Hi there.


Sunday — June 2nd, 2013

I dou’t know if anyone will see this or not.  But I noticed that some of you, bless your hearts – have posted from time to time and I want to write something.

I have wanted to post so many times… started so many times. But without updates it really seemed very pointless.  It was hard to see the negative comments about there being no updates,  however rare they may have been, and I have felt terrible about the frustration that people have about the story not continuing.

I am frustrated as well. I have rewritten a relaunch to Xylia no less than seven times.  Two of the rewrites have more than two chapters!  But then I’ d get stuck, or waylaid in the real world, then stop writing, go back to what I had and it was ‘all wrong’.

But honestly the biggest problem isn’t time, real life problems,  writer’s block, or  insecurity – and those are all there in multitudes.  The biggest problem is that I have changed.  Profoundly.  The person that wrote the previous chapters of Xylia and the romantic story of Talismen doesn’t really exist.  My life gave me some further rough lessons on love and relationships that make those stories not ring true for me anymore.  I’m not faulting those who DO feel that way, the romantic and hopeful society who I once called myself a member.  But sadly, the repeated heartbreaks I have beaten that outlook out of me.  The idea that some guy would keep searching for some fairy woman in a block of stone seems absolutely ludicrous to me, when I look at my life as a human woman NOT frozen in stone and I can’t even find a man willing to spend a few years with me, forget about LIFETIMES.

I know that Xyliacs will argue with me because you were drawn to this tale (as I would have been once upon a time) BECAUSE of its sweet almost naive hopefulness. The idea that there is such thing as true love between men and women.  And I know that for some that IS true. My parents have been married for 62 years. Many of my friends have been married a long time. And a lot of my friends are in long term relationships or getting married.  In fact MOST of them.  For twelve years I have been alone.  For a time, I thought that loneliness would finally end when I became involved in a long distance relationship which was really just two years of waiting for a hopeful outcome of togetherness with someone that ended up being nothing, and being ultimately rejected and abandoned.  But even during that relationship I was still alone here in Iowa.  Going to weddings, parties, graduations, everything ALONE.  Which I still do now alone- when I go at all. It’s getting really difficult to do that anymore.

I dated a few other times, but each of those ended up being with people who were initially hiding the fact that they were profound substance abusers and that just doesn’t go for me. Ultimately what I’m saying with all this is, when it comes to love or romance, I am profoundly jaded.  So… a story like Claudius and Xylia’s, which was once very personal to me as the projection of what I hoped for and believed might actually be true, makes no sense to me now.  How can I put my heart into something that means nothing to me?

I guess this is problem with doing that in the first place. It’s better to distance yourself more from your creative outlets.  But that just never seemed logical to me.  If you aren’t putting yourself into a creative outlet, it’s not really an outlet, is it?

But- all that aside, I still feel very indebted to the Xyliacs and other internet friends.  You have been loyal and supportive to a fault.  And that’s where my story really lies I think. Not in a love relationship between a man and woman (which is not in my cards, and I’m certain of that) but in friends- not of physically present people, but sort of ether people.  I know you all exist, but most of you I have never seen or talked to.  I know you are very kind in the things you say, but there is still that distance that the web puts between everyone.  But you are still there, you all have said wonderful supportive things, and for that I am very thankful and you are the reason I am trying to figure out how to continue the story.

The only problem.  There are no hugs in the internet.  (I am a very huggy person- that’s the part that’s hardest to do without)  But I’ll figure it out. :)

 

So stay tuned. I have been writing.  I know what I want to do- but it will be a bit different somehow.  I hope you are all well, and thank you again for reading my story.

E-hugs,

~B

 

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Why The Last Airbender didn’t suck THAT bad.

Let me preface this little article with a disclaimer.  I have watched all of Avatar: The Last Airbender from beginning to end.  And I liked the cartoon series very much.  It was an enjoyable past time that contained a perfect blend of character growth, humor, action, and compelling story lines.

When I first heard they were making this beloved cartoon series into a live action series I was understandably skeptical.  If history taught me anything, a 50/50 chance of being good was only possible if the director was a good one.  So when I heard that the director was M. Knight Shyamalan I was just deeply confused.  My first thought was, “The twist ending horror guy?”  I’d seen most his movies.  The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water.  He’s very hit or miss.

