Poison Moon

Gaming Podcasts

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:38:04 GMT

I never really got into podcasts. I'm sure there's lots of great ones out there, but it hasn't been a priority for me to find them. So, it took friends and colleagues, Atomic Array, to actually get me to check one out.

I can honestly say that it was a lot of fun. Ed and Rone present a fun and interesting show where they discuss alternate history and the new game Colonial Gothic with its creators, Rogue Games. If you like RPGs--and I know most of you do--Atomic Array might be just what you need.

It's all at http://www.atomicarray.com.

Papa's got a brand new bag!

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:52:28 GMT

Watch me write!

My article "The Cluracan: Bottoms Up!" was just published in Kobold Quarterly #4. (Contents of article are best enjoyed while intoxicated. The article has no preference and leaves the choice of beverage up to you.)

Watch me edit!

I was editorial assistant for the Kobold Quarterly #4.

Watch me publish!

The Faerie Ring and a second, as-yet-undisclosed work are on target for publication by Zombie Sky Press before the summer's over.

Watch me graduate!

This is the final, final, final quarter of my so-very-long journey through higher education. As I finish my classes, perform two TAs, and (maybe) volunteer some editing for my department's newsletter, I'll make sure to smell the flowers on the way.

Watch me fret and panic over what comes next!

Frantically looking for future employment.

Watch me lose my mind! :D

For all the right reasons.

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:26:13 GMT

"Father killed by ninjas. Need money for karate lessons."

This was the sign carried by a homeless person today in downtown Seattle. It's nice to see that there are still people willing to do the things that need to be done in order to avenge the loved ones lost to brutal ninja slayings.

Attack of the 50-Foot Virgin!

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:43:44 GMT

If you don't already know, Virgin Comics makes comic books predominantly for an Indian audience and largely by Indian talent. They have recently, however, been pulling some great talent from the rest of the comics industry and from Hollywood (including Jenna Jameson, but that is another story) and have even recently announced a partnership with SciFi Channel for several collaborative titles. Why might you be interested? Because it's simply fascinating (well, to me anyway).

I bring this up here and now because Virgin has just announced the plans for the production (with Sony) of an MMO based on their title Ramayan 3392 A.D. This title is a re-imagining of the ancient, epic Ramayana--a text important in Hinduism and Indian culture--set in a futuristic Earth. On top of a very impressive run over the last year, Virgin is rebooting the series this month with some help from well-known talent. Getting back on topic...

I'm not the biggest fan of MMOs. I've played my share (Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, Guild Wars), but they invariably lose my interest. However, I am seriously jazzed about playing in the world of the Ramayana (though it's in the future, of course). It will be fascinating to see a world not envisioned through the lenses of medieval Europe and Tolkien. It's a ways out, but I'll stay optimistic for this one.

Sanity means...

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:49:45 GMT

...realizing that the whispering monkeys don't always have your best interests at heart.

Is there a cure out there for hesitation? for procrastination? for that sickness that makes you weak and timid in your writing?

Is there a fix-it for the broken drive? for the silent muse? for that dirty funk (you know, the bad kind) deep in the soul?

Is there a map out there to the sweet melody of words lying just beyond reach and always calling to us from our tomorrows?

Any writers out there have ideas on how to break through the writer's block and develop the discipline to muscle through the evil days?

And the wheel turns.

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:18:33 GMT

Been a busy month.

It started with a hot vacation to Arizona with my wife. I won't bore you with a travelogue, but I will point out some highlights behind the screen.

There were three highlights that I feel need to be shared. The trip included a quick jaunt (read long drive) to the Grand Canyon followed by the journey back to Phoenix for the main part of the stay. We only had about a day to see the Flagstaff and Sedona areas, and that was the shame because these areas are gorgeous and we would have loved to spend more time there, but everyone told us that there was nothing to see in that area. :P

Luckily (just a fluke really), we visited Sunset Crater Volcano just north of Flagstaff (Highlight #1). This is a blasted earth of black volcanic ridges and sand. It was like walking an alien landscape and was spectacular. Go see it. If we get our pictures straightened out, I'll post any good ones.

