The Move

Welcome anyone and everyone to the new home of Characters at the Wheel and Short Story Improv. If you are on http://charactersatthewheel.blogspot.com/ then please go to http://www.mythrilink.com/ for the new home. If you are already here, then I apologize for the infinite loop.

Mythril Ink is a devoted to the promotion of two artists and probably more as time goes on. Right now, my friend and I are working on a collaboration for Short Story Improv, as mentioned before. It is a combination of my writing and his music. Files for the stories and music will be uploaded to the site in some form or fashion for easy access.

Right now, the site is fairly scant, but with some direction, headlight fluid, and elbow grease, it should turn out pretty sweet.

This marks my "last" post on blogger. This isn't the end of Characters at the Wheel, just a move. 

Without a Domain

Been slacking on writing Round #5, haven't been motivated lately; it happens. I have these spurts of lethargy, but get over them pretty quickly. The main thing distracting me is trying to set up a website, not the actual technical part, more so coming up with a name (there are a few at the moment, but I won't list them because they are either too lame to share or too good to risk losing) and direction for it.

Earlier, I promised to deliver some music to match my stories and they will arrive soon and they will be awesome. How many short stories have you read on the internet that have their own sound track? I can't name any. This concept is the idea behind the website, a cross promotion of two artists, one a writer, one a musician. With our powers combined... Notoriety! ...in theory.

Bad news, probably moving off these awesome free service made possible by the lovely people at Google. No, I don't work for them.
Good news, moving to a legit website, which I can pass out via swanky business cards or shitty thin frisbees with bad graphic design on them.


In others news, New THQ president wants an adult humor-free Saints Row. In my last blog I stated how I both loved Saint's Row: The Third and Naughty Dog. Somehow combining the two in this fashion is not going to work out. It would be a shame to see this game that went from being a GTA clone to surpassing it while paying tribute at the same, to well... GTA IV. As much as I enjoyed GTA IV as a stand alone title, I also loathed it as a part of the series. There are a lot of serious intricate games out there right now, some slathered with melodrama and convoluted story lines, and some gems; it's nice to have a break that involves skydiving with automatic weapons and using a giant yarn ball to run over mascots... Not everyone wants to slay a dragon everyday, some men just want to watch the world get beat to death with a penetrator...or do it themselves.

Last Saints

I want to start by linking this: The Last of Us Gameplay Demo
After watching this, I was elated for still being a PS3 owner. If there is any company that makes worth having a PS3, it's Naughty Dog. Mind you, this is the company that worked on the Crash Bandicoot games, titles that were a major part of growing up as a gamer; fun games. Naughty Dog then went on to make one of the best Action/Adventure series in video game history, Uncharted. So, when I get linked to a over seven minute game play demo for their newest title, I watch. It looks a bit like Man Hunt, but if Man Hunt had substance and grit, not just hyper-violence (though I do enjoy that about Rockstar). And while it's too early to say, I am leaning towards getting the game, a serious, dark, and unforgiving story can really leave an impact... Especially a shotgun to a dude's face.

On the other side of the story telling coin, and another tie into Rockstar, we have Saint's Row: The Third. This game reminds me of GTA3 and Vice City on so many levels, but obviously more up to date and with more features. The over-the-top, outlandish gameplay and story line had me smiling for beginning to end, minus that one time I got a hummer stuck on a roadblock and couldn't exit the vehicle due to the mission t fix it. Stories that do not take themselves seriously can turn out to be these gems if executed properly. There was really never a dull moment playing SR3, be it running around a wrestling arena massacring luchadores with a chainsaw, all to the tune of "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito, or helping mayor Burt Reynolds deal with a zombie break out. After diving into Diablo III Inferno, I needed the break...this game is perfect for anyone looking to let off steam.

I have not even started Round 5, but I will rack my brain for ideas, though I think I have one. The results are here with a labyrinth being the tie breaker. I am not sure how literal I will go with a labyrinth, but I find just having a character make left turns all day is more suited for a racing setting. I will probably end up sticking with complex rooms with puzzles and challenges. I could just copy this, but I won't.

Watch Dogs of Thrones

It's been some time since I posted a story. I got swept up in Diablo III and taking care of some important life things, but I have been writing, that I can assure you. Round 4's story has been a sweet ride so far and I just need to write one final scene between our lovely assassin and a powerful figure. I feel like any of these stories could easily be turned into a series, and that is part of my aim, to prove that I can create new universes on the fly...so to speak. Unfortunately I tend to encounter a problem where my mind powers through the concept and explodes into a vivid story line, basically leaving me with short story that desires to be more...and I want to write more with it. Who knows, maybe I will take some of the best and make more of them, because I know I am capable.

I was linked to a fantastically intriguing demo for an Ubisoft called Watch Dogs. The premise is strong and really thought provoking. I don't want to spoil it because it is that cool. Check it out!

Game of Thrones just completed its second season; it ended dark, but like the books, it makes the viewer thirst for more. Anyone who has not read the books or watched the show is missing out. You don't need to love fantasy to enjoy Game of Thrones, but any fantasy lover has no excuse for neither reading nor watching. The changes that were made to fit the television format have been most acceptable; nothing really made me repulsed. If season three follows Storm of Swords, the third book, as well as they followed Clash of Kings for season two, viewers are going to be blown away...

Expect Round 4 story soonish!