The Intruder

"She gazed at the world.

Its beauty.  Its shape.  It's intricate little details.  Her mission was to reach for this other world....but she could not.  All she could do was sit and pray for a miracle.....

"Nobody will answer....nobody will help...."

How long had it been? Months? Years? Centuries? Millenia?

No.  She had observed this world, this happy world for as long as she can remember...and she was sick of it.  Why did she not deserve happiness? Why was she locked in this dimension?  

Her rage grew...it twisted her.  Slowly what remained of her humanity was stripped from her..."

"She was human?" the apprentice asked.

"Yes child.  She was a human,"  the old man rose and looked out the window before continuing with his story.  "and she was a beautiful one at that.  Her beauty was unparalleled, her heart could not be tamed, and her mind was one of he strongest I had ever known."

"Then....how sir?  How could she, as a human, develop such hatred that it would transform her?" asked the female apprentice. 

"She fell in love...."

"But sir...is love really that bad?" asked the first apprentice.

"No child.....but when you're a fool and damage those you love....then it's bad.  For you see it was at that moment that her heart closed, her rage grew and the world could not contain it.  She had to be restrained, and that's when her transformation began.  Her emotions changed her.  Her body could not contain the hatred or the anger she carried and slowly dissolved, leaving the darkness within."

"And this is the darkness plaguing mankind."  a young man had appeared at the doorway, his attire immaculate and a cocky smirk on his face.

"So you made it to the class. Unfortunately you're not welcome." the old man turned to look at this intruder, 

"Aw and I was looking forward to reuniting you with an old flame," a sword materialized into the young man's hand, as his eyes became as black as coal, his smirk grew to an evil grin and a dark aura surrounded him.  He opened his mouth as if to speak and what came out chilled the apprentices' voices to the bone.

A cold, and yet beautiful voice, dripping with malicious intent.

"You've gotten old my love" the voice said.

"And you my darling, are the most beautiful creature that i'll ever have to kill" the old man said as he unsheathed his sword.

Reality Check: Friendships

Hey guys and gals of the interwebs.

And that was my lamest intro ever.....joy.

So everyone has someone special in their lives.  Be it a soulmate or a family member  they hold dear.  maybe a role model they look up to.  Heck some people love themselves too much and become their own special one.

So I was going through some personal stuff a couple years back and honestly I had a lot of difficulty dealing with it, to the point that each day would be a struggle to get out of bed.  So one day as I was working at the school library I met this random girl who was kinda weird and shy but friendly.  Little did I know that that she would change my life completely for the better.  She really helped me think more and be myself, and though honestly I probably don't show it, she helped me mature into a better person.

So a long time ago I was asked the following question: What to you is a friend?

I couldn't come up with an answer because at the time I felt genuinely alone.  Heck to this day I dunno exactly what constitutes a friend.  Is it most trustworthy? Most loyal? The one who would help me cover up a murder? I really dunno.  I will say this though.  My friend, lets call her E, is someone I trust, someone I adore and someone I would gladly throw myself in front of a speeding bus for.  She helped me discover the value of friendship, and even though I still can't answer that question she's helped me draw some conclusions.

A friend isn't someone who always agrees with you or who hangs out with you, but one who listens and knows how to make you laugh, one who you can talk to after months and months of not talking as if it's only been a day; and to me friendship means family.

So on the day this post is being written on is actually E's birthday.  So this post is mainly for her but also for all you readers out there so please raise your imaginary glasses for a toast:

E you're a truly amazing friend.  I am who I am today because of you, I'm here because of you.  You introduced me to a world where I wouldn't have to be ashamed of myself, you helped bring me out of my shell.  Went along with some of my stupidity at times, to show me how much of an idiot I was being.  Most of all you've always been there when it mattered.   You're a very strong, independent and remarkable young woman and I know you'll go far in life, so keep being strong, keep being you, don't let anyone belittle or hurt you because you're worth so much more.  You're a person who I know can make a huge change in the world and I'll always be here to protect you my dear friend whether it's from statues and mannequins or boos and sentient masks that bring destruction via the moon.  So I wish you a very Happy Birthday.  May the rest of your life bring you the happiness you very much deserve and may our friendship last until the end of time.

So guys comment below what a friend is to you.

Updates! Huzzah!

Hey guys.

So I haven't uploaded anything lately.  I'm sorry.

Basically I've been writing some reviews for games that are taking a little longer than I thought.  I won't say which ones but one in particular is long.

I also am working on some new content and juggling that with trying to get a job.  Student life truly is like a beach.  Easy going and gentle, sometimes relaxing at first, then rough and unforgiving at night.

