Hallows Eve >:3 Part |

BOOOOOoooooOOoooOOoOOoOoo...!!!  That was to wake myself up more than you circus freaks because I haven't posted in a while.  So this month is Hallows Eve (or Halloween, Day of the Dead, etc.) and there is a lot of random news I'd very much appreciate sharing.

Gamer News:

-I bought Dishonored.  Part of the reason I haven't been doing this.  No regrets.

If you haven't heard of this game, played it, or watched playthroughs, DO-IT.  This is such an amazing game that I will start repeating myself very soon on how completely epic it is.  "Steampunk beats all" is one of my favourite quotes, by myself actually ;)  and it's complemented so well by sneak attack/assassination and time-traveling.  If Skyrim, Alice the Madness Returns, and Assassins Creed had a baby, Dishonored would be it.

Minecraft is getting a neat update, "Pretty Scary Update", on October 24, full with nearly perfected things and sounds, including some of my personal favourites, bats, witches (and their houses), and anvils (only cause you can kill with them).  But you've probably seen enough spotlight/update videos on youtube so you don't need me to tell you about it.  I will still leave a link at the bottom for the yogscast vid, cause it's hilarious as always.

Hallos Eve News:

I like the way Hallows Eve sounds better than Halloween.  Just cause.  I accidentally started calling "trick-or-treaters" "halloweeners"... so if someone gives you a weird look after saying that, you can blame me.

Every year my family, a huge group of friends, and I pull together a grand haunted house in our driveway and sometime garage/courtyard.  We build all the walls from wood and cardboard form stores and use a nicely crafted story line to make an experience unlike other haunted houses.  Usually our theme/story is inspired/based on a scary movie that came out the same year, but rarely -like this year- we make up our own because ideas for it keep growing.  The theme is a secret, but I can promise you it has a nice ghost-story background, and has something to do with the thing that makes we most violent.  Clowns.  I hate them, ever since I was 2 and it should be a great Halloween for everyone, except maybe the friends who play the clowns.  Also, I am writing a short story that details the back story for this haunted house and will be up on figment.com soon.

OH YEAH, figment, I have been busy.  I have just posted my favourite & cleaned up POEMS ON FIGMENT!! It would be awesome if you all read and commented on my stories and heart them if you like! *I would LOVE to hear what you guys think on there!* Figment is a great, safe environment for upcoming or published authors, and links will be below!

That should be all for this moment, wow, when I started I told myself to write a quick post... no 'achievement get' for me then...

All my figment magic:

http://figment.com/users/253777-Alex-Kelly        --my page.  Follow to read new stories!(all poems here)

http://figment.com/books/431917-Jack

http://figment.com/books/445098-I-Killed-Herman-Mildew-the-Cannibal

http://dailyfig.figment.com/false-memory-design-challenge/          --mine's the first one by "Alex"

The YOgscast Update Videos: (Part 1 & 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOWGMeVy-pw&feature=g-user-u

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAraTdatlbY&feature=plcp

Playing: Dishonored & Minecraft

Listening to: Steam Powered Giraffe

Watching: Youtube

-Xela

D & D - Hells Yeah!

My friends and I began playing D&D last night and it was extremely fun!  And before you say anything, NO this is not going to be like a facebook update, this will actually tell you something important.

I highly recomend you and your buddies huddle down and play D&D but there are a few checkpoints you should go through first, to ensure a more successful game play:

-Have an experienced dungeon master that knows-what-he/she-is-doing

-Play in a large area on the floor w/ a whiteboard and markers.  For the layout of special places, drawing a grid (usually 1" by 1") is helpful.

-Use www.wizard.com/dnd      it is very-very-very useful for character creation etc!

-Snacks.  No questions, you will want them and you will need them.  Usually some type of caffeinated substance.

Extra Optional Items:

-Each person has their own notebook.  We used these to make notes on everything.  Very handy.

-Lighting control for the Dungeon Master.  It may sound silly or excessive, but we tried it and helped everyone immediately immerse into the game.

-Maybe wear some costumes?  We haven't done this yet but I think everyone wearing cloaks kinda makes the whole feel come together.  And you're all friends so you guys can all understand each other's craziness ;)

Hope you enjoy playing and if you circus freaks want, I'll post some updates on our game!  And may the odds be EVER in your favour! *I know that's not for D&D...oh well!

Listening to: AVP cover of One Night

Watching: Yogscast & Tobuscus on Youtube

-Xela

Musical, Readable, and Artful News!

There is a new book coming out (along with many others), I'm posting my first few Two Sided Circus Freak videos, and I have a fan-art drawing video all for you circus freaks, and really quite soon too!

