As you’ve probably noticed, I’m goofing around with the layout/design of the site, so bear (or fox) with me while I get this here chingadera figured out đ
Category Archives: CREATIVE
What the ****
Most of my stories are written for a general audience, and so I try to avoid the use of swear words in my short stories. I also believe that cursing is for the uncreative and unoriginal. Think about it: haven’t we all cussed at one time or another because we “couldn’t think of anything better?” The problem is that there are instances where cursing just works really well and is even expected at times.
Case in point: I am currently writing a story that involves pirates…IN SPAAAACE!  Just like any other self-respecting pirates, these scurvy dogs (really, they’re pirate DOGS) spit, belch, don’t bathe, threaten harmless people (or cats as the case may be) and should probably swear like sailors. Thus, I have a few options:
1)Â Say ‘f*** it’ and use real swear words in my story, which I don’t really want to do.
2)Â Borrow not-quite-swear-words from other works of fiction, like ‘frak’ from BattleStar Galactica, but I don’t want to do this either because its well, unoriginal, and I know I’m setting myself to get stuck in some “THERE’S NO FURRIES IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA” debate down the road.
3) Use common words. This method was used often by one of my favorite writers, Isaac Asimov. When a swear was needed, his characters would say things like “Space!” or “Stars and galaxies!”
4) Just make stuff up. This is obviously the hardest one, because I’m essentially inventing new words, and I’d like for them to make sense and not look like a random jumble of letters.
I am going with #3 with a varying degree of success, and who knows, I may invent some new pseudo-cuss words, especially at work, but for now I’ll just have to punt and pepper my story with <SWEAR WORD> placeholders until I think of something better.
Crap.
FREE-book!
UPDATE: The free promotion for “The Rules of Tech Support is now over, but you can still get “One Sheet Stories” for free!
My second e-book “The Rules of Tech Support” is available for free today via Amazon Kindle devices and software, and of course, you can always get “One Sheet Stories” for FREE here!”
Arc-Less
RAWR!
I added Godzilla Legends to my pull box (or whatever Comic Break calls it) mainly out of curiosity. The series was supposed to feature some of the other giant stars of the Godzilla universe. I had never read a Godzilla comic before and except for watching âGodzilla vs. MechaGodzillaâ at the first Fanboy Flix a few months ago, I havenât seen a movie starring Japanâs mean green machine in years. Thus, I am hardly an expert in regards to the care and feeding of giant monsters, or âkaijuâ to use the proper term. Despite that, I thought Iâd give it a shot.
I got my first issue a few weeks later. It was a fun read and Matt Frankâs art provided plenty of monster mashing action. But there was something different waiting for me at the end of the comic.
It was the end of the story. One and done. That was it. No cliffhanger or big reveal or plot twist to coax me into buying the next issue in 30 days. Instead, there would be a completely new story with a new monster in the next issue. I had no commitment to keep, I could stop where I was at and not spend the rest of my days wondering if Godzilla and Anguirus ever kissed and made up.
I kept the subscription and a month later, the second issue dropped. I read it, enjoyed it, and eagerly waited for each new one to arrive. There was something about reading a single issue of a comic book with a self-contained story that I had not experienced in years. It took me back to when I read comics as a kid, before multi-issue story arcs and epic crossovers turned comics into big soap operas. Seriously, even the new Mega Man comic Iâm reading goes from one arc to the next, and that one is published by Archie Comics.
It is easy to write off the feeling as nostalgia, but what I really miss is the anticipation of not knowing what is coming in the next issue. If I am reading a comic that ends with a cliffhanger, then Iâm left spending the next month or so guessing just what is going to happen next. If the story Iâm reading comes to a complete end, though, I have no idea what is going to be in that next book.
I like that. It’s sometimes fun to not know.
What’s Going On
MATT FRANK, Y U DESTROY SAN ANTONIO?
Cover art at right by the irrevocable Matt Frank!
The first in a series of (hopefully) funny YouTube videos called “High Tech Things Said by Low Tech People” is now up. Check it out!
I’m looking forward to a fun-filled time at ChimaeraCon 2012 this weekend. I will be in Artist’s Alley handing out flyers and yammering to anyone who will listen about “The Rules of Tech Support”and my other e-books.
Speaking of ‘other e-books,’ my third one, titled “FlipSide Stories” is now available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com!
FlipSide Stories is a collection of five very short stories with Twilight Zone-ish endings:
A customer discovers that “Future Service” isn’t really for him.
A young woman spends another “Saturday Night” alone in a bar where something isn’t quite right with the patrons.
There are nerds, there are geeks, and then there is the “Freako”.
A cosplayer can’t figure out what to wear and must come to a “Decision”.
A man reunites with a crush from his college years, but “Betty’s Baby” has a surprise for him.
High Tech Things Said By Low Tech People
New video series, whee!
9 Questions and Observations from Furry Fiesta 2012
Some of the observations and questions that bounced around in my head during Furry Fiesta:
âIf someone were to be tarred and feathered at a furry con, would it really be punishment?â
âYou don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, and you don’t bring human art to a furry con.â
âI think some of these characters were born in a paint store, because THE COLORS, MAN!â
âAt a furry con, the dogs have seeing eye people.â
âIt is apparently possible to play the tuba while marching in a fursuitâŚwow.â
âIf human fighter pilots say âFox-2â when launching missiles, do fox pilots say âMan-2?â
âGeez, the bronies can’t even catch a break here.â
âI think this is that âworld of pure imaginationâ that Wonka guy sang about.â
And of course, last but not least:
âIts the same, but different!â
Finally, for no particular reason, Saturday’s Fursuit Parade:
Con Talk: Furry Fiesta 2012
These long gabfests were eating up my podomatic.com storage space so its off to YouTube with them:
Con Talk 3: Furry Fiesta Pre-Game
Con Talk 4: Furry Fiesta Post-Game
RANDOM REACTION: Furry Fiesta Day 2
Guess which one is “Dr. Nuka”
Day 2 of Furry Fiesta 2012 began with a less-than promising start: the apes that were in the room above decided to start stomping around again at around 6 in the morning. I made another fruitless call to the front desk but was able to get just a little more sleep before starting the day.
