Cross-posted directly from deviantART for archiving purposes:
Been reading The Blue Lagoon (I'm almost done with it now) and it's inspired me to pick up an OLD story I started writing long, long ago.
**Skip this if you don't care to read it**
I don't remember what inspired me to it (I've always had this romantic idea of living as a castaway on an island with the one I love, though) or when I started writing it, but I have a tiny bit of a story that at the time was called "Prometheus" (it's name is now being changed).
A young enlistee in the British Navy (named Isaac for now, I've mentioned it's a place-holder name for me) in the late nineteenth century wakes up in a shanty on an island under the care of a beautiful native girl temporarily named Revadi (Esperanto, roughly translates as "To Day-Dream with Intent," this is a word that I've pieced together myself and I may not fully understand the exact meaning of the -ad- suffix, but Lerno means the act of learning and Lernadi means "to study"). She lives in a small village on an island with a tall pinnacle in the middle that reaches up into the clouds. Revadi says that people on the island are named by those who care for them and she gives him a name (I'm not sure just what, though)
Those on the island have never seen anyone or anything from the outside world. Despite this they speak English. Isaac at first tries to rationalise this but gives up. They believe themselves to be the only people living on the only land in the world. Whether or not this is true is left to the reader to decide. He is told that anyone who scales the pinnacle will find what he is searching for. Isaac decides that once he has fully recovered his strength, he will do so in search of a way home. Nothing supernatural happens in the story, but things do not happen normally.
Either this will be explicitly stated by the narrator or inferred by the narration itself, but the other people on the island fade and disappear and Isaac forgets that there was ever anyone or anywhere but them and the island. Revadi, likewise notices nothing about this. Despite having forgotten his reasons for doing so, Isaac sets out to climb the pinnacle accompanied by Revadi. They both act in a dreamlike-manner as they climb together and eventually, even Revadi vanishes and Isaac has no memory of her. This happens just as or before he reaches the top. The top of the pinnacle is flat and round and he crawls up onto it and--
I'm not sure yet. Something vague or uncertain happens. In my original ideas he looked up and saw the ocean in the sky above him as though this all had been some sort of dream-like reality or like the sky was just another ocean with an island in it and people in both oceans looked up and saw the clouds between them and the clear blue above.
I've almost entirely ditched that ending.
**Okay, you can pick up here if you're skipping**
Anyway, I suddenly don't feel as beaten up and down-trodden as I have been. It's strange, but things look brighter to me. I don't know, maybe I'm getting more organised or something.
As part of my Introduction to Education class I'm going to be observing/assisting a teacher at a local middle school for the next ten weeks. Every Friday from 10:00-12:00. I no longer get to go home on Thursday nights, but oh well...
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Now we're cooking with Steam
Alternatively titled "Wired for Steam"
I got a running Windows Partition, installed Steam and bought Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 (combo pack :3)
Look me up, if you play. The name is "Vespero"
I got a running Windows Partition, installed Steam and bought Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 (combo pack :3)
Look me up, if you play. The name is "Vespero"
Friday, 6 August 2010
Shallow Things
My last two posts (or maybe just my last one, I don't remember) have been long, drawn out, expressions of my thoughts. This post will not be.
I got blood drawn yesterday (two days ago, actually, but since I have not gone to bed yet I will refer to everything as though it were still Friday) and now I have a red spot on the inside of my right elbow. I have a freckle on the inside of my left elbow, so now I'm symmetrical.
I finished reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth! Great book (it's full of pain and heartache though, so don't read it if you get too empathetic for characters). Definitely reading the second one. Also! In the "About the Author" bit at the end, I found out that the author is from Greenville! (For those of you unfamiliar with Northern South Carolinian Political Geography, that's just a short drive from Spartanburg and is, in fact, where I'm going to college)
I'm going to college. I'm moving out in a week.
Things are about to get krazy.
Post Scriptum
The "k" in "krazy" indicates extra craziness.
Source.
I got blood drawn yesterday (two days ago, actually, but since I have not gone to bed yet I will refer to everything as though it were still Friday) and now I have a red spot on the inside of my right elbow. I have a freckle on the inside of my left elbow, so now I'm symmetrical.
I finished reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth! Great book (it's full of pain and heartache though, so don't read it if you get too empathetic for characters). Definitely reading the second one. Also! In the "About the Author" bit at the end, I found out that the author is from Greenville! (For those of you unfamiliar with Northern South Carolinian Political Geography, that's just a short drive from Spartanburg and is, in fact, where I'm going to college)
I'm going to college. I'm moving out in a week.
Things are about to get krazy.
Post Scriptum
The "k" in "krazy" indicates extra craziness.
