What I've Been Working On

Hey everyone, I'm not dead yet!  And I'm back. Well, temporarily. See, for the entirety of the last two weeks I've been working on this baby: 

Remember that Dune Crossover project I was brainstorming for in Architectural Design a while back? Well, this is it! All done, finally! And if anyone remembers that far back, I was struggling to come up with a concept that I could represent in a non-literal fashion. (I.e. no giant fishes to represent... fish) So, I finally found a concept I liked, and that was Time. And this is my representation of time.

Now, it's a bit abstract, so it isn't as good a solution as I'd like. In other words, looking at that doesn't necessarily remind you of time unless I told you that was what it was. The first five rings (smaller ones), would actually rotate completely around if this was built for real, and be marked in minutes, hours, days, months and years. So the first part is actually a clock. But as you pass under the clock, and head down to the beach, the rings get farther apart and time stops. Because who wants to be reminded of what time it is while they're on the beach? So that's my explanation, though I'm not sure if it passes muster. Hopefully I get an A. :)

But, hey! It looks good, functions well, and came out nice! In case anyone's interested, I used balsa and basswood for most of the structure, and poplar for the rings (sturdier for cutting with a bandsaw).

So, now that that's done, I get to come back, right? Wrong! And that's a good thing. Why? Because Holy Week starts today, and as a way of preparing my heart and mind for Resurrection Sunday, I am going to cut down on all unnecessary computer time, which, of course, includes blogging. So, I'll be gone till after Easter, when hopefully blogging life will return to normal. Well, as normal as blogging life gets, that is :)

Until then, my friends, fare well!

 Oh, and I'll be answering all those messages on my phone when I come back for real!

Busy...

*Ring, ring, ring*

*beep*

Hey, you've reached Farjag's phone. I'm currently either busy, away, or dead, and am unable to pick up my phone at the current time, but I'll get back to you as soon as I am able, provided I am not dead. Please leave a detailed message if you'd like, unless you're trying to sell me something, in which case you should give as little information as possible. In fact, you can hang up right now. Have a nice day! 

*pause*

If you're still listening, chances are that you're not trying to sell me something, in which case you can leave me a message. Catch you later!

*beep*

Feel free to leave your 'message' in the comments! :)

Beautiful People- March 2.0

Because, apparently, BP is done on the 20th of each month, not the 1st... I get to do two in March! And as it also happens to be the one year anniversary of BP, Miss Georgie and Miss Sky did a special set of questions concerning two characters and their relationship with each other.

So, for this 2.0/20th of March edition of Beautiful People, I give you Redpaw and Crestlen. Wait... this concerns relationship... and Redpaw and Crestlen are not exactly... well... ahem.

So... this will concern their relationship as enemies; and then brothers. And, I think I'll let them speak for themselves this time.

1. Do you believe in anything that most people think is impossible?

Redpaw: I would see the reconciliation of the Featherwen and Fanglen factions and a united Quartorlen once again. Impossible though it seems, I believe it can be done

Crestlen: The existence of little white gnomes who steal your sugar for... I'm not serious. *grin* No... I tend to only believe what I can see, and the uniting of Quartorlen is hardly possible at this time. Nor would I be certain that I would wish Quartorlen united given the chance.

2. Are you strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?

Redpaw: What sort of question is that?

Crestlen: Who would want to refer to themselves as a "person in distress?" I mean, you're a bounty hunter, and I'm an assassin. I'm fairly certain we do not fall into the latter category.

3. Do you have a special place? (e.g. a corner in your bedroom, under a tree...)

Redpaw: When I was younger, a beastborn living in the Twisted Pines, there was a certain spire of rock I would often climb to look out over the land. Whenever I pass nearby I visit to remind myself of where I came from, and the sacrifice of those who broke the Containment and freed slave and beastborn.

Crestlen: I do not have one particular place, but I often seek solitude up among the clouds, soaring on the updraft, just thinking. Tis strangely peaceful up there, far above the busy world below.

