http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:lzsays&section=today deviantART RSS for by:lzsays en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:45:37 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/29276031/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/29276031/ Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:31:09 PST
After this I should need no reminders to limit the amount of coffee I consume per week. I blame it being winter, the economy, and Capitol Hill (because I can) for it being so darn cold in the house that I feel like I'm coming out of cryo freeze every morning, and hence, in need of coffee to defrost. I distinctly remember my dad warning me that too much coffee does stuff to your nervous system, and I must say, this headache I had last night was proof enough of that. Thankfully, coffee is not the only hot breakfast beverage capable of adequate defrosting, hot chocolate works just fine. Especially with whipped cream on top...

Well, enough of that.

Recently, I've been fortunate enough to have overcome writer's block, and have written some twenty pages over the span of a week. Good news, you say? Yes, I suppose. Unfortunately, all this said progress is completely unrelated to any of my ongoing projects (Retribution on the KOTOR front, and Marie Shepard's debut in my Mass Effect mythos), nor has it been on my long-awaited (by me, anyway) breakout into non-fanfiction territory. Nope, I got it into my head to start a brand-new Mass Effect story, with a brand-new Commander Shepard character, in a brand-new scenario. I can never finish something I start without starting a half dozen other things in the process, can I?

Right now, it looks like this new story, Mass Effect: Condemned, will be released in "chapters" of a sort, around three to four parts each. Chapter one is already nearly complete, and runs at twenty-two (OpenOffice) pages. Condemned follows the exploits of Cara Shepard, an Alliance officer who was dishonorably discharged and imprisoned after killing an allied operative during a mission. She finds an ally in Admiral Stockholm, who is putting together a task force to police the Attican Traverse in a time when pirate raids into the region are practically unchecked (yes, this is pre-ME1). As of right now I have absolutely no idea how long this story could go on.

Less than a week to go in 09, and I should probably be out shopping for gifts (with what money?), but no! I'm sick! Maybe shouldn't have taken that swig of slightly-sick sister's water.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/29099215/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/29099215/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:23:47 PST
The epiphany came when watching a video lecture on Dostoevsky's "Notes From Underground" which features as its protagonist probably the most antithetical hero ever, the Underground Man. The word "hero" is used here only in terms of identifying the technical role the character plays, it's not meant to specify him as "heroic" in any recognizable way. He is without a doubt, one of the most despicable and nauseating characters I've ever encountered whose exploits are so highly praised.

Now Dostoevsky, of course, was not expecting anyone to like the Underground Man. In fact, probably the more you hate him the better, because "Notes From Underground" was meant to be read inside-out and backwards in order to get at what the author is really saying.

So that got me thinking. In pro wrestling, any reaction is a good reaction. Face characters are at their best when the crowd loves them, heels doing their best work when the crowd loathes and despises them. So whether wrestlers get thunderously booed and catcalled or deliriously cheered, either way they're doing their work properly and it's considered a success.

Maybe, just maybe, I thought, literature works the same way. If you like it, that's good. If you don't like it, or even really really hate it, that's probably good too. I sure hope so, because I don't intend ever to read "Notes From Underground", that's how little I like the Underground Man.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28936459/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28936459/ Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:33:50 PST
Begin
1.Adrenaline - Gavin Rossdale
Shepard (Sole Survivor)
2.Still Unbroken - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Shepard (War Hero)
3.Invincible - Adelitas Way
Shepard (Ruthless)
4.One Of A Kind - Breaking Point
Ashley
5.Odd One - Sick Puppies
Kaidan
6.Second Chance - Shinedown
Liara
7.Desolation - Midnattsol
Tali
8.Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters
Wrex
9.Warrior - Axel Rudi Pell
Garrus
10.Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
Saren
11.Below the Bottom - Hatebreed
Virmire
12.Rose Of Sharyn - Killswitch Engage
13.Blackbird - Alter Bridge
Finish
14.I Walk Alone - Saliva

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28863596/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28863596/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:28:20 PST
If you are a sweet Brazilian girl I know named Nathalia Suellen, this means I am focusing on writing that gift-story I promised you for your birthday next year. (If you aren't, go check out her accounts: Yes, that was an unabashed shoutout--I can't help it.)

On an unrelated note, I am absolutely psyched about the results of the World Cup Draw. USA in Group C with England (!!!), Algeria, and Slovenia. Without doubt the most favorable draw USA has ever gotten. And because I am especially attuned to the fortunes of Brazil lately, I'll offer a few comments about Group G (Brazil, N Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal). I predict Brazil will beat Korea, tie Ivory Coast, and scrape by with a win against Portugal. That's a tough group to play in, but it is Brazil after all.

My new favorite thing to go around quoting: "My arrogance extends only as far as my conscience demands." ~ Eric Liddel

-------------------*IMPORTANT!*--------------------------------

If you are familiar with I have instigated a 30-day countdown (effect as of, um, a number of days ago) for deactivation. I don't have the time to support it anymore, and nothing bothers me more than a dead club, so if no one wants to take over for me, I'll hit the "Deactivate" button. Some clubs weren't meant to be.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28603909/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28603909/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:56:36 PST The furied shrieks of the devil and the thundering roar of God's judgment screamed all around me.

I spotted my rifle lying a few feet away and used it as a crutch to lever myself upright. DeLana and Franks were still unloading on the frenzied maw. I saw Franks drop to a crouch and curse.

“I'm out!”

“Stick with me, Dean!” DeLana shouted to him over the cacophony.

Franks didn't seem to pay attention. Yelling something I could barely make out over the din, he stood up in plain view and pulled his last two grenades from his belt. “You want a taste of some good old fashioned Earth Boy you bloodsucking alien monstrosity? WELL COME AND GET IT!”

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28584734/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28584734/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:29:03 PST
Now of course, we all know (those of us for whom it is important) what Thanksgiving is about, so I explicitly will not reiterate on how it was the day when the pilgrims who came to these fair shores shared a harvest meal with the natives of the land. I will also not hammer home the point that this day of all days we should indeed be thinking about the things we are thankful for. Like how I'm thankful to have been raised by God-fearing parents who taught me life straight from the Bible and have done nothing but right by me ever since I was born one twenty-first of March in the year nineteen ninety-one, and the rest of my family who, despite being the most annoying packs of jerks on some occasions, annoy me in an indispensable way only family can and who nevertheless have my back when adversity strikes (but not, necessarily, when it comes to opinions about Mass Effect--but that's another entry). I could not go on, list hundreds of things you never even think about but for which I am thankful, like a roof over my head, that monstrous load of food I spent hours and hours cooking (yep, that too!), a bed without too many broken springs and at least one warm blanket, the fact that I was the first of my siblings to pass calculus, and on and on.

Actually, the fact is, when it comes down to it, I am most thankful to our Almighty God for both giving me life and providing a path to salvation through his Son Jesus Christ.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." ~ John 14:6

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28338025/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28338025/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:11:47 PST
As you might tell, going to this show was a fair bit of hassle; our tickets weren't mailed properly, my brilliant plan to have a comprehensive travel guide on Baltimore went kaput, a fender-bender at the on-ramp to the beltway completely stopped us for a precious half-hour of non-rush-hour time, it rained all day and all night Wednesday (then all day the next day, and subsequently all day today, but that's another subject) so exploring the town during the three and a half hours to kill before the concert was not an option, and the opening act had the most unruly, potty-mouthed singer you've ever seen. Oh, and I had a headache for almost the entire time! BUT BOY WAS IT EVER WORTH IT!

Probably ever since getting their album Comalies sometime in 2005 I have wanted desperately to see Lacuna Coil perform live. I missed their US tours for Karmacode in 2006 due to various issues, and it seemed that pattern was to repeat itself with their newest album, Shallow Life. I had to pass on two more tours and was sure I would not get another chance to see them until they started promoting another new album, sometime easily three years from now. So I was understandably ecstatic when I heard they were a part of the Hard Drive Live Tour 2009 with All That Remains and Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster and were going to be in Baltimore on a Wednesday evening. I instantly snapped at the opportunity, I was NOT going to let this one pass me by without at least a monumental effort to go.

Normally, I do not praise myself, but basically I put the entire trip together. Baltimore is reachable from where I live, but it is not a casual drive, nor is it someplace you want to have to drive back from in the wee hours of early morning, which I fully expected, but I was determined to go, and brothers (who has the driver's license I do not) and wanted to as well. So I planned, made arrangements with our grandparents to crash at their house afterwards (they live much closer to Baltimore and thus we would have to drive the least distance), bought tickets, put lunches together to keep costs down somewhat, and we went!

If you are a Lacuna Coil fan, or even just a fan of really good rock music, I can tell you that there is absolutely no substitute to seeing them live, in person. I have their live DVD but even that is incomparable to being there, scarcely twenty feet away from the stage they are rocking as if they own it. Try as I might, there's just no more words to describe how awesomely awesome they were.

I would have been a happy man to have seen Lacuna Coil and then driven home. But due to the fact that Rams Head (the best concert venue I've ever been to) had a place for us to sit down during the opening acts, and All That Remains, another favorite of ours, were playing next, we decided to stay for the rest of the show.

Now I would just like to say that if you hate heavy metal, I do not blame you in the least bit. It's rather like black coffee; an acquired taste that not everyone can acquire. I have, though, and All That Remains are among the groups who are to metal what fine Sumatran blends are to coffee; to wit, one of the best.

Captained by the once and former Shadows Fall vocalist Philip Labonte who, on this night, looked like a tiny John Cena in his baseball cap, sleeveless shirt, and long shorts, All That Remains brought a blistering array of songs that nearly blew the roof off the building. Labonte's full range of voices from an impassioned tenor (that's my best guess, I have no idea what classification he is) to bestial growls, screaming guitar solos in almost every song, and the surprise of surprises; bassist Jeanne Sagan's terrifying backup vocals. That woman's growls were even scarier than Labonte's, and my respect for her grew substantially that night.

