Hopeless

Hello everyone, I'm Luca. No funny intro, no quirky lines from me, I'm hoping to put forward a serious tone to you.

So this is in someway, my 56th entry on this blog if you discount my 'update' (By the way, my internet is fixed) and also an article I deleted that I wasn't proud of that I'll attempt to redo soon. 56 is my favourite number, so you'd think my '56th' article would be a positive one, and whilst negative is what I'd expect something that wasn't positive to be, I'd say it was real perhaps?

2017 was a year of realisation for me, and not for good. We all go into the following year with a resolution and it's always something we know we won't complete, that won't be the case for me as I'll always be striving to be a better person, you can hold me to that word. So it isn't self realisation that's bothering me at the moment, it's the realisation that the world is dominated by evil.

I have always refrained from using labels like that because I still truly believe that calling something all good or all bad is a weak thing to do, to pour all that's wrong with the world into whatever you disagree with and live in ignorance. Because what I have realised is that we can scream bigotry and human rights all we want, that whatever we have been told is morally right, that from an early age we are placed in front of the television or we listen to our elders and are taught to be respectful, what good is it?

Realising a lot of things in 2017, from something as personal as a director of my favourite movie really screwing with the fans of that movie, to also seeing how close we all are to seeing that moron in the white house really screw with us.

Having seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi for the second time today - I have some issues with it but overall it's a really great movie - but when I was watching it, I remember thinking about what the basic formula of a Star Wars movie has always been, the very basic premise of good vs. evil, the grey area inbetween the light and the dark and what makes either side of the coin. It began to hit me, what makes good and evil, doing good is fighting for those who can't fight back, and evil is doing whatever it can at the expense of those who can't fight back. Having asked myself that for years, I now know the truth.

I don't want to spoil the Star Wars movie for you guys incase you haven't seen it, so if somehow you haven't then slight spoiler warning ahead, the Resistance is down to only a few members by the end of the film. However despite that, you hear throughout the film that there's still hope even after what they all go through, that there's always hope that the Sith, the Empire, now the First Order will be taken down, they will not win. We lose ourselves in this arrogant view of "We will win against evil", but really, will we?

Back in around 2015 or 2016, I went to see Dave Gorman and we were treated to a supporting act from a comedian named Nick Doody, and he was brilliant. He spoke about the 7/7 bombings in London, something which hits home for me as my parents were there a year before that happened and could very well have been there that year instead for the same reason, and how the British spirit keeps hope alive, and I loved hearing that. But having seen terror attacks happen this year especially, I won't hold back when I tell you just how scary it is, but not just terror attacks but also the people that are in charge.

In America, you have a president who quite openly is discriminative against LGBT people, believes black people who protest against the American flag because of police brutality are sons of bitches and Charlottesville racists have some decent people, and also who has now deprived the poor of health insurance and will openly allow them to die because of poverty, what is America exactly? Is it its people or its money? Because I have yet to find a redeeming quality about the Republican party, no matter how hard I try.

I have come to realise just how this world really is ran by evil, that evil is defined by doing what you can but at the expense of someone who is unable to fight back. A cowardly way of winning. It saddens me, because along with that nutter known as Trump doing all of that, we also have legitimate fears that Kim Jong-Un is going to go to nuclear war with Trump, and I can't bare the thought of it.

The other thing I realised this year, your heroes can be just as egregious. Matthew Vaughn could do no wrong in my eyes, but it's almost as if he tried. After I found out he killed Roxy in Kingsman and the manner in which he did, I won't mince my words when I say that I did cry, a lot. I broke down in public, I had to go to a private place and get my mum on the phone, I was a helpless mess. You have all heard enough from me about my reasons for being so passionate about Roxy in Kingsman to last a lifetime, and whilst my petition is fast approaching 700 on its way to 1,000 I still can't help but feel helpless still and hopeless.

It still disgusts me how the Kingsman official Twitter accounts have joked about the demand to see Roxy, the Kingsman mobile game Twitter account even used Roxy as a means to entice people to play the game, saying "She is still kicking butt in the Kingsman mobile game". They know that they fucked up! I know of some people who have confronted Matthew Vaughn but they have been civil with him, like he's going to listen to someone like that. Mark my words, I will confront that sexist troglodyte one day, but the fact I say it means I have to act on it and I am going to find that difficult to physically do. I won't have any issue going up to him in person, I just have to find a way to see him in person.

