Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne's Blogocube

Heads Will Roll

2010-01-07T14:40:48Z

Got bored last night, and poked Pyro asking "Hay wanna farm Team Fortress 2 achievements?"

End result was a fun session of myself, Pyro, and HPG trying to figure out which of TF2's wacky achievements we could fake out. The problem is that many of these require situations which either would not happen in real life, or very, very rarely happen. With weapon unlocks tied to achievements, the best way to get them in a reliable manner is farming.

By the end of the night, I'd gotten all the Soldier and Demoman weapons. (Pyro unfortunately couldn't get all the Demos, because weirdly, the achievements require access to the unlocked weapons. Catch 22, anyone? I was lucky I got one of them as a random drop awhile back.) Let's review, because, hey. Why not? And I like talking game balance.

SOLDIER: New rocket launcher is the Direct Hit -- faster, more damaging rockets, but with almost no splash damage. I don't have the skill to do much with these, but like Sniper arrows, sometimes I can 'get lucky' with a shot and that makes it worthwhile. The real cream of the crop here is the Equalizer, a pickaxe which boosts damage and speed depending on how healthy you are... if you're in the red, may as well bust it out and see if you can take someone down with you. There's just no downside to this thing and I've gotten plenty of kills with it.

The last item, which I was looking forward to the most since I gravitate to support classes, is the Buff Banner... as you deal damage, your Rage meter charges. When it's full you can fire it off to buff damage of everybody around you. I've seen successful pushes even out of 2Fort deadlocks using this thing, but I've yet to use it myself... problem is I tend to die before the Rage meter fills, and when it does fill, I've got nobody around to buff. Darn.

DEMO: Scottish Resistance is fun; plant TONS of stickies, selectively blow them up. A thinking man's tool. Problem is, that selective detonation is TOO selective, and it can be difficult to detonate the right stickies / all the stickies in a patch due to needing to look directly at them to blow them up. It's also not the best for busting sentries due to the delayed timer on arming the bombs.

The other two, the Eyelander and Chargin' Targe, are... a sword and a shield. Makes sense from a Braveheart perspective but not a, y'know, DEMOLITION MAN perspective. But when equipped... well. I had a positive kill/death ratio, which is something that rarely happens. Sure, I die a lot, but I take 1-3 people down with me each time I go YAAAAAAAGH and zip into the fray to start loppin' off heads. I strongly suspect this is going to be nerfed. It's just too good at what it does. But if they reduce its effectiveness, we could end up with a Scout situation, where they nerf the stuff into oblivion and render it more or less pointless. We'll see, I guess.

--alright. Here endeth the notes I jotted down last night for copypaste in the morning. I've got meetings far out the ass today and other grumbly bits I won't talk about because as always, I enjoy not being fired for blogging about my job, so back to that. Signing off.

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-07T05:02:43Z

00:18 First solid LJ posting in awhile; ranting about Doctor Who and Donna Noble's character assassination. tinyurl.com/yak7oq2 #
11:10 That's not a knife. THIS is a knife. And it's a 32gb flash drive with bluetooth, too. EDIT: Link fixed #
14:54 When you think about it, Team Rocket's motto didn't make any sense. Uniting the nation, denouncing truth and love.. space exploration? Wut? #

Doctor Who Epic Fail

2010-01-06T05:14:27Z

Been awhile since I did a full blog post, but hey, haven't had much of critical importance to yammer about in more than 120 characters.

Tonight, Jen / Andy / Me watched the season finale of the Donna Noble series of Doctor Who. A fun romp, albeit pasted thick with Handwavium and Technobabble, two things that Russell T. Davies, former showrunner, relied on waaaay too much. Prime example: Need to wipe out a slew of bad guys because you made the episode's threat so vast and unstoppable that it's, well, unstoppable? Have some switch nearby that can kill them all for some 1/4th-explained reason that's yammered out in nonsense technobabble dialogue. Basically, he's so focused on telling character-based stories and arcs that any actual nuts and bolts of the plot are essentially opaque boxes with a single button labelled "Magic Happens."

But that's not the problem. I could live with that if the character stories were great. Instead, the whole thing collapses on itself in the last ten minutes.