Source.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Escapism
Lots of people read to escape their lives. I don't. I don't read to get away, or even because I like it (I'm horribly slow at it). I read for two reasons: Firstly, I want to know. Whenever people reference Faust or The Divine Comedy or any other thing, I want to know what they are talking about. But more than that, I want to know it to such a degree that no one (at least, no one I will come in contact with) will be able to say they know more about it than I do. It's weird, but I hate it. So I read old stuff that people mention, but no one ever reads so that I can say "I've read that" and show people up by expanding that one point of the conversation to an area that I feel superior in.
What was I talking about?
Oh, secondly, I read because there's something that interests me in the topic or story. Really I guess I also will read something if I simply love the story, but that's rare (except with Narnia <3)
Don't get me wrong, I love stories and their messages and books, but the actual act of reading is hard for me.
Uhm...
Right, Escapism. Some people use reading as a form of escapism. It makes me think too much. I think too much about my writings when I read. I don't play adventure games or RPGs to escape either. Again, I think too much about writings when I play those, usually because of the action and wonderful stories.
What do I do to escape? I play Harvest Moon.
I have a weird relationship with the Harvest Moon series of games. I love them so, so much. But they make me sad. Melancholy, I suppose is the better word. Not so much now as they used to, but I still feel weird when I play.
For those of you who don't know, Harvest Moon is a game series where you run a farm. You grow crops, raise animals, befriend the villagers, expand your house and marry any one of several possible mates which are available for courtship. It's kind of like Farm Sim meets Dating Game.
I can sit down and blow hours watering, harvesting, caring for cows, mining ore, giving presents to the girl I like. I never get tired of it. Once while I was on vacation, I sat down one morning and beat the first game of the series in 13 hours, only stopping to get food. I was sick at the time though.
I'm very weird about my preferences in women. Part of me is quiet and shy and wants a girl that is active and loud and will get me to do things. Another part of me is confident and in control and wants a girl that's quiet, so that I can take her hand bring her out into the world.
In Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (which I am currently playing again) I married Karen my first time playing. Karen is a loud, dominant red-head who likes to get drunk from time to time. I think maybe since I was new to the game, I wanted someone more controlling.
On this time playing, however, I went the opposite way. I am currently courting Mary, the librarian, who's awkward and shy, but very cute. Maybe it's because I know this game inside and out and am feeling more confident?
The weirdest thing is that I have a girlfriend, :devbasilfaery: and she doesn't fit either category at all, but I'm perfectly happy. When I played when I was younger I dreamed of growing up, moving to the country and living happily with a cute, shy little wife (I was really weird in middle school), but now, I don't think about that at all. I like where I'm going in life, and I can't wait to get there.
What was I talking about?
Oh, secondly, I read because there's something that interests me in the topic or story. Really I guess I also will read something if I simply love the story, but that's rare (except with Narnia <3)
Don't get me wrong, I love stories and their messages and books, but the actual act of reading is hard for me.
Uhm...
Right, Escapism. Some people use reading as a form of escapism. It makes me think too much. I think too much about my writings when I read. I don't play adventure games or RPGs to escape either. Again, I think too much about writings when I play those, usually because of the action and wonderful stories.
What do I do to escape? I play Harvest Moon.
I have a weird relationship with the Harvest Moon series of games. I love them so, so much. But they make me sad. Melancholy, I suppose is the better word. Not so much now as they used to, but I still feel weird when I play.
For those of you who don't know, Harvest Moon is a game series where you run a farm. You grow crops, raise animals, befriend the villagers, expand your house and marry any one of several possible mates which are available for courtship. It's kind of like Farm Sim meets Dating Game.
I can sit down and blow hours watering, harvesting, caring for cows, mining ore, giving presents to the girl I like. I never get tired of it. Once while I was on vacation, I sat down one morning and beat the first game of the series in 13 hours, only stopping to get food. I was sick at the time though.
I'm very weird about my preferences in women. Part of me is quiet and shy and wants a girl that is active and loud and will get me to do things. Another part of me is confident and in control and wants a girl that's quiet, so that I can take her hand bring her out into the world.
In Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (which I am currently playing again) I married Karen my first time playing. Karen is a loud, dominant red-head who likes to get drunk from time to time. I think maybe since I was new to the game, I wanted someone more controlling.
On this time playing, however, I went the opposite way. I am currently courting Mary, the librarian, who's awkward and shy, but very cute. Maybe it's because I know this game inside and out and am feeling more confident?
