I finally got around to watching Paws Of Fury the other day. It was a fun little story about a dog who travels to a country of cats because he was inspired to become a samurai. Simple little plot, lots of gags all over the place... and then I realized that the Shogun was being voiced by Mel Brooks, and suddenly it all clicked in the obvious way it was supposed to.
Back in the early days of cinema, it was not uncommon for film makers to see Japanese Samurai movies and want to bring them over to the West, but since Samurai culture didnt really translate that well, these movies were then remade into westerns. Seven Samurai became the Magnificent Seven. Fist Full of Dollars and many other westerns were also adapted from Samurai movies. That bring us to the unforgettable classic comedy western, Blazing Saddles from the mad brilliant mind of Mell Brooks. It is a movie that uses humor to attack racism head on by drawing attention to it, and smacking it square in the face with a custard pie. In it, a black man is made sheriff of a town, not as a progressive gesture, but so he would fail allowing the villain to take over the town. With the grudging help of the townspeople, and a drunk gunfighter, the Sheriff restores order and saves the town in a fight scene that is so over the top it must be seen to be believed... if then. While few deny Blazing Saddles is a true classic, it could never be remade today as it makes frequent use of the N word and so many other derogatory and racist statements that are simply inappropriate to use today. Low and behold, here is a work around! While it looses some of the in your face aspects that make Blazing Saddles such a great anti-racism film, Paws of Fury is that remake. The poetry of taking a western and remaking it into a samurai film is very meta. The White vs Black setting is replaced with Cats vs Dogs... but some many of the jokes and plot points of Blazing Saddles are on open display in Paws of Fury. The big bad mercenary being defeated by the hero, so he joins the heros because they were so kind to him. The "the Sheriff's a N-(BONG)" becomes "the Samurai's a D-(BONG)". They even set an origami Samurai on fire and refer to it as a blazing Samurai to get the point across.
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First off, I have started a Patreon account in hopes of generating some additional income. I'll give it a try for a few months, but if no one shows any interest, I guess I'll have to kill it. Anyway, it can be found at www.patreon.com/FredFiles Second thing is this conversation to explain the origin of my world's magic system between two characters who will appear in a future project.
Magic “Let me tell you about the birth of magic in this world.” “Dad, again?” the little girl, Amber, said. “It will be different this time,” her dad promised, “You’re getting older now, so I can share more of the story.” “Okay,” Amber said, looking dubious. “Once upon a time, Dragons lived in this world. They came here from someplace far away, and they lived among us. They were bold, monstrous, and mysterious, they went about their business largely ignoring us humans. The Dragons had advanced knowledge of the universe and creation which manifested itself in the form of magic. “On rare occasions, someone might manage to impress a dragon with their bravery, or their insight, and those rare people would become, I suppose, a dragon’s apprentice, or maybe pet. These special people would be forever changed by the Dragons. “The Dragons taught them about the harmony of creation in a way few others could ever understand, and in this way they taught us the sounds and thoughts that magic uses. This knowledge changed the humans they taught on a genetic level.” “Genetic?” Amber asked. “Genetics… you know, somehow by bestowing magic on a person altered the very DNA that made up their cells. This allowed them to pass the gift down to their children, like you.” “Did the Dragons want to do that?” “I don’t know. It’s possible it was an unintended side effect. Back to what I was saying; over the centuries our skills at using magic have changed and gotten more advanced. We are no longer limited to sounds from spells, now we can use glyphs, energy, and our minds to use magic… but despite these advances, magic can still only be used by the descendants of those who were touched by a Dragon.” “Are you going to tell me what happened to the Dragons this time?” “Sure, you see, times change, and so do people. Most people grew to fear the Dragons and saw them as a threat, or monster. The people who were in charge began to organize the people to harass and drive out the Dragons. Some Dragons were killed. In the end, the Dragons disappeared. Maybe they were all killed, but I like to think they managed to return to their homeland.” “Are there any still around?” “On this planet? I’ve never heard of any still around, but they could return if they chose.” “That is really where magic came from?” “Yes, at least that is the story that’s been passed down in my clan. I told it to you just as my dad told it to me, and while I believe that there is at least some truth in it, I also know it’s not the entire truth.” “What do you mean?” Amber asked. “I’ve never told you this before,” her dad said. “Your mother comes from a different clan than mine, in fact hers wasn’t a clan at all, but a coven. Their practices are much darker than ours. Dragons came from outside or rather from our side of creation, but there are also other things that can grant the knowledge of magic. These things exist on the other side of creation and may even be made of magic itself. For lack of a better word, these things are demons. They the magic they use is like the black magic you see in horror movies. If it suits their purpose, they can touch people in the same way a Dragon could and grant people the ability to use magic. “The way their magic works is very different, but if the people of that coven only use weak magic, or use it very sparingly, then it’s no different from the magic from Dragons. If the magic user is willing to pay the cost, then their magic can also be far more powerful and destructive than that of the Dragons. “What kind of cost?” “In order to use such power, they must draw upon the power of the demons themselves. This can cost the magic user their soul, and possibly even bring the demon into this world, which would be a terrible thing, because the demons what to destroy or corrupt our world.” “Then why would people do that?” “Because people want power, and because demons can tempt us with our desires.” “Like what?” “Not now, Amber. We can talk about that when you are a bit older. Maybe after your brother is born.” I am wondering if I should do a patreon page. In some ways, given the amount of attention this site gives me, it could easily be pointless. On the other hand, there are some enticements I could put up that I am unwilling to put on this site because of the amount of work involved in making them. For example, I could put up some of my favorite fanfics up so they would be in a single place, but better than that I could put up some unfinished stories, like what I have for Umma, and some of the character studies I am going to be doing for my new untitled story, currently known as Project M.
For example: Project M: Boobytrap They weren’t a murderer. Not yet, but it was just a matter of time. The figure in green-black armor looked around, making absolutely sure they were alone, even though they were already certain of that fact. They stood in front of the escape pod. As they knelt down to attach the explosive, their military training ran through their mind. Not just the part about how to lay booby traps and wire explosives to trip wires, but the laws of warfare. During boarding operations, no weapons were to be used that could compromise an already damaged hull. Damage control teams were not to be targeted, regardless of which side they were on, they were to be considered neutral, and if necessary traded back. Escape pods were not to be targeted, disabled, or destroyed. All escape pods were to be retrieved, regardless of which faction they belonged to. Naturally, over the course of the Twenty Years War, nearly every side had violated some or all of those laws at one point or another, and even gone on to commit even worse atrocities. Thankfully, that war was over, and a semblance of right and wrong had begun to return. Their cause was vengeance, under the guise of justice. Although they only needed to meet out justice on one of them, they weren’t sure exactly which one. If this one managed to figure out they were a target, this was their most likely method of escape. If he was the one, that could not be allowed, and that wiped away any doubts felt about sabotaging the escape pod. The Santa Maria was a restaurant on the outskirts of Charlotte, just before Pineville, I think on the corner of Highway 51 and Independence. Maybe not independance blvd, but one of the main roads. This was long before the mall or half the shopping centers had been built. It had the classic neon sign on a tall post in the corner of the lot, with the name of the restaurant and the three specialties with an arrow fill of incandescent lightbulbs at the bottom of the sign pointing to the building.