Take an Ordinary Joe character named Donna Noble. Her ignorance of the world around her was staggering, and she had zero interest in learning anything or understanding anything; in her initial appearances she could care less why crazy alien stuff was going down. Then you build her on an arc where she opens her eyes to the universe at large and begins to take an active role in reshaping it rather than letting life go by -- to the point of independently investigating a company she thinks is up to something, even without the Doctor leading her around and prodding her into doing it. You build a series long arc where she grows and changes, matures, becomes heroic... right down to actually stepping into the shoes of a Time Lord and playing the role in order to save the universe.

Then you retcon everything out, strip away her memories, and leave her back at square zero. Not even square one. No hint of giving a damn about anything anymore, too busy yakking away on the phone or looking for a cute boyfriend to marry. Her entire character arc assassinated, when plenty of Handwavium was being tossed around before to make the plot convenient. None could be spared for her; she had to be completely annihilated. Not even killed heroically or dramatically, just purged and ruined and abandoned. Hooray.

It doesn't make sense, given not once, but TWICE prior to that she had been dumped headfirst into alternate / fake lifetimes and in each, she actively sought to find the truth going on behind the scenes. Clearly, she's a character that will stand fast when someone's pulling the wool over her eyes. So why doesn't she do it now? Why does the story say it's BETTER that she remain ignorant and empty when fifteen minutes ago it was saying the opposite? Even future appearances of the character, which keep teasing and hinting at a return of her previous character depth and nuance, were yanked away before they could restore her character arc. Her destiny is to be a glorified extra, apparently.

That's not dramatic tragedy, that's hack writing. It goes against everything that her character arc represented. It's taking your audience, who had been with you the whole way, and smacking them over the head with a cricket bat while laughing. It's stupid, it's pointless, and I'm quite glad that the moron responsible for that script is now off the show.

Okay, that's enough fanboy rage. I guess as a writer, it take it a bit personally when someone shoves bad writing down my throat. One of the many reasons I won't see Twilight, even with Rifftrax. I'd chew my own leg off to escape.

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-05T05:03:39Z

11:46 Dangit, why does Guitar Hero get Dethklok, latest Silversun Pickups, and "The Touch" and Rock Band doesn't? Most heinous, dude. #
22:47 Think I'll spend the rest of the night doing final edit passes on the long-standing anachronauts drafts. It's forward progress, of a sort. #
23:54 Okay, sa02 and sa03 are now final. No major changes from draft, just tweaks. I'll do sa04 and fs02 later. tinyurl.com/m3ljsh #

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-04T05:02:21Z

11:05 Why do some of 7Seas's biggest community supporters also have to be our worst drama queens and problem children? Headache inducers, ugh. #
16:51 Okay, need a good port or tourist city on the gulf for this story. Veracruz is looking like the best candidate; hospital right on the docks. #
22:03 Okay, I've totally hashed out the plotline with Jen & Andy for sa05. I'll be dead tired tomorrow night but I'll start writing this week. #

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-03T05:02:35Z

00:33 ...okay, yes, that induces severe aural trauma. RT: @redcloisonne: I don't want to watch but I can't look away. tinyurl.com/l9v23 #
03:47 Yes, I am continuing my writing. Just frustrated, is all. Now, then;how do you stop hordes of zombies from swimming up the coast to America? #
13:51 What's with all the disco beats and warbling on modern rock radio today? I haven't seriously tuned in in months, and now, yow. Weirdness. #
18:14 I THINK I've sorted out the last hurdles for the next anachronauts chapter. I'll work on the outline late tonight; Doctor Who first. #
23:29 Waaaay too many chips during tonight's Doctor Who party. Hooboy. I'll make do; gotta wake up stable and ready to go for Avatar tomorrow. #

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-02T05:03:02Z

00:06 ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE. USE THEM TOGETHER. USE THEM IN PEACE. #
12:49 This gives me some hope for #anachronauts, the 700+ page story series I'm creating that maybe five people read. tinyurl.com/yggxxtk #
18:05 Law & Order: We confront the issues head on! And then step gently around them with unrelated petty personal motives to avoid taking a stand. #
23:35 Kinda demoralized on the writing thing. Why bother? I can't come close to UE's level of readership & response. I know it's holidays, but... #
23:40 The purpose of fiction is to be read. I don't write just for myself. But, don't wanna be an egoist or attention whore... hard line to walk. #

EDIT: To be clear (I've said this in my Twitter already) I'm not quitting the writing project. Just expressing frustration. It's really hard to tell over the web if something's working or not, if people are reading, etc. Add a couple boring and lonely days on top of that of holiday funk and it's understandable.