The weirdest thing is that I have a girlfriend, :devbasilfaery: and she doesn't fit either category at all, but I'm perfectly happy. When I played when I was younger I dreamed of growing up, moving to the country and living happily with a cute, shy little wife (I was really weird in middle school), but now, I don't think about that at all. I like where I'm going in life, and I can't wait to get there.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Off-Topic
I realised today that since I am now cross-posting my blog to my deviantART journal that A) My journal updates will be much more frequent than the average person's, and B) A lot of what I write will be extremely off-topic for a deviantART journal. Like this:
As mentioned previously, I've been out of town for almost two weeks now. Last week I was at my Grandparents' house in Tennessee, spending my nights in their furnished basement. I'm a very nostalgic person (strange for someone so young, eh?) and one of my favourite memories is two years ago, at my Grandparents' house in the Summer, when I watched all 50 (or is it 52?) episodes of Gundam Seed in one week. Something about that time in my life just gives me this weird, unexplainable feeling. Thinking back, it seems like in that period of my life, it was as if when I was in that basement nothing else existed outside of its walls and time stretched out into the infinite so that I could lay, and think and write and watch all that I needed. (that last sentence sounds strange because I combined two sentences to make it and am too lazy to fix it)
That entire story was to set up this much shorter one: Because I am always wishing to re-live that time, I stay up late while in Tennessee. Normally, I re-adjust my schedule quickly upon returning home. Since this time I did not go straight home, I'm having trouble re-adjusting. So I'm still staying up late (just to 2:00 at latest, not 3:00-4:00) and waking up early (7:00-8:00) to eat breakfast with everyone. This results in me being very tired.
I'm tearing through The Forest of Hands and Teeth (fun fact: when I copy and past this into deviantART, the tags that make that title Italics will not show up when it is published and won't do anything) I'm like, 60% done with it. I find it enthralling and I'm not sure why. It starts out interesting, then gets dull, then gets interesting, and then gets dull/romantic. Holy cow, is this how teen girls really think? I feel a bit like Piro reading Bishojo to figure out how girls think (shout out to :devfredrin: and his wonderful webcomic, Megatokyo) anyway, Mary (the main character) is very dramatic and gets on my nerves occasionally, but it's very exciting, even if she does make me want to smack her and tell her to pull herself together. Gosh.
I had something else to say, but I've completely forgotten it now.
I forgot to grab a fresh razor when I stopped by the house on my way here so my razor is crazy dull.
As mentioned previously, I've been out of town for almost two weeks now. Last week I was at my Grandparents' house in Tennessee, spending my nights in their furnished basement. I'm a very nostalgic person (strange for someone so young, eh?) and one of my favourite memories is two years ago, at my Grandparents' house in the Summer, when I watched all 50 (or is it 52?) episodes of Gundam Seed in one week. Something about that time in my life just gives me this weird, unexplainable feeling. Thinking back, it seems like in that period of my life, it was as if when I was in that basement nothing else existed outside of its walls and time stretched out into the infinite so that I could lay, and think and write and watch all that I needed. (that last sentence sounds strange because I combined two sentences to make it and am too lazy to fix it)
That entire story was to set up this much shorter one: Because I am always wishing to re-live that time, I stay up late while in Tennessee. Normally, I re-adjust my schedule quickly upon returning home. Since this time I did not go straight home, I'm having trouble re-adjusting. So I'm still staying up late (just to 2:00 at latest, not 3:00-4:00) and waking up early (7:00-8:00) to eat breakfast with everyone. This results in me being very tired.
I'm tearing through The Forest of Hands and Teeth (fun fact: when I copy and past this into deviantART, the tags that make that title Italics will not show up when it is published and won't do anything) I'm like, 60% done with it. I find it enthralling and I'm not sure why. It starts out interesting, then gets dull, then gets interesting, and then gets dull/romantic. Holy cow, is this how teen girls really think? I feel a bit like Piro reading Bishojo to figure out how girls think (shout out to :devfredrin: and his wonderful webcomic, Megatokyo) anyway, Mary (the main character) is very dramatic and gets on my nerves occasionally, but it's very exciting, even if she does make me want to smack her and tell her to pull herself together. Gosh.
I had something else to say, but I've completely forgotten it now.
I forgot to grab a fresh razor when I stopped by the house on my way here so my razor is crazy dull.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
July 13, 2010
I couldn't think of a title for this one, so I will simply date it. I fell behind a little on updating my blog (it's been almost a month) and I've fallen extremely behind on updating my deviantART journal (this will be the first one in at least a year). My blog suffers from a severe lack of readers so I'm going to start cross-posting. So hello, my adoring fans!
Anyway, I am currently on vacation to Kiawah island with my family for our traditional semi-annual trip. I spent the week just before this one at my grandparents' house, so I have not slept in a bed in ten days (I've been on couches). I've also begun studying Esperanto (ĝi estas tre facila).
I've spent a lot of time lately looking through Wikipedia's "List of dystopian literature" page and reading the summaries. While doing so, I came across a story called The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, a writer who I've heard of before. It became the first book I ever purchased for my Kindle and it's very well written, though it's obviously written for teenage girls -__- nevertheless, it is a good book and shows a lot of promise. I just wish it had a little less girl-loves-boy-romance-drama.
