Dragonology

The Dragon is this:

Great, small, terrifying, comforting, dangerous, safe.

Man is this:

Servant, master, disciple, nemesis, fellow, contrast.

How is it that one can adore the other, yet shuns all recognition? Dragon and man are archenemies, yet they are one and the same. The hunter is the prey is the beast is the dragon is the man.

What is their tale but an elaborate theater to dazzle bystanders with smoke and fire?

Man created the Dragon and dragon created man. The man fears and worries and crumbles, and the Dragon makes it so. Man is defined by the Dragon, as the Dragon is defined by man.

Man and Dragon are two sides of a coin. But Dragon and woman, on the other hand...

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Seduction of the Dark Side

The Dark Side is sexy. Admit it. Who doesn't love a bad girl or boy? It's exciting, dangerous, rebellious; it makes you feel different and special.

Darkness itself is sexy, too - mysterious, shady, obscure. Unpleasantries are hidden in the dark. One only sees what they want to see. Attraction.

And then, of course, there is The Darkness. No, not the band - the Darkness. The power of chaos and creation. A force older than mankind, older than the universe itself. A dark and powerful ally or enemy. Nothing is impossible for the Darkness. Cunning, goodlooking, violent.

What is this Darkness I speak of? Simple: the power that runs in the blood of the Estacado's. A terrible power - and strong ally when controlled.

Click.

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Read my latest fanfic

I've competed in the FanFiction Challenge 2007, and here's my entry. Check it out!

And don't forget to vote for me! :)

I swear to you...

...I am no Jedi. Never have been.

I love. I hate. I mourn. I envy. I desire. I sicken.

I live.

How can anyone living a life that is not their own, look down upon others? Is it better to live according to rules that others have created? Rules that you're not even sure will work for the reason they were created for in the first place - like the strict rules for the Jedi?

To be Sith is to be living a full life, unbound by the silly chains those around us wish to force onto us. How can such a life be any lower than a life of servitude to an ancient Order without roots in reality?

Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.

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Top Ten: Crossover

What if things we take for granted were placed within the Star Wars universe? What would happen?

10. Imagine the look on Jabba's face as the first Burger King on the planet opened in his own backyard.

9. Yoda races across the Temple grounds on a tricycle, followed by a gang of squealing younglings on similar means of transportation.

8. Soon after his mechanical limbs have been added to his body, Darth Vader insists that his mask needs a hole for a straw to drink his Diet Coke.

7. Padmé gets awarded for "best crying scene" for the Holonet Oscars.

6. Mace Windu keeps losing the keys to his speeder, and keeps finding them on his bedstand.

5. While they are setting up a trap for Luke Skywalker, Jabba's cellphone starts ringing, spoiling the surprise.

4. Every half hour, C-3PO insists that "a fatal exception has occured. Please shut down any running programs and restart your droid".

3. Palpatine is revealed to have had an "intimate" relationship with an intern on the Senate.

2. Yoda features in a commercial for a fruit drink that is said to "greatly enhance your life expectancy".

1. A young Anakin is expelled from the Jedi Order for not taking down the posters of semi-naked Senators from his dormroom walls.

Ryan vs Dorkman 2

Remember this? Now watch this:
Ryan vs Dorkman. The ultimate in fanflics.


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Edit: Today, Thursday March 15th, I received a mail I'd like to share with you, stating the following:
"Just wanted to let you know that Ryan and Dorkman, the makers of the ligthsaber duel you showed so much enthusiasm for, are going to be appearing in a live Q&A online this Sunday to talk about how they made the film and some of the visual effects techniques they were able to use on their low budget. It's starting at 7PM EST on March 18th and we'd love to have you come by or throw a shout out to the radio show. Thanks!

-Chris Hanel

Geekza - http://www.geekza.com"

Sadly, I'm busy this Sunday, but I wanted to share this with all of you. Enjoy it!

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The Dork Tower

Veiled secrets

How many times have you watched Star Wars and thought, "what if..." - what if this had happened, or that had been different?

No, don't tell me.

I present to you... drumroll please... the Top Ten of Improbable Yet Not Impossible Alternative Truths of The Star Wars Galaxy...

