Hi, Everyone. The rumors about my death are false.

I am, indeed, still alive.




Also, people must be wondering about the new "Movie reviews" page.  Well... yeah.




Anyways.



I'm just going to post this here and leave.  Consider it a status update or something.  I'll post something nice, shiny (and maybe even writing-related!) in a few hours maybe.


In the meantime, have this nice GIF:

Why I Write

I was going to post some nonsense about EVE Online, but I decided that some sort of writerly inspirational post is in order.

A breakdown of my awesome Talos Attack Battlecruiser PvP fit will have to wait, then...


So... why write?  I get asked this question surprisingly often.  I mention something offhandedly to a friend about writing and how I enjoy it, and their eyes get huge, sweat begins to pour from their brow, and the panicked "fight or flight" glint appears in their eyes.  "What? WRITING?" They exclaim.  "I hate writing! Why would you do that to yourself?"

In a way, they do have a point. I hate to write just as much as the next guy. Essays, research papers, reflections, "creative" writing... I loathe it all.  I absolutely hate to write.  This loathing disappears, however, when I start writing my books. Words arrange themselves and spill messily onto the paper, plots rise and fall in my mind, characters spring from the creative ether and walk around in my head, demanding they get equal page time.  I would almost say it comes naturally if it weren't for the amount of work I have to pour to get my words to flow right.

Why is this? Why put up with writing if the actual act of writing is so difficult for me?

When people ask me this, I always respond with the same answer: "I write so I can get the people and stories out of my head."  This usually makes my friends look at me strangely, and in some cases back up slowly with a fake grin slapped on their face, so I have to explain it further.

In some ways, my writing is an expression of me.  I like to think that, buried somewhere deep inside, there is a little bit of myself in each of my characters: Ser the Wizard embodies some of my cynical humor, in Rachel I spy the tiniest bit of my mild "control-freak" personality, and in Ferus I see my temper (taken to extremes) bleed through.  Even my baddies share something with me: Crealis shares my obsession with science and knowledge, and the villain of AI - Burn will probably end up being an actual representation (an evil version, of course) of myself and a friend. By developing these characters, it's almost like exploring myself—what would it be like to be a completely cynical jerk (Ser)?  How would I feel if I had lost everything (Ferus)?  What if I took my interest in science to an unholy level (Crealis)?

On the other hand, these characters are undoubtably more than just parts of me.  There is no possible way that Jennifer Kree, the mysterious lab partner from my Shadow Walkers book, shares more than a sliver of her personality with me.  She is definitely her own separate person; she still surprises me quite often.  The same goes for every single one of my characters: they take on a life of their own, completely separate from me, and do their own thing.  When I write right, the books almost literally write themselves, all I have to do is listen to my characters, and try to keep up with my typing.  So, while writing is an exploration of myself, it simultaneously isn't.  It's an exploration of something that's beyond just me.  Yes, I created it, but it's somehow become something more than the world I thought up.  Terragonna is so much more than some made-up world I escape into when I should be studying for an exam or working.  It has landmarks, history, famous people and events, a culture, a language, it's own dangers, problems, solutions, quirks... and the only way I can go there is if I write.

To sum it up, writing isn't just writing.  It isn't the act of thinking up words to fill a paper, like essay writing or research.  It is very much the act of exploring something else which is both apart of me, and at the same time very much separate.

I know that's confusing, but it's the best I've got.


So what about you? Do you write? If so, why?


That is all.

Watzzit Tooyah

My-Current-Emotional-State-Ometer

Burned Out

My Thoughts on T.A.H.I.T.I

SUPER MEGA ULTRA WARNING!!! TOTALLY NOT EDITED FOR ANY SPOILERS OF ANY KIND!!!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

You have been warned....

btw super sorry about my prolonged absence.

PS btw T.A.H.I.T.I is the name of the latest Agents of SHIELD episode that aired tonight.  So... yeah.  That's what that means.

Begin Official Post:

OK.  So, at first I was like, OMG IT'S SKYE DYING.

And then I was like, OMG THEY'RE GOING TO PULL A COULSON ON HER!

Then I was like, WEIRD MOUNTAIN BASE THROWING UP RED FLAGS!

