Jake Jeffries's Blog: Dark Watchman, page 3

10 Life Lessons from Final Fantasy

Greetings Kupo,

RPG’s are one of my favorite hobbies. I’m sure eventually I will probably do a blog post on my favorite RPG games of all time. That list will no doubt contain multiple titles from the Final Fantasy series. Below are ten life lessons that I have learned from my experience playing them.

1. Sometimes it is better to walk than to ride a Chocobo.

Chocobo’s are great, now you can finally travel through the desert or plains without it taking an hour or more to get where you need to go! Plus, most of the time they are cute. Who doesn’t want to mount a giant chicken like a horse and ride it around? However, sometimes much like in reality we can become lazy. If we rely on the faster transportation methods, we may miss out on treasures along the way. We may get out of shape and not be at the level we need to be to tackle the next challenge that we are presented with. Getting from point A to point B quicker may save us time which may be good for certain times, but other times we may need to weigh what that time savings is actually costing us. Perhaps whatever we may gain from a slower journey where we are able to take things at a slower pace is worth it.

Final Fantasy IX

2. Side quests aren’t always a waste of time.

Recently while playing Final Fantasy XII I caught myself cursing at the length of one of the side quests. I had to kill a cactus for this guy, take the flower to his wife so she could make some medicine, go back to the guy to pick something up that his wife wanted from him for more medicine, and now his wife is trying to send me to some cliff to gather some more shit for a different kind of medicine. Sure, it is nice that I am able to help out the person that must have been practically dead but damnit, I just want the experience points for finishing the quest! After a few deep breaths I calmed down and was able to realize that perhaps the back and forth isn’t such a bad thing. Do I think that the guy should be able to run his own damn errands? Yes. However, I have gained much experience from defeating enemies along the way and was able to come across a rare enemy and defeat them for a much larger reward than normal. If I hadn’t been trying to complete the quest I may not have come across the possibility for the higher reward. Sometimes in reality I have a habit of falling into this kind of thinking as well. Is it really the end of the world that I have to take a different road because they decided it was a good idea to start construction on another part of the city? Who knows, I may end up finding a new coffee shop or some place that inspires me.

Final Fantasy XII

3. Know your limitations.



“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Odds are that most of the time in Final Fantasy you are aware of the level that your characters are at and what abilities they have. If possible, before trying to overcome enemies (especially bosses) do some research on them. If not possible, make sure to save the game before fighting them and study their fighting pattern during the battle just in case it doesn’t end well the first time around. Perhaps you can find a way to exploit a weakness. Maybe you just aren’t at the right level yet. I have a guide book for some of the games that I refer to in order to see what the recommended level is for certain areas. I try not to read too far ahead because I still want to be challenged and I don’t want too many spoilers. In life it pays off to know what level you are at for various situations and whether or not you can handle certain things. With the internet we also have a valuable tool at our disposal that allows to do better research to know what we are getting into before we make the decision to do something. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be times that we are thrown into a situation beyond our control, but at the very least we can try to make it happen less often.

Final Fantasy XIII – Libra

4. It is possible to be vulnerable and strong at the same time.

One of the characters in my party in Final Fantasy XII was acting as an AI and my control of him was limited. I was not able to switch out his items or upgrade his stats or abilities because he was just a guest. However, he was a higher level than most of my other party members and his strength was off the charts. This allowed him to hit hard during battles with the enemy but I also had to heal him the most often because he had the weakest armor. There were also some enemies, especially elemental enemies that may be strong as well. However, In the case of a fire elemental I discovered that I needed to just use water in order to extinguish them. A lot of times most of us try to put on a strong façade when face to face with others but inside struggle with demons such as anxiety and depression. Maybe we aren’t comfortable being in touch with our feelings. Maybe we have that one trigger that causes us great anguish. The hard part when you have a vulnerability is admitting when you have one. This is when it can be a show of great strength to ask for help. In the case of the AI character above, his health revealed to me his distress and I supplied a potion in order to heal him. It was a good thing that he had others around to help him or he may not have made it.

Final Fantasy XII – Basch

5. Keep leveling up.

All of the Final Fantasy games I have played have been driven by a leveling up system. This usually results in being able to wield better weapons, wear tougher armor, and use stronger attacks as you level up. Don’t try to face too much too soon or you may regret it. Try to be prepared for what you will have to face. There is a section of Final Fantasy XII that comes to mind when I tried to kill a T-Rex while I was at a low level. I didn’t know it at the time but apparently you need to be stronger to kill it. After dying a few times very quickly I was able to figure out that the T-Rex was above my current level and that I would need to keep leveling up in order to match him or overcome him. Don’t give up after beating the T-Rex either, there is nothing wrong with maintaining the thought of trying be a better person today than you was yesterday. Keep setting goals and keep striving towards them. Level up your life. If you need help getting started I recommend checking out Nerdfitness. Steve Kamb literally wrote the book on leveling up your life.

