An insight into a random certified idiot :p on the Interwebs
Lately you have seen me as someone you probably haven’t imagined. Instead of the rational even if sometimes sharp wolf, you’ve seen a beast, ripping of the chains and snarling at everyone and everything around. It was a scary image. So scary that even my inner self cried for help. And I’m here, looking back at those days, asking myself “What happened? How did I lose myself so much?” Well, here’s my insight.
Twenty. Twenty posts in this series that pretty much started my humble writing career. Well, more like posting carrer, but it still counts as writing, doesn’t it? Sometimes educational, other times hopeful and other times thought- or anger-provoking. And something tells me that the milestone is going to fit into the latter category.
Yes, you’re indeed reading this right. I haven’t made a typo there. Right here, I’ve just said “Perfect is the enemy of good.” You already know the “Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.” It’s often said in context of practice but I’d like to give it a bit of a wider context. It’s also quite fitting given the present days. So, let’s dive in.
Huh, guess I can use this “tag” for works of fiction in general and not just random moments of poetry (well, there’s only one so far). The story I’m about to write is a speech. A rather dark one. A rather … terrifying one. And what’s even worse, it’s not unrealistic.
80 years ago, a large conflict has ended. A conflict larger than the “war to end all wars” (how did that work out for you, huh?). 80 years later, I'm sitting here, writing these lines ... bitter and full of rage. Why? Well, let me tell you a story.
Yay, It’s been a while since I set something on fire. And if you were around for at least the last day you probably know where I’m going with this. So, sit down, kiddos. This grumpy grandpa woof has a little story to tell.
Oh dear, this is going to be topic to delve into. Especially from a perspective of someone with my background; both personal and historical. But the discussion about this is inevitable and I have some insights and even some related personal progression on the idea. So let’s explore.
Time for another slightly nostalgic gaming adventure from the woof. This time partly fuelled by EA’s act of open-sourcing some of the Command and Conquer titles. Yes, EA has some bright moments from time to time. That doesn’t mean I’ll forgive them for murdering Westwood >:3 With the micro-rant away, let’s dive into a game from the mentioned series which was my gateway into RTS and part of my childhood, Tiberian Sun.
I can’t really remember when I stumbled upon the demo of the game but for some reason it immediately stuck with me. I spent quite a lot of time in the demo just toying with it and eventually managed to get one of the campaigns, namely the GDI one (the good side in the story). Yes, I didn’t get it the “right way” but in 90’s this scene was a bit of a wild west in my country. It took months before I managed to get the second disc with the Brotherhood of Nod campaign. How much this game influenced my childhood? You’d have to ask my parents for that one :P Anyway, I spent a lot of time in game, playing it back and forth. I even got the Firestorm expansion later but only managed to properly play through that one now.
And I’m about to take you on this journey in multiple parts. I wasn’t challenging myself with high difficulty but I also tried playing every single mission, including optionals that I normal don’t play. I’ll split the story into four parts, one for each campaign, starting with GDI: Evolutionary Response.
Sounds weird, doesn’t it. Or maybe it doesn’t sound weird at all and you’re completely familiar with the feeling. It’s the best way I could describe how I feel about the place I come from, live in and will probably expire unless a miracle happens. But it is what it is. Want to know more? Well, feel free to take a peek into this woof’s mind yet again.
Because living in such world is depressing. Done, end of story. Did I scare you? Of course not. You’re probably aware what I’m going to poke at. In case you need a reminder, a certain, highly unpleasant and completely incompetent excuse for existence said something along the lines of “Empathy is humanity’s weakness”. Now, I urge you to resist turning your desk into a pile of splinters or punching a hole through the wall next to you. Instead, let’s dissect this usually male (no, not manly) thing of supressing or downright rejecting empathy or emotions in general.