Project Diary X3

May 18, 2012 / posted in Project Diary, writing / No Comments

Can you believe it? It’s sprig, for once. One entire week of solid sun and warm temperatures. It has been so warm people are bitching about how hot it is. Bring out the fans. Put away the heavy bed sheets. And start buying ice cream and popsicles. That’s the funny thing about Calgary. There is no steady rise in temperature, no shift. One day it’s snowing and cold, the next it’s too hot to be wearing clothes.

Onto my progress report:

It’s always a slow week with me. I’m a slow writer. I writer small chunks, and then take the time to muse. I question what I have written. Some writers would say I need to stuff a sock into the mouth of my inner critic, (I’d rather use suck tape — it’s a thing I have with sucks) but take its criticism seriously. What it says isn’t as strong as a real person because the inner critic is just an extension of your own consciousness, but I think it has value to its words if you can learn to filter them.

This is probably why I stick to short stories, specifically flash fiction as of late. It’s easier for me to manage and think about. And flash fiction is no less challenging than a sixty thousand word novel. When I am in the process of writing a piece of flash fiction, I consider the history to the words, the voice of the narrator, how each image will need to convey more than just scenery. In flash fiction, every word has to weigh more than the sentence it is part of. Perhaps the day I decide to walk from the shallow end of the pool into the deep end, what I have learned from flash fiction will help me write novels.

Anyways, after completing this one piece of flash (it took me one month) called ‘Rum and Coke’, I have began a new piece I’m considering calling ‘Mother Has Abandoned Us’. It’s a post-apocalyptic piece, and I have all these neat ideas. I was in a flurry the other night, writing notes on what I wanted in the final draft. I’m guesstimating it’ll take me another month to finish this piece, and I’m thinking it’s going to be less than five hundred words after I finish pruning words that way as much as a sentence.

The Stars In The City

May 16, 2012 / posted in Fiction, Imagery / 14 Comments

And I present this month’s Absolute Write blog chain entry. The prompt was… Zombie Apocalypse, I think. I wrote this kinda for it, kinda not. I decided it fit. I may write a part two, haven’t decided it yet. It’s also part of my own ‘zombieverse’ where most of my experimenting occurs.

——–

He said the city wasn’t so hollow, and that the night sky revealed worlds beyond our own. Apparently a disc, white like cleaned bones, watched over the wasteland at night, and a ball of flame watched the wasteland during day. You can’t see beyond the blood-thick clouds.

I watched the land, and the city’s stars. I watched them diminish as the sky awakened, revealing swirling red clouds. It was whenever I saw a city star diminish at night, and death rattle the wasteland I would pick up my shotgun and lay it on my lap.

They’re out there. Eating us. We are mere cattle to them.

Those were the last words of my father, before disease killed him.

I remember that night, by our fire, hoping we wouldn’t freeze to death. I prodded the fire with the butt of the shotgun, shooting embers into the air like sparks. He shivered, so I offered him my jacket; he waved his hand.

Sweat clung to his beard, pooled in his wrinkles, his face was white, his hands clammy, and I wondered how he had become so ill. I asked him to sit closer to the fire, and when he moved he clenched his jaw.

That’s when he told me about the first day. It happened before I was born, when my father had a smooth face, when he wouldn’t succumb so easily to a sickness.

The sky was blue. The ground was green, and the city was full of people. It had a purpose beyond a hallmark for the past. Of course, that changed. Yes. It changed so fast. The world couldn’t contain what was happening, they spread to fast. Eating us. We were like mice being hunted. And the only solution was to.

His voice trembled, his eyelids closed, opened, closed, as of he was falling into sleep. He wasn’t, though. I looked away, I did not want to see him like this. This was the one story I never wanted to hear.

I met your mother that day too. In the road leading away from the city. Of course, you can’t see it now. At the time we called it the Death Highway. It was a trap. They ate people who tried to leave. We went on foot from there. A good thing. Because that’s when.

