Creativity Bursts

The reason I haven't been posting as much is that I recently started working on a character idea/story of sorts, and when I get a sudden wealth of creativity, I try to make the most out of it.  So... yeah, that's that, and keep an eye out I guess, I'm trying to decide how I'd like to present it, instead of doing like I normally do and just show the bits and such of my drafts.

But honestly, I think it's gonna be pretty cool.

A Scary Thought

I follow SciShow, CrashCourse, and The Brain Scoop, so that's where this is coming from.  A couple things I've recently been informed of were the disappearance of A LOT of honey bees, and the deaths of MANY bats.  According to the Brain Scoop(and honestly I can't help but to see the validity in the thought), we(as a planet) are probably approaching another mass extinction.  This time though, it probably won't be from some major natural disaster(at least not from the root);  Humans will most likely be the primary cause.

Human actions have helped lead to Colony Collapse Disorder, the cause of the vanishing of a majority of honey bee populations.  Studies have been finding increasing reason to believe that many of our pesticides and maybe especially fungicides are causing this problem, in which entire bee colonies seem to just up and... bee gone?

As far as the bats go, this is an American thing(as in North America, not the U.S.(IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT US)), since the fungus which is killing off so many bats(6.7 Million in the last 5 to 6 years) was originally from Europe, where it doesn't really seem to affect the bat population there.  It's likely that people visiting Europe have inadvertently carried the fungus back here to North America, and we all know how bad invasive species can be(BAD.  STOP TRANSPLANTING WILDLIFE PEOPLE COME ON).

Bees are incredible pollinators, and without them it will severely cripple many crops and the ability to grow them, and if we think outside humans... this is gonna be horrible for like, plants everywhere.  Scientists are still trying to find out what is the major causes, and what we can do to stop or slow CCD.  So bats... bats typically eat their weight in insects every night, and also help pollinate and disperse seeds.  Imagine insects(like mosquitoes and all the awesome gifts they give us) running much more rampant(okay so yeah we'd probably just use more insecticides... because that sounds like such a good idea.  COME ON PEOPLE) and not being controlled, spreading disease and eating plants and all that jazz.  The impact of these two creatures dying off on a huge scale has huge implications for ecosystems as a whole.  So the idea that another mass extinction is on the way, is a pretty real and scary thought.

The Brain Scoop on Mass Extinction - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbKtBLDRfwU
SciShow on the Vanishing of Bees - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgc5w-xyQa0
SciShow on the Dying-Off of Bats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q5oe33M15Q

Who is Alturiigo?

As time progresses, this becomes a more interesting question to me.  There was a character a long time ago for a pen-and-paper game I played which I had named Altur.  Much later, as I was beginning to dream up the Echoes story, I wanted to create another pair of characters for the story, who were another human and spirit who were bonded together.  Remembering the name Altur, I had the thought that maybe the spirit might be Iigo.  Maybe the ghost could help him look different, and that could be his... power?

The thought progressed as the character and the story became a little more developed, to the point where Alturiigo looks a lot more like this(->).
This is image is supposed to something of the two in a fully-bonded or merged state, where Altur's dead-pan/apathetic personality gains Iigo's wicked glint and mischievity.  When I was deciding what should be my PSN name, I figured why not use Alturiigo, since it seemed pretty fitting for a screen name.  So there's a backdrop for you.

Like a nickname, a screen-name is in some ways an aspect of who you are.  While you might be showing your full self, you're at least sharing the aspect of your thoughts(unless you solely plagiarize).  Something I think is interesting about this, is that the more I share as Alturiigo(or through them), the more realized they become as a character, even when being cast in different ways.  My best personal reference for this is that as a gamer, I reuse certain characters across various games, despite different settings and stories.  But I still feel a congruence of character for them.

I don't think I(Adam) have become Alturiigo, or that they are some sort of person outside me, but at the same time, the concept of them has become further dettached from the way I perceive myself.  I believe this is because... well, I'm not entirely sure.  Because it helps me think about things a little differently, and try to think about how I might approach it if I weren't me, but was.  So maybe like to say, if I could partition part of my thoughts to be a little more aloof and less biased(which is pretty much impossible to be rid of).

-Adam... mostly

Creating and Self-Esteem

I often refer to many of my drawings as doodles, and you'll probably never hear me refer to anything I do as art.  I'll take a moment to explain my reasoning for this, and also this is a perspective I have only towards myself, not towards the works and expressions of others.

