Prompt #3A: Silver Lining and Silver Bullets

Diary Entry 135

August 8th, 2013

Now, you can see the smoke, the fire; you run as quickly as you can down the dusty road in your heavy combat boots. As you arrive to the heap of metal with flames shooting out the open windows, you're screaming at the top of your lungs to see if you can get a response, but you're screaming over the screams. They're screaming. You try to snatch open the driver's side to free them from a fiery grave and scorch your hand, realizing that there's nothing that you can do. You're under equipped. Under-experienced. And emotionally compromised. So, you stand there. You stand there and hear the screams, but you try not to listen to them. The chalky air doesn't allow you to cry, but you can feel the wrenching pain in the pit of your stomach. You feel weak and worthless. Helpless. What’s so glorious about witnessing four members of your infantry, your brothers, and get into a vehicle that will hit an IED a few miles down the road?

What's so glorious about war? What's so glorious about having to leave my beautiful wife and child behind in the States while I travel to a foreign country, ridden with disease and crime, not completely sure that I'll come back with bags or in a bag?

Marshall is six now. Lydia sends me videos and pictures of him any time she can. She even sends pictures of drawings that he's done. It's a pleasant surprise, but then the same questions rewind and replay over and over in my mind. Will I be able to see Marshall grow up? Will I be able to see him lose all of his baby teeth? And will I be able to see him experience his first crush? Will I be able to be the father that he needs? How will my absence effect our future relationship?

And what about my wife, Lydia? Her upbringing was so difficult, living in the projects with a mother on drugs and father trying to do anything he could to support them, and now she has a husband in the military and a six year son to raise on her own. I feel like her mother. War is my drug. I deal with it every day, experiencing a certain high from it, but I know it isn't good for me or the people around me. I know it's dangerous, but I part of me doesn't care.

But...

I've gotten to travel because of war. I've gotten to experience the lives of others overseas that I would have never been able to experience because of war. I've met children satisfied with the way that they live, satisfied with what they have. They were wise way beyond their years. I was thankful they were able to share their wisdom with me.

Because of war I know what the true meaning of teamwork, and that it is definitely what makes the dream work. I've learned to trust my brothers, trust their judgment and work together to achieve a goal. I've learned the meaning of courage and leadership, to step up in a time where a leader is needed. To laugh in the face of fear.

And that is the silver lining among the silver bullets.

ABC Story: Huntress Blood

And I drew my paralytic arrow back in perfect form.
Blood slithered down my face, past my eyes.
Can my arrow split the trees perfectly and hit him?
Dawn was approaching quickly, alerting me that I had a limited amount of time.
Even if I did hit him, would it slow him down?
Frost covered the blades of grass and crunched almost inaudibly as I crept, trying to get another view of my opponent.
Greg was the type to go in a match with full force, "Brawn over brains any day."
Horror filled me as he glanced in my general direction.
I became as still as I possibly could, any movement of any kind could tip him off of where I was.
Just as I thought, he saw me!
Knowing that I wouldn't escape him if I ran, I held my ground as he sprinted right toward me.
Loose and relaxed, I let my arrow fly with godspeed.
Missed.
Now, I was fucked.
Openings were non-existent with Greg.
Possibilities were existent with me, though.
Quickly as I use my hands, I loaded up another arrow within my bow and fired it off.
Remarkably, this arrow hit Greg directly in the thigh, causing him to collapse to the ground with a thud.
Sweat beaded my forehead and I quickly wiped it away to prevent it from dropping into my eyes.
Tired, I too dropped to the soft soil.
Unda, the announcer, lifted me to my feet.
Victory...
"Win!" Unda exclaims proundly with a booming voice, as if I were her own daughter. "Congratulations, you will advance to the next round."
Xu and the rest of my friends jogged toward me, giving hearty slaps on the back and playful elbows in my side.
"You did it, dude! You totally did it!" congratulated Xu.
"Zen did it."

Review 1 (Cycle 2): Cockbite?

