I LIKE GLITTER

You just gotta love Ratcarver.... Hearts for my favorite undead of all times. <3<3<3 Though he'd surely prefer real hearts, eh?

After my recent ramblings about all kinds of stuff, or well... storytelling in certain video games, this time it's once again all about my own writing. And for those of you who are interested in my fan fiction - just as I've announced last time, I put up the short story "A Ghoul's Life" today.
It's all explained over on the site for 'Bloodstained Shadows', but I might as well also say a few quick things about it right here.
This short basicly is the starting point from which I got the main ideas for the actual story. About two weeks after finishing AGL I first started working on 'Scarlet Dawn' and thus BS - CoaLS.
The short story is written as a kind of screenplay, because of its heavy focus on dialogue and it's also the origion of many little jokes and minor details scattered throughout the actual longer fan-fiction. Despite these connections to 'Bloodstained Shadows' the world depicted in AGL is a bit off-set from Azeroth as it is shown in the MMO or my story.
Therefore the text should "merely" be read as a satirical take on the achievement for the ingame-title "the Insane" as well as other aspects of World of Warcraft as a whole.

On a different note, not that I'd think I might not have enought to do already, but additionally to working on 'Loner's Peak' (which I managed to do over the last few days), reading tarot cards, staring into the stars and trying to decipher my dreams I had the great idea of wanting to enter the Bridport Prize in the categories short fiction and flash fiction.
Biggest Problem so far... what should I write about? So... I'm all about brain storming right now. Or well at least not right now, but later... if my brain let's me that is...
Damn troublesome brain... also doing its stuff on its own without ever asking.


The glare he offers is vile and filled with pointless hatred. The faint smell of bourbon being the only thing that’s making the stench of his breath bearable as we stand eye to eye.

He’s ready to go berserk on me. I can tell by looking at his eyes. Ready to frenzy should I only flinch.

I tighten the grip.

As a few minutes pass his eyes slowly turn clouded again, like of any normal drunk and the gaze shifts to something more fearful as breathing turns more and more difficult for him.

There you have it... it just does things without even bothering to ask for permittion... Aw well...

As always thanks for reading.
Marc (Ratcarvers greatest fan!)


P.S.: New Kitteh should be up shortly.

Indigo Something

Short-update-madness continues in its third installment.

This time my mad ramblings are all about 'Fahrenheit' or as it is also known as 'Indigo Prophecy' in the US.
Yes..., yet another video game on my site! Treachery! ... or... well.. .something.
But you know, I already went on about 'The Void' during the last week and yeah... why not honor great story telling in this so often forgotten and even shunned type of media?

The story starts off with the main character, Lucas, in the restroom of a local diner in the streets of New York and how he kills an seemingly innocent person whilst in a kind strange state of trance. He clearly has no control of him self, like a puppet on a string. Mere moments later he finds himself standing above the dead body with a knife in his hands, strange symbols carved into the flesh of his own forearms, unable to explain what happened and with only one option left... to flee.

The setting of the story is great and the way how you are introduced to the several characters of the story as well. After you have managed to escape from the diner in time as Lucas Kane and before anybody else has found out about the dead body sitting on the toilet, the player takes control of two other main characters. Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, both from the NY PD.

Sadly, to be frank with you, my dearest reader, despite this rather suspense-full start the game tends to turn a bit... well... crazy rather fast. The way the story progresses might not be for everyone and especially as the game draws closer to the end it all feels kind of rushed. As if the pacing itself just went bat-shit-crazy for no particular reason and leaped out of the nearest window trying to fly away and head onwards to the horizon.
Despite the game going a bit wonky in the end however it proves to be thoroughly enjoyable and leaves the player with something else behind.
The game itself is rather like a ... interactive movie than what you would think of your typical video game. It's game play is focused mainly on decision-making and quick-time-events (when the player has to hit the buttons displayed on the screen as they come up), which leaves many opportunities to actually build up an emotional connection with the player.

 But I guess this game should be old news actually, after all it was first released in 2005 by Quantic Dream. A similar game with an even more compelling story (and without the pacing on Speed) made by the same developers would be 'Heavy Rain' - also a truly remarkable experience as a game. Yet I don't what to spoil any of that, at least for now.

There ya go... the short-update-madness lacking the short is about to come to a close for today. Yet before you head back to whatever you have been doing until I managed to lure you to my blog, a special treat for those actually interested in my WoW FanFiction is heading towards the site during the next few days.
To be a bit more clear, I'm planning on posting the satirical short story which served as a foundation for the actual FanFiction.

Stay tuned for more mad ramblings and actuall information about my own writing.

As always thanks for reading,
Marc Marcinson of Marcvania

Hunting for... er... whatever

...and other shenanigans


Yeah, getting along with hunting for a part-time job, but nothing too exciting to tell you about all that, merely one of the many daring endeavours or whatever you want to call it, that's on my list.
Sadly I'm still a bit under the weather (in this case quite literally) as the current ongoing climate changes from warm to stormy to cloudy to warm again and back to cold and cloudy yet again don't seem to mix well with myself suffering from migraine with an aura.
But meh... it could be worse. The actuall headaches shouldn't start before ... next September, I guess? I kinda got a rather consitent scedule for those. Yet the many side-effects keep on haunting me when the weather conditions start to get all jumpy like during the past weeks. And they truly are persistant...

Concerning "Loner's Peak" I got around to finishing the current chapter yesterday. (not even 12.000 words so far in total :<)
Nevertheless I have for you a short excerpt from the text. Not too much, just a few lines:

***

I already know that I’m going to have to sit around for probably over an hour to come once I arrive at my destination. Another pointless hoop that they let us jump through for nothing but their sole amusement, as they watch from somewhere afar how we blindly follow their orders without ever asking.

