A Thespianhunter Rant - Regarding The Weather, Halloween and Other Totally Pointless Subjects

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to yet another ThespianHunter Rant. Recently in the UK, there was a a "mighty" storm which swept across my mighty island, claimed the life of (know at the time of writing) 6 people and brought British rail and Air services to a stand still.

See, for those who are maybe not native to Albion, they may not realise that the climate of England, while far from dry and humid, isn't frequented by large or even possibly dangerous events in the weather outside flooding or strong seas. Understandably when the news of "freak storms on the horizon" met the eyes and ears of the British public the typical response occurred. No one did FUCK ALL about it. For these, general public, the storm seemed non-existent and the day after the storm, maybe bar a few leaves being blown in doors, the storm had no effect. This resulted in hoards of people going to their facebook and twitter pages ranting and raving about how the storm was "a great disappointment" and that everyone was "over reacting"  ... Mean while, away from from the majority of the population...

Tree's... everywhere... All over the tracks, all over people's cars, all over peoples houses... Almost every city has seen a tree or crane fall over and damage something. General public response? ... Na... never happened.

Every year I rant about this. It's one of my pet peeves and I use the example every time; Because It's not raining by you, doesn't mean it's not raining down the road. Because It's raining down the road doesn't mean it's raining on the other side of the city. The thing is, people's perspectives, instead of expanding, like you think it would with the power of the internet at their hands, it seems, when it comes to the weather or natural phenomenon, people have such a narrow perspective that they can't even grasp the fact that the world isn't centred around their shitty little city in the south of England.

Now, I totally get it, the media blew this one WAY out of proportion. You'd think they were preparing for the end of days or Tornadoes across the British Country side, we get it... if you didn't realise by now the English news media arn't a bunch of morons by this point you are truly a lost cause. But have some sort of perspective for the bigger picture. Please? Better still, who gives a rats ass if you had leaves come through your window or it seems to be a bright and sunny day where you are. I don't give a shite on a normal day, I sure as hell don't give a crap after a storm.... You know.. WHEN ALL THE BAD WEATHER HAS GONE?!

Rant about the weather [ X ]

Halloween.
Hallows Eve
All Hallows Eve
Hallomas

What ever you call it. This date is important for one, single thing... Consumption of Alcohol with friends.... Also known as, just another day!
Why Halloween is celebrated outside of North America I haven't the faintest idea. Infact, the entire holiday is a complete and utter mystery to me. It's full of false assumptions and classic copycatting of our American cousins from across the pond.
The reality of the situation is thus. "Halloween" has NOTHING to do with spooky stuff. Nothing. Halloween was originally a Gaelic festival of Autumn. There were some bonfires, a little dinner and a sacrifice. Standard Gaelic shenanigans  Then the Church came along and buggered the whole thing up by over looking into the situation and feeling that "everything must have had a purpose" See, for those not familiar with the Gauls and Celtics, everything they did was the hold back evil spirits. So the church made it about keeping evil at bay. Then, when the religious nut jobs fled to America to escape the piss being taken out of them over in Britannia. So they sailed on over and started practising all their crazy rituals. Then churches on both sides started calling them Pagan because they would rather dress in black and do bat shit crazy rituals in the night. The nut jobs quite liked their nickname, maybe because it was cool hit and stylish. And, just as the saying "swag" becoming a phrase of escalation rather than a reference of loot or gifts taken from another hundreds of years later, Halloween became a holiday... like Valentines day, another holiday... which means virtually nothing, and only exists because some twat decided to look into it too much.

However, as social norms dictate, I will be dressing up as a priest of a dark religion for Halloween in order to get intoxicated with my friends. But if I catch anyone trying to actually give the holiday meaning.. they shall be the subject of holy Thespian Wrath.

Halloween [ X ]

Cos Players.

Well, this is a can of worms.

When I start this subject, I of course do not refer to Cos Players who take a lot of time constructing their costumes from scratch or those who wear a costume which, is not only put together themselves, but also holds deep meaning for them... no I don't mean these people... I mean the ones who just by the costume on Ebay and think they're the same thing... I of course am referring to "shit players".

I had the luxury of going to Comic Con in London during the weekend, and used it as a brilliant opportunity to look at art and buy swag <-- Please note the correct use of the word SWAG! However, as with many of these events, there were a large amount of Cos Players. Some being awesome, like a very sexy Snow White Jedi Knight *drawl* and Steam Punk Iron Man to name a few. However 2 types of "shit players" stood out, and over all, lowered my general opinion of all the other Cos Players around at the time (I'm not referring to those with "free hug signs" if you need a sign with "free hug" on it to get attention, then I hope you're stuck by Lightning in the coming days!)
1. Ladies, I love ya, no matter what size or shape, no matter what class or race you hail from, I love ya! But please... Know what size you are! I don't wanna see you vagina because your skirt is so small and you don't quite fit into a large. Take pride of how you look regardless of what you're wearing. If you want to be a female Joker and you're... a larger lady... People don't wear a small skirt... No one want's to see that.
2. Don't be lazy! A shitty Mario PJ set isn't cos play... that's the sort of shit you take to a Halloween party.. not as Cos Play.

