Lucid Waking

Best of the Blog 2010

Good morning and happy new year! Winners of the Best of the Blog contest are:

• First Date
• The Pond
• Reflections on a Girl

Thanks for voting and see you next year!

2010 in Review

After reviewing the last couple year’s reviews, I realized that at the end of the year, I usually feel remiss and lament how much I didn’t get done and this year is no exception. For the first time in four years, I have had two months where I posted nothing at all, not even a single update on how busy my life was. I have been ashamed at having started projects that I can’t find motivation to finish and I have not written merely as much as I wanted to.

But I can’t beat myself up about it. I have always been busy and it is hard to be consistent without deadlines. Even though the end of the year was empty, I managed to produce 30 more posts than last year (61 in all). For the first three months of the year, I wrote more than I have ever written for January, February, and March.

Today is not just the end of a year, however, but also the end of a decade. I didn’t realize this until I read some other people’s end of year reviews and seeing 2011 seemed a sobering fact that we are at the end of a long period of time. I have only been blogging for 5 years-half of the difficult decade of “oughts.” In that time, I’ve written 402 prose and poetry posts. I have made improvement. The first post I ever wrote was just a paragraph of confusing prose that I wish I had written more of the story to resolve it. Eventually, I was publishing pages, and went from one idea to the next. In the future, I hope to continue my 10-minute stories, Once Upon a Time, and even B’s Reviews (remember those?). Even though I haven’t been 100% consistent, I have kept going and that’s what counts.

The fact that I have maintained the blog so well up until now is a good testament to my dedication. I will continue writing and I am glad to have this blog to keep me motivated to keep writing.

I hope everyone has a fantastic 2011 as we start a new year, a new decade, and a new page.

Numbering Discrepancy

Another update for y’all : ) As you probably don’t know, I take various records on the number of posts I do in a month and how many in a year. I keep track of these numbers and compare them to previous months and years. Why? I don’t know, but there is some interesting data. However, when I added up how many posts I had written so far according to my monthly numbers data bank and compared it to my numbering system per post, I came up short. My calculator said I had 396 and my post numbering said 399. So, I went to work combing the archives and recounting how many posts I had. There were some mistakes made in my counting and now that I unarguably have all the numbers right, I added it up again and got…402. The problem was at the beginning; when I started counting I started at post 338 when it should have been post 341. I can’t go back in time and add a 400 post special where it should have been so I will just let bygones be bygones, start the numbering for next year’s post at 403 and add the interlude after I finish “Secrets of the Blue House.” So, I missed the opportunity, but it isn’t such a great loss and I’ll just fix it and keep writing. Hopefully I’ll catch post 500 : )

House Cleaning, Reminders, and Harpist

I’m not going to lament time passed, so I’ve been fixing and updating things.  There will be no posts (except maybe the 400th) until the new year because you need to vote on the Best of the Blog 2010! There isn’t much there, so no excuses! Voting will be from now until midnight on Dec. 31. I’ll publish the results on Jan. 1.

In other news: I’ve updated “Secrets of the Blue House” completely. You can read everything I’ve published on the page on the sidebar. Sorry, it will be finished next year, but the ending is in progress.

Third:

I finished this a while ago but didn’t publish it, so I decided now was as good a time as any. To see more information/larger version–>click on the picture. For information on prints and the like–> click here.

Don’t forget to vote: Best of the Blog 2010

To an Empty Room

Hello? Anyone there?

Despite the title, I do hope that no one abandoned me and my site. I will make this short because I don’t really have time: I am writing, just not publishing. I have a million ideas in my head and most of them don’t get put down on paper. I really do want to come back but I can’t say when right now. And I’m very sorry I haven’t written anything since August. Extremely sorry; I feel so guilty about it. To say I’ve been busy would be an understatement, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. Well, wish me luck in getting through my to-do list and back into publishing.

