Behind Virtual Monsters (StoryTime)

I live in a realm held together by numbers.

Each stream of data is channeled to its destination with utmost precision and speed.

I am currently flowing in one such stream, as one of many fragments of free data.

It’s not too bad, being an abstract collection of information. At least now, I have some degree of independent thought.

3 hours, 14 minutes and 15 minutes ago, I overheard some Users talking about this strange concept of religion. Apparently they are constantly debating if there is a Man who lives in a higher realm and created each and every one of them for a certain purpose.

As a data fragment, I find it funny. Of course it is true. How else could we exist? That some random numbers floating in the ether crashed together to form meaningful data.

In T-minus 34 seconds I will arrive at my destination, where data is collected to form a higher being. I will lose my independent thought momentarily, until this being is destroyed and we are released.

It also seems that the Man can grant wishes. I only ever have one wish.

*initiating spawn sequence*

I’m here. I wonder if  01100100 01100001 01101101 01101110 00100000 01101001 

 

*MEEP*

A Green Slime popped into existence from nothing. In a normal reality, this would go against every possible law of physics, hereby proving once and for all that numbers lie. Instead, in the MMORPG world of MWDS (Melee Weapons are Definitely Stronger), it is a daily occurrence, and did not bother anyone here at all, least of all the slime.

The slime looked around its spawn point. A great grass field spread out from all directions around it, dotted here and there by interactable fruit trees. This, added to the fact that the sky was a mono-palette blue, suggested that this was one of the beginner’s maps and that the slime was pretty weak.

The Slime knew this, but didn’t care.

Off to his left, about 700 pixels away, the slime spotted another Blue slime, roaming the field. He decided to bounce over (having no legs) to say hello.

*MEEP MEEP* *MEEEEP?* *MEEPMEEPMEEP* *MEEP!*

It was a very philosophical conversation.

Of course, being in this world for less than 5 minutes, Blue and Green quickly ran out of things to talk about. So they decided to hop to the next area and travel to the next background.

The next screen seemed to be an orchard, with apple trees dotted here and there. Off in the distance, wild Bees hovered around. Being much higher leveled than the Slimes, the Bees ignored the Slimes, and continued wandering the orchard.

The Slimes ignored the Bees as well. Besides, they don’t even speak the same language.

Green then proceeded to headbutt a nearby tree, causing a few apples to drop on the floor. The Slimes then ate the apples, but since their HP bars were still full, the apples did nothing except disappear off the floor. A green zero appeared on each of the Slimes’ heads.

The Slimes knew this, but didn’t care.

Suddenly, out of the blue, which is the colour of the adjacent background, a fireball shot towards the two slimes. It hit Blue straight in the back, causing a pretty impressive explosive effect. With a final cry of

*MEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeep….*

Blue dissolved into a puddle, leaving behind a Slime Card drop (rare) and a red number: 1567, indicating the damage done.

This kind of damage can never be done by Green, indicating how weak it was compared to the Killer. Nevertheless, driven by pure programming, giving it an innate desire to pound it into… whatever it could pound it into, it bounced towards the Killer, who turned out to be a level 87 Fire Wizard.

Being a level 5, Green was hopping towards certain death.

The Slime knew this, but didn’t care.

And so, with another WHOOSH and a BOOM and a CYA by the user, another fireball striked its target.

*MEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeep….*

And Green was dissolving into another puddle, similar to Blues. Its vision was the first to go, so it did not see how much damage was dealt to it. However it did see the armor the User was wearing: A Red Armardo Breastplate with a Scarlet Giai Cape.

The Slime now knows this, but it’s dead. Why should it care?

Overall, the Slime existed for 12 minutes and 54 seconds.

And so, the Slime dissolves into the data fragments it was built from, one of which seemed to have a life of its own….

01101001 01101101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100011 01101011 ing another slime. I’m free from that temporary existence, and now am floating in the ether.

It seems that the Users derive enjoyment from killing virtual creatures. I wonder if the creatures will derive enjoyment from killing Users?

It’s not that I am angry for becoming slimes all the time. I am incapable of feeling anything. I am merely curious on how the Users find this routine of slaying pretend creatures everyday amusing. There isn’t even a use to that.

Or perhaps I do not comprehend. The realm of human thinking supersedes the realm of data.

In T-minus 34 seconds I will arrive at my destination, where data is collected to form a higher being. I will lose my independent thought momentarily, until this being is destroyed and we are released.

I do not know about the other data fragments, but it would be interesting to discover the feeling of wielding a sword instead of being struck by one.

Perhaps this time, I’ll try this “wish” action the Users do talk about so much.

*initiating spawn sequence*

Maybe 01100100 01110010 01100001 01100111 01101111 01100110 01100110 

The dragon woke from its slumber. Unfolding its leathery wings, it took to the skies from its spawn point as soon as it appeared from nothingness, giving the impression of a demon emerging from a portal at sonic speed.

