Fairy Tale Spotlight: Can Trinities Happen Outside of Christianity?

This is actually a really simple question to answer. On the binary level, the answer is an easy "yes." But I am obligated to explain it at least a little bit. I'll be brief. There's not really much to this.

A trinity refers to three individual persons all with the same nature or goal. God the Father is a completely different person than God the Son. The Holy Spirit is like neither of those. They all have a little in common, but really those little things are not enough to call any of them alike. The Father loves the Holy Spirit. This love is not reciprocated, however the Holy Spirit loves the Son and so supports the Father because of that.

Those three were completely different people yet they all joined up to enact one goal. Each and every one of them suddenly found themselves a part of a purpose, regardless of how they felt about one another. That is not a difficult concept to understand. There have been many collaborations throughout history, and many of them done in threes.

Being a part of a trinity is entirely doable and, in many ways, the three perspectives can often form into a very productive whole. In my life, I tend to be a crazy, impulsive person who writes things off the cuff with little control. Although I do understand and appreciate the opposing viewpoint, I tend to find it boring and continue on in my own way. This way of thinking tends to lean in the direction of how God the Father operates.

Fellow published author and wonderful friend Shawn O'Toole is much like the Holy Spirit in how he operates. He tends to be more reasonable and often finds a lot of what I do and say to be annoying. He is frustrated with my constant stream of energy. I think very highly of him and learn a lot about why the world works the way it does, yet I tend to still go off on my own tangents because that's what a T.K. Wade will do. We clash a lot, but the two opposing personalities make that happen.

My other friend and book illustrator Chris Buffaloe is more of a calm and well composed handyman. He is a strong male presence who generally won't speak unless he really feels he has something to say or asked a question directly. He does not cast pearls before swine. He simply says what he believes and then continues his amazing work. He easily puts up with my shenanigans and Shawn's melancholy. In this way he is much like God the Son, Jesus Christ.

None of us are religious leaders at all. We are all just acting together in a group called the Figments. We have made a number of audio dramas and are working on a video game--none of which are endorsing any organized religion whatsoever. But I feel that, as a trinity, we are a strong unit. Trinities can happen in life aside from within the confines of Christianity. It is a very simple but strong concept. Consider if you are now in or have ever been apart of a trinity.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Why Would Animals Talk in Fairy Tales?

So talking animals is a very common thing in fairy tales both ancient and modern. The bible has even done this more than once. It seems to be a thing that may have been very real. I've talked about it before, but it's been quite some time. I think it was before I did any of the Divine series which predates Hurricane Florence. That puts it a bit more in perspective for me, I guess.

But I have come a long way in my research since then. I've looked into the nature of energy and how it works. I've tried to calculate why things happen in Fairy Tales from a more realistic perspective. And I just found myself thinking about talking animals from that same outlook.

Talking animals are more prevalent in "fairylands." Fairylands are places inundated with magic so that the supernatural becomes common. Animals should, at this point, stand up on its hind legs (which most of them can do anyways), possibly adorn themselves with clothing (a waistcoat perhaps), and begin speaking words as articulately as any human.

I think, so some degree, I have a different viewpoint on what magic is. Magic is really just the natural energies of the world we deal with every day, but parts of it that we unfortunately don't understand quite as much. A wizard running his finger around a pot to make the water inside boil is really the same thing as putting the pot on a stove and turning on the electric filament. It's the same "magic" just utilizing the energy in different manners.

Magic is not supernatural. It's completely natural, but not commonly understood. These animals become what they are for a reason. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it makes no sense. But there is one aspect of the talking animal situation that doesn't quite fit into the earlier ideals for how it works. And to be fair to myself, I was merely talking about how these situations were viewed by the people who wrote these stories and thought of them at the time.

My big hold back is that I cannot see any animal acting like a person simply because of anything like magical or mystical energy inundation. They might act strangely, but I don't see them acting like a human without some sort of outside influence. I just don't see animals taking on rogue elements that are not natural to them without there being some outside force enacting context.

