Fortress of Perpetual Midnight

You probably haven't noticed, but I moved some old Project Homuncupunk background write-ups to the wiki. (I haven't moved the part about the Templars' armaments, as I need to update that information more heavily to fit my current idea.) This was just while I was at it writing a bit of new stuff for Project Artificer.

Although there's only that much to show you, most of the ideas there lately are comprised of a lot of new ideas for characters (mostly to increase the yuri factor—maybe enough to get me to actually fix that instead of messing around with Homuncupunk and AnthraXX so much). Sadly, there's not much to show for them without telling you what happens.* I can say that the story is suffering from the fact that it's all about the supporting characters and has little to do with the chief protagonists. Of course, since I'm going to have to rework the entire thing, I might just change who's in the middle. In any case, I did at least keep the head count down (far too little, far too late?) by using one I already had (who happens to be famous) to become "Slash" (since it didn't make any sense for her to have a Latin name in a world where the language never existed). Her personality and appearance have changed quite a bit in the process, but since all is widely known is rumor, the information given isn't specific enough that you'd see any of that evolution (other than the name). Incidentally, I never knew the origin of the term until I looked it up; I guess that means in Japanese it'd be "kakeru." (I'm somewhat bothered by the slang definitions, but I doubt they would be among the first three that come to mind for the target audience.)

Another new character ends up replacing the other point in the love triangle around the Lady Deléa (also famous). A problem there is that under the current society, that would mean both he and Áeleran would have to be of the same house (since they were both considered possible suitors for the lady). That's not so bad, as the new idea is that they be House Blue[Hock]brush, and there's space for a lot of variety in unarmed combat, but like Hōshin Engi, Artificer's gimmick is magic items, and thus I'd want to focus on weapon styles. A more widespread problem is the fact that, judging by D&D, a pre-industrial small city boasts a population numbering only in the thousands, which means if you have more than a half-dozen noble houses, each one would have a very small gene-pool. Of course, the Bridgefolk are the quintessential frail aristocrats of the Pale Sea, so maybe that fits. I think the main reason I said they didn't mix was the hereditary birthmarks on their foreheads, but since those were added by the high elves millennia ago using necromancy, I could just as well say they still maintain their integrity when interbred (which would make an interesting phenomenon where a mixed couple's children would be separated depending on which House's mark each manifests). Speaking of which, the debased markings of the River Rats are probably the only feature of humans in the Pale Sea that doesn't commonly appear in real-world humans as far as I know, which is something they normally don't do for some reason even in fantasy (with the notable exception here)—but since humans are supposed to be the most adaptable and varied race, I think that fits, too.

*It has been mentioned that the information I post about my projects is pretty incomprehensible outside the context of the stories (which will not be ready anytime in the foreseeable future because I don't know how to draw). My social worker suggested that I might post scripts as I did with prose drafts, but considering that any I've written are for my use alone, the stage directions may not be sufficient for comprehension. It might be nifty if someone read my scripts and offered to draw them for me, but I'm still not too keen on the idea of trying to collaborate with a stranger. In any case, all I've got is a pathetic fancomic about MYTHBUSTERS (since blitzcon offered to do some image edits for me, then never replied to either of the emails) and most of one of my shorts (which would have to be kept members-only, since I'm supposedly entering it in a contest and handing over the rights, so I don't want to take the very small risk of someone stealing it).

Edit (2008.08.18): Added links

"Your lawyer?"

"His pastor."

( Frank discussion of sexuality )

Also, when I was looking up details for the post subject (as you can see, I couldn't find one of the names, so I kept it from the misquoted source), I happened to read a bunch of complaints about that episode on the site. People were outraged that NBC was willing to depict a fictional Christian sect as extremist fanatics. At least one registered user said that he was going to boycott the show because of it. In the 18th season, you're boycotting a show because of portrayal of guest charas in one episode? Is it so offensive to suggest that it's possible for self-proclaimed Christians to be zealots? (I guess that means that—just like the Holocaust—the Spanish Inquisition, the KKK, and so on are only myths.) But it's all right to have an episode where a Muslim guy beats an ADA within an inch of her life to prevent her from prosecuting the man who raped his sister?

