Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)

The original Airbender animated series has become the barometer that I use to determine if someone is cool. I’ve had new managers come into my life and at times the only question I had for them was “Have you watched Avatar the Last Airbender?”. I would try to act casual but the determination made by the answer is anything but. If someone had not heard of it, that is surprising, but ultimately acceptable; if not disappointing. If they did not like it, we’re ultimately not going to get along. If they love it I know I am safe.

That is the power of the show. Not just the contents of its plot, but the feeling that it evokes from watching it. The feeling inside of you, when you imagine yourself in the world depicted. A thousand fan-fictions spawn in the nooks and crannies alone amidst the ingenuity of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender. Each character arc has almost been raised to a sacred position. Something to be admired from the perspective of an audience member, fan and artist.

This is to say, I love The Last Airbender and the sequel series Legend of Korra as well. I have always been curious what it would be like, if the series was translated to live action. It is fascinating that we haven’t seen such a thing, until now in 2024.

But seriously. Whether we want to or not. A holistic review of the live action series cannot be complete without discussing the reality of the live action movie from 2010. I remember seeing it when it came out and it covers the same span of time as the recently released series. How these series approach interpreting the story and pacing it is inherently different. Not just because of the direction, but the medium.

The first season of the 2024 Last Airbender covers Book 1 of the animated series, as did the 2010 movie. I believe it is a vastly superior live action interpretation of the animated series that while not perfect, is something commendable and worthy of praise. I quite enjoyed the whole of the first season of the show. This review will go over my considerations and thoughts, but for those interested in a simple tagline:

A passionately produced adventure through a beloved world. With minor missteps, and many more bright smiles. The 2024 Last Airbender series is a captivating showcase of a legendary story.

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1. Initial Impressions
2. Plot Analysis
   1. Positives
   2. Negatives
3. Final Review

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Initial Impressions

I just liked it.

Now look. I get it. That’s almost a bit of a cop-out. At least, the current climate as it relates to media may leave an impression that is it. While I am happy to offer a deeper analysis, and even a few small critiques. Now only a few hours out from finishing the first eight episodes of the 2024 series. All I want is MORE. I want to see the story get further! I want to see Toph! I want to see Ba Sing Se! I love what has happened so far, and I found myself smiling a lot or just going “YES! That is what it should look like!”

I can’t deny, that part of it is simply the retribution of what the 2010 movie sort of soured. Now, I don’t think that film was entirely without merit. There were things it showcased, or tried to do that I understand. That said, as a fan of the original animated series what I craved wasn’t an artistic interpretation of the story. What I wanted was as close to a live action OVA as could viably be created. It is for that reason having Aang as a 12 year old. Getting to see the Southern Water tribe costumes exactly as they should be. The Fire Nation ships kicking pollution out as they break ice through the vast oceans. APPA! Iroh! Ozai!

I feel as if, while watching it. The show has to work double-time to serve as both an adaption of Last Airbender and an apology for the 2010 movie. It needs to both go “We’re doing this story as well as we can.” and also “Hey sorry about that, here is some hyper accurate costuming for you. Sorry again.” Which I personally appreciate.

I will be the first person to admit that I don’t like overly dramatic acting. I don’t like over-wrought speeches and monologues delivered by characters that haven’t been sitting behind a desk, turning phrases and practicing tone. It isn’t how people behave, and even fantastic speech writers can infrequently improvise something worth repeating. Every now and then a fantastic sentence or two may escape but broadly speaking it isn’t reality. Nor, do I expect children to be verbose.

For this reason, I loved Aang. I thought he was a realistic kid, who had the inherent capability to become an airbending master, since he is so free floating. Yet he is also someone who struggles with serious weighty components; again something I feel is inherently characterizing and believable. Aang is believable as a master, and a child. Which is the most important thing. He also reminds me of savants I have met in my own life, who skip steps in one place, but not in others. It is easy to, even in the animated series, forget that Aang is a kid, who just happens to be incredibly powerful. It works here, and I adore it.

Sokka just is Sokka. I think most of the casting in the 2024 series is spot on, but this casting is beyond accurate and is sometimes eerily concerning. Did they…bring an animated character to life? How? Who is next? This depiction of Sokka won me over within roughly 10 seconds of seeing him appear in the first episode. It is that simple.

Katara looks like Katara, and sounds like her. I feel a bit like she is too mature at this point in the game, but her scenes are well acted and she handles the physical choreography of water bending well. I feel like of the main trio, Katara is the one that missed the most development. I would of liked to see her obstinance showcased more before her conflict with Pakku. As a starting place and introduction to the character it is lovely, and insists upon further growth. I think this is a Katara that will be very interesting to see use blood bending as an example.

As it relates to the first episode, I thought it was quite interesting to see the genocide of the air benders. Not that it is something I liked, but the opening scene with an earth bender trying to escape with the message. Sozin’s ruthlessness. The attack on the air benders. It sells the seriousness of the situation. It confirms the weight of what is happening, and the cultural shift that is going to occur. This is something I will repeat throughout this review, but I feel as if the 2024 series does a fantastic amount of work to add to how the Fire Nation is depicted. I really enjoy the expanded scenes with Azula, Iroh, Ozai, Zuko and all the capital city residents.

Something worth mentioning, and something that came up in the back of my mind throughout the whole time I was watching the show. Is that the original series really found an impressive way to handle incredibly serious topics in the context of an animated show for young audiences. These are topics that cannot be handled the same way in live action. You simply can’t disregard the seriousness of a complete and total racial genocide in live action. You can’t have the people performing it act anything but serious, or if they’re truly atrocious villains: gleeful. The mistreatment of this sort of story in live action causes an instant departure to the uncanny valley. So while it may be odd to a long-time fan to witness the brutality of a Fire Nation soldier burning someone to death, I feel as if it would be a discredit to the reality they are trying to showcase if the series did anything else.

That said I think one of the only handicaps to this season of the series is that I personally am so excited for the story that comes after this story, that while I enjoyed watching it through. I cannot deny that I’m excited for what we don’t have yet. Where things will go. Azula let loose on Team Avatar. Ty Lee fighting! There is so much to look forwards to, and while I have hope beyond hope that we will get there. I also had to take a moment, still my breathing and enjoy where we are at.

While I enjoyed pretty much everything, I would of reworked the Omashu sequence just a bit. This isn’t something I will touch on too much, and it is a minor complaint in reality. I liked having the Mechanist and his son in Omashu and thought it made more sense if anything. I liked Jet and his crew in Omashu, setting off bombs. It mirrors the intention of the original waterfall plot and the characters are still there. My only real complaint is with the context of how Aang meets Bumi. I thought the actor for Bumi killed it since that is such an insane role to have to adapt to live action. They did it as well as it could be done. I only wish a bit more wisdom of the character got to leak through the mad king act.

Outside that critique, I really can’t say I am upset about anything. I would of loved for episodes that were mentioned or referenced to have been depicted. Things like the cavern crawlers, and a more expanded version of the Secret Tunnel storyline would of been fantastic. While there is an argument that episodes like those are foundational to the flavor of the series. I equally would of loved a billion dollar budget and twenty hour long episodes, with expanded backstories for everyone. There are always concessions when it comes to adaption, and those things are among them.

For what we have though, what was released. I found the special effects to be TOP NOTCH. The focus on the other Avatars is something even the original series lacked and I am glad to see. The back story and some expanded scenes across the Fire Nation are fantastic. The core crew of Team Avatar are exceptional and well acted. I find everyone believable and some characters maybe even better then their animated origins. An easy example of this is Zhao who has such a believable depiction. I think his ambition and ego come across as well, if not better then the animated character. Every scene he was in, I just thought “Ew, this guy.” In the the best possible way.

Sokka x Suki was cute. Sokka x Yue was cute.

Arguably, the spirit realm could of been edited a bit. I don’t think we needed to add Koh, and the Spirt of Wisdom to the sequence. I understand why they are there, and honestly there is no major harm done. The Owl can simply be visited in the library in his physical form later, easy. Koh is still alive, and didn’t reveal the information he reveals in the original series. So that story isn’t harmed. So while I don’t entirely know why there was a rush to include these characters, I can’t deny that Koh looked so sick, oh my god, he was horrifying. He was just…icky and big. Him looming around and looking down at Aang was a perfect scene, and perfectly framed.

