Exclusive Religion
One of the most influential elements of human history is religion. Time and time again, people have been raised up, torn down, driven out, and rounded up, all based strictly on their religion. It has been strongly tied to culture, and there has yet to be a nation without a religion; that would be a nation without a culture, a nation without a people. It isn’t likely that there ever will be such a nation, either. And yet, for all its impact on history, the world, and the people living in it, religion itself is a somewhat vague notion. After all, what is religion? Whatever it is, it must not be particularly restrictive, if only for the large numbers of drastically different religions throughout the world. But no matter how broad its definition, there must be some way to distinguish religion from all other parts of life.
Strictly speaking, religion is nothing more than a set of beliefs. To this degree, religion is a given, the safe assumption that no matter what somebody believes, they do believe in something. How could they function in such a world if they didn’t? But we are searching for a definition of religion that is exclusive, as there are clearly things in life that are not religion, and how could the definition be exclusive and all-encompassing at the same time? Something must be excluded. So the search here is really to find the criteria for religion. To this end, we can assume organized religion to be central, so the structure of religion is similarly important. Religion is a structured set of beliefs, but what’s more, it is one shared by others. Unfortunately, this is cult-inclusive.
Religion is a guiding sector of ones life, pushing towards certain goals governed by conscience, necessity, and charity. As a general rule of thumb, religions that are officially considered to be such exhibit a common push away from material desires and wealth and toward a heightened state of nobility, of enlightenment. Once again, these goals are shared by all members of the religion, which can be seen as something of a “safety in numbers” mentality, even in religions that stress personal development. Another portion of religion commonplace everywhere religion is “religion” is the belief in some higher truth, be it an entity, multiple entities, or a blanket state; each is a form of god, though the third is characterized by a distinct “lack of god”, though that by conceptual definition renders the heightened state of life or death as god. Most seem to support the concept of the soul, some entity in people that gives biology life. Few religions support the idea of ultimate perishability*, that is, that many believe in some sort of existence after death. Some interpret it through reincarnation, rebirth, some through an afterlife, and other interpretations are anybodies guess – I’ve heard some strange ones, the Mormon “become God and make a universe of your own” ranking among them.
So it would seem that religion, as we know it to be, is a shared set of structured beliefs revolving around the relationship between oneself and the universe, including a connection to a higher truth that is humanly incapable of being attained. But, really, how does that narrow it down? After all, everyone associates with the world around them, and that is the universe, as far as they’re concerned. Everyone automatically constructs a relationship between themselves and their surroundings, no matter what else they believe. Everybody who believes in their own existence believe in some plane above the one they currently inhabit, with the possible exception of those who don’t believe in their own existence, who have bigger fish to fry anyway. But even then, they believe in an existence somewhere, and that they then stem from that. Is this not religion? So the only thing that actually separates a person from themselves being a religion is that they are not written down as a religion is, into a hierarchy and structure. But even then, religion is only ever found in oneself, so there must its definition remain – an exclusive part of all of us.

*if it’s not a word, it should be one. (The computer contends that it isn’t a word but is, in fact, two words. But then again, it is Microsoft, so what does it know, anyway?)

I'm crying inside
as my soul pours out through cedar tinted eyes
....
and yes, there is more, but it's stilll developing, so you don't get to see it yet XP. But that's my favorite line. It's the single best embodiement of where I am right now of all the lyrics I've written.

