Zoë, are you sure you're smarter than Torg?

Monday's Sluggy Freelance.

FUCK... YES.

You don't know me

I find it sad that I have to resort to this common rejoinder. But it's true.

I have come to realize that most people who claim to know me in real life don't really know me at all. More specifically, they do not yet understand the true depth of my illness. I have to believe one of two things: they either think I'm faking my illness (which is stupid, the proof is in my left arm which looks like a T-virus arm at this point, unless they think I just mangled my own arm to get sympathy), or they are just waiting for me to die (which is too painful to contemplate, but some days it's the only thing that makes sense).

This is mostly a vent against Shoryuken.com, or more appropriately the people who post there. The Cannon brothers mostly keep this site running off of their own money, and Mr. Wizard and his friends run the tournaments with their own time and effort, but the people there take it all for granted, and tend to treat me like a second-class citizen. And hey, that's fine and all...

But I *started* this gangster shit, and this is the motherfucking thanks I get?

Yeah, agsf2 was around before me, but they took Marvel vs. Capcom as a joke. There was a MvC board before mine, but the guy who ran it didn't even care about the scene. So yes, I will say, the Marvel scene is alive because of fucking me, and if you don't respect that, then fuck you too. I don't even care if you can beat me at the game. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have that game to play.

So, yes, this is a vent, but I mean it from balls to bones.

Self-discipline

I had a dream which made me think about how deliberately I, or any of us, do things, and I am now trying to be deliberate in my actions.

See, most people, when they do things, don't really do things deliberately. They do things out of habit. This includes thought. We rarely think about the things we are thinking about, to paraphrase one of my favorite plays "Inherit the Wind". It is because of this that accidents happen.

Think about it, how many people want to be a success in Street Fighter? But most people aren't. They don't know why; they are as smart as the next guy. And it's true; they are as smart as the next guy. This isn't a slam on people. But the system we have - it is undeniably dysfunctional. And the reason for that is that keeps the majority of people in a lazy form of thinking.

Just doing whatever - it works from month to month. We are tricked into thinking that things like self-discipline are too much work. When all self-discipline really is, is just... actively "being" as much as possible. Not being anything; not trying to do anything - just being. Being who you are. Not even that far. Just being.

It's hard when you have bad habits, which is why it's really as easy (and as difficult) as being deliberate. It's pretty tiring. I've only been doing it two hours now and I'm exhausted. But I'm gonna keep doing it.

Friendship > Destiny?

Friend: A person other than a family member, spouse or lover whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.

Destiny: That to which any person or thing is destined; a predetermined state; a condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom.

Ever since the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" franchise started focusing on Duel Monsters and the card game that ensued, it seems to have an overlying message that the power of friendship can overcome destiny; this was especially prominent in GX's "Society of Light" arc and 5D's recent "Dark Signers" lot.

What the hell, Japanese guys?

Destiny is, by definition, predetermined, and the outcome of a card game cannot be altered by feelings. I could excuse it in Takahashi's manga and in the Duel Monsters anime because Atem actually had a power to influence fate via his title as the King of Games, but lately it's getting ridiculous, and is giving a lot of kids the wrong idea.

I understand that the feelings of bonds between friends are strong and that we want to protect those bonds anyway we can, but fighting is not the way to do it. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" goes to silly lengths to avoid showing excessive bloodshed, but this message is much more insidious in stuff like "Naruto" and "Bleach" where people actually fight with the intent to kill over these bonds.

Look, real life doesn't work that way. I know I might be expecting too much from a cartoon (and don't get mad, guys, that's what it is), but these things do influence children's behavior, and if you disagree, you obviously have forgotten what it's like to be a kid. Now, I know it's very romantic to believe you're fighting to protect a bond. But you are seriously risking so much more than you stand to gain. You fight, you die, and at best (if you believe in an afterlife) those bonds may not be broken, but they endure a harsh test. At worst (as many people no longer believe in the immortality of the soul), the bond is broken irretrievably, and the pain is far worse.

My fanfic "Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero" is trying to explore this faulty message and use the medium to try to get to the truth. The truth is difficult to find these days, and while philosophical meanderings don't always get you there, they can get you closer. That, combined with my very real beliefs, will hopefully create something that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

That's it for my pundit impression. And I am out! </crack_stuntman>