Justin Pyfrom's Blog, page 39
February 16, 2018
A Week of Vile And Rudeness
Something happened and the blog didn’t post when it was supposed to. Anyway, the rough draft of Dimension: Heroes & Villain is nearing completion and it’s good timing since I need to help my best mate out with his project for his indie production company. My goodness, it’s hard to keep a secret. That and deal with rude people. And, while we’re on the subject on that matter.
You know what bothers me the most? When people are mean and rude for mean and rudeness sake? I figured that working on third shift would minimize my contact with these unfortunate souls. To make things a little more interesting, one of the rudeness comes from the store’s assistant manager. I never thought that I would have to snipe back at an assistant manager on my second week of working.
To add to the pandemonium, I had to deal with the continuous waves of racial stereotypes that repeatedly challenging my African American heritage. I mean, it was bothersome when I was younger. But, now that I’m an adult, it bloody insufferable. Especially since I’m fully aware that I don’t “fit the norm” of my culture. And, that’s what I told a bloke while waiting for the bus with a few precise verbal jabs. Felt good, really.
On the plus side of this trainwreck of a week, I got a make my Columbus acquaintance with a Latin bloke named Roger André Rodriguez. He’s a personal trainer that found solace in helping people in the world of health and fitness like a story in Dimension: Heroes & Villain. If you want to schedule a workout or book him for a modeling gig, DM on his Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/embodiedbyrogerfitness/?hl=en
Now, it’s time for me to start my day by going to see Marvel’s Black Panther. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.
February 12, 2018
A Rising Star To Keep An Eye On
Frat Rush (Frat Gay For You, #1) by Chad Lane
Okay, Chad Lane is starting to become a favorite writer of mine. Yep! That’s right, ladies and gents, I’m starting to add a romance author to my list of favorite authors. Funny enough, he’s going to be the second author on my list that’s gay; Michael Zummo, the author of the ingenious D’mok series, is another one of mines. But, seriously, this author is really a delight.
But, I’m getting off topic. As I explained in my previous post, Lane has a reoccurring plot device that I’m a big fan of. He tends to combine LGBT and romance with the masculine environmental situation. Couple with a reoccurring negativity that plaques the LGBT community and you have a brilliant series that people can relate to. This time around, Frat Rush is based on a college campus revolving around fraternities. As you read the book, you can generally guess where the “negative” energy is going to form as.
The story follows Christopher, a college freshman. Though the thought never crossed his mind, the young man decides to follow his roommate’s lead and attend a frat party that resulted in him participating in Rush Week and, ultimately, joining a fraternity. Again, the research on Lane’s part is impeccable as I didn’t even know that such a thing existed.
Plus, I love this time around, Lane created a character with a completely different character but with the same reservation about embracing their true nature. See, in For Him, the main character didn’t want to jeopardize his military career before it began. However, in the scenario, Christopher is a shy man who admitted that he’s more in guys than women which is something I can relate to.
I going to find myself enjoying this series more than the For Him one because I see more of myself in Christopher than I do in Jake. This is going to be a good series…I can feel it.
Grade: A
If you want to purchase the book, you can do so at this link: https://goo.gl/XMf7WK
And, if you want to view the author’s page(s), they are listed as followed:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7154651.Chad_Lane
Don’t Ask…But Do Tell
For Him (For Him, #1) by Chad Lane
Okay, so as I stated before, the romance genre is something I’m still researching and adjusting to. At this point, I’m actually digging it so far. Still not exactly my cup of tea BUT I can see why so many readers immerse themselves in the genre. And, like I explained before, the only way I’ll read a romance novel is if it’s LGBT since my next series will be of the same variety.
Now, that being said, Chad Lane is another LGBT romance author that I’ve come across on my studies. He has a knack for combining romance and LGBT with some of the most masculine environmental situations. In this case, he placed For Him, a three-part book series, in the taboo topic of the military.
The main character is Jake Turner, a supposed straight man who enlisted in the military, and, obviously, later finds out that he’s leaning more to the right of the Kinsey scale. Without giving away too much of the storyline, I’m going to say that Lane has clearly done his research about military training which I respect. I always say that much of the writing process revolves around researching.
Another thing is that every book of his I’ve read (two right now but I imagine it’ll be more) is that there’s always one character that represents what we face in our community. In this book, the negative force is pointed out rather quickly and – yes – some poetic justice is dished out in the end.
The only thing that threw me off was the love scenes. See, when I read Time to Upsize, I was greeted with much love. Just intense imagery from the main character and saucy flirting from other characters. This time around, Lane put it out there and wasn’t shy about it. It was an interesting step forward for me and, honestly, I rather enjoyed it. I mean…I can do without it, but I know it’s an integral part of the romance.
