Brian Storming

WWG3D (What would Guyver III do?)

2009-12-30T06:54:17Z

Another Excerpt from "True Tales of Eternia"

2009-12-27T04:20:49Z

"He-Man did great things for Eternia! In fact, he was so good at eliminating any threats that we had to lay off the entire Royal Guard. I stayed on in a consulting role, but many of the former guards tried to get new jobs with Skeletor. Unfortunately, they were all killed to fuel the factory that made the robot-henchmen."

- Man-At-Arms

Things Change

2009-12-18T22:53:45Z

All alone, except for the memories of what we had and what we knew. Every time I try to leave it behind me, I see your face looking back at me. And I raise my head and stare into the eyes of a stranger.

Dear Karma,

2009-12-14T23:45:51Z

I'm aware of many of the mistakes I've made, but I'm not sure which one, specifically, I'm still atoning for. Will you please give me a better hint that won't make my life that much more significantly worse. I could really use some joss, right now. Life's lessons are extremely important, but so is existing and thriving in this society. I realize I could have it REALLY bad, but I'm not in that demographic. I just need a boost. Will please help make tomorrow a productive day? It would mean the world to me.

Walking the path - twisted it may be,
- Bri

Followers of Set; An Excerpt

2009-11-26T09:55:40Z

So, this is the opening paragraph to my version of the vampire Bloodline, Followers of Set:

"The Followers of Set are proud and secretive vampires. Beyond the fact that their ophidian powers bolster their ties to the Serpent of myth, little is truly known about this mysterious Bloodline. What is known about them comes from information that was either gleaned from observation or traded for various favors and boons. The Setites, as they are also called, are custodians of ancient lore and forbidden knowledge. They explore long-hidden places in search of the truth that lies beyond. Every Viper learns that facts are not history or meaning because the facts are inevitably recorded by the victors."

My goal in the rewrite was to emphasize their essence and steer clear of the whole "we must resurrect our god who was actually a vampire and founder of our Clan" B.S.

I like it.

Mormons and Their Vampires Versus Werewolves

2009-11-20T08:07:10Z

...and they are werewolves, by the way. You can call them shapeshifters who happen to turn into wolves because they don't need a full moon, but that doesn't change the fact that they are man-wolves! Research the different mythologies and folklores, if you don't believe me.

Now that that's out of the way, I finally finished my rewrites/edits of all ten Bloodlines for my Vampire the Masquerade game. Now, I just have to add some finishing touches and move on to the logistics, setting and antagonists. There's still quite a bit of work to do before I can run it, but I'm going to take a little break from it all.

The trip to Disney is coming up in a bit. Right after Thanks Giving. I hope everything's ready in time. I still need to get my car fixed. I've been driving around with a broken exhaust pipe for about two months or so. Now, the airbag light is on. I don't see how that can be related, but I'm a little concerned. Oh, well. I'll take it as it comes.

If I can't sleep, I think I'll watch The Howling again.

Written In Blood

2009-11-08T01:21:47Z

So. It's been quite some time since I've written here. Funny pictures and videos don't really count. As I mentioned back in April, I'm unemployed. I didn't think that it would be for this long. It's much less than a vacation of sorts than I imagined. The stress is ever-present and I struggle with, of course, the day to day and with worries about the future. Still, this does present opportunities to spend time on other endeavors. It's me, so this is done slowly. I took my time procrastinating.

Now, I'm working on improving my writing. Meaning, I'm putting together my take on Vampire: The Masquerade. One may wonder why I just don't go ahead and get into Vampire: The Requiem, the 2004 revamp (pun intended, I'm sure) of White Wolf's "flagship" roleplaying game. Well, two reasons really. First, I've already spent the money on the quality books of The Masquerade and I'm loath to spend more. Secondly, I just don't like it as much. From what I've read about it, there are aspects that just don't sit well with me...(not to mention the poor editing). There are already things about The Masquerade I'm not keen on, but they're few and major. The Requiem has too many minor things wrong with it that I'd have a much more difficult time tweaking the setting and rules. Still, the things I do like about The Requiem have been inspiring and fit easily into the changes I've been wanting to make for a while. I even have two helpful Requiem books.

