Editorial: A Little Bit About Myself

For those of you who are new to the Malacast Editorial, I am Malacast Agent the lead, and most times; only writer of the blog. Blogger is the host, and have been good to me all these years, so I don’t ever try to replace this blog with a private one. For those of you who have been surfing around, and seeing that it is all over the place, I assure you I will be doing more video game posts, and most likely movie posts, whenever they become available. I haven’t done a television post in a long while, mostly because I’ve not seen anything relatively new on television. This is an editorial, I do one every so-often to kind of displace it from the rest of the blog. Normally it’s on a random topic of my choosing, and yes, this could considerably a random topic for me. Mostly I’m going to talk about myself a little bit, because every time I try to, I usually fail, because I feel it’s not interesting enough to post, or the post gets completely overlooked. So this time I’m going to try something different. I’m going to talk about he things I ice, because I find our psychology and sociology has instinct have taught us to enjoy the random likings of other people, because it is what we use to make a fond connection. Personally, I find it disturbing that a lot of our parents, and even grandparents are together because they share an uninhibited love for Cherry 7Up. Just thin k, that you, or your mother or father is here because two people found a similar taste of Cherry 7Up better than al the other six billion, or less back then; people in the world. Granted, there are other subconscious factors as to why we connect with another human being, sometimes it’s because they complete a part of ourselves that we cannot ever essentially be, like friends who vote for different philosophies in politics, or even for different acts on America’s Got Talent. Isn’t it strange to think that if two people find common ground on something they truly believe in, it’ll keep them together longer than most? Even two people who hold a lot of loves in common can drift apart if that one ever represent uninhibited passion isn’t agreed upon, let-alone loved. I find that interesting to think about. Granted, it’s all theory, there’s no evidence as to what makes people like one-another, relationship, r an other –ship, but it’s universally accepted as a potential reason why we choose the friends we do. Studies say that location, and time is really important in deciding whom we love, and why we love them. Ironically, things like the internet trick the brain into thinking that so-and-so is just down the street, because I’m talking to them online, or on the phone, hence why phone sex lines were so popular: it gave you the notion that the person could be over in just a hop, skip, and a jump. But I’m not going to discuss myself because I want to make you feel like I want you to like me, I’m doing it so many of those who read my work can perhaps see something as to what inspires me to write as I do, and perhaps gain some enlightenment on who I am as a person. Yes, people may think this catty of me, perhaps narcissistic, and I’d be the first to tell you I probably am a narcissist, but honestly, I’m also a realist, and I quite don’t take criticism harshly, in-fact; I rather welcome it on all parts, so long as those who make their point are willing to discuss it in a sound, and rational mind. Sadly, those people are far-and-few in-between the masses that tend to wise up, and say less. I’ll start with the obvious: I love reading, and writing, that’s the most prevalent, constant in my life, which has been there since I was a child. I used to go to the book fairs at school, and spend over a hundred dollars on books, but I would read all of them, and I can still to this day recall a great deal of the books I’ve read. A lot of them were Goosebumps, which was probably my favorite book series as a child. R.L. Stine found a way to commercialize books, but JK. Rowling mastered the art into a legitimate business. A rather lucrative one at that as well, as I’ve touché don in other posts. Having read a great deal, I always go back and read Strunk’s book The Elements of Style, which is probably the most acclaimed book on style writing, and developing an adamant voice I writing. I’ve read so many books on style, and how to formulate style by the set guidelines in books like a Pocket Style Manual b Diana Hacker, that I almost find myself ignoring the rules, because the Elephants of Style, and Lapsing into a Comma by Bill Pullman probably have taught me more about writing than a thousand times through Elements. Another shocker, I enjoy video games, but rather writing about them more than playing them. Exception of course being Mortal Kombat, I will always, always enjoy playing Mortal Kombat, even for the billionth time through. I find that gaming magazines, and even blogs and sites like Rant Gamer, and Kotaku try to enrapture some collegiate skill f form to the writing process, yet it doesn’t tell you a damn thing about the game that would have you make a rational decision over whether or not you want to play it! The reason for this is because they have to be broad because all the gaming companies pay these so-called journalists, and it’s a joke to even call them so, to write mediocre reviews, so you will go and make o your own mind. Obviously it’s about selling clicks and not about giving you a legitimate yes or now, unless the game is so obviously terrible, they have to pin it down as a dog, and shoot it in the proverbial muzzle. I’ve always hoped to grade games with integrity, as I have done with books I’m brutal to books I’ve hated, and why I’ve hated them, and yet, I can appreciate that other people can love them, so I do my best to list the redeeming factors, but I do not flip-flop often. Let’s be honest: in the last few decades, journalism as a whole has been allowing no-name bloggers, and indies, because blogs weren’t around nearly twenty years ago, to come up, and give alternative news. The same could be said with the integrity of the jokingly pathetic video game journalism field. I’ve written o a short extent on this subject in past posts as well, but mostly because the modern perspective