First morning awakening in New York. Out our window is the start of the Williamsburg Bridge, so close it obscures the view of anything bar the people/cyclists/cars and trains crossing it below our room. And yet surprisingly quiet, so I've slept well.
We flew into JFK, on a journey that was beautifully sunny, reaching the American coastline somewhere around New England and following it south. As we came down to land the individual houses below, set apart from each other and constructed of wooden timbers painted white and so different from the bunched up houses and streets of the UK, immediately set the scene. Stepping off the plane we were greater with warm air, and as we got our cab into the city the colours in the late day Sun seemed a little brighter, the air cleaner, the colours brighter. I have my honeymoon head on, I know, but it was lovely to be greater by such good weather.
As we finally approached the city the iconic skyline was backed by an incredible sunset. Photos taken on my phone from a moving taxi didn't do it a great deal of justice and, to be honest, I think by the time I considered taking a photo after just soaking up the visual effect I'd maybe have missed the best opportunity. I figure people know what the skyline of New York looks like, or can at least identify the Empire State and Chrystler buildings, but seeing the icons in real life, lit up against a darkening orange and pink dusk, there was no way I'd capture that moment so gave up trying to line up a blurry image through my camera phone and enjoyed the view unobscured.
Crossing over the water into the city proper, the sky now a deep blue, we sat in traffic for another 10-20 minutes, stll afforded glimpses of a much closer skyline and potential photo opportunities as we crept along the bridge. Although the city felt much more like London than the general American landscape represents the British one, the soundtrack of passing radio stations, most noteably the sounds of US radio hosts, immediately reminded we were in this strange fascinating world I've only really witnessed in film, TV and games like GTA before. It didn't take long to aclimbatise, but it's impossible to escape the sensation of being in a world I've spent 40 years only witnessing on a screen, a world that's pretty much been peopled by fictional characters. In many ways it's like stepping into a modern day fairy tale, allowing for the fact I always knew these tales had a real world grounding.
After watching Neil Patrick Harris presenting a show modelled so much on Saturday Night Takeaway that Ant and Dec appeared in it (but so much better because, hell, Neil Patrick Harris) we spent the evening wandering, trying to keep awake in order to better. Carol showed me the area she used to work in, and walked us up Wall Street, then after a quick bite to eat in a TGI Friday (suspicially quiet for a Friday Night) we headed back to the waterfront from where could see the Statue of Liberty. We walked around a bit more - it's greener and feels more open than I was expecting, with the sounds of crickets coming from every bush or shrub - and then got a taxi back with a driver with no idea where we were going. One thing that I noticed, something I've read about, and seen depicted in New York inspired art and photography, is the constant desire to just look upwards at the building. Apparently looking upward is a really touristy thing to do, but it's difficult not to constantly look up in awe.
Having a lazy morning so far. I have to say, American ads are pretty damn cool.
Will try to upload some pictures today. We forgot to pick up plug adaptors at the airport, so had to buy some whilst we were out in order to recharge our phones (we didn't get the chance on the plane). I imagine we'll look super touristy.
Saturday, 19 September 2015
First morning awakening in New York. Out our window is the start of the Williamsburg Bridge, so close it obscures the view of anything bar the people/cyclists/cars and trains crossing it below our room. And yet surprisingly quiet, so I've slept well.
We flew into JFK, on a journey that was beautifully sunny, reaching the American coastline somewhere around New England and following it south. As we came down to land the individual houses below, set apart from each other and constructed of wooden timbers painted white and so different from the bunched up houses and streets of the UK, immediately set the scene. Stepping off the plane we were greater with warm air, and as we got our cab into the city the colours in the late day Sun seemed a little brighter, the air cleaner, the colours brighter. I have my honeymoon head on, I know, but it was lovely to be greater by such good weather.
As we finally approached the city the iconic skyline was backed by an incredible sunset. Photos taken on my phone from a moving taxi didn't do it a great deal of justice and, to be honest, I think by the time I considered taking a photo after just soaking up the visual effect I'd maybe have missed the best opportunity. I figure people know what the skyline of New York looks like, or can at least identify the Empire State and Chrystler buildings, but seeing the icons in real life, lit up against a darkening orange and pink dusk, there was no way I'd capture that moment so gave up trying to line up a blurry image through my camera phone and enjoyed the view unobscured.
