Dragon's Deception

I am a bird stuck in its nest.

I strive to soar, but lack the rest.

Brave am I to take the test

Now lost am I in my regrets.

Gone before I was even there!

Ensnared inside the dragon's lair!

I cannot bear to see me fail

I flee before I see its tail.

Run, run cowering man

Shifted like the grains of sand

The devil has you in his grip

He chances not to let you slip.

You are a treasure in the trove

A healing herb within the grove

You do not know what you can do

You deny what is good and true.

I do not trust in my own skills

My weaknesses will get me killed!

Find another to hold me up

Gather water; fill my cup.

Yet in my heart I lean on lack

Emaciated bones that slack

Spare me more to keep me intact?

Now those I drew close, I push back.

Awestruck by your own denial

Procrastination has defiled

Trust in lies; swat at flies

But the real cause is before your eyes.

If you don't move, what will you do?

Be nothing but the devil's tool.

Holding yourself; pulling others

Insecurity is your close brother.

Suppose I move, what will lie next

If its hooked talons pierce my neck?

But don't you know that long ago

That fiendish dragon fell so low.

Was once so strong and looked so evil

But he’s now declawed, toothless, enfeebled.

So take your sword, and triumphantly plunge it

Straight into that dragon's stomach.

Though lost in fear, devoid of love

You have found strength from up above.

Self Imprisonment

Darkness spills forth an empty tale
Cramming me full of diseased thoughts.
Enslaved by my treacherous desires
I live in a waking nightmare, knowing only despair.
And my heart pleads with my body
And my mind tears at my flesh
But the horrors that stricken me have left me bare.
And I am shameful once more; treading through the moor.

I speak to myself.
Release myself!
For I am a prisoner to myself.
Darkness has shown me a new light
Artificially glazed with a resplendent haze
Marking me down in its book of life
Sending me off without strife
But my heart is destitute.

My flesh drips off my hands like liquid metal
And my sheltering leaves are blown away
Revealing unto myself my rotting condition
If I cannot deliver myself then I will not bear
I cut myself out of the picture for my sake.

Hope that cannot be tapped
My drive is lost and my energy sapped.
I gather dirt in my palms
Is this all I am made for?

This house is rotting, overtaken by nature
A ceiling so low that I must hunch forward
The limits placed were not another's doing
But they were crafted by my own hands.
I am responsible for this shame in me
Is it possible that I can be free?

No, not possible in my own strength
But I have hope that this is not the end.
I remember a sacrifice made long ago
Perhaps there is still hope for this broken soul
I hope in a power not of this world
It spirals into this sullen body.

Release me, let me finally see the morning
And let the light melt away this exterior.

Then I am lifted up out of my rusted cage
Given peace and new understanding
Overhauling a house with a low ceiling
Giving it grand walls and a grander entrance
Now I know where I stand
And myself choose where I jump and land
Should I fall head first, it is of my own bidding
But I know where to find life so fitting
In that house, that comforting house
House of refuge He rebuilt in me.

If only I chose to live in that house…

Remember to Never Forget

Some people want to forget the past, and erase traumatizing memories from their minds. Their recollections of past events and mistakes sends shivers through their bones; it does the same to me. But I care not to erase scars for these are keepsakes, marks of experience gained through the ages. I do not want to forget where I came from. For the moment I do forget, I lose sight of what truly matters (helping and saving others) and I fall into pride-fueled ignorance.

So many people start from nothing and become blessed beyond measure, yet do not take into account the journey of their life because they are caught in the glory of the moment. Greed steals away their compassion, and they treat inferiors as slaves though they were once at their level.

I am thankful for the afflictions that humble us while we are high. I pray that I never become so enamored with my quality that I forget those who are still traversing the difficult path, and that I was once on that same path. And every time I look upon these scars I will treat them like badges remembering God’s goodness and mercy in a low time, remembering the people who still cared for me in my darkest point, and remembering my darkest point.

And when I see the battles getting harder, I will know that I am getting stronger. For God gives the hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. So remind me to never forget where I came from, where I am now, where I am going, and what I am going to do when I get there.

Light in the Dark

---Light in the Dark---

I am a friend of sorrow

Its company I borrow.

With morning's break

I lay prostrate awake.

Nights I spend pondering

Still days I spend slumbering.

Sitting and waiting for change to come

A bleak reality known by some.

But all my waiting does not avail

And I am lost in my own despair.

I patiently await my own execution

As the dust prepares my accommodations.

