Shutting Down

For now the blog is going to be shut down. I haven't posted lately anyway, and have been rather busy with various endeavors, writing being only one of them. I plan on reopening it in the future, but hopefully I will be tying it into Angelic Light's site, or possibly an affiliated site myself and another author are considering. I will be letting everyone know via Facebook if or when this happens. Until then, follow me on Facebook!

A Million Tiny Steps Forward

So a lot has happened since I last blogged, partially because I have been so busy it has been a long time! But every which way you look, things are going great, which is always fantastic. So let us begin!

I am now on the third version of my roleplay system, the Recollection Paradigm, and I think I have finally hit the nail on the head. Focusing more on the tactical decisions that characters can make rather than decisions made while building them has given it a unique, exciting and very adaptable flavor. My one shot last weekend went very well using it, and hopefully the one this weekend will also!

As I sit here, I am also preparing for a job interview tonight! It will put me marginally in a position that involves my education, sorta. Well, better than sweating outside all day! Wish me luck.

I also have another meeting with my new illustrator, Moire. Matt has done some splendid work so far, but I know he is a busy guy, and for the roleplay system and accompanying Tarot deck, I will need A LOT of illustrations, preferably quickly. So while Matt continues to crank out wonderful artwork for my first two series, I will be working with Moire on this most recent project. Going great so far!

Did you think we were done? Cuzz we're not! Oh no, the best is coming last!

Last weekend I was scheduled to meet up with my friend, Dr. Red Hawk, over at Angelic Light Publications to discuss publishing my book. Unfortunately, we had to reschedule for this weekend. I am so very much looking forward to it! After talking on the phone about what working with ALP would entail, I believe that they are exactly what I wanted from a publishing company, and that I in turn will be a good fit for them! Again, wish me luck!

So that is about it. There is so much more work behind the scenes than I care to detail here, but suffice it to say that I have been in a bit of an obsessive frenzy over the last month between the new system, book, publishing Spires of Respite, job hunting and of course, work. Not to mention that whole marriage thing. Why'd I do that again? It takes up so much time!

Nah, I love my adoring wife and wouldn't get half as much done as I do without her constant support!

So catch you guys next time, be it tomorrow or a month from now! :P

Best Day EVER

Alright, today was the most amazing day, and it is going to just be the first day of an amazing weekend.

First off, I received the final proof of my second book to be published, The Spires of Respite. With the alteration to colors and the few formatting edits, it is now perfect. I published it soon after getting home from work, and it is now available on Amazon.com and Createspace.com! I think it is by far my best work, and hopefully that trend continues.

Secondly, I went to Taco Bell with my lovely wife and I was wearing my 'Don't blame the roleplayer, blame the roleplaying game' shirt. The cashier asked what RPGs I do, and was very interested when I replied that I used almost entirely self made systems. I gave him the address of this blog obviously, and I hope to have gained a fan! It was really an amazing feeling to have a stranger so interested in what I do.

I also went to the bank and stocked up on cash for the Renaissance Festival tomorrow, since they don't really do cards all that often. Nothing makes you feel quite like having a wallet bursting with cash lol!

I have also been revising my Recollection Paradigm system. I won't be implementing any of the rather drastic changes until after this campaign to avoid confusion, but it is becoming much more streamlined, bursting with personality and customization opportunities, and the mechanics are getting smoothed out as well. I am hoping to be able to run a few more campaigns pretty quickly, we shall see if the Knerds are on board with that. I would hope so, since many of the regular GMs cherish the opportunity to just play a normal character. The second session of my campaign is on Sunday, which will finish up the weekend of epicness!

So yeah, life is great. Unrelated to this weekend, I have been attempting to contact an illustrator regarding my system and the many illustrations it will require. No response thus far. Got back into contact with Angelic Light Publishing, and I am hoping things will progress on that front. Shout out to my close friend Nicholas Casale for getting his book 'The Crusade of Stone and Stars' published by the same company! Very interesting book with medieval politics and other fantasy themes.

So weekend is packed. Don't expect to hear from me for a few days. (not that I am all that strict about getting on here a lot anyway....) Have a good one!

First Session

Well the first session of running TRP went quite well. I think that the system is quite balanced for the most part, though magic needs some work. Overall I do think the system will be receiving a major overhaul, but after the campaign is over. It works well enough for now, but it is missing a lot of the flavor I originally gave it in favor of balance. The general plan is to make magic more diverse and fun, the character creation process more customizable, maybe add in weapon and vehicle options. But for the most part, I might be leaving the basic guide fairly straightforward, and have separate books to expand on the more elaborate things. Have a section for basic spells, but a book elaborating all of the more complex things you can do as well. Or maybe I just restructure the guide itself to incorporate more detail. We shall see. Whatever ends up happening, great first session, excited for the second!

