End of a Decade: Manga That Made the Cut

I think I really stepped my manga game up in the past few years. I was very sporadic when it came to manga back in highschool. More often than not I was simply reading manga that already had anime adaptations or manga that covered more content that the anime missed out during its initial run, like with Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray-Man. But in the past few years, especially 2019, I committed myself to reading a whole lot more manga. Whether it was reading really old series like History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi or exploring more recent additions to the world of manga like Chainsaw Man, I was kept busy. So let’s talk about some of the best manga I read that came out between 2010 and 2019. I’ll only be covering manga I read and finished, or ongoing manga I’m still following. So without further ado, let’s see which manga made the cut.

 

Fire Punch

I actually started Fire Punch on a whim after seeing it in my recommended list for a while. After a bit of digging, I learnt that it was a series from Fujimoto Tatsuki, the same mangaka behind the recent stunner Chainsaw Man. Naturally, I knew I had to read his earlier work to get a feel of what I was getting myself into. To be quite frank, I was blown away. Instead of a simple action tale, I got something entirely different. A tragedy mixed in with absurdism and revenge, all wrapped up in a post-apocalyptic setting. It’s a real exploration of the heroes journey and the motivation one requires to undergo such a journey. This works especially well when revealing all of the lives one either save or damages along the way. And so you end up with a rather profound story. One concerned with morality, consequence and philosophical conundrums.

Throughout the manga you’ll ponder, laugh, shed a tear and speculate, and I think that’s the tell of a great story.

Boku no Hero Academia

What can I say about this manga that hasn’t been said before? It’s a classic hero’s origin story but in manga form with more than enough nods to the heyday of American comics. Except it puts a fresh new spin on the world of heroes and their duties in an age where almost everyone is super. The worldbuilding isn’t phenomenal, but it’s well done enough to have most doubts pacified after a few chapters.

But I think the heart of the series lies in Midoriya and his classmates. Because it’s such a large cast of characters, they can’t all be fleshed out, but each of them have decent character development, with the main cast slowly getting fleshed out through later trials and tribulations. Kirishima isn’t the same straightforward nice guy and Todoroki isn’t just edgy boi. They’ve all grown as characters alongside our protagonist, and I think that’s one of the main hallmarks of a shonen series. Beyond the flashy fights and powers, there has to be soul, and BNHA has that in ample amount.

Kengan Ashura

Oh boy, I only heard about this thanks to Netflix. I had already tackled Baki and decided to give the Kengan Ashura anime a try. After the conclusion of the second season, I got way too impatient and dived right into the manga. This is one of those cases where I’d say the manga is so much better than the anime. Don’t get me wrong here, the anime is decent, and the CG allows for some truly fluid fight scenes, but the manga improves on all of that in so many ways. Fights flow from panel to panel with an art style that ages like fine wine as it slowly improves. There’s a diverse cast of characters with traditional or unique fighting styles, all with their own backgrounds and backstories. But you can tell that Yabako Sandrovich, the mangaka loves the art of the fight. After all, he is a martial artist.

But beyond the fighting and blood and brutality, there exists an intrigue to the world of organised underground fights that have parodies of the world’s biggest corporations involved. Politics, greed, survival and ambition all exist here, making the moments between fights just as exciting, and the interactions between characters just as interesting.

A Trail of Blood

I started reading this manga on the recommendation of a certain Youtuber. I’m not one to shy away from disturbing or controversial media, after all, I’ve read a lot of the Crossed series and I’m down to read more fucked up stuff in the future. But A Trail of Blood got under my skin in a pretty unique way. It’s a horror tale of emotional abuse and torment that continuously drives the main character down a dark spiral. One that it seems he’ll never crawl out of. It got to the point where I had to stop reading and take a bit of a break to compose myself because the portrayal is shocking for anyone who’s never experienced it and harrowing for those who have. Accented by a hauntingly beautiful yet sinister art style, this manga might be the one to wreck you.

Made in Abyss

I love Made in Abyss, more-so now that I’ve read the manga after watching the anime. It has this refreshing and playful art style that accentuates the beauty and horror of the abyss in the face of our protagonists who are kids. The mystique of the Abyss is represented well, and the fact that it’s all in black and white for our eyes is a stark contrast to how the main characters revere it. For all intents and purposes, this story is one of tragedy and adventure. A one way trip through hell where you could suffer an excruciating death as much as discover the next great treasure. And because it takes a special type of insanity to willingly delve into hell time and time again, the later characters we meet throughout the story all have unique and different personalities, all highlighted by their level of interaction with the Abyss. I think there’s still so many creatures and characters to see as we delve into the Abyss, but for all the pain I thought it’s worth it.

Yakusoku no Neverland

Another manga featuring kids, I had a lot of people asking me whether the Promised Neverland would be the next Death Note. Short answer, no. Long answer, no but that’s not a bad thing. See, the story follows a group of children as they escape from an orphanage and into a world that is dangerously different to what they had been led to believe all along. Because the kids are so smart, you get many of the nice brainy moments you’d associate with “smart guy” manga along with moments of tactical and strategic genius. I guess it’d be safe to say its very much a “guerilla warfare” manga, and if you’re into that you should definitely check it out.

Chainsaw Man

Oh, Chainsaw Man, that’s a name I never thought I‘d hear. You see, Chainsaw Man is about a boy who’s bonded with a demon and is given the amazing power of having Chainsaws protrude from his body. He then goes on to violently murder even more demons with a small group of strangers who later become friends. This is an interesting one though, because Denshi, the main character’s motivation isn’t to just become the strongest, or kill all the demons. It’s simply to live the life he’s been denied for so long thanks to his parents’ debt. He’s never kissed a girl, had a delicious breakfast or gone on a road trip. He’s done all he can to merely survive. Contrast this with the other characters in the manga who have strong goals and convictions compared to Denji’s almost casual disregard of goals.

However, it’s this blank-slate that allows Denji to grow as a character and experience new things while establishing new goals. His character arc isn’t mindless, it’s to take back what was denied from him. I think that if it goes on for much longer, Chainsaw Man will be a welcome addition to the darker Shonen Jump library, and it’ll sure as hell be a welcome classic in a couple of years.

Shuumatsu no Valkyrie

Shuumatsu no Valkyrie or Order of Ragnarok is your average fighting manga, no worries there. Except it’s a battle between the greatest heroes of Earth and the gods of multiple pantheons. It takes the classic formula of a tournament arc, spices it up and adds pure spectacle to elevate the absolute madness that goes on during the series. And the dialogue between each of the combatants is golden too since that’s the main form of character interaction we get. Other characters may voice their opinions but it’s in the heat of the moment, such as between Adam and Zeus where we see the characters’ personalities really shine through. Couple that with some stellar art and an insane lineup of characters and you’ve got a martial arts battle manga of heavenly proportions(please don’t block me).

Mahou Shoujo of the End

A perversion. That’s what I’d call this manga. It takes something inherently sweet and harmless, distorts it, kills it, pisses on it and resurrects it as something mortifying. By now you can probably tell I like apocalypse manga but this is probably by far one of the most disturbing. It doesn’t shy away from having really nasty characters as they all try their best to survive against truly nightmarish creatures, only to get brutally murdered. So if you’re squeamish and a little terrified of magical girls, yeah, skip out on this one.

Dolly Kill Kill

Dolly Kill Kill was a manga I ended up reading towards the end of high school and finished sometime during uni. It was incredibly fun, and at times heart-wrenchingly sad, but altogether an interesting concept. It brought back memories of Gantz but without the soul-crushing nihilism and existential pondering, as well as the heavy-handed shock value. Dolly Kill Kill is just an end of world manga that turns into a revenge story and ultimately a fight for humanity. I think it only ended up on this list because I really enjoyed how the art highlighted a lot of the character’s personalities as the manga progressed.

 

 

 

How Hunter × Hunter Handles Power Scale So Well

I’ve been rewatching Hunter × Hunter recently, perhaps in a vain attempt to recapture some of the old childhood nostalgia I’ve been yearning for. In fact, seeing the enthralling innocence of Gon almost makes me hate myself more for the adult I’m becoming, rather than the kid I wished to remain. But that’s a topic for another day. As I stand on the threshold of the climax of the infamous Chimera Ant Arc, a thought came to me. One that usually plagues shōnen media. The progression and escalation of the main character’s power, and how that influences the show moving forward. And dare I say, how that makes it perhaps the most influential and interesting shows in Shōnen history, bar a few exceptions.

For this piece, I’ll try keeping it short without going into some of the much longer themes like the in-depth Nen system and how character development plays a part in all of this. With Togashi-sensei in ill health, we may not ever have the chance to see exactly how far our protagonists are able to blossom and showcase their growth and strengths. However, with the mangaka’s establishment of the power structure, scaling and feats, we can more easily gauge just how well Togashi-sensei handles these issues.

So let’s dive in.

Clear Categorisation of Power

At the very beginning of the show, we see an 11-year-old Gon Freecs who has been camping and camouflaged, for hours, if not days, reel in an absolute behemoth of a fish, al in order to become a Hunter. From there, he mingles with many other people who also possess either incredible athletic capability, endurance, strength, intelligence or a combination of them all.

After seeing their clear displays of power, we discover each category has its own subcategory which each character uses to his or her advantage. Is it sustained strength, or explosive but more powerful bursts of strength? When discussing intelligence, is it the conventional intelligence one gains from years and years of absorbing knowledge, or wisdom, or strategic thinking? This gives each encounter and each arc a dynamism that a lot of other series lack. We know that Killua can lift metric tons with little to no effort, but when he is stopped in place with only a cursory glance, that shows the gap between him and his opponent, and how they apply their own power. It also makes us ask, “how the hell did they manage that??” What skill or power was used? Was it just experience, or some crazy technique we know nothing about? It doesn’t take massive and epic battles to show the difference in power like in Dragonball Z for example. Simple interactions can have the same effect as a three or four episode battle in some anime.