Incomparable
For the longest time, people have been telling me that I can’t compare apples and oranges. Well, damned if I’m not going to try. I mean, how hard could it be? They have to have some thing in common. And yet I can see us – you and me both, dear reader – attending Virgil to the answer.
And indeed, the first layer of hell is the physical, the quintessential element integral to both entities, as necessary as existence itself. Both objects are tangible, real to all sense that I know how to use, and as such follow the rules of reality. Were on inclined to drop an apple and/or an orange from the top of a 140-stories tall building, one would find considerably less apple and/or orange in the apple and/or orange, and considerably more on the sidewalk. As physical objects that exist without exceptions, they exhibit a shape. The form of an orange, the simplicity of its spherical shape, easily trumps the complexity and irregularity of its competitor. Meanwhile, its monochromatic appearance is no match for the colorful spectrum yielded by apples. Both are fruit, both designed by nature to house seeds and produce their respective trees, a birthing place they hold in parallel.
Tied in the world of shadows and backlit parapet silhouettes, form follows function, and so the matter of utility must be accounted for, as well. Both can be made into a tasteful beverage, though the apple once again finds variety in its favor, this time in both production and delivery; orange juice tastes better cold, but does not benefit heat the way apple cider does. I’ve yet to hear of an “orange pie”, while apple remains a staple of the American home-cooked meal, even in a time when few home-cooked meals have an entrée of apple pie. “Bobbing for oranges” doesn’t quite have the same ring as it does with apples. Meanwhile, I’ve yet to find an apple that makes for good tea, while oranges are among the simpler flavors – chamomile, lemon, orange, raspberry, yet no apple. The rinds of an orange find use in considerably more recipes than apples, which tend to find their culinary calling restricted to dishes evincing it in name.
The texture of apples varies little, while an orange has varying degrees to its skin and texture. Seedless oranges can be grown, an idea that can only be mendaciously applied to apples. Oranges range in size, whilst applies arrive in a sort of “2 or 3 sizes fits all” arrangement. Apples range in flavor, whatever that means, whereas one orange is more or less enough to know the taste of an orange, assuming it isn’t a nectarine or some other cockamamie hybrid scheme like that. Both are grown domestically and in profitable rural agriculture, both may be found in an orchard, and both are more or less ready to eat straight from the tree, granted that one knows how to choose a ripe member, and layers of insecticide aren’t an issue.
It would seem the popular saying has unfairly estranged both parties, as I see no real lack of comparative aspects here. Makes you wonder about the other things those people say can’t be done.

music connects the performer to the audience
and all I want is just to give them something great
how many sleepless nights to conjure up importance
when I've no higher purpose than to entertain

I'm not crazy I'm ok and my mommy says I'm all right and I know she would never lie to me cause I'm her only baby so if someone ever tells me I'm not fine they're trying to trick me and I know to put them on my list of people out to get me.
(Yes, that is one line. It spans 4 full measures. Yes, I can sing it, but barely; I run out of breath aroung "put them on my list", so the last words sound sort of desperate, which gives a weird effect that I sorta like.)

Don't talk to me
cause strangers are bad people
If I don't know you then you must be evil
and evil that would meet me must be against me
Plotting viscious thoughts of violence
I don't like pain, it hurts when I'm bleeding
but nothing good could ever be this painful
so I think that it's the blood that's evil
And yet it's inside us all
a conspiracy, if ever I heard one!
but that means there is a cure
that your only bad cause your blood is!

I'm not crazy, I'm ok, but mommy says I'm getting out of hand and I should stop trying to help the people stuck with bad blood in them making them all evil even though they try not to be and I know that I can make it all better if they just let me.

But the bad ones are closer now.
They're drawing ever nearer to me.
I can feel them lurking all about;
bad intentions are burning
but I have my friends here, so I'm ok.
and though they may not move much, you should hear them talking
they use the most deliciously long words
"...expidentiary fallacies to appease the collective
intrinsic tastes of the masses as a whole.
Incindiary values take their precidence in heirarchy
as spontaneaous combustion runs amok."
They never go home, they just stay here at my house.
They don't ever really leave the basement.
They seem to like it here, now that I've helped them to be good.

