Anniversary Retrospective

85,000 words, 26 paid posts, 1 Patron. A year in the life of this modern writer.

          I acted on a whim last year. In an attempt to whet my writing appetite, I made a Patreon profile for myself. This crowdfunding service allows people to directly support artists and other creators, helping them to create works as they wish. While it did not pay off as I had wished, it spurned me on enough to write constantly. With that time behind me, I am ready to press ahead and continue to improve in my craft.

          It is hard for people outside of myself to see what I gain from a single Patrons’ backing a month. Most times it has been enough for a bit of car fuel and cheap entertainment, usually in the form of an MMO subscription. It may seem somewhat frivolous, but it has given me a bit of independence to manage my sanity.

          As I said above, it incentivized my writing. Knowing there was a treat at the end of my efforts kept me to my deadlines. Knowing that there were eyes on my work made me a more diligent editor. I have long been told that my writing was good. But seeing even one person willing to put money down on my skill, even though I feel it is unpolished, truly touched my heart and gave me a newfound confidence.

          It also allowed me to begin fulfilling one dream of many that I have and that is supporting other artists. These are small amounts though they represent a noticeable chunk of money that I have coming in. Aside from other creative friends, there are knowledge bases I wish to support. As much as I want to make this a first priority I do need to deepen my well quite a bit. It’s not all about money. If you have more people in your life like me, trying to build a career, help them however you can. Offering encouragement is better than nothing. Driving oneself creatively is full of uncertainty. Often times such roads seem to be going nowhere. But as their craft finds root they will have fruit to share with you. On that note, thanks to everyone who has helped me this past year. I try to say it often, but it begins to sound disingenuous to my ears. I need to do better supporting my friends. It is a goal I have for the coming year.

          This past year gave me the opportunity to dig into my writing style. In researching different topics I’ve identified my own biases, challenged my ideas, and learned alternate viewpoints. It has opened me up to discussions I would have earlier shied away from. It has kept me mindful of my own opinions and constantly testing them against new or contradictory ideas. Through my writing I have grown more as an intellectual person which is development that I value.

          A year ago I was a guy who dreamed of my writing earning me my daily bread. At that point I felt I had little to validate myself. I still feel that way, but I do so with a laugh. I have written every month for the past year. In a solid, unbroken chain, I have set a goal and have met it. In honesty, I have likely exceeded it as there are articles that have not seen the light of even my Patrons’ Parlor. I did not know what the future would bring. I did not know if I would make it to where I am now. In fact, I did not know if I would feel like keeping to writing just for myself.

          But just one person was enough to get me going. Or, more to the point, keep me going.

          Here are some of the entries that I’ve posted over the past year that I am proud of:

Dakota Access Pipeline: This was an odd entry. It began as a simple rant or reaction. I referenced one of my friends who had gone to the Oceti Sakowin camp and she gave it her stamp of approval. My Patron, however, challenged me to take a harder look at the article. So I did. The end result was an article I was confident enough in to put forth when I made professional writing entreaties.

Magical Industry: An observation on one element of world building I enjoyed, I created a write up for a term I coined. It was a work that was in the pipeline for awhile.

          Additionally, I set up an portion of my website that is reserved for my Patron’s to view at their leisure. You’ll have to be a patron to have access to the passwords. Those that contribute will have my thanks in being able to read in full about the following:

Superman game skeleton: I watched a video regarding Superman 64, which is commonly panned as one of the worse games ever made. Taking what I had taken in regarding game mechanics as well as my knowledge of DC and Superman lore, I posited a framework for what the ideal Superman experience should be.

Of Creations’ Swell: While not a part of the Patrons’ Parlor, this was my own original work from years ago. It was very hard to read. I had learned a little from writing and posting regularly, and was able to go back and make this entry easier to read. It is likely I would not have had the drive to sit down to this work again without my Patron and my friends. This month, and with greater fervor in the coming year, I aim to make my “passion project” a completed work.

          I look ahead with a similar sense of the Unknown as I did last year. A change is that I can look back and point to what I’ve done. More Patrons will be wonderful and I will do all I can to earn and keep them. But for all the people who have supported me in any capacity, thank you for enriching my path.

May your reading continue to be pleasurable.

zerohourseraphim
a.k.a.
Jasper H.B.

Diversity and the Media: Why It Is Important

          For the past several months I have been researching whitewashing and cultural erasure. There are some conclusions I have reached and observations I have made, but I want to share my solution and the reasoning behind it first. A disclaimer: I am speaking from the perspective of a lifelong American. It’s the only viewpoint I know firsthand.

          Per the title, I think that those that want change will have to make a conscious effort towards inclusion on all fronts for some time to come. What amounts to a cultural subconscious here in the United States will take a long time and a lot of work to undo. Technology gives us the allowance to evoke massive changes. It may seem to some that the Internet, or particular groups, have something new to complain about daily. It is my opinion, based on my experiences, that the problems have been long standing. It is just user friendly technology and literacy of the devices lets more people have their views seen.

          Having diverse casts, both within one work and across the board of media, will allow for nuanced characters and tangential learning of cultures.

          Nuanced characters let us see how minor changes have major impacts in the lives of characters. Netflix’s recent series “Luke Cage” proffers an opportunity to see this play out. You can play them off one another and it says things about the characters and the world they live in. Pop and Cottonmouth were both street toughs in their youth

          Pop reformed after a jail stint and took his understanding of the world to try to give kids a place to escape the streets. Kids that came in learned a passion for sports, could play chess, hear conversations on philosophers and figures in their own culture, and most simply see adults who looked like them doing honest work and doing well by it.

          Cottonmouth conversely took what he had learned to continue a criminal legacy in his family. We see him as being cunning /and/ intelligent, ruthless, and doing all he can to hold onto his power, resources, and to cement his standing in his world. And you can compare him to his family and see how, while they hold similar motivations, their difference in actions speaks to their characters.

          There are, in the present day, many tropes that commonly used. This can be anything from speech, clothing, mannerisms, or archetypal use that quickly explains fragments of who a character is, what they represent, and what their aims are in the world. Having only one Token character does a disservice. Whether they are a person of color, a woman,  someone on the wide range of sexual orientation, or even a cis/het white male, it can be damaging if these characters are portrayed only via stereotypes or for laughs.