This further extends when one factors in Nen and the various abilities that one is granted. It is clear from the onset that a solid base is the only way to become one of the best. One of the first trials during the Hunter Exam, in fact, is to complete an ultra-run of over 50 km. Anyone who completes this is most likely at the peak of human endurance and stamina, but it merely becomes a far more impressive task for our pre-teen protagonists. That’s why their interactions with other characters are so exciting. Despite their accomplishments at such a young age, they are still fledgelings compared to older characters who can most likely do everything they can, and more. So even when we see the monstrously strong Gon, we know he might scale badly next to the incredibly technical Kurapika. Not everything is about strength, and even when it is, if there are other factors at play, it becomes a battle of multiple combinations of factors, and not just a greatest strength or weakness.

Everyone wants to become a Hunter, but out of the whole human populace, there are only roughly 600 Hunters at any given time. Only the cream of the crop can become the best of the best, and that means that even your worst must trump the average person’s best.

Consequences

The consequences of mistakes, losses or differences in strength and experience are felt very clearly in Togashi’s world. Main characters can have grievous injuries inflicted upon them. Of course, due to the nature of Nen there may be a way to downright fix the problem entirely, but there’s also a risk on the person doing the saving. It reminds me, in a way, of Fullmetal Alchemist’s law of Equivalent Exchange-but another time, maybe. I didn’t want to go too deep into Nen until I catch up to the manga. But as far as consequences, the repercussions of certain actions and decisions made, even by non-essential characters. Perhaps this is made more palpable when a minor character is given some development or backstory only to be brutally murdered.

But these consequences extend even to supporting characters and main characters, with the severity of the consequences perfectly framing the situation they’re in. Even though Goku’s self-sacrifice when dealing with Raditz is admirable, any later sacrifice means much less to the viewer as the show moves on. In Hunter × Hunter, knowing that Gon and Killua only escaped thanks to the machinations of Killua and Pakunoda’s decision makes their plight that more deadly. We know how ruthless the Troupe are based on their countless actions. Similarly to how Gon is only alive because Hisoka has a massive sado-boner for him. There are very few things that can reverse any sort of damage, at least not without major repercussions for the plot.

So when a fight, even a seemingly simple one occurs, you can’t help but be on the edge of your seat eagerly anticipating more, and the consequences that might show up in a future arc.

Emotions

Emotions don’t necessarily apply to power scale as much as it applies to Nen directly, and Nen is the driving force of most battles. See, depending on someone’s emotional state, a battle could have a radically different outcome than expected. Say, if a conjurer or manipulator panics during a battle and their ability goes haywire during the battle, or an enhancer experiences an unparalleled sense of rage at seeing a loved one die. “Emotion” doesn’t mean “git angry and git gud” only. Throughout the show, we see different emotional states in relation to power, grief, determination, righteous anger, and a vengeful spirit. In fact, Feitan’s strongest shown technique seems to have a condition around pain and the emotional state he’s in. And we’re given very detailed explanations on the character’s state of minds by the ever-present narrator. This omniscient narrator doesn’t seem out of place, and it’s more often than not refreshing to hear him break down the state of things, rather than having every character micro-analyse every little detail and aspect of their emotional state. Something that can often be a tiring trope.

All of this really does make for interesting and nail-biting battles, because we know that for all the training, for all the preparations, a simple emotional state of mind can change everything.

Experience

What does experience mean in Hunter × Hunter? Bloody, almost all of it. Whether it’s through world experience or multiple battles, the more travelled, the more versed someone is in the world, the more powerful we can expect them to be. Although it’s not explicitly stated, getting a Hunter license isn’t a prerequisite part of the test in the Zoldyck family. To further cement the fact, they’re only ever referred to as a family of “assassins“, not “hunters” and not, “Hunter Assassins“. Despite that, Illumi is acquaintances with arguably one of the most dangerous members of the Troupe, and Zeno is seemingly close old friends with Netero. Even though we’ve been introduced to Hunters as these extremely exceptional beings, it is precisely those who exist outside of the association itself that show just how little titles can mean.

Experience means strength, and this is shown all throughout the series. Strength doesn’t just come from mere training or talent. And this is incredibly apparent when Gon gets wrecked by Hanzo or Killua is unable to fully escape from Phinks. We see their physical strength, their natural talent crumble next to more experienced Nen practitioners, and they aren’t even assumed to be prodigies. Hell, even Genthru can manhandle Gon, an enhancer, quite soundly(yes he is a child, but he’s the 1 in a billion talent child who would put most adults to a shame). So when we see our characters train, we know that the advance they make might not be anything compared to actually encountering obstacles along the way. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the Greed Island training arc was fun because the whole island was basically created to train Gon. But at the end of the day, we all somewhat knew that Gon wouldn’t win through physical and battle expertise alone, not against Gentrhu at least. When he went with his own plan, he very nearly lost his life. It took meticulous planning and a lot of experience to win the day, and the experience that would ultimately matter most was from his fight with Genthru.

It is this experience that allows Netero to calmly accept his death and not allow his hubris as the “strongest Nen user alive” to jeopardise the mission against Mereum, instead opting to take him out with a bomb laced with a highly potent poison. And it is this experience that ultimately secured humanity’s victory against the ants when no one else was answering the call, and when the world leaders were too cowardly to face it head-on.

Nen

Nen is the final wildcard in understanding how well power scales in Hunter × Hunter match up with other anime’s power scales. It’s a hard power scale system, complete with rules, subtypes, conditions, aberrations and exceptions. And much like language, it takes all of this nuance to make this power system any good. Think of a soft power system anime, like… Fairy Tail. Ok, you have your energy currency,  magical energy, and your different mage classes. You also have a few subclasses and spells, but it’s all too broadly defined, and so within the story and setting of Fairy Tail, it feels a little bland. That’s not to say that soft magic or power systems are bad. After all, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures has a soft power system, but a story and a battle system that takes perfect advantage of it.

But Hunter × Hunter is on a whole other goddamn level. You see, I’m not even going to explain Nen fully, that’s something for another time. However, I’ll try to give you the basics. Nen users are broken down into 6 categories based on different tests, some of which are predetermined by personality, but verified through other means. AS they learn, they must understand and work to master four fundamentals, after which they move on to exponentially harder advanced versions of the fundamentals,  of which we currently know of. Mastering the basics is essential, but working to strengthen the advanced techniques is incredibly important. Furthermore, your strengths and roles in battle lie heavily with what you can strengthen most and what you can combine and successfully employ in battle. A scout, for example, would have strong  En, which is the application of Ren and Ten simultaneously.  Having a wide En radius and holding it for extended periods of time and even in your sleep can mean the difference between life and death. Even having a 6-metre En radius means that a skilled Nen practitioner can react to deflect or even block the attack.

And that’s not even counting the crazy amount of variety and conditions that have to be set in order to create one’s special ability, and then how one uses them in battle. One can create a vastly powerful but overly-simple attack, meaning that it may have less variety and become easier to counter in battle. If one sets too many, or too few conditions, it can result in the ability’s power being halved or not being met at all during battle. Do you see where I’m going with this? An underlying and ever-present factor in determining one’s Nen ability is both creativity and practicality. So the amount of variation one can imagine in a fight is gigantic. How many people, in fact, would have expected Netero’s strongest ability to be 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva? Almost no one, that’s who you prats.  Nen shakes up the power system so much that an almost predictable match can be called into question in a second. And that’s where all the other factors play in; your experience your emotions, and all the different strengths and weaknesses the characters exhibit.

Conclusion

Given enough time, Togashi could have made the power system in his magnum opus absolutely legendary, or at least, more so than it is now. There’s no doubt that a huge number of mangaka take inspiration from him. However, even in its current form, it’s something that has been analysed and taken apart for years on end. Very rarely do we see a power system so nuanced and intriguing shape the very nature of the story and characters in such a well thought out way. And of course it’s not perfect, but despite its shortcomings, it keeps people coming back for more and more. With the Dark Continent Arc looming, people are going crazy trying to discover what this could mean for the power system as well as the character’s fates. It’s hard to imagine that he hasn’t thought this through over and over again, and I have no doubt that whatever he delivers will be talked about for decades. But even if he doesn’t get that far, he’s given us a gem. Something that people will be talking about for ages, with or without a conclusion. And I personally think that’s something special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How Far is Too Far in the Pursuit of Freedom?

The featured image is from the Crossed series which sprouted up from the twisted mind of Garth Ennis. He’s written some pretty violent comic book series-classics like The Punisher, Preacher, and Judge Dredd. I’ve read quite a number of disturbing and horrifying things, but Crossed is the one series that really drove me to the edge in their depictions of violence, sex and cruelty. It’s a post-apocalyptic nightmare where humans have been hit with a virus that not only spreads through any bodily fluid, but that unshackles the worst part of the human psyche. Driving them to commit the worst acts possible, and enjoy it. I’m lucky I found a tamer image, but the images in some panels are definitely bad enough to make me feel squeamish at times. Yet it exists in this reality. This blatant disregard for morality is available for purchase off of selected shelves and online as well. Despite its content, it truly does have good writing at times. highlighting tales of hope, survival and the inner workings of the human psyche in terrible situations. How insanity can take hold and how people still cling to life despite everything. I wouldn’t recommend it to 90% of people, but it provides enough meaningful substance besides its meaningless violence that I wouldn’t want it gone.

On the other hand, Netflix recently released a show called Big Mouth which is a take on the nastier parts of puberty. Slapstick comedy, dick jokes, and an art style I’m not too fond of, it is definitely not my cup of tea. However, despite my avoidance of it, I can tell that it also has substance. It’s a not-so-subtle coming of age story with humour, and that resonated with people. I’m a morose and cold person on the best of days, so it makes sense that I’d avoid it, but one criticism people have is that the animated show features a lot of very explicit scenes with underage kids. Which would be horrible if it wasn’t within the context of the show, which kind of has a modicum of educational value?