What's more, however, Labonte was not only an excellent showman on stage, but he demonstrated a lot of sincere gratitude towards our country's armed forces (it was Veteran's Day) and us, the crowd, who had spent our hard-earned money and time to come to see them. So despite the fact that between songs he was not as clean on the mic as were MSD or even Lacuna Coil (he was nowhere near as bad as Taking Dawn's guy, though), and sometimes I didn't appreciate his sense of humor (he made some rude comments while dedicating the song Forever In Your Han... ]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28262036/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/28262036/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:09:35 PST IndigoWolfe, ~RGzer0 are going up to Baltimore, MD, to see my favoritest rock/metal band possibly of all time: Italy's Lacuna Coil. They are traveling the USA as All That Remains' tourmates along with Maylene And The Sons of Disaster (who, incidentally, performed Chris Jericho and Big Show's combined entrance theme song), and for the first time ever I am going to get to see them live in concert!

Unfortunately, the venue allows no photography (some venues are okay with it as long as the bands performing are) so I will have to attempt to use merely words to describe it when I get back. I suppose it's just as well, as I'd probably forget I could take pictures about halfway through. Or I'd forget the camera entirely. Ah, well.

This will be ~IndigoWolfe's first rock concert, ~RGzer0's third, and my fourth. And once again, it's a new venue so I have no idea what to expect. Without a doubt this is the most ambitious trip I have planned (gradually working up towards flying to Nevada for Terry Goodkind's next book signing, San Diego Comic Con, and maybe even the freaking World Cup! Who knows? But seriously, I really want to do that first one) and I've already run into a number of glitches, such as our $15 Two-day FedEx shipped tickets not getting shipped, so my dad had to work it out with the box office for us to pick them up at Will-Call. But, God permitting, I hope that will be the only mess-up for this trip.

I'm still not that wild about driving up to Baltimore and getting there three or fours hours (or maybe even more if we get good traffic) before the doors even open. But it's either that, or we leave later, get stuck in HORRIBLE DC-Baltimore rush-hour traffic, and run the risk of missing the show, or at least not being able to park. So we either sit around in Baltimore but park, or sit around in traffic and don't park. You see why there really isn't a choice?

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27996047/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27996047/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:19:25 PDT
*takes deep breath*

Oh, yeah, braced for Christmas season. That first ten thousand times you hear "Merry Little Christmas", or whatever that song's called, over the radio are always the hardest. Be strong!

Anyway, my illustrious presence here in this netherworld will most likely be sporadic and infrequent in the times to come. On that note, am looking for a volunteer to help administrate , as all my current admins will have to live with the same tragically tyrannical restrictions as will I for the coming months. If you are a Cortexiphan Kid, drop me a note. ANDVISITTHECLUB!

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27740636/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27740636/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:40:38 PDT

With your help, this will become THE premier Fringe club here on deviantArt!

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27473653/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27473653/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:53:38 PDT
Okay, so new journal time.

Last week I passed my calculus CLEP exam with flying colors, now its on to linear algebra and differential equations, woo! By the way, if anyone needs to know the integral of e^x(sin x)dx, I'm right here.

Spent most of last week watching/playing Halo 3: ODST, and I must say, the game's pretty much really, really good. A very different pace for a Halo game, less grandiose and much more down-to-earth with the story, which is GOOD. Master Chief is 100% absent, so there's much less save-the-entire-freaking-universe overtones which, quite frankly, would have gotten old. Instead, the game's story revolves very tightly around the personal bonds between the squad of ODST's (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) who you spend the game with, and their race to escape New Mombasa. The Flood are nowhere in sight, and we finally see a Covenant Engineer.

Something must also be said about the dramatic differences in combat between the first three Halo titles and ODST, as well as the vast improvement in level design. In fact, the level design alone is praise-worthy; it's very wide open, dynamic, rather than closed and very, very linear. As I mentioned, New Mombasa feels like a city not a canyon; you could spend hours just wandering its darkened streets and always find something new. In Halo 1-3 there was pretty much just a single way through the level which you stuck to, not so in ODST. And then there's the combat. No longer can you simply rush into a fight guns blazing and expect to down all your enemies without taking serious damage. And once you start to take damage, it adds up rapidly; it is very easy to get killed if you aren't careful. You have to adopt much more of a defensive strategy in your battles, otherwise you will not survive.

Halo 3: ODST's Firefight mode also deserves mention. At first, I thought it would be very easy to get bored of, but once I played it, and saw how hard it can get, I quickly realized that it was going to be the death of countless hours of productivity. It's addictive!

Okay, so most of you probably couldn't care less about video games. That's fine, I also have some news about my next possible Mass Effect story. It will heavily involve Commander Frederick Shepard's older sister Marie, and provide more insight into the circumstances surrounding Frederick's mental breakdown after Akuze.

Until then, you may feast your Mass Effect-ness on Spellbound, which examines indoctrination from the perspective of Shiala. And for those of you who follow Retribution, chapter 15 will be posted soon.

Lastly, I want to give a big shoutout to *LLJohnson, an Alaskan with some serious talent for photomanipulation. I especially recommend her latest work, the breath-takingly chilling Ecclesiastes 12:7.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27204435/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27204435/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:53:59 PDT
My customary rule of no political debate still stands.


Date: 09/11/09 13:00:25
To: undisclosed recipients: ,
Subject: Fw: Red Shirts

Red Shirt If the red shirt thing is new to you, read below how it went for a man...
Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together.

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

No, he responded.
Heading out I asked?

No. I'm escorting a soldier home.

Going to pick him up?

No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women a far, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is. "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON.
IF YOU COULDN'T CARE LESS -- THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON

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Featured Deviants:
1. *bisted
We have first this enigmatic, partially revealed little seed of enormous writing potential. As to which thread of the literary world he will travel down, I think it's too early to tell, but he definitely has the beginnings of something that will either make me very proud, or really creep me out (but in a purely complimentary sort of way--really).
2. ~Satiar
Mysterious Man of Mojo, Double-Dog Dude of Deviousness, whatever you want to call him, I cannot deny that this deviant has serious writing ability.
3. ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27204417/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27204417/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:52:19 PDT
]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27145736/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/27145736/ Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:09:26 PDT


-----------------------------------------------

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

She began from a void and reached out, firing tiny flares of biotic energy to help her thoughts – infinitesimal discharges of electrical force jumping across a fleeting spark of nothing – bridge the gap between her and the mind of the creature.

By rote, she silently mouthed the words of tradition for the joining of two minds as she felt the bonds begin to take root and become solid. The thorian was tantalizingly close, on the other side of an infinity that dwindled with every impulse of her brain. Time ticked away slowly as the barriers fell, each thread of consciousness strengthened, ready against the moment she would plunge into the void and fill those as-yet empty passageways of thought with the light of consciousness.

Shiala felt herself reach the climax of the joining. As she had countless times before, she embraced eternity.

An infinity of time and space collapsed into nothing in less than a trillionth of a second. Two minds meshed into one with all the subtlety and gentleness of comets colliding. Thought dissolved, feeling ran together into a homogeneous mass, memory failed before the awesome might of the now. ~ REM -- The Dividing Line, upcoming from LZ.

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Support ~LadySymphonia!

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26851465/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26851465/ Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:07:04 PDT
But it IS someone's birthday. A very special someone. And that someone is--a certain deviant who shall remain nameless but whose initials are . But you didn't hear this from me. Just slip unnoticed through the dark like a dark unnoticable slippy thing over to her account and give her some love (or maybe, --CAKEZOMBIE!). But again, you didn't hear this from me.

Okay, alright, you did hear this from me. Go ahead. Go, get!



Second thing: Okay, I lied, I'm still featuring deviants (to the best of my non-subscriber abilities), so go ahead and comment at [link] and I'll feature you and three of your deviations, as well as put your name on my running list of featured deviants. But remember, you have to do the same and put me (and three deviations) at the top of your own list. The full rules are at the link, so read 'em there and then comment away. I'll feature.

Featured Deviants:
1. *bisted
We have first this enigmatic, partially revealed little seed of enormous writing potential. As to which thread of the literary world he will travel down, I think it's too early to tell, but he definitely has the beginnings of something that will either make me very proud, or really creep me out (but in a purely complimentary sort of way--really).
2. ~Satiar
Mysterious Man of Mojo, Double-Dog Dude of Deviousness, whatever you want to call him, I cannot deny that this deviant has serious writing ability.
3. ~RGzer0
A funny guy, and a huge fan of WWE. This dude could be a writing maestro in a couple years. Is there still work to do? Yes. But the potential is there.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26530827/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26530827/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:56:27 PDT ***Update***
Okay, I lied, I'm still doing this.

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Tagged features courtesy of

The Rules

- Be one of the first 10 people to comment on this journal entry, and I'll put you on the feature list.

- For each of these 10 people, I'll put their avatar and three deviations I like from their gallery on the list.

- If I feature you, you'll have to do the same in your journal, featuring 10 people and putting me in first place.

This isn't a free feature, people - it's community-type-ness art love! Pass it around!

And now (drum roll, please)... ah, the Artists:

1. *bisted
We have first this enigmatic, partially revealed little seed of enormous writing potential. As to which thread of the literary world he will travel down, I think it's too early to tell, but he definitely has the beginnings of something that will either make me very proud, or really creep me out (but in a purely complimentary sort of way--really).
An Assassin's Creed - Sadly, of no relation to the game of the same name. Nevertheless, I was originally drawn to this piece because of its intriguing opening. The structuring is a bit cumbersome at times, but there were more than a few threads I kept wanting to read, and so kept me around. A solid first effort; not perfect, but promising.
The Lonely God - A moving piece that really gets down to some of the fundamental questions of what is right and what is wrong, using KOTOR as a context. And I admit, I am something of a sucker for happy endings, especially for a story such as this. Anything less would have left a pall of grim desolation in my soul, and anything more would have been sappy and a little unrealistic. Bravo for striking the balance.
Recruitment [MC WARNING!] - Pure, sheer horror from start to finish. Reminded me of Millennium. Yes, that means gore, too.

