Misconception

My recent post on Breaking Bad has brought to my attentions the negative effects of the characters actions. I do not condone any sort of action show in Breaking Bad. The selling of drugs serves to addictions everywhere, and as the nephew of a passed addict, I feel ashamed to say I that I mentioned nothing beforehand. The idea of drugs and how they are sold is not positive nor will it ever be in my mind. I do not condone the use of drugs or the overuse of alcohol. I do not enjoy the idea of marijuana becoming legal in the U.S. and I do not want the preposterous idea to be passed by law. I should have written this before. I apologize for any misconceptions. I am Christian, though my recent actions may not have shown it. I am looking at the show from an artistic and actoral perspective. As I wrote on Facebook earlier, "Out of 100 men, one will read the bible, 99 will read the Christian." Said by D.L. Moody. I have failed the quote I sent to follow this very day. I will not remove my post as I have now made it clear that I have looked at the show from an artistic perspective solely. I thank you for your understanding.

5 Reasons Why I Love Breaking Bad

Even if you've never watched the show before, you have most likely heard about AMC's incredible TV series, Breaking Bad. I've been watching from the first episode to the last, and I'm four fifths of the way there. But sometimes I cannot fathom the astounding acting and storytelling there is in this show. So, here are five reasons why I love Breaking Bad.

1.) Bryan Cranston

There's so much I could say about this master of acting. He's never been anything but excellent. Walter White is THE anti-hero, and he could not have been played by anyone but Cranston. His character is so perfectly sinister, while seeming somewhat innocent, yet having the worst of intentions. It's incredibly realistic, meaning I would expect to act that way if I was Walter.  I wish I could say so much more, but I can. I just have so much aspiration to one day act like Bryan Cranston. This is nearly impossible for me to say, but there is no better acting job than Bryan Cranston's Walter White. Period.

2.) Aaron Paul

What is Walter without Jesse Pinkman? Nothing. Truly nothing. Jesse has saved his life, taught him how to cook and sell, as well as being moral support throughout his cancer process. What does he get? A slap to the face and told he's an idiot. Both Cranston and Paul have won Emmy's for their performances, and there's an episode in season 3 where Jesse and Walter get in to an argument. And Paul's acting prowess explodes with fire as he rattles off blow after blow on Walter. It's one of the greatest scenes in acting I've ever experienced. You can see Jesse evolve and degenerate at the same time throughout the run of the show. In the beginning he's a stupid punk who can barely stand if he isn't selling or doing drugs and ruining his aunt's house. He then turns in to a raging man, meddled by perilous thoughts and murderous actions which he does not soon rid himself of. He's one of the greatest characters ever created. Period.

3.) Bob Odenkirk
"Better call Saul!" That phrase will stick in my mind forever. Saul Goodman needs more credit than he's given. He may be a sleeze-ball, rip off lawer, but he's the most put together of the whole bunch. He's got his tail covered always, and covered with a bulletproof vest (bulletproof tail?). He's incredibly resourceful, and his commercials are stupid and funny. Yet they remain realistic, meaning I could imagine a commercial for "Better call Saul!" to come up on my TV any day. I've seen those commercials that are like "Got trouble? Get Glenn! Call 222-2222" And Odenkirk plays the part perfectly. Even though he may be a sarcastic jerk at times, but he's always had his arm around Walter and Jesse, and ready to get to work. He may sometimes say its about the money, but let's be honest. After all the stuff they've been through, you can't not love each other.

4.) Season 3 Episode 10: "Fly"
I'm not going to say anything specific due to spoilers, but this is kind of a spin-off episode where Walter and Jesse are trying to get a fly out of the lab due to it "contaminating" things. To put it simply, it is my favorite episode of television ever. It was hysterically funny one moment, then the next, things got somber. Jesse and Walt finally learn a thing or two about each other's personal life. And it's happens all over a stupid fly.