10. Jar-Jar has been working for Sidious all along, actually being a spy called Jarren "Bad" Smimm.

9. Mace Windu has actually been fathered by Yoda, but sadly he did not inherit the green Master's sense of humour.

8. Throughout most of the saga, R2D2 stuggled with his hidden oil bath addiction.

7. If Ewoks are nurtured with the right vitamins, they turn out to be Wookiees.

6. Amongst the members of the Jedi Council it was a well-known secret that Master Ki-Adi-Mundi used muscle boosters, responsible for his large forehead.

5. Rather than using the Force, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader commonly communicated by text messages (and smoke signals on Tatooine).

4. Jabba the Hutt had tried several diets, but his dietitian swore his habit of eating large amounts of living creatures nullified any effect. Jabba naturally ate this dietitian and decided on an "I look better with slave girls in metal bikinis"-lifestyle.

3. Twi'leks are Nautolans who tore out all but two of their "tentacles".

2. The Millenium Falcon has been constructed, rather hastily, from the remains of several battle droids, two protocol droids, a captured ysalamir and half a Republic Cruiser - including its crew.

And finally, number 1: Darth Maul had a large collection of dark robes, because his hoods kept getting shredded by his horns.

Movie tip

Letters to the divine being

Some kids are scary. 'Nuff said.

Par tay in the cantina

Strike back

That's right, it's Jay and Silent Bob.

On my blog.

I guess you must be wondering, "why, DF, why?" Well, it's quite simple really. Very, very simple.

But I'm not going to tell you.

Have you ever seen Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back? No? You should.

But get high first. That way you'll enjoy it, your dealer will enjoy it, and in the end, your addiction will have to be treated by a professional, who'll also enjoy it.

Plus of course the maker and producer of the film, the film company guys, the actors, the cameramen, the stuntcrew (they had stuntguys? for what?), and generally everyone else in the world will benefit, since your acceptance of cannabis has such influences on other people that they will smoke it too, and everyone will be cool and relaxed and not make war, but probably won't make love either - I'm not gonna explain, just listen.

Oh, and the reason I posted these guys? 'Cause they're cool. And 'cause I wanna.

No, not because I got high. Honestly.

Honestly!

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Your own personal evil

I hope you all had a nice Valentine; mine certainly was.

Today I'd like to discuss "evil". Evil is bad, wrong, corrupt, rotten - right? Everybody seems to know, instinctively or by learning, what evil is, yet when one tries to define it, one can't. Evil is different for different people.

Evil, like good, is a point of view.

One person's death is another's bread, says a Dutch proverb and while this is obviously the case for undertakers, it's still true on a less morbid level. One sport team's defeat is another's victory. Granted, that defeat might not be "evil", but how about a war?

The majority of soldiers see the enemy as evil. Of course this is a necessity, for you can't fight someone you like and agree with, but the majority of the population sees the enemy as evil and wrong, too. There is an automatic response of interpreting one's own values as better and more noble. The misguided emotion known as "patriotism" is one form of this; people who voice their disagreements are seen as traitors to the country.

However, they can't all be right. How can both sides to an argument, to a war, be "right"? At least one of them is wrong, and probably both of them. Plus, there is the very real possibility that there is no right or wrong.

Like "wrong" is defined by "right", so is "evil" defined by "good". Evil begins where good ends; without evil there is no good. Evil needs good.

And good needs evil.

This view is symbolized by the yin and yang: one half is white and one half is black. They define each other. Eastern philosophy acknowledges the fact that evil cannot be exterminated - not without eliminating good. Without evil, there is no good - without the Dark Side there would not be a Light Side; without villains there are no heroes; without night there is no day.

Yet ironically, evil and good are points of view, and therefore they do not exist in reality. Don't get fooled by the zealous religious: evil is all inside our heads. And it needs goodness in there, too.

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Soapblogs politics

Politics again - I swear it won't be boring. Well, I'll try.

Politics. What do you envision? A room filled with old men in grey suits talking and discussing? Young people locked in an epic battle of words? Puppets that dance for money? Leaders that decide how we should live our lives?