I'm not crazy I'm ok but mommy says I've gone too far and I can't choose to help them rid their lives of evil that's inside them but I know that mommy means me well it's just her blood that hates me cause I know how to defeat it so mommy don't be afraid

Everything's quiet now nobody wants to talk.
My friends downstairs are all mad at me
and refuse to respond
I don't understand what did I do but save them from evil
But now there's someone new here
I talk to him sometimes
but our talks aren't as good as the ones my friends would have
he's really very bossy, he's often rude
and he rarely gives me reasons for what he tells me to do
but finally I realized that its my own blood that still haunts me
so I know how to fix this at last

so here we meet again
and I don't have to listen anymore
I can win, let go of my arm!
I will be rid of you
get out of my head
get out get out Get Out Get Out
GET OUT OF MY HEAD
Out of my head
out of my head
out of my...

Now I'm sleeping safe and sound and I'm so comfortable that I could stay like this forever and not care if I don't wake up cause I like it here its peaceful and so warm that I can't leave it and I'm all alone in here but life is so much better for it....

Life is a journey
and nobody is ever really alone
so many paths diverging
a moment shared before they go on

Love is a yearning
A desire to become who you really are
all the while learning
and by the end, you'll know how to start

To love is to know
an understanding bond between heart and mind and soul
To love is to live
for a life left without love isn't living
To love is to grow
be so much more than you ever were on your own
To love is to stand
to stand up for your right to stand together
To love is to fight
and destroy anything that comes between you
To love is to die
to die to yourself to fulfil the other

To love is to see
to see beauty and perfection in their faults
To love is to feel
apathy and love don't mix very well
To love is to breathe
the most comforting sound when there's no words left to say
To love is to hope
to not loose sight of tomorrow and its happiness
To love is to hold
to comfort and support and protect from the world
To love is to cry
to open up your souls completely to each other

To love is to be
to become more you than you ever were before
To love is to forgive
to let things go when they don't even matter anymore
To love is to concede
to give up room for them to live without you
To love is to yield
to let things by when it won't hurt
To love is to persist
to never give up no matter how hard things get
To love is to ignore
and pay no attention to unmeant words

To love is to grieve
to stay on through trials and tribulations
To love is to give
to give your everything for their happiness
To love is to recieve
to take care of what they've entrusted you with
To love is to build
to build upon each other to make something great
To love is to complete
to fulfill the other with whatever it takes
To love is to forget
to forget all the mistakes along the way

.....

same upcoming song, different part, and it's two parts sung, so it really does fit, it just overlaps a little.

Jimmy, get me a female.

To love
is to know
to live
and to grow
to stand
and to fight
and to die

to love
is to see
to feel
and to breathe
to hold
and to share
and to cry

to love
is to be
forgive
and concede
to yield
and persist
and ignore

to love
is to grieve
to give
and recieve
to build
and complete
and forget

....

upcoming song.

Atlas dropped the ball
And I'm your only savior as
The sky starts to fall
And the world plunges into chaos

what are you worth?
How have you spent you life to earn your birth?

I know the monster that I am
And I hate you all
Cause you're no better!

(Just snippets in progress)

