Discipline Blog - Day 5
Getting off my ass time: 2 hours (I took a walk early this morning to my bank only to discover that the branch closest to my house closed, apparently within the last week).
Today’s blog, unlike the previous couple, will be a small short story of sorts based upon one of my characters on World of Warcraft. This is simply a free-writing exercise so I apologize if it’s terrible or boring. I hope you enjoy it!
Magister Saphyron felt his robes become moist and was unsure if it was blood, sweat or urine that was the culprit. He hoped that it wasn’t urine, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t be sure he hadn’t wet himself. Saphyron was surrounded by a growing swarm of varied undead abominations. Slobbering ghouls and zombies were being trampled by bloated, stitched together horrors, all attempting to intercept and devour the Magister and his few remaining family members. Saphyron’s verdant eyes flashed and a wave of flowing ice erupted forth from him. The wave crashed upon the undead freezing them in place for a moment.
“Brother, I won’t leave without you!” Vhelian, Saphyron’s eldest younger sibling, gripped the back of Saphyron’s midnight blue robes tightly.
“You don’t get a say, I’m sorry Vhelian.” Saphyron gestured at his young brother and his angry eyes rolled back into his head. As Vhelian’s grip weakened, Saphyron pushed his brother’s sleeping form onto the boat with the others. “Live on. Belore.”
The loud crack of smashing ice signaled that the undead would soon be upon Saphyron. He turned from the small ship and began chanting. A burst of vermillion flame began to spin between Saphyron’s raised hands, and he cracked a crooked smile as he felt the first undead reach into the open wound in his side. Blood. The frothing mass of undead descended upon Saphyron’s form, and he unleashed the giant fireball. Instead of striking the undead directly, the explosive force destroyed the dock behind Saphyron and pushed the boat away from the Isle of Quel’Danas. Saphyron crumpled under the weight of the undead swarm. He turned his head away from the oncoming doom and looked towards his siblings. The last thing Saphyron felt was a sharp pain as the chain of an Abomnation came down upon his skull.
*****
This one is mine. He was a beloved son of Quel’thalas. He shall serve us in death, and the desecration will be complete.
Saphyron felt cold. It was worse than the deepest chill he had gotten from calling forth elemental cold. There was nothing around him except a periwinkle mist and a quiet whispering that issued forth from all around him. He heard only one word clearly. Serve.
A sudden burst of pain similar to hiccoughing and belching at the same time jarred Saphyron back into reality. Saphyron could feel the cold stone floor beneath his skin. I’m naked. Curious. Saphyron pushed himself off the floor. His whole body felt like he’d just crawled out of river in the coldest part of Northrend. Saphyron’s skin had taken on a bluish tinge yet he was whole. No sign at all that he had been cut open, gnawed on, or bludgeoned to death that he could see. He wanted to say he was alive, but even as the words formed in his mind he knew it wasn’t true. Even now he was beginning to hear the whispers of the Lich King in his mind.
Come Saphyron, be my weapon against the living.
Saphyron’s senses slowly came back to him and he began to look around the chamber. It was minimalist to a fault. No furniture could be found, only black marble walls and a cold slate floor. Some silver etched dark blue cloth was piled in the corner. Saphyron realized that the cloth was all that remained of his robes. Gingerly, he gathered up the tattered cloth and wrapped it around his waist. It’s cold enough without having to worry about freezing my bits off. Not that I expect to get any use out of them now. Saphyron began to approach the door. Unlocked? No such luck. The bastard isn’t going to make this easy.
Saphyron pressed his hands against the door and attempted to call forth the energy to blow apart the lock, but nothing happened. Hmm, no magic? Being dead is going to be much worse than I imagined. Saphyron let a small sigh escape from his lips and watched in amazement as small ice crystals began to form on the door. Of course! Fire magic may be impossible, but my cold spells should be intensified significantly. He pulled as much air into his lungs and expelled it as a cloud of ice. The door lock and much of the area around it had become frozen. The lock mechanism should be brittle now. With a powerful kick, Saphyron attempted to force the door open. Saphyron’s foot passed through the door as it shattered from the force of his kick. By the Dawn! That didn’t even hurt me. I should have barely cracked the lock. Apparently, death has done quite a bit for my physical strength.
