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Happy Hyper Ass April Everyone!
Posted 5 months agoIt's the beginning of April and you know what that means... It's time for big bottomed furries and admirers to once again try and make Hyper Ass April an official holiday. For my part, I plan on pencil sketching at least one of my characters at least once a day and maybe squeeze an appropriately themed story in as well. I hope some of you will join me in celebrating this holiday.
Simple Times Studios
Posted 7 months agoThis year I started on a new project to promote and challenge my writing... I've started a Youtube channel where I read my adventures in solo tabletop RPGs; Simple Times Studios
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt.....VLOD5B-BzYTrSw
It's only mildly furry but I play short games with a variety of RPG systems and settings to try and chip away at my "shelf of shame." Hope you'll enjoy the listen.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt.....VLOD5B-BzYTrSw
It's only mildly furry but I play short games with a variety of RPG systems and settings to try and chip away at my "shelf of shame." Hope you'll enjoy the listen.
The King is dead. Long live his kingdom
Posted a year agoAccording to the University of Michigan, about 100,000 Americans die from surgical complications from elective surgeries (ie: surgery you can schedule in advance) each year. Earlier this week, August 6th, Dragoneer joined that unfortunate statistic.
Honestly, I don't really have that much to say about the man. I didn't agree with some of his decisions but I didn't really interact with him enough to have a strong feeling for him either way. It's still a crappy and stupidly random way to go out and my condolences to his family.
Still, as
rabbi-tom reminded me in his own recent tribute, Dragoneer helped the fandom grow in ways we would have never dared to imagine when the website was just starting out about twenty years ago now (has it really been that long?) We had a center point where we could gather and interact with other furries all over the world in ways that no site had ever done before. We went from being the weird corner of deviant art to a fandom that rivals the other pillars of nerddom. And though we still have our detractors, most of our detractors have publicly demonstrated that they are more insane then we are.
None of this would have quite happened the way it did without Fur Affinity. And it will be interesting to see what happens now. If the people behind the website had a plan for this, good. If not... twenty years is still a hell of a run for a site especially one with FA's pedigree.
Honestly, I don't really have that much to say about the man. I didn't agree with some of his decisions but I didn't really interact with him enough to have a strong feeling for him either way. It's still a crappy and stupidly random way to go out and my condolences to his family.
Still, as
rabbi-tom reminded me in his own recent tribute, Dragoneer helped the fandom grow in ways we would have never dared to imagine when the website was just starting out about twenty years ago now (has it really been that long?) We had a center point where we could gather and interact with other furries all over the world in ways that no site had ever done before. We went from being the weird corner of deviant art to a fandom that rivals the other pillars of nerddom. And though we still have our detractors, most of our detractors have publicly demonstrated that they are more insane then we are.None of this would have quite happened the way it did without Fur Affinity. And it will be interesting to see what happens now. If the people behind the website had a plan for this, good. If not... twenty years is still a hell of a run for a site especially one with FA's pedigree.
Happy 2024
Posted a year agoHappy 2024, let's make it a good one.
2023 was an interesting year, three years in my new house now. Going to publish another book soon, been dragging my feet on that because I wanted to do some research first and consider my options only to use that as an excuse to not do anything. Going to fix that and publish the second Queen of the Star Pirates novel, about halfway done with writing the third. Hopefully the third will be the finale or at least a good point to end the series so I can go work on something else.
Also discovered Solo RPG journaling last year and it was... definitely an experience. Definitely will have to do more with that in the future somehow especially as I have a lot of games I can't get groups together to play. Least of all my own RPG. I plan on returning to that and getting an improved version out hopefully sometime this year.
2023 was an interesting year, three years in my new house now. Going to publish another book soon, been dragging my feet on that because I wanted to do some research first and consider my options only to use that as an excuse to not do anything. Going to fix that and publish the second Queen of the Star Pirates novel, about halfway done with writing the third. Hopefully the third will be the finale or at least a good point to end the series so I can go work on something else.
Also discovered Solo RPG journaling last year and it was... definitely an experience. Definitely will have to do more with that in the future somehow especially as I have a lot of games I can't get groups together to play. Least of all my own RPG. I plan on returning to that and getting an improved version out hopefully sometime this year.
Fat Bear Week?
Posted 2 years agoThanks to 
anime-wolf-08 https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10698605/
Apparently on Wednesday it will be fat bear week and will continue to the following Tuesday October 10th....
This needs to be co-opted into a proper furry holiday like Fat Bunny Week right now. I'm already working on my submission right now.
anime-wolf-08 https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10698605/Apparently on Wednesday it will be fat bear week and will continue to the following Tuesday October 10th....