M.V.F.M

I make music videos. Were i to mention as much to a fellow gamer, I would continue to say that they are in actuality music video fan movies, but it is the unfortunate fate of written words that they have no true control over who reads them. Therefore, allow me to take a moment to clarify matters for those of you less well acquainted with the gaming community and it's various pastimes.
Game trailers are made in the same way as their better-known film counterparts, and they serve much the same purpose. As advertising, they are created to be seen by a potential buyer, and so are readily and freely available for download off the Internet. A music video fan movie is an artistically spliced compilation of game trailer clips set to a selection of music. They are themselves legal, often encouraged, and more importantly, they're damned fun.
To make a music video fan movie, one must first have a commitment to the project, and be willing to devote a certain amount of time toward its completion, a certain amount of patience towards its construction, and a particular creativity towards its creation. Also necessary is a computer, an Internet connection, and hard disk space enough to store the clips you inted to use. Only slightly less mandatory than the motivation and equipment is the inspiration; while its absence is a hurdle, it is not one of Olympian proportions.
Once all the natural prerequisites are taken care of, we can begin to consider what we want to do. At this point, it is very important that we be familiar with our material. After all, how can we know what we can make with what we have if we don't know what we have? Finally, we are free to pick our song. Our choice of song has the capacity top completley alter our final product, so it is vital that we choose a song we really want.
From here, iit's simply a matter of interpretation and timing. The rest is dictated by the intended mood. Still, there are techniques for achieving the desired affect. Let's consider action. We want to portray a sense of movement and energy; therefore, we use short clips that are themselves full of action, energy, and movement. But we must be carfeul. It is very easy to go from the realm of the interesting, intense, and active to the land of confusion, chaos, and dizziness. To avoid this, include slow and graceful scenes as a counterpoint to the quick cuts to give structure, stability, and significance to the action. When quick cuts are desired. try to ensure a continuous camera movement through each passing clip. If the movement changes incessently and without order, it can become painful to watch. In the meantime, the thematic material of the lyrics should also be considered. Patterns and contrasts are useful and give continuity and comprehension to the images. In my case, at least, I feel it important that the images themselves tell a story, and that the story told by the images should parrallel the lyrics in such a way that emphasis is given where emphasis is desired.
Downbeats are your friend. Remember this. Having action on a downbeat emphasizes the action more than anything else does. If we want to further apply importance to a specific part, we can slant the timing towards it; we have the emphasized points of the action that come immediately before arrive slightly off beat, pointing towards the point that will be on beat. Close-ups and long shots are another factor to consider, one giving meaning and significance to a subject, the other taking significance away in lieu of a sense of scale.
Of course, once we've finished everything, there are atwo final steps before we can publish our work. The first is crediting the games from which the clip came. I always title the video the same as the song I use in it, so the song itself is never credited. Since most every game trailer has its title displayed at some point - it is advertising, remember - I will typically use those in quick sequence at the end of the movie in the place of more formal credits. With the exception of my third video, which had an ending perfectly suited for showcasing the immense number of tiltes I gleaned footage from, the credits are usually rolled in silence after the song ends. You may choose to play music along with the credits, but I tend to avoid this method; I feel that it can detract from the residual effect of the movie. Finally, we come to the signature. There is something uniquely satisfying about seeing your name or alias appear at the end of a video. My typical signature has become a fly-in of the word "carmageddonstein", an online alias of mine, which then exhibits an exploding outline effect, which gives a nice bit of umph to the sequence.
Now we go to publish, distribute, and show it off to everyone we know. There is a swell of excitement in you as you send it out and eagerly await a response. Simply put, there is little else like it. And somehow, despite the fact that none of the pictures or sounds are your own, there is still a certain pride found in the video editting. Of course, you can't profit from it, but that's just about your only restriction.

