It's a Desert out there.

    Today we embark on another great adventure. I just took a nice little walk to the store next door to grab a soda. It was a lovely 100 yard walk over melting concrete with a refreshing 10 mile an hour breeze from a WWII era flamethrower. Now I'm not saying it was hot or anything but at 100 degrees plus and having fairly thick, dark colored, long hair I may have well been walking on the sun. I'm honestly surprised my shoes didn't melt. But I digress this is a place of adventure not some barren wasteland on some desert planet in a galaxy far far away...or maybe it is I'm honestly not sure anymore. 

    Well it has been many a week since I have put finger to key and brought you an adventure. My day had been fairly bad from recent events and rough goings with finding some sustainable job. So I turn to one of the things that makes me happy, writing. For today's adventure we embark back to well traveled territory.

    Its a new day, a new world, the mines await and the creepers stalk waiting for me to lower my guard. Resources are plentiful in this new world animals and trees as far as the eye can see. I've honestly never been so lucky. I take a short time to gather some wood and meat and find a nice hill to set up base on. After constructing a small but nice little house I set out, to the mines. Here is where I truly thrive. Not on the surface, not in building epic masterpieces but down in the dirt with not but a pick, a shovel, and a few pieces of meat. Its the simple life that makes me happy and makes everything I build all the more special. I find a convenient cave just below my house at the base of the hill. Small for sure and sparse in resource but she'll do. I quickly go to hollowing out a subterranean base. A nice 3 high 12x12 area for me to make as a central hub for my tunnels. The work is hard but all the more worth it when I find those precious diamonds. I take a quick look at my compass and choose a wall. "Hmm north I like that. I have a good feeling about this one." Sure enough I start my decent down, deeper and deeper my staircase back up becoming longer and longer. Soon a break through. I nearly lose my footing and plummet a good ways down, but I manage to make a slight jump. Saving myself from certain doom. 

    A chasm well I certainly wasn't expecting that kind of result. Mineral rich this chasm is a figurative and literal gold mine, but the chaotic water flow and open lava pools pose a great threat. One missed step and I'm up in flames. I take stock of my surroundings and decide to just post some torches to keep the monsters at bay and return to the dig. The only way to find what I'm looking for is to dig down deeper. As I go deeper and deeper my supplies run low. My picks are all but broken, my shovel lost to an unfortunate slip of the hand and some very welcoming lava, my meat supply gone but I must press on. Finally an opening. A deep cave with 3 small lava pools and diamonds! I quickly mine them grabbing the precious loot and hurrying back home. Tired and hungry from the expedition I barely make it to my bed before collapsing but with diamonds in hand a whole new world is open all I have to do is reach out and grab it. 

    Sometimes life is a constant dig. Full of danger most are hesitant to continue after even the first close call. But you continue on, you have to. You  have to keep digging further and further down and when you find those diamonds, that prize, that light at the end of the tunnel, you can finally ascend back up to new adventures, new goals. 

Remember my friends just keep digging new adventure awaits. 

The Abyss and Heroes of Light

     Humanity is this careful balance between the light and the dark. We try to be good and do what's right but there is always something in the back of our minds, some primal urge, to do what is wrong. No one is above reproach. Not Suzy from down the street or even the Pope. This is just a flaw in humanity but not one that has to control us or consume us. No. For many there is always this looming darkness from whence they can't escape. Tendrils of ebony reach out pulling at the mind and puppet the body. We often use heroes or idols to show us the light. That perfect state of both mind and body that sets us above reproach from the forces that try to drag us down. Unfortunately some of these individuals are more corrupt then the forces they oppose. Power corrupts. This never changes. You can only be the light for you. It is only with in yourself that you can realize your potential for goodness and yes it will be different for everyone and that's fine. You don't have to live up to some stranger or societies expectations on good or bad. Society itself has corrupted these ideals. It is only you who can decide and change who you are. Others can help but it is entirely upon your own shoulders to change and make yourself better. Make no mistake though, as I said above we have to sustain this careful balance. Too much good can be just as bad as too much evil. We are beings of chaos after all.
     On the topic of chaos I bring to you a book I am in the process of reading called Hoodoopocalypse by Kim Wells. I am still in the early chapters of this book but I can tell you that it is very interesting. It's not often I see the apocalypse brought on by these forces. I wont spoil anything for you but if you like reading books set in and related to the deep south as well as some of the lesser known magics that reside here I suggest picking this up. Its a short read measuring only 174 pages but these pages are used extremely efficiently.
     No game adventures today. Games I'm currently playing: Guild Wars 2, Morrowind