This needs to be co-opted into a proper furry holiday like Fat Bunny Week right now. I'm already working on my submission right now.
Obligatory "Where To Find Me" Journal
Posted 2 years agoJust an list of other locations to find me where I'm active. Will update this list if or when I find a new place to open up shop:
- Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/psionicninja2000
- Sofurry: https://psion42.sofurry.com/
My DeviantArt account is slowly coming back to life though I still mostly lurk there. Sofurry I've fallen behind on when I shifted from short stories to full novels for retail but might put some effort into updating there. I'm not leaving yet though I admit I am thinking about it. Don't worry though, you won't get a big "I'm leaving!" journal. I'll just go. There's no point in drama, the last few years have made it quite clear how many of my friends here are fake and just how little I really knew a lot of people. If I do, you'll know where to find me.
- Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/psionicninja2000
- Sofurry: https://psion42.sofurry.com/
My DeviantArt account is slowly coming back to life though I still mostly lurk there. Sofurry I've fallen behind on when I shifted from short stories to full novels for retail but might put some effort into updating there. I'm not leaving yet though I admit I am thinking about it. Don't worry though, you won't get a big "I'm leaving!" journal. I'll just go. There's no point in drama, the last few years have made it quite clear how many of my friends here are fake and just how little I really knew a lot of people. If I do, you'll know where to find me.
Happy 2023 everyone
Posted 2 years agoHappy new year, let's hope the high points of 2022 continue, the low points get resolved, and things get progressively better.
Also, I am not scanning colored pencils in ever again after I finish uploading these four pics from last year, did not expect the scanner to eat the colors that badly.
Also, I am not scanning colored pencils in ever again after I finish uploading these four pics from last year, did not expect the scanner to eat the colors that badly.
2023 resolutions
Posted 2 years agoOkay, resolutions for 2023:
- be more open to using the block function in chats and on Social Media.
- FINALLY finish editing Quicksilver (currently at roughly one-third done.)
- Write Endless Bounty and hopefully edit and publish it in the same year, wrapping up that series and putting it behind me.
- Playtest my RPG system and develop it further. Also consider seeing how the attached setting would play in other systems.
- Lay down groundwork for future projects to push myself in new ways.
- be more open to using the block function in chats and on Social Media.
- FINALLY finish editing Quicksilver (currently at roughly one-third done.)
- Write Endless Bounty and hopefully edit and publish it in the same year, wrapping up that series and putting it behind me.
- Playtest my RPG system and develop it further. Also consider seeing how the attached setting would play in other systems.
- Lay down groundwork for future projects to push myself in new ways.
Merry Christmas
Posted 2 years agoMerry Christmas and a happy new year. Let's hope it's a good one without any tears... seriously.
Happy holidays
Posted 2 years agoMerry Christmas everyone.
In other news, almost 40 pages proofread
In other news, almost 40 pages proofread
So... about DA's AI Art policy.
Posted 2 years agoContrary to my opening remarks on social media, I am TRYING to keep an open mind about the AI Art and Writing debate that has been thrusted in my lap after several years of the idea being the punchline in a bad joke.
Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to give a damn about the critics. Even recently lost any respect I had for one artist I follow and will probably remove from my watch lists shortly after making this post. Sorry, you cannot publicly condemn this AI nonsense as "lazy and stealing work from honest artists" then promote an adoptables drive the following day. Adoptables... literally the absolute LAZIEST way to make art without automation. And don't even get me started on how Adoptables are essentially NFTs now.
Anyway, here's my critique of the arguments against Creative AI.
"You're just pressing buttons"- Not.... exactly. While there are options to enter prompts and just let the AI go nuts, I've seen at least one program that allows you to upload an image and direct the AI to work from that. Likewise, back when I experimented with AI*, the interface for talking to it was a word processor similar to Microsoft Word. So yeah I was pressing buttons, but I already press buttons on a typewriter or in Word or its countless clones so not a good argument there either. This distinction becomes important in the next argument.
"It's not your art"- Again, not exactly... Sure, things are going to get murky with "art by prompt" pieces and if you upload someone else's art (especially that you did not pay for) then you are a complete dick. However, if I upload a piece of art that I drew myself, especially if it's a picture of something that is more or less uniquely my own creation, that's MY art. And if the AI spits out an improved digitized version of it in return for my devotion to the Machine Gods, that's still MY art. And if you think otherwise then you have a seriously messed up understanding of the word "mine."
