http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Atticus-Runemaster&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Atticus-Runemaster en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:56:48 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/28294723/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/28294723/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:20:04 PST
So yes, I went to Nekocon 12. I bought things. I bought a glass bottle that could be hung from a belt (perfect potion bottle), a red bandana, a funny D&D shirt, volumes 4 and 6 of Jing: King of Bandits, two wooden swords, and a signed copy of the manga prequel to the movie The Dark Crystal entitled Legends of The Dark Crystal: The Garthim Wars, a great read.

In fact, the artist has a dA account:

Yes, I dressed up. I went as Final Fantasy's Red Mage. That outfit seemed to be more popular than my Black Mage-ish outfit that I wore to the last Nekocon I went to. A lot of people wanted a picture of me. Yes, I took some pictures as well (will probably post them here). There were other FF characters there, but they were mostly from FF7.

I went to see the panels and videos there. I saw the AMV contest; I kept the voting paper, too. I even went to BOTH raves; in and out of costume. My legs are still sore. It's hurting my average in Bowling Class.

So yeah, I had a fun and productive time at Nekocon. I love anime conventions. I meet all kinds of people there.

So once again thanks for taking the time to read this. Here's one of the AMV's that were shown in the AMV contest. I just love this one...

[link]

There is always better,
~Runemaster

P.S. -- I'm playing D&D now. I mean table-top, pen and paper D&D. I play as a Human Bard. So far it's been great.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/26647308/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/26647308/ Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:25:27 PDT
Among the many things I've had to deal with recently, I have found time to take a look at a few MMO's of various kinds. First up: a shameless plug.

This game is called "Pocket Nightmares," a free-to-play, browser-based game. It's a fairly new game made by ; it's fun and has a lot potential. There is a chat box built in so you can chat with other players and, since the user base is small, the developers. Be warned, there is no filter so the coversations can get a little mature and perhaps R-rated.

Here's a tip: Never mention Pokemon to the developer Ignis.

Here's a link: [link]

Next up is a rare sight to behold: A Sci-Fi MMO. Taikodom is... I guess you could call it a Space Sim, though it is more than just a simple Space Sim. There is only one and precisely one server for this game. It is part of a massive project in Brazil that spans over multiple forms of media (mostly literary). There's a English version in the works, but that doesn't mean you can't play it right now; it is translated for english speakers. Just don't expect many people to speak english.

My main is a Scout and here's the website: [link]

Now here's a interesting piece of information: DDO is about to become F2P. For those who don't know what that means, I just said that Dungeons & Dragons Online is going to be Free-to-Play. The date for this change is September 9th of this year (subscribers get to come in early on the 1st). This is by far one of the best pieces of gaming info that I have ever heard.

I've already started planning my character. He's going to be a Human Ranger/Sorcerer. There will also be a Necromancer.

And now, stories.

I have come up with two story ideas that I'm stuck on which to work on. One is a modern day story involving magic and the supernatural, inspired by the Young Wizards Series and a roleplaying book entitled Open Versitle Anime (OVA) RPG. The next story was based on this thought: What would I get if I combined Final Fantasy with Dungeons & Dragons. All in all, I pleased with the way my thoughts were going with this one. However, I need to learn to focus so here is what I'm going to do: I'm going to write two short stories based on these two ideas. A sort of prologue, if you will. From there I will see what others think of them and write the one that people take a liking to.

I realize that not many people take a look at my profile, but I need to post something anyway. Look forward to it.

Also, there is a new Manga (or rather Manhwa) that I've started to read called 1/2 Prince. What's it about? Why, it's about a young girl who, as part of a bet, plays as a male elf bishonen in an online video game. I guess what makes it interesting is the fact that the game uses VR technology and that normally one cannot change there gender in this particular game. All in all, great action and comedy. It is also adapted from a Chinese (I think) novel of the same name.

Check it out on One Manga: [link]

And in other news, today is my birthday. I am now 21 years old and my older sister just invited me out for a drink later this evening. This is probably the second loneliest celebration that I must endure year after year, the first being Valentine's Day. At least I can celebrate this occasion with my family.

Here's an added bonus as a thank you for taking this time to read this rant: Two Zatch Bell (AKA Gash Bell) AMV's, both kick ass.

[link]
[link]

That is all.

There is always better,
~Runemaster

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/25646643/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/25646643/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:46:45 PDT
Sorry, I couldn't help that.