Crossing over the water into the city proper, the sky now a deep blue, we sat in traffic for another 10-20 minutes, stll afforded glimpses of a much closer skyline and potential photo opportunities as we crept along the bridge. Although the city felt much more like London than the general American landscape represents the British one, the soundtrack of passing radio stations, most noteably the sounds of US radio hosts, immediately reminded we were in this strange fascinating world I've only really witnessed in film, TV and games like GTA before. It didn't take long to aclimbatise, but it's impossible to escape the sensation of being in a world I've spent 40 years only witnessing on a screen, a world that's pretty much been peopled by fictional characters. In many ways it's like stepping into a modern day fairy tale, allowing for the fact I always knew these tales had a real world grounding.
After watching Neil Patrick Harris presenting a show modelled so much on Saturday Night Takeaway that Ant and Dec appeared in it (but so much better because, hell, Neil Patrick Harris) we spent the evening wandering, trying to keep awake in order to better. Carol showed me the area she used to work in, and walked us up Wall Street, then after a quick bite to eat in a TGI Friday (suspicially quiet for a Friday Night) we headed back to the waterfront from where could see the Statue of Liberty. We walked around a bit more - it's greener and feels more open than I was expecting, with the sounds of crickets coming from every bush or shrub - and then got a taxi back with a driver with no idea where we were going. One thing that I noticed, something I've read about, and seen depicted in New York inspired art and photography, is the constant desire to just look upwards at the building. Apparently looking upward is a really touristy thing to do, but it's difficult not to constantly look up in awe.
Having a lazy morning so far. I have to say, American ads are pretty damn cool.
Will try to upload some pictures today. We forgot to pick up plug adaptors at the airport, so had to buy some whilst we were out in order to recharge our phones (we didn't get the chance on the plane). I imagine we'll look super touristy.
We flew into JFK, on a journey that was beautifully sunny, reaching the American coastline somewhere around New England and following it south. As we came down to land the individual houses below, set apart from each other and constructed of wooden timbers painted white and so different from the bunched up houses and streets of the UK, immediately set the scene. Stepping off the plane we were greater with warm air, and as we got our cab into the city the colours in the late day Sun seemed a little brighter, the air cleaner, the colours brighter. I have my honeymoon head on, I know, but it was lovely to be greater by such good weather.
As we finally approached the city the iconic skyline was backed by an incredible sunset. Photos taken on my phone from a moving taxi didn't do it a great deal of justice and, to be honest, I think by the time I considered taking a photo after just soaking up the visual effect I'd maybe have missed the best opportunity. I figure people know what the skyline of New York looks like, or can at least identify the Empire State and Chrystler buildings, but seeing the icons in real life, lit up against a darkening orange and pink dusk, there was no way I'd capture that moment so gave up trying to line up a blurry image through my camera phone and enjoyed the view unobscured.
Crossing over the water into the city proper, the sky now a deep blue, we sat in traffic for another 10-20 minutes, stll afforded glimpses of a much closer skyline and potential photo opportunities as we crept along the bridge. Although the city felt much more like London than the general American landscape represents the British one, the soundtrack of passing radio stations, most noteably the sounds of US radio hosts, immediately reminded we were in this strange fascinating world I've only really witnessed in film, TV and games like GTA before. It didn't take long to aclimbatise, but it's impossible to escape the sensation of being in a world I've spent 40 years only witnessing on a screen, a world that's pretty much been peopled by fictional characters. In many ways it's like stepping into a modern day fairy tale, allowing for the fact I always knew these tales had a real world grounding.
After watching Neil Patrick Harris presenting a show modelled so much on Saturday Night Takeaway that Ant and Dec appeared in it (but so much better because, hell, Neil Patrick Harris) we spent the evening wandering, trying to keep awake in order to better. Carol showed me the area she used to work in, and walked us up Wall Street, then after a quick bite to eat in a TGI Friday (suspicially quiet for a Friday Night) we headed back to the waterfront from where could see the Statue of Liberty. We walked around a bit more - it's greener and feels more open than I was expecting, with the sounds of crickets coming from every bush or shrub - and then got a taxi back with a driver with no idea where we were going. One thing that I noticed, something I've read about, and seen depicted in New York inspired art and photography, is the constant desire to just look upwards at the building. Apparently looking upward is a really touristy thing to do, but it's difficult not to constantly look up in awe.
Having a lazy morning so far. I have to say, American ads are pretty damn cool.
Will try to upload some pictures today. We forgot to pick up plug adaptors at the airport, so had to buy some whilst we were out in order to recharge our phones (we didn't get the chance on the plane). I imagine we'll look super touristy.