"You're stealing work from other artists"- No I'm not because that's not how automation works and even if I was, I'm unfortunately past caring. First of all, the "art economy" of most of the art sites I'm on is not driven by commissions. It's driven by Patreon memberships and lazy template art (adoptables and Your Character Here-style art) that AI Art is thankfully rendering obsolete. On most of my sites, almost no one has done traditional commissions for at least ten years and most of my conversations suggest that this is pretty much the same everywhere. You either spam no talent template art, go professional, or get sponsored by Patreons to devote to personal projects that they enjoy as much as you do.
But Psion, you're a writer that will need an artist for- Yes I am a writer, and in 2018, I also took some art lessons and resolved to teach myself the rest of the tricks I needed to know so I don't have to EVER depend on another person for either professional illustrations or my own personal art fix. Because after ten years of actively commissioning and getting burnt by enough unprofessional behavior to keep a "Commissioners Beware" site busy for years (so many of you on Fur Affinity are LUCKY that I am not a drama queen,) the only artists remotely professional enough that I would consider hitting them up "for old-time's sake" are pretty much either dead, stopped doing art entirely, or retreated into their own personal projects and aren't taking outside work. So I turn to my own pencil and paper... and a Wacom tablet I really need to sit down and troubleshoot so I can figure out why it stopped talking to my computer. I'm turning to my own devices and letting the rest of the art community burn. Because does it ever deserve to.
*Yes, I briefly experimented with AI a few months back to see what it was like and if it would help my writing. Ultimately I was disappointed by the program but I still made the attempt. After all, you can't tell me that some glorified Speak and Spell is going to be my replacement and not expect me to test and ultimately try to break your damn toy. And the fact that AI was broken right out of the box for me is why I honestly think this drama is being blown grossly out of proportion.
Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to give a damn about the critics. Even recently lost any respect I had for one artist I follow and will probably remove from my watch lists shortly after making this post. Sorry, you cannot publicly condemn this AI nonsense as "lazy and stealing work from honest artists" then promote an adoptables drive the following day. Adoptables... literally the absolute LAZIEST way to make art without automation. And don't even get me started on how Adoptables are essentially NFTs now.
Anyway, here's my critique of the arguments against Creative AI.
"You're just pressing buttons"- Not.... exactly. While there are options to enter prompts and just let the AI go nuts, I've seen at least one program that allows you to upload an image and direct the AI to work from that. Likewise, back when I experimented with AI*, the interface for talking to it was a word processor similar to Microsoft Word. So yeah I was pressing buttons, but I already press buttons on a typewriter or in Word or its countless clones so not a good argument there either. This distinction becomes important in the next argument.
"It's not your art"- Again, not exactly... Sure, things are going to get murky with "art by prompt" pieces and if you upload someone else's art (especially that you did not pay for) then you are a complete dick. However, if I upload a piece of art that I drew myself, especially if it's a picture of something that is more or less uniquely my own creation, that's MY art. And if the AI spits out an improved digitized version of it in return for my devotion to the Machine Gods, that's still MY art. And if you think otherwise then you have a seriously messed up understanding of the word "mine."
"You're stealing work from other artists"- No I'm not because that's not how automation works and even if I was, I'm unfortunately past caring. First of all, the "art economy" of most of the art sites I'm on is not driven by commissions. It's driven by Patreon memberships and lazy template art (adoptables and Your Character Here-style art) that AI Art is thankfully rendering obsolete. On most of my sites, almost no one has done traditional commissions for at least ten years and most of my conversations suggest that this is pretty much the same everywhere. You either spam no talent template art, go professional, or get sponsored by Patreons to devote to personal projects that they enjoy as much as you do.
But Psion, you're a writer that will need an artist for- Yes I am a writer, and in 2018, I also took some art lessons and resolved to teach myself the rest of the tricks I needed to know so I don't have to EVER depend on another person for either professional illustrations or my own personal art fix. Because after ten years of actively commissioning and getting burnt by enough unprofessional behavior to keep a "Commissioners Beware" site busy for years (so many of you on Fur Affinity are LUCKY that I am not a drama queen,) the only artists remotely professional enough that I would consider hitting them up "for old-time's sake" are pretty much either dead, stopped doing art entirely, or retreated into their own personal projects and aren't taking outside work. So I turn to my own pencil and paper... and a Wacom tablet I really need to sit down and troubleshoot so I can figure out why it stopped talking to my computer. I'm turning to my own devices and letting the rest of the art community burn. Because does it ever deserve to.
*Yes, I briefly experimented with AI a few months back to see what it was like and if it would help my writing. Ultimately I was disappointed by the program but I still made the attempt. After all, you can't tell me that some glorified Speak and Spell is going to be my replacement and not expect me to test and ultimately try to break your damn toy. And the fact that AI was broken right out of the box for me is why I honestly think this drama is being blown grossly out of proportion.
