Happy Friday

Enjoy the last hour of your Friday evening with some TOTAL CHAOS!




-A Clyde

A BUNDLE OF TOTAL CHAOS

Strictly for your entertainment. Enjoy!

MANOS VIDZ

Enjoy!

MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE - THE RPG

To celebrate Manos' third birthday, which was two days ago, I decided to post a video of it! More will follow, so stay tuned.

Or better, download the game!

- A Clyde

ON THE HUNT...

In every writer-to-be's life comes a point where he or she must send off their manuscript to others to read, and as one can imagine, it is nerve-wrecking as hell. I've been working towards this day for nearly two years, and my instincts are telling me that now is the time to take The Unseen to the NEXT LEVEL. For those who don't know, The Unseen is a psychological-slasher that tells the story of a group of college-aged friends who discover that their luxurious cabin is haunted by a soul-sucking entity that brings to life one's deepest and darkest fears. The novel is about acknowledging your fears and doubts, while still believing in the strength that you possess as an individual, as well as the strength that humanity possesses as a whole.

I spent the bulk of Sunday night researching about editors, what to expect from them and what they can expect from me, and I've compiled a couple of good sites along the way, which I will list at the end of this post. I am really excited because, yay, progress!, but at the same time, I'm almost as anxious. Not so much at the feedback I might get, because, well, criticism is kind of the whole point of this exercise... but the costs! So far, The Unseen is 293 pages long (in Word, selectively spaced). I don't know how much an editor would charge for a read, but I do know it's likely to exceed $100, which is... actually, incredibly reasonable. But still. How will I eat??

Oh, well. At the end of the day, I am willing to do whatever is necessary to make The Unseen the best it can be. I'd rather pay money for GREAT service than pay next to nothing for... well, nothing!

I'll be documenting my process here. Until next time...

- A Clyde

PS: Some editor communities I've found. If you know of any others, please, do share!

> Editorial Freelance Association
> Words into Print
> Independent Editors Group
> The Editors Circle


Random, but I've just had two bowls of Reese Puffs cereal, and now I'm full. -_-

BLOG GETS A FACE LIFT

So, until last night, this blog was a total mess. There is still plenty of work to do, and eventually I am going to get around to revising the content, most of which I haven't looked at in over six years (eek), but I'm getting there! I've already been 6x more active in 2013 than I was in 2012 (hee hee), so progress is being made.

Before, the blog pages linked to a webs.com page, which I'm not even sure if people are still using, but anyway, last night I did away with my webs.com account for good (after having it since the days it was called freewebs.com). I moved all of the content on blogger. Best decision I made all night. God only knows what took me so long to make ~the move, but I did it.

Of course, I am open to suggestions, so definitely let me know what you guys want/don't want. I am here to serve YOOOOU! [/Soulja Boy]


- A Clyde

THE UNSEEN: ORIGINS

Okay, so, I am just about finished with The Unseen's third draft. I say "just about" because I'm pretty sure I'll be tweaking The Unseen from now until forever. It has been a LONG three years (rounded), but I feel that it is now time to start shipping this baby out to third-parties/editors and get some feedback. That is what my instincts are communicating to me, and they are rarely ever wrong about anything--well, except that one time.

The Unseen is a psychological slasher that tells the story of a close-knit group of friends who discover that their vacation getaway--the luxurious Lake Sapphire--has more than a few skeletons in its closet, one of them being a reality-altering entity with an appetite for human souls. Inspired by classics such as The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Silent Hill, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Unseen is a melting pot of genres, combining horror, fantasy, drama, black comedy, and psychological elements.

Initially, the concept was written at the very start of 2010. The Unseen's first incarnation was a screenplay I had written for my screenwriting class. My instructor and classmates enjoyed it, but other people... did not. And boy, did those people let me know just how much they did not like it... or me!