2. ~Satiar
Mysterious Man of Mojo, Double-Dog Dude of Deviousness, whatever you want to call him, I cannot deny that this deviant has serious writing ability.
Seven Nights In Nepal - This photograph brings a smile to my face. I am a sucker for couples photos.
In Memory - Because death is not the end. Written for a dear friend of the author's who passed away, this piece was beautiful, touching, and filled with fantastic images. The kind of bittersweet I wish I could do half as well.
A Hazard Of A Chance

3. ~RGzer0
A funny guy, and a huge fan of WWE. This dude could be a writing maestro in a couple years. Is there still work to do? Yes. But the potential is there.
A Glimmer Of Hope - A simple photomanip with a backstory that I still want to know more about.
Dawn Of the Meta - This is chilling, and a prime example of his untapped writing potential. No narrative, just dialogue, but as a commenter noted, it is not particularly hard to tell the two voices apart. My only crit might be that some of the language used tends a little towards the melodramatic, but not glaringly so.
A Few Words Of Consolation - Wrestling fans, and especially Mickie fans, will like this one. Proof that hugs pwn smooches.

4. ~http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26419060/ Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:43:28 PDT
And of course, he will just come back next month, maybe when Randy Orton kicks his wife in the head.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26333198/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26333198/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:20:07 PDT lady-symphonia!

I met this lovely Brazilian sweetheart when I ran across her entry in the recent WACOM Bring Your Vision To Life contest, the evocative Inner Conflict.

Here are just a few of her amazing works:
The Laws of the Future
Nocturna
Wrath

If you watch her you MUST watch her photo account, ~nathaliasuellen, where are such enchanting photos as
The Last Half Of Darkness
How Stressed Are You?
Night Eternal II
T a l e s



(Sorry, no thumbnails. I don't have a subscription... yet.)

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26292616/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26292616/ Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:56:03 PDT
Being faithful fans, the peeps and I brought a full quota of derogatory, fun-picking signs, as well as a few adoring well-wishes ("Lilian Forever" was one of the latter, as she will be leaving the company soon, and we all love her so much). Mine heckled Cody Rhodes, "Cody has lady legs!" it said.

Oh, did I mention it was loud yet? And unlike some of my peeps, who have this foolish notion of protecting brain cells or some crap like that, I didn't tarnish the glorious volume by--gah--covering my ears! Nothing any HD TV set can do wil lever do those pyrotechnics justice; you've gotta BE there to really appreciate them.

The main event was a little dumb, but it did end with Shaq confronting Big Show in the ring again and kind of shoving him after Jericho and Show had been disqualified.

Oh, yeah. John Cena became the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Summerslam. Like we all knew he would.

Triple H is as ruuuthe as ever, unfortunately, his leg is rather injury prone. He treated us to his water-spewing, ominous-glaring, growly entrance of doom, but proceeded to lose his match by technicality. But later, he got to make an extra-awesome speech backstage and look super-threatening as he challenged Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr to a handicap match next week. That dude is scary.

After the show went off the air, however, Triple H's biggest concern became avoiding Mr McMahon's planned birthday surprise (it was Hunter's 40th!), unfortunately, one of the camera crew was waiting with a cake, which he threw in Triple H's face! The Game then fled backstage, and Mr McMahon had to blackmail him into coming back out by threatening to sing Happy Birthday! Triple H reluctantly reappeared, covered in cake, to face the ENTIRE Raw roster waiting in the ring bearing cake. We all proceeded to sing Happy Birthday Triple H, and he begged not to be eaten by Mark Henry before he was pelted by sticky, icingy cake! We all thought the fun was over, but then Batista's music hit and none other than the hometown boy himself, the Animal, came down to the ring to wish Hunter a happy birthday himself, with a cake of his own to smash in his face. Triple H ducked and Batista threw it in Big Show's face instead! The show ended thusly, with Triple H, Mr McMahon, and Big Show covered in cake (and no doubt vowing never to have another birthday party on Raw, ever again--ever!).

So we had a great time.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26255538/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26255538/ Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:22:14 PDT moods for days at a time. A piece of art, if I can comprehend it, can set wheels turning in my mind. A song or an album can drastically change my mood (as some of you - you know who you are - can certainly attest to), although most often music serves as an accompaniment to whatever my mood happens to be. Literature, cinema, and television have even greater effects on me, because they are so much more immersive than either of the two previously mentioned.

In light of the fact that stuff affects me, I have to be careful the kinds of things I read, watch, listen to, if only just so I can remain a somewhat sociable person to be around. If a song says something I don't like, I will react to it; if a movie, or a television show, or a work of fiction sends a message that I don't agree with, or that conflicts with me in some other way, I will be affected. I can't just read something or watch something that wants to present a world-view and take on life that is diametrically opposed to my own, no matter how good its execution.

Also, I do not handle profundity very well, or maybe I handle it too well. I love the TV series Millennium, but sometimes after watching an episode I won't be able to get it out of my mind, spend hours brooding over it and not be my usual self for what can be days. Maybe it's good that I think about this stuff, but it feels like I should be better at not letting it occupy me so much.

Anyway, the fact that stuff affects me is an extension of the fact that I have beliefs. And one of those beliefs is that misery sucks. Eloquent ain't it? It's also true.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26112308/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/26112308/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:08:09 PDT
Ahem! So without further ado, I will announce, er, my announcement. On July 27, I, along with a contingent of brave souls with the misfortune of being related to me) will be attending World Wrestling Entertainment's Monday Night Raw event at the Verizon Center in Washington DC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!! Okay, I guess that's enough of that.

What does this mean for those of you who are not wrestling fans? Well, I guess it means nothing. BUT, if any of you HAPPEN to be a wrestling fan, watch out for the bald guy with the Shadows Fall T-shirt on the broadcast--that's me! I will also doubtlessly be accompanied by some moronic slogan on a posterboard sign, provided me by the delightfully sly and loquacious =piuccheperfetto, who will most likely be right beside me, screaming some horrid chimera of adoration/feverish-hatred at Randy Orton, also known as The Worm in company of friends.

Also this week, there is the issue of this Mass Effect comic series that was just announced. Hrhmm-shmrhmm, not really any Mass Effect 2 spoilers to be had, as about all we know about it is that there's a asari on the front cover and it's called, ugh... Mass Effect: Redemption.

As if we didn't see that one coming from a mile away! Honestly, I knew it was only a matter of time before the ME writers got their sticky paws on this overused word, which just makes me glad the writers of that Terminator movie that came out a few months ago didn't decide to call it Terminator: Redemption! Of course, the title they did go with just begs to be rendered Terminator: Salivation...

--LZ

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25771233/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25771233/ Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:12:54 PDT piuccheperfetto, I feel like I can finally get back to some of my more routine projects. I have a scene to do for ~Ninjer-8492 (whose absence from deviantart is fast becoming a palpable annoyance; how does he expect me to justify my use of time for a user who, by all accounts, does not exist?), a bloated, boring, stretched-out-way-too-long story to abort, more chapters of Retribution to write, and maybe somewhere in there I'll get cracking on my next Mass Effect story.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25728610/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25728610/ Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:40:23 PDT
Wait, that's not what today is? What are we celebrating then?

Oh, yes, we are celebrating In-Defendants Day, which is the day when defense attorneys rule the world, and make deals with the DA, to save their clients!

*Forcefully shoves Caboose from the computer*

Ahem! Just in case some may not know already, today is, actually, Independence Day, which may or may not mean anything to you, depending on whether or not you hail from the United States of America. And this is the part where I say something profound about the Thirteen Colonies' declaration of Independence from the British Empire in 1776 (now I wonder what the date was... ) and remark on its incredible historical significance, go on a long soliloquy about the courage and fortitude of the Founding Fathers and the rest of the brave Patriots who fought for our independence, rallying behind often nothing more than a vision of the land of the free. I should talk about the limitless courage of America's first soldiers who fought and died by the thousands for our freedom, a cause they believed in strongly enough to continue on even through loss after grinding loss on the battlefield.

And at last, I finish with the obligatory statement: We owe to them a debt we can never repay. And despite my appearance of cynicism, I mean every word of that.

Also, hopefully without stirring up too much "intense discussion" (otherwise known as heated argument), I would like to voice my congratulations to the Iraqi people for the beginning of their independence from the American occupation. I am joyed that it could be under peaceful terms, and pray that as our forces are withdrawn from their country, the Iraqi government will keep their people safe from threats both foreign and domestic.

*A note to commenters: I will not have political debate on my journal.*

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25666689/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25666689/ Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:09:38 PDT
A revelation with profound implications occurred to me several days ago. I believe I was eating yogurt at the time, but moving on. ME-ers may remember Manuel from Eden Prime at the beginning of Mass Effect; that disturbed lab assistant with all the end-of-the-world prophecies and defeatist rantings.

Well, Manuel is a metaphor for Commander Shepard. Yes, that's correct. Let me explain: Manuel has all sorts of things to say that no one wants to hear, just like Commander Shepard does. Manuel has no independent backing for his claims other than the diaphanous, ambiguous assurances of his mind that what he is saying is one hundred percent true, yet he doggedly persists, just like Commander Shepard. Some people (an impatient Commander Shepard, for instance) consider Manuel a danger and take preemptive action to prevent him from doing some vague but doubtlessly horrible act based on his delusions, just like happens to Commander Shepard!

I may not be laying out Manuel next time through. I may just skip that shed altogether.

I've got to wonder, though, if Manuel used the beacon...

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25648176/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25648176/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:11:00 PDT
No, I'm not gonna talk about it.

Yes, this is another horribly awful journal entry.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25632508/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25632508/ Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:24:13 PDT
Let it suffice to say that, despite the presence of several valid reasons why it may be for the best to kill the rachni queen on Noveria, it's certainly not a good feeling, nor should it be.

And as far as journal entries go, this is by far one of my lamest yet. But I'd had that old one up for a while so what the heck.

