So, Happy October. What the hell.
Um. Things I've Done These Past Few Months so I don't look like I do absolutely nothing with my abundance of time >_>
- did a week-long house/petsitting job for my art teacher, looking after her five dogs and two cats. That was fun. While there I watched the Willy Wonka movies back to back which made for good comparisons (and reminded me again how obnoxious commercials are) and WALL-E twice.
- Friends visited for a few days from VA. It was fun catching up with them. C's engaged now, I's a college junior, and baby H is now in highschool. But we still got along like we used to.
- tried various video games. I really enjoyed the demos of Braid and Analog: A Hate Story, and am keeping an eye out for their sales. I clocked 40 hours over five days playing Realm of the Mad God before realizing I needed to break away back to my real life. And to my delight, my library also rents out DS games. Dream Chronicles was seriously mediocre and as a hit-screen-to-locate-items game it did not lend itself to the DS's small size. Sands of Destruction... I still need to finish. It's interesting at least, with such a... bizarre moral stance at the outset. You want to destroy the world, because you hate watching the people on it suffer. This was the motivation of the FFX villain. And this is what we're rooting for: the psycho of the World Annihilation Front, and the inexplicably-powerful kid who got a crush on her at first sight. Thank story-writers for the other PCs, who are at least tolerable, and it does get better as it goes on. I think the story is trying for a Tales of (Insert Here) thing, of many different characters with different motivations uniting on one quest (not unique to them, but still), and it is engaging and has some interesting ideas. I do plan to check out the anime adaptation (how did that get green-lit?) on Hulu once I finish. Fun will be had.
- Speaking of Hulu, I also watched a fair amount. Got through season 3 of Castle (love it all) and season 6(?) of Bones (oh you strange story. You're not well-written, but your characters are so endearing), started 2nd season of Grimm (it's neat), finished the first half of Gurren Lagaan (not favorite, but love the enthusiasm. I will get back to it when I can), and all of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (holy shit that is an intense series. Definitely recommend). Seen movies too: Source Code (slick writing), John Carter (pretty damn fun. why does no one love this?), some comedy sketches, etc. Also, The Avengers.
- Mom has volunteered at the local library for a couple years now, and actually just got hired by them because she already knew the system better than anyone else they could have brought in. Since then, I've been volunteering with her, helping process new items and various other tasks. I've also been using that time to check out a lot of their music cds, like Meat Loaf, Ben Folds Five, all the Sarah Brightman albums. Also DVDs like Batman: The Brave and The Bold (which is kind of magnificent, and strangely adorable), and The Avengers, on its release date, 2 minutes after I had finished processing it ^_^
- So. Much. Gardening for Dad and me. It's been a summer of ground cherries, tomatoes and mater sandwiches. Now it's an autumn of leeks and pawpaws. It's been amazing. I think I'm going to try growing some fruit plants in the house just to see if I can.
- Mom and I have continued painting classes, though we had to miss a few weeks recently. I'm working on a portrait of my Promethean character, Abel. In addition, we learned how to spin yarn at the senior center, and now we participate in weekly craft nights there.
- Job stuff... applying here and there. Went to an informal interview. Offered to do a photography job for the woman who taught us to spin, will see where that goes. Stared at the resume and worried my mother. Bright spot, though: I have an idea for a business venture that no one else seems to have approached. Instead of overthinking it down to the last detail, maybe I should just approach people to get the idea out there.
- Also, school has started, and so have new seasons of Elysium and Changeling. Elysium's going well so far. There are only a few players, but that means we can break it down to just a tabletop with a linear plot and different pacing. That being said, I need to step it up as a GM ^^; Keep it engaging and give these characters something to invest in. The Changeling GMs seem to be a well-oiled machine, good for them. The new setting is engaging and starkly different than what we've dealt with before. I'm also enjoying my new character, an anthropomorphic cephalopod repairman with no social skills, no name, and little mobility outside of water. Still figuring out specifics of how to play hir, but I'm having a blast so far.
Son of a bitch, it's after midnight. Ahem.
So, if I'm going to pick a month to get back into writing, it should probably be the one before NaNoWriMo. Because that's a thing I ostensibly do; that's why I created this journal in the first place. And I do have an idea for what I want to do. Probably not the Obito story I've mentioned to a couple people in light of the nonsense-fest that is the recent Naruto chapters (unless I'm smacked in the face by the inspiration bug. That does happen), but a quasi-original story. By quasi, I mean stories with original characters set in the World of Darkness RPG system. I have a lot of game characters I've retired whose journeys I'd like to continue, elaborate on, take in new directions; concepts in the books I think would be fun to try out; and characters from original settings I'd like to try applying to the WoD. I've entertained the notion of starting a webcomic with them (because there are D&D comics, Exalted comics and even Warhammer comics, but I haven't found any WoD comics), even though the system if followed would be my own picking and choosing of the rules and metaplot because the WoD... underwent a rebirth that cut out or just changed a lot of the lore. For example, Vampire: Masquerade and Vampire Requiem are a reorganization of basically the same plot with some specific differences, whereas Changeling: The Dreaming and Changeling: the Lost are two very, very different beasts.
This is getting long. Anyway, that's what I'm planning on. Over October I'm going to try writing (again), about characters and plot musings. Maybe include some of my dreams, because the pill I'm on seems to make them incredibly weird, and I should probably record some of the details for use later.
Let me know how you're doing ^)^ Over and out.
ETA: Just contrasted this with my previous entry back in July. All I can think is: Fuck. I have been sorting through the wedding photos but still am not done. Still have not written my stories down. So many things that have been on my to-do list for months. Now that big long list of things I did feels as TLDR as you probably think it is.