Christmas Music
Posted 3 years agoRadio stations around here started playing Christmas music with one station starting on 11/18 and the rest now getting into the swing of things. Normally I hate Christmas music because of how horribly overplayed it is but I must admit Silent Night is pretty awesome. And to make it play all you need to do is unplug the radio.
It's the end of Twitter as we known it...
Posted 3 years agoIt's the end of Twitter as we know it!
It's the end of Twitter as we know it!
AND I FEEL FINE!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, no matter how this story ends, this is possibly the first good thing to happen since February of 2020. Yes, it's currently utter chaos in the nest of that little blue bastard but honestly, I can't see this as a bad thing and, after figuring out how it's probably going to end, I have to wonder if the current kerfuffle wasn't Elon's plan all along. Anyway, here's my official thoughts on the matter...
If you are whining about the current chaos on Twitter, shut up because no one cares about the feelings of a worthless bigot that literally has had nothing better to do then spread gossip, "othering" largely random people, and championing political causes that do nothing but inflate their delusional sense of self-worth. Two, go see a therapist because you need help. Seriously, you really should see a shrink about that addiction problem you have. And the latent narcissism. Because I have never met a Twitter fan/apologist that didn't have their head shoved completely up their own butt and their eyes glued to their phone.
The current chaos surrounding Elon's buyout and especially the chaos with blue checkmarks and fake accounts has been both eye-opening and essential. Eye-opening because it shows how much sway over things Twitter has (too much to be honest) and essential because it deals a badly needed dose of humility for everyone involved including the Twitter community itself. Too much has been invested into something that is frankly just a very toxic illusion. Which is why over the past year I've been banning and blocking anyone that cites Twitter as a credible source of information. Yes, my mental health was and still is worth immediately severing ties with anyone that honestly believes Twitter is anything other then the biggest steaming pile of misinformation since Alex Jones' Infowars.
Where this will all end with Twitter? I really only see two outcomes, the same two I've been seeing ever since Elon started this stunt back in April. Either Twitter burns to the ground or somehow Elon reveals that he knew what he was doing all along. If Twitter burns, it will be a win. The community is so toxic I'm surprised Twitter doesn't qualify as a Superfund Site. This same toxic community will probably migrate to one of the other social media platforms... where they will discover that the communities there have no patience for their petty little mind games. Tumblr of all places has already started pushing back against the Twitter migration to their service.
If Elon's plans somehow magically fix Twitter or at least make it somewhat pleasant to use... well that's still a win. As Twitter's worst problem, its community, is still fixed...
It's the end of Twitter as we know it!
AND I FEEL FINE!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, no matter how this story ends, this is possibly the first good thing to happen since February of 2020. Yes, it's currently utter chaos in the nest of that little blue bastard but honestly, I can't see this as a bad thing and, after figuring out how it's probably going to end, I have to wonder if the current kerfuffle wasn't Elon's plan all along. Anyway, here's my official thoughts on the matter...
If you are whining about the current chaos on Twitter, shut up because no one cares about the feelings of a worthless bigot that literally has had nothing better to do then spread gossip, "othering" largely random people, and championing political causes that do nothing but inflate their delusional sense of self-worth. Two, go see a therapist because you need help. Seriously, you really should see a shrink about that addiction problem you have. And the latent narcissism. Because I have never met a Twitter fan/apologist that didn't have their head shoved completely up their own butt and their eyes glued to their phone.
The current chaos surrounding Elon's buyout and especially the chaos with blue checkmarks and fake accounts has been both eye-opening and essential. Eye-opening because it shows how much sway over things Twitter has (too much to be honest) and essential because it deals a badly needed dose of humility for everyone involved including the Twitter community itself. Too much has been invested into something that is frankly just a very toxic illusion. Which is why over the past year I've been banning and blocking anyone that cites Twitter as a credible source of information. Yes, my mental health was and still is worth immediately severing ties with anyone that honestly believes Twitter is anything other then the biggest steaming pile of misinformation since Alex Jones' Infowars.
Where this will all end with Twitter? I really only see two outcomes, the same two I've been seeing ever since Elon started this stunt back in April. Either Twitter burns to the ground or somehow Elon reveals that he knew what he was doing all along. If Twitter burns, it will be a win. The community is so toxic I'm surprised Twitter doesn't qualify as a Superfund Site. This same toxic community will probably migrate to one of the other social media platforms... where they will discover that the communities there have no patience for their petty little mind games. Tumblr of all places has already started pushing back against the Twitter migration to their service.
