple wedding for example), but by and large it's utterly ridiculous. Even worse, the vast majority of the characters are either blatantly evil, or have such massive character flaws that you can't like them despite them supposedly being the protagonists. When you hate one side with everything you are, and then still hate the people you are supposed to root for, and then the few characters you like get royally screwed, it's hard to enjoy a show. But that's just my opinion.
So those are my issues with a wildly popular show, and I am aware that most people obviously disagree with me, or it wouldn't be so popular. But moving on.
The only character I ever got really attached to was Daenerys, and we all know the pretty horrible situation she started off in. Ironically it was this very predicament that I found incredibly intriguing. Her marriage to Khal Drogo and the developing relationship between them was something I found touching despite the more than questionable actions taken by Drogo early on. The fact that someone who was such a terrible person could learn from the bond they have with their wife, Daenerys, was actually pretty moving. It was the only early example of a bad character actually showing signs of changing for the better.
I am aware there are later examples, but honestly I lost interest in following the show after five or so episodes. To me the potential for change in people is one of the most inspiring things, that we control our own fate and who we are. So many people blame fate or circumstance for their actions, when in reality it almost always comes down to their own decisions. For most of the characters in Game of Thrones, they either made hilariously bad decisions in the past that can't really be excused or forgotten, or they are horrible people who are aware that they are horrible people, and actively enjoy being horrible people. This stagnation of character and general negative view of human nature, portraying most of us as being immoral and selfish, is something that offends me. But there is that one bright spot, almost the beauty charming the beast kind of relationship, that I did find very inspirational.
So those are my issues with a wildly popular show, and I am aware that most people obviously disagree with me, or it wouldn't be so popular. But moving on.
The only character I ever got really attached to was Daenerys, and we all know the pretty horrible situation she started off in. Ironically it was this very predicament that I found incredibly intriguing. Her marriage to Khal Drogo and the developing relationship between them was something I found touching despite the more than questionable actions taken by Drogo early on. The fact that someone who was such a terrible person could learn from the bond they have with their wife, Daenerys, was actually pretty moving. It was the only early example of a bad character actually showing signs of changing for the better.
I am aware there are later examples, but honestly I lost interest in following the show after five or so episodes. To me the potential for change in people is one of the most inspiring things, that we control our own fate and who we are. So many people blame fate or circumstance for their actions, when in reality it almost always comes down to their own decisions. For most of the characters in Game of Thrones, they either made hilariously bad decisions in the past that can't really be excused or forgotten, or they are horrible people who are aware that they are horrible people, and actively enjoy being horrible people. This stagnation of character and general negative view of human nature, portraying most of us as being immoral and selfish, is something that offends me. But there is that one bright spot, almost the beauty charming the beast kind of relationship, that I did find very inspirational.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #6
Alrighty, so today I have actually been working more on drawing than on writing. I have been wanting to get representations of all of my characters, and don't know any artists whom I have not burdened with my cover art. So at the moment I am terrible of course, and my patience is already wearing thin, but with any luck I will improve quickly enough that I won't explode.
Anyway! The inspiration for today is 'Denial' by Sevendust. It is actually the only song I have by them, and it was a remnant from my high school days. Rediscovered it when I found an old CD cover I made in photography class. But I am sure no one cares, so moving on.
This song is obviously very combative and defiant for pretty much everything but the chorus. The images it brings to mind for me is someone defying a powerful opponent against all of the odds. They are standing up for what they believe is right, but the person they are fighting is as well. Their enemy is in 'denial' that they are actually the evil in the world. They believe they are in the right as much as the protagonist does. Fortunately, the protagonist doesn't care if they are in denial. They are the evil in the world, and will die for it. They can come to terms with that after they are no longer a problem.
Anyway! The inspiration for today is 'Denial' by Sevendust. It is actually the only song I have by them, and it was a remnant from my high school days. Rediscovered it when I found an old CD cover I made in photography class. But I am sure no one cares, so moving on.