His eyes closed, I thought once and for all. But then his lips moved, his voice was a whisper.

Mountains. No better place. To stay. They are out there. Eating the last of us. We are cattle to them.

His voice turned to a whistle, like wind through the walls.

I sat back. Thought of a long road, extending from the mountains into the guy of the city, like a tongue. Is it still treacherous, I wondered.

I kneeled next to my father, closed his eyes, and then looked to the city and all its stars, wondering what stories I hadn’t heard yet. I wanted to hear them all before the stars burnt out. I looked down at my father’s face. It was somehow peaceful. I couldn’t claim the same for me. You should’ve fought it. For me at least, I said.

I let our fire die by the wind. That’s when I left the mountains.

—————

Here are the links to other participants blogs:

orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com
randi.lee - http://emotionalnovel.blogspot.com/
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast/wordpress.com/
kimberlycreates - http://kimberlycreates.com/
writingismypassion - http://charityfaye.blogspot.com/
dclary - http://www.davidwclary.com/
Penelope - http://poet-slash-writer.blogspot.com/
SinisterCola - http://acgatesblog.wordpress.com/
PragmaticPimp - http://www.unfoldingmyth.com/
magicmint - http://www.loneswing.com/
Diana_Rajchel - http://blog.dianarajchel.com/
SuzanneSeese - http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/
AFord - http://af12.webs.com/apps/blog/
J.W.Alden - http://www.authoralden.com/
Nissie - http://www.paperheroes.net/

Mass Effect PC Review

May 12, 2012 / posted in reviews / No Comments

To kick of my summer holidays, and to allow a chance for my brain to melt, I began a Mass Effect marathon. I own the trilogy, yet haven’t beaten any of them. In fact, I’ve only played the first game, and never made it past the opening of the game due to many frustrations I had with Bioware’s epic. Yesterday I beat Mass Effect one in a single sitting, my next move is to finish two and three by the end of the week. Of course, I plan on skipping many of the side quests, as they aren’t really that interesting.

Now onto my review (the first review for a PC game I have done).

Mass Effect is an achievement simply for its story telling and soundtrack. The graphics and gameplay are OK at best. I found the combat to be cumbersome, clunky, boring, and the merging of a shooter and RPG is difficult. The developers should have taken Some inspiration from how Fallout three blended the two together. I played Mass Effect more like it was a shooter, and ignored most of the RPG elements that were not related to the story.

Mass Effect’s story is like movie, a good movie, a well paced movie, a memorable movie. It has plot twists, a developed villain with believable motives and side characters you will either love or hate for their personalities. The plot is complicated, however, and that is because the player has an actual impact on the game’s direction. I’ve played many games, like Fable, which convince the player they have a real impact on the game’s story, but I think Bioware’s developers actual used their talents to give the player the power to change the course of the game’s universe. I enjoyed having the opportunity to decide which side character’s die, if certain species should continue to exist or not. And as far as I can tell, these decisions do effect how Mass Effect 2′s story plays out.

What I also loved about this game is the ability to play a female character that isn’t locked into any stereotypes. My main character was a female. I thought playing from a different gender perspective would make the game more interesting, and it did. I grew up watching shows like Buffy, and playing games like Tomb Raider. Playing Mass Effect with a strong female lead reminded me of those awesome moments in Buffy and so on. Bioware also doesn’t sexualize their female characters in Madd Effect, which is very refreshing to see, considering many video games are marketed towards guys.

Now onto the combat. It’s clunky because of the cover system, slow responses, and bad hit boxes. I really think it’s pointless to use shooting mechanics if things like head shots don’t count — this is coming from a guy who enjoys shooters. The cover system isn’t well put together either. There should be a button that puts the main character into cover mode when say behind a wall, barrel, and etc. Instead you have to run up into a wall, and hope you take cover, but there were times when I didn’t want to take cover and was force into it.