If Elon's plans somehow magically fix Twitter or at least make it somewhat pleasant to use... well that's still a win. As Twitter's worst problem, its community, is still fixed...
36...
Posted 3 years agoWhelp, successfully completed 36 revolutions around the sun as of yesterday... Not sure how I feel about that anymore to be honest. A lot has changed since this time last year and not all of it for the better. Some of it has been but not all of it...
On the positive, I'm working on giving Quicksilver one last editing pass, on page 14 out of 121 with that. And I am trying to get together a couple playtest groups so I can take them through Camp Artemis and get some feedback to improve it and the subsequent Socket System that will come out eventually.
On the positive, I'm working on giving Quicksilver one last editing pass, on page 14 out of 121 with that. And I am trying to get together a couple playtest groups so I can take them through Camp Artemis and get some feedback to improve it and the subsequent Socket System that will come out eventually.
Writer, artist... game designer?
Posted 3 years agoWell, my submission for DrivethruRPG's PocketQuest TTRPG game jam is up and for sale. Apparently I am a game designer now:
Prepare for epic summer camp adventures IN SPAAAAAAAACE at Camp Artemis! This 18 page "zine style" tabletop roleplaying game contains everything you need to have exciting camp adventures on Artemis III except dice, some writing materials, and 3 to 5 friends.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/produc.....iate_id=343997
This link will take you straight to my DriveThruRPG store page where you can purchase your PDF copy of Camp Artemis, my first Socket System game. Set in the Orion Commonwealth universe, this self-contained RPG contains all you need to run wholesome summer camp adventures in the human Sol Federation.
Prepare for epic summer camp adventures IN SPAAAAAAAACE at Camp Artemis! This 18 page "zine style" tabletop roleplaying game contains everything you need to have exciting camp adventures on Artemis III except dice, some writing materials, and 3 to 5 friends.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/produc.....iate_id=343997
This link will take you straight to my DriveThruRPG store page where you can purchase your PDF copy of Camp Artemis, my first Socket System game. Set in the Orion Commonwealth universe, this self-contained RPG contains all you need to run wholesome summer camp adventures in the human Sol Federation.
Big Announcement Incoming
Posted 3 years agoSo I may have a big announcement coming in the next couple of days. Stay tuned...
Something that sounds straight out of Adipose City
Posted 3 years agoSo, my parents told me about a silly new meal plan service that comes with A SMART OVEN!: https://www.tovala.com/
Apparently Tovala is advertising heavy on streaming services (yeah, we now have ads on Streaming services...) and since I don't watch television outside of the weather and the news since I moved into my own house, this is the first I heard of this. Looking it up... it's a stupid plan that proves that sometimes reality is stranger then fiction.
- It's a meal plan similar to Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. Pay roughly the same you'd pay at a decent sit-down restaurant per meal for the luxury of not having to shop for ingredients or plan meals.
- Comes with the option to purchase a smart oven for $300. Buuuuut they had a sale where it was $50 if you bought it with a meal plan (which is 10 bucks PER MEAL)
- The oven is the size of a microwave and needs Wi-Fi and a smart phone to get full functionality out of. Can scan grocery barcodes and the company's proprietary meals to automatically warm up to the preferred cooking temperature without need for preheating but that requires Wi-Fi. Otherwise the oven is an overpriced toaster oven. Wi-Fi and smart phone is also required for basic setup.
So we have a company selling an oven with their meal plan. An oven that probably spies on you to collect data about your eating habits for marketing purposes...
Apparently Tovala is advertising heavy on streaming services (yeah, we now have ads on Streaming services...) and since I don't watch television outside of the weather and the news since I moved into my own house, this is the first I heard of this. Looking it up... it's a stupid plan that proves that sometimes reality is stranger then fiction.
- It's a meal plan similar to Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. Pay roughly the same you'd pay at a decent sit-down restaurant per meal for the luxury of not having to shop for ingredients or plan meals.
- Comes with the option to purchase a smart oven for $300. Buuuuut they had a sale where it was $50 if you bought it with a meal plan (which is 10 bucks PER MEAL)
- The oven is the size of a microwave and needs Wi-Fi and a smart phone to get full functionality out of. Can scan grocery barcodes and the company's proprietary meals to automatically warm up to the preferred cooking temperature without need for preheating but that requires Wi-Fi. Otherwise the oven is an overpriced toaster oven. Wi-Fi and smart phone is also required for basic setup.
So we have a company selling an oven with their meal plan. An oven that probably spies on you to collect data about your eating habits for marketing purposes...
SAINTS and Synners
Posted 3 years agohttps://shop.gallantknightgames.com.....synners-tinyd6
Whoooo! Space Western RPG is a-go!