Some being outside of the scope of the fairyland would have to provide the context of the animal's new behaviors. Even small things such as civility, wearing clothing, and speaking words would need to be implanted by some sort of imagination or intent. For this reason, I don't think a fairyland could happen naturally and, furthermore, would require the actionable presence of a being existing in control, or, at the very least, acting upon said fairyland in a manner that would produce those unnatural animal behaviors.

And at this point, I should ask why any animal should be walking, talking, and wearing waistcoats at all. I'm not sure it really benefits anybody other than some sort of silly fascination. And from what I can tell, these animals are still quite feral. They are only including a slight semblance of what civility is. The fox will still kill the rabbit. The rat will still try to eat and breed. The raccoon will still obsessively wash his food (in a sink this time.) The difference in all these cases is they are all doing it in a much more proper, civil manner.

But none of these things could even be the slightest bit possible without some sort of outer force that claimed that such things had to happen in this way at all. Otherwise the animals would have to have an inborn understanding of the what, why, and how as pertaining to human culture... and they don't. They just don't. Paganism can only extend as far as an almighty intelligence can allow it to. Animals will only ever do what they were programmed to do... even in the context of a fairyland. It doesn't just happen. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing is random. If an animal talks, it's because someone said that they could.

The interesting thing is that a talking animal is probably possible even to this day. And keep in mind that I am not talking about the angelic hybrids that I have mentioned in older blogs. I am talking about your pet cat. Your horse. Your local skulking fox. They all have the ability to talk and speak their mind, but there's no force acting upon them to make them do so. Nobody has told them of civility, standing, talking, and wearing clothes. And even if they did know those things, would they really understand it? Probably not. Nevertheless, we would see it and smile, and I think that was the point it happened at all. I suppose the one who made it happen was smiling too.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Light, Dark, and God

Most people prefer light to darkness. In darkness, we tend to tense up. We stumble over things we cannot see. In the light, we can see all that's there, and that is a very good thing. We need light to see what's actually there. For this reason, people tend to link the concept of light to good.

God probably thought light was very good too. He created it after all. And yes, indeed, he said it was good like the rest of his creations. He probably said it was good because it actually allowed him to see the things he had made. Good! To make something and not see it would kinda suck.

So if light is so good and Godly... does that mean that darkness is evil?

Christians often brand Lucifer as "The Prince of Darkness." But wait a minute... If I understand this correctly, Lucifer came after light was created. Does that mean Lucifer existed before God supposedly created him?

The term "The Prince of Darkness" is actually a misnomer brought upon by the silly human concept of Light=Good and Darkness=Evil. He was never the prince of darkness, because he was created after there was light. In fact his very name "Lucifer" refers to light. He is more the "Light Bringer" than the Prince of Darkness. Although I cannot be too sure, I wouldn't actually approach Lucifer without a very powerful brand of sunglasses.

Before God created light, there was nothing but darkness. This was God's domain. Does that mean that God is the Prince of Darkness? Well... It, at the very least, means he is the "God of Darkness" or the "God Who Exist Within Darkness." The latter, I think, being a bit much to say every time. But does that insinuate that God is evil?

Why?

I mean... if darkness was all there was... that just seems more like a general statement of the situation God found himself in. It was dark. There was no light. I don't really understand why darkness is evil... or good.. or really anything other than a lack of light. That's just the world that God existed in. In fact, there's a good chance he still does. The light we know and love is actually a creation he made within our dimension... not his.

Good and evil are not represented by light or dark. Light and dark are just two aspects of illumination or the lack thereof. And if you really want to combine illumination with morality... you best assign darkness to God and light to Lucifer. It makes more sense that way. But really... you're all being very silly when you do this.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Lich

What is a lich? A lich is one of the creepiest creeps you will ever find in fairy tale lore. I do not know for certain if they are grounded in reality, but they are fascinating regardless. Please allow me to explain to you what a lich is for those of you who may not have heard of it.

