What's For Breakf**k

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's an Animorphs fanfic
-It's a Tobias fanfic

You can read it HERE 

Inbetween: The Works of Crayak 6

“Really?” I asked and sighed.

After we had drank and rested, we had started talking about how to get into the church. The conversation hadn’t been as successful as I would’ve liked. Two former Princes and we couldn’t figure things out together. I had to stop myself from drinking another beer. I had to concentrate on the mission. Once Esplin was taken care of then I could get drunk.

My worst enemy wouldn’t be a problem again and I’d be free to get drunk every night.

“You haven’t liked any of my ideas. You haven’t even liked your own ideas.” Ryan complained.

“I guess...combine b, d, and f.” I said.

“You lead the war against the Yeerk Invasion of Earth?” Ryan asked and shook his head. “But you’ve never said what to do if the option to kill him arises.”

“That’s because that’s a last resort. We don’t kill him. We capture him.”

“And let him escape again?”

“That won’t happen.” I said, mainly trying to convince myself.

We would capture Esplin and he wouldn’t escape imprisonment this time. This time it would be successful and there would be no chance of him escaping again. If he somehow managed to escape a second time...I would kill him.

“You really trust he won’t use the same methods to escape?” Ryan asked.

“He can’t use the same methods, the Andalites will be looking for them.” I tried to reassure Ryan. “Let’s just worry about getting into the church first.”

Ryan nodded and I thought about the plans I had suggested. They were simple but effective. Or at least I hoped they were effective. I would’ve suggested morphing some type of insect but Ryan was a nothlit. Sort of sucked when both parties couldn’t morph.

Not that Ryan was not useful in human morph, but a human didn’t have the same capabilities as other animals. A fly or cockroach could infiltrate the church while a tiger could be a very good battle morph. I could do those but Ryan couldn’t. So we couldn’t go in as covertly as I wanted to.

“Well, do you have anything else to say before we go?” I asked Ryan.

Ryan was quiet for a few minutes before he asked, “Was it easy for you to give up your power after the war?”

I had to think about that one to get a good answer, but I was running short on time. I couldn’t wait a few hours until I thought of something resembling an intelligent remark.

“I have had enough power.” I replied quickly. “After the war it was more than easy. We’ve talked over beer, Ryan, you know that I don’t want to lead. I don’t even want to fight like I used to. That’s why I joined the FBI. I could still help people but I wouldn’t be fighting a war.”

“So you never stopped being the leader throughout the war?” Ryan asked.

“I-“ I said and stopped, gathering myself to answer the question. “Near the end I stopped. Things got too hard. You ran away to another planet and I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have done the same. Everything got so complicated and all the things I had to do…I never had a childhood. I’m seventeen years old and in the FBI. I’m mature for my age and yet I feel like part of me will always be lost. I’m not like an Andalite, I wasn’t raised to fight or lead. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

We were both silent for a minute or two after that. I had just told him something I had tried to keep hidden for the most part. In the book I had written, the part about me leaving the war was glanced over. The image of me being a hero hadn’t been tainted by that incident.

I wouldn’t have told Ryan this if we hadn’t talked over a couple of bottles of beer. We had bonded, but we were still far apart in some areas.

“Okay, let’s go.” I said, avoiding any awkward feelings for the moment.

We quickly finished getting prepared, which consisted of going to the bathroom and checking our guns, and then left. I drove again and Ryan sat in the passenger seat.

“Nervous?” I asked as I noticed Ryan twitching a little more than before.

“No.” Ryan replied. “I just can’t wait until this mission is over with.”

“Me either.” I agreed.

I was still curious why he was twitching. But, hey, it could be that he just wanted this mission over with so that he could get away from me. Getting away from me would mean he wouldn’t have to argue with me about killing Esplin.

He might also be twitching because Andalites and pride are usually one in the same. He might find it dishonorable to let Esplin live. I trusted him enough to not break off from the plan and distrusted him enough to use any small opportunity to kill Esplin.

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All of Inbetween: The Works of Crayak    

Three Sci-Fi Series Writers Should Check Out

Science Fiction is a very complex genre. Sometimes what is and isn't Science Fiction is up for debate. So someone deciding they want to get into writing the genre can be a big deal since it's so vast. People will get easily confused of what does and doesn't work.

For the help of future sci-fi writers, I will list three of my favorite sci-fi series so you'll have some basis of where to look for inspiration. I will also remind readers that I am only focusing on the sci-fi parts and not any other issues like representation and the like.