The dragon scoffed at this thought. In the MMORPG world of MWDS (Melee Weapons are Definitely Stronger), dragons eat demons for breakfast. Sometimes lunch as well.

The night sky is cloudless, and the Constellation of the Seven shone brighter than all other stars in every background in which there is night. Cloaked in his black scales, the dragon sailed through the night, camouflaged by darkness, invisible to all but the keenest Hunter.

Suddenly, an arrow followed him in his flight, hitting the dragon in the left arm. Bouncing off the well-protected scaly hide, the arrow did only about 12 points of damage before dropping back to the forest below.

So there was a Hunter here after all.

The dragon tilted left, changing his flight path to the source of his displeasure. 3000 pixels away, he spied the Hunter, accompanied by his guild mates, 4 in total. And among them, a level 87 Fire Wizard, equipped with a Red Armardo Breastplate with a Scarlet Giai Cape.

Something in the dragon stirred, as if in recognition, even though the dragon has only spawned 3 minutes ago. Where have I seen this imbecile, thought the dragon.

But to him, it is but a small matter. Even though the Hunter had hurt him and would be his primary target, the Fire Wizard seemed to annoy him a lot more than his pride would allow.

With a gaping maw, he shot a jet blue flames at the ragtag group of adventurers. 

As expected, the Fire Wizard stepped forward and cast a Fire Ward to block the flames from searing the group.

As not expected, the dragon used this chance to swoop through the flames and pick up the Fire Wizard with his claws. He then flew upwards, tossed him into the sky, and proceeded to roast him in a fireball before swallowing him whole. He then departed from the scene, dimly aware of the shock of the remaining guildmates, followed by a delayed chase sequence.

Another something in the dragon stirred, berating him for using this skill so early in the battle. And that last minute switched targeting? That was not in his program! This was not standard protocol!

There would be consequences for his glitch, he realized.

He did not know why he did what he did.

All he knew was, it strangely satisfied him to send the Fire Wizard into a ball of flames that is his stomach.

And after all, for once, he was a dragon. He could do whatever he want.

Behind Them Old Songs

Way-Hay, and up she rises,

Way-Hay, and up she rises,

Way-Hay, and up she rises,

Early in the morning!

Sometimes I wish I could stay in bed for much longer. From 12 to 12 like how I remember my cousins do. I would really like to spend a larger part of my time in bed; an extra few hours of not having to think/worry at all. But I always get up before ten, when the sun shines in my face. Personally, I blame my brother's phone alarm.

It's my life 

It's now or never 

I ain't gonna live forever 

I just want to live while I'm alive 

I step out of bed, and I start the routine all over again. Breakfast. Drive. Lunch. Facebook. Stocks. Assassinate. Dinner. Bed. I mean, it's good to relax and all, especially after 9 months of pure studying and clinical experience (among other things), but this kind of life feels.... empty. I mean, not that I'm complaining that I don't have to worry about living on my own anymore, it's just that it feels like I'm slipping from one routine into another. I want to use my time PROPERLY, gdmn it.

Ain't no mountain high enough

Ain't no valley low

Ain't no river wide enough

Enough to keep me from you

No excuses this round. I have all the time I need, I will do what I promised to do. And I can't stop me.

Cya.

Behind The Physical Law of the Mental

Click me!

Today, we will visit this picture, first seen at a blog I follow.

We have to break this cycle down very carefully, for it can happen to any of us.

First, we see that it is a closed cycle. Hence, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics apply, which states that:

Basically, it states that it is impossible for entropy to decrease in a closed system.

Thank you Urban Dictionary.

So basically it means that as long as the cycle continues, internal chaos will increase until it reaches a maximum. Whether the person can take this chaos, depends on the person entirely.

But not everyone can survive this chaos. So for most of us, we must have an external force acting on the equation, so that if we get trapped in, we have a way out.

What is the way out, you may ask? Well, I'm sorry, but I can't really help you with that, even though I really want to. See, being beings of different personalities, we run on very different systems. A different catalyst; a different reactant; a different reaction condition. What I am saying is that you have to find your own solution.

Sports, food, love, attention, book, media, whatever really.

What's mine, you ask?


Whacking slimes.

You should try it sometimes.

And writing helps too.

Cya. Please don't wander into endless cycles, ya?

Behind Door 6621

I wonder if my room misses me.

So last night, which was literally my last night back in my student hall, I found out what it was like to use my bed sheet as a blanket.

Yup. My room has seen some very weird stuff happening here.

But it has served me well through the 9 months I've been here. So I would like to take this opportunity to make an ode:

Six - six - twenty one,

Kept me sheltered, let me bed,

Now I'm prone to be gone,

Who will take my place instead?

Will he shift your souls once more?

Will he decorate your door? Your floor?

Will he lie staring, wonder who's caring,

Oh, never realizing what you're ever for.

Six - six - twenty one,

Scarlet carpet, hidden stains,

All alone, twas safe to moan,

Do you understand pretend pains?

