Milestone Hit

I’ve officially reached 1000 words on my project. It took a few tries to make something cohesive and planned. I’ve realised how much perfectionism I’ve put into the project and how toxic it is. It’s a relief to finally connect things and brings important scenes to the forefront. Soon it will be 1500, then 2000 and beyond! Soon I won’t even notice how far I’ve come and feel happy just writing.

The Picture is Haunted

So, that portrait of Karu.

I’ve done tonnes with it already. I saved it as my desktop, and the night I finished it, I printed it out. So when I went to place it on my desk in the dark, the eyes glowed. As the desktop picture, it’s like he’s watching what I do. He wasn’t meant to be smiling or anything either; it’s just the angle he’s facing.

The paper copy is giving me the creeps because you can’t make out the eyes quite as well. If you haven’t taken a look at that post yet, I suggest you do! (He just winked???)

Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies for the Future: a Review

Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies for the Future by the late Mario Reading is a book that offers translations to some of Nostradamus’s Centuries. After one read, you start to understand why only some.

The book begins with a brief history of Old France and the life of Nostradamus. Then places the reader at the 9/11 prophecy, then works its way through the turn of the century, and well into the 7000s. Reading offers how he comes to the conclusion he made, then summarises it. With that, he revised the book in 2015, adding author’s notes to some of the most notable of his predictions.

And he has, in fact, made correct predictions! It makes me wonder if beyond 2021, they will come true again. Reading had a well of knowledge, taking from Old French, Latin, and Greek colloquialisms, and mythology around the world, just as Nostradamus would have. But some translations made no sense to me, and I would have liked to know how he came to those conclusions.

The future Reading predicts sounds so far fetched. Then again, So did those already fulfilled, so I can’t fault him until destiny takes a different turn. It reminds me that as a psychic myself, I shouldn’t judge so harshly. I even made my own in a few! As I reached the middle, things got murky until I reread. Then it got interesting within a few pages, and I could confirm some then and there.

As for only few sections of Centuries written, one only has to compare all of Centuries. It’s packed with so many stanzas that it’s tough to calculate them all in one sitting. But I would definitely go back to it to check if prophecy was fulfilled, which is why I put it on the coffee table as soon as I finished.

If I wasn’t a walking encyclopaedia like Reading or Nostradamus, I would have given this three stars, but instead I give it four and a half! And if predictions, alchemy, and thinking are up your alley, this is a great start to introduce yourself to Centuries.

Thoughts about Art

For those who don’t know, I’m not only a writer. I’m also an artist! Which worries me sometimes.

I design my characters, and I love doing it. My weak spots are posing and background, but I’m working on it. But I’m worried, when/if I send my manuscript to publication, will they consider the character designs, or will they ask me to change the designs? Because when I design something that stays, it stays. And the cover design may become difficult for it.

I think I’ve even shown my art here, but it’s been nearly a year since then. I’m getting back into digital art either way, so I might share some scribbles

Writing Update + Using Scrivener

I’m back writing 12M’s draft, and this time with a fully licenced Scrivener! So far, I quite like the features such as the board function.

My productivity used to be 100 words, and this time I’ve doubled it. Today handed me a few pearls of wisdom. Turns out I’ve been too perfect about the process, and I needed a reminder that it’s only the first draft–it’ll be done on time as long as I keep it in mind!

I’ve also developed the characters further. They needed motivations, and damn, did it take a while before it came clear!

Back to Scrivener. Thanks to my job, I could pay for it, and then I took a look. The interface is friendly once you get to know it, and I feel like it welcomes anything I write. Oh yes–12M isn’t the only project I’ve been working on.

What impressed me, though, was the character and location sheets. Most ask for too many things in my opinion, but Scrivener’s chops it all down to the bare essentials a story character needs. For once, my characters have relevant backstory!

And back to 12M, I’m considering rewriting the beat sheet. Watch this space for more story updates!

Update after Major Hiatus

It’s been months since I visited beloved WordPress. A lot happened. Self-isolation put a major damper on me, and I decided to try Tumblr again. It’s okay :/ At least here, I don’t feel judged by the site alone.

That damper caused my tons of grief even after I started my new job. I couldn’t write until recently, and I found no joy in the initiative. For once, stuff got planned out, and I’m sleeping better.

For my birthday I received Animal Crossing a month early. Nowadays, I’m sticking to The Sims 2. Sims 4 is a travesty, moreso this year. I’d rant about EA now, but that’ll be left for another day.

More good news: I’m finally taking up reading! Right now, My books are Nostradamus: Complete Prophecies for the Future by Mario Reading, and Birthright: Mages by Chance by Terah Edun. MbC has been a slog, but only because of depression and my nitpicking over its style.

In any case, I hope you’re well. Covid’s a pain, but we’ll get through it sooner than expected I reckon. Enjoy your day 🙂

Things I’d Like in the Next Tomodachi Life Sequel – Create Mii

I love Tomodachi Life. I love the Nintendo Switch.

Tomodachi Life is a game I play on a daily basis, and when it was announced last decade, my sister and I fell in love with it. The concept, that is.

The game was designed with long playability in mind, but there isn’t enough to keep a player’s attention. That’s why I’m writing this.

I want a new Tomodachi Life – one with so much more. One that lives up to its hype long after the release date. It comes down, not only to features, but to the basic structure.

This article is about the Create Mii section alone. There’s a lot that can be improved from the older model.

Physical Attributes

We’re all familiar with the basic Mii Maker, but even that’s been expanded on in MiiTopia. This I loved! It’s the addition of more hair and eye colours. Players put anime characters in their game, and it sure beats using the hair colour spray every time your mii takes a bath.

New selections in hair and face would be nice, too. I don’t know how many more facial features we could add, but it sounds cool.

The height sliders could use work, comparing to other miis as you adjust.

Interests + Careers?

The personality grid is fine on its own, but I’d like more. The favourite food list is a nice touch, but some control would make it more interesting. This should be optional, of course, to keep the randomness.

There’s also the case of hobbies. To have unique interests can shake things up, not only with diversity, but how the miis interact with each other. One hobby might clash with another in social aspects, so to speak. It makes things easier down the line. (Please let there be fortune telling)

So far, miis can have part time jobs. This should stay the default job, but a goal would be excellent. If you don’t give your mii a goal, they might come up with their own, or you can generate a suggestion.

I’ll talk more of island life in another post. In the meantime, I’d like to hear what other people think and their own suggestions.

Feeling…

I can’t describe what I’m feeling. My ear doesn’t hurt like usual, so that’s a plus, but everything else feels like a weird block. What I can do, however, is create strange things.

12M MIGHT be on hold, but I tried my hand at abstract sketches to quench my thirst for creation. It’s good! I’m used to portraits and people, but I just don’t have the energy. If I make enough, I’ll show off my pieces.

In the meantime, I’ve made a twitter. Find me @invader_stim. If I’m not blogging here, I’m rambling over there.

Enjoy the rest of Summer/Winter. I wish you all a stable, peaceful next season.

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