Secrets of the Blue House (11)

        “Wait a minute,” Nick interjected and then added after catching a stern look from the nymph, “Excuse me. But I’m not even sure I want this house and yet, you seem to have decided for me.”
        “Well, think of it this way: wouldn’t you do anything you could to ensure your survival?”
        “All right, continue.”
        “Mr. Fontaine, Sr used to have three children: two daughters and a son. His son would inherit most of his fortune, but his daughters would still receive a good portion of the money. I’m sure its a typical story, but they both were killed in the hedge maze and we didn’t want…”
        “Wait, wait. Killed? What happened?”
        “We don’t have much time to discuss it, but Mr. Fontaine, Jr. and his eldest sister decided that in order to prevent their sister and her soon-to-be husband from receiving the money, they killed her, leaving her significant other no reason to stay. Then they killed the remaining sister’s husband before Mr. Fontaine, Jr. turned on her and killed her. With no one else to receive the money and the house, he thought he would inherit it all and then sell this land to building contractors to tear us down and put up smaller houses on this plot.”
        “This seems like a lot more serious than you are making it out to be.”
        “Believe me, we are concerned, but there was nothing we could have done. The blood line and magic energy here were too weak for us to speak to the girls and warn them before it was too late. More importantly, Mr. Fontaine, Jr. has come to visit his father, but we’re sure he somehow heard that Mr. Fontaine, Sr. was seriously considering giving you this house. We’re afraid that he is going to try to kill you so that you don’t inherit this area.”
        Nick took a deep breath. “But I’m quite happy in the city and I don’t need a house out here.”
        “Please reconsider,” the satyr said for the first time in the conversation, “I’m rather fond of the flowers in the garden and I would hate to lose connection to the house.”
        “You don’t have to live here,” the nymph continued, “You just have to keep me standing.”
        Nick took a deep breath and looked at the hall around him. “All right. But what am I going to do about Gervais’s son?”
        “Just be wary,” the nymph said, putting a cold hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I wish there was more you could do.”
        “If he attacks you and you can get outside, I’ll help you,” the satyr said. “But don’t go near the hedge maze. Stay near the house if you can.”
        Nick nodded. “Well…thanks.”
        The nymph and satyr smiled and both wished him good night. In a daze, Nick ascended the stairs to his guest room and after undressing for the second time that evening, he fell back asleep.

Author’s comments on post 399: Part two of the section I wrote on Tuesday. Tomorrow, a small diversion and I might publish more of this story just to keep the ball rolling. Otherwise, you will get more of this story on Saturday.

Secrets of the Blue House (10)

        The sight through the door made Nick froze. The tree in the fountain cast a silver glow stronger than moonlight, but with the same sentiment. The water no longer flowed and pooled in the basin at the tree’s roots. The boobrie was sitting among its branches while the satyr and nymph sat at the edge of the fountain with their feet resting in the water, both laughing quietly. The nymph was the first to notice him and her warm smile was inviting enough to get Nick to step forward and allow the door to shut behind him.
        “Come, join us,” she said, though her lips did not move. “Don’t worry, they can’t hear us,” she answered to Nick’s unspoken anxiety. Cautiously, but not wishing to be rude, he made his way to the fountain and then sat down on the edge, his feet still planted on the tile floor.
        “I’m sorry we had to wake you,” she continued, “but it was imperative that we talk.”
        “What do you mean, wake me?”
        “I sent our messenger to get you from upstairs.”
        As if on cue, the boobrie flew down from its perch and quickly landed into the pond, splashing a little water from its great wings onto Nick’s back. “That is my purpose; to retrieve those whom the castle wishes to speak to.”
        “The castle?” Nick wished he could sound more intelligent than he was, but nothing else seemed to form in his mind. The adrenaline of the dream had worn off enough that he was getting sleepier, but not enough for him to nod off entirely.
        The nymph smiled. “He means the house. The Blue House, of course, where you are currently a guest. I am the voice of the house, and my friend here,” she indicated the satyr, who waved, “is the voice of the grounds. We were just discussing what to tell you when you arrived.”
        “Look, I know this isn’t real and that I’m dreaming, but could you at least try to make sense?”
        The nymph smiled condescendingly. “Unfortunately, this is real. Magic is a lost art to humans, but it still resides in objects deeply connected to a bloodline. This house is just a copy of the Fontaine Château, but it is connected because of spirit—love to be exact—and thus, holds some of the same magical properties as the castle in France. But all of this is technical and has nothing to do with you, my dear boy.
        “We don’t have much time to talk, so I am going to try to be as brief as possible. I’m sure you are aware of your connection to the Fontaines in France, but there are a few old households in other places in Europe where pieces of the Great Water Spirit resided. Millions of years before humans, the gods lived on Earth and then the wizards. During the time of the wizards, the gods started losing their connection to this planet. When the humans—completely magic-less creatures who worships wizards and gods alike—finally came around, the Great Water Spirit decided to split herself and spread the pieces far and wide to random humans throughout the land. Eventually these humans built households and manors around these pieces and each family called themselves “The Fountains” because they were protectors of the water spirit.
        “Somehow the piece that remains in what is now Spain was lost, but the family line remained. You, as you can probably guess, are the product of a merge between two Fountain lines, which means that you have a greater connection to the magic of the house. It enables me to talk to you and it also enables you to use a bit of the magic from the house for yourself.
        “But I did not call you down here to give you a brief history lesson nor to teach you how to control magic, I wanted to warn you about your role in the story of this house. Mr. Fontaine, Sr. doesn’t know this, but anyone involved in the inheritance of this house is in danger. As one of the strongest links on the Fountain bloodline, we feel that you are the best one to own this house and will do all we can to aid in your welfare.”

