The Lone Badass and Why Most People Like Them

This particular archetype has permeated the Fantasy genre for awhile now. They're usually tough guys and gals that could chop your tongue off with a flick of their wrist, and could drink an entire pirate crew under the table. They've got a million lovers to their name, but of course no one can truly claim their heart. They can be found in every fantasy media from around the world. We're utterly obsessed with the these guys and it's pretty easy to understand why.

The Lone badass is usually the epitome of cool. They've got the best weapons, all the skills, and don't take shit from anyone. The mayor says to retreat from the incoming basilisk? Ha, forget that, the Lone Badass is just gonna charge ahead guns blazing! Normally they've got some rugged good looks, or a cold sexiness. And let's not forget those sarcastic quips that can shut up a fire breathing dragon. They're not followers nor are they leaders, they're doers.

Simply put, the Lone Badass is kinda what we wish we could be. While fantasy as a whole can be considered a form of escape, the Lone Badass archetype allows you to be exactly what you wanted, more so than any other archetype in the genre. Unlike the Priestess who has a duty to her church, or the Soldier who has to worry about King and Country, the Lone Badass is free of all that. Most people, regardless of what they may say, wants to be the swashbuckling hero who gets things done. They don't need to rely on the others around them and risk being disappointed or failing, because the Lone Badass has enough skills on their own to keep them afloat. And best of all they are able to form their own paths in life. You know, according to the author's outline, but that goes without saying.

In our world everything is pointed out to us, and we have to do things a certain way. Practically our entire lives are dictated by someone else, and it's a huge risk to just break free of that and do what you want and how you want. By reading about the Lone Badass, we get to see people doing just that. For a Lone Badass the world is their's for the taking, they just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done in order to achieve their goals. Something most people from our world would envy.

...Or it could be the gratuitous amount of sex they have. I dunno.

I'm gonna go make a snack now.

Longterm Relationships Rock!

Why is it so hard to find a story with characters who are already in a relationship? I mean, there's something awesome seeing how a couple functions under pressure without the 'firsts' jitters! ...Ya'll probably have no idea what I'm ranting about, or why I'm ranting. To be fair, I don't really know either, but it's just something I've thought about. I mean, how much new ground could be covered in a story if we could get past the whole 'do they actually love me, or do they wanna just jump my vampiric emo bones?' The story of falling in love has been done so many times, and after finally being in an adult relationship, I kinda like being out of the jittery stage. It's so awkward and you second guess everything!

And I know what you're saying to yourself right now: "That's the point Luka, it's a perilous road to true love. It takes work, hardship, and drama!"

That's true, it's so true that it hurts my soul. But after seeing my parents pass their 20th marriage anniversary a month ago, I saw how much harder it is to stay in love. You have to deal with that idiot who refuses to lower the toilet lid, or holding a purse in the mall even though it ain't the least bit manly. There's finances that have to get worked over, and disagreements on the color of the living room, add in killing vampires and hunting for magical swords then BAM! It's a formula that's almost begging to get completed! Now I'm not saying we've got to have an elderly couple, but imagine how badass that would be, but new blushing love really isn't a novelty. When I was fourteen I fell in love at least once a month, the only exception being Valentine's Day of course...It was a matter of principle.

Anyway, the idea of having to tough through situations to keep your love together, a love you've held for awhile now, and feel it almost get ripped away from you pulls on the heart strings. Even in our mundane world without magic there's things that can rip our loved ones away from us. But it's the determination and hard work of a couple, mixed with a healthy dose of patience, that can help a couple overcome nearly anything. The magic of true love is not found with a quick summer romance, but tested through time and hardship.

Um, this one was really mushy. So I think I'm gonna go call my boyfriend. This is like a prelude into this whole idea, I'll probably come back and expand on it sometime...

Can We Take A Minute to Mention This? (Undertale Edition)

Have you ever done something, then just couldn't stop looking back at that one thing? It gave you some type of high that seems to linger far longer than it's worth? You could even call it...addictive?

I am that person right now.

Recently I played the hit indie game Undertale. An adorable computer game that is a throw back to old role playing games, has lovely music, fun characters, a meta magic system, and a surprisingly deep storyline. I learned about this gem two months ago. Yes, now you know where I disappeared to. I kinda burrowed into my mother's basement and am only just resurfacing to write this. Yeah, I'm a filthy nerd, deal with it.