4. What occupation do you have, or plan on having?

Redpaw: You have but to look at our title to learn our occupation. I am Redpaw, Wolf-hunter. I get hired by leaders in the Fanglen faction to capture dangerous men in the Featherwen faction. Men such as Crestlen here, no? *grins*

Crestlen: *chuckling* Aye. And I am Crestlen, Hawk-assassin. Self-explanatory, really. I go kill dangerous men from the other faction. I.e. this bloke here *elbows Redpaw* Didn't we discuss this already?

5. Describe your current place of residence.

Redpaw: A small hovel on the edge of town, rather tumbledown, since I am gone so much these days. I do have a small garden plot I attend to whenever I get the chance

Crestlen: I currently reside in the palace of Haelswoop, Owl-prince, the Flamehope Featherwen leader.   Nice conditions, those.

Redpaw: All that cushy make you soft yet?

6. Explain your last crisis. How were you changed when you came out of it?

Redpaw: Hmm. Our lives are a series of crises, one after another. Being a warrior tends to do that to one's life.

Crestlen: But the latest is my current situation, being trapped in Brightgorge with my worst enemy.

Redpaw: Aye... that's pretty hight up there on my list *grin*

7. If you could drive any kind of car you wanted, what would it be?

Redpaw: What's a car?

Crestlen: Is that something from your world?

8. How do you deal with change?

Redpaw: Well... if I don't like it... I try to solve things with my fists. Though that doesn't always work

Crestlen: I tend to just bend with the flow, so change doesn't effect me like it does some people *wink*

9. If you had to amputate one body part, which one would you choose?

Redpaw: What exactly are our options here? I mean; leg, arm and head? Or fingers, ears, toes? We have spares of those... *grin* But, in all seriousness, I would probably go with my hand. The four freeborn lost their hands to the Darkstone, and I could do no better honor to their memory than to do the same. Assuming, of course, I could choose which part of my body I wanted to cut off... which I'm not sure I would want to do anyways.

Crestlen: I'd have to choose my leg, because I can still fly without a leg. But I think I'd die if I lost a wing.

Me: *snicker* Oh, I'm pretty sure you won't die.

10. What is favorite at the local coffee shop? 

Redpaw: Oh, cider all the way. I don't drink anything else there

Crestlen: I'm not as picky as Mr. Twisty Tongue here, I tend to vacillate between plain black coffee and a nice latte.

Redpaw: Bleh. Why do you think they call it a latte? Because it costs a latte money, and takes a latte time to make!

And the extra 5 about their 'relationship':

1. How did you meet?

Redpaw: In a cave, in the wilderness of Flamehope

Crestlen: With our blades reaching for each other's throats

2. How do you two deal with conflict?

Redpaw: By trying to kill each other, naturally! Our relationship is based on conflict, really

Crestlen: Aye, though I would be the one to leap first. Redpaw's pretty good about keeping the conversation at a civilized level.

3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place? 

Redpaw: Uh... Crestlen? I think this is supposed to be asked to a romantic couple

Crestlen: Think you we should leave before this gets any worse? 

Redpaw: Aye. And in answer to the question... no.

4. What kind of things do you like to do together?

Redpaw: We're gone! Not here anymore!

Crestlen: Can't hear you! La la la la!

5. Describe your relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.

Redpaw: We. Are. Not. Here. Oh, wait, that's four words. Uh... We! Are! Gone!

Crestlen: Well, this one we can answer, actually.

Redpaw: No! You give him this and he'll come back for more!

Crestlen: Aw, come on! Three little words!

Redpaw: Fine. But don't blame me if he shows up with a camera and film crew tomorrow for CBS News!

Crestlen: Be realistic. Oh, fine, leave. *door slam* Anyways; let's just say "Enemies turned brothers."

Wait, is that a tape recorder? 

