Finale

I'm Retiring American Dirt

Hey everyone. James here. This is my final post on American Dirt. It's been a long ride full of lessons, many of them reminding me how much I don't know- about writing, about politics, and most of all, what it takes to make a difference.

There's a few things I want to say, but first and foremost, I am not sorry for starting this blog. American Dirt was supposed to be less political and more entertaining, and then suddenly America went full tilt into a volatile political climate. I did my best to weather the waters. I always told the truth to the absolute best of my ability, I never once purposefully lied to you. In the end though, the waves were/are too tall, America needs much more help than a fantasy writer can provide through easily digestible blog posts.

I am NOT leaving politics altogether. America needs help, and just because I'm a fantasy writer does not relieve me of my responsibilities as a citizen. I know that. My blog posts, admittedly, saw traffic, but they did not create conversations often. When they did, the conversation was often negative, often my fault cause I hadn't learned how to handle people who had no intention of giving me an inch. I didn't handle well the internet's walls of blind hate. It drove me to be quiet, it drove me to depression, and it kept me from my writing. I let "them" win, shut me down completely, and it was utterly unhealthy for me to try and man those storms.

But I can't stop writing. I CAN and HAVE changed avenues. If you enjoyed my writing, and you enjoy fantasy, I am putting together a new blog called Spellbooks now. There, we will discuss fantasy races, magic systems, and other fantasy books. I'm sure politics will crop in here and there, as fantasy is nothing if not a filter of real life societal issues; but it won't be the focus. It won't be MY focus, as it became on American Dirt.

I realize I'm probably losing respect from a lot of people. That's okay. I'm back to being healthy. I'm prepared to chase down a daily word count and write a new novel. I have friends to lean on. In time, perhaps you'll understand even if you don't outright forgive me. American Dirt, much like American politics, simply proved to be unhealthy for me. That's all, I'm moving on.

I hope you will join me on Spellbooks when I release it in a week or two. Even if you don't, I want to thank you for reading my thoughts here, and teaching me some writerly lessons along the way. 

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SPOILER FREE Review of Marvel's the Punisher

Marvel's the Punisher

available: Netflix

released: November 18, 2017

Starring:

Joe Bernthal

Amber Rose Revah

Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Ben Barnes

Jaime Ray Newman

My Score:  7.5/10

Please keep in mind this is a SPOILER-FREE review! Want deeper insights with spoilers? Let me know in the comments!

  I'll be the first to admit, I did not follow the Punisher's comic adventures closely. Save for a stint when Garth Ennis was writing them and even he pushed it too far when a Russian gangster died, came back as a woman, and attacked Frank Castle only to be stopped by a pot of boiling spaghetti. Yes…that really happened.

However, I was a big enough Marvel fanboy that I caught several of Punis

her's guest-starring roles in comics like Spiderman and Ghost Rider. The general idea of the character, his code of ethics, and his ethos were plain to see even in those less in-your-face interactions.

So when Dolph Lundgren played the part in a 1989 shoot-fest, and Thomas Jane took up the mantle in the better-produced 2004 adaptation, I was aware enough of the character to know neither quite hit the mark.

2017 sees yet another remake in TV form, and Marvel no longer makes bad TV shows, Iron Fist be damned. This version of Punisher debuted in the second season of the stupid-successful Daredevil show, also on Netflix, and made enough of a splash to earn his own title on the network (do we call Netflix a network, is that wrong?).

The show plays to the character's strengths well. Frank Castle aka the Punisher is a loner, a former military Special Forces super-agent…but no secret sauce to buff him up like Captain America. He's undeniably human, and this works against him numerous times throughout the show. Tied, beat down, left for dead, made to bleed, it all happens during the thirteen episode          run. He's also good, and comfortable, with any gun he picks up. Well except          for one.

The bulk of the main story is a bit forced. Coerced into partnering with another super-agent, this one good with computers instead of guns, Frank is led through the sins of his own past which just so happen to coincide with Micro's (his new partner) inability to go home to his family without getting them killed. The bad guys are fun to watch, but their intentions tend to get gooier than the blood splashing onto their faces.

        Frank Castle is given plenty of characterization. His self-demanding                 isolation is well handled, showcasing a character study worthy of a damaged     hero figure. He tries to be emotionless, and mostly succeeds until he doesn't,     and it's in these moments he exhibits the importance of not being a simple,       bullet riding monster of a man.