If you guys truly know anything about me, you know that I love, love, love video games. I've been playing them since the age of three and haven't stopped since. Recently, within the last two years, I've started to watch video gaming personalities on Youtube, such as Hat Films, Game Grumps, and Tobuscus. Back when Halo released in 2001, a company by the name of Roosterteeth (the employees call it Cockbite), founded in 2003, started making a web series called Red vs Blue which I started watching around the time it was released. Here's the first episode of the first season. The 12th season is releasing in April if you're interesting in watching it. The videos are short, usually around 7 minutes long.

Look at those amazing game graphics! That's 2001 goodness right there! Roosterteeth became very famous for this web series, and they branched out from there doing live action shorts, a show called Immersion where they take video game concepts and attempts to apply them to real life, and many, many other things. This is the man, the mastermind behind it all, Burnie Burns.

One of the other Roosterteeth founders, Geoff Ramsey, also created a gaming website, Achievement Hunter, which is a division of the main company. Here's this handsome devil...

Not nearly as professional as Burnie, but whatever. He has charm! Achievement Hunter consists of him, his right hand man Jack Patillo, James Ryan Haywood, Michael Jones, Gavin Free, Ray Narvaez, and Michael's fiancee Lindsay Tuggey. (with the occasional Caleb Denecour & Kerry Shawcross) Here's their daily news for this week:

Yeah, so basically this is the most amazing company ever.

Prompt #2 (Tell This Story): Among Mist and Moss - Episode 1

Note: A short story inspired by the video game franchise Fallout, created by Bethesda.

It wasn't the prettiest place in the world, and probably not the most sanitary, but it was one of the only semi-safe places in the west region of the United States that wasn't overrun by zombies and ridiculously large, mutant animals. 

I grab my girlfriend's hand as we stomped through the swamp-like area, assisting her in crossing toward two wooden cabins that lay before us. They were old and had definitely seen a lot of years. The front porches were rotted and falling apart. Wooden parts of the dwelling bobbed in the murky waters, and I had no idea what type of aquatic life lived in that marsh. It wasn’t safe in the sense that we could hurt ourselves, I knew that, but it was secluded, a perfect location to hide out from the outside world of monsters that you only hear in ancient folklore.

I step cautiously onto the steps of one of the cabins, hearing the old oak creek in protest of my weight. I keep my hand close to my hip where my SIG Pro automatic pistol resided.

“Keep your shotgun ready just in case I miss,” I whisper over my shoulder to Lee. I can see that she held the weapon tightly, to brace herself of the recoil, but she looks natural. It isn't stiff within her hands, but it isn't loose either where she could hurt herself with it. She is definitely a marksman of a new breed.

She brushes her tangled and matted brunette hair from her face and smiles, showcasing her deep dimples. Camouflage paint covered her cheeks, forehead, and the bridge of her nose. She looks beautiful in the strangest way. “You never miss.”

We proceed to step into the darkened front room. I pull my gun out of its holder and grip it with my right hand, placing my left hand, which grasps a flashlight underneath as a foundation.

One foot in front of the other, Lee and I creep around the cabin like cats, checking every room and every corner for anything moving that could cause harm to us.

“Have we checked everything?” Lee questions for confirmation.

“Not this closet,” I say, reaching for the doorknob. “Pretty sure there isn’t anything in here, though.”

Abruptly, the door busts open, sending me sprawling down to the hard timber floor with out a loud thud. My heart thumps violently in my chest.

“Shit, shit! Lee! Yo, Lee!”

A zombie child, portions of his chest and an arm missing, most likely turned at the age of twelve, grabs my leg in an attempt to pull it off. I desperately try to crawl away, but his grip was strong.

“Christ!” Lee fires off a shotgun shell, the round taking the zombie’s head clean off. Chunks of decaying flesh flies everywhere and blood freckled my dirty face. The body collapses to the floor.

"Gross!" I exclaimed angrily. I stood up in urgency to brush the zombie skin off of my body.

"Sorry about that, love," giggles Lee.

Response #4 - Transgenders: Are They Transforming Our World?

Yo, yo, yo, yo! I have some important news, this is like, a legitimate PSA.