Cos Play [ X ]


And Finally... THE COLOUR OF SAINT PATRICK IS BLUE NOT GREEN! I will shout in the face of everyone wearing green from this point onward during Saint Patrick's day. "Showing Green" was a one off occasion...  I will cry when I see a New York Parade, I know it!

This has been this ThespianHunter rant. Sorry for the lack of structure lately... I've started Uni... Uni is busy as hell, and don't expect the next part of the Nomad Until December, I only write that when I've got enough time to make each part what I want it to be... (even though I'm not quite happy with how part 1 turned out... however I feel like I couldn't have done that part any better...)

As a teaser for the next Part of The Nomad;... This word... Isn't quite as it seems. The characters Arn't quite what they seem... and pretty much everything... isn't quite what it seems....


My name's been ThespianHunter... Hallowed Be Thy Name... And I'll catch you next time.

A ThespianHunter Rant - Regarding The Deadly Tank of Neptuna

This rant requires that you listen to this track from Croc - Legend of The Gobbos's Soundtrack (it's only 1 Minuite long)

Furthermore: Sorry I've not been posting much on the blog.. I've just started University!            Let me off :D

Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another ThespianHunter rant, where I basically talk about something that ticks me off, or something that I want to talk about. Today's rant regards a song from a soundtrack... Now I know that I've been some what rather focused on the whole Video Game music front. Those who have been reading the blog since it's inception will know that Video Game music is something I rate highly (it can be the turning point from a good game to an awesome game) It's an accentual part of a video game. (for me)

I recently went on a HUUUUGGGGEEEEEEE nostalgia trip and played a game on the PS1 that I hadn't played since I was 7 (that's 13 years ago) That game was Croc LEG-END of the Gobbos (which I will most definitely do a Belated review of once I've cleared my packed back log of the things) This game is a odd ball to say the least. I'm actually these days not a fan of it. However when I was a child I LOVED it. I got very scared when in the secret areas, cause I thought the game's bady would jump out from behind me because I was in an area I wasn't supposed to be in. ANYWAY!

One of the game's redeeming factors in the game is it's soundtrack. It's REALLY good... not top 10 good, but still pretty dam good! However there's one little fact that annoys me beyond belief itself. Something that drives me insane! There's this one track called The Deadly Tank of Neptuna. It's featured in ONE point in the game. It's not a theme for the entire level, it's not a boss theme. It's literally a song that plays during a SINGLE underwater segment just before a boss fight. It has a SINGLE minute of play time before going on a loop and you only need about 40 seconds to get through the area which this song features, then you never hear it again.

The most painful thing is... I love this track SO GOD DAM MUCH. It's arguably the best track in the entire game. It's also... interrogating. I remember that as a kid I was PETRIFIED of what the boss would end up being. During this mini segment there are a series of electric gates which you must bypass by passing through them while they turn off. If you got hit, the main character who yelp.. In almost every other section of the game it doesn't carry very far... in this section.. it echoes. There is genuinely something chilling about this track. And then you never hear it again, or anything that sounds vaguely like it.

Why... Why would you do that? I don't really want to hear this song for every under water segment, that would get old rather quick. But variations of it ? Fuck, yes! It's an immense track. it has that chilling scale throughout the piece which is then accompanied by a tune that features maybe in one other song? (I couldn't really place it, but there's something oddly catchy about it, maybe it's because Child me liked it so much) Then, in the 23rd bar it subtly changes the tune, The crashes come through the music echoes and the music carries. You liturally feel like you're in an echo-y underwater tunnel (which doesn't make much sense)

The song is just so chilling... and I have not a single idea why they didn't use the track more, or did a variation on it like they did with other tracks. 

There's the mini rant. I will get onto making the next belated review, I've just had to get a LOT of reading done lately, so hadn't had much time.

Thank you so much for reading, leave your comments bellow on what you think of the track. And I'll catch you next time!

You Canny Always Get What Ya Wanna! - ThespianHunter Rant - Ideas For Games That I Want

Hello and welcome to the ThespianHunter Blog. These are game ideas that I want to be made, but will probably never be done. If a developer want's something to give to me for Christmas.. Here's my Christmas List!

