How far would you go to save someone you love?/How can people act the way they do?

That's the question that Heavy Rain asks you. The game is not so much a game, but more an interactive film, I would say, and it relies completely on the idea of choices: everything you do is fallible. Anything can go wrong. Any or all of the four playable characters can die. And the game will not coddle you and go, "it's okay, just load your last save;" that character is dead and gone, and the story carries on without him or her. It is the single darkest game ever, and it is brilliant - it could be a movie, but the choice it forces you to make are much more intriguing. I like to think that, in the position of the characters, I would do the right thing, but it's hard to know for certain, especially with some of the shit they throw at you.

Furthermore, you BECOME your characters. For example, at the very start of the game, you wake up as Ethan Mars, father of two. Your wife is out with the kids, and you have to get ready for the day. You have to shower. You have to shave. You have to brush your teeth. You actively do these things, by moving the controller or the right stick. You are not thrust into the characters - you are introduced to them at their core, as real people. You empathize. You hope. You fear. You feel.

The whole game (which revolves around a slow-moving, noir murder mystery) doesn't try to make you feel for these characters - you just do, because they are so real. This is the way games should be. This is the future of the medium. Feelings, not just interaction. Bravo, David Cage; you took a risk, and it paid off, completely.

In other news, I got the newest Muse album, The Resistance - I'd never given them a shot, before, but I've found that I really like them. I also got the Heavy Rain Original Soundtrack and the Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, but I've yet to listen to them (other than in-game, for Heavy Rain, of course).

Why are people cruel? How can people treat each other the way they do? Seriously? How can people be so... selfish, so greedy, so... wrong? Is that the way people are supposed to be? Are we the exception, not the rule? I feel like it, sometimes. People deceive, they lie, they put on fake fucking masks to look all pretty and perfect in front of others, just so we won't see their flaws. Their mistakes. Their inner truths. How can someone be so horrible to you at one point, but act perfect and kind and polite and good just because someone they want to respect them is around? Why aren't people honest with me? Why aren't they honest with you, all of you? Why aren't they honest with themselves? Why are people so dark and so mean and so... cruel is the only word that comes to mind. I don't understand people. Most of the time, I would give damn near anything to get why people do what they do, so I could solve problems and save people and do what's right. The rest of the time, I don't want to know at all, because I'm afraid I'll fall into them and their ways. After all, like Friedrich Nietzsche said: "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Sleep well.

Agh...

I have a supreme headache. It is a bitch. However, I said "screw it" and went to buy This Addiction in Kelowna. In case you are unaware of the majesty that is Alkaline Trio, they are a punk rock band from Chicago. They aren't what would call heavy in terms of sound, but their lyrics are definitely really heavy; they talk about some things that are judged a lot, like suicide and drug addiction, but they have a lot of love and loss songs, too (actually, those probably outweigh the others (though they do use drugs as a metaphor for love; see This Addiction)). They are also FUCKING AMAZING, and so is their new album. It's everything I expected it to be and more. Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Derek Grant have outdone themselves and everyone else, ever. Best album, ever (for me), hands down. The bonus tracks (which are both sung by Dan, bringing the count to Matt: 8, Dan: 5) are INCREDIBLE. A lot of bonus tracks seem to be just... afterthoughts, but these just seem to be tracks they wrote and then went, "Nah, doesn't fit the flow. Shit... make them bonus tracks. They're still great songs." Dan's voice is beautiful, to me (to compare: he sounds a lot like Elvis Costello, but unique - that's just the closest I can give you). If you're thinking about giving this album a listen, check out a song by each vocalist; they're both great in their own way, but very different (in terms of voice AND song content). My personal recommendations are Off the Map (Dan Andriano) and Lead Poisoning (Matt Skiba), just to give you a feel of the style and sound of the band, but there are variations (such as album closer, Fine, a BEAUTIFUL semi-acoustic ode to being okay with everything, even if it's not necessarily the best, and Eating Me Alive, a synth-driven anthem to your lost lover and how they lost their chance, even though you'd love to take them back). If you like those songs, you have six full albums and two b-side albums to listen to, plus the rest of This Addiction. Get to it, it's hours of music.

Anyways, yeah, headache. Screen is bright. Computer is loud. Migraine is building. Pain is to be had. Fucking ouch. just wanted to rant about how much I LOVE the new Alkaline Trio record and how they absolutely obliterated my expectations with their new, utterly perfect album.