The main reason I feel Mass Effect wasn’t a good blend of shooter and RPG was the weapons. At about the quarter way point through the game I was dominating with the sniper rifle and a pistol that put DoTs on enemies. Also, there was no ammo, just ‘over-heating’. This just doesn’t work. It took away the strategic element from the game as it started to play like a medal of honor game.

I will end by saying Mass Effect is a gem of a game, despite its rough combat and graphics. I think I, and any other people who haven’t played Mass Effect, have to consider it is an old game. I know that is bold to say, but considering the gamin industry evolves so fast, Mass Effect is an old game. But an awesome game nonetheless. I won’t assign a number, stars or letter to this game. Just buy it and play it for its engaging story.

Misfits Season One Review

May 11, 2012 / posted in reviews / No Comments

First things first, I appraise Netflix for exposing me to British television. I become more and more impressed with each series I watch. In the UK, there dramas are much more evolved then what we see here in North America, and they have better taste. Just my opinion!

Misfits is a ‘science fiction’, superhero-esq drama where five young adults lives are changed after an ominous storm passes over their heads and strikes lightening at their feet. Their lives are changed forever, but not necessarily by their newfound abilities, but probably because of their shared experiences in community service. The main cast are young offenders. Each character is serving the community for different reasons, which is partly what the show explores. Misfits also explores the challenges young adults face in the real world, which is why Misfits is such a gritty and edgy show. The show doesn’t hold back on the dark, gruesome details today’s youth are exposed too.

The first season is only six episodes long, each hovering around the fifty minute mark. The episodes are put together well enough that each character finds screen time, and the writers and directors did a solid job in giving each character the spotlight in an episode, allowing the misfits to develop at the same pace. Each character is unique, and it’s their quirks that builds their chemistry. There is Simon, the awkward, antisocial boy who has the power to turn invisible. Nathan was kicked out of his home by his mother, so lives in the community center. He is the clown of the group, and his power isn’t revealed until the last few minutes of the season finale. Kelly, a rough and tough girl has the power to read people’s minds. Curtis was supposed to be an Olympic athlete, but was banned due to an encounter with drugs. He can turn back time. Alisha’s power is the strangest. Whenever a person touches her, they feel the sudden urge to have sex with her. Alisha is trying to cope with her own need for attention. What makes Misfits fun to watch is the main characters don’t have complete control of their powers, and it often gets them into more trouble then the powers are probably worth.

The six episodes are loosely tied together by a main plot, and to be honest, this plot is cliche and seems too mature for the characters. In the pilot, the misfits end up killing their probation officer after the storm that gave them their powers amplifies the probation officer’s rage. The misfits bury him by the river. By the second episode the audience learns that the new probation officer is the fiancé of the dead one, and she assumes the misfits must’ve killed him. The problem with this plot is it turns the new probation officer into the antagonist, which is fine for the most part; however, the writers tried to paint her as a bad person. She ends up stalking the kids, treating them like shit, and tricking Simon into thinking she likes him so that she could uncover the truth. It’s not until the end of the season we see she is just a heart broken woman who wanted to find peace, and suddenly the misfits become the evil force as one of the characters tries to guard their secret, ending in her demise. The audience also isn’t exposed to the potential emotional impact murder would have on the youth. They seem to brush it off as nothing. To out it bluntly, the main thread of the first series smells like a gimmick to keep the audiences attention.

What I found cliche about the plot is its use of “we must not be discovered.” This plot is seen in most popular North American dramas such as Dexter, Breaking Bad, Weeds, and The Shield (to name some).

I think if Misfits went for a more episodic approach, developing all the characters, even the fiancé, and then at the end of the season sparked this plot line, then the season would have been excellent. Not to say it isn’t great. I just think the main plot worked against the show rather then for it.

