Goal Post: High Anxiety And . . . Look, I Tried

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

This week was my school’s version of ‘Battle of the Classes’.  It’s a crazy time with a lot of activities and schedule changes.  Rough for life skills kids, but they all made it to the end with a few bumps.  Next week should be calmer . . . At least for them.  I’m looking at 2.5 weeks of shot nerves.

With Darwin & the Joy Path done, I didn’t have a book to write.  My son was here last weekend, which was another reason.  He’s getting into drawing and coding though, so we’re at a point where I can write a chapter section while he does his own thing.  I still won’t tackle Darwin & the Deadland Queen until things calm down.  Gives me time to prep an outline and do other projects that I can easily put down when life starts throwing haymakers.  Plenty of those on the horizon.

Have to admit to some author shame here: I keep putting ‘tinker with Phi Beta Files ‘on my goal list.  I haven’t touched it in weeks.  Part of it is stress from work and other life events.  I’ve just started at the same page where I really only need to write one more sentence to finish an explanation.  Then, it’s off to the final outline.  I’m hoping to get some momentum on that this weekend since the Pokemon event is maybe an hour long, the weather is gross, and I need distractions.  Probably flip-flop between ‘Phi Beta Files’ and preparing June posts.

In regards to me preparing posts so long in advance, I’m doing that to keep myself busy and make sure I don’t falter.  This blog keeps my mind active and gives me hope that I can get back into being a published author one day.  So, I want to make sure I keep the daily posts going.  This would be my 3,114th day of posting in a row, which I’m proud of.  Yet, events are coming fast and will mean spring and summer are going to be stressful.  I’m already having stomach issues since certain things have been locked in.  Can’t talk about it in public though.  Anyway, I’m set all through May, except for goal posts.  June has the Sundays and poems set up.  I will take some time this weekend to do a bit more for June, but I figure I have some time.

In other news, I’m finished a puzzle yesterday and will start in on the Pokemon Lego sets that will mostly go in my son’s room.  I do the building and he displays them.  We both win in that scenario.  It will be a nice distraction from what’s coming too . . . Eh, let’s see if we can touch on all the craziness.

First, my son is being honored at a ‘Breakfast of Champions’ event at school this week.  I don’t really know what it’s about, but a teacher nominated him and a panel agreed he should be apart of it.  This meant taking a half-day to attend the ceremony, breakfast, or whatever.  I’m proud of the little (taller than me now) scamp and it shows he’s really worked hard both academically and socially.  I was a wallflower at his age, so I never got honors like this.  Great to see he’s better than me.  That includes his grades too since he takes them more seriously than I did.

Second, a brewing life event is about to reach what I guess I could call ‘Act 3’.  From how it feels, I think it could be the finale too.  Things have gone on long enough and have reached a point where damage is being done.  If it was only me suffering, I’d keep trying to endure it, but those who have no control are getting hurt.  So, I’m going to do my best to fix this situation and hope I come out on top.  This is really the big reason I was pushing to finish Darwin & the Joy Path and won’t touch another book until the summer.  I’m going to be too tense and exhausted with work, parenting, and tackling this inevitable life event.

On another note, I’m seeing that I have a lot of shows to watch the newest seasons of.  Netflix has the final 2 seasons of ‘Brooklyn 99’.  ‘Cross’ is back on Amazon Prime.  I feel like there’s another series that I need to tackle.  Can’t be ‘One Piece’ since I only watch that with my son and we’re rewatching season 1.  I’ll have to decide this weekend if I’m going with comedy or crime action.  Might go with ‘Brooklyn 99’ since it doesn’t look like all of the ‘Cross’ episodes have been released.

Goals of the week:

  1. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
  2. Work on June blog posts.
  3. Time with son when he’s here.
  4. Catch Pokemon.
  5. Build Pokemon.
  6. Have fun at work.
  7. Start making a packing list for spring break trip.
  8. Try to relax and not think too much about what’s coming.
  9. Buy more Zzzquil because I’m going to need it.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Short-Sighted vs Far-Sighted Villains

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Blackbeard (Left) and Hody Jones (Right)

This doesn’t really fit with the alliance theme of the week, but it came to my mind.  More villain stuff did as well, but I’m going to save that for another week.  This is about two general categories that I’ve seen:

  • Short-Sighted– These villains have a simple goal with no other thoughts beyond achieving it.  They might have a great plan to claim victory, but obvious issues aren’t acknowledged or even mentioned.  For example, Hody Jones (above right) wants to conquer Fish-Man island, enslave the humans there, and conquer the world in retaliation for centuries of racism.  Seems like a long-term goal, but there are major problems, especially since he is using a super steroid to fight, which can also mess with his mind and body.  There are stronger people out there who will wipe the floor with him once he starts his conquest.  Sure, he believes him and his people are superior, but that is the reason I would say he is short-sighted.  The immediate goal can be achieved, but possibly not maintained.
  • Long or Far-Sighted– These villains can have either a simple or long-term goal, but it’s usually the latter.  They aren’t rushing and they are careful about both their allies and actions.  Instead of sacrificing their bodies or sanity to achieve their goals, they make sure that they are able to enjoy their victory.  Villains in this category also acknowledge and plan to handle the aftermath, so they can hold onto whatever they gain.  For example, Marshall D. Teach aka Blackbeard (above left) wants to become King of the Pirates and rule the world.  Throughout the ‘One Piece’ series, he is shown gaining more power and allies, but it’s typically in the background.  At least as far as I’ve gotten in the series, he hasn’t done anything to permanently damage his chances like Hody taking steroids.  It seems he plans for many potential problems as well, which makes him a bigger, longer term threat.

Much of this might have to do with the type of story the villains are part of too.  A short-term villain works for a stand-alone book or a solitary story arc.  You don’t need them for longer than that adventure, so they can afford to be self-destructive.  I do feel it reduces them in terms of intelligence and common sense, which reminds me of the cartoon villains of the 80’s.  In contrast, the long-term villain is what you typically find in a series since they carry over to multiple story arcs.  So, you need them to think about the distant future and be more careful in their actions.

Another factor could be how much the author wants to invest in the villains.  If they want to focus more on the heroes then you might get villains with less depth.  Their only purpose is to be obstacles and make the protagonists grow, so they’re going to be fairly short-term with their goals and thoughts.  A villain who gets more attention will have more nuance in their plans and be around for the long haul.  At least one would hope since some authors won’t give any antagonist depth and attention beyond having them be present as a threat.

So, what do other people think of this?  I feel like there’s a lot that depends on personal perspective too.  The type of story, author style, and reader mindset are all things that vary from story to story.  So, maybe this isn’t a topic that can be easily summed up in one person’s post.

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Poetry Day: The Emerald Standard

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Leorio

(Not a subtle one here.  The desire for money really can be found at the core of many horrible, cruel actions.  This is really true when you look at how certain parts of our society operate.)

The putrid blood
Of human civilization
Forged by greed
Disguised as necessity
Raising the three gods
Bathed in emerald light
Scraps of decorated paper
Chunks of etched metal
Numbers
That only exist in space
These deities are worshipped
And horded by their faithful
Who gnash their teeth
And hiss their venom
At all who ask for aid
These gods maintain a hollow temple
Where food and water
Come second to the Emerald Ones
Where shelter
Is denied
To those that lack the blessings
Leaving them too cold
Too thirsty
And too starving
To try join the congregation
Of the Church of Greed

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7 Tips to Villain Alliances

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

As I said on Monday, villain alliances always seem to go the same way.  Taken a little more time to think about it and I still feel this way.  So, what are some things one can do to make a villain alliance stand out?