Today's Twitterings

2010-01-01T05:02:42Z

13:50 Trying to figure out the logistics of South American zombies for #anachronauts, the Hash Tag Nobody But Me Will Ever Use. Tricky problem... #
18:18 Happy 2010 to the DFBers and my other friends in Europe. We'll be catching up to you soon. (Kinda bored here doin' new years alone. Ahwell.) #
18:20 So, Euro types, what's it like in the future? Did we get flying cars yet? Or are we eating our neighbors to endure the cold nuclear winter? #
22:40 Wanted to watch Strange Days on DVD for a New Year's treat, but I don't seem to have it on DVD. Or True Lies. Wut? need moar James Cameron. #
23:50 My New Year's Resolution is 320x200x256. Still the greatest era of PC gaming ever. #

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-31T05:03:05Z

10:22 More Psychedelic Furs for Rock Band DLC? Ysplz. We need more new wave stuff; all we have is them and The Cars. tinyurl.com/ybeeut7 #
13:32 Stupid phone can't keep a call going more than 10 seconds -- but another phone, same brand, same network, same position, does fine. Wha? #
13:32 Hopefully my specific, exact phone (or its model) is a dud and I can get it replaced effortlessly. I don't wanna have to switch providers. #
16:19 Called Tracfone, read off a buncha debug numbers, they said it's fixed, still not fixed. And no idea what the REAL problem is. Argh. #
16:38 ...okay. Corporate twitter autoresponders grepping for anybody bitching about their product still creep me out. But maybe I'll get results. #
23:36 *Jerk 12 yr old forces the band to quit in the middle of Journey in RB2* "That song is gay. I'm not playing that. Pick some metal." *sigh* #

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-30T05:02:39Z

01:25 Okay. 40k of #anachronauts sa04 written in one night. Draft complete. I am now crashing and going to bed. tinyurl.com/yagnglj #
12:40 Truly, we live in a connected age of online wonders. I'm touched by this story. In special places. tinyurl.com/ybq7u8n #
15:13 Interview with the pan dimensional alien horror known as Cthulhu. Written by Neil Gaiman. Funny stuff! tinyurl.com/yfkjuvm #

sa04 is down for a jack move

2009-12-29T06:24:52Z

Danger! Intrigue! Explosions! Sexy books! We've got it all.

Also, we're draft complete. This one was tough to write, but in the end, it wrote itself and it wrote itself how it needed to be written. I don't know when I'll return to this neck of the woods, but there's plenty of potential here for future writing.

Feedback most welcome.

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-29T05:03:09Z

09:12 Forgot to tweet this last night -- #anachronauts sa04 updated. Here's the link to the feedback thread: tinyurl.com/y9acesx #
23:51 Hmmm. Do I want to have the male protagonist summon up a surprising willpower, or the female protagonists save his ass? I think the latter. #

sa04 has left the library, sa04 has been saved

2009-12-28T06:38:15Z

It's not quite a Reading Rainbow.

It's just two scenes. I wanted to get more done, but I put off writing it until late, and really... this story's been like pulling teeth. I think the end result is working out fine, but it's definitely forced its way out, outline disagreeing with what I write live disagreeing with my original idea going into it. In the end, whatever wants to be written wins and ends up on paper. In bits. Whatever.

Also, don't forget the holiday bonus material I posted with the last update. Enjoy!

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-28T05:02:25Z

00:13 Posted my review of Avatar. (No, not the one with the airbender.) tl;dr, story weak, fun high. tinyurl.com/yc4gtvd #
14:35 Woot! Just beat Ordrak in Torchlight. Devouring Trap + Arrowhail Spam + Mana/Health Drain Pistols + Potion Spam + Repeat = WIN. #

Batman: The Last Battening

2009-12-27T06:30:28Z

Someone on Twitter asked for the annotated Batman DVD guide I wrote up for a friend, so I'll Just Leave This Here. It's very subjective, though; some episodes I didn't care for, someone else might.

* Unmemorable episode, skippable unless you like the characters.
** A solid episode, worth a watch, especially if you like the characters.
*** One of the best in the series, or critically important for continuity.
**** Absolute personal favorite. I don't hand these out lightly.