There was a cigarette vending machine in the vestibule, and of course the first thing you saw beyond that point was the main counter where the hostess, I think she was a middle aged woman with her hair done up into a single really big bun. Of course there was the cash register along with the little chocolate mints in the green wrapper, and in the glass case you could buy cigars. Sometimes they would give us their empty cigar boxes, they were great for storing Transformer tech specs and GI Joe guns. My mom used one for cupons, and who knows what all else. We would also paint them. I still have one (full of Transformer accessories) that I badly painted with things from the Battle of the Planets cartoon. Behind the hostess was a big model of the old sailing ship the restaurant was named for, the Santa Maria. I remember the restaurant was divided into three sections, the largest was right behind the counter and to the left. Another rows of tables were to the right. There was another section to the left that could be closed off with doors. I don’t really remember what the decorations were. I think there were bullfighting paintings. The walls were all a dark woodgrain that matched the Formica tables. I remember the busboy, George. He was the brother of the owner, and we considered him a friend, even if we never saw him outside the restaurant… I suppose that is why I have as clear a memory of him as I do. Later he became the manager of a nearby Dairy Queen, although I only remember going there a couple of times. Of course when we were seated with our menus, water glasses would be brought along with a blue basket with gold trim filled with Italian bread and pats of butter. You would never find butter packaged like that today. It was a pat of butter on a square of white cardboard covered with a smaller square of wax paper. I don’t recall much of the menu items. I think the menu was burgundy with a black stripe down the side. Surely at times I got a hamburger or something from there, but the main thing I remember eating there was their spaghetti. Unlike the unique sauce my mom would fix, theirs had the fat noodles with a brownish sauce that we considered to be a chili based. Of course, now I know that the meat sauce was a Greek style. Gorge and his family were Greek, although I’m not sure how I became aware of that. When I would get a salad, it would of course come with a selection of lance crackers, and a small basket of crackers was also provided, and it included a larger selection than you are likely to find today. It had saltines, captains wafers of different styles, those round ones, and melba toast. Originally I would just sort out and eat the captain’s wafers, but I developed a love of melba toast too… so why is it that I cant find good melba toast ANYWHERE anymore???? I was there having lunch once during a hail storm. Golfball size. I went to the vestibule and picked one up and showed it to another kid who was eating in a different room. One of their windows had a tiny hole in it, a little smaller than a BB. No idea how it got there, or if it was deliberate to keep the glass from breaking due to pressure differences between the outside and inside. I think that’s about all I can remember about the Santa Maria restaurant. I really do miss it. Still trying to find a restaurant with a matching spaghetti sauce. I just finished a new short story. Only took a couple of days. I'm making it available free on this website. Eventually I'll expand it's distribution. Its on the Projects page, but I'll also put a link here.
Anyway, if you enjoy my writing, please consider purchasing my books. Leiji Matsumoto is known for his iconic heroes and melodramatic stories, which I for one love. His most important characters are of course (apart from his role in Yamato) Harlock, Totchiro, Emeraldas, Maetel and Tetsuro. Less well distributed is the Millennium Queen. At least I've never seen a legal copy of that series. All I have seen has been a copy from the days before Anime was being sold legitimately anywhere in the United States.
To set the stage for the fall, it is important to know that the Darqueen, in the Milky Way's dark twin galaxy, has come to the conclusion that the people of the Dark Galaxy and the Light Galaxy will never be able to co-exist. (Metanoids don't seem to have a problem coexisting, but I guess the Darqueen didn't see it that way) She plans to remedy this by creating a metal based hybrid life-form from the beings of the Light galaxy and dispatches agents to promote and create what would become known as the Machine Empire... but that isn't until a little later. The Millennium Queen is in reality Princess Promethium from the planet LaMetal, which has a thousand year orbit that stretches between Earth's Sun on the one end, and the Dark Sun Ra, located in another galaxy entirely. Because so much of it's long orbit is far from heat sources, the people of LaMetal spend much of their lives in suspended animation. They considered the Earth, a tiny planet near one end of their orbit to be a precious paradise with an eternal spring which should be nurtured. To that end, each orbit, they dispatched a new Princess to rule over the Earth as a secret Queen for the next thousand years. As the latest Millennium Queen, nearing the end of her term, Promethium had it all. A loyal sister, Selen, in the role of the Millennium Thief; a fiancé, Fara, the captain of the guard, waiting for her at home; a dutiful lieutenant deeply in love with her; a loyal human friend, the boy Hajime; and a fulfilling job under her human guise of Yayoi Yukino. Unfortunately, the situation had changed. The Galaxy containing Ra had begun to move, altering LaMetal's orbit so that this would be its final approach to Earth. The current Queen did not want to condemn her people to an endless winter, so plans were made to relocate to Earth, at the same time tricking the people of Earth into relocating to LaMetal. Like most of the Millennium Queens, Yukino had grown to love the Earth, and was forced to fight against her mother, her fiancé, and homeland. The battle was long and costly. The final battle began when the two planets grew close enough for an air bridge to form between the two worlds, allowing free travel between them. It became a battle of High Tech LaMetal vs the low tech Earth where Earth's defenders were using whatever weapons they could find in an old museum, such as Zeros and ballista's. Even the spirits of past Millennium Queens came to the defense. The battle cost the life of her sister, her loyal lieutenant, and her Fiancé died trying to protect her from the Queen. Even Yukino herself died to save the Earth from LaMetal. But while Yayoi Yukino had died to give Hajime a clean break from her, the death had been faked, and she assumed her role as Queen Promethium II and dedicated herself to saving her people, whom she felt guilty for depriving them of an eternal spring on Earth now that they were doomed. Eventually LaMetal would pass close to Heavy Melder on its way to the Andromeda Galaxy. As Queen of LaMetal, Promethium's kingdom was one of the founding members of the Galaxy Railways, granting the royal family special exceptions. While living on LaMetal, Promethium fell in love with Dr. Ban, and had two children: Maetel and Emeraldas. Dr. Ban helped Promethium come up with solutions to the eternal winter and resulting food shortages, unfortunately they all failed, including building an artificial sun. One of Dr. Ban's experiments was mysteriously sabotaged, trapping his soul within a pendant that would eventually be given to Maetel. That was when an alien scientist named Hardgear made contact with Promethium the same as he had done with many other desperate planets. He offered her a solution to the problems facing her world in the form of Mechanization. If she mechanized her people, they wouldn't need to eat, and would be impervious to the cold. As long as they replaced worn parts and could re-energize themselves, they could even live forever. As a test, Queen Promethium allowed herself to become the first of her people to be mechanized. There are several different methods of mechanization. There is a direct transfer where the soul is relocated into a generic body, usually done for army building. More typically the soul can be moved into a customized body whose quality is determined by the amount of money you are willing to spend. The most expensive method of mechanization, which was done to the Queen is a nanite injection that slowly mechanizes your body over a long period of time. There are two side effects to mechanization that nobody advertises. 1. a sometimes gradual loss of humanity. 