TERMINATOR

 For those of you wanting to keep your sci-fi story here on Earth, have no fear. While I love a good alien sci-fi story, the truth is that not every Science Fiction story has to be in outer space or involve aliens. Terminator is my favorite sci-fi series that takes place on Earth.

I would highly recommend Terminator to those looking to write a Post-Apocalyptic story. While the majority of the Terminator franchise takes place before Judgment Day (the event that destroyed the world and left the remaining humans to fight the Terminators), there are still a few times when a Post-Judgment Day Earth is shown (Terminator Salvation [whole movie], The Terminator [Kyle Reese's flashbacks], and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [flashbacks]).

Also, if you want a nice taste of how to write your invincible machines this is also a good pick. Even Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, a movie loathed by the majority of the fandom, has a good new Terminator. The new Terminator being the T-X who added even more features to Skynet's arsenal.

Finally: Terminator involves time travel. While it might not be the best time travel series, it should still give you a good taste on how to do them. When Bryan Singer made X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) he discussed with James Cameron about time travel so he didn't mess his own movie up.

ANIMORPHS

I am talking about the book series by K.A.Applegate and not the godawful Nickelodeon series. Because the show changed way more than any good adaptation should.

Besides telling a complex war story about children, this book does a great job at alien species. And, yes, that's why I'm pointing it out in this post.

Since I only have a limited amount of space here I will only list a few alien species:

Andalites are the 'good guys', though that becomes extremely complicated as the series progresses. They are centaur like creatures with no mouths and a tail-blade. The females are a different color and have smaller tail-blades than the males of the same species. They are the species that created the morphing power that the Animorphs use in the series. They are also backwards in some areas such as they don't respect females or the disabled.

Yeerks are the 'bad guys', though that becomes as complicated as the Andalite situation. They are slug-like creatures that need a host to fully experience the world. Because they need hosts, a good majority of the species is in favor of invading planets for more hosts. Yeerks must leave their host every three days to feed in the Yeerk pool to get nutrients from the Kandrona ray. The Kandrona ray imitates the Yeerks' own sun.

The final species I will mention are the Hork-Bajir. They are bladed creatures that look like they are predators but they are actually a simple-minded, pacifistic, and herbivore race. They were created by another species to tend to the trees of their home planet and so they eat wood. It wasn't until the Yeerks invaded that they had any need, or knowledge, of fighting.

STAR WARS

This is a series that really needs no introduction. Even if you haven't seen any of the movies you know about it. It's one of those series that has seeped into every place of pop culture. For simplicity sake I am only going to refer to the movies but highly suggest reading any of the Star Wars novels by Timothy Zahn if you like the movies.

I am bringing up Star Wars to point out about the complex world building that is needed for a vast series like this.

The Jedi and Sith are ancient orders that use a mysterious energy called The Force. The Jedi use the Force for peace while the Sith view it as a weapon to control the galaxy.

There are also different type of governments. A rebel alliance, a galactic empire, and a republic have all had their time in the spotlight in this series.

There is also different types of technology that makes different races in the Star Wars Universe unique. From the simplistic weapons of the Ewoks to the world destroying weapons of the Galactic Empire, there are a lot of things covered.

Finally, I will mention that Star Wars aliens look like aliens. A good majority of them don't look like a guy in a suit which I think is really important for sci-fi as a whole. Alien species should look alien and not like someone you'd meet on the street.

I hope this brief list helps a future sci-fi writer out there. Or at the very least, gives people an idea of some great Science Fiction series to check out.

Continuum (Season 3)

Show: Continuum

Season: 3

Episodes: 13

Created By: Simon Barry

Released: 2014

Rating: 5/6

Basic Plot: Kiera finds herself with the Freelancers and having to decide which of the two Alecs should live.
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Things Get Even More WTF
This series gives viewers more questions as they are given answers. Things are simple in Season 1, complicated in Season 2, and what the hell is going on in Season 3. Alliances shift and new organizations are revealed. Hell, there is now at least one other timeline and there are arguments if the character is really from a different timeline or just farther along in the future. So, yeah, prepare to get your mind fucked for this season because...wow.

Kellog
Kellog just proves how manipulative he is this season. We have never known, in the previous seasons, what Kellog's end goal is. All we knew was that he is great at getting people to do what he wants. It seemed that he really had no end goal. But by the end of Season 3 you get to see where Kellog stands. Or maybe the next season will provide us with more questions.