1. Mass Effect RTS. Space Combat RTS set during key points in Mass Effect History (First Contact War, Battle with Batarians, Reaper invasion and other odd events.
2. A Direct Sequel to Shadow Of the Colossus
3. A Pokemon Dungeon Keeper Game where the Player organises a Pokemon Gym
4. A good PC Kingdom Under-fire game
5. A Remake of Black and White
6. A RTS Set in a Zombie Apocalypse. You manage what survivors do, where you get supplies and how you deal with the Zombie invasion. All the mean time dealing with other groups of survivors
7. Too Human 2
8. A total Remake of Black and White 2 where it doesn't suck
9. A total Remake of Fable 2 where it doesn't suck!!!
10. A game where the players presses a button to squeeze a turd out upon a disk of Fable 3
11. Warcraft 4 (not to be mistaken with World of Warcraft 2... no one wanna see that!)
12. An EA game on PC that doesn't use Origin
13. RPG in the 40K universe where the Player plays as an Ork
14. Anno 7010 - Set in space... with a Flotilla of Space Ships!
15. GTA Gotham City
16. Free to Play games without Microtransactions 
17. A FPS set in Supreme Commander where you take control of a ACU
18. A New Crash Bandicoot game
19. Brutal Legend 2 - Invasion of the Pirate Metal
20. Sim City 6 - Good, none watered down version
21. A Star Wars Dynasty Warriors Game
22. A Warhammer Dynasty Warriors Game
23. -Enter Franchise Here- Dynasty Warriors Game
24. War of the Monsters - PC Edition
25. 40K TCG

The Nomad: A Short Story - Part 1

It seems my brain over works itself at night. This is a short story I've been playing around with for a while now. Leave you comments below and I hope you enjoy it.

The Nomad.

She walked across the grassy plains. Hill after hill she kept walking, never looking back and never losing pace. She just kept walking forward, forward across the grassy plains.
This had been the third day of walking, not something to be snuffed at for a young woman to walk across the plains by herself. She left her home and begun her journey, just like any hero would. But she wasn't wanting to be a hero, she didn't even know what a hero was, let alone how a hero would start a journey. This wasn't about glory or some quest that needed fulfilling. This wasn't an act to show the others of her tribe that she was better or more skilled, this was simply a walk across the grassy plains. She had nothing to prove, not even to herself, there was nothing to gain by completing this journey, no long time goal. She just wanted to walk.
The Grass plains had been a hot spot for the tribe for almost a hundred years, known to the Elders as "The Gnoll Plains" Named after the mythical creatures that were said to inhabit it. It was due to this occupation for small humanoid dogs that no one from the tribe would dare risk travelling across the plains without a very good reason to do so. Yet the girl had no reason to walk across the plains, it was just a walk after all. The grassy plains were said to stretch for miles across an entire continent. The Elders said that the Gnoll Plains were "The only connection to the other tribes that exists."
The sun was shining and the green grass filled the air with the smell of tranquillity and peace. The sky was blue with no a single cloud in the sky and the occasional sparrow was the only contrast to the ocean of sky above.  A beautiful day to say the least. The girl's cloths however were a contrast to this beauty. They were made from the skin of animals long since dead and sown together by a mere peasant, clearly no an artisan of apparel. Nay, these cloths only served the function to keep the wearer warm during cold nights. They weren't comfy at all, in fact they itched like a bug bite. The girls skin under the seems in the cloths had become red through her continuous scratching. However She had no time to complain, after all she was walking through the grassy plains and time spent itching was time spent not walking.

As she walked to the top of a hill she gazed over the remainder of the plain still yet to walk. She realised had barely scratched the surface as she noticed the plains were so great that they stretched over the horizon. Her thoughts quickly went to her family that she had left behind in the village, her son and her husband. She could remember the wails of hysterical crying her baby had made as she left the village. She could remember the curses from her husband as he shouted after her calling her all sorts of names. They didn't understand.

Hours pasted of walking, her feet beginning to hurt again. She sat and relaxed, she decided to make the most of her journey and take in the surroundings. She gazed across at the countless hills before her, thinking of the best route to take over them. Suddenly something broke her concentration.  A small dog like head peered over the lip of the hill next to her. It didn't make a sound it didn't move quickly it was just... watching her. As her eyes met it's, it darted back behind the hill trying not to be seen. It was here when the girl realised what she had seen: the head of a Gnoll. She called out to it "Don't be shy little fella... I'm merely travelling through these parts!" She then waited for a response. She heard none. She started to walk away. She she walked to the bottom of the hill she noticed the head again, peering over the hill and watching her as she moved. When the two traded glances the Gnoll disappeared out of view.