5.) It's Not About Doing Drugs
In the beginning, the meth Walter and Jesse cook is just for a source of income. It's the same way later on, but Jesse did those drugs for a long time throughout the show. Walter did marijuana once, and regretted it severely. Throughout the middle of the series, Walt pushes Jesse to stop, as it is interfering with business and his sanity. Eventually, Jesse gets clean and is much better off for it. But the point I'm making here is not that Jesse shouldn't have done drugs, but that, unlike many shows about drugs, it's not about doing the drugs. It's about monetary greed. Walter wants money. Gus wants money. That's all they want. Walter looks at it like a science, not a drug. It's about money, not about drugs, adding a layer of realistic business to the already multilayered show.

Just for the sake of it's pure mastery of drama, that's why I love Breaking Bad.

5 Reasons Why I Love Owl City

We all have heard of Owl City. And if you haven't heard of him by name, you have most likely heard "Good Time" featuring Carly Rae Jepson, or "Fireflies", an older song yet still one of my favorites. And let's be honest, when you listen to Owl City you can't help but feel happier. Whenever "When Can I See You Again?" comes on to my iPhone, I can't help but smile and think back on watching "Wreck-it-Ralph" with one of my ex-girlfriends, who I am still good friends with today. Or when "Fireflies" appears, I find myself thinking about my older cousin Jack who showed me the band. So now, here are five reasons why I love Owl City.

1.) Adam Young (Owl City) writes songs that relate to my life in some way
The lyrics I posted yesterday are ones that particularly stood out to me. I had a huge crush on a girl named AnnMarie, just like Adam, and the way he describes her through the melody is exactly how she is in real life. Sweet, caring, and beautiful. When I think of "Good Time" I think of jumping around with my friends at my previous school's homecoming in 2012, and how much I miss those times with them. "Vanilla Twilight" puts my heart of love in to song. My souls shakes when I sing the final chorus of "Fireflies". "Hello Seattle" rekindles my imagination, and no matter what I'm doing I have to stop because he creates such simple yet vivid pictures for my mind use and sends it reeling.

2.) His melodies are like none other
With the exception of "Shooting Star", which sounds like it was ripped from the pages of Katy Perry's songbook, I can find no other artist nor band that has a even similar sound to Owl City. His song, "Angels", sticks particularly out in my mind. I've rarely heard a song that can bring you in soft and slow, and then suddenly throw you in to a loud, bubbly melody and not sound obnoxious. "Angels" does this masterfully. It's tremendously easy to get "Fireflies" or "Good Time" stuck in your head just by hearing the song on the radio. "Lonely Lullaby" is so beautifully impactful that I like to hear the song multiple times in a row, which is incredibly rare for a guy like me who loves so many types of music.

3.) His mental pictures are vivid
"Vanilla Twilight" is on the forefront of my mind with this one, as well as "Hello Seattle" as fore mentioned. I can only imagine what a vanilla twilight is like, and it looks gorgeous in my mind. I can nearly feel the setting in which he tells his story. As I said before, "Hello Seattle" is a bombardment of beautiful botany, voluptuous visuals, and shimmering shorelines. "Fireflies" tells a cute story of an insomniac and his fireflies, and I can picture how it went in many different forms. His lyrics take me places I never would have expected to go.


4.) He writes song how I think I would write songs
I am a horrible song writer. Absolutely terrible. Give me any topic, I'll write on it. Don't give me a topic, I'll make one and write a narrative. But sit me in a music room and tell me to write a song, I can't do it. Though if I could write songs, I would end up writing like Adam Young. He uses narrative as his driving force, as do I. He uses a plethora of pleasant verbs and phrases, and tells stories in an abstract, beautiful way. I love his writing, I want to write like him. I can't write songs, but if I did I would/want to write like Owl City

5.) He's a Christian
If you didn't already know, I am a Christian, and I am not afraid to proclaim that all over the world. So is Adam Young. Now, if you aren't a Christian, or dislike Christians, I ask that you continue to read this blog and listen to Owl City's music. If you stop, I'm ok with that, but would prefer if you did not. He uses a lot of God's word in his songs, like his song "Galaxies" is all about following God to the ends of the universe. He's also been proclaimed to be the most popular Christian artist ever, topping TobyMac, David Crowder, and Skillet. And I like this because 1.) I'll see him in heaven, so he can give me music lessons and 2.) It makes his music feel more relatable to me. We both love the same Lord of the Universe.