2. the reliance on "clean capsule energy" for survival. Unfortunately, Capsule Energy is made from the life-force of other beings. As the mechanization process continued to change her, Promethium gradually became more authoritarian, eventually ordering all of her subjects to become mechanized instead of it being a choice. She also began military efforts to expand her empire, and even thought to take over the Earth she had once protected. Earth eventually does fall to the Machine Empire, or the Mechanized Empire, but that and it's continued resistance is another story. Maetel and Emeraldas are determined not to be mechanized and even start a resistance against their mother, which fails. Eventually even Promethium realizes the changes that are befalling her, and uses the last of her human willpower to help her children escape aboard the Galaxy Express 999, even while she finishes her transformation and sees her daughters as enemies. Part of the Darqueen and Hardgear's plan included subminimal programming in the mechanization process, to encourage the expansion of the Mechanized Empire. It also included back doors which would allow Hardgear to absorb Queen Promethium's powers and assume her role as ruler of LaMetal, which had become the center of the Mechanized Empire. Unfortunately for him, she was too powerful, and she absorbed him instead. From time to time, Promethium's humanity would attempt to reassert itself. During one of these times, she made a sort of peace with Maetel, who was part of the resistance movement to the Mechanized Empire, and sought her help in creating an invincible planet, made entirely out of mechanized parts. Emeraldas left the fight against the Mechanized Empire. Possibly out of a desire not to fight her mother. She never mechanized, but with her LaMetalian lifespan, she was still practically immortal. She found a ship with an AI that had been built specifically for her in prehistoric times to help her fulfill her destiny, which has not yet been revealed. She fell in deeply in love with a human man named Totchiro, who helped repair her ship, and had a one of a kind spirit. When he died, he transferred part of his soul into the Arcadia. For as long as she lived, she never fully recovered from his death. While trying to work with her mother, Maetel finally concluded that her mother, the former Millennium Queen was beyond saving from her fate, and resolved to destroy her. She allowed her friend, a young boy named Nazca to sacrifice himself to become a mechanized component that would fail, and destroy her mother and the Mechanized Empire. The plan failed. A single failing component was not enough to bring about destruction. Maetel admitted defeat, and took on the assignment to travel the universe to seek out those with strong wills to become new components for the Mechanized Empire's homeworld. As a sign of her good faith, Maetel even accepted a mechanized body. she would have to upgrade her body every few years as each one was patterned after the body of one beautiful young woman or another, but the bodies were good enough to pass as human. Even this sacrifice on the part of Maetel was just a rouse as she had inherited her mother's strong will. She continued to act in defiance of her mother. Yes, she spent thousands of years seeking out young strong willed youths. Inviting each of them to travel with her aboard the Galaxy Express 999, and on the journey she would recruit them into the resistance. Maetel's final companion, a young boy named Tetsuro, was like the rest, but he was also a fighter, and shared Totchiro's will, prompting a sense of loyalty from Emeraldas as well as Harlock. His trip to Andromeda Station turned out differently than the rest. He wasnt willing to sacrifice himself, but wanted to fight against the Mechanized Empire openly by the time he arrived, and instigated a full fledged rebellion. Queen Promethium II who had done everything and sacrificed everything to save first the people of Earth from her own people, and then the people of LaMetal was defeated. Not just by her own daughter, but her husband, Dr. Ban also sacrificed his essence from the pendant whoes destruction activated the failure of all the components made from people who had been willing to sacrifice themselves to bring about the destruction of the Mechanized Empire, and the death of Queen Promethium. Maetel, Tetsuro, Emeraldas, and Harlock all survived the final battle that destroyed Promethium, as did the Mechanized Empire itself. The empire wasn't what it once was, but it wasn't gone completely. Eventually, human and mechanized humans learned to co-exsist, thanks to the efforts of planet Technologia, and Captain Zero, much to the dismay of the Darqueen. Many years later, however, the supply of Capsule energy ceased, and when that happened, the remaining Mechanized people simply... stopped. I have had a lot of jobs in different stores and locations. I watch people, and remember the stories I see and hear. I keep it all percolating in the back of my mind for later use in my own stories.
One of my first jobs I got to see a black lady with a white child, apparently her adopted child, at least that was the impression I had. In the brief time I observed them, the woman treated the boy incredibly cruelly. There was nothing I could do about it, and I certainly wasn't the only one able to see. Maybe she was just a bad babysitter. Maybe she was the wrong fit for a child who wasnt her own race. Maybe she simply wasnt the type of person who should ever have been allowed to be guardian over a child. More recently, in general terms, I saw a white family in a restaurant which included a single asian girl. Gradually more and more of the family arrived, a few generations in total. It wasnt that long ago that adopting chinese girls was "in fashion" given China's one child rule, course that was before other celebrities made mixed race families popular. The asian girl was treated like an outsider by everyone except the grandmother. I hope she was just a friend of their other daughter, but I still cant help wondering what sort of an adult such an upbringing will result in. I figured I would give some detail about my favorite Marvel characters and why. Mostly this is just an excuse to talk about the character in my number 1 slot, but I figured I would branch out somewhat.
5. Death's Head Death's Head, the original mechanoid got his start in the UK Transformers series, bumped into Doctor Who (literally) who kindly dropped him off in the Marvel Universe proper, where he had a wide and varied career teaming up with Heroes and the like across multiple time zones. I especially liked his appearance in She-Hulk where they were fighting over a piece of pottery containing evidence from the future. Poor Plant-Man. I mainly liked him because he is a robotic character, but he also has a sick sense of humor, and abides by his own profit based code. His backstory is rather complex and complicated by competing rival copyrights so can be difficult to follow. 4. Machine Man Machine Man was my first favorite Marvel character. I fell in love with 2001: A space Odyssey, read the book, saw the movie, collected all the comics. The final story of that comic line was the origin story of Mister Machine! Whose name changed to Machine Man by the time he got his own series. He is X-51, the only surviving mechanoid of the X series line and given the name Aaron Stack. He can sometimes pass as human, where he works as an insurance adjustor. He has had many personality changes in recent years, especially after the Celestials picked him up and then dropped him back off. The irreverance the Nextwave comics gave the character redefined him and gave him a darker sense of humor. He is no longer the naïve robot he used to be. 3. Power Pack This one is a bit of a cheat, as Power Pack is actually a team of child super heroes. Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power, along with the young Franklin Richards formed the team of heros. While Franklin inherited his powers from his parents, the Power kids were granted theirs by aliens. This was the second series I got a subscription to, after Transformers. I loved the childs eye view of the Marvel Universe as the original series didnt water the universe down for kids during the Mutant Massacre and Fall of the Mutants where they had legitimate crossovers with the main story. We also got to see their family dynamic as well as glimpses of their family lives. l have heard that they are being brought back, in their original form for at least a short series. I hope I dont miss it. 2. Squirrel Girl The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, AKA Doreen Green has the powers of a Squirrel combined with the powers of a Girl. Her squirrel powers include the propionate strength of a squirrel, the ability to talk to squirrels, claws, and a tail. Her Girl based powers include her boundless self confidence, mathematical ability and the ability to code and program computers. This character has been around for a while, but her early appearances were drawn in a way that was a total turn off to me, in spite of my love of all things squirrel. However she had gotten a better redesign lately, along with her appearances in Marvel Rising. Now she is a plus size hero. Not fat, but certainly not your typical top heavy thin idealized woman either, and since her confidence in herself takes over, and that doesn't even matter, like it shouldn't. She isn't a perfect person, but she is an incredibly smart unbeatable hero. 1. Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel is a character that I can identify with like no other characters I've encountered before her. She isnt the first to use the name Ms. Marvel, but she has taken in to honor her all time favorite hero, Captain Marvel. She is young and enthusiastic and has powers because she is an Inhuman. Like many heroes she is drawn to be attractive, but she doesn't normally have exaggerated proportions, although with her ability to change shape, she could. She also comes across as more of a genuine person than most other characters. She is Muslim and that is important to her, which I like because religion is also important to me me, even if I'm not the same religion. She is a total geek about superheroes, and knows everything about them and totally freaks out when meeting new ones. I'm a geek too, not as much into heroes, but I understand completely this driving force in her life that is so similar to mine. I'm sure it's not just the "Real" heroes she knows about. I'm certain she could tell us the five ways Batman could defeat Galactus. Also, she writes FANFICTION!!! And while I think my fanfic ideas are better than hers, the outrageous nature of her fanfic story plots is part of the joke. Another important facet of the character is Kamala's family life. Her distinctly different interactions with her father and mother are so believable. It's like I know those people. They could just as easily be members of my own family, more so than the West's or Starks... or so many of the orphaned heroes out there. I am greatly lookin forward to the upcoming Ms. Marvel tv series, and hope the character continues to do well. Maybe she'll even get her own movie. The Leijiverse... the universe of Leiji Matsumoto, the co-creator of Space Battleship Yamato and creator of classics like Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Millennium Queen, and much much more. I consider myself a big fan of his work, even though most of what I have of his isnt in a language that I understand. His take on nobility, honor, and sacrifice... are beautiful.