I don’t know, but after re-reading Crossed and seeing a bit of Big Mouth, it had me thinking quite deeply. In this world, with access to the internet and almost instant acquisition of knowledge or material, how far can you go before you go too far? How much, is too much?

Human Perceptions of Morality

There has been a constant battle between many different factions concerning morality and how humans should view it. Religious scholars have laid claim to it, dictators have discarded them, and philosophers have questioned them. The truth is, however, that morality is utterly and completely subjective. It changes both by culture, as well as by person, and this means that there is no “one size fits all” sense of morality. One person might think of something as perfectly normal while another person can view the same thing as not only totally unacceptable but punishable. It is only in recent years that due to globalisation, we have adopted a general, albeit loose sense of morality that somewhat changes based on your upbringing, socialisation and culture, to name a few things. For example, in my culture, sex before marriage is considered immoral and abhorrent, even if you go on to marry this person later on life and stay together forever. This most likely stems from abstinence as a way to protect oneself from HIV, which affects 1 in 3 people in Southern Africa. Despite the fact that HIV treatment and prevention methods are far more advanced now than they were. But I’m getting off topic here, this isn’t about religion or morality exclusively. This is about how far our society is willing to accept certain, rather difficult topics.

Violence

Violence has always been a touchy topic for some people because of how varied it can be. A little demonstration of the nuance, if I may? Is it cartoon violence, or realistic? Any gore? Who is perpetrating the violence, and who is on the receiving end? Is the violence accurate in its truth and the people involved in it? Does it further the plot, the characters, is it mindless or artistically depicted??? Let’s catch our breath here. Violence, as simple as it is, can be complex. But as far as violence goes, well, at the end of the day it’s always been a tool.

I roll my eyes each time I hear a mum moaning about video game violence or something dumb like that. A) You should really monitor your kids more, B) of course 5-year-old Jake is going to get a little messed up if he binges Postal 2 C) Why only videogames then? Many other mediums have violence in some way or another. Well, the answer to that, and any other besmirchment of violence is simple. Agenda. Whenever a politician decries videogames as a catalyst for mass shootings, everyone always gasps despite the multiple studies that prove that isn’t the case.

What makes violence so commonplace, apart from our evolutionary predisposition to it, is how it can be used to further a narrative and to add weight to it. When Captain Miller storms Omaha beach with his men in Saving Private Ryan, people are dropping like flies. They’re losing limbs, being disembowelled, yowling for their parents…it’s gruesome. But It’s accurate. It’s not glorified killing, it’s not happy-go-lucky, it’s damned gritty. You see the struggle, the pain, the despair and how awful the conflicts during the Second World War were. It gives us an emotional connection with the soldiers, and how they struggled against all odds, and it helps make their journeys that much more compelling. And I’m not telling you that every piece of violence is justified, or should be seen as a narrative tool. You can tell when violence is pointless. But waging a war on all violence is nonsensical, especially when you can count on facing adversity at some point during your life.

Sexuality

The reason I’m using sexuality and not sex is simple. Sexuality encompasses quite a few things, from acts to mannerisms to even clothing. Human sexuality can be confusing at the best of times, and when you go deeper into different demographics like gender, age and even region, it becomes a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. Many parents think there’s something wrong with having LGBT characters in kids shows. Which shouldn’t be an issue since kids rarely put much thought into those things if the show isn’t solely centred around it. When my favourite character kisses someone I don’t immediately get the urge to go out and kiss my crush. Similarly, I doubt any kid would get the urge to be gay after seeing the bleachers scene in Star Vs the Forces of Evil. As for dress and language, that should be a no-brainer. Each culture has its own interpretations of modesty and sexual morality and it shows.

Take Nickelodeon’s The Loud House for example. Hell, that’s one of the nicest shows I’ve seen in a while. It just makes me happy, not only because it has genuinely interesting and endearing characters, but because many kids who grew up with more than one sibling can relate to Lincoln and his adventures. But I did a simple “Loud House ban” search on google and wasn’t surprised to find some angry Christian mums convinced that it was a gateway to Satan’s drinking hole or something. Another bit of news was of Kenya suspending it’s airing along with, surprisingly, The Legend of Korra and Hey Arnold, among others. These people, of course, have no problem glorifying any rightful acts of violence perpetrated by their gods or his followers, along with any other sexual and horrific acts people might commit.

Of course, there must be limits. Not only to protect our young but to not normalise or publicise otherwise niche sexual acts or thoughts. Unfortunately, the whole nature of sexuality can be incredibly biased or hypocritical where you go. It might seem normal for boys to discover porn and the like as teenagers and receive no reprimand despite it being content for adults. A teenage girl who decides to have a boyfriend or explore her sexuality might be slut-shamed, even if the actions she takes are the same as her male counterparts.  At the end of the day with the advent of the internet, there’s little to stop kids or teens from discovering certain things you might not want them to hear or see.

Of course, there are parental controls and vigorous monitoring as well as a few other factors like the influence of friends and family. But the main issue is trying your best to logically and naturally explain such complex topics to them. I was inquisitive as a kid, and by the age of 6 or 7, I knew about sex. Being raised solely by my mum and nana, it can’t have been easy for them to explain those things to me. But when they did I understood perfectly well that it was an adult thing and that was that for the moment. And even after that, I was allowed to watch pretty heavy stuff for a kid. Violence, strong language-you name it, I could watch or play most of it without supervision (I’d still sneak out to see it anyway) but my parents decided that until I was much older, no depictions of sex whatsoever. In any case, some things are hard to do, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try your hardest to explain it to kids. They’re smarter than they look.

Now let’s move from kids media to adult media. Oh boy.

Generally, I’m not opposed to any sexual depictions in adult media. If it’s rated correctly then watching it is up to the viewer’s discretion. As an adult, more mature and knowledgeable, it is up to you to rate it to the best of your ability. Don’t like that character’s costume? Cool, but why? That character is being used as a sex object? Sure thing, but how so? I get it when people get riled up over these things because it sucks to see something you like over or even undersexualised. Weird I know, but for some people, that’s super important. That said, it is important to know when something is done as intended, to evoke a certain emotion or to further that character. I was going to use an example from Love, Death & Robots but spoilers so maybe I’ll leave that for another article, but yeah. Sexuality is weird my dudes, and it makes my head throb, so let’s move on.

Language

Here are a few buzzwords you might like. Nazi, Feminist, Sexist, Trump, Gamers, Shill, Trap, Alt-Right, SJW. I could go on actually, there’s a lot of words that whip certain people into a frenzy but my guess is you’ve spent enough time on the internet to know how people react to them.

Admittedly, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 left a tremendous impact on me. I have yet to read Animal Farm, Brave New World and the like. I think the loss of words is the most terrifying thing to me. Books gave me a sense of clarity when nothing else could as a child, and they filled my head with different worlds and ideas. They opened my mind to the fact that everyone is different, whether in amazing or terrible ways. Despite that, we’ve found ways to coexist, sometimes tenuously, sometimes splendidly.

They say you can’t kill an idea, I agree. But if you kill off words, the important substance that makes up great ideas starts to get filed down. We try to limit and censor any buzzword that might cause us discomfort simply because it causes us discomfort. We turn words into slurs or overuse them until they lose all meaning. Syndrome from the Incredibles famously said, “with everyone Super, no one will be”. I’d argue that when everyone is a Nazi, no one is. Words are only given meaning and power in so much as we let them. “Negro,” became, “nigger” became, “nigga” and for better or worse became a part of our slang used by all ethnicities all over the globe. Nazi, which was originally used in reference to the Nazi German party became a catch-all term for evil Germans and is now a blanket term to refer to any right-of-centre person people don’t agree with.

Language is a constantly evolving and important aspect of humanity, and it should be the one thing we the proles defend above all else. Even if we are broken down and battered we have our ideas which can be expressed through words. Words have been reclaimed, empowered the oppressed, subjugated the weak and enlightened the unknowing. I daresay it will continue to be like that for a while longer. But if we continuously ban words that mean things to us, they leave the sphere of knowledge we have built for ourselves. We become docile, and those who would take advantage of us would surely do so.

 

Final Thoughts

I’m no saint, and I’m definitely not a genius, but I am someone who loves learning things. New things, odd things, fun thing, horrific things. I love exploring all humanity has to offer, the mundane and exciting, the esoteric and ancient. And I can’t imagine myself living in a world where I’m not allowed to see things because someone has said it goes “too far”. I, just like everyone else, have my limits. There are things that sicken me, disgust me, or downright disturb me.

But I think everyone above a certain age has the right and responsibility to draw those lines themselves. Whether it’s banning people you don’t like on Twitter, avoiding certain authors or anything along those lines. As an adult, you have every right to be offended, and handle that offence the way you like. I remember growing up, hearing grown adults whine that The Last Airbender was a tool for Satan to infect our mind or sensational headlines in newspapers about something that was only inflammatory until you read the content. Even at that age, I wondered how some adults fell for such stupid things, getting riled up and whipped into a frenzy. For each and everyone it might not matter what you read, it’s still your responsibility if you pick it up, consume it, and react as you will.

“Far” is only as much as we perceive it individually, and what might be too far for me, might not be for you. Shoving your ideas of morality onto everyone is ridiculous, and only brings room for discourse. Inside legality, no matter how odd, nasty, weird or offensive something might be to you, people have every right to support, consume and enjoy it. Even if it is Crossed.

 

 

Why Warhammer 40K Is So Frightening

I’ve been enthralled with Warhammer 40K for nearly a decade now, my first experience with it being a poorly cracked version of Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War before I went to high school. Provided, the Blood Ravens are not the best chapter, and the story was not amazing, but the beauty of the death and destruction, meshed with the zeal of the Space Marines and the righteousness of their wargear was too much for me to ignore. But until I was about 14, I knew nothing about the deeper lore of the Warhammer 40K universe, I was more interested in the gore and badass “good guys” who defended the Imperium of Mankind from the many xenos threats.