The Apocalypse is Waiting

     My adventures as of late lead me down the path of nostalgia. After much conflict the realm of Morrowind opens once more and in I stride as a legend of the past. My absence has dulled my skills but my memory fails me not as I traverse few hurdles before digging in. The land of Morrowind is an apocalyptic style country. Home of the dark elves and ravaged by a fierce volcano. I will step off the boat to this new land a prisoner but how will they remember be. Will I be remembered as a Hero or Villain. Only time will tell.
     Many a fan was knocked to their knees this week as the trailer for Fallout 4 dropped. Money poured out of their pockets as they clamored to get pre-orders in. The trailer keeps faithful to the past few games. We are awed and inspired by the wastes. Of a future we dodged by some faint margin. But by one we still may suffer if we don't control ourselves better. Only time will tell whether the game will live up to its predecessors or just become a wasteland of money poorly spend and jobs swiftly destroyed.
     Often in life we bypass anything that makes us think. Much of our society is more than happy with mind numbing behaviors and the repeating of past mistakes. I'm sure if you are reading this that you have merely bumbled upon it or have followed some link dropping you here. If you do find yourself here I pose but a brief and easy challenge. Look into something that interests you. Once you've gain knowledge from that topic share it with someone else, anyone. Tell your parents, siblings, relatives, loved ones, a random person on the street. It could be anything. I prefer to look into topics about space. You may want to look into something different, may I suggest origins of the supernatural, like the dullahan or fairy mythologies. They can be quite the interesting read and you may not look at things like the headless horseman or Santa the same way ever again.
     What inspires you?    

Internal Wars and Societal Predation

     Be warned there is some cursing later down this post.    

     So today my adventures bring me along the darkest of paths. The paths of social interaction and internal strife. As a race we find ourselves heading down a path of destruction, but not by means of crime or war but by Social Darwinism. We use technology to consume information by the bucket loads. Much of this information is drown in blind ideals that upon original conception were promising and even helpful but now are wielded like swords and shields only used to strike down those that don't believe the same.
     I'm sure your asking what brings on such a post. It is not any one thing rather an over arching pattern I see. So many choose not to think for themselves, they choose not to discuss topics that may go against their own "beliefs". They lash out violently at non-existent slights. Society is in a downward spiral that no one person can fix. It can only be by effort of the masses to fix what we have so gleefully destroyed. Much of the focus on problems see to be these, self-image issues, politics, religion, feminism, ect. I don't use these to call out any one person or group but show them as some of the issue.
     Commercialized media bombards us with "ideal" forms that they dictate we conform to being. Commercials, posters, billboards, hell even the close size we ware are all forced to make us think lesser of ourselves. Politicians roam our landscape unchecked by all but those whom control their pocketbooks instead of the people they are meant to represent. Then the people themselves are blinded by some false ideal and "party boundaries" that are taboo to cross. Religion forces itself upon us trying to bend us to an ideology that is older than any one remaining society. How is Pastor John down the road at the baptist church or Reverend Jones or Father Smith supposed to tell me what men who have been dead for well over a 1000 years wanted us to do. Especially since they quote from a book translated so many times that the possibility of a 100% truth existing is impossible. Feminism is also dangerous. I'm all for empowering women. Hell yeah you want to do this or that go ahead. But don't go attacking someone because they make a joke that for whatever reason you think is inappropriate or the whole lets take over or all men are evil shtick. Men are no more or less evil than women. Have men done dumb shit over the history of humanity. Oh hell yes but be careful how you judge someone because that same person my one day hold your life in their hands.
     So basically we all need to stop and think. Have discussions amongst one another and just talk. Look into not only your own point of view but others as well. Broaden your horizons. Don't let society turn into a vicious hunt where those who don't conform are killed.

     Much of my gaming these past days have left me with not much in the way of adventure. So today a change in course to the Guild Wars 2 I return after a lengthy break. Much has changed in my absence and there is much exploring to do maybe a mighty dragon will fall to my blade this day or maybe I will become but a speck of dirt upon its claw. Who knows but you must find adventure in all that you do keep life interesting and never let it get you down. The night is always darkest before the dawn. Remember that and if you ever feel down, worried or troubled then find those whom you can call real friends and sit with them. Talk and try to alleviate your issues. A good hug and a small talk over some food or warm drinks can do for you in minutes what a lifetime of experience can teach you.

All Life is a Battlefield

     I find myself sitting at work today in search of new horizons. My current job keeps me but a sparse two days a week of employment and a meager, nigh non-existent income. I often find myself in combat versus the urges wrought by our capitalistic society. "Oh my what a shiny thing, I must have it" I think to myself. Then reality shield bashes me in the face, "But dear boy you have not the funds needed to pursue such frivolous things". Defeat stands at the feet of an economy where jobs are sparse and ones you can live on even more so.
     So what do I do I hunt. My prey, new employment. Sadly it is not like the days of old where on could simply walk into a business and request possible employment. No. To acquire employment one must become part of the faceless masses awash in a sea of under qualified or over qualified combatants all vying for that ever shrinking piece of pie we know as employment. My resume, sad. My experience, laudable. My aspirations, great, for I don't wish to become some faceless suit behind a desk making more money than he knows what to do with. NO! I desire only what is necessary to sustain a semi-comfortable living. Think of it more as survival. Can I feed myself, check. Can I keep shelter over my head, check. This is all I seek out of employment. This does not show however my true desire. What I want is to be able to make people happy in whatever way possible. Too many people see nothing but darkness in their lives. Society cripples everyone with self-image issues, political correctness, and a bevvy of other things that are ludicrous. Our senses are constantly onslaught with how we aren't good enough and how we will never be good enough. Here is what I have to say. Ignore them. I know it is difficult, trust me. Those whom torment you will lose power the less attention you give them. Find happiness in what you do. Whether its something as simple as writing or reading silly little blogs like this, watching Youtube after a hard days work, or even getting a hobby and quietly tinkering away. These are the things that will save you a lifetime of sadness. Get out. Hang with friends. Hug your parents/spouse/sibling/friend. Let someone know you care and they will show you they care too. It may not be in the same way that you express but they will show it in their own little way.
     Today my adventures lead me back to the pixels old. Morrowind calls to me and this eve I shall indulge. I wonder what adventures await me in those mountains. I wonder how many times I shall fall to the Cliffracer menace.