Then I was like, DON'T GO INTO THE TAHITI ROOM COULSON!

Then I was like, DON'T INJECT SKYE WITH THE DEATH JUICE GUYS!

Then I was like, WHAT THE HECK

I'm going to skip the actual transcription of the episode, because YOU REALLY NEED TO WATCH IT, not read about it online.  But for the truly desperate, here's a link: http://www.examiner.com/article/r-e-c-a-p-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e14-t-a-h-i-t-i

So I have some theories about the whole "WHAT THE !@#$% WAS IN THE TUBE" thing.  Hold on to your seats, guys and gals, because, personally, I think I'm on to something...

The Thing in the Tube

First off, I read this article on the Marvel Wiki, which got me thinking.  What exactly did they do to heal Coulson in the first place?  This "Guest House" facility is nonSHIELD, mind you.  The information in Coulson's file is probably bogus, or represents their failed attempts to revive him, since they ultimately sent him away.  Also note that the brain-reprogrammer machine was inside the Guest House.

I also noted that Coulson's body bears very few signs of actual surgery.  Besides the scar over his heart where the spear went through... he's basically whole.  Then again, they basically split his skull in half with no scar there, so... anyways.  So I'm thinking that there was no actual "surgery" involved with Coulson's revival.  This GH-325 drug business basically did all of the work.

So... wha?

That's when I read the above article on the Marvel drug known as "Mutant Growth Hormone" (MGH).  Apparently, this substance is sucked out of mutants and, when injected in regular humans, gifts them with superpowers.  At least, that's the case in the regular Marvel world (Earth 616).  This Marvel movie world is already markedly different (Coulson, Tesseract, Aether, JARVIS, etc) than the comic world Earth 616.  

So here's MY theory:

This facility specializes in healing extremely sick/dying/dead people by injecting them with Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH, aka GH-325 in this continuum).  This drug gives the user "superpowers" which includes rapid healing/regeneration of damaged tissue.  However, for non mutants, the process is EXTREMELY painful and unpleasant, which makes them lose the will to live, as in Coulson's case.  EVIDENCE FOR THIS:

• Coulson was obviously not under surgery when he was begging for death in his flashbacks.  No doctors were working on him, no blood or open surgery wounds were present. He appeared to be already healed.  Thus he had already been injected with MGH and was in the midst of suffering the consequences during the flashbacks.
• The "Guest House" facility keeps the brain reprogramming machine in their main surgery room.  Apparently it gets a lot of use.  As in, every patient they see needs the brain reprogrammer after the operation.

If this is true, than the blue monster inside the tube is a dead mutant that the facility is sucking MGH (GH-325) from for use in their operations (for those of you who said they were "growing the body..." um, hello? Did you notice the autopsy scars?  It's dead).  Coulson realizes this, and realizes that Skye is about to be subject to the exact same treatment he was subject to when he had "died."  However, this time there will be no brain reprogrammer to return her will to live, as the facility is about to go boom-boom.  Skye will wish she was dead.  Permanently.

HOWEVER!

This is not the case.  Skye is injected with MGH and, after some minimal thrashing about and body freak-outs, she stabilizes and is fine.  So what the heck?

If the rest of my theory is true, then there can be only one explanation.

Skye is a mutant.

Ergo, the MGH is compatible with her body, so it doesn't induce the extremely painful will-sucking phenomena it produces on regular humans like Coulson, it just enhances/expounds on her already-present mutant powers, which were not enough to heal her initially.  We already know she has "special powers" (though they were never observed) and was/is being hunted by an entity we all assume is the Clairvoyant.  Perhaps these "powers" arise from her being a mutant?

THERE IS MORE

Technically, the next bit is my good e-friend Mel N. Choly's contribution to my theory, so thanks to him/her.

We know that Marvel/Disney is hinting that the whole Agents of SHIELD thing will eventually tie into their movies in a big way.  The next big movie is the Winter Soldier coming out next month.  If you've seen the commercials, you've probably recognized Bucky as the mega-boss ninja assassin guy that is presumably the main villain.  He was dead awhile ago.  How did they bring him back?