I would mostly say that I dabble in things, or have various hobbies.  I like to write, but it's never very much; I have "chapters" of a steampunk story I have bouncing around posted in various places.  I draw things because it helps me explore my visual representation of them, in fact when I initially draw a character I don't necessarily know exactly how the will turn out.  A good example of this is Bec and Elara T'Surin.

Almost no given drawing or other thing I've worked on has ever had more than four hours of time spent on it.  I often work simply in pencil or pen, and it's as I'm thinking and creating.  What you see(including posts) is almost entirely unedited, and often is the actual act of the creation.  My vlogs are obviously edited because they would be longer and have plenty more awkward pauses.  I say anyways far more than you may realize.

Anyways, I also would not consider my creations to be of incredible standards, and I feel that that is a very honest and as close to unbiased as I can be.  This applies to a lot of things I've done, because while some things I've done quite well at, I would rarely be considered the "best".  I do feel that I can do many things quite well actually, though even typing that statement makes me feel a need to instantly retract it for fear of sounding like a narcissist.  In cards, the queen, king, and ace are all above the jack.  So being a jack-of-all-trades mean you may do well at many things, but excel at much fewer if any.

I believe that a good fundamental to have is to try to see things complexly, especially others and also yourself.  Sometimes I find I struggle to be happy with myself, and when I do it's because I'm often failing to see myself complexly.  For example, I still have apprehension to share my creations and thoughts, and I believe it is strongly related to my idea that I don't do anything well enough to really have it define me.  I'm not an artist, I'm not a scholar, I'm not a philosopher.  But you know what, I'm a human, and so is everyone else.  I have many friends that like and appreciate the things I do, so when I want to tell myself I don't have merit, maybe I should take a moment to respect their opinions.

Think On Everypony,
Alturiigo

Bringing Sexy Back

Back from where?  It went somewhere?  Was there a time that I'm unaware of in which people didn't think sexy was socially important?  

I feel like there's a lot more to be said on this, but to be honest I'm not even sure where to begin on that, or that it's something I even want to touch.  So maybe share your thoughts in comments, think for your own enjoyment, or just continue on your merry.

Trot On Everypony,

Alturiigo

Google+ Hangouts

This is a feature of Google+, and I think it's a nice integration of video chat.  Something that it's often used for is to allow bloggers and vloggers to interact with their community.  I'm thinking about it, and I'm maybe open to the idea of doing it sometime?  Of course I can't help but tell myself I'd be sitting with no one to talk to.  But hey how can I know that unless I put the idea out there and see if there's any interest in such a thing...

So, I pose a question to you the reader, would you like a chance to ask me some questions or share your thoughts and have a discussion on G+ Hangouts?  If it becomes something that people participate in and enjoy, it could even be more regular and have topics to discuss.

Just some thoughts, have a good Tuesday everypony
Alturiigo

Friendship and Effort

So, this is something I've been thinking about recently, and I suppose for a long time.  Friendship does not require effort or contribution; it's a poor idea to value friendship by what people do or the effort they spend on you.  But that being said...

If a "friend" fails to spend any effort on me, or treat me as an equal, it makes me question whether or not I should consider them a friend.  This thought is based on the concept that a friend shouldn't have to make an effort, but should choose to.  I struggle with this because I don't like to be petty.  But if someone doesn't appreciate you for who you are, or wants to spend time with you, then it's a pretty good sign that they don't really think of you as a real friend.

If you treat someone with respect and equality, take time to help them and make them happy(and even help them without them knowing just so things are easier or days go smoother), and they don't even seem to appreciate it... well, then they probably aren't worth spending the time on.  Fact of the matter is, while friendship isn't based on how much you do for the other person, if all they do is give them the impression that your efforts are worthless, then they probably aren't your friend.  Just sayin'.

So while you shouldn't have to break your back to maintain a friendship, you should be willing to take the time for your friends or at least show them you value them as a person and a friend.  Otherwise, they aren't that wrong in deciding to drop your sorry ass and spend their time and effort on someone who values them.

Alright, I'm done ranting, trot on everypony,
Alturiigo

Chapter... I Dunno Like 11 or 12 Maybe?

I wrote up a short story bit to play around with the story idea I've been working on lately.  So that's this.

Timing is Everything

I'm not a fan of statements about absolutes.  I generally am behind this statement though, I just like to keep a broader scope, like I do for most things.