          If the examples from Luke Cage were instead token black characters you could say that Pop was a Magical Black Man offering sage advice. Cottonmouth could be seen as just another gangster, though better off than characters like Turk. I suppose, for the sake of argument, this can still be said. However, due to the proliferation of so many different varieties of people of color in this show the piece of the world they show is substantial rather than just a one-and-done gag.

          I remember playing Power Rangers at recess, reenacting scenes with our terrible and untrained attempts at martial arts. During the summers I would bring my collections of the toy line to day care with me. But trying to convince everyone I could be anyone other than the Black Ranger was like pulling teeth. I couldn’t lead the team. I couldn’t control the Dragon or Tiger Zords. Only when I came in with my Tiger Zord could I leverage being put on top, and it came begrudgingly. Even when I shared my toy, which I recall being frequent (it probably wasn’t), I got the sense that the sentiment was ‘You only get to be the White Ranger because you have the toy.’ I was too young to articulate what was at the root of it.

          “I can be a leader.”

          “…I want to be a hero, too…”

          I began to recall all the black and Afro-centric books that I had when I was a child. I had comics, American tall tales, mythologies of those enslaved, and slice of life stories all told from a black perspective. These fostered my love of epics and mythology that I hold today. But when I shared the stories I knew, they were met with empty replies.

          “The Numedian Force sounds sort of like the Justice League to me.”
          “I’ve never heard of John Henry. Do you know about Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyan?”
          “Kente cloth represents African royalty? Is that like a coat of arms or a tartan?”

          I often wished to share my history, my culture. But because it was foreign to even to my black peers it was just another strange thing I knew. But now, if Inner Child Jasper wants to be a super hero, he’s got choices. If it’s DC, I can talk about Kid Flash, and have my friends know who I mean. Finally, after years, the wide world knows about Luke Cage. And if I want a tech based gear hero I can go Falcon if we’re sticking to Marvel. And in video games, I’ve got Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan. The King and Queen of Zama, Enzo and Erine respectively, are the protagonists. All this is in the past few years.

          And it feels good.

          I don’t have to compromise. I don’t have to spin “what if” scenarios. I can just say “Dibs on Luke Cage”, and that is that. Of course, it not all about the look and skin color. But I don’t have to suspend reality as much in order to say “They’re a hero… And I can be them when I grow up.” That’s a big deal to me.

          For these reasons, let’s have diverse casts! Let’s do it so everyone, regardless of they or their parents’ tastes, wind up seeing a hero they can aspire to. Let’s do it so that children of all backgrounds can debate which heroes, heroines, and oddly aligned protagonists they like best. And let these figures stand tall so everyone can look to them for the content of their characters, not just their skins’ margin of melanin.

 

 

 

          P.S. – The trap I have fallen into many times these past few months is wanting to cover EVERYTHING in a single work. Trying to cover Live Action Adaptations, Whitewashing, and everything that goes into it has been maddening. Trying to compress it, but have it be clear, but sussinct enough to read has been utter lunacy. I have been trying to play to controversial topics and click bait subjects. But I am solution oriented, and this article is about a solution, rather than JUST the problem.

          Still… there is one thing I wanted to include which didn’t fit in my main article. As I feel that whitewashing limits representation I thought hard about media I had seen growing up. Once I hit my teens most of my media time was with video games, and role playing games sourced from Japan. I spent hundreds of hours in these worlds at least.

          Some games had no characters that were not the odd anime “maybe they’re Japanese, but could be European I guess” look. Cat people, sentient mutated onions, dragons and the muscled beings that slay them were all normal in one title I played. There were sometimes no people of color, which I chalked up to data limitations. As I aged I was thankful. Barret from Final Fantasy VII was one of the few black characters in gaming, but I found out he was just a Mr. T rip off. I never read him that way until Advent Children. While having positive, nuanced media to export to the rest of the world is VERY important it is not the purpose of this (rather lengthy, geez…) aside.

          This was all about motion media. Television and movies mainly. I had to work hard to come up with a handful of titles from my youth. Their inclusion in this post is important to me so that if you don’t know what it’s like growing up without seeing yourself, you’ll understand more where I am coming from.

          I have a rule: “If I can do it in real life, I don’t sit on the couch and take it in.” No sports games, shooters, or the hyper real. No movies to that effect. Often times, no tie ins either. So all my media was mostly fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. The shows that I can remember are below.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers – This children’s show had a multiethnic cast that worked together for trying to eradicate pollution from the world. The team was led by Kwame in the field. And, while African rather than African American, I still felt a kinship to him. Additionally, a friend had given me an Earth Power Ring.

M.A.N.T.I.S. –  a short lived series on Fox that centered around an entrepenuer who was handicapped. He made an exoskeleton for himself and used it to fight crime. If memory serves that is. It was rarely repeated on air.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Commander, and later Captain, Sisko meant a lot to me. Star Trek had been a favorite series of mine as long as I could remember. Seeing a black captain and a diverse cast, and a new story in a world I loved was wonderful for me. To this day DS9 is one of my favorite science fiction shows.

          These were three instance I could easily, and rather proudly, remember. The next two were more of a stretch, but I was trying to think of everything that had a black protagonist as I grew up.

Steel – Starring Shaquille O’Neal, I was looking forward to this. After “The Death of Superman” a series titled “Reign of the Supermen” spanned the four Superman comics of the time. Each one followed a character trying to take up the mantle of Kal El himself. One of these people was John Henry Irons, who crafted a super suit for himself. While only human he was said to have the heart of Superman above all else. Perhaps it was because he was human.

I am loathe to remember this as this is one of the many 90s superhero movies that was not received well. Admittedly, I only saw it once. I could also bring Shazaam into this but… why…?

Space Jam – Starring another basketball icon, Michael Jordan, this has him saving the Acme-verse(?) with the help of the Looney Toons. And yes, while it is a black protagonist I am wary to count this. As I said I am reaching. Michael Jordan playing basketball is like any movie that has a music start singing. It’s not much of a stretch.

 

          These five examples are the only times up until recent years that I remember there being a black character as the lead. Different types of shows. Different genres. Aimed at different age groups and demographics. No women. Two were successful (Captain Planet and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), but one of them was part of an established series.