Final Fantasy IX

6. Today’s boss battle is different than yesterday’s and odds are it will be different from tomorrow’s.

The boss battles in Final Fantasy take on a different form than the boss battles in reality but don’t let that fool you. A boss battle is still a boss battle. Yesterday in Final Fantasy you may have beaten the Materia Keeper but today you may have to face off against Sephiroth. Yesterday in the office you may have had to deal with the deadline for the new design project but today you have to deal with a presentation about the direction of the department and you can already feel your throat drying up. Do your best to be prepared for the boss battle but even if it doesn’t go flawlessly the main thing is that you keep trying. If you lose the fight, learn from it and try harder the next time assuming you still have the option to respawn (meaning that you weren’t fired). If you were fired, then that will more than likely be tomorrow’s boss battle. The thing about Final Fantasy is that it is never really final. Boss battles are a part of living.

Final Fantasy VII “Where are the TPS reports?” – Sephiroth “In Hell, where you’re going!” – Cloud

7. Don’t be afraid to open treasure chests but be prepared for what you find.

Treasure chests are another Final Fantasy staple. They contain various amounts of loot that aid the player on their quest. Opening chests and looking for loot is probably the second most time consuming thing about the games after leveling up the characters by grinding. However, sometimes the chests aren’t as they appear to be. Sometimes the chests are beasts called Mimics in disguise. Other times the game makes it so if you open certain chests then you may lose out on a greater reward later (such as the ultimate weapon in Final Fantasy XII). The equivalent in reality would be finding money on the street, winning a contest, or winning the lottery. I’ve found money on the street before and kept it when it has been smaller amounts if there is no one else around. I have won other smaller contests like getting to hang out at a radio station with a band I enjoy and an action figure from Toonami. I hear that some of the larger rewards sometimes come with a price such as having to claim them on your taxes and then pay taxes on the rewards. This can sometimes cause someone to have to give up the reward. Anyone can find a treasure chest, it’s what you choose do with what is inside that really matters. Another way of looking at this is all of the treasure chests inside of ourselves that we choose to lock away our emotions within. Sometimes in order to move past something we have to unlock these treasure chests or if that fails then hammer the damn lock off. Self-exploration also carries with it the chance of great rewards or the risk of it being another Mimic that will try to bite our head off.

Final Fantasy IX

8. Save points are your allies.

When you come across a save point in Final Fantasy, please for the love of God save the game! They are usually in important places and a lot of times you encounter one before major boss battles. The last thing you want to do is to rush into a situation and then lose all of progress you had made since the last save point. All of the loot, all of the experience, and the time it took to get there can all be for naught if you don’t save when you should. In reality I think of saving as creating points in your memory for certain events, physical pictures and home videos, journals, etc. My father died in an accident in 2012 and it hasn’t been easy dealing with the grieving process and it will more than likely be a process that never ends. It has become a boss battle. Luckily with time I have managed to level up so that it has gotten a bit easier to deal with than the first few months and then the first year and so on. We have many pictures and videos of my father that I can look at or watch anytime. Plus, I have many valuable memories that I hope I can keep a hold of moving forward. It does suck that he is gone, but he will never be forgotten.

Final Fantasy XII

9. Ultimate weapons are for ultimate heroes.

When you start out in Final Fantasy you are usually given basic weapons that you then upgrade throughout the duration of the game. Ultimate weapons are a common occurrence in the series as well. Usually you are limited in what range of weapons you can use by your level. This mimics reality in that you should train with a certain weapon before thinking that you can get the strongest version of something and be a master at the beginning. Odds are if you do that then you will make a fool of yourself or hurt someone. For example, I love swords but I would not want to engage in an actual sword fight with someone at the moment because I lack the skill to do so effectively. If I was to begin training I would more than likely start with a wooden sword and then work my way up to metal. Final Fantasy ups the ante by imbuing many of their weapons with magic that gives them additional abilities or increases the amount of damage caused by the weapon. We all tend to have our own profession as well. There are certain tools for vehicles that I would consider ultimate weapons for mechanics and I wouldn’t dare to begin to think that I could just wing it. I would more than likely end up breaking something or hurting myself. There are other tools that a beginning mechanic would not know how to use but a seasoned mechanic would be quite effective with.

Final Fantasy X

10. Phoenix downs and reality.

Phoenix downs are an item in Final Fantasy that revives a KO’d member of your party. There may be times in life that you feel like you have been KO’d by something and someone might give you a hand, this is similar to having one of your party members use a phoenix down on you. Likewise, you may have the opportunity to use a phoenix down to help someone else out. Sometimes being KO’d doesn’t have to mean actually being unconscious. It can be feeling stuck and thinking that there is no way out of your current situation. Sometimes the act of using a phoenix down can be as simple as just listening to someone vent about their day. Other times it can actually be taking care of someone that is actually unconscious.