  1. Each villain should have a role in the team.  Clearly, they haven’t been able to win much on their own, which means they are lacking somewhere.  For example, the mastermind might need muscle, stealth, and other specialists.  This isn’t any different than a hero team-up where everyone has a unique set of skills.
  2. Make it clear what each villain will gain from such an alliance.  It can be as simple as getting rid of a hero who has thwarted them several times.  A stated benefit gives them some urgency beyond ‘Well, the author is having me do this’.  This is really needed for any loner types who claim to not work well with others.  They might need an added incentive like money or a weapon.
  3. While comics tend to have their top tier villains be genius egomaniacs, you don’t have to go this route.  Not everyone has to be Lex Luthor or Dr. Doom.  They can simply be charismatic and have no intention of betrayal.  There does need to be some cunning, but they can also be a little on the average intelligence side.  We see this in the real world with leaders who are clearly idiots being surrounded by more capable (good or evil) people who do the real leg work.
  4. On the hero side, you need to make their target work harder than usual or get their own allies.  I’ve seen plenty of villain alliances get destroyed by their solitary target with no real effort.  At best, they get captured and then convince the villain who feels disrespected to turn traitor.  It makes the hero look badass, but it makes the whole alliance look utterly weak since no changes were made to succeed.
  5. Villains don’t have to be disrespectful and cruel to each other.  Yes, they are supposed to be evil or selfish in nature.  This doesn’t mean they are going to insult and harass the alliance into failure.  If they are smart enough to know they need help in winning, they should be smart enough to know not to piss off their allies.  It’s like every supervillain abruptly becomes one of those managers that thinks their words and actions won’t have any negative consequences.
  6. They don’t always need to have a creepy base in a volcano or warehouse.  Plenty of empty houses out there.  If they’re going to commit murder and try to conquer the world then they should have no problem being squatters.
  7. Probably should have been higher up the list, but the alliance doesn’t have to be solely to defeat the villain.  They might want to conquer the world with clear territories, so they are working together.  Maybe developing or stealing a special weapon or doing something to achieve their shared goal.  Many villains have the same desires and retain the sanity to know an alliance has a better chance of them winning.  The betrayals and in-fighting can always happen AFTER the main goal is achieved.
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Character Origins: Yola Biggs the Exiled Chaos Goddess

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(I can’t really explain Yola because she’s supposed to be random.  She falls into a similar category as Lost and Bob from War of Nytefall.  The big differences is that she’s a goddess, which means her random chaos is on a higher level.  I made the post below when Merchant of Nevra Coil was coming out, so it doesn’t cover what happened afterwards.  Not that it was a lot beyond here continuing to serve Baron Kernaghan to some extent.  I’m still on the fence about giving her a one-shot book in the future to create more closure or leaving her to the current final fate.  Part of it is because a lot of people made fun of her ‘surname’ and I don’t want to deal with that again.)

 

It’s only right that I talk about Yola Biggs before Merchant of Nevra Coil is released next month.  She causes everything that happens and gets a good evolution as well as revealing more about the world of the gods.  So you know the Chaos Goddess has to have an interesting origin.

*checks notes from long ago*

Where in the world did this nutcase come from?

Seriously, I don’t know what possessed me to create Yola or put a goddess on the side of the Baron.  She didn’t really have a purpose at the beginning beyond transporting other villains and defending the Baron.  Kind of like an overpowered limo and bodyguard rolled into one.  There isn’t even a hero that she matches up with like the others.  Unless I got it in my head to pit Yola against Timoran or Dariana.  Nothing about that in the old notes, so what was I thinking?

It really doesn’t matter because Yola is responsible for a lot of my god-based decisions. I created the Law of Influence to explain why the gods are restrained in their actions and why Yola is not with them.  She’s an exile who broke the one rule and ran away instead of facing a trial.  The Baron happily took her under his protection since it meant he had a powerful ally.  By the time I put her into the story, I had only a basic idea of her history and she’s been bouncing around the background for a while.

Then something changed.  I found a sense of freedom when I wrote Yola scenes because of her level of power and loopy personality.  This led to me figuring out a way to give her more to do.  The challenge was that she couldn’t spend much time outside of Shayd because the other gods would eventually come for her.  Even her unique and wild powers of reality manipulation couldn’t save her from the other gods.  What was the answer to this issue?  Well . . . that would be The Merchant of Nevra Coil.

Posted in Character Origins, Legends of Windemere | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Evil People Unite: Villain Alliances

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Marvel Events

Growing up reading comics introduced me to the ‘Villain Alliance’ pretty quickly.  The above group, Sinister Six, Legion of Doom, Hellfire Club, and more.  Although, I think Marvel did this more than DC.  Makes sense since DC had the Legion of Doom, which seemed fairly effective.  That brings me to an issue with people creating Villain Alliances:

Betrayal

Whenever one of these groups comes about, they usually end with the villains turning on each other.  This allows the heroes to win even if they weren’t the ones who created the turmoil in the first place.  It happens so often that most just wait for the inevitable collapse of the team.  Usually it’s the leader revealing he was going to sacrifice the others to begin with or the most vocal critic rallying the others to rebel.  I know the heroes have to win somehow, but it’s normally a victory born from the villains giving in to a self-destructive urge.

My issue with this is that it doesn’t always make sense.  Having a character of chaos on the team like Loki or Joker can result in fracturing, but then one would wonder why they are there in the first place.  They usually have to be the one who really put the team together (Loki) or force themselves on there (Joker).  Still, the other villains don’t act like they do when alone.  There’s less caution or total paranoia instead of them working towards a single goal.  Rarely do they put this aside and agree to turn on each other AFTER the heroes are gone.  They also do it at the climactic moment, which makes sense from a story perspective, but not a character one.