Author’s comments on post 398: Part one of what I finished writing yesterday. This was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be, not because I didn’t know what was going to happen, but because I can’t seem to find enough motivation to sit down and finish it. The conversation will conclude tomorrow and then we’ll have a very interesting climax and "le fin." I started another story which I have a hunch will probably turn into a novel/novella, but I don’t really want to publish it until I have a good idea how long it might be. Also, I am working on something good to celebrate the 400th post on Friday. All in all, I’m super busy so I will go and finish what I need to do now and stop writing commentary

Secrets of the Blue House (9)

If you are starting here, please read the story thus far before continuing. Edits have been made to the story after the posts, so it might be a good idea to refresh yourself of the details.

        There was a tapping at the guest room window, even though it was nowhere near a balcony and on the second floor. Trying to ignore it, Nick continued surveying the closet where the guest set of clothes that Gervais had lent him were hanging. The tapping became more persistent, but when he finally looked towards the window, there was nothing there. After turning away again, the tapping continued, so Nick walked over to the window and opened it, sticking his head out and surveying the house and grounds.
        “You really shouldn’t do that,” a voice said behind him. He turned around and faced a rather horrifying bird, much like a heron but with feathers that seemed like spikes. Its eyes were dark and voluminous; they seemed to swallow the light and comfort from the room all the while masking emotion, although, Nick assumed, a bird could not hold such complicated emotions that could need masking.
        “You might fall,” it continued. “It would be so easy to push you.”
The bird flew right at him and though Nick never felt the impact of the great bird hitting him with incredible speed, he found himself falling. Panic gripped his limbs as the world started fading.
        Nick woke up with a gasp. His heart was beating loudly and the darkness suddenly seemed menacing. He propped himself on his elbow and tried to scan the room for any activity, lingering on the shadows longer as if they would become clearer the longer he looked. Suddenly there was a brush of wind across his bare arm, though the room did not seem particularly drafty. In the stillness afterwards, Nick could have sworn he heard feathers beat against the door, but there was no other movement to suggest a winged visitor and, after a quick glance, the window was closed. Nick moved quickly to the light switch but after finding nothing in the room, grabbed his clothes from where they were draped against the desk chair and dressed quickly. He shut off the light again and cautiously peered into the dark hallway, feeling foolish for expecting something that he logically knew should not be there. This time, though, he saw a shape go down the stairs. After the first initial bit of panic, he made his way as quietly as he could towards the staircase.
        The servants had left candles burning, for some reason, in the hall and it cast a meager, haunting glow to the bottom of the stairs. Nick couldn’t see anyone or anything at the base of them, though he did catch a thin line of silver light coming from under the door to the main hall. Just as Nick made up his mind that he had no reason to go and investigate, he found himself descending the steps towards the door and then gently and silently going through.

Author’s comments on post 397: Things are slowly picking up. What or who is behind the door? You shall have to wait and see.