M.V.F.M
I make music videos. Were I to mention as much to a fellow gamer, I would continue to say that they are in actuality music video fan movies, but it is the unfortunate fate of the written word that it have no true control over whose eyes extract them from the page. Therefore, allow to take a moment to clarify matters for those of you less well acquainted with the gaming community and it’s various pastimes.
Game trailers are made in the same way as their better-known film counterparts, and they serve much the same purpose. As advertising, they are created to be seen by a potential buyer, and so are readily and freely available for download off the Internet. A music video fan movie is an artistically spliced compilation of game trailer clips set to a selection of music. They are themselves legal, often encouraged even, and more importantly, it’s damned good fun.
To make a music video fan movie, one must first have a commitment to the project, and be willing to devote a certain amount of time toward it’s completion, a certain amount of patience towards its construction, and a particular creativity towards it’s creation. Also necessary is a computer, an Internet connection, and hard disk space enough to store the clips you intend to use. The absence of any is a major constraint, but they are all strictly monetary hindrances, so we’ll not account for them here. Only slightly less mandatory than the motivation and equipment is the inspiration; it's certainly preferred over any lack thereof, but while its absence is a hurdle, it is not one of Olympian proportions.
Once all the natural prerequisites are happily resolved, we can begin to consider what we want to do. At this point, it is very important that we be familiar with our material. After all, how can we know what we can make with what we have if we don’t know what we have? Finally, we are free to pick our song. Our choice of song has the capacity to completely alter our final product, so it is vital that we choose a song we really want.
From here, it’s simply a matter of interpretation and sheer sense of timing. The rest is dictated by the intended mood. Still, there are techniques for achieving the desired affect. Let’s consider action. We want to portray a sense of movement and energy; therefore we want to use short clips that are themselves full of action, energy, and movement. But we must be careful. It is very easy to go from the realm of the interesting, intense, and active to the land of confusion, chaos, and dizziness. To avoid this, include slow and graceful scenes as a counterpoint to the quick cuts to give structure, stability, and significance to the action. When quick cuts are desired or necessary, try to ensure a continuous camera movement through each passing clip. If the movement changes incessantly and without order, it can become painful to watch. In the meantime, the thematic material of the lyrics should also be considered. Patterns and contrasts are useful and give continuity and comprehension to the images. In my case, at least, I feel it important that the images themselves tell a story, and that the story told by the images should parallel or conflict with the lyrics in such a way that emphasis is given where emphasis is desired.
Downbeats are your friend. Remember this. Having action on a downbeat emphasizes the action more than anything else does. If we want to further apply importance to a specific part, we can slant the timing towards it; we have the emphasized points of the action that come immediately beforehand arrive slightly off beat, pointing towards the point that will be on beat. Close-up’s and far-away’s are another factor to consider, one giving meaning and significance to a subject, the other taking significance away in lieu of a sense of scale.
Of course, once we’ve finished everything, there are two final steps before we can publish our work. The first, one which I refuse to make a video without (despite the fact that there is a notable absence of it in my first… but again, it was my first), is crediting the games from which the clips came. I always title the video the same as the song I use in it, so the song itself is never credited. Since most every game trailer has its title displayed at some point – it is advertising, remember – I will typically use those in quick sequence at the end of the movie in the place of more formal credits. With the exception of my third video, which had an ending perfectly suited for showcasing the immense number of titles I gleaned footage from, the credits are usually rolled in silence after the song ends. I have also seen people use a change in song for the credits, and if the song is well picked, it is reasonably effective. For my own purposes, I try to avoid this method; I feel that it can detract from the residual effect of the music and images, and I want the viewer to linger on what they have just seen for a moment after it stops playing. Finally, we come to the signature. There is something uniquely satisfying about seeing your name or alias appear at the end of a video. My typical signature has become a fly-in of the word “carmageddonstein”, an online alias of mine, which then exhibits an exploding outline effect, which gives a nice bit of umph to the sequence.
Now we go to publish it, now we distribute it, show it off to everyone we know, and become a general nuisance in the online environment from asking every conceivably human entity if they have or want to see the video you just made. There is a swell of excitement in you as you send it to them and eagerly await their response. Simply put, there is little else like it. And somehow, despite the fact that none of the pictures or sounds are your own, there is still a certain pride found in the video editing. Of course, you can’t sell it or anything, but that’s just about your only restriction. So now it’s off with you to find more and better footage and another song. Happy hunting.

I gaze into the smokey mirror
don't recognize the face I see
am I not who I remember?
And is this what's become of me?

So I saw The Ten Commandments sunday. good times.
Except at one point during the first act, when I saw Amy sitting next to me in my peripheral vision, and I turned to tell her something, and when I saw her I just... I had thought she was Nohemi. That really cut me down. More on that later.

{Verse 1}
Hey, military lady,
Do you ever miss home?
Do you ever just reflect upon the life you used to know?
Hey, military lady,
You're couragous and strong,
But do the words apply to you or just the mask that you put on?
{Chorus}
You try to hold the world on your shoulders
or like a mother, place it on your hip
but no matter how you try to hold us
one day we will all of us slip
from your fingers and out of your arms
from your safety and back into harm
and you can protect us from the world
but can you save us from destroying it?
{Verse 2}
Hey, military lady,
You're persistent and firm,
but when does being steadfast become too stubborn to learn?
Hey, military lady,
Are you loyal and true?
but is it for hope of your companions or for fear of only you?