My therapist says a little progress at a time is okay. That's comforting, but I... do need to get my act together.
- did a week-long house/petsitting job for my art teacher, looking after her five dogs and two cats. That was fun. While there I watched the Willy Wonka movies back to back which made for good comparisons (and reminded me again how obnoxious commercials are) and WALL-E twice.
- Friends visited for a few days from VA. It was fun catching up with them. C's engaged now, I's a college junior, and baby H is now in highschool. But we still got along like we used to.
- tried various video games. I really enjoyed the demos of Braid and Analog: A Hate Story, and am keeping an eye out for their sales. I clocked 40 hours over five days playing Realm of the Mad God before realizing I needed to break away back to my real life. And to my delight, my library also rents out DS games. Dream Chronicles was seriously mediocre and as a hit-screen-to-locate-items game it did not lend itself to the DS's small size. Sands of Destruction... I still need to finish. It's interesting at least, with such a... bizarre moral stance at the outset. You want to destroy the world, because you hate watching the people on it suffer. This was the motivation of the FFX villain. And this is what we're rooting for: the psycho of the World Annihilation Front, and the inexplicably-powerful kid who got a crush on her at first sight. Thank story-writers for the other PCs, who are at least tolerable, and it does get better as it goes on. I think the story is trying for a Tales of (Insert Here) thing, of many different characters with different motivations uniting on one quest (not unique to them, but still), and it is engaging and has some interesting ideas. I do plan to check out the anime adaptation (how did that get green-lit?) on Hulu once I finish. Fun will be had.
- Speaking of Hulu, I also watched a fair amount. Got through season 3 of Castle (love it all) and season 6(?) of Bones (oh you strange story. You're not well-written, but your characters are so endearing), started 2nd season of Grimm (it's neat), finished the first half of Gurren Lagaan (not favorite, but love the enthusiasm. I will get back to it when I can), and all of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (holy shit that is an intense series. Definitely recommend). Seen movies too: Source Code (slick writing), John Carter (pretty damn fun. why does no one love this?), some comedy sketches, etc. Also, The Avengers.
- Mom has volunteered at the local library for a couple years now, and actually just got hired by them because she already knew the system better than anyone else they could have brought in. Since then, I've been volunteering with her, helping process new items and various other tasks. I've also been using that time to check out a lot of their music cds, like Meat Loaf, Ben Folds Five, all the Sarah Brightman albums. Also DVDs like Batman: The Brave and The Bold (which is kind of magnificent, and strangely adorable), and The Avengers, on its release date, 2 minutes after I had finished processing it ^_^
- So. Much. Gardening for Dad and me. It's been a summer of ground cherries, tomatoes and mater sandwiches. Now it's an autumn of leeks and pawpaws. It's been amazing. I think I'm going to try growing some fruit plants in the house just to see if I can.
- Mom and I have continued painting classes, though we had to miss a few weeks recently. I'm working on a portrait of my Promethean character, Abel. In addition, we learned how to spin yarn at the senior center, and now we participate in weekly craft nights there.
- Job stuff... applying here and there. Went to an informal interview. Offered to do a photography job for the woman who taught us to spin, will see where that goes. Stared at the resume and worried my mother. Bright spot, though: I have an idea for a business venture that no one else seems to have approached. Instead of overthinking it down to the last detail, maybe I should just approach people to get the idea out there.
- Also, school has started, and so have new seasons of Elysium and Changeling. Elysium's going well so far. There are only a few players, but that means we can break it down to just a tabletop with a linear plot and different pacing. That being said, I need to step it up as a GM ^^; Keep it engaging and give these characters something to invest in. The Changeling GMs seem to be a well-oiled machine, good for them. The new setting is engaging and starkly different than what we've dealt with before. I'm also enjoying my new character, an anthropomorphic cephalopod repairman with no social skills, no name, and little mobility outside of water. Still figuring out specifics of how to play hir, but I'm having a blast so far.
Son of a bitch, it's after midnight. Ahem.
So, if I'm going to pick a month to get back into writing, it should probably be the one before NaNoWriMo. Because that's a thing I ostensibly do; that's why I created this journal in the first place. And I do have an idea for what I want to do. Probably not the Obito story I've mentioned to a couple people in light of the nonsense-fest that is the recent Naruto chapters (unless I'm smacked in the face by the inspiration bug. That does happen), but a quasi-original story. By quasi, I mean stories with original characters set in the World of Darkness RPG system. I have a lot of game characters I've retired whose journeys I'd like to continue, elaborate on, take in new directions; concepts in the books I think would be fun to try out; and characters from original settings I'd like to try applying to the WoD. I've entertained the notion of starting a webcomic with them (because there are D&D comics, Exalted comics and even Warhammer comics, but I haven't found any WoD comics), even though the system if followed would be my own picking and choosing of the rules and metaplot because the WoD... underwent a rebirth that cut out or just changed a lot of the lore. For example, Vampire: Masquerade and Vampire Requiem are a reorganization of basically the same plot with some specific differences, whereas Changeling: The Dreaming and Changeling: the Lost are two very, very different beasts.
This is getting long. Anyway, that's what I'm planning on. Over October I'm going to try writing (again), about characters and plot musings. Maybe include some of my dreams, because the pill I'm on seems to make them incredibly weird, and I should probably record some of the details for use later.
Let me know how you're doing ^)^ Over and out.
ETA: Just contrasted this with my previous entry back in July. All I can think is: Fuck. I have been sorting through the wedding photos but still am not done. Still have not written my stories down. So many things that have been on my to-do list for months. Now that big long list of things I did feels as TLDR as you probably think it is.
My therapist says a little progress at a time is okay. That's comforting, but I... do need to get my act together.