   If there's anything to complain about Castle's characterization, it's that he        only gets a couple of chances to ride those bullets. Very few scenes involve       Frank being a total badass. Instead, the show tries to prove how overpowered he is by a system that wants him dead. In so doing, they almost lose the heroic aspect of the character in action. He needs one moment, somewhere, where he is riding that wave of gunfire and blatantly enjoying it. That is part of the character.

The acting is a mesh of average to outstanding. From Karen Page's sadly over-applied scenes that just

don't affect the story enough to justify her many appearances (and you can see how actress Deborah Ann Wohl wasn't sure how serious to take her spots), to Amber Rose Revah blasting off and making you believe in full her depiction of hard-nosed Homeland Security Agent Dinah Madani. It's a hodge podge that works, and tends toward the better end of the spectrum.

Taken in its totality, Marvel's the Punisher is worth the time sink. At times torture porn, at others almost soft core porn, the show has a few missteps and try-hard moments. It's not as good as Daredevil, but topping something you're already borrowing ideas from is unlikely. The skull is cool when it shows up, and it's still a fun, dark corner of the Marvel Universe you won't get to see in the movies.

James Neal is on social media! So are danishes…mmm…danishes, but we digress. He is also author of the fantasy stories below. Check em out and support an indie-author at the same time! Thank you for joining me on American Dirt.

Of Blood and Blade:

$3.99

Paints the Invisible Eye:

$1.75

Divine Right:

Free

The Blacksmith's Reaper:

Fre

In Regards to Healthcare: Most Christians are Just Like You

Most quiet Christians are just like you:

We need to talk. Those of you crowding around Christians in the aftermath of President Trump and the Republican's celebration of skewering health care. Those of you once again blaming every person who voted for Trump in the election for every last decision made. Those of you begging to see some compassion from the Christians who swear Jesus is the answer.

It's there. The tears, anger, and frustration are there. The sadness and empathy are being poured out to those most strongly affected. Not all, mind you, but many of the real Christians are quiet. They cry in privacy, because it is their job to be strong. To put on a brave face. To stay civil because really, what can I change by getting angry, or outraged, on the internet?

Many of these quiet Christians are white. Many voted for Trump. And they know if their opinion gets voiced, they will be shot down for the color of their skin, and the company they keep. They will not be given a fair shake, not on the internet. They will not be heard, they know it, why bother saying anything in the middle of an arena you won't be heard in…one where the microphone has been turned off?

Many of these quiet Christians are breathing a temporary sigh of relief as premiums they absolutely can't afford get lifted. Temporary, because they aren't realizing that without those premiums, there is no care. Eventually, they'll need that care and it will be a slap in the face when they can't afford it. Some of these quiet Christians are too busy trying to put food on the table right now to worry about that. Forgive them their silence. Forgive them their ignorance. They are poor, and tired, and relieved for the moment.

Many of these quiet Christians are not ignorant nor are they poor, and they angry. They have been pregnant. They have had post-partum depression, they have had so-called pre-existing conditions same as you. They are in the same boat as you. But they remain quiet, for they do not have the job of chronicling their life. This is their problem to deal with. Why force their issues upon others?

Many of these quiet Christians aren't Christian at all. These Christians owe their great wealth and being to material overlords. These Christians have forgotten the face of their Father in Heaven. You watched their overlords celebrate today, and those overlords have bigger, more powerful people keeping them fed. These quiet Christians are not the same as those mentioned above. Their god is not most quiet Christians' god.

Most quiet Christians wish things could be easier for all. We wish for a more perfect and understanding world. We pray that God hear the cries of poor and trod upon. And maybe that's somewhat selfish…for most quiet Christians are poor or trod upon, and bless the soul of a quiet Christian which is both. So yes, most quiet Christians are angry, frustrated, and scared. Just like you.

REVIEW: Resident Evil 7 (Spoiler Free)

NO SPOILERS!

Worth Playing?

Capcom’s reinvention of a flagship title seems to hold little water compared to its most recent counterparts. You don’t play a big, muscular hero. Your character’s not used to the horrors you encounter. The story itself is comparatively tiny. No world-encompassing, continent hopping adventures here. So, can this possibly be a good game?

The short answer is a resounding yes. Despite the linear gameplay, several factors come together to make this game squeeze you from every direction…literally at times. From being locked into a first-person perspective (a first in the series’ long history), the redneck family you encounter from the beginning, and high resolution gore and lighting detailing your surroundings, the atmosphere will grab you from the moment you take control of Ethan, the main character.