Even still, the book is brilliant, and I will continue reading the series. I strongly recommend this series to my LGBT community – both residents and supporters.
Grade: A-
If you want to purchase the book, you can do so at this link: https://goo.gl/4MEEr8
And, if you want to view the author’s page(s), they are listed as followed:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7154651.Chad_Lane
February 11, 2018
Worst Gay Role Model…Ever
Time to Upsize (The Indignities Book 1) by Graeme Aitken
So, when I told my friends that I wanted to tackle the romance department, I was told to start reading some romance novels to get a better understanding of the genre. I was also suggested to do the same thing with the Crime genre. So, I was given an invite to BookBub.com and went to town on some free books. The first one was Time to Upsize, an LGBT Romance with a rather…how should I put this…avant grade storyline.
Right off the bat, Graeme Aitken introduces the reader to his polarizing main character, Stephen. A vain, self-absorbed narcissistic actor who’s also a cheater and liar. What worst (or great, depending on how you look at it) is how the author portrays him. In a first-person perspective, Aitken showcase every thought that his condensing protagonist is pondering – both before AND after his numerous infidelity.
Luckily, in the form of karma, he gets his just dessert when he’s finally caught and abandons by his enlightened boyfriend. From there, the reader gets to see him go on a downward spiral having realized the errors of his ways. BUT! In true narcissistic fashion, he reverts back to “being the victim” and plot revenge on his dismissive ex-boyfriend. Yeah, I’m not a big fan of the ending AT ALL!!!
As one would imagine, Stephen doesn’t exactly sit well with the majority of its reader for the most obvious readers but Aitken intended it to be that way. However, one would also admit that it’s because of those reasons that some many people can relate to him.
Think about it, aren’t we all a little vain. Little narcissistic from time to time. I know I am. Not at his level to the point where it’s clinical but it’s there. Sometimes we all blur the lines between confidence and cockiness. Moreover, ALL OF US have that one MAJOR personality flaw in us that can easily make us a polarizing human being to other people. That’s the main thing I like about this book and will continue to read this series: I want to see how this deplorable human being will evolve…or if he’ll evolve.
The book is great and I wish for you to read it. Just be warned, it’s not the faint of minds because the character is quite despicable.
Grade: B
If you want to purchase the book, you can do so at this link: https://goo.gl/tQpzN1
And, if you want to view the author’s page(s), they are listed as followed:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/655300.Graeme_Aitken
February 10, 2018
The Writing’s On the Wall, It’s A New Way To Brawl…Ohohohohohhh
Name: Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Platform: PlayStation 4
Style: Multiplayer Fighting Game
Publisher(s): SquareEnix & Koei Tecmo
Developer(s): Team Ninja
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Date of Completion: February 5, 2018
Final Fantasy is my all-time favorite franchise. The stories. The characters. The themes. EVERYTHING about that franchise is what I aspire to be in a writer. Of course, there have been some games that were a swing and a hit but the overall franchise has a spectacular following/results and I’m always looking forward to what they have in store for us. This time is no different.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fighting game that SquareEnix created solely for the PlayStation 4, with the help of Team Ninja. It’s also the third entry in the Dissidia series and, to be frank, it’s most ambitious.
The story is a bit straightforward and, to be honest, not exactly the most memorable for a SquareEnix game. See, the game takes place AFTER the events of the first two Dissidia game as Materia and Spiritus, both created by Cosmos, summons heroes of the franchise as their champions to protect the world from the other. Of course, in Final Fantasy fashion, the real culprit is revealed and the two sides have to swallow their pride to vanquish it. Afterwards, the two opposites agreed to continue to fight for control over the world coming to an understanding that their truce was a one-time deal. See, straightforward but, given the timeline that shown, really short. Luckily, it’s been expressed that the timeline will grow given the final cutscene that was shown at the end of the game.
Another thing that took some getting use to was the 3v3 battle system. I mean I was aware of it, given that I have the Final Fantasy Wikia page bookmarked, but there’s a difference between theory and application. The core battle system is still the same. You have to attack your opponent(s) with Bravery attacks to increase your own Bravery. Afterwards, you can strike with an HP attack to do REAL damage calculated by your character’s current Bravery points.
But, since it is 3v3, a lot of the mechanics in the series has to be altered to accommodate it. For examples, the player can only pick ONE HP attack for their character as opposed to the three from the previous entries. This is actually a good thing because it allows the player to further dictate what role their character is going to take up in the team.
