Camp WriMo: Dragon Hand Week 5 and Sharknado

Camp Wrimo is almost over and I will not meet my 50,000 word goal, but I did make a lot of progress on my book Dragon Hand and it will probably be up on Amazon soon. The basic idea is that this is Final Fantasy set in real world history with the magic toned down to something that is actually plausible given what we understand is scientifically possible. The main charcter is a dragoon assisted by a spoony bard and an alchemist named Cid who protect a princess who learns some healing techniques and connects to Carbuncle, Fenrir, Alexander, Shiva, Bahamut, and Siren. Together they fight Siegfried, Gilgamesh and the Four Holy Beasts, the latter in the form of Mongol Generals. So far I'd say it has turned out well, so look it up when it comes out in the next few weeks.

The othe rbig news is Sharknado the 4th Awakens! It is so awesome, next week's post will probably be a review, for now all I can say is tune in to SyFy Sunday July 31 at 8PM to find out if April lived or died and what the hell they are going to do now. I know this much, Robert Herjavec and his fiancee Kym Johnson will be playing astrophysicists, stretching the movie's credibility. They are only a few of the cameos, plus, the Hoff is back! Oh, it's gonna be good!

Camp WriMo: Dragon Hand Week 4

So I'v been tryign to get back on track with writing but it hasn't been easy. I finished a chapter following Claude, Cidolfas, and Gilbert with the Cumans and started on a chapter with Catherina and Raidne. I think I'm doing good with this chapter, explaining the Binders as best I possibly can and puttign in some interesting twists, but I really need to get back to it and finish the chapter and switch back to Claude. Soon the foursome should get back together. I really am on a time crunch, so I'm afraid that's all for this week.

Pokemon Go and Tracfone

So you were probably expecting an update for Dragon Hand...yeah, right, like that was happening this week or that you'd care if it was. No,this was the week of Pokemon Go, and sadly, my story of distraction form my true goal of writing is not even of Pokemon hunting itself, but of getting a phone that actually worked for this app.

You see, I have Tracfone. It all started one Christmas when I opened a gift and found a cell phone I was sure I'd never use, and except for emergencies, I didn't use it for years. I have upgraded it a few times, but I realy never felt the need to use a real phone until now. Yes, Pokemon Go is the app that encouraged me to get a real smartphone. For those of you who don't know, Tracfone is a pay as you go cell phone, better known as a burner phone. It is shit. They produce cell phones that are one generation behind the networks and even when they have apps, they are cheap knockoffs of real apps. I swear I had Pizza Ninja instead of Fruit Ninja, same mechanics only you chop pizza ingredients instead of fruit, and it's slowerso it's easier. Like I said it's crap, and it doesn't run Pokemon Go. In about a year it might have Digimon. But at one point I worked for Verizon and saw what contracts look like and I sure as hell wasn't getting in on that. The one upside is that they have a bring your own plan now so that you can make any phone a Tracfone so you can get a phone that actually gets real apps and does shit. The downside of this is that to make this happen you need to buy a special sim card. Well, here's how it went down for me:

I first bought a new Tracfone believing it might work, it did not. I went to Best Buy to get a new phone (Motorola) but I was in a bind because I had already switched the number to the new Tracfone and was unable to switch it back, which meant I had three phones and needed to switch the number to the newest before I could get rid of the one I didn't want. The Best Buy I went to told me that they while they had the phone I needed, they did not have the sim card I needed, I would have to go to another Best Buy. I went there and they said it would take time to switch my number so I was stuck waiting until that could happen. Well, there was some miscommunication and the person who ended up helping me screwed up the transfer and my new phone didn't work and I temporarily lost my number. This means I had to go back and try again, and it took an hour and a half for the lost number to be restored. So, after four days, I finally got a phone that works.

I am Hidariude on Pokemon Go, my starter was a Squirtle. It was worth the trouble, but should anythign go wrong with this phone, God forbid, I am going to break down and get a contract because Tracfone SUCKS! The sim card kit is bull shit to get more money from people who don't buy their shit phones from this shit company. If anyone form Tracfone is reading this, don't take it out on me, fix your shitty company and take responsibility for your crap system.

