April 2020 News
Ready for an April Fool's joke?
I'm not.
APRIL FOOLS!
I'm always ready for a joke.
Another month down without me resurrecting Silexare.com. The longer that fails to be a priority, the less likely it will happen soon.
Let's make like Grylls and get into it.
I'm not.
APRIL FOOLS!
I'm always ready for a joke.
Another month down without me resurrecting Silexare.com. The longer that fails to be a priority, the less likely it will happen soon.
Let's make like Grylls and get into it.
Writing
I sometimes end up sitting amidst a pile of scene-guts without clear direction of what to use, what to toss, where to go. This is fixable, and honestly not even that hard a fix. I just need to be able to tap into creativity by CONCENTRATING. Therein lies the problem these days. My job has gone crazy, as I'm sure has yours. Stuff is just hella wack right now, as the youts would say.
(To my distant-future readers, we're in the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic and are enjoying a lockdown/quarantine/social distancing/you name it.)
- ~*~ Silver Lining ~*~ -
I've mentioned I hired Felix Ortiz as the cover artist for V&V. He did miraculous wonders that I can't wait to bestow upon you.
Well, he hit me up over the weekend to share a painting he's been working on related to the cover design work he did for me and by Hove did it elevate my spirits. I'm sharing an iteration of it with you, in the hopes that it brings you a fraction of the utter delight it brought me.
Well, he hit me up over the weekend to share a painting he's been working on related to the cover design work he did for me and by Hove did it elevate my spirits. I'm sharing an iteration of it with you, in the hopes that it brings you a fraction of the utter delight it brought me.
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| painting by Felix Ortiz |
You know what? I'ma tell you a little about it and introduce a couple of characters. There's a lockdown in effect. Pain and suffering and boredom abound so why not? Please forgive any lack of polish. I'm not breaking my nuts over this, just trying to cheer up you.
V&V tells the story of Turesia's civil war, wherein the monks of Ausgan prepare to defend their tropical home against Fohrvylda's warriors, who seek to invade and lay waste.
(imagine the Danish raiders falling on Lindisfarne monastery but instead of finding monks in the position of the fetal, they meet chitin-clad martial artists, singing litanies of lightning)
Foreground Left - Basalt Kale, Ausgan
V&V tells the story of Turesia's civil war, wherein the monks of Ausgan prepare to defend their tropical home against Fohrvylda's warriors, who seek to invade and lay waste.
(imagine the Danish raiders falling on Lindisfarne monastery but instead of finding monks in the position of the fetal, they meet chitin-clad martial artists, singing litanies of lightning)
Foreground Left - Basalt Kale, Ausgan
He's an exemplar (Consonant monk) of the lowest order in Erudition, gifted in negation and very little else. He would use his abilities to help the higher-tiered mancers in their training, but an incident years back cost a fellow exemplar his life. Kale lost all trust and utility. This left him with idle hands and an unpredictable void cloud. Bad combination.
Foreground Right - Irdessa the Undying, Fohrvylda
For the past two years she's been a prisoner of Promontory, forced to fight in the arena Keswal, where she is a crowd-favorite. As brutal as her day to day may be, she will quickly come to miss it after she escapes into the badlands. Turns out surviving combat to the death is simpler than protecting her people from bloodthirsty birds and beasts and the immortal grudge of His Might, Vretos.
For the past two years she's been a prisoner of Promontory, forced to fight in the arena Keswal, where she is a crowd-favorite. As brutal as her day to day may be, she will quickly come to miss it after she escapes into the badlands. Turns out surviving combat to the death is simpler than protecting her people from bloodthirsty birds and beasts and the immortal grudge of His Might, Vretos.
Background Left - Magus Kalderys, Ausgan
The Consonant Fist. Intemrus' Judgment.
A baromancer able to reduce entire villages to ash with his Consonant song. He works tirelessly to defend the Holy City and fight back the cannibals of the Untamed. His only fear in life is that he is not on the beach to meet the Fohrvyldans when they arrive. He will serve them justice, and grant their remains to the wind.
Background Right - Captain Jeret of the Domestic Patrol, Forhvylda
The Consonant Fist. Intemrus' Judgment.
A baromancer able to reduce entire villages to ash with his Consonant song. He works tirelessly to defend the Holy City and fight back the cannibals of the Untamed. His only fear in life is that he is not on the beach to meet the Fohrvyldans when they arrive. He will serve them justice, and grant their remains to the wind.
Background Right - Captain Jeret of the Domestic Patrol, Forhvylda
Jeret desires only to ascend the ranks of Promontory's military, as well he should. If anyone deserves the rank of Marshal and a seat at Vretos' Court, it is not that imbecile Zander. By the time Fohrvylda launches their fleet against Ausgan, he'll have earned a warship of his own, on the front wave of the assault, no matter who or what stands in his way.
Reading
SEVENEVES by Neil Stephenson
At this moment, 60% through it, I give it 3/5 stars. This story takes an amazing and horrifying concept (the moon breaks apart and falls on the world, ending all life) and analyzes it closely, realistically, scientifically, technically, numerically, statisticall.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I'm sorry. This 800 page monstrosity has been a lesson for me in my genre preferences, and you can keep Hard Scifi. I don't care the numerical values of the propulsion required to save a swarm of synchronized arklets from a bolide of X mass. Just show me how they dance in the blackness of infinity while sharing a single brain, why don't ya?
Holy s^&t this book had potential. And you know what? If Neil had exercised a modicum of style with the telling, I bet it would have been 5/5. But no. He wrote it with the exsanguinated prose of a doctoral thesis, as if future generations of scientists might rely on this actual document to save us all when the moon does fall apart.
Holy s^&t this book had potential. And you know what? If Neil had exercised a modicum of style with the telling, I bet it would have been 5/5. But no. He wrote it with the exsanguinated prose of a doctoral thesis, as if future generations of scientists might rely on this actual document to save us all when the moon does fall apart.
EDIT: Ok. I'm at like 80-85% through it now and I'm starting to really see the payoff of the title and the story's theme. We're elevated to 4/5 stars, but it's not going to hit 5. Like I said, prose. That's my kink. That makes the journey worth the destination.
Lest it go without saying, I'm not ruined from Neil. I gave SNOW CRASH a preview and really digged the style therein. Not next or necessarily even soon, I'll give Mr. Stephenson an udder chance.
Playing
Peter wants me to play Halo online.
Drew wants me to play Satisfactory.
Maybe I will do those things.
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| from Squenix, so you know it's freaking good |
Watching
Kingdom s.2
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| I miss it already |
I talked about season 1 on Silexare.com (which is dead right now). Season 2 is exactly as good, if not better. I love visual story telling brought to me by anyone besides that overworked and absolutely exhausted boom bang boobies factory, Hollywood.
I suggest Kingdom for those who can stomach subtitles and who are curious to see a zombie story told WELL with strong characters and political intrigue in an era when blades are just starting to give ground to firearms.
Next Month
I'll see you right here because I'm not reviving Silexare.com in April and anyway, NONE OF US ARE GOING ANYWHERE, SH'LONG AS THE ROROVIRUS IS ON THE RAMPAGE.
now go wash your social, don't touch your hands, exercise face distancing
dtl
now go wash your social, don't touch your hands, exercise face distancing
dtl