TRANSGENDERS ARE DESTROYING OUR WORLD.

Ha, more like, TRANS-FORMING our world! Get it? Yeah? No? Alright, well, let me get to the point of this post.

For you all who don't know what being transgender means, it's simply the transition from your born gender to the opposite one! (ex. from male to female, from female to male) A female transitioning to a male is a transgender male and a male transitioning to a female is a transgender female! Pretty interesting, huh? Let me give you a few rules though when encountering a transgender person:

1. Treat transgenders as you would other people, with respect! They aren't any different from you and I.

2. Use the correct nouns and pronouns! If they are MTF, they may want you to use "she, her" and if they are FTM, they may want you to use "he, his." DO NOT, by any means, call a transgender "it, thing"! Most transgenders change their names after their transition. Don't ask them what their born name was. It's rude!

3. Do not ask personal questions unless they give you the okay! Make sure you keep your questions appropriate and respectable.

4. Don't "out" a transgender!

5. Don't make assumptions!

If you need more explanation, click here!

Anyway, here is the exciting news. A transgender model by the name of Carmen Carrera is petitioned to be the first transgender Victoria Secret model. Here is a picture of this lovely, lovely lady:

Isn't she absolutely stunning? No, shhhh. I know she is. I don't need your input.

Now you're probably wondering: why is this exciting? It's exciting because it's revolutionizing the way LGBTQIA persons are looked at in the media! Victoria Secret is taking a big step to end discrimination by letting this transgender woman be herself and they're respecting her dreams to be an VS model. This is definitely going to make it into the history books, and I'm so lucky as part of the LGBT community to be a witness to such extraordinary and historic event!  

Prompt #3: Lost & Found - Episode 2

The warm, unblocked sun felt incredible on my weary eyelids. We had been sailing for about a week now, on the specific mission of finding Blake Sam's hidden treasure on the island of La Blancquilla. Everyone was getting restless and anxious; in order to keep myself from feeling that way, I decided to take a cat nap while Jolly Eyes and the rest of the crew manned the ship. Unfortunately, my siesta was cut short, (very, very short) when a sudden darkness cast itself over me. I cracked open one eye and found Jonny hovering.

"Can I help ye' mate?" I questioned with a hint of irritation. His body interrupted the sun as if the earth was experiencing a solar eclipse.

"Aye," he replied with the same fire, low and rough. His burly arms were crossed upon his chest; he appeared more terrorizing than usual, but it didn't really bother me. I knew that it was all an act. He shook a rolled up piece of cloth, his blue eyes shimmering and piercing. "I don't believe this is the right map, Captain."

"It is the right map." I closed my eyes again.

Quicker than I could take a single breath, I was off my feet and hovering over a deep blue ocean off the side of my ship, my shipmate holding me at my shoulders.

"This map is wrong!" Jonny bellowed. The bass in his voice was enough to shake me without him having to move his arms back and forth. I gripped the collar of his shirt and held on tightly, locking my jaw.

"You wouldn't fucking do it, mate," I ground out through my teeth. "Put me down now."

"Not until you admit that this map is wrong! It's sending us right to Davy Jones' locker and ye' knows it!"

I sunk my nails into his arms. He flinched a little, so I dug them deeper. "I wouldn't send my crew to Davy Jones' locker. Why would you accuse me of such treason."

"Ye wants the treasure, the fame all to herself!" He continued to hold me overboard. He had a tight hold on me, but I could feel myself slipping out of my captain's cloak.

"Do you remember when I picked you off the street in Tortuga? You were a miserable, waste of human skin and space, but I took you in, made you into a respectable man and crew mate on my White Stallion. I made you my right hand man, and this is how you repay me..."
Jonny's face twitched, a hint that I might have caused him to have a change of heart and not feed me to the sharks. He hauled me over his shoulder and placed me back onto my feet. I never missed solid foundation under my feet so much.

"I'm sorry," Jonny apologized, staring at the creaky, wooden floorboards of the ship.

"It's alright," I replied giving him my signature hearty slap on the back, "but because of all that, I might deduct some money out of your pay."