*coughcoughMGHcoughcoughGuestHousecough*

Evidence? Of course.

• The facility guards comments that they're "not expecting anyone for a couple of weeks," meaning that they ARE expecting someone after a couple of weeks.  Bucky?
• Bucky fights with a reckless disregard for his own life, as evidenced in the commercials.  Lack of a will to live?  Weak, I know, but it's something...
• Bucky somehow gains superhuman abilities.  Perhaps regular injections of MGH?  Coupled with the above, this could be a real possibility...
• This episode airs exactly one month before the release of the Winter Soldier.  As in, a couple of weeks...
• AND
• At the end of the Agents of SHIELD episode... A CAPTAIN AMERICA SHIELD IS FLASHED BRIEFLY BEFORE THE REGULAR AGENTS OF SHIELD LOGO.
• YES, REALLY.

After combining my theory with Mel's, I'm convinced it's the truth.

Now watch me be totally, completely, hilariously wrong.

Ideas? Problems with my theory? Leave them in the comments, faithful viewers!

That is all.

Wattzit Tooyah

My-Current-Emotional-State-Ometer

I'm sticking with this.

YOU FAILED!

That pretty much sums it up right there.

So… yeah.  I never made it past 6,000 words.  Darn you, college.

Wait… what do you mean I promised a post a day during November?  What is that even supposed to mean?  I have no idea what you're talking about.  Prove it (which you won't be able to, because I may or may not have deleted the post with the only proof available. So HA).

I just couldn't find the time.  Between studying for finals, midterms, trying to get transferred at my job, and everything else going on, I couldn't do it.

HOWEVER:  I HAVE A SECRET PLAN

On SOME OTHER month besides November, I will write a novel in a month.  AND THEN when November rolls around, I'll upload my word count and win!

I KNOW!! BRILLIANT, RIGHT?

Because we all know that for those of us in college, November is about the worst month you could pick to have NaNoWriMo.  Midterms and finals and end-of-the-year wrap-up…. the list goes on.  And on.  AND ON.

So I'm not bummed about it too much.  How about you?  What's your Epic Success/Epic Failure story?

Crud, I almost forgot:

My-Current-Emotional-State-ometer

This is me right now

Day 11: In Which I Have No Excuse. Moving on...

I come to you with no excuse for why I didn't post anything for the past week+, except for the lame, typical "it's midterms, it's work, it's blahblahblah."  So without further ado, we move on.



Word Count: 4,470 at the time of this publishing.  More will be written tonight.
Target:  Way more than that (18,333 to be exact)
Behind by 13,863

You may say there is no hope for me, but the fat lady hasn't sung yet.  There's hope.

Since all of my posts have been about writing so far, I thought it'd be nice to have just a "normal" post for once.

Have you even SEEN the movie they are coming out with next year?  HAVE YOU?!

This will simply be the most awesomest movie ever created by the human species, ever.  Period.  No contest.

I know what I'm doing this February.

If you see a mysterious, handsome male geeking out in a movie theatre over this movie, you have caught your first look at Watzzit Tooyah.  I.  Will.  Be.  There.  If any movie deserved to be watched in a movie theater in the history of existence, this is it.  Definitely.

In other news, my little sister has learned a quote from Wreck-It Ralph.  She now goes around asking everyone "Ryoua Bo-Bo?" (Translation: "Are you a Hobo?"  Vanelope asks Ralph this when they first meet).

I just know I totally didn't spell "Vanelope" right.  It's a sixth sense.

Also, the next Thor movie is coming out soon (cool), another Captain America is coming out (meh), and, of course we can't forget the next HOBBIT!  WOOHOO!  Although not nearly as awesome as the thing of beauty above, the next Hobbit movie runs a close second in the awesomeness scale.  Way cool stuff going on in the near future.

Not much else is going on in the life I may or may not have.

I have something neat to show you guys.  It's called the "Big Five" personality test.  It tests for your position on a range of five traits, testing your levels of:

Openness to new experiences

Conscientiousness (Orderliness)

Extraversion (How social/outgoing you are)

Agreeableness (Niceness, etc.)

