An Adventurer's Lifewith Paul J. Nandzik

An inspiration becomes a dream

2010-04-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

"Carl Macek was a man of immense writing talent, skill, style, class and intelligence." - Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski, Voice actress (Lynn Minmei in Robotech)

On April 17, 2010, one of the original producers of Robotech passed away from a heart attack.

Robotech has been - and continues to be - a huge inspiration to me as a writer, as a storyteller and as a person. What Carl Macek wrote was an amazing drama that is still relevant today, and appeals to adolescents and adults, males and females.

What makes Robotech an even more amazing work is that the animation is taken entirely from a Japanese anime series, Macross. For as much as the two series have in common, they are also completely different. The characters are new, the dialogue is new, and the story has a fresh twist to it.

As Robotech character Roy Fokker once commented, "Once you get this Robotech stuff in your blood, it's there to stay."

So, since I cannot attend his memorial service in California on Saturday, May 1, my tribute to the late, great Carl Macek and the spectacular series he fathered will have to come in the form of hosting a Robotech marathon on the same day.

In closing, as Grig (The Last Starfighter) said, "Death is a primitive concept; I prefer to think of them as battling evil in another dimension!" Another dimension, that is, where the United Earth Government is in possession of a Super Dimensional Fortress.

You can read the original news article (as well as continuing coverage) at Robotech.com by clicking this link.

Homeward Bound

2010-04-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's all too easy to get lost in your own troubles in this twisted game of life.

Despite primarily great things happening in my life, I've been feeling very overwhelmed lately. A lot of hard choices have presented themselves, and I'm sure I'm over analyzing them, but being a married man automatically makes any decision making process more complicated.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I was really overwhelmed last night and was not in the mood for anyone's guff one way or another. While walking through downtown Pittsburgh on my way to meet my wife, a little kid asks me if I've got any spare change. I almost never carry cash on me, and last night was not an exception, so I very honestly told the kid that, "Sorry, I don't."

I didn't even lose my stride, but it only took a moment for everything to sink in.

The kid was only 8-10 years old, and his eyes and cheeks were flushed red from crying. In spite of my horrible mood, I turned around and asked the kid what he needed the money for. He explained to me he needed it to catch a bus and go home. I didn't ask why he didn't have the money. It wasn't important. Besides, I remember being a scared kid in safer environments.

I told him to wait where he was - that I was going to meet my wife at her job, grab some spare change and be back in just a few minutes. It was only a matter of a few blocks. Everything went according to plan, and I handed the $2 to the young man, made sure he had a cell phone and made sure he was in contact with his mother.

It's possible the kid was playing me. After all, there are beggars-by-night in the city who hold very prestigious day jobs. But hey, why spend yours when you don't have to? Still, this was a kid - not a grown man; and I'd rather be played for $2 than to give in to cynicism and risk reading about the kid's horrible fate in the next morning's newspaper. A child's life is worth at least the cost of bus fare.

The whole experience helped me put the real world into a better perspective, and my bad mood gave way to a much better one.

Handwritten vs. Typed

2010-04-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

I've always been a good typist. On average I do about 88 wpm (words per minute) with 0-1% error. Ever since I graduated from SUNY Fredonia, I almost exclusively write using a computer. It's easier and faster (and more coherent) for me to get my thoughts out before I lose them. It also makes the editing process approximately eight gigabillion times easier.

However, every once in a great while I'm in a situation where I don't have a computer handy. Let's say if I'm in a meeting or in a class or out at a bar. Napkins or a notepad will do just fine in those instances. Heck, it's what I used to use almost exclusively during high school and a good chunk of college.

I got to my class last night with close to two hours to spare before the professor got there to get things started. I'd come up with a great idea while parking the car, and jotted down the summary of the story in my notebook while waiting for a grande hot chocolate (that's right - Starbucks).

What started as a four sentence summary turned into a 300+ word short story (it really doesn't take that long, but yes, I had enough spare time to count each word by hand). Because of my mood and the tone of the story (mainly depressed/overwhelmed/troubled), I don't think using a computer would have permitted me to fully embrace my inspiration. There's something soothing, yet gritty, about writing by hand - especially when it's a hard boiled detective story.