I hear people point out that villains tend to be narcissists, egomaniacs, megalomaniacs, and not team players.  That’s true, but a desire for victory, especially over a hated enemy, should be able to curb those darker impulses.  You see it all the time in human history with evil leaders making alliances, which last until they’re all defeated.  I know fiction goes to cartoonish levels at times, but this can hurt the villains’ reputation to the reader since they come off as really stupid.  The ‘not a team player’ excuse I see most of all can only do so much to prevent damage.

Maybe I’m seeing this because I think predominantly comics because that does seem to be where this happens the most.  Makes sense since those stories can go on for decades and a villain alliance can spice up multiple series.  A book series with the same heroes won’t have as many opportunities unless you have different villains for each book.  That’s really only for established ones though because non-comic stories can start with a villain alliance, which typically falls apart.  Again, this happens so often that many readers pretty much wait for the implosion.

I’ve done two villain alliances in my stories.  Legends of Windemere had Baron Kernaghan’s agents, which did include Trinity who would become a hero.  I tried to counter that issue by making it clear she was a villain solely to protect her people from her ‘master’.  Everyone else stayed loyal to the Baron.  War of Nytefall had the Nyte faction led by Xavier Tempest, which was fully loyal.  Many of these other characters had their own goals too, but they still worked together.  I guess a big difference is that there was a clear hierarchy, which villain team-ups in comics typically don’t have beyond the one who made the team and the others.  Lex Luthor being the leader doesn’t mean Sinestro, Black Manta, Brainiac, and Riddler are going to become subservient since they are top level villains themselves.

So, what do other people think about villain alliances?

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Happy Retro Video Game Day

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

I couldn’t pass this holiday up even though I don’t play video games that much.  My daily Pokemon Go outings are pretty much it unless I get the call with my son while home and free to play some classic games.  To be fair, he’s playing a game while we talk as well.

I wish I had more time, but I’m so out of the loop that I wouldn’t even know what to play these days.  The games I played back in the day were the platformers, a few RPGs, and beat ’em ups.  Outside of ‘Goldeneye 007’ on the N64, I didn’t play many FPS . . . Except for Wolfenstein 3D, Metroid Prime, Doom, Quake, and I think a few others that typically made me puke from motion sickness.  Anyway, I might get some time in and tackle classic games from the Switch libraries.  It’s relaxing and fun even if I’m cursing up a storm at the computer.  Trust me, it’s lethargic.

For this holiday, I decided to leave pictures and videos of some of my favorite games, which is only a fraction.  Had to stop myself eventually, so I didn’t add others I played tons of times.  Maybe these are the biggest ones, but it is tough since I went from Atari 2600 to Super NES.  Still got NES time when I visited friends. Feel free to mention your favorite video games in the comments.

Dig Dug (Atari 2600)

Bubble Bobble (NES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES); The Hated Dam Level

Kirby’s Dreamland (Gameboy)

Mega Man X (SNES)

Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES); Had to decide between this and Ocarina of Time, but this was my first one.

Prince of Persia  (PS2) No worthwhile gifs

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS2); One of my favorites, which I can’t play because it isn’t on the Nintendo Switch

Below are going to be videos for a few reasons.  For ‘Super Castlevania’ the ending music and video always make me tear up.  ‘Illusion of Gaia’ is an RPG on the SNES that I feel had one of the greatest soundtracks of my youth.  ‘Chrono Trigger’ was great too, but I didn’t own that one.  Only played it once while IoG was at least twice a year.  Finally, the finale of ‘Super Mario RPG’ is another one that makes me tear up due to the memories.

Yeah.  I need to include my favorite Final Fantasy, which is FFIX.  I haven’t played it since after college since I borrowed it and never bought it.  The game is on the Nintendo Switch, but I know I’d lose myself to it until I beat it again.  Maybe one day.

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Goal Post: Wild, But Productive

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

This week was really busy because a lot was going on at work.  Can’t go into those events, but they left me stressed, tired, and suffering from stomach issues.  My son had a busy and crazy week too, so we’re both recovering.  Last weekend was rough for you, which means I have to make this one make up for what happened.  Not that I was responsible, but I don’t want him having two bad weekends in a row.  So, we’re looking at a few Pokemon Go outings and him getting to choose whatever fun stuff we do.