Feeling discouraged, I chalked up The Unseen as a "learning experience" and moved right along with me life. I graduated college, left my student job, and from June 2010 to December of that year, I basically did... nothing. Well, that isn't true. I went to some nude beaches (and later, NYC for the first time), applied to dozens of jobs (which went nowhere), and took myself to see SAW: The Final Chapter. Oh, yeah, and I also spent four months (Aug - Nov 2010) mapping out the entirety of Eternal Blaze: Sword of Honor, which was/is the start of a High-Modern fantasy series inspired by an RPG Maker game I made in 2002, which in turn was inspired by role-playing I did with my toys as a youngster. Planning Eternal Blaze was loads of fun and made me feel really accomplished, especially coming after the train-wreck that was The Unseen's original incarnation (which I had the audacity to convert into a STAGE PLAY and submit to a local contest *face palm*). I was so excited to start writing the manuscript, but I was afraid. You see, I had never seriously tried to write a novel before. The closest was Forbidden, which was a) a LOST rip-off and b) only ever intended to be posted on Fictionpress.net.

I figured that if I wanted to have any chance at a writing a good and successful novel, I would probably have to read a few. So that's what I did. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the first novel I read post-college. I loved it so much it inspired me to write. I didn't dare ruin Eternal Blaze by actually writing it, so instead, I started Project Connor. I don't even know what it was supposed to be about, but it was meant to be my "practice manuscript," where I'd re-teach myself, basically, how to write a story. Not just any story, either, but the story. Everything was going great. I was ripping through those books and chipping away at Project piece by piece. But on one December evening, as I lay down to sleep in preparation for a job interview the following morning, an idea nagged at me: an idea to transform that one screenplay, The Unseen, into a novel.

Whatever, I thought. Admittedly, I was intrigued by this idea, but I just sort of thought it would pass. I am an artist, after all, and ideas come and go. Hell, we artists can look at a tree and suddenly come up with a story idea. Some of these ideas stick and that's when we suspect we may have something special on our hands, so we drive ourselves bonkers trying to retain it in our brains until we can write it down. But most times, these ideas float away and generally aren't missed.

Well, this particular idea had anchored itself into my psyche and wasn't letting go without a fight. It was actually pissing me off. Here I was, desperately trying to sleep so that I wouldn't miss my interview, and the universe did everything it could screw me over. I tossed and turned until I fucking had enough, so I reached for my laptop (which, sadly, is dying a slow, agonizing death as we speak), turned the power on, and wrote the first page of the prologue to The Unseen.

I had such a blast writing that page, I couldn't believe it. The plan, then, was to write The Unseen alongside Project Connor, but I'm pretty sure I never looked at Project Connor again.

Naturally, I was totally late for my interview, but I didn't care all that much because I figured I would get another interview within a week or so.

I wouldn't get another interview for six months.

But that was all right, because for the first time since graduating college, I had a goal. A purpose. A reason. In other words, something to do. I was also collecting unemployment checks, which I am not proud of, but the way I saw it, I was merely receiving what I had given the government back when I had a job.

From January - Jun 2011, my schedule was as follows: wake up (5am), jog (6-7am), eat breakfast (8-9am), job search/browse the web/play games/watch Jerry Spring/waste time (or go grocery shopping) (9am-12pm) read (1pm-3pm), eat dinner (5pm), and write (6pm-10pm). Except I was never finished writing by 10pm. I would write well into the morning. Seriously, I would be writing when my parents came home from work, and I would still be writing when they left for work the next morning. No sleep in between. So then my schedule became something like this: wake up (3:30pm), jog (4-5pm), eat breakfast (5:30pm), eat dinner (6pm), read (7-9pm), and write (10pm - 8am).

By April, I had straightened this shit out because I started going to driving school, which ultimately amounted to nothing, for I still don't drive or have a license. Still, overall, things were looking up, even as my unemployment benefits were drying up. The Unseen was moving along at such a quick pace that I almost had a draft ready, and at the start of June, I had gotten a job.