Final TRP update!

This should be the last update to the guide before the campaign starts.

1. Clarification: Divine magic cannot be taken by Bloodforged. It can be taken by any other race. This means the only race capable of taking any of the magic types is Bloodcursed (who may have a maximum of two magic types).

2. Additional rounds: I have added different bullet types that may be purchased for your guns, making them more versatile and capable of harming a wider variety of enemies. The bullet types are listed under Ammunition.

3. Additional supplies as well as containers for carrying them around. You will have convenient access to a limited amount of material depending on what sort of carrying devices you have with you.

The final version of the guide is going out in an email of course.

Writing Update!

So I spent a few hours yesterday doing the final revisions on my most recent work, The Spires of Respite! It is all ready to go, except that I altered the colors to correct some distortion on the cover. I am currently waiting on a new physical proof to arrive to ensure that my alterations worked as planned.

Other than that, I STILL need to finish the last few chapters of Shroud of the Martyr, the next book in Manikin's Mantle. The plot for my next series is coming along nicely with the aid of the accompanying roleplay system that I have been mentioning on here lately. A lot of projects going on at once, and I look forward to completing a couple so things slow down!

So a lot of exciting stuff in the near future! I hope everyone gets a copy of Spires when it comes out! Please let me know if you have any questions.

TRP Update 2

Just some minor editing this time around. A few of the Flesh Spells did not specify whether they were ranged or touch based. All of the unlabeled ones are touch based.

The Quality 'Toughness' now grants 2 HP.

TRP Update 1

So first update to the official rulebook:

1. Added names to the spells for ease of reference. No actual mechanical changes to the spells.

2. Shifted description of the currency and where it came from to the section just before Equipment rather than under Setting.

3. Rather than a constantly soaked wasteland (which was annoying since I would have to figure out how constant rain would alter the world) I have made it EITHER constantly raining water, or raining the soul devouring fire that was created by the God Engine. This strange weather only occurs in the parts of the world touched by the Unthinkable. First paragraph of the Setting describes this event in more detail.

I don't believe I can attach files to blog posts, so I am emailing the updated guide to those who it is relevant to.

Campaign

So my roleplay setting, The Recollection Paradigm, has been completed at least temporarily. Good news indeed since next Sunday will be the beginning of the campaign I am running to introduce it! I have been so preoccupied I have had little time for anything else, but that isn't too irritating since the setting is shared with my next book series. All of the background I am developing for TRP is helping me with the series also! Very nice in my opinion. So just a heads up, I will be posting updates about the setting and campaign on here, mostly for the use of the players, but also for anyone else interested in my progress there.

Update!

So a lot has happened since my last post, mostly because it was two weeks ago.It is always hard for me to write on work days as I am tired when I get home, and the last two weekends were jam packed. My brother had a surprise wedding (which we were all told was an engagement party), there were another two surprise parties as well. Then I was sick for a week, then my wife was sick. So yeah! But I am back (again), and here is what I have been managing to get done:

1. Revising of Spires of Respite: I have read through the proof and listed all errors, and now need to simply run back through and correct them. It shouldn't take too long to do, and then I will be able to publish it! Expect an announcement of that very thing within the week.

2. Sadly no progress was made on Shroud of the Martyr, so still three more chapters to go.

3. Recollection Paradigm: I can't remember if I mentioned this, and really don't want to go back through and read to find out, so here we go. My current plot in progress is going incredibly well, so well in fact that I have decided to make a roleplay system based off of it. This is also going very well, SO WELL IN FACT that I have been chosen to run the next campaign for the nerd group in Colorado Springs. (if you don't follow any of that, you probably wont care anyway). Both of these endeavors are going SO WELL IN FACT that I have also begun to create a custom tarot card deck to go along with both the game and the series. All of this is going incredibly well, if you didn't catch that before, though it might take a great deal of time for any of it to be seen officially.

So that is what's happening. Any questions, comments or requests for more info, please post in the comments below!

Sympathy for Idiots

Watching an episode of Supernatural (if that doesn't clue you in, spoilers). A bunch of film enthusiasts walking around with their cameras all the time, and one of them gets bitten and begins turning into a werewolf or something. They are freaking out of course, but stumble across the fact that the two FBI agents investigating the murders (Sam and Dean) believe it is a werewolf. And thus the stupidity ensues.

1. You now know for a FACT that a pair of authority figures have knowledge of this condition which is freaking you out. And yet your solution is to try and spy on them.