Final Fantasy VII

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

Five Things I learned From Watching The Newsroom

Greetings friends,

1. Take pride in what you do and make sacrifices where you must.

Most people want to contribute to the world in some way. Some people work so hard at this that they exhaust all of their energy and risk their health as a result. You can’t be everywhere at once and there is only so much time available in a day. Burning the candle at both ends is no way to live a life. If that is how you are making ends meet, then hopefully it only a temporary setback. One of the things I would like to avoid is working myself into an early grave. However, I still want to make valuable contributions to the world and to society. I have an ever-growing to-do list. Sometimes I make the mistake of getting overwhelmed by said list and end up not making any progress. Other times I get quite a bit done but still feel like I accomplished nothing because there is so much stuff left on the list to do. This applies to both my work life and my home life. Lately I have been trying to look at it a bit differently and take pride in the things that I do manage to accomplish. The other things on the list are still there, but they will get accomplished in time. If somehow I managed to get everything done, what would I do then? I probably wouldn’t know what to do with myself. It is inevitable in life that a sacrifice will have to be made at some point. Perhaps it is that you want a thing and can’t afford a thing because you have to make sure to cover the bills for the month. Perhaps it is sacrificing some time with your family in order to get a big job done at work or vice versa maybe you need to spend a little less time at work and more with the family. Life is a form of give or take. If you are able to wake up every day, get dressed, take a deep breath, accomplish something, and take deep breaths when necessary then be proud of yourself.

2. If you think you are the smartest person in the room, think again.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of being intelligent. However, if you are an egomaniac and think that you are so smart that you can’t learn anything from anyone then you are an idiot. I have learned things from people that I would have never expected to learn anything from and my hope is that people have learned something from me as well. There is always something that we know that we can teach to someone else and there is always something that someone else knows that they can teach us. Strive to be proud and to be humble at the same time.

3. Sometimes people fuck up, including you.

Look at the person closest to you; have they ever done anything to hurt you? Have you ever hurt them? If you don’t have that kind of relationship with the person, then maybe you know of a mistake they made at one time or another. Take some time to think about the mistakes you have made in the past. Now take the time to let it go, since they are in the past they cannot be changed. All that we can do with the mistakes that we have already made is seek forgiveness from the party that the mistake was made against and most importantly seek forgiveness from ourselves. More often than not, we are our own worst critics. If someone is legitimately seeking forgiveness from you consider their position, if you have been at the end of a similar rope then who are you to hang them? Likewise, if you are being overly harsh on yourself then lighten up. Learn from the mistake and then move forward. You can’t spend your life looking at the past behind you and expect to notice what good things may lay ahead in front of you.

4. Chase your story.

You are the author of your own story. Only you know what you want out of life and only you can take the kinds of steps necessary to achieve the things you want. No one else is going to write your story for you. You might find someone to share it with, but you aren’t going to find someone that will do everything for you or hand you everything. One of my favorite quotes from Fullmetal Alchemist is by Edward Elric when he says, “You’ve got two good legs. So get up and use them.” I understand that not everyone is fortunate enough to have the means to do everything that they want or everything that they want right now. The point is to figure out what you want to chase and chase it. You’re not going to get where you want by letting everyone else walk for you.

5. Check your sources.

The staff of the Newsroom does not air any stories without first having some reputable sources. Who do you get your information from? Who do you trust to not tell you false stories? Try to surround yourself with honest people and eliminate the dishonest people in your life. Also to look at it a different way, what are the things that you consider sources of happiness and what would you consider sources of despair? Perhaps you need to focus more on the sources of happiness and get rid of the sources of despair.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

iClassics Needs Your Help

Greetings friends,

There is a Kickstarter currently going on in order to support iClassics that I have to bring to your attention. It is one of the best projects I have ever seen on Kickstarter. The best part is, I have backed a few of their projects and ordered from them directly and they always deliver. Not only do they deliver, but the projects are top notch. You can sense the sheer amount of love, blood, sweat, and tears that have been poured into every detail. I have never been disappointed with anything that I have gotten from them. I know with their projects that I can pledge with confidence.

So far I have three of their projects: Ravings of Love and Death, Forgotten Colors, and The ABC’s of Edgar Allan Poe.

Ravings of Love and Death is an anthology that gathers some of the significant love and death stories of Edgar Allan Poe into a wonderfully illustrated masterpiece. As most of you know Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors of all time and is a great inspiration to me. I also love the sketchbook that came with it.

Forgotten Colors is a book of short stories that are partnered with beautiful illustrations. I have not finished reading the book, but I love what I have read thus far. The first story is about a world that is losing its color and becoming lackluster. Carmesina, the protagonist of the story embarks on a quest to restore color to the world and with it restore the world to a happier place. She is aided by a black cat. The next story is about a bird that feels out of place and is teased by his fellow birds. He leaves home and ends up discovering that he is actually from a different area and there are more birds that are like him and more accepting of his nature. When he visits his old home again the birds there are happy to see him and have missed him since he has been gone and are also more accepting of him. Of course all of this gives him a confidence boost and as such has lowered his sadness. I’m really looking forward to reading the story inspired by B.B. King as I am a fan of his music. It came with an art print of Carmesina and the black cat.