Thursday, 6 August 2015
(there's other stuff in the pipeline, some of which has got really good feedback, but let's concentrate on one thing at a time)
The Things We Leave Behind is an anthology of five dark scenarios for the table top RPG Call of Cthulhu. It is recommended for mature audiences. I've written one of the scenarios, Roots, which is perhaps the darkest and most uncomfortable thing I've ever written.
What is a table top RPG?
I'm using this term to differentiate from computer games which are described as RPGs. A table top RPG is a game where a bunch of friends sit around a table and play a game together, most of them creating characters and describing their interactions with a storyline not unlike that of a computer game, but presented to them by another player rather than a computer. They often roll dice and write things on bits of paper.
What is a Cthulhu?
In case you've read this word before and have no idea what Cthulhu means, then here's a brief description. Cthulhu is a fictional creature, an alien, gigantic in size, that roamed the earth before humans evolved, and has been followed by secretive cults ever since, and though it is now trapped beneath the sea it will eventually rise again ("when the stars are right"). But, to strip away all the drama, it's a giant octopus-headed bipedal devil god thing with bat wings. Like Godzilla in fancy dress.
Okay, so what is Call of Cthulhu?
The game Call of Cthulhu gets it's name from the story The Call of Cthulhu, written in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft, detailing investigations into the various cults that worship Cthulhu, and evidence of the dreams the creature could send to sensitive minds; it includes an account of a sailor who witnesses Cthulhu briefly when its tomb temporarily rises above the waves. The game is based around this and other related stories by H.P. Lovecraft, and other authors like him, that suggests the world is inhabited by all sorts of horrors, mostly alien, that have been here before humanity was, and will eventually reclaim the world, dispelling the illusion of a rational world. The game, like the stories, tend to have a high concentration of characters driven mad, assuming they don't stumble into a dangerous, hungry, inhuman monster and get themselves devoured first. Collectively these creatures, the inhuman gods they worship (and that definitely exist), and the strange sci-fi technology and arcane magics that spring from the knowledge of such things are known as The Cthulhu Mythos.
What is The Things We Leave Behind?
It's a book being produced by Stygian Fox, with five scenarios that are set in the world of the Call of Cthulhu game, but highlight the fact that humans are just as capable of doing horrible things as the creatures of The Cthulhu Mythos. That's not to say that there aren't horrible creatures in the stories, merely that they coexist alongside the evil that man is capable of doing to each other. The mature label is to indicate that there's some dark stuff in here. It's easy to dismiss horror about horrible creatures from the deep, but stories that touch on abducted children or missing teenagers hit a little closer to home.
What is the scenario Roots about?
I can't say too much about it without spoiling the game for potential players, but the premise of the scenario is that a teenaged girl, probably related to one of the player characters, goes missing during a camping trip with friends in the woods. The characters are contacted by her desperate mother to go out and find her. It's a horror story, a mystery... I'm sure you can imagine the sorts of dark places that this story could go.
It does tap slightly into my love of fairy-tales, one in particular, but it eschews the happy ever afters. It also had a little inspiration from a number of horror films which I can't name here, again for fear of spoiling the investigation (which, in part, resembles the remake of one of those films, though I hadn't seen it at the time of writing). When the first season of True Detective came out soon after I'd finished writing it I did wonder if they might follow a similar trajectory... again, I can't say too much but there is a similar off-the-beaten-track' vibe to it. The town in the scenario is named after a rock song I'm a fan of, and which has since been the song played for the first dance at my wedding, and there's at least one other joke name in the story for anyone who likes a bit of word play.
I pushed myself well out of my comfort zone to write the piece, to imagine something that would make me feel uncomfortable if I were to witness it in a film, read it in a book or stumble across it in a game where I was playing an investigator. So if some of it comes across as being creepy then rest assured, I found it creepy too. I'd recommend anyone thinking of running the scenario to carefully consider how it might affect certain players. The bad guys in the story have screwed up moral compasses, and will tend to be more predatory towards certain investigators. It might be kind to 'draw a veil' over their eventual fates.
All that said, here's a link to the Kickstarter campaign. If I've intrigued you, please give it a look and consider throwing money at us.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stephaniemcalea/the-things-we-leave-behind-for-call-of-cthulhu/description
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Not Riding The Wave
I want to make this short because the more time I spend on this the less time I have free to spend on actual productive writing.
