What does it mean to escape? If you are to break free from your confines only to find yourself lost and alone in a strange world, have you really escaped? Within the broken walls of Zemlya, new alliances are formed as others are shattered. The rules are simple; those in power live. Those that fall … More The Zemlya Confederacy – Launched!
I’m a karaoke fan. I’ve always loved singing, and I was pretty good at it for a time. I know that I’ve lost a lot of my skill due to lack of use, but that doesn’t stop me having fun in a group. I probably do end up hogging the mic a little too much, … More Tales from Asia: The Butterfly Bar
I was watching a YouTube video today about the scams that happen in Japan, and it reminded me of a number of the dodgy things that have happened to me travelling around Asia. So I thought I’d try a couple of new blog posts that go into some of these stories. And, as usual, just … More Tales from Asia: Frog-marched
I can still remember the first time I came to Japan. And, thanks to the wonders of free storage, so can you. That’s me with the terrible neck goatee (?) on the left. We had flown overnight from Sydney to Tokyo for our “Graduation” trip (albeit 4 years late). My friends had come from Townsville, … More What Japan can teach us about Racism
One of the features of Dystopia that people don’t often think about is the willing acceptance of the majority of the population. Until your protagonist uncovers the truth, everyone around them is simply happy to have a stable job and to receive their ration of Soylent Green. Some might be aware of the injustice surrounding … More The Dystopia of Tokyo during Covid
I thought I’d drop a short note here as a proof of life, and a minor rant. About 4 years ago I realised that I had pretty much reached the peak at my previous company. I was on the management board, looked after 1/3rd of the world, and was spending 60% of the time away … More Has it really been that long?
I never really did sports clubs or anything of the sort in school. However, for nerds like me there were a number of options for extra-cirrucular activities. Sometimes these gave extra credit in school (like the 1-week typing course that I’m kind of thankful for now), whereas others were just for fun, like the “inventors” … More The Addictive Qualities of Nostalgia
I hate Visual Novels where you can enter your own name for the main character. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that enjoy it when a character they’re into calls them by their name, but I’m not a fan (of the technique. I think all of us would enjoy Mion calling … More My thoughts on Protagonists, Main Characters and Visual Novels
It’s been almost a year since Chapter 1 came out, and I’d like to thank everyone for the response that we’ve had so far. We’re busily working on Chapter2. I’m not really a fan of spoilers so I have deliberately been avoiding talking too much about it, but I’m hoping that you’ll forgive me when … More Decebmer 2020 LA96 Update
In the mid 2000’s I started a bit of a self-improvement bint. I guess that it worked, but that’s for another day. Anyway, instead of being the introverted guy who was content with working and then getting home as soon as possible, I tried spending more time in the city. Instead of dodging hawkers on … More Why it’s important to some people that the world be flat.
As a kid, I loved Transformers. When it comes to how much time and money I spent on playing, it would be a close tie between Lego and Transformers. In the 80’s and 90’s, every time you bought a Transformer you got this little red see-through card, and you could use that to look on … More Strength vs Leadership
Cpl Crud's Writings 