And those are my five reasons for loving Owl City.

Pokemon X Adventures: Power Madhouse

My Team as of now:

Greninja Lv. 38

Pikachu Lv. 35

Lucario Lv. 36

Talonflare Lv. 35

Tyrunt Lv. 32

Charmelon Lv. 35

Here's how these adventures will work, my trainer will tell a story based on the last place I saved. BUT I will create a story all my own, based on only my trainer's look and his Pokemon.  I have decided after finishing this post that I will continue this story in several more posts. Here's the beginning. Enjoy. There will be NO SPOILERS. 

I repeat. NO SPOILERS. Let's begin.

I walked in to what looks to be a Power Plant. It was dark, and the place reeked of rust and oil. A wrench in the corner caught my eye, it seemed to be covered in more than just rust. Pikachu's Poke ball started to shake; he always was a scaredy cat. I let him out of his Poke ball and he walked closely behind me. The light faded out the further we went. I started to hear footsteps, and my eyes quickly locked in to the direction they were coming from. I told Pikachu to light up the room with Flash, and he was more that happy to comply. We soon had a barrier of light, and once the light reached where we thought the footsteps had reached, they were gone. Now I was beginning to shake. I walk back to that wrench, and pick it up, just for protection. We weren't dealing with a Pokemon trainer this time around. Something much, much worse. 

We reached an empty room. By this time Pikachu had been too scared to walk on his own, so he climbed on to my back, classic Ash style. The room was no longer covered in metal walls and floor grating, but now wood paneling and stoned covered the room. Our flash faded out. No matter how far we walked in to the darkness of that room, it would not lighten. I gripped the wrench tightly as we continued. We walked for several minutes. And suddenly, a lamp flickers on. It casts a shadow over a man in a chair. "Welcome." He says. His voice sends chills down my spine. Sounding so sweet and innocent, yet was all knew what was to ensue. "Have you come to visit me? I've been without company for so very long. I would be delighted if you stayed and chatted with me for a while."

"Why would I have any reason to talk with you? What could you possibly tell me that would want to make me stay?" I replied, trying not to be too argumentative. "Well. Aren't we getting rather snippy." I just begin to notice his British accent. He stands quickly, I prepare to run. "Please sit, we've much to discuss." 

"Such as?"

"Negotiating your life."

I turned to run, but to no avail. He was already there. He grasped my shoulder, white gloves rubbing against my tee. Pikachu screeched and fell off my shoulder. He ran to clasp my leg in sheer terror. I couldn't see the man's face, only an outline and a glimpse of his pompadour. My immediate reaction was to swing my wrench full force, but once it reached his body, he was gone. The only thing replacing him was air. And since there was nothing to recoil off of, I lost balance quickly and tripped. Once I lifted my head he was there again, now we were face to face. Though shadows still covered his face, I knew there was something there. I could feel his breath against my nose. "And so it begins." He leapt back in to his chair, legs crossed, waiting for my move. I didn't want to make that move any time soon. The three of us stood, a standoff. Pikachu looked at me, I couldn't help but lock eyes with our predator. The predator waited for it's prey to strike, the prey fell for the bait. I sprinted at him with the wrench. He flipped his chair backwards, leaving the legs to jab into my stomach, sending me reeling. Once I regained fortitude, our predator met me with a heel to the face. My face felt numb; he had broken my nose. Tears blurred my vision as I tried to get a bearing of my attacker. I never found that bearing. 