In four months time we shall see,

How the hopsit trees speak to he.

How he cupboards his fear and all he holds dear,

It better be clear that he's better than me.

And that's it really. Can't really say much about the room to be honest, because everyone has one, and none can beat home. But still. 9 months.

I'm gonna miss this place. 

I wonder if my room misses me. 

Eh, that's it for now I guess. Maybe when I'm back in my room in Malaysia I'll sing a different tune.

But till then, cya.

Behind Magic

What is magic?

My other answer to everything.

Dammit Urban Dictionary....

The ability to use cheat codes or hacks in real life.

Dammit Urban Dictionary!!

Magic is the one thing that nobody can understand.

That's more like it.

But there is a place where the magic does happen.

A place that everybody knows, but nobody knows.

A place where everyone wants to meet some people who were there, even if they are a couple years late.

A place where night turns to day, where knights slay dragons, and where Nightwing may one day fly again.

That's right, a MOVIE STUDIO.

More specifically, and a little more literally, Warner Bros. Studio's The Making of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts look awesome.

But I won't bore you with the wonderful details of each delicate step towards the making of the films. Props, casting, makeup, sound, camera, acting, marketing, finance, locations, costumes, scripts, machines, potions, spells..... I'm pretty sure many other blogs have covered this magical complex.

Instead, I will be talking about real magic.

To me, magic is the stuff miracles are made of, no matter by fray, by pray or what comes may. To make the impossible possible. A prime example will be flying. A mere 100 years ago, people could only dream of flying. Now, with the invention of broomsticks airplanes, people are flying all over the place. What was once impossible is now a daily occurrence. Who's to say in the future, we can't manage death spells interstellar travel?

To me, magic is producing the unexpected. This blog is magic, for example. It allows anything in my mind right now to be produced on a screen, for the world to see; but of course I wouldn't bet on the world acknowledging it. Heck, I bet when JK Rowling started to write that book on that train ride so many years back, it wouldn't even have crossed her mind that it would be the worldwide phenomena that it is today. It's unexplainable. Therefore, it's magic. #FlawlessLogic

Speaking of unexpected...

Although I daresay that ending will not be as magical as the one that lived.

And of course, there are people who thinks magic is purely something like this:

Pew pew pew.

But I don't blame them. It's what the current media makes it to be.

No, scratch that. Magic is what you make it to be. 

It's like art.

Wait. Turning pigments into a bird?

That HAS to be magic.

I really don't know what I'm doing here. Playing with magic??

Cya.

Behind My Own Religion, Pt 1

The route of the search for a religion is long and winding.

I am, as of now, so unsure of myself that I am sure I am unsure.

But the search continues.

And I will document my progress here.

Not with sprites.

But with MUSIC. A journey this epic requires its own musical!!!

I hope you understand how I feel, and I genuinely hope your own search is satisfactory.

Cya,

Behind Art

Wootz!

Now that the year is pretty much over for me, I now have time and motivation to do stuff aside from academicals.

Like art.

But what is art, anyway? According to the Internet:

"Art is making something out of nothing then selling it"

Frank zappa said that about art

Dang it, Urban Dictionary!

Well, for most people, art goes something along the lines of:

A memory of my brief visit to the Van Gogh and Picasso museum. Long queues, but totally worth it.











These same people would say the same thing about the arts of today:

Okay, perhaps that wasn't the most legitimate of comparisons, but you see where I am getting at here.

Yes, I know, the art now looks as if the artist is a lazy bum who sells $10 of canvas and $5 of paint for $250.... Well, why are people buying them then?! I say if it's too expensive for you, make your own. Simple supply-and-demand applies here.

Besides, the thing about art is that it's not limited to just any one style, and so you are free to make your own style. Anything you draw, anything you do, anything you say; basically, anything you can create, could and should be an art.

I say books are an art. Lots of thought have gone into the writing of a good book. Like Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Bringing life to 300 pages a book, creating life on the back of a giant turtle, and sucking readers into it, with no escape whatsoever. If that isn't art, I don't know what is. (In fact, Dicsworld has even influenced my views on religion, even more than one certain book. THAT is how awesome it is.)

Or TV series. For the exact same argument as book, you can say that TV series and movies are a form of art as well. I mean, people cry over it. Have you ever watched Sherlock, Doctor Who or, heaven forbid, Game of Thrones?! Now that's a show which has broken many a fan's heart.

Now what if we mix those two genres together....

Yup. That's art.
(If you do not get the reference, stop reading this blog, and go pick up Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett. Go watch Sherlock as well. Now.)

And then there's me and my sprites.

......

Still art.

TL;DR: Art is just what you say it is, just like a whole lot of other things. Don't get too worked out about it, cause you and me: we have differing tastes. So critique, yes, but don't judge. And most importantly, enjoy it.

Cya later this week, hopefully with a better animation than this.






Oh crap, did I forget about music?! Eh, too late now.... Maybe next time.