Vaughn R. Demont's Blog, page 12
June 9, 2011
Tweets for Today
08:38 Onto chapter 28, on onto-- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... #not17anymore #sleepdeprivationsucks #lightningrod # 11:48 The Video Game Meme Thinger j.mp/m3AR6g # 13:51 I think every writer can identify with this. t.co/y3ogfqT # 14:19 Done for the day, nearly to 96k, torn between making this a small chapter, or just going for the grand finale. #lightningrod #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
The Video Game Meme Thinger
1 - Very first video game:
Pitfall on the Atari 2600. God, I'm old...
2 - Your favorite character:
Ezio Auditore From Assassin's Creed 2, AC:Brotherhood, and AC:Revelations. the first AC was good, but Ezio's an excellent character.
3 - A game that is underrated:
Alpha Protocol. If you can look past the buggy gameplay (and it can be hard), there's a great RPG here, and probably one of the very few morality-based choice systems where there truly is no right or wrong answer.
4 - Your guilty pleasure game:
Currently, it's MLB 2K11, but really any sports game where I can tweak the difficulty and just annihilate my competition. Some days you just want to be a winner, you know? :)
5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were):
Ben Finn from Fable 3, because I'm a smartass, I wouldn't mind being a crack shot, and I certainly wouldn't mind having the vocal delivery of Simon Pegg.
6 - Most annoying character:
Any of the characters from Chrono Cross. Seriously, those people were paper thin and were only distinguished by their irritating to downright illegible accent text. Failing that, Gabe from Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Whiny bitch.
7 - Favorite game couple.
Locke and Celes from Final Fantasy III (US) or FF6 as it's better known as now. They were the first couple in a game I rooted for, and that opera scene... *sniff*
8 - Best soundtrack.
Assassin's Creed series. Jesper Kyd is amazing. It's the only game series I've gone out and bought the soundtrack for.
9 - Saddest game scene.
NOT Aeris dying in FF7. To be honest? I was downright gleeful when Sephiroth gacked that passive-aggressive co-dependent hag. The only scene in a game that ever got me close to misty was Dragon Age 2 at the end of the serial killer storyline. I honestly saw it coming, but it tugs the heartstrings anyway.
10 - Best gameplay.
Mirror's Edge. I sucked at the speedruns, but damn that game was fun to play.
11 - Gaming system of choice.
I'm a 360 guy, but not a fanboy, it's just the system I could afford at the time, that's all.
12 - A game everyone should play.
The Mass Effect series, including the DLC. Seriously, damn. Bioware does not mess around when making a sci-fi epic.
13 - A game you've played more than five times.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. And strangely enough, I never alter how I play it... I'm always a scoundrel who becomes a Jedi Sentinel.
14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.
The last gaming wallpaper I had was a screenshot of my WoW paladin standing in front of the Dark Portal, but I haven't had that up in ages. Mostly I use images by Kjartan, one of my favorite artists.
15 - Post a screenshot from the game you're playing right now.
Nope, sorry, but I'll likely be playing MLB 2K11 later today if you're curious.
16 - Game with the best cut scenes.
Final Fantasy 2 (US) AKA FF4. Sure, they weren't really cut scenes, but nothing pushed the soap-opera-like plot of that game like those cutscenes. For a runner up, I'll have to go with No More Heroes, which I watched a friend play, some of the best/most fucked up cutscenes ever. :)
17 - Favorite antagonist.
Reaver from the Fable series. Not just for Stephen Fry, but because he's an unapologetic asshole and has a sense of humor about it. He's really a character you love to hate (and secretly love to love).
18 - Favorite protagonist.
Tie between Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex from the Mass Effect series. They're supporting cast, but they're always my favorite to take out on missions. (Except in ME2 where Wrex is unavailable. Grunt is okay, but he's like the Krogan equivalent of a bro.)
19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in.
No pictures, but I wouldn't mind living in the modern world of Assassin's Creed, though I'd likely be killed off or end up a Templar. Still though, just sit in a chair for a few hours and suddenly I'm a parkour master? Hell, sign me up. :)
20 - Favorite genre.