His stories are are also quite epic. Some span centuries, and others are quiet personal stories, especially the war stories. His longer series showcase both elements, which I try to incorporate into my own writing. Because of the legal battles surrounding Yamato, I wasnt sure if it should be continued as part of the Leijiverse, but now I'm certain that yes, it is. The remake Yamato 2199, while excellently done, is not, but the original certainly is. At some point I plan to do a you tube video on the tragic tale of Queen Promethium, but while thinking about it, some other details occurred to me. In Be Forever Yamato, while back tracing the enemy, the Yamato discovered that our universe was a double universe, there was our universe of light, and on the other side of the Black Nebula was another universe of Darkness. Later writings have established that this dark universe is ruled by the Darqueen.. a being of immense power, who doesnt believe that the Metanoids of the Dark Universe can ever get along with those of us in the Light Universe. She created the Mechanization Process to create a hybrid species that could bridge the gap, but she considered the experiment a failure. Meanwhile the process gave birth to the Mechanized Empire that caused many years of conflict. The Darqueen also destroyed the homeworld of the Mazone plant people, causing them to wage war against Harlock and Earth as they attempted to return to Earth, a former Mazone Colony world. Mazone people apparently make up a bulk of the Amazon forest. When the planet Technologia and the crew of Zero's Kiryu proved that humans and Mechanized people can get along with each other, agents of the Darqueen took action to destroy the evidence. Another incident of note, at the end of the Millennium Queen movie, it was revealed that the reason the planet La Metal's orbit was failing was because the galaxy that it's black sun Ra was in was moving, and on a collision course with Earth's Galaxy. This impending doom was dismissed because 1, it would be a long time before the collision occurred, and 2. there is so much empty space between planets, it wouldn't effect much anyway. However, hundred or two years later, the Yamato was dispatched to observe that collision of Galaxies. The collision decimated both the Gamilon Empire and the Bolar Federation, probably giving the Illmedas space to fulfill their own dreams of Empire later. By the end of Final Yamato, it was mentioned that the two galaxies had finally merged with each other, with little additional destruction. I find it fascinating that in order to piece together some of these stories and events, it requires watching several different shows, and none of it is actually spelled out anywhere that I have found. I do wish I could read and understand Japanese though. There are so many more stories I would like to know. I read a fun article a while back that was talking about the scramble studios were doing for shared universes.
The successful Marvel universe. The DC universe, which has better success with the "Arrowverse" than the movies. There is the Harry Potter world, which would do better if Rowlings would stop hurting her image by not being so vocal about certain subjects. Apparently Will Smith tried to start one of his own with After Earth... a very interesting article. I never had much interest in watching that movie, but I wonder what he had planned as a way to expand it. Then of course there was the Dark Universe that began and failed with the Tom Cruise Mummy movie. Frankly, I think they should have continued that one. Yes, the Mummy sucked, but more movies within that world could have built up an increased interest in all the monster properties. There is the new American Godzilla universe with the expected crossover with King Kong. Of course, that is sort of silly. Godzilla has always been part of a shared universe thanks to frequent crossovers with Mothra, Rodan/Radon, and so many other monsters that did or didnt also have stand alone films. A recent article was talking about another one, that thankfully died in the planning stages. Robin Hood. I like Robin Hood, although it is surprisingly easy to fail with a Robin Hood movie. Robin of Sherwood will always be the definitive version to me... but I cannot imagine building an entire universe around his Merry Men. I've no interest in even thinking about a Tuck movie. However... argument could be made for a Will Scarlet movie. Maybe start with him, and then see how some of the other characters play out... but aside from that, you would have to go outside the usual crowd for crossovers and such. Ivanhoe? Im not really sure what other heroes were around in that time frame. Beyond Robin Hood... any other shared universe would either have to be completely original, or a legal rights nightmare. Maybe like the Unbreakable film and its sequels that nobody realized were sequels. Make a shared universe that nobody realizes is a shared universe until people start bumping into each other. Hobs and Shaw could be the start of that sort of thing for the Fast and Furious series. However, I would really like to see a shared universe between Zorro, the Lone Ranger, and Wild Wild West. Granted Will Smith should never play Jim West, but I do think he would make an excellent Gordon. Likewise, if it could be done well, I would like to see several Larson and Bellisarius projects rebooted into a shared universe. Knight Rider, Airwolf, and A-Team would be interesting crossovers, although that may be best left to the realm of fanfiction. I have recently been reminded of the old GI Joe comics... by some you tube videos, and of course the return of GI Joe toys, even if in a six inch scale instead of the 3 3/4 scale... or the 12 inch scale.
The GI Joe comics that most people are used to are the standard american fare. About three pages worth of story in a 22 page book when its written poorly. Also well known are the British Action Force stories that deal with the Red Shadows and their conversion into Cobra. However there was a lot more to the Battle Action Force stories than that. In addition to the Action Force/GI Joe stories, there was always a Charlie's War installment (it covered Charlie and his families experiences in WWI until the early stages of WWII at the hands of Germans and, worse, Officers. There were also other stories as well, Johnny Red was about a British pilot on the Russian front. Which was the last title I can remember off the top of my head. There was a stale story about two secret agents that always ended on a cliffhanger. A similar story about a kid running away and was being chased by Nazis. There was also a really good story about a Sargent who received a lethal wound (similar to Stark in Iron Man) so he kept going out on suicide missions to give himself a good death, but always wound up inspiring his troops and winning the day. As for the Action Force stories, there were three to six different stories in each issue. Granted, the stories were short, and mostly black and white line art. Of those stories, there were two different kinds of tales told. There were the ones designed specifically to sell toys, and then there were the character driven ones that provided back stories and plot development. The ones to sell toys were too basic. Here's Cutter on the Action Force Hovercraft taking it down the river... and each obstacle he comes across showcases another of the toys action features. As for character stories, there was a very long running tale giving the back story to the Red Shadow's second in command, the Black Major. It followed him from enrolling in military school all the way until he betrayed the fledgling Action Force and joined Baron Ironblood and the Red Shadows. That story didnt conclude until after the Red Shadows had been replaced by Cobra. In later stories, the Baroness also got an origin story dealing with her rich parents and her turning to terrorism. Thanks to that, to me, her real name will never be Decobra. The long running Operation Bloodhound stories and many others were fun to read, but basicly told similar stories. The Red Shadows are up to something, resulting in lots of death, the SAS or Z or Space force intervene to stop them. The hero team wins, but usually suffers 70% casualties, or worse. The changeover from traditional Action Force stories to GI Joe style AF stories was abrupt on the AF side. It started with two British soldiers (I forget which ones, they were american in the US series) on their way to their new post, wondering what the new unit was going to be like, and speculating if "Duke" was going to be some sort of nobleman... He wound up being the same Duke we are all used to seeing. I think their first contact with the enemy was against Zartan. On the enemy side, things changed a lot more smoothly. The Operation Bloodhound missions had made things too hot for Baron Ironblood, so he decided to start over, in a story that was told from Red Jackal's point of view. He discovered that Ironblood had leaked Red Shadow information to Action Force, resulting in it's near total destruction. The Black Major, along with a handful of other shadows survived and regrouped to cause further trouble for Action Force later, but when he realized who Cobra Commander was, the Red Shadows started to focus on vengeance against the former Ironblood. Red Jackal in his story, continued to track down Ironblood. Witnessed his transition into Cobra Commander (I loved the explanation for the reflective face shield). He tried, but failed to kill Cobra Commander; however he did manage to lock Cobra Commander out of all of his financial accounts, forcing Cobra Commander to keep him around to finance his operations. This is why CC renamed Red Jackal Destro, as a reminder that the man wanted to Destroy him. When the licensing of Action Force in Battle Action Force comics ran out and was not going to be renewed, the writers gave the series a magnificent sendoff with a multi part story where Cobra took full control over London, resulting in a massive operation by Action Force, both the new Joes and the original AF characters teaming up to retake the city. Zartan and Destro watched as the loss of the battle drove Cobra Commander insane. Yes, previously Ironblood/CC had been ruthless, but definitely sane. Okay, I wound up describing the transition story in more detail than I had intended. What I had wanted to do in this blog entry was to showcase the lesser known stories... like the Baroness backstory or Gung Ho's story. Or some of the other characters who got good backstories. Of course there were also some stories that were just fun fluff, like when Cobra invaded the Comicbook office because they were tired of losing all the time. I have just had another significant setback.