The sightseeing highlight in Phoenix for me was the Desert Botanical Garden (Highlight #2). There was a phenomenal array of cacti and other flora in addition to lots of animal life: I saw more lizards than I could count. We were treated to the strange sight of a roadrunner (yay!) being chased by a ground squirrel a sixth the size... it could have only been stranger if the squirrel was a coyote on rocket skates.

The last item of special note (Highlight #3) is the restaurant San Carlos Bay Seafood Restaurant. I'll note here that we generally consider ourselves vegetarians, but having moved to the pacific northwest, we were forced, at gunpoint, to resume eating fish. (It's just easier to say vegetarian than to list off our sanctioned list of comestibles.) Anyway, this restaurant is probably the most nondescript place ever from the outside, and we never would have noticed it were we not looking for it specifically (even then we almost missed it). The interior is equally nondescript but for the constant Spanish banter. The place is "manned" solely by Mexican women, and while I assume it is the peak of authenticity, it doesn't really matter. Ultimately, we shared our crab-stuffed Chili Relleno and Camarones al Diabla, and I can honestly say that it was the best meal I've had in memory. Go, find this hidden jewel and enjoy.

I would like to add that I like hot food and the aforementioned meal was VERY spicy and wonderfully so. However, we found that southwestern food is not the same as mexican food. We also dined at a local (and recommended by a local) southwestern bar & grill, and while also quite good, actually incapacitated me for its heat. It was a different and MUCH stronger heat than the mexican cuisine and actually detracted from the meal for me. Who knew that southwestern food was hotter than mexican.

We had a great time and would love to go back when it's not so hot.

I came back from vacation to be surprised with my second short-article publication in Dragon #357. Yay! Go buy the issue.

Then, I was surprised to find I had a week to write the article I proposed for Kobold Quarterly (if only I could hit my self-imposed deadlines like this). This is a new online and, recently, print RPG journal run by industry veteran Wolfgang Baur. The chance to be published in Wolfgang's premiere issue of Kobold Quarterly was an honor I couldn't pass up. You should also check out his ongoing Open Design project for other exciting material: customadventure. The article in question is "The Far Darrig" and offers a bit o'the fey... and the issue just hit mailboxes a couple hours ago. Additionally, if anyone hungers to know what Zombie Sky Press is working on, this article bears many similarities to our inevitable first product.

In fact, the Zombie Sky Press ad in the recent issue of the Kobold Quarterly clearly states that a product should be out this fall. How's that for forcing myself to meet my own deadlines? :)

Request for Catharsis---Approved

Fri, 25 May 2007 18:47:05 GMT

Six years in the making. Witness the epic struggle of good versus evil. In a tale of growth and discovery, of pain and despair, one man must sacrifice everything. Will he ever learn to love again? Blah, blah, blah…

My master's thesis, Model Development for Magnetoreception and Mutagenic Analysis of Translational Regulation in Malaria, is complete. This is the culmination of five years of rather schizophrenic research—blood, sweat, and tears were actually mixed with the ink. It was actually written about a month ago, but bureaucracy is a harsh mistress: wrassling with a 57-page style guide, wrangling signatures, waiting for credit audits and review comments, wishing for a quick and painless release.

It, also, signals my departure from research science. The research on magnetoreception and magnetotactic bacteria was fascinating; the research on malaria was eye opening. I wouldn’t wish away the experience, but it’s time to move on. I feel *SO* much lighter, and presumably, I can move forward now.

Spongebob Bloodthirstypants

Thu, 17 May 2007 16:25:20 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070516/sc_nm/antarctica_species_dc

This is the stuff that always makes me happy. I eat it up like some... carnivorous sponge.

Just the idea that there really are “more things in heaven and Earth” makes everything somehow OK. But yes Horatio, I’m weird like that.