Regardless of where you live, there will always be politicians. Some of them cruel and selfish - we call them either "dictators" or "corrupt" - and some of them dedicated and selfless - we call them either "good" or "naive". Some will be self-appointed, others elected democratically. Some will be good and tactical, others blunt and offensive; some will do what the people want, some will do what the people need, and others will do whatever the hell they want.

Life is politics. Better learn it.

Democracy is said to be the best form of government, and I have a slight tendency to agree. Slight, yes. Because what democracy is currently coupled with is bureaucracy and layer upon layer of government agencies and endless debates over small matters.

Democracy is not these things. Democracy means the people have the power - literally. Like I argued in my last political blog, this power is entrusted to a small group of people expected to wield it in the best interest of all. That is what democracy, in its core, is.

What has happened over the centuries in most democratic countries, though, is that an increasing amount of people are represented by the same, unchanged amount of politicians, and an increasing amount of people do not feel represented by those politicians. This also works the other way: increasingly, politicians are forced to promote themselves and their sometimes impopular policies to the people, and pass popular laws that are not necessarily in the best interest of people. After all, the masses do not always know what is best - it's not their job, they're just the people who have put the government in charge.

People do not feel represented or even taken seriously by their governments. I feel this is because there are too many layers of government and that too few views are communicated to the audience through multimedia. Many political parties are rarely talked about on tv - intentional or not - whereas others are regular guests.

Governments should be more local than (inter)national and should be able to communicate directly with its people, as well as get things done quickly. Like the milkman regularly comes by to deliver his milk, so the politician should regularly come by to communicate about local issues. A small community with similar thoughts on matters - a hippy community, or a racist community, or a communist community, or even an anarchistic community. Likeminded people, with no need for debates in which neither side will ever give in.

Or, we could just create everyone equal using genetic engineering. And create a thought police to guard any rebel thoughts and use video surveallance cameras called "big brother" to watch you.

Hey, too much democracy can lead to a totalitarian regime. A people's regime.

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Another shocking SW revelation!

Next gen Star Wars

I'm here to rescue you... honest!

So as I was crashing through the window in my X-wing, I was -

Wait, you're probably oblivious to what the hell I'm talking about. Nevermind, then. You should've been there.

So what can I show you today? No, ladies, that's private. Yes, that too. Good try, though. No, miss, in that picture Artoo Detoo does NOT look like a - I know, but it isn't. And neither is that Jawa doing anythi- you perv. How dare you? Go hither and multiply, or something. Geez.

As I was saying: what can I show you today? You tell me. What do you want to see? Tell me. Anything.

(This offer is only available today, Tuesday 30 January 2007 West European time, and does not imply any action will be taken by the dragon in question unless you really really try hard to convince him that it is, indeed, the right thing to do, included but not limited to listen to you and to act upon any request. Financial or medical consequences for eye damage due to reading this small font will not be compensated in any way. )

Fine print if ever there was any.

Come on, bring me that request! Want me to bring down a regime? Want me to expose Bigfoot? Show the first astromech? Reveal a Jawa's face?

Show you the real me?

Your choice! Choose wisely. Be careful what you wish for - you just might get it.

Star Wars Reinterpreted

Mah nah mah nah...

I hate progress

Today I switched my Blogger account.

Such a simple statement, such a simple action. But trust me, a lot of effort has gone into trying to avoid this moment.

There are a couple of group blogs I'm a member of, most notably the Fanfic Blog, and they have not switched yet. Therefore I had the intention to stay "old school" until the moment they upgraded. However, I had not foreseen the powers of persuasion that Blogger can excercise. Very powerful indeed.

Today I tried to post a blog. I don't even remember on which site. However, upon logging in, I was notified that I have not switched yet. I know this. However, where there had previously been an option to continue with the old account, was none to be found.

I had to switch, or I wouldn't be able to blog.

Power of persuasion. Or forced decisions? Either way, I decided my blog was more important that Blogger politics. I switched. I don't know if I made the right decision, but at least I'm able to blog again. Over here. Not on the old group blogs.

I hate progress.

Scratch that, I hate forced progress. Change can be good, but may occasionally be bad for the changed. I don't know whether this will be good or bad. I say, let's find out.

No turning back now. You have passed the point of no return. It's all or nothing. You're in for the ride, for better or worse.

Here goes nothing.