My most recent writing project is tentatively entitled Alice and Death (an allusion to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland's shortened name, Alice in Wonderland). The story goes thusly: Late Victorian London (or perhaps somewhere near London), a young girl named Alice lived a normal life (for the only daughter of a rich family) until the day came when she was to die. Death (you know, the Grim Reaper), however, has fallen in love with her after watching her over the past year and on the spur of the moment saves her from the event that was to cause her death rather than collecting her soul once she has died.
Now, as standard punishment for his crime (as listed in his book of rules) he must reveal himself to Alice and take her life before midnight seven days after her fated death. If he fails to do so he will be turned to dust and she will live forever, never aging, never sleeping, never eating, like a living corpse.
Because he loves her, he gives in to her request that he wait until the last day to take her and to let her accompany him in the meantime. Will Alice see past Death's frightening exterior and understand his feelings? When the time comes, will Death be able to take the life of the girl he loves, even if she falls in love with him? I sure hope so :3
Dangit, I just realised I forgot to shave today.
Anyway, I am currently on vacation to Kiawah island with my family for our traditional semi-annual trip. I spent the week just before this one at my grandparents' house, so I have not slept in a bed in ten days (I've been on couches). I've also begun studying Esperanto (ĝi estas tre facila).
I've spent a lot of time lately looking through Wikipedia's "List of dystopian literature" page and reading the summaries. While doing so, I came across a story called The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, a writer who I've heard of before. It became the first book I ever purchased for my Kindle and it's very well written, though it's obviously written for teenage girls -__- nevertheless, it is a good book and shows a lot of promise. I just wish it had a little less girl-loves-boy-romance-drama.
My most recent writing project is tentatively entitled Alice and Death (an allusion to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland's shortened name, Alice in Wonderland). The story goes thusly: Late Victorian London (or perhaps somewhere near London), a young girl named Alice lived a normal life (for the only daughter of a rich family) until the day came when she was to die. Death (you know, the Grim Reaper), however, has fallen in love with her after watching her over the past year and on the spur of the moment saves her from the event that was to cause her death rather than collecting her soul once she has died.
Now, as standard punishment for his crime (as listed in his book of rules) he must reveal himself to Alice and take her life before midnight seven days after her fated death. If he fails to do so he will be turned to dust and she will live forever, never aging, never sleeping, never eating, like a living corpse.
Because he loves her, he gives in to her request that he wait until the last day to take her and to let her accompany him in the meantime. Will Alice see past Death's frightening exterior and understand his feelings? When the time comes, will Death be able to take the life of the girl he loves, even if she falls in love with him? I sure hope so :3
Dangit, I just realised I forgot to shave today.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Dates
Last Tuesday I received my Kindle 2 in the mail. It's absolutely fantastic. I haven't bought anything in the store, just downloaded things from Project Gutenberg and put on some PDFs I've got. Wonderful piece of technology. Named her Toroko (keeping with my Cave Story theme).
I've been reading The Nibelungenlied and I got to thinking about writing great heroes in the distant past of my stories. Winter will have none of that now, I'm doing my best to keep it entirely self-contained (seems best for the story). So my other option is The East which lends itself much better to ancient heroes. But the problem arose when I got to thinking about when to set the heroic exploits. Previously, I had Uruz' story happening in something like the 4,000th year since the elves entered the world (Early drafts listed it as the 7,000th). I now feel this is much to early, what with elves living so long. Even with my elves living mostly only to 600 (at oldest), that is still only a very short time. I am now beginning to think that the year should be shifted more towards 10,000. Maybe 8,000. I like that much better as a number, but I don't know if it will do as a date.
So many problems with things. Right now, though, I feel I must concern myself with Winter as I am currently filled with ideas for it which have not yet been put down to words. But no writing at this time of night, I must to bed.
I've been reading The Nibelungenlied and I got to thinking about writing great heroes in the distant past of my stories. Winter will have none of that now, I'm doing my best to keep it entirely self-contained (seems best for the story). So my other option is The East which lends itself much better to ancient heroes. But the problem arose when I got to thinking about when to set the heroic exploits. Previously, I had Uruz' story happening in something like the 4,000th year since the elves entered the world (Early drafts listed it as the 7,000th). I now feel this is much to early, what with elves living so long. Even with my elves living mostly only to 600 (at oldest), that is still only a very short time. I am now beginning to think that the year should be shifted more towards 10,000. Maybe 8,000. I like that much better as a number, but I don't know if it will do as a date.
So many problems with things. Right now, though, I feel I must concern myself with Winter as I am currently filled with ideas for it which have not yet been put down to words. But no writing at this time of night, I must to bed.
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