Symbiosis – A Sweet Kickstarter

It’s that time again! Where I tell you about an awesome Kickstarter project your should totally back. It’s called Symbiosis, and I’ll let its creator describe it to you:

“Symbiosis is a Creative Commons licensed, world-building art book by comic and concept artist Steven Sanders. It explores a world where there are no mechanical sources of power. Instead, humanity has learned to utilize biological engines that harness a “bio-ether” present on the planet. They can control and feel what these bio-engines feel via a “Resonance Tooth.” Consider it 1940s era bio-punk.

The Creative Commons licensing turns this book into a world-building toolkit that you can use to make your own RPGs, comics, cosplay, novels, or anything you can imagine that is inspired by the world in this book.”

As always, I’m  a huge supporter of Creative Commons licensing (see: My Licensing), and this sounds like a pretty cool idea. So, to that end, I encourage everyone to go check it out and hopefully back it. There’s only a few days left, and just under $3000 to go (as of my writing this), so PLEASE, go help fund this awesome project. Crowdsourced funding and CC licensing are two powerful ideas that need to proliferate, so go do your part!

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• Symbiosis: A High-Resolution Look at Steven Sanders’ Immersive, Crowd-Funded Sci-Fi World [Exclusive] (comicsalliance.com)
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• Crowdfund a Batman documentary, 3D printing pens, and a WWII setting for Lovecraftian RPGs (io9.com)

My Avalon

The gray of stone, and green of moss.

Arches high and low. The forest where it lingers near,

and rivers where they flow. Once I dwelt as near

to them, as far I have now come.  Yet though I’ve lived

here many years, my heart has not yet gone.

For I remember an isle in mist, and trees

that stretched so high. The moss it grew in banks

and hills, roving yon and nigh. The babble of brook

and forest scent, near brought me to my knees.

And now I wish that I had stayed; there among the trees.

For here I sit and reminisce, missing heart and soul,

an isle in Maine, surrounded by mist,

where I learned what my heart holds.

The Strange Beauty of Winter

Gallery

Sorry the ones of this are a bit blurry. It was VERY cold out.

More Pistols

Forgot to post my wife’s Steampunk(ish) Pistol when she finished! Oops! Here it is:

To get the LEDs working the way she wanted, she had to open it up, and install the LEDs, battery and switch.

 

The glow looks more impressive when you’re actually in the dark with it.

A comparison with my pistol. Hers is on the left. I like the coppery tone quite a bit.

She insisted I include a pic of the button on the bottom of the handle.

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A Prick of the Quill to Wake Me

“Write.” Like a storm in my heart, at each new dawn.

Waking to a dead world, that thinks it yet lives. Not zombies these, though

they hunger for brains. Moving mindless through a graying haze,

sucking souls and dreams from each misting breath. Joining a fog of the spirit.

Wanting to be movie stars and rock gods. We won’t, and yet:

We are not getting very pissed off. Where is my Tyler Durden?

And were he to come would I welcome him? I doubt it.

For  I have given myself to this unlife. I move as it commands:

working a job I hate to buy shit I don’t need; while my dreams

are deferred to the back burner, to be singed.

Finally Finished!

At long last I am done with the Wheel of Time! Amazing. I’ve been reading this series for over a decade now, and can’t believe it’s finally over. Excellent final book. I started re-reading the series in late October, and finished Towers of Midnight the day before A Memory of Light arrived. I could hardly put it down. I have a couple of minor complaints, but over all it was a very enjoyable read. I think I’ll be posting a full retrospective on the series in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that. For now though, I just had to share that at long last the journey has ended. I shall miss it in a way, but I can always go back and revisit it.

He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone. – from The Dragon Reborn, by Loial, son of Arent son of Halan, the Fourth Age. 

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Can’t wait for A Memory of Light

I just preordered my copy of A Memory of Light! I’m so excited. I cannot wait for this release. I haven’t been waiting as long as some people, but it’s been over a decade since I started the Wheel of Time, and it has been a huge influence on my writing and my goals as an author. When Robert Jordan died I was sure all was lost, but Brandon Sanderson has done an excellent job of maintaining the series. It may not be the greatest series ever written, or even my personal favorite, but it surely ranks near the very top of the list; and I am so glad that I will finally be able to see how it all ends. I started rereading the series from the beginning last month, and hopefully won’t finish too much ahead of the release date (Jan, 8, 2013). I just wanted to share, and I hope all you other fantasy junkies out there are as excited as I am.

“His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul,  washing away the Shadow, sacrifice for man’s salvation.” -  The Karaethon Cycle

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A Project Worth Backing #steampunk

So I seem to be on a bit of a Steampunk kick lately… And I guess a lot of other folks are too. My Steampunk Pistol post was my most viewed in quite some time. At any rate, one of my favorite web comics: Goblins, Life Through Their Eyes brought an excellent Kickstarter project to my attention:

So, I’m hoping you will all go check it out. And hopefully back it. And if you do back it, I hope you’ll also share it. There’s a lot of regurgitation in the media now days, let’s try to get some more original projects going.

 

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• The Ship: Full Steam Ahead is a steampunk murder game on Kickstarter (joystiq.com)
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Steampunk Pistol

My wife and I have had 2 Nerf Maverick pistols for a while now, and they are a lot of fun. They have an awesome design, but they look ridiculous in the neon Nerf colors.

So, we decided they could do with some modifications. A little time with a dremel to sand off the logos and lettering, some metallic paints and PVC, and voila.  I decided to go with a Steampunk aesthetic (which is apparently quite popular for these guns), and she’s aiming a little more future-sci-fi.

I finished mine pretty quickly, a few hours tops. But she’s doing some internal modding with LEDs and such. I promise to post as soon as she’s finished. In the mean time…. I’m going to go play with my awesome new dart gun!

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Spooky Story

So, I really need to revise this story, but since I haven’t posted in a while, and it’s all spooky-like I figured I’d share today in the spirit of Halloween.

King and Fool

I wake to the buzz of the alarm and glare at the blurry red numbers glowing in the darkness: 3:30am. What a shit time to be up. But I can’t go back to sleep, the pounding at the bedroom door ensures that.

“Yo esse, let’s go! You ain’t got time to make yourself pretty,” Raphael yells through the door.

I roll out of bed and stumble to open the door and stare blearily at the big thug. He flashes me an ugly, gold toothed grin and pushes a veladora candle and a lighter into my hands.