UPDATE (04/19/2010)
Since transcribing that story into a Word document, the word count has more than doubled because I've been able to fill in some gaps, produce better transitions, reduce confusing plot points, and generally improve the story. There's still more to do, of course, but, as is stated by Egg Shen in Big Trouble In Little China, "See? That was nothing. But that's how it always begins. Very small."

Guilty Pleasure

2010-04-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

BACKGROUND TO MY GUILTY PLEASURE
I'm a pretty big fan of The Soup (with Joel McHale). I've actually been watching the show so long I sometimes have a senior moment and refer to it as 'Talk Soup', for which my younger friends mock me.

[insert sad face here]

One early evening, my wife demands I stop doing dishes to watch The Soup (how dare she watch it without me?). I can't complain, but it's got to be something outrageously hilarious for her to ask me to stop washing dishes.

My mind was blown when I saw James Franco of all people on some random soap opera.

I happen to also be a fan of James Franco (I find his intermittent lisp endearing) and all of his shenanigans (such as the all too brief video series, "Acting with James Franco").

There's no good reason for James Franco to be on a soap opera; and he's practically laughing as he delivers his lines. Marie and I have no choice but to agree with Joel McHale and assume that he lost a bet.

MY GUILTY PLEASURE
Soap operas. That's right, I said it. I enjoy watching soap operas, and I blame James Franco. My curiosity was piqued after seeing that clip on The Soup.

I'll admit that I used to watch soap operas with one of my (three!) older sisters, but that was mainly to mock her (love ya, sis!). So I do have some background on which to judge the new generation of soap opera writers, actors and crew.

The CHARACTERS are just as archetypal, trite and carnal as ever, motivated by a gross exaggeration of the seven deadly sins, of course. The quality of the ACTORS has somehow gone down as many of them habitually stumble over their lines and stutter. If it were only one actor doing this, I could let it slide as him/her just plain old acting. But trust me, this is not the case. The WRITING is, as much as I hate to admit it, quite entertaining. The plot arcs are just as over the top as ever. The dialogue is still mostly exposition, but often sultry (sorry - I'm a sucker for sultry dialogue).

Considering I'm known as a "*story snob," it might strike you as odd that I would watch something so horrible. Indeed, indeed. But it's like watching a train wreck. You just can't pull yourself away from it! And eventually you get sucked in and it becomes an amusement.

I don't go out of my way to watch soaps, and because I'm only a casual watcher the story arcs are more twisted and ridiculous, and they'd be even more confusing if it wasn't for all that exposition they throw in there.

So, in conclusion, "Damn you, James Franco, and damn whoever you lost that bet to that put you on whatever that soap opera was that piqued my curiosity into soap operas! But, guiltily, thank you as well, because I do enjoy them, but I don't want to! Damn you!"

*Interchangeable with: literary or writing.

O Muse, Impoverish Me With Your Beautiful Art

2010-03-24T20:24:00.001-07:00

This post is primarily for Aaron and Vinnie, my oldest and bestest friends, who will immediately get the joke. If anyone else gets a chuckle out of it, then that's just gravy on the cake. (Who puts gravy on cake??)

After work today, I had the opportunity to correspond with a psychologist - a friend and fellow alumnus. Don't worry, he wasn't diagnosing me (I hope). He was explaining some disorders to me for material in a short story I'm working on, which has a tentative yellow light for being published (will have a more definitive answer about that after June).

Anyway, the funny punchline is that the character in question is a homeless man, and I - like a homeless man - was scribbling notes on an empty brown bag (Bruegger's Bagels, if you must know).

:D

COMING SOON: New Blog Service

2010-03-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

In the very near future I'll be changing from Google Blogger to Word Press.

In general, I'm not all that satisfied with Blogger, but also, they're doing away with their FTP service, which will make my life even more complicated.

I like Word Press better. It's more streamlined, easier to manage, and it's never taken more than one attempt to successfully publish a post. Also, Word Press's slogan is, "Code is Poetry," the truth of which melts my heart.

Chew Toy

2010-03-12T07:02:00.001-08:00

It's been quite some time since I've made an entry on my blog. I've been so busy with so many different projects that even if I did have spare time that wasn't spent recovering from my overload, I'm not sure I'd even know what to talk about.