Neuroticism (How emotionally unstable you are)

Higher values indicate a higher presence of each trait.  Here's mine:

I'm a O76-C13-E27-A69-N18 Big Five!!

So I'm pretty open to new experiences, I'm not orderly at ALL, I'm pretty introverted, I'm an agreeable person, and I'm emotionally stable.  Pretty fun.  Click on my results to take you to a page where it further breaks my results down (for you creepy stalker types).  You can also take the test for yourself.

That is all.

Watzzit Tooyah

My-Current-Emotional-State-ometer

Day 4: In Which My Excuse is that I Take Weekends Off

'Nough said.

Current Word Count: 3,557
Target Word Count: 6,666
Behind by 3,109 words



There you have it.  Yes, I fell a bit behind this weekend (mostly because I didn't write a lick on Sunday), but I can still come back and win this thing.  I feel confident.

Oh snap.  I just remembered that, thanks to the fact that AT&T wiped my phone, the amazing picture of the guy who was towing a trailer full of unsecured 2x4s right in front of me on the highway is gone forever now.  That's too bad, because it was a miracle how that wood was not in my windshield.  I'm lucky to be alive right now, folks.

I'm at that stage in my writing where, due to the rushed-ness of it all, I'm looking back on my writing with a horrified expression, thinking "WHY?!  My writing stinks, my plot stinks, my book stinks, in fact I stink.  What was I thinking, 50k words in one month?  It'll be unreadable!"

What to do when you have these thoughts?

Here are my thoughts on these thoughts.  Or, whatever.  Here's what to do:

1. Give yourself a good pat on the back.  Maybe eat some Halloween candy.
2. Think of your ideal book.  The one this pile of whatever will someday resemble.  Remember that and draw inspiration from it.
3. Give yourself a good kick in the pants.  Get back to writing ya whiner.

I find that almost any problem in writing can be solved by more writing.  It's a vicious cycle, really, but one that works.  Write, and all your problems will melt away.

(Well, except for, you know, those unwashed dishes you haven't had time to clean, your unwashed clothes you haven't had time to run through the laundry, your unwashed self that needs attention, etc.)

I'm beginning to think that maybe, despite my staunch campaign against outlining novels, that perhaps maybe possibly I should have outlined my novel.

(Don't you say a word Anastasia.  Not one freakin' word.  Not even a sound.  Don't even think)

So do not despair, writer friend!  You WILL write this novel, it WILL be amazing (one day), and you WILL... 

....

....

....

...something.

Bathe in yogurt.  Sure, why not?

You WILL bathe in yogurt!

It has just occurred to me that my posts are random, without reason, and not remotely helpful or even mildly inspiring.

Oh well.

That is all.

Watzzit Tooyah

My-Current-Emotional-Sate-ometer

Defiant

Day 1: In Which I Reveal the True Meaning of Halloween

Since nobody will read this until tomorrow morning anyway, it still counts as a post from yesterday, right?

Current Word Count: 1,005
Behind by: 662 words


So today I discovered what Halloween is REALY about.  No, it's not about the costumes or the cute little girl dressed as Cinderella.  It's not about the scary movies or the haunted houses.  It's not even about preparing for the supposedly impending undead apocalypse.

It's all about gathering a huge candy stash for NaNoWriMo!

Yes, it's true!  Don't deny it!  You're going to be chowing down on that stuff aaaaallllll month!  It will be the lifeblood of your writing energy!  Just ask my good friend Anastasia Cross, she'll tell you.  A writer simply cannot write without chocolate.  It's physically, psychologically, biologically, and physiologically impossible.  I've tried it before, trust me.

In other news, a CRAZY first day of NaNoWriMo.  I had piano lessons, "work", a project due, a re-do project due, signing up for Spring 2014 classes, insert random excuse of why I'm behind 600 words here, etc. etc.  Still managed to pull of 1,000, and I'm happy with that, despite the fact it's almost 2 as I write this.

Hey, it's Friday night.  I can sleep as late as I want tomorrow.

Anyways, happy 1st of No, writers!  Watzzit out.

That is all.

Watzzit Tooyah

My-Current-Emotional-State-ometer

Still Sleepy

Only Worse