Then again... that’s not true.

Once... a rather long time ago, a few years, maybe five or six, somebody asked. It was during the first few weeks that I was on the job. That guy, barely as young as I was. A bit too blunt for his own good and just as new as myself. But my instincts served me right...

He got shot on the spot. Or rather... executed.

A bullet straight to the head. Not much of a fuzz. Quick, but not as clean as they had hoped for. I can’t even recall his name. Only the image of the crimson gushing towards the rest of us.

Since then nobody ever asked again. But I guess sooner or later somebody will be dumb enough to do so. Once this dying memory has been discarded completely. Or at least the people bearing it. The only thing I’m sure of... it won’t be me.

***

As usual, feel free to comment on this little scrap of text, but keep in mind it's still only a first draft and also please spare me on the "The grammars not right!" and "Those aren't complete sentences!". I'm aware of that and I can assure you... it is indeed intended.

Now finally before I return back to the aether itself... I can't get rid of it! That song's stuck in my head... Damn you Youtube!

As always, thanks for reading,

Marc, the... whatever.


P.S.: Sorryz - no kitteh for today

Fuzzing about

When life gives you lemons.... ya know... you can do a whole lot of things with them, dammit!

Yeah... Often it's difficult to realize when something isn't going the way how it should be and to identify the changes that have to be made in order to continue onwards on your chosen path. Sadly enough, whilst writing these few lines and trying to convey these feelings and thoughts of mine to you, my dearest reader, as well as to myself as strange es it may sound, I come to think of a video game.

Yes, a video game.

Now just before you close this site infuriated from this insolence of mine, I'd like to point out the nature of said game. It is considered an indie-game of some sort and by all means... it is... well... different.
The 'strangest' and most likely the really rare part about this game, which makes it so 'special' is that it gets the player to think, not about any puzzles or something similar like in the vastly popular Portal franchise, but mainly about him- or herself. And the deeper you get into it, the deeper ones thoughts grow. I own it myself and it's a shame I don't get to play it more often (plus its frikken hard - if I may add on a less serious note).

Enough with beating around the bush, the game I'm talking about is called 'The Void', also known as 'Tension' in some parts of eastern Europe, created by the masterminds of Ice-pick Lodge. (Trailer - erm, warning? digital nudity for art purpose?)

The game itself could probably be considered as a hybrid between mainly Survival-Horror and Strategy game with influences from Action- & Adventure titles. As you can tell, it proves hard to put it into a distinct category.
It is also one of the games that throws you into a strange surreal world without giving you a clear idea of what brought you there, or where you are at all during the first minutes. You do get a few hints, or rather opinions presented by the first sister you meet in the game, but all of them are rather vague (at least in my opinion and you are supposed to make up your mind on your own after all).
In short; you play as a lost soul, which for whatever reason instead of dying completely, lingers on in a place called 'The Void', detached from life and death just alike. The first person you meet is a frail young woman referring to herself as a sister. She is the one who grants you your first heart as well as gives you basic ideas of how to survive in this void and withstand the peril of the malicious brothers.
Yet in the end it is almost completely up to the player with whom he sides; either the beautiful and alluring sisters, the grotesquely deformed monstrosities called the brothers or whether you only side with yourself.
Game play is governed by one sole resource... color.
It serves as the means to fight, to give life to this strange world around you and as your very own lifeblood. If it runs out, so does the life of the soul. Therefore it is incredibly easy to die in this game if you don't watch your reserves. To obtain said lifeblood, you can simply collect color which sprouts from the areas of the void, as it comes pouring into the chambers of this world sometimes, or you can 'grow your own' by giving color to the trees and by that bringing them back to life.
Color basically influences everything in this game, depending on which colour you use to draw your glyphes you alternate the void itself irreversibly, causing several different effects and events to be set into motion.

The areas you are able to explore in this game are usually surreal, yet of remarkable beauty (especially a fully grown garden, which can be seen in the trailer at several points).

Sadly, as every game it has it's flaws. The drawing of the glyphs sometimes gets awkward and the game tends to act a bit strange with recognizing them. Despite this and it's rather high level of difficulty it is a truly unique experience.
I personally would recommend checking it out and if you get hooked on the idea I might as well add that it is available on Steam for 8,99€ which is about 12,00 - 13,00$

I admit I got carried away a bit. ^^" But well... happens. To get back to my starting point, after finishing this truly remarkable game I came up with several thoughts concerning my stories (don't be alarmed, merely new ideas) as well as the rest of my life... How I'd like to change several things.

And as per usual... it's not about the things you think to be impossible, it's just about doing them.

Stay tuned for more!
As always, thanks for reading.
Marc, the Strange and Thoughtful.

P.S.: New Kitteh probably pouncing on to the site sooner or later.

Fever...all through the night!

Heydiddiho,

It's been a busy week, at least that's what my immune system would call it. I got stopped in my tracks because of a rogue illness, that came jumping at me by the start of last week.

Aaaaanyways, I'm quite happy that my brain is back to functioning normally and that it has also decided to grant me knowledge of its great scemes concerning my work-in-progress 'Loner's Peak'. So now I'm finally getting back on track with that one.
It's always troublesome if you're missing something within a story, like an idea on how to link up two or more chapters.

Aw well, I guess I should be getting at it again.

Thanks for reading as always,
Lord Marc Winter of Edinburgh

(yep)