I wouldn't be surprised if it's true that the Bible doesn't specifically state that you must kill those who sleep with Muslims. (Apparently the prophets didn't predict that part. I think Sean was actually talking about how adultery is against one of the Ten Commandments.) As far as I've heard, nor does it specifically say that you have to lynch black guys, or prevent gays from practicing their beliefs, or persecute any other innocents.

On that subject, I was surprised by this (coincidentally, also at NBC, since that was the first hit that seemed to have the more common wording). However, it sounds as if the people who are willing to admit that they're not on the only path are the more casual practitioners, not choir boys and ordained clergy.

My readership appears to be at an all-time high (apparently at least two regulars!), but I've accumulated quite a lot of stuff during its absence, to say nothing of my sloth and the fact that I've built up a lot of new things due to year's-end-and-beginning splurging. So, I'd like to see if you have any requests or suggestions. What I've got in the works is as follows:

( Ridiculously long notes )

I've done some cleaning up on this one.

Rules:
- Bold each of the following TV shows of which you've seen 3 or more episodes.
- Italicize a show if you're positive you've seen every episode.
- Asterisk if you have at least one full season on tape or DVD.

The Addams Family
The Adventures of Pete and Pete
Alias
America’s Next Top Model
The Andy Griffith Show
Angel
The Apprentice
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Being Served?
Arrested Development
The A-Team
The Avengers
Babylon 5
Babylon 5: Crusade
Battlestar Galactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Baywatch
Beavis & Butthead
Beauty and the Beast
The Beverly Hillbillies
Beverly Hills 90210
The Bionic Woman
Blackadder
Bonanza
Bones
Bosom Buddies
Boston Public
Boy Meets World
The Brady Bunch
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Bug Juice
Caitlin’s Way
Chappelle’s Show
Charlie’s Angels
Charmed
Cheers
Clarissa Explains It All
Columbo
Commander in Chief
The Cosby Show
Coupling
Cowboy Bebop
Crossing Jordan
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Daily Show
Dallas
Dancing with the Stars
Danny Phantom
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
Davinci’s Inquest
Dawson’s Creek
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Dead like Me
Deadwood
The Dead Zone
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Dharma & Greg
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Dinosaurs
Diff'rent Strokes
Dirty Jobs
Doctor Who (1963)
Doctor Who (2005)
Doctor Who (2006)
Dragnet
The Dresden Files
Due South
Earth 2
Emergency!
Entourage
ER
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Facts of Life
Family Guy
Family Ties
The Famous Jet Jackson
Farscape
Father Ted
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Flash Forward
The Flintstones
Forever Knight
The 4400
Fraggle Rock
Frasier*
Freaks and Geeks
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Friday Night Lights
Friends
Futurama
Get Smart
Gilligan’s Island
Gilmore Girls
The Golden Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Greek
Green Wing
Grey’s Anatomy
Growing Pains
Gunsmoke
Hannah Montana
Happy Days
Hardcastle & McCormick
Heroes
Highlander
Highlander: The Raven
Hogan’s Heroes
The Honeymooners
Hill Street Blues
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House M.D.
Hunter
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Instant Star
Inuyasha
Invader Zim
Invasion
The Invisible Man
JAG
Jackass
Jeeves and Wooster
The Jeffersons
The Jetsons
Joey
John Doe
Just Shoot Me
Keen Eddie
Knight Rider
LA Law
Laverne and Shirley
Lexx
Life on Mars
Life with Derek
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
Love, American Style
The Love Boat
The Lucille Ball Show
The L Word
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mighty Boosh
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Muppet Show
M*A*S*H
MacGyver
Magnum PI
Malcolm in the Middle
Mama’s Family
The Man from U.N.C.L.E
Married . . . with Children
Melrose Place
MI:5
Miami Vice
Millennium
Miracles
Mission: Impossible
Monk
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Life as a Dog
My Name Is Earl
My So-Called Life
My Super Sweet 16
Mythbusters
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
The Nanny
News Radio
NCIS
Nip/Tuck
North Shore
Numb3rs
The O.C.
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
One Tree Hill
Oz
Perry Mason
Phil of the Future
Pokémon
Power Rangers
The Pretender
Prison Break
Profiler
Project Runway
Psych
QI
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer as Folk (UK)
The Real World
Red Dwarf
ReGenesis
Relic Hunter
Remington Steele
Rocko’s Modern Life
Rescue Me
Road Rules
Robotech
Rome
Roseanne
Roswell
Salute Your Shorts
Saved by the Bell
Scarecrow and Mrs King
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seinfeld
The Sentinel
Sex and the City
The Shield
The Simpsons
Six Feet Under
The Six Million Dollar Man
Skins
Sliders
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
The Sopranos
South Park
So Weird
Spaced
Spongebob Squarepants
Sports Night
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Superman
Supernatural
Surface
Survivor (Nope, but I have seen every episode of Born Survivor. . . .)
Taxi
Teen Titans
That 70’s Show
That’s So Raven
3rd Rock from the Sun
Third Watch
Three’s Company
Top Gear
Torchwood
The Twilight Zone
Twin Peaks
Twitch City
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Veronica Mars
The Vicar of Dibley
The Waltons
The West Wing
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (US)
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK)
Will and Grace
Wings
Wiseguy
Without a Trace
WKRP in Cincinnati
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Xena: Warrior Princess