So aside from my favourite authors (J.K. Rowling and all three of the Merry Fates) another author somewhere in my Top-10 list of favourites is Neal Shusterman.  He wrote the "Skinjacker Trilogy" -terribly exiting and the ghost logic was beautiful- many, many others, and "Unwind".  Shusterman's sequel (I say his last name in my head when I type it because it's entertaining) to the thrilling book Unwind (that I actually didn't know was going to exist until recently) is coming out August 28 2012.  It's called "Unwholly" and I really can't wait to read it!

Along with continuing the story line, it introduces another character to the gang of Connor, Risa, and Lev, named Cam.  He is "made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds" and thus struggles to determine if he has a soul. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13545075-unwholly) For more of a description.

The first of many to come of the Two Sided Circus Freak videos will be a sneak peak of Ent (One of Emily's many nick-names) and me playing a part of one of our original songs "Memories and Coffee".  But it's a sneak peak, so that's all I can tell you, or I'd have to kill you... *squint with raised eyebrows*

Lastly for this post, my latest art video is a fan-art of a great anime, Vampire Knight.  It's of Yuki, the main girl character, and it unfortunately doesn't really represent the dark, haunted vibe the show gives you, because she's not only smiling and winking, she's giving you the peace sign.  How bi-polar.  I hope you guys enjoy both of the youtube videos that should be out in the next couple of days!

Lost the game!

-Xela

Finally! Art 'tis here!

So as you might have seen on youtube already, my very first copic drawing has been uploaded!  Yay! *the sound of one man clapping* and there will be many more to come.  (I am thinking about posting 2 art vids every week and 1 vlog every week, but we'll see).

There is a very short back-story to the uploading though, so here is it is.

I had finally finished editing, early in the morning, and began publishing on my head-ache-causing movie-maker around 11:30.  As soon as it completed, I uploaded it to youtube and that finished around 4pm.  Then Youtube rudely told me the video was too long.  I had to re-edit and re-publish and finish with a re-upload.  I recognize this is just me grumbling, but oh well!  

SO go check out my art video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuiRhGvpa1k&list=FLuO8MwiQZx_uhKIK4cFyvlQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Lost the game!

-Xela

30 Minutes Late -Thanks Procrastination!

As my title says, it is all the evil curse/demon of Procrastination that has cause me to be 30-ish minutes late to posting this blog that I had set a personal goal for.  Nargles*.  

So yesterday was Harry Potter's Birthday, and i really hope you guys celebrated!  I congratulated him on facebook and twitter, but I was unable to do more.

I just finished editing my introduction vlog, so it should be on my channel -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuO8MwiQZx_uhKIK4cFyvlQ- sooner than later.

Lastly, 1.3 Minecraft Update was released early!! Instead of August 3 (as my previous post noted) it came out today -well yesterday, because I was far too busy playing minecraft with it's new trip wires, writable books, coco beans in jungle trees, spontaneous portal-lingering pigmen, and so much bloody more.  You should really just stop reading and play it already.  Maybe finish reading this then go.

I just wanted to mention all of that in one post, and I'm sorry I was so late with the new minecraft news, so most of you have probably already figured this out... Oh well.

*Nargles is something I will say that means "dang it" or "shoot".  Sorry for the confusion.

Lost the Game!

-Xela

Minecraft 1.3 Update Release Date - Boo-yeah!

There has been many interesting, near game-changing snapshots that all minecrafters –me being one of them- cannot wait for to be in the real game.  Snapshots aren’t added into the game, updates are.  There have been 20 different snapshots and it has finally been announced they will all be introduced to the game August 3 in the bang-up 1.3 update.  I for one am completely looking forward to big features like trip wires, writeable books, and the internal server.  Please check out the minecraft forums page for more info about this update.

1.3 Update – The highlights from all the snapshots, the rest is mainly nice bug fixes:

- The game now runs an internal server in single-player mode

- The single-player server can be shared on LAN, with LAN server detection

- Made it possible to use client-side commands by enabling cheats (this is defaulted as disabled for old worlds)

- Added an optional “bonus chest” to get started quicker

- It’s now possible to trade with villagers. Added emeralds as a currency ß crazy awesome, right?  Unless you’ve also played the technic pack, then it’s only slightly different.

- You gain enchantment orbs from other tasks than just destroying monsters. Max enchantment level has been decreased to 30

- Servers can automatically suggest and distribute texture packs

- Added new world map elements (does not need a new map, but they’ll only appear in new areas)

- Added cocoa beans <-- seems like it should have been there a while ago…

- Added an Ender chest

- Added tripwire

- Stairs and levers can be placed up-side-down

- Wooden logs can be placed sideways   <-- Wha---??? That is actually just what I needed!   Jeb can read my mind…

 Listening to: Be My Escape (Relient K)

Lost the game!