I then read the reviews.  Which called it terrible.  In fact Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal had this to say:

“M. Night Shyamalan’s big-screen live-action version of the popular Nickelodeon animated TV series constitutes a form of Chinese water torture in which tin-ear line-readings take the place of drips.”

Harsh words, but sadly not the harshest review I have seen.  I had initially decided to not go see the movie.  But fate conspired that I would get to see the movie after all, and in 3D.

My largest complaint is actually about the 3D.  It was clearly and obviously added in at the last moment as a way to make extra money on tickets.  Generally only the special effects themselves are rendered into 3D, leaving them feel like cheap tricks.  Unfortunately time and time again 3D is being used as just that.  A cheap trick to throw in that increases the cost of a ticket by five dollars for little effect.  3D can be done well, and when it is it is amazing to watch.  This isn’t a case of that though.

But what of the movie itself?

The child actors were just that.  Child actors who have lots of room to grow.  Not always delivering lines as well as seasoned actors, but never making me wonder how they got the job.

The story was unfortunately not as good as the cartoon series.  I don’t think this came from a lack of writing talent.  I think this came from trying to shove an entire season of a show into one movie.  Think of it this way.  At twenty episodes at approximately twenty two minutes long, the first season ran about seven hours and thirty minutes. (Not counting commercial time)  This movie attempted to cover the same story arc in one hour and forty minutes.  See the problem?  There were definitely things that could be cut out easily.  Whole episodes did nothing to further the plot or reveal any new details.  But some of the choices of what to cut out didn’t always make sense.

Why is Roku not being featured?  Why is Aang talking with a dragon when dragons never talked in the cartoon?  Why are the firebenders unable to bend without a separate source of fire when they could in the cartoon?  Why are all the names being said differently?  Why do the Earthbenders in jail (was that a jail? Someone watching with me didn’t even realize it was at first, and I barely did) just sit there and not use the earth all over to fight back and break out?

These left for confusing times both for people who have never seen the series and for those who have.  They detracted from the movie, but didn’t ruin it.  Some of the changes would only be visible to someone who has seen the series, such as the firebenders not being able to bend without fire already nearby.

The story still made it through though.  The action scenes were mostly enjoyable. (Minor complaint, if Aang is going to take that many stances and moves to get up a gust of wind, then sooner or later an enemy is going to stop waiting and just kill him.  See also: forming Voltron/Megazord)

Overall I have to say that The Last Airbender was not a great movie.  It was decent to not very good.  I wouldn’t put it on par with the worst movie I have ever seen (Vanilla Sky, I’m looking at you).  I would actually put it on par with the first Harry Potter movie.  A movie that had a lot of good story to live up to, a lot of story that had to be cut out often leading to decisions on why this was cut, this was added, and this was kept.  And like Harry Potter, probably a movie that with time, sequels, and aging of actors, will probably have potential to grow to the level of good.

It’s a renter. Maybe a Red Box renter.  But it’s not awful.  And my theory is so many people say so solely because it’s just become the cool thing to hate right now.

Canterrain

 

The Site has Moved!

…but not the URL, don’t worry. I’ve just moved the site off of Keenspot to Xyliatales’ new home, so please pardon our dust! If there are any links not working, please notify KEZ at warofwinds@gmail.com, or comment here. The site may take up to 72 hours to work for some people, so patience please! I did not nab Barb’s latest post, and I apologize for that. I’ll see if I can.

 

03/21/2010

———————-Today’s page————————-
Very rough and sketchy thumbnail image for today.
———————-Barblog———————————-
Thank you again to all of you for your support and comments showing that you are enjoying the story!

—————————TWC————————–
Please vote-

————————Odds and Ends————————-
Xyliatales On Air will be broadcasting on Sundays, along with the occasional last minute broadcast! (Just had a fun one last Thursday night!). I’m going to try for a regular time- like 7PM CST. I know some of you will find that an inconvenient time in other parts of the world- hopefully it will work for some of you! XYLIATALES ON AIR TALK SHOW SITE

Remember, you can follow my announcements on Twitter

Or consider friending me on Facebook- just make sure to let me know that you are a Xyliac when you send the request.

——————–XYLIA GOODY BAG——————
Please consider donating for the Xylia cause! I plan on adding new things in the coming weeks- first I will be creating a series of hi resolution downloadable character cards, with profile images and bio information! In the meantime, browse our existing wallpapers and other things. As always if you don’t receive your download, please email me directly at bji2001(at)mchsi.com.