A lich is a very bizarre type of undead. He is not a zombie. And although completely sentient, he is not a vampire. The common lich is often completely stripped of most of his flesh. They often are shown having empty skulls for heads (often with a glow inside the eye sockets). They may still wear clothing for decency's sake. Despite this rather noticeable lack of common human bodily features, they are completely able to walk, talk, and communicate in an entirely civil manner.

The common lore and origin of a lich is a human wizard who gains a massive amount of power (or energy) that both makes him immortal while burning off all the extra flesh of his body in the process. All that's left are the parts of the human body that can stand the heat of what has happened to him.

The creation of a lich can happen in a number of ways. Even the previously blogged "void siphoning" can be the type of rite that makes the transformation possible. I've also seen lore where the wizard has to assemble a large number of magical items which he uses to give himself this strange transformation.

From a energy manipulation standpoint, I believe that the lich is the result of a ridiculous amount of energy being stored inside a corpse. Energy creates heat. Certain human properties cannot stand such heat and melts or burns away. Of course, this leaves the lich looking fantastically hideous, but looking pretty was never the wizard's goal. All he really wanted was power.

I know of absolutely no example of a lich being good. If you know one one, let me know about it. Liches seem to be as evil as they can be. They care nothing for others. Heck, they don't seem to care much about themselves either. They exist to create misery and woe to all those who they attempt to oppress. They act as if gods among men.

You would not want to meet a lich. He would posses an insane amount of power and would likely dispose of you easily. He might also try and enthrall you with his dark magic. Imagine having to serve the whims of an evil skeleton. Not good.

In most of the fiction I have seen involving liches, the stories usually revolve around the hero trying to prevent the wizard from turning into a lich in the first place. Most of the time, the wizard does succeed if only to show the audience what he has truly chosen to become. At this point the hero must fight the lich personally and defeat him in order to stop him from taking over the world with his dark magic. It does seem that this action would ultimately be a hero's job, as the lich should be an extremely powerful villain at that point.

So here is a little thought experiment for you. If you were standing only a couple inches away from a lich... would his skeletal form be cold, heated, or without any noticeable temperature? Take into account the amount of energy it took to make him this way... but also consider his demeanor towards man and himself. There's a bit of hot and cold going into this. Tell me what you think!

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Room VR: A Dark Matter

[Some small spoilers ahead.]

I recently wrote a rave review of The Room video game series. I called them the best games you can possibly get on a mobile device. My only gripe was that I could not play the fifth game in the series because it was exclusively a VR title.

With the help of a friend, I was recently able to play The Room VR: A Dark Matter in its entirety. It's a bit of a mixed bag, and many of its so called "problems" are not really the fault of the developer. So let's begin.

A friend of mine let me borrow his PS4 VR system. I still had to pay the $30 for the game, but I just really wanted to finish the series. I just loved The Room so much that I went through a lot of silly trouble to play the game. And much of the trouble really was silly.

I think that the way PS4 does VR is extremely lazy. Although some motion control is there, a lot of it is based on how close a light on the controller/helmet is from a camera. It seems horribly inefficient and proved exactly that. Of course, the PS4 VR system will cost you from $200 to $400. A really good one that doesn't rely on something as primitive as cameras and light would knock $800 out of your wallet at base!

The problems with the PS4 VR system ended up causing the image I was seeing to wobble every time I would move one of the controllers in front of the helmet. There was also a problem where I could not extend my arm out very far before it would just give up on reading where the light was at all. All this proved to be a constant frustration, but none of the problems seemed to be the fault of the game as much as it was with PS4 VR. And so... I pressed on.

The meat of the game is juicy indeed. It was a true-blue game in the series. It had everything I ever loved but from a more personal and up close perspective. I felt like I was in these rooms and solving those puzzles. I felt immersed in the plot. I felt like I was really doing something important.