I had breakfast and then attended another voiceover panel. This one was loads of fun, as everyone (that wanted to, at least) got to read copy and get feedback on their performances. I also got to learn a few technical things that I can apply to my own podcast, which was cool. It ended up being the only panel I attended all day: the âfurry psychologyâ panel filled up, and I totally forgot about another writerâs panel after running into a friend I hadnât seen in awhile.
We hung out, and as two of her friends happened to be fursuiters, I got to see them get prepared for the âfursuit paradeâ which is a procession of the various fursuiters in attendance showing off their stuff around the convention. I have even more respect for those folks now after witnessing firsthand the effort that it takes to put one on, never mind having the nerve to do so in the first place. I also led one of them (fursuits are notorious for limiting vision) to the âheadless lounge,â which is a place for fursuiters to literally cool down.
After that, I camped out with some friends and shot the breeze as we waited for the parade to begin. Once it began, we all had a ball watching them march, strut, and mug for the many cameras present. It was really fun to watch, you’ll get to see it too once I upload it and can provide a link, because the only Internet I have is what I can squeeze out of my 3G modem or borrow from restaurants during meals 
 As an aside, you have to pay for internet here at the hotel, and the “Free Lobby WiFi” doesn’t seem to work…now isn’t that a conincidence?
I finally got around to filling out the Anthropomorphic Research Project survey; there were some interesting questions to answer and Iâll be interested to see what the results are, especially since I missed their panel. The folks in the picture above ARE the researchers, and yes, that includes Dr. Nuka. I grabbed a bite to eat and then hung out at the lounge area to do some writing. I didn’t really get much done, but I did write most of this blog post, while I was there, so I got something done at least.
I donât really have much planned for tomorrow, just two panels (one on writing and one on podcasting and I may skip the podcasting one) and then itâs time to hit I-35 back to San Antonio. We plan on leaving late in the afternoon, so I may be too bushed to post my final thoughts tomorrow, but I can do that Monday morning, good thing I took the day off. đ
RANDOM REACTION: Furry Fiesta Day 1
When in Rome…
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from my first day at Furry Fiesta 2012. As mentioned during my pre-game podcast with artist Chris Holm, we really didn’t expect it to be that much different from other cons that we have been to before. So far, that has held up. Sure, the âDealer Roomâ is called a âDealerâs Denâ and fursuiters play the role that cosplayers would play at an anime con, but for the most part itâs the same song, it only goes to a furry beat.
The first thing that really impressed me about Furry Fiesta were the freebies that I received upon registering: a hard plastic badge that was of much better quality than the laminated ones one usualy gets at these things, and a 8.5 x 11-sized con book with a nice glossy cover, which made me even more happy to have my short story included in it. The inclusion of a bar of soap felt a bit like a tongue-in-cheek joke, but it is honestly something that more cons should probably do. There was also a furry survey that is apparently taken every year as part of a study on the fandom, I’ll need to fill that out and return it.
Aside from badges, the main way to identify someone is an attendee is by the wearing of a tail. Sometimes ears (the headband kind, not the âhatâ kind like Iâm wearing in the picture) and fuzzy gloves are worn as well, but tails are pretty common.
While the panels I have been to have not all been as good as I initially had hoped for, I was still pleased that there are more panels that I was actually interested in. The five panels I attended on Friday easily equaled the number of panels I might attend during the three days of an anime or comic book convention.
There seems to be more of an emphasis at Furry Fiesta on the creation of art rather than the consumption of it. Instead of attending a panel where a voice actor answers questions from fans about the shows he or she has worked on, I. can attend a panel where I can learn about voice acting, writing, and art.
There are quite a few things to do here at Furry Fiesta for someone who is interested in creating. The vast majority of the costumes are of original characters; instead of pretending to be something that is the product of another person’s imagination, attendees create their own ‘fursonas.’ Oftentimes, they only exist on paper or in artwork, but a few take the extra step of bringing their creation to life in the real world. They are known as ‘fursuiters’ and there are some REALLY good costumes out there.
The only horsefly (ba-doom, tissh) in the ointment has been the jerkasses that are staying in the room above the one I am in. I have been hearing nothing but stomping around and horseplaying last night and into the morning. Two calls to the front desk and a chat with the Furry Fiesta security guy have proven to be pretty fruitless in getting anything accomplished. To be fair, though, that is something that one experiences at all of these things, so I can’t really hold it against them. That said, I think the fact that something hasn’t been done about this reflects poorly on both the hotel and the convention. I will speak with the folks at the front desk again (and maybe even FF security) today and see if anything can be done. I got a five-hour drive tomorrow back home and I need more sleep.
But yeah, that’s a problem one comes across at any convention. Its only been the first day, but I have already had a lot of fun and even learned a new thing or two at Furry Fiesta 2012. I look forward to the remainder of the con. At this rate, I will be attending Furry Fiesta 2013 without any hesitation. If that isn’t the best compliment I can give, I don’t know what is.
Eduardo Soliz 