He laughed and so did I.

"Let's go get this treasure."

Tattooed on your chest, I.S.S.U.E.S.

So, Issues' self entitled album dropped on iTunes last night and was released in stores today (Feb. 18th). I pre-ordered it sometime in January and have been highly anticipating it ever since. I discovered Issues after a disagreement in the band Woe, Is Me where both of the headmen, Tyler Carter (who does clean vocals), and Michael Bohn (who does unclean vocals), called it quits and left. Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn have been best friends since their first band A Path Less Traveled which didn't work out so well, formed Woe, Is Me which also didn't work out so well, and created their own band together.

Thus, Issues was born!

I loved Woe, Is Me with a passion, and when I found out that Michael Bohn and Tyler Carter left to form their own band, I had to leave with them. Safe to say, I am not disappointed at all at what Issues has became and continues to become as I listen to their music. With Ty "Scout" Acord on the turntables as their DJ, AJ Rebollo as their amazing guitarist, Sky Acord as their fantastic bassist, and Josh Manuel as their drummer, they give a whole new meaning and feeling to their subgenre, and it's something that NO ONE was expecting. And that's the beauty of it.

Anyway, on to what I have to say about the self entitled album.

The album starts out very eerie with their song Sad Ghost. It definitely sounds like something that belongs in a horror film when you're traveling through the woods, a full moon high in the sky with scattered, gray clouds moving slowly passed it at first. All of a sudden, there's a build up with some awesome electronic sounds in the background. Then, Michael's voice comes full force, enough to take you off your feet. As you arrive at the chorus, you hear the sweet melodies of Tyler's amazing voice along with some kick ass scratching from Scout. It's a very different song and a very interesting way to begin the album.

The third song on the album is probably one of my favorite songs. Like Sad Ghost, it starts with a strange electronic song, but suddenly again, you hear the impact of Michael's screams for the first verse. As you get about 25 seconds in, Tyler starts to rap. Yes, RAP. It's amazing! It shows more talent in Tyler than just his flashy voice that everyone knows (and sometimes hates) so well. Scout also incorporates some more scratching and voice inserts to transition into the next verse. AJ's and Sky's guitars fuse really well in this song, definitely letting the bass get a chance to shine, which is often looked over.

Old Dena is the sixth song on the album, which gives Scout a lot of room to shine and flaunt his amazing DJ-ing abilities. It's only a minute and a half long, but it's an incredible short listen. It transitions very smoothly into the next song, Stingray Affliction which they released a long time before the album.

Stingray Affliction and Never Lose Your Flames are note-worthy songs on this album, not only because they were the first songs released to the public, but they have lyrics that you can truly relate to. In Stingray Affliction, the first and second verse speak about a "tough guy" who thinks he's the shit, and then the chorus goes into the victim's mind saying,

"No, I don't wanna be tough! I wanna make sure they can see me cry, sure enough. Don't wanna bottle this up, the way you make me feel when you're around."

Never Lose Your Flames is literally the anthem of this album. There's so much positivity in the lyrics, and you can tell that it comes right from how the band feels or has felt before. It's not the same reading the lyrics, it's definitely something you need to hear because Tyler and Michael place so much heart into it. These lyrics from the chorus get me every time:

"If you got the keys then start the car and drive as far as you can. If you got the blood then you got the heart to give yourself a chance."

ANYWAY...

I could go on and on about how fantastic this album because it really is, but I need to stop myself right now before I hurt myself and I'm pretty sure you guys don't care about my obsessions anyway. BASICALLY BUY THIS ALBUM IF YOU'RE INTO THIS TYPE OF MUSIC BECAUSE IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE 10 BUCKS I PROMISE.