The misfits and their interactions with the world is what makes the first season both entertaining and memorable. In one episode, Curtis becomes trapped in a time loop where he tries to rectify the past. It had a similar plot to the Butterfly Effect, and it showcased how each character ended up at the community service. Another memorable moment was when Alisha abused her powers to gain attention from other guys, and used her power on Curtis. Only Curtis became upset that he was used as he had feelings for Alisha. He wanted something real, not artificial. It was fun to watch Kelly’s attitude and see how it was a defense for her self conscience state of mind. Nathan uses humor and bullying as a defense mechanism also, to hide from his friends how sorry of a state he is in. And Simon I personally connect with because of his awkwardness. Watching him encounter situations he isn’t comfortable with such as asking a girl out, or even trying to get the attention of the other misfits is well acted and written. Best of all, each of the powers the misfits have is a reflection of their persona.

One last kick ass thing about Misfits is the the opening sequence. A catchy, gritty song combined with an awesome animation. I never skipped the intro.

Misfits is great television because of the strong cast of character. It seem the writers wrote to the strengths of the actors. I suggest this show to any one looking for something edgy and dramatic.

My Origin / EA Customer Service Experience

May 10, 2012 / posted in reviews / No Comments

Everyone is going to see the title of this and think, what terrible thing has EA done this time? Answer: nothin’.

To be brief, I was purchasing that Tera game (I buy every MMORPG that is released (it’s an obsession)) and when it was stuck on processing, I tried to purchase a second time. I’m impatient, and used to Steam’s immediate response. I figured there was a glitch. Anyways, the second attempt at purchase had the same prolonged response. I do a quick search on the net and see people have experienced the same misfortune, and others warned that you would rack up multiple purchases by clicking buy. Apparently it takes days sometimes for Origin to process credit card payments (lame!).

I’m sweating. That is a lot of money to lose. So I find the Origin live chat, and surprisingly am directed to a customer service representative immediately! Who woulda figured!

The representative I spoke with was friendly, and quick to find a resolution. He understood the mistake I made, informed me to contact them again as soon as I received my order confirmation. About two hours later I got the confirmations, so opened the live chat.

I got a different representative, and they were also friendly and quick. Within a couple minutes I had a refund.

I’m not a fan of EA’s origin client, but I am very pleased with their customer service. Many online companies don’t have the greatest customer service. I remember once trying to get CPP (creators of EVE online) to fix my client as it said I didn’t have a paid for account, which I did. After a week of trying to get them to respond, they told me to just open a ticket with PayPal explaining the situation to get a refund. It took a couple weeks for PayPal to ‘investigate’. I wasn’t happy, since it was CPP’s fault not mine.

Blizzard is another example of a not-so-smooth customer service. They cancelled my WoW subscription without telling me why, and when I tried to find out, I had to go through automated responses. Apparently it was hackers. Now I can’t even get my entire Blizzard account activated and I own all their games. I’m still pissed.

So I thank EA for a pleasant experience, and I now have a bit of faith and loyalty to their Origin client (for now).

Monster Dash iPhone App Review

May 9, 2012 / posted in reviews / 2 Comments

It is time for another iPhone App review because it has been oh-so-long since the last one. Plus I have been downloading games from the app store like crazy. Before I begin, quick note: has any other apple users noticed an increase in the price of games in the app store? I’m finding less and less .99¢ games. Anyways.

Monster Dash was developed by the same people who brought us Jetpack Joyride, which I pointed out in an old review that I loved it very much — one of my favorite games. I can’t say I carry the same feelings for Monster Dash, but I will vouch for it. It is a rock solid game, and I expect any mobile gamer will enjoy it.

Monster Dash’s gameplay is simple: run, gun and avoid obstacle. Tapping the right side of the screen and the little character fires his shotgun. The left side of the screen is for jumping. The sound played when the character jumps is similar to Mario’s, and as a result is annoying. Jump to avoid obstacles, and leap across gaps in the map. Shoot to kill monsters. Simple. Which is how I think mobile games should be. When they become complicated, then they are no fun. I like games that I can play for a couple minutes to pass the time while waiting in lone or on the train. Long games should be left to consoles and the PC. Moving on.