So anyway, I've just had my wisdom teeth extracted. My mouth is completely numb and full of blood. I am currently holding an ice pack up to my left side of my jaw and in a few minutes I'll have to switch sides. I must do this for the rest of the day. On the inside of both my cheeks are those cotton(?) pad thingies to soak up the blood.

I can't talk. At all.

During the operation, My brother called me three times so I could get him from classes while my friend called me once. I really want to talk to him.

I just can't wait to see how my yoga classes are going to play out tomorrow.

Well, at least this part is over now. I won't have to go through it ever again.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/25120982/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/25120982/ Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:59:35 PDT
It all started fairly well. They did a mess load of X-rays (probably because they hadn't seen me in a while), did some cleaning, floride trays... usual check-up stuff. After that, that's when I got the news.

I am to have SEVEN teeth removed, four of them wisdom teeth. On top of that, I have cavities in a good number of my teeth so they have to work on them as well.

Why is it so hard for me to keep my teeth in good shape? It's not like I don't brush them or anything. My mother has the same problem. They had started work on her teeth when I went for my check-up. She was having a root canal performed on her.

I guess the two of us just have naturally brittle teeth.

I dread the coming weeks.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/24126472/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/24126472/ Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:12:23 PDT
In this dream, I was in a world in which the supernatural lived along side the natural. Some ordinary people knew of their existance, some didn't. I'm not sure which side I was on during the dream. I'm not sure if that was me at all but rather someone else who I was possessing at the time.

One thing stood out the most in my mind. It was a beautiful woman trapped in a block of ice within an ice covered/filled cavern. I remember walking with someone, another woman, someone I had feelings for. We were walking to this place. I wanted to show it her.

I remember crawling, trying to get past a bush with spikey leaves and failing. I decide to take a different route. I then remember a path in which I went under cold water only to come up and meet with hot air. There was no fog or mist, just cold water and hot air.

The next thing I know, I'm at the entrance to the ice cavern. I remember walking inside and, to my horror, finding furniture inside. Someone had made this their home. Someone I met earlier on in my dream, where I was there and yet not there. I was nothing more than a ghost as watched the scene unfold. But I don't have time to talk about that. All I can say for now is that he was a greedy, somewhat evil bastard. Also, a vampire.

I suddenly spin around and come face-to-face with the person in question along with his gang. There was a heated discussion between us. I can't remember what was said but the gist of it was he wanted the woman trapped in the ice and I refused to let him near her.

We ended up fighting. Well... I say we fought but it was rather one-sided. I charged at him... then I immediately backed off. He barely moved a muscle and yet something told me to get away. I went back and forth like this a few times while taking a few quick jabs at him, none of them connecting.

He then made a comment. He said, "I'm going to send you up into the air, then towards the wall." Or something like that. At that moment, a memory flashed through my mind. It was a memory of something I had seen on TV (within this dream, that is) of someone smashing the ground and sending the opponent in the air completely paralyzed. I remembered how to avoid it.

Just before he struck the ground, I jumped. The next thing I know, I'm back on the ground and he's charging at me. I try to dodge thinking that he was coming at me with a punch. I instead get hit under my chin with a rising kick. I fell to the ground...

And woke up.

The weirdest part of this dream was the moment I came to. My breathing was normal but my heart was racing. I had this strange urgency to go back to sleep. However, that kick I recived in my dream had knocked me wide wake. Hell, I can still FEEL it. My chin is still tingling from it. It occured to me a few minutes later that the moment when I woke was when I had been knocked out in my dream.

I... I don't know what to make of this. This is the first dream that was this clear to me. A part of me thinks it would be great story material. The other part is screaming "I have to go back!"

Was it really a dream... or was it something more? I just don't know anymore...

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/23895633/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/23895633/ Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:30:05 PDT
1) I have my first Avatar. This was made for me by my friend whom I give thanks for this kindness. The expression seemed weird to me at first but I've come to like it. For those of you wondering, the hat is supposed to be the one that Red Mages from Final Fantasy wear. Let's say that I'm a fan of hybrid character classes.

2) I have a webcam pic now. I first found this thing on a forum as someone's Avatar. I can't help but burst out in laughter everytime I see it. Apparently, this is an old role-playing joke which involved a player who was one of the best players in the group but had no idea what a gazebo was. Seeing as I'm lazy, if you want to know more then go to google and type in "it's a gazebo." The joke should be one of the first links shown.