Been following the creator off and on since about 2017 (we joked that this setting would be released for Starfinder.. which thankfully never happened) and he's a good guy with a lot of fun ideas I was happy to follow since then. And SAINTS and Synners is a complete RPG, no need to buy any other game in the Tiny D6 system.
Whoooo! Space Western RPG is a-go!
Been following the creator off and on since about 2017 (we joked that this setting would be released for Starfinder.. which thankfully never happened) and he's a good guy with a lot of fun ideas I was happy to follow since then. And SAINTS and Synners is a complete RPG, no need to buy any other game in the Tiny D6 system.
Obligatory Political Statement/Working on My Reading List
Posted 3 years agoFor those of us in Western Russia and... pretty much all of the former SovBloc countries at this point. Stay safe and keep your heads down.
We will now return to your regularly scheduled programming
Finally and perhaps ironically, I finally started reading The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Specifically the reprint with a foreword from John Scalzi (more on that in a second.) Been meaning to read it for awhile now as I've already read all of David Drake's Hammer's Slammer's novels and got through most of the Starfist books by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. All I need to do is read Haldeman's work and then I'd have the perspectives of really the three main military sci-fi writers from the US-Vietnam war era.
Still reading and looking forward to seeing how it ends for main character Mandella but so far, I've been drawing two big impressions:
- John Scalzi, author of the foreword in my copy of The Forever War, is a complete douchebag. His foreword is smug, arrogant, and manages to make it about himself while still talking about Haldeman, basically encapsulating everything that is wrong with the modern literary scene. If I didn't have any interest in Old Man's War before, I definitely don't after that foreword.
- Where as Sherman and Cragg maintained the stance that "War Is Heroic" and Drake took the stance that "War is a Necessary Evil", Haldeman just goes straight "War Is Vile and Wasteful." There is a subtle cynicism that coats everything from the snippets of background we get for every character to the description of the battles with the aliens and in general the novel has a very dark undertone. Still reading because I want to see how it all ends.
We will now return to your regularly scheduled programming
Finally and perhaps ironically, I finally started reading The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Specifically the reprint with a foreword from John Scalzi (more on that in a second.) Been meaning to read it for awhile now as I've already read all of David Drake's Hammer's Slammer's novels and got through most of the Starfist books by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. All I need to do is read Haldeman's work and then I'd have the perspectives of really the three main military sci-fi writers from the US-Vietnam war era.
Still reading and looking forward to seeing how it ends for main character Mandella but so far, I've been drawing two big impressions:
- John Scalzi, author of the foreword in my copy of The Forever War, is a complete douchebag. His foreword is smug, arrogant, and manages to make it about himself while still talking about Haldeman, basically encapsulating everything that is wrong with the modern literary scene. If I didn't have any interest in Old Man's War before, I definitely don't after that foreword.
- Where as Sherman and Cragg maintained the stance that "War Is Heroic" and Drake took the stance that "War is a Necessary Evil", Haldeman just goes straight "War Is Vile and Wasteful." There is a subtle cynicism that coats everything from the snippets of background we get for every character to the description of the battles with the aliens and in general the novel has a very dark undertone. Still reading because I want to see how it all ends.
Minor Art Flood Incoming
Posted 3 years agoJust a bit of warning that I'm going to be scanning and uploading several pictures that I drew from last year. Also going to be looking through my sketch books to see if there are any other I can scan and upload.
New Years Resolutions 2022
Posted 3 years agoAlright, in addition to a couple personal resolutions I will either end up breaking in a month or are just resolutions to continue things I started back near the end of 2019... here's my plans for 2022.
- Fix up and spruce up my house further: Hard to believe that that this week was the first year anniversary of me passing papers on my first house. Hard for me to believe it took me this long to get one but even harder to believe that most folks haven't gotten as far as I have. Eh, it is what it is. Next year I have a bunch of little projects to do myself and a couple big ones I'm going to bug a local contractor about.
- Writing: In addition to FINALLY finishing Quicksilver, the second Queen of the Star Pirates novel that I should have finished editing this year, and hopefully finish writing the third in the same year, I've looked through my pending projects, stories I've started, setting notes, etc... and after I finish QofSP I'm going to focus on the Orion Commonwealth or some other noble-bright sci-fi writing projects. Maybe crank out a novel or a collection of short stories and flash fiction in the setting. While I have a lot of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic projects I really should get back to and finish, dystopia has lost its thrill. And not just because we're currently living through one... because hope in fiction is dead and the people that murdered it have no clue how to rekindle the flame. Maybe this change in direction is what I need to get back to my other projects as well....