Lonely Lullaby

This is one of my new favorite songs. I recommend strongly that you take a look at this song if you are a fan of slow, beautiful songs or just an Owl City fan such as myself. Just him at a piano, and its perfect. These are the lyrics taken from metrolyrics.com

Symphony of silver tears,

Sing to me and sooth the ring in my ears,
Overcast these gloomy nights wear on,
But I'm holding fast because it's darkest just before the dawn.
'Cause she was my dream come true,
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you.
Just dampen my tired eyes,
Because I can't forget you.
Because I can't forget you.
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
And hung above our lids too flushed to blink,
But icy blue froze the fairytale cold,
Though I treasured you and you sparkled with someone to hold.
'Cause she was my dream come true,
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you.
Just dampen my tired eyes,
Because I can't forget you.
Because I can't forget you.
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
And I'd rather dream.
Annmarie, I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.

I sang my princess fast asleep,

But now those lonely lullabies,

I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,

Dizzy love turned a star lily pink,

I sang my princess fast asleep,

But now those lonely lullabies,

I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,

I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,

Annmarie, I'll never forget you.

You know, it's kind of odd. I fell for an AnnMarie myself once. 

Pokemon X Adventures: A Fresh Start To Classic Nostalgia

Hey there. I'm going to start up a little entertainment series called Pokemon X Adventures. I've played Pokemon ever since I was little, and Pokemon X is truly an outstanding addition to (what I found was) a diminishing series. Once I'm finished with the main story, I'm going to write a full-fledged review on the (already promising) game. I'm going to write little adventures I've had in the game, from the perspective of my trainer, Blackeye. I'm going to try and get one up every day, not including today. And don't worry, no spoilers here! I hate spoilers. And those concerned about the comment box not working, I'm going to get to work on that ASAP. Have a great day!

Scarred

I'm sure many of you have heard some tibit of information on the LAX shooting that took place yesterday. Two people killed, one a TSA agent, and seven injured. A lone gunman with 150 rounds clipped into his semi-automatic rifle. Just walked in, aimed, and fired in to hordes of innocent people, completely clueless on what was about to ensue. It reminds me of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 stage, "No Russian", where Makarov, a few of his buddies, and the player (as an undercover agent) walk in to a crowded airport and open fire. The game gives you the option to skip the level, due to material people may find distasteful or offensive. As you walk through the level your counterparts spray bullets in to the masses, and you stand there, jaw on the floor, tears in your eyes, taking part in the massacre that Makarov had created. This sounds horrible, no? It was. But Infinity Ward created tastefully, to not seem like there's no point in human life. The game is not the point I'm trying to make here. It's the thought process of a homocidal mind. How does one, no matter how excruciatingly horrible their life has been, make a concious decision to walk into a room and kill innocents. Kill a father of three children. A young boy, just remembering the fun he had at school. A teenage girl, sitting an laughing with her friends as they peruse social media sites and recalling good times together. I cannot fathom it. Just the mere thought of taking a life of someone else, ending a time span before it is due, puts tears in my eyes and softens my heart. Then there are the consequences of being there. Not even being the gunman, but seeing him rip through living beings with no reserve. It takes a toll on your mind. I always think to myself that in a situation like that, "I'd be cool. I'd take cover, and find a way to take him down." Then my logical mind smacks me around saying, "What's wrong with you! This isn't Call of Duty! You can't respawn! Your wounds won't heal! You. Will. Die." I would be scarred. Imagine being next to one of those two people who died. Watching them die. Knowing there was nothing you could do. When you went to bed that night your mind would repeat it over and over in slow motion. That memory would have been burned in to your brain and never leave. Scarred.

Maybe there's something supernatural about what he did. Maybe it wasn't concious. Maybe Satan himself entered that man to destroy many lives. Maybe not even supernatural yet still unexplainable. Mental illness is a very real thing that has unknown effects on one person to the next. Nevertheless, I pray for those involved in that shooting. That The Lord may give them peace. I ask that you do the same.