Real journal entry to come. Soon... (TM)

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25027309/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/25027309/ Sat, 30 May 2009 05:19:38 PDT
She either has this face: [link] or is played by Rhona Mitra ([link])

Carth is played by Max Martini (this guy: [link])

None of this silly "I think I could love you" nonsense

Any other conditions I might think up in the future

Confirmed facts about my acceptance of a female Revan:

Her name is Jezreel Starchaser, called Rey-Al (I could have gone with Real, but that would be confusing) for short because people find that easier on the tongue

Her weapon of choice is a giant wrench or a crowbar

Carth is old enough to be her daddy and acts somewhat like a biker dude

Further facts to be revealed at a later time

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24961682/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24961682/ Tue, 26 May 2009 13:49:54 PDT
Mass Epinephrine Effect, baby!

This is huge. In just a hair over twenty-two hours I had the game beat. And now since I've run out of ways to say I completed it, I might actually tell you some relevant information.

Eternal reject that I am, I made the immensely unpopular decision not only to play as a Male Shepard, but to choose a class that offered not one single biotic ability! I am rather paranoid about this, as I still cannot view biotic abilities as anything other than an excuse for Force powers. Besides, guns are straightforward and easy to understand. Perhaps next go-through I may ease into this whole "biotic powers" thing.

My character, John Frederick Shepard, was a home-grown Minnesota boy, survivor of Akuze, and something of a dirty player due to his former position as a lead investigator for Alliance Internal Affairs. The game classifies him as "paragon", but that's not something you can really rely on.

Since there are some people who I know will not be able to restrain themselves from asking, I'll say this once and demand any and all crudeness be curtailed from this point forward. Ok, ahem!

Ashley: [to Shepard] I want you to be happy, skipper.

And thus, I unlocked an achievement that still eludes the illustrious ~IndigoWolfe, and once again: Ashley-haters, I defy you.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24903247/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24903247/ Sat, 23 May 2009 07:53:41 PDT
But then, it's been a while since I had a slump like this, I guess I'm overdue. These things are cyclical; I'm sure I'll bounce back in a couple of days, maybe another week or so. Who knows, perhaps some Mass Effect will have curative benefits.

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24819234/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24819234/ Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:18 PDT *Now with more random thoughts!!!*

College is legendary. Tons of crazy stuff happens in college, most of which will make even the most cynical social-black-holes either guffaw with laughter or recoil in terror. I recently discovered that college horror stories and tales of unimaginable wackiness are not simply a giant smokescreen invented by a diabolical alien race aiming to destroy the human race via illiteracy by scaring high school graduates out of going to college (although when you have CLEP, the nefarious scheme can be overcome--but I'm changing the subject). No indeed, people do do crazy stuff in college, as I and my brother found out last week while helping the genuine article, lo-and-behold a college girl, move stuff out of her dorm room in preparation for move into a new house. Rain was pouring down so heavy you got soaked after just seconds of exposure, so she directed us to drive our fifteen-passenger van onto the grounds and back it up in front of the door. I didn't think twice about it, determining that if we got caught, she was doing all the talking.

Well, enough of that.

I went to see Star Trek over the weekend. See ~IndigoWolfe's journal is you want details, I basically mirror his opinion. Except, it seemed the movie was flashing for the whole two-hour time span. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Anyways, I wasn't feeling so good after. Now I'm pretty sick and subsisting on frozen waffles and Canada Dry ginger ale as I gleefully avoid work due to my ailment. I'm also thinking seriously about picking up the pen and going forward with "King Nothing", the highly-anticipated sequel to "A King In My Own Mind", a controversial pre-KOTOR 2 Atton fic which can be found in my gallery for any who are interested, though I do not recommend it for everyone. Further thoughts to be added as they occur to me.

More Random Thoughts: You always wonder how long this "sick" thing can possibly last? The answer to that question is; longer than you'd like it to, but shorter than will allow you to get out of that one last chore.

Congratulate me, I have come to the conclusion that Law & Order: Criminal Intent's Detective Robert Goren is "eccentric".

Eric Delko on CSI Miami looks like a soccer player.

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Clubs:


EDGE!

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24646832/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24646832/ Fri, 08 May 2009 06:05:06 PDT IndigoWolfe, may save every two minutes against the possibility of not getting his requisite Paragon points, I actually save against the eventuality of being killed, the entire reason for the save game feature.

Needless to say, I think, I'm getting into this whole Mass Effect thing a lot more successfully this time around, armed with a not-hideous Male Shepard (quite an accomplishment, I tell you; they have only the awfullest hair for Male Shepards) and as Wolfie would tell you, engaged in 'a freaking long distance relationship' with SSV Normandy's resident combat specialist *fanfare*; the one, the only, Ashley Williams *angelic church choir note*! (Ashley haters, I defy you.)

My only previous attempt at scaling this mountainous game ground to an abysmal halt on the slopes of Peak 15, stuck between a rock and a hard place (I couldn't go to the Citadel because that would ensnare me in The Most Terrifying Side-Quest Of Them All: Suicide Negotiator! You can't avoid it, you can't complete it, you can't do anything with it, and so it sits there, waiting for you, with shiny teeth) and I just lost interest. This time around,. it certainly helps that Wolfie has been making an effort not to backseat drive quite as much. As I've been known to tell him, there's a difference between a thing taught and a thing learned. Mass Effect is a thing you need to learn.

I have been killed at least once in every freaking single thresher maw confrontation to this date. That's the one thing I was better at last time. Oh well, I think those are the only circumstances under which I have been killed, no thanks to certain useless-in-disguise party members who shall remain nameless for the sake of my love of my neck which I do not want lynched. Seriously, though, I have been getting the hang of combat, so that's not quite as much of a problem anymore.

As you may have guessed if you've looked at my gallery, I've finished Pastime, my first ever Mass Effect fiction (yes, I'm going to be saying that for a while to come; it makes it sound important). I would recommend Kaidan fangirls read at least the first half, as it may be amusing to discover what else he was doing during his time on Jump Zero...

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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24590901/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24590901/ Mon, 04 May 2009 19:15:00 PDT
Oh, well.

Pastime is 90% done, but I'm still not getting the right vibes from all the critical parts, so it's still not ready for tentative submission to . Of course, that assumes that the conspiratorial authority figures will even allow it, being as it presents Ashley in a not-negative light.

Lacuna Coil's new album Shallow Life is incredible!!! I've now listened through it three times (twice just today), and it really is a step above their last effort, Karmacode. While I don't think anything will ever replace Comalies as my all-time favorite album of the masters from Milan, Shallow Life is definitely better than the 2006 offering, which I felt was a little weak in the songwriting. Shallow Life's producing is up-and-away better than Karmacode's, although the heaviness from that album has been retained, and along with some of Comalies' atmospheric qualities, the sound of this album is just stunning. Andi's singing has gotten better, as it has on all of their albums, and he really harmonizes well with Cristina now (yes, =piuccheperfetto, I just ripped that comment from you). Alas, Shallow Life is missing an Italian-sung song, as almost all of their albums to date have featured at least one of, but I can still say I'm impressed by the direction Lacuna have taken with their new album.

I weep for the missed opportunity to see them in concert.

I'm sure I had some other things to say, but I'm too tired to think of them and praising Lacuna Coil has just about run me out of steam, so I'll sign off now.

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~lzsays is a member of:



]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24459151/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24459151/ Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:33:31 PDT
Yeah, baby, that's vacation.

Although, I must say, the weather here in Florida has certainly surprised me. While not coo, per se, it's had quite the unexpected bonus of being cooler down south than it is in my native Virginia at this time. Also, the steady wind makes it quite pleasant, if bright and crisply warm, outside.

An HD TV promises much soccer-watching goodness, and a TV in my room, plenty of time to myself, and an extensive DVD collection, ensures that even if nothing is on on TV, I am well-prepared with CSI Miami, Stargate Atlantis, and Criminal Intent. May go to Disney on Tuesday, will undoubted chill out for rest of day, possibly whole rest of week.

Slow progress on other fronts. Got sidetracked by a short Atris confrontation fic, otherwise would be working either on Sea Of Blood or Retribution. Hopefully with Pastime soon to be finished work can go forward.

I'm hoping to find a way to watch Fringe on Tuesday.

Should any other vacationy type thoughts occur to me, I will post an update as soon as possible. Until then, signing off.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24362151/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24362151/ Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:31:40 PDT masseffectclub, however, will either incite some laughs, or get me lynched.

Finally made my Fringe stamps! The Glyph series is now at my gallery for your perusal. The character stamps are still upcoming; got some great pictures of at least most of the cast (the promotional picture of Joshua Jackson made him look like a dolt--I mean, more than usual) so I ought to have plenty of material. Hmm, Lance Reddick, hmmmm...

Also, posted the most recent two chapters of Retribution - aka Cathar Revan, awesome dude with dreads - in anticipation of leaving on Friday, as I will probably be unable to continue updating my site here while out of town.

Some rather encouraging news on the fan fiction front: The Sea Of Blood, the latest chapter in the immortal headache that is the Kono Gansk saga, is finally back on track, thanks to some awesome reworking by .

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24194371/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24194371/ Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:09:42 PDT The Law Of Nines, upcoming from Terry Goodkind, renowned author of the best-selling Sword of Truth Series.

They watch you through mirrors...

"Your mother was twenty-seven when it came to her. Now you're twenty-seven, and it's come to you."

The skin of Alex's arms tingled with goose bumps. By her twenty-seventh birthday insanity had come to his mother....

Turning 27 might be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in mid-western United States, it was cataclysmic. Inheriting a huge expanse of land should have made him a rich and happy man; but something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he just saved, had suddenly made him - and everyone he loved - into a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence...

Where do you turn when your own reflection spells doom?

In Alex, Terry Goodkind brings to life a modern hero in a whole new kind of high-octane thriller.

THE LAW OF NINES
September 2009

Man, oh man! I cannot wait for this book!

Now, because I feel like it, I'm going to post the lyrics to the other half of my current favorite song; "The Enemy" by Dark Tranquillity.