I like to write stories. I constantly think up new stories, make notes, do research. But I really struggle to maintain the momentum. I feel like the surfer who is waiting for the perfect wave, sitting on his board, feeling the stir of the water, watching the level ride. Every time I can feel, you know, this is the one. I’m going to ride this one out. I’m going to get on my feet and give it my best shot. And each time it climbs up, and I chicken out, I don’t rise to the challenge, I let it wash past me and the level fall again.
There are a few reasons. Firstly I get distracted, by other waves. I start thinking I could devote my energies to chasing after another cool looking wave and then another, and so I spend a lot of time paddling around in circles. Secondly, although I love the idea of riding the wave, catching the momentum, the wind in my hair, I doubt my own abilities. I know I am not a surfer. I know that I’ll need to stand up and fall off a few times before I gain the canny instincts to ride a wave out to the shoreline, but I’m terrified of making an idiot of myself. And thirdly, I guess with the dawn of social media, in particularly Twitter, I’m now painfully aware how many other surfers there are out there that are ‘professional’, that I shouldn’t even be taking people’s time up to talk to them about it when I’m really just a pretender, makes me embarrassed to even be seen presuming I’ll be able to surf with the best of them.
I’ve had a few kicks up the arse recently, that are making me think there’s another wave coming, and I’m hoping I can hone the discipline to stand on my own two feet, and aim for shore… John Niven, in this week’s ShortList magazine, says “The idea that everybody has a novel in them… if you’ve only got a novel in you, I’m not interested”, reminding me of all the half-finished stories I’ve got floating in limbo, some barely committed to digital media, some just lingering on note books or as ideas in my head, that I could be telling… but perhaps more importantly he says “If you’re writing a novel and you don’t have a bit of apprehension – because you’re treading in some fairly huge footsteps – then you’re an idiot. I ran from writing.” I’ve been running from writing for a long time. And that doesn’t even fit with my surfing analogy.
I know I’ve got to discipline myself, and not worry so much about what everyone else thinks, so I’ll likely cut down on the social media for a bit (or, at least, tone it the fuck down). Let this post serve as a note to others, but mostly as a reminder to myself.
Hi. My name is Simon. I write stories. I write shitty little analogies. And, hopefully, one day I’ll write something you enjoy reading.
Incidentally, some of my writings can be found here: http://psibreaker.tumblr.com/post/61009399446
I like to write stories. I constantly think up new stories, make notes, do research. But I really struggle to maintain the momentum. I feel like the surfer who is waiting for the perfect wave, sitting on his board, feeling the stir of the water, watching the level ride. Every time I can feel, you know, this is the one. I’m going to ride this one out. I’m going to get on my feet and give it my best shot. And each time it climbs up, and I chicken out, I don’t rise to the challenge, I let it wash past me and the level fall again.
There are a few reasons. Firstly I get distracted, by other waves. I start thinking I could devote my energies to chasing after another cool looking wave and then another, and so I spend a lot of time paddling around in circles. Secondly, although I love the idea of riding the wave, catching the momentum, the wind in my hair, I doubt my own abilities. I know I am not a surfer. I know that I’ll need to stand up and fall off a few times before I gain the canny instincts to ride a wave out to the shoreline, but I’m terrified of making an idiot of myself. And thirdly, I guess with the dawn of social media, in particularly Twitter, I’m now painfully aware how many other surfers there are out there that are ‘professional’, that I shouldn’t even be taking people’s time up to talk to them about it when I’m really just a pretender, makes me embarrassed to even be seen presuming I’ll be able to surf with the best of them.
I’ve had a few kicks up the arse recently, that are making me think there’s another wave coming, and I’m hoping I can hone the discipline to stand on my own two feet, and aim for shore… John Niven, in this week’s ShortList magazine, says “The idea that everybody has a novel in them… if you’ve only got a novel in you, I’m not interested”, reminding me of all the half-finished stories I’ve got floating in limbo, some barely committed to digital media, some just lingering on note books or as ideas in my head, that I could be telling… but perhaps more importantly he says “If you’re writing a novel and you don’t have a bit of apprehension – because you’re treading in some fairly huge footsteps – then you’re an idiot. I ran from writing.” I’ve been running from writing for a long time. And that doesn’t even fit with my surfing analogy.
I know I’ve got to discipline myself, and not worry so much about what everyone else thinks, so I’ll likely cut down on the social media for a bit (or, at least, tone it the fuck down). Let this post serve as a note to others, but mostly as a reminder to myself.
Hi. My name is Simon. I write stories. I write shitty little analogies. And, hopefully, one day I’ll write something you enjoy reading.
Incidentally, some of my writings can be found here: http://psibreaker.tumblr.com/post/61009399446
Monday, 5 November 2012
Hello.