- Lastly, will I finally start contributing to The Fight by blocking, banning, and blacklisting everyone on my social feeds that follows the philosophies of Social Justice, Third-Wave Feminism, Hypocritical Corporate Activism, and so on? No I will not... because I already started doing that back in September after being made aware of the controversy that happened at the Mary Lin Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. And after trawling through several local news sources on the subject, learning all I can about the parties involved, and stewing on what I learned for several days... I went through all my contact lists and started unfollowing and blocking everyone that openly beat the drum of social justice. I will have no business with bigots no matter what cereal box philosophical bullshit they use to justify their actions. Not next year, not the year after, not ever. I'm done pretending they ever were anything other then what they always were, hateful little monsters no different then the beasts they hunt.
- Fix up and spruce up my house further: Hard to believe that that this week was the first year anniversary of me passing papers on my first house. Hard for me to believe it took me this long to get one but even harder to believe that most folks haven't gotten as far as I have. Eh, it is what it is. Next year I have a bunch of little projects to do myself and a couple big ones I'm going to bug a local contractor about.
- Writing: In addition to FINALLY finishing Quicksilver, the second Queen of the Star Pirates novel that I should have finished editing this year, and hopefully finish writing the third in the same year, I've looked through my pending projects, stories I've started, setting notes, etc... and after I finish QofSP I'm going to focus on the Orion Commonwealth or some other noble-bright sci-fi writing projects. Maybe crank out a novel or a collection of short stories and flash fiction in the setting. While I have a lot of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic projects I really should get back to and finish, dystopia has lost its thrill. And not just because we're currently living through one... because hope in fiction is dead and the people that murdered it have no clue how to rekindle the flame. Maybe this change in direction is what I need to get back to my other projects as well....
- Lastly, will I finally start contributing to The Fight by blocking, banning, and blacklisting everyone on my social feeds that follows the philosophies of Social Justice, Third-Wave Feminism, Hypocritical Corporate Activism, and so on? No I will not... because I already started doing that back in September after being made aware of the controversy that happened at the Mary Lin Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. And after trawling through several local news sources on the subject, learning all I can about the parties involved, and stewing on what I learned for several days... I went through all my contact lists and started unfollowing and blocking everyone that openly beat the drum of social justice. I will have no business with bigots no matter what cereal box philosophical bullshit they use to justify their actions. Not next year, not the year after, not ever. I'm done pretending they ever were anything other then what they always were, hateful little monsters no different then the beasts they hunt.
Merry Christmas
Posted 3 years agoMerry Christmas everyone whether you celebrate it or not. There will be a minor art flood after the holiday, enjoy.
Progress Update 12/2/2021
Posted 4 years agoCan't think of a witty title, especially not one that tops my last journal. So here, have an update on what I have been doing for the past few months and thinking about doing.
- Started writing a setting bible for Anthracite City to try and get a better handle on it. What may change this time around? A lot and yet very little. The Rik-Tah are being dropped, most of the other worlds connected to Anthracite City are getting dropped to focus on a conflict between Anthracite City and radical elements of Silicon City so I can have supervillains duking it out with hardened post apocalyptic warriors. At present, the only character that might see her bio get edited is Elizabeth Summers.
- Recently wrote a short flash fic for Silicon City for a weekly writing contest. Didn't win but damn did it feel good to revisit a setting I haven't really touched since 2016. Going to go rummage around to try and find my old notes and compile them into one document before building upon that, writing down my thoughts on topics I mentioned but never really embellished and decide if anything should be changed or updated. Also going to have to decide if I want to reference real world events since 2016 or just branch off and do my own thing. After all, I already decided that America in Silicon City elected their first third-party president in 2016 (and yes, Dr. Teror would go on to win the 2020 election in the Silicon City universe...) But anyway, given how Anthracite City and Silicon City are intertwined, I really should get cracking on this as well.
- Currently back to proofread and edit Quicksilver after I took a break to clear my head. Mostly I'm just changing two (major) fight scenes to draw them out and establishing a minor character a bit more.
- Started writing a setting bible for Anthracite City to try and get a better handle on it. What may change this time around? A lot and yet very little. The Rik-Tah are being dropped, most of the other worlds connected to Anthracite City are getting dropped to focus on a conflict between Anthracite City and radical elements of Silicon City so I can have supervillains duking it out with hardened post apocalyptic warriors. At present, the only character that might see her bio get edited is Elizabeth Summers.