That was quite a variety (although perhaps a bit heavy on the Nickelodeon)—It took me back to when I didn't have anything worth doing, so I watched sitcoms. Also, my copies of the L word aren't on any such mainstream media. I don't remember precisely which ones broke the three-episode barrier, so this is only a rough approximation.

It says something about my style that I already have eight posts with the tag for Irregular Webcomic!, yet I haven't posted my general comments yet. So, here we go:

Irregular Webcomic!, by David Morgan-Mar, is a very unusual Webcomic. In terms of topic, it mostly covers stereotypes about Hollywood, gaming, and Wikipedia. Unlike Order of the Stick, its gamer jokes are less about ridiculing rules (often ones that the author hasn't read) than joking about gamers and how they act. Quite in contrast to Burlew, Morgan-Mar actually researches everything he does in detail, and there's a lot to be learned by reading the annotations if you're willing to wade through them. Some interesting notes: the meaning of "Cockney" and the design triangle, similar to the idea I discussed way back here—and the design strategy for my OGL system too.

Morgan-Mar is also a big fan of LEGO stuff, so that's his main medium. I haven't paid attention to the franchise for over a decade, so it's pretty amazing how much variety there is in what's available, and the author is skilled enough in image editing to further expand his horizons. Even so, a lot of people end up with the generic smiley faces. It's also amusing to see the goofy grins that LEGO black guys have—although they can't measure up to the author's expressions.

For the gamer themes, though, he uses the more standard system of using 25–30mm miniatures—although he's old-school enough that he paints his own, so he doesn't have as much variety there. However, it is fun to see all the really old minis. I happen to have the ones he uses for most of the fantasy crew, as Lambert, Mordekai, Kyros, and Dwalin are all old GW miniatures from Warhammer Quest, and it's easy to identify Ms. Alvissa as an old REAPER miniature by Ms. Sandra Garrity. The space gang's real miniatures are harder to identify (and are not parts of my collection), but Ms. Paris is just a Sister of Battle with an odd paint job, and Quercus is an old Treeman. They also ran into a Photoshopped Frateris Militia at one point. For some reason, it took me quite a while to realize that Iki Piki is just a Van Saar Juve with a head swap.

Meanwhile, the comic also helped me to get into the Cthulhu Mythos and MYTHBUSTERS, both of which quite entertaining franchises. It was also from a reference here that I decided to check out Legostar Galactica, another geeky comic of similar composition, but I couldn't even bear to read half a dozen comics due to the awful punctuation.

I was helping some children to escape from a serial killer (with obvious inspiration) by hiding off the side of the highway (with more obvious inspiration). Unfortunately, he was spraying the area with an assault weapon (probably an HK MP5, since that's my favorite full-auto longarm) (probably inspired by some TV show about nabbing pedophiles that we spot every once in a while in the middle of the night, since the one in this particular episode had several assault weapons in his trunk), and I had forgotten to grab a handgun (thanks to last night's episodes) myself.