gmambo

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I've never been more sure of anything in my life

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Hey…

Hey…

The ladder. Be practical, use the ladder.

Problem Solving: Courage Vs Wisdom - How would you get the Book of Mudora?

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Day 25: Fairy 🧚‍♀️

When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me.

[gmambo]

The Struggle of a Writer

(Note: If I already wrote that title, it's befitting but I apologize in advance)

It’s hard to be a writer.

It’s not a ‘sometimes’ deal when it comes to making art with your words. This is the truth 100% of the time.

You may have noticed how inactive this blog can be. Life happened and it’s happened in big ways; I live in New York City now, got engaged, and am now married to a beautiful young woman who gives me so much joy and supports me in more ways than I deserve. The new life I have is a privilege…and sometimes, I can take it for granted.

The same can be said about my craft. My passion for writing has visibly dwindled. It’s exhausting to think about the act, let alone do it. Even now, I’m straining to communicate effectively to everyone reading this. My grasp of grammar never really happened. It’s a wonder that I’m able to say certain things clearly enough and I would say I’m struggling to keep up with myself. I don’t…know myself anymore. That’s another hard thing to admit, that you’re not quite able to even get out of the fog in your head.

This is the most vulnerable I’ve been for a while. It’s gotten to a point where I know I’m not OK but I want to be OK and live through the storm I’m in. I look at this Tumblr blog and feel a deep sense of failure, as if I died some kind of death already…but I’m not willing to go down like that. And I won’t.

I won’t make promises, mind you…but I always had a passion for this. I guess I’m asking for patience from anyone who’s seen me at work, trying my best to be the best damn writer I can be. I’m praying for persistence and pray that you’ll persist in sticking it out with me…and I know that something is going to come out of the efforts I make…God-willing, this slump will be the last that stifles my growth to the point of productivity not happening. God willing, something is about to change.

Thank you for any support that you offer. God bless you all for the ways in which you’ve just been yourselves. Hopefully I can make promises that I can keep and hopefully this slump will end sooner than later.

Until then, take care…and see you all soon. Blackwriter out.

[gmambo]

Call it cheap. Call it shameless self promotion. Call it whatever you want…but I’m going to call it my contribution to “Nostalgia” for Linktober. It was my first post here on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy it.

The Magic Begins

I can still hear the distant gallops.

The strum of the guitar flits through the air like stardust.

As the title graphic ripples into sight, accompanied by the living, moving backdrop of a valiant youth riding on horseback at dawn, I’m taken in. To this day, I couldn’t tell you how or why this was so. Perhaps that’s still the case for plenty of us.

I was familiar with the Zelda franchise, but only through small glimpses. In 2000, I played a demo of Majora’s Mask and had no idea what I was doing. It put me down in the dumps to see the Moon crash into Termina while I was still a Deku Scrub. The idea of the game confused me and I wasn’t as engaged (I know, I know. Forgive me for the sin. At least I confessed)

The only time other than that was back in the 90s, when Ocarina of Time was barely a concept and Zelda was a known 2D gaming series.

I picked up an SNES cartridge for Link to the Past at a family friend’s house while trying to choose something to play. 

Had I been older and more seasoned like my older brother and his buddy, I would have played the game and been more than engaged.

The magic didn’t happen quite yet. It took time for me to get there.

For me, writing has been a labor of love. Every word I put down on paper or in a word processor requires true thoughts and instincts.

Anyone can type random combinations of letters, which turn into words, which are then sewn together into sentences. However, if you want excellence in the craft, you have to make it an art.

Writing–no matter the subject, genre, or form–takes time. Every second counts. For me, it took time to get to this point, to allowing a secret passion of mine to bloom into a reality.

Writing this blog is part of my declaration of love for this series.

It’s a love letter to the final phases of my childhood, where I was on the cusp of adolescence.

Before I had to “grow up,” I could be a child again. It’s funny how the phrase worked its way into this blog, right?

We all start off as children. We’re always innocent to begin with, no matter the background.

There’s a purity to the beginning of our lives and people will recall that.

How often do our parents remember the day we were born?

Even as an uncle who’s yet to father his own children, I can recall the first time I held one of my nieces and instantly loved her.

She meant the world to me in that moment and at times, she was my world. The sight of her was so precious.

The beginning is beautiful and you can’t truly describe it in order to give such a moment justice. Regardless, you know it’s unforgettable.

In this journey, the beginning was unforgettable. Before I conceived a re-imagined plot of my favorite video game, with original characters added, I had a source.

We already know what it is because it spanned across our minds when we first turned the game on.

This source traveled into our conscience, rooted itself into a precious aspect of our memories and stayed there, making a home in our heads. We were glad to have such a guest.

I can still hear the distant gallops.

The strum of a guitar flits through the air, like stardust.

The living, moving backdrop of a youth on horseback at dawn takes over the screen. He travels through a land brimming with dreamlike wonders and we’re ready to explore it all. 

A title graphic ripples into sight:

Words couldn’t justify what we experienced. However, I knew back then that this was where the magic began.

And so it begins again today, as it always did and always will.

[gmambo]

Say no more.