So let me just give you some updates on my projects:

GODS, DEVILS & OBJECTS OF INTRIGUE
Save for a few minor and non-urgent details, I'm finished with my graphic novel/limited comic series script. Right now I'm waiting on my illustrator to finish enough pages so that I can post them online and pitch them to publishing companies and literary agents. I'm no artist, so I'm not really sure how long that will take.

RELICS: DARK AGES
I've entered into the alpha testing phase of the game development process. Feedback from players and my own insights from the process itself have opened my eyes and allowed me to make an even better game than before. I anticipate the alpha test to take a few months to complete, at the end of which I will enter it into the beta testing phase.

ADIRONDACK MYSTERIES AND OTHER MOUNTAIN TALES
Although our book signing tour has slowed down significantly, we're still hitting up stores to host us. Although it's not set in stone, I'll likely have one during the first week of May.

ADIRONDACK MYSTERIES AND OTHER MOUNTAIN TALES, VOLUME 2
The book has only been out for about a half a year, but sales have been better than anticipated, and we've gotten the *tentative* green light to do a sequel. The plan is to have the novellas done by May sometime. I've already got the introduction and outline squared away. There's still plenty left to go, but I think this one is going to be as much fun to write as it will be to read!

RED TIE PRODUCTS, LLC (aka Grammar Matters!)
Now that I'm attending Point Park University for my MBA, I'm putting all this new insight to immediate use to improve the organization and management of Red Tie Products. This, of course, will always be an ongoing process, but it has definitely boosted my level of confidence.

LYRICAL ADAPTATIONS
I'm also collaborating with long time friend Michael Winkler to adapt the poems in Twombly McGreen vs. The Mean Steam Machine into lyrics. Winkler is a pretty busy kid, playing gigs, working the 9-5 grind, and everything else, so I'm not sure when I'll have mp3s to share, but I'm positive they'll be awesome.

Singer/songwriter Cathie Russo (www.CathieRusso.com) has also adapted my poems into something more musical, but unfortunately all of those recordings were lost in a horrible technological accident.

I've been described as an over ambitious person, so let me leave you with this quote about ambition:

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." - Bill Bradley

The Road Less Taken (but not really!)

2009-08-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

All right, I've got some beef, and I'm not talking about cows.

In 1915, Robert Frost published the classic poem, The Road Not Taken. Now, most people buy into the final three lines of the poem:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Focusing on these three lines gives us the impression that the author (or at least the speaker in the poem) is lauding his/her own choice and follow-through to bravely blaze his/her own physical or metaphysical trail.

Contrary to popular belief, however, the poem is an expression of self-contradiction and exaggeration; and if one pays close attention to the language of the poem it becomes crystal clear that the speaker of the poem did not (technically 'will not' since the ending to the poem is actually a 'premonition') do anything particularly special.

Of course, as humans, we tend to perceive everything we do as unique and special (or at least feel compelled to spin it that way to our peers). We are, after all, proud creatures, and rightly so. After all, we have thumbs and the ability to manifest our imaginations in many forms, including architecture, art, philosophy, politics and culture. More specifically, we are able to manufacture virgin births, clone farm animals, carry miniature multi-purpose phones in our pockets, modify our genetic code, and so much more.

Anyway, here is a reproduction of said poem, with bold and italics added for emphasis:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Gods, Devils & Hellboy II

2009-07-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

All right, so I'm a big Hellboy fan. I fell in love with the comics a few years ago and have since enjoyed the novels and animated films of the franchise. I'll admit that I initially didn't like the first live-action film. Although I'm still disappointed with its ending (a little too quick and easy for what should have been an exciting cat and mouse sort of epic battle), and the fact that Agent Myers still had all his teeth (let alone his brains) after getting hit square in the face with a large hammer. These are things I can overlook, though, because the story was fun, the Cthulian-inspired monsters are fun, Ron Perlman is fun, and Rasputin and the undead Nazi doctor were really cool.

Hellboy - no matter what incarnation - will always have a bit of cheese (as well as macheesmo) to him. That's okay. It's fun. In moderation.