My spirit is poured out onto the earth

And I kneel weeping over the dearth.

I see my reflection, my blood runs bleak

And my body wavers frail as it becomes weak.

The light is snuffed out, now in isolation.

While depravity alienates me in my destitution.

I hear the wind, but do not feel it

I see the water, but cannot drink it.

Through a foggy glass I peer

And still salvation is not too clear.

Obscured under breath, the image is gone.

Somehow I find the strength to press on.

I am detained, enslaved, regretfully.

A life that no longer avails to me.

A fantasy that is no longer mine to gain

My purpose is oblique, to me uncertain.

Maybe I suffer so that others would not

But suffering itself, the world hasn't forgot.

Denied what other's would not live without

Yet secretly ridiculed for moping about.

I do not feel that pity that I loathe.

I do not hate it, I do not love.

The world is a chaotic battleground

And I have been shot, my body unfound.

Maybe it was for the best that I end toiling there

Stagnant in my earthen lair

Than to have my head high in the clouds

And overlook the reality we all enshroud.

I see the pain that is real and plenty

And have dealt my hand with uncertainty.

I evaded the long perceptible reach

Of a congregation so thoroughly bleached.

I Found a way 

That leads away from decay.

And found a home

Where many lie alone.

The truth is clear, I know that much

To teach the world the truth and such.

Because I am alive I have time to spare

To share with those who actually care

Of a love that supersedes human expectation

And into new life on an eternal foundation.

Your Life is Meaningful

I would like to share something that came to mind while I was listening to a particular song that piqued my interest. It was about a particular man, but I didn't know who that man was since his name was never revealed. But there were clues in the lyrics as to who it was, saying he was a man who aimed for the stars, but was met with criticism in his efforts. Perseverance drove that man to the things he later accomplished. Later I came about to watching a documentary about a man who fit the details in the song, and, plugging in the similarities, I discovered who it was. It was about Robert Goddard, father of modern rocketry, though during most of his life, he was not recognized for much. But he had a vision, to design a rocket that would travel to space (which was ludicrous at the time since air flight was a recent technological breakthrough).

Despite public criticism, he persevered and worked hard to achieve the results he desired. In the end he succeeded in building a rocket that achieved an altitude no device had ever reached before, and so he was recognized. His work paved the way for future technologies that would allow people to fly to space.

The thought here is that this man didn't have a belt of accomplishments, he is mainly recognized for this one thing. But he worked hard for it, and still believed in his vision even though everyone else rejected him. In the end he came to develop one of the greatest inventions of all time. His life was worth that discovery. I think to myself, God has placed a desire in our hearts. We sometimes think We must accomplish a plethora of meaningful things to leave behind a glorious legacy. But sometimes it is that one thing that you are called to, that one glimmer you chase while everyone else pursues extravagant accommodations.

Maybe you feel like what you have is not enough. You want to come to God with a great bounty, but have only collected a stray morsel. Whatever you have, God will multiply it. But it will only come through hard work and determination. If you give up following your calling, you forfeit your impact on the world. You could be the next great innovator of your time, but because you do not realize that what you have has greater significance than you might think and eternal significance, you pass the blessing on to someone else who will endear his stray morsel. It never looks like enough, but it is all God needs.

Sometimes you may feel like your life is meaningless, but the idea is: If you live your life only to accomplish one thing during your lifetime, your life is meaningful no matter how small that accomplishment is.

The Mission: The Idea

Too often do we take for granted the lives we have been given. Count yourself fortunate to be able to read these words in front of you, no, count yourself blessed, for by a slim chance you were born into one of the wealthiest nations in the world. You were taught to read and write, you were fed and clothed, and you were given a home to shelter you until you matured. But with your needs met, your inherent quest for survival was turned into a quest for consumption. In this nation, we are taught to aspire to achieve great things, and because the rest of the world does not have the privileges we do, we should be grateful, but we are not, because we cannot possibly understand what the poorest majority of the world suffers (Starvation, disease, oppression, homelessness to name a few) until we go through it ourselves. 

Now we suffer as well, and we desire change, but outside our dome of concerns we have people who are fighting for their lives against every enemy imaginable. Our problems suddenly seem dwarfed, but do not feel ill-represented. I do not weigh suffering, for we all fight our own personal battles. (And these battles destroy us.) But the truth of the matter is that, for us, our problems are our world. And as troubles loom, we retreat into our dome of concerns and then forget what kind of world we actually live in.