In a video I did yesterday, I talked about winning or earning another's affection, and how it's something I've generally moved away from.  That's not to say I think it's bad or something I wouldn't do, but another important thing to think about in life is where you are at in your life.  I feel confident when I say that at this point in my life, I don't believe I would function properly in a relationship.  Doing what you want to do, and doing what you think is best for yourself can be important to think about, but you should also think about your external impact.

I also have a tendency to look back and look at my life as a stream of missed opportunities, but I usually stop looking at it that way minutes later when I remember that I made the choices in my life, and I was obviously guided by my own intent(that's what's great about choice and will).  It can be a vicious feeling to accept the weight of your own life though too.  So I'm gonna move on.

Remember that every moment in life is an opportunity to be you, and the timing of now is the realest of timings.

Some Thoughts To Share

I've been away from most of my occupancy lately, being sick and what-not, so this may be more like getting a few ideas out than an extrapolation on any.  Foreword done.

While part of me wants to see what form or post-apocalyptic currency(if any) will form in my "zombie" game, I also enjoy thinking on the matter myself. A thought I had was about using batteries; they have various denominations and actual use as well.  Not to mention a plausible and likely chance of stockpiling of said batteries.  Oh, and I feel like in a lot of the places you find random gold n' such in games, you would super-likely find random batteries, like in drawers and shelves and crap like that.

Nothing is pretty fascinating, and I'm probably going to vlog about that sometime in the near future, so if it interests you or not, keep an eye out for it(like also to avoid it if that's your jam).

Another thing I've recently been brought to think on is something akin to the idea of "flirting" or something.  More so maybe about thinking about the messages we send and how we send them.  For example, complimenting someone is generally a nice idea, but how one goes about it makes a HUGE difference.  And sometimes, it can feel like even a sincere compliment can be unwanted or frightening to give.  So yeah, there's all that.

Anyways, that's about all I have for you right meow, I'll be back soon with thoughts I'm sure.
Keep an eye out for me on:
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/Alturiigo
Tumblr - http://alturiigo.tumblr.com/
Twitter - @AdamLese

Have A Great Temporal Unit Everypony,
Alturiigo

Why I'm Opposed To Hashtags

I've been known to be a grammar police from time to time, but I'd also like to say that grammar shouldn't be used to shame others.  So I often try to be polite(or semi-polite) when correcting people.  It's also important to note that I'm not always spot on either.

I get hashtags, and they're kind of interesting in that you can tag an idea or concept(or... trend) for a post, so it helps categorize things.  My problem?  It's freakin' cluttery and I don't like how it looks.  I like my language certain ways.

There are times I'm less concerned with capitalization, for example when I'm texting or sometimes im-ing with friends, I may be lax about capital i's and the beginning of sentences being uppercase.  I view this as a modern day trend similar to less formal modes of speech, kind of like how one would address their friends differently than their teachers, or bosses, or something like that.

I love language, and the beauty of its versatility to express ourselves.  But you won't see me using hashtags, and there might be other things I do differently or oppose. As always though, I do my best to understand that it's not my place to tell others how to use language, since language is part science, but most importantly, a form of self-expression.

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

BEST IDEA EVER!!

Okay that's probably a bit much. But still.

So, z10: Apocalypse is a variant of Future d10, also known as d10: Visceroth Cluster.  The Visceroth Cluster is a science-fiction setting, a space opera if you will.  The thing is though, I've imagined many moments that are both a part of that setting, and a part of getting to that setting.

It all begins with a near-future apocalypse, an electromagnetic storm that ravages the atmosphere and disables a lot of tech.  At this point, adding in a nuclear apocalypse might be a bit much, but it would further drive a need to go to space, and could house a neat story of conflict, intrigue, and opposing values.

Much later, the project which had caused the electromagnetic catastrophe is uncovered, and becomes redesigned to help create atmospheres on other planets by using the electromagnetic charge to ionize the atmosphere... or something.  Mars is colonized, then eventually Io, and finally Titan.  There's a whole substory here about Io trying to take over Titan before it was considered a member of the Coalition, known as The Titan Chronicles.  This actually helps understand the conflict in the Distress on Denore Campaign for the Visceroth Cluster Setting.

