Instead, I’m surfing the net and obsessing about all the little things that I love. And I’m wondering if it’s unhealthy. I mean, everyone needs a little distraction in life. A little escape. Most of the time, I escape into the worlds of my own creation, but sometimes I need someone else’s world.
Obsession #1: Batman
My long-time love affair with Bruce Wayne started when I was young, watching the Adam West/Burt Ward Batman and Robin show. At that time, I loved Robin, but then I was very young and foolish; not realizing the wonderfulness that is the complexity of Bruce Wayne. My love cooled over the years until the early ‘90s when the Adventures of Batman and Robin cartoon was released. The art was beautiful and the stories were surprisingly rich for a 30-minute afternoon cartoon show. I fell in love all over again. Batman had taken on a gritty, darker feel. He had finally become the tortured soul that most of us have come to eq
uate with Batman.
I love Bruce Wayne/Batman because he doesn’t have any super powers. He’s just a man. Every night he pushes himself to the absolute limit while walking a fine line between good and evil. Handsome, strong, confident, determined, dedicated, brilliant, loyal, and secretly, very compassionate, Bruce Wayne makes my little heart stammer in my chest. The new DC Universe reboot, which will launch in September, has me concerned about what they will do to the Batman canon, but I know they will not change the soul of Batman.
I own a large collection of comics, graphic novels, movies, figures, and cartoons. One dream would be to publish my own Batman story.
Obsession #2: Video games
With E3 in full swing and new video game news being updated almost every minute, I’m frothing a little at the mouth right now. I started, like many people, with Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo. It didn’t work out well. However, I later became a PlayStation addict when I discovered the bea
uty of the Final Fantasy games. SquareEnix (once SquareSoft) is the creator of the Final Fantasy saga and has always been on the cutting edge of both exquisite graphics and mind-blowing stories. As a writer, I have always been addicted to a great story, where others are into killer game play. For me, it’s always been about the characters and the stories, which the Final Fantasy series has always delivered.
In fact, the only time I have cried at a video game was a Final Fantasy game! Yes, I cried and I had even known how it was going to end before I played the game. Final Fantasy VII shook the gaming world when it was released so lon
g ago. Just a few years ago, they released a prequel (Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core), in which there was only one way for it to end. Despite that, I fell so deeply in love with the characters that I cried at the end.
I’ve noticed in the past few years, game developers have started paying more and more attention to the quality of their storytelling. Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series has been equated to watching a brilliant action movie. And Ubisoft’s Assasson’s Creed series has proven to be a graphically lush dream.
But the point to all my rambling is that Batman and the brilliant storytelling team at SquareEnix has not only provided me a valuable escape from the world, but it has taught me a lot about storytelling and character development. More often than naught, it more than a story about a journey to accomplish some great deed or vanquish some evil foe, it more about the journey into one’s soul to learn more about oneself.
So, what do you obsess about? What makes your heart race? What are you protective of?
9 comments:
I guess I love my epic reads. I have them in a bookshelf that I look fondly to when times are hold and give them a consoling hold and read when I am down.
I haven't gotten into video games, but wow, they've gotten really high tech since my little Atari back in the 80s. LOL!!
I'm currently obsessed with the I Am Number Four movie. Yep. I've watched it, like, six times in the past four days. I'm a dork, I know. But I'm okay with it. LOL!!
Thanks for the post.
book covers are my recent obsession. They sing to me . I wish I could frame everyone of them.
I obsess over this character (he just does it for me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBBXRQHKFcE
I also love The Crow (Brandon Lee)
um, I protect my need to be alone with my thoughts while I drive. I want the radio loud, windows down and no one else in the car with me .
Same as lynnrush with the video games. I shunned them from the get go and have seen too many husband/wife issues with them so I don't even allow them in my house. :)But, I obsess about playing the piano sometimes, or reading. In the winter it's snowboarding. Just to sit on the side of a mountain and look out at the view and carve some turns through the pow makes me feel very small.
Awesome responses. I think I would have to include books as well. It's more than just a need to read. Sometimes I just need to sit and look at my collection of books. They're comforting, like sitting with a group of old friends.
I love final fantasy games. :) my lastest obsession is the sims 3 though.. Ever since the sims 2 I have been hooked. It's often a struggle between my 2 loves, reading or simming.
Starbucks and my son's Nintendo DS. The Lego games sure are fun.
I played the Sims for a while, but got bored with it. Would love to try the latest one.
Mmmm.... Starbucks. I miss hitting the coffeehouses.
I don't do video games-- partly because I get vertigo, but I do love role playing games. A few years ago my kids talked me into playing Runescape, and I played ALL the time...A LOT. Big Mistake. LOL
Now, my addictions are reading- I never am without a book or my kindle. I also have a slight addiction to buying plants and seeds if I have leftover money from buying books. LOL
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