          I wager that having what would amount to a new protagonist every two years isn’t bad. But all of these shows ended before the turn of the century. That leaves more than a decade without a lead protagonist that could echo my worldview exactly. And in many cases, black male characters are one of the “tokens”. If, in all my varied media, I can only think of five I can only imagine what it must be like for people who feel lower on the visibility hierarchy than I.

 

          *heavy sigh* However, change has come in the past several years. Many shows across many venues are gaining traction based upon the public outcry. This is phenomenal. One show I want to recommend is “Sense8” on Netflix. It focuses on an ensemble cast from not just many backgrounds, but from many world perspectives. It was thoroughly enjoyable and it is the type of media that I want to see. As such I’ll take my own advice and put forth the types of media that I want to see.
          That’s it for now. I do hope that the whole of that has been happy reading, but failing that please go and watch something that is a fulfilling view.

Gamebreaking

Tags

Developer Notes, Video Games

I have long held a rule: Play a video game as the designers’ intended the first go round, but play it for fun after that.

The first time I wholly circumnavigated a game was Final Fantasy VIII. I had loaned a friend the four disc set. The first disc was returned to me when they got past it, but when we moved apart I didn’t get the rest back. A later roommate had a Game Shark which I had borrowed to use all the Guardian Forces and the like on the first disc. Sure, I could get the Lionheart towards the end of Disc One within the boundaries of the game itself, but as that is all I could play what was the point in that? Plus I had no chance of seeing the majority of summons with the disc I had. As such, I had fun summoning Eden to combat Ifrit.

Years later I hit a dry spell for work. Staying with some friends I had access to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Between bouts of job hunting and around the play habits of others I put in about a hundred hours on a single play through. Winter was proper that year, and having exhausted all avenues I kept playing. It was the first time I tinkered heavily with a system, and I figured out how to make myself completely undetectable (among other system tricks). I found out a lot of odd consistencies about the programming of that game. I got to watch animals and demons alike just roam about with no awareness to my presence. I learned that human, and again demon, enemies would talk to each other if they were not attempting to hunt you down. In this way, they behaved just like townspeople, and gave life to the whole of the world. I had fun just watching this world in all its rhythms. Rather than being The Hero of Kvatch, I got to have some anonymity and just mind my own business.

In recent days I have purchased many of Square-Enix’s PC re-releases of the post-Playstation era Final Fantasies. In them have been what are officially termed “game boosters”. A close friend calls them “slider cheats”. Overall I am scoffed at for even considering their use. “What’s the point of playing the game that way?” Unlike when I played Oblivion I am rather busy these days. When I went through Final Fantasy X and X-2, I turned a few of these on. All Items and Maximum Gil (the game world currency) to avoid the need to bother myself with fighting enemies for resources. I commonly used Random Encounter Rate and turned them off completely. While I sped from boss fight to boss fight, they were always tough because I hadn’t fought enough to gain more power. When the post game rolled around, rather than spending 40+ hours farming for materials to make the armors I needed I had them for every character in under twenty minutes. And you know what? I am looking forward to Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age for similar reasons. It was, and will be, nice to revisit these rich worlds and enjoy the cultures in them with minimal bloodshed.

I watched this video by Extra Credits, and it brought some foundation to my feelings. They even talked about the Saints Row series. Built in game is a leveling system. As you level up you can purchase bonuses for your character. Improved ammunition stocks, faster reloading speeds, and greater health and damage resistances. And once you reach the highest levels these shift to unlimited ammunition and clip sizes (negating reloading) as well as invulnerability. When I originally came across these I thought they were wonderful. I had gotten through the main game before hitting these levels, and hunting for achievements was made easy. When I was hunting collectibles sometimes I would see them on the edge of a building. Without the cheats I’d have to remember or mark the location, find a flying machine, then return to the place and carefully land. With them I could just ring up a delivery for such a machine. And if I found another collectible from my vantage point? I could just jump off the building to it. What has been a slog in other games (I’m looking at you Assassins’ Creed: Black Flag) was something of odd bit of theme reinforcement for this series. The second and third Saints Row games are most easily compared to Grand Theft Auto, just a hell of a lot wackier. I tried to figure out the most ridiculous way to do things, and it made the game memorable. Plus, in Saints Row: The Third, I wasn’t entirely invincible. RPGs (rocket propelled grenades in this case), falls from skyscrapers, and crashing, burning helicopters? Not a scratch. If I get punched? I need to watch out. This oversight added to the sheer lunacy of my experience.

As a prospective game designer I have gotten much from the times that I have broken a game, legitimately and not. As a game player I have squeezed out additional hours of genuine enjoyment from messing around with a system, rather than padding in the form of achievements and/or collect-a-thons. Even as an adult, it has helped me keep my hobby enjoyable, keeping a sense of fun in changing the rules.

It’s my own fault…

I should have written my story five or seven some-odd years ago when I originally had it. This has to be short because I am working on my own fictions again. But I poked my head above water for the first time today and saw Ben Carson, in his capacity as department head of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), speaking for about two minutes.

I have accepted that the President and his administration do not agree with me. I have except that they will do and say things that I just do not like. When Ben Carson bowed out of the presidential race I probably danced a jig. Literally. I’ve danced with lads in kilts and the bony lasses that love them. I can bust a jig.

I have done rather well to not react to every little thing that is espoused. I am personally annoyed at the portion of Internet culture that seizes onto every little things, whips up into a frenzy, and is too tired for the bigger trials that come along. Suffer me a momentary indulgence in that which I loathe.

Are slaves immigrants? Yes. But it is in a sense that many quadrilaterals in geometry are squares somehow. Somewhat confusing a concept to grasp onto, and even once you do in a passing, bare bones sort of way.

But in combating what I call “idiocy”, I will dole out truth and go about my way.

-If you came here “in the bottoms of slave ships”, you were likely a slave. If you came astride one, you may be an immigrant, but you peddle people as part of the slave trade.

–Kuroshi, a Japanese word I recently learned, means “to work oneself to death”. Working harder, in my mind, is not necessiarily a virtue. Working for less is nice only for those who get out of paying more. Working because you and your family are forced to do so upon threat of pain, torture, and death is inhumane. Being unable to rise above your current station in life with the work you produce makes you a slave.