As it relates to the Koh scene, I noticed something. At this point in time Aang and crew don’t know that Koh can only steal your face if you don’t show him any emotions. Now both Katara and Sokka show emotion (prompted by visions of their past) and Koh does indeed steal them to take their faces. Aang, seemingly, doesn’t offer any emotion. He may not know this actively, but some part of him or his heritage seemed to manifest as he didn’t emote. This could be a setup for later, where they are given better information on how to approach Koh.

A new scene to the series, the scene with Zuko and the crew that we learned he saved from being sacrificed by his father. That was a fantastic addition. It is an enjoyable way of showing that Zuko isn’t a bad person, but one motivated by dogma and disgrace. He has been manipulated, and grown up in a propaganda machine. I know the influence of his mother competes with the domination of his father and that scene where his crew learns that he saved their lives and lost his in the process; it is a victory for the memory of Zuko’s mother. It is an early indicator to a new audience that Zuko isn’t really battling the avatar, but the expectations set upon himself that are at conflict with an inherent sense of goodness.

As the final scenes set, and we witness the aftermath of the battle between Admiral Zhao’s forces and the Northern Water tribe. All I want is more. I feel like the brief was hit, and the status quo has been fulfilled. I live in eternal hope for a second season!

Plot Analysis

I find it fascinating when discussing how something has been interpreted to consider the differences in medium and delivery. For example if you are adapting a book and turning it into a movie you are inherently going to condense an experience that was incurred over days or weeks for the reader depending on their reading pace into a 1-2 hour spectacle. This almost always means sacrifices.

To lay it all out, let us review the run-time across each of the Last Airbender renditions specific to Book 1: Water. This is a rough average of the runtimes, since episodes vary.

Series	Total Episodes	Average Total Runtime	Estimated Total Runtime
2005 Original	20	23 Minutes	460 Minutes
2010 Movie	1	103 Minutes	103 Minutes
2024 Series	8	50 Minutes	400 Minutes

Totally Legit Numbers

The reality of the numbers presented above may vary, however only by a bit. The reality of it showcases that the movie may well have been doomed to fail. I’m not here to rag on any creative efforts because the reality of creative work is that it is challenging. It is often combatted and it must be done through a miasma of budgeting bullshit. Whether or not I liked the 2010 movie doesn’t mean I can disregard the work that went into it, the time or dedication. Even to bring something to market at all I believe the grand majority of audience members are entirely unaware of the effort required. With that said, a movie adaption of ATLA may need to set a very specific scope to succeed.

Whereas the 2024 series is much closer in overall runtime. It has to contend with three things the original didn’t:

• Exorbitant special effects costs.
• A massive legacy and army of critical fans.
• A popularized attempt at a live action adaption that is considered by many to be a spectacular failure.

This means that the 2024 series was coming up against some reasonable challenges before it even got out of the gate. That there was such a big gap in between attempts further cements the fact that getting it approved through what were probably countless internal budget committees was a monolithic effort. It is completed and we have a live action adaption that cuts a lot of the filler, but delivers the broad strokes of the Book 1 story.

The 2024 series is not a shot for shot recreation of the animated series as maybe some fans had unreasonably expected. There are however, a great number of shared frames and set pieces across the series. It is clear there is a love for the source material as it relates to showcasing the locations as they are, and or should be presented. Locations such as the opening Southern Water tribe, or the Southern Airbender Temple are represented as accurately as can be and this continues with locations like Kyoshi Island, which appear exactly as I recall them.

Elements of the original story haven’t been showcased, but there appears to be evidence that they occurred. An example of this would be a reference to the episode “The Great Divide” where in the original series, Team Avatar navigated a cultural conflict, while navigating a literal conflict; a deep desert canyon filled with monsters. In the 2024 series, a tavern patron reports that they heard the Avatar helped out a “Canyon Guide” which implies the events of the episode “The Great Divide” did indeed occur. The choice to make this reference may frustrate some fans, while getting a smirk from others. It does however, feed into something about how the plot was handled that I interpret as passionate impatience.

By passionate impatience I mean that, the people behind the 2024 series love it. They love everything about the universe, and they, like the fans, want more. They are also cognizant of the 2010 movie that covered the exact same source material. That for better or worse, ends in the same place. I have a theory that the plot and pacing of the first season were decided by these factors:

• Fascination with later stage character arcs.
• Overall love of the series and ambition to get beyond the content of the 2010 movie.
• Internal/Executive fear about the success of the project.
• Focus of the budget on things like bending.

As it relates to the 4th point, I want to point out that I LOVED the special effects in the whole series. I found almost every single movement, or moment; believable. I love how they handled Appa and Momo from a technical standpoint. The bending looks PERFECT. I will literally hear no other perspective, it is just as it should be. It is definitely powerful but I think that sells the in-world threat of bending. The battles we see, the usages of bending. Especially how the water looks. It is tremendous. That said, I do think it is part of the reason that some sections of the original series were omitted.

Let’s look at episode four “The Warriors of Kyoshi”. This episode opens with Team Avatar going to ride on giant koi fish, and then ultimately tussle with a massive sea serpent known as an Unagi.

The Unagi

This creature shoots water, rides through the water and battles with Aang. Now, does it look cool? Yes. It’s a cool monster, and a fun sequence. Is it consequential in the large scope of the story? No. Is it more important then showcasing the bending correctly, or getting the world building/costuming right? No. In a perfect world would I still like this sequence? Of course. Yet I am almost certain that restrictions placed upon the production team by the real world meant that some of these moments couldn’t make it into this adaptation.

If we review the major plot points of the original series:

• Aang isn’t present when the Fire Nation attacks the Airbenders during Sozin’s Comet.
• Aang is lost in a storm, alongside Appa, and frozen through time.
• The Fire Nation attacks and dominates the rest of the world, using Sozin’s Comet as a catalyst for the war.
• 100 years later, the war isn’t resolved.
• Zuko, the son of Ozai, the current Fire Lord, is searching for the Avatar alongside his uncle General Iroh.
• Sokka and Katara find/awaken Aang after he is frozen.
• Zuko finds Aang in the Southern Water tribe then pursues him after Aang escapes initial arrest.
• Katara is a water bender, and is gifted enough that through her experiences becomes a master.
• Aang, Appa, Sokka, Katara and Momo form ‘Team Avatar’.
• Team Avatar visits Kyoshi Island, and encounter the Kyoshi Warriors. A society of female led warriors who are the descendants of Avatar Kyoshi. One of the warriors is known as Suki and becomes somewhat entangled with Sokka.
• The city of Omashu, which hasn’t fallen in the war, is led by a king named Bumi who appears to most to be a senile old king. He is, in reality, a master earth bender who understands he must wait to make the right moves.
• Team Avatar discover, and break out the occupants of an earth bender prison.
• Team Avatar encounter a spirtual disruption, an enraged forest spirit and Aang must travel into the spirit world to resolve the concern. Around this time, a bounty hunter on a blind animal that tracks scent looks for the team.
• Aang can activate something known as the Avatar State. He is also capable of speaking to his past lives, or asking for their advice. He does so with Kyoshi and Roku. At times, past Avatars may speak through Aang or borrow his body.
• A character named Jet leads a band of rebels that ultimately plot a false flag operation to implicate the Fire Nation.
• Team Avatar lead two rival groups through a canyon.
• An ambitious officer named Zhao learns of Zuko’s pursuit of the Avatar and joins; his ambition causes him to pursue greater and greater means of retrieving the Avatar.
• Zuko breaks Aang out of jail as the ‘Blue Spirit’. The two almost connect, but Zuko’s pride/dogmatic view prevent him from allying with the Avatar.
• Aang encounters a firebending master known as Jeong Jeong who attempts to teach him firebending, after being persuaded by Roku. This does not go well and Aang becomes afraid of learning other elements.
• Team Avatar encounter an engineer known as the Mechanist, living in an abandoned Airbender temple, who has created a flying device for his handicapped son, and creates plans which are used by the Fire Nation to create their war blimps.
• Team Avatar are required to reach the Northern Water tribe, to meet a water bending master to help Aang master water bending.
• Katara is relegated to a group of female only healers, and won’t be taught combat. She ultimately challenges the male master to prove her worthiness as a combatant. While she earns his respect, she loses the battle. She is ultimately deemed a master, or close enough to one based on her own talents and growth.
• When the team reach the Northern Water tribe, a battle occurs led by Admiral Zhao and his forces. Admiral Zhao discovers two spirits who live alongside the Northern Water tribe, and aims to kill one of them to remove the power of the water benders. The water benders are revealed to draw their power from the moon. Zhao kills the original moon spirit. The ocean spirit empowers Aang and he goes into a rage, using the Avatar state. Aang in this state, as a big water monster, pushes back the Fire Nation invasion of the Northern Water tribe.
• Princess Yue, who seems to be romantically entangled with Sokka on a positive trajectory, dies to bring the moon spirit back to life. This is because her life was saved by the moon spirit and she holds a degree of its energy. By offering herself, she becomes the moon but loses her physical body.