Anyway so this update is basically to apologise and to thank you guys for being patient with me.

Oh and I'm also working on another blog.  It's not yet ready but it's underway.  The content from this blog will all be moved there and this one will shut down.  Don't worry i'll keep you guys updated as to when i'll actually move things over and when the new blog will be ready.  It's going well so far and I'll probably get a Facebook page and the facebook commenting system ready there, so you guys can just use your facebook to comment or check things out.

Thank you all again for being so patient with me.  I have another post coming up after this one and possibly a creative writing one a bit later on this week.

That's it for this update so until next time guys, keep that imagination flowing.

(Oh i may also be experimenting for intros and catchphrases.......yep proof on 12th of august at 1:33am that my jokes get lamer and lamer with each passing second)

ID Crisis

Ok so this is gonna be my first review....and unfortunately it's not a good one.  A while back I had my passport renewed.  Why? Because I'd like to visit my family for a month or so who don't live in the UK.  2 weeks later hooray my passport is on it's way......enter DX delivery.

DX delivery is a company much like Royal Mail or FedEx and apparently it's also the government's choice of courier when delivering important mail......like my passport.  My passport was meant to arrive in 14 days, I got it 21 days later and here's why.  There was a problem at the delivery site (my girlfriend's brother didn't know my name so denied the courier access to the building), fine it just means that i'd ask for a re-delivery.  So I text them to redeliver it and 2 days later sure enough....they don't. I'm just sitting here doubting whether I sent the message even though it does say it was sent.  So I decide hey let's call these guys and see what the hell is going on.

Apparently I was supposed to call them even though on the calling card they leave it doesn't state anywhere that calling is mandatory for those expecting passports.  What am I supposed to do, sit here and guess what they want? Or do they expect me to somehow know their policies off by heart when i've never used this courier before.  So I call them and arrange the re-delivery.

It arrives at my girlfriend's house again and NOBODY told me that I was supposed to stand there with my ID (which by the way is my passport), and claim it.  This was never mentioned.  So I had to arrange for yet another re-delivery, to which I was told that I would need to pay for it.  I accepted it, fine, I don't have money but whatever, I need my passport.  Before hanging up I warned the company that this was my last time being able to go to that specific place because I had no money for another trip.  So I use the last of my money to go to my girlfriend's place.  Here's where shit gets fun.  After using the rest of my money (and consequently starving for the next week or two) the courier NEVER CAME.  I went there at roughly 11:30am and the courier claimed to have arrived at the house at 12:20pm.

This is utter bull because 2 other companies arrived each with packages and we heard them perfectly since the room we were sitting in was situated above the door to the building and they need to buzz to be let in.  This means the courier LIED about coming to the building, skipped the building entirely and then I had to arrange yet another re-delivery whilst having no money.  I told them for a SECOND TIME that I had no money yet hey they don't give two shits; (we also discovered that there was a way to get the re-delivery for free so another lie) so I told them to give me their address.  Might as well pick it the hell up.

That's when I made a wonderful discovery.  Their depot was a little over an hour away with 3 bus rides and a 12 minute walk.  In other words, it was in the middle of bloody nowhere.  So Cynthia and I went to this place.  The two buses were fine.  The third bus wasn't part of a London route and we didn't have enough cash to go on it, so instead we walked.....and walked.....and walked....

....and walked.....

......still walking....

....oh you want me to get to the point? It was a 50 minute walk, crossing the motorway, in blistering heat (the one time it's actually sunny in London), and when we finally got to the complex we found that it was situated near a waste disposal building.  The place smelt of burnt rubbish; and when we did get to the building the employee was a little rude.

We managed to actually get my passport and I walked away without hulking out.  Hell I don't even want my passport renewed in the UK anymore.  If i'm getting it renewed i'm going to Cyprus and doing it via the British Embassy.  I can't trust a company whose couriers lie and they give only half the information they're supposed to.  The customer service is terrible and the stupid policy of: "we can only re-deliver to the first address given to us".  If they had just delivered to my place when I asked them to, all of this could be avoided.  I even have a list of messages after their courier lied saying that they attempted re-delivery and left a calling card.  So Cynthia should have 8 calling cards, but well either she's blind or they're invisible to the human eye.

DX delivery sum up:
- Lying couriers
- Unhelpful customer service
- Information not given
- Multi-dimensional calling cards that are invisible to the human eye
- Unsympathetic employees
- Terrible depot location
- Policy whose existance causes problems

Rating: 3/10

Would I use this service again: Hell no.