“Cradle of life” appears to be a rather sensational claim. A first-pass of the Nature article, itself, more firmly grounds this as speculation. What these findings really illustrate is that there are a ton of new questions.

It’s truly a shame that this will ultimately spell our doom, though. It’s only a matter of time before we stumble across and awaken the hibernating Elder Things and are plunged into a horrible, new age. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to make the most of the days we have left! XD

Cloud nine, baby!

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:54:38 GMT

WOOT!

I am now holding my first published article in Dragon. This is also my first paid writing experience. WOOT!

This is damn exciting. There's also an extremely awesome githyanki gracing the article. WOOT!

If memory serves for what I've written, other articles may not be far off. WOOT!

Maybe I'm being silly, but this is 1400 words from which I'm going to milk all the joy I can. (Actually, I was amazed at how much had to be cut--about a third--presumably due to the table-like formatting that was necessary for the material. I had never considered that would be a problem when I wrote it a year ago.) All I have left to say is... WOOT!

And so it shall be.

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:03:16 GMT

www.zombieskypress.com

There it is folks. Finally, it's open to the whole interweb.

I've been sneaking moments in here and there to fix all the things that my OCD could find, and I think it's ready. :)

There's still a few issues, of course. It's built for the latest generation of browsers: FF2 and IE7, though it's optimized on FF2. There's a bug in IE6 that I tried to fix, but I don't run that browser. I don't have access to a mac, so I have no idea how it looks on Opera. If you guys run across any problems, let me know.

It's been a great experience, and I've learned so much. I might decide to do some web design for other people soon, but that's not a priority right now.

Time to write... after some sleep.

BTW, any thoughts you have on the site are welcome: the good, the bad, the ugly, whatever.

The monkey thought it was all in fun.

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 05:52:58 GMT

I can catch a breath now but only briefly.

The site's almost done, and then I can finally get back to the writing. I'm tired and won't stay long, but I wanted to say "Hi!"

As an offering, I give you the ZSP logo. Damn, I love Illustrator. Much props to Mac for his extensive tips and prototyping without which I wouldn't have been able to do it.

Congress with the devil.

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 06:14:40 GMT

I know... I missed you too LJ. It's OK now. I'm here.

Zombie Sky Press

Ugh. What a busy month. I just can't seem to get that "getting organized" thing down. Doesn't always feel like I'm driving.

Zombie Sky Press

The site's on "go." I decided to try out a WordPress setup for info management. It's throwing me a bit farther into the fire than I was planning for, as I try to beat on the coding and design to get what I want, but it'll all work out in the end... I think. Of course, being a masochist, the prefab themes aren't good enough for me, and I intend to make my own. ;) You can't see her yet, but you can practice typing it if you want (www.zombieskypress.com). You'll just be right back here in a second. That's called "nifty." Goal's the end of the month.

Zombie Sky Press

I've found that it's a lot of fun coordinating and organizing multi-person creative works. Everyone comes to the table with a different vision and set of experiences. It's inspiring. My own ideas continue to evolve (typically for the better) with each interaction. The downside is that it really cuts into one's time to create. A creata's gotta create.

Zombie Sky Press

I'm slowly recovering the lost bits of my soul, and it feels pretty good. BTW, those ether headaches are a fading memory. More regular updates can't be too far away.

Zombie Sky Press (I really like saying that)

Game On!

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:34:30 GMT

Zombie Sky Press is a reality!

It is real and in production mode. The website should be up by the end of February, and the first product is being written.

My ambitions may be high, but there's so much to do. An atypical amount of organization will be required from me in order to get half of what I want to do done. However, I'm on it and expect only great things to come!

For sure, I'll talk about it more soon.

Now, where are my socks...

23.

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:41:19 GMT

Robert Anton Wilson has passed away. Long live Robert Anton Wilson.

I don't think any single person has had as much impact on my life. His words were simply at the right place at the right time. I hope he's having a blast right now. I hope he comes back soon.

