Fair Enough Syndication Fri, 24 May 2013 02:28:17 +0000 forum@bzpower.com (BZPower Forums) IP.Blog 60 I've completed my basic training and I can safely say it was one of the most stressful, eye-opening, life changing experiences that I'll remember for the rest of my days. But the pace isn't slowing down much on my end, as I have quite a bit of schooling ahead of me. I expect to be busy with that through the remainder of the year, though my virtual presence will be slightly more....existant. Anyway, to the friends who had such inspiring words for me at the start and along the way, know that I'm doing well and there's still much ahead for me. Stay tuned.
 
-Ced]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 23:29:00 +0000 I said I'd be writing up something of a goodbye entry soon, with my impending departure date of March 19 coming ever closer. I'm off to begin basic military training for the U.S. Air Force and I suspect it will keep me terribly busy. Anyway, I suppose I'll cover some history on things before I get to the whole "see ya later" bit.
 
Over the course of the past seven and a half years, I have been an active member of this community. I have seen people come, people go, people hacking, people banned, and much more. Of the many sections on this website where BZPers feel most at home, my favorite locale is the Library. I began there with a couple comedies, entered the world of short stories soon after, and finally fell in love with writing epics. I think sometimes that I would've made a decent RPer, but it was epics that drew me in first. Reading them, writing them, and eventually reviewing them. I first became an epic critic during the second incarnation of the ECC, when the Library was far busier (as was the site as a whole). After transitioning over to a new ECC with a new leader, I continued to write and build my total works, some of which I am more fond of than others.
 
Despite my activity on the site though, I wasn't terribly social. I posted when I could, responded to PMs regarding my work or the work of other writers, but my really close friends was a short list for much of my time on BZP. It was that fact and the slow winding down of the site that nearly convinced me to leave entirely a couple years back.
 
Around early 2011, I was posting my epic Dynamic Paradigm, a piece that didn't really take off the way I had hoped. I put aside and lost a good relationship to focus on that epic, which turned out to be an ironic sense of priorities when the board abruptly went down for a good portion of that year. In the meantime, I continued writing my epic and finished posting it when the board came back online. Late that year, I also requested starting the next ECC, which was an absolute honor to have done. With my life growing busier, I'm confident that I left the ECC in very capable hands.
 
Into early 2012, I began talking with Velox more, a BZPer that had been on my friends list for several years, but one that I seldom communicated with. He had experience with running critic clubs and I asked him to join the ECC as something of a consultant. Throughout 2012, and later joined by Nuile, we began an effort to stimulate activity within the Library, reform the critic clubs a bit, and establish the Ambage. All the while I was hard at work writing Cenotaphs – an epic that gained such praise and exposure, I was beyond thankful for the support from readers and critics alike.
 
As you may know, the Ambage went on to introduce contests, publish an anthology, and spearhead the effort to make an OTC a reality. I made some wonderful friends during my tenure as an Ambage host, and I say the same regarding the ECC and SSCC. I wish all of these groups nothing but the best as we look hopefully to the future.
 
And to you, my friends, I thank you for having stood by me, inspiring me, and making BZPower a better place. I will sincerely miss you.
 
Farewell for now,
 
-Ced]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:10:00 +0000 As promised late last month, I said I'd be discussing some things regarding season two of Cenotaphs, my next epic. Now, I want to address this concern very early on. You will not need to read Cenotaphs to jump in right at the second epic. I've seen writers make this promise in the past and I've found that it's really hit or miss as to whether they're being truthful or not. Here's the deal. Cenotaphs is roughly seventy five thousand words in length. I want to keep my season two audience as large as possible, so making season one required reading was out of the question.
 
Over the past few months, my brother and I have been hard at work writing up a total of twenty two episodes for season two that I think readers are really going to enjoy. My brother isn't a BZPer, but he watches a lot of television shows and I valued his input during the creative process. My initial thought with Cenotaphs was to write it like a TV miniseries, but I don't feel it quite hit that mark. Season 2 will be much more episodic, really having the feel of watching a show while you read the story. I ran through Cenotaphs with my brother and he agreed that we should make absolutely sure no one has to sit through that first epic if they don't want to.
 