I love this slipcover edition of the The ABC’s of Edgar Allan Poe. This book explores the 26 letters of the alphabet using the work of Edgar Allan Poe and also provides short anecdotes, inspirations, and interpretations. The poster is amazing as well; I can’t wait to hang it up in my library. I would like to have a custom frame built for it first though. The postcards are excellent collector’s items too.

My hope is that the Kickstarter is successfully funded. Please help out however you can, even if it just helping to spread the word.

Below are links to videos that highlight some of the already established works in the iClassics catalog.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

To God, or not to God, that is the question.

Greetings friends,

I would like to issue a warning. If you have not watched the 20th episode of the 11th season of the TV show Supernatural titled Don’t Call Me Shurley then this post contains spoilers.

In my opinion Don’t Call Me Shurley is the greatest episode of Supernatural since the fifth season. Every season has its high and lows but it seems like since season five there have been more lows than highs. That is not to say that the show hasn’t been enjoyable, it is still one of my favorite shows on television. Some of Supernatural’s worst episodes are still better than the best episodes of some other shows.

This is the episode that a lot of fans have been waiting for. God has been mostly absent from Supernatural. He may have done a few things here and there such as reviving Sam, Dean, and Castiel multiple times but overall he stays out of the limelight. Even then he never revealed himself. Throughout the show it seems like God kept interfering less and less to the point where some people didn’t even think he really existed. However, this season we introduced to God’s sister The Darkness aka Amara. She had been locked up since the dawn of time by God and Lucifer. The only thing that kept her locked away was the mark of Cain. She was released by Sam and Dean in order to save Dean and she wants revenge against her brother. This episode confirmed a longtime fan theory that Chuck Shurley aka Carver Edlund was indeed God hiding out in plain sight. Prior to this confirmation he had only declared that he was prophet. Enter Metatron, the big bad last season. This episode made me not want to punch Metatron in the face. That is saying something because prior to this episode I had dreams about punching the actual actor in the face. Metatron is one of those characters that you love to hate. However, in traditional Supernatural fashion they decide to add another layer of depth to his character and make him a voice of reason in this episode.

The voice of reason…

God decides he is going to write his autobiography and calls upon the help of his old friend and editor Metatron. It is implied that they both worked together on the Bible. Also, it should be noted that Metatron is currently without his power because it was taken from him because he was being an asshole. He asks God if he is going to restore his power and God says it wouldn’t be a good idea because of the whole asshole thing. This episode gets heavy. The fate of the world is at stake which isn’t uncommon for this show but the aspect that makes a different this time is that it is going to take someone with the power of God to save the world this time. God however does not want to get involved for various reasons such as humanity sucks, his sister is a bitch, and he’s God and can do what he wants. Metatron reads the first draft of the autobiography and tells God that he has left out some very big details.

As a writer and as a human this episode struck many chords within me. It also just goes to show what great writers and storytellers that Supernatural has in its arsenal. Every writer does in fact need a great editor. I enjoyed the fact that God himself requested Metatron to edit his work. I can’t help but wonder if it was God’s intent to sacrifice himself all along. It speaks volumes that he wanted to write one last story before he made his decision. I feel that it is a very strong inspiration and motivator when witnessing a story where a writer is able to tell their story. It is a constant existential fear of mine that I may not get to write or tell all of the stories that I want to tell in the time that I have available to me. It is also apparent throughout the episode that God was struggling with the fact that it may be his last story. He didn’t want his story to end. Even if some of his creation rebelled and turned to evil; it didn’t erase all of his creation that was good, beautiful, and lived their life trying to be best that they could. In the end don’t we all strive to be the best that we can be?

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

Starfire

Greetings friends,

I would like to introduce to a new story of mine that I intend to finish up after The Dark Watchman series. The working title is Starfire. It is inspired by and borrows its name from one of favorite songs of all time, the song Starfire by DragonForce. In the story Starfire is going to the name of the sword wielded by the main protagonist.

Alternate history stories have always fascinated me. I have also always been interested in World War II as well, mainly from the standpoint of what have we learned and what can we continue to learn from it. That’s partly why I am drawn to such stories as the comic Uber and the novel The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Uber explores what would happen if super soldier programs were created on both sides. This is vaguely similar to the creation of Captain America but it goes in a different direction. The Third Reich develops the super soldiers first and the allied forces are forced to respond with their own. The Man in the High Castle explores what would happen if the Third Reich had actually won the war.