Secrets of the Blue House (8)

If you are starting here, please read the story thus far (if you haven’t already) before continuing. Edits have been made to the story after the posts, so it might be a good idea to refresh yourself of the details.

        Gervais glanced over his shoulder to see where Nick was looking and said calmly, “What is it, Edna?”
        Edna took a deep breath and kept her eyes on her shoes. “Your son, sir, is here visiting.”
        Gervais nodded with a strange void of emotion. “I will see him in the parlor shortly.” After Edna left, he turned to Nick. “I hope you don’t mind staying here over night; it is getting awfully late.”
        “It’s not too late. And I wouldn’t want to impose.” Obviously, something lay between Gervais and his son and Nick already felt that his stay had been long enough. The unspoken tension between Edna and Gervais gave Nick a reason, internally at least, to want to leave.
        “You wouldn’t be imposing, in fact, I insist.”
        Nick forced a smile. “All right.”
        Gervais walked over to the wall to his left and pressed a hidden button near the corner of the room. “I need someone to escort Mr. Fuentes to a guest room.”
        Within short moments, a short, meek woman came from the direction of the kitchen and bowed very slightly. Gervais waved his hand nonchalantly in Nick’s direction before bidding him goodnight.
        “If you need anything at all, don’t be afraid to ring the bell next to your bed and a servant should come down to help you.”
        Nick smiled as best he could. “Thank you.”

Author’s comments on post 396: It’s not much, but it’s a post. I really hope to finish this story before school, but it’s weighing heavily on my head. Luckily, the concluding section should start soon and we are getting to some exciting revelations. Sit tight and enjoy the show, folks!

Newsflash: The Art of Conning

Technically, this isn’t a “newsflash” because I did not hear about this article in a newspaper, but I think it’s necessary to share. The article in question was written in May of this year, but seems to have just caught the attention of the artist community. A supposedly well-established game designer describes his controversial strategies for securing an artist to draw for flash games. Mainly, he suggests hiring unexperienced artists who believe their work is worth less than it is and to press impossible deadlines on the artist in order to get their work in a timely manner.

 I will admit, I’m a bit torn by this article. On the one hand, he clearly describes ways to manipulate others into getting something for nothing. Anything worth having should be worth paying for and it seems unjust to purposefully keep people in the dark in order to get them to estimate a price much lower than it should be just because s/he is inexperienced in terms of pricing. You (the supposed game developer) are deliberately scamming the artist to give you something of high quality much less than its worth; in fact, I’d even go so far to say that you are conning them.

 I also feel that it isn’t right to suggest techniques to pressure the artist into doing something fast. Although it is a job, by picking amateur artists, you are guaranteed people who do art, in certain respects, as a hobby. Although he suggests hiring artists who are18+, the notion that they will have more free time and less “IRL things come up that they can’t control” because of their age is bull s**t. I should know, being an 18+ with a very chaotic lifestyle once the colder seasons start up. Personally, I would have very little time to devote to a job, especially one with purposefully impossible deadlines.

Yet, I can see where he is coming from with some of his recommendations. If you are managing a large project with limited funds, budgeting is important and hiring an artist for less money might save you from going bankrupt. Also having deadlines with the artist will make sure that you end up with the work in the end and not waiting years before a trickle of art starts appearing. Paying an artist after the work is done also makes sure that you get your money’s worth. If budgeting is most important, all these things can save a project from failure.

Most importantly, though, is that the article has gotten enough attention that the author added an addendum and apologized to all parties who were offended. To me, the worst offense was his tone, but I can’t hold anything against someone who revises their argument and then apologizes. While I don’t approve of his original article, I am not going to outright flame him, especially since he has some valid points that were explained extremely poorly. Poorly enough to get a large art community extremely angry.

My motives for sharing my thoughts and this article are two-fold: 1) I think people should be a little more cautious about receiving commissions and conducting business and 2) I think those on the hiring end should be a little more cautious about sharing your needs to those you are hiring. I feel that passing along this article will help people make better decisions about the commissions they accept. I am not asking anyone to read this article and ban the author nor to leave nasty, unhelpful comments, but I think it’s important to know that people like him are out there and with that knowledge, it should be easier to make better decisions for both parties.