Marie loved Hellboy II, so she bought it on DVD the other day. I watched it again and although I have a greater appreciation for it, I'm still not particularly fond of it.

The heroes are too cheesey, the villains too serious. The Troll market was a little cheesey as well.

Having devoted much of my spare time to researching Norse/Germanic/Varangian (Viking) cultures, I appreciate the villains a lot more. Here are a few points that stick out in my mind that add some depth to the plot:

The "elvin" language is reminiscent of Swedish or possibly German, which is where this folklore is rooted;
King Balor's guards are very possibly Valkyries - their helmets (if they are in fact helmets) are shaped like a raven's head/beak, and I believe their feet are taloned as well. They are all clearly male, but otherwise ravens (corpse eaters) were often believed to be a form that the Valkyries would take when transporting the gloriously slain to Valhalla (Valkyrie translates to "corpse maiden");
The Prince and Princess (elves) are pale white as though they're undead. Elves were described in this way in the various sagas. The brighter white a person was, the more divine they were said to have been. On a similar note, dark elves and dwarves were often interchangeable terms. Originally, dwarves were the same height as men, and the "dark" of "dark elves" referred to the creature's hair color (ie, "brunette elves") and had nothing to do with morality or divinity or anything else. Interestingly, these supernatural creatures were often described in such a way as to imply that they were vampires or vampire-like in their powers and weaknesses (battle prowess, super speed/strength, death upon exposure to sunlight, etc.).

Although understanding the background of the villains in the film makes it more enjoyable, I still won't go out of my way to watch it again.

Film Adaptations & Book Fanatics

2009-07-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the efforts of mobs of fanatics, I am not really a Harry Potter fan. Yes, yes, gasp and clutch your heart as your jaw drops to the floor.

It all strikes me as a bit hokey, and that's not a bad thing. It's just not my style (I prefer pulp fiction, or something a little more sinister). I'm also a slow reader and tend to shy away from media-hyped entertainment.

Anyway, as per tradition, I go see all the new Harry Potter films whenever they come out - usually in iMax and/or 3D if it's available. The fanatics I go with always complain about how the film left out so much from the book. I understand where they're coming from, but I'm tired of hearing it. I endured those comments for all sorts of films/franchises, including Lord of the Rings (of course, LOTR is simply a rehashing of old Norse Sagas anyway...).

Anyway, let me set the record straight:

Yes, the book is 99% of the time better than the film [I contend that Bladerunner (film) is better than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? (book)].
Of course they left something out of the book - the writers/directors are constrained by your very short attention span and a specific format length (generally no more than 3 hours at absolute maximum...and considering Rowling's books get exponentially longer, this should be no surprise).
The film will never be an EXACT replica of the book. If you have your heart set on it being that way, then just read the book again and avoid the film. Why set yourself up for disappointment? For writers/directors, adapting [<--key word] a written work for the silver screen (or any other format) is an opportunity to keep the story relevant to the audience, to make improvements on the story, and to generally tell it according to their vision.

Because we're all influenced by the rules we were raised with, even after leaving the nest, I'm going to make a claim that making a film adaptation of a book is sort of like living away from your parents for the first time. Mainly in that you're allowed to make your own rules, often based on the set of rules you grew up with. Anyway, sometimes this doesn't end well (Terminator 3: Salvation), but as long as all the "housemates" (writers, producers, directors, actors, etc.) can effectively cooperate and live with each other, it's pretty good.

So the moral of the story is: Stop complaining [out loud...or to me] that film adaptations are different from the book. You'll make your mother proud (and me happy) by clamming up on this one.

Robotech Prophecy: The Segway

2009-07-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

These law enforcers might look goofy on their Segways, but you won't be laughing when next year's budget passes and they get the upgraded state of the art Bioroid Terminator Edition Segways!

If you're as obsessed with Robotech as I am, then you've probably noticed some strange parallels between real life and the show. If you've never heard of Robotech, you'll probably want to turn back now because the nature of blogging (as I learned) doesn't allow me enough space to explain the show while keeping your ever decreasing attention span focused on my thoughts and opinions.