Another thing is the reforming the character roster’s play style. This is something I seriously had to get used to rather quickly. The best I can give is Kuja (Final Fantasy IX) and Shantotto (Final Fantasy XI). See, in the previous installments, Kuja standard attacks revolved around his distance between each hit and he can still glide freely during his HP attacks and Shantotto’s attacks grows stronger as her Bravery points increase. This time around, Kuja’s Bravery attacks are just your standard one-two punch, though I’m still able to move around while attacking, and Shantotto’s attacks only grow after succumbing to damage thus changing my tactics.
A few other battle mechanics have been altered for the sake of the 3v3 battle style – some good, some bad. Summons now linger on the battlefield for a fixed time limit and there’s only seven you can choose from. EX Burst is replaced with EX Skills along with a slot for one buff and debuff move.
Oh, and fair warning, be ready for unrelenting mayhem online. I only played a few hours of it but let me tell you…you will find some teams that take the mantra “Wins by any means necessary” to heart. Not meant to discourage the online community, just letting you know that diligence is something to keep in mind.
I’m going to give Dissidia Final Fantasy NT an 8 out of 10 because of the logical and innovating changes that were implemented in the game. However, the story was a bit lacking for SquareEnix’s standard of storytelling but maybe that will change since they did hint at adding more to timeline later on down the line via DLC and such.
February 9, 2018
There’s Fire In These Wintry Eyes
I am soooo tired from my first week of the third shift workforce. Working from 10 at night to 6 in the morning is really the tiring part if you could believe it. Nope, it’s the 45 minutes back and forth between the initial bus stop…IN THE BLOODY SNOW!!! I HATE SNOW!!! I mean it’s nice to look at, but I despise interacting with it. God, I can’t wait for Spring to get here.
On a more positive, less complaining, note, I finished the final short story Nightmare Ever After, formerly Nightmare Everlasting. The story opened some old wounds and, yet, it ended up being my shortest story to date – a whopping eleven pages. But I imagine that it’ll be longer after I go through some rewrites. Luckily, I still have some more writing to do such short intro, book intro, author’s note and meaningful quotes to compliment each “entry”. That part is actually my favorite, if you would believe it.
Adding to the writing, I recently got an email from a buddy of mine who still working the skeleton for his indie production company and needs me to look over it. Funny enough, I completely forgot about that project…and I’m told that I still can’t talk about it. My goodness, this rule regarding productions are excruciating at times…actually all the time…luckily, I’m hands off for 90% of this project.
Finally, I’m actually starting to enjoy Columbus a little bit more now that I get to explore the heart of Columbus. See, in Philadelphia, I’m in walking distance of Center City (a 30 minute stroll) so I could literally find entertainment at any part of the day. Now, that I actually WORK IN Columbus, I can properly enjoy myself. This is going to be fun.
Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.
February 2, 2018
Maintaining My Drum’s Beat
This week has been a bit of an oxymoron. Not only has it been relaxing, but also productive. It’s starting to become my drum’s usual beat and I’m actually okay with that…for now. Still, doesn’t mean I don’t have good news to share with the lot of you.
First and foremost, finally started working at Turkey Hill and I’m doing pretty okay. It’s something new and enjoying the aspect of being able to work on the third shift. Also, I have this tingling feeling that I’m going to come up with so many brilliant story ideas while working the graveyard shift. The only thing that’s going to take a little getting use is the fact that I can’t “react” the same way I usually at my merchandiser.
In regard to my story progression, finished with two other stories and I still have one more to write (Nightmare Everlasting) before I proceed with other parts of the book. Unfortunately for me, I won’t be able to complete it until Sunday because that’s my first day off. I want to complete the first draft of this story as fast as possible because of the significance. And, no, I’m not telling you what it is; I’m an avid supporter of the “No Spoiler” lifestyle.
Remaining on the topics of books, I’m finishing up my next reading and planning on buying a Kindle Unlimited account so I can have…well…unlimited access to almost every book in the world. Well, at least in the Amazon library. Plus, it’ll save me some money on my book collection. Yep! I’m feeling pretty good this week.
Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.
February 1, 2018
Great Enthics Produce Great Game
Name: Ratchet & Clank
Platform: Playstation 4
Style: 1-player Platformer/Shooter
Publisher(s): Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer(s): Insomniac Games
Release Date: April 12, 2016
Date of Completion: January 28, 2018
Along with their games, I have the utmost respect for Insomniac Games and their business ethics regarding teamwork and leadership:
“Insomniac Games focuses on maintaining its independence…Internally, the company’s developers are given much creative freedom. Uninvolved staff members can comment on the games’ designs.”
I swear if they connected with me after my graduation, I would have been going on my sixth year. Instead, I decided to take an alternate route as I have explained in the past. Even still, I will always have time for a game from Insomniac Games and Ratchet & Clank is my most recent completed game.