And now, about three years into my painful journey into becoming 40K loremaster, I only begin to understand the depravity, helplessness and philosophical views that Games Workshop have spent 30 years putting into the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Emperor Protects…

We are the slayers of kings, the destroyers of worlds, bringers of ruination and death in all its forms. These things we do in the name of the Emperor and in the defense of Mankind. Let none stay our wrath.
-Cato Sicarius of the Ultramarines

Warhammer 40K was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 to accompany the already existing Warhammer Fantasy. A miniature tabletop wargame, the lore, at the time, was merely meant to accompany the game and provide substance for its players. However, they must have realised they struck gold because a whole team was created to pump out lore and fluff, many good, some terrible, and fans have been faithfully reading it for well over a decade.
This is probably because the universe of Warhammer 40K is as grimdark as it is massive, filled with many pieces of elaborate lore. The writers try their best to keep it consistent, because unlike with comics, timelines cannot simply be reset and characters cannot be resurrected without dire consequences. Things are, for the most part, permanent and that means lasting effects and characters that will be remembered for their deaths as much as for their deeds in life, and the vast number of characters, races, species and cultures means that there’s an abundance of stories to be told. And while I would love to drone on and on, which I can considering my impressive well of knowledge on the subject, however that would quite possibly make this article the size of a small novel even if I tried to shorten it. So I will instead focus, on what exactly, makes the Emperor’s domain so void of hope.

To give a brief introduction, the universe of Warhammer 40K revolves around The Imperium of Mankind, otherwise known as humanity and the “rulers” of the galaxy. They have been ruling it for over 10 millennia, and longer if you count the Dark Age of Technology. In the 30th millennium, after a particularly nasty period of time known as the Age of Strife, one individual known only as The Emperor of Man came forth, and leading his savage and powerful genetically enhanced Thunder Warriors. After conquering Holy Terra, he created the Primarchs, 20 of the mightiest warriors the galaxy had ever seen. And from them, their gene “sons”, the mighty Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines. However, his beloved Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy, so he launched the Great Crusade to “reclaim” the galaxy that so rightfully belonged to humanity. After centuries of nonstop war and bringing the imperial yoke down on lost human civilisations cut off during the Age of Strife, it looked like the Imperium would go back to a time of peace and prosperity. However, the Horus Heresy occurred, a civil war initiated the Emperor’s most skilled and most beloved son, warmaster Horus Lupercal. Untold trillions died, and countless worlds burned during this short but brutal conflict. 9 traitor Primarchs sided with their brother who who had been manipulated by the ruinous powers of Chaos, and so at the climax of the Heresy, the Emperor slew his fallen son, and annihilated his very soul, the battle leaving him broken, and a shell of his former self. After being interned in the Golden Throne, a massive life support system that requires the lives of thousands of psykers every day just to keep his corpse “alive” and powering the Astronomicon, the beacon that guides ships through the warp. Humanity had everything, and was about to secure a future for itself, but through the treacherous actions of a few, an empire was brought to its knees. For over a hundred centuries after the heresy, the Empire has existed in a form of suppression, and misery, Its citizen’s live in the worst time imaginable with no technological advancement to speak of in a state of unending war. He is taught to fear the mutant, the xenos and the heretic, whilst praying to his Corpse Emperor whom is now revered as a god, because no matter how bad it is under the Imperium, it could always be worse.

Fear the Mutant, The Xenos, The Heretic

Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
-Inquisitor Titus Drake

I think after reading that brief explanation you can see how dire of a situation the Imperium of Man is in. It is assailed at all sides by foul Xenos (aliens), the Ruinous Powers of the Warp, mutants, rogue psykers, other humans who threaten its structural integrity, and a thousand things besides. Which is already tragic considering the bright future humanity had with the Emperor at the helm and ready to expand its borders, perhaps even past the known galaxy. The Emperor himself was the only person who could have brought forth this new golden age. Someone who had a vision for mankind based on the experience he had, considering he was born, presumably in 10,00 B.C. He wanted a purely secular empire, free from any religious excess or unchecked technological advancement, despite the fact that he could have easily set himself up as a god, or advanced technology to the point where it could take care of all of humanity’s basic needs. Instead, he chose a safer pass, but as he was mortally wounded, any positive future was destroyed. The Imperium became a cesspool of religious zealotry and corruption, mixed with an authoritarian norm and a pool of technological stagnation. Everyone in power knows it, but can’t do anything. Every military man knows that older weaponry is more powerful and probably more reliable because technology has stood still for more than 5000 years, if not totally regressed.

But despite all of these shortcomings the human race faces, it is hard to not see them as the bad guys. And it is a shame that you thought that because there are things out there infinitely worse. And that is arguably one of the most terrifying things about 40K, the enemies. There are too many to count, but the major ones are as follows. The Tyranids, extragalactic aliens who pretty much devour worlds, creating terrifying creatures to conquer planets and drain them of their biomass. Search them up, they’re basically what you’d get if Xenomorphs shagged Necromorphs, and then merged their babies with some crap out of Starship Troopers. However, they are just one of the more recent threats facing the entire Milky Way galaxy, and another one such threat are the Necrons. Undead organisms made out of “living metal” who desire the destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. Even if you destroy their physical bodies, which is incredibly hard, their command protocols simply move to a new body, ever ready to inflict pain and suffering. They forfeited their souls long ago, and they are untold billions of them scattered across the galaxy, so there is no bargaining, no compromise, and no delaying the inevitable. Perhaps the most persistent however, are the brutal Orkz, the near primitive but extremely violent alien species that infest he galaxy due to their unique physiology. Asexual reproducers through spores, the Orkz cannot effectively be killed off, and thus have plagued the galaxy for millennia, spreading death and destruction, not only because it is in their nature and culture, but because it is in their DNA. They live for war, die for war, and they worship the war, and when it comes to the Imperium, they know it will be a hard pressed fight with the greenskin menace. Next up are the Eldar, a grim look into what humanity could become. Tall, inhumanely beautiful and graceful, they’re basically space elves, extremely advanced space elves. Able to feel human emotions much more intensely, they reached the height of technological advancements millions of years ago, moving on from altruistic endeavours to self-fulfillment and hedonism. Their hedonism reached unheard of levels due to the fact that Eldar Souls return to new bodies in a cycle of rebirth, allowing them to shag, murder and maim each other toll the streets were running with blood and a new Chaos God was born, Slaanesh, She who Thirsts. With the birth of Slaanesh, came the fall of the Eldar, as trillions of souls were devoured never to return.

And as terrifying as they may seem, my greatest fears are the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. They are absolutely horrifying, not only by virtue of them being literal gods embodying various aspects of life itself, but by the fact that they can’t be truly understood by human minds. Because the very nature, of the Dark Gods, is incomprehensible to humans, and though they claim to bring ultimate freedom and the unshackling of the soul from the material universe, it is not worth it. It stands against everything the human condition is, and unless you’re willing to part with it, heresy should be far from your mind. But because of the many faces of Chaos and the different philosophies and ideologies each god represents, I’ll give them their own little section.

Everything Human…and Inhuman

Chaos is devious, subtle… The way of shadows.
-Inquisitor Silas Hand

By the time Chaos has its grips around your world, its already probably far too late, and without the aid of the Adeptus Sororitas, or the Adeptus Astartes, you’re probably fucked. A bullet to the head is the only way to go after that happens. Chaos is something that can only be combated by the few special individuals stout of heart, strong of mine, and utterly ruthless. The strongest, are of course the Grey Knights, Chapter Millitant of The Inquisition’s Ordo Malleus, and the Ordo Hereticus. They deal with matters purely involving daemonic activity and heresy, respectively. However, they are not enough, because there are 4 Chaos gods, all of them heading immensely dark, twisted and magnificent armies.
Each Chaos god represents a primordial aspect of the human psyche and thus can never be truly defeated despite the fleeting but hard won victories the Imperium achieves. Nurgle, perhaps the oldest of the Chaos gods is the god of, death, rot and decay, and disease. Plagues, and festering sores that give birth to mutated and disgusting creatures mark Nurgle out as a pretty disgusting god, and his gift to his followers is decay. Because Nurgle is a psychic manifestation of the oldest sentient fear…the fear of death, and one he can abate. Those afflicted by his plague become afflicted in the worst ways imaginable, and are kept from dying by any normal means, so those poor souls who cannot end themselves turn to Papa Nurgle to take away their suffering.

The next Chaos god is the youngest, Slaanesh, Prince of Pleasure or She Who Thirsts. Born from the collective psychic debauchery of the Eldar race, Slaanesh promises to fulfil your strongest desire, at the expense of your freedom. And your desires will be warped and turned against you, and you become a living thing of pleasure, seeking only to fulfill your dreams and those of your master. And while that does not seem as bad, and you may think that you’re safe, Slaanesh is so dangerous because he can offer you anything, and that means no one is safe.

Khorne, the Blood God. Maybe the second oldest Chaos god, he encompasses war and strife, and is so powerful because the galaxy is rife with these things. His followers are blessed with anything that increases their strength and their ability to draw blood. It doesn’t matter where your allegiance lies, ultimately, as long as you are in the business of drawing blood, destruction and pain, you serve Khorne, who never shies away from blood, gore and more blood. If you’re willing to give away rationality and peace for death, destruction and everlasting then glory is waiting for you as a champion of Khorne.