Found Poem - Questions

ask me
when the imprisoned return
and when their 15 hearts hold honor
and when their hands hold lilies

ask me
when the perfect blend of women
and earth
destroys humanity

ask me
why his lips
taste deeper meaning
and harsh desires

ask me
why this avenue is coated
with the lines
of a mountain

ask me
when the traitor's mind
discovers a reasonable
path

and ask me
why the billionaire
and his team
thrive in the history books

so ask me
and ask me again
will the pure
live here

Prompt 3: The Life - Episode 1

I became breathless at the horizon that laid before us. The sun was just rising, and pinks, blues, and purples swirled with the sky like paint in a bowl of water, freely, without pattern. I had never seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life, not even in the present day. There were too many buildings where I was from, blocking nature's gift almost everyday. I closed my eyes and allowed the sound of crashing waves to greet my ears. I was getting use to this type life, falling asleep to the sonorousness of nature, the rocking and wavering of the boat, taking anything and everything I wanted by just the draw of a sword, having people cower in fear, but the pirate life was still a rough one. Not only did we have to worry about extreme storms (too bad satellites hadn't been invented yet), but we also had to deal with the law and rival territories, specifically with the Spanish, and the lack of cleanliness.

My crew bustled down below from the Crow's Nest where I stood, getting my ship, the White Stallion, ready to set sail. There was only one more place I needed to go, and that was La Blanquilla. It's said that was where Blake Sam hid his treasure, and I wanted to find it. I grabbed hold of the closest rigs and climbed down to my rightful place on my ship, at the helm.

"I hope my steed is ready to tackle her course!" I bellowed taking the wheel. My first mate, Jonny Eras, or Jolly Eyes, handed me my hat. I gave him a hearty smack on the back.

"Aye," he replied in his raspy, low voice. "She's all ready to go, Captain." He was about 6'7", an absolute giant with a harsh demeanor, a big, scruffy, red beard that reached the midsection of his chest, braided, and bright, ocean blue eyes, hence where his nickname originates from. The guy was built like a tank, which made sense; he worked out non-stop as we traveled the seas. He maned the sails which required you to tug on ten pound rope. He had a scorpion tattooed on the back of his neck, its tail curling toward his collarbones, but I learned quickly that he had a heart of pure gold.

He became my first crew mate when I traveled to the 1670's, the peak of the Golden Age of Piracy. I always wanted to visit the pirate age. It intrigued me as I studied at the Institute of Time Manipulation in Tokyo, Japan. I read all about it; famous pirates like Blackbeard terrorizing the oceans with his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. And so, I came across Jonny.

He was a mere beggar in the first island I came to, Tortuga. I knew he would be the perfect addition to the White Stallion, a Man O' War ship that I captured in the bay only days earlier. It needed work, and he was the muscle that I needed to get that work done.

"Could you spare some change, love?" He asked in that raspy voice that I now knew so well. Then, his beard didn't look nearly as red, and he didn't have his scorpion tattoo. He looked a lot less intimidating.

"How about a place on my ship?" I countered. "Leave this begging life behind. Sail the seas with me and you'll have so much gold that you won't be able to hold it all."

At first, he gave me a reluctant look. I knew he didn't believe me, but then I ushered him to my beauty that rested at the docks and he was automatically convinced. From that point on, I knew that it was the start of something great.

"Captain," I repeated. "God, I will never get over that." I sat my hat securely on my head and grip the wooden helm. I had been in this time period for a little over a year, but I felt like it was just getting started.

Prompt 2: Adrift

She gasped with excitement and shouted over the noise of the propeller: "The islands in the clouds are real!"

"This is a joke right?!" Lydia questioned glaring out the window of the plane at the hovering landscape in disbelief. "The altitude is messing with our heads, I'm sure of it." She bit her lip. "There's no such thing as...floating scenery."

Carter shook her head. "No, this is real. This is way, way real! And way cool! I can't believe it. The stories that I've heard as a child...they were true all along!"

Carter reflected on the days of her childhood; her mother tucking her into bed, a glass of warm milk on the nightstand, and the glowing lava lamp across the room on her dresser. Her mother's short, jet black hair tucked behind her ears with her reading glasses propped on the top of her head. Even back then, she appeared pale, sick looking. She never read bedtime stories from a book, which Carter found quite odd as she thought back. The islands in the clouds, otherwise known as Drijvende Wereld, was one of the stories that she knew best, word for word. Were all the stories that her mother told not fiction after all? Were there actually portals to other dimmensions? Our anti-selves on the other side?