Anyway, you're probably wondering what that has to do with anything. Well, I just wanna talk about the story. (And fangirl, but you could already tell, huh?) For all intents and purposes, the story of Undertale is about the child Frisk falling into the Underground, a mysterious place under Mt. Ebott, and trying to find their way out. Problem is that the monsters imprisoned there need seven souls to break the barrier that keeps them from leaving. Now guess what number Frisk happens to be, no go ahead and guess...I'll give ya a minute.

It seems like a pretty copy and paste story, but it becomes complicated when they throw in the meta. Holy mother of God does it have some meta. You know that save, load, and reset function video games have? Yeah, the bad guy is completely aware you have it. Heck, he was the one spamming it before Frisk tumbled along.  And if that's not bad enough, if you decide to kill off all the characters, when you load back in because you feel guilty, some will have a feeling of deja vu. Then there is one particular character that will know and comment on how many times you killed them.

The reason Frisk has this magic is because their soul is full of determination. Determination is a trait only humans possess, and monsters cannot sustain it in their bodies due to their weak souls and physical bodies. In fact their weak souls must be combined with a human soul, which is naturally stronger, to become powerful. This little fact is what spurred the war between humans and monsters, and caused them to get sealed under Mt. Ebott.

For what could be considered a kids game, it went through some very heavy material. Suicide, racism, child death, megalomania, genocide, sacrifice, body horror, and otakus. But all of it subtle and with a certain type of whimsy that you could swallow until the bam endings.

It's really a game designed to jerk on your emotions, and it works. It mostly has to do with the cast of quirky characters. All of them are well written, given proper arcs, and were designed in the perfect ways for you to both reject and accept them depending on your personality. Since, as you've probably guessed, this game has a lot to do with player interaction and reaction. And even if there is something about a character that you dislike, you'll probably find something else within them to find endearing if not enjoyable.

Of course this is all a matter of opinion. Some people don't like the game, which I understand, but I do and I run the blog , so there! Actually, I'll be doing a character analysis on Sans the Skeleton, probably the fan favorite of the game. I feel like he's one of the better developed characters in the game, and there's something we could all learn once he's broken down.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this side questish thing. I want to do more in the future, though we'll have to see how passionate(obsessed) I get about something else.

I'm gonna go do laundry now...

On Blending Cultures

So have you ever read a book, watched a movie, or played a game that had something obvious? And no, I don't mean giant boobs, a lack of ethnic people, or a really annoying narrator. Nope, what I mean is culture blend. You could be reading a book that has an all 'pale as snow' cast, but for whatever reason the characters are all in a South-East Asian setting and have a love for voodoo. Now some people would say that this is cultural appropriation, and that you should avoid this type of thing in your works. I have seen whole articles on how writers should keep their fantasy cultures with some semblance of 'realism' hence why you don't have black characters in a medieval setting, or white characters in an African setting. However, by doing that I may as well read a historical novel and not spend my hard earned cash on your fantasy book. The wonderful thing about fantasy is the fact that it's a world where anything, within the rules YOU set, are able to happen. That includes having voodoo priests that like Indian curry, and live in an igloo. But, like all things, there's rules to blending cultures. Well it's not really rules, but more like a guideline so that you'll have less pissed off people ranting at you.

 1. Do Your Research- Obvious, but it seems more people are in love with the 'idea' of cultures, than actually having to research them. Make sure you research two different cultures before you put them through the machine. If you want to make your 'blendy culture' to be as rich as possible, then you'll need to research the various aspects of it. If you take only the well known things of say...Japanese culture. Then you'll miss out on the smaller aspects that could have helped move your plot along, or given your characters some of their ideals, or even given some depth to your fantasy world.

2. Some Things DON'T go together- If you're blending a vegetarian Indian-esque culture with a proud African hunter culture, you're doing something wrong. Some things just don't go together because the philosophy or lifestyles don't match. When blending cultures some semblance of commonsense still has to be maintained in order to create a nice cultural blend that everyone can believe that could happen in a real culture.

3. Be Somewhat Sensitive About Your Core Cultures-Don't be an ass and make the 'vaguely Middle Eastern' culture a bunch of terrorists. At the same time don't make the 'vaguely English/American' culture the good guys in every situation. I'm not even sure why I'm having to say this, it seems really obvious, but you know...Some people just don't get it.

4. Be Aware of Naming Patterns-I never understood why people will have an English setting, but will give their characters Persian, Chinese, or Irish names without any good reason being told. I'm sure it's partially because the character is a 'chosen one', 'really royalty', or something, but there's still no excuse. I think this one annoys me the most since naming conventions tell a lot about a country, class, or even a bit about the family that your character was born into. For example the name Yoshino was a common Japanese name for lower class prostitutes. If your female mercenary character was given this name and we later learn she was born into a brothel, that would be a very interesting bit of information that could open up a bit of lore about your world.