This isn’t a perfect list, but it to me represents a reasonable summary of the first season of the original series. The primary concepts, and major plot points that illustrate the whole story. Now, that is not the whole picture of the original series. There are character moments, side plots and internal relationships that are developed which are not adapted into the 2024 series. Segments that aren’t included in the 2024 series are:

• Earth bender prison. Pretty much the whole of the episode “Imprisoned”.
• The pirates and water-bending scroll from “The Waterbending Scroll”.
• The canyon, rival groups and contents of the episode “The Great Divide”.
• The fortune teller story included in the episode “The Fortuneteller”.
• Bato is referenced, the episode “Bato of the Water Tribe” doesn’t occur. Bato is only seen in a flashback, and Sokka doesn’t re-challenge his ice-dodging by dodging rocks.
• Jeong Jeong is not in season one. The content of the episode “The Deserter” is not included.
• The Mechanist is not in the Northern Air Temple and is instead the official mechanist of Omashu.

There are some moments or elements that aren’t included, which occur across episodes. Things like:

• Aang and Katara’s budding romanticism.
• Sokka and Katara’s sibling rivalry.
• Aang and Appa’s partnership/bond.

That said a huge amount of the content from the original series was included, and it was done quite well. There are expanded moments in Iroh and Zuko’s shared backstory which I thought were quite well done. That said some of the omissions may be handled by dramatic critics as nails in a coffin, I’m not quite as defeated. There are some changes that I feel like could be slotted into future seasons seamlessly. Particularly, I feel like the earth bender prison, the waterbending scroll, the fortune teller, Bato and Jeong Jeong all fit fine into a season two.

Ultimately, when looking at what is there, and what isn’t. I think it is clear that a live action adaption of the series may require four to five seasons while the original show was capable of covering the whole story in three. As the plot is presented here, and based on where it needs to go. I would posit the following structure for the 2024 series to follow:

Season	Content to Cover
2	Twelve episodes. Focus this season on Aang learning to water bend. Refocus the water bending scroll from the pirates to be further techniques that Aang/Katara can practice together to become more advanced. Meet Bato. In the town where we meet Toph, have the festival that leads to Aang meeting Jeong Jeong. Adapt up to “The Desert” and end the season on a note of despair. Aang misses Appa and he has been stolen. Everyone is at odds with each other a bit. Hype up Ba Sing Se.
3	Twelve episodes. Adapt from “The Serpent’s Pass” to “The Crossroads of Destiny” of Book 2: Earth.
4	Twelve episodes. Adapt from “The Awakening” to “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse” of Book 3: Fire.
5	Twelve episodes. Adapt from “The Western Air Temple” “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang”.

Positives

The casting was fantastic, as was the costuming. Huge swathes of the character arcs are fulfilled, and important moments that are displayed feel monumental. The expanded sections of other avatars and of Iroh and Zuko are stand out exceptions. It is impossible not to be pleased with the world that is presented, and how the central “magic” of bending is displayed across iterations. The special effects worked for me, in almost every single moment. The weight of the original story is presented respectfully in live action, given that it is much harder to look away from the atrocities being committed in live action. The story presents the sorrow of war, especially as it involves young people in a believable way.

Negatives

A reordering of some scenes where episodes have been condensed could of been done with a bit more patience. If some things were withheld, their impact would be greater in more dedicated moments. I missed a bit of the interplay between the main cast, and the relationship they have with their animal partners as they camp across the world. I wanted more, and could of easily used an extra four episodes to round out the pace.

Final Review

The 2024 version of Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fantastic adaptation which makes me crave more. Producing this series required surmounting multiple, incredibly challenging cliffs. It demanded a massive budget, dedicated actors and inspired special effects. It delivers across the board, and showcases itself to be the sort of deserving project that should be given the option to slow down and finish the entirety of the original story.

I think the single most important thing to remember, especially as a fan, is that this is leagues better then other adaptions we’ve seen in the world. It surpasses the 2010 movie by an incredible amount. Compared to the Artemis Fowl movie, this isn’t an adaption that kills the souls of its fans. I would imagine if anyone gets frustrated, it is because it was so good, they wanted the things they missed. They know it would be good, and simply miss it. This is reasonable.

If we look at the collection of animated series, adapted to live action. I believe Avatar: The Last Airbender stands alongside the recent One Piece by respecting the source material, adding some of its own and earning its spot on the shelf. There are stand out character actors, fantastic setups and nothing but exciting places to go.

Netflix, please give us every season this story needs to complete!

On The Line is on Kickstarter!

My latest project ‘On The Line’ has launched a Kickstarter campaign today! You can view the video and campaign here:

• https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thescornedseason/on-the-line-a-mmorpg-audiobook

On The Line has been months of work, alongside an incredible and diverse cast. The series explores modern youth, the video-game generation, people who feel lost, a world which has adopted a unique futurism and the potential of these things blending together.

Action, romance and absolute insanity are all included. Huge set pieces, soft character moments, unique plot devices and a whole bunch of meta leave On The Line standing alone in the modern fantasy ecosystem. This story, brought to life by the ELEVEN different members of our cast will bring you somewhere you haven’t been before. All while making you laugh and cry.

Thank you for checking out the project and any potential support.

Please like and share with your networks!

Addict Parents and Corporate Jobs

I grew up with an addict for a parent. It is a simple statement, with a dense sort of implication. At a glance, if you haven’t experienced it, you may have pre-conceptions about what that is like. If you haven’t lived with an addict, or known one; it can be even tougher to conceptualize. You may have in your mind, embarrassing family dinners or social events that get a bit out of hand at the end of the evening. You may even consider, “Oh, they passed out on the couch this weekend.” Yet, you probably don’t imagine being a child hiding beer cans in front of your dads car, so that when he drives off; he ruins some of his alcohol. You don’t think of the excessive normalization of extreme emotions, and addictive tendencies. Moments spent alone, because they are drunk. Moments spent in fear; for the same reason.

I mention this to set the scene for modern issues I have encountered. While I say “modern” I really mean “after my dad died” which can be effectively considered the main ‘eras’ of my life. BDD (before dad died) and ADD (after dad died). Surviving BDD meant, in large part, combating the frantic emotions of an addict male while he is going through a separation. I have recollections of my father crying through towels, sitting in the RV parked out back. I can recall him sweating profusely on cold nights, drinking beer in the living room, screaming at the tv. I can recall the slightest moment, going wrong, and having it turn on me. This was normal growing up. It was living with an addict.

Recovering from that process, after many therapists, books and lessons; is a process. An element of that process is learning that you cannot control the reactions of others. It is a simple concept, and a painful one to put into practice. When you live with an addict, their emotions, their pain; these components are weaponized. If my mom did something wrong, him getting drunk (or worse) was her fault. If he was feeling depressed, or angry; that was because you failed him. There isn’t much personal responsibility in an addict with an active addiction, and when it comes time for someone to be responsible it will be you; especially if it serves their narrative. When you grow up having an adult ‘protector’ be someone you need to defend yourself from; intentional disassociation from the reactions of others becomes a required survival strategy. So let me tell you quite honestly, after having practiced this survival strategy for many years; I struggle with caring how anyone reacts.

Naturally, that is an issue in and of itself. You see, when you take a job in a white collar world. It is not a meritocracy. Maybe if you’re lucky. However, my ability to do the job is more or less my foot in the door. The ability to maintain a position, or move up (if you’re so interested) weighs heavily on your ability to “play the game”. I, unfortunately, grew up learning how to avoid playing the game, because if I played the game, someone would get mad at me and kick my ass. It is a very difficult instinct to out-grow. I am, of course, learning, like anyone. Yet I can’t help but feel conflicted about the process.

I, never, aim to hurt anyone. I hate doing so. I don’t like being ‘disruptive’ or even ‘brutal’ in my honesty. I am, however, very comfortable with objective critique, and yes, hyper honest self critique. I am aware of my short-comings, and will often leap at the opportunity to confirm them if they arise. I am under no illusions that I am some paragon of perfection, and welcome my heights as well as my lows; since awareness is the core of effective action. I may have a short-coming, but until I accept it; it will remain as such. This combination of willful analysis and a lack of ability to allow the reactions of others to control my dialogue means I have taken a lot of time to learn ‘corporate language‘.