Saphyron began to walk down the halls of the stone prison. Aside from the occasional skull, adorned with blue flaming eyes, the hall was as unremarkable as his cell. Every slapping footstep on the stone brought Saphyron closer to his destiny. He could feel the power inside himself. It was different than the power he had when he was alive. His body was stronger. He paused occasionally to marvel at how good his body looked. He was always a confident mage, but this was different. He couldn’t understand why this made him feel so good. It must be the Lich King’s manipulation.
This whole scenario was reminiscent of Saphyron’s graduation ceremony at the Magister’s Terrace. Saphyron approached the end of the hall and saw his mortal enemy standing on the balcony beyond. He couldn’t suppress a feeling of awe and terror at being so close to the Lich King. It was not unlike coming face to face with the would-be ruler of the High Elves. He could remember vividly the final words of Prince Sunstrider’s speech as he encouraged us not to fear the possibility of giving up our lives for Silvermoon and her allies. He told us, "Death is only the beginning".
The Lich King is going to use me as a puppet. I know this, and yet…I can’t stop myself from feeling that my death has lead the greatest moment of my life.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Discipline Blog – Days 2,3 and 4
Discipline Blog – Days 2,3 and 4
Get off my ass time: Day 2, 30 minutes… one short walk to absorb some sun… plus additional time up and down stairs for laundry; Day 3, 1hour … wandering around the school and mingling at a local benefit dinner; Day 4, 45 min (so far)… mingling and chatting with people at “Island Getaway Day” (I’m anticipating about another hour + grocery shopping after class).
The reason for the delay in my posts this week has mostly been due to the unforeseen, and unfortunate, demise of my laptop. The poor thing was barely a year old, and spent almost every waking hour with me. It survived four semesters of classes, often being very vocal in providing information to my classmates and professors when needed. It shall be missed. Let us observe a moment of silence for its passing.
Anyway, Today I’d like to discuss the future of the human race. Kinda pretentious, no?
Mankind is ultimately doomed, right? I mean, everything in existence points to us being a fleeting passing moment in the grand scheme of universal history. Everything that lives dies. So, obviously, humanity won’t last forever. As a result of the awareness of our impending doom, human imagination has been working overtime to produce (and reproduce) millions upon millions of various scenarios about the end of the human race. Nuclear wars, biblical Armageddon, eradication by meteors or robots or aliens or us, are just a few of the examples. We are obsessed with the mortality of our civilization.
Fundamentally, this affects us much in the same way that it affects an individual who spends his whole life worrying about how, when, where, and why he or she is going to die. They forget about the fact that they are still alive. More importantly, they often forget that humanity is less about death and more about the people who continue to live on.
I’m currently writing my senior thesis on an idea that addresses the very issue at hand, by examining a specific doomsday scenario and how to avoid it. However, as I’m trying to illustrate, the point of it isn’t about the fact that we are doomed; it’s about what do we do if our doom isn’t as close at hand as anyone imagines. As The Doctor says, “You spend all your time thinking about dying you can’t imagine the impossible…that you survive” (almost assuredly a misquote from the 2005 series episode “The End of the World” because I don’t have the materials handy to cross-reference well at the moment). So, whenever you get the chance and as much as possible, think about the possibility that we survive INDEFINITELY. I think when you start working it out you’ll see that it’s a far more complex, interesting and terrifying thing than thinking about how we are going to end.
There is another ulterior motive for my talking about this… that is to say: (Regardless of any other issues out there and whether or not you approve or disapprove of the methods or policies of those in power) PLEASE support anything that increases the growth and development of our space program, because personally, I am incapable of imagining a lasting future for humanity if we don’t get out there and expand into the greater cosmos.
Good night to you all, may the winds of change not smell of Durian (think wet garbage under a hot sun…).