The lore of this game built upon everything that has happened in prior games. I followed in the footsteps of evil men and women. I watched as these persons strove so hard to find ultimate power. Interestingly, you play a detective in this one who has his eyes open to the true evils of the world.

In every game of the series, you are always following someone. You never really get to meet them, but it always feels like they are just ahead of you. Weirdly, you sometimes forget who you are and think you are the person you are following... and that's probably a good thing... from a profiling perspective.

I do not want to spoil too much about this game. I will say, however, that there is a strong Egyptian bent to the dark magic in this one. I have researched a lot of Egyptian magic, and I must say that the fellows at Fireproof games have done their research. It is fiction, but there's a truth to it that resonates remarkably well in this game.

Yes, I do recommend this game. I recommend all of the games in the series, in fact. But is it worth playing on PS4? Sure, if you are willing to put up with some possible problems. It may work well enough for you. But the best way to play it is likely on a really good, quality VR system for a PC. It's too bad I never got to play it that way, but I am still very satisfied with what I experienced.

One last little tidbit--a warning, if you will: The Room games on mobile will generally run you about $5. The Room VR: A Dark matter is $30 and is about as long as the later mobile games in the series. You aren't getting more content. It's all just a bit more immersive because of the VR experience. But use your best judgement to decide if it is worth the price for you. Cheers.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Hanaby the Witch

[Some minor spoilers ahead.]

Hanaby the Witch is the sequel to the game I recently reviewed called Ameagari no Hanaby, created by developer Enigmatic Network. After experiencing all the wonderful, and sometimes surprising, things in the first game, I was ready for more.

Hanaby, now considered very much an adult retro squirrel, sets off on a new adventure to take a job where she will present a pyrotechnics show to please the masses. This story goes from very simple to very strange almost immediately.

Her new journey almost entirely leaves reality and travels into a bunch of magical realms, starting with one that seemed heavily inspired by Alice and Wonderland--a theme which continues on and off throughout the game. There were some notable differences though. Just hear me out:

1. Alice was a squirrel.

2. The white rabbit was actually a black rabbit with an afro.

3. The Cheshire cat seemed to be more interested in forcing Hanaby to play Boolean logic puzzles.

So that last one was a bit annoying. I am not a fan of Boolean logic puzzles. I don't even want to explain how they work because they make my brain hurt. The good news is that they only appear in the second and last stage of the game, so if you are worried about them, they won't mess you up too bad.

The story of Alice and the Black Rabbit (whose name was Bob) was probably the most enjoyable couple I have ever seen in a game. Bob expected Alice to never be late for his tea parties which would somehow devolve into a D&D game of some sort. There was a long cut-scene where they rambled on and on about the story of their most recent games, and I liked every single moment of it.

I mean... yeah, there was a story behind this game... and it was good. But I don't really want to spoil any of it. Just know that there was a black afro bunny named Bob who aggressively forced Alice into tea party/D&D games. That's amazing. I am so happy I found this game. I honestly could have never predicted that's where it was going with the two. In actuality, I thought he was her pimp!

Hanaby the Witch is a much harder game than Ameagari no Hanaby, but it was never too hard for me. The firework-based combat was still clever and fun. The music by artist AAAA was still a blast. I have recently bought both soundtracks for myself. They are wonderful!

There was no level that even remotely resembled X-rated Xanadu from the first game, and I guess that's fine. That pretty much means that this game is 100% family friendly, were Ameagari no Hanaby was like 90% family friendly. I wasn't really upset over the loss of a wildly out of place adult themed level. I already liked the characters, the story, and black afro bunny Bob. There was plenty here to adore.

I entirely recommend Hanaby the Witch, especially if you felt the first game was not challenging enough. This game will give you a run for your money but will never feel unfair at any time. Most of the really difficult parts only took me a few tries to figure out. I never got real stuck anywhere. This is a wonderful series, and I hope to see a new one in the future!