As an adult. It seems I’m at a cross-roads. I can’t stop being cast as a villain and it largely seems attributed to my perseverance to honesty. You see, part of the therapy I went through was focused on being honest with myself and others. I could not lie because I had grown up in an environment where lying had to be accepted. If my dad said he didn’t have a problem, and that he was okay, even if the evidence was clearly stacked in the other direction; disagreeing meant punishment. So, I wouldn’t point it out; or the instinct to do so would kick in and it wouldn’t turn out very well for me. Yet after unpacking these concerns over years, and realizing it was his reaction which was unfair; I cannot go back. I am unable to speak to anything other then the reality of a circumstance. Whether it be delightful or not. Ultimately, because I can’t go back to being the kid scared of being honest.

Yet, I recognize not everyone has had this experience. The defense of honesty, the ingrained requirement to stay grounded in objective, provable concepts. May not hold true as a need for someone who hasn’t been manipulated before. When you grow up in an emotional, or physically abusive environment. Truth is always distorted. In your recovery, you must spend a massive amount of time figuring out what is real, what felt real but wasn’t and what was blatantly an attempt to manipulate you. Often, the manipulation of an abusive parent is to cast their mistakes as successes; or normal occurrences. So when you start working towards recognizing what is normal, what is true is an essential lifeline. You cling to demonstrable anchors to reality. To provable concepts.

This leaves me in a position where, despite my honest intentions, I may find myself sending out anchors when I feel adrift. I connect with truths. I seek out the ocean floor. I analyze every detail and make heads or tails of the actuality in front of me. I am awful at ‘playing the game‘ because I can remember when someone’s whole day, or their sobriety was endangered by the outcome of doing so. I remember my own safety being brought into question, if I didn’t find the thread of nonsense being spun that evening and hold on dearly. This is a difficult concept to explain to others as well. I wish it was easier to just say “I’m so sorry, I don’t understand the social dynamics at play here. I am just trying to achieve the best result, by working within the observable parameters before me.” When I try, I get considered a nuisance and often I can’t understand what has happened. In my search for truths, I find annoyance and frustration. There are calls of dissention. Which has reproduced time and time again. It seems like, asking someone why they’re doing something, or why something is the way it is; is the same as calling for its destruction. As someone who just wants to understand what is going on I find this somewhat frustrating.

I don’t know how everything works, and again, growing up with an addict who eventually killed himself. I struggle with recognizing what normal even looks like. I have lived in dire extremes. As an example, my dad tried to kill himself three times. Eventually, the third time was the charm. But there were moments before, where he would go out to a field, put a pipe from his exhaust into his car, call my mom, and force her to fill him up with bullshit all so he wouldn’t kill himself. I grew up with a parent who used his own life as a bargaining chip, and ultimately, like a child, took his ball home instead of learning to play with others. This is, as an extreme example, why I can’t take the responsibility for the reactions of others. It is also why I am incredibly uncomfortable with being forced to do so. I don’t understand hierarchical systems where, for some reason, the people who need the most protection and dampening of analysis are the people making more money then you, with more power. In my mind, not only should people in such positions be there because of how they embrace honesty, they should be immune to considerations which arise as a result of it. You would figure, with money and experience and power; comes an ability to not be bothered. Yet, often, it is those who are more vulnerable which must accept any and all critiques made against them; sometimes even be forced to embrace them. While the same doesn’t work in reverse. You can’t point out a short-coming, you must play the game, and even if your intentions are to improve things for everyone, well, that’s just too bad.

Part of the struggle, in large part, is the lack of understanding offered to my perspective. Specifically this is something known as ‘fundamental attribution error’ or correspondence bias. Ultimately this is a concept wherein people will look at your actions and presume they are made because of who you are instead of as a reaction to circumstance and context. An easy example would be, someone is offered a job, they don’t agree with the pay-scale and reject the job. But someone viewing that circumstances via a correspondence bias may just think “this person doesn’t want to work because they are lazy” even if, the actual reason, is they wouldn’t be able to meet their financial needs if they accepted the salary offered. This resonates with me, because I believe this perspective is cast against me. Someone may see a question I have and believe “he is asking this because he is rebellious, or disruptive” instead of “he is asking this because he doesn’t understand, doesn’t have the background on the situation, or just wants to contribute to making it better but needs more pieces of the puzzle first”.

Who knows what will come of this journey for me. Maybe I will divine a perfect method to speaking my truth, without offending anyone. Maybe I’ll continue to find concerns where I intend to bring resolutions and I’ll end up working in a green house some day. It is a shame, in part, because I really only have good intentions. I view things holistically, and aim to evaluate them similarly. If I see something isn’t working as well as it could, and I’m asked about it. I will plainly indicate the concern. I would expect anyone else to do the same. There are many circumstances in my life where I have witnessed the acceptance of inefficiency due to it preserving emotional investment. Now, I don’t think we should just shit on every parade because it could be a be run a bit better. I don’t think ceaseless critique is effective for development. Nor, however, do I believe it can be shirked.

I think the best things I have made, are things which can stand up to criticism. If I have a perspective, a piece of work or a creation. I critique the hell out of it. I think of every downside, every upside, every argument which could be levied against it and every counter point. Value to me is derived from withstanding criticism and remaining worthwhile. As such, I guess, I’ll leave this blog post on a lovely comic panel which speaks to my heart.

Gratitude is a Gatekeeper

It is worth noting, that I am grateful for the good things in my life. I have a fantastic family and specifically a most amazing wife. Recently our family has grown with the inclusion of a lovely little Corgi! I have a relatively stable job, in a dynamic industry and I am presented with regular challenges which when achieved; are rewarded well.

That is to say, while I am grateful; I am not paralyzed by that gratitude. In recognizing how lucky I am, or joyful to have something. I am not forgetting what could be or what could be better. I often feel as if gratitude is used as a means of accepting where you are as a permanent place. “This isn’t so bad” or “Others have it so much worse” may be true statements, and in moments of peace and safety there is nothing wrong with enjoying those things simply because they are there. However, gratitude should never be met with lack of ambition.

When we hope for the best, for something new, for something better; it is not a detriment to the joy we have already captured. You are not selfish for recognizing you have achieved something and still want to achieve more. It is a difficult to separate these sentiments. You can come off as…greedy or selfish. As if you do not recognize the mountains you have climbed. In that moment, it can be annoying to other people. I myself have recognized that even the accomplishments I feel are standard are quite intimidating, or frustrating to hear about to others.

I want a backyard. Ultimately that’s where I am at right now. I feel this deep seated frustration that despite working hard, keeping a job for years, achieving promotions, making investments and trying to grow myself in multiple directions. The changes I am most excited for haven’t come. I know, that I have to take the time required to accept what is impressive, what progress has been made, and that the things I almost consider a standard now where the dreams of only a few years ago.

Ultimately it is my issue with gratitude, wielded in a specific manner. As if it is a weapon, or a lengthy sentence. Gratitude as a survival strategy isn’t how it should be used. In moments of disappointment, it is an elevator. In moments of strife, it should not be a life-vest. It feels irresponsible to drown out current sorrows with attempts at diminishing the sorrow. Gratitude wielded in a way which aims to make painful things positive, or diminish frustration is a misuse. If something pisses you off, don’t be grateful for the opportunity. Don’t be glad you’re presented with the challenge. Just be pissed off about it. Want better. Ask for more. Know you’re worth it. Gratitude is for enjoying what you have achieved, for looking back at the path so far and recognizing the distance covered.

Beyond that frustration, I am tired of accepting pain. Not just physically, which is common for all of us to some degree. Nor mental pain, despite having truckloads of that on a daily basis. I am tired of accepting that work should be hard. That getting better has to be painful. That anything worth having must be suffered for. I demand progress of my life, of the world; of this existence. I believe every painful experience, every frustrating one; can be bettered. That while we may endure unpleasant times, it is through these observations that we can eliminate them in our world. Gratitude, as a lifestyle, means grinning and bearing it. It means suffering over and over again only to have that experience be something you allow to reoccur. Little miseries, tiny tacks in our shoes, all because, well, it could be nails in our shoe or greater misfortunes.