My time with The Unseen was significantly reduced, but I made the most of it. I read on my way to work (a half-hour trip expanded into two hours, courtesy of Baltimore's public transmit), and I wrote on my way home from work. It was frustrating, but it ended up working out. First week of July, 2011, The Unseen's first draft was complete.

I couldn't fucking stand it. There was no plot, and thus, structural problems galore. Nothing the characters did made sense or had any purpose. The dialogue was stale, the prose overwritten. I couldn't believe I had spent all day and night writing... this.

I quit it. Chalked it up as another learning experience and sailed on. In August, I started working on my second novel attempt, Goblin, also based on a shitty screenplay I wrote in college. I wrote a prologue and loved it. Read the prologue at a workshop and other people loved it. I was overjoyed. This was the one!

It wasn't. I mean, it could be, I haven't forgotten about it and plan to start mapping it out this weekend, but I quit before finishing the first chapter. It just wasn't going anywhere. So, in January 2012, I started working on Man 1000, a sci-fi adventure based on yet another screenplay I wrote in college, which had been based on a comic book I drew in high school, which had been on a series of comic books I drew in elementary and middle school. I worked on that until hitting a block literally weeks later, and then putting the story on hiatus.

For about two seconds I felt lost and confused, until having some really cool ideas for The Unseen. So I jumped back into the draft with the intentions of fixing the entire first half so that the narrative flow was harder, faster, better, stronger. I shared the first couple of chapters with a group called Harbor Lite Writers to wonderful feedback (and some useful criticism), which made me feel all warm inside and that I was on the right back, baby.

But I became dissatisfied with the direction that The Unseen v2.0 was going, so I put it on hold and worked on novelizing Total Chaos in March 2012. I REALLY enjoyed writing Total Chaos and felt more confident in it than I ever did with any of the projects preceding it.

Near the end of April 2012, almost a full month after I had relocated from the tiny land of Baltimore, MD to the gargantuan beast that is New York City, I was hit with an onslaught of NEW and EXCITING ideas for The Unseen.  My God, it was like having an epiphany! I was so anxious to resume working on The Unseen that I could hardly restrain myself. I quickly finished the chapter of TC I was working on and did just that.

I haven't looked back. It has been a long and "occasionally" frustrating journey, but here are. The Unseen has had three completed drafts so far, and I feel confident enough to show it to people again. I'm going to spend this weekend finding writers groups and editors because I'm ready to take this manuscript to the next level. Even if everyone hates it, I'll work on The Unseen however long is necessary until it is polished and professional.

Until next time...

- A Clyde

(PS: OMFG this is long! Is anyone even going to read all this??)

THE SKORPION SHOW

I listen to these guys while I'm at work and I love them. Just thought I'd share!

You should subscribe and watch their videos. They are amazing. Yes, the videos are an hour long, but it goes by really quickly if you do stuff while the video is playing. If you're into celebrity gossip, reality television, or urban culture, you should definitely give them a listen. Highly recommended!

- A Clyde

MISSING ONYX 2 FILE

Okay, so, this year I have been shamelessly playing my own games, and when I was playing Onyx 2 yesterday, it crashed on me due to a missing "2003misc1" file. I'm not sure how many other people have had this issue, the game crashed when I was using a miss-able secret skill, but just incase it has happened to others, here is the file.

http://www.mediafire.com/?zqgmvnfaaydbgo9

Just insert it in the game's "Battle" folder and you're good to go. =)

- A Clyde

A GATEKEEPER EVENT

Happy Saturday, folks! Here is a video, from me to you. It had been six months since I last uploaded a Gatekeeper video, I thought it was time to rectify that. So enjoy!

The 3D images mostly came from Daz3D and Turbosquid.com. Gatekeeper would not exist without those sites, so I am very, very thankful that they exist!

That epic beat you hear during the club scene belongs to Nervo & Hook N Sling. It's a remix of their song 'Reason' by Spencer Insomnia. You can listen to the full version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REFV6AD_Tk0


Be on the lookout of a 'Sunnydale' video!!