-Trying to evoke Martin Luther King, Jr. by saying that slaves have a dream is terrible. The first generation, doubtlessly, dreamed of being free back in Africa. After a few generations, the scope of the world was limited. The dream that former slaves had after abolition was to live lives as Equals. The dream that People of Color had during the Civil Rights Movement was to live as Equals. And depending upon who you ask, many are still trying to reach that dream.

Grace and Glory… I have to get back to my writing, and other tasks. Thank you for reading.

Meditative Focus: An Introduction

Tags

Meditative Focus

          In my time I dabbled in divination, better known as fortune telling. Due to my often overly analytical mind I found such methods of limited usefulness. However, I adhere to this adage: Those who seek Truth will find it wherever they look. Many methods were, at worse, able to let me focus on individual and sometimes minute aspects of whatever was roiling around in my mind.

          Probably due much to an affinity for Eastern philosophies, I found a particular joy in the I Ching. Per the rough translation of the kit I owned this means “Book of Changes”. I had a lot of fun with the tool, and managed to help friends many times. Sadly it is lost to me. Another tool was the European Tarot. And while I liked it in concept, it never worked well for me. Whenever I used it the information that was gleaned pertained to the past or the present, holding only details I already knew. In solving quandries this was not helpful, as I required information I lacked in order to problem solve. I thought that getting my own deck would be good for practice. However, there are many Tarot variations and styles out there. It was daunting to select one to gather an affinity for. Additionally, I heard there was a tradition of ones’ first Tarot deck to be a gift.

          I am notoriously difficult to shop for. I tend towards minimalism, but my personal code will not allow me to give away gifts that I do not like or have no use for. I find space of honor for them as I am able. It someone cared enough to buy me something, I can care enough to make use of it. There is only one exception by which I am still ashamed of that I could not hold to this. I have, in fact, kept my birth date a secret even from most of my friends because I don’t want people to get me things. This said, I had mentioned my dilemma to a long time friend about a decade ago. And she managed to surprise me.

          One day she produced for me an Osho Zen Tarot deck. I didn’t delve deeply into Osho, the man behind the meditations, but I took the cards and found them favorable. The ideal behind them was to transcend whatever problem was presented. And in the tradition that is Zen, especially to a Western mind, many of of the concepts spun me around. But it always served me well.

          I never used the cards in a particular layout. Instead I would draw a card off the top of the deck, and keep that concept in mind. Sometimes it was an hour if I was at home, sometimes for days or weeks on end. Not once have I made it through the entirety of the deck, but that is okay. In my social media feeds I would often preface these as I shared them as simply as the title relays: “Meditative Focus”, followed by whatever I held in mind. Since that time I have expanded it to include anything I could sum up in one word.

          It is a funny truth that wildly different journeys can have the same signposts. More important than that, the substance of these paths, no matter how similar, feeds us differently. I find such diversity nourishing.

          Whether we are close or you are just passing by, it is my hope that these much shorter offerings of mine will adjust your head space positively.

Magical Industry

Tags

Fiction, Writing Terminology

          “The practical use of supernatural forces for the improvement of the daily lives of the populace.” – Jasper H.B.

          If someone else has coined this term, or a similar concept I do apologize. But to date while I have seen it many times I haven’t heard a specific term go along with it. As such, I’ll take this opportunity to insert myself into the fiction writers’ lexicon if I can. Magical Industry is important in how I tell and relate to stories because, to me, it is a parallel science. Humans in our “real world” have learned to fly, cure diseases, and of our own history by way of sciences. If we lived in a world in which magic was prevalent then we would scientifically use magic. To me, it just makes sense.
          We use “magic” colloquially to explain away small oddities. But one element I love about science is that so often “science fiction becomes science fact”. Pick a point in the past, and bring someone from that age into a room that is closed off. Now tell them about our modern world. Things that are simple and everyday to us. It will sound like fiction, lunacy, or an act of God. And in another hundred years time there will be advancements we haven’t even thought of. They will be so commonplace that our descendants will look on us and be happy they weren’t us. Then again, maybe we’ll be there too in brain jars or synthetic bodies.
          Science is our basis for the fantastic. As such, it is difficult for me to delve into a world in which magic or superhuman abilities are natural wonders yet shunned and secreted away. I grew up on a solid X-Men cartoon, and I loved it. I understood the need for conflict in stories even then, but I loved to imagine “What If?” Cyclops would be awesome at welding. The stellar advancements Forge could make just inventing and improving other tech boggles my mind. Wolverine could be the cure for all the worlds’ ills due to his healing factor. Pardon the puns, but in the current climate Storm would be awesome at redirecting rain from areas that are flooding to areas that experience drought.
          If there is one thing we humans are good at, it is utilizing every resource we can get our hands on. ‘Humans fear what they do not understand,’ so it is oft relayed, but in these worlds the people do not aim to understand what is beyond their inborn scope, which is simply not realistic In any parallel world, I posit that natural human inclination would lead us to use magic as we would electricity.
          When in casual conversation I tend to use the words “Low” and “High.” For instance, I feel we live in a High Science, Low Magic world. All manners of machinery work, from nanomachines to aircraft carriers. Magic, conversely, is more a part of ancient myth than widely accepted fact. Science and Magic are typically exclusive in fiction, and in a High Magic world you will find low to no Science as the magic saturation interferes with scientific advancement as we acknowledge it. Conversely, High Science tends to develop because magic does not exist anymore, or never did in the first place. In my experience, you typically do not see crafted worlds in which High Science and High Magic exist at the same time. Often times when both exist on equal footing, Science is the tool of the non-magical and the story tends to revolve in part around the unease between two cultures.
          Since you have a framework, let me compare some other worlds.