Another story that I love is the tale of is Seven Samurai. It is the story of a village of farmers that hire seven samurai to combat bandits that intend to steal their crops. I enjoyed the original film and the anime that was inspired by it called Samurai 7. Samurai 7 is basically the same story as Seven Samurai only with giant airships, mechanical robots, and super-powered samurai. One of the things that struck me about the story is that the farmers don’t have much to pay the samurai with. In fact the only payment they can offer is rice in exchange for their services. This has the pleasant side effect of the farmers hiring humble honorable samurai.

Starfire is in my opinion going to the hardest story I have ever written and possibly one of the hardest I will ever write. I plan on researching various mythologies of different cultures, stories about World War II, and biographies of certain persons involved in World War II including some of the monsters from the Nazi side of things. The main protagonist of Starfire is going be a Jewish man that has escaped from the concentration camp where he was held prisoner. The forces of good and evil in this world are going to emanate from two different beings. Good comes from a being that calls himself God, Yahweh, etc. He states that all of the different religions in the world that believe in good worship him. The other force is of course the Devil creature and is the sole source of evil. In Starfire, the Third Reich wins the war and has set their sights on world domination with the support of evil. After years of being idle the force of good has finally witnessed enough suffering so he enlists the help of seven warriors from around the world to help rid the Earth of the Nazi scourge. The Nazi’s have great power and have control of much of the world already. The area under the Nazi’s control is called Great Germany. Japan and Germany no longer have an alliance. Another historical difference is that the Native Americans run much of the North American continent. It is known as the United Tribes of America. The difference here is that when America was invaded all of the tribes united together against the oncoming threat. Other key areas that are still separate from Germany are India, Africa, China, and Australia. The protagonist doesn’t have a name. He has forgotten it because of all the years he has just been a number. When the Great Yahweh first calls upon him he has doubts that he is up to the task of making a difference in the world. After all, he was a prisoner and made to feel less than human for years. The Great Yahweh talks him into accepting the responsibility as one of the warriors and he embarks on his quest to find the remaining warriors. All of the warriors carry swords that are imbued with special power and are associated with a creature inspired by the mythology and/or religion of the culture the warrior is from. The protagonist doesn’t have much sword training but his duty in prison was cutting grass with a sickle so he isn’t completely useless with a sword.

The Song of the Lark by Jules Breton. This is the painting that actor Bill Murray has said saved his life. It is also a painting that I have grown up around because my Grandmother owned a reproduction of it which was passed down to my father. The protagonist of Starfire is forced to use a sickle much like the one the woman is holding.

The idea for Starfire started out as a dream I had. In the dream I was the protagonist and it was me and a few other warriors basically taking down Imhotep from the movie The Mummy and some Goa’uld from Stargate SG-1. I was wielding a Wolfsbane sword which was a sword with 15 blades. The blades were arranged in a triangle pattern, stood vertically, and were attached to a hilt. It resembled a candelabras. The sword was meant to be held in the middle of the hilt and could control the wind and air. Like a wolf running through the forest I was able to dodge attacks and land my own with cunning fury. The Wolfsbane sword was capable of creating multiple tornadoes at once and while it didn’t grant me the ability to fly I could glide for great distances.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

The Dark Watchman Begins

Greetings friends,

Some of you may remember my first post of the year. For those of you that don’t, below are the epic goals and resolutions of awesomeness that I mentioned for 2016.

Jake’s Epic Goals for 2016

Lose 80lbs

Complete Enter the Dark Watchman

Read at least 24 books

Jake’s Resolutions of Awesomeness for 2016

Create healthy eating habits.

Develop a regular exercise routine.

Start a regular writing regimen.

Apparently I am an Underpants Gnome. I discovered the concept of Underpants Gnomes from Steve Kamb over at Nerdfitness. An Underpants Gnome is a Gnome from the television show South Park that starts out with an idea (in this case collecting underpants) and had an end result (profiting somehow from said underpants). What they neglect to figure out is how to go from point A to point B. They end up with a big pile of underpants but never achieve making a profit them because they failed to follow through on a plan of action for the pile of underpants.

So far I have only taken steps toward two of the items mentioned above. I have been reading more often and I have increased my writing, at least for my blog posts. My weight keeps fluctuating but there is no significant loss, partially due to my lack of creating healthy eating habits and developing a regular exercise routine. I am no closer to releasing Enter the Dark Watchman even though I took a week of vacation in hopes of making progress on it.

What strides have I made towards the items I am failing at? I have gathered up all of my notes for my writing into one place. Now I need to go through them and organize them to what book they go with. Some of the notes got a little mixed up during the move to a new house last year.

I have increased the amount of books I want to read to 50, which makes my current progress less but it is still a goal I intend on keeping. I have read self-help books and fitness articles. I have watched documentaries on eating healthier. I joined a gym last month and haven’t gone to work out once. I eat pizza less than I did before. Some of these things are baby steps, which are good but it’s taking me forever to get where I want to go. Some of the things are also underpants that I am collecting and doing nothing with. I think it is about time that I wear them.