- A Clyde

HIPHOP GAMER

Okay, so, there's this rapper who also happens to be a huge gamer. I mean, it is ridiculous how knowledge he is about gaming, and his rap skills are nothing to frown at either. He has an entire webseries devoted to ALL sorts of gaming stuff: reviews, interviews with industry people and all sorts of goodies. His videos can be a bit camp BUT he is also very, very insightful. I enjoy him much. 

I have been out of the gaming loop for a good four years almost, but Hip Hop Gamer (HHG, as he is known), has slowly inspired me to get into gaming again. Prior to April (when I discovered him), I thought gaming was a part of my life dead and gone. Because of him, A Nightmare on Sunnydale and Gatekeeper will see releases after all, haha!

He also has a website: http://hiphopgamerinc.com/

Below is a video of him reviewing The Last of Us. Check him out!

What you are looking at here is a gameplay video of a project that is scheduled to follow 'A Nightmare in Sunnydale'. It happens to be called GATEKEEPER. This video was recorded during the last week of 2012. A few things have changed since then, but this is pretty much the gist of it.

Here are a few things you should know about Gatekeeper.

- It's an RPG.
- It's a cyberpunk RPG.
- It's a cybperpunk RPG with elements of fantasy and New Age philosophy. There may be some creepy bits thrown in there, too, by the way.
- It continues the sandbox gameplay that 'Sunnydale' has. Also has branching pathways.
- There will be a total 13 playable characters, and you can swap any of them in/out of your party at any time, battles included. There will also be two hidden characters for your chosing, potentially bringing the number of PCs to 14.
- It may or may not have a New Game+ feature.
- It was inspired by the Sierra games of old, specifically Rise of the Dragon. The Gabriel Knight series was also an influence -- and, at risk of sounding vain, Onyx! Futhermore, as you can see, it borrows its look from Vanity (remember that game?)
- Gatekeeper will be different than my other games because it is more plot-driven than character-driven, which is pretty nice for me but this is so that I get this game out in timely matter, and can finally say farewell to RPGM (I'll just be playing games instead).

Before I depart, here's a summary for your reading pleasure!



 Ganymede's mortal life was cut short when he was killed in the middle of graduating college. Soon after, he is given another chance at life as a GATEKEEPER, gifted individuals who harbor inside them souls of a god-lite entities. Under the guidance of Dr. Dylan Perry, Ganymede learns about himself and his powers -- as well as befriend others like him. When the presence of another gatekeeper shows up on Perry's radar, Ganymede and his friends race to find this individual before The Dark Child does, a fearsome foe who will stop at nothing to rid the world of gatekeepers, despite being a gatekeeper herself. The mission takes a horrific turn when they are too late, and Ganymede's life is once again turned upside down. With his back against the wall, he is forced to fight back, but at what cost? And is The Dark Child his true enemy? Furthermore, what is Eden and what role does it play in all this? How can Ganymede save reality when it is his very existence that disturbs it?

GATEKEEPER is a high-modern tale that combines cyperpunk, fantasy, drama, and New Age philosophy to deliver an RPG with more twists and turns than a pretzel.

 

 

 

 

 

'SUNNYDALE' IS IN A SUNNY PLACE!

Oh em gee! I can't believe it has been fourteen months since my last update!!!! Wowzers. Anyway, I have been working on stuff, faithfully, I might add, but I guess I just didn't think I had anything exciting to say? New Years Resolution alert, but that will change. Initially, I only wanted to dedicate this blog to my creative projects, but I think I want to make it a little more personal, too? That way, people will get a ~taste of the REAL ADRIAN CLYDE, whoever he may be.

Without further ado, I can almost guarantee that A NIGHTMARE IN SUNNYDALE will be out this year (!). I was aiming for a Summer release, but, um, I don't see that happening. But an Autumn release could be possible, if I keep chipping away at it.

Initially, I had meant for this game to be completed in 2010, the year it was started, but so many things "got in the way", so to speak, will I will disclose later. A lot has changed with me, and I have had to prioritize other things. I didn't think I would ever get into RPGM again, but I guess I just felt the need to indulge in some healthy brain candy. I am determined to get this game out and Gatekeeper as well, which  I am really proud of, so far.