So there we go, four things that should help your cultural blending smoothies. Long awaited, like three months really, but well thought out and researched.

Why this Idiot Likes Steampunk

Recently I read an article, and the writer complained on how they hate steampunk. This is probably the twelfth article that I've read where someone complains about steampunk, and how it's all just a fetishist's version of the Victorian period. For those of you living in a pit and have no idea what I'm referring to, steampunk is fantasy set in a Victorian era world, or at least a world that has tech from that time period. It doesn't necessarily mean that the equipment is powered with steam, most times it's crystals, but it's almost a marriage between sci-fi and fantasy. It also refers to a type of street fashion, but we won't get into that. And for whatever reason, a lot of people are completely against this newish type of fantasy subgenere. Personally, I don't care if someone doesn't like it or not. Everyone is free to their own opinions, even in this dark place called the internet. If someone doesn't like steampunk then more power to them, but I do like it, and here are my reasons why.

The Advancement of Technology-It sounds stupid, but the advancement of technology is always interesting within the world of steampunk. Almost everything I've read has to do in this dreary dark ages world that seems to have completely halted, but the world of steampunk is moving. Whether it's giant airships, or modest guns, you can tell that the world is finally moving and growing.

The Unique Feel- Something about steampunk feels so unique. It can be set in the middle of Victorian-esque London, or it an be set in the middle of the southwest with cowboys and magic trains. No matter what you're doing there's something unique and fun that can be experimented with, and there's fewer restraints than what you would have with a dark ages setting.

Seeing Magic and Technology Side by Side- If you've read a typical fantasy book, magic is usually front and center. However in a steampunk novel, you get to see the two factions side by side. This creates a unique dynamic within the world, allowing you to see the advantages and pitfalls of both practices. There's even times when you can't tell the difference between the two, and times like that makes for a very interesting read.

So these are just my own thoughts. Granted this isn't a very long list, but I'm pretty new to steampunk, and I needed to write something for the blog. A terrible excuse, but I'll have a better article next time.

I'm gonna go eat some dinner now...

Writing Useless Yet Likeable Characters

Tokyo freaking Ghoul! Yeah, I need to rant about this. I've been obsessed with this God-forsaken show for months now, and all I've been doing is quoting this anime, squealing about the awesome characters, and crying over my baby Kaneki. Seriously, fangirl mode is on full throttle and I'm very ashamed of this. However this is; mostly, a blog on writing so let's get to the topic at hand. Tokyo Ghoul is an anime about survival, not just with humans, but the human eating ghouls as well. Each party thinks their side is right, and that if only the other party would disappear then all would be right with the world. Caught in the middle of this war is Kaneki Ken, a nerdy human that decides he wants to man up at the wrong time, the girl he goes out with happens to be a ghoul that tries to eat him, Then, because this is an anime and it needs drama, all the ghoul's organs are stuffed into his body making him an artificial half ghoul. Granted a very wimpy ghoul, he's even likened to a female at one point, but a flesh eating ghoul none the less. So unlike most stories our character isn't the awesome badass, the suave rogue, or even the sneaky scientist. Our main character is a book worm that just wants to finish his degree and live a normal life. Yet everyone likes him when he's useless, a lot more so than his 'taken a level in badass' self. And that's what I'm here to talk about, trying to make likable yet useless characters.

Most times people complain about these characters because they whine and angst. They don't want to help themselves get out of their situation, they'll just whine until they suddenly become the chosen ones, and then they'll start angsting about how they're too badass. Trying to pull of a useless hero takes work, and if you can't sell it then your readers will hate you.

1: Make Your Character Likable-This should go without saying. If your character is essentially useless, you've got to make them likable. Have them be the butt monkey to jokes, have them speak a little wisdom, even have them be a bit snarky. Whatever you do, just make sure that the audience likes them, and won't mind their uselessness.

2: Don't Let Them Angst- This is practically one of my rules to every post, but I'll repeat it anyway. Useless characters that angst about how useless they are don't need to exist. They're like students who complain about how much they suck at math, but don't take the time to study Satan's Subject. A useless character doesn't have to be happy about their current standing, but they shouldn't angst about it either, because all positions can be improved. Speaking of which...