Hail Eris.

Being a study of the transition from curiosity to obsession, part 2.

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:06:48 GMT

The second portion of my revolution.

I am starting a small press. It will initially be for RPG-related material, but it may grow to include other stuff such as comic and manga goodness[1].

An old friend, who happens to be a talented writer, will be joining me for the writing[2]. The art is up in the air at the moment, but I am currently "in talks" with people[3]. For sanity's sake, this is starting out small, so we are not looking for unsolicited submissions, but that may change with time.

The real announcement won't appear until the new year, but I can tease now. Writing has just begun on the first product, and subsequent products are currently being dreamt up. For my near-future, the eightball predicts lots of writing, art requests, building the website, and learning how to use certain software[4].

I'll stop for now. Look for my announcement here--in early 2007--for the official beginning. Poison Moon will then take on the added function of "design diary."

_______________________________
[1] Of course that requires someone skilled in sequential art, and while I can now think of myself as a writer without laughing, the same can not be said for my capacity for drawing pictures.

[2] Actually, we'll be forming a composite creature--like Voltron--whose writing talent is greater than the sum of its parts.

[3] You know, my people called their people.

[4] [naivete] Oh, and all those mundane, insignificant things required to build a business. [/naivete]

Becoming a real boy.

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:33:55 GMT

Today, on a very special episode of Poison Moon: LJ Confessional:

What am I? The revolution begins!

I suppose I should paint a picture. Until very recently, I was a research chemist on the road to my doctorate. Unfortunately, I hadn't anticipated growing to hate it.

Did I ever enjoy it? That's a good question. It seems people have an amazing capacity for self-delusion. In retrospect, I don't think I ever really enjoyed it as a whole, but I was good at it. And it seemed important. And... what else could I do?

After slinging coffee with my undergrad degree for awhile, I went back to school for graduate studies. It was fine in the beginning. Made some friends. Learned a thing or two. Had some fun with some interesting research. However, my first research group eventually fell apart in 2004--the signal to my discomfort.

I think I made a valiant effort at trying to rebuild (research and delusions) within a new group, but these last two years have been a building misery. Scientific research can become terribly monotonous, you almost always work in potentially dangerous conditions, there's little creative outlet, and the days are long and lonely. Why did it take so long to realize this? Sometimes, it's terribly difficult to accept the truth--especially when doing so means throwing away a long-held identity and many years of effort. It would have been easier to muscle through and follow the expected path, but the inevitable breakdown would have likely been much more difficult to navigate.

Where leads the future when the past is burned away? I mean, NOW what do I do? This past year has been a painful and busy year of deconstruction for me. I am now officially ending my stint as a chemist with a master's degree (when I finish writing my thesis anyway). For the record, I still enjoy science, I simply can not do it anymore.

Within the past year, I have rekindled my love of writing. This has been very important to me. In that vein, I have been accepted into a master's program in technical communications. Rather than try to find a non-research job with my rather specialized skillset, I decided I need new skills, and this program promises to grant me those skills. So it's back to classes for me!

I'm past the "OMG what the hell have I done!" phase of my decision. There really was no other choice if I ever wanted to stop being miserable. Now, I have to deal with the "OMG what the hell do I do now !" phase.

So this is my reinvention. I'm remaking myself in a new image. If this past year was about tearing down, the new one will be about creating anew. The new studies will help with that, and I'll be doing some freelance writing. There is a "Part Two" to the revolution, but that'll have to wait for next post.

I'd like to think of this as a new beginning. The new year already promises to be full of surprises. Thank you all for your patience. Good fortune and happy holidays to you! I'll see you soon.

~Scott

Up, up, and away in my beautiful balloon.

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 18:28:19 GMT

I almost always enjoy Penny Arcade. They usually leave me with a chuckle and a smile, but every now and then, they create something that is truly spectacular and inspiring. Thank you PA.

All your brain are belong to us.