The final and, in my honest opinion, most frightening god, is Tzeentch, The Lord of Change. He is knower of all things and the patron of sorcerers and those who scheme. No mortal can ever comprehend him and his, machinations, wherever thwarted or successful are but a small part of his grand plan. Eternal enemy of Khorne who sees all psykers as weak and without honour, Tzeentch’s followers come to him for knowledge, or to find some sort of meaning in such a bleak galaxy, only to be ensnared in his web of deceit, lies, and the intricate strings that entangle all living things, as all things are to be manipulated by him, to his own end. Which happens to be total dominion over the galaxy, however even this is but a step because he would still strive for change, ultimately bringing his own kingdom to ruin. Only the maddest, not most logical can take even the slightest glimpse into Tzeentch’s mind and hope to gleam even a tiny bit of knowledge, and those who do not follow the criteria, are lost.

You see, the Imperium must fight these foes almost daily, and if that wasn’t enough to break your spirit, then this might be. Chaos, is completely unconquerable, because no matter how many victories you win against them, they recollect and are reborn in The Warp, another dimension ships use to travel, impossibly large and impossible to navigate as well. See, as long as Chaos represents the baser emotions that humans, or most other living beings have, they will never truly die. The universe is in a constant state of war thanks to the Horus Heresy, and in such a universe everyone fears the death that waits for them at the end of their short, miserable lives. Because of this, living things will most likely turn to anything to escape the suffering, including the literal god of hedonism, and this, it can be argued, all falls into a maddeningly grand plan. The Chaos gods will never be defeated, and that is true, because humanity alone, which counts in the trillions, inhabits the galaxy. And as long as humanity exists, so will Chaos. It is a never ending struggle, but to submit is to lose all semblance of humanity and become something foul and horrid, to human eyes at least, whilst to fight on is simply a futile and soul crushing act of defiance, one sure to drastically shorten your life, and end in pain.

So Easy to See…

We may be few, and our enemies many. Yet so long as there remains one of us still fighting, one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, then by the Allfather, the galaxy shall yet know hope.
– Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane

So it’s clear to see how fucked everyone is, and perhaps that’s why 40K is so scary. Because everyone is so, so fucked, it’s hard not to pity them as you read through the fluff. Normal citizens, those who aren’t Imperial Navy or Guardsmen are in such a sorry state that’s been going on for so long that they think it’s normal. It might be considered lucky to live until 20, or to manage to get some scraps to eat for the first time in 4 days. Despite having a more technologically advanced civilisation than us, their standard of living is way lower. In a galaxy populated by trillions upon trillions of citizens, it becomes easy for the average citizen to see that he is not special in the slightest. The guy next to me would kill to have my job if i start bitching about the low food rations, and it’s much easier for a commissar to put a bullet into a soldier for insubordination and replace him, that try and talk the soldier down.
Whole worlds are sometimes slaughtered to keep threats from spreading to other worlds, and this vast expanse of thousands of planets is ultimately ruled by a throng of extremely corrupt individuals who care only for their well-being in the end.

One of the saddest truths to come to a realisation to in Warhammer 40K, and one you realise only after much reading and analysis, is that the universe of Warhammer 40K is perhaps one of the most logical paths for the human race as we know it to go down. While the existence of the warp and Chaos is highly unlikely, the lore details almost exactly how the Imperium was brought to its knees, and the results of over a thousand years of despotism. Religious excess leads to mass worship of a mere man, not a god, but it is this faith that keeps people going, and the zealotry is more often than not harmful rather than helpful. An example that can easily be seen in today’s world through the Moorish invasion, the Spanish Inquisition and many more examples besides. Technological ruination ultimately came at the hands of AI, something the Imperium had under control initially. We are soon running towards the time that AI will be mainstream, and we can only speculate on the effect it will have, however people are not too optimistic. And the everlasting war in 40K is not too far-fetched. We’ve been on the Earth for millennia ourselves, but rarely have great steps been taken through peace, and even today we threaten each other with violence, or acts thereof.

And with prefrontal lobes too small, and adrenal glands much too large, it stands to reason that no matter how far we will advance, we’re still uncivilised monkeys with a penchant for hierarchy and violence. And that if any species could live and thrive in such a cruel environment, it would be us. Humanity is endearing, and it is that relentless grip on our ideals and the right to live that makes us so…human.

To steel your hearts for the rest of your, ultimately meaningless lives, Skold Greypelt had a few wise words, especially for an Astartes. “We may be few, and our enemies many. Yet so long as there remains one of us still fighting, one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, then by the Allfather, the galaxy shall yet know hope.”

Videogames? Yes Please.

I haven’t been able to make a lighthearted non-analytical post in a while but breaking from the once every Sunday schedule, however, today is “National Videogame Day”. It’s probably not, but its a good day to get some discounts and hold off doing today’s chores (master procrastinator). But despite the fact that its probably not even “National Videogame Day”, in fact I don’t even think that’s a day, I’ll use it as an excuse to write up some of my favourite game games as recommendations for the vetran gamers, N00bs or those who want to dive into gaming. Note that all my choices will have reasoning in them, and whilst none are in any particular order, these are all my personal choices, so they might be high on one list, high on none or completely overlooked. I’ll only really be going in depth with systems that I’ve spent a significant amount of time with, so I’m terribly sorry Xbox owners but…no. Also, If  game is cross platform, I’ll mention it but put it on the platform I first played it on or best prefer it.

So to begin with, we’ll start with the filthiest of filthy casuals. Mobile Gamers

I really have nothing against mobile gaming. When I was in boarding school and deprived of almost all technology besides my shitty phone, I almost felt like drowning. Mind you, I went to highschool in 2010, before smart phones were a regular thing in Malawi. You know, back when we used Mxit (kill me now), and you could see that someone was watching porn on BBM if you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to have a Blackberry or Symbian device (chat shit if you even know what that is). All bants aside however, although my preferred devices are an Android phone and iPad Mini, I’ll include both.

Android
One of my favourite games was Super Monster Ate My Condo by PikPok studios in partnership with Cartoon Network which was a bright and colorful rollercoaster ride of a game. If you like fast and furious swiping and hours on end mindless swiping, this is for you. The ridiculous high scores you can get and crazy multipliers are just further incentives. Another game is Badlands, which is a game best played on a large game and with friends as you control squishy beings through a course. Fun co-op adventures with your friends. Finally, Plague Inc, which is a game where you create a plague, playfully name it and unleash it on the world. If you’re one with little to no sympathy for the suffering and plights for AI, and imaginary worlds, you’ll definitely love this one.

Apple
I’ve owned both the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini and for any naysayers, gaming is delightful on Apple devices, arguably more so than on Android. Not only because of Apple’s top notch specs and craftsmanship, but because they keep a strict eye on exactly what’s on their store, meaning you won’t find 70 clones of the same game, and also if there’s a game on Android, it’s sure as hell on Apple. So kicking it off, we’ll go with two games by Rayark studios, Cytus, and Deemo. These are rhythm music games with incredible art. So think of them as that old school mobile Guitar Hero but 50 times better. The games cover genres from metal, to electro to classical, and you’ll hear original compositions from talented artists making for a unique experience. They’re both on android but I prefert hem on Apple. The second game is Monument Valley, and honestly, if “aesthetically pleasing” is your middle name, this might be your brainchild. It’s a wonderfully brilliant isometric puzzle game that will leave you breathless at it’s beauty, and it’s definitely worth playing if you like getting the brain muscles straining.  For the final entries, I’ll give it to Infinity Blade. A marvel of a game with exciting battle mechanics, a rewarding loot system, replayability value, a continual story and so…much…armour! It was developed using the famed Unreal Engine, meaning the graphics are magnificent, and it’s an IOS exclusive and as far as I’ve heard, has never been on Android. Finally, we have Broken Age, another beautiful game with hand drawn animations. However, what sets it apart is the fact that it is a story driven game directed by Tim Schafer, well known for his comedic writing style and wit. He’s been behind some pretty famous cult hits so, your loss.

Moving on from the filthy casual to the eccentric gamers, or not so filthy casuals is the realm of Handheld Gaming. Some people don’t see the use of having a dedicated gaming system in their pocket, but people overlook the great titles on these systems for the most part. Nintendo and Sony both have a big market claim to this, but we’ll be covering the dying Sony PS Vita and fading 3DS due to the fact that I’m too poor to afford a Nintendo Switch…

Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo have a myriad of great titles existing more in the real of franchises, which is how I’ll tackle this gaming beast. I owned both the Gameboy Advance SP and currently have my prized Solgaleo & Luna Edition Nintendo 3DS XL. I won’t cover well known titles like Mario and Pokémon, so my first title suggestion is Super Smash Bros which is a brawler type game which contains many character both within and outside Nintendo such as Lucario, Pikachu, Cloud and Ryu. It’s a great fighting game that is just as fun as Mario Kart and less friendship ruining. The second title for me has got to be Dragon Quest VIII, a little known game first released on the PS2 and rereleased on the 3DS with tons of additional content and the same classic and biting British humour. It’s a charming RPG wrapped in a childish package but peppered with enough obscure adult jokes to draw in all types of players. The third entry which is a franchise is Fire Emblem which has a number of titles for you to pick from though I recommend Fire Emblem Awakening for beginners due to it’s amazing story, great soundtrack and epic anime cutscenes. It’s a turn based strategy game for all you intellectuals who are above boorish brutality. And for all of you who want a good long story with a sprawling open world, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is the way to go. Another RPG, but with great voice acting as well as an intriguing combat system.

PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita is a bit of an odd one. Sony announced this beast in 2012, a beautiful OLED screen paired with dual analog sticks, a touchpad and a touchscreen, it had every means to be a household necessity for gamers. However, Sony dropped the ball quick and it was never picked up again, but that doesn’t mean it has no good titles. It has many, and some that can even go against the best of Niintendo’s. The first for me has to be Persona 4. The Japanese are weird as hell, but this game which is equal part RPG and school simulator blends gameplay and story together so well that it becomes straight up addictive. The second game for me is Soul Sacrifice Delta, which is a crazy RPG where you can sacrifice your body parts or even your soul to gain access to powerful attacks and magics. Besides the great story, theses are gamplay changers that breathe life into the usual run-of-the-mill RPGs. The third game is definitely Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 which is a cross franchise fighting game which puts you in control of your favourite Marvel and Capcom characters for an exciting fighter experience. The final game for me is Hotline Miami. I cannot stress, just how intense this game can get despite its seemingly simple premise. Its a game best known for intensity, difficulty and violence. Active gore seekers, this one’s for you.