See you next time!

Past, Present, and Dragons

     Today I dove deep into the clutter that I call my room. I combat dust and piles of stuff. Things from the past consume this space in a seemly endless void of what once was. I find amongst my many papers, handouts, and old assignments, stories of old. Things I wrote either as assignments for the one creative writing class I could actually take or things I would jot down whilst a professor would go on about this thing or that. Because of a recent illness my adventure had to be cut short as to not force a relapse but interesting things I found. A rare poem I wrote about a Ronin. A sort of space opera that I only completed the first few chapters of. Many fond memories and many painful ones.
     These past years have been hard. Life swings and swings hard. Many times have I been knocked down thinking I couldn't get back up. Hiding the pain that would often torment me. Trying to be strong for those that couldn't. Trying to show compassion, concealing rage in situations where I had no power to help the situation. The thing is I always got back up. I always get back up. No matter how hard I'm hit, how tough the struggle I persevere. I have to, if I don't they who will. We grow weak and complacent in an era that is wrought with perceived slights. A teen here gets called a name then the next day kills themselves never to think of the harm they inflict to those around them. We have be come a society of self-centered people and no one wants to stand on there own or take responsibility. Life is tough. Its far tougher than most people realize and what people don't understand is that everything is not just handed to you. Sometimes you have to take a few Haymakers to win the fight. Sometimes you have to get knocked down before you can truly stand. But when you do, you realize that life is a thing worth living. Bullies come and go as do victories, losses, loved ones, and even memories. Life takes much...but life also gives as much back you just have to be willing to reach out and grasp what is put before you.
     My best advice is to always get back up. Dust yourself off and keep moving. Stagnation and self loathing are our greatest enemies and only when you can clearly see what the problem is can you move forward and address it. Stay strong. Chin up.
     In other adventures my brother got me Dragon Age: Inquisition for my birthday. I am about 30 hours in...yes you read that right 3 0 hours and I don't even think that I'm half way. I know what you're thinking though, "Oh that is just a bunch of filler no way can the game be fun and that long". Well I will agree that there is a lot of what could be considered "filler", many many side quests but they aren't just thrown together things they fell like they belong. The story is interesting I played Dragon Age: Origins but I haven't played any others so many of the Dragon Age 2 jokes and references are lost on me but that's okay I enjoy them anyway. The part of the game that I find most enjoyable though is the inner character interactions. Your party members will occasionally talk amongst one another and often times to rather comical ends. I will abstain from a final verdict on this game until I finish it but it is promising so far.

If there is anything you would like to see. Games, stories, ect. Drop a comment here and I will try to accommodate.

New Beginnings

      Well much time has passed since last I laid fingers to keys and brought forth my adventures. My last great adventure which has cost me many a year and much of my sanity has finally come to an end so I turn once again to here a medium of which to post my thoughts and bring you once more my adventures.
       This post will be a relatively short update of my current situation. After the darkest of storms, better known as college, I find my self in temporarily calm seas. I find myself "educated" at least that is what the piece of paper says. I find myself looking toward new horizons and back at old potentials. I am currently looking for a new job. My current one is fine but I find that I am in need of employment that will at least cover health insurance. Hopefully such opportunity will soon arise but until then I act, cautiously trying to avoid disastrous illness as much has wrought my family in the past few years. A few years back shortly after this blog went silent I was in a car wreck that messed up my back and knees. These past few years have been hard but one must always persevere. I now have a degree....it's in English but tis a degree none the less.
       I hope to sharpen my writing skills once more upon this medium for the experience that it brings. I know few if any ever watched this and that is fine but I will try and continue to write. If I happen to brighten someones day in the process than that is good enough for me. If not then I am terribly sorry. Soon I hope to lean into new areas more open to the masses to try to bring happiness.

       Even though my days have been dark I have not stopped and always continue to move. I have many more video games under my belt than I had before and hope to once again start bringing back some reviews and adventures. As for me this evening brings back an adventure of old. We bring forth our armaments to fight the monovision menace. Iron Brigade was a game I played several years back and loved to death. It was fun and different from much of what I've played. The largest downside of the game was that it was possessed by the evil demon known as Games for Windows Live which would never allow me to connect properly to my friends. But the tides of battle always turn eventually and Double Fine finally got their game back and it now plays with Steam supported Multiplayer so fingers cross. Also for anyone interested it is on sale for but a few dollars on Steam right now so if you've never had the chance to play this gem I suggest jumping on it!

Well until next time!