Now, if any of you read my previous journals you will remember that my hobby is finding Free to Play MMOs, download them, and play them for a few days before moving on to the next one. More often than not these games have just started their Open Beta test. For those who don't remember this... well, I just told you. Anyway, the new MMO is called Ether Saga ([link]). It just started into Open Beta but it shows promise. In fact, I would say this would be a game for those who are more casual--or lazy--players. It has some neat features such as Auto-routing. Basically, you open your Quest Log/Journal/Book/Whatever, you select the quest you want to work on and you will see some words in green. These are usually nouns or names. You click on these words and your character starts walking to them him/herself. This, plus the auto-attack function of the Possessor item, allows you to grind without touching a key or using a bot.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. If I were to complain about anything in this game, it would be the small inventory and stash space. This can be corrected with the purchase of a few items from the game's Cash/Item/Whatever Shop.

I feel half-tempted to chronicle my adventures in this game. First things first, let's see how long this game can keep my attention.

Until next time.

There is always better,
~Runemaster

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/23577658/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/23577658/ Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:03:50 PST
The results of the first round of 's Zombie Island Tournament (aka Z.I.T.) came out sometime ago (too lazy to look it up right now) and it turns out I actually won despite my entry being incomplete. After a lot of mad laughter, some bouncing off the walls, and a few happy dances I eagerly awaited the match-ups for the second round. Now here comes the problem. Last week, I found out that I was up against two opponents this time to which there would be two winners and one loser in the end. "A three-way free-for-all, huh? Shouldn't be too hard," I thought to myself. I was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

Being a stickler for continuity, I quickly ran headfirst into a brick wall problem that I should have seen sooner. There is practically no sure way for everyone's (my opponents and I) stories match up. The fact that we need to "show" one, if not both of our opponents in our entry makes it near impossible for me to write anything. I would go into more detail but I do not have the words nor the attention span to write it out. Suffice it to say, during the first week since the second round started I have my sanity slowly eroded by this. If it were not the short pauses I had in which I played games or read stuff (books, manga, Wikipedia, etc.), I probably would have lost it by now.

I know that the easiest solution would be for me to say, "Screw continuity, I have a deadline," but I'm a storyteller. Not a good one, mind you but still... what kind of storyteller would I be if my story is full of plot holes?

This... this is all... uggh... I'm such a perfectionist...

This is going to be the loooong round. I just know it.


Other News:
- Found out Ragnarok Online had a free-to-play server now so I downloaded it and I play a Mage (later to be Sage) by the name of Vale Goodwyn.
- Someone I know managed to convince me into playing Runescape. No classes, just a list of skills to improve. Not good for my ADD.
- Got interested in play my Final Fantasy Origins disc which contains Final Fantasy 1 & 2. I have beaten FF1 before but I figured I could do it again.
- Interested in playing a table-top RPG. Trying to decide whether I should get Dungeons & Dragons or World of Darkness series. If D&D, then I'll get the Fourth Edition books. If WOD, I'm at least getting Mage: The Awakening along with the core book.

Until next time.

There is always better,
~Runemaster

P.S. -- I think that 's Gorger would fit perfectly in the World of Darkness series.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22519161/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22519161/ Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:16:52 PST
Truth be told, I feel like I outdid myself with the Introduction Chapter that I made for Isaac. I felt like I've somehow improved myself in my writing, that this was the best thing I've written yet. However, I also feel like there's still room for improvement. It's like there is this voice inside my head that is speaking to me, saying, "I can do better than this." I think I've managed to grab hold of something interesting here. I don't know what it is yet but I'm more than willing to find out and I'll keep writing until I do, even if all I write are nothing more than brainstormings.

Anyway, in the Introduction I put up I had put up a little teaser for the First Round that I was going to write. After some thought, I realized that it would probably be a better move to put it up here on the Journal. So here you go and enjoy.

::::::::::

Next time on Z.I.T. (Isaac's Story):

Having narrowly escaped the vicious Zombie Shark and finally setting foot on the island, Isaac arrives at the abandoned home of the lighthouse keeper. It is there that our hero later meets with Zack, a young man who is currently obssessed about zombies, after taking a short moment to refresh himself and they quickly become friends in this their time of need. Trouble soon heads their way, however, as one of the powerful Zombie Elite, Banshee Hikaru, is sent after them. The Cosplay Hero is needed, but he can't reveal himself so easily just yet. Where's the fun in that?