With Darwin & the Joy Path done, I didn’t have any real writing projects.  My schedule and energy didn’t help me with ‘Phi Beta Files’.  I kept forgetting to take it out of my backpack, so I couldn’t put it in view to increase my interest.  Instead, I finished all of the May blog posts and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.  That’s some level of being productive and puts me 3 months ahead.  Gives me time to figure out what to do about June and maybe I’ll tinker with ‘Phi Beta Files’ this weekend.

There might be something coming down the pipeline though.  The artist who do the covers for War of Nytefall reached out to me.  Life got away from me, so it’s been a little over two years.  Going to discuss covers for Tales of the Slumberlord and I even sent over Darwin & the Fate Bracelet for her to read over.  We had an initial idea long ago, so that might happen again.  Weekdays are too busy, so I’m going to reach out over the weekend.  Need to muster up the funds for a cover, which shouldn’t be too hard.  Do I dare to have hope that I’ll publish this year?

One of the mental obstacles is that I know I have no money for promos or time to bounce around the Internet.  Life isn’t going to settle down this year, which means I might end up publishing, posting here, and depend on the kindness of strangers.  I don’t even remember how to promote a book without a budget.  Is that even possible?  Still going to put the book out there, but I don’t know if I should hold out hopes of making much money beyond a few curious checks.

The quality is another concern, but that’s my doubt talking.  I’ve done multiple edits of Books 1-5 when I wasn’t writing.  Still, I have such an issue of confidence and a fear of other people reading the books.  The fear stems from memories of my early days when people would tear it apart under the guise of helping.  Don’t think I can handle a reader giving me a list that basically says ‘change the characters, setting, plot, style, and everything’.  Can’t even tell if I have the same skill in writing too.  Just a general mental mess.

Plus side, is that I have a long time to figure things out.  Getting cover art doesn’t mean I have to publish right away.  I might spend 2-3 months doing teasers and making posts relating to the theme and characters.  That was how I did things in the old days, but I had a much bigger blog audience.  More help, energy, time, and hope as well.  Still, I guess it’s just important to publish at this point.

This coming week is really going to be more of the same.  Clock change means more sunlight, which can up my energy or at least allow me to take outdoor walks.  With May blogging done, I really don’t have much to distract me from ‘Phi Beta Files’.  Just depends on if I can stay awake after I get home and eat.  Well, I have my son for a few days, but the others show some promise.  Surprised I even have time to breathe, shower, and get anything done for myself.

Goals of the week:

  1. Time with son.
  2. ‘Phi Beta Files’ work.
  3. Talk with cover artist.
  4. Work.
  5. Rest because energy is low.
  6. Puzzle time when need a screen break.
  7. Try to boost confidence . . . Not looking good.
  8. Maybe do the Sunday June posts?
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Questions 3: Endings

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Never-ending Story

As we’ve seen, endings can be difficult and many don’t land well.  Many factors can contribute to that like author writing themselves into a bad spot, author forgetting foreshadowing, readers coming up with their own ending first, and readers not wanting the story to end.  Let’s get some opinions though.

  1. What is one way that authors can make a good ending?
  2. What is a way that authors make a bad ending?
  3. What is the best and worst ending you have ever read or watched?
Posted in Questions 3 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Poetry Day: The Curse of Poetry 101

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(A poem about poetry and the fighting over norms.  Kind of makes me glad I don’t get into those arguments any more.  It’s also why I didn’t try to make any type of pattern for this one.)

I hear it
I see it
The question
What is a poem?
It is an opening
A call
To shred
And maim
A defenseless expression
Born of heart
And soul

 

Does it truly matter
If we fail
To rhyme the words
When the emotions
Are so strong
Many
Say yes
These are the ones
That wait
In a stationary circle
Drooling
In anticipation
To tear
Into a work of soul
With no remorse
And a hint
Of smarmy pride

 

I tired of this
Long ago
Trying to put
Reason
To my madness
Always
The say ending
I would present
Reading loud
And clear
Only to find
That my words
Were empty
Rotted by my logic
And dependence
On the rules

 

No more
I play by rules
No more
Take your rhymes
Your meters
And choke on them
I let my fingers
Fly without true purpose
Following images
That dance
Behind closed eyes
Dictating
For unknown voices
I am at the whim
Of my imagination
And I feel peace

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