Building Character 101

Episode 6: The Journey into The Wild

*Explicit Warning* Our lives take us on paths that we could never imagine. These paths mold our identity. But what happens when you have to hide parts of your identity? Our main character for this episode is Argenis Peralta. He shares a vulnerable story of his path on studying to be a priest, coming out as gay, and now proudly walking the path of his entire identity. And if I sound especially awkward in this one its because I have never had this conversation before, but I am proud to have had it. This episode does contain some language and topics that others may find offensive. I'm almost certain devout Catholics will be offended by this at first, but its real. It's not going away. I thought about editing it some and censoring some language, but doing so I believe would have removed its authenticity. The main take away from this episode is this: there needs to be an environment for all of us to be able to be vulnerable. We cannot silence those who are struggling. We have to listen to each other.  I think in this regard, we all have a lot of building to do. So, let's keep building.

Episode 5: The Zen Stuntman

In Hollywood cinema, there are several death defying actions that leave the audience in complete awe. We leave the theater wanting to know how some of these stunts were preformed. "The Magic of the Movies." Our main character for this episode is someone who is apart of that magic and has several roles to his credit. To doing stunt work for actor, John Leguizamo in Bloodline, facing off with the duo of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso in Netflix's Cobra Kai (Season 3, Episode 2 at 22 minutes and 10 seconds to be exact) and facing his untimely demise due to Harley Quinn and a golden javelin in The Suicide Squad, this man is not afraid to live dangerously. I'm pleased to present to you actor and stuntman, Christopher Llorca. In this episode we talk about his appearance in Cobra Kai as "Luke," how karate is such a large part in his life, and that sometimes when you're faced with a challenge you just have to meet it head on. So lets sit back, grab some popcorn, and lets start building!

Episode 4: The King of Games

Ahh. The world of trading card games (or TCGs.) This is a world where the brightest strategists can compete against each other across the table, or online nowadays, and test their mental fortitude. For some its a cerebral battlefield, for others its a mind challenging hobby, and for some its just the joy of collecting these little pieces of cardboard with shiny backgrounds to add to their already ongoing collection. And believe it or not, I have known some people turn these TGCs into thousands of dollars of profit.  Our main character today is the self-proclaimed "King of Games" himself, Cesar Negron. I have never met an individual whose mind can master so many games and then systemically destroy every opponent he faces. Now Cesar is quite the savant at several games, but I had to narrow it down to one. So he and I decided we were going to talk about the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game.  Whether you are a veteran TCG player or someone passing through that has never even purchased a pack of these shiny cardboard pieces, Cesar and I have a great conversation about effort, practice, and being knowledgeable about your passions. No matter what you love in life, you get what you put into it. And I think that has a lot to do with building character. Well, what are we waiting for? Its time to b-b-b-b-build some character! Lets start building!

Episode 3: The Chapters Master

Every life tells a story. Indelible marks left on every page. But more often than not, before a story takes to paper the story is experienced.  Our main character of this episode is James Leonhardt! A man who makes sure every tale that he tells keeps the listener wanting more. I don't believe I have ever met someone who can interweave perils, comedy, and action into an epic that keeps you on the edge of your seat (or in most cases at the edge of the gaming table.) James is arguably (and I'm the one arguing for him here) the greatest to run a game of Dungeon & Dragons that you'll ever meet.  In case you didn't know, yes its the game where we roll a lot of weird dice, sit at a table for a couple hours, and pretend to be wizards or warriors. And I am a proud player of the game myself.  In this episode, James and I discuss the importance of good storytelling, the game of Dungeon & Dragons, Pathfinder, and other table top roleplaying games (TTRPG), and we even discuss the creation and design of James' very own roleplaying game, "Chapters!" I truly believe when "Chapters" gets released it will revolutionize the TTRPG world forever.  And if all of this makes no sense to you whatsoever, then just sit back and enjoy the story. You already made it this far.  Lets start building!

Episode 2: Beast Heart.. Writer?!

In this episode our main character is comic writer and freelance columist, Lan Pitts!  He is a Freelance Columnist for Newsarama, has written WWE comics for BOOM! Studios, and has written his own comic "Beast Heart Strikers!"  Lan and I talk about how the Kamen Rider, Super Sentai (better known as Power Rangers in the West) and Sailor Moon series' influenced the creation of "Beast Heart Strikers." Lan also shares some of his experience and advice for those who are writers and artists wanting to break into the comic book world.  We also find a way to talk about wrestling, French Toast, comic conventions (because clearly those are related in someway.) Well, lets start building!