          One you may not know of is a series of novels called “The Codex Alera.” When it comes to Magical Industry, I am always pleased with the works author Jim Butcher produces. The titular land, Alera, is wrought richly. In this world most to all Alerans have access to beings called Furies. An Element given life, these independent entities work in tandem with the more human populace. This keeps the Furies from ravaging the lands and leaves the people more empowered even while lacking our conventional technology. As such, I consider this to be a High Magic, Low~Mid Technology world.
          Outside of just the technology, there are cultural differences in the perception of Furies. Those living out in smaller communities often give a name to their Furies, whereas the Highborn living in the central cities scoff at this superstitious practice. This links to the Industry in that it is reflected in how Furies are used.
          Here is a very abridged rundown of the types of Furies:
          Flora, Wood – Drawing upon trees and plant life, Wood Furies allow their partners to adjust the wilds to their advantage, often to track others or conceal themselves. Additionally, with a manipulation over wood, bows of sturdier woods are practical to use as they can be ‘convinced’ to bend.
          Terra, Earth – Resonating with the ground and rocks, it becomes possible to move the ground itself. All from building solid walls, tracking someone from their movements along the ground, and on favorable terrain hastening movement. Earthcrafters are also able to draw from the strength and solidarity of the world beneath their feet, making them formidable heavy hitters.
          Aeris, Air – Manipulating the space around them flight is made possible. Visibility can be augmented to make one invisible or to fashion a telescopic ‘viewing lens’. It is possible to accelerate perception and movement with these Furies.
          Ferrous, Metal – Functioning similarly to Earthcrafting, the ability to attune to metal allows it to be reshaped dynamically. In most cases the strongest sword wielders in the are notable Metalcrafters. They can not only strengthen their blades but can wield them with inhuman precision, rivaling Windcrafters movement when it comes to combat speed. Additionally, attuning with the solidarity of Metal itself can allow the user to ignore large amounts of pain.
          Ignus, Fire – Able to commune with spirits of pure fire, these Crafters tend to be used in a mostly offensive capacity. However, there are unique uses for this crafting which I’ll mention below.
          Water – Using subtler techniques, those in tune with Water Furies tend to be prized for their utility rather than all out combat effectiveness. Able to discern the emotions of others, close up wounds rapidly, and communicate across vast distances.

          As you can see, there is a robust usage of Furies even in this brief telling.
          The social elite wield an array of Furies to terrifying effect. Being able to fly with Wind Furies while launching an assault with Fire and following up with a Wind-and-Metal hastened melee attack while pulling up from the Earth’s strength is not unheard of. If the High Lords and Ladies do not have this level of diversity it is often a bane to them. Of course, you can imagine what politics may be like if many of those in power are strongly empathic.
          Aside from the rich and powerful, there are unique applications. Furies inundate the world, large and small. It is possible to capture a small Fire Fury and, by trapping it in a stone and starving it, it will pull in heat voraciously. Oddly, this make the stone and the surrounding area cold. This counter intuitive process means that this world has refrigeration for many goods. Many swords for the military are crafted with Fury assistance, if they don’t outright have Furies imbued within them. One of the more impressive workings were sand tables that, when activated, would form terrain and movements. In essence, these were holographic or satellite maps. These could even be seen in command tents in the field, so they were well known and widely used.
          In the steadholts, the name for the further out communities, the people have a very practical efficiency with their furies. Often times they have one or perhaps two, though there are cases of more. But their abilities often give pause to those from the cities. A group of steadholt engineers, gifted in Earthcrafting, can construct a solid wall in no time. They can keep at this work for hours, and perform this for days on end. Only the Lords, Ladies, and above are able to rival this and only because of their raw power. The practiced might of the people was never something to snuff at.
          All of this, and more, worked together to make a very rich world. The magic was integrated rather than just some strange happenstance of some people. It helped that it was an oddity when someone didn’t have Furies, so their use was common amongst the protagonist culture.

          If you need a more well known set of examples consider Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. I would call this world a Middle World. Bending was powerful and prevalent, but not available to everyone. As such, there were more technology in use by non-Benders, especially in the latter series.
          Each of the nations have a focused used for each of their Bendings which lends a reality to their world from our perspective. The first time the Fire Nation is introduced you can see that their sea-faring vessels are all made out of metal. Knowing that fire is key for smithing processes this makes a good deal of sense. Additionally, with them liable to do a lot of fighting on deck this prevents their ships from burning down during practice, let alone in an all out battle.
          Water Bending tribes resided primarily at the poles and, in an extension of their abilities, are able to manipulate ice. While the climate is rather harsh, the ability to will a palace out of the terrain of the tundra was not seen by me since probably Superman. Plus, the maintenance of such structures would give young and old alike to fine tune their ability. Earth Benders primarily lived in Ba Sing Se, and the walls and and transport mechanisms in the city relied on their powers. Air Benders had a number of interesting transit methods which were unique to them as they relied on their mostly lighter bodies and manipulation of the winds.
          The Legend of Korra continued this, showing practical application of Metal and Lightning Bending. Additionally, they had several varieties of “Hybrid Bending” as well as “Advanced Bending” showing development and unique oddities among practitioners. This is a world in which the abilities were embraced. And yes, perhaps this was forced somewhat as there is also a prevalent part of the populace that cannot Bend at all. This still shows all the potential for how abilities can be properly made use of in a world, rather than squirreled away. And then, to counter potential tyranny, there were those who learned how to block bending if only temporarily. Advancements in transportation technology and weaponry allowed the non-Benders to stand on equal footing with some Benders. This is why this world is so remarkable, I think. We can more easily see our non-Bending selves in it, and that we would have a place.

          While I cannot speak to Dungeons and Dragons as I have never played a version of it myself, a close relative of mine has made his own tabletop system. One of the things that I have admired about it is the fact that he has rules drawn up for non-combat Areas as extensive as players would use. This may seem superfluous to some, but to me it is a part of building a deeper world. For example, in a magical world what would the analogue be to the printing press? If we, as humans, do not enjoy books themselves we tend to value to more rapid exchange and storage of knowledge. Magic like this would be used to copy books and make notes.
          To further diminish my Nerd Cred, not only did I never get into D&D, but Harry Potter is also a series that I did not put myself into. I only recently finished watching the movies last summer. Because I do not know the regular works I do not know all the rules, ins, and outs of how magic works in that world. But I can conclude that magic only works with wands. Well… except for this guy.

Perfecting the Craft?