3: Have Them Try to Improve Themselves- They don't need to take a full level of badass like Kaneki did, but they should at least try to improve upon their 'useless' status. This doesn't necessarily mean they need to be a fighter, they could change into a tactician, a sage, or a scholar. Just give them the drive and determination to change. However, you could always have them fail at this, making them the butt end of jokes all the time.

4: Don't Have Them Improve Right Away- I actually loved Eragon as a kid. I bought the book, my parents got me the movie, and then I bought the videogame. Eragon was probably one of the first YA high fantasy books I ever read, and I was totally in love with the concept. However I always got upset by how quickly the titular character managed to achieve and master new skills. I'm not even talking about magic ones, I'm talking about normal ones like reading; he mastered that in a week. Now I have three brothers I helped teach how to read, it does not take a week to learn the basics of reading, especially when you only have so much time to practice and you're under pressure. So when you're trying to get your useless character to improve, be sure you're not having it happen too quickly unless they already have a basic understanding/foundation of that skill.

So that's all I have to say about that. Just remember: make your character have proper character development, and a decent personality, and you'll go far. Or at least your readers won't want to drag your bloody corpse and feed you to zombies.

I'm gonna go read Tokyo Ghoul :Re now...

An Idiot's Review of Cloaked

So, I'll be the first to admit, I have not read an abundant amount of paranormal romance. The few I have read are usually terrible, and as such I do my best to stay away from them for that reason only. However, a dear friend of mine told me I needed to broaden my horizons if I wanted to improve my writing. So I traveled around the internet and managed to find a paranormal romance book to read, in exchange for a fair and honest review. The particular book I picked up was Cloaked, a fifty page novella that dragged me to Romania so I could hang out with a wulfkin and a moody detective. And guys, let's keep that complaints about the over saturation of werewolves to ourselves, shall we?

So the story just starts. There's no prologue, for which I'm thankful for, and gives us a pretty good idea on who our heroine is. Her name's Daciana and she's a wulfkin, meaning that she becomes a wolf during the full moon. And that is exactly how we're introduced to her, as a wolf running through the forest during the full moon. However she crosses paths with a bear and has to lead it back to the forest due to her strong conviction that all animals deserve a chance to live. Unfortunately humans, the police just to make matters worse, are tailing this bear. In a normal situation Daciana could probably say she's using her 'animal behavior specialist' skills to make the bear go away, but right now she's a giant wolf and those are considered a threat by most humans. So off to the forest she runs until sunrise, where she's once again human, but very much naked. So stealth hi-jinks ensues until the plot comes out of hiding: the cubs Daciana watches over at the animal institute she works at have gone missing. And for most people that probably wouldn't matter, but if Daciana is out of a job that means her one year of independence away from her pack is over. But things just become complicated when she's introduced to the cynical and baggage laden police officer/detective, Connell. Putting all her doubts about moving back to her clan to the forefront of her mind.

So now that you know the plot, let's talk about the characters. In my mind characters are way more important than plot when it comes to romance, so I was actually happy to read what was in Daciana's head. Daciana doesn't suffer the tragic paranormal romance heroine issue of 'I'm sorry for being plain' or 'I'm way too snarky to be taken seriously' virus. She's a sweet, middle of the road girl that like her job, custard pastries, and is willing to speak her mind when she has to. Yes she's brash, but I guess that comes with her fierce pride as a wulfkin. In general I liked her, even though she seemed a little preachy when it came to animals and hunting.

Next let's talk about Connell, our male lead. Connell is a guy that recently divorced his wife after she was busy getting  heavily "interrogated" by a guy on the force. This has caused him to want to take love slow, and to hate all liars. However Daciana seems to be a special exception, and he's ready to commit to her pretty early on. Aside from that Connell is pretty meh to me. I don't hate his guts, but he's not making me swoon either.

So now let's talk about the thing that you're all waiting for. The plot-wait, you don't care about how that works out? Fine, then let's talk about the romance. The romance felt rushed, over reliant on lust, and all round dull. I really didn't like it, but then again you can't expect a fully fleshed out romance in fifty pages. However I loved how teasing Connell could be towards Daciana, not that assholish type that drops the girl's self esteem, but the really cute and fluffy type that's all in good fun.

Really, it was freaking adorable.

So, basically I kinda liked the book. Admittedly paranormal romance is not my cup of tea, but I'd recommend Mrs. Walsh's brand of paranormal romance. The paranormal is there, but it's not all encompassing, and the characters involved in the romance aren't half bad.

If you wanna buy it, do so here.

I'm gonna go buy some pizza now. No beer though, underage, sorry Connell...