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 21:01:14 GMT

We can debate the intricacies of free will and predestination later. Right now, you need to bow before your overlords.

To all the aspiring mangaka in the house!

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 22:53:54 GMT

Do you already have a webcomic? Did you always want to have one?

Comic-writer extraordinaire Warren Ellis has just announced the upcoming creation of a portal for webcomics: Rocket Pirates. It is free and is not limited by content or genre, and he is now accepting submissions! Check it out and submit something -- you've nothing to lose. I can't actually draw, but if I could... ^^

Good luck to all who enter! ^_^

~deClench

ps, As per Ellis' blog entry, feel free to spread the word about this to any you think may be interested!

Being a study of the transition from curiosity to obsession, part 1.

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 19:06:08 GMT

I just got my first feature-content rejection the other day from Dragon. That one hurt as I had developed an unnatural love of the material in question. It made me start to consider self-publishing.

It was only a proposal that got killed, so I think I'll start by actually writing-up some of the material to see if it's worthy of more. However, even if this material falls, other material will likely follow. O yes, it will.

You know, for curiosity's sake.

I spy with my little Eye of Agamotto...

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:25:24 GMT

By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth! The Doctor is slated for animation. Who? Dr. STRANGE! Simply the greatest american comic book hero. Not even the crimson bands of Cyttorak could hold me back.

Can you handle the truthiness?

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 18:37:56 GMT

At the San Diego Comic Convention, Oni Press announced the comic adaptation of Steven Colbert's Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure. Seriously. That's pure brilliance!

"A great comic book…. Or the greatest comic book?"

Welcome to Fight Night!

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:28:27 GMT

We have a treat for those in attendance tonight. A once-in-a-lifetime event you'll be telling your grandchildren about!

In the blue corner, it's our favorite avatar of the gods, the hope of Bhopal, the crusha from Calcutta...

Devi!

In the red corner, her opponent. She's cold. She's calculating. She has powers of the mind. She's Dunwich's own little horror...

Lai Wan!

You can only see it here folks. Enjoy the show and be sure to take care of the waitstaff.

Enter the Tentacle

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 03:53:59 GMT

The pilot for The Amazing Screw-On Head is on-line and free to watch.

I just watched it, and it has totally saved my day from my "Dead Leaves depression." For those drawing a blank, this is the animated adaption of Mike Mignola's comic of the same name. The following description from the site is as good as any I could come up with: "In this hilarious send-up of Lovecraftian horror and steampunk adventure, President Abraham Lincoln's top spy is a bodiless head known only as Screw-On Head."

I can't recommend this more! It's a half-hour of animation consisting of Mignola's unconventional but gorgeous artwork -- the "breaks for commercials" are long blackouts, so just keep watching. It's not too dissimilar from Hellboy

If there's any chance you might like animation and comics not originating from Japan, then watch this. Enjoy it. Fill out the survey at the site. Then maybe we can all enjoy the ongoing exploits of our favorite screw-on head together. XD which is likely more familiar to most. They both share the idea of governmental forces battling against great and supernatural evil. It's kinda got mecha; it's kinda got a Great Old One; it's definitely got Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pierce, and Molly Shannon doing voice-overs. There's a lower frame-count than most anime, but the rich artistry overcomes that. This is "american anime" at its finest, but that's an essay for another time.

The Unfinished Basement of Iniquity

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:19:53 GMT

Dead Leaves. Wow. WOW. Wow. I will never get back that time spent watching this. Honestly, I only lost 25 minutes, as I could not stomach the entire 50.

First, take a thematically random yet cute, poignant, sexy, and truly interesting and well-done anime such as FLCL. Then remove any semblance of a plot, degrade the animation, and crank the vulgarity up to grotesque levels and you have Dead Leaves.

I was not even going to waste my time posting this, but I thought it was the least good deed I could perform for anyone actually reading my journal. I couldn't recommend this anime less.

I actually would be interested in hearing a defense of this if there is anyone who has seen it and liked it.