Get off my ass time: Day 2, 30 minutes… one short walk to absorb some sun… plus additional time up and down stairs for laundry; Day 3, 1hour … wandering around the school and mingling at a local benefit dinner; Day 4, 45 min (so far)… mingling and chatting with people at “Island Getaway Day” (I’m anticipating about another hour + grocery shopping after class).
The reason for the delay in my posts this week has mostly been due to the unforeseen, and unfortunate, demise of my laptop. The poor thing was barely a year old, and spent almost every waking hour with me. It survived four semesters of classes, often being very vocal in providing information to my classmates and professors when needed. It shall be missed. Let us observe a moment of silence for its passing.
Anyway, Today I’d like to discuss the future of the human race. Kinda pretentious, no?
Mankind is ultimately doomed, right? I mean, everything in existence points to us being a fleeting passing moment in the grand scheme of universal history. Everything that lives dies. So, obviously, humanity won’t last forever. As a result of the awareness of our impending doom, human imagination has been working overtime to produce (and reproduce) millions upon millions of various scenarios about the end of the human race. Nuclear wars, biblical Armageddon, eradication by meteors or robots or aliens or us, are just a few of the examples. We are obsessed with the mortality of our civilization.
Fundamentally, this affects us much in the same way that it affects an individual who spends his whole life worrying about how, when, where, and why he or she is going to die. They forget about the fact that they are still alive. More importantly, they often forget that humanity is less about death and more about the people who continue to live on.
I’m currently writing my senior thesis on an idea that addresses the very issue at hand, by examining a specific doomsday scenario and how to avoid it. However, as I’m trying to illustrate, the point of it isn’t about the fact that we are doomed; it’s about what do we do if our doom isn’t as close at hand as anyone imagines. As The Doctor says, “You spend all your time thinking about dying you can’t imagine the impossible…that you survive” (almost assuredly a misquote from the 2005 series episode “The End of the World” because I don’t have the materials handy to cross-reference well at the moment). So, whenever you get the chance and as much as possible, think about the possibility that we survive INDEFINITELY. I think when you start working it out you’ll see that it’s a far more complex, interesting and terrifying thing than thinking about how we are going to end.
There is another ulterior motive for my talking about this… that is to say: (Regardless of any other issues out there and whether or not you approve or disapprove of the methods or policies of those in power) PLEASE support anything that increases the growth and development of our space program, because personally, I am incapable of imagining a lasting future for humanity if we don’t get out there and expand into the greater cosmos.
Good night to you all, may the winds of change not smell of Durian (think wet garbage under a hot sun…).
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Start of a New Era
The Start of a New Era
I am an aspiring professional writer, specifically an aspiring professional screenwriter. However, truth be told, I’m a terrible procrastinator and have gotten out of the habit of writing regularly. As a result I’m undertaking a new personal project: A Discipline Blog. Now I know what you are thinking and I promise this will not be a blog about any forays into S&M (Sorry, folks). Now that at least half of you have stopped reading, I can discuss what this is going to be about.
In order to be successful both personally and professionally, I need to produce some results. On the professional side, that means I need to get on my ass and write. On the personal side, it means that I need to get off my ass and move around, explore, and live for a bit. So, this “Discipline Blog” will hopefully help me do that.
My intention is to begin each blog with a statement of what I have done outside the house, preferably to get some exercise, before writing the blog each day. After that, I intend to find something, anything to write about. The topics may range from celebrity gossip, to interesting things about MMORPGs, to something new I learned or encountered at school that particular day, or any number of other topics. In other words, the blog will be about whatever is on my mind that day. Hopefully, you’ll find it interesting.
Discipline Blog – Day 1 – April 12, 2010
Off my ass time: 0 hours, 15 minutes. Today is the first day and as such, I’ve been on my feet only as long as it takes to walk down my stairs, and to/from classrooms.
Topic of conversation: Why am I not going for a walk right now?