The monsters you face depends on the map you’re on. This is what I think makes Monster Dash a worthy game: variety. Unlike Jetpack Joyride, where you always dodge the same obstacles and seeing the same scientists scurry below you, in Monster Dash the map changes every thousand meters. You run along the great wall of china, gunning down demons. You jump from rooftop to rooftop, blowing the heads of zombies. You trek through the snow, hopping on the heads of the yeti like it was a platformer. And so on.

You run until you die when either you lose all your hearts or fail to leap across a gap in the map. You begin the game with three hearts, losing one when you run into an obstacle or into a monster. There are hearts scattered through out the maps that you can collect. Collecting a heart when you have your maximum number of hearts gives you an extra heart, otherwise it heals you.

What Monster Dash needs to make it as good as Jetpack Joyride is collectibles such as coins or tokens. These collectibles could be used to buy more maps, monsters, skins, and upgrades. These features exist in Jetpack Joyride and is one of the reasons Jetpack Joyride is such an awesome game.

Monster Dash is worth the .99¢, but only if you already own Jetpack Joyride. If you have lots of loonies to spend, Monster Dash is a solid purchase.

Canada’s Currency And Why I’m Not A Fan

May 6, 2012 / posted in rant / No Comments

Let’s face it, Canadians, these new polymer bills are a nuisance to us. (Mainly those who work in the retail sector, actually, such as myself. (Actually, this money is most annoying to people like myself who work directly with cash eight hours a day.))

I will first look at the pros of our new plastic bills, and then will examine the cons. I think that is fair as nothing in life is black and white, except for black and white.

PROS:

Durability is the first thing that comes to mind. These new bills can be exchanged without degrading quickly. If you handled an old five dollar bill, you will have probably have noticed how it is tattered, ripped, frail, and usually split down the middle. Polymer bills, being made of plastic, cannot tear as easily as the paper bills (they aren’t actually made of paper). This is good because hundreds of five dollar bills won’t be murdered by people who aggressively manhandle them (I don’t; Unless, of course, I’m feeling aggressive).

Security is the most important feature of these new polymer bills. They have a plastic window, which at certain angles you can see the face printed on the bill from both sides. Canada is known for having a high counterfeit ratio to legal bills, so in a way I do praise Canada for investing in bills that would be difficult to counterfeit.

I am unaware of the rest of the worlds efforts in creating new tender, but I will say that I am proud to see Canada being innovative.

CONS

The colour of these new bills is faded. People scoffed at Canadian bills for being Monopoly money, but we Canadians could pride ourselves on the vibrant colours of our currency. Bue, Purple, Green, Red and Yellow; it was like a rainbow. These new polymer bills have faded colours. The yellow is like puke. The red is like a bruise on the skin. Gross!

Here is one con that no one but me, who is known for taking a bundle of new ten dollar bills and sniffing them every chance I got, would think of. Smell. The old bills smell like books fresh off the press. They smell natural. They smell like a corner of an old room in an old house built in the olden days. The new bills smell like oil, and new, but not a fresh and exciting new like the new car smell.

Counting money can be fast or slow depending on the bills encountered. When counting only new bills, the counting process is sloooow. The fingers slip off the oily surface, like trying to hold onto a frog trying to get away. There are bumps on these new polymer bills; however, these bumps are inconveniently located for someone aspiring to count money fast like me.

One of the most heartbreaking qualities of our new money isn’t even a quality. The old bills had fantastic art features on non-face side, and also featured famous Canadian quotes. The old fifty dollar bill had a portrait of the Famous Five. The five dollar bill has our national sport, hockey (this time next year almost all bills will be phased out for the new polymer bills). The new fifty has a generic boat on it, no quotes. The hundred has a few sciency symbols. (Bleh.)

I am now at the end of my brutal and cynical analysis of Canada’s new polymer bills. I may be griping now, but I’m sure that in the future I will learn to love polymer bills. Perhaps they are an acquired taste like beer.