Anyway, I always thought Segways were really goofy inventions. If Paul Blart: Mall Cop tells me anything, so do a lot of other people. While I was waiting in an airport not long ago, however, a security guard whizzed by me on a Segway. Apparently he was trying to remember whether or not he left his oven on because he stopped in the middle of everything for no good reason. When he stopped, though, it was as though he were hovering and, I hate to admit it, it was kinda cool.

I guess the officer decided he had not left his oven on as he proceeded to whoosh off along his merry way.

As you can plainly see from the photos above, we're already on the path to becoming the Robotech Masters (also known as the Tirolians). Segways are just the first baby step to developing military hovercraft capable of providing increased maneuverability to giant mechas, which will eventually be piloted by cloned triplets when Congress declares that it's inhumane to allow "real people" to go to battle. Of course, being able to mass produce cloned triplets would require extensive stem cell research, which I think we ought to achieve within the next couple of years if we really put our scientists' minds to it.

One of my many goals is to one day pilot a Valkyrie (or an Alpha or a Beta Fighter...or a Cyclone...), but I'd certainly settle for a Bioroid Terminator if that was all that was available.

So here's hoping my fantasy comes to fuition!

Tribute to Robert E. Howard

2009-06-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

73 years ago - this month - a great author, Robert Ervin Howard, died by his own hand.

He wrote many works in many genres, but is most remembered for his Conan the Barbarian and Kull the Conqueror stories. Howard is considered the father of the 'Sword & Sorcery' genre, just like J.R.R. Tolkien is considered the father of the 'High Fantasy' genre. Interestingly, both were huge history buffs.

Howard, however, separated himself from many of the other great writers by being an avid amateur boxer and was an autodidact with a photographic memory. Like most other great writers, however, he suffered from depression.

Howard's depression was both chronic and severe, which added a lot of depth to his often gritty, gruesome and ultimately futile stories of manly struggle. After having done this basic research into Howard's life, I watched Conan the Barbarian again. It's one of my favorite films for its philosophy, grittiness, dark humor, noble characters (both heroic and villainous), and wonderful drama.

Understanding Howard's severe depression shed new light on the drama and philosophies of the film. Suddenly, there was more depth to an already deep Conan, and I get the distinct impression that Conan and Howard were - in many ways - the same person. Iron-willed, physically fit, intelligent, passionate, unafraid of death, and understanding of the futility and fleetingness of all mortal endeavors.

As the Wizard says in the film:

He did not care any more... life and death... the same. Only that the crowd would be there to greet him with howls of lust and fury. He began to realize his sense of worth... he mattered. In time, his victories could not easily be counted...

Howard's sense of worth came from the success of his writing; and in only 30 years he wrote prolifically and even fathered a new genre. His literary works continue to make ripples in the proverbial pond and, if you ask me, the crowds still meet him with howls of lust and fury.

This month, I celebrate a truly inspiring author.

Graphic Novel Update!

2009-06-28T08:38:00.001-07:00

My graphic novel, Gods, Devils & Objects of Intrigue, has been delayed somewhat.

My illustrator and I fell out of contact for a while unexpectedly, and before we could re-establish contact, I decided to overhaul the script. Trust me - it's for the best!

I'll do everything I can to get this churned out with as much quality as all my current and future readers deserve. My goal is to finish the overhaul in less than two months (c'mon, I run a side business and am getting married in a few months - cut me some slack!).

Once the script's finished, the teaser illustrations fall on the shoulders of my trusted illustrator. I don't expect him to need more than a few weeks, but his speed partly depends on how quickly I can compensate him.

Anyway, keep an eye out for more updates.

Terminator: Salvation

2009-05-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

<--Look at how bad ass that scar is!

*Note: this is a screen shot from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The actor's name is Michael Edwards, and he played a great adult John Connor!

A slew of friends and I went to see Terminator: Salvation last night.

Aside from growing up with and loving the franchise, I like to think that, thanks to all the crazy consequences of time travel, that Bruce Wayne traveled to the future to lead the fight against Sky Net. Batman the Animated Series did cover a story arc with replicants (ala Bladerunner). I think the artificial intelligence behind everything was also called Sky Net though.

Anyway, while I'll need to watch the movie at least one more time to analyze and absorb everything, I was - at least initially - impressed with it.

