Meta Character Creation

  Very rarely does anybody create characters without thinking of flaws to give them. We can't help it. The exhilaration of 'playing God' is too much to handle. Whether it's some kind of horrific physical or mental disease riddling their existence, or emotional scarring impacting every aspect of their lives, they all have... something. The fact is, perfect characters are boring.

  Acting as God over your characters isn't the only reason they are the way they are. I think everybody can vouch for me when I say that there's pieces of the creator in the creation. My characters are constantly broken and trampled, with very minute amounts of potential to be somebody better. The reason? They're a reflection of myself. Saying this doesn't mean that because Zack Grayson is a recovering sex addict, I myself am some kind of raging sex machine. And it equally doesn't mean that I have issues talking to women just because Doug Walker harbours that struggle.

  Yet on the other hand, my characters are a part of me. I share the anxiety and the social ineptitude of Doug, and the ability to be as tactless and calculating as Zack. They're a sneaky way for me to be self-aware of my own problems. Isn't that fascinating?

  Now, this brings up an interesting detail; Never use the book to read the author. Remember in high school when you were told to analyse an environment in great detail? 'Yes, the curtains were blue, but what does that mean? Could the author be attempting to cleverly reference an underlying melancholia through the colour of the curtains? Maybe the blue represents an oncoming state of calm that the reader is yet to realise!' Or maybe the curtains were just fucking blue.

  Just because there are possibilities that might amount to a plausible explanation doesn't mean that's what the author intended. BUT! That is the absolute beauty of art! It is up to you to interpret such works however you feel, regardless of the artist. When the work reaches you, the artist is dead.

Signed,

Elijah.

Meta Sentience.

30/06/2017

The End Of An Era

  Now that the Blurryface era has come to a close, I know there's a lot of people in the clique that feel as if they're lost, and I can understand that. But the end of an era means the dawn of a new one. The start of something beautiful and exciting that none of us can even sense yet.

  I'm so proud to be a part of everything Twenty Øne Piløts have created and inspired. I'm so proud that two boys with severe anxiety and depression have selflessly helped so many individuals battle those same issues. Anxiety has plagued me my entire life, but I can honestly say their music has helped me in ways I could never properly thank them for.

  So many of us finally realised that our lives mean something because of Tyler and Josh's efforts; through the energy and passion that drives their music, and us as an audience. They're still alive. We're still alive. And with that comes the intrinsic spark in all of us to continue on, however difficult circumstances may get.

  So as the new era approaches, here we are saying goodbye to Blurryface. Yet here we stay as the few, the prøud, the emøtiønal.

  Here's a photo took at a local convention of me, (Josh Dun), and my partner, (Tyler Joseph). Stay street, everyone. |-/









Signed,
Elijah.
Meta Sentience.
27/06/2017

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Meta Stylie

  Back in college I used to have to analyse video games on an almost daily basis, amongst my struggling with software that I thought was stupid because it didn't work for me. That's the reason I'm here, writing this for you to read. Because analysing games along with their design and mechanics was my thang.

  Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a game that I have played myself and alongside family and friends for years, so there are plenty of fond memories with it. That's why I'm going to tell you what it means to me rather than a game review or whatever. (Fair warning: After re-reading this, that's basically what it turned into. Sorry).

  The game centres around the tentative but very adorable Abe, a Mudokon slave at the RuptureFarms meat processing factory. Upon discovering his race are to be slaughtered for meat, he takes it upon himself to escape and liberate as many enslaved Mudokons as he can.

  To me, Abe's Oddysee is a game that can be played over and over and over again. Myself, my brother and my dad have put hundreds if not thousands of frustrating hours into possessing Sligs, running away from Scrabs and lobbing Abe down a pit full of mines because we assumed the levels were unsolvable. It's a game that rears it's head every Christmas to drag up all the old emotions: resentment, fear, passion and love - though I will happily admit I play it far more often these days. It stands as the only game my father, 67 years of age, has ever completed.

  Honestly, it's the game that all my friends are probably sick of sitting down to play with me because I find it so sociable. You can play single player or co-op and it's still very much a game you can play with anybody sitting beside you. Die, hand over the controller, inevitably die again, hand it back. Repeat thirty seven times until you reach a checkpoint.

  Ever since New 'N' Tasty - Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was released for the PlayStation 4, I haven't spent much time at all playing the PS1 version, (the fact that my PlayStation literally blew up is irrelevant because it can be played on the PS2). The reason being that the remake is just. so. beautiful. The colouring was dull and drab on the old 32-bit Sony GPU, yet still brilliantly charming. Now the level schemes are vibrant whilst retaining the ability to terrify players upon making a mistake. The overall layout of the levels now with their panning transitions is also an extreme upgrade after fifteen years of waiting at black loading screens. But I'm not too begrudging over that.

  'Clean the floors... or die!' and 'this one foot of floor will be shining!' are just a few things you'll hear from Abe's captive Mudokon friends while they go about their chores cleaning the floor and walls. Yes, you read that right. The little guys finally speak even when they're not being spoken to. This tiny detail had me completely enamoured with the remake within the first five minutes, while keeping all the old aspects that endeared me to the game in the first place. In a sense, the whole game is more of a re-DO than a remake. They kept everything that made the original fantastic and innovative whilst fixing glitches or making small alterations to improve the experience.

  The cinematic platformer's graphics were decent at the time, yet primitive in an oddly alluring way. Abe's Oddysee was a perfect stepping stone into the Oddworld franchise, and a magnificent beginner's piece from Oddworld Inhabitants, the developers of the Oddworld games.

  There were a few others along the way, (Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, etc), but none are really known as well as Abe's Oddysee and in my opinion, none fit the standard either. I wouldn't want to refer to it as a one hit wonder out of respect for the developers and the publishers, but... well, you get it.

Signed,
Elijah.
Meta Sentience.
23/06/2017

Welcome To The Meta Life

  I guess it's always been a dream of mine to do or create something profound. Something so thought provoking that it stuck with people for days, months, even years. I haven't found that thing yet, hence why I'm writing this, I suppose.

  I don't want to come across as pretentious or self absorbed, more self-seeking if anything, and of course when I said 'always' before, I'm referring more to the last few years of my life. Y'know, after I graduated from eating dirt and playing with snails in my back garden as a kid.

  After leaving college two years ago with just enough to pass the course, I feel like I'm still in the transitional stage of my life. You know the bit; the part where you go from 'slightly less naive young adult' to a full blown grown up in the blink of an eye. Everybody around you begins pinching your cheek and asking what it's like to be older, and it's a difficult question to answer because there's no difference. Other than the fact you have more decisions to make that will further impact your life. The ironic part is they already know the answer; there isn't one.

  There are things like what I've just described that I've found, and have had very interesting reactions to, (I'll end up talking about those things at some point, I can safely say), but of course, none of it has been my own. That's where my personal struggle comes in. The discovering of beautiful works filled with depth that are not my own.

  My brain is somewhat of a green eyed monster in that sense. I know I should look at things in a way that congratulates and appreciates, and I do, but there's a part of me that is selfish enough to ask why I couldn't have come up with said brilliant thing. The only thing to do really, on my part and yours if you're having the same issue, is to have ambition and to hope you have the motivation to achieve it. Or rather than hoping, you could actually work for it.

  The motivation for this new project was sparked by Kit, my very fantastic graphic designer friend, so a special thanks to her for re-igniting my passion for writing. I'm quickly realising this introduction is longer and ramblier than I might've liked, so I'm going to go. As you can see I have a lot of work to do. Self discovery and stuff.

Signed,
Elijah.
Meta Sentience.
20/06/2017