The Prophecy

When feather and fang do clash in war, 

Much is forgotten, remembered no more, 

Darkness comes upon us again 

This time, from within 

When our country needs us most 

We turn away; unity is an empty boast 

Now a darker evil lurks near at hand 

A shadow soon will fall upon the land 

The dragon-fell, cloaked in black 

Despair comes soon, death no lack 

Quartorlen shall meet its doom 

We have dug our own stone tomb

Comparisons

So I spent several hours editing Feather and Fang last night, getting the first parts written on par with the last parts as far as style, continuity, and all-around quality is concerned. By doing this, I am able to reconnect with the story, add where it needs adding, and take away what needs taking away.
For example, my descriptions of several years ago were quite wordy and rather bland. I left little to the reader's imagination, tended to more boring than helpful, and usually made references to the real world (something I am trying to avoid). Consider the following:


But where the hawk had been a man was just rising from the ground, as if he had been kneeling. But as the wolf and the man he had turned into were alike, so were the hawk and his new form. His hair was composed of large, flat locks like feathers that flared out as they reached the back of his neck, giving him a low-lying crest. His garments were much the same as the other’s, but his shirt bore a fringe under the arms, also like feathers. His high boots had spurs like those of a rooster on the heel, and his face had strange marking along the jawbone, tattoos that resembled the black markings of a red hawk.

Not bad, but definitely not good either. So I did some reworking; and this is what it turned into:

And as the wolf and the man he had turned into were alike, so were the hawk and his new form. While his garments were much the same as the wolf’s, they were decorated with strips of colorful cloth, bright threads, and pendants of stone and metal. He wore his hair in flat locks like feathers in which were intertwined bits of shell and bone, and his face bore strange tattoos like small wisps along his jawbone. He had bone spurs on his boots and a fringe of leather ran along the arms of his shirt.

Much better. Not only do I accurately describe Crestlen's appearance (now that I know what he actually looks like), but gone are the clumsy references to real hawks and roosters. And it actually flows now, as opposed to the rather disjointed pattern of the former iteration.

That's the taking away part; now for the adding. This mostly comes in play during dialogue, which I've gotten a great deal better since writing this first chapter (this is my oldest piece of work still in current use, predating even Freeborn and Freegiven). For example:

He chuckled. “Indeed, our paths have finally crossed.”

The other snorted. “As well they might, twould be difficult for two assassins to seek each other without ever meeting.”

“Ah! So that is why you seemed not overeager to cover your tracks. I had begun to fear they were a false lead, so obvious were they.”

The first snarled again. “Yes, tis not often that Redpaw, chief of the hunters in Burndell is careless enough to let his tracks go uncovered.”

“Aye, but even if they had been covered, Redpaw Wolf-hunter, not often is Crestlen, Hawk-assassin of Embervale hard pressed to find the trail, however hidden.”

Redpaw nodded scornfully. “Indeed? Know this, Crestlen, Hawk-assassin; if I were to hide my trail with all my skill and cunning, even the keenest hound-scout would be at a loss.”

It was Crestlen’s turn to toss his head in scorn. “Ah, that stumble-footed, keen-nosed kind! Yes, but I am no hound-scout. I track not by smell, but by sight, and I warn you, I can spot a hare-runner from three bowshots off.”

Now, my imagining of this has been forever tainted by an ill-fated attempt I made at a radio theater, in which I did all the voices. And my attempt to make Crestlen sound like a sneering, cold assassin, just made him sound like he had a cold. So now I hear that in my head whenever I read these lines. So... I needed to change them, obviously. Hopefully, the rework is better:

“What sort of civilized talk can there be between us, Redpaw?”

The former wolf, Redpaw, chuckled. “Well, you could at least thank me for waiting here for you. When I learned you had heard of me, I decided it would be far easier to wait for you to come to me than to chase you across all four provinces.”

“Is that so?” replied the other, Crestlen, a sarcastic edge creeping into his voice. “No wonder you left your tracks so plain! They were so obvious I had begun to fear they were a false lead!”