241

~If you like this comic, give it a like and reblog!~  

[gmambo]

There has to be at least one afrofuturist story like this…

Is it too much to ask for a sci-fi story with incredible world building and an impeccable story line but the main characters of different species in love but their love is so frowned upon that being in the same room is uncomfortable but ALSO UNCOMFORTABLE because they are madly IN LOVE FOR SOME REASON!!

Also can it be based in Africa?

Is it...

Is it too much to ask??

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Naturally. If only we knew who Sheik was…

Nintendo characters whose identities may never be revealed

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Beautiful art…

A Hyrule Horror Story 💀

An AU where Link and Zelda are cursed to wander Hyrule as vengeful spirits until Ganondorf is reincarnated…

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You got to love art for your story coming to fruition. More is on the way, just wait and see.

Art Credit: gvakiart

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500 likes!

Yeah, I get busy

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Great. Now even the Tumblr is convicting me to change my ways. Okay, I get it. No more running away.

first / prev    

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It took me a moment to realize why this was shown…ooof. Just found out the news…

#amazing

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When you make a comeback, come back strong.

It’s tough to fail, but it’s even harder to have never tried to succeed…

I’m paraphrasing former US president Theodore Roosevelt. There’s a lot of truth what he says.

It’s been over a year I believe since I have even done anything with this blog. Because of that, I’m shaking off a lot of rust.

The best part about saying this however is the fact that I’m doing something. It’s better than nothing, and surpasses an action by a mile.

Here’s a demonstration of how I’m moving forward: I commissioned a very talented artist to create this piece for a chapter heading of my fic. Everyone will see it soon, by the end of the day.

This is action. This is what I must do in order to be successful. I have to continually work on not being afraid.

For those of you who are still there, thank you for supporting me. I’ll return the favor making good art (that’s from Neil Gaiman of “Sandman” fame).

I hope I’m demonstrating perseverance with what I’m doing. May this influence you in many good ways.

[gmambo]

Gabriel Mambo turned 2 today!

[gmambo]

Legend of FIVE: A Zelda FanFiction turned 1 today!

It’s amazing what’s happened in the span of a year, with my second book still making occasional updates and more stories on the way for the year 2022! 

Thanks to all my followers who’ve been part of this journey...it’s far from over and I know you’re ready to be part of the ride!

[gmambo]

Let’s Vent About Writing--FanFiction Edition

I hate fanfiction. I’ve realized this for a while now.

Once upon a time it was the foundation of my writing aspirations. My interest in writing started when I was six. Back then, I found myself fascinated by any form of storytelling. 

I snuck around to look at pop-up books about penguins in Kindergarten. The Very Hungry Caterpillar had an artistic beauty I couldn’t put into words. I could say the same about Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are and just about any other book that came my way.

As the years went by, fanfiction became the staple of why I write. It was the ultimate echo exercise.

My first completed story was a retelling of the first book in the science fiction series Animorphs by K.A. Applegate. Five teenagers acquired shapeshifting powers from an alien in order to help combat an intergalactic threat that made its way to Earth.

I replaced the characters with self-inserts. I made myself the main character and add four other classmates, family members and more to the fictional mix. Everything in my story copied the first book beat-by-beat, with slight alterations so there was some semblance of originality.

In fifth grade, Legend of Zelda opened a doorway for me. When I walked through, I found myself in a house called the fandom. I’ve enjoyed my stay there for two decades now…but the ride wasn’t always the greatest.

Trying your hand at a passion comes with ups and downs. At the best moments, you love the process and even the struggle becomes a wonderful adventure. Nothing deters you and writing fanfiction is fun.

Then, there’s the low moments.

I have my moment when I want to just put down the pen or the pencil for the final time and quit. If my computer screen is showing, the word processor turns out blank. Or, I fill it out with mushy words that come out clunky. Then, I erase it all and walk away because I hate how bad the process has become.

I start to think that maybe I’m a bad writer. I start to think that maybe I’m unworthy.

You post a story on fanfiction.net. Sometimes, people say “I like it, this is good.” At other times, they say “well, it has issues…” and then it goes from there.

People imply that you shouldn’t write the story you posted anymore.

They tell you that your style, abilities and knack for crafting good fiction just won’t do.

All your efforts don’t matter. The love you have doesn’t matter. In a way, you don’t matter either.

It stings. To hear that your work isn’t good enough hurts in a way where I want to give in so silence can follow.

I prefer silence to the push back. The push back adds a lot of weight to me because ultimately, the hill you climb on becomes a mountain.

I didn’t want the mountain. I didn’t even want the hill. A straight, steady field would have worked just fine. A simple road is what I wished for.

To my dismay, life doesn’t work like that. It beats you down, not because it hates you, but simply because the world is so mired in reality that it will do whatever it wants without any regards to you.

Life doesn’t love or hate. It doesn’t play favorites or anything else of the sort…it just…is.

I don’t find myself loving the craft anymore. If anything, I almost wish I didn’t start.

I wish I didn’t fall in love with writing because it led to heartaches and realities I’m yet to fully handle, though I know these times may simply be snags in the road.

One day, my writing may gain recognition once more. Perhaps it’s only a matter of when I’m pushed to the forefront again.

Until then, I’m going to feel beaten down. Everything I put on paper looks mediocre at best. I see it. Readers do as well.

And yet, even though I hate writing…I also love it as well.

I’m not going to give up. More on that later.