Satoru Iwata

Alright so my first gaming post is admittedly a sad one.  Originally I was going to review Final Fantasy 9 but well.....life.  Speaking of which a great man has passed away 8 days ago (yes i'm late with this but like I said....life) Satoru Iwata was the president and CEO of Nintendo and died at the age of 55 to Bile Duct Growth.  It's heartbreaking to see him go honestly.

For those of you who don't know, i'm a huge Nintendo fan.  Nothing passes the day better than sitting down with my 3DS while Youtube is playing in the background; so Mr. Iwata's death comes as quite a shock to me.

From a young age Mr. Iwata was a huge video game fan, he loved them to their core and this pushed him to become a games developer and very talented programmer, although against his parents wishes.

Some of Satoru Iwata's accomplishments include:

• Saving HAL Laboratory from bankruptcy by creating a relationship with Nintendo
• He took a month to complete a project (Mother/Earthbound) which would have originally taken 2 years.
• He also had a huge involvement in Kirby's Dream Land.
• Assisted in founding Creatures Inc.
• Coded 64 battles in a week for Pokemon Stadium for the Nintendo 64 shocking the Pokemon programmer Shigeki Morimoto
• Savior of Pokemon Gold/Silver by creating a graphics compression tool to fit the Kanto region into the games
• He became the head of the corporate planning division at Nintendo
• Assisted in ncreasing Nintendo's profits from 20% to 41%
• Iwata became the fourth president of Nintendo and the first to not be a family relative to the founders of Nintendo.
• Worked on popular titles such as Legend of Zelda, Mario and Animal Crossing
• Assisted in the debugging of Super Smash bros. melee in time for it's scheduled release date
• Fostered a relationship with Capcom
• Lead the company to the creation of the Nintendo DS as well as pushing for the development of the Nintendo Wii
• Doubled Nintendo's stocks by the development of the aforementioned hardware
• Improved public relations with Nintendo's fans
• Took the role of Nintendo of America's CEO
• Established a partnership with mobile provider DeNA

Although his accomplishments are many there is one thing that truly stands out for this man.  He is a true gamer at heart and shall live on in not only our hearts but in the hearts of those the games he assisted on touched as well.  Personally without Satoru Iwata I don't know how I would have managed to cope with society, this man has managed to bring people together simply by loving video games and by being passionate in what he believed in. So please join me in saying farewell to a man who helped revolutionising the world of gaming.  May you rest in peace.

Thank you and blog updates

Hey guys so I just wanted to say a quick thank you for coming to this blog and for your feedback.  It's always awesome to see people give opinions whether good or bad.  I hope my posts spark some interesting conversations and maybe change a life or two to the better.  Anyway the blog will now include some extra posts for different content.

Creative Writing: This will include all the content from before such as Idol, Loneliness and Perfectly Imperfect.  The blog will always be focused on the creative writing aspect as it's about expressing feelings, thoughts and inspiring creation.

Gaming: So most of my friends know this about me: I LOVE VIDEO GAMES.  I'm a huge nintendo nerd to the point that I have 2 of most handheld nintendo consoles.  So here I thought i'd write about my gaming experiences and maybe some live updates from games i'm currently playing.

Lifestyle: Ok this one is basically more about observation or personal opinions on things.  It differs from Creative Writing in that this is where debates will hopefully form.  In this section i'll talk about any issues in today's world or about anything i'd like to give my general thoughts on.  This differs in that it will be purely factual and in some cases serious.

Reviews: Ok not gonna lie I have no clue what i'm gonna do here. I thought I might review some places I go to or books i've read.  This'll be completely random until I makeup my mind really.

Schedule: This isn't a section yet but I'll have it up there at some point.  So far each column will be updated whenever possible or if I have content to be put there but so far there will be no set schedule as to when the new posts will occur.

Updates: This section will be to inform you, the readers, to changes that will happen within the blog.

Again thank you for reading and please bear with me a little while longer as I get things more organised.

The next (and first) gaming post should be up by tomorrow (i'm writing it just after finishing this).

Have a nice day guys :)

Idol

Feelings are a hard thing to convey; especially for a guy who puts others first.  I always try to put a strong front but all I feel is pain. Pain because you're not here. As the sickness fell in I couldn't see you act and avoided you. My idol and friend was no longer there. Instead I had a man who challenged a baby for the role of the weakest link.....

You made me the man I am today and sometimes I hate that. I hate feeling emotions. I hate being nice, I hate the fact that I always put others first. All i've wanted to do since you left is cry, because I can't imagine you gone. 

I try to forget that you're gone. I try to continue with my life but I can't. I regret so much. So many things I haven't told you and that you don't know. I regret not telling you that I loved you. That you were a father to me. I wish I could have made you proud, but so far all I feel is a failure.