Such a Character:

Ethan is a vast departure from the characters you’re used to playing in Resident Evil. Whereas Chris Redfield was armed to the teeth, Leon Kennedy a hero, Claire Redfield a vigilante, and Ada Wong a super-agent, Ethan is a…regular guy…who decides to chase his missing lady down to a broke-down Louisiana mansion. Capcom might have overdone it in proving how un-heroic Ethan is in the beginning, but their point is soon clear: you are not prepared, in any sense of the word, for what you’re walking into. And it works.

Gameplay:

The gameplay feels clunky, which is straight up old-school Resident Evil. It fits Ethan’s inexperience without bogging you down and making the game feel unplayable. On top of that, inventory control is back to being a huge, no…HUGE part of gameplay. How much healing do you keep on you? Bullets? Weapons? When do you need them most? When is a big boss fight coming up? Of course, with YouTubers playing this game extensively, you can cheat learn all this beforehand. I hope most players aren’t watching first, just because it would steal from the initial experience.

Puzzles abound, another nod to classic games of the series. Most are tame, which will annoy old-school fans; but I believe this ties as much into keeping the pace of the game going as the graphics, the story itself, and the tight quarters you’re stuck in throughout most of the game.

Combat, when it happens, comes with a difficulty spike some players won’t be expecting. Boss fights leave you feeling drained, emotionally and items-wise. Still, victory tastes sweeter than the bitterness of loss.

Fair warning: if you’re walking into this expecting a high rate of head explosions, you will be disappointed. This game is intense! You will not know what you’re walking into at any given time. To accomplish this constant dread, the game leads you through areas where a lesser game would use jump-scares. Resident Evil, however, leaves many of these areas empty. Chances are good you’re going to scare yourself before the game does.

The ‘M’ Rating Matters

Many games hold a Mature rating just because America is a bit wishy-washy on language and nudity. This is not the case with this game. There is absolutely no reason a child under sixteen should be playing this game. This is a grindhouse horror film in game form. Between the dread (both imagined and real), the gore, the uncomfortably realistic surroundings, the characters you encounter, and all that Ethan goes through…I’m a parent, and I’ll not be letting my children experience this game. You can make up your own mind; but I strongly recommend heeding the rating in this particular case.

Pros:

·         outstanding gameplay returning to Resident Evil’s roots

·         a tight narrative that still allows you to explore, solve puzzles, and collect items

·         a new main character who is not super-powered or previously heroic, but enjoyable to play

·         a grindhouse horror movie in game form, with signature Resident Evil wackiness and gore

Cons:

·         puzzles are easy to solve

·         Xbox One players will have a lower visual experience

·         not child friendly (sorry parents)

·         not open world, events are tightly controlled

Final Rating: 9/10

James Neal is an avid gamer, and the author of the fantasy stories listed below. Click the links to learn more and purchase your own copy:

Of Blood and Blade:

$3.99

Paints the Invisible Eye:

$1.75

Divine Right:

Free

The Blacksmith's Reaper:

Fre

President Trump and America's Horizon

Today, January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as President. Barak Obama leaves the White House to make room for the new family. Half of America seems ecstatic, the other half rueful, scared, and angry.

This is not the ideal beginning for a President.

I also believe this division is not 100% President Trump’s fault. Sure, his campaign took several trails into the I-can’t-believe-he-would-say-that forest; but the division came about because of the American people. We are not united in what we want for this country…how could any politician hope to appeal to all of us?

Let’s imagine, for just a moment, that we had inaugurated Bernie Sanders instead. How different would the feelings be? Sure, the events would be much different, but would the emotions be any less fractured? Half the US would be celebrating, half scared of what the next four years meant for them. The roles would simply be reversed.

The Edge of the Horizon

Most Americans, regardless of label or affiliation, seem to believe the USA is on the cusp of a great change. The split in our collective conscious seems to derive from what direction off the horizon we will go. Will we fly up into the spacious skies, or are we preparing to sink into the ocean like Atlantis?

That thought-split in what direction we are heading is destroying anybody’s chance of gaining the full faith of the nation. Under current tensions, President Trump could never appease the whole of the American people. Neither would former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, nor Senator Bernie Sanders.

A Split Nation

We the people are split by age, thought, and labels. These things control us, how we view our peers and others around us. Our views are chaining us down, holding us to one tribe or another. Until America becomes one (albeit diversified) tribe, we will remain weak and our government representatives useless. How can we expect them to make laws and decisions that we want, when we don’t know what we want as one?

Ultimately, the horizon is ours, a choice we must make every moment of every day. How will you affect how America sits on the horizon? Are you determined to watch those around you sink, which will also sink you? Or do you wish to see everybody fly into the spacious skies?