2. You then ignore the problem until the infected person kills someone. Kinda hard to go back now.

3. After this fact, they discover who the original wolf is, and the human idiot confronts him and forces him to turn him into a wolf as well.

4. Oh yay, and now the insecure one picks a fight with his friend, just because he is confident and can get a girl. Ends up killing his friend and forcibly turning the girlfriend.

5. Only smart move of the whole ordeal is when the girlfriend, who is now a wolf too, kills the insecure kid and asks the hunters to not come after her. Of course, Sam and Dean give her a shot too, which is also a good move.

So essentially a whole episode is wasted trying to get us to feel sympathy for three of the poorest decision makers in the world. I personally tend to not feel bad when people dig their own graves. It is a little harsh admittedly, but hey, there were so many times you could have tried to get this fixed. Instead, you got an innocent person (who admittedly was a jerk) killed and only made things worse from there. There was a point where this was salvageable up there before step 1, and everything after that is what led to two of the three of you being dead.

Publishing and WIP

So part of the reason that I have been absent so long is because I have been speaking to a publishing company. They contacted me about a month ago regarding The Spires of Respite. I decided not to mention it until I was sure one way or another what was going to happen, to avoid raising and crushing hopes. Turns out it was a wise precaution.

After four or five attempts to meet, all of which were eventually called off by the publisher, I have decided that I am done being jerked around. If they want to publish my book, they can come to me now. Since I am no longer waiting on them, I will finally be moving forward with a few projects.

Primarily, I have submitted The Spires of Respite to Createspace for review. I should be able to order a proof by Monday, and sometime next week the book will be available in hard copy and on Kindle. I am very excited about this book, as it is more than twice as long as Cloak and I think much higher quality as well.

I have also continued writing the sequel to Cloak, though that was delayed by my own laziness. I am a few chapters from done, and I am hoping to do at least a chapter a day. At that rate I should be able to pass it on to my editor later this week as well.

Last but not least, my next actual project is about ready to get going. The series is called the Recollection Paradigm, and I have two books that I could start for it. I am very excited for this project and am quite happy it is ready to move forward!

So that is the current news as far as my writing goes. Hope you guys are as excited as me!

Heroes

So today was my awesome brothers birthday and we went out to dinner with him and his fiance, and my mother and her boyfriend. Great fun was had by all, but the reason I bring this up is because of the rather interesting discussion that arose during dinner about Bruce Jenner.

As you can imagine with any hotly contested political or social issue with members of the group on either side, the discussion got somewhat heated at times, but I was very happy to see that it remained productive and thought provoking, and at least as civil as any family discussions ever are. A great many arguments were made, points gotten across, points countered, etc, and I am not here to recreate the entire half hour discussion. What I want to focus on is this. What makes a person a hero?

My brother and future sister in law were of the opinion that Bruce Jenner (Caitlyn Jenner now) could be considered a hero for his decision to have a sex change. The rest of us were of varying opinions, but suffice it to say that we objected to some degree or another to the use of the term hero. Now, I don't want to recreate the arguments of my fellows and get them wrong, so I am going to be stating my own opinions and arguments and invite them to put their own in the comments below. I am much more eloquent when I have time to mull subjects over and write them down, so hopefully this will get my viewpoint across more effectively than the verbal discussion did.

To begin with, I would like to define a hero as I see them. I believe a hero is not just someone who stands up for another, who supports another or helps them. Certainly these people are role models, leaders, inspirations, but not heroes. To me a hero is someone willing to make a sacrifice, to lose everything they have, for the sake of others. Soldiers, police officers, fire fighters, these are heroes because of what they risk. I would not put most social movement icons or leaders on their level. Some exceptions would be black people who peacefully protested and were beaten or arrested for it during the Civil Rights movement. They are heroes because they took action and risked much for their beliefs. However, simply being black during this time does not make you a hero. You may have survived, gone through a lot of hardship, but until you take on additional burdens for the sake of others you are simply surviving. Jewish people during the Holocaust were survivors, struggled, but not all were heroes. Those who were not Jewish and helped them escape or hide, that is heroic. Jews who could have fled, but stayed to help others were heroic. Being in danger doesn't make you a hero, putting yourself in danger for others does.

Now I do not know the personal motivations for Jenner. Perhaps he simply was wanting to find his own identity and become who he feels he is meant to be. Maybe he is trying to become an inspiration for those around him. But I do not believe that he deserves the title of hero. As before, inspiration, icon, role model, sure. But I do not consider him getting a sex change on the level of fighting and possibly dying for people you do not even know.

