40K: Iron Hands - Part 3

I think I've gone too long with pictures on here. So let's get some up! I've made some more progress on the Iron Hands army. Not finished yet, but I'm liking how some of these guys are coming out. Painting black and steel seems like it might be a boring scheme, but I've found that to be pretty disagreeable if it's done right. I know GW's Iron Hands, what few they've painted over the years, have the standard red eye lenses and such, but I elected to forgo any warm colors at all, to better fit in with the cold, mechanical nature of my favorite Chapter.

NaNo: Writing Sample #9

The story continues! I have some good ideas for upcoming posts, including a couple of book reviews, updates on my Iron Hands army (yay pictures!), some detailed commentary on an aspect of my universe I've never really touched on before, and even a comic! More on those later, though.

Fast-forwarding a bit with the story. As it stands now, all attempts to destroy the Great Enemy capital ship have failed, and the situation grows increasingly grim. Captain Legun has argued to withdraw from the system, but the Admiral insists that's not an option, both for the people of Terranis and the secret it hides. It seems the pressure of the situation might be getting to him.

The Nature of Home

For my birthday, I thought I'd be a little more introspective. I graduated college last month, ending yet another chapter in my life, and transitioned right into the next one with a job in Detroit. I've done an insane amount of traveling in my life, particularly in the last decade, and it got me to thinking about home, and what that means, both in general and for myself.

NaNo: Writing Sample #8

Hello again, everyone! A little longer in between updates than I'd have liked, but I should have several over the coming weeks! Now that I'm settled in with a job (alas, one that has nothing to do with writing or making video games), my schedule is vastly more predictable without the vagaries of homework, meaning it's easier to find time (generally) for things like writing. And I've been pretty busy on that front! I've added over 5,000 words to my NaNo novel in the last month, so I thought I'd share another small sample.

No word back from Analog yet. Keep your fingers crossed!

Anyway, when last we left off, the Solar Alliance forces were dealt a terrible blow by the Great Enemy capital ship. The Bastille has retreated for now to lick its wounds, and Admiral du Saniel actually finds a little quiet time. We also learn a little more about him as a person.

TG: "Departing" extract + random updates

Good morning! As I write this, I have barely a week to go until I finally graduate college (a five year journey) and return to the real world. My amount of spare time to do things like actually paint models (which I haven't done in over a month now) and work on things like my ACTA reference cards and Star Trek: Durandal will increase vastly, and the flow of content should hopefully become more regular.

In the mean time, I wanted to share an extract from the draft of "Departing", the next story in my "Walking" series! I was told I needed a new story to bring in for workshopping in my fiction class, so I wrote this draft over the last weekend. I thought I'd share part of the draft, and not the finalized story, so you can perhaps see a little bit into how much my stories may change in the revision process.

Finally, I did indeed submit my story "Cold Warriors" to Analog a week or two ago. No word yet.

TG: "Arriving" extract - and other news

Well, new month, new story! Here's an extract from my latest work, Arriving. It's part three in an on-going series I'm writing in my universe, which I hope will eventually lead into a game idea I have (though that's probably a few years off, still. Good to start early, at least!). It's set on a new world, separate from any others I've detailed, and follows the adventures of a thus-far-nameless narrator who apparently has the ability to perceive possible futures, and is using this ability to restore a world devastated by the Great Enemy.

The story will be appearing in the upcoming Winter 2013 edition of Running Out of Ink, the official publication of the Grand Valley Writers' Club. Hopefully I can get it, along with its prequels, published in something more professional in the future. Anyway, enjoy!

TG: Ghosts of the Galaxy

Hooray, I got to write creatively again! Well, ok, I've been working on the novel some more, but still not as much as I hoped. Ugh. Still, I got this short piece done for my fiction class, having to tell a ghost story of some kind. So I decided to take it in a slightly different direction, and write about ghosts in a more metaphorical sense, i.e. the ghosts left behind by our passing, the sense of presence one might feel in an empty house that isn't theirs. Only this is on a galactic scale.

And yes, this is set in my universe, which my novel is. But written as a historical article. I've done a bunch of them for my game, and I'm sure this'll go up on the website there in some capacity at some point. Anyway, enjoy!