It takes a single tragedy for us to realize that we are truly alone in the world. But these tragedies are windows into the lives of others because people are, in essence, united by tragedy. The wealthiest of us, however, are singled out by a virus that attacks our hearts, twisted by greed. As time passes on, our only goal is “to make it”, yet we accumulate wealth that has no value after death. In the end, we would have left all our worries in the world for eternity, and the wealth will be left to those still alive to be squandered in greed. Our goal is to make it into heaven, but our lives on earth are what count the most.

And here is the mission, the great sacrifice of self to God. Let your aspirations be motivated by a need to see others helped and replenished. For we are all humanity, God’s creation, flesh and blood. It is gluttonous of us to consume while others live without. We should not be so quick to indulge excessively, but rather hold yourself when you are content, and reserve the remainder for another. This is not in reference to just food, but for all finite commodities like money or work. Realize you will not be able to aim for these desires that once ranked so highly on your agenda. There is a possibility that you might not get to attain the riches of the world and live the life of your dreams because you realize that there is something more important than getting what you want. And that is giving to others what they need.

Our bodies are mere vessels, small and passing, so what justification have we to weigh that which is eternal over that which is temporary? Yet we do it everyday when we complain to ourselves about ourselves, fret about nuances that have no meaning in the end, awe at luxuries that offer no real value to our lives. Boasting potential, self-indulgence, self-concern, pride: this trend of self is the very sin that was brought into the world the day of the fall. And it is Christ’s teaching that tells us to abandon self and look to others.

So live life with others in mind, not just yourself, for when your work is done, someone else will reap the rewards. Don’t let your heart be stolen by tantalizing lusts, nor let your work be in vain, for we only ever get one chance to make things right. Whether we squander on pleasures or save for the future, we all need to check our hearts. For we hoard these passions to alleviate our bitter suffering and are too blinded to accept our fates. We can never have it all.

I believe our talents should be used in any way possible to better the life of another, not just our own. Whether that be to inspire, coordinate, or lead, just make that the goal in your life. I believe the world would be a better place if we just put others ahead of ourselves.

The Lone Road

~The Lone Road~

The Lone Road is my biggest project by far. It is intended to be a fictional story about the travels of a feeble knight, Roland Dodding, and his journey along a single unmarked road leading to paradise.

Discouraged by his past failures, Roland sets out to seek a better life for himself. Believing to be lead by God, he decides to follow an unmarked road to paradise. What he discovers is that paradise is a goal rarely achieved, and that he may not be as fortunate to endure the battles leading up to his place of rest. The pursuit of his dreams, and the detestation of the life he left behind is what drives him forward, but with every step, the question arises more and more frequently. What lies for him at the end of the road?

-==-

Opening

A piercing afternoon sun glares into a canopy of leaves below. The azure sky, brimming bright with hope and new beginnings, cradles the land in a loving caress. But underneath the land's leafy bosom spans the somber reflection of one man's hopeless dreams. A single dirt road stretches through nature’s bountiful landscape, slithering like a snake past grassy slopes and rooted underpasses. It rises high and sinks low at the whim of the rugged terrain inhabited by towering titans of nature. But today, the lone road will be visited once again by a human being.

With nothing but a suit of armor, a sword, and parched canteen, the lone knight, atop his mount, traverses a shaded path. His lowered head bobs to the animal's sway as a teeming environment sings a melancholy note, clicking, creaking, croaking, clapping, but a light fog dresses his melancholy. Insects cling to his chest plate, and dust rests on the hilt of his sword. No longer can the weary pace of his horse bring him any closer to the end, and so he stops and dismounts to walk on his own wobbly limbs. Through the vegetation and into a cool, quiet nook not far from the road, he leads his horse to rest, but he himself remains restless as he strains to survive in the wilderness. 

Under the towering treetop’s scattered light, he scurries along the ground like a small forest dweller, scavenging for food and supplies in whatever form it may come. Often does he return late to his horse, his countenance rinsed of cheerfulness as he feeds her the only bounty to be recovered on his trivial expedition. After some hours pass him by, he takes up what little he has and meets again with the road. 

In the now thinning sunlight, he travels for as long as his stamina may carry him. Past cliffs and canopies, and hills and hollow trunks, this deathly cradle mocks his voyage by presenting him with the corpses of the men who bravely followed their ambition into this suffocating place. And now the calming appeal of nature’s vibrant galleries has slowly shifted shades, shriveling into a scowl at the haunting air of death that trespasses this winding passage.