Having made that decision, there won't be a lot of reference to Cenotaphs during season two. If any reference to a major event is made, it will be described in great detail, not with a vague explanation or something. Anything from Cenotaphs will be approached as though the protagonist experienced it earlier in his life and there just simply wasn't a first season at all. However, there will be a few ties to Cenotaphs that won't affect season two in any way that would alienate new readers. This will be my attempt to reward readers of Cenotaphs by including little things from that story. Like I said, new readers will look right over these things and the episode will feel just as complete for them.
 
Also, a minor spoiler to those who haven't read Cenotaphs, the narrator, Adrinor, will be returning to helm season two as well. Considering I'm not making a lot of callback to Cenotaphs, Adrinor's first person perspective is the only real constant between seasons. So that news shouldn't come as a very big surprise.
 
Last of all, I want to announce the title for season two. Cenotaphs 2 was the earliest idea, but since this next story is so far separated from all that (excluding Adrinor, of course), I searched for a new name with a new meaning. Sure, I keep calling it "season two," but that's mostly because this is the continuation of one character's story into a second epic. Truth be told, this next epic has a standalone feel to it that was very intentional.
 
That said, season two has been titled Cynosure. The word means to guide or direct, to be the brilliant center of attention. How that will play into the next chapter of Adrinor's story, well…you'll have to wait for that. I anticipate Cynosure will see its first episode released in the summer of 2014. Until then, I still recommend Cenotaphs as a great read to anyone that hasn't already finished it.
 
Tune in next week, I'll be saying farewell to BZP in a touching letter or something like that. My official departure date is March 19, which will be the beginning of my super-busy-unable-to-write-fanfiction stuff. Details next week.
 
-Ced]]> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:21:00 +0000 I was rereading my epic Cenotaphs recently because I enjoy writing the kinds of stories I would love to read, and...something came to my attention. While perusing BS01 at the same time, I came to the realization that I introduced Kanoka disks to the Matoran Universe roughly seventy six millennia before they would officially be invented in Metru Nui. Not that anyone bothered to point this fact out to me, so either A: readers of Cenotaphs wanted to have a laugh at my expense, or B: Everyone who read Cenotaphs was as unaware to the origin date of Kanoka as I was. At any rate, it's not something I really want to go back and correct,  only mentioning the use of Kanoka maybe three or four times.
 
In other news, I have a very special announcement coming in March regarding Cenotaphs Season Two! What a treat that'll be, right? Well, stay tuned...  
 
-Ced]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:53:00 +0000 So I was thinking again about my casual musing that Michael Bay should slap his name on a cologne (because, let's be honest, his name is already tied to some pretty disappointing stuff) simply called "Explosions - by Michael Bay." I can only imagine it would have a powerful scent, with a hint of gunpowder and a dash of all the special effects Mr. Bay could include in a single spritz. Maybe there'll be robot aliens (alien robots?) for some reason too, who knows. I'm just passively interested in pitching him this idea someday, because I'm pretty sure it'll still turn out better than "Revenge of the Fallen" did.
 
-Ced]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:45:00 +0000 So now that I've gotten the overly-dramatic, overly-formal open letter of the ECC out of the way and provided that version of a response, I'm ready to give the more personal explanation.
 
I served in <daydreamer>'s ECC for a very long time. Back then, I longed to one day run the ECC for myself, overseeing the business of getting reviews to people and inspiring them, really helping them along and working together as a community of epic writers. In late 2011, my wish was fulfilled. I sent in the proper information to Hahli Husky via PM, and I was granted permission to start the sixth incarnation of the ECC. During the second half of 2012, however, I began to prepare for the impending change in my life – the March 19 deadline where I could no longer take an active role in anything BZPower-related.
 
During this time, I looked for a successor, someone who would tend to the ECC and ensure it was managed honorably and efficiently. I made this decision in fear that someone else would go to Hahli Husky with the aforementioned "proper information" and start an ECC that was lacking. In a sense, I hired a babysitter, someone who shared my values of the ECC that would allow me to eventually return to it in the very same condition I left it in. I wanted the position of ECC director for so long, and letting go can be difficult sometimes.
 
Around the same time as my search for this successor, I came up with an idea one afternoon. The ECC was generating very little traffic and I wanted to keep the members active. When they first joined the ECC, they volunteered to review work and I wanted to provide a selective service that would ensure the ECC was constantly giving back to the community they wished to serve.
 