It is killing me that I have all of these things started and I haven’t made much progress on any of them. It almost feels that although I have started a bunch of things that I actually haven’t started anything. The philosophy of Nerdfitness is that it doesn’t matter what your starting point is, just start. Ironically enough it seems as if I need to stop so that I can start again. I need to start with a renewed focus and not have so many projects going on at once. I can hear my future self speaking to me through time and space. Everything makes perfect sense when I hear it, but when I go to follow through on the actions I can never recall the words that were said. I feel that is only a matter of time before my future self gets frustrated enough that he will reach his hand through time and space, grip my shoulder, and drag me to where I need to be like Castiel did to Dean in Supernatural when he gripped him tight and raised him from Perdition.

Focus is my friend and I need to start hanging out with him. It is time to get shit done. If for some reason I fail, then I give Castiel permission to slap me with the same force depicted above.

I think a part of me is worried about making Enter the Dark Watchman perfect. That might be part of why I haven’t gotten it further along. However, it will get done and in my opinion there will definitely be some great things within. I plan on continuing to work with Sean Yager for the majority if not all of the artwork. Assuming he can fit me in around his solo projects which are definitely worth checking out as well. There is a good chance that I may commission him for the cover artwork this time around too. The cover artist for Bad Blood Rising did a great job, but both of our schedules never seem to align. The protagonist of Enter the Dark Watchman is going to be an avid Death Wish Coffee drinker. Also, I plan on going forward with having lyrics featured at the beginning of the book to a song that I listened to that helped inspire the story. I enjoy providing that aspect because of my deep love of music. It always fascinates me to learn about what music has inspired other writers. Currently for Enter the Dark Watchman I am in talks with using some lyrics from the Gothfathers of Italy, Lacuna Coil. Hopefully it all works out! They want to see the final manuscript of Enter the Dark Watchman before they give approval which is understandable. I am not going to say which song though, suffice to say that if permission is granted then you can find out in the front of the book! The hardcover version will come with tarot cards. The characters depicted will be ones that are featured more in this book. The goal is still to eventually have a whole set of tarot cards! Once all is said and done I will probably make them available to purchase separately. I will also make sure there is a set of just the missing components for those that have been buying the hardcover versions of the book and would like to complete the set. The way it will work is that books 1-4 of The Dark Watchman series will have come with the full major arcana. The minor arcana will be available separate or if you missed out on the hardcover versions then you will be able to purchase just the cards at a later time.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

You Can Be a Hero Too

Greetings friends,

The dictionary definition of a hero is as follows — a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.

Throughout my entire life I have been fascinated by hero stories. The more fantastical the story more I enjoy it. When I was a child my favorite heroes were Superman, the Ninja Turtles, and Transformers. As I have gotten older I still love Superman and most of my childhood heroes but my interests have changed and matured as I have changed and matured. These days I find myself drawn more and more to anti-heroes, heroes that aren’t quite black and white, heroes that dabble more in the grey area. My favorite anti-hero is Spawn.

I felt like Todd McFarlane did a perfect job in creating a hero that is deeply flawed but still tends to fight for the side of good. Also I have come to accept that I am drawn to these types of stories in order to help escape from reality. I can’t hide from reality all of the time but it is nice to get away every now and then.

One of the most interesting aspects of hero stories to me is when a hero doesn’t consider his or her self a hero and they are struggling with concepts of morality. A recent and brilliantly executed example of this is captured in the Marvel show Daredevil on Netflix. Multiple times we see Murdock speaking to a priest and investigating the rabbit hole of morality. Murdock will beat the crap out of someone and then leave them to the authorities to sort out. What happens when someone keeps getting released with barely a slap on the wrist and doesn’t learn from their mistakes? Should they be allowed to continue down a path where they are hurting themselves and others or should more extreme measures be taken? Who has the right (or thinks they have the right) to make a decision to take someone else out of the equation. Enter the anti-hero Punisher. In contrast to Daredevil he has no reservations about flat out killing someone that steps across his moral boundaries. Whose boundaries are right and whose are wrong? It is all in the eye of the beholder.

Batman and Superman are two of my favorite heroes. I am stoked that there is finally a movie coming out that features both of them and I am fascinated by the aspect of them having such a conflict with one another like their comic counterparts have had countless times. Sure, most of the time they work together but that doesn’t stop Batman from having a major concern about Superman losing control and then having to stop him somehow. Superman is a man without a home and for the most part without a race. He is trying to fit in on Earth but is still looked upon by some as an outsider no matter how much good he does. Judging by the trailer Batman is upset with Superman because of the collateral damage caused by Superman saving the world from General Zod’s attack. However, could Batman have done better? Also, if Batman works to make himself more powerful than Superman then who will keep Batman in check? In my opinion this is part of why a team of heroes can be better than a solo hero. It adds a system of checks and balances. Let’s not forget that Wonder Woman is going to be in the film as well and I hope she adds a flair to the film of showing Batman and Superman how flawed their conflict truly is; if that happens then it will certainly not come without some push-back from the two superheroes with superegos. Can the heroes put aside their differences and work together to protect the world or will the world just become a battleground? Will Batman perpetuate the very thing he is angry at Superman about? Most of us will find out this coming weekend.