I'm rewriting the Clans as Bloodlines, but it's more like editing. This isn't a bad thing. Improving one's editing skills as a writer is equally important to improving one's word-crafting. Besides, what started as an exercise in editing has presented the chance to more-or-less completely rewrite descriptions. To me, this is a game about shades of grey and it had too much black and white, stark contrast in it. I want my game to be a mature exploration of ambiguity. Playing the role of a vampire should present opportunities to explore very human issues and emotions. And no, I don't mean like going back to high school to woo and fall in love with the girl you had planned on making your next meal. I'm talking elegant grit here!

Next up, I'll actually download the typing software and improve my speed. Woot!

Excerpt from "True Tales of Eternia"

2009-05-11T07:23:03Z

"Oh, yeah! He-Man was gay, but he refused to come out of the closet. And contrary to popular belief, Ram-Man was straight. He had quite a way with the ladies. It's sad he died of AIDS, really."

- Skeletor

Remember To Think Ahead

2009-05-03T09:51:44Z

Bart Got A Room

2009-04-18T05:07:53Z

I think this looks pretty funny. I hope it gets an unlimited release soon.

Wild Thing

2009-04-12T23:51:33Z

Wolverine. He's not my favorite mutant, but is admired by many. His character is well-developed and interesting. Now, I haven't read comics on a regular basis for quite some time and don't necessarily agree with how they've retconned Logan. Still, I enjoy the character and am interested to see what do with the Origins movie. No, I haven't watched the leaked footage. It's unfinished, and I wouldn't want someone looking at my unfinished art. The grapevine says they're unimpressed. But let's not heed the nitpickers. There's a reason we like Wolvie. Let's take a moment to remember why:

Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) you kick ass!

Not All Who Wonder Are Lost

2009-04-08T08:44:20Z

I haven't updated, in over a week. The truth is that I'm a bit lost, right now. I got fired from my job, the Friday before last. And I'm not certain what I should do, at this point. I want to pull my plan together, and achieve my goals. As I mentioned to a few of my friends, I'm half tempted to take out a personal student loan for living expenses (along with a federal student loan - I still haven't researched scholarships; must do that, in the near future). However, I think it's more realistic to get a job and have steady pay that will get me by. I'm not even certain which semester I'll be starting, yet. I really need to do something different. This whole 'doing the same thing over and over again' thing is definitely getting to me. For those who know me well at all, they know I'm loathe to repeat myself. No wonder my mind's fallen into atrophy. (I wonder if that ties into me not being who I used to be.) I want to work for my money and have flexible hours, i.e. a server job. Thing is, I need to get out there and actually fill out applications and talk to managers. This whole insomnia thing isn't helping. I can't get to sleep early, and I still end up sleeping the whole eight hours.
For a long time, I've felt like less-than an invisible man. Not only could people not see me, but they also couldn't hear me. Now, I've found my voice (or at least how to make noise) and I need to express it. Maybe not everyone, but people will take notice of me. I'm so tired of being almost a man. ...Funny. I used to say I never want to grow up. I suppose I won't entirely, but that doesn't mean I won't have any growth. I've come a long way, already. I just put my life on hold, by going 'round in circles. I think I'm at that fork in the road, which requires me to take a closer look at the map. I'm not always very good at deciphering cartography.

College Clarification

2009-03-27T18:38:52Z

So, I just got back from speaking with the advisor. Essentially, I'll have no problem having an Interdisciplinary degree approved, as long as I have clear objectives and can articulate why an interdisciplinary approach is better suited for me than a major/minor program.

College Confusion

2009-03-27T17:24:39Z

So, okay. Upon closer inspection, the MCS BA program looks more flexible than I thought. I just have a few concerns with that option. There's an internship requirement, and I'm employed full-time. Also, it might not be flexible enough to accomodate me. I may need to make another advising appointment with that department (same building - Fine Arts, though).

Oi!