I could say a lot about hindsight right now, but that seems like it might deserve another entry entirely. The real answer to the ECC's problem was recently thrown at us. The first part of that problem stemmed from being overcritical in certain areas. Now, there was some commentary about my fellow ECC members and how they approach a critique. I'm not here to address that, as I have nothing but respect for them. That's not to say I can't own up to my own issues in reviewing, and the lines I've crossed. I've felt myself mentally clocking out already, preparing for the change ahead in my life. The simple answer is that I should've quit if I felt my conviction waning. Again, letting go can be difficult.
 
The second part of the ECC's problem is how that overcritical mindset appears to have been a driving force in the epic sub-forum's decline. It suggested people were scared of the ECC, put off by the lengthy criticisms and negative words to the point that they weren't reviewing or even writing in some cases. Truth be told, I don't find myself particularly scary at all.
 
At the end of the day, I made an effort to have the ECC seem approachable. Come talk to us. Shoot me a PM. Ask me questions. Basically, tell me what your problems with the ECC are and I would love to work with you to see that idea realized. My days are limited here, but if I spend some of that time just chatting with people, reminding them that the ECC is always trying to improve, reminding them that they shouldn't have to feel like they have to go over our heads to the staff, I'd be okay with that.
 
When I leave in thirty-some days, I want to be happy with how I leave the ECC behind. But the best way of doing that is by knowing the epic sub-forum is happy with how I'm leaving the ECC behind. So please, PM me. If you didn't like a review you got, whether it was one you asked for or not, tell me. If a friend complained to you that they didn't like a review they got, tell me. If there's anything that bugs you about the ECC, tell me. I'm completely willing to work with you in finding a common ground, and I think I'd prefer a PM that reads "I don't like you or the current person in charge or how the ECC is run" to anymore silence from the sub-forum I serve. But I'm not a mind reader, so I decided to make an attempt at starting a dialogue here.
 
Anyway, my Inbox is always open to hear your questions, comments, and concerns.
 
-Ced]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:51:00 +0000 Last night, I posted "Little Broken Words" to the OTC, wrapping up my Crystal Chronicles mini-series and also posting my final work for months to come. My life is headed in a busy direction, with new rules, new people, and a bed that is hundreds of miles from the place I have called home for the past twelve years or so. And as for BZPower...it is a place I have called home for nearly eight years now, but I will no longer have time for it in my new life. I won't be logging in, checking my inbox, or browsing as a guest...BZPower will be a memory for me, come March 19th. So I leave all of this behind with one last story. It's not my longest, my best, my favorite, or anything special. But it is the last for a long time, and maybe that gives it a special-ness of its own. I'll expand upon my departure in early March, but for now, I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Crystal Chronicles.
 
-Ced]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:41:00 +0000 I wanted to make BZPower as aware of the ECC's response to some recent events as possible. As such, our open letter is available at this link. Thank you.
 
-Ced]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:27:00 +0000 I don't find many reasons to use my blog these days--or ever, for that matter--but I recently encountered a wonderful three-chapter epic written by my critiquing colleague (and your illustrious Forum Mentor), GSR. It's called The Shadow and the Sea and capitalizes on a post-Teridax-death world of Spherus Magna and the uneasy team-up of alt. universe Light Teridax and fan favorite Toa Hahli. Written with the spirit of the Bionicle story so strongly incorporated through it's fantastic tale, this is an epic I would highly recommend to anyone with some free time and/or interest in some key characters following Mata Nui's departure.
 
-Ced]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:34:00 +0000 I have been meaning to find a proper place to compile a mini-series I've been working on for the past couple months called Crystal Chronicles. Each story was written to be unique, using a crystal core as a plot device to tell a story. Similar to the Ambage write off themes, I took one idea and twisted it on itself in multiple ways. There are a total of five Crystal Chronicles, hope you enjoy them.
 
-Ced
 
 
Crystal Chronicle #1: Nascent - A short story, Nascent follows the determined Dr. Skyvir in her efforts to protect the lives of Great Beings, and the knowledge she gains along the way.
 
Crystal Chronicle #2: Rewriter - A comedy, Rewriter is an AI program's one-sided conversation through the final minutes of a multiverse.
 
Crystal Chronicle #3: Anhedonia - A CoT flash fiction piece, Anhedonia is a dystopian take on our own world, granted the ability to predict and prevent disasters.
 
Crystal Chronicle #4: The Garden - A short story, The Garden is the story of a Great Being's child and her search for answers in a world unlike the one she once knew.
 
Crystal Chronicle #5: Little Broken Words - A short story, Little Broken Words provides an origin to the crystal core through the life of a young man named Garrett.]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:51:00 +0000