I have just receved the blue screen of death, so I must now either repair or replace my computer, because im sure this proves writing with a phone doesnt work for me. either way i go it will wipe out my savings. I am desperate for suggestions as to how I can generate more money. Yes, I have written more than 4 books. I dont know how to promote them, so they dont bring in much. my promotion budget is zero anyway. My main goals: Dream Vacation to Disney Galactic Starcruiser set to open in 2021. Expect to need about $5000. 3D printer... about $400 plus materials build myself a set of Mandalorian Armor and visit some conventions. The 3D printer is new to the list. I used to be good at making 3D models for lightwave. if I can get those skills to carry over and teach myself blinder or something similar, then I can make models of the ships in my books, make diorama pieces for my photography, and I would be able to make my own Mandalorian armor parts. maybe I could even sell my prints to other toy diorama photographers. However, as the ability to write comes first, all the money Ive managed to save over the past six months is going to be gone, does anyone have any suggestions to refill it quicker?? praetion? Coffee account? Something Ive never even heard of before? When I discovered that Infinity Train had done a second season, I was initially very disappointed.
The first season covered a young girl named Tulip as she found herself on the train and made friends with One/one, the Corgi King and others. Her journey through the Train, growing as a person, and helping One/one rediscover its proper place told a very complete, and I thought a perfect story. I though there was no way they could continue that story without undoing the magnificence that was the story told in season one. It seems that I was slightly mistaken on that point. During season 1, Tulip met a literal reflection of herself who wanted to be free, and in the end they both escaped the Chrome Car. Since Tulip's story is now complete, season 2 follows someone else, specifically Mirror Tulip. So, for season 2, Mirror Tulip (who is made of chrome) meets a human called Jerry (who is not at all good at naming things) and the two of them wind up traveling the train together while she helps Jerry get his number down to zero so he can leave the train. At the same time, Mirror Tulip is being hunted for escaping the mirror world, where her punishment will be getting ground down to nothing. I still haven't watched all the middle episodes yet, but this season too reaches a suitably perfect ending for the characters, as even the Numberless Mirror Tulip is granted a number and is able to escape the train with Jerry. After two such satisfying stories I cant help wondering what could happen on a third season? Who will the third season follow? How will it be different from the previous two? How will it tie into them? Will we see a return of that double dealing cat? I rather liked Tulip, even if Mirror Tulip was a very different character from her, she was fun too. Didn't care much for Jerry, but he liked Mirror Tulip, so he wasn't that bad. Also, I watched a new cartoon called Owl House, where a delightful young eccentric girl finds herself in a freaky not-PG-fantasy world. She has short hair, is a bit of a tom boy, but clearly has an interest in boys, love young adult fantasy stories, and has an over-the-top way of doing things that I love. She's like a Hispanic Goldie Blocks character. She's already turned down a chance to go home, so I look forward to seeing what her character journey is going to be like. I have finally gotten the ebook version of The Black Derelict up and available. Not sure how to promote it though.
I have been following various people online during this global virus pandemic, and noting how many are having trouble adjusting to the isolation restrictions, and the various things being done to help them cope. For myself, my life hasn't changed much. I never had much of a social life, and as my retail job is at an essential service, my work has not yet been effected. At work we make light of the virus and the resulting panic. It helps us lighten the mood, and stay sane in an insane situation. It doesn't mean we don't take it seriously though, we just have to keep things light to be able to function in these times, because we know that any customer could be infected, and spreading it to us, and if so, then we will be spreading it to any other customers or co-workers we accidently get too close to. I also know I've never been the healthiest sort. I get some nasty cold every few weeks or so. When I got Chicken Pox it was really bad, to the point that my family still talks about it. The only year I had perfect attendance in school, I wound up getting the Flu so bad I spent a week in the hospital. If I should get the chrono virus, Im not sure how it will effect me, given that it has killed several young athletic types... and I'm far from athletic. These things may give me an advantage in overcoming it, or maybe the reverse. In a way this entire thing still isn't real to me yet. I figure its for the best if it stays that way for as long as possible. I realize that in the end, its all in the hands of Fate... of God, and whatever happens, even if it doesn't benefit me personally, will still be for the greater good. I have been thinking of doing some youtube videos, to cover my own movie rants, and maybe provide some close ups of some old toys. Not sure yet. I will have to find a way to do it that will get around my own autistic nature. It would be nice if I could get the level of viewer ship to be able to monetize the videos, but given the level of traffic this site gets, I should keep my expectations low.
I will also want to figure out a way to do an ad for my books. I see what some people have done for their books, and it is amazing. Mine will look, and actually be amateurish. I could ask for help on daisie I suppose... not sure who would want to help, or how I could repay them. I have odd ideas that come to me at odd times. For example, the following scene came to me while I was driving back home after a nice dinner at the cafeteria:
Evacuation The soldiers hurriedly ushered the car further down the interstate. The dad offered a thankyou wave as he passed, joining the rest of the slow moving cars on the highway. Surprisingly, even the cars on the other side of the median were also traveling north. Everyone was trying to get away as quickly as possible, everyone except the military who was trying to cover their escape. The car passed howitzers and other heavy artillery set up in the median, while tanks and APCs were parked along the sides of the road. Although they were progressing at a much slower pace, the tanks were also making steady movement North. “Military forces have been deployed to cover evacuations along the main roads…” the radio was saying, but it wasn’t the voice of the usual news announcer. “Defense of towns is being left to local militias. Our hearts go with them and their families, and to those brave souls who have decided to ignore evacuation orders.” The cannon directly to the left of the car fired, unleashing a deafening sound, only barely blocked by the car’s closed windows. “Dad, what’s that black stuff?” The question was asked from the back seat. Black ash had been steadily falling, almost like rain or a gentle snowstorm. “I don’t know,” the dad answered truthfully. Was it ash from the heavy artillery being fired all around them? Was it some form of atomic fallout from cities to the south that no longer existed. More cannon fire from the tanks on the other side of the road discouraged any real conversation. If not for the noise, and the need to concentrate on their slow moving escape, the fear the family was experiencing would have been overpowering. Who was attacking? How? Why? All of those questions were unanswered by the news on the radio. Cellphones were barely working, providing access to social media accounts that offered even less real information and theories that were all too stupid to believe. The car suddenly lurched to the left, brutally pushed by debris from the car next to it that had just exploded. If the car next to theirs was destroyed by an artillery shell, or some other weapon, they had no way of guessing. Troops were already in motion, wearing gloves, they moved scrap from the half destroyed car off the road. The front half of the car that was too large to move by hand, was quickly tied to a tank with chains and dragged out of the way of the rest of the civilian traffic. A soldier banged on the passenger side door. The father rolled the window down. “Can you take one more?” the soldier asked. The two parents in the front seats exchanged quick looks. “Back seat,” the father said, unlocking the doors. The back passenger side door was quickly opened, and another civilian was quickly placed in the empty seat. A different soldier buckled the new arrival in. The door closed again, and the soldier at the passenger window said “Thank you, sir. Safe travels.” Yet another soldier waved the car forward now that there was enough space for the car to move as other disabled vehicles on the road further ahead had also been hurriedly cleared. In the back seat, the child stared transfixed at their new passenger. They were unconscious, and their breathing was slow and shallow. They also had several hastily applied bandages. Sai Lura walked past the waterfalls that lined the walls of her subterranean lair. Her long black hair hinted at shades of red, and the split down the side of her dress accommodated the long strides of her legs.