Isaac decides against immeadiately donning his "Work Costume" in favor of another costume he finds in the lighthouse keeper's home. By donning this new costume, he now has a new trick up his sleeve. With it and Zack's help, will Isaac be able to pull the rabbit out of his hat that will defeat their screeching undead foe? Or will Banshee Hikaru sing the Requiem of their Deaths?

Stay tuned and find out on Z.I.T. (Isaac's Story) Round One: Tricks of the Trade!

Isaac:"You're not seriously considering that as the title, are you?"

Runemaster:"Best I could come up with on the spot. Besides, it's not like you could do any better."

Isaac:"Actually, I think I could--"

Runemaster:"Yeah well, I'm not letting you."

Isaac:"..."

::::::::::

Okay, yes I know the title sucks. I also know that the phrase is actually "Tools of the Trade" (and I might just make that as the title) but at the time it sounded good. But it was early in the morning and I didn't say it outloud to myself before writing it, so it's simply a case of something "sounding better in my head before I said it." This just goes to show that I definately have things that I need to improve. My next goal is to give something, be it either a story or chapter, a good title.

Isaac:"I think "Trade Secrets" would make a better title."

Oh, be quiet. Nobody asked you.

~Runemaster

The Zombie Island Tournament (Z.I.T.) and anything related belong to

Zack belongs to

P.S. -- Is it weird to talk with the fictional characters that you've created? Or is that just me? Or have I been not getting enough sleep? I think that the "a" and "e" are starting to look the same....

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22335639/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22335639/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:14:21 PST
Why do we celebrate this?

It's not all that important, is it? It's not like the Fourth of July or Halloween. It's just a new year. Celebrating a new century or millenium, that I can understand. But... every year? Not that I'm complaining or anything...

You know what? Screw it. I'll just believe that we're celebrating the Earth's birthday or something and leave it at that. No need to nitpick everything I can't understand right away.

My Ref. Sheet for Z.I.T. ([link]) is pretty much finished now. Just taking some time to look it over and tweak it as I see the need to. Will be posted soon. In the meantime here are some more of my favorite AMVs:

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro - Diabolical: [link] (Warning: at the end of the song the volume get's louder, but only for a moment)

Soul Eater: Serious: [link]

Insanity Beat: [link] (This is a Soul Eater AMV, too; a really good one)

Delusions: [link] (Chaos; Head AMV)

The Smash-Up: [link] (Various animes)

Naruto Shippuuden-Voodoo People: [link]

That is all and thank you for your time.

~Runemaster

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22191475/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22191475/ Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:24:55 PST
Apart from that, I have also gotten two Wii games (gotten a Wii recently for my mother to help keep her moving; doctor's orders, too). The first is Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, a game that plays in first person and you use the Wii remote to slash or stab at opponents (Loads of fun). The second game is Nights: Journey of Dreams. I saw this game and I thought: "I remember this guy. He was in that Sega Saturn game. It looked really fun. Whatever happened to that system anyway?" So I ended up getting it for the purpose of enjoying something I didn't get the chance to play.

My family also has this certain way of celebrating Christmas. We don't try to guess what each other wants, we just go out that day or go online and buy the things then and there. It gets to the point and we don't waste money. Although we do get things which we know someone else in the family will love to have. Like my toy monkey. The point is I'm going to be getting more presents later today. I may update this later to tell you what they are.


One last thing. If you didn't bother to look at my previous journal here it is again:

[link]

The Origin of the Moonwalk. Also a Moonwalking bird. Very funny.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22074629/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/22074629/ Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:04:16 PST
First off, I'm obsessed with this song:

[link]

And I'm not talking about simply having the song stuck in my head. I cannot help but play the damn thing over and over and over again. Every. Waking. Moment. That's how obsessed I am.

Secondly, this manga has filled me with inspiration about my writing hobby:

[link]

Even though this manga has only a little to do with writing it is inspiring nonetheless.

And finally, while we are on the subject of hobbies, I have found a new free to play MMORPG. It is called Florensia ([link]). Check it out for yourself. I think it's good.

...

Oh and I guess I decided to join Evil-Stan's Zombie Island Tournament (Z.I.T.). Reference Sheet up later as well as the other one I promised before.


EDIT: I have found another kick-ass game online. It is a flash game called "flOw":

[link]

I find it both soothing and addictive. I enjoy it thoroughly.


EDIT 2:

I nearly forgot:

[link]

The origins of the Moonwalk plus a Moonwalking bird. You will love it.