Now, back to writing and Pokemon hunting.

Camp WriMo: Dragon Hand Week 2

So this week I didn't really make a lot of progress, I got in part of a chapter with Claude and his companions hunting a boar and meeting the Cumans. To make up for my failure in writing I thought I'd give you some character profiles, and yes this is wishful thinking for a video game adpatation. In case I forgot to mention, this is supposed to be a historically accurate Final Fantasy.

Claude Dragonhand - Born with atavistic hyperkeratosis that made his left arm scaly and his fingernails hard and claw like, earning him the surname Dragonhand. abandoned by his birth family and raised by the Shield Brethren, specifically Cidolfas Da Vinci the alchemist. He has trained to use spears and swords, some times at the same time. Special skills include:

Jump - aerial combat, vaulting himself using his spear and sing the momentum to complete a devastating attack.

Throw - throwing his spear or a knife or dagger

Cidolfas Da Vinci - An alchemist, a young man in association with the Shield Brethren when he found Claude as a baby, now older and wiser, making or a fine mentor for his young charge. He has advanced knowledge of chemistry and can use alchemy to perform almost supernatural feats by the standards of those around him. His weapon of choice is his quarterstaff. Special skills include:

Mix - combining chemical components to create new more complex chemical weapons or aids as the situation calls for it.

Black Magic - in his youth he dabbled in the forbidden arts, eventually reforming to focus on alchemy occasionally he can still call upon old knowledge when desperate times call for desperate measures.

Gilbert "The Spoony" MacMuirich - A Scottish bard, recording this story for prosperity, a lifelong friend of Claude and Cidolfas. He has a tendency to break into songs that may or may not be helpful. His weapon of choice is a knife, also instruments. Special skills include:

Song - he has use of four specific songs tied to the instruments he uses, Lullaby with his harp to put enemies to sleep, Warcry with his horn to bolster allies increasing speed and strength, Serenade with his lute to charm his foes, and his signature "Spoony Diddy" to muddle his foes with his spoons.

Mug - steal from his foes as he fights them, making use of their weapons agianst them in combat

Catherina of Hungary - Princess of Hungary, seperated from her family, she becomes associated with the Binders and becomes an ally of the Shiled Brethen. Cidolfas teaches her to use a quarterstaff. SHe also gets a hold of Medical Materia and learns skills that make her an asset. Special skills include:

Medic - using apothecary skills to help Claude primarily, and also to a lesser extent her other allies as well.

Summon - she becomes bound to the souls of certain individuals and calls upon their power i time of need. Primarily she calls upon Alexander the Apothecary she inherited the Medical Materia from, Raidne the Siren who passed on the bound lore to her, Shiva the Shield Maiden who later mentors her as a warrior, Carbuncle the stray cat she adopts on her journey, Fenrir the wolf she meets with the Cumans, and Bahamut the dragon hatchling she meets toward the end of her journey.

Camp WriMo: Dragon Hand Week 1

I have mentioned this before, I am working on a fanfiction for the Foreworld Saga, and now that Camp WriMo is upon us, I will be using this to get my rear in gear and get this book done. So far I managed to bang out about five chapters. I have introduced Claude Dragonhand, a Shield Brethren knight with atavistic hyperkeratosis that gives him his surname with a scaly hand who is proficient with sword and spear, I have also introduced his mentor Cid, Gilbert the Spoony Bard, Gilgamesh the Persian Herald of the Mongols, Siegfried the Livonian, Raidne the Binder, and of course Princess Catherina of Hungary.

The story begins with Claude, Cid, and Gilbert saving Princess Catherina from Mongols while escaping the Battle of Mohi where the Mongoliad begins. Soon after they fight the first of four Mongol generals who is accompanied by Gilgamesh. They defeat the general but Gilgamesh gets away. They reunite Catherina with her family but now they meet Siegfired who is from a rival order and wants to take down Claude. Before that matter can be settled, Gilgamesh returns with the second of the four generals and another battle ensues. Following the battle, Catherina meets Raidne and they end u continue on the journey Catherina thought was over. That's where I left off at the time of this writing, so now I need to get back to work and I'll get back to you with another update next week.