Elements of World Building – the Map

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The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion: Map

As a child playing jrpg’s like Final Fantasy or adventure games like Zelda, I’d always spend several minutes with the included map, gaping at the large continent and the smaller islands scattered over some imaginary ocean.

I loved looking at the mountains and rivers and villages, ancient ruins and mysterious caves, anxious to start my adventure as a character dropped off at some random point with nothing but a sword and a sack.

Even today, when I start reading a new fantasy novel, I obsess over that first page with the map of the world, trying to remember the locations of roads and cities that I’m certain the protagonist would visit.

So seeing that I have this passion, it surprises me that one of the mistakes I made when I first started writing fantasy was not truly mapping out the world […]

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Top 5 Most Powerful Weapons from Video Games by Jason Green

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The Legend of Zelda: Link

What would a hero be without their trusty weapon?

Nothing. Unless, of course, that hero uses fists like Saitama in the anime One Punch Man.

Video game characters usually get all the credit when people write about them, and little love is usually given to the tools that helped these heroes win their various battles.

That’s why in this article, let’s take a look at the top 5 most powerful fantasy weapons that have ever existed in the world of fictional video games.

BFG 9000 – Doom

Doom 4: BFG

Let’s kick off this list with a real powerful weapon called BFG 9000.

This weapon is so powerful that game developers thought they’d give it some sort of numerical advantage over others.

The BFG or “Big F***ing Gun” first appeared in the original Doom game to allow players to […]

Posted in: Games

Writing like Usain Bolt Running a 200m Olympic Final

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Usain Bolt in Olympics 2016

The journey has been made. The torch has been lit. Now it’s time for the world’s best athletes to compete in the greatest show of skill known to mankind.

The Olympics is always a thrill to watch, and while I respect champions like Michael Phelps, Andy Murray and Simone Biles, I don’t hold every sport equally exciting.

The one discipline that’s always caught my attention and I always look out for above all others is the 200m sprint.

It blows me away to witness human beings barrelling down a track at seemingly impossible speeds to a finish line in under 20 seconds. Of course, the world record and fastest man to date is none other than Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Once again he’s proved to the world that there is no one faster, and seeing him win the 100m and 200m events made […]

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Top Science Fiction Fantasy Games at E3 2016

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E3

The biggest gaming expo of the year takes place every June and I’m always excited to watch it.

I already bought my PS4 so I want to know what game developers are working on and what to keep my eye out for. Of course, the games I’m focusing on are science fiction fantasy.

But after checking out the conferences on Youtube, I was left wondering if these guys need more staff (yes, I’m looking at you, Nintendo).

This year’s E3 wasn’t one of the best, but there were still some good stuff to nod a head at.

I won’t be highlighting any games that are already well known, so as great as they are, that criteria disqualifies Scalebound, For Honor, Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian, and Final Fantasy XV.

So here’re the top science fiction fantasy games of E3 2016.

God of War 4 (ps4)

Everyone’s favourite Greek God […]

Posted in: Games

Overview on Chronicles of the Cursed Crown

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Chronicles of the Cursed Crown

So if you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you’ve probably heard me mention the short story collection Chronicles of the Cursed Crown.

But what exactly is it, and what does it have to do with the novel Guardian of the Cursed Crown?

Today I’ll give an overview about the collection and what you can expect from it.

The Collection

Chronicles of the Cursed Crown is a collection of eight individual short stories that occurred years, sometimes even centuries before Larsen dug Gwen from her grave and carried her into Desanorbis.

I say individual because each stands on its own as an entire story, with a beginning, a climax, and an ending, yet they are all connected in some way. One story might have a character that appears in the main novel, and another might be about a place that Larsen encounters during his […]

Posted in: Stories

Writing Update May 2016

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Image courtesy of blackzheep at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Unbelievable that it’s May already.

It feels like the year just started and in a couple of days, months sped by.

This post is an update I plan to do every four months, not only to keep you guys informed on the progress of my writing, but also to give myself a report on how things are going, see where I’ve placed too much focus, and where I need to pick up the slack.

Writing Progress

Unfortunately I haven’t switched back to my main novel Guardian of the Cursed Crown yet. Things have picked up so much in my life that writing has really taken a step back, the major change being the birth of my son Demarion.

Yes, I’m now a father, and it’s a great milestone. But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up writing. I just need to juggle it.

Currently […]

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Game of Thrones Season 6 Prep: Top 5 Moments of Season 5

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HBO’s Game of Thrones

It’s April, and you know what that means?

Winter is coming.

No, I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about Game of Thrones… Yess!

Season 6 is due to start this month, and fans like me have already watched the trailer, analysed it, and watched it again. I still can’t get the phrase “I choose violence” out of my mind.

So are you ready for some great sword slashing, dragon flying, Jon Snow dying action?

I know I am.

As we anticipate April 24th, let’s take a look back and recap the top 5 moments of Game of Thrones Season 5.

Warning: This article is full with spoilers so read on only if you’ve watched all five seasons.

Cersei Confesses Her Sins

Game of Thrones: Cersei confesses her sins

As the bitter, jealous, wicked witch of King’s Landing, Queen […]

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5 Reasons Why Fallout 4 is Awesome

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Fallout 4

I’ve been a gamer ever since my brother Vonrick introduced me to Atari way back in 1995.

A lot has changed since then, the main thing being that I don’t have as much time to play anymore.

It’s unfortunate, because this is a great time to be a gamer. They’ve developed far beyond what I ever thought possible while growing up, both in graphics and gameplay.

So because of my constraints, I really have to be picky about the games I’m investing my time in.

After much consideration, I decided that the winner of current generation gaming is Sony’s PS4.

I went ahead and bought one, and the first game on my list is Fallout 4.

I’m absolutely hooked.

Why?

Well, here are 5 reasons why Fallout 4 is awesome.

Post-Apocalyptic Open World Boston

Fallout 4: Open World Boston

Open world is a style […]

Posted in: Games

6 Reasons Why Star Wars the Force Awakens is just like Star Wars A New Hope

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Today’s article is a guest post by my brother Vonrick. He’s a big Star Wars fan (as are we all) and wanted to voice his concerns about the new movie The Force Awakens. Here’s what he has to say:

The Force is with us again, and that means we get to revel in more lightsaber swinging, laser blasting, Millennium Falcon flying action.

But for those of us who grew up in the 80’s, all this recent activity looks kind of familiar. The new Star Wars movie echoes a lot of events from the original released way back in 1977.

Now it’s good to learn from past success and give the audience more of what they want, but that’s no reason to dust off the carbonite copy and use it as a template. Even Han Solo could tell you that carbonite isn’t that […]

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