Tied between RPG and Stealth, which is why Oblivion is one of my favorite games.
21 - Game with the best story.
Tie between Jade Empire (Bioware), Knights of the Old Republic (Bioware), and Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft). All had great twists, a moving story, great characters, I'd recommend any of them.
22 - A game sequel which disappointed you.
Fable 3. Simon Pegg and Stephen Fry are great, but it's the first time I haven't been able to play through a Fable game twice. Fable: The Journey looks even worse.
23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style.
Mass Effect 2, mostly because the universe looks a lot more lived in this time around. Plus, the opening, just... damn.
24 - Favorite classic game.
Any of the Carmen Sandiego games. :)
25 - A game you plan on playing.
Gears of War 3, if only because my friends recruited me for their fire team.
26 - Best voice acting.
Anyone voiced by Jennifer Hale. She does amazing work.
27 - Most epic scene ever.
The destruction of the Normandy at the opening of ME2. When you open that door to the CIC, the air rushes out, all goes quiet save Shepard's breathing, and you look *up* see the debris and wreckage of the ship you loved in ME1 floating off into the ether... Still get chills every time.
28 - Favorite game developer.
Tie between Bioware and Ubisoft.
29 - A game you thought you wouldn't like, but ended up loving.
Borderlands. I thought it was another brainless FPS with middling reviews, and it kind of is, but I had so much fun playing that game, especially because of the hysterical dialogue and that the game never takes itself too seriously.
30 - Your favorite game of all time.
Likely Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's the only game I stayed up until 7 in the morning to finish.
Tagging: Whoever wants to do it.
Pitfall on the Atari 2600. God, I'm old...
2 - Your favorite character:
Ezio Auditore From Assassin's Creed 2, AC:Brotherhood, and AC:Revelations. the first AC was good, but Ezio's an excellent character.
3 - A game that is underrated:
Alpha Protocol. If you can look past the buggy gameplay (and it can be hard), there's a great RPG here, and probably one of the very few morality-based choice systems where there truly is no right or wrong answer.
4 - Your guilty pleasure game:
Currently, it's MLB 2K11, but really any sports game where I can tweak the difficulty and just annihilate my competition. Some days you just want to be a winner, you know? :)
5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were):
Ben Finn from Fable 3, because I'm a smartass, I wouldn't mind being a crack shot, and I certainly wouldn't mind having the vocal delivery of Simon Pegg.
6 - Most annoying character:
Any of the characters from Chrono Cross. Seriously, those people were paper thin and were only distinguished by their irritating to downright illegible accent text. Failing that, Gabe from Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Whiny bitch.
7 - Favorite game couple.
Locke and Celes from Final Fantasy III (US) or FF6 as it's better known as now. They were the first couple in a game I rooted for, and that opera scene... *sniff*
8 - Best soundtrack.
Assassin's Creed series. Jesper Kyd is amazing. It's the only game series I've gone out and bought the soundtrack for.
9 - Saddest game scene.
NOT Aeris dying in FF7. To be honest? I was downright gleeful when Sephiroth gacked that passive-aggressive co-dependent hag. The only scene in a game that ever got me close to misty was Dragon Age 2 at the end of the serial killer storyline. I honestly saw it coming, but it tugs the heartstrings anyway.
10 - Best gameplay.
Mirror's Edge. I sucked at the speedruns, but damn that game was fun to play.
11 - Gaming system of choice.
I'm a 360 guy, but not a fanboy, it's just the system I could afford at the time, that's all.
12 - A game everyone should play.
The Mass Effect series, including the DLC. Seriously, damn. Bioware does not mess around when making a sci-fi epic.
13 - A game you've played more than five times.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. And strangely enough, I never alter how I play it... I'm always a scoundrel who becomes a Jedi Sentinel.
14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.
The last gaming wallpaper I had was a screenshot of my WoW paladin standing in front of the Dark Portal, but I haven't had that up in ages. Mostly I use images by Kjartan, one of my favorite artists.