The Freelancers
The Freelancers are a group that basically monitors time to make sure people don't mess it up. They don't like time travelers and when you first meet them you're not too sure about whether to trust them or not. Their organization is complicated, especially as the season progresses. They task Kiera with killing one of the two Alecs. One Alec is the one Kiera knew and the other Alec is from the new timeline that the original Alec created when he time traveled. I would really love to say more but I also don't want to spoil too much.

Final Thoughts
I am so glad to the person who introduced this series to me. This is one of those series that makes you think. The thing about the two Alecs was really hard to deal with. What future was the right one? And also how the new Alec was different was heartbreaking at times. Kiera's beliefs continue to be questioned and we end up learning more about her past. This season ends on a cliffhanger and I really can't wait until the next season (though I don't know if it's confirmed).

Ace of Spades | Why aren't you playing it?

I speak of a game you all forgot about in the nigh impossible hope someone decides to give it a go.

This video is by Omar. You know, the co-host of Jash Talks. Please support him by subscribing to his YouTube Channel HERE.

July 2014 Collection is Out

Info From HERE

Another month with another monthly collection released. This month's theme appears to be camping. And who doesn't like camping? I remember that I used to go sleeping in a tent every now and again. I just needed something to separate me from the tent bottom, a pillow, and covers. That was it.

Yeah...I'm not too picky about where I sleep. As long as I can fall asleep that's all I care about.

Some items in this month's collection are:

So have fun this summer and keep safe!

The Second Creation (Kenneth S. Murray)

Title: The Second Creation

Author: Kenneth S. Murray

Released: 2013

Rating: 2.5/6

Basic Plot: The Second Creation weaves together two stories; a life ending comet strike on earth, and inter-galactic war within the Realm of the Galaxies.

Research by Sandia National Laboratories Comet Impact Simulations brings incredible reality, and biosphere life begins a new human story.

Dunge Katorsay, an Apostle of the Anti-Christ, leads his forces from the Draco Constellation to defeat the realm and become its chairman.

Brian Hudson and Charlotte Tennyson are introduced as earth embryos. Both are born years later on another planet.

The ending above the earth, as their forces collide, is a horrific battle between the Anti-Christ and the second coming of a God child.
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Mistreatment of the Bisexual
This part really pissed me off. If I hadn't been reading from a Kindle I might've thrown the book across the room. Now I may be too close to the issue, but I could give less than a shit. Charlotte Tennyson is a bisexual but at no point is she ever reassured by someone that she isn't abnormal. Hell, she never seems to come to peace with that part of herself. As a bisexual, it was beyond important to feel comfortable with myself. So to see someone struggling and not getting reassured...yeah, it wasn't nice. With a small re-write of this sub-plot, this could be a great part of the book. Last thing about this part: Charlotte seems to hint that bisexuals aren't part of this future and that people are either gay or straight. So that shows that she is broken by the standards of this society. We never get someone else talking about how bisexuality is looked at in this society so Charlotte's views are the only ones we get.

This Was His Debut Sci-Fi Novel
With that in mind, I tried to judge this novel less harshly than I wanted to. I know how complicated sci-fi is, being a huge sci-fi fan, and that newcomers to the genre can have trouble. With my alien species I like there to be differences in them. Not just skin color or scales instead of skin, but shapes. Look at Star Wars or Animorphs (books, not the tv show) for examples of some really well done alien species. However, world building for a sci-fi universe can be extremely hard. The novel is a good first step into the genre and improvements can be made in future sci-fi novels, if he chooses to write them.

Confusing Dialogue
The thing with the dialogue in this is that a character will start to explain something and then it would switch to the thing being described to you by the narrator. As I haven't read any of his books before this, I don't know if it was just this book or if it's a long running problem. If you're going to start having a character explain something, let the character continue to explain it. There are exceptions, but there were no exceptions in this novel. Also some of the book seemed to be moved along by long explanations instead of it being shown.

Final Thoughts
I met the author at a Dunkin Donuts so this is my second review where I'm scared I'll piss him off. Authors like Stephen King or Stephenie Meyer I have no problems writing about because I'll never meet them. This was a decent stab at sci-fi, though I think the pacing could've been better. Plus some editing of where to put quotation marks as that did become a problem as the novel went on. I will be reading more of this author's works later.