~Runemaster

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/19029595/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/19029595/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:37:09 PDT
I wish I could participate in the Second Round... is what I would like to say but there is no need for me to say it for I shall be in the Second Round! You see, shortly after the First Round had ended, I had recived a Note from Shiro-VII stating that Theodore and I would be given a second chance in the tournament due to the fact that there were an uneven number of people left. So Theodore shall be fighting in the next round of The Immortal Tournament. Unfortunately, I was also told who my next opponent would be: Evil-Stan's Gorger.

Evil-Stan has an incredible knack for creating dark characters, moods, and settings, and his character, Gorger, is a real piece of work. I have read all of his past exploits in previous tournaments and I must admit that felt a little queasy at the end of each one. I doubt I could find any character on deviantArt who could match, much less top, his deeds. As far as I'm concerned, Gorger is practically pure evil... which I guess is what Evil-Stan wanted him to be when he created him.

And now my main problem is this. I suck at creating or portraying evil/dark characters. I'll be hard pressed to duplicate even a fraction of Gorger's evilness. Even before the start of this tournament, I have had my eye on Gorger, fascinated by his existance, and have always wondered what it would have been like if one of my characters could fight with him. Now that I have actually been given this chance to find out, I feel completely intimidated by both the Creator and his Creation. However, as I have said before, I respect my opponents so I shall not back down but instead hold my ground and do my best to give him a run for his money.

And the more I look at it, the more it seems to me that Gorger and Theodore could be natural enemies....

Moving on.


During the random browsing of deviantArt's contents that I often do I had come across another tournament which allowed not only those who draw comics but also writers of fiction. It's called The Nightmare Tournament. As I was reading the details, I had a strange sensation come over me. The more I read into it, the better I understood the darkness of the Tournament's setting. The better I understood it, the more it felt... familiar to me. I caught myself shaking with excitement at the idea of exploring such a world. I felt that I could learn so much from it, that I could gain so much inspiration from it's inner workings. So I decided that I would try to participate in this tournament as well. I already have a character in mind, all I have to do is write up his character reference and see if he gets approved.

Speaking of which, I would like to give you a little preview of the character in question. It came to me in a moment of inspiration as I was reading about the tournament. For some reason I was thinking about how sick and tired of seeing all these characters who could create things by drawing/painting them. I don't know why I thought this, none of the people wishing to participate have put forth such a character. I didn't find much interest in someone with such a often used power, with the exception of Lan-kun's Dood Palette who I have come to like only because Dood generally sucks at drawing, though he does it better than I could ever do. Couldn't they come up with something original or at least rarely used like say... someone with the power to influence his surroundings with his writing!

The moment this thought crossed my mind my imagination (or as I like to call it, my "Half-Baked Idea Creator") started to work overtime, riding high on the emotional and inspirational surge that I had acquired from reading about the Nightmare Tournament along with ideas pulled from other events which recently happened in real life which I used as a catalyst for the creation of the character's basic outline. In the end, I ended up with not only the character I wished to involve in the tournament but also the representation of myself here on deviantArt. Since I already have given the name Atticus to another character, I decided to simply call him... Runemaster. A fit... ]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/16609814/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/16609814/ Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:23:26 PST
Now I know that I have not put up any new deviations for a long while. I've been getting distracted by a lot of things recently, the biggest of which is College. However, I find that school tends to bring my concentration and focus back into action so that's a plus. Although most of the things that I have written lately are Role Playing Bios and Posts, I feel like putting some of these up here that I thought were well done.

Anyway, the main topic of this Journal is that I'm going to try to join Shiro-VII's Writing Contest, The Immortal Tournament, in an attempt to perfect my writing skills and to work on a character for a new story that I am working on called Monster Hunt.

I'll put up more details of the story later for those who are interested.

Wish me luck.

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/11680016/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/11680016/ Sun, 04 Feb 2007 06:02:02 PST
But anyway, I'm getting away from the point of the journal. This is in regards to my inability to draw worth crud.

If there is anyone out there who would like to draw the characters in my posts, then help yourselves. I mean it. Really.

...please?

Anyway, I hope to finish this story. I have soo many ideas swarming through my head right now. I could probably make several different stories if I use them all...

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/11156402/ http://Atticus-Runemaster.deviantart.com/journal/11156402/ Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:11:47 PST
Well...I guess I should stop my ranting here. If you want to know anything about me, don't hesitate to ask...

]]> ~Atticus-Runemaster