The President’s Job

That’s not giving President Trump a full pass. As the leader of this nation, his job is to throw his full weight into affecting the present and future of this country. His job is to set where the horizon CAN fall. He might fail. Plenty of men behind him did better, and plenty did worse, than he will. President Trump does not have the option of being the ultimate hero…nor the ultimate villain, this country has or will ever see. He can only hope that he sets the horizon high for as many of his millions of constituents as possible.

That is a lot of pressure. He asked for it. He got it. Now we must watch to see if he can handle that pressure. Godspeed, President Trump. Set the horizon, the future of America, high.

Hatred is the Kool-Aid of the Digital Age

Consuming Hate

 Hate is the prevalent emotion currently available online. Hate for Trump supporters, hate towards the liberals so upset about the election that they started fires, and general hate for anybody who says something we don’t agree with. Hate is so widespread, that comedians can’t even make jokes on college campuses anymore…or any venue, if a particular segment gets put online.

Hate has split the United States down the middle. That we are no longer united on any front is not facetious. We go out of our way to find things online that we can hate. Ideas to hate. People to hate. We search terms in Google that we hate, so we can hate whoever wrote an article or put up a video we find offensive. We are not only divided by hate, we demand it. Do you see?

We. Consume. Hate.

Solid Communicative Lines

Our lives are digitally imprinted online, with the average adult spending approximately 20 hours (Anderson, 2015) a week on the internet. We communicate over various message apps even as we do whatever the hell it is we actually do on Facebook. Then there is every other social media site, especially Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Younger adults surf Tumblr. We have the ability to communicate with each other. Aside from Pinterest (to my knowledge), each of these sites have been used to spew hate.

When we go online, we must know we will run into somebody or something that we find offensive. Common knowledge. All of us, at some point or another, have taken the opportunity to disagree (at best), to outright threatening somebody’s real-world life over an idea we don’t agree with.

Disagreement is fine, assuming it’s done with respect to the other person. Disagreement opens our minds to new ideas we haven’t considered before. Disagreement without respect is far more common. We attempt to shut down the person we disagree with, rather than attempting a conversation. We don’t want conversations, which take time and thought. We want to prove, irrevocably and right now, that we are right.

“You’re an Idiot” Nation

We gain much of our internalized morality, and measures of fellow man, from those we talk to the most. This is not new to the digital age. Humanity is tribal, and when we find our tribe, we defend it with everything we have.

However, the shortcoming of tribalism is a loss of outside ideas. We fight against new ideas more easily than considering them, extracting their pros and cons, keeping what is better and discarding what will not work within the tribe’s internalized ethics.

Intellectuals can, and do, look at ideas outside of what they have already accepted. We (used to) go to college to learn how this process works. Despite more people having gone to college now than in history, we are still skewed towards either being incapable of seeing the other side, or refusing to do so.

Again, we are in a hurry. Calling a random somebody online an idiot is much easier than looking at why they think the way they do. No side is more or less guilty than any other: Conservative, Liberal, black, white, religious, or not. Few people consider somebody else’s (opposite) point of view before labeling them an idiot. Then, we escape into our echo chambers to be clapped on the back for our bravery.

Dangerous Echoes

It is my belief that these echo chambers do more damage than any other cause of hatred. An echo chamber is, essentially, a person’s taken tribe. The friends, relatives, loved ones, and online acquaintances who agree with us on ethical, moral, and general ideals. Again, this is not new. Churches are known echo chambers, some for being vicious to outsiders.

However, on an intellectual level, echo chambers only allow us to hear one, converged viewpoint of the world. If we go against the chamber, we run the risk of being exposed as an outsider and “run out of town,” so to speak.

This makes thinking on an intellectual level dangerous. As humans, we need a group that accepts us and loves us. However, we’re not allowed by our group, our chamber, to bring up outside ideas without some amount of fear. We are left to consider these ideas on our own. That’s hard. Nobody has time. An outside idea is found online, the chamber rages against the outside idea, and we gulp down another generous helping of hatred.

Hatred is the digital age’s spiked Kool-Aid, and there are so many people drinking from their cup.

How do you feel about echo chambers? Is it real, or just mumbo jumbo? Leave your comments below.

James Neal is the author of the fantasy stories listed below, click the link to learn more and purchase your own copy:

Of Blood and Blade:

$3.99

Paints the Invisible Eye:

$1.75

Divine Right:

Free

The Blacksmith's Reaper:

Free