It is a gorgeous sunny day and I’m sitting in front of a computer screen typing, listening to David Guetta and Akon’s “Sexy Bitch” and not walking around the campus soaking up some of the sunlight and “fresh” air. So, I have to ask myself, why? There are several obvious answers: 1) I’m at the school and my job is to sit on my butt and wait for students to arrive so I can provide some writing support. 2) My classes are indoors. 3) I’m lazy. 4) I’m practicing for my career as a writer which will, unfortunately, involve at lot of me sitting on my ass staring at a computer screen. All of those reasons are true and complete bullshit.
My body feels like it’s filled with writhing throngs of cells waiting to move their bodies so I can move mine. I want to be outside. I want to enjoy the day. Sedentary life be damned! So, why am I not outside walking? I can offer no explanation.
Before this gets too far into an exercise in self-centered, arrogant, self-flagellation or (even worse) a form of written masturbation, let me try and find a point in all of this spew. This should be an exercise in meta-thinking. Very rarely do we ever really pinpoint our motivations. By starting this “Discipline Blog,” I’m hoping that will I be able to share my thoughts and ramblings while developing some form of disciplined writing habits and maybe (if I’m incredibly lucky) entertain, educate, and inform some people out there in the universe. So I appreciate you putting up with my selfish needs and reading this and may we have a nice ride together.
Oh, and I appreciate comments and criticism. Please share. :-D
I am an aspiring professional writer, specifically an aspiring professional screenwriter. However, truth be told, I’m a terrible procrastinator and have gotten out of the habit of writing regularly. As a result I’m undertaking a new personal project: A Discipline Blog. Now I know what you are thinking and I promise this will not be a blog about any forays into S&M (Sorry, folks). Now that at least half of you have stopped reading, I can discuss what this is going to be about.
In order to be successful both personally and professionally, I need to produce some results. On the professional side, that means I need to get on my ass and write. On the personal side, it means that I need to get off my ass and move around, explore, and live for a bit. So, this “Discipline Blog” will hopefully help me do that.
My intention is to begin each blog with a statement of what I have done outside the house, preferably to get some exercise, before writing the blog each day. After that, I intend to find something, anything to write about. The topics may range from celebrity gossip, to interesting things about MMORPGs, to something new I learned or encountered at school that particular day, or any number of other topics. In other words, the blog will be about whatever is on my mind that day. Hopefully, you’ll find it interesting.
Discipline Blog – Day 1 – April 12, 2010
Off my ass time: 0 hours, 15 minutes. Today is the first day and as such, I’ve been on my feet only as long as it takes to walk down my stairs, and to/from classrooms.
Topic of conversation: Why am I not going for a walk right now?
It is a gorgeous sunny day and I’m sitting in front of a computer screen typing, listening to David Guetta and Akon’s “Sexy Bitch” and not walking around the campus soaking up some of the sunlight and “fresh” air. So, I have to ask myself, why? There are several obvious answers: 1) I’m at the school and my job is to sit on my butt and wait for students to arrive so I can provide some writing support. 2) My classes are indoors. 3) I’m lazy. 4) I’m practicing for my career as a writer which will, unfortunately, involve at lot of me sitting on my ass staring at a computer screen. All of those reasons are true and complete bullshit.
My body feels like it’s filled with writhing throngs of cells waiting to move their bodies so I can move mine. I want to be outside. I want to enjoy the day. Sedentary life be damned! So, why am I not outside walking? I can offer no explanation.
Before this gets too far into an exercise in self-centered, arrogant, self-flagellation or (even worse) a form of written masturbation, let me try and find a point in all of this spew. This should be an exercise in meta-thinking. Very rarely do we ever really pinpoint our motivations. By starting this “Discipline Blog,” I’m hoping that will I be able to share my thoughts and ramblings while developing some form of disciplined writing habits and maybe (if I’m incredibly lucky) entertain, educate, and inform some people out there in the universe. So I appreciate you putting up with my selfish needs and reading this and may we have a nice ride together.
Oh, and I appreciate comments and criticism. Please share. :-D
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