Now, I would also like to mention the circumstances of this event. A decade or two ago, coming out in this fashion would be sparking a much needed social movement. There would be little support, a great deal of danger, and pretty much certainly social repercussions. Had he come out when he was an Olympic athlete, saying that they could kick him out if they wanted, he was going to stand up for his beliefs, that is heroic. But he did not, whether it was out of fear or simply because he was not ready, or did not know who he truly was. I am not blaming him, simply stating a fact. A decade or two in the future? I doubt that this will even be something worth discussing. Just another guy who was a woman on the inside, no big deal.

I am not trying to say that he planned it, that it was on purpose, or even that he is in any way responsible for the timing. But it does come into play. Someone who stands against the Nazis in Germany during WW2 is a hero, but someone who says that the Nazis are wrong today is not a hero. There is no risk to stating that in the modern day, and little impact. It is widely accepted that Nazis were wrong, just as it is widely accepted that being Transgender does not make you a bad person. The context of the act has as much relevance as the act itself.

I do believe Jenner is brave for the decision he made. I think that it will be difficult for her to go forward from this point, and I am sure the media scrutiny is hardly fun to endure. Certainly there are people very angry with her for this choice. Death threats are most likely being sent. But I believe that at least 90% of the country would be outraged if any action was taken against Caitlyn. When you have the majority of the country behind you, when public opinion and the law are on your side, I do not believe you have earned the title of hero.

Now, if you want to contest whether or not public support is with Jenner and transgenders, alright. I do not have statistics for you. All I have is my observations of the public. And today, America is ludicrously politically correct. Any act against anyone who is any kind of minority is responded to with riots, violence and protests, whether the act is justified or not. It is one of the best times in history to be different.

Now that is just my view, and I would love to hear the views of others. Particularly if they are the views of those who shared in this discussion with me earlier. It would hardly be fair to argue against you in type after mulling it over without giving you the same opportunity to respond. Please do post what you believe makes someone a hero! Minds cannot be expanded and viewpoints corrected (if necessary) without discussion.

Hiatus

So it has been quite a while since I wrote anything. Almost a month in fact. I don't even really have that good of an excuse, just was taking a break. Plot developing, trying to get a hold of a publisher and work for the most part. Ah yes, there was also moving into a new apartment, a birthday (I think... :D) and a great deal of excitement with the Knerd Circle. So it has been interesting for me, I guess I just didn't feel the need to write about it at the time. Oh yes, and a wonderful concert!

So I am back! I may or may not post some stuff detailing my adventures this month, depends on my mood. But know there will be more sometimes witty, occasionally entertaining and always mildly psychotic words here in the future! ^_^

Funking it up

So I recently came across the rather funny music video for 'Uptown Funk' by Mark Ronson and it gave me some interesting ideas for the new series. My last post mentioned trying to make a new character with very different perspectives and thoughts than I normally write, and the music video helped significantly. Although, my meeting this morning with my wonderful editor helped much more than that.

So in general I am trying to get a hold of other music, movies or music videos of similar style. I am told that it is a throwback to the '70s and funk music (hence the name I imagine). If anyone has any suggestions or ideas please let me know!

Different Character Personalities

So in the course of pursuing my new plot I have created some characters that are slightly different than normal. They have personality aspects that I, frankly, do not. In fact many parts of their personalities are things I specifically avoid or disapprove of. I am perfectly capable of writing these personalities from an outside perspective, but for this series I am going to actually be inside of their heads, from THEIR perspective. And honestly I do not know how I am going to manage that.

I am very used to seeing people act in the ways these characters will. Partying, drinking, flirting and attempting to get others to sleep with them, etc. However, I have no idea what goes through their heads during such activities. I think I am going to be seeking out other books I have that have such main characters, and see what I can gain from reading them. If anyone has any suggestions of when such characters are portrayed realistically and in an entertaining manner, please let me know!

Compromise

It seems like the understanding individuals have for the basic nature of politics has continued to degrade over the years. I personally think that the two party system might have been a bad move, as it puts everyone on one of two teams (for the most part) and pits them against each other. Democrats and Republicans view themselves as so opposite that they could never possibly agree. It is going to be their way or the highway. This is in no way a reasonable or realistic view.

The key to any relationship, with friends, significant others, family, or ANYONE, is compromise. Two people are never going to agree on every single decision on idea. Imagine if everybody behaved how they did with politics, but with EVERY disagreement or discontentment in their lives!

"Do you want to go to Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut?"
"Pizza Hut."
"Well **** you I want Taco Bell! You're an idiot for liking Pizza Hut."
"Pizza Hut is ten times better than Taco Bell!"
"Well obviously you are racist against tacos."