"And there were islands in the sky," Carter began to recite. "Its sun was not ours, and neither was its moon, but it resided under the same blanket of stars."

"We gaan raken een beetje turbulentie!" The pilot yelled through the intercom. "Don't let it startle you!"

"What did he say?" Lydia said frowning.

"We're going to be hitting a little bit of turbulence - wait - how did I know that's what he said?" Carter covered her mouth with both of her hands and her eyes grew wide.

"What language is that?"

"Dutch." Carter mumbled through her hands. As she took her hands away from her mouth, they began to shake. "I-I never - my mother spoke Dutch as her first language, but I never learned. I don't - what in the hell does this mean?"

"I don't know. M-Maybe it's another one of those things that your mother told you in a story once?" Lydia could feel the goosebumps rise on her skin. 

Carter drew her mouth into a line in concentration. She tried to remember everything that her mom ever told her. "Well, there was this one thing..."

"Well, spit it out, so we can figure out what the hell is wrong with you!"

"When your parents die, you receive some of their characteristics. Almost as if a part of them now becomes a part of you. Some of them are chosen by your parents for you to have while others aren't. Well, I guess I got her tongue of our motherland." Carter touched her lips.

"So, maybe your mother wanted you to be able to speak Dutch as an apology for not teaching you?"

Suddenly, the plane began to tilt and quake. Lydia quickly grabbed for Carter's hand and continued to look out the window, bracing herself against the rumbles and shakes that came with turbulence. As they got closer and closer to the array of islands, she could see other planes landing and taking off. The ones that were leaving the landing strips appeared to just fall off the runaway, back down to Earth. People visited this place like it was a normal thing to do? Like going to Orlando or Las Vegas?

The pilot shut off the engine and allowed the plane to glide down toward the hovering island, landing with a slight thud and drifting down the runway.

"We're here!" The pilot stood in the doorway with a grin on his face. His teeth were point, resembling a shark or a piranha. It rose the hairs on the back of Lydia's neck. "Please enjoy your stay in Drijvende Wereld."

Response #3 - Lara Croft

For anyone who truly knows me, they know that I'm an absolute video game freak. I've been playing video games since about 4 years old, starting out with a Sega Genesis and then having almost every video game platform since then. From Xbox, to the Playstation, to Gameboys, video games have been an essential part of my life. When we had our Playstation 1 so many years ago, my brother and I played Tomb Raider, the story of the adventurer Lara Croft. As a kid, she became one of my favorite characters since there weren't many female protagonists (there aren't many now). Last year in March, Crystal Dynamics recreated the Tomb Raider game coming out on multiple gaming platforms, such as the Xbox 360, PS3, PS4. Hands down, it became one of my favorite games of all time. It was so much more exciting than the previous Tomb Raider games and the graphics were absolutely amazing. It's a free roam game which is every gamer's dream. It allows you to stray from the main story line to discover other plots and activities to do. It shows an incredible new side of Lara Croft, and I would give this game a 10/10 for sure. If you like female protagonists, danger, and suspense, then you need to play this game.

Response #2 - Trends That Men Hate

Ah yes, the notorious Trends That Men Hate phenomenon that hit the web only about 2 weeks ago. Personally, this is my favorite topic to talk about, so I needed to make a post on it. First off, let me give you some of the trends that men hate to begin this post:

1. High waisted shorts or jeans
2. Makeup (which is extremely ironic in the sense that when you wear makeup, they prefer that you're "natural," but when you DO go natural, they're all like, "Ew, you're so ugly. You should wear makeup." VHAT?)
3. Peplums
4. Floppy hats
5. Open side shirts
6. Pants suits
7. Over sized sweaters

And the list goes on, and on, and on, and...guess what...ON. Basically, this post should have been renamed "Outfits For 2014" because these trends are definitely what I'm going to be wearing. News flash, dimwitted, misogynistic idiots: WOMEN DO NOT DRESS FOR MEN. We dress for ourselves. We dress in the things that WE FEEL WE LOOK BEST IN. Not once have I ever put on makeup, worn a dress, or did my hair for the sake of a stupid boy and if you have, then you might want to re-evaluate your outlook on life. You'll spend your days trying to impress and please, and you'll ultimately be unhappy. Do yourself a favor and do for yourself. Ja feel?