This charade continued for a good couple of minutes before the young woman bucked up the courage to approach the little creature at the hill. As she reached the hills top she looked over to see a two foot tall ginger haired Gnoll looking up at her. He had bright yellow eyes and long white teeth. He wore a a small outfit not dissimilar from hers and carried a spear on his back.
"Hello there" she whispered to the creature. It's response was a quite chuckled followed by a huge grin on the creatures face.  The Elders had said that Gnolls were vicious creatures who were to be killed on the spot. Obviously no one had bothered trying to communicate with them as this one seemed friendly enough.
"You hungry?" She asked with a smile as she reached into her back which rested on her back. The creature nodded excitably whilst licking its lips and the thought of receiving food. As the woman pulled out a piece of cooked chicken the Gnoll ran right up to her, she was in touching distance of a creature thought to be merely mythological. As she extended her hand the Gnoll snatched the meat and began to eat it, all the while looking very pleased for himself.
"I'm walking across the plains... want to come with me?" She asked lowering herself to the creatures level. The creature nodded and began to walk in front of her, indicating her to follow. 

She had found someone to accompany her, someone to lead her across the grassy plains. She had found a friend in the most unlikely of places. They walked across the grassy plains. Hill after hill they kept walking, the creature occasionally looking back but never losing pace. They just kept walking forward, forward across the grassy plains. All the while danger, could be just over the next hill...

--To be Continued-- 

ThespianHunter's Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks

Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another post in the ThespianHunter blog. It's been a while hasn't it? Well, I've been working on a bunch of stuff lately and haven't quite had the time to write up a post. The Dark Messiah review IS coming, so don't worry about that. To tide you over until tomorrow here's a little list I've been pondering for some time. My favourite Video Game Soundtracks.

Now, here's some little pointers. 1. I'm, by no means, a musician, I can play a didgeridoo and sing a little. But that's it. So I'm not an expert on these things! What I am is a video gamer who likes music and especially soundtracks. 2. As always, this sorta thing is MY subjective opinion. These arn't necessarily objectively the best, just my favourites. and finally 3. I'm ONLY going to list FULL soundtracks and not individual songs from each soundtrack.

With the last point in mind. Here's some honourable mentions to games that miss out on being on this list due to the rest of the soundtrack not making it on the list.

Castlevania - Bloody Tears. If you haven't listened to it... do it... now. Open a tab and go listen to it right now... I'll wait for you... seriously it's amazing!

Street Fighter - Guile's Theme. Ironically it doesn't go with this with this list. But it does go with everything!

Dragon Age Origins - Main Theme. God dam it, it makes me want to ride into battle on the back of a Dragon. But alas other than one other track from this soundtrack... The rest of it just misses out on the number 10 spot. Sorry :(

So with all that out of the way, let's get onto the list... Without further ado...










Number 10.

Heroes Of Might and Magic V

Sometimes it most tried and tested methods succeed. Epic Orchestral themes with Latin opera singing. This would have just missed out on the list (and in fact in the first draft it actually did.) but the more and more I think about it... this game's soundtrack is just epic! The entire game SHOULD/and does portray a greater sense of large scale war. You realise that you're commanding the fates of hundreds even thousands and that undertaking requires a soundtrack to match. Heroes Of Might and Magic 5's soundtrack does that and some. The best soundtracks being from inside the different cities that the player can control. Added with the fact you can have a dynamic and almost cinematic view of the city with the music as accompaniment just makes you appreciate that it's there.


Number 9.

Yeah... So this soundtrack is one of the geekiest, yet funniest soundtracks ever. As with all sonic soundtracks, the fast pace and the pure fun breathed into each track is a joy to listen to. Sonic Adventure's soundtrack is on another level!! Any person who doesn't sing along to it at least once is a fool and should be treated as such! (just kidding) There are also some funny tracks in there that I urge you to listen to..  just expect to feel like a little kid at the end of the soundtrack.






Number 8.

The Elder Scrolls

Technically Cheating due to the fact that this refers to 3 game's worth of Soundtracks. But I can't have one of them on the list without the others. I'm conflicted with the Elder Scrolls soundtrack. I really like it, like really like it, so much so I put it at number 8 on this list. But... I actually prefer to listen to the soundtrack... without the game. Which is, I'll assure you, a good thing that I would listen to a soundtrack when I'm not even playing the game and Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim have very engaging worlds which the music accompanies to make all the more potent. I just think that the soundtracks are just good as of them selves. The reason this isn't higher on this list is because, well... As a soundtrack these would be in the top 3. As a VIDEO GAME soundtrack... it places here. I just don't think they go far enough in accompanying situations in the game. When orchestral, power music kicks in when you're fighting a crab it doesn't really bode well for them game. But as I said, as just a soundtrack, this is fantastic.




Number 7.

Fable

Yeah... Bet that surprised you!
Why so low down the list? Well, The other soundtracks in the list are just so much better. Which should, if anything, excite you for the rest of this list. Go and listen to the Fable soundtrack, all of it. Better still, go play Fable (or wait until the HD remake) and play it with some headphones on. Every track fits with it's setting, the character it surrounds and the situation. It makes the world and everything else stand out and drag you in. You'll find yourself standing still to take it all in. if they mess with even a single track in this soundtrack I'm going to be pissed. (they can add new tracks, sure, but don't mess with something that isn't broken.)