          I know, I know… this has made the rounds on the internet and I am sure a Potter-faithful can set me straight on this point. However, I am going to enjoy being on the outside looking in for once. As stated above, there have been a lot of shows I have seen where magic was not to be frivolously used or flouted. No using it to clean house or remove stains and the like. Which… I accepted as a child, but the older I have gotten the more confusing that is. If you can open pickle jars with just your hands, and don’t need a towel or device, why use one if your natural talent allows otherwise? If the nature of magic in a given world is corrupting that is one thing. But if it is an extension of yourself that you can train, why not use it freely?
          I digress, why no wandless magic? What was the choice there? Perhaps, scientifically, that is just the way it works in the world of Harry Potter. Even in our worlds’ magical practices Tools are used. There is a caveat there. They are meant to focus energy and intent. This said, a practitioner does not need to be reliant upon them. I would have assumed that there would at least be a spell to summon at minimum an attuned wand to your hand, but that was never the case from what I remember. And if wandless magic were doable, just a dangerous and unfocused mess I would have assumed Voldemort or one of the Death Dealers to try it once. Namely Bellatrix. But I never saw that.
          Additionally, I never saw any variations to the practice, or any history lessons of people who tried. No warrior monks who had some awareness or even training who put a wand or two into bracers and used magic that way. No one with devices that would help limit a wand being removed via an… Expeliamus? I recall the elder Malfoy male having a cane-wand akin to a cane-sword. And due to wands seeming to be semi-sentient, I can let slide not carrying more than one.
          The whole series were magicians, with wands in hand, doing magical stuff. There wasn’t the one Muggle who, in spite of having no magic in them, just studied ZEALOUSLY and earned respect of the magic world, or at least lessened contempt. In the face of a war there were no magical weapons, especially with the Death Dealers? Hagrid had his flying motorcycle, but why no other magical flying devices?
          …am I pushing for some type of Magical Iron Man? No. (Maybe yes.) But, for as long as magic has been around, running concurrently alongside a non-magical population why are there not innovations for magical warfare? Outside of fun pranks, where is the growth in the world? I think that I would have enjoyed the world enough to dive into the books if I saw more outside of the hands of kids at school. Granted, many of the magic traditions are based from Europe, which explains much to me.
          Addendum: Somewhat curious, I did delve into a wiki a bit. Even in the movies, there were some instances of wandless magic use. However, these were minor, so they didn’t come come to my mind. Additionally, it seems they were not canon to the books, which I would have heard about from my Potter loving friends. And not being canon, I chalked it up to creative license.

          As I write my own works in the near future, and as you go about enjoying the worlds of fiction as they are presented to you, I hope you can see the details that go into world building. Often times the things that seem the simplest and most mundane took a great deal of work to get right. When an element seems so smooth that it is effortless, it is oft by design. Hopefully this gives you some insight into the fiction writers’ mind and will help you savor more fully those of us who put our madness onto paper.

‘Til Next Time. Happy Reading.

Civil Disobedience

     I spent some time with a friend about a month ago. He and I pulled up The Daily Show interview between Trevor Noah and Tomi Lahren. It took some time for us to make it through the interview because we were pausing consistently. During one early pause I went on a rant about race, and digressed with this:

     “…I have a real question. How do the maligned protest? When people feel as though their voices cannot be heard any other way, how should they express their displeasure to attain recognition and hopefully change? How do the ‘minority’ get the ‘majority’ to listen?”

     And then Trevor Noah asked the same of Ms. Lahren. Not verbatim, but with the same spirit. The answer she gave provided no answer. Just as plainly as the first time Noah asked his question again and again no actionable response was offered. This caused me to have a renewed annoyance. Most simply and broadly, and hopefully without being reductive of the issue, when a child comes to me with a complaint I settle it. I listen to what the child has to say, try to understand how to solve the problem, but I also try to understand the standpoint and outlook of the child. If a child complains of being afraid in a dark room and points to a corner, turn the light on to see what the problem actually is. Many of us have had children in our lives, and I am certain the majority of us have responded in a similar fashion. Why then can we not treat fully grown, sentient humans with the same amount of consideration and respect? If people express fear, they are told it is nothing. When they cannot remain calm we are told their yelling and screaming affords them nothing. So we are left to stew in our own uncertainty. And this is why anger builds.

     Anger is ugly, and drives people to heinous acts. A recent incident in Chicago showcased four black youths torturing a white youth. They espoused hate speech not just against white people, but against President-Elect Donald Trump. Behavior like this does no good. While the perpetrators did not tote any particular cause this will not stop some from hearkening back to this incident. The conversation of sound treatment for all is ongoing. This hate crime adds another land mine to the field of discussion. In no way am I condoning this attack. No matter the circumstances that weighed the scales, the aggressors had choice. And those choices, once made, have consequences. This is anger, poorly directed, and the harm will ripple beyond the five people at the center.

     Constructively, people protest because they find something to be wrong in their lives. When left with no better options, they band together with others who feel the same. This anger can be channeled to bring light to a given issue. But care must be taken lest the people taking a stand, not just movements but the ideas they represent are invalidated.

     A group that is a fulcrum of discussion is the Black Lives Matter Movement. BLM, as is oft used, swelling in the public light as an organization that speaks out against police brutality, namely in the lives of people of color. Their efforts have covered a lot of ground and varied in execution. From marches, to protests regarding trials of law enforcement, even to larger demonstrations that disrupted traffic in some cases. One problem is that there does not seem to be a nucleus, so anyone can take up the banner. This has led to some events being well received, and others being denounced in the wider public eye.

     It is hard work to be angry and scared, to feel cornered and ignored, and to respond with calm. It is all the more harmful then when protests remain peaceful, but you are merely stepped on or over if you are bothered being recognized at all.

     In an example of recent civil disobedience, Colin Kaepernick has earned recognition. A football player for the San Francisco 49ers he remained seated during the playing of the National Anthem. When asked later why he did so, he said the following:

     “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

     The main complaint I have heard is that this disrespects what some people hold dear as symbols of this country. Law enforcement domestically and soldiers in foreign theaters have both served the country in some way. I have seen some among my friends support Kaepernick not only in deed, but in spirit. Others, also among my friends, find his and all other such protests as the height of disrespect. The conversation centered on the act itself. Not the words, not the cause of the protests, but the actions.

     “BLM is too loud, angry, and disruptive.”

     There are persistent and entrenched socioeconmic inequalities that heightens the likelihood for such anger. These people feel stuck, and unheard. All that can be done is to raise their voices. But this vocal outcry is too much.

     “Kaepernick should stick to sports. If you want to protest, do it on your own time.”

     The point of a protest is to get people to notice a problem. To get them talking. He managed to facilitate discussion. As I said, the point was missed. Many were annoyed and aggitated. How dare he disrespect the country and the flag. But a grouping and a symbol of it are more worthy of discussion than ensuring no more people die.