of gaming journalism is a two-fold system: you either applaud the normally left-leaning progressive movement of so-called open-minded gamers, while laughing at the obviously superficial word smiting they do to make them seem like they were honest journalists who actually are writing for say, the New York Times. I get you should do something to an extent, but damn, can we NOT politicize a medium that makes billions off of ray guns blowing up alien heads in gore-splattering glory? I know I’m a hypocrite, because what I’ve just written could be seen as politically motivated, and that couldn’t be further form the truth. I believe that in-all-honesty, write what you damn well want, but let’s not make gaming about something more than what it is, unless the game entailed IS about more than just gaming, and sadly, many games try to be that way, and it’s a shame. So off of vide games for now, because I think it’s obviously clear that if they weren’t a passion of mine, I wouldn’t have started this bog, and turned it into what it has become so quickly. I write short stories, and honestly I’ve tried to sell some of them, and yes, some of them don’t make sense, but I do give out a completed, or at least a part of a completed short story weekly now and I’ve been doing so in-hopes of improving my writing, while also giving me a ridiculous goal to meet. I’ve sent off work to get published so many times, and I’ve been published in newspapers, and magazines, but not for my fiction, but rather several non-fiction articles. It’s rough to do something like write continuously and more-often-than-not, write a short story weekly, but I’m doing it so far. Today I’ll be releasing part 1 of 2, and I’ll have a while shorter short story to go up next week as well, so not to make anyone feel like I’ve cheated. This post of course is just an editorial, and doesn’t count either. I’ve recently found another passion f mine to be obtuse to most others in my country: Koi-Koi. I’m obsessed with eh card game so much so, that I’ve bought my own cards, and am trying to master the game, and memorize every detail. I’ve only been playing a few years now, but have only bought the cards this year. They were directly from Nintendo, and I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Koi-Koi is a Japanese Card game, using the Western card game style as it’s base, but including the eastern influences, and point system that’s found in many Japanese games. Hachi-Hachi is perhaps more Japanese, and frankly more widely played in Japan than Koi-Koi, but it’s still a fun game, and a wicked way to gamble. I am also a fan of anime, if it’s good. For example, I stick with the classics: Ghost in the Shell is a great one that truly was futuristic for the year it came out, and probably one of my favorite stories, let-alone animes of all time. Akira is also standard, and really, every kid growing up with Dragon Ball Z, or Inuyasha, owe Akria for breaking into the mainstream back in the early nineties. I’m not obsessed with anime like so many fans are, but I can respect fandoms for what they do for the economy, but even with my love of Mortal Kombat, I don’t consider myself to be an obsessed fan, because I don’t go crazy, vying for tournaments, nor do I buy a bunch of MK gear, or obsessed over DLC. In-truth, I don’t hold any allegiances, expect for Sony, that is, until they make a system I don’t like, and then I’ll switch to the next best thing. Nobody should hold a brand up to the accolades of a god. I’m one of those people who really don’t know themselves well enough to go into every vivid detail of what makes them tick. If you had to ask me today what I’d label myself, I’d say labels are for inefficient douchebags that can’t decide for themselves where they stand in this world. Granted, I’m one of those in many aspects, but I do know who I am well enough to as that I can’t possibly through a label on myself. I don’t care much for the spotlight, ad I love to be critiqued and criticized, because I like to hear feedback, even on the obvious (why does your spelling suck? You suck! You’ll never be a writer! My spelling sucks mostly because what I’m normally typing on isn’t really the best for my hands and also I have pains in my wrists, and it doesn’t help when you’re trying to type over ten thousand words a day. Today I’ve written about sixteen pages, so I’m nearly down to m ten thousand words. Like some people use a pedometer to track their walking, I track my writing with a certain number. Ten thousand words a day means the average person can write a book in less than ten days at that pace by-the-way) So what else makes me tick? I love bubble tea now, it’s become one of my favorite new drink snacks. I also love sushi, burgers, and pizza. I especially love veggie burgers. I know they’re terrible for you; believe it or not, they’re less healthy than a regular burger with no ketchup! Still, I enjoy certain foods that are avant-garde. For example I love: whelk; or sea snail, escargot, anchovies, liver, soft-shell crab, and a host of other oddball foods that are both seafood, and well, not. I also think Miley Cyrus is one of the most capable performers when it comes to self-promotion, and although I do feel most of it is not an act, I do believe she knows exactly what she’s doing, what she can do to push the limits, and also what she’ll do to make herself bigger and bigger every year. The irony is that the singing aspect of her show is the most minute of talents she utilizes, and quite frankly, she has everyone fooled. I guess I could tell you who my biggest crush is, or what’s my favorite color, but this isn’t a thirteen year old slumber party, but I will end on this tasty bit of information: I am a huge fan of the band Cattle Decapitation, and if they ever need another vocalist, or songwriter, I will completely jump on board. Well that’s it for this long, obviously insane post about me. I’m sure you’ve learned very little, and that’s okay, it’s hard for me to open up to whoever stalks my pages, but know that I took the time, and I love each and every one of you for reading my posts. Enjoy part 1 of Brightside, the ending second half will be out next Wednesday, and I will have a second short story up by Friday, scout’s honor!