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Ameagari no Hanaby

[Some notable spoilers coming.]

Ameagari no Hanaby is a Japanese indie PC game by developer Enigmatic Network that I literally tripped over while browsing content on Steam. I had no real idea what I was getting into. All I knew was that I found a game with adorable little animal characters and signed myself up.

Ameagari no Hanaby is a 2D platformer about a female tribal squirrel (called Retro Squirrels) named Hanaby. She has a passion for fireworks and wants to travel the world and become a fireworks master. She is clearly underage but has been granted "adulthood" by her tribe to allow her to travel. This underage thing becomes an issue later on as the story gets super weird.

Along the way, Hanaby finds out that most of the world is flooded because of a rain that won't stop. And since fireworks are no fun in the rain, she makes it her quest to find out where all the rain is coming from. This is the general premise of the game, and it is accompanied with some of the best platforming and fireworks-based combat I have ever seen in a game before. Bravo.

Ameagari no Hanaby feels like a game absolutely intended for children from the start of it. [If you have come this far in the blog, you must continue to the end or there could be unintended consequences.] The main character is a child, and everyone she meets speaks in a very simple childlike manner. There was a very simple vibe to the dialog that I remember once seeing in games like Animal Crossing. Each area of the game features a different animal that is prevalent in that part of the world. Everything is extremely cute and family friendly.

This family friendly trend comes to a sudden halt on level 7. I did not see it coming. I was pretty much slapped across the head with this weird turn of events. In level 7, Hanaby is still trying to find the source of the unending rain and is told there is an informant stationed in a spa owned and operated by bunnies. The spa's official title is "X-rated Xanadu."

X-rated Xanadu is a place where bunnies can just be bunnies and relax. Almost the entire spa is made out of soap and water, making everything extremely slippery. There are also floors covered in various-shaped sex toys and very large vibrators all over the map. ... Because bunnies, I guess. ... Bunnies.

Hanaby is still very much underage, so she doesn't really belong there. All the sex toys hurt her and she just wants to get to the informant and escape the adult-based stage. And I know this seems wildly inappropriate, but I couldn't help but enjoy the hilarity of a cub running away from a spa filled with bunnies in heat!

The rest of the game post X-rated Xanadu goes right back to feeling like its for children again. It honestly felt like the whole experience was written for children despite it very clearly being intended for adults all along. And I didn't really get any whiffs of pedophilia because the kid you are playing was clearly out of her element. I was sort of left amazed that this game even exists at all and was not even rated as an adult game on Steam.

The playful energy of this game was extremely addicting to me. The music was a major part of it. Apparently the music was composed by someone only known as AAAA. Whoever this is created a masterful soundtrack which set the cute tone of the game from beginning to end. There was not even one track that I did not enjoy. And best of all, it all fit the levels of which it was playing.

I have not enjoyed a 2D platformer like this since my old Super Nintendo days. Everything about it was polished. All the mechanics were solid. The entire presentation was brilliant. And the Japanese translation was perfect. I do recommenced Ameagari no Hanaby for all reasons, especially since it is so much of a curiosity. However, I would keep it away from children... at least until they get to level 7. I still can't believe that level happened. Did I dream it?

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Jack Frost (1964 Film)

[Some minor spoilers ahead.]

Oh my God. I have not had as much fun with an old foreign film as much as I have had with this movie. Jack Frost is the English version of a Soviet/Finnish film called Morozko, and it is one of the best representations of a fairy tale I have ever seen. And on top of that, it is wildly entertaining from beginning to end with almost no padding at all. And believe me, there are a lot of rubbish foreign films from the 60's that are boring as hell.

Instead of going into the actual plot, which this movie does have, I want to go into the fairy types presented in the film, as well as my fascination with them. Let's begin!