To remain objective
To a closer call
Secretly rejected
And to mediocrity fall
Caught on the downslopes of life

The patted shoulder remembers
The elbowed side resists
Encircled ad nauseum
An enemy to define ourselves
An enemy to refine our hate

Encouraging on the negative scale
Bent out of shape is the measuring norm
In words and in writing
No one knows my enemy like I do

A social repellant
(not) merely an adversary
Lost to the failing words
Kept the last of all
Understood glances
To work against


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]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24035691/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/24035691/ Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:02:49 PDT Ninjer-8492 with the betas for two chapters of my Sea Of Blood story. This latest chapter in the saga of conflicted, blurry dark-side Revan Kono Gansk (as have the previous two) has been giving me no end of difficulties, so I finally broke down and called in some outside help.

Let me just say that having a fresh outlook on these troublesome characters has brightened my hopes for this story considerably, to the point where I again feel like I'll be able to finish it. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to wrap up the whole saga. We'll see.

By the way, let me take this moment to introduce to you . Also going by the name of ninjer over at the indispensable kotorfanmedia.com, he is currently working on quite the reimagining of KOTOR 2, featuring much AU goodness (not to mention Atton; so pay attention! Yes, I'm talking to YOU). Give him a visit, drop off some messages--maybe we can get him to stop by DA every once in a while.

Another thing: Does anyone else like rainy days as much as I do? I mean, disregarding for the moment the fact that rain tends to upset day plans and make things muddy. I guess being an indoor person myself I rather like the feeling of coziness a rainstorm outside lends to the inside. Also, if things are quiet, you can hear the soft patter-patter beyond the windows. I don't know, there's just something to be said about that.

Because I feel like it, I'm going to post the lyrics for one half of my current favorite song, Heroes Of Our Time by Dragonforce:

Lost in a dream, finally it seems,
Emptiness and everlasting madness,
See the sadness grow, watching as we know,
Long before our journey for the world,
Call for us, the power in all of us,
So far beyond the blackened sky tonight...
Glorious, forever more in us,
We are victorious, and so alive.

[Chorus]
We'll all find our sacrifice tomorrow,
Our journey on towards a brighter day,
Silent tears we left behind, still so far away,
Across the endless sands,
Through the fields of our despair,
Free for all eternity, we stand, yeah,
Rise above the universe tonight,
Starchaser...

Fly towards the storm, see the world reborn,
Feel the pain inside the voice of sorrow,
Cross the distant shores, find the open door,
Stand alone, in judgment for tomorrow.

Years of pain still haunt us all, we saw the last sunrise,
Take me home, in freedom, for a lifetime...
Pray now for the silence, and the last tears we'll cry
So glorious, this fire inside, united we stand.

[Chorus]
And we'll all find our sacrifice tomorrow,
Our journey on towards a brighter day,
Silent tears we left behind, still so far away,
Across the endless sands,
Through the fields of our despair,
Free for all eternity, we stand, yeah,
Rise above the universe tonight,
Starchaser...

Free from this world, here for the last time,
Oceans collide inside of us all,
Believe who we are,
The phoenix will guide us,
Freedom will rise once again.

Save us tonight, the last hope for all of us,
Light-years gone by, we're still holding on,
Save us tonight, a star shines in all of us,
Far beyond our lives, still our glory lives on.

[Chorus]
And we'll all find our sacrifice tomorrow,
Our journey on towards a brighter day,
Silent tears we left behind, still so far away,
Across the endless sands,
Through the fields of our despair,
Free for all eternity, we stand, yeah,
Rise above the universe tonight,
Starchaser...Starchaser...

Our kingdom come, we stand as one,
And we will live for always evermore...

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23973689/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23973689/ Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:58:58 PDT

---------------------

Tagged by 's open tag on her journal.

1. Name: Isaac
2. Nickname: Christian (on occasion, if I happen to be shirtless)
3. Birthday: 3/21
4. Place of Birth: Some hospital somewhere
5. Zodiac Sign: Zodiac sign? If it matters, aries
6. Male or Female: Male
7. Education: I learn stuff
8. Schools you went to: The ones I needed to
9. Occupation: Go-to guy to fix my sister's printer
10. Residence: Virginia, United States Of America
11. Screenname(s): Lord Zeuss, lzsays

__Your appearance__
12. Hair Color: When it's visible, mud gray with some brown smudges in there somewhere
13. Hair Length: Optimally, less than three millimeters
14. Eye Color: Dirty grayish blue
16. Height: 5'11+3/4+delta-y"
17. Braces?: Multiple times; no longer
18. Glasses?: Nein
19. Piercing: Nein
20. Tattoos: Nein
21. Righty or Lefty: Righty

__Your 'firsts'__
22. First best friend: Older brother
23. First Award: CompTIA A+ Certification in Dec 06
24. First Sport You Joined: Rec soccer
25. First Pet: ?
26. First Real Vacation: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in 05 or 06 (that was just real chill for a week)
27. First Concert: Chris Cornell
28. First Love: ...

__Favorites__
29. Movie(s): I really like The Kingdom right now
30. TV Show(s): Stargate SG-1, X-Files seasons 1-5, CSI:Miami, Stargate Atlantis
31. Color: Red, red, and everything in-between
32. Rapper: John Cena
33. Band: Lacuna Coil and Dark Tranquillity (tie)
34. Song Right Now: Either "Heroes of Our Time" by Dragonforce or "The Enemy" by Dark Tranquillity
35. Friend: Favorite friend? How cruel is that?
36. Candy: Hershey's Kisses
37. Sport to Play: Soccer
38. Restaurant: Ruby Tuesday's (it's like Outback, but maybe even a little better)
39. Favorite brand to wear: Thrift store
40. Store: Wuh?
41. School Subject: World War II history (okay, not a school subject; deal with it)
42. Animal: Seriously?
43. Book: WIZARD'S FIRST RULE!!!
44. Magazine: Every time I've picked up a magazine I've gotten disinterested
45. Shoes: Ones with minimal holes in them

__Currently__
46. Feeling: Sore, for some reason
47. Single or Taken?: What could I ever be but single?
49. Eating: Chocolate chip cookies
50. Drinking: Shortly, water
51. Typing: A treatise on the feasibility of economic ping-pong mass-spectromic particle-collider generators to alleviate global warming
52. Online?: Think about that one for a moment
53. Listening to: The tiny fan on the computer's central processing unit and power supply whirring away noisily
54. Thinking about: Coming up with witty answers for this survey and wondering why there are numbers missing
55. Wanting to: Be asleep
56. Watching: Photons shooting from the cathode-ray tube
57: Wearing: Red sweats

__Future__
58. Want kids?: That would be wonderful
59. Want to be Married?: That would be just as wonderful
60. Careers in Mind: Computer technician, or if you listen to my brother, president and CEO of a multi-billion-dollar software company (don't listen to him)
61. Where do you want to live?: Somewhere I won't have to commute an hour and fifteen minutes when and if I land a steady job
62. Car: As long as it works...

__Which is better with the opposite sex__
63. Hair color: Hopefully I never discriminate someone over the color of their hair...
64. Hair length: Modestly long
65. Eye color: Green
67. (gah, there's another number missing!) Cute or Sexy: WHAT?!
68. Lips or Eyes: No, really, what is this?
69. Hugs or Kisses: Hugs come first, and that's all I'm going to say
70. Short or Tall: "Flight, we're going to get back to you on this one."
71. Easygoing or Serious: Both, when appropriate
72. Romantic or Spontaneous: Is it alright if I tend more towards the middle than either of the two extremes?
74. (seriously, numbers keep disappearing!) Sensitive or Loud: Again with the two extremes thing...
75. Hook-up or Relationship: Relationship is absolutely essential
77. (I give up on these missing numbers) Touble maker or Hesitant one: Since I can be both, I don't feel I'm qualified to mak... ]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23869663/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23869663/ Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:25:14 PDT Progress report

So, "The Bridge" is pulling together. In fact, I've actually reached what I planned to be the end, but now that I'm here, I realize that it doesn't really do a good job of ending the piece, short and teaser-like though it is. I've intended "The Bridge" to serve as a brief peek into a universe I've been cultivating on and off for a year or two, hence I never really planned to tell an entire story arc, but rather a snippet of one. In fact, "The Bridge" is quite short by story standards, just about the size of one of my regular chapters, but I'm already feeling like I need to expand it, because I'm very dissatisfied with the way it reads as a semi-standalone piece.

Since I really want to enter it into my county fair this year (sometime in the summer), it has to stand on its own without relying on other chapters and so forth, and meet some word limit requirement that I never know beforehand, so the likelihood is it will need to much, MUCH shorter than it is. And yet, I need to make it longer...

The name I have in mind for a tentative "extra" chapter would likely be "The Librarian", and for that, my narrative would mostly focus on the modern day and age, with a few elements of the fantastic and supernatural, as well as science fiction.

Anyway, so far I have learned one valuable thing in writing "The Bridge". And that would be that writing large-scale battle sequences absolutely KILLS my narratives. I just can't do it without dragging the flow structure of the scene down with writer's block. I think a more sound strategy for me would be follow a character through one of those battles, since there would be a more visceral connection to what is going on. But I'm a long way from attempting that, so this is all hypothetical.

Fashioning characters (and interactions) from scratch is still proving annoyingly difficult, but I feel like I have a much better grasp of what those characters need than I did a few years ago. It's going to be an uphill battle, but I feel better prepared for it. Same goes for story planning. I've learned that it is absolutely possible to plan too much, to work out story progression so much that, when it comes time to write it, the narrative is strangled by what was supposed to be the predetermined outcome of the story. One of the major sticking points is laying everything out on paper (or screen, as it may be), since this process tends to siphon those ripe story ideas from the mind and expel them onto the storage medium, to be forgotten. A much better approach, I feel, and one that I've been using to great effect in fan fiction, is to get the gist of what's going to happen worked out in my head, and for the most part let the story progress on its own. If I have a general premise, scenes often need very little prescribed direction from me in order to play themselves out.

I have a saying that I say to myself: don't try to think up everything that happens; that's impossible. Instead, project yourself into the situation, and just write as things happen. I know that sounds a lot less helpful than it really is, but it makes perfect sense to me. The answer is not to, beforehand, lay out as many little details as you can, but to, instead, come up with some general ideas and, AS YOU WRITE, come up with the details in a descending hierarchy of priority. Only worry about which color the lightsabre or the sword or the SIG-Sauer barrel reflects light when it is pertinent to do so. Write things as they come, put your all into it, one scene at a time, and good things happen.