-Xela

The Curiosities, The Merry Fates, and Upcoming Books

Ok circus freaks!  Here's some fantastic news for you all-

If you lot haven't checked out this website then I am ordering you to.  Now.  No questions, just go.  (The rest of this blog post is about them, but if you read their blog then you'll know what I'm talking about

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/

Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff are three of my all-time favourite authors.  Together, they make up The Merry Fates, which wrote hundreds of insanely, bloody good short stories.  The Curiosities is their collaborated book that is going to come out soon and I am utterly exited!

The Raven Boys is Maggie's newest book, coming out in September 18, 2012.  On her blog you can find any and all info on these two books that I truly encourage you to get when they are out.


P.S. Just in case you missed it earlier: http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/

Listening to:

Elle Me Dit by Mika

Lost the game!

-aoneX

The Hunger Games - Finnick Odair

As Harry Potter is and forever will be, my favourite book&movie series, the Hunger Games were bloody good books.  I read them a while ago so it was great to see the first made into a good movie.  The second is coming out this year *Note: I normally will not post about current pop-culture events because this blog is more about writing and drawing etc.* and they have finally cast Finnick Odair: Sam Claflin.  He is near perfection for this role!!! My personal opinion -before I even considered him- was Alex Pettefyer.  Sam is the hot religious guy who fell for the awesome mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (love those movies like crazy too) and also he is the prince/childhood friend in the new Snow White. I felt like I had to blog about this to see what you all thought.  I hope you guys are as exited and happy with this decision as I am, and even though he wasn't really noticed in the fandom of Hunger Games, he fits right in.

Lost the Game!

-Xela Donnovan

The Curse of Writer's Block

Do you sit down to write but nothing appears on the screen?

Do you write for hours only to realize your either rambling or at a dead end?

Do you find it hard to either get inside your character's minds or know what's coming next?

You may just have writer's block.  The words send chills down the spines of all writers alike.  Recently I've had some problems  with continuing my current book project thanks to writer's block, however, I have come up with a few ways to help cope with this dreadful situation.

1) Pause your thoughts on the current story (this takes a lot of practice) and try writing a completely different short story or paragraph.  It helps get your mind unstuck on the same story, and sometimes when you come back to it you have a new way to see the story and a bunch of magical ideas for it.  This isn't for everyone and I can understand why, but it works for me so it would be interesting to know if I'm not the only crazy one out there ;)

2) Look into your characters.  They may bot be developed to their full potential or could just be too unrealistic (thank you E-Claire for thinking about that one -www.e-claire.blogspot.com).

3) Go see a good movie.  I suggest The Amazing Spider-Man because I just received the biggest break-through with one of my main characters in Fallen Embers -www.fallenembersmovie.webs.com.  and I am very happy.  Also, it was an Amazing movie!!! (see what I did there?  Never mind...).  Seriously though, sometimes a well-developed movie with strong characters, an interesting plot, and a fitting mood will give you ideas.  I am defiantly not suggesting you use any direct material, but something that holds your attention might make you see what your story is lacking.

That's all I have for the curse of writer's block right now, but maybe later I'll create a writer's block-prevention spell or symbol...   (I've been recently obsessed with the show Supernaturals).

Indrotuction!

        Nice to meet you all!  I'm Aonex -my video gamer name- Xela Donnovan -my pen name.  Please read my "About Me" section for a kind of pre-intro.

      

        Here I will post many random things, the majority will be short scenes or back stories with characters I've created in by books.

        The main purpose of this whole blog is to talk about my books that I'm writing, current drawings, projects, movies/short films... you see where this is going.  Of course nothing scan stop me from posting some random crap about anything I feel like, as in video games (exiting news on Minecraft or Elder Scrolls maybe?).  Either way I hope you will enjoy the posts and find them, entertaining at the least ;D    I will try to set dead-lines for my self (Dead-lines save my life sometimes) and that will make this whole process easier.

        In extra news I am in a band and will definitely be posting a bunch about us, we are Two Sided Circus Freaks -tm. 

        If you wish to commission me for an art drawing or contact me for any reason, please message me on deviantART or a private message through the second link below.

Some basic links I happily refer you to:

www.aonex.deviantart.com

http://fallenembersmovie.webs.com/

www.youtube.com/aonex     -I will begin to post my art videos and hopefully start a vlog.

Lost the game!

-@oneX