15 - Post a screenshot from the game you're playing right now.
Nope, sorry, but I'll likely be playing MLB 2K11 later today if you're curious.
16 - Game with the best cut scenes.
Final Fantasy 2 (US) AKA FF4. Sure, they weren't really cut scenes, but nothing pushed the soap-opera-like plot of that game like those cutscenes. For a runner up, I'll have to go with No More Heroes, which I watched a friend play, some of the best/most fucked up cutscenes ever. :)
17 - Favorite antagonist.
Reaver from the Fable series. Not just for Stephen Fry, but because he's an unapologetic asshole and has a sense of humor about it. He's really a character you love to hate (and secretly love to love).
18 - Favorite protagonist.
Tie between Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex from the Mass Effect series. They're supporting cast, but they're always my favorite to take out on missions. (Except in ME2 where Wrex is unavailable. Grunt is okay, but he's like the Krogan equivalent of a bro.)
19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in.
No pictures, but I wouldn't mind living in the modern world of Assassin's Creed, though I'd likely be killed off or end up a Templar. Still though, just sit in a chair for a few hours and suddenly I'm a parkour master? Hell, sign me up. :)
20 - Favorite genre.
Tied between RPG and Stealth, which is why Oblivion is one of my favorite games.
21 - Game with the best story.
Tie between Jade Empire (Bioware), Knights of the Old Republic (Bioware), and Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft). All had great twists, a moving story, great characters, I'd recommend any of them.
22 - A game sequel which disappointed you.
Fable 3. Simon Pegg and Stephen Fry are great, but it's the first time I haven't been able to play through a Fable game twice. Fable: The Journey looks even worse.
23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style.
Mass Effect 2, mostly because the universe looks a lot more lived in this time around. Plus, the opening, just... damn.
24 - Favorite classic game.
Any of the Carmen Sandiego games. :)
25 - A game you plan on playing.
Gears of War 3, if only because my friends recruited me for their fire team.
26 - Best voice acting.
Anyone voiced by Jennifer Hale. She does amazing work.
27 - Most epic scene ever.
The destruction of the Normandy at the opening of ME2. When you open that door to the CIC, the air rushes out, all goes quiet save Shepard's breathing, and you look *up* see the debris and wreckage of the ship you loved in ME1 floating off into the ether... Still get chills every time.
28 - Favorite game developer.
Tie between Bioware and Ubisoft.
29 - A game you thought you wouldn't like, but ended up loving.
Borderlands. I thought it was another brainless FPS with middling reviews, and it kind of is, but I had so much fun playing that game, especially because of the hysterical dialogue and that the game never takes itself too seriously.
30 - Your favorite game of all time.
Likely Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's the only game I stayed up until 7 in the morning to finish.
Tagging: Whoever wants to do it.
June 8, 2011
Tweets for Today
11:55 @Erastes Because in the US being a writer doesn't qualify you for any benefits. Full-time creative workers are generally considered leeches. # 12:22 Managed to get out and run before the heat settled in. Now to work on chapter 27. #lightningrod #amrunning #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
June 7, 2011
Tweets for Today
10:09 Gingko biloba, Bilberry, ginseng tea... When did I get so granola? I blame Goddard, honestly. :) # 10:21 Saw it trending, couldn't resist: "With this double-wide blade, you'll create furrows for your garden TWICE as fast!" #thingsfathoessay #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
June 6, 2011
Tweets for Today
10:48 Beautiful day, glad I got out to run. Back to work on chapter 27. :) # 12:57 My protagonist is riding through an urban thundersnow, on a unicorn in full-plate barding. What music do you play for that? #lightningrod # 12:59 Re: Previous tweet: I'm a moron, the answer is obvious. youtu.be/stdqPT8LvTg # 13:01 @reech_me Nah, the unicorn's not a robot. Besides, Dethklok's "Thunderhorse" fits the scene perfectly. :) # 00:15 I don't think I'm going to get this book under 100k. Damn it. Oh well, that's what the revision process is for. #lightningrod. #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
June 5, 2011
Tweets for Today
13:09 400 words down. I remember when I could be proud of that, I need to stop following so many other writers. :) #lightningrod # 13:46 @StormGrant What, the stubble/5 o'clock shadow? # 14:07 @vashtan @_slarmstrong Just out of curiosity, you guys have heard of instant messaging, right? ;) # 14:09 @vashtan @_slarmstrong Yeah, but you have to be careful, lest you end up turning into the irritating loud couple on the crosstown bus. ;) # 14:12 @vashtan @_slarmstrong I'm not getting sucked into this. :) # 15:03 Why I Thank My Editor First j.mp/iAfqVf #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
Why I Thank My Editor First
Not really a Reader Mail thing, but a family member picked up a copy of House of Stone and read through the Acknowledgments, and asked why my editor at Samhain, Anne Scott, was first on my list.