One of the great things about the Terminator franchise is that because time travel is an integral part of the story, you can really do whatever you want. So, for example, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles gets around the goofy plot of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines by time traveling from the 1980s into the 1990s.

SPOILER BEGIN: The show also did some cool things with alternate time lines (two resistance fighters, who are also lovers, turn out to be from different dimensions/time lines, and they don't figure it out for a long time) SPOILER END.

Anyway, Terminator: Salvation bowed its head to all previous films (some more than others), which was definitely a great treat. In particular, they kept the two classic lines, "I'll be back" and "Come with me if you want to live." However, none of the terminators wore sunglasses, although we did get a cameo of the Arnold terminator, which was pretty freakin' sweet.

It was refreshing for me to see a group fight go down like real group fights usually go down. In an effort to avoid spoiling anything, I'll just say this: it rarely ends well when one person fights 4 or more at once. I mean, even if the one person can put some serious hurt on two assailants at the start of the fight (as happens in the movie), there are still at least two more people intent on harming the one person.

I was also impressed with the fact that shooting a gas tanker didn't ignite the fuel. Those things are designed to NOT spark. It's called safety standards, and they tend to be regulated in this country. So kudos for adding in a touch of realism amidst the fantasy.

Then, as we discover (as is also discovered in Sarah Connor Chronicles), John Connor is only A leader in the resistance; and although he has a very loyal following, that's all it is. It's not like Paul Atreides (Dune), who has a HUGE following of religious zealots. So that was pretty cool because it added a little bit of dynamic to a relatively flat/straightforward character.

Finally, I LOVED the explanation for John Connor's scar, as first seen in the initial flashback in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In our youth, my best friend and I fixated on that scar because it made the adult John Connor look even more grizzled and bad ass.

The only things I didn't like (at least during this initial viewing) were two scenes with CGI. The first was when Marcus Wright is seen walking in front of a cliff face, which is very obviously a green screen. I'm not sure if it was the lighting that was off or what, but it lacked depth (or the illusion of depth).

Similarly, the CG of Marcus Wright's face, when he's first shown as half terminator (c'mon, that's totally not a spoiler! It's in all the freakin' previews!) looks incredibly fake. And not the awesome cybernetic kind of fake. The rushed and/or lazy CGI programmers kind of fake. All the other scenes with the half-terminator face were good though, so I don't know why that one stood out as being so bad.

But to make it all better, there was some hot robot-on-robot action*! Not quite as flashy as in the final season of Battlestar Galactica, but still good.

*'action' should actually be replaced by 'violence' - this was a PG-13 film, after all.

Would You Die For Your Dog?

2009-05-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

SCENARIO:
I'm driving with Marie sitting shotgun. We're on a four lane highway on our way back from running some errands over Memorial Day weekend when the sky just opened up and let fly gigantic globules of rain. I would describe these things as 'soft pellets' - sort of like sleet, but much softer (but still stings and makes that popping noise when it hits your flesh).

To keep a short story short, there was a dog in the road. S/he was happy and mid-sized, just trotting along with his/her tongue hanging out lazily, seemingly oblivious to the sheets of rain.

I put my hazard flashers on and kept pace behind the dog. I was waiting for it to walk into one of the parking lots but it never did, and the drivers behind me were getting anxious. I'm sure they had no idea why I went from 30mph to less than 10mph.

As the other drivers started passing me, a few came close to clipping the dog, who was meandering away from oncoming traffic and into the passing lane.

The dog's owner, a 30-something woman, walked from across the other side of the highway, risking life and limb in the cold, stinging rain. She demanded cars to stop with something more powerful than confidence (which is pretty damned powerful in its own right). There is such a thing as corporeal intent, and let me tell you - this woman had it in Spades.

She had intent borne out of a special king of love. Her life, her health were negligible in the face of protecting her canine companion. She was clearly willing to die to save her dog's life.

She wasn't sobbing or screaming - she was demanding by force of will that all the cars yield to her and her dog. Her absolute fearlessness, her determination was beautifully inspiring.

Nevertheless, not trusting in the compassion and sensibilities (and yes) of the other drivers on the road, I pulled across both lanes. I wasn't sure if the van was going to hit us (it didn't), but I knew we would have a better chance inside the metal frame of the car with air bags and crunch zones and seat belts and whatever other safety features than the woman or her dog would have stood alone.