As his horse staggers under the late noon sun, he withdraws her and himself from the road to rest for the day and he uses the time to clear his cluttered head. The lone knight, sought upon by the cool of the night, can be seen scratching his thoughts onto tattered yellowing pages with a stick of thinning charcoal 

Oh, weep at the tale of this lone knight, a lost identity from a measly town known as Daggenhorn of Aleirga. His poor, pitiful life leads him down a wandering road because he is too cowardly to live with his failure. From the conception of this abhorred creature laid the hand of misfortune; he was a devil's chew toy, his life meeting no intention. As a child, he was an outcast. As a young man, he was a servant. As a soldier, he was a coward. Now as a man, in this dingy metal suit, he roams about a failure.

What does this knight hope to find?  After living a story of lies, he seeks the truth for the very first time, even more so, he seeks redemption from his failures, a new start, a reason to keep on living. But the further he gets, the closer he feels to the emptiness that has constricted him for so long. A yearning for death eats away at his body and mind as silence overtakes him in this dark hour. Meditation becomes less able to hold him from the brink of sanity, but a deep, burning passion boils within him, fueling his foolish endeavor. It carries his body onward to his potential demise, all for a slim possibility of life on the other end of this great yet secretive road. This lone knight is, the one and only, Roland Dodding. I am he.

-==-

Continue Reading to Chapter 1:

http://www.wattpad.com/57943445-lone-road-chapter-1?d=ud

©Copyright 2013-2015 Daniel Santiago 
This is subject to terms listed under the kitten's manual of law and copyrights. (I wish such a manual existed.)

Traditional: Dreamer's Paradise and Strawberries&Bottles

 Dreamer's Paradise

(This is an older piece. There are some things that I dislike about the picture, but I think it came out well in the end.)

Strawberries and Bottles

(Mmm, delicious strawberries.)

Promise of Eternal Life from the album of the same name. 

Playlist on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtAShB4dsvWJWn7a50pRCKtkiOi5X9_xB

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/megafancy

Some artwork I've made a while ago. 

 Archangel

Confronting Rage

Death Conquered

Mountain Range

Coast Line

You can find even more at my DeviantArt profile

http://megafancy.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=/

Nakizen Vine Art

Nakizen Vine

by Julia R.Y.

This is the chapter art I painted for a story by Julia R.Y. on DeviantArt.

Nakizen Vine on DeviantArt: http://warmzombie.deviantart.com/gallery/45234273

(do not eat donuts while reading)

Chapter 3 (Underwater Lake)

Chapter 15 (Ambush)

Chapter 11 (Reshaping Tragedy)

PoEL Demo

Promise of Eternal Life is the experimental album I have been working on for the past few months amongst other things.

My goal with this is to try and capture emotion through music, and build up to a finale. I intend for this to be more of a hobby right now, but later it may become something more for me. 

The halfway point is reached here, and I have uploaded four tracks from this project to youtube as well as soundcloud.

Playlist on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtAShB4dsvWJWn7a50pRCKtkiOi5X9_xB

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/megafancy

Traditional Art

Traditional Art

 Traditional Art has been a long lasting hobby of mine, and though I know it is far from professional, I feel proud to have made this far. No doubt I will continue this hobby, and, hopefully soon, be able to sell it like a pro. Right now, however, I will have to settle for selling like an amateur, and honing my skills.

You can find my art at http://megafancy.deviantart.com/

Musics

Often are my thoughts accompanied by soundtracks that fit the mood. I decided therefore, many suns ago, that I would try to replicate what I hear. This is the result of such an endeavor in its earliest of stages.

https://soundcloud.com/megafancy

Regardless of my lack of experience, I decided to launch the project mainly for my sake, that I may improve, and one include this among one of my skill sets. A computer program was used to make these musical compositions.

A Beautiful Translation

Welcome to

Often do people foster unique ideas within them only to lose them to life and death. Some dreams are never realized, and a message that would have impacted a nation, group, or even an individual will have been lost to the wind. A dream is too special to be wasted even if it will only affect one person. That, together with the sake of other's enjoyment is why I'm doing this. This blog is intended to be used as a medium, onto which will be projected my ideas, to translate ideas into an art form best suited for delivering that idea.

Execution is a concern, but the main idea should lie with the message, or concept. I will work in three mediums, writing, music, and visual art (digital or traditional) in varied styles to present these concepts as best I can.