We Are Remembered by the Words We Scribe Upon the Walls

Howdy folks,

I was never too great at introductions so let me give you the brief of things. I'm 25, I live in Texas where I work in the gaming industry, and I'm one of those tortured artists who fights against being an introvert. Well, more or less, I suppose. I'm no true artist. There are many others who are far more worthy of praise than anything I would write.

I draw heavily from Jeff Somers, William Gibson, and Bernard Cornwell as my writing inspirations. I dabbled a bit with Chuck Palahniuk's writing style but it was a bit too uncouth for me. I realize that was the whole point and I'm not saying I dislike his work buuuut.. It just isn't my writing style. I'm a big fan of collaboration, so if our stories happen to cross paths, then definitely chat me up to discuss it.

I'm not sure what to say about myself, really. I'm a gamer, I have been since the 80s. APB is definitely a great game and the customization only adds to the flair of the game itself. I decided to try for the Rain Dogs because I needed a good social writing project. I haven't written anything in so long that I felt as though I may have lost my ability to express myself. The last time I had a good writing project was back in the early 2000's, with a Matrix Forum RPG called Future of Zion. Good stuff, that was. I'm also a big fan of text based games, like MUDs, MUSHes, MUCKs, etc.

In my short quarter century life I have been many things and seen even more. I'm originally from London, England (Westminster, specifically) and I've done a bit of travelling. I like a good read on a rainy day (as my first post implies), long walks on the beach, and listening to music with wonderful people. A good conversation goes a long way with me, especially if it's a conversation that requires more than just basic thought. I'm also a guitar player, although nothing fancy. I stick to jazz and blues since it's something I can really put myself into, as I do with my writing.

Unfortunately, that exhausts my ability to describe myself. I never was very good at that specific task. Please ask some questions if you wish, as I'm much better at answering a question than delivering a prepared statment of my general persona's qualities and traits.

Happy hunting and I hope to see you in game

EDIT:
Oh yes, and as for what you may call me, Alkain is just fine. Alk is a good nickname. If you'd like to get a bit personal, you may even call me Fox, which happens to be my name (well, part of it)

An entirely thoughtful and interesting introduction.
In so far as alternative histories; it would seem that more than a few around, at the moment, may also be from a similarly digital world of illusionary reality.

The most intrigueing of presentation can often be that within which the author, themselves, may be present in both expression and thought - a message with consideration and feeling, through the medium of prose, literature or lexical paint.

May you enjoy your time with this particular creative consciousness of San Paro, as much as we may be looking forward to learning more.

What can I say? The concept of an alternate reality is more then intriguing. Cornwell's Sharpe series and The Archer's Tale series are both wonderful examples of how an alternate reality can be done without too much fuss. I'm a big fan of writing between the lines, as though the material itself were true but just undocumented. A plausible "What If?" style, if you will. It's a style I would love to emulate as it requires such a vast amount of understanding in regard to the subject matter at hand. That being said, learning is fun. The back reading on the Sharpe series really opened my eyes to English history.

Alkain wrote:What can I say? The concept of an alternate reality is more then intriguing. Cornwell's Sharpe series and The Archer's Tale series are both wonderful examples of how an alternate reality can be done without too much fuss. I'm a big fan of writing between the lines, as though the material itself were true but just undocumented. A plausible "What If?" style, if you will. It's a style I would love to emulate as it requires such a vast amount of understanding in regard to the subject matter at hand. That being said, learning is fun. The back reading on the Sharpe series really opened my eyes to English history.

As innovative as the construction of an alternate reality, I would find the concept of alternative perspective through our already existent one: the ever extensive maleability and infinitely multipliable variation within the process of thought and imagining. A method which, in and through itself, can create an almost entirely new one.

The contrast being that replacing, if not in compliment to, research of history and biography; is a familiarity of background and persona encouraged and implied to the subconscious, from the most closely described to the indubitably incorporeal - refined only by its absence of restriction and freedom of form.

Such a style finding itself almost entirely intrinsic to the story - telling and interaction, here, among this conclave of rogues and writers. Embodied, increasingly, I think, within the literature; so far, of, especially:

Sephr, Pyroclasam and Eleutherophobia.