The owner grabbed her dog by its red collar and led him/her into the parking lot and, I assume, into one of the stores to dry off.

I don't know if she was walking the dog and it got out of its leash or if it jumped out of the car window (I've seen both happen before). Either way, I'm glad the crisis was averted and no one was hurt (and no property was damaged either).

Fallout Fun With The God-Emperor!

2009-05-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

I've been playing Fallout since the first game was released back in the '90s.

Fallout and Fallout 2 are great games and I can't say anything bad about it. Plus, I've had the pleasure of corresponding with one of the game designers, who shared some pretty cool secrets with me (a little bit of what Van Buren was going to feature and a little bit about the background of the war).

I felt torn when Fallout 3 was released. I was excited because I love the franchise, but I was also suspicious since the engine was completely different and it was made by a completely different team of guys.

Nevertheless, I pre-ordered the special edition (PC version) and counted the days and the hours until I could play it.

I still have mixed feelings, even after playing and beating the game since its release. However, I was amusing myself one day by reading up on Fallout 3 when I came across a character generator. It just lets you log the stats for a random character in Fallout 3. You can include Bobble Heads found, Books read, Quest Perks gained, etc. It's pretty cool, but also very basic. And the "History" tab they provide? It's not to log the back story of your character. No. It just says how you decided to level up. ie, Level 3: Science +15 (30), Intense Training (1).

Lame.

Anyway, I had fun creating two of my own characters, and posted them for the world of geeks and dweebs to see.

And while I was skulking through the archives of publicly posted characters I came across one called UltraMarine - an obvious Warhammer 40,000 reference.

After some thought I realized that - for me - such an angle would make the game perfect.

Sure, sure, the Imperium of Man are a bunch of paranoid xenophobes, but that applies pretty easily to the Fallout Universe, with barely a dash of imagination:

Anything infected or mutated with the FEV or radiation = tainted by Chaos. This, of course, includes Ghouls, Super Mutants, RadScorpions and pretty much everything out there except for pure blooded Humans - but not all of them are worthy of being saved. Raiders are unclean, possibly mutants (not as obviously as Ghouls or Super Mutants), or at least rebels against the Imperium (and we can't have that!).

There are a couple of ways to spin your character:

Your father was one of the two gene seeds that Chaos caused to be lost. Similar to the story of the UltraMarines, your father quickly rose to a position of power on the planet. Now, since Space Marines live for centuries (if not longer), it's very possible that he arrived on this planet before the nuclear holocaust. Nevertheless, he had a son/daughter with one of the local Humans. His Space Marine genetic programming compels him to train you, hence the BB Gun in your childhood. The people in the vault are mostly Tech Priests, but your father being a Primarch, makes totally awesome scientific breakthroughs in the Wasteland. You may follow in his steps (I like to think the rail gun is similar to the bolter, even though it's completely different) or become a great warrior (or both). Either way, you end up with powered armor and, possibly, a power fist and/or flaming sword (shishkebob!).
Your father is not actually your father, and your mother was not actually your mother. YOU are one of the two gene seeds that Chaos caused to be lost.
You and your father are the two gene seeds that Chaos caused to be lost.
The Wasteland is a planet that was attacked and overrun by Chaos. Small pockets of resistance remain, including your "father," who is actually a Tech Priest. You are a Space Marine whose seed he's recovered and resurrected. The other people in Vault 101 are Tech Priests and civilians.

Of course, along the way it's possible for you to succumb to the wiles of Chaos. The fun part is, aside from atmosphere and general goofiness, that you're a Space Marine. For those of you unfamiliar with how Space Marines function, think of them as exaggerated paladins with advanced technology. They're powerful zealots and will do good whenever possible (without accepting payment for it), but will also punish the wicked whenever the opportunity presents itself (again, without accepting payment).

And, of course, you can also succumb to the power of Chaos (radiation/Enclave powered armor).

For added fun, be sure to visit the Dunwich building for Cthulhuian references. This only adds to the Warhammer 40,000 atmosphere of a planet overrun by Chaos.

In closing:

MY LIFE FOR THE EMPEROR!

