Not Dead

I swear.

I've just been busy. Between my tumblr project and other small writings I haven't done much on my original works except poke at them when I explain them to people.

But I have found a great writing friend that I hope to continue to meet with to bounce ideas off of. His ideas are rooted in Dungeons and Dragons as he is a DM, Dungeon Master, aka the Story Teller. He helps the players create great characters to go on epic quests with brilliant twists and depth to them. He laments not being able to put his stories actually to paper but damn, his ideas, D&D based or original, are fantastic. I want to help him get them out there.

At the same time, I've run my ideas by him and have gotten some epic feedback. He's fixed the ending of Not a Hero completely and made it a thousand times better which means I really need to find names for everyone and just sit down and write it. And between my new friend and my dad, I think I'm about ready to write my Fairy Tale. I am tempted to write it for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month) but again I need names and a brain.

I've been getting into a weird cycle where I can just spew words out like no other. I'll be able to build up some headway on the tumblr project. Like right now, I am five stories ahead. I've been able to do this enough that we are now posting two stories per week. But then after this burst of writing, I immediately go into a dearth where I am struggling to put two words together. I still get ideas but they just won't flow from my brain to my hand and it's fucking annoying, excuse my language. Just a couple days ago I was a fire hydrant of stories and now I just keyboard smash and it's better than anything I actually try to write. Write now I'm in the dead period so I don't know if I'll actually NaNoWriMo but I'm gonna try.

Happy Halloween!

Dragon Link

Hic Sunt Dracones
This combines my engineering love and that stuff from the blacksmith into my favorite creature (don't tell me dragons aren't real. Don't you dare say that). The robotic movements still aren't as fluid as it biologically would be but hey I'm not complaining at how awesome it looks. I'm going to start plotting my own dragon soon if we can't get them bioengineered.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/09/18/the-worlds-largest-walking-robot-is-a-giant-dragon/

Photo Art Link

Art that is fantastic. Photo realism in painting and drawing is a lot harder than it looks like but this is an awesome twist. It's photos that don't look real. They absolutely look like paintings. I wish I had an eye like this.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/10-photos-that-look-like-paintings/

Blacksmith Link

Oh man, I want this as an occupation. This is badass! And if I can't become an apprentice, I will save up to buy something from this guy. I've seen him around a couple of times, even a video of him turning the Key Blade from Kingdom Hearts into a functional weapon (instead of the blunt object that it appears to be).

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/08/hollywood-blacksmith-tony-swatton/

Science Fiction Story Link

I've been pretty lame about upkeeping this blog which I was afraid of with the new job. However I have been slowly collecting interesting articles/links that I have found or been given so I'd like to share those in a facade to make it look like I am still here.

To start it off, my brother gave me a link to a collection of short science fiction stories that I have been slowly trawling through because I am such a completion-ist. So below is one that I really enjoyed. If you like science fiction, go explore this site. It has science fiction of all flavors.

http://365tomorrows.com/08/16/dreams/

Alke and Aeacus

So I commissioned a brilliant artist, Ana, to do a drawing. I am spectacularly happy with it. I present to you, Alke and Aeacus. 

Alke is bold and boisterous, gregarious, hard working and tough. She has a happy disposition, but is kinda clumsy which she get made fun of a lot. In turn she jokingly gets angry at that but takes it in stride. She hates to see friends in distress. She is very good at her job as a civil engineer and takes pride in it. She is easy going until something stupid happens and she has to go out of her way to fix it. She doesn’t do that quietly, but she will make sure it doesn’t happen again. She isn’t about the drama, however, she just doesn’t like stupid, wrong, or rude.

Aeacus, the arbiter, is very wise and knowledgeable over many subjects, but her advice is largely disregarded for reasons she can’t figure out. She hides her insecurities behind an act of being drunk. She is usually found carrying a large jug around of ‘wine’ (really just grape juice). She drops hints of good advice, but as she is perceived as a drunk, it gives everyone a reason to ignore it. She is also a good sounding wall for some reason and everyone is inclined to spill their emotions to her. She is secretly very good at setting people up and making things work uncannily. She is very protective of her friends and will do anything to save them.

The two of them are best friends, Seruts, “Partners of the Soul.” They balance each other out and keep each other sane and somewhat out of trouble (they have been arrested together on several accounts but Aeacus has gotten them out).