Now before we go onto console gaming, we have to cover a section that I’m just getting into, which is PC Gaming. It’s definitely something I wish I had more experience with PCS growing up. However, getting into PC gaming is an expensive venture that is good for the long term for the most part. If you build your own gaming rig, it can last you a decade if you take care of it. With that said, I’ll go through my top 6 PC Games.

PC Gaming
I grew up with an abysmally shitty PC. We already had a PS2 so there was no way my parents would dole out any more money on a powerful PC. However that didn’t stop us from trying to run games on our potato laptops and desktop. The first genre I got into was strategy, and that genre is widely covered and well saturated. However, I would suggest Age of Empires, Dawn of War, Civilisation and the Total War franchises which will count as one entry for the purpose of this blog. The second game, however, is a timeless classic. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were marvels of gaming that reinvented the genre, showing that storytelling and gameplay were not limitations, but obstacles to be stepped over when making games. To put it into perspective, Half-Life 2 came out in 2004 and people are still crying out for Half-Life 3. Third on the list is Limbo, by Playdead studio. An indie game about a boy who wakes up in a forest and is trying to find his sister. Throughout his journey, he encounters dangerous puzzles and a horrifying spider, however, this is much a story of loneliness and desperation, filled with dark and haunting undertones and a highly contrasting black and white art style. Keeping up with the high expectation, they released a sequel called Inside to critical acclaim. The fourth entry is Left 4 Dead 2, which is a zombie shooter game which released on PC over 10 years ago. It is high paced and got so many things right, and its been a while since gamers have experienced the type of high stakes team based action from a game. Now, the fifth game is a bit of an oddity, mainly because it is something of an arthouse game. Alan Wake is a supernatural, horror, story driven game in which the titular main character arrives in a town and fight enemies with light. It is chilling, depressing and fantastic all at once and a must play for anyone who can get their hands on it now that its been removed from the Steam store. Finally we have Bioshock, the original rendition not the shitty remaster. Bioshock is an interesting game because A) it takes place underwater and B) it contains Orwellian undertones you wouldn’t expect in a PC game. With its iconic enemies and the distinct gloom in the underwater Rapture, the game and its sequals all the way up to Bioshock Infinite will leave you enthralled.

Now onto my favourite part because nothing warms my heart like a controller in my hand. I’ve been gaming since the PlayStation One and I’ve had every iteration of Sony’s PlayStation ever since. Because of this, I’ll focus on my 6 PS4 exclusive titles/ So without further ado, lets focus on the best PlayStation 4 Title’s

Playstation 4
The PS4 is something you’ll either covet, or overlook. So if you’re the type who only buys a PS4 for FIFA and 2K, then kindly fuck outta here. If not, time to look at our number one pick, InFamous Second Son. The story wasn’t as high stakes as the first game, however, being one of the Flagship games and exclusives the PS4 had during its release, it cemented the PS4 as the top and go to console of it’s generation. With its fantastic open world and destructable environment, InFamous showcased the PS4’s immense power and capability to play beautiful games at 1080p. The second game is undoubtedly Uncharted 4: a Thief’s End. With movie level storytelling, hyper-realistic graphics and action scenes that would put Michael Bay to shame, this is a game that deserves to be in everyone’s library, and one that only PlayStation gamers have the liberty of playing. Thirdly, we have Bloodborne. I’ve spoken about Bloodborne before, but never at length, which I will do some other time. The game epitomises atmosphere, and everything from opening the cathedral doors to defeating a boss will leave your heart pumping like a 13 year old boy’s after his first kiss. The Last of Us Remastered which can be summarised in one word…feels. Honestly, this game had me crying like a little bitch before the first act was done, and by the time the game was over, I was an emotional wreck who was very irritable and brooding.  Go…just go play it. For our fifth entry, we have Guerrilla studio’s very own Horizon Zero Dawn. For a studio that developed only shooters, this was a big departure, and an even bigger payoff as Horizon Zero Dawn was an exciting open world game with a strong, well written female lead and an intricate world with ample lore. It’s best to get this because Guerrilla studios will be looking to raise the bar even higher with the sequel. Finally, we have Atlus studio’s Persona 5 which released only on PS4 and PS3. Style and Life, are the only ways to describe this phenomenal game. Seriously, like go play it and see how addictive it can get. Even answering a question wrong in class affects gameplay. Fuck.

But that was my list for you guys, and I hope you enjoyed it. What are your favourite games to jam? Anything you think is particularly interesting, I’d love to know.
Anyways, never stop playing.

**Persona 5-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tP4UkC6dB0
**The Last of Us Remastered-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Pz9O2Pts0
**Horizon Zero Dawn-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxIRk3q-ck
**InFamous Second Son-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gACPlAiFlRo
**Bloodborne-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1iKYjVFigM

**Broken Age-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPfH5AmMVH8
**Monument Valley-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqfytVQlhAM
**Infinity Blade-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XseC2DBB4
**Cytus-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufxIARGVpuk

**Dragon Quest VIII-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZPa17muTZU
**Xenoblade Chronicles-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY5N5sX5t-4
**Fire Emblem Awakening-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvupmEk1peE
**Super Smash Bros for 3DS-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCbDMwzUPAA

**Soul Sacrifice-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTQKFIZC3Qw
**Persona 4 Golden-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ba8LKmqYxA
**Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_spykdPbu4
**Hotline Miami-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53tfOJwmg9I

**Civilisation VI-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lV2r7kORKs
**BioShock-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp0Tz-qWmM8
**Warhammer:Dawn of War III-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpqvjUslvgM
**Half-Life 2-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxQVP3LHciQ
**Left 4 Dead-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o3_5GmnebI
**Total War Rome 2-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEp1U9_rG8
**Alan Wake-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmLj0SN_hY

 

The Cancer of Safe Spaces

This’ll be a long one folks. Buckle up.
As I become ever so slightly more mature, I find myself noticing more and more trends and trivialities in our society. Gone were the days of youthful ignorance, where nothing in the news would bother me, mainly because everything I loved and held dear was relatively unaffected by all the political or social upheaval going on at the time. And my biggest loves at the time were anime/manga, comics and gaming. I may have mentioned briefly that I am a huge geek. That would be the understatement of the century. Asking me to choose between my favourite character in any of the three would be like asking me which child I would rather kill. My escapades began with a PS One my dad got for my sisters, but which they obviously didn’t care for. We also had a SNES and Saga Genesis, all of which I would play often with my older brother whenever we were at my dad’s place. However, the first time I truly loved playing a videogame was when my dad bought me the PS4 for my fourth birthday. Playing the Ratchet and Clank Demo brought me unfathomable joy, but that was nothing compared to the utter elation I felt when I popped in Jak 3. It was a beautiful “open world” action adventure game with amazing humour, and a daring and dark main character. The art was cartoony, but at the same time, you could see the levels of detail and appreciation that went into the levels, and gameplay elements that the game had to offer. This, arguably could have kickstarted my love of the arts, as videogames, the best tend to meld the best of the arts into a playable package, design, music, dialogue, themes, and more. It’s hard to emphasise the level of detail and commitment that goes into games and I could say that it’s one of the most artistically free mediums of expression. You have almost every genre, every trope, every representation of culture and so many new ideas being generated that there’s something for everyone, and that’s not counting the existing legendary franchises already existing like The Legend of Zelda, The Witcher, Fallout and more, but I’ll be talking about them another time.

That being said though, my favourite mediums and sources of enjoyment have been hijacked by the dreaded Social Justice Warriors. Imbeciles that become indignant at anything they feel might offend them in any way. They are usually feminazis, or ignorant virtue signallers who think bashing something just because their favourite youtuber or blogger complained about them will get them “good citizen” points. What do I mean by this? Well my strongest gripe has been with one Anita Sarkeesian, a woman who has made it her personal mission to denounce, and change sexism in videogames. This, is a value which I find admirable. The equality that should be found in both sexes, and good representation which should be given to women. However, Anita Sarkeesian, whilst having a fundamental understanding of videogames, has done very little to appeal to the very mixed and diverse gaming community. She has continued to alienate and insult the community, displaying her lack of knowledge and biased opinions on videogames, failing to name games that have done amazing things for the series. For years now, purer RPGs have given players the choice between a male and female character. There are many videogames with a female main character such as Tomb Raider, which was released more than a decade ago, The Last of Us and more recently, the amazing Horizon Zero Dawn. More recently, she has criticised the amazing Breath of the Wild for portraying the princess Zelda as a “damsel in distress”. An unbased accusation to say the least. For someone who looks at things from one perspective, and doesn’t record her own gameplay, meaning that she doesn’t even play the games that she critiques, she is simply an unwanted scavenger leeching off one of the most versatile and egalitarian form of entertainment around.

Now, switching to comics. I developed a love of comics from the time that my cousin showed me a Namor comic. And as I’ve grown and read many comics growing up, more mature and more diverse I am exposed to many ideas. Notable mentions are V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Blackest Night, The Sandman series, Death of a Family and Marvel’s Civil War. I truly love the writing and different art that goes into the pages of the comics. The story can be told from dialogue, as well as the art, and the impression it can leave on you can be emotionally shocking. Especially if you read amazing graphic novels. And thus, the comic book industry has prided itself in its consistent and sharp writing. Something that keeps readers coming back from more. Now, due to the current state of the media, comic books are being filled with utter trash. A good example would be the cancellation of the Killing Joke variant comic book cover for Batgirl. Which was a huge blow to the comic book community as it showed blatant disrespect for the fans, and free speech. And while DC reeled from the hijacking of its comics by SJWs, they have recovered with their Rebirth series. However, Marvel, which is my personal favourite publication company is falling behind in sales due to its SJW swivel. The writing has become abhorrent, the characters are being replaced left and right, and it is clear to see how Marvel is marketing their comics. “Our readers are misogynistic, racist and cisphobic white privileged males who need trashy comics and more diversity whether they like it or not.” My mum taught me how to respect women, and anyone else for that matter, and I don’t need you to tell me how to do that.