Side note

On account of my birthday and some wonderful gifts (which included some of ~Bright-Circle's handiwork:[link] and also some of =piuccheperfetto and ~IndigoWolfe's combined genius:[link]) there is now more of my CSI:Miami collection for people to mock () with the addition of season 4.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23795866/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23795866/ Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:36:25 PDT
I want to go a single day without hearing the abomination "teh", ridiculous abbreviations for romance angles, or any other insult to the English language...

I want to listen to other people's conversations...

I want to not have to fix my sisters' printer, or let my mom print stuff for hours on my computer...

I want to make a decent pot of coffee...

I want to eat cake and chocolate...

I want someone ELSE to load the dishwasher...

I want the papers off the kitchen floor...

Often I get asked "how does it feel to be this-age?" I have an answer this year. My answer is it feels a little sore. Sore from lugging, hauling, and stacking wood most of the week. And not just log-logs, but big, huge, gigantic, two-hundred-pound sections of tough, dense, water-soaked red oak. Important lesson learned: don't try to split one with an axe, it doesn't work. Also split a number of smaller logs, so now my shoulders are sore. At least got chiropractic adjustment, so back and neck aren't torturing me, as they're sometimes wont to do.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23638323/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23638323/ Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:52:18 PDT
"The Bridge" is the name this project will take, and it will, hopefully, combine elements of historical, fantasy, and contemporary(?) fiction. Right now I'm going to tease that it will have relation, in a somewhat tangential way, to my aborted effort "The Walker", which can still be found buried in my gallery. This time around, I hope to be completely prepared for the Creative Writing category of my county fair, instead of working on a two-week warning, which is insufficient for creating something new like this.

I'm sorry I can't promise another epic-length like Triptych, but if there's one thing I've learned about writing, it's that you can't expect to stick to a rigid plan; you have to let the story tell itself through you.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23553304/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23553304/ Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:00:30 PST
Ahem, commencing...

Probably the biggest thing I like about the show, ahead of the visual style, the chasing of criminals, and the personalities, is that over and over again throughout the series, even in first season, the creators have emphasized the importance of family. This is a value that I hold in high regard, because as believer in the Word of God, I, too, hold the bond of family as sacred. I'm not going to bash the original CSI for not having a similar message, for one reason because I haven't seen enough of it to make that conclusion, and secondly because I'm not out to try to downgrade or belittle CSI in the first place.

People can criticize Horatio Caine for using one tone of voice, or delivering corny one-liners (and complete ignore the fact that both Grissom and Mac Taylor do the same thing), or for his interrogation techniques, but I feel that his devotion to family and the depth of character that reveals in him cannot be questioned. He loves his sister-in-law enough to forfeit a future with her in order to spare her from pain. He loves children; anyone remotely familiar with the show should be able to see how he instantly changes gears when he's around children.

Even besides Horatio, there are other examples of this value in the series. Calleigh taking care of her alcoholic dad, for instance, or the angle that develops between Delko and his older sister and Horatio.

My favorite thing about CSIM: not the gunfights, not the superheroism of Horatio, or the spaceshippy interior of the CSI building; the emphasis on the importance of family. Say what you want about the far-fetchedness of the series, but please recognize the validity of this core value.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23536184/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23536184/ Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:59:13 PST
]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23445696/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23445696/ Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:23:25 PDT
Kuryama Nari Sel'Quouya (Jedi Exile from KOTOR 2; my canon) - Face: Either Leonor Varela or Lexa Doig (Illustrated here:[link]): A renegade Jedi from nearly the first moment of her induction into the Order. Her parents refused to leave her completely to the Jedi and maintained contact throughout her years of training. At eleven, her father died and henceforth Kuryama would only wear gray. She joined Revan in the Mandalorian War because she believed it was the true calling of the Jedi. A year into the conflict, she had a son by an unknown father whose identity she wouldn't learn until years later. Exile after the war was particularly harsh on her, as she came to believe that everything the Jedi Council said of her was true and she no longer had any reason to be alive. Slavery to the Exchange opened her eyes again to the truth that she'd done the right thing, and her renegade ways of rejecting traditional Jedi doctrine in favor of using the things she'd learned to make choices continued when Kreia brought her back into Republic space to help fight the next Sith threat.

Calum Jan (Revan from KOTOR; my canon) - Face: Johnny Whitworth: A friend of Kuryama during the pre-war and war years, Revan came to question the moral authority of the Jedi Council when he encountered a war riot on a central Core world about a war he knew nothing about; the Mandalorian War. He soon learned that certain members of the Council had elected to keep knowledge of the war from the Jedi Order if at all possible. He wouldn't learn until years later that this was done out of a fear that a centuries-old prophecy about the doom of the Jedi Order would come to life should the Jedi be drawn into the conflict. Angered that the Jedi were being kept in the dark by their own leaders and forbidden to carry out their sworn duty, Revan began talking covertly with burned-out Mandalorian veterans from the Exar Kun war on Coruscant, learning Mandalorian battle discipline, tactics, and other facets of their war-making personalities, all the while, he gathered to him allies from within the Order itself, preparing for the ultimate treason. He led the Republic to victory in the Mandalorian War, and in the process discovered the war's shadowed origins and the secret enemy lurking in the wake of the Mandalorian atrocities. After the war, he left briefly to secure what he believed would be the key to the security of the galaxy in the aftermath of the conflict; the Star Forge. Upon returning with a renewed fleet, however, he found that the Jedi Council had again acted out of a fear of prophecy, and propagandized him as a conquering Sith Lord, eventually turning the entire Republic against his forces. Unwilling to lose all that he had fought so long for, he was forced to again plunge himself back into war to wrest control of the galaxy from the hands of the blind, and in the process, his friend Aleksie suffered a mental breakdown and turned on him as well, declaring a new Sith Empire. Revan restarted his life as Calum Jan when the Jedi Council destroyed his identity in their desperate attempts to locate the Star Forge and destroy it, fearing galactic hegemony.

Kono Gansk (KOTOR 1; separate timeline from my canon) - Face: [Still working on that one]: A veteran of the Republic Special Forces, Kono Gansk served on the worst fronts in the Mandalorian War and the opening months of the Civil War, including operations to put down rebel factions in the Mid-Rim systems and topple corrupt, pirate-led governments of contested worlds. Perhaps of most note was the disastrous Vanaxes anti-terror campaign, where he and the rest of his squad were dispatched to neutralize rebel resistance in the jungles of that world, and discovered that the rebels were being aided by an obscure race of Force-Pures, the Kel-Soth. During the course of the doomed mission, Kono would lose a close comrade and never be the same again. A year into the Civil War, Kono was transferred from the Special Forces via an executive order from the highest levels of the Republic military to a "special assignment for the Republic". A few months later, he was on board the vessel Endar Spire when it was attacked by the Sith above Taris.

Darth Oden/Orann Dalez (KOTOR) - Face: Lance Reddick: A high-ranked commander and associate of Revan during the Mandalorian War, Dalez believed it was the duty of the Jedi to sacrifice themselves, their very existence, if it was necessary to ensure the continuance of ordered society and the persistence of individual liberties. Unlike some of the other separatist Jedi, he still firmly believed in the righteousness of selfless sacrifice at the cost of his ow... ]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23393578/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23393578/ Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:28:47 PST
Why? you might ask, why do I hold this unflattering personal opinion? Is it merely because possessing a Y chromosome I somehow feel threatened by a race where males are obsolete? Possibly, but I don't think that's the root problem. Not even Liara's cotton-candy, billowy soft-spokenness is the entire issue, though it may have something to do with the afore-mentioned personal non-attraction.

No, my problem with asari in general is not entirely in and of themselves, but rather in how they're presented by the writers. In the Mass Effect world, the asari are "The Asari", as if they're somehow better than everyone else, as if they're not just another race but something like gods in mortal form. They're supposed to be that higher state of civilization that the rest of us can only aspire to. They're the perfect race, but you know that beneath the facade they're just as ugly as the rest of us, just as rotten as we are, because complete homogenization in a sentient species of billions is impossible; that's a denial of individuality. Trying to assert that it is possible is deception.

This is the reason I like Shiala so much. She's a complete individual, not just a facet of the illusion of asari perfectness. Also, the fact that she behaves like an adult certainly goes a long way.

Another thing, and this will hold true whether or not the asari are in the picture: I will ALWAYS object to sex being reduced to an exercise. (Read: Zeltron, for another example) When sex becomes "Reproduction" I take personal offense, as I do whenever actual, sincere love is taken out of the equation and all meaning is stripped from it.

As for Liara... well, if she didn't act so much like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl, I might not be so non-attracted. Maybe in another hundred or so years, or however the heck long asari take to mature.

---

Okay, aside from all the angst, I received a virus warning recently. I'm not sure as to the validity of this virus scare, but basically the warning is not to let a user by the name of Alfred Hundana (username dragon_heart620) add you to their "list". Supposedly this is in warning of a hard-drive-killing virus that thrives on friends lists or something. I added user dragon_heart620 to my blocked list, just to be safe.

Sorry, buddy. If you're actually legit, I'm sure you can get another username. And don't give your password away!

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23214188/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23214188/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:02:48 PST MaleRevanFellowship, is officially an entity. It is at this juncture that I would like to thank =piuccheperfetto, ~jainaE, and ~IndigoWolfe for... for... well, for being their awesome selves and joining our cause! Fellowship proceedings no longer have to piggy-back on my journal, they can now go straight to where they belong. So please, if you hopped aboard the club on my journal and are still interested, send the Fellowship a note requesting membership and I'll write you up to the official list of members--then you can get down to swamping me with submission requests.



]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23127709/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23127709/ Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:48:38 PST
USA and Mexico have quite the rivalry going, what since the United States has arrived as a serious player in international soccer. WE can't beat them in Mexico (not even Brazil can), but we're more than capable of winning in the States, and have not lost to Mexico on home soil in longer than I can remember. This is a World Cup Qualifying group match, so the pressure is on us to win. Even more so because eventually we will have to go down to Mexico and play them there, on their own turf, basically by their rules. So for Wednesday night the men of our national team face essentially a must-win.