Oh, by the way, Mariko, I posted in LOC. Also, I came up with a cool logo for this blog (or possibly my band, assuming I can get some people together and we're all cool with being called A New Eclipse). It's pretty sweet, I think - I'll try and make it on the computer and get it up sometime soon.

Night. Head hurts. Bye.

Sleep well.

Welcome

Hey, all, how're we doing? Good? Excellent. This'll mostly just be songs (though I guess technically it's poetry until I post the music, eh), stories and possibly me yelling about things (or going really, really quiet about things, depending on what it is and how serious I'm being). Anyways, just figured I'd get a preliminary post up here before I go sleep, because goddamn am I ever tired. It's late, as I'm sure you can see by the post's timestamp, and I have had a stressful day full of me making more mistakes. Mistakes are not fun, let me tell you. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that they are the absolute OPPOSITE of fun, especially in this case. I'm not going to whine about it on here, because not only do you guys most likely not care, but, quite frankly, it's stuff I have to deal with myself, and sharing it would only make things worse/much harder to fix, so... sorry. Maybe other stuff, in the future.

Real quick disclaimer, even though I most likely know everyone reading this; anything I post on this blog legally belongs to me, be it lyrics, actual music, tableture or even just rants. I'm just being careful, is all, folks. No need to worry. I mean, I won't totally lose my shit if you take my stuff. Not at all. Just a friendly threat... errr... warning.

Oh, yeah, disclaimer number 2: I swear. It's the way I talk, so it's the way I write. If you have a severe problem with it... well, this is the internet. There's really nothing you can do about it. Besides, there's more important shit to worry about out there than a couple vulgar words.

Started a couple new songs, tonight, lyrically: A Flawed Design, Digging My Own Grave, and Rainfall. I'll put those up in a bit, I guess, but I'm too tired now.

I have a couple writing projects in development, right now, and I dunno which to work on, right now. I have one which is essentially an extremely unconventional futuristic romance/adventure, one about amnesia and searching for one's true self called Splinter, & a currently untitled Mass Effect fan fiction. Any input on what you guys would most like to see would be cool.

So... music. Good year for music. Lots of new stuff on its way. Especially excited for the new Sum 41 record, the (possible? I'm not sure when it's supposed to come out) new Rise Against record, the new Gaslight Anthem record and (of course) the new blink182 record. Also the new Alkaline Trio record, but I'm talking about that in a second. New Story of the Year album, The Constant, came out on the... 16th, if I'm not mistaken, and it's pretty good. Nothing new, but everything I like about the band is there, so I can't complain. Also, this Tuesday, Alkaline Trio's seventh studio album, This Addiction (which I am super fucking excited for) comes out, and I have to wait until Saturday to get it, because I pre-ordered the super-extra-mega-happy-fun edition from HMV in Kelowna. I am a stupid asshole, sometimes. Still, though, it's a return to form for the boys, and, though I LOVED Agony & Irony just as much as their last efforts, I'm completely up for a straight-up punk record. I have faith in the Trio - don't let me down, Matt, Dan and Derek.

Uhm... hm. Shit. What else to say? Uh... Norton Anti-Virus is practically a virus itself, and whoever designed its constant "RENEW NOW NOW NOW" pop-ups needs a good, solid kick in the head, because it is the shittiest customer service application I have ever seen.

OH! I saw Shutter island with Zoe and Vanessa, yesterday (today? I don't even know what time it is. Yeah, yesterday's right) and it was AWESOME. Not that I expected anything less; my mind was more than satisfactorily blown, and it was the best movie I've seen in a long time. Seriously, if you get the chance to see it, do so - you won't be disappointed. Dennis Lehane (Gone Baby Gone) wrote the story, and he expects you to have a brain in your head; he will confuse the hell out of you, and you have to think about everything, all the time, which is the way a movie should be. It doesn't lead you by the hand because, quite frankly, not even the characters know what the hell is happening. It is one wild ride with an amazing twist that NO ONE SHOULD RUIN FOR ANYONE, EVER, and I highly recommend it.

Uh... think that's it, for this evening. Night. Morning. Whatever. Mariko or Jennie, if you read this, I promise to post in Lords of Creation real quick like, once I get homework done (which is a lot, and could take a while). Sorry for the delay.

Anyways, I'm off to sleep, because I'm starting to sleep twitch and am so tired that I can't think of anything else to say. I know! Me! with nothing to say! Preposterous, I agree.

Good night, whoever's out there in TV-Land, reading this.

Sleep well.