In the Disney movie Hercules the hero progresses from zero to hero with the help of a Satyr named Phil. This doesn’t mean that heroism can only be achieved with help from an outside source. Sometimes your Phil can a mentor and sometimes your Phil can be your inner voice kicking yourself in the ass, perhaps that inner voice is telling you that it is time to do something heroic.

Some of us believe (at times myself included) that you can only be a hero if you have special powers or have done something that society deems as extraordinary. All of us have the capacity for good and evil inside of us. In the 1978 Superman film Jor-El’s final message to Kal-El is this, “Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. But always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son.” Being a hero doesn’t have to be something that the whole world hears about through media. Being a hero doesn’t mean that you have to be an orphan (although for some reason it seems to help). Being a hero starts as a big or small decision that you make to do something great. If an act or gesture comes from the right place, a place of compassion, a place of kindness, then I believe that act or gesture to be an act of heroism. Ask yourself, how can you be a hero today?

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

Daring Greatly

Greetings friends,

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown is in my opinion one of the most relevant epic tomes of this day and age. I am not easily moved to tears but I found myself with wet eyes at various times whilst reading this book. Shame and vulnerability are no easy topics especially when viewed through a lens of the self and this book helps to walk you through the journey thereof. It will no doubt be a book that I keep coming back to in order to inspire myself to dare greatly as the name suggests.

There have been many times in my life when I was unsure of how to process my emotions. After a while it began to manifest itself creatively in the form my writing. An Attempt to Fill the Void is aptly named because that’s exactly what it was, my attempt to fill the void. A void that for some reason I have constantly felt all of my life. A void that has kept chasing me all of these years and just when it seems like I have escaped it, bam! There it is right around the corner. For years I have taken prescription medicine to try to numb the effects of the void, but all that managed to do was make me lie down while it hovered above me and drained me of important energy that I should have been putting to better use. I still don’t fully understand the void but after reading Daring Greatly I have a better set of tools in my toolbox that has given me the strength to stop, turn around, and face the void head on. It is ugly, it soul sucking, but it has been and possibly will always be with me.

Concept art by Adam Brockbank

The picture above is a concept from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. It depicts a Dementor feeding on Harry. I picture my void a lot like a Dementor. I have accepted that the void is a part of me. I have cut it off from its ability to zap me of my energy at will and now it only subsists on the energy that I allow it to have. Also, like in Harry Potter it helps me if I eat chocolate after a Dementor encounter. It was a revolutionary epiphany when I realized that this world is full of other people that have their own form of void that follows them around. Some people I see running from theirs and others I notice have also gained the strength to turn and face theirs. For the ones that are still running, I encourage you to never give up. Grab a hold of your void and own it, if you are lucky then perhaps you can learn how to draw energy from it as well.

Daring Greatly is a phrase taken from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech Citizenship in a Republic. The speech was delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23rd, 1910. Here is the passage that made the speech famous:

Brené has opened my eyes to a way of life known as wholehearted living. There is a sentence from the book that goes like this, “Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.” I couldn’t tell you how many times I have kicked the shit out of myself for failing to complete things. I have a habit of making lists and then I attempt to complete the lists in an unrealistic time frame. Furthermore, I could forgive others for not meeting certain expectations at times but when it came to myself I gave no quarter. According to Brené’s research the Wholehearted identify vulnerability as the catalyst for courage, compassion, and connection. Brené debunks the myth that “vulnerability is weakness.” She goes on to say that, “Vulnerability isn’t good or bad: It’s not what we call a dark emotion, nor is it always a light., positive experience. Vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings. To feel is to be Vulnerable. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. To foreclose on our emotional life out of a fear that the costs will be too high is to walk away from the very thing that gives purpose and meaning to living.” Brené also states that, “Shame resilience is key to embracing our vulnerability. We can’t let ourselves be seen if we’re terrified by what people might think. Often ‘not being good at vulnerability’ means that we’re damn good at shame.” There is an exchange in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that happens to be one of my and Brené’s favorite exchanges in the film series. There is a scene where Harry was worried that he might be bad because he was angry all of the time and had dark feelings. Sirius told Harry to listen to him carefully, then he said, “You’re not a bad person. You’re a very good person who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” Brené goes on to add that, “We all have shame. We all have good and bad, dark and light, inside of us. But if we don’t come to terms with our shame, our struggles, we start believing that there’s something wrong with us—that we’re bad, flawed, not good enough—and even worse, we start acting on those beliefs. If we want to be fully engaged, to be connected, we have to be vulnerable. In order to be vulnerable, we need to develop resilience to shame.” Needless to say at this point, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Remember to dare greatly, dare alone, and dare together.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

Happiness Is Writing Your Own Story

Greetings friends,

Happiness is writing your own story.

