Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.
Jim Jarmusch

PokéRant: Nosepass and Probopass

I believe this past week was Pokemon profile picture week on Facebook. Lots of people either didn’t get the memo or chose to ignore it. Anyway, I had already chosen Cubone last year or something, I searched long and hard for a weird enough pokemon and then I found Nosepass.

Nosepass is a combination of an Easter Island head with a compass. That’s a pretty ballsy combo if you ask me, it gives off this great sense of exploration. However awesome he may be, I’m still bummed about some aspects.

Nosepass is too cool to be shown in the beginning of Generation 3 and 4 games. Since he doesn’t really move much, and he is alive, you have to wonder what he’s doing with his head while he’s just chilling there. This gives off this massive mysterious aura for me, I would have much rather seen Nosepass during Victory Road (or whatever the Generation 3 equivalent is named) in the high 30′s to 40′s in level.

Only a meter tall! He’s tiny! I want him to be at least five feet tall. I don’t want some bitch ass boulder that’s as tall as my bedside table, I want a Pokemon that I could stand by side as equals.

Probopass is my main issue. First of all, Probopass, you’ve got yourself a pretty impressive ‘stache, better than one I could ever grow. It’s legs got chopped off and it’s arms turn into mini Nosepasses that can fall off. Although this last bit is kinda cool, I still think that the creators went in the entirely opposite direction than they should have with the evolution of Nosepass. Why are the eyes suddenly cute and round? Why does he suddenly get a huge hat? They focused too much on the compass aspect and not the Easter Island or exploratory theme.

If were to redesign Probopass. I would have made a giant golem standing over 10 feet tall. The head would be similar to Nosepass’ entire body but just a little bit smaller, cos to have a five foot tall head would be a little ridiculous. The rest of the body would look a lot like an uncovered Easter island statue: moderately skinny and slanted. The arms and legs would appear relatively the same to Nosepass’ but larger. There would still need to be some additional orange and magnetic features to this pokemon. Possibly floating magnetized limbs or just fists. I’ll try to include a picture of my reimagined Probopass.

Dear Writer

I wrote this poem for my 12 AP English Class at the end of 2010.
It could probably use some revising, but here it is anyway.

Dear Writer,
I’m starting to wonder if I’m the focus
Of the life I’ve been leading thus far
On paper, it makes sense: A scar like Harry’s
A bolt of a different kind, piercing
Armor instead of bringing it to life
Not to mention that club of a foot
And a rotten mind like mad Othello’s
Less like the Moor, more like the playing piece
I’ve all the symptoms of a protagonist
Should I seek the cure or wait out the disease?
And hope that all the symbols lead to
A happy ending, where I save the world,
Save the damsel in distress from the dragon
Too bad she’s got Stockholm Syndrome
Good thing most dragons don’t go to college
Every princess chooses to go to school these days
Because a castle isn’t built on minimum wage

Dear Writer,
Should I read into the signs you send me?
Because everyone else thinks I’m crazy
I fly without wings and I hear strange things
A song per ear representing different ideas
The perfect song for when it’s raining
Or for when the lights flicker back on
Did you program me to feel connected
To yellowed pages, silky screens and old TV’s?
You put too much feel and not enough think
In my head, so now I’ll float and I’ll sink
Until my quest is complete, I’ll drown
I’m your Hamlet, your very own puppet
Forever anchored by my fate — your pen.
It’s not fair, you know my ending and I don’t
You could break the barrier but you won’t

Dear Writer,
I know you’re there and I know you exist
I could kick at nothing and wave my fists
At thin air until I break down and cry:
Why? O! Why must you make me endure this pain
Without any guarantee of success
Because everyday I go without reassurance
Of consummation, I waste away
Just tell me that you love me, and I’ll be okay