- Recently wrote a short flash fic for Silicon City for a weekly writing contest. Didn't win but damn did it feel good to revisit a setting I haven't really touched since 2016. Going to go rummage around to try and find my old notes and compile them into one document before building upon that, writing down my thoughts on topics I mentioned but never really embellished and decide if anything should be changed or updated. Also going to have to decide if I want to reference real world events since 2016 or just branch off and do my own thing. After all, I already decided that America in Silicon City elected their first third-party president in 2016 (and yes, Dr. Teror would go on to win the 2020 election in the Silicon City universe...) But anyway, given how Anthracite City and Silicon City are intertwined, I really should get cracking on this as well.
- Currently back to proofread and edit Quicksilver after I took a break to clear my head. Mostly I'm just changing two (major) fight scenes to draw them out and establishing a minor character a bit more.
Happy Thanksgiving and New Rule
Posted 4 years agoFirst of all, happy early Thanksgiving to everyone (well, almost everyone as we will get into in a minute) on my watchlist. And if you don't celebrate the holiday, have a great day regardless.
I briefly considered reposting comments I made on another social media site regarding Certain Recent Legal Events ™ but decided against it, at least until I have a chance to properly watch the livestream records for myself (yes, apparently those exist.) I don't expect my opinions to change too much but still, it's good to have the actual facts in hand when dealing with the Internet.
However, I HAVE seen enough to finally break down and make a new rule: Anyone that quotes Twitter as an authoritative source on political or social opinion is going to be blocked and shunned on the spot, no joke and no exceptions. Simply put, I am finally cutting the morons out of my life. Thank you and good day. We will return to your regularly scheduled programming after the holiday.
I briefly considered reposting comments I made on another social media site regarding Certain Recent Legal Events ™ but decided against it, at least until I have a chance to properly watch the livestream records for myself (yes, apparently those exist.) I don't expect my opinions to change too much but still, it's good to have the actual facts in hand when dealing with the Internet.
However, I HAVE seen enough to finally break down and make a new rule: Anyone that quotes Twitter as an authoritative source on political or social opinion is going to be blocked and shunned on the spot, no joke and no exceptions. Simply put, I am finally cutting the morons out of my life. Thank you and good day. We will return to your regularly scheduled programming after the holiday.
Finished my last Starfinder campaign
Posted 4 years agoYesterday I finished my Starfinder campaign. One of the longest continuous campaigns I've ever run and successfully finished. The players found a partially terraformed paradise planet with the ancient terraforming machinery still functional, transmitted the location to their home government, and returned to their home system just in time to be stopped by a colonization fleet asking them if they want to turn around and go with them. An open ending for sure but a happy one as the remaining players certainly earned it.
Started originally during the beginning months of the pandemic to help pass the time, the game ultimately lasted one year and about six months. In that time, I lost and regained the plot at least once, changed the theme, improvised new mechanics that I will have to flesh out at a later time, made new friends, field tested Grimmerspace playtest content against the players, and lost all but one of my original players due to either real life obligations, out of game arguments, difficulties with the medium (I was running Theater of the Mind with Discord,) or difficulties with the Starfinder system.
As for what I plan on doing next? I plan to put Starfinder on the shelf and forget about it for a while. Why? Well for a lot of reasons, I am not happy with either the community Paizo has built around this game or with the quality of their releases since the Character Operations Manual. Also, I have a collection of 40+ TTRPG books (and a handful of PDFs) that I either haven't played in ages or haven't played at all, most of it independent/small press stuff, so I think I should reacquaint myself with those books and start writing plots for one-shots or short campaigns. I also have my own system that I started and work on here and there.
Will I return to Starfinder? Maybe. Depends on how Grimmerspace fares when it finally launches.
Started originally during the beginning months of the pandemic to help pass the time, the game ultimately lasted one year and about six months. In that time, I lost and regained the plot at least once, changed the theme, improvised new mechanics that I will have to flesh out at a later time, made new friends, field tested Grimmerspace playtest content against the players, and lost all but one of my original players due to either real life obligations, out of game arguments, difficulties with the medium (I was running Theater of the Mind with Discord,) or difficulties with the Starfinder system.
As for what I plan on doing next? I plan to put Starfinder on the shelf and forget about it for a while. Why? Well for a lot of reasons, I am not happy with either the community Paizo has built around this game or with the quality of their releases since the Character Operations Manual. Also, I have a collection of 40+ TTRPG books (and a handful of PDFs) that I either haven't played in ages or haven't played at all, most of it independent/small press stuff, so I think I should reacquaint myself with those books and start writing plots for one-shots or short campaigns. I also have my own system that I started and work on here and there.
Will I return to Starfinder? Maybe. Depends on how Grimmerspace fares when it finally launches.