Anyway, small little tangent there, but overall, powerlessness. Going back to the Republicans, when they passed that bill that deprived 13 million people of their health insurance, I remember seeing a video of a few protestors who said that Republicans were laughing at them, one even trying to have a conversation with another Republican politician and they ran away. A great irony of the Republican way is being a heavily religious Christian party, when Jesus Christ even says "Heal the sick, feed the hungry, care for the weakest among us".

I'm well aware that it may sound like I'm trying to do a hit piece on all Republicans, I'm sure there are some people out there who have either voted for the Republican party in America or identify as a Republican that don't vote that way just at the expense of anybody who can't fight back. I always want to see the good in everyone, I'm just struggling with those sort of people who don't have basic decency like that.

I say this knowing I'm not perfect. I have gone through life making shitty slip ups at the expense of people and I can't live with myself, and I say I'm going to be better not because I don't think I was not deserving of any sort of criticism, but because I want to continue to improve. It would be wrong of anyone to believe they have peeked, and I will always focus on improving myself, it's just incredibly discouraging to know that there are people that do wrong in this world.

Not really the people who do despicable things, but the ones who have the power and abuse it for their own good, we have seen more than the fair share of that in 2017. I am all out of hope for the better of this world, I will continue trying to be a decent human but I know that more people are going to have to die in order to satisfy the greed of these abusive people of power, and that upsets me, not because only is it happening but nothing can be done about it.

You elect a person of the people, there will always be conservatives with some legitimacy somehow, and the many bigots who we turn the left shoulder on and pretend they don't exist when they still do.

You trust someone you idolise to do something decent and they'll exercise their ego at the expense of a beloved character in a movie which on face value, doesn't matter but it really does to some people, myself included.

You have hope, that tiny little spark that will light the flame that will burn down your enemies, they still live in that similar bubble that means they'll continue to fight in the same way you will. In the end, we don't matter to anyone who doesn't care about us? Pass a law that will allow another corporate tycoon to buy another yacht at the expense of the health and pension of a Thomas, Richard and Harold, what can we do about it?

Write a blog post about how pissed off you are, what will it do? Don't be naïve. At the end of the day, what is it that makes us believe that we matter to them? We don't and we never will, we can't win by spirit alone, what is there to do? No point getting all wound up about it, we have no power. Remember my blog post about a voice with no power, Heyday films did respond to me and tell me they'll keep me in mind but honestly, I doubt they have, they probably just told me what I wanted to hear and dismissed me.

I'm sorry if this is bringing you all down, I needed to get this off my chest and tell you all that I feel hopeless. Another case of injustice in America is the FCC most punchable face guy repealing net neutrality, he made a very condescending video that used Star Wars in a segment, and that was when Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) went to town on him, saying how the Jedi would fight for good and for people who couldn't fight back. That parallels really well with a casino scene in The Last Jedi that whilst a bit meh in execution, still showcased how people make their money at the expense of everyday folk.

This is why I feel lost, and almost devastated at the state of this world. I have a lot of good in my life, great friends and a supporting family who are very well off, and I know I haven't done perfectly in my short 21 years in life but I want to be better. I want to do good in the world, and that's all I can say to all of you, do good and do what you think is good, do good by your fellow person and when you see something wrong and the whole world is telling you that it's right, plant yourself like a log and do, not, budge.

That's the note I want to end this on, that evil exists and just do what you think is right. You have some amazing people in this world, like Edward Snowden who is in exile in Russia because of his 'crimes' when it wasn't a crime, Snowden exposed an invasive NSA practice of spying on everyone, and he did it because he knew it was right. Be good people, even when you're all out of hope like me, just do what's right.

Thank you all,
Luca.

Temporary delay

Hello everyone.

I know I haven't posted in a couple of days and that's because my internet for some reason isn't hooking up to my laptop.

I'm typing this on my phone incase you're wondering, downloaded the Blogger app. We got a new internet provider whose name I won't say as I don't think it's a fair reflection on them, and it connected to my phone, PlayStation, all of my family's devices but not my laptop.

Hopefully it'll be sorted soon and I can get back to posting articles for you lot. So if you don't hear from me beforehand, Merry Christmas everyone!

Until we meet again,
Luca.

Why I love Eevee

Image courtesy of http://pokemonwikia.com

Hello you, the name is Luca but you can call me Luca. So I bought into the Pokémon franchise back when Diamond and Pearl came out, and literally none of the others afterwards, and I had such a blast! I don't play the games anymore but if I did, I have my dream team which consist of the following; Lucario, Absol, Blaziken, Milotic, Togekiss and last but not least, Eevee.