Number 6.

Legend of Zelda

Yeah... so this is an even bigger cheat than The Elder Scrolls. But here me out. I'm not even a big fan of Zelda. I've played a bunch of Zelda games, sure, but I've never been a fan of the series. However what I am a fan of is the music. For me, makes the game more enjoyable. I wouldn't have played Zelda if I hadn't had heard my uncle playing it from down stairs, wondering up into his room being lured in by the fantastic music. When a soundtrack can turn a game from "meh" to "Really Good" You know it's done well. It's emotional, gripping and well... just... great. I want to be a little more objective .. but ... I just can't.. I just REALLY like this soundtrack.


Number 5.

Mass Effect

Sure the ending sucks. We get it. Sure, it left a sour taste in a lot of gamers mouths. Sure, WE GET IT. But don't you dare take it out on the rest of the game. And especially it's soundtrack.
For this list I sat down and listened to it all. Every single track. Then something accorded to me (maybe because of all the times I had played the dam series, maybe because I just have a good music memory) But I could recall, every single scene from the soundtrack (not word for word obviously) and as I did so, all those emotions and memories came back. All the fun I had with all the game, every surprising little turn, all the suspense all the wonder... all of it. Sure, some of the tracks kinda sound like they've been auto-tuned and the general theme changes from game to game (even this is kinda a good point considering so does the entire dam feel of the games) but as a Sci-Fi soundtrack, this one is ace! This is defnetly the dark horse of the list. But I beg you, please, Just sit down, and put at least Mass Effect 2's soundtrack on.. and just listen to it. It wouldn't feel misplaced in a move and that, for me... is a dam good thing.


Number 4.

Persona

Never listened to this soundtrack? Go play the game and listen to it now. You back? Sweet! Persona is on oddball and kinda hit and miss at times. But when it's god, holy shit! Is it good! For me, this soundtrack set's the bar for RPG's. I like it that much. It's just fantastic and seemingly endless! But as I said, a little hit and miss here and there but you'll wont regret your time with it!


So... here's the top 3. These will take a while. So what I want you to do, is I want you to listen to each soundtrack in this top 3. To understand what these soundtracks are like, you must experience them in their setting. Go and spend hours upon hours completing these games and listen to the music! You won't regret it!


Number 3.

Final Fantasy 6.

The greatest RPG soundtrack of all time! Without question. Even with the limitations of the system it was on, this soundtrack blows me away every time. You must have gathered that a Final Fantasy Game would be up here, after all FF7 seems to be in every one's Top music list all the time! But nay, they over look the fantastic Final Fantasy 6 soundtrack! The fools (I kid) Lasting for over 3 hours long. This soundtrack is phenomenal. This game's soundtrack presents everything a soundtrack should have, a musical accompaniment that assists the telling of the story and in a game where no one makes a sound the music becomes the character's voices and that is just something... magical, for lack of a better term.


Number 2.

Journey.

I've tried summing up this soundtrack in a way that sounds somewhat objective. I can't. I can only say this;

Go play Journey. Then you'll understand!

My mere mortal words can't even start to do this music justice. Just go play the game!




Number 1.

Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus.

When I do the Belated Review of Shadow of the Colossus It will be the last review I'll ever do. This game isn't a game... it's a piece of art and a master piece at that. The fact that this game didn't make it into my Top 10 List of Favorited games of all time is due to the single reason. Shadow of the Colossus isn't a game you compare to others to do so is to miss the entire point. It would be trying to re-enact a piece of dance by talking it out. This game is like trying to sing a song by painting it. I true work of art.

It's up the top for similar reasons that Journey is just behind it.  The game's music tells you everything you need to know, the music, is the games blood, circulating at all times to keep the game alive. There's you, your horse, the open world, the Colossi and the music... and that's it!

Go play the game if you haven't already. It's simply a phenomenal soundtrack and the best dam one in my opinion.



Well, that's been my Top 10 Video Game Sound Tracks. That you for reading, feel free to leave your favourite video game soundtracks bellow. Until next time, My name's been ThespianHunter, I am the music and this is my song... and I'll catch you next time!

ThespianHunter: Let's Press the Issue

The Mass Effect "Fan-Fic" And The Past & Future of The Blog.

A lot of the posts on this blog are of a semi-formal nature. I don't get a chance to express myself about things outside from gaming or the mass effect writings. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to just share thought on things going on with me. In a segment I like to call "Press the Issue" name after the PCPR radio station from Vice City. So, let's press the issue.