A Mushroom Fairy: He looks a bit like a short old man with a mushroom cap for a head. He's very mischievous and gets bored easily. Despite this, politeness and courtesy is very important to him, and he will curse those who do not show it. The hypocrisy here is that his own boredom leads him to bother others with no apology forthcoming. He expects others to bow down to him but will not do the same to them. Fairies expecting humans to show courtesy and politeness to them is an extremely common theme in fairy tales across the world. It is a "morality" that they often try and instill in humans who entertain them.

The Hag (or Humpback Fairy): Oh! What a wonderful hag this movie has. She was so entertaining. I enjoyed everything she did and every word she uttered. She was hideous with pronounced fangs and had absolutely no qualms about eating a human up. Like in Hansel and Gretel lore, she preferred to have them cooked first. Her familiars were the cat and the pig who she used more like tools in her magic. She also had a broom which she had to keep handy or else she was unable to move.

One more thing about this amazing hag was that she had a house that could move along with her. Now, in most hag lore, the house would just sort of be there wherever she needed needed it to be. But in Jack Frost, the house simply had legs. I assumed the house was just some poor fellow who she transformed into her own abode, but the movie does not well explain its origins, which is fine with me. I loved it.

Jack Frost: The one and only! A charming old man, not dissimilar to Santa Clause. He was in charge of frosting the trees for winter. He was also very much a fairy who desires to be treated well. If you were pure of heart, he would love you and help you. If you were a nasty person, he would curse you. And to be honest, he seemed far less mischievous than the Mushroom Fairy. He just seemed like a lonely old man who enjoyed spending time with human women occasionally. He also has a sleigh that moved so fast that I just about fell out of my chair watching it go. No reindeer either! Just went ZOOM on its own!

The bulk of the story is very Cinderella like, and a very satisfying version of it as well. The fair maiden of the story is so beautiful that she is actually able to convince the sun to delay its rising in order to prevent her own punishment. It takes a particular sort of beauty to pull that off.

There is also a strong man hero that was a joy to watch throughout the film. Loved him. He was pretty full of himself though, but that was also a major plot point that does well to flesh out the movie.

For a foreign film made in the 60's, this movie really kicked. I was never bored. In fact, I often got excited. Everything was flow and the surprisingly elaborate special effects kept everything fresh and interesting. Even when I knew they were just reversing the film to make the effect work, they did it with enough polish and precision that I didn't really care. This movie was made with love and, in my opinion, it stands the test of time. Highly recommended for fairy tale enthusiasts, or just lovers of fantasy in general.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Void Siphoning

Void siphoning is the mystical practice of energy manipulation and farming by utilizing a singularity. In the case of, say, a black hole, all matter, light, and even time is drawn into a single point where it is assumed to be lost forever. The very act of this happening leads to an abundance of movement and flow which can be perceived as energy. This movement can be siphoned off and collected in the same way wind farms collect wind.

Being as there are no black holes anywhere nearby, the high priest--let's say--would need to construct one himself. Although the idea of creating a singularity sounds very dangerous, the high priest would do his best to keep it contained. Even so, it will be destructive and many sacrifices would be made by it. Void siphoning would then take place during the process, producing a ton of energy to be used in whatever way the high priest wants, up to but not excluding immortality.

This is something you see in high fantasy fairy tales quite often. You usually have some sort of priest or wizard trying to perform a rite that will cause much destruction for the sake of gaining power from it. That's basically what void siphoning is.

Another way to look at the concept is to derive energy from nothing at all. In the amazing video game "The Room," the occult was trying to perform rites using a strange element called Null. Null is just a fancy word that means "There's nothing here." Void siphoning.

In Shawn O'Toole's massive scifi-fantasy series "Strange Galaxy," an alien race called the Penumbrans used void siphoning in various different forms as the base of their magic. That was basically how they operated as a culture as well. Very cool.

Next time you see something like this in a movie or a story, you can assign a name to it now. Hope this helps broaden your view of the mystical arts often used in fairy tales... and possibly real life as well!

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!