Okay enough about them, I just want to gush about the art! Ana caught Aeacus’ personality perfectly through the reclined pose and I really want Alke’s dress (the shoes came out brilliantly!). Just the soft colors and the detail on the fountain, wow. And Aeacus’ jug! I love everything about this. It is perfect. If you have characters you love and want drawn, please go see if Ana’s commissions are still open. It is totally worth it. (Though if you don’t hurry I might beat you to them and get in line again.)

Science Fiction Rec: The Gentle Seduction

Just read this.

Sports

So just recently I went to a baseball game (pictures are coming). I'm new to the Chicago area and my dad is simply visiting but still we had conversations with complete strangers over a team from out of state. And neither of us have ever lived in city that hosts the other team. Yet, we have a connection with those people. We were able to share our support for something that we had varied amount of interest in. Dad talked about history and recent seasons. We shared a chair with a group needing an extra. We talked tickets and awe at the cool stadium. We even had connections with people supporting the home team through this game. We had friendly banter with easy shots and nice returns. We talked to people who sat next to us, even the girls behind us who knew nothing about the game just because my dad had his glove and would protect them from a foul ball (we didn't get to catch anything, but we were ready).

But through all of this, I was struck by the realization of why we have sport teams and why they are an important part of our society. They bring strangers together. It's a common point to rally behind. And it's a topic devoid of any politic, socioeconomic leanings. It isn't tied to social beliefs, education, personal persuasions, gender, age, race, etc. All you have to do is watch and support a bunch of people play.

It's probably a remnant of our history as we had to come together to survive. It was us against nature and we were all on the same side. And then we grew a bit and it started to become us versus them. Groups against other groups, but within the group, members banded together over a common enemy and a will to survive. As we continued those groups became larger and the need to survive decreased. But we still have a longing to bond together over conflict. We want to share a common enemy with someone just so we can share with someone. Thus we have turned war into sports and factions into teams and through these substitutions we have our camaraderie and connection to other people, to otherwise perfect strangers.

Plus an excuse to drink beer outside in the sun.

What happened to Science Fiction

Article

I have been waiting for something like this since my science fiction class my freshman year of college. When I learned of the Golden Age of science fiction and related that to the Star Trek and Star Wars I had grown up on, I have begun to wonder where all of the science fiction has gone.

Science fiction, especially in the Golden Age (Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury), actually excited people and gave the public incentive to push at programs like NASA. Everyone wanted to reach for the stars. Everyone wanted to be out there.

Now? Not to much.

It's seen as a waste of time and effort. We have lost the hope that there is something spectacular out there and are getting too focused on the material things on Earth. We aren't even focused on the right things here on Earth. We are too busy looking at ourselves to even look around us at the other humans that exist on the surface of this rock speeding through space. We don't have a moment to spare to look up.

But that was only one shift in our perception apparently. This article covers the other.

I do disagree with their continued use of the word 'porn' to describe the content of the films, but they are right about the switch from active intelligence solving problems to using brute force in a futuristic setting. I think the trend starts from a concept I've talked about a long time ago, the introductory character. Writers want to bring in the audience through a character who knows as much as they do. They don't want to be left behind at the very beginning. But unfortunately it seems like this introductory character has been copy/pasted onto the rest of the characters as well. We've even lost the booksmart/streetdumb character for average joes going out and accomplishing greatness. The scenery of the science fiction world is still there. Writers and directors still have grandiose designs for our future cities and impossible to believe devices, but the way the characters interact with them seems to be lacking that futuristic edge. It makes one doubt that humanity will ever reach that stage if their best and brightest are just fumbling around. Even the classics are being rewritten, as subtly pointed out by the article.

Star Trek has always been classed as a team of scientists, explorers, engineers, and technicians led by the brave but worldly captains of the Star Fleet. There was a focus on how the technology affected life and how we would perceive other societies through that lens of technology. They got dozens of seasons over several franchises following that theme. Yes, sometimes it was cheesy and sometimes it connected back to humanitarian themes and sometimes it was the brute force that won out, but not always.

But we've lost a little bit of that with the remake. Everything to me was too shiny and too perfect. There wasn't the grit or wear that I would love to see. Getting into space won't be easy and it definitely won't be so manufactured. But that aside, as the article stated, the focus is on how Kirk isn't suitable for captaincy and that's why he's the best guy for the job. ... Think about that statement. It doesn't work and it definitely wouldn't be allowed. Ever. Yes, it makes a good story, but you lose the coherency of the background setting when you go about breaking the rules like that. And Spock isn't rewarded for his hard work or intelligence but on his emotional outbursts and constant banter with Kirk. Even the engineer only gets lucky instead of outsmarting his opponent. They are all kinda competent at their job, but that's not why they are lauded in the films. The Next Generation comparatively had the characters play to their assigned roles as captain, first officer, science officer, security, therapist, engineer, ensign, etc, before focusing on their personalities and characteristics.