So firstly is what the aim of the blog was to start with. Some of the Facebook readers will know what I'm heavily dyslexic and some of you may be able to tell what I struggle with writing. The blogs aim was to improve some of my skills before I started at university after taking a year out to teach. The over all experience so far has been surprising, fulfilling and at the same time scary and even at times mildly stressful. For one I never expected so many Non-English readers to be the majority of my viewer and commenter base and it's been really fantastic to  get my thoughts and opinions out to all the readers from all over the world. I feel like I managed to do my job (some what) in giving the readers something interesting to read and I hope that it hasn't been too painful to read.

It's really been a test for me and I feel like I've mostly overcome the barriers set out by my own brain. For those who don't know my main issue is finding the words to express my thoughts. I'll often under-sell what I'm thinking or use the wrong words entirely when making a point. I also can't spell and spelling some words that I've used required me to take three minutes to search. Furthermore due to my "interesting" vocabulary it's meant that writing a post can be very time consuming. Thank **** I enjoy it! It's been a brilliant learning experience for me  and has helped in ironing out some of the kinks that cause such hurdles for me when I write. I still don't know how to properly construct paragraphs and I'll probably never will, but it's been fun to try.

The fan fics were an idea that I'd been playing around with for a very long time. I often find myself playing with ideas for a short novel but then (due to my lovely dyslexia and over hurdles) the ideas ether become crap, too "out there" or just simply non-structured. Then the idea came to me "why don't I just write from an all ready existing setting and create characters from there?" I hope the results of which have been as enjoyable to read as they have been to write and I look to end the mini series soon (maybe until the next set of games come out.)

So, really quickly some FAQ's from the "Fan-Fics".

• Why do you refuse to call them what they are; Fan Fics. For me there's a certain stigma associated with Fan-Fics? One of them is that they overly fantasise over characters. I didn't want that, and thought due to the relationship what two of my characters have from the outset I didn't want the reader to start reading with this association in their minds. I wanted to tell them what they were about to read. A short story set in and based around  a pre-existing universe what I'm a fan of. 
• Why "The Nameless Turian"? I like to, in my writings have a character which the reader can reflect themselves upon however still be the basis of the story. Having a silent protagonist is almost impossible (in my opinion) in a novel and thus I had to work around it. What I came up with was the Nameless Turian. The readers don't know his name, and its only refereed to by the opinions of other characters. This allows the reader to make their own name for him and construct what they think he looks like by their own understanding of what a Turian is. And I like it this way.
• What's the planning process? I set a basic plan for each chapter (which sometimes changes in turn for a better idea) and I plan a skeleton for the post on a post by post basis. However despite this from the start I had to things all ready planned out. The main characters and the ending. The rest seemed to fall into place during creation. Originally it was going to be the Blue Suns as the main villains however this didn't make much sense due to them joining Shepard's army against the Reapers, then it was just the Reapers, however they lacked a certain kind of mystery that I wanted from a villain, we pretty much know all that needs to be learnt by the reapers. So instead I picked the band of mystery mercenaries who's intentions are just a pure unknown to everyone, which I liked the idea of. There's that fear of playing Russian Roulette which I wanted to portray. And they're most certainly that personified 
• Is Shepard a Male of a Female and what are they good or evil? I never want the reader to know. I wanted it to be up to the reader to decide who Shepard is. The only this is assumed is that He/She completed the events in the Leviathan DLC. That's it. The story was meant to be separate from the Mass effect Games and that's how it will stay.

So what's the future of the blog? Well I'll still be doing the reviews (and The next in the Heroes of Might and Magic reviews will be out next week) as for the Mass Effect Fan-Fics they are on their final chapter until the next game, whether that will be a prequel and just a continuation will be up to what happens with the game. Regardless I look forward to then. Everything else is down to the reader. You have total reign over what happens. I have ideas for other short stories (though they will be an ORIGINAL idea and not based on anything.) Reviews will still be posted every so often however much less frequent due to time restraints from Uni.  Other than that... we'll just see where the wind takes us.

That's been tonights Press the Issue. Hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my brain. Please be sure to leave a comment in the box bellow. And Until next time.... My name's been ThespianHunter, I dropped a 25KG weight on my foot while writings this.. and I'll catch you next time!

Mass Effect Inspired Writings - The Prentive Disaster - Part 1 - Arrival

Hello and welcome to the next part of the Flaggorn Legacy. Thank you to everyone (all 5 of you) for adding your suggestions they have been counted. Let's get it on! But Please remember I do not own any of the intellectual property owned by Bioware or the Mass Effect writers, I'm merely someone inspired by them.