The short answer and easy answer is that just it's professionalism. Open up a lot of books and you'll often find the first people thanked are either the author's editor or agent. They do a lot for you, and they deserve a little credit for it.
The longer answer for me I kind of touched on in a previous post, but maybe it needs a little more, so I'll open with this.
When I get back the first round of edits on a manuscript I feel like a no-talent hack. Everywhere are continuity errors, echoes (my greatest writing vice), word misuses, run-ons, extraneous information, badly flowing scenes... I feel amazed any publisher would look twice at it, honestly. But the notes from my editor aren't hurtful, or spiteful, they're all constructive and professional, which in turn encourages me to be more professional myself. It's one of the things they don't teach much about in college and grad school, not the craft of writing, but the profession of writing, which I've learned plenty about from my editors past and present.
I thank my editor first, because my editor likes my book and wants to help me make it even better, because my editor believes that I'm a skilled writer and wants to show me how I can hone my skills even sharper, because even though my editor is reading the same manuscript line-by-line for the 3rd or 4th time in a 2 month period, there are still positive things in the new notes.
So I sit down to write the acknowledgments, and feel bad because the most I feel I can do to thank my editor for all of her hard work is to put her first, which seems like the least I could do.
So, thank you, Anne Scott, I finally feel like a professional writer. :)
The short answer and easy answer is that just it's professionalism. Open up a lot of books and you'll often find the first people thanked are either the author's editor or agent. They do a lot for you, and they deserve a little credit for it.
The longer answer for me I kind of touched on in a previous post, but maybe it needs a little more, so I'll open with this.
When I get back the first round of edits on a manuscript I feel like a no-talent hack. Everywhere are continuity errors, echoes (my greatest writing vice), word misuses, run-ons, extraneous information, badly flowing scenes... I feel amazed any publisher would look twice at it, honestly. But the notes from my editor aren't hurtful, or spiteful, they're all constructive and professional, which in turn encourages me to be more professional myself. It's one of the things they don't teach much about in college and grad school, not the craft of writing, but the profession of writing, which I've learned plenty about from my editors past and present.
I thank my editor first, because my editor likes my book and wants to help me make it even better, because my editor believes that I'm a skilled writer and wants to show me how I can hone my skills even sharper, because even though my editor is reading the same manuscript line-by-line for the 3rd or 4th time in a 2 month period, there are still positive things in the new notes.
So I sit down to write the acknowledgments, and feel bad because the most I feel I can do to thank my editor for all of her hard work is to put her first, which seems like the least I could do.
So, thank you, Anne Scott, I finally feel like a professional writer. :)
May 21, 2011
Too long for a tweet
From a Christian friend: "If the Rapture does happen either today or whenever, all good and moral people are called to Heaven, not just Christians."
Me: "Really? Heaven sounds like more of a Christian hangout."
CF: "Not really. It's a place where we'll all be equal, where prejudice and indecency to our fellow man are left behind, and we all live in blissful harmony with each other in the light of God's love."
Me: "So...when the Rapture happens...God's sending me to Canada?"