Do I believe we can win? Certainly! Bring it on!

--------------------------------------


Happy birthday !!!!


--------------------------------------

Fellowship of the Male Revan

Owner:
~lzsays

Devotees
~lzsays
~Bubbles4Jesus

Disciples
~jainaE
~RGzer0
=piuccheperfetto

Converts
~IndigoWolfe
~Bright-Circle
*GrecianUrn

The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to [link] in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/23053901/ Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:06:18 PST Whatever you do DO NOT CLICK THE LINK! Instead, mark the message as spam and leave it alone. I understand this is a scam to snag people's passwords by sending them to a phony site that looks like the deviantArt homepage and making you "log in" again. Also, from what I understand, these messages may even appear to come from people you know who are on your watch list or friends list. If anything like this starts happening to you, change your account password, and like I said, do not click on the links! Mark the message as spam and leave it alone!

--------------------------------------

Fellowship of the Male Revan

Owner:
~lzsays

Devotees
~lzsays
~Bubbles4Jesus

Disciples
~jainaE
~RGzer0
=piuccheperfetto

Converts
~IndigoWolfe
~Bright-Circle
*GrecianUrn

The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to [link] in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~lzsays, who reserves the right to, for any reason, refuse the favorite request

Submitting a favorite:
Just send me a note with either a link or a thumbnail to the deviation in question

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22959703/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22959703/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:19:25 PST
Please no snarky comments about Ryan Wolfe, I brought my cattle prod.

In other news, please welcome into the Fellowship of the Male Revan our newest Convert, *GrecianUrn!

--------------------------------------

Fellowship of the Male Revan

Owner:
~lzsays

Devotees
~lzsays
~Bubbles4Jesus

Disciples
~jainaE
~RGzer0
=piuccheperfetto

Converts
~IndigoWolfe
~Bright-Circle
*GrecianUrn

The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to [link] in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~lzsays, who reserves the right to, for any reason, refuse the favorite request

Submitting a favorite:
Just send me a note with either a link or a thumbnail to the deviation in question

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22843082/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22843082/ Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:46:34 PST
*Update* But AH'M gettin' better!

--------------------------------------

Fellowship of the Male Revan

Owner:
~lzsays

Devotees
~lzsays
~Bubbles4Jesus

Disciples
~jainaE
~RGzer0
=piuccheperfetto

Converts
~IndigoWolfe
~Bright-Circle

The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to [link] in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~lzsays, who reserves the right to, for any reason, refuse the favorite request

Submitting a favorite:
Just send me a note with either a link or a thumbnail to the deviation in question

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22727742/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22727742/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:46:06 PST
The New York flavor of the CSI franchise is really not much different, visually, than the original CSI, it's simply set in New York City.

It is, however, more graphic than either of its predecessors, that much is true beyond any doubt. I definitely don't recommend it for the faint of heart.

On a different topic, Fringe is back. Yay!


Fellowship of the Male Revan

Owner:
~lzsays

Devotees
~lzsays
~Bubbles4Jesus

Disciples
~jainaE
~RGzer0
=piuccheperfetto

Converts
~IndigoWolfe
~Bright-Circle

The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to [link] in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~lzsays, who reserves the right to, for any reason, refuse the favorite request

Submitting a favorite:
Just send me a note with either a link or a thumbnail to the deviation in question

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22555711/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22555711/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 07:59:44 PST
*Updated: The Rules as of 16 January, 2009*

Members

Owner:


Devotees


Disciples


Converts


The Fellowship's Favorites Collection:
[link]

Rules

Joining:
Send me a note pledging your undying loyalty to the cause of the Male Revan and state your level of commitment to seeing our cause bring about a new world order
Please link back to this journal entry in either your own journal or your sig
Members can choose to be recognized as an Applicant, Convert, Disciple, or Devotee

Suggesting a favorite:
Deviation (art or literature) must feature a Male Revan (duh!)
Please, no slash fics
All entries to the favorites collection are submitted at the discretion of ~lzsays, who reserves the right to, for any reason, refuse the favorite request

Submitting a favorite:
Just send me a note with either a link or a thumbnail to the deviation in question

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22430766/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22430766/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:48:54 PST
If it's not on a Sunday.

On another front, decisions are being made regarding the state of all current writing projects. A salient point regarding my dA account is something I should have done a long time ago: Bring Kono up to date. I have a huge backlog of his stories that still haven't made it here, and it's about time I bring that up to speed so I can start hyping the next chapter in Kono's saga.

Another decision of the committee that I feel comfortable disclosing is the progress of Retribution, the official debut of Scraggly!Revan. I am very close now to revealing the first chapter. It is actually finished, of sorts, and is currently in the tweaking stage. I'll post a little snippet to give you an idea of what's coming.

The Isonzo was suddenly shaken by a massive blast, forcing Revan to grab hold of the nearby rail. He turned from the observation window to peer down at the bridge crew in the sunken command deck, about to demand a status report, but a Sith officer quickly spoke up to inform him of the latest situation.

"We've lost port shields, Lord Revan!"

Revan hissed. "Divert power from the life-support systems on decks eight through fifteen and reestablish the shields immediately!"

"Aye sir, Lord Revan!" Decks eight through fifteen were primarily crew's quarters. The pale-faced officer, barely more than an adolescent, didn't dare dispute his orders.

Revan shouted more orders for the concentration of defensive firepower to protect the vulnerable sections of his ship, pacing the raised catwalk above the bridge crew's stations as he did so, causing nervous sweat to bead on the necks of every crew member who drew his attention.

Suddenly, another alarm was raised. The chief security officer gave his own status report. "Hull breach! We've been boarded!"

Revan gracefully leaped down to the security station to see for himself, spooking his subordinate. The man edged a few steps away to give Revan room, but not daring to retreat too far. Rather than bother to ask the man for specifics, he scanned the display with his sharp, attentive eyes. It was a small boarding craft that had punctured one of the lightly-armored sections just below a main gun deck. Somehow, the ship had run the gauntlet of Isonzo's expert gunners' defensive flak fire.

That meant only one thing: Jedi.

Project Sphere is passing before the review board currently, as it is under internal investigation. The likely prospect is a complete reset and restart, as the author is almost completely dissatisfied.

One other thing in writing news: A comical interlude called Hangover, which features mild MRevan/Bastila, is close to release. I'll wrap things up with a little preview for you.

Tap-tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap.

It wasn't a beep, nor a buzz, nor an unholy blare of apocalyptic volume, just an infuriating, barely-audible tap-tap that woke him. Calum Jan's eyes cracked open as he was dragged from sweet unconsciousness by the remorseless, unidentified source of the abominable sound.

He was too comfortable to wake up. Surely he could squeeze another ten, fifteen minutes of sleep out of the morning--after all, the sun was only just barely brightening the window. The mattress and the pillow beneath him, as well as the deliciously warm and easing embrace of the blankets, were making a serious case for staying in bed, ignoring the annoying sound, and sneaking in a few extra minutes of sleep.

If only the fracking tap-tap would stop!

The light in the window brightened, dawn breaking. The stolen moments of bliss - albeit punctuated by the infuriating sound of the nameless tapper - were cut painfully short when Calum's alarm erupted in all its demonic, ear-assaulting fury. It blasted what had to be the loudest, sharpest buzz-honk-beep in the history of alarm clocks.

Muttering a thousand curses to himself, Calum rolled onto his side and smashed at the disrupting device with a loose fist. His hand hit the clock at an awkward angle, striking a nerve, before he finally was able to shut off the accursed sound. More curse words vile enough to make a Hutt blush floated in indistinct snarls from Calum's mouth as he comforted his hand.

Then he noticed the headache.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22369005/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22369005/ Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:37:16 PST
Writing, as is all of life, is a continual learning experience, and sometimes you need to crash and burn in order to grasp important concepts. I've recently had such an experience.

After probably a good year working on an original writing project, I find myself so dissatisfied with the way it has been turning out that I have practically no inspiration left, and making progress is like squeezing the toothpaste bottle to get that last bit onto your toothbrush. And as any writer, even a fledgling one, will understand, trying to force words onto the page is a bad strategy. Also with a few short fanfic projects, near the end I've found myself unhappy with it and am subsequently depressed for a few days after squeezing out an ending.

And yet, I've written and completed an 80,000+ word fanfic project with almost no morale problems whatsoever. Naturally, this begs the question: What am I doing wrong when I fail with a similar undertaking of my own (not fanfic)?

It's taken me a good long time, but I believe I've found the answer at last.

When writing, you cannot try to model your characters to fit the story. Starting from the top down is a bad strategy and will almost guarantee failure. It doesn't matter what kind of story you have, if you don't characters to drive that story, nothing will ever come of it. Instead, you have to start from the ground up; build the characters first, make them interesting and engaging, and then tell their story.

I'm often critical of "using the plot as a plot device" and I'm still against relegating it to a side-show, but without three-dimensional characters, no plot, no matter how great, will go anywhere. At most, what you will have is a story that feels empty and unfulfilling, one you have to force out because it won't come naturally.

What does this mean for me? Right now, it seems nothing short of a complete rewrite will restore my faith in this original project of mine. And that might be just as well, since much of it seems sub-par to me now.

I know this has been a pretty downbeat journal entry, so I promise to come back soon with something cheerful. Until then, let me say 1...1...2...3...5...8...13..21...1...

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22330232/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/22330232/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:18:05 PST
All joking aside, I never really considered I might ever reach this decacentennial number of pageviews. I am mostly just a lurker, after all. I would therefore like to thank everyone who has stopped by my page.

On another note, as some of you may be aware, it is now the year 2009!!! Oh, boy!

Yeah, like that's a surprise.

I therefore intend to spend my gift money on CSI Miami, Shinedown, and maybe some other stuff.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21992575/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21992575/ Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:34:37 PST hits me this time with the tagging disease.