College Collage

2009-03-27T16:03:51Z

I keep revising the list of courses I want to use for my Interdisciplinary degree at UMBC. At this point, it's starting to resemble Media Communication Studies. I'm a bit concerned that they'll want to pigeonhole me into that major with a (Creative) Writing minor, but that plan does exactly match up with my goals and what I want to do. I'll find out, today. I have an appointment with an advisor to discuss my educational strategy. The only thing is that he's new, and may not be that familiar with the degree requirements. Well hopefully, it will at least be a productive half-hour.

Feel the Magic and Hear the Roar!

2009-03-25T16:39:57Z

For anyone who hasn't seen this, yet.

You can visit the video's page, for a list of all the movies used for the trailer. Some of them got by me, in the first viewing.

Best Superhero Movie Ever

2009-03-23T14:48:27Z

I just got my post-apocalyptic super power!

2009-03-20T20:20:40Z

The ability to summon deadly hats to use in battle against post-apocalyptic zombies:

Score!

If only we all could be this noble...

2009-03-20T17:41:08Z

I'm tired. Focus!

2009-03-19T17:48:08Z

Why am I so exhausted? I've had good energy levels, lately. I was kind of wired, the entirety of St. Patrick's Day night. I think that's what did it, though. The nervous energy from new ambition combined with staying up quite late just did me in.
So, plans were made for yesterday. I had to lay down for ten minutes just to clear my head, but I'm glad I went through with it. We play trivia at the Phoenix, and were given passes for a preview of "I Love You, Man". I was surprised I laughed so much. I haven't seen "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" yet and have been jaded by more recent comedies ("Superbad" wasn't bad, though). Anyhow, it's no masterpiece. It can border on fantasy. But given the context of the movie, the exaggeration works. It's by no means [too] overboard. Frelling funny good times, man.

Speaking of ambition, I have a better focus on what I want to do. I was considering Computer Science courses, which is really what caused the anxiety. I'm no Math major, and the whole concept of learning to program video games is daunting. Yep, I want to be a video game writer. But given that requires credentials from previous works, my scope has broadened to include keeping my original novel-writing goal and incorporating writing for comics, animation, movies and theater. That's going to require an Interdisciplinary degree. I've got ideal courses in hand, and just need to speak to an advisor. If anyone's submitted a proposal for an Interdisciplinary degree (approved or not) I could use some advice.

Robots in disguise? No, but it is more than meets the eye.

2009-03-17T21:41:56Z

So, the wheels have been turning and the juices churning and the fire kindling and etcetera. My original idea that I eluded to yesterday is transforming. I still need to develop it further, but a plan is definitely coming together.

This Ambition Is New To Me!

2009-03-16T18:24:24Z

Alright. I can't seem to find the words I want to use, right now. So, I'll keep it simple. I have a goal and am more certain now what I want to do with my life. I'm keeping it to myself for now, but suffice it to say that I have a better idea of what direction I should be going. This all just kind of hit me, like a semi-professional epiphany. Essentially, I have a lot of work ahead of me. And I'm trying not to become overwhelmed by this new prospect. I've never really been ambitious before, so I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm not sure what kind of impact the career path I'm looking at will have on people. Hopefully, it will be a good one and significant. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to take some big (and long overdue) innitial steps; like going back to school for a degree that has a skill in mind. Originally I was going to go for Philosophy, because it interests me. But I've decided that it interests me enough to pick up on my own. I've decided on a major that would be an excellent reason for me to earn a degree. I need to go ponder some more and calm myself down. Damn butterflies.

Um...No..

2009-03-02T14:24:32Z

So, the offices are open today. I had the car ready by 900 hours (EST) and went to leave. I drove between five to ten miles per hour and was slipping everywhere within the lane. I turned around. Sorry, work. You're just not worth me risking my life.

Electric Mayhem - Engel

2009-03-02T02:58:34Z

And for those of you not on MySpace...

Still not as disturbing as this. You have been warned.

A Note To My Youth

2009-02-23T22:40:27Z

I miss you, but not much has changed.

- Your Future Self