The article goes into the why of this phenomenon. Despite the trend of everyone and their grandmother owning the latest piece of technology, we can't seem to use them. We laugh at those who are technology dumbfounded and then smack our phones/computers/laptops/music playing devices when they don't do exactly what we want. We have generated technology smarter than us. I am speaking in general terms. I understand that there are very intelligent people out there who have never had a technical problem that took them longer than fifteen minutes, but man, I have been reading Not Always Right, and we as a whole don't know how to handle technology. It's this sense of frustration that is pushing writers and directors to make all of the cast into introductory characters despite their intended role so that we as an audience don't feel mocked or ridiculed by the newer technologies. We are comforted when we see people of the future having technical issues and resolving them with brute force because it validates our current behaviors. This contrasts with the competent but modern characters which give us the sense of hope that maybe we haven't let the technology exceed us. We get a sense of "Oh, I could do that if I really tried" instead of a worrying pressure that in the future we'll all have to be naturally good at everything. Which isn't true and why there still needs to be a balance between the everyday heroes and the booksmart/streetdumb and maybe even the streetsmart characters to support the heroes.

But it would be nice to have some competent heroes to look up to. You know, have a brilliant engineer be the star of the show so that people would be inspired to become that engineer. I'm sure there are stories and plot lines that don't revolve around the lead's insecurities, incompetencies, ability to break the rules without real consequence. I mean, do we really want the next generation to look up to those types of characters?

I understand there is the social pressure on the media to feed them what doesn't make them uncomfortable, to give them what they want in return for money, but I think the media also has a responsibility to push back onto society. There is not a doubt that media shapes society as much as society demands of the media. But one of them needs to start standing up and push back at the vicious cycle that we've fallen into. Calling it out is the first step. The next is for people to start listening. To start paying attention. And look at that, I've circled back onto an old argument.

My Chicago Story 7

It shouldn't be surprising that I found elk in the elk pasture in Elk Grove, but I was excited when I did. And I immediately texted my father about it. To appease his inner child and to cross it off his bucket list, I took him on a date to the elk pasture. He was excited even if the elk were like fifty feet away and being lazy butts.

But after dinner we drove past and found the elk up by the fence! So of course I had to pull over and go let Dad say hi again. Ecstatic is an understatement for how happy and super excited he was. They got close enough that one of them snorted up his nose. He was tickled pink by that. 

 

My Chicago Story 6

Another great thing about Chicago is how I am about thirty minutes away from the beach. All I have to do is head west. I went two different times. The second time I actually dipped my toes into the water.

 

oh god its me and my face and my legs.... Hi! *sheepishly waves*

My Chicago Story 5

You guys sick of me and my terrible phone camera yet? No? Good, here have seven more city shots.

My Chicago Story 4

So after the aquarium, I got to be driven around the city in a convertible where I was practically hanging out of the car taking tourist pictures. Top 14 will be between this post and the next. (And by top, I mean, hipster quality artistic view or just shit I think looks cool.)

 Hey! Look! It's Gotham! Actually it really is where they filmed Dark Knight and it was just before some construction so some of the damage seen on screen was real.

My Chicago Story 3

Aquariums... I LOVE aquariums. Unfortunately I was spending too much time looking and hunting for the fish in the exhibits to actually take pictures of them (my bad) but when I stopped for lunch I did capture this freaking awesome skyline.

 And then we have the Shedd from the outside. It was fantastic, will visit again and with anyone who loves fish. Took about 6 hours to casually go through EVERYTHING. Worth it.

My Chicago Story 2

These are some bridge pictures that I took driving up to Chicago. That Penske truck is all of my stuff. These are for you, Mom!

And then we get to Chicago and move in. But I wanted some furniture so we went off to Ikea and we saw this travesty of an Irish pub. My ancestors are sobbing. Of course I had to document it.

And then my place! The apartment building is nothing to look at but the grounds are pretty nice and have their share of ducks so I feel right at home. (Actually I think a couple of the ducks are Runners like home.)