It feels like to me, more and more over the years, just being grateful is a demand of those who don’t need to be. The very people who never need to be grateful for what they have, because they can get whatever they want, are the same people saying everyone else should be glad they have what they do. It is this, medieval concept, an acceptance of the social displacement of others. In believing that you deserve more then anyone else, you are allowing it. We should want not just the best for ourselves; but for all. I’m not sure who truly coined the phrase, but it remains true: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats‘. If you want better for yourself, you should want better for your neighbor. In their joy, in their peace; yours only grows. In silent gratitude, we sit alone, accepting our boat is where it is and feeling glad the water hasn’t gone down any further.

Going into another week, I feel what life could be. Time with my wife. Walking my dog. Sleeping in the middle of the day. Reading and writing, only to stop, make a meal, play a game, cuddle the Corgi and feel no pressure to do something else. I’m not sure how people have become so grateful for their lives that they are willing to absolutely give them away. Even now, I watch people, every day, give themselves permanently to someone else. Losing their time, losing their life, losing their personality; all because they are trapped in gratitude. Their home, their safety, the food they eat. They are tricked into thinking they don’t deserve it. That their life has no inherent value, nor is it worth anything by default. They are tricked into thinking, I must carve myself up, and be glad for the opportunity; just to pay the dues of living. That is wrong, it is propaganda, it is not the true of life; we are all more valuable then that.

On a finishing note, on this series of somewhat connected thoughts. I put out a wish into the world. Whether it be a few weeks from now, or years. I want AI to take over the world. I want the systems we live in now to be dismantled. I want everyone to have a home, food, and time to spend with themselves. I want everything everyone feels they need to work for, to become free. For our time to be so wholly reconsidered, that our effort can only be spent on our own worthwhile pursuits. That medicine will taste good. That treatments for even the most extensive or elaborate concerns are free and painless. I am grateful for the life I have, the advances I live besides. But I will happily watch them all become remnants of the past as we accept our blessings; and continue to invent new ones.

Finishing a Trilogy

At this point in time, I have published six books in my life.

One isn’t very good.

One has some interesting moments.

One is punk-rock as fuck and nails a very specific sub-genre.

Another is the best part of a story told amateurishly and turned into something much better.

Finally, is a trilogy. Two of which are complete; the third is reaching conclusion in plotting.

I could of finished the last ‘Burden of the Monarch’ earlier. With progress made on other projects, and the currently on-going series “On The Line” the book could of been finished by now. Burden of the Monarch as a series represents my intention to put my best foot forwards. To have multiple characters well defined and a large story which requires three books; instead of just preferring to take that long.

It requires study.

There are sections in Burden of the Monarch which tend towards conceptual. Elements in the fantasy which suggest there may never be a definite “best path”. Much like real life. We’re just made to figure out how we get by in between these harsh realities. Chapters in the final book, I needed to create somewhere else before I trusted myself with them. Scenes practiced. How to keep control while the length of my puppeteer’s string grows vast.

I have to keep getting better.

There is a lot of shame in me, about my first book. It’s weird, it includes weird stuff and yet I don’t think I’ll ever delist it. We shouldn’t hide our journey; or pretend we just started as our best selves. More then anything I find it diminishes it. We all know this, at some level. We respect professionalism, but it is just as plain to watch the rich and accomplished hold dear to the memory of their one bedroom apartment, or the rough part of town they once stood nearby; as if it is a beacon they were once normal. Someone who is just great but didn’t come from somewhere doesn’t stand out. They’re just, a contractor for the fantasies of others; no story to tell of their own. At least, that’s how I predict things will go. Authenticity, in an age of increasingly convincing falsification will be treasured above all else.

I’m awful at marketing.

Really it’s just the truth. I want to share my stories with everyone, but I don’t even like buying stuff myself. I don’t enjoy money. When I see an ad I usually think “Ugh” or something worse so I don’t really know why I think they would work for me. It’s such a heart-break if I’m being honest when it comes to “Burden of the Monarch: The Scorned Season”. The title was a successful Kickstarter (which surprised me) and yet, despite producing, shipping and selling the book a fair amount. A book which I actually think is fantastic. I’m not sure if anyone…read it? It’s a weird outcome. I’m so grateful for the support, but I like writing because I’m a story teller. I’m not a business person. One half is the unfortunate nature of being a human who requires currency to live, the other is the reason I do it in the first place. It seems like we’re on the cusp of some major shifts in society, so maybe these efforts are truly just screams out into a reshaping void. It feels like there isn’t a way to get out there because everything is crowded. Some people say you just need to be louder, but I don’t know about y’all. I’ve never picked something up because someone yelled at me the most.

Work is hard.

I’ve never been good at that sorta thing. I can write for hours, finish thousands of words a day, run FFXIV for literally 14 hours straight. But from the age of 13, if I have to do something I just…start to dislike it. I have got better at learning how to channel what I am good at, into traditional work. I’m just saying, if AI takes over, and human labor at all levels becomes something of the past. I’ll be the first person to accept our robot overlords. This is to say, I struggle with feeling okay while I maintain employment. I do good at it, but every job, no matter the details, all leave me feeling like I’m sinking, like I’m selling away my life, like I’m losing daylight, like I am living less. This eats at me, and in trying to endure it. Well, I guess it adds “delay” but that feels…inaccurate. It is part of the process, apparently; an element which resists any attempt to plot around it.

I don’t want to relate.

Maybe that makes some of my books tough to pick up? As is, I don’t like how the world works. Large swathes of everything feel incorrect and badly structured. How we live, how we work, what we work for. We don’t look after ourselves, people are workaholics and act like it isn’t an addiction; a devastating one at that. I can’t have any of the lives I envisioned for myself. It feels like I can’t make the world a better place, I can’t get a house, I can’t even realistically get the dog I want because it would be unfair to the dog. If accepting how things are means becoming glad they’re broken and harmful? I can’t do it. Things get worse when we step aside and accept them; when we lose the will to pursue what is right. I don’t want to make sense from the common perspective because that is exactly the thing I dream of shifting.

Such a long way of saying there will always be more books coming. Sometimes just in odd order.

On The Line

On The Line is an narrative set in a fictional MMORPG known as 'Endless Empires'. At least, that is how the story begins! 

Following a series of traditional printed releases. For this latest book I wanted to try something new! As a result I have assembled a cast of tremendous voice actors whom are assuming the roles of the characters in an audio book. This audio book is releasing month to month for free wherever you get your podcasts! But it looks like for most people that is Spotify.

At the time of this blog post we have already released two chapters to the world with the third in production right now. To support the series we've started a Patreon. The Patreon offers insider insights, first access to cast interviews and depending on tier; the ability to contribute to a monthly Q&A. The base Patron tier is only 1$ a month!

Beyond that the series features modern fantasy, fast paced combat, punchy dialogue and a unique perspective unlike anything else out there! Since you can check it out for free, give it a shot and let us know what you think!

Check us out wherever you get podcasts!

Pre-orders Aren’t the Enemy

There is a growing allegiance in the gaming community, which, much like born again Christians; feel it is their duty to spread the ‘good word’. In this case the ‘good word’ is opposed to pre-ordering upcoming video-game releases. The fervor brought on by these announcements “No Pre-Orders!” imposes that one should not support the producer of something they are interested in prior to proving the product is worth the value.
	At a glance there is no concern with such a sentiment. You shouldn’t spend your money on things which aren’t worth that money; or more accurately you should not aim not to. It is, in reality, not possible to perfectly spend your money. Regardless of your educational background or disposition. There might be a sour day you buy a fast food breakfast you don’t need. An upgrade on a vehicle or a part of your home. Another piece of clothing. A bad financial choice. No one is impervious from the occasional financial misstep. To be at peace with this is to induce a healthier relationship with money.
	It seems, from the perspective of those who petition against pre-orders. That there is a belief that the consumer/client is immune to being duped in their assessment of the quality of things. That as a result of spending money on something, that thing must now meet and exceed every possible metric or it has failed your purchase. As you are perfect in all assessments, suffer no failings of bias or perspective and as a result deservedly could not of made a mistake with your own purchase.
	From here further, there will be a divide in the reaction of whomever is reading this. Ultimately, this will defer to whether or not your stance on refunds and refund culture is positive. I do not view this process positively and feel it allows an extended degree of entitlement unto people who are doing nothing more then spending money on something. A mundane, limited challenge which is ultimately existentially meaningless.
	I will briefly elaborate into what I mean here, and the specific nature of my concern. It is in refund culture that the customer ends up encountering a degree of power in what should be an exchange without ego or power dynamics. However in allowing the client the potential of being dissatisfied they are given a card to play. Now, this is all to say, that I am not inherently on the side of a company either. There are horrendously anti-consumer practices employed internationally across different industries and while those are not to be considered positively either. They are not entirely at fault. If a company sells something which isn’t what it was; the client should be entitled to a reversal on the purchase. If the client received what they asked for but didn’t like it; that is effectively a them problem.
	A popular example, wrapping together refund culture and pre-order panic is the relatively recent release of Cyberpunk 2077. Watching the community react to this game showcased such a depth of narcissism that it affirmed the bulk of the community should have no faith placed in it. At the time of the release of the game I had pre-ordered two copies for Ps4. I gifted a (physical) copy to my friend and at the same time we both began the title on base PlayStation 4 units. I myself had a launch unit which was a couple of years old at the time. We both beat the game, and I proceeded on to receive a platinum trophy in the game (getting 100% of all achievements). In full disclosure I achieved that platinum trophy in spite of so many crashes it became muscle memory to save in-game before any door, transition or elevator was utilized. Despite that, I had an amazing time. I wasn’t surprised by the crashing because as an informed consumer I read the mountains of information releases by developers of the game that indicated the current console era (Ps4/Xbox One) were struggling to handle the game. I pre-ordered in full awareness that the game wasn’t going to run ‘perfectly’ for a couple of years or until I could run it on Ps5/PC. While it isn’t the point of this article, having since played the free Ps5 upgrade of the title; I foresee another platinum trophy in my future arriving in a smooth, crash free package.
	Now my reaction to Cyberpunk 2077 at launch was broadly not the case with others. There was a massive push-back of disappointed customers whom ultimately were so disparaged with the deceit of their purchase that they, for a time, pressured Sony to remove the game from its digital store-front for PlayStation users. At first I mostly just thought “wow, it’s a good thing these people never played Skyrim at launch.” but the sentiment has grown to more frustration.
	What, exactly, was it that these players wanted and didn’t receive? As someone who has played and beat everything there is to do in the game I can’t really understand. The main mechanics of driving, shooting, leveling up, making choices in story quests and handling sandbox style side-quests was all there, well varied and at a base level enjoyable. The variation in builds and in-game choices is fairly staggering between melee/hacking/gun-play/augmentations and the opportunities to just use these tools as you see fit are quite expansive. The romances and friendships are believable and well acted. Is it an AI supported 1:1 recreation of a cyberpunk city scaled with reality and allowing infinite choices? No, but nothing is and the technology while absolutely on the way hasn’t yet been deployed to anything in the video-game world. To think it would be is to set oneself up for failure; mis-aligning perspectives to view something which isn’t a possibility among the allowed outcomes.
	In thinking something is one thing, we blind ourselves to what it is. We suppose items and elements which are obvious to us are essential to the product and this core misunderstanding leads to a mutual frustration. In acting on this misunderstanding, going beyond and demanding that misunderstanding be given respect in the real world. It appears, to me, like one is explaining they made a mistake and demand to be accommodated for it. The premise of which is frankly ridiculous. Given this individual has already received the lesson of knowing not to do it again if they were indeed so disappointed.
	This belief in that the client is infallible is growing in the video-game world to the levels which currently smother the high-end retail world. That is a world where someone can purchase something at an incredibly high price, receive it, be displeased with the shade of the garment or how a piece of string sits on it and return it for a full refund. There is no challenge, no argument. These businesses simply allow a client to return a perfectly good item based entirely on taste. It is the baseline assumption that the client is imbued with perfect selection and thus, if a garment does not please them they aren’t on the hook for having thought to purchase it in the first place.
	Steam, the popular pc software store and service offers a three hours of play refund policy up to a limit of three titles per account. This is a more reasonable approach to curb ‘taste based refunds’ but, in my opinion, is still too kind. As an author, to compare. I don’t believe any book-store would let you get a few chapters in, walk back to the store and ask for your money back based on the premise of “I wasn’t really enjoying it that much”. I believe the consensus of any reasonable individual or bookstore would be “Well now you’ve purchased a book you don’t really enjoy that much. Congratulations.”
	While I think it would absolutely be lovely and by all means should be a goal to work towards as a society. We’re not in a place where any of us always get to purchase exactly what we wanted. I purchased and spent money on every MMORPG under the sun until I discovered FFXIV and while the money spent in the process isn’t technically serving me at this moment; the experiences from the joys and disappointments it showcased to me are. You don’t see me trying to refund my Guild Wars 2 expansion purchases because its class structure feels more limited to me nowadays because I play FFXIV.
	All this consideration however brings to mind two items. One being the statement “the customer is always right” and a curiosity “how long has refund culture been human culture? Are the two one-in-the-same?”

The Customer is Always Right
The customer is always right is a phrase pioneered by Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker and Marshall Field.[1] From what I can read on the matter it arrived at a time when another sentiment, similar to what I’m describing above, was more common-place. This sentiment was known as ‘caveat emptor’ or “let the buyer beware”. This effectively put the full brunt of assessment unto the client whom was making a purchase and was entirely inconsiderate of their dissatisfaction if it came as a result of a base level failure. This doesn’t seem fair either because it absolves one of two reasonably compromised actors from any responsibility; which will inherently lead towards abuses.
	Prior to looking into the actual origin of the phrase I had made my own assumption that the phrase, in an expanded form, meant: the expectations of the market can’t be questioned. Such is to say, if you run a restaurant, and people love eating burgers; serving burgers is a wise choice. If all those burger loving people start wanting beef bulgogi; that demand isn’t incorrect. Whatever the market wants is what the market wants and if you want to sell to the market you need to have what they want. It doesn’t mean someone can march into a burger place and demand they make them beef bulgogi just because they’re the customer and they went to a restaurant; which more often seems to be the application.

Refunding Human Culture
It seems this specific element of our society is not being broadly put to any article I can find. There are references to J.R. Watkins whom apparently implemented a pioneering money back policy in the 1800’s. However I can’t find a tremendous amount of sources on this matter and while wikipedia cites him as a possible progenitor of direct sales as an industry; I can’t pretend that doesn’t dissuade me from further interest.
	There is the Japanese sentiment ‘okyakusama wa kamisama desu’ which means “The customer is god” and yet, I cannot find a tremendous amount of writing on the topic. There are some references to origins, manga/anime which use the phrase (likely humorously) and a couple of business sites which utilize the phrase. You would think there would be a few top-lining articles talking about how one-sided that sort of perspective is, yet it just seems quietly accepted. Maybe the writing on the topic simply isn’t in my language which I acknowledge right off the bat as a likely possibility.
	Where does one turn when these sources are either discouraging or disparate in their content? Well to a customer complaint authored in 1750 BCE and recovered from the ruins of the city of Ur.[2] The tablet is a customer complaint from someone named Nanni to the merchant Ea-nasir over a recent, and sub-standard, shipment of copper ingots delivered by the merchant. 
A translation of the tablet from Leo Oppenheimer’s Letters from Mesopotamia is given below:

Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message:

"When you came, you said to me as follows : “I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.” You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!”

What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas.

How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full.

Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt."
	
In this translation there is a reasonable request. A producer of copper ingots should produce a product which can solicit all the uses of the product; if it cannot it ceases to be the product in question and is instead something else. To request something, be advised you will receive that and not receive it is a valid concern. Not to mention the reality of the circumstance this complaint was authored within, briefly mentioned in the phrase “-you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory.”
	Now the threat of violence simply to pursue a mercantile contract is mostly unknown to the modern world, and certainly isn’t required in Canada to return a simple top. Yet it illustrates reasonably that there is a degree of hostility between customer and company which has always existed.

A Better Return
What can be surmised from all of this, to me, is that it is human nature to attempt to take the greatest advantage of any situation. Both customer and company are aiming to edge out a better outcome then one another and like a competitive marriage; it is a relationship which lives and dies in the conflict it insists upon. It is however revealing in that refund culture may not be inherent and instead simply a reaction to an unbalanced system. In adopting the premise of “the customer is always right” we attempt to undo that balance by shifting the scales in the other direction.
	The fix proposed herein this article is titled ‘Mutual Purchasing’ and is inherently going to be uninteresting to those opposed to government oversight. Yet it is my belief that both the client and the company are inherently corrupted actors in this equation and thus cannot be trusted to act in a mutually fair manner. For ‘Mutual Purchasing’ to be implemented it has the prerequisite of an expansion of the financial and taxation wings of the government to create a ‘Purchase Auditors’ office. With the sole intention of acting as an authorizing agent between any number of entities in the process of buying or selling any product.
	This would mean no customer pays any company directly. It means all sales are ushered through a central governing body. It calls for the elimination of cash in whole and for every sale to be digitized. In this system all customers would use a centralized application to communicate with a company. They could usher the purchase through the application (in-store or online) and following the confirmation of that purchase. The company is cleared to release the product unto the customer. In the case that the customer encounters a legitimate defect they are allowed to submit the complaint via the centralized application instead of the company directly. Once the complaint is issued to the centralized application both the governing agency and the company are made aware of the concern. The governing agency is in charge of assessing the legitimacy of the defect for the purposes of granting any monetary return, or a replacement of the product.
	At the time of purchase, a release must be signed by both the customer and the company which states the explicit terms of refund. Inherently protected rights to refund would (and should) include defects but not allow for a refund on the premise of taste. An element of the release includes an understanding that the customer in agreeing to commit to the purchase of the product is also agreeing that they are currently interested in that product and as a result, whether their opinion changes at a later date; that change in opinion does not allow for a refund. This is an already present invisible ruling in many industries. Given that you can’t return beer you had at a pub the night before just because you regret having had it in the morning; the same goes for a product you thought you were going to like and ultimately didn’t; even though it works as intended.
	“What about products you need to test first?!” I could imagine being a concern. And this is a valid ask which is again further served by the ‘Purchase Auditors’ office. In the case of a product which must be physically or digitally assessed prior to a comfortable purchase; the company is required to offer a temporary trial period (facilitated by the Purchase Auditor’s office) for a physical product. However I can’t think of many items which could allow for this trial without also incurring a risk of refund for taste, and as such the cause of the trial and the parameters of the trial must be strictly managed. For digital products a company must offer a demo or designate official product overviews and performance showcases. 
	A distinction however, should be made in the case of purchasing art or consumable products in that they are not utilized in the same manner one would a mattress or a photo editing suite. A reasonable amount of products need be considered “nonrefundable” under the premise that they are purchased as offered; so long as they are. In an example if you go to a restaurant and order a steak, so long as you are served a steak of the size on the menu, and it is cooked correctly, and safe as a product for consumption. It is nonrefundable regardless of how much you enjoyed it or not. The same would go for a painting you thought you were going to like but ultimately didn’t enjoy in the room, or a video-game you were interested in but lost you in the second act. These are to be considered disparate elements of the client and are not causes for refund. IE: You’re welcome to walk out in the middle of a movie but you aren’t entitled to a refund for electing to do so.

This Was About Pre-Orders?
Yes, indeed. While it is an exploration about what leads to an individual being opposed to a video-game pre-order. It all ultimately arrives at the conclusion of eschewing those who see fit to spend or not-spend the money of other people. Those opposed to pre-orders see themselves as individuals ripping disappointed out of the hands of blinded consumers while companies freely shovel shit into their open arms; yet this isn’t the entire reality of the case. In execution what is happening is individuals whom had their sensibilities disrupted or their own expectations denied and are now projecting that same dynamic unto others.
	What is, at the end of the day, a fair gamble (this being the purchase of a full priced video-game) the imposition by those opposed to pre-orders suppose this to actually be an abuse. That they are the servant who traveled through enemy lands for copper ingots only to be mislead and taken advantage of; instead of just being some person who spent 80~ bucks on something they didn’t entirely enjoy.
	The reality of the disappointment needs to be put to a scale. Even if you wasted 80 dollars on a new video-game, the calamity of such a thing cannot be the end of the world. One should not spend the last of their money on a luxury, and even in indulging in a luxury. A room in a fancy resort doesn’t make you immune to loud or disruptive neighbors also on the same vacation. A pre-order of a video-game doesn’t make you immune to the game not being what you thought it was. But so what? In a case where your options are being cynical, never being hopeful, never being excited and pushing away any possibility for something to be worthwhile. Or electing to be hopeful about something you want and pre-ordering it. If you’re opposed to the possibility that the unknown won’t be a disapointment you may not be able to enjoy something you didn’t pre-order even if you would because there is an opposition to joy.
	When Cyberpunk 2077 crashed for me on a base model Ps4 I was presented a choice. I could focus on that frustration, or I could focus on the reason I encountered the crash in the first place; that being the fact that I was enjoying the game. When the game crashed I could be upset I spent months looking forwards to the title, or that I bought two copies of it at launch. Or, I could turn the game back on, find out where my save was and continue to have fun in spite of less then perfection.
	It has only occurred to me just now at the time of writing, but is it possible, that the argument levied by those against pre-orders does not legitimately source from an attempt to quell the disappointment of others but is actually an expression of financial disparity? In that, to someone who has the expendable income or isn’t attached to money. A pre-order whether it leads to a successful or disappointing product is ultimately negligible. Compared to an individual with limited expendable income who thus invests a greater amount of themselves into the entertainment/joy they can get out of something they invested in? While I have no evidence to say anything is either which way, it may be a worthwhile consideration that the dynamic has nothing to do with the subject matter it regards.
	For myself, I’ll likely continue pre-ordering anything I feel like I want. As I still like purchasing a physical product especially for consoles. Personally I see no value in pre-ordering a digital product since there is no inventory/availability/shipping concerns to be considered. I like making up my own mind about a game, and a fair amount I want to play at launch before the community gets a hold of them and an established opinion fills in the gaps. Given the recent resurgence of the title ‘Metal Gear Solid: Re-vengeance’ a title which I adored at launch, was critically lauded, and now is reemerging in popular culture with positive reviews. I feel reassured in my preference for just buying the games that catch my interest; and playing them. Hopefully everyone else can reach a place where they do the same!

Sources
    1. Morgan, Blake. “A Global View Of ‘The Customer Is Always Right.’” Forbes, 10 Dec. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2018/09/24/a-global-view-of-the-customer-is-always-right/?sh=15691131236f.
    2. Duffyjac. “Customer Service in Ancient Mesopotamia.” ANP363: Rise of Civilization, 6 Mar. 2015, web.archive.org/web/20150310133210/http:/anthropology.msu.edu/anp363-ss15/2015/03/05/customer-service-in-ancient-mesopotamia.

Movie Theaters: A Trial of Endurance

I’m not going to lie. I’ve never understood the appeal of a movie theater. The overused chairs. Sticky floors. Garish and bright lobbies. Waiting through trailers. Listening to the movement and breathing of other people. Abiding their reactions. Holding your bladder; unable to pause the film to address any biological concerns. Unable to change the volume. In a room that is (by my standards) often far too hot without any moving air.

The theater experience, alongside being often overpriced is a baffling one for me which seems to hold films hostage. Either forcing you to abide some public viewing in an odd, somewhat sad building managed primarily by minimum wage workers. Or wait an indeterminate, infrequently confirmed time until the dvd/home release of the film.

As someone who quite enjoys film and movies overall this is a distressing, and incredibly (it appears) uncommon perspective. There is a revelry in the “big screen”, the awe of the crowd, the dimming of the lights. Reviews regardless of genre can include segments such as “my theater lost it at this part!” and this sort of experience is considered beneficial to the overall individual experience.

I can tell I’m of a different mind, as when I hear anyone say anything in the theater at all my only thought is “I wish I wasn’t here.” or less politely “Please shut up.” I don’t even enjoy hearing the laughter of others, their screams in a delightful moment. I genuinely just wish everyone sat down, was quiet, and enjoyed the movie.

In the appreciation of film, I feel the theater experience is designed to punish those with legitimate interest. If you’re up to date on what is being produced, and when it is slated to be released; the trailers before your feature film are needless advertisements for items you had more fun discovering yourself. If you have a preference of viewing angle for a film you have to roll the dice on whether or not you can have exactly that spot. You equally roll the dice on audio quality and visual fidelity.

Quick diatribe. Whenever I watch a movie in my own house I close black-out curtains so as to prevent any light from leaking or reflecting onto the screen and ruining the image. I turn off my computer, and historically (while it is no longer relevant in my current setup) I would cover any LED’s such as those from a computer at sleep. This means that whenever I’m watching a movie in a theater and someone use’s their phone in the row ahead of me; my instinct is to pounce and kick it out of their hand. It is instantly noticeable, and it sours my mood for a few moments.
This is to say, I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s experience. Just as I often prefer to watch a film at home in perfect silence, with subtitles on, in a dark room, without any back light; and with rare communication (and only when the movie is paused). I respect the preference for someone to watch a film in a large hot room crowded with strangers and sometimes their kids. I don’t need to take that away from anyone else; I just don’t want to be forced to do it myself.