New To World Building

May 4, 2012 / posted in writing / 2 Comments

I am at the world building of a new summer project. It’s something I have never done. Usually I go with the flow, you know, improvise. But this project is a collaborative, so I simply can’t write something without all the details fleshed out. Plus I think it would help my partner to be on the same page as me.

World building is fun, though, it is a shit ton of work. You discover something about the world you’re creating, then find you need to fit it with the other pieces. Perhaps the best way to describe it is a giant jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces begin face down, and you can only pick up one pier at a time. Eventually things connect, and you’re filled with this excitement and energy to continue exploring the world.

What I am creating is a Zombieverse, but not the typical mindless zombie hordes inside an urban environment. The story is a western/fantasy/action/ adventure. I have posted a bunch of stuff on Lone Swing that take place within the Zombieverse, but this is the first time I am truly trying to visualize the entire world. Which is fun. I enjoy the challenges such as avoiding cliches, making it make sense, making it interesting and memorable.

My basic process right now is just dividing a word document into three sections: HISTORY, SETTING, and CHARACTERS. This has allowed fast navigation and organization as I discover new pieces to the Zombieverse. I plan on using it as a guide, or a reference. It will also be for my partner to read, and then maybe we an iron out some of the details together. We will see.

I don’t usually world build as I tend to write mainstream fiction, or literary. I enjoy playing with characterization, themes, symbols as language, so world building is a treat.

Tell me about your world building techniques.

Project Diary X2: Titles and me rambling about the future again

May 3, 2012 / posted in Project Diary, Updates, writing / No Comments

I’m sticking with the ‘X’ from now on.

And an update of Calgary’s weather: snow threatens to fall again, yet it continues to rain. Cloud covers the sun, and the wind adds to the chill. Everyone thinks its March and not May.

Amidst all the rain and wind, I have finished one short story that is ready enough to share with others. It was once called ‘Pedaled Away’, but that title no longer suits its needs. I am stuck between calling it either ‘Rum and Coke’ or ‘Pack of Cigarettes’

Even though I wrote a post on Line Swing providing advice on how to come up with titles, I’m still terrible at it. They are so hard to figure out. I’m thinking the best method now is to pull a line straight from the work itself. Stay away from over complicating the process, that’s the best bet I’m sure. My Creative Writing instructor suggested this after one of my shorts had a title unflavored by the rest of the class. After hearing their opinions on how it didn’t do the story justice, and how it sounded like something that would belong to a comedy, I figured it was the best idea to steal a line from the prose. I don’t regret it. I did the same thing for ‘Run and Coke/Pack of Cigarettes’.

I am currently working on a quick grammar guide for Lone Swing. I have learned tons of grammar rules over the past year, and I whole-heartily believe to be a good writer you gotta have a strong grasp of grammar. I ain’t the best writer when it comes to grammars which I’m sure my prose shows, but I think working on a grammar guide will help reinforce my own skills as well as provide something for the writing community.

This brings me to my next point: I will be updating Lone Swing by May 12th. May 12th is Lone Swing’s birthday, and my gift to Lone Swing is a new theme (shhh! Don’t tell!).

Street Hockey

May 2, 2012 / posted in Imagery / No Comments

I saw the six boys move the nets to the side of the street to let a car pass by through the window. The smallest boy scooped up the orange ball, and the hockey stick had to be taller than him. When the car turned the corner, the boys placed the nets back at opposite ends of the street.

Yellow and brown leaves travelled along with the ball, back and forth, as the boys fought to score. I could even hear the hockey sticks scrape the pavement. The smallest boy maneuvered around the tall boys to catch the ball as it rolled towards the curb. He raised the stick, then slapped the ball. It fired through the air like a bullet, and rises passed the shoulder of the goalie.

The parents sat on lawn chairs, enjoying the last of the year’s sun, with beers in their hands. They paid no attention to the little boy’s triumph. One of the dads sipped his beer, and the rest followed like he yawned.

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