The floor was ornately tiled in rare jewels that gave the sorceress none of the pleasure it once would have. To many the ornate floor was seen as an ostentatious display of wealth, but to her alchemy, it was merely a rearrangement of atoms. At the far end of the room a circular pit emitted a red glow along with warm air that the coolness brought in by the waterfalls counterbalanced. Several feet before the pit, a blue orb hovered. It was to this orb that she walked, in spite of herself. She knew that gazing upon it would bring up dreaded memories. It would bring back all the pain and sorrow, just as it did every time she gazed upon it, yet she could not restrain herself. Even now, she felt drawn to the orb, even though she could sense the presence of an intruder nearing her chambers. This one had done well to navigate the maze, and get past the death traps that protected her. He undoubtedly came to eliminate her; to kill the evil witch who had brought the kingdom low. She didn’t care about the kingdom. Not anymore. There was a time… but that was so long ago. That was when the memory in the blue orb didn’t hurt her so much. Sometimes she felt tired. The pull of the blue orb made her feel that tiredness. Maybe she should let this one do the deed so many had tried to accomplish? Let him slay her, and loot her lair for whatever worthless trinkets he thought were valuable enough to kill for. For Sai Lura, there was only one thing worth killing for, and that lay within the orb. The would-be-hero made a splashing sound as he burst through one of the waterfalls to get the jump on her. He stood, young, handsome, and half naked, as his armor was in tatters from the ordeal of penetrating her defenses. She clenched her hands, instinctively ready to incinerate the hero instantly, but she held back from killing the man before he had a chance to even see what had killed him. The hero also stood fast. She had expected him to immediately lunge at him, but instead he did not. “My lady,” the hero said, “I have come for the King.” That took her aback. “You want… the King?” “Aye, my lady,” the hero’s earnestness seemed beyond the belief of her cynical nature. “For too long this land has languished in civil wars without leadership. I seek the return of the King. You are holding him, are you not?” “And you would kill me, for the sake of a man you’ve never met?” Sai Lura said. “I would prefer not to, my lady, but I am prepared to do what I must!” the hero said. “You’ve done well, but you are so young and naïve,” Sai Lura said. “Tell me, young hero, is this your first quest? Did you have companions?” “Aye, my lady,” the boy said. “You have surprised me, in many ways,” she said. “Allow me to reward that.” Sai Lura strolled around the blue orb, gazing as much at it as she did you handsome young hero. “I gave everything I had for them. Everything I was, and everything I could have been; but then he took even that away. He deserves everything he’s received.” She touched the orb, and the images contained within it suddenly expanded. It replaced the chamber the two stood in with another room from long ago, with only a blue tint to distinguish it from reality. In the new room a younger red haired Sai Lura stood before her family’s grimoire, flipping between pages. Two beautiful children were playing on the floor, completely oblivious to the dangers of the world. “My beautiful Queen,” a man entered wearing a crown, short red cape, and otherwise royal looking clothing. “What are you cooking up for us today?” “The King?!?” the hero exclaimed. “You were—are the—” “Silence,” the older Sai Lura said. Her face had held a rare happy expression, but it soured when the King had entered. The King strode across the room and planted a kiss on the younger Sai Lura’s cheek, before turning to look approvingly at their children. “Isn’t it time for their lessons?” “Don’t you have a country to rule?” the younger Sai Lura said. “My advisors are more than handling the routine stuff,” the King said, “besides, I would rather be here, bathing in your radiant beauty.” Sai Lura laughed. “With talk like that, people are going to think I put a spell on you, My Lord.” “Please, you, of all people, don’t need to use my title. Besides, those people have no idea the trouble I had to go through to win you over, and steal you away from your clan,” the King said. He turned to the children and leaned down close to them. “Go on now; lessons.” “Yes, Papa,” the children said in unison. They each gave him a peck on the cheek before running out of the room. “We spoil them don’t we?” the King said before turning back to his wife. “Seriously, what are you working on? You don’t usually pay so much attention to that spell book of yours.” “You expressed concern over the loss of one of your scouting parties yesterday,” she said. “Yes. Yes, I did,” the King nodded, “We have been getting reports of raids to the north, so I dispatched a party to investigate. They have yet to return.” “I am going to find out what has happened to your lost scouting party.” “Is this going to call for some sort of strange smelling brew?” “I doubt it, but I did have to ask the maid to bring me a new mirror.” “I see,” the King said. “Whatever you need, of course.” He picked up one of her other books and flipped through it, pausing at one of the pages. “I am always delighted, and a bit surprised that you take a serious interest in my… art.” “I didn’t just marry you for love, my dear, that was a just a bonus. Tell me, is it easy to transform someone into a frog?” “It can sometimes be hard to tell when you are joking, my Husband. But no, transfiguring someone into something like a frog is incredibly difficult, especially if you want them to survive the process. Other things, that you would consider harder are much easier than transfiguring someone into something like a frog. Although I did try to turn someone into a rooster once.” “Is there a special gift you need to do this magic? I mean, could anyone do it? Like me, for instance?” “The King doesn’t need to dirty his hands with such things,” Sai Lura said. “But I want to. You do so much for me, I want to help you, too,” the King said, “and not by hiring you an assistant.” “Some witchcraft requires something special from the user, but there’s plenty of things that anyone can do, you just have to know how.” “Well, show me. Let me help you make this special looking glass of yours.” The room immediately receded back into the blue orb, leaving the older Sai Lura alone with the hero. “What happened? Why did you turn on him?” The hero asked. “I demand you set him free.” “You dare make demands of ME?” Sai Lura said. She flipped the blue orb over, changing it’s shade to red. Once more the orb expanded, replacing the room with a red tinged memory of the same room as before, but more than the red of the projection from the orb, the floor was coated in blood. The young Sai Lura entered the room, and immediately stifled a shocked cry, and rose her hand up to her mouth. In the middle of the blood were entrails, and... bits of small human organs. Laying in the blood were the bodies of her two young children, their chests had been cut open, and their throats cut. She ran to them, and fell in the blood between them, unleashing a sob. Before her and the bodies was her work table. Her family grimoire was opened on the table, instead of in it’s proper place when she wasn’t using it. Beside that, the King sat in a throne like chair beside the table. The King, her husband, sat with a vacant expression, lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling, one of her ritual daggers lodged in his chest. A new wave of sorrow clouded her vision, with new waves of tears. In the back of her head, she imagined the voice of her father cautioning her that the entire death scene looked like a setup to frame her for the murder of her family. She acknowledged the fact, but in her grief, she did not care. The grief fell away from here in an instant when she heard and saw her husband suddenly take in a deep breath. He gently removed the knife from his own chest, and grinned. “It was painful, my Love, but I did it! I really did it!” He exclaimed with an obvious boundless joy. She didn’t understand how he could be so happy while his children lay dead at his feet. “We’re now immortal, my Love!” “But I told you,” she said with a rasp that was the closest she could find to her voice, “the cost of Immortality is too steep.” “But I was willing to pay it,” the King said, “and now; look!” He stood and walked around the table, his arms held wide as if she should be proud of what he had done. “But our children,” she made one last plea to the man whom she had once loved as a husband and more. The King nodded. “That was difficult. I didn’t want to, really, but it was required for the spell. But look, we’re immortal now, so we don’t need children anymore. We shall live forever, and I will rule eternal!” She looked at him in horror; facing the realization that she had apparently never known the man she thought she had. As quickly as it had expanded, the red tinted images retreated back into the orb, which turned back over, resetting to the happier blue memory. Although just as well lit, and beautiful as it had been before, the room seemed somehow darker now than it had before. “Do you still want your king?” Sai Lura asked. The hero simply stood there, dumbfounded. “The world is more complicated than you expected, is it?” she said. Then, with a wave of her arm, a chain lifted something out of the glowing red pit. Tied to the end of the chain was a burning skeleton. “As an immortal, he will never