[ORIGIN] Origin story for a character
[SIG] Signature story, highlighting character well

VOLUME 1

   *  1 On Leather Wings
  **  2 Christmas With the Joker
 ***  3 Nothing to Fear [ORIGIN:Scarecrow]
   *  4 The Last Laugh
 ***  5 Pretty Poison [ORIGIN:Poison Ivy]
   *  6 Underdwellers
 ***  7 P.O.V. [SIG:Gotham Police]
  **  8 Forgotten
   *  9 Be a Clown
**** 10 Two-Face Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Two-Face]
**** 11 Two-Face Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Two-Face]
 *** 12 It's Never Too Late [SIG:Rupert Thorne]
   * 13 I've Got Batman In My Basement
**** 14 Heart of Ice [ORIGIN:Mr.Freeze]
   * 15 The Cat and the Claw Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Catwoman]
   * 16 The Cat and the Claw Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Catwoman]
 *** 17 See No Evil
**** 18 Beware the Gray Ghost
   * 19 Prophecy of Doom
 *** 20 Feat of Clay Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Clayface]
 *** 21 Feat of Clay Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Clayface]
**** 22 The Joker's Favor [SIG:Joker]
  ** 23 Vendetta [ORIGIN:Killer Croc]
   * 24 Fear of Victory
 *** 25 The Clock King [ORIGIN:Clock King]
 *** 26 Appointment in Crime Alley
**** 27 Mad as a Hatter [ORIGIN: Mad Hatter]
  ** 28 Dreams in Darkness

VOLUME 2

  **  1 Eternal Youth [SIG:Poison Ivy]
****  2 Perchance to Dream
 ***  3 The Cape and the Cowl Conspiracy
 ***  4 Robin's Reckoning Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Robin]
 ***  5 Robin's Reckoning Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Robin]
 ***  6 The Laughing Fish [SIG:Joker]
 ***  7 Night of the Ninja [ORIGIN:Kyodai Ken]
   *  8 Cat Scratch Fever
   *  9 The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
 *** 10 Heart of Steel Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Hardac]
 *** 11 Heart of Steel Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Hardac]
**** 12 If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? [ORIGIN:Riddler]
 *** 13 Joker's Wild
   * 14 Tyger, Tyger
   * 15 Moon of the Wolf
 *** 16 Day of the Samurai [SIG:Kyodai Ken]
   * 17 Terror in the Sky
**** 18 Almost Got 'Im [SIG:Several]
 *** 19 Birds of a Feather [SIG:Penguin]
 *** 20 What Is Reality? [SIG:Riddler]
**** 21 I Am the Night [SIG:Batman]\
  ** 22 Off Balance [ORIGIN:Talia Al Ghul]
**** 23 The Man Who Killed Batman
  ** 24 Mudslide
  ** 25 Paging the Crime Doctor
 *** 26 Zatanna [SIG:Zatanna]
   * 27 The Mechanic
**** 28 Harley and Ivy [SIG:Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy]

VOLUME 3

  **  1 Shadow fo the Bat Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Batgirl]
  **  2 Shadow fo the Bat Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Batgirl]
   *  3 Blind as a Bat
 ***  4 The Demon's Quest Pt. 1 [ORIGIN:Ra's Al Ghul]
 ***  5 The Demon's Quest Pt. 2 [ORIGIN:Ra's Al Ghul]
****  6 His Silicon Soul
  **  7 Fire From Olympus [ORIGIN:Maxie Zeus]
****  8 Read My Lips [ORIGIN:Ventriloquist]
  **  9 The Worry Men [SIG:Mad Hatter]
   * 10 Sideshow [SIG:Killer Croc]
 *** 11 A Bullet for Bullock [SIG:Gotham Police]
 *** 12 Trial
  ** 13 Avatar [SIG:Ra's Al Ghul]
 *** 14 House and Garden [SIG:Poison Ivy]
   * 15 The Terrible Trio
**** 16 Harlequinade [SIG:Harley Quinn]
 *** 17 Time Out of Joint [SIG:Clock King]
  ** 18 Catwalk
  ** 19 Bane [ORIGIN:Bane]
**** 20 Baby-Doll [ORIGIN:Baby-Doll]
   * 21 The Lion and the Unicorn
**** 22 Showdown [SIG:Johan Hex]
 *** 23 Riddler's Reform
**** 24 Second Chance [SIG:Two-Face]
 *** 25 Harley's Holiday
   * 26 Lock-Up
 *** 27 Make 'Em Laugh
 *** 28 Deep Freeze
  ** 29 Batgirl Returns