     I meant to type this all quickly, but I have taken my time to craft it better. I hope in reading it, you understand the view of one person. I am not yelling or impeding your daily routine. Outside of asking you to read my words, however impassioned, I come as constructively as I can.

     I am angry. I have lived my entire life held under suspicion. One of my earliest memories was an elderly woman shrinking away from me when I entered an elevator. I was four. Watching people cross the street to avoid walking near me, placing themselves aggressively between me and their children. Being someone who has focused much on peace, meditation, and understanding but so often considered a threat. I can excuse single instances, but an entire lifetime causes me pause. “Why am I a threat?”

     I am scared. I have now-funny anecdotes that were originally terrifying. I have been stopped by police while walking, told I “matched a description”, and watched how they jumped when I reached for my wallet. I have been stopped in my car, and had two additional squad cars called as back up. Yes, I had wooden weapons and a week worth of stuff in the back seat. But the inability to communicate that an item of confusion was a yoga mat could have quickly gone south. I don’t walk anywhere anymore, where I was once famed for it. There are places I don’t drive, because every time I happen to I am “out of place”. I am afraid of being stopped. Of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am afraid that the attending officer will misjudge me, or the situation, and I will wind up dead. For all my skills, ability, and confidence, I am afraid of my story ending if I am not behind closed doors.

     I am tired. An entire lifetime of being unable to relax has worn on me. I have had to battle to be comfortable with the way that I talk, dress, what I project. I have had to individually tackle every aspects of my projected persona just to walk in the world. I have even had to use my knowledge in singing to scale my voice up because my natural voice scared customers.

     I want to scream. I want to live without worry. Without the children that grow up after me to wonder if they really are a beast or demon. I don’t want them to figure “Well… If the entire world is going to be afraid of me anyhow, I may as well use that.” I don’t want them corrupted by this world as I have been.

     My life is good. I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, internet and a computer to access it with, and the education to write and make these posts. I have no mental oddities or physical dependencies. I operate fine with ample food and sleep. Even with life being good, even being in America, there are nigh invisible hazards. Or, at least, they aren’t spoken of. I have lived a life full of small hazards and have been worn down. If you think sand does not matter in aggregate, look up what it can do in a desert.

     Just because my life is “good”, does not mean that I am obligated to ignore all the bad around me. Just because things “could be worse” or ARE worse elsewhere, doesn’t mean I have to accept backsliding here.

     America is my country too. I was born and raised here. My ancestors were dragged here from parts unknown. Quite literally, this is the only world me and mine know. Our history is expunged.

     This is my country. And in 2017 I do not feel safe. I see other people who do not feel safe either.

     And that is a problem.

     I return to the question: When and how do we protest so that change occurs, so no one dies?

     The answer to when is Now. The answer to how is Constantly.

     I would call my education of World History “very Euro-centric.” But even in that, there are are truths that have to be accepted. Only in recognition the path we’ve walked can we avoid treading it again.

     The world was full of, and still has, partriarchal societies. As it pertains to the one-day United States laws were made with land owning men being the creators and benefactors of the laws. This did not extend to non-European people, and rarely to never women. The Indiginous Peoples of this continent were shoved aside as more Europeans immigrated to the Americas. As industry grew a booming and equally dehumanizing slave trade began. In the 3/5 Compromise Southern states were allowed to count slaves among their population. This allowed them voting clout and resources without giving rights to those they benefitted from. Even if they escaped from the South, head hunters could venture North to retrieve them legally. Worse, there are instances in which someone who was born free was taken into slavery. (Perhaps because they “matched a description”?) It took a Civil War to begin forcing change. Westward expansion forced the Indigineous Peoples that remained onto reservations. New immigrants came along, and it was always a struggle to integrate them. The Irish first come to mind, but there were many others. Fast forward a bit, and we have the Women’s Sufferage Movement. A bit more, and we see an end to Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement for People of Color.

     And none of that is secret history. It is all a part of standard curriculum.

     But is it all history?

     What is right and wrong is often subjective. The Messiah of one is the Heretic of another. With this being so confusing, rules imposed by the masses can shape the framework of some. The laws that made Segregation in all of its forms legal have been gone for only about half a century. This means that the framework of some people were molded by the laws. Some, those who were limited, are happy to be free to do as they wish with without worry. Some, who were unphased, may not understand why things needed to change. In both cases these people usually have resources, clout, and are respected in their communities. Segregation has yet to meet its Second Death, when all those who grew with and supported Segregation are no more. Even without the laws, communities of color do not feel safe. When black people wind up dead in non-violent encounters with police, but those who attack historic churches survive to trial it does nothing to settle our fears. I do not have every iota of information on every instance, and will admit I do not know everything. But feelings are powerful, and there is not enough cold, logical information to temper emotion.

     We have issues of immigration presently. Distrust of refugees of war. People fleeing because war has destroyed their homes and all they know. We do not look at the past and help expedite integration, help people get on their feet or perhaps eliminate war in their homes. Rather, we seem content to leave them in Limbo.

     I feel that we again face a Civil Rights Movement, but this time for the LGBTQ+ community. Forgive, as I do not know the proper and present acronym. Ever since I was young I have noticed the parallels between People of Color and the LGBTQ community. Pastors at pulpits using the Bible to denounce what they did not agree with, rather than just treating their fellow humans with respect and heartfelt kindness. Letting their God speak through their actions. Trying to figure out issues with bathrooms. Many little similarities that are lost in my memory.

     This is our past, and our present. These things exist now. If they continue into tomorrow relies wholly on us.

     It is a shame, but looking back it seems as though humans as a whole, but Americans more directly, have not learned from history. Proof in that we repeat it. There are no silver bullets or magic pills. I know that making things right takes work, and a lot of it. But I do not think it is as difficult as we tend to make it out to be. There is so much in the world that separates us. But we are all people. We need clean air, healthy food, and have similar likes on the whole. I would love to see a world in which we bicker about this celebrity or ponder if a dress is blue or white because that is the most stressful issue in our world.