The pain.....I can't even imagine the pain you went through. A man who never cried, was screaming in pain. He didn't know nor could he talk about how he felt. All he could do was scream; and all I could do was watch as life slipped away with every yell.

I wish you were here.  You were my biggest inspiration in life and I miss you terribly. 

Fading

As I observe the timeline I remember moments past.  Times in which I had time to learn and understand.  Nowadays it just seems everything's a mess.  It's all mixed messages and pain. Death and suffering. What I wouldn't give to be that kid from 10 years ago. To play and learn about the new world all over again.

As I observe the timeline I wish for a better future. A future where the old me is still new; and where mistakes meant a new lesson and were nothing to dwell on.

As I observe the timeline I wish for moments where I excelled. Times in which iI knew the answer and changed my own history.

As I observe the timeline I realise.....that time is gone. I've lost the innocence and strength I once had.

As I observe the timeline the hatred I feel from others has increased, but all I wish for is to be a kid again.

As I observe the timeline, I fade away.....

Perfectly Imperfect

I drifted through dimensions.  Red ones, blue ones, ones where humans didn't exist, one where slugs had taken over the world, even a dimension where pizza had a conscience....not really going to that one anytime soon.  That's when i saw it.  The perfect dimension.  No wars.  No famine.  Nobody hurting each other.  Complete opposites had found peace.  Love and hate, religion and science, nature and technology, Yin and Yang all had become at peace.  Accepting each other.
"Have you found what you were looking for?" The old man had materialized at my side.
"How did you..." I started
"Everyone finds what they're looking for, once their wish is strong enough their universe answers; your universe had no answer and so it sent you to the multiverse."
I looked down at this new reality before me
"Ah this tends to be the universe people....crave.....more than the rest.  I personally don't see why."
As soon as he said this shock and suspicion paralysed me.
"But it's gorgeous.  Look at it.  There's no evil.  It's absolutely stunning, it's...it's..."
"Chaos," he looked...defeated, "look again young one.  Look past what you see"
I looked...and looked....but i couldn't see anything bad.  That's when it struck me. "There's no balance."
"That's right.  A universe much like a human must have flaws.  That is the perfect imperfection.  Being perfect doesn't mean doing everything right.  If it was like that then all universes would be identical to this one.  Covering its flaws.  It is in fact one of the cheapest and most cowardly ways of dealing with problems.  True perfection, as with true balance, must always deal with the good as well as the bad."  He sighed as we gazed upon this imperfectly perfect world.
"It's so peaceful;" i said,  "but just like pain, ideals, luck, beauty, love, life.....everything can be seen from multiple perspectives.  To me this place is beauty beyond any imaginable but to you it's-"
"The cesspool of the multiverse," he said with bitterness, then sighed, "and my greatest failure." He then turned to me.  "Always look beyond what you see, for behind every beautiful face there could be destruction and chaos in disguise.  But if the face is open it reveals the true beauty....and the true darkness of what it holds.  A perfect universe must be imperfect, with each person finding their place within it and knowing that they are the most perfect when they accept themselves and are not afraid to show the world how unique they are."

The everchanging flow of life

"The secrets of life are like water,"  The old man said as he drew the symbol of water on the ground.  He stood up and brought two cups to me.  "When you contain it, and is no longer free to move around, it stays, becomes stagnant, useless." A cup filled with water that quickly turned a vile green, the stench almost made me throw up.
"Water can be free," he threw the trapped water into the air and upon hitting the ground, expanded and formed a river, "in this water can constantly be renewed, flowing down until it becomes a great ocean able to sustain more water.  Life giving forth new life."
"Yet emotions can damage life too," The man lift an arm and a ball of water the size of my fist rose from the river; it filled the cup to the brim. "too cold....and it is unbearable to touch."  As if to prove a point the water instantly froze within the cup and it seemed like the entire room responded to this as all of a sudden i felt a great chill go through me.  The water then broke free of it's container and he passed it 2 inches from my face, i fell to my knees....great sorrow overtook me.  The cold was as he said.....unbearable.  He chuckled and evaporated the ice.
"Too hot and you shall never be grounded, you will float like a bag of warm air, always a dreamer, always naive." he spun around and seemed to drag the hot steam towards me.  The warmth was quite pleasant after the freezing and i felt an immense joy, such that i had never felt in my entire life; it was as if a giant weight had jumped off my shoulders.
"But," he continued, "there will be a point where you will never come back." We looked up to observe that the steam had rapidly ascended, never to be seen again.
"Let your river flow and find balance between positive and negative, for only then will you find the true meaning of your life."