VOLUME 4
Note: Characters got a visual redesign to simplify them and bring 
them more in line with the Superman series, which was airing 
alongside Batman. Stories took a bit of a dive in quality, 
focusing more on action. Still, there are a few gems, particularly 
since they started mixing in Superman and other DC comics 
characters, and moved time forward (Robin leaves Batman to become 
Nightwing, Penguin goes legit and runs a nightclub, etc.)

  **  1 Holiday Knights
 ***  2 Sins of the Father [ORIGIN:Robin II]
  **  3 Cold Comfort
 ***  4 Never Fear
  **  5 You Scratch My Back [SIG:Nightwing, Catwoman]
 ***  6 Double Talk [SIG:Ventriloquist]
   *  7 Joker's Millions
****  8 Growing Pains
  **  9 Love is a Croc [SIG:Baby-Doll, Killer Croc]
   * 10 Torch Song
  ** 11 The Ultimate Thrill
**** 12 Over the Edge
   * 13 Mean Seasons
   * 14 Critters
   * 15 Cult of the Cat
   * 16 Animal Act
 *** 17 Old Wounds [ORIGIN:Nightwing]
 *** 18 The Demon Within [ORIGIN:Etrigan]
**** 19 Legends of the Dark Knight [SIG:Batman]
        Fun note about this one; each story is told in the style of
        a noteworthy Batman artist, including a segment right out of
        Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns".
 *** 20 Girl's Night Out [SIG:Supergirl, Superman villains]
**** 21 Mad Love [ORIGIN:Harley Quinn]
  ** 22 Chemistry
   * 23 Beware the Creeper
   * 24 Judgment Day

OTHER NOTEWORTHY BATMAN MATERIAL:

Mask of the Phantasm: Movie-length, tells Batman's origin story 
plus a story involving Joker.

World's Finest: Three crossover episodes between Batman and 
Superman.

Justice League: Continues both the Batman and Superman 
continuities, mixes in tons of DC comics characters including 
Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc. Includes a good stand-alone Joker 
focused episode, "Wildcards", and an epilogue for Batman Beyond.

Batman Beyond: A sci-fi future batman, where Bruce is 70 and 
has retired. I've got the first season on DVD but nothing beyond 
that; the show itself was just OKAY. The "Return of the Joker" 
movie, however, is amazing.

Avatar: The Last Furry

2009-12-27T05:12:34Z

Movie review time!

So, James Cameron's been poking away at his magnum opus for about ten years now. It's finally in theatres -- and just in time, since when he started, 3-D as a mainstream concept was laughable. Now, it's commonplace and accepted. Good for him. But does the movie work? Not "Does it live up to the hype", does it WORK?

Let's say it works despite itself.

I'll get the negative out of the way right now. The story is predictable and utterly tedious. Everything happens that you expect to happen -- a single sentence can summarize up the whole thing, "It's one of those movies where greedy white guys wanna displace the natives, except one of them goes native and leads a resistance." Done. You now know the entire plot of Avatar. The story unfolds exactly as you'd expect, a straight as an arrow path with no ambiguity and no nuance whatsoever. That makes the whole affair completely tedious... there are times when you just want them to get on with it, because you already know how it's going to go. For a movie so alive with color, it's totally black and white, and doesn't even bother trying to reach for anything beyond the basics.

So, if you aren't watching for the story, why watch? Three things: Characters, Spectacle, and Experience.

The characters are pretty nicely designed. They have distinctive voices and personalities, and the interplay of them as they move through the scenarios presented is interesting. Our hero is a bit generic, true, but everybody around him in Pink and Blue works well. None of them really surprise us or have any grey area to them, but they're enjoyable to watch and even the CG characters are so well animated that the ACTING comes through nicely. I can watch these guys and care about them, and that's the key to knowing if they work or not.