If we were as belligerently hateful toward anyone who disagreed with us as many are to those who disagree on politics, the world would be a terrifyingly violent and lonely place. We are all unique individuals, and built into that is the simple fact that we will often disagree. Our views are not what matter the most, or even that we stand by them. Most important is how we treat those we share those views with, whether they agree or not.

An intelligent person needs to always be aware of one thing. THEY COULD BE WRONG. No matter how fervent your belief, how strong your certainty, there is someone out there who believes just as strongly in the exactly opposite view. Of course, THEY are the ones who are wrong though...right? No rational person can claim that they are correct and all others wrong. To claim to be rational, you must first accept that you could also be incorrect, no matter how strongly you believe otherwise.

Since you might be wrong, the current political practice of throwing tantrums until we get our way is not something to be taken lightly. Instead of debating, intelligently stating our points and persuading the other side, we now riot and burn down buildings. It is our way or the highway! Well you know what that inspires? You have now taken away the possibility of compromise from the other side. If it is your way or the highway, then either they have to completely let go of their beliefs in favor of yours, or simply brush you aside. Can you blame them for choosing the latter? You just did the same after all.

This is why extremist movements, such as the Ballot or the Bullet, aren't the movements that succeed. If people are already afraid of this social change, violent threats won't mitigate that fear. It will simply make them more sure that this is a bad idea, that the people you speak for are indeed violent, and that their biased views are even more correct. The way to change there minds is to defy that view, to take their view of your group as violent and lesser, and show them that you are equal and civilized. It is far harder to call a group lesser or violent when they are peacefully stating their views and allowing the police to take them away than when they are running rampant and lighting things on fire.

These are the kind of lessons that people seem to have forgotten.

Even with just two people, like in a marriage, you need to compromise. If you don't, if you just belligerently demand to have things your way, the marriage hopefully won't last long. How can anyone expect for a nation of millions to allow such behavior when a two person group cannot function this way? It cannot. Diversity is strength, as no matter what situation arises, there will be people able to deal with it. But diversity also takes effort, and is a challenge.

Pack Mule

So yeah, this week has been a rough one. My favorite days at work, which were previously to be spent on automatic mowers driving around listening to music, were replaced with labor intensive days that left me sore and tired. Then the days between them remained grueling. My five day week ended up being over forty hours of hard labor, and to top it all off, my weekend got eaten away. (Alright I am being a little dramatic about the weekend.)

Saturday I got to help my cousin Ben move, so another day of heavy lifting rather than my carefree relaxation. And today I had to help my mom move stuff upstairs! (it was about ten minutes of work after a whole day spent hanging with friends and family, but hey I am going to count it!) So 7/7 for this week, but things are looking up! It has rained all ****ing day and I do not see us realistically being able to landscape tomorrow, so I might get a one day weekend after all! HOORAY!

IotD #22

Another song for you all today, and this one has expanded the universe of the upcoming project. It is called 'Carry on my Wayward Son' by The Wynners. I picked up this song because I am a Supernatural fan, along with 'Wheel in the Sky'.

Anyway, this song evokes a sense of understanding and love from a father for a son who he believes has wandered from the path he should be traveling. Despite the son having wandered astray, he is supportive and understanding and still loves his offspring with all of his heart and wishes only good for him. He tells his son to carry on even though he is going to wrong way in his eyes, and tells him that 'there will be peace when you are done.' I take this to mean that once his path is complete, no matter what, the father will welcome him back with open arms to his home and give him a place to rest and recover.

It is a very touching song to me for a great many complicated and personal reasons. But it has made me change my mind about the main character background and role in society. I think this new direction will be very interesting to write, and hopefully to read!

New Stand Up Favorite

Iliza Shlesinger. If you read nothing else, there you go. Go watch her.

AND NOW THE WHY!

Everything she says is funny and correct (mostly). Very hilarious generalizations about men and women and the problems with them interacting. I found it very amusing, especially watching it with my wife so that we can take the parts that apply to each other and poke fun. The only real issue would be that there are a LOT of generalizations that are...well...generalizations....

Okay I guess that's fair. But seriously, sometimes she will say things like 'every single girl has' or 'every guy has' and I get annoyed when those don't apply to everyone. Well, when they don't apply to me. I'm selfish like that. Specifically, the sexual experiences part. A bit of a touchy subject for me, especially since I am in the outlier group who has only had sex with one person. I tend to not have the kind of sexual experiences most people have had because of that, but hey, still amazingly funny!

So yeah, go watch. I am not going to bother going through and finding all kinds of quotes from her show to convince you. She is on netflix, and I am sure youtube has something. If you want to give it a shot, do so. If you don't like the first five minutes, you won't like the rest of it.