     I hate saying it, but the real solution to all these ills will probably not happen in my lifetime. People all over have issues that matter to them. But before everything else, can we agree that people dying, being without homes, being without food, and many other such issues are bad and solve those? We have thousands of years of recorded history. We have a greater breadth of technology and capability, but still people suffer. Shared suffering often brings humans together. Together, in that suffering, let’s move past it and create a net so that no one falls again.

     That is a thought I will keep in mind at every moment.

     “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even I have to weigh in

Here is my entry for the whole of the 2016 Presidential election cycle. Whether you are wanting something on topic while you are in a voting line or feel as though it may be a poignant read to herald in the Apocalypse, you’re welcome to my memories on the subject.

Encouragement

If you have a page on FB, there is a section that opens up that can give you an at-a-glance update on your pages. One of the features that gets to me is a Day Counter. After about five days of not posting anything it begins to remind you that “You haven’t posted in X# days. {insert number of page likes} people who like {insert page name} haven’t heard from you in awhile.” On the one hand this is a very handy reminder of ‘Oh, maybe I should let folks know I am alive and still making stuff.’ But on the other there is a part of my brain that gets locked down and panicked.

“Oh no. I need to hurry and complete something. But is this good enough? If I haven’t posted in 20 days shouldn’t what I have been working be more complete?” And this can coil endlessly. If I let it win I’d never share anything again.

I have a schedule that I have slipped up on. Ideally I’d post something major at least once a week with casual entries sprinkled between there. My reason/excuse presently is that “life has been busy”. On one hand this is quite true. At the end of last month I was very busy helping shadow write a couple articles. (I know the phrase is “ghost write”, I just have a visceral response to ghost comparisons.) After that I felt a need to challenge my ability in a way.

As a writer I feel it is important to read. I often don’t because, if I am not careful, I fear mimicking the writers’ style which “contaminates” my work. However, I quickly read approximately 800~1000 pages of text because I wanted to finish the series. And I am picking up on the writers’ rhythms, which isn’t a bad thing. Learning never stops and that is a good thing.

All of the above is to get at this point: Don’t stop creating. It is so easy to give up on it when life is knocking at your door. You need a job to keep a roof over your head and food in your gut. You got the desire to unwind from all that is mundane. Perhaps you have pets or children which demand a noticeable slice of your attention. You have to spend time recovering from all of that with pesky sleep. When will you have the time, and the energy barring that, to sit down and make something?

I get that. I honestly do.

But no matter how long it has been since you last engaged in your craft, you have to pick it back up. This isn’t just contained to the fine arts. I have seen many articles about ‘Following your Passion vs. Being Practical’. I am of a mind the world needs all of us. If you LOVE welding, weld for a living. Work on pipes and that sort of thing. If you enjoy some trade or construction, go for it! With much of the workforce with seniority, well, becoming too senior to keep going those gaps will need to be filled. If you LOVE engineering or being a doctor, DO IT. Civil servants are important. If you’re like me and you’d just like to sit someplace cushy, coalescing mad fantasies into cohesive narratives so folks can escape and maybe learn at the same time, you’re needed too. If it wasn’t so, media would not be as much of a juggernaut as it is.

My table will always have a place for you, and my kitchen open to make something for your mind to gnaw on. Writing is my touted skill, and I will continue to share works of which I am proud in the moment and will continue to be in the future. Even though I don’t have a five star kitchen, gleaming tools and high end flatware, I wholly aim to do what I can with the tools I have at hand. And you should too.

My Friends, and you Fine Folks that support me, it is a big wide world. And there is room enough for us all. There has to be. Otherwise we’ll have to make that world. We need practical people to deal with what is at hand. We need those who can see the big picture. And we need dreamers too, for preparing us for what is unseen beyond the horizon.

And for those thinking that we are certainly in the End Times with all that abounds in the world I share this.

“What do you do when you can’t do nothing, but there’s nothing you can do?”
“You do what you can.”

The above is one of my favorite exchanges from the show The Boondocks (Season 2, Episode 6 if my sources are correct) and occurred between Huey and Granddad. I feel like I am locked in a place in which I can’t do much. I have lived a life in which I haven’t seen “my story” reflected in the media I ingest. I see pockets of meaningful conversation, but so often they are quiet voices. Those that are louder drown them out swiftly. I know how far passion can drive people, and I will listen and learn. But once I have learned, or my ears are bloodied from the sound, I’ll step away and enter into discourse with other quiet people. Hopefully their views are different than mine and we teach each other how to live in the others’ world. From there, maybe the rest of the world can do the same.

Yes, I’m a sap. But I want to be in the last generation that needs to fight. I want the world I leave to be different than the one I grew up in and adapt to.

Bah… I’m rambling now. For most of you, you’ll need to get to sleep at the time this posts. But if when you read this you will be awake for a time, get to work. There is much to be done.

Concerning Terrence Crutcher

Something else from Facebook. Terrence Crutcher is a man who was recently killed in Oklahoma. I responded to a friends’ post with the following.

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I admit to being a civilian myself before saying anything else. I am also one to wait for all the facts to come in. Even before the present slew of publicized killings I have worried about what could happen “in a few seconds” while I have interactions with officers. I am alive, but I have not always thought I would make it home in the moment. And that underlying fear has all the potential to twist me into a raging zealot. I remain calm, but I can’t begrudge those that cannot.

I have a genuine question. Are firearms supposed to be the go to implement? I can understand that if there is a threat you want stopping power. However, when I do see officers they have a number of what I would consider “force options” strapped to their waists. While they have remained holstered, I have been approached by officers with hands on their weapons more than once. Keep in mind this is wholly my first person perspective, but the phrase “Dead men tell no tales” comes to mind. If lesser means are used and I wound up injured but cognizant enough to bring a grievance that would be an issue for them. Whereas if I were simply dead that is comparatively one sided to deal with. Additionally, while I assume Hollywood exaggerates, are disabling shots impossible?

This might be morbid, but this is a fear that many have. Not just people of color. I might die over a misunderstanding with police, and it doesn’t feel as though justice is balanced.

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This said, the question I had was answered. It was confirmed from a source that I lent validity in that discussion that guns are, essentially and in my words, lethal force options. Tasers are ineffectual, also from this person.

Any thoughts? I am liable to write on this later. This is a topic that I have wanted to cover but I did not want to do so glibly, but every time I stop and research the point another person winds up dead. I am convinced that I will never catch up, thus I will start doing what I can.