burn in hell,” Sai Lura said, “so he burns in this life instead.” She closed her hand, and the flame enveloping the skeleton extinguished itself. Almost immediately muscle, tendons, intestines and other organs started to regrow within and over the skeleton. The vocal cords were already shrieking when they formed. Ultimately skin and hair regrew and a furious King looked out at them. “You Bitch,” he screamed, “I’ll flay you alive for this! I’ll send your organs to the far corners of the earth, set maggots to eat you alive.” “Look, my Love,” Sai Lura said, “this champion has come to rescue you. Should I let him? I have been growing tired of torturing you.” “Of course,” the King said, “my subjects love me, their righteous leader. While you are nothing but some peasant witch.” “Mind your tongue,” anger continued to flash in her eyes. “I was a Mage… never a peasant. You have no idea how many sacred laws and trusts you have breached.” “Enough of this,” the King shouted. “Champion, slay this witch, and free me; your one true King!” The hero did not move. His gaze moved from King to Queen and back. “I cannot kill you, husband. Murderer. But I will not give you up, either,” Sai Lura said. She raised her arm, and immediately a flow of lava erupted from the pit. The King screamed, but his cries were literally drowned out as the lava enveloped and burned away his body as the pillar of molten rock flowed up to the roof of the cavern. She held it there until it began to harden. What looked like it could have been a hand tried to push out of the quickly cooling rock pillar, but stopped while it was still no more than a hint of something trying to push its way out. “There are so many ways that immortality can be a curse,” Sai Lura said, then turned to her uninvited guest. “What are you going to do now?” She asked. “You could kill me and dig out the king you came for. He might even be grateful. You could go raise and army to become King yourself someday. I could even recast your likeness to that of the old King, and you could be a pretender to the throne. I don’t care. I don’t really even know if he was a good king or not; I find that I don’t care anything of Kings or ruling anymore. Whatever you decide to do, I simply hope that you become a better Man than he was.” She waited, and walked around the handsome hero, sizing him up, from his brown hair, and blue eyes, his tattered armor, and his expertly held sword. She could see it in his eyes. His world had been suddenly expanded and painted in darker colors than the world he had known. New possibilities had been opened for him. “Well, hero? What are you going to do?” Sai Lura asked. The hero opened his mouth to answer… End. I may not act like it,but I am a religious person. I strongly believe that everyone should hold to some form of religion. Which form of religion? I don't really care on that point.
Way back in Sunday school, one of the other kids asked if the Jews were all going to hell because they didn't believe in Jesus Christ. The answer of course was a simple yes. That struck me then, as it does now, as WRONG. It simply doesn't make sense that an entire people, the chosen people at that, would be condemned for eternity due to a coincidence of birth or ignorance. Last night, I was asked in a chat what my views on religion were. I said that I believe that there is no single path to God. I really believe that God is too big for only one path. When she asked me to expand on that I went on to say: "I now believe that there's truth in every religion... Judaism, Muslim, Mormon, Christian, even Jedi... Everything. "The facts may be off but the moral Truths they offer are the aspects of God we should pay attention to." We cannot ignore the fact that the creation of the Christial Bible was politically influenced by the Church when they decided what books to include and what to leave out. I have seen some interesting documentaries on that, and I would like to read the Gospel of Judas or the Gospel of Thomas. Granted, those gospels were popular during a time when Christians needed to feel good about being fed to Lions for the crime of being Christians. I also find it interesting that the most interesting religious programming I have seen on TV isn't some evangelical preacher, but a Rabbi. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but he makes interesting points. Since nobody actually views this page much, I figure I should be safe for not avoiding religious topics. I haven't been able to reach the girl I was talking to today. I don't know why, but I view it as a shame, as I did enjoy the conversation. Everyone has their own favorite sayings. Two of mine are my own creation... and I still hope they will catch on.
1. Just because everyone is out to get you is no reason to be paranoid. 2. You wont get far in life if you cant handle a few contradictions. Some contradictions are simple, like change is the only constant. I have always lived with lots of contradictions... only now do I realize that many of them can be traced back to my autism spectrum diagnosis. Back in school, I was classified with a learning disability in Written Expression... yet English and creative writing have always been my best subjects. Just NEVER ask me to diagram a sentence. I long to be held... yet I don't like to be touched. I love, but I cant properly show it. Sometimes I cant even properly feel it... and it can be very tragic to make decisions concerning the heart, only with the head. I'm nice, friendly, and harmless... but I don't come across that way. I sometimes think people see e as creepy. I have the liver of an alcoholic but I have never drank. I've never done drugs, but a school counselor noticed my shaking, and said I needed to stop the drug use. Still no diagnosis as to why my hand frequently shakes. Im a cat person, but somehow I have two dogs, ones a rescue... and if people saw what he has done to this house, they would try to rescue him from me. I chose the college that I did for it's film program... but thanks to the foreign language requirement, I never had a high enough GPA to enroll in said program. I would love to work at something other than retail... but since I have no experience at anything other than retail, I cant even get an interview... No data entry, no secretarial. How am I suppose to get the experience? I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think off at the moment. I realize keeping this blog and maybe even this webpage to push my books may be an exercise in futility. I know I need to promote myself and my books, especially to promote the Black Derelict story when it comes out. I also know that in order to succeed as a writer or to advance my creative career in the direction I want, I need to network. Unfortunately, Networking and Self-promoting are just not in my wheelhouse. I had always thought of purgatory as a not quite nice place for those who weren't bad enough for hell, nor good enough for heaven. Granted, I haven't studied the subject and could be completely off.
Although they never use the word purgatory, I have found that two of my favorite anime series are centered in versions of it, and their adaptations purgatory isn't used for what I had expected. In Angel Beats, kids who suffered through an unusually harsh and unfair life find themselves in an ideal boarding school setting. There they are immortal, but when they feel a sense of accomplishment or contentment with themselves, they then move on to the next stage... whatever that stage may be, heaven or reincarnation. In the story a group of teens banded together because of their unjust lives to fight against God... but since God's presence was the same as it is in the real world, they wound up targeting an angel, who was really just another girl who died after a harsh life. Things start to go wrong when Love is detected in the world. Love is not allowed, as that is the one thing that will keep people from wanting to move on. The anime is very touching as the characters all say good bye to each other before moving on. The other anime is Haibane Renmei. In that one, select people are reborn after they die in a walled city. They are born as children or young adults from a cocoon, and soon after they grow grey wings and are given a halo. They have no memory of their past lives, and must contribute something to the community, usually by taking a job in the town. They are only allowed to have second hand items, and touching the walls of the city makes the victim very sick. The grey feather angels population is also pretty small, and managed by a group that they are not allowed to speak to without special permission. This story follows a girl as she is born and tries to adapt to her new life as a grey feather angel... for a while she becomes sin-bound when she cannot accept the loss of her friend Kuu when Kuu moves on to the next stage. Sin-bound means they will not be able to move on, and when their time comes to move on they will die or become an outcast. After she comes to terms with Kuu moving on she is no longer sin-bound, but her best friend is. During the climax, she must help her friend leave her sin behind so she can move on, or be torn asunder by the same train that presumably killed her in her last life. I sort of like the idea of Purgatory giving people a second chance to be who they were meant to be before moving on. My next story, the Black Derelict is complete and undergoing the editing process. I still have quite a bit to do in editing, then I will need someone to look at it and tell me how badly it needs to be edited. *sigh* A necessary process for a good story.