CF: *laughs* "Or Sweden."
Seriously, I feel lucky that I have Christian friends who actually get the whole "follower of Christ" thing.
Me: "Really? Heaven sounds like more of a Christian hangout."
CF: "Not really. It's a place where we'll all be equal, where prejudice and indecency to our fellow man are left behind, and we all live in blissful harmony with each other in the light of God's love."
Me: "So...when the Rapture happens...God's sending me to Canada?"
CF: *laughs* "Or Sweden."
Seriously, I feel lucky that I have Christian friends who actually get the whole "follower of Christ" thing.
May 15, 2011
From Twitter 05-14-2011
10:30:11: This is why I have no idea what to suggest for the Coyote's Creed cover. http://t.co/2kX7VKO #coyotescreed
12:21:36: Help http://j.mp/jpOCgS
Tweets copied by twittinesis.com
May 14, 2011
Help
So I hit the bottom again.
Had a job interview on the 11th, and I nailed it, but I'm against 200 people for 1 position and it will likely be a week before I hear anything for good or ill.
Signed up for another employment agency on the recommendation of another one, up to 4 now. The took the same issues with me: great customer service skills, decent clerical experiences, but no car and/or reliable transportation. They told me to call every Monday but not keep my hopes up, but I figured 4 lines in the water are better than 3.
I'm approved for the clerk and typist lists for Civil Service, which get posted on 6/1, and on 6/11 I'll take the same exams again, only this time for the city instead of the county, since I figure you should be on as many lists as possible. Luckily I don't have to take the performance test again, but it's still a waiting game until I get on the list, and until they actually start calling people on the list.
We're into May, so tutoring is closed down for new hires. I spent the whole school year waiting patiently to be called in, and I was only called in to substitute once. They've told me that my lack of work with them has nothing to do with a student complaint about my being gay, as that would be in violation of state law. They don't sound all that convincing, though.
In June, I'll be called by JCC to be offered composition courses, but they won't start until September, and my paycheck will likely be going into the gas tank of a borrowed car.
I ran out of food yesterday, well, food of substance. I'm running on microwave popcorn right now. I'm trying to be positive, trying to not ask for help because when I do the trolls come out, but I'm hitting the end of the line here. I've cancelled everything I can, sold what I can spare, called for deferments on payments, and called to the appropriate offices and agencies.
And I apologize for this. I am ashamed of this. I am humiliated by this. But I'm nearly out of choices. I'm sorry.
Help.
Had a job interview on the 11th, and I nailed it, but I'm against 200 people for 1 position and it will likely be a week before I hear anything for good or ill.
Signed up for another employment agency on the recommendation of another one, up to 4 now. The took the same issues with me: great customer service skills, decent clerical experiences, but no car and/or reliable transportation. They told me to call every Monday but not keep my hopes up, but I figured 4 lines in the water are better than 3.
I'm approved for the clerk and typist lists for Civil Service, which get posted on 6/1, and on 6/11 I'll take the same exams again, only this time for the city instead of the county, since I figure you should be on as many lists as possible. Luckily I don't have to take the performance test again, but it's still a waiting game until I get on the list, and until they actually start calling people on the list.
We're into May, so tutoring is closed down for new hires. I spent the whole school year waiting patiently to be called in, and I was only called in to substitute once. They've told me that my lack of work with them has nothing to do with a student complaint about my being gay, as that would be in violation of state law. They don't sound all that convincing, though.
In June, I'll be called by JCC to be offered composition courses, but they won't start until September, and my paycheck will likely be going into the gas tank of a borrowed car.
I ran out of food yesterday, well, food of substance. I'm running on microwave popcorn right now. I'm trying to be positive, trying to not ask for help because when I do the trolls come out, but I'm hitting the end of the line here. I've cancelled everything I can, sold what I can spare, called for deferments on payments, and called to the appropriate offices and agencies.
And I apologize for this. I am ashamed of this. I am humiliated by this. But I'm nearly out of choices. I'm sorry.
Help.