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"Someone is coming! Calvin quickly stands up straight. Turning perfectly sideways, he is a nearly invisible vertical line! No one will notice!" "Hey, dad, know why you didn't see me all morning? I was two-dimensional!" "Hmm, I'll bet you can't do it all afternoon too..." "Dear!"

2.Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you reach?
Air.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Legend Of the Seeker excerpt from episode "Prophecy". Good, but not great.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:
9:35

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
9:20

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The burning shadows of silence.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Last night, salvaging fries from the freezer.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
The forums at terrygoodkind.com

9. What are you wearing?
Red sweats.

10. Did you dream last night?
Tuh, probably! ...ooh! Something about a room with a terrible paint job!

11. When did you last laugh?
While talking with a couple of my brothers about Joss Whedon's probable place of origin (Maine).

12. What are on the walls of the room you are in?
This horrible off-white paint that's in just about every room in the house. Flag of USA, flag of Argentina, flag of Germany, flag of Italy. DC United Official Replica Home and Away soccer shirts. Throwing knives. Some weird knife thingy without a blade. Calendars galore. Dirt.

13. Seen anything weird lately?
Yes, but it was gross and I won't disclose the details. Suffice it to say: roadkill.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
Wuh?

15. What is the last film you saw?
Heh........... Iron Man.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Financial security and my own apartment.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know about.
I wear socks to bed at night.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Eradicate religious extremism.

19. Do you like to dance?
I've never danced before in my life and I'm firmly convinced not only that I would be terrible at it, but also that no girl in her right mind would ever want to dance with me.

20. George Bush:
What can I say? Apparently people, or at least presidents, are defined by their poor choices rather than their correct ones.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Ima.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Benjamin.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I'd love to spend a year or two in Germany or Scandinavia.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Thy sins be forgiven thee.

25.Tag six people who must also do this in THEIR journal:


]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21779160/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21779160/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:59:44 PST Ruuuuuthe!

Well, yesterday was one of the longest days of my life. Ranking up there with that time I flew up to Chicago for a soccer game at 6am and didn't go to sleep until about 2am, and that Therion concert I went to last year that lasted until about 1am.

What was this event, you ask? It's Monday Night Raw, baby! That's right, I went! I got to see Matt Hardy beat up MVP, CM Punk and Kofi Kingston defeat that stupid Cody Rhodes and Manu, and oh man it was SO FREAKIN' AWESOME! And did I mention Lillian sang the National Anthem?!!!!

There was more humiliating of Santino, which is always good. The moron tried to imitate Melina's ring entrance and got a lot of pain for his trouble. Melina, I have discovered, by virtue of having a real entrance theme and not being Beth Phoenix, not to mention that totally awesome splits thing she does, is the coolest diva on Raw. And after THAT, Goldust got in some freaking out of Santino, which equally hilarious.

CM Punk and Kofi Kingston got a tag team match! Oh man, those two are some of my very favorites ever. World Tag Team Champions, baby! I'd watch them beat Cody Rhodes and Manu any day, which is just what they did!

Of course, there was this weird guy a couple rows down from us who was cheering all the heels. Or, I should say, booing all the heroes. Whatever, man. Your loss.

Oh man, it was a great night, I'm telling you.

Of course, that tyrant Chris Jericho had to come out and make a speech that I couldn't even mute. Yeah, he came out to do his weekly insulting of the crowd, and this time he threatened to beat us all down because we don't like him and he hates us, and blah blah blah. As usual, no one interrupted him. It's got to be some super-hyped main-event thingamabob or something that conspires to get Jericho's speeches interrupted. I swear he gets worse every week. Next week, he'll probably be carrying around an axe, waving it menacingly at the crowd and making death threats. Can you believe there was a guy CHEERING him? Maybe some people LIKE being verbally abused.

But, oh man, Batista!!!!!! Washington DC is his home town, baby! He came out about mid-show to defeat that dumb Dolph Ziggler in an absolute squash match. Sure, sure, the peroxide-haired monkey got a couple cheap shots in at Batista, undoubtedly so they could throw up some more impressive highlights during his entrance than him SHAKING MIKE ADAMLE'S HAND! Seriously, that's all the highlights that guy has! All it took was one Spinebuster and Batista Bomb to finish off the bug.

And later, at the VERRRRY end of the show that they don't broadcast on TV (which will make me very mad when I record it), Batista came out again to beat up Chris Jericho and end the show!!!!!!!

That was after John Cena defeated Kane, in between beating on Chris Jericho again for attempting to interfere, and then those STUPID LAME SUCKY Cody Rhodes and Manu came to Jericho's rescue. ARRRRGH!!!! Then Randy Orton came out for some cheap shots, and then Chris Jericho, after stripping, did his stupid stupid stupid Walls Of Jericho on Cena. (Chris Jericho needs to DIE!) The crowd had started chanting "Batista! Batista! Batista!" at this point, but to no avail. Jericho swaggered back to the ring and proclaimed that HE had beaten up John Cena just like he was going to at Armageddon (ya wish!), even though it had taken an entire ARMY to subdue Cena and Jericho came in at the last minute to his stupid stupid stupid Walls Of Jericho. Jericho threatened us some more and just when it looked it was all going to end right there... BATISTA!!!!!!!!

His entrance theme blared in all its thunderous glory and the hometown boy charged down the ramp to save Monday night from Y2J! Chris Jericho tried to take advantage and send the Animal packing, but Batista would have none of it. He beat that stupid Chris Jericho real good, finishing with a sweet Batista Bomb to shut Jericho up!

We just about died cheering him.

And then he made a nice little speech about how great it is to be home and all that jazz. We love you Batista!

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21746368/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21746368/ Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:39:37 PST
Ruuuuuuuuthe!!!!!!!

Gonna see John Cena, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Randy Orton, and all the rest! Oh man, it's going to be great!

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21531849/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21531849/ Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:53:55 PST
Also, recently, completed a commission for me; a portrait of Kuryama Nari, Jedi Exile, one of the main protagonists in Triptych (first chapter here: [link]). It can be found here: [link] After waiting for many weeks, I was blown away by her superb work, it matched and exceeded my every expectation. It made me very happy.

Alas, I must take a three-day trip up the coast to haul stuff from a place, so I doubt much work will be done on any of my projects this week. I'm not all that concerned, though. Threads Of Darkness is nearly complete, I'm confident I'll be able to wrap it up comfortably.

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21466053/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21466053/ Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:17:47 PST

Maybe it's because I always seems to feel like I'm underachieving once I get to writing the conclusion of my latest short fanfic series. Maybe it's because from time to time I get a little tired of firmly remaining third- to fourth-tier popularity on [link] despite how many people allegedly have me on their "favorite authors" list. That last one is a little selfish, I know, and probably ignores a lot of evidence to the contrary, but apparently depression doesn't need to rationalize itself.

Ahh, well. I guess writer's morale is sort of like the graph of a sinusoid. It could be high one day, or one week, and then hit rock-bottom the next, but you can count on it to right itself. All I need is SOMEBODY to show up with ridiculous amount of unearned praise and then everything will be fine. In the meantime, I'll keep listening to angry, angsty rock and heavy metal, and beat my head against the table as I try to wrestle with my calculus textbook. Curse those trigonometric identities and logarithmic inequalities...

]]> ~lzsays http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21277196/ http://lzsays.deviantart.com/journal/21277196/ Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:30:43 PST
Those were the words that started me along the path of Richard Cypher, the Seeker of Truth, and brought me on an epic, unforgettable journey. Wizard's First Rule was the beginning of a legend, and the first in a fantasy series that was to become my favorite book series of all time.

Last night, the first-run syndicated TV series, Legend Of the Seeker, based around the story of the book Wizard's First Rule, premiered. I have to say, considering the TV format and other constraints they had to work with, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert made a very satisfying first episode. I am going to watch the second episode tomorrow, but from the first I can say the future is bright.

The casting of the three lead characters, Craig Horner as Richard Cypher, Bridget Regan as Kahlan Amnell, and Bruce Spence as Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander (or just Zedd) all have turned out wonderfully. Craig Parker as the main antagonist, Darken Rahl, has yet to be tested, Jay Laga'aia as the boundary warden Chase, in his comparatively little screen time, made a good first impression, and George Cypher was well-played in his few scenes. The only weak link in the chain I felt was David de Lautour as Richard's brother Michael, the First Councilor of Westland. His performance felt a little overplayed, and there was at least one moment where his voice seemed to break (in the bad way), but thankfully he held up in most of his scenes.

Another slight hiccup was in some of the CGI. Kahlan's magical guide Shar, and the ghastly green wall of the boundary with the dark shapes of the underworld creatures flitting about just behind it, were both extremely visually engaging. But the snake vine, the gar, and Zedd's wizard's fire felt rather lacking, as if their CGI budget had been all used up by the time they got to them, and had to make-do with a second-rate job. I find this unlikely, given the amount of money Disney-ABC were throwing around, so the lackluster rendering of those things is more than a little odd.

The only thing I can say truly disappointed me was the magical chanting. This felt like a dumbing-down of the role magic plays in Terry's world. In the world of the Sword of Truth, magic is far less mystical than most people might think, and that was one of the reasons I latched on so fast. It was intriguing and intellectually engaging at the same time. Perhaps as the show progresses, this feeling of the dumbing-down of magic will fade. I can certainly hope.

In terms of the story, and how different it is from the template laid down in the book, I didn't feel it strayed too much further than did the Lord Of the Rings movies. At least, from what I've seen so far. Obviously, with a 22-episode season format, things will have to be changed, added, removed, and such and such. Plus, everything is visual and we do not have the benefit of a Terry Goodkind's incredible narratives which conveyed so much of the life of the book. So I fully expect Legend Of the Seeker to be a different experience. But so far, it has proved to be a pleasantly different experience, and still familiar to those who have read Wizard's First Rule.

There were moments which avid fans of the book will smile at, such as Kahlan reacting to Richard offering his hand by putting a knife to his throat, Richard asking Zedd "What's a Seeker?", and Zedd first appearing standing on his rock "as naked as a newborn bird," and Kahlan averting her eyes.

I will be looking forward to watching the next part.

]]> ~lzsays