{Chorus}
You try to hold the world on your shoulders
or like a mother, place it on your hip
but no matter how you try to hold us
one day we will finally slip
from your fingers and out of your arms
from your safety and back into harm
and you may protect us from the world
but can you save us from destroying it?

{Solo:slow->fast->slow->breakdown:}

Hey,
military lady,
don't try to save us, try to change us
Hey,
military lady,
don't play the game that so pervades us
Hey,
military lady,
don't waste your time, throw away your life
(or: stay away, don't share in our disgrace)
Hey,
miltary lady,
save yourself, you're the only one worth saving now!

Be the best that you can be!
Semper fi! Do or Die!
Why does Uncle Sam want me?
....

This whole time, I've been operating off the basic assumption that once this is all over and done with, she'll come back, she'll be mine again, and everything will return to normal. All the while, part of me knew it couldn't happen. Still, I didn't know how to respond through that, so I let that part of me continue to know it couldn't happen while I told the rest of me that it could.... but now very little of me still believes me. Because most of me knows better. You see, 10 days after she graduates from her job training, she leaves again. She gets deployed. Gauranteed. How's that for normal? Anything could happen then.... anything. And what is there for me to do about it? Nothing.... not a single God forsaken thing. Except to forget her... but that's not an option... not really. I have finally found someone strong enough for me, I have attained the pinnacle... I can't simply forget about her. But now I know why I'm doing the things I'm doing. It's fear. Fear that now that I know that together we are so much more, and that apart we are simply what we are. And I am no longer staisfied by that. So I am afraid of losing all that has been earned here.
And I am afraid that if I ever stop remembering her, I'll forget her. And if I forget her, she's lost forever. I can never find her again. I can never find that love again. I can never achieve myself to the fullness I know I can when she is here to support me and fulfill me.
Dammit, Nohemi, I love you. I want to be your Calix, because I want to be the man you drive me to be... I want to be good enough for you... and I want to have you someday. So my only choice now is to wait for you. And while I can't promise I won't try to replace you, to temporarily fill that position, I know that the seat by my heart is reserved for you.

Hey, military lady
do you ever miss home?
do you ever just reflect upon
the life you used to know?

Hey, military lady
you're courageous and strong
but do the words apply to you
or just the mask that you put on?

Hey, military lady
You're persistent and firm
but at what point does steadfast
become to stubborn to learn?

Hey, military lady
are you loyal and true?
And is it for hope of gain
or for far of what you might lose?

Hey, military lady; leave you mark on hist'ry
military lady, do your country proud
hey military lady; follow orders, do your duty
(line not finished yet)