If I'm honest I rarely use this blog. If I want to chat about stuff it ocassionally ends up here, but you're more likely to find me at Twitter, on Facebook, or on my pages on Tumblr.
If you want to get hold of me you can probably do so at one of those places, and the chances are you'll already be able to find me there through my email address or real name. However, if you've come to this website looking for something vaguely creative you can find some of my written bits and pieces (along with a few pictures, mostly borrowed from other sources, but some photoshopped by myself) at http://deepblueseed.tumblr.com
Thank you.
Si
If I'm honest I rarely use this blog. If I want to chat about stuff it ocassionally ends up here, but you're more likely to find me at Twitter, on Facebook, or on my pages on Tumblr.
If you want to get hold of me you can probably do so at one of those places, and the chances are you'll already be able to find me there through my email address or real name. However, if you've come to this website looking for something vaguely creative you can find some of my written bits and pieces (along with a few pictures, mostly borrowed from other sources, but some photoshopped by myself) at http://deepblueseed.tumblr.com
Thank you.
Si
Monday, 16 April 2012
Reasons to be cheerful: Babies and zombies
Between lack of internet connection at home (except on my new smartphone) and busy social life and trying to commit some of my spare time to writing, I don't blog as much as I'd like. However, two key bits of news are that a. I'm now an uncle. Hooray! And b. I finally found a short five minute zombie film I'm in online.
I'm not going to say too much about the former, although I'm excited, just to respect the privacy of the parents, but I'll say a little about the latter. Although filmed after my debut zombie acting, in forthcoming film Cockneys Versus Zombies, it was a short project, filmed within a day, and edited for Frightfest 2011, a few months later.
It's been pointed out my name isn't in the credits, which is a bit of a bummer, but on the plus side I do get an impressive few seconds of screen time - I'm the zombie towards the end of the five minute clip, face splattered with blood, leaning through the door with a psychotic look in its eyes (there are glimpses of me elsewhere - I'm the zombie in white, so I can frequently be made out in the dark) but that main shot is one I'm quite proud of, if looking amazingly blood splattered and psychotic is something to be proud of.
And with that, here's a link to a zombie apocalypse take on John Carpenter's 'Assault on Precinct 13':
http://www.frightfest.co.uk/FrightFestTV/johncarpentertrd.html
I'm not going to say too much about the former, although I'm excited, just to respect the privacy of the parents, but I'll say a little about the latter. Although filmed after my debut zombie acting, in forthcoming film Cockneys Versus Zombies, it was a short project, filmed within a day, and edited for Frightfest 2011, a few months later.
It's been pointed out my name isn't in the credits, which is a bit of a bummer, but on the plus side I do get an impressive few seconds of screen time - I'm the zombie towards the end of the five minute clip, face splattered with blood, leaning through the door with a psychotic look in its eyes (there are glimpses of me elsewhere - I'm the zombie in white, so I can frequently be made out in the dark) but that main shot is one I'm quite proud of, if looking amazingly blood splattered and psychotic is something to be proud of.
And with that, here's a link to a zombie apocalypse take on John Carpenter's 'Assault on Precinct 13':
http://www.frightfest.co.uk/FrightFestTV/johncarpentertrd.html
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Six months
It's been about six months since my last post here. I've not been hiding... I've just been busy. I've also been in a relationship for six months, and that's still going nicely, but I thought I'd better update my Blog here:
The world goes on, and whilst this Blog has been dead to it, my activities have continued elsewhere. You can follow me on Twitter @psibreaker, or follow my Tumblr account (again, it's not seen a lot of attention in recent months) at http://psibreaker.tumblr.com
Also, for your entertainment, there are the Blog I wrote whilst I was single, but looking into online dating (http://simplewhitemale.tumblr.com), and the one I've got where I'm putting my creative writing (http://deepblueseed.tumblr.com). Please feel free to go and visit them, but also please comment. Feedback is incredibly underated.
The world goes on, and whilst this Blog has been dead to it, my activities have continued elsewhere. You can follow me on Twitter @psibreaker, or follow my Tumblr account (again, it's not seen a lot of attention in recent months) at http://psibreaker.tumblr.com
Also, for your entertainment, there are the Blog I wrote whilst I was single, but looking into online dating (http://simplewhitemale.tumblr.com), and the one I've got where I'm putting my creative writing (http://deepblueseed.tumblr.com). Please feel free to go and visit them, but also please comment. Feedback is incredibly underated.
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