-- Urgent distress message--

-- Importance level 9 --

-- N7 Mission Request --

-- Unidentified creature attack civilians on the planet Prentive in Turian Space--

-- Operatives deployed >> Turian sentinel [[confirmed]] Human Adept [[confirmed]] Krogan Vanguard [[confirmed]] --  

-- Reaper threat in area at time of message >> N/A --

-- Other details >> Army of Green terrorists assisting the creature - Unlikely Cerberus --

-- Day's until deployment >> immediate --

-- Reward >> thirty thousand credits --

-- Mission status >> Failed --
-- Survivors >> All MIA --

-- New Mission Priority >> Retake Earth --

Sometimes completing the mission is sometimes a second priority, sometimes to fail is to succeed and sometimes to succeed is to fail. This became abundantly clear to Viki as ceiling was still collapsing all around her. The ash and debris began to fall all around the prison complex as both mercenaries and prisoners ran for their lives in blind panic. Occasionally the crescendo of explosions and screams was pierced by the mighty roar of the Scylla and sound of nuclear weapons in the distance. As a single tear ran down her face at the prospect that her life was nearing an end, she remembered what her team mate, her lover had told her only moments ago.....



46 hours earlier -- High Security Prison  Planet Prentive - Jyi System 

The squad had been sitting in the UT-47 Kodiak for a few hours now. They had met up on an Alliance dreadnought and given time to catch up. Flaggorn who had been on mission only days before hand had been catching up with his trustworthy comrades. Viki had started calling the Turian Sentinel "Vulture" due to her being unable to pronounce the name and Flaggorn had started calling him it as well. The name was given for a number of reasons. One being that, Turians somewhat look like birds on earth and that this particular Turian looked a lot like a vulture. Another reason being how the Sentinel would behave in a battle situation against superior numbers; if given the time, he would slowly work away at the enemy force and then when they were weary from a number of engagements he'd pick them off. Much like a scavenger bird. 

Vulture liked his new nick name and embraced it, he even started signing off messages with it as his alias. However when ever he would say the word he'd put emphasis on the wrong parts. Making the word sound more like Val-Ture than Vul-Ture. He liked the number of pet names Viki had been giving him since they'd been together and this one was rather more... clean... than some of the others she called him. 

As well as taking the time to socialise, the Krogan had also informed the pair on his previous dealing with the Emerald Scylla. He took the time to describe their mega-structure underground and their almost endless number that he had seen walking within... while also mentioning how easily he managed to defeat them single handedly. He also cared to mention that in the time he took looking around the base before arriving on the dreadnought he had not found the prised weapon the Drell had demonstrated to him the last time they met. To say this made to couple even more nervous about what they were about to face on Prentive would be a slight understatement. They were, after all, quite nervous already about fighting a huge monster, now it was being probably protected by a formidable legion of Green Mercenaries who may or may not have experimental weaponry? It was grim news indeed.

However all of this was dwarfed by the shadow that loomed over them all. The alliance, Shepard and the army assembled by them both was getting ready to retake Earth from the Reapers. Not only this but the N7 initiative would be the vanguard of the invasion force. Meaning that most of them would be drafted up for a suicide mission very, very shortly. Flaggorn had just finished his final vendetta and was just getting ready to relax for a while, but instead his vacation was to be snatched away from him by a mission he was unlikely to return from. Viki and Vulture had in-turn wanted to just relax for a while. They were even planning to pull out of the N7 initiative all together in order to go about living together away from all the conflict as soon as possible. However every time they thought about it they knew that there wasn't going to be a safe haven for them until the Reapers were annihilated... They were just scared of what that would cost. 

Nevertheless, these doom filled thoughts would have to wait. For now they had a job to do. To stop a mercenary army from destroying the most high security prison in Citadel Space. Prentive, as it was called, was the Turian equivalent to Australia's founding on Earth. A place to put the worst criminals in the galaxy in order keep them away from the populous of other planets. Prentive was an arid desert with occasional pockets of lakes which spanned for miles. It rarely rained during its 200 day cycle around it's pair of suns which orbited each other but when it did rain, it would rain for weeks, only over the lakes. This meant that the only real inhabitable locations on the planet were around these lakes. As a result the Turian government built giant military installations around these lakes in order to take out anyone wanting to free inmates from the prisons. In order to make escape as physically impossible as possible many precautions were put in place. Firstly, the prisons were all ether underwater or underground access to the surface was possible via going through the military bases. Secondly the entire planet was covered in a large shield barrier which was only lowered for Turian military vessels, all supplies were taken to a space station and sent down via convoy of large ships. Thirdly, all inmates were equipped with a tacking beacon, if any of these beacons detected that the inmate they were attached to was even a centimetre above sea level, without being disable by a warden, it would let off a toxin into the inmates body that would react with the brain stem. It would send off singles similar to that which an Ant Queen experiences when its looking to build a nest. The inmate will immediately experience an involuntary impulse to attempt to ether head underground or dig underground. These effects can last for many weeks earning intimates who attempt to escape receiving the nickname "Antmates" Thought despite all these procedures, nothing could have prepared it for the mercenary assault and the giant creature they brought with them.