And that’s the thing, this leftist crowd is acting  like there has never been diversity in comics. There always has. Has tit always been handled well…? No, the 70s were particularly bad, however, comics have never been a single shade. And neither have games, or anime, or manga, as each form of entertainment is shaped by its culture, and many cultures have advanced significantly. Trust me, some Englishmen could sell their wives up to the 1700s. I enjoy the things I love. And I love to talk about them. These people screaming from their safe spaces, denying people the opportunity to express their ideas, and denying free speech are encroaching upon my hobbies and passions, and I hate that more than anything. Filling the media with their conceited bullshit and having their heads so far up their asses, they can’t even hear the nonsense they spew. Society has always benefitted from the exchange of ideas. The discussion and the debate that allows us to become better as people, and create  better things. And from these safe spaces and banners, riots and demonstrations, they hide from the truth and spread their lies and skewed ideas of society to you, screaming as loud as they can.

And I write this to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you. That your favourite forms of entertainment aren’s hijacked and rewritten. Always be mindful of what you read and watch, especially on social media. Some agendas are worse than ever, and fake news will always be prevalent *cough cough, BLM*, however it is up to us to  challenge the ideas we hear everyday. Be skeptical, and stay enlightened. Expand your knowledge, and beware the cancer of safe spaces

Hip-Hop: The Art of Storytelling

Hip-Hop and Rap, are perhaps the most diverse and intricate forms of music around today. Rap itself, originated in the late 1970s, poverty stricken Bronx area of New York. Poetry met music, and spread across the US like wildfire, before becoming a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, Hip-Hop has such a wide and influential history that I could sit and write a full essay about its origins, controversies and influence, but that would leave us here till the next semester rolls through. We are currently in the “Hip-Hop” era, and that much is undisputed. At this time, Hip-Hop outsells any other form of music, and while I have an immense love for all music, in particular, it would be foolish to underplay the value of Hip-Hop in today’s society. From the great faces it has brought to the light, to the culture that has spanned generations and influenced teens and music scenes across the world.

Some of the best rappers in the past 2 decades have spread their message and stories to many avid listeners across the world. For anyone doubting me, you’re reading the blog of a Malawian who’s listening to the Wu Tang Clan, and has almost every rapper from Ab-Soul to Yelawolf. My personal favourites include Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller, Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, Flatbush Zombies, Kanye West, Tech N9ne, J. Cole, Method Man, Nas and Mike Shinoda, just to name a few. As you can probably tell from that list, I love the storytelling aspect that rap gives, as well as the less mainstream aspects of Rap. I feel like I lean towards underground, non-mainstream rap, because as the years go by, Rap moves further away from the original movement of inspiration, innovation and change. You see, because while in Rap’s long and weathered history, the music has, strangely, been immensely diverse, with perhaps more sub-genres than even Rock. As long as I can remember growing up, even if two rappers were similar, they were never ever the same. They had their own nuances and differences that allowed the Hip-Hop Scene to grow even bigger than it already was.

Storytelling Rap touched my heart quite strongly, especially after I first listened  to Stan, by Eminem. His Magnum Opus according to many people, myself included. And as I grew older, and more involved with writing, documentaries, and the common man’s story, rap became a very strong source of inspiration. Hearing how your favourite rapper truly made it to the top from the bottom through skill, luck and a hefty amount of commitment really hits a nerve. and listening to Kendrick Lamar go into depth throughout Good Kid MaaD City really got my imagination running. And lets not talk about how deep J. Cole went in 4 Your Eyez Only. Whilst many stories have been told throughout other genres, Hip-Hop’s stories manage to go to the core. And why may that be some ask? It may because of the clever wordplay and punchlines. The sublime rhyme and cadence as well as the masterfully crafted beats. But, I think it may be because of the variety of stories told, and the numerous ways they’ve been told. From the linear narratives, to the disjointed tales that span albums, simply to the brief hints placed throughout albums. A lot can be told about an artist and his story from what he sings, and the personal touch bleeds through hip-hop profusely. A good example of this could be Mac Miller, who doesn’t exactly narrate his raps like a story, but gives many hints of his life and his struggles through his music, all while keeping to the themes of his music.

Now that we’ve covered that, its time to bite into the heart of the matter. The so called wave of Mumble Rap. This is entirely my opinion, and I won’t hesitate to say just how distasteful I find the stuff. It’s an amalgamation of the recent trends of finding a catchy beat to make some fourth grade rhymes to. Fine, I’m not saying you can’t listen to it, in fact, I admit that some tracks make for good club bangers. I can bump to Panda and Broccoli in the heat of the moment. But that’s about it for me, the heat of the moment. I’ve almost never gone into my playlist to sit down and listen to some Lil Uzi or, (god forbid), Kodak Black. Do not come to me with some trash like, “Oh, they’re just as good as Kendrick or Kanye.) Respect your fucking self. It lacks the heart and soul that makes Hip-Hop what it truly is. The intuitive flow and wit that compels people to sit down and listen. A comprehensive look into the history and culture of African Americans, and their long struggle. The true soul, is what Mumble Rap lacks.

Now, I still say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as I am to mine. I am not barring anyone from listening to the music that they prefer. That, to me, is as sacrosanct as any of your holy books are to you. Perhaps I am more inclined to speak out in light of President Trump’s rise to presidency and growing race tensions in the US, and another country that is quite close to my heart, South Africa. Hip Hop has the power to move hearts and spread powerful message. Many artists have managed to make money spreading a message that encourages black on black violence and gang affiliation, and that should never be forgotten. others, have made it clear to tell the story of their lives and the struggles that they saw growing up. People like Kendrick Lamar and Logic, who have experienced drugs and violence, but have nonetheless risen above their pasts and are still spreading positive vibrations in their music. Far too few artists in Hip Hop have promoted peace and love, which is a shame, because it is something the genre, and culture sorely needs.

My admiration for Hip Hop goes deep, with many of my friends and peers being involved in the genre in one way or another. I have grown to love the diversity and history of the Hip Hop culture as I have grown and my musical tastes have expanded. The influence it holds as well as the power and allure that keeps many young people flocking to its boughs. As for me, I will continue to be enthralled by music, and its healing nature. My parting words are to continue to explore the hidden facets of your interests. Never be deterred or overwhelmed by the amount of content, because you’ll never know if you’ll find a diamond in a rhinestone unless you search. As Nas said, “Let the music diffuse all the tension”.

 

What it means to be part of Generation Z

Juvenoia; which is the hostility, or fear directed by an older generation towards a younger one. The general belief that the current generation is better than the one to come. Remember this, ‘cause it will come into play later on.

But for now, you must be asking yourself, what is Generation Z? How do you know what generation you’re in? Well, I trust that you people are smart enough to do your own research, but Generation Z, for simplicity’s sake, is the generation following the Millennial Generation. You know, most of our parents and uncles, and some cousins. It’s a generation that is conservative in nature, being involved in major political affairs, such as the Cold War and the Iraq-Iran War. For Africans, it’s also a period associated with freedom! Independence! and the subsequent rise of incompetent, ruthless, and corrupt leaders. It’s no wonder many people are so mad at the Millennial Generation, they appear to have successfully fucked things up, almost to an irreversible state.  If you were born sometime between 1997 and 2004, good news, you’re part of Generation Z! As cool as it sounds, it doesn’t seem to be going well for us. I jokingly often write in my journal that we are the “Generation of Fear”, primarily being the ones scared. Before many of us could even experience fear…boom! The Columbine Massacre, which shocked the world, the Y2K scare, which many thought would end the world, the horrific 9/11 attacks, and the Great Recession. As we grew older, we witnessed the Iraq War, and more terror attacks than had ever been seen. And not just terrorism from Islamic factions, but gun violence and mass shootings too. The Garissa University attack in Kenya leaving 150 people dead, the kidnapping of girls by Boko Haram, the Paris bombings, and most recently, the possibility that a racist and misogynist like Donald Trump might become president of the most powerful country in the world.

Yes, it seems we are a failed generation despite not having reached our potential. I, for one, am still not in college, yet I seemed to have disappointed the majority of my onlookers and relatives by becoming a rebel and not striving to be an engineer, doctor, or lawyer. I instead have a deep rooted love of quiet, books, photography, and technology. Maybe because of this, the juvenoia directed towards me is rather strong. I feel constantly berated by my elders for my own life choices, choosing happiness, and a little bit of money, over the money alone. Some people might argue that juvenoia is a good influence on us youngsters. It’d do us some good to listen to our elders for once. Wrong! And this is especially true for us Africans, especially considering that our elders are the corrupt and unreliable leaders who have contributed some part to the general state of things on our lovely continent.  I think that their juvenoia is terribly misplaced, considering we are more educated, well informed, and knowledgeable than them. We may not have their wisdom, but the ability to change our destinies and break the cycle of tribalism, hatred, racism and poverty is in our hands. Basically, what I’m saying is, stop giving us so much shit. This isn’t all our faults.

We may not be even near to perfect. The media makes us seem like a bunch of unruly animals, what with all the teen pregnancies, and drug abuse among teenagers, and the thousand other things said about us. But really, who can put all the blame on us? I’m not trying to make us unaccountable, but when you see what we see, you’d understand. Oh the glitz and the glam! The rappers with their jewellery and cars, the models marrying said rappers. The celebrities who sniff lines of coke and win Grammies and Oscars and the reality stars who are able to rise to stardom from saying, or doing things that would ordinarily warrant quite a lot of shame. We are the recipients of a world that has seen the most organised drug trafficking, human trafficking and crime…yet. Not to mention the generation that has been introduced to all sorts of new substances, all at reasonable street prices, and introduced to the worst sorts of radicalism, all accessible through your favourite media platform.

