Not too long ago, I changed my personal quote on this site. The previous one was wrong for so many reasons, mostly due to it's inherently negative nature, so it had to go. I don't bring this up as some kind of wayward request to reach out, no I bring it up because the new quote has generated some questions that I felt a need to answer here rather than on a per message basis.

Oh and, as a head's up, you folks trying to be witty or derogatory with those messages were noted and easily ignored. I'm giving you a (dis) honorable mention here because I found your attempts humorous. Well done; I do love a good troll attempt! Now then, to the actual meaning of this journal. For those who don't feel like looking, here's the quote again to save you a trip to back to my profile page:

Only A Fool Fears Great Failure. It Is The Small Losses That Break A Man Down.

These words were spoken near the final hours of Drakengard on the PS2. It was a simple game, known for being a hack and slash in the most obvious definition of the word and, in fact, very reminiscent of the dynasty warriors series. To avoid making this any longer than it needs to be, the gameplay was simple but the story reached to some dark places that only got darker as the series went on. In short, to survive a battle and find some sort of justice in a battered world, the main protagonist of Drakengard 1, Caim, made a pact with a long suffering dragon in order for them both to escape and find what they think they're looking for.

As the world grew darker and the game less and less forgiving, your dragon would evolve and gain new abilities...mostly a new appearance and more health or damage. With the final hours of the game drawing to a close, Caim finds himself having to trust more and more in this creature that he so vehemently wanted to destroy upon their first meeting. Soon, as the story draws to a close Spoiler Warning On An 11 Year Old Game, the dragon must either turn on all to usher in a new world or sacrifice itself to save it. In that moment, should you have met the criteria to cause her to be sacrificed, the dragon that originally cared little for your player character gives a heartfelt speech and tells you her true name, Angelus, before passing away.

Needless to say, it resonated with me greatly. What really stuck with me though, is that quote she spoke on the selection screen before one of those fateful missions. She was an arrogant creature, used to the petty violence that filled men's hearts and their desire to aim far too high much too quickly. She trusted no one and yet, before she finally met her end, Angelus found solace in the one human that at first hated her more than any other.

There are a lot of things I claim to know, many more that I outright deny knowledge of, but admitting here and now that I wept for that dragon and her human ally is the easiest thing I've ever done. Though it may have been written an ocean away from me and by people I will, sadly, probably never meet, the meaning of Angelus' words ring no less true today than they did over a decade ago: The harshest failures are often not the worst, it is the seemingly insignificant ones that grate on us the most.

She said it better of course, but you know what I mean. So there you have it, a sixteen word quote made more descriptive, I doubt I did the writer justice, but that is how I interpreted it. For now though, I'm off. Take care, you devoted readers who made it this far!