Let me start off by saying that this is the funniest game I’ve played to date. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue is something to appreciate, especially when it is done correctly. As a re-imagining of the first game of the series (Ratchet & Clank, 2002) that’s also based on the film adaptation, Ratchet & Clank basically improved upon already great system while, basically, reworking the storyline of the original.
See, the story revolved around the adventures of Ratchet and his newly befriended Clank being told by the imprisoned Captain Qwark. He counts the recruitment of Ratchet, his resentment of Ratchet “stealing his thunder”, his partnership with the game’s main villain to his path of redemption. And, because of time spent carefully developing the game, the storytelling was done flawlessly thus amplifying the charm tenfold.
As a platform/shooter, the gameplay mechanics are rather simple to master. You buy or acquire weapons for Ratchet via the shop or completing tasks, respectively. Then, almost immediately, you can upgrade them by a combination of Raritanium and frequency usage. Personally, I found myself enjoying the Proton Drum, Fusion Grenades, and the Combuster the most; it was great at my widen approach to dispatching enemies. Even better, you can even play as Clank on various parts of the games.
The only “problem” I had with this marvelous game was its main story takes only ten to twelve hours to beat. I mean…it’s to be expected from a platforming game. Luckily, Ratchet & Clank has ample replay value with the function to carry all of your acquired equipment from the previously completed game. In addition to this nifty little feature, you can further upgrade your weapon to a more powerful version of it -given you have the appropriate components (specific cards) to do so.
I’m going to give Ratchet & Clank a solid 10 out of 10 because of it’s easy to master controls, quirky weapons and immensely humorous dialogue and characters. Plus, the replay value and New Game+ option is an extra bonus.
January 26, 2018
Life Simply Redesigned
This week was pretty relaxed for me. Well, somewhat relaxed, I mean I did have to work on my books and wait for my background check to clear. So, yeah, just a normal week, right? Wrong…so wrong. I mean, seriously, you and I both know that life is never that simple.
Of course, my background check cleared, and I got my paperwork to bring to Orientation which happens next week. Working third shift is going to be a new experience for me since I usually work in the morning. This will also be my first retail job, to an extent. Either way, I’m in for some real fun, eh?
Adding to the good news, I finally finished the timelines and the chapter layout for the first book of the Queerful Eyes series after reformatting it numerous times. This time around, I’m taking a different approach to the series where each book will take place AFTER a major crime in the LGBT+ community. However, I can’t say anything else until after I complete my first draft of the book. As I said before, I’m pretty excited about it and praying for its success in the LGBT community.
Since I’m done with the outlines, I need to get back to my Dimensions series and finish the final three stories so I can do the editorial process. And I do mean doing it the right now. You know, actually paying for an editor after I’m done with it. I’m not too worried, though; I think I can get it done pretty quickly.
You know what made this week even better is talking to my multitude of friends including Keith Wilson, a fellow Lancer who graduated with me (Go 266!!!). We exchanged good information about our debut books after learning that we’re both novice writers. It feels good to know, yet, another writer. To add to my growing circle.
Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.
Also, might I suggest reading Keith Wilson’s debut book, Saudade, which is available on Amazon. It’s a brilliant urban novel revolving around the theme of life’s unexpected twists. A marvelous read.
January 25, 2018
Breaking the Habit (Pun Not Intended)
The Healthy Habit Revolution: Create Better Habits in 5 Minutes a Day by Derek Doepker
Whenever I’m selecting a book outside my usual genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), my approach is a little different. I want to be able to relate to the book from a PROFESSIONAL standpoint as opposed to a personal one. Reason being is because, usually, if I’m not reading for fun, it’s for growth. That being said, I like to talk about the first book I have completed of the yearly Goodreads’s Reading Challenge.
This educational book teaches the reader how to create and maintain a healthy habit that will benefit them greatly in, both, their professional and personal life. But, it doesn’t just do drop the knowledge of you; it eases you into the lesson. First, he discusses how habits works (the cue, the routine, and reward) and how it can be created for your own benefit. Not only that, he goes on to teach you how to maintain the habit by starting off small and upgrading it from it, making it manageable for the nervous one.
See, what drew me to this book was the professional side of my mind. I always want to improve myself and, also, learn about the human psyche. This book does both and it’s explained to me like I’m a freshman in college which I love. Even better, I found myself breaking some bad habits, like writing in my bedroom, and upgrading some of the good ones, like walking for thirty minutes every day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I strongly recommend it to anybody who looking to better themselves via creating good habits and eliminating bad habits. Both the professional and casual minds of the world can appreciate what this gentleman has to offer in this book.
Grade: A
If you want to purchase the book, you can do so at this link: https://goo.gl/5drE8f
And, if you want to view the author’s page(s), they are listed as followed:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6580005.Derek_Doepker