Cyber bullying, ebola, police violence, riots, child porn, drugs, zika, terrorism, radicalism, mass shootings, increasing suicide rate, anxiety, been there, done that. Fear, fear, FEAR stress, stress, STRESS….are you scared yet? Good, because we’re still here.

We’re not only hanging on, we’re becoming better for it. Our generation is the first to, for the most part, be alright with same sax marriage. We are the least racist generation in a long time. We’re independent, wanting to become entrepreneurs and carve our own paths. We’re the generation with the most friends outside of our sex, religion and race. More educated and open minded, we’re very serious about change for the better. At least, those who can manage to do so, even in the smallest ways. We’ve been exposed to the worst of it, and we’re moving forward. “Kids these days,” they say disapprovingly. Yes, kids these days. Us. We may be young, but we’ve got big plans. We dress differently, and listen to, admittedly, awful music(at times) and we think differently. But if we’re fixing some of the messes you made, and some you couldn’t fix, then it might be time to change that tone.

We’re the generation of Crisis, after the Unravelling, and we were born to not be just another statistic to scare the next generation into behaving. We’re the harbingers of change, and revolution, to inspire the next genration. It’s time to start moving.

Ignorance, And what Becomes of It

As I write this to you, 25000 ft in the air, I am currently contemplating three things. What my last words would be if this plane crashed and I was in it, which method is more favourable to me, the Epicurean, or the Stoic, and what new piece of knowledge to digest when I land. I, by nature, am a curious creature. And that isn’t to say that I am a foreign being unknown to humans, but that I am one interested in the workings and mechanics of many things. I have, much to the disdain of my parents, opened, and shabbily put together various pieces of equipment and technology, ranging from watches, to laptops. However, my curiosity does not stop at the practical level. It has always been surpassed by theoretical knowledge. The type that stems from the ancient pages of books, some new, and some long forgotten.

As a young child, I was raised mostly by my grandmother, and various relations on my mother’s side. Tough as nails, this woman was very strict on what I watched, especially cartoons. While this didn’t stop me from finding rather mischievous ways to get my daily dose of Samurai Jack and Courage the Cowardly Dog, it did mean that more than half of my time was spent       watching National Geographic, History and the Discovery Channel. While, at first, this was a very tedious exercise, I began to grow rather fond of it. Very quickly learning how the universe was most likely formed and of the Allied victory against the Nazis during WWII, I had by the age of six, a rather large well of knowledge. Most of it seemed utterly useless at the time, but I was still pleased that I knew four times more about the world and its history than any of my peers.

Ancient History at the time was my absolute favourite. It was almost like being transported to a whole other world. One which had grown, prospered and died. Probably one of the reasons my favourite subjects are the arts and humanities. And despite my absolute loathing of mathematics and the sciences, I would never miss out on an opportunity to learn about the universe or our planet, even dabbling into the basics of quantum physics and the like. For a long time, I took this for granted, at least until my first year of high school.

It wasn’t so hard to notice I was more versed in real life knowledge than my peers, taking a more pragmatic approach to many other things. Thus, when presented with a plethora of conspiracy theories and myths, it was extremely easy for me to shrug them off. Unfortunately, I had to deal with their ramblings, and that made me wonder why I was so different. Now I realise that the vast amounts of information I had amassed over the years had both contributed to my general knowledge, as well as made my friends seem a tad bit more stupid. I had to deal with their irrational behaviour, and that, I’m sad to say, did influence the way I looked at them. They just seemed more childish and, well…ignorant. And that’s the sad truth. In my case, I’ve always known there are millions of people more knowledgeable than me, but I always try to learn to my greatest capacity. In that way, I always feel like I can hold my own in a conversation, be it with a learned scholar, or an adamant geek.

Ignorance, is the bane of a species that has survived, thrived and conquered due to our ability to learn and adapt to the problems that we face. Ignorance breeds hatred, and mistrust among us. Look at the slave trade and segregation based on sexual orientation, race and religion. We align ourselves with one point, rooted to the spot and never bothering to consider other options or possibilities. We believe that our knowledge is unparalleled despite other voices that rise up, or evidence against us. Worst of all, we pass this way of thinking to other people, especially those close to us, and this creates a cesspool of filth and ignorance. Bigotry and racism.

We never question the small things that we take for granted, and unwittingly create a dark pool from which a number of nasty things can fester due to our ignorance. To the enlightened soul, this darkness is akin to poison, and must be avoided. Which is probably why a learned man will speak with an uneducated one with a curled lip. However, this can be avoided by doing something simple. No, you need not read Gray’s Anatomy, or every Shakespearean work. You need only question. And by doing that, you open yourself up to possibilities, and facts and theories. After which, your curiosity will entice you to do a little research and you will sound, at least, a little more intelligent, and can engage in conversations with more people. But most importantly, you will begin to understand. Not just about our beautiful world, but about cultures, and history, and people. You won’t think that all Africans live in trees, or that depression is a first world problem. You’ll have better empathy for other people, and a little more love because of it.

Stamping out ignorance, won’t single-handedly solve the world’s  problems. Nor will it make every person better. But I do hope it broadens perspectives, and that’s what everyone should be doing in the 21^st century.

Until next time.

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I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog so far, and those who have encouraged and commented on my posts. If you really like it, I would love it if you shared and subscribed to my blog. And if ever you think there’s a topic that needs discussing or would just be plane interesting, say so in the comments.

Teenage Love, Aphrodite and a Pragmatic Motherfucker

I write this because after a moment of sombre reflection the other day, I began to ask myself, “why the hell do I have to listen other people’s girl problems.” It began to irritate me after I figured how often various people come to my room talking about their so-called “girl problems.” And this isn’t counting how often I hear other people’s girl problems in, say, a prefects room. The hub for all the hostel news. So why am I writing this you ask? Well, this particular post isn’t one with a beginning and end. Just a thoughtful analysis.

If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m the “pragmatic motherhfucker” of the title. And I choose that title, mainly because I am not easily moved to emotion, being one of those people who, quite honestly, has something only resembling a heart. I barely ever catch feelings, and when I do, I am very slow to be moved to said feelings.As a result of this, more often than not, I am able to easily assess and solve rather complicated, or maybe seemingly complicated life issues. This is perhaps, one of the reasons that I am unable to feel much sympathy for the people who end up whining about their girl problems. More often than not, I hear such stories from “fuckboys”, as they are now widely known. The ironically much hated, yet much sought after male. Let it be known that I have no sympathy for total dicks, because that’s basically what a fuckboy, or anyone for that matter who does that, be it girl or boy, is. However, it amuses me greatly to hear their complaints. It’s still rather annoying though.

But in the end it often comes down to my advice, and this is perhaps the simplest, and best thing to do, and what should  have been done in the beginning. Something that, perhaps comes easy to me because of the way I was raised. I usually give different advice to what I really think, which is usually just, be nice to her bro. Sincerely compliment her every once in a while. Tell a funny joke, surprise her and just be yourself. If you’re being unfaitful then you might as well just break it off and choose one already. It would savee you a lot of strife. I’m fairly certain that it isn’t that hard to not be a total dick. And if you are a total dick, you don’t have a right to  complain about your problems. From casual observation, I simply find it strange for someone to be in a perfectly fine relationship, have three girls on the side, and expect to both have a stable and normal relationship. If you are in the 10% of guys who can manage that, I laud your cunning, and sheer sociopathy. But I still wouldn’t want any complaints if all that somehow backfires. It’s vexing, to say the least

I was pretty much raised by my mother, and grandmother. So respecting women was not a choice, and chivalry was a given. So when I came to KA and was faced with such a different environment, it was either become one of them, or turn into a black sheep. I chose the black sheep route, joining a plethora of “nice guys.” According to multiple sources, girls love the bad guy, which is, in my odd head, rather contradictory seeing as though the most complained about guy is the bad guy. Good guys always complain about the ever-present “bad guy”, especially if you’re in, or dangerously near, the friendzone. I promise you he won’t be gone anytime soon, and you pretty much don’t have a chance, but you might as well pride yourself in being a little better…that is, morally speaking of course. Needless to say, I regretted that very little because of one prevalent factor in my life.

Boarding life. KA is first and foremost, a boarding school, which means that every kind of drama that happens inside of its walls is amplified by a factor ten. I have happily avoided the worst of unnecessary drama in my life for six years. For me, I would not easily give up freedom and calm for fleeting love. But then again, who am I to judge those people who have felt Aphrodite’s sweet kiss?

I’m fairly certain that if the right conditions were met, I’d be just another lovesick puppy. But I think I’m happy where I am now. I don’t search for love, or perhaps I’m too lazy. I don’t envy happy couples or that one guy who got the hottest chick. Maybe I exist out if the social norm,  because I’m the type who indeed, doesn’t want a perfect relationship, or the perfect girl. Don’t be silly, those things don’t exist. And in a world where everyone wants the “baddest bitch”, or “a real nigga”, whatever the fuck those things are, perhaps I’m simply destined to an ironic and harder path for love. But I’m not gonna go against the flow to find it. I’ll just ride the wave and carry it to where it washes me.

I think that as detestable as fuckboys are, It’s a sad cycle in which people are, for the most part attracted to fuckboys, and the good guys have to turn in to fuckboys so that they aren’t ignored. I don’t think this post exactly has a moral, after all, I couldn’t care less. I hate drama, and perhaps that makes me a black sheep. But I still wouldn’t want to give the most carefree years of my life over, single-mindedly. Think before you act, and never act out of place. Guys, don’t be fuckboys. Just…don’t.