Probably an odd choice considering the fully-evolved, cool and elegant Pokémon that you see one like Eevee, but there's a lot of person sentimental value in my choosing of Eevee, allow me to take you on a history lesson. Beginning when I first got into Pokémon, I really do wish I was able to tell you all how I saw Eevee for the first time but I can't but I will try.

When generation four material began hitting the forefront of my awareness, I had been watching from a distance at my brother playing all the generation two games (and subsequently having a Level 100 Feraligatr as a result) as well as all my other friends, I decided I'd give it a go. My parents bought me an out of date Pokémon game guide that went up to Generation Three and I gave it a flick through, and very few Pokémon really stood out to me. This was until I found Pokémon number 133, that being Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. (My mum believes it was because of my brother allowing me to have his Pokémon cards and an Eevee was in there, I honestly can't remember.)

What was it that caught my attention at first? Bare in mind I was a barely 11 probably at the time but I've just turned 21 now and my opinion is no less true, I just thought Eevee was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I adore its design, with the rabbit ears, thick mane, big eyes, tiny legs and paws as well as its big fox tail, there is nothing in Eevee's design that holds it back in my opinion.

But there was more to Eevee than just being cute, as I have already said that it's known as the Evolution Pokémon. Evolving in Pokémon is something I believe a lot of you will know very well but for those who don't, allow me to teach you; depending on particular circumstances, a Pokémon will evolve and result in becoming an all new kind of Pokémon, such as with the one that everyone knows being Pikachu, which evolves from Pichu if the bond between Pokémon and trainer is maximised and then can go on to become Raichu should it be exposed to an in-game item called a Thunderstone.

Different Pokémon evolve in different ways, mostly from levelling up as a result of winning battles but in most cases, the evolved forms always result in never steering too far from its previous form in regards to type. The Pikachu family remains Electric-Type throughout and it's very rare that you see a Pokémon have a vastly varied evolution chain, which is why Eevee is so unique.


Image courtesy of www.game7.de

Eevee can evolve into one of as of now, eight different kinds of Pokémon. Initially back in the first generation of Pokémon, the Normal-Type Eevee was joined by its three vastly different evolutions, which were the Water-Type Vaporeon, the Fire-Type Flareon and the Electric-Type Jolteon, all of which evolved from Eevee when exposed to a Water Stone, Fire Stone or Thunderstone. Followed up in the second generation, the Psychic-Type Espeon and Dark-Type Umbreon, both of which evolved when the Eevee has fully bonded with its trainer although it would evolve into Espeon during the day and Umbreon at night.

Skipping a generation and we arrive at four, and added to the list were the Grass-Type Leafeon and the Ice-Type Glaceon, which would evolve from Eevee should it level up within the vicinity of a Moss or Ice Rock located on a Pokémon game's map. Finally we find ourselves at the Fairy-Type Sylveon, the generation six addition that Eevee would evolve into should it know a Fairy-Type move and have at least two levels of Affection points from Pokémon-Amie game mode.

Eevee evolutions or as the portmanteau is, 'Eeveelutions', are incredible and if I had to pick a favourite out of the eight, it would probably be Espeon though I may have a different pick each day. It is said that Eevee's unstable genetic code results in its many different evolutionary forms due to the need to adapt to harsh surroundings, which is fascinating to me even though it's fictional.. sadly.

Also what is to say that with the juggernaut that is the Pokémon franchise at this point, that Eevee won't get more evolved forms? We may see a Dragon-Type called Dracoeon, a Poison-Type called Toxiceon or a Ghost-Type called Spookeon. But whatever joins the Eeveelution tree, one thing won't change, that being how I wouldn't evolve my Eevee.

I have always pictured myself as a Pokémon trainer with an Eevee perched up on my shoulder, because we can dream right? Boy wouldn't having Pokémon be real just be awesome? We have all had that thought, haven't we? I'd have my Eevee as my starter Pokémon, and yes I am aware of how much of a child I sound. But that never stopped me.

I'm also very aware of how much of a weird vibe this gives off because Pokémon has always been seen as a kids game, and I'm gawking over a Pokémon that is traditionally seen as quite girly since I'm only really supposed to like the cool Pokémon like Lucario, Absol and Blaziken. But I am not ashamed, because as I write this, I have my Build-A-Bear stuffed Eevee under my arm (Build-A-Bear is incredible by the way), and on my walls I have two separate Eeveelutions posters, and a few letters from my close friend Nadine. We both love Pokémon.