So here's the deal. For the last...two months, I think? whenever things have been slow at work (or not, such as today lolz), I have been writing out scenes for Sunnydale (and Gatekeeper, too) and when I get home, I would do a little bit of dungeon-building here, a little bit there, and it's all starting to add up now. In terms of where the storyline is, I'm basically at the endgame. After I'm done with the current dungeon, I'll be pretty much done with the "main path", sans the last dungeon. All I would have left to do would be to write out scenes for a few of the side paths, which won't be difficult because, I mean, hello, I love writing!

As far as the dungeon construction goes, that is just about finished. All I have to do is finish Billy Loomis's dungeon, and the final one. That's it. Dungeon construction is by far my least favorite thing, so I just wanted to get it all over with. I figured if I could do away with that, then it would all but solidify 'Sunnydale's release.

I haven't updated the demon library yet, but that's the easiest part for me, so it's no big.

All in all, the end is definitely near. I'm pretty pumped about possibly having another finished game out there. No more demos for me. I contemplated releasing a demo of Gatekeeper, but nope! Demos have a tendency of slowing things down, because you start to get hyper obsessing about promoting your game and seeing what people are saying about it that you start to neglect your game, and that, my friends, is never good.


Onto other stuff. Really, the reason I've been so slow with RM stuff is because for the last two years, I've been working on something of a novel (which is 1000x better written than this blog post, I assure you). THE UNSEEN, it is called, a psychological horror-fantasy tale about a band of friends and their struggle to overcome a soul-sucking demon who compensates for its incorporeality by exploiting and feeding off their greatest and darkest fears. It is based on a REALLY shitty screenplay I wrote three years ago, but I thought the idea had some potential so I had decided to give it another ago (actually, the idea decided to give *me* another go; for six months, it just wouldn't get out of my head!). When I started writing the first draft in December 2010, I described it as "The Evil Dead" meets "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and"Silent Hill", but while it is still all of those things, last summer, I had a Neon Genesis Evangelion marathon (the first in over a DECADE omg), and The Unseen has since taken on much different path than I originally thought it would, which is actually a wonderful thing because the inspiration that NGE gave me helped mold The Unseen into the story I intended it to be (so many times I would hit a "block", forcing me to take a break from it and do something else; it was put on hiatus three times, the longest one lasting six months). It has been a long and hard two-and-a-half years, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel yet. I am currently revising my third draft and if I'm pleased with the results, I'll start hunting for editors and/or outside feedback. At the moment, I am very, very happy with this draft, but we shall see what the future beholds. The last time I read the first half of the manuscript was in November 2012, so, um, this process may last a while, haha.

I haven't forgotten about Total Chaos, well, not entirely. I'm going to go back to onlining it this week (along with Goblin, hopefully). I have a really cool premise in mind for it. In the end, I'm not sure how much of TC's SOURCE MATERIAL is going to be used, and all of the characters will definitely be involved (although some (Lindsay Lohan) will obviously be renamed), but this new idea is going to be so much more involved than the "original", and I can't wait to start on it. It's going to be camp, it's going to be part-satire (basically of things/types of people that bug me *to no end*), but it's also going to have a lot of hart. Basically, it's going to be BIG.  It just gets hard sometimes trying to juggle multiple writing projects, since my time is so limited because of my job (gotta pay the bills y'all). I really only have time to read The Unseen on weekends, so that gives me a few hours during the week to devote to other stuff I like, such outlining my next projects. Currently, I've been outlining (albeit off-and-on) Goblin, Dreamlover, and Total Chaos all at once, which has been totally easy all the time! Goblin, horror/comedy, and Dreamlover (which may or may not have been inspired by a Mariah Carey song lol), horror/sci fi/romance/fantasy/psychological, will get their own updates when I'm further into developing them.

- A Clyde