The spectacle is off the freaking map. Not just the 3-D, which is terrific (if a bit difficult to get into, since the image feels a bit too 'processed' at times) but the large-scale battles, the amazing environments, soaring through the sky... even walking around on ground level is amazing. This is a treat for the eyes and you always want to see more of it, with the movie only too happy to dish up new things to enjoy as you go.

That's where the experience comes into play; beyond Michael Bay-esque explosions and huge-scale objects to stare at, soaking in the WORLD that's been designed and coordinated by the artists is a delight. Even the more subtle visuals are quite a sight to behold, and they all blend together seamlessly into a living, breathing world... one that's easy to suspend your disbelief and revel in.

Overall... you can enjoy this movie, provided you go into it with the right frame of mind. It's a summer blockbuster, a popcorn movie. The writing is not nearly on par with Cameron's other work. But that's fine, if you go so you can watch blue people fight space marines and explore an MMORPG-esque fantasy world. And now is the time to go, while you can still catch it in 3-D... on home theatre systems it'll still be impressive, but it's not going to be 'what the doctor ordered'. So, if you've got an afternoon to kill and want something that'll entertain the hell out of you even if it doesn't fire up your neurons, it'll play nicely.

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-27T05:02:07Z

01:56 AGH. My life-draining pistol in Torchlight? I accidentally disenchanted it. There goes most of my strategy. Time to scrounge... #
02:07 ...and ten minutes later I find a unique pistol that'll replace my old one. Excellent. #
12:10 You gotta be kidding me. Torchlight's on sale for $5. Keiko, sooo sorry I pleaded to get it early. Coulda saved you money. ;_; ! #
15:28 Hurrah! After some firewall wrangling, we've got iTunes talking to each other across the home network. I can listen to Jen's tracks, etc. #
00:01 Just finished writing up an episode list / quality guide for Batman:TAS for a friend. Rated them by awesomeness / continuity. #

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-26T05:02:29Z

02:03 Happy holidays from #anachronauts sa04 with new scenes and some bloggy bonus material! Share and enjoy. tinyurl.com/ykenwxg #
11:39 Ahh, the melodious sounds of holiday music. A fine tradition! Oh, and Muppets. (I love Muppet viral videos.) tinyurl.com/yau4tea #

sa04 wishes you happy holidays

2009-12-25T07:02:43Z

A few more scenes -- but wait, there's more!

Here's a holiday bonus for the fans. Enjoy!

ANACHRONAUTS HOLIDAY WISH LISTS

QUEEN EMILY MOONTHISTLE OF THE FAERIE COURT

* Some nicer dresses, for when I have to put up with nobles and visiting dignitaries with their blah blah blah yakety yak.
* Two boxes of Pensworth Ballpoints. I swear I go through one of these a day.
* An Elfstar compliant iThing.
* Copy of "iThing for Dummies."
* FOR SCOUT: New underwear and socks. I've heard horror stories.
* FOR UNA: Data file of "1001 Recipes for Cold Fun".
* FOR NEL: I think she was eyeing those silver slippers the elvish metalsmiths made. I can't imagine them being comfortable, but...
* FOR MYSELF: A better tomorrow.

SCOTT "SCOUT" REINHOLD, LION OF SUMMER AND QUEEN'S CONSORT

* 1 FrontLiner FOG (Finger of God) Sniper Rifle
* 1 FOG Scout configuration accessory pack (scopes, weather sensors, etc)
* 20 lbs. C4 explosive
* 20 C4 detonators
* 1 Field Sewing Kit for Uniform Repair
* 1 copy Sun Tzu "Art of War"
* 1 copy Bloom Media Repackagers Modern Samurai Megapack (Ghost Dog, Kill Bill, etc)
* 1 Elfstar compliant iThing
* 1 Copy "Imagine: Puppiez" for iThing
* FOR EMILY: 1 Copy "Personal Fitness Trainer" video game.
* FOR UNA: 1 pair flight goggles.
* FOR JESSE: 1 tin metal polish.
* FOR MYSELF: Nothing required.