Needless to say, countless stories populate the history and the world of the Visceroth Cluster, and I realized, what if it was a series of novels in The StoneBridge Residents, because I had the idea that one of the characters wrote fanfic based on a character story that exists in the Visceroth Cluster, the character being Phoenix.  Anyways, it occurred to me that while I could include the idea of the novels in the z10 campaign, I could also think about it as a step of the origin to help set off the series of events that lead to The Visceroth Cluster.
I also like it because it's almost representative of how the system came to be, as it was originally a zombie game, that I altered to craft a sci-fi game, which I then sculpted a variant off of that to make z10.  So in a way, the idea that the z10 world has the Future d10 world in it, is a really fun/neat thought for me.

More Thoughts on Character Design

As I've mentioned many times before, I love making characters, and I enjoy the structure games give to thinking about characters.  So I'd like to take a step back and discuss a little about what I think is interesting and fun for me.

Sometimes, I decide to base a character of a loose concept, a minor facet of the character.  I'll use the concept of Blu(The StoneBridge Residents - Messenger's Story) as an example.  I had designed a variety of characters for Residents so far, and was trying to think of a new survivor/colonist.  The concept originated with a sewing skill, and I thought it might be neat if the character sewed well because they made their own cosplay costumes and gear.  I thought maybe she was a young woman who was well-read, and could easily find an answer to a problem in a pile of books, if not just a single one.

This was also fun for me because the idea of a character who can not only sew well, but is also good at making non-conventional clothing, seems like a pretty badass friend/ally to have.  I really enjoy exploring different character concepts, even very basic concepts, and seeing what really makes that character, and what all makes it work.  I especially enjoy taking a character who might traditionally be viewed as a weak character, and trying to discover their strength.  I will say, it's not often that the "weak" truly have no strength.

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo

Self Discovery Through Expression

I remember when I was younger, thinking about how I hoped to be able to see things as I got older.  At this time, I also recognized that I would have to live to that point to be the person I would be, and thus see how I would see.  This is an important realization I had sometime in high school, that I could not analyze or study and learn how to be who I would be, or even how to be an adult, without having human experience to shape and define it.

This thought came about a couple minutes ago as I frustratedly close the video editing software which was failing to cooperate.  I had been working on something of a blooper reel... slash moments I really enjoy, from my videos.  It would not let me.  I guess the opening could also be viewed as me trying to condone the act of spending so much time editing video of myself because it actually entertains me when the bits of it come together.  Through all of the editing I've done so far, it's been really interesting watching myself from the third-person.  I've learned a lot about little ticks and such that I have/do, and it's interesting to hear my voice and the various tones and inflections I use.

The moral of all this is that somethings can only be fully learned through doing, or expressing.  It would be like saying the only way to have a full understanding of something is to experience it, though admittedly that statement sounds too... rigid, and lacking.  Observation and analysis are spectacular tools, and thought is also powerful;  I urge not to forget the experience as another viewpoint or position.

Anyways(secret lolz), Trot On Everypony
-Alutriigo

z10: Beta Reference Book

To look at a page more closely, a simple way is to right-click the image and open it in a new tab, if your browser allows.  Otherwise, doesn't it look like it might have something good in there if you could read it?

Character Design: Mouse Guard

The Mouse Guard RPG has a fun character creation model that helps shape your character pretty well, so the between-the-lines can actually be best seen through that lens.

Lynn is a young GuardMouse from the town of Port Sumac.  She is a talented scout and bit of a loner; While she does what she can to help everyone, she does so of her own accord and seeks little recognition.
Lynn spends much of her time scouting the wilderness, and has a keen sense of survival.  She continues to practice her trade of Cartography, often updating maps or making new ones if she blazes a trail.
Her mentor Tander always stressed being self-sufficient in the wilderness, and having studied under her father Laird as a hunter while growing up, Lynn has spent much of her time learning to live closely with the wilds.
While she finds the concept of blindly charging in to be a foolish one, Lynn does not like to hesitate when faced with any challenge or situation.  If she cannot take direct action, she will take proactive measures or prepare an ambush.


Name: Lynn
Age: 19
Home: Port Sumac
Fur Color: Grey
Guard Rank: GuardMouse
Cloak Color: Light Blue
Parents: Laird + Brynn(Hunter and Boatcrafter)
Senior Artisan: Faolan the Mapmaker
Mentor: Tander
Friend: Gamlion the Carpenter
Enemy: Serra the Captain

Belief: "Fear not cast aside, but knowing its place."*
Instinct: Never hesitate to address a challenge.