Response #1 - Restoring Force

So, Of Mice & Men just released their new album today (Jan. 28th) here in the US titled Restoring Force. I didn't pre-order the album, BUT they did release it on YouTube for everyone to hear and might I say, they did a really amazing job with it. I was a little reluctant at first, feeling as if this album wasn't going to be as good as their previous album (side note: it wasn't), but alas, they still killed it. The new album consists of 11 songs, all different in their own way. Public Service Announcement is definitely the heaviest song on the album, adding some exciting guitar riffs that is really quirky and a little odd, but at the same time, extremely cool. The lyrics are great, giving that "Why do you care about what I do and who I am," type of feel to it. It's something that will get you off of your feet and moshing around your room without a care in the world. You're Not Alone is another song with amazing vocals by their new member Aaron Pauley from Jamie Elsewhere. Perfect melodies and of course, a great message behind the screams. Great album, but not as great as The Flood. If I had to rank it out of their 3 existing albums, it would be ranked 3rd...

Metal =/= Satanic Music/Worship

This has been on my mind for a long time ever since I started listening to the art that is heavy metal/hardcore/grindcore music in the 6th grade, and it desperately needs to be shared because I'm sick (triple underline "I'm sick") of hearing about it!

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

• Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

1. Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

METAL DOES NOT EQUAL SATANIC MUSIC OR WORSHIP.

I don't know how many times in how many different ways I can say it! Metal, just like every other genre of music, is a form of self expression, and before you judge or be a total close minded bigot and say, "Aw, that's devil music," and "Oh, you must worship the devil listening to that," listen to the music, read the lyrics, and see all the positivity and strong meaning behind it! Here are a few of my favorite bands sharing the message of positive vibes and real inner issues:

Issues - Never Lose Your Flames

Tyler Carter (clean vocalist of Issues) - Collins Hill

We Came As Romans - Hope

Of Mice & Men - Second & Sebring

side note: this song is about the lead unclean vocalist's (Austin Carlile) mother.

Yeah, so before you try to tell me about the music that I listen to and try to call it "devil's music," check your facts first.

Thank you. ~ x

Prompt 1: 5 Line Poem - His Time

His Time

And it ticked away

Even though I wore no watch

And saw no clock

I felt it from within

I was on the Reaper's time

Random 1st Blog Post: How To Survive Warped Tour

This year is going to be my first year at Warped Tour, a festival that happens every year during the summer where nearly a hundred bands and artists come together to play for a day. There were a lot of things that I needed to remember before going, and I had no idea there were so many! From conversation with friends and online research, here are a few things to know before going to Warped Tour if you plan on going too!

Pack Your Bag The Day Before! 

Because you don't want to get to the venue late, it makes sense to pack the night before, that way you aren't scrambling.

Eat Breakfast!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you eat a breakfast with substance. Try to avoid milk.

Have water!

Who knows how hot July 19th (Chicago) will be? Be well hydrated. There are water stations all over the venue that you'll be able to refill. If you buy water, it needs to be sealed to bring it into the venue.

Make food!

Most likely you'll be hungry in between shows, so make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something along those lines that way you will make it on time to the next show.

Things To Bring! 

• Backpack - to hold all the free stuff you can get while walking around the venue, your water, your snack, shirts, and other things that you may buy.
• Towels -  to wipe away the sweat from all the hardcore moshing you'll be doing.
• A watch - it'll save your phone battery.
• Socks - just in case your socks get wet.
• Sunglasses - it's summer, so it'll be obnoxiously sunny.
• Cash - to buy merch
• A phone charger - even though they may charge you $5 to use it, bring it just in case it's absolutely needed
• Sharpies - you want your favorite band to sign stuff for you, don't you?
• Hair ties