We will be meeting in June when I go over to her home country of the Netherlands to watch the MotoGP with her and I am so excited to finally meet her! She has drawn me a picture of an Eevee which looks incredible, she has also drawn us both as Pokémon, me as a Riolu (The pre-evolved form of Lucario) and her as an Eevee since I gave her the nickname Eevee. One time being in a Christmas card which looked like it was done very impromptu but still unbelievably detailed and emotive, and another time she drew a picture for my birthday last Monday that she has made plans to make it look even better so we can take it home and frame it.

Oh and lastly, I got her a Build-A-Bear Eevee wearing pajamas that its ears and tail can stick through that is actually sat on the end of my bed and we will be sending off to her house for Christmas. I have no clue where I was going with any of this now, I just wrote it all down and I don't want to get rid of it.

My point is, I'm not ashamed with how much I love Eevee. I used to get weird looks from my peers back in primary school but it's over 10 years later and will be another ten years and I doubt I'll grow out of it. After all, it's not how old you are but how you are old!

Finally as cheesy and cliché it may sound, I saw a fan edit of Eevee back when I was just getting into Pokémon, which was really inspirational to me. It was a load of clips from the anime revolving around episodes to do with Eevee and the Eeveelutions, and it was set to this song called No One by Aly and AJ, and seeing it as a 10 or 12 year old (Maybe even 11 lol), it was something I sat on at that point in my life.

The lyrics went something like "And I ask myself, who do I want to be? Do I want to throw away the key, and invent a whole new me? I tell myself, no one but me", and the song really suited the idea of Eevee as a whole. You have a Pokémon that has so many paths to go down in regards to what it can become, and whilst the whole world may tell you to be one thing, nobody should feel obligated to become anything other than the best version of themselves.

Ending this off, I want to know what is your dream pick of six Pokémon? If they were real, ideally what would be your selection and which one would be your main one? As you know, for me it's Eevee of course, Lucario, Blaziken, Absol, Togekiss and Milotic.

Also I highly recommend everyone goes to experience how Build-A-Bear makes their stuff. It's incredible to witness the amount of love, care and detail goes into making a Build-A-Bear, having made my Eevee when I went to Scotland having been really upset after finding out Roxy's fate in Kingsman to be cheered up with my Eevee cuddly plushie, it warmed my heart so much. I'll be heading back up to Build-A-Bear to have mine fitted with a sound device to make the noise an Eevee would.

I know it's seen as girly and childish but I'm a 21 year old man and it makes me happy. I will not compromise myself to maintain an image of forced societal manliness and close off my emotions for anyone, heck I've never held back before so why should I stop now? Eevee is one of the few things that never fails to make me happy, and if that makes me seem like less of a man then so be it.

Image is my own

Alright! That will be all from me, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to see more of my stuff then either follow me on Twitter @TheLucaFormat or have my articles sent straight to your inbox, go to the 'Follow By Email' option if you can find it to the right of your screen.

So until we meet again!
Luca.

Making enemies

Hello you. My name is Luca but you can call me Luca. So I would be very naïve to say that this world was only ever full of love, it's unfortunate but we know fine well that there are bigots among us, and don't get me wrong, I will not stand for bigotry or discrimination in any way. But we are very quick to label someone as the enemy, and I do think it's wrong.

I won't go full Donald Trump and say "There are some fine people" among the Charlottesville protestors (Because really, there wasn't from what I could see), but I do believe the attitude of always labelling the slightest bit of opposite thinking as wrong, it isn't healthy. I remember watching a video with I believe John Cleese in it, and he spoke about how the most popular groups of people are the ones who rile people up with their opposing groups, and how the neutral middle man won't ever get anywhere near the support. This does ring so true.

Allow me to be transparent. I am a UK resident born in late 1996 so my first general election was 2015, and in both elections that have taken place whilst I can vote, I have voted for Labour in my region and I don't want anyone of you to send me an email saying how I've given power to the anti-Christ and that I'll be murdered by them because of it and I should have voted Conservative, none of that bullshit thank you.

This year's snap election was infuriating for me, not for the result but for the lead up to it, reading the very obviously biased newspapers and there was one columnist who had wrote an article pretty much demanding parents to prevent their children from going out to vote for Labour, which is disgusting. If I ever have children who don't vote for the party I vote for, the only thing that will make me question their choice is why they're voting for them.