This song is obviously very combative and defiant for pretty much everything but the chorus. The images it brings to mind for me is someone defying a powerful opponent against all of the odds. They are standing up for what they believe is right, but the person they are fighting is as well. Their enemy is in 'denial' that they are actually the evil in the world. They believe they are in the right as much as the protagonist does. Fortunately, the protagonist doesn't care if they are in denial. They are the evil in the world, and will die for it. They can come to terms with that after they are no longer a problem.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Inspiration of the Day #4-5
Haha yeah got behind again, I really am bad at this... Got caught up yesterday completely rewriting the Aklehine's Gun plot and also fully revising Spires of Respite. Both of those things were accomplished yesterday, so once I get my cover the first Carabia book will be ready to publish! Very exciting stuff. Anyway, here we go!
IotD 4:
Today I am using one of the songs that really inspires one of the upcoming female characters. The song is called 'I Get Off' by Halestorm. Yes, the song is pretty much as suggestive as the name would...well...suggest. It is all about this woman who knows a man watches her undress every night through her window, and it really turns her on that is watching. Personally I have always had issues with characters who don't necessarily relate sexuality with romance, because I always believed that without emotion sex was pointless. I waited until marriage for that very reason, and so writing a character who doesn't share that viewpoint is always a challenge. I have nothing against alternate opinions on the matter, and I am really excited to try and make a character who might view sex in a more recreational light, but it is very challenging. I find that this song goes a long way to helping me get into the proper mindset to write such a character, and makes it very interesting
IotD 5:
Most of the songs I listen to are inspiring because of the lyrics, but very very rarely there is one that has no lyrics at all, or very few, that I still enjoy. One of these is by Pendulum, which is the main source of my favorite songs that lack lyrics. The song I am referring to today is called 'Voodoo People'. It is just a very upbeat and fast paced song that really gets my blood moving and helps inspire combat scenes. During the fast paced parts, I always imagine people trading blows and actually fighting, and during the lulls they are sizing each other up, trying to find a weakness in the other. Very inspiring, and the music video is just fun to watch.
For the future:
I am considering having my audience have a say in what kind of IotD's I put up. So if you want to hear more songs I listen to, hear about shows or movies, or even have specific artists I mentioned, let me know. I can tell you right now that all of the artists mentioned so far in IotD have other songs on my list that I can get into, so if any of them interest you particularly, comment and let me know! I will at the very least take your requests into consideration.
IotD 4:
Today I am using one of the songs that really inspires one of the upcoming female characters. The song is called 'I Get Off' by Halestorm. Yes, the song is pretty much as suggestive as the name would...well...suggest. It is all about this woman who knows a man watches her undress every night through her window, and it really turns her on that is watching. Personally I have always had issues with characters who don't necessarily relate sexuality with romance, because I always believed that without emotion sex was pointless. I waited until marriage for that very reason, and so writing a character who doesn't share that viewpoint is always a challenge. I have nothing against alternate opinions on the matter, and I am really excited to try and make a character who might view sex in a more recreational light, but it is very challenging. I find that this song goes a long way to helping me get into the proper mindset to write such a character, and makes it very interesting
IotD 5:
Most of the songs I listen to are inspiring because of the lyrics, but very very rarely there is one that has no lyrics at all, or very few, that I still enjoy. One of these is by Pendulum, which is the main source of my favorite songs that lack lyrics. The song I am referring to today is called 'Voodoo People'. It is just a very upbeat and fast paced song that really gets my blood moving and helps inspire combat scenes. During the fast paced parts, I always imagine people trading blows and actually fighting, and during the lulls they are sizing each other up, trying to find a weakness in the other. Very inspiring, and the music video is just fun to watch.
For the future:
I am considering having my audience have a say in what kind of IotD's I put up. So if you want to hear more songs I listen to, hear about shows or movies, or even have specific artists I mentioned, let me know. I can tell you right now that all of the artists mentioned so far in IotD have other songs on my list that I can get into, so if any of them interest you particularly, comment and let me know! I will at the very least take your requests into consideration.
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