Snoopy says so.

This quote struck a resounding chord within me. I first saw it on some Peanuts framed art in a Hallmark store. Luckily, my beloved mother saw fit to get the artwork for me as a gift. I believe that there are many different things to take from this quote. Since I am a writer I of course think of writing as an outlet for emotions, including but not limited to happiness. It is one of my favorite things to do and coming up with stories is often therapeutic for me. In the past I think it may have been a way to escape the realms of reality but now it has become a way to supplement my emotions and keep my imagination vivid. Another aspect of the quote is that only you can write, or at least only you should write your own story. If someone else tries to grab the pen from you as you are trying to write your own story then take it from them and stab them with it (figuratively of course). Sometimes this is required in order to move past something and be able to start your own story. The good news is that with their blood you should be able to keep writing for a while. No one else should be trying to write your story for you.

One of my favorite bands Phantasma has a song called Incomplete. The lyrics are as follows:

When I was a young girl

My father said to me

Life is nothing like a grand symphony

It’s like when you know this one line

Sing it, and repeat

But you don’t recall the rest of the song

It’s incomplete

You can spend your whole life

Trying to recall

Or enjoy the sound you’ve known

Oh the words and the melodies

Don’t they taste sweet

Why would you go and chase bigger dreams?

When I was a young boy

My father said to me

Life is nothing like a grand symphony

It’s like when you know this one line

Sing it and repeat

But you don’t recall the rest of the song

It’s incomplete

You can spend your whole life

Trying to break free

Or enjoy the home I’ve made

Oh our balance it can be disturbed so easily

Why would you go and chase bigger dreams

When I was a young girl

My father said to me

Life is nothing like a grand symphony

It’s like when you know this one line

Sing it and repeat

But you don’t recall the rest of the song

It’s incomplete

My take from the song is that life isn’t this structured composed thing. It can be erratic at times. Sometimes life is a happy song and sometimes life is a sad song. The point is that the song of this fleeting life is incomplete until the time we die. Throughout that life there are words and melodies that are ever so sweet and there are words and melodies that give us cause to weep. I believe the part of the above song asking why would you go and chase bigger dreams is a warning to us not to get so wrapped up in things that we forget to listen for the beautiful words and melodies that life composes for us. The part about spending your whole life trying to recall is a warning to us not to get wrapped up in things having to be perfect all the time.

What are you waiting for? Go out there and write yourself a beautiful story. Live a song that even though it may incomplete, is still beautiful. You deserve it.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries

P.S. I am looking into maybe releasing some books into the wild via bookcrossing. Including and probably mostly my own. Be on the lookout!

Smash!

Greetings friends,

Some of you probably know that I am an indie-author and as for the others, well surprise! This week I would like to share with you some things that work for me and some things that don’t. Does this mean that you should or shouldn’t use a particular process? No, it just happens to be my experience. The venue that I mainly publish through is Amazon via Createspace and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). I also choose KDP select. I’ve heard of others that have great success through other venues such as Smashwords, Kobo, Nook, iTunes, etc. Smashwords is one of the biggest names in indie publishing. I tried it once and was not successful in getting the manuscript formatted properly for their system to allow it through. In fact the whole process left me wondering how anyone has been able to format their manuscript well enough for them to allow it through. It is just cumbersome and not worth it to me to have to deal with trying to get through their hurdles when Amazon is much more forgiving. Ruthanne Reid, an indie author friend of mine has a great blog post about why she made the decision to leave Smashwords.

One recommendation that I have gotten from a few people is to offer my books in audiobook format. I am still researching how to go about doing this cost effectively. Hopefully it is something I will be able to offer in the future. Lately I have had an obsession with collecting albums on vinyl. It would be awesome if I was able to release an audiobook on vinyl someday! I may have to start with something shorter like my poetry book or Grim Bureaucracy.

Recently I discovered a fun site that allows you to copy and paste some of your writing into a box and it will spit out a famous author that you supposedly write like based on some data analysis. I decided to post some snippets from each of my current projects that I have released and see what the site would give me.

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I write like

James Fenimore Cooper

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

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I write like

Douglas Adams

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

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I write like

William Gibson

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

Enter the Dark Watchman. It currently does not have a cover image.

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I write like

James Joyce

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

Ironically enough I have never read anything by any of the authors it said I write like. I own Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Ulysses by James Joyce. They are both on a list of books I plan on reading for a reading challenge I am currently taking part in. Ulysses is currently free on the Kindle! William Gibson and James Fenimore Cooper I had never heard of before. I did enjoy the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie and Johnny Mnemonic which is based off of a William Gibson story.

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries