ONE WEEK TO GO!

Only one week remains for when 65 releases in theaters. I cannot wait!

PREHISTORIC PLANET RETURNS!

I just discovered something extraordinary! It looks like Prehistoric Planet is going to have a second season, which will release around May 22nd this year. I was not expecting this, but I look forward to seeing this magnificent series return.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

“I’d like to RAGE!!!”

Grog Strongjaw, The Legend of Vox Machina

For some time, I developed an interest to play Dungeons and Dragons. The problem was finding other players to play with. Fortunately, a golden opportunity to play may have opened for me. If I participate in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, I know exactly what race and what class my character would be. I would play as a Bronze Dragonborn Barbarian. A Dragonborn is basically a humanoid dragon that is about as big as a human. The Bronze type would enable my character to use lightning-based magical attacks. The Barbarian archetype is essentially like a Viking berserker, a formidable warrior that is fueled by all-consuming rage. This combination would work best for me for three reasons. First, because I love dragons. Second, Bronze dragons match my personality in that they are curious, inquisitive, have a strong sense of justice, and do not tolerate cruelty (plus their ability to shoot lightning from their mouths is super cool). Third, the Barbarian character archetype fits in well with my Viking heritage (plus my usage of lightning magic would make me similar to Thor, God of Thunder). Overall, when I join my party, I hope to be a beast during the campaign that will strike terror into our enemies.

DEKU VS SHIGARAKI (FINAL ROUND)

“I will do what I must.”

“You will try.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, Star Wars

The battle we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived! Izuku Midoriya, successor of All Might, and Tomura Shigaraki, successor of All For One, are about to commence the final round of their grudge match. Several generations of bad blood between the wielders of One For All and All For One have been leading to this duel. One way or another, the fate of Japan, and possibly the world, will be decided in this clash. As the duel begins, Shigaraki declares that both he and the vestige of Tenko Shimura want to destroy the hero society that led to the creation of the abusive home he was raised in. Despite this, Izuku affirms his determination to save the vestige of Tenko Shimura from Shigaraki’s darkness. With Aizawa’s power negation no longer in effect, Shigaraki has his quirks back and is at full power. We got a glimpse of Izuku’s true power in recent chapters. Now, we will see Shigaraki’s true power in the chapters to come. The most titanic battle in there entire series is about to begin and I can’t wait to see how it will unfold.

DARK RITUALS

Throughout the fantasy genre there have been feats of magic that were so powerful and so extreme that they could have tremendous influence on the world around them. In regards to the origin story of the main villain in my Dark Ice Winter fantasy book series, I am thinking of presenting a dark magic ritual that would have dire consequences. The ritual in question will affect its surrounding environment and the price of using this ritual will be high beyond measure. I have taken inspiration from dark side rituals that were performed by the Sith in Star Wars.

When fighting the Jedi’s Army of Light, Darth Bane led the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness in a ritual that devastated the landscape of of the planet Ruusan for several miles. Every plant and animal was reduced to ash in a certain area and the Jedi were flushed out into the open, which allowed the Sith to wipe the Jedi out in their speeders until the Jedi received reinforcements.

Another ritual the Brotherhood of Darkness used in their war against the Jedi was the Thought Bomb. The Thought Bomb was the Sith equivalent to a kamikaze strike due to its suicidal nature. The Thought Bomb not only kills its intended targets. It also annihilates its casters as well. Darth Bane was able to manipulate the crazed Lord Kaan, leader of the Brotherhood of Darkness, into using the Thought Bomb against the Jedi. This resulted in Darth Bane and his apprentice Darth Zannah to be the sole surviving Sith. In addition, the Thought Bomb devastated the landscape of an entire planet and drove Force-sensitives mad when they got too close to its blast radius.

Easily the darkest Sith ritual known so far would be the immortality ritual performed by Sith Emperor Vitiate. In order to cheat death, Vitiate mentally coerced eight thousand Sith Lords to aid him in the most complex ritual in Sith sorcery ever attempted on the planet Nathema. When the ritual was complete, all life Nathema was completely drained, including bacteria. Even the Force itself was gone from the planet, creating a void that warped the fabric of reality in a way that drove Force-sensitives mad when exposed enough to Nathema. Overall, Vitiate’s ritual transformed an average planet into a completely lifeless nihilistic abomination. As for Vitiate himself, he succeeded in becoming immortal and explosively augmented his power in the dark side to nearly god-like levels.

These three rituals all promised tremendous power to their casters, but came with a steep price, were indescribably dark in nature, and could influence the world around them in a negative way. That is the kind of ritual I intend to depict when I write the original story of the main villain in my Dark Ice Winter series.

A VILLAIN’S MINDSET

I have thought of the perfect mindset of the main villain of my Dark Ice Winter fantasy book series. I have drawn inspiration from this scene from the Gary Oldman version of Dracula. I like the terrifying atmosphere and emotional intensity of his fall into darkness. Therefore, I decided to incorporate this mindset into my antagonist’s initial descent into villainy. The way he completes his dark transformation will be quite chilling and complex at the same time.

ONE MODIFICATION TO GO

Only one modification remains until the final draft of the sequel to Dawn of the Dark Ice is complete. After that, it will finally be ready for editing and illustrating. I will keep you updated on all developments. Wish me luck!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WRITING

Wonder what I love most about the writing process? The world building and working on every minute detail to the story, setting, and characters. It makes me feel like a craftsman tinkering with the inner workings of a clock, making sure all the components are in the correct sequence. When I undergo this process, I am not thinking that much. It’s like a zen moment for me. I get in the zone and I do it.

A WINTER PLAGUE

I thought of raising the stakes in the Dark Ice Winter series even higher as the story progresses. In addition to having to endure a winter that lasts three grueling years as well as a horde of invading monsters, the Gradaian Empire will be hit by a pestilence that will cause mass casualties. I will draw inspiration from the Justinian Plague that devastated the Byzantine Empire’s capital of Constantinople in the 6th century. 40% of the city’s population was wiped out in eight years.

FANTASY CYBORGS

As my current fantasy book series progresses, I intend to depict the rise of fantasy equivalents to cyborgs. As such, I will be depicting fantasy versions of real life equivalent prosthetic limbs. However, while real life medieval prosthetic limbs were crude replacements for lost limbs, the prosthetics in my fantasy series will be able to function like actual limbs like cybernetic enhancements you see in science fiction.