UNA ZERO POINT ONE OF ARCOLOGY #A076

* An iThing, so I can talk to father and my friends no matter where I am.
* Those really nice silver slippers I saw at the elvish craft bazaar!
* A scrapbook! I think it might be fun to 'print out' some of my data to physical media and assemble it in a pleasing manner.
* A perfume set. I'd love to experiment a bit with one.
* FOR SCOUT: A toy foam dart pistol. It'd be funny!
* FOR EMILY: A neurodampening mood organ, so she can sleep easier at night.
* FOR NEL: I've pulled some strings so I can get her a near bottomless requisitions account with the Arcology outfitters! I can't wait to go shopping with her again!
* FOR MYSELF: I don't need anything, but I've been a good girl, and I hope that the joyous rotund bearded pagan winter spirit descends the nearest combustion chute and leaves some "coal" in my stocking. And by coal... I mean a renewable energy source my people can use to save themselves from running out soon.

NELLIWYN MYFANWY

* A flask of genuine Sparkle Grove bathing oils, from the oasis dryads.
* "Aromatherapy" candles. They sound intriguing.
* "Hairstyles for the Modern Woman," from Barwood & Court, an Eastusa publisher. I need new ideas for illusion spells.
* A deep-wood elven travel belt, with flask ties, pouches, and enchanted pockets of holding.
* One of those iThings, since everybody seems to have one and I don't want to be left out.
* A personal neck massager device from Eastusa and batteries. I have heard they are very... theraputic, for persons with my frustrations.
* FOR SCOUT: "1001 Funny Jokes" so he can cheer up.
* FOR EMILY: Scented massage oils from Sparkle Grove. I think her and Scout would enjoy them, I know I would.
* FOR UNA: It's taken a few months of working in secret, but I've crafted an ornately leather bound complete set of the works of Jules Verne, hand-copied in Elven calligraphy. I can't wait to give it to her!
* FOR MYSELF: The one thing I want most in life isn't something I have any right to wish for.

JESSE THE RUNEBLADE

* A proper battle dress, of elven make.
* Some metal polish.
* Direction in my life, once this fool's errand is done with.
* I require nothing else and have no interest in satisfying the desires of others.

GILBERT GEARHAUS, HONORED CALCULATOR

* More broken sprockets, loose cogs, valves to replace, and other things breaking down horribly so I have something fun to do around the Mermaid.
* A chain for my pocket watch. I lost mine somewhere.
* One of those "iThings", so I can take it apart and see how it works. Electronics! Such a novel concept!
* FOR JESSE: Perhaps a comb and brush set? A fine gift for a lady of class and taste.
* FOR UNA: My copy of 20,000 Leagues is a bit thumbed through, but I believe she'd love to have it.
* FOR NEL: Not sure. She's rarely away from Una's side, I don't quite have a feel for her yet. Perhaps something they could share together, like a chess set?
* FOR JEEVES: A new bowler hat. His is looking a bit dinged lately.
* FOR MYSELF: A fitting goodbye. Perhaps saving orphans from the stomach of a giant shark that's falling out of a burning building which is under attack by Martians. Now, THAT would be fitting!

THE J-33 VALET AND EQUERRY SYSTEM

* Concordance.

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-25T05:03:55Z

01:11 One extra scene for #anachronauts sa04. Also, I'm gonna start linking to the feedback threads from Twitter. tinyurl.com/ygkdmyy #
13:01 .AMR files for ringtones sound like the devil being castrated. I'm off to find some proper MIDI files instead. I do dig the Adlib FM sound. #
13:44 Hurrah! I've figured out Bluetooth! I'm less old now! And I got a pic off my phone camera! ...it kinda sucks. tinyurl.com/ydzdr3v #
15:33 Merry Christmas (with ObDisclaimer) to all. Looks like I'll have a relaxing xmasu with the family this year; no obligations, no visits, etc. #
19:42 Jen got me 8 bags of assorted chocolatey Lindt Lindor Truffles. Clearly she wants me to get the diabeetus and die. Pray for me. #
21:58 New RB2 Drum Kit + LEGO Rock Band's "No Kick Pedal" Cheat = Happy Disabled Gamer. Drumming is fun instead of frustrating and impossible! #
23:38 Honey roasted cashews are mortal sin in nut form. #
23:54 Adjusted LoudTwitter to post at midnight instead of 2am, since I usually do story updates after midnight, and those should take priority. #