On the note of quality, something I believe theaters really have missed out on as technology moves ahead is that the viewing quality at a theater hasn’t been worthwhile for at least ten or so years now. While I’ve tried the different theaters across my city; new and old. Projection, in my opinion, is a fantastic option for showcasing something to a large audience. Projection is an awful representation of quality in film. Everything looks washed out, colours are drab, blacks are grey. A scene in the night is nearly imperceptible. And again, the individual who cares about these things has no option to modify or improve them in the theater. Compared to even entry level televisions nowadays. Something you could get for 600~ CAD can offer 4k resolution with a display so bright; you can actually tell what the heck is happening in every scene.

Quite legitimately, when re-watching movies that I was forced to see in theater at home; I make constant notes about “oh this is what is going on in this scene” or “I didn’t even recognize what was in the background, it was so blurry and dull before.” At times, the CGI in theater can look odd and when I watch it on my own display; things look right. You can see the pores on animated skin, light makes sense, colour is as it should be. Everything from The Lighthouse to Forest Gump and even modern block-busters like Avengers: Endgame each look so much better on my own display.

Beyond just how good it looks, if I need to go to the washroom. I don’t need to completely miss the thing I paid for simply because I have to go to the washroom. And maybe it’s just me, but whenever I go to watch a film nowadays. It often ends with me in an almost kidney pain inducing place of just trying to make it to the credits so I don’t miss anything. This fails at times, even on my last outing to see ‘The Northman’ when I tried to hold it. Then upon reaching the bathroom realized it was far too crowded, with a line to get in. And as an incredibly anti-social person I was already feeling burnt out with the amount of company I’d been forced to keep. So I just waited until I got home.

It has been explained to me historically that some people love the movie theater so much that it’s one of their favorite places. A sort of zen zone. A perfect date night. Which I absolutely respect, but continue to be baffled by much in the same way as how people appreciate going to clubs. The intended outcome seems to be to just do something you enjoy doing but around other people? I can really only understand it, or at-least make sense of it in reference to Warhammer 40k. In that universe there are creatures known as Orkz and the Orkz (Orcs) harness a psionic field ultimately powered by their belief. The field only has the ability to manifest worthwhile results while the Orkz are in large numbers. So in comparing them, are the screams, reactions, laughter, shuffling of shoes and chewing of other mouths part of some sort of enhancement ritual? Something that outweighs the reality of looking at a dull screen in what amounts to a warehouse with chairs in it?

Being fully cognizant of this effectively being a “me” problem I do still find it fascinating how few of these concerns seem to deter other people. That the noises of others, the flickering of phones, the abject and absolute fear of having to sit next to a stranger (especially in the context of an ongoing pandemic). Yet these are trivial (if they’re noticed at all) things to so many others. I can’t fathom the preference for having to physically go somewhere just to take part in something you’re passionate about; none the less having the experience be so entirely ruined. When the core item you’re pursuing doesn’t require it.

In a perfect world, with a private viewing booth, with specific volume controls, with worthwhile food. The baseline requirement to have to do those things elsewhere seems so needless. The only real reason I have ever spent money at a theater is because I’m forced too. It has never been by preference. Not even the films I’ve rushed to see were because of the theater experience, or “needing to see them that way”. Often, it was just to avoid spoilers.
And spoilers are indeed one of the threats at hand. Again only for those who truly care about the viewing experience. For those who don’t mind missing a bit of the movie, or are there for the big scenes, or just wanted to do something with their afternoon. These are mostly meaningless tidbits of information; if slightly annoying. To someone like myself who prefers to go in with as blank a slate as possible. A film is truly being contorted in a cage, the theater threatening “Come, pay my ransom, or I’ll send you its fingers in a box.”

I can’t say I’ve truly had a positive theater experience. Largely because I find crowds, especially large crowds; a legitimate challenge. This was even before the pandemic added a possibility of a health concern to the mix. But I fear whomever sits behind me will reach forwards and slit my throat; or that they have a gun to my head. That someone will pee on the floors, or touch me. I can feel others scanning the room, occasionally glancing over me, not even really focusing on me at all; and it makes my skin itch. Even being spotted, by so many eyes, feels like being thrown unto some spotlight on for a second then off for another until the room is dark. Then the doors entering the room aren’t often within view. So anyone with anything could enter the auditorium and you might not be able to notice them. These are, again, concerns I recognize most people don’t encounter. They aren’t obstacles between them, their mode of transportation and the front door of the theater. Yet these baser elements of the experience prevent me from going to see a grand majority of the films that interest me. If it is released digitally, for rent or purchase. I’ll have a night with a new film happily. But otherwise, all but the most specific pieces which taunt me out of slumber; can wait.

This brings me to an open ended question regarding same day digital releases. Now, I don’t mean for free. I’ll happily pay the cost of two tickets and a premium on top of that to rent a movie from home. In the case of the D+ digital releases I was one of the day one customers for those premium releases; it was my ideal circumstance. Yet my question is focused more specifically on how much was the success of the film modified as a result of same day digital release? I’m curious because the majority of release methods, outside of the D+ model. Effectively included the film in a subscription package, as per the HBO MAX model. This lead to this infantile push-back we see now “Only in Theaters” across new releases. As if, to my perspective, to taunt what was lost. Yet the fiscal loss, was it as a result of the means of distribution or the model? Did same day release films truly lose money compared to theater releases? If there were losses, were the losses as a result of the release method or a lack of marketing for the film? A lack of legitimate interest? A bad product? I can’t really fathom how releasing a movie for cost at a theater and releasing a movie for cost on digital streaming platforms equals out to less sales. The expectation I would have would be that people who wanted to see it in a theater would do that, and people who want to watch it from home would do that. No where in these options do I see someone going “ah, I can now choose between two good options to watch a movie that I want to see. I will pick neither.”

So the question really is, what the hell is going on with same day releases? Why would anyone oppose more streams of income? Because I can tell you right now, there are movies which I won’t watch until they do eventually release on dvd or digital. If it’s a film I’m only curious about, often, I’ll wait until it is a rental which means the price goes from 20~ for the two tickets or equivalent I’d be paying for at release to a 5.99~ cost for the 48 hour rental. Just as well I’ll make the note, I couldn’t care less about the cost. I don’t want to be price-gouged but just as well, I work a job to pay for the things I want and am interested in. As a result if I want to see a film, it could cost 10, 20 or 40 dollars for me to get a set of tickets and I’ll just accept that as the price of admission. However I won’t jump to pay a price that I need to be inconvenienced alongside.

Another disadvantage of being someone who enjoys film but hates theaters is that the success of a film release is often gauged on those first few weeks. The box office open. Whether or not something gets a sequel, or a specific genre/theme is explored currently defers to the theater ticket sales. Which means if you want to support a movie, but you don’t want to endure the theater experience. You’re left with few options. I have, even as recently as the release of Dune; bought tickets and given them away. Knowing that I myself wouldn’t watch the movie until I could enjoy it in my own home. Yet I still want to contribute to the analytics which inspire a movie being deemed successful; or worthy of continuation.

The reality of the situation, based on current appraisals; is that movie theaters will continue to hold film hostage. While the time between theater release and digital release is shortening. There has been (what reads as to me) excessive propaganda being pushed out into social media that represents a theater itself as the only and optimal way to experience a movie. Now I’ll admit to having tried a variety of things to alleviate the concern. Going to theaters with reserved seating, with small audience sizes, with fancy seats or massaging chairs or even proper meals and alcoholic beverages. Yet they can’t quell the frustration that arrives from having to sit in a room with a bunch of strangers; fighting through the same doors when we all leave.

At the end of all of this, I’m slated to go to a theater tomorrow. Trying to catch a midday showing, so the room will be as empty as possible. At a theater which is unpopular across the city, in an area few people live. Though I have been worried for months leading up to this moment, knowing I intended to see the film. Just wishing, and hoping, I could throw my money at a screen and watch it in my living room.

New World Evolving Review | 50 Hours

Burden of the Monarch: The Scorned Season

The latest book in the series has released! Burden of the Monarch: The Scorned Season is the very first sequel I have ever published, and the sixth book overall I’ve published.

Functioning as a direct sequel to ‘Blade of Rails‘ the story picks up here with Bell, Ylinia and the crew concluding a tour across the country, specifically in the forested city of Arthen. With a voracious pace and a quick hook, the story captured in this novel is an awesome tale full of unique and vibrant characters.