Nature(Mouse): 4
Will: 3
Health: 5
Resources: 3
Circles: 1

Hunter: 4
Scout: 4
Survivalist: 3
Weather Watcher: 3
Deceiver: 2
Cartographer: 2
Stream-Wise: 2
Herb-Wise: 2

*I changed the word Caution to Fear here, because I feel it is a little more fitting to Lynn.  As I thought about her perception of that belief as a statement, what it means to her is that fear is a good thing to be aware of, but to not let that fear overcome you or hold you back.  As a Guard it will be often that you must act in spite of fear, and it is important to put it "in its place".

Tribulations of Tabletop RPG's, Expense

So as I mentioned in a recent vlog post(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z5bb_yQdjs), I'm interested in checking out the Mouse Guard System.  After checking out the official Mouse Guard site and finding no link to purchasing just the core rule book, just the super expensive box set($179), I searched some more and found just the core rule book for purchase.  At $89 plus change.  I kind of get it... but it makes it hard not only as a GM, but the thought of finding players and trying to provide them time to use the books is disheartening.

I'm still gonna try to look more into it and see if I might go about getting it, but I just wanted to share this bit, especially since I recently have been facing a similar issue with my z10 system(the getting players book time, or their own copies aspect).  Tabletop RPG's can be a pretty expensive hobby, most core rule books run from $50 to $60.  Dice sets can be expensive, a decent battle map can run $20 to $25, and then there's the fun of errata books and supplements(which can help make this whole process even more expensive... but admittedly more fun too).  Anyhoo, that's my bit for now.

Trot on everypony,
-Alturiigo

Character Design

This is a character draft for The StoneBridge Residents, including thought bubbles that dictate certain concept moments during creation.

It was a lot of fun thinking about this character and all the ways they can contribute both to storytelling and gameplay.

Story Ideas

After finally fleeing the city, the pair finally found a place to make rest in a copse of trees, far from the hum and bustle of Crastelon.  Tossing his bag at the foot of a nearby tree, Aldrin slumped himself to the ground and let out a sigh.  He shut his eyes and tried to clear his mind, still not fully sure how he got into all this mess.     The scenes of the past couple days stirred through his mind, a barrage of one unexpected turn after another.

Realizing his loquacious companion had said naught a word since stopping, he opened his eyes and glanced over at the brown-haired woman, with her now-dirtied fancy-type dress and hair slightly a mess.  She was half-focused, half-dazed, as she put pencil to paper doing who-knows-what.  She made a face of displeasure for a mere moment and briefly scribbled at something before continuing.  Aldrin scoffed when he further noticed that she lacked the means to erase.  "Why not just use an eraser?" he asked, with a bit of snark in his voice.

The woman looked up calmly and replied, "Because I am in the business of Observation, and one cannot simply erase News, nor History, nor even a Life."
"Well then why did you scratch something out?" Retorted Aldrin, feeling chagrined by her high-and-mighty answer.
She held up her pad revealing doodles and sketches.  "The miserable bird flew off before I could finish."

----

Somewhat recently I was all like "I wanna do something SteamPunk-y", and while I was at a Rush concert yesterday, seeing their SteamPunk-esque set made gears turn for me.  Okay, so to be clear, the set nor music drove the process, just reminded me that I had wanted to work on a story.

Also, this is just a bit I came up with to think about the characters a little and the dynamic between them.

Creative Content: Self-Realizing Relationships

I'm not certain I mean what you think I mean, so I'll provide a basic explanation of idea; When creating content on many levels, the content itself gives more content by way of examining the relationship between congruent and varied content.

Let's say you want to write/create some kind of story, so you come up with some basic ideas.  As you start connecting those ideas, and exploring the how and why they do or don't work together, and the varying degrees between, it gives way to more content.  For myself, this is often expressed in bursts of creativity, where I construct a lot of ideas and conceptualize structures to facilitate content and its relationships.

I write this as part of the very idea behind this blog, which is to write when I'm facing writer's/creator's block, and I struggle to begin a chain of connectivity.  I find this idea to be one of the fascinating things about creating and thought, and how the brain perceives things in some ways by gauging things against each other, sometimes even with very unstable scales.  Getting ideas out, expressing them in some "social" fashion, seems to aid me in the creative process, best demonstrated by increased output when I collaborate with others.

So Brain.... get out of Standby Mode.  There's much to be created.