Today's Twitterings

2009-12-24T07:01:02Z

10:40 Between the foul weather, work schedules, holiday events, etc. it's hard to find time to go see Avatar. Maybe Sunday night, Jen? Wants 3Dee! #
11:44 Set up my tweets to echo in my LJ. I am socially embloggerating the interwebs 2.0. Next I'll be texting from a Starbucks or something. #
12:07 Does sum up my feelings on "snuggies" rather nicely. The D: !? factor is where folks are wearing them in PUBLIC. tinyurl.com/acez4u #
18:12 I really wish this wasn't photoshopped. Now I'm trying to think of a good excuse to have one custom made. tinyurl.com/y8s2fmx #
01:11 One extra scene for #anachronauts sa04. Also, I'm gonna start linking to the feedback threads from Twitter. tinyurl.com/ygkdmyy #

sa04 is pumping out some "jock jams"

2009-12-24T06:08:53Z

It's not exactly the 'beautiful game', per se.

This scene kind of ran away from me, by the end of it. I wasn't expecting to cut it off where I did, but that's fine; this actually serves the story better, since Melvin's turning out to be a lot more of an insistent and angry young lad than I was originally planning in my outline. I listen to my characters and write them how they want to be written; my plans can be changed to better suit what they develop into. It'll all work out in the end.

Feedback welcome. I think my auto-twitter-summary thing fires off in an hour, which may nudge this post down, but hey.

The Microbloggeration Postulation

2009-12-23T13:43:47Z

I'm considering setting up one of those thingamagoobers that 'daily digests' up my Twitter posts into my LJ.

Used to be I'd LJ once or twice a day with my thoughts, feelings, project updates, reviews of things, wacky links, etc. Nowadays I've spread my focus across both equally, and to different purposes. For long running rants or observations, and for project feedback, it's LJ. For spur of the moment thoughts and wacky links, it's Twiter.

I try to make sure both get Quality Content(tm) which is amusing, entertaining, or at least weird enough to justify reading -- no "I'm taking a poo!" messages. (Unless it's really exceptional poo. Or there's so much of it that it defies description. Or it's such an embodiment of biological horror that it makes you question the existence of a loving God. Y'know, like two weeks ago.) So, presumably my twitterings will be of the Interesting flavor rather than the Annoying flavor.

Sooo. Anybody know how I can set that up?

As for my life, today I'm back at the office and still banging away on the 'ol inbox backlog. This is the problem with vacations -- they rest me up and give me time to enjoy myself, but when I get back, whoa nelly. Job security in the form of being the only person capable of wrangling this role has its drawbacks.

sa04 is studying for midterms

2009-12-22T06:33:02Z

O hai, story I haven't written in awhile.

Now that NaNoWriMo is over, I'm done being horribly ill, I've moved into my new place, my vacation is done, and things are resuming a nice pattern... it's time to get back to anachronauts. This chapter was VERY hard to outline, because I had no actual ideas beyond "some kind of Harry Potter parody". According to the poll I ran, this is what you guys wanted to see (although Los Muertos and the lunar adventure are coming too).

Eventually, I managed to get a plot together, one which goes beyond just making fun of Hogwarts and actually delivers an anachronauts flavored experience that furthers my various plot points. Hope you like it.

When I'm 34

2009-12-20T17:21:46Z

I always seem to neglect my blog when I'm on vacation. Huh.

It hasn't been a very PRODUCTIVE vacation, in a creative sense. We did get the house 90% set up and I've settled in nicely, which I suppose counts as productivity. Last night I did outline sa04, but I wish I'd done that days ago, so I'd have time to work on it before it's back to the grind at the office. Ah well.

Also on the 'meh' list, it's my birthday. I'm 34 now. I dislike getting older. I'm past the point where media is really aimed at me -- it's all about youth and rebellion and living it up in that core 18-25 bracket where everything is happening and stuff is awesome and so on. After that point you're pretty much expected to shut up, sit down, cycle your days through your career, and eventually end up a grey-haired murder suspect on Law & Order.

Still, I can't complain about my QoL. The new layout is spectacular, and I've got plenty of awesomeness around me which I can pick up and goof off with at a moment's notice. Once I get back in the writing seat (which I delayed on owing to massive illness and busyness moving in) that itch will be scratched, as well. So it's not like I think the future's gonna suck, or that I hate my life. It just gets on my nerves when once a year I'm reminded of how far I'm drifting away from my youth. A minor complaint when you look at the larger scope, but a harsher one on the local scale of a single day out of the year.

So. Yeah. Happy birthday to me, dammit.