Megaton Sheriff = Imperial Guardsman
Super Mutants = Orkz
Robots = Necrons
Ghouls = Agents of Chaos / Chaos Slaves
Enclave = Chaos Space Marines
Outcasts = Chaos Space Marines / Rebel Space Marines
Brotherhood of Steel = Space Marines
Raiders = Dark Eldar / Agents of Chaos

It's truly a unique experience to play a character using this angle since it makes a lot of moral decisions even more difficult to make without breaking character.

RELICS: Dark Ages (in development)

2009-05-21T08:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I've been logging a lot of hours of work on RELICS: Dark Ages, a pencil & paper sci-fi role playing game.

Taking on this project has really taught me to appreciate RPG manuals. I never would have imagined THIS much work would have gone into them!

Part of what I've been working on is finalizing what could be described as the flavor text of the game: game history, species, governments and organizations.

In an effort to avoid absolutely overwhelming anyone trying to jump into this game system, I've decided to give each species its own chapter, more or less. This will include that species' history, available equipment, anatomy/appearance, territory (in the form of star systems, planets/moons, colonies/outposts), and so on.

Otherwise, the time line (and everything else) gets way too complicated.

An alternative solution could have been to have less content for the species and their civilizations, etc., but what fun would that be?

And although I wrote extensive histories and descriptions for all the species, governments, etc., there's still plenty of opportunity for players to fill in the gaps in the pre-existing history as well as, of course, creating new stories within the game universe.

"The Galaxy..." Thus Far

2009-05-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

If you've seen my (extremely) amateur web comic, "The Galaxy At Large," then you ought to be well aware that I'm a pretty horrible artist. Or at least not a professional one. But that's not exactly the point of it.

I started the comic as a fun way to explore and experiment with visual design. So every time I work on this project I have to write a script, then pencil sketch the panels, letter the dialogue and sound f/x, ink everything, then color everything. And that's not to mention scanning them in, adjusting their size and posting them online.

Did I mention that all of this is by hand (except writing...usually, and the obvious computer work). There's a reason why it takes me forever to post anything.

Once I dust off the script for Episode 4 (that's what we're on, right?) I'll do a little more work into getting that posted. I have the pencils for the first few pages, and they look MUCH better than anything I've posted because of experience (which has probably faded away by now) and using more references.

References vary. Sometimes I work from photos, other times from other sketches. Most of the time, I end up taking a (really goofy) picture of myself on my cell phone and working off that.

For all the hard, laborious and eye straining work, it's a lot of fun and very rewarding, especially when something comes out looking nice. I mean, the Cargo ship looks like a piece of crap (until I wreck it, which you'll see in the next issue). But I like how some of the people came out. As long as you consider Martians people. ;)

Picking Up The Pieces Again

2009-05-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't touched this website with any updates for about a half a year. I could give reasons and make excuses, but the fact of the matter still remains. So I'm going to be picking up the pieces and putting this website back together again. Ironically, the title of my next web comic issue (#4) is 'Picking Up The Pieces'. That's another thing I'll need to dust off (once I find the script and pencil more than three measly pages).

I've already updated some of the photos and a fair amount of general text at Nandzik.Com. I'm thinking about creating a fun little 'Choose Your Own Adventure' web game, to say nothing of putting up updated samples of stories I've done and/or am working on.

I've got a good feeling about this.

Chesty's Flower Shop, At Your Service!

2009-05-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

I used to temp for Chester's Flowers, this local flower shop in my home town every now and then. Well okay, maybe twice. But one of those times was during St. Valentine's Day (back in 2006).

It was very busy and, I'll be honest, I didn't really enjoy the work so much. Except delivering the flowers. That was pretty fun. Except when they spilled. Usually someone else got yelled at for that though.

Anyway, at one point I overheard a co-worker (if a temp can call a perm a co-worker) take a call. She started the conversation off right, I think. Anyway, this is how the conversation went down, from what I can piece together:

"Hello, this is Chesty's."

"Ooo! I like those! I'll take five!"

"I'm sorry sir, we only sell them in pairs."

I laughed REALLY hard. We all did. What else can you do when the English language goes so wrong that it goes so right? Did that even make sense?