In conversation with a close friend one time regarding the confusion over free speech and hate speech, it was really screwing with my head, but she told me something really clear to me that I honestly wish was so clear to me before. With all these people trying to legitimise a lot of hate speech and pass it off as "Oh you don't think they're entitled to being able to say anything, are you an advocate for censorship?". The very fact that this sentence was uttered is such a huge issue.

But whilst the most complicated questions in life should never have a simple answer, my friend really helped me here. The very clear answer to this question was, that unless what someone says is infringing on the rights of anybody, discriminating against them or just plain thinking that they are superior because of their race, gender or sexual orientation, that it's free speech.

I had been sitting on what she told me for a while and came to realise how toxic every environment can be due to the applied logic that everyone who doesn't confine to your beliefs is always the enemy, is just really self destructive. I find that hearing opposing views can help you see past the confines of your own echo chamber, as I do believe that it's quite destructive to only listen to people who agree with you and as a result, you could go your whole life doing wrong and you would never know by a count of your ignorance.

It's honestly quite sad that people who are on one side, seeing the other side as the enemy all the time in every case without fail. I for one am not going to become friends with someone, find out that they are Conservative party supporters and cut all ties with them, only if they were racist, sexist, homophobic, that's when I'd take an issue and I don't think it's wrong to think that way.

Another thing, why is it seen as wrong to try and think about something? If we always acted very impulsively without looking at the evidence, so many innocent people would be in prison. I am of the mentality that if something is everywhere, then it's also nowhere, that we become so desensitised to hearing an accusation that may very well be true, be we are always so ready to burn someone immediately even if it isn't true.

If let's say you're a strong Republican party supporter in the USA, I'm not trying to make you vote otherwise as this can be said for all parties as well, why do you support them? I know in the US, the Republican party are attempting to pass a bill to privatise healthcare which I think is an absolute disgrace. I don't think there's any excuse to deprive someone of healthcare just because they can't afford it, and having heard stories about people being unable to have treatment and dying as a result of not being able to pay for it, means that from an outsider's point of view at least, that the Republican party don't like the American people.

Then of course you have the people who voted Republican who are strong white supremacists, who are against LGBT rights, who want to defund or outright remove healthcare funds for anybody who can't afford it, who want to remove women or transgender people from the military, who discriminate against anyone who do not share their religious beliefs, you can't deny their existence. But at the same time, if someone voted for Trump to be president last year, you had people like that but then you had people who just needed an income, and we all need to sit back and think about why we support whoever we do.

If any of you out there vote for racists, or anyone who wants to redefine rape, or deprive people of basic rights just because of who they are, I don't put this lightly at all but shame on you if that's why you voted for them.

At the same time, not all political parties are perfect, like how the Democratic party in America are apparently more in line with sorting social issues as appose to getting the economy going for the good of the country, I believe in a good combination of both but definitely not at the expense of anyone for whatever they are. The fact that we have a president in office right now who is freely reposting stuff from a hate group is inexcusable, and I'm not going to give him the benefit of the doubt because we have seen people act impulsively and attack him for something that wasn't true. Again, if something is everywhere then it's nowhere.

But there's no excuse for hatred and bigotry, and the very fact that people in this world are of that mind-set and are so normalised in their own mind, that we are apparently wrong and unaccepting. To this I say, imagine yourself as the sort of person you hate for whatever reason, who you think you're better than, to think you don't accept them just because of what they are, not who they are, how would you feel?

Give people basic respect and basic rights. Treat others how you want to be treated, and don't stand for hatred in any form. Judge people on who they are as a person, not for their sexual orientation, not for their religious beliefs, not for their race, because everyone really is the same race, the human race.

The very fact I have to say it when it isn't just basic knowledge, it's unfortunate. But if I can end this on any note, it's just letting you know that you're entitled to any view you like as long as it isn't at the expense of anyone's basic human rights. Not everyone is your enemy, know what will constitute an actual bad person over just an opposing viewpoint, because these undermining efforts don't help anyone. When it's everywhere, then it's nowhere.

Alright! Thank you all for reading. If you're new here and fancy knowing when I next post, you can follow me on Twitter @TheLucaFormat or if you want all my blog posts sent straight to your email inbox, look for the 'Follow By Email' option if you're on a desktop or laptop as I don't believe it works on the phone.

Hope to see all of you back here soon, so until we meet again.
Luca.