M.V.F.M

I make music videos. Were I to mention as much to a fellow gamer, I would continue to say that they are in actuality music video fan movies, but it is the unfortunate fate of the written word that it have no true control over whose eyes extract them from the page. Therefore, allow to take a moment to clarify matters for those of you less well acquainted with the gaming community and it’s various pastimes.
Game trailers are made roughly the same way as their better-known film counterparts, and they serve much the same purpose. The chief goal is to advertise a product, and since a games appeal is closely linked to game play, story, characters, and technology, so the aim of a game trailer is to highlight these points. As advertising, it is created to be seen by a potential buyer, and so it is readily and freely available for download off the Internet. A music video fan movie is an artistically spliced compilation of game trailer clips set to a selection of music. They are themselves legal, often encouraged even, and more importantly, it’s damned good fun.
To make a music video fan movie, one must first have a commitment to the project, and be willing to devote a certain amount of time toward it’s completion, a certain amount of patience towards its construction, and a particularly creativity towards it’s creation. Also necessary is a computer, an Internet connection, and hard disk space enough to store the clips you intend to use. The absence of any is a major constraint, but since they are all strictly monetary hindrances, we’ll not account for them here. Only slightly less mandatory than the motivation and equipment is the inspiration. Inspiration is certainly preferred over any lack thereof, but while its absence is a hurdle, it is not one of Olympian proportions.
Once all the natural prerequisites are happily resolved and accounted for, we can begin to consider what we want to do. At this point, it is very important that we be very familiar with our material. After all, how can we know what we can make with what we have if we don’t know what we have? When finally we do know what all we have, we are free to pick our song, another significant factor. Our choice of song has the capacity to completely alter our final product, so it is vital that we choose a song we really want.
From here, it’s simply a matter of interpretation and sheer sense of timing. The rest is dictated by the intended mood. Still, there are techniques for achieving the desired affect. Let’s consider action. We want to portray a sense of movement and energy. We would therefore want to us short clips that are themselves full of action, energy, and movement. Fading to and from white makes for good transitions, implying activity behind the curtain of white better than a curtain of black could. Alternating scenes of light and dark (more in terms of color than in contrast) create a sense of movement – think of driving in a tunnel at night, the car around you brightens now, then darkens, then brightens again as the lights pass by above you. Here, one must tread cautiously. It is very easy to go from the realm of the interesting, intense, and active to the land of confusion, chaos, and dizziness. To avoid this, include occasional slow and graceful scenes as a counterpoint to the quick cuts to give structure, stability, and significance to the action. When quick cuts are desired or necessary, try to make sure that camera movement remains continuous with each passing clip. If the movement changes incessantly and without order, it can be painful to watch. In the meantime, the thematic material of the lyrics should also be considered. Patterns and contrasts are useful and give continuity and comprehension to the images. In my case, at least, I feel it important that the images themselves tell a story, and that the story told by the images should parallel or conflict with the lyrics in such a way that emphasis is given where emphasis is desired.
Downbeats are your friend. Remember this. Having action on a downbeat emphasizes the action more than just about anything else does. If we want to further apply importance to a specific part, we can slant the timing towards it. To do this, we have the emphasized points of the action that comes immediately beforehand arrive slightly off beat, pointing towards the point that will be on beat. Close-up’s and far-away’s are another factor to consider, one giving meaning and significance to a subject, the other taking significance away in lieu of a sense of scale.
Of course, once we’ve finished, everything, there are two final steps before we can publish our work. The first, one which I refuse to make a video without (despite the fact that there is a notable absence of it in my first… but again, it was my first) crediting the games from which the images came. I always title the video the same as the song I use in it, so the song itself is never credited. Since most every game trailer has its title displayed at some point – it is advertising, remember – I will typically use those in quick sequence at the end of the movie in the place of more formal credits. With the exception of my third video, which had an ending perfectly suited for showcasing the immense number of titles I gleaned footage from, the credits are usually rolled in silence after the song ends. I have also seen people use a change in song for the credits, and if the song is well picked, it is reasonably effective. For my own purposes, I try to avoid this method; I feel that it can detract from the residual effect of the music and images, and I want the viewer to linger on what they have just seen for a moment after it stops playing. Finally, we come to the signature. There is something uniquely satisfying about seeing your name or alias appear at the end of a video, particularly if it is a video you enjoy. My typical signature has become a fly in of the word “carmageddonstein”, an online alias of mine, which then exhibits an exploding outline effect, which gives a nice bit of umph to the sequence.
Now we go to publish it, now we distribute it, show it off to everyone we know, and become a general nuisance in the online environment from asking every conceivably human entity if they have or want to see the video you just made. There is a swell of excitement in you as you send it to them and eagerly await their response. Simply put, there is little else like it. And somehow, despite the fact that none of the pictures or sounds are your own, there is still a certain pride found in video editing. Of course, you can’t sell it or anything, but that’s just about your only restriction. So now it’s off with you to find more and better footage and another song. Happy hunting.

though, I must admit, it sucks meantime.

I have a mission. I'm gonna find it, dammit.