Redpaw’s easy grin faded. “Watch what you say, Hawk-assassin! Not often do I let down my guard without good reason! Him named chief of the bounty-hunters in Fanglen faction is never at a loss to cover his tracks!”

Crestlen snorted in derision. “Even if they had, Wolf-hunter, not often am I hard pressed to find the trail, however hidden.”

Redpaw nodded scornfully. “Indeed? Know this, Crestlen, Hawk-assassin; if I were to hide my trail with all my skill and cunning, even the keenest hound-blood would be at a loss.”

It was Crestlen’s turn to toss his head in scorn. “A pox on that stumble-footed, keen-nosed kind! I am no hound-blood. They may track by smell, but I hunt by sight, and I tell you, I can spot a my prey from near on three bowshots off.”

Not only did I fix most of the Yoda-esque style of speaking, but Redpaw's speech actually fits his character, and all the "Ah!"'s and "Aye!'"s have been deleted. I mean, who starts every sentence with "Ah!"?

Well, that's where I be, sitting in the shadows of a cave deep in Flamehope, watching two master hunters face off in a fight to the death. Call me if you need me. :)

 

Why Do I Learn The Sword?

Because swords don't run out of bullets.

Ha ha. But really, why dedicate time and money to learning a long dead art? Why go to the trouble when there is no apparent practical use for it in the modern world? Well, to answer this, I must define the sword.

I actually practice two forms of swordfighting, fencing and broadsword. Fencing is the modern/classical style used for dueling in 1600-1800's.The swords used are foils, sabres, and epee's, all different styles of the same form, which is basically a thin blade with a basket hilt of some sort. Think The Three Musketeers. The foil and epee are only used for stabbing, but the sabre has one edge with which to cut. It is wielded in one hand, with the fencer turned almost at 90 degrees to his opponent to provide as little a target as possible. Movement is strictly linear up and down the strip and the bouts are decided by points. Certain parts of the body are off target, and there are cards for fouls and the like. As you can see, modern fencing is a highly regulated, systematic art.

The distinct opposite is broadswording, which uses, (who knew?) the broadsword! Double-edged and broad-bladed with cross-guard hilt, this is a fearsome weapon. The rules are far simpler than those of fencing, but the repertoire of techniques and tactics is tripled. There are certain guards which always keep your point threatening the enemy, binds which enable you to close in and pommel your opponent, parries which enable you to snap your blade around the other. See, the art of the broadsword is as complex as any eastern martial art. Keep your karate and taekwondo, and give me a sword!

But, I know what you're thinking... unless you carry a sword around in your back pocket... it's not exactly the same! Never fear, I always keep one sheathed at my side. 

Sike! (Though I do keep one in the trunk of my car, in case me and a friend want to have a bout out in the woods). But see, broadswording and fencing deal a lot with balance. In fencing, you learn to keep your balance at all times. In broadswording, you learn to upset your opponent's balance. So if I ever was caught in a situation where self-defense became necessary, I wouldn't necessarily need a sword to apply what I know.

But that's not why I learn how to use the sword. Why I took up both broadswording and fencing was something deeper. See, there is a layer of honor and courage woven deep into the use of the sword. When you use a sword, you must look your opponent square in the eye, face them toe to toe, and test your metal (or mettle) against theirs. And there is something concrete and real there. Not only that, but you must be strong enough to wield a three-foot weapon of steel (or polyurethane, or pvc and noodle, or...) effectively, you must be sturdy enough to block an incoming blow, you must be able to not flinch as your enemy's sword comes swinging towards you. In the end, being able to wield a sword brings a depth of character and strength that a gun could never do. Oh, and it never runs out of bullets. And it's just epic. Period :).

But there's one thing more. See, every Christian is called to use a sword as well. That sword is the Word of God, the Bible.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

And that's why I love the sword. Because every time I pick one up, whether it's made of steel or rubber, I'm reminded of The Ultimate Sword, and what it is made of. May I learn to use the Bible as effectively in my heart war as I use my foil in a bout.