Hugs,

~B

 

03/15/2010


Hello, Xyliacs!
—————————TWC————————–
Please vote-

———————-
Barblog———————————-

Wasn’t sure what I was going to blog about today, when I noticed in my inbox that Webcomic Overlook had tagged some of the pages on Xylia- meaning that it been reviewed. I started to read the review and I could tell it was not going to be good. At all. Actually, it’s a blood bath panning of the story. Scrolling down to the end, I noticed it got two of five stars, and the last sentence was enough to keep me from reading the review.

Were I made of tougher stuff, like Bobby Crosby perhaps, I could maybe handle it. But since my ability to see worth in the project hangs by a tenuous thread at times anyway, it seemed wise to avoid it. The bits I read seemed less constructive and more just an assault of the blandness and predictability of the story, and those are things I can’t really change- at least not without completely overhauling the entire story.

To read the review, please go here:

Webcomic Overlook review

I know many folks just wave their hand upon receiving such reviews and will tell you they dismiss them as ‘one guy’s opinion’ – but I also know these same people retreat to their studios, gnashing their teeth and pummeling the sides of their head. (Much like I’m doing..right now) The difference with me is that I am honest about it. life blasted apart by a liar has forged me to be this way. I’m cut down by this. Not sure what to do. Really feeling like a literary wast of time. That’s the reality. That’s my honesty.

To this reviewer, Xyliatales is a bit of fluff with over-romantic, simplified characters, and a ‘bland hero’ who put him in a diabetic coma. Most of what I read of the review were things I have always worried were true about the story, but had never been said by anyone else. But for me, the biggest problem is the reviewer finds Xyliatales sappy. And he is right- in our cynical, dark, electronic high speed world, is there really a place for old fashioned silly romance? Maybe not, but I wish there was. Call me a dork if you like, but it is what it is.

————————Odds and Ends————————-
Xyliatales On Air will be broadcasting on Sundays, along with the occasional last minute broadcast! (Just had a fun one last Thursday night!). I’m going to try for a regular time- like 7PM CST. I know some of you will find that an inconvenient time in other parts of the world- hopefully it will work for some of you! XYLIATALES ON AIR TALK SHOW SITE

Remember, you can follow my announcements on Twitter

Or consider friending me on Facebook- just make sure to let me know that you are a Xyliac when you send the request.

——————–XYLIA GOODY BAG——————
Please consider donating for the Xylia cause! I plan on adding new things in the coming weeks- first I will be creating a series of hi resolution downloadable character cards, with profile images and bio information! In the meantime, browse our existing wallpapers and other things. As always if you don’t receive your download, please email me directly at bji2001(at)mchsi.com.

See all y’all on Wednesday! Y’all come back now, y’ hear?
Hugs,

~B

 

03/01/2010

Hello, Xyliacs! At this writing, I am visiting the lovely state of Texas! I tried valiantly to complete the next page prior to leaving, but my freelance schedule (as it often does) got very busy with tight deadlines the week before I left. I am very sorry for disappointing you- I know you are looking forward to the reason for April’s response. I promise next week we are back to normal.

———————-Sneak peek————————-
Well Big Sis is not too happy with the malarky April is up to it seems….
—————————TWC————————–
Please vote- I hope to get something new up before I leave. Today’s pic is one I posted a year or more ago- of the mysterious White Twins, Damara and Dalia…

———————–XYLIATALES NEWS!!————————
Production is still continuing on the Xyliatales book Volume I. In case you missed it- here is me with a color proof of the cover. The good news is that it looks great- the bad news is that I have to go through and change the levels on every page and pull back on the saturation. But that’s okay- I would rather do that then have the whole book be dark.

———————Barblog———————————-

I’m hoping to be able to log in and add some trip stuff in this space from the road…. We shall see!

————————Odds and Ends————————-

——————–XYLIA GOODY BAG——————
Please consider donating for the Xylia cause! I plan on adding new things in the coming weeks- first I will be creating a series of hi resolution downloadable character cards, with profile images and bio information! In the meantime, browse our existing wallpapers and other things. As always if you don’t receive your download, please email me directly at bji2001(at)mchsi.com.

Most of the other incentives are still available for $2.00 – $10.00 amounts, including the nude faeiries (if you are 18+)! Get em while they’re hot (always)! ^_^

As we head towards three years of Xyliatales, I want to thank all of you for coming along for the ride, and I hope you continue to stay with us in the coming year!

Hugs,

~B