 The first SOS reports gave clues to how the attack took place. The arrived via a captured Turian War vessel called "The Stygian" a ship that was often used to ferry resources to and from the planet, however was sent to Millian in order to "pick up new recruits" instead an elite force of Emerald solderers overwhelmed and captured the ship. They then replaced the majority of the ships cargo hold with a enormous water tank holding a single Scylla which was then dropped into one of the planets oceans. By the time the Turian military knew what was going on it was too late. Hundreds died in the first hour as the aquatic beast ripped through at a section of the prison that went under water which flooded the majority of the lower levels. Prisoners couldn't escape during the panic due to their tracking beacons, all those who tried anyway were immediately overridden with the Antmate impulse. It wasn't totally sure what the Mercenaries were there for, but one thing was clear: they weren't there to liberate a prisoner. That would require not killing all the inmates one by one execution style as they passed through the different prisons. They weren't there to capture any of the military bases as most of them had been destroyed by the second day. It was now 4 days in, and their intentions weren't the slightest bit clearer at all.

"Thirteen minutes till landing, best suit up!" came the pilots voice whistling through their omni-tools.
"Plenty of time, meat bag! Relax a little, I wanna try and enjoy this shitty little shuttle ride before I get riddled with weapons fire" Flaggorn laughed in response as he loaded spare thermal clips into a compartment on the side of Sar't'too. 
"Just wanted to let you know, sir!"
"CALL ME SIR ONE MORE TIME! I'm not some fancy assed Turian sitting on a throne. I'm a Krogan!"
"Ah! Yes, yes... Sorry Si- I mean ... I mean uh, I mean...."
"HA! Relax Pyjak! Was only pulling you're leg! I get bored on these shuttle journeys. Call me what ever you want, as long as it ain't some soppy little pet name like these too little "darlings" call each other" Flaggorn then proceeded to state a mere small collection of these names whilst putting on his most adorable voice. This was received by everyone with much laughter, even by the pilot who hadn't yet realised that someone was shooting at him.
"INCOMING FIRE, Brace for-" He was quickly cut off as a bullet flew directly through the front of the shuttle and into his head. with no pilot of the controls the shuttle was spinning out of control and accelerating towards the ground.
"No time to wait" Viki nervously whobled to her team "we need to evacuate this shuttle!"
"Bit difficult, meat bag!.. We've only just breached the stratosphere... it's quite a way down!"
"It's ether that or we die... I vote to fall" She slammed open the shuttle door and leaped out! The Turian gasped out crying her name at the very shock of what she done. After mere seconds he followed diving out of the falling shuttle.
Flaggorn was left alone in the shuttle, in free fall, the sound of the air rushing in being the only possible sound in the shuttle. He was a little bit fed up of falling down all the time. He calmly swaggered over to the open door, activated his biotic-amp and jumped out. He quickly picked up speed as he fell and was able to get a good view of the planet from a birds eye position. At this point he was quite the way up, he could see the horizon bend with an endless desert. Every building within eye shot was ether on fire of a mass of rubble, apart from one building. It was tall tower like building, unlike the block like buildings around it. It was also a different colour. Where all the other buildings were industrial grey and quite new, this building was a chalk white and had clearly been there for some time. Flaggorn guessed that it must have been a Prothean ruin but there were no reports of one being on the planet.

He could spend as much time as he wanted in the sky sight seeing but he knew that eventually he would meet the ground unless he some how found a way to land softly. Unlike in the factory where he could just charge around and not worry about hitting the ground, he knew due to gravity and the shear speed in which he was descending that this tactic will only excel at making him a very squashed Krogan. He instead dived to gather his squad mates who were also falling. With the Turian under one arm and Viki under the other he hatched his plan. 

"Viki, when I say 'GO' you fire the biggest singularity you've every created right at the ground. Vulture; When I say 'NOW' I want you to throw a grenade set to 10 seconds at the ground. I'll then charge... Got it?" The two looked at each other bewildered, this didn't sound like a plan to survive but rather a fancy way to kill themselves in the coolest way possible. They both knew however that falling in style was Flaggorn speciality. They merely nodded... and waited.

Time liturarlly files when you're falling through the air and about a minute passed before Flaggorn was ready to hatch his plan. No one was shooting at them any more, probably because no one expected them to survive this fall but they weren't going down today, so to speak. Flaggorn began to shout his orders "Ready?...Now...GO!" The singularity hit the ground as instructed catching the grenade a mere second before it hit the ground. It then exploded furiously with a large shock wave, a shock wave that the three had just managed to catch. this slowed down their descend just enough to be caught in the singularity. They hovered around for a moment and then hit the ground, a lot softly than they would have.

As they looked around inspecting their conditions and pulling them selves up their minds only pointed towards a question... Why on earth was that white tower they saw as they were falling... now glowing green?!


--To be continued--

Thank you so much for reading, if you have a positive or negative response please leave them in the comments below or on the Facebook comments section below this post. Be sure to keep your eyes open for the next part.