The basic setup for this story is one that has been bouncing around in my head for 30 years or so. I had even started writing it twice before. This version of the story comes at it from a completely different angle, resulting in a much more interesting, and improved story. The real question is what to do next... and I don't mean which project to work on next, that's an entirely different issue. Should I go ahead and self publish it like I did my other stories? I can blame my autism on my lack of self promotion... because I have next to zero self promotion... and without promotion, that equals next to zero sales. I did get one review on amazon from someone who really liked the story. That made me feel more confident. I am thinking about looking for an agent... get this next thing properly published. I am worried that The Black Derelict is a bit too short, although I think it has elements that would translate excellently into film if anyone was interested in adapting it. I cant think of any way to make it longer without needlessly fluffing it up. All I want/need to do as a writer is to write the story I want to tell. Sometimes its long. Sometimes it's short. Usually, its in-between. While this blog is being maintained as a form of self promotion, I don't think anyone looks at it except for family and a few friends, so I don't expect there will be any actual suggestions, but it would be nice. Also, I have opened a Wattpad account. I'm not too sure how to make use of it. Im hoping it can be another form of self promotion, but nobody has actually read any of the things I have put up on that account. Until next time. a dream...
"I'd like to ask you about something, if thats alright," she said. It was Jenn, a really cute girl with shortblond hair. I liked her, but since she didnt feel the same, I would never let her know. "Sure," i said, "What is it." "Not gere," Jenn said. "Its kind of embarrasing, so xan we meet after work, in back?" "Um, okay, sure, I guess," I was curious, but didnt think anything about it untill it was time to meet her. "Hi," I said when she approached. I was surprised by how much taller than me she was, but she looked really nice in her powder blue sweater. It was plain she didnt know how to begin. "I wanted to ask... I mean, I really like you. a lot. What do you think about me?" I was shocked. mistly because she liked me, but also that she had the nerve to tell me. "I, uh, " I started, but then I surprised myself by moving in for a kiss. She met me halfway, forcefully kissing back. She wasnt very goid at it, but maube I was just out of pratice. I was surprised by how small and dirm her breasts were. We broke off, and she turned and ran away. I wanted to go after her, but instead I went the other way, intending to intercept her in the parking lot. I spotted her and ran over. "Im sorry, That was too far. But, yes, I lime yoy a lot too." “Come on! We have to keep going,” the man shouted over the sound of the blowing sand. He looked back to make sure the woman and her child were still following behind him, swimming through the pea-soup thick sands blowing through the air. It wasn’t easy to swim through the sands, especially not this far, but the city was gone, and they had no choice. Every inch of their skin was covered by protective padding, with air filters to facilitate breathing, and polarized lenses to provide limited vision through the swirling sands. “Can you keep up?” he asked. “Just,” she shouted back, “but we need to rest soon.” “I know,” he said, “I know.” Truth was, he wasn’t sure how much farther he could go himself, but he had to keep pushing himself for them. They didn’t want to leave their city, but they were given no choice but to leave or die, and leaving was practically a death sentence anyway. It was impossible to see any great distance in the sands, but he thought he saw something in the distance. Something large. He hoped for a city, but it was unlikely they would be that lucky for another city to have drifted so close. “This way,” he called out, adjusting his heading towards the object. It was large, but not large enough to be a city. Getting closer didn’t reveal many details about the massive object. In the end, it became obvious that the object was a massive rock, floating in the sands. He had heard rumors about massive floating rocks floating in the vast empty spaces of the planet, but he had never seen one before. They reached the rock, and clung to its side. He made sure the woman and her child were able to sit and rest in the misshapen exterior of the floating hill sized rock. “Rest here, I’m going to check it out.” He left them resting on the side, while he swam underneath. He had heard rumors that these rocks had pockets of safe areas under them, and that was what he looked for. He found it. A cave opening in the bottom of the rock, just large enough to for him to climb into. The opening led to a larger space within the rock that was protected from the blowing sands outside. His light showed what could easily be made into a cozy little camp site inside the rock, but then he saw that it was apparently occupied. “Hello?” he called to the figure sitting on a far seat, with his back to him. The figure didn’t move. They were wearing a standard sand suit, but their filter was sitting on the ground next to them. Not just their filter, but they also had a portable navigator, designed to help travelers locate drifting cities by following the beeps from their transponder codes. “Excuse me?” He said again and reached out to touch the figure on the shoulder. As soon as he made contact, the figure gave in. The front of the figure gave way, spilling worms all over the place, covered in a red slime that had once been blood and organs of a fellow traveler. He nearly puked in his filter. There were reasons the people of Duncan kept their skin protected from the sand. If you got a worm infection bad enough, nothing could save you. “Sorry, Friend, but I don’t think you need this anymore.” He grabbed the navigator, and tested it to make sure it’s batteries were still good. He pulled a grenade out from his travel kit. He had always wondered why these grenades were standard equipment, but he no longer needed to wonder. The reason was now obvious. He pulled the pin and ducked back out into the sand. The dead traveler and his worm infestation would soon be burned out, leaving a safe resting place. Swimming back around, he rejoined his traveling companions, and moved the navigator’s antenna around. “That’s where we came from,” he said, “There’s another signal coming from over there. It doesn’t seem to be too far off. I think we can make it. Do you need more rest?” “We’re good. Let’s go,” she said. What little I know about Economics, and it’s flaw.
Our economy is based on gold, specifically the gold held in the federal reserve. The total value of the nation’s gold is X. Therefore, if you took all the nation’s money, it’s total value would be X. If you printed more money, all the money would be worth a little less because the total of all money still equals X. If money was removed from circulation, then the remaining money would be worth more, because the total still equals X. This means that there is only a finite amount of money available for everyone. Any economics teacher will tell you that the goal to surviving is to earn more than you spend… taking a portion of that X and reserving it for yourself. The Rich are very good at this… so they continue to get richer, the portion of X reserved by the rich is growing, leaving less available for the other classes. Over a very long time, the gap will naturally continue to grow as the rich continue to gather more money, leaving the rest of the people to scrounge for the rest. From what I remember in school when they talked about Karl Marx, he predicted that when so much of X belonged to the rich that there wasn’t enough left for the poor to survive on the remaining X, that the poor would rebel, and evenly distribute the wealth among all the people. I have come to doubt this. While Star Trek paints Communism as the ideal, moneyless society, I do not believe that we have reached a level for such an economy to work. Production will need to be cheaper, and greed will need to be eliminated first. In the old days… several hundred years ago, when the gap between rich and poor became to great, the country would simply invade another nation, adding the invaded nation’s X to their own, so there was more money to go around, until the gap grew again. Invading other countries has gone out of style, and it was only a temporary fix. There are other programs in place, credit cards, loans, food stamps, and others that are intended to redistribute the nation’s money, but those are also short term fixes for the problem. One day, the wealthy will have so much of X that there will not be enough for the rest of the country to survive. The question is, short of a revolution, is there a fix for this problem? I have no idea. I have thought about it, but no solution has presented itself to redistribute X, re-grow the middle class, or to simply fix this flaw in the economy. Maybe it would be better if we somehow changed our perception of things. Could we base our economy on something other than gold? Maybe we could base it on something less tangible, such as productivity? Productivity is valuable, no one can deny that, but if so then even the lowest level worker could be generating new value without there being a total cap on the total value of all the currency in the nation. It is a radical idea, and I’ve no idea how the mechanics could be made to work, or even if it could be made to work, but the time is coming when such radical and abstract ideas will be needed to reshape the economy into something new and different. |
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