Nothing to Report

No news is not good news. No news is merely no news, and it gives me nothing to write about. Here is some minutae:

In writing:

A second serving of ephemeral pulp fantasy is available here.

Not content with driving to me distraction with script pitches, Big Finish are now soliciting short stories for a compilation Doctor Who short story audiobook. I have one idea already I am about to start work on.

In gaming:

Finished Star Wars: Jedi Knight. It's got a reputation as a classic and it's one it deserves. This is a game that is fantastically enjoyable nearly decades later. It shines on level design, pleasantly reminiscent of the Half-Life series, whilst its weapon set is brilliantly well balanced and the force power element lives up to the expectations of a game with the premise 'Play as a Jedi'. Secrets and a well implemented RPG system give it replay value. The live action cutscenes are pretty lame, but they're simply of their time and they have a certain charm.

Started Max Payne. Stuck on it at the moment, but far enough in to acknowledge that the hardboiled noir pastiche vibe is absolutely inspired. The gameplay, with it's then-uncliché bullet time gunfights is entertaining and pretty slick, though a bit repetitive for my tastes. I intend to finish it if I can get through this one hair-tearing part.

Currently halfway through Bioshock. This will get a full-on rambling write up when I'm finished, but suffice to say it is already cemented as an all-time classic in my mind, and THE best example of game storytelling I have ever seen.

In reading:

Don't laugh, but I'm reading a comedy thriller by Boris Johnson. It's actually highly amusing, and crying out for a screen adaptation. How much of it was written by Boris is of course debatable. Curiously, its biggest detractors appear to be Boris' fans.

In watching:

Newswipe is as good as ever, if not even better. This is the best of Brooker's shows, surpassing the flawed Gameswipe (Brooker may have cut his teeth on games coverage, but he is still out of touch), and bettering Screenwipe by being less ephemeral, and having some real gravity underlying its points.

In the Loop - Anyone who enjoys The Thick of It will of course enjoy this. But it is more than just The Thick of It writ large. The American story is as big as the British one, preventing it becoming Malcolm Tucker goes to Washington. Instead both sides are given equal billing, and whilst there are obvious parallels between them, the Americans have a different vibe and a different story to the British. And of course, it is as hilarious as it has ever been. It's not just Malcolm reeling of the quotable lines, either. Every character gets some really shining notes. My favourite quote might come from Addison (playing essentially a slightly nastier version of Olly): "You speak entirely in parables. You're like a crap jesus." Even Malcolm, the only crossover character (Toby is similar, but distinct, from Olly) is not just a retread of the Thick of It ground, as Capaldi saw fit to try and take him in a new direction for his story in the film, and we see a less secure, shark-in-the-pool Malcolm.

And that is the news as it stands at 18:41.

Inactive Architecture

Well, it's out there, now, so I finally feel like I can talk again. Been working on a script pitch for Big Finish over the past week, and I've been somewhat zoned in on it to the exclusion of everything else. But it's done now, and sent, and the deadline is past. It's for the Doctor Who audios, and they open up for new writers so incredibly infrequently this is, like the Scout, kind of a big deal. That is an understatement. I can't put down in words here how big a deal it actually is to me. Suffice to say I am being wracked with anticipation.

The first NEW bit of writing I've done since the pitch-madness was the beginning of a serialised fantasy noir story done to spec for my good friend Leprechaun Features. It's a bit of fluff, nothing more. I made a seperate blog for publishing finished fiction, to keep it distinct. You may find it hyar: www.sufferingfrom.blogspot.com

I'm not sure if I can post up the pitch I sent to Big Finish, so I'll have to keep it under wraps for the time being. I'm sure you're all heartbroken. Sorry.

And Dollhouse. Oh, Dollhouse. The finale was a big step up on Hollow Men, a very weak story that failed to adequately resolve the Boyd reveal and didn't live up to the title of the eponymous poem. It was still entertaining, but ultimately quite disappointing. Epitaph Two (imaginative naming) was a fair bit better. Without the disappointment before it, it'd have been a high to go out on. (Although emotionally, quite the low.) But because it followed Hollow Men, it's own inadequacies seemed more noticeable. Still, Topher's arc is definitely the absolute highlight of this series, and was devestating, and many other characters got satisfying ends as well. (Alpha's was unexpected and lovely, but where was Dominic?)

After Hollow Men I actually wrote my own ending to the series, and revised it a bit after E2. I'm somewhat saddened that I enjoy my own ending far more than Whedon's, and will never get to see it. Alas. The world will never know the wonder of that ending.

I can't write any more, now. I am once again being wracked by the horror and hope of the BF opportunity. Fairwell.