SNES Classic - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

After beating Super Mario World, I had to decide what to play through next, and eventually settled on Nintendo's other biggest icon: Link, and his instalment on the Super Nintendo.

The game opens with Link, or in my playthrough "..." (The Hylian with No Name), having a mysterious dream involving a call of distress from Princess Zelda. He wakes up to find his uncle leaving home, geared up for battle, only to be found mortally wounded in a tunnel beneath Hyrule Castle. His uncle obviously had the same dream, as he was trying to rescue Zelda as well, and gives "..." his sword and shield before expiring. After rescuing Zelda and finding sanctuary, "..." learns that the wizard Aghanim has taken over the kingdom and is trying to break a seal to a mythical Golden Land by using maidens descended from the sages who originally made the seal.

Anyway, "..." is told to seek out the legendary Master Sword, which requires three pendants found in three different dungeons in Hyrule. Unfortunately, upon finding it, Zelda gets found and taken back to the castle, where Aghanim sends both her and "..." to the Dark World, the Golden Land corrupted by the evil overlord Ganon. The quest then changes to rescue Zelda and six other maidens from the Dark World dungeons.

I think that formula has been in place for most of the Zelda games which followed, but here it was fresh and new. Gameplay features plenty of hack-and-slash action, but there are strong puzzle-solving elements too. Each dungeon features a special item, and a boss which is often fought with that said item. There often is a frustration factor (usually involving the Wallmaster enemy), but there is a still a strong element of fun challenge which keeps me going.

Anyway, I've pretty much said what everybody says about this game. But before I go, I'd like to discuss some parts I find odd.

For example, there's a person in the village who has sealed his brother in his room after they had an argument. You end up using a bomb to open the door. Link often gets a lot of flak for going into people's houses and breaking their pots to steal money, but this aforementioned person sounds downright psychopathic.

Another part involves Link being turned into a pink bunny if he enters the Dark World without the Moon Pearl. It's stated that the Dark World transforms people based on their personality. So, does that mean Link is as harmless as a bunny? I doubt that. OK, he won't kill thieves who try to rob you, but he doesn't hesitate at killing soldiers who think he has kidnapped Zelda and are possibly under one of Aghanim's spells.

All in all, this one took me about a week to complete.

SNES Classic - Super Mario World

As promised, I've decided to do a series of posts about the SNES Classic games I've been playing through. To start with, let's look at Super Mario World.

I've already talked about Super Mario World on this blog here, but I'd like to discuss things in more detail.

If you weren't a Nintendo fan growing up, here's the rundown: according to the game's manual, Mario and Princess Peach were going on holiday to Dinosaur Island when Peach (naturally) gets abducted by Bowser. Mario later meets a dinosaur called Yoshi, who is trying to rescue his babies from the Seven Koopa Kids.

Gameplay is the familiar yet fresh side-scrolling platforming action which Mario does so well. Mario can jump on enemies to defeat them, but he can also pick up Fire Flowers which give him a ranged attack, or a Cape Feather which gives him a melee spin attack and the ability to fly. Yoshi serves as a mount, and can eat enemies, some of which give him special powers.

The game starts out with the somewhat linear Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, and Vanilla Dome, but the journey becomes more divergent in the Forest of Illusion and Chocolate Island. Some levels have secret exits, which can lead to Switch Palaces or alternate levels. There are also maze-like ghost houses (which serve as checkpoints), and the truly challenging castles in which you face the Seven Koopa Kids. I especially like the cutscenes after defeating the Kids, which shows Mario destroying their castles (which spawned the hilarious Mario's Castle Calamity series on Newgrounds).

Personally, I went for a standard run-through, which constituted about 68% completion when I checked. Granted, I did unlock the Switch Palaces and a Top Secret Area (a hidden arsenal), but I do recommend finding those. Even if you do, there is plenty of harrowing challenge. And that's not going into the insanely difficult Special World which would precede the dozens of ROM-hacks which are known to be even more difficult.

There's a two-player mode as well, in which players take it in turns to beat the stages.

Super Mario World is still one of my all-time favourite games, and still holds up after more than twenty years.

Anyway, I'll be back soon to talk about A Link to the Past.

What Am I Working On?

Not my drawing skills, for one

It's been a rough couple of months in terms of writing. I've already said repeatedly that I haven't written much, on account of having a numbing full time job and wasting time with the help of a Super Nintendo Classic.

So, what exactly is it that I'm trying to work on?

My main WIP at the moment is a series of pirate stories following the adventures and misadventures of two wandering scoundrels: a romantic, thrill-seeking libertine called Isiah Kestrel, and a cynical runaway slave-turned mercenary called Jacob Scar. I've got numerous stories on the go with this pair, but they're pretty much first drafts to help develop them for a piece I'm currently revising. But I love working with them, and want to see them get into all kinds of trouble. I've recently decided to give the series the working title 'Gentlemen of Fortune', but I still mostly refer to the stories as 'Kestrel and Scar'.

In addition to this, I've recently started planning a more experimental WIP called 'The Bayfalls'. This one I can see as a fantasy sitcom, following a dysfunctional family of Dungeons & Dragons-style adventurers. I've bounced the idea around on Twitter, and it seems to have a lot of potential, but it's going slowly, as heroic fantasy and comedy are genres I don't really write in. Granted, there's humour in my work, but it tends to be tongue-in-cheek. On top of that, it doesn't fit my regular writing style, so I'm trying to write in script format - which I'm also not familiar with. So, this is something which is very much out of my comfort zone.

As for blogging, I figured that since I've been spending too much time on the Super Nintendo, I might as well write about the games I've been playing through. I've also been thinking of doing another Top Ten in the near future, looking at characters who work as duos. I'm just looking for ones I can really write about.

Anyway, watch this space, and happy writing.

A Quarter-life Crisis

Yep. I've been procrastinating again. April's a busy time with year-end accounts prep, so I haven't written much lately. Especially because I've had a hankering to play Super Mario World since I talked about it in my top ten favourite video games last year. So, to indulge a quarter-life crisis, I decided to pick up a Super Nintendo Classic Edition.

I grew up with the Super Nintendo, and had heard that they were sort-of re-releasing it as a dedicated machine with a selection of games pre-installed. Last week I caved in and bought one, to revisit some of the gems I played (or watched) as a child, along with a few I'd missed out on.

OK, it was a bit of a rocky start on the technical side. The console has uses HDMI input, but my TV upstairs doesn't have a port for that. My PS4 is connected using a HDMI to DVI converter (which doesn't have sound output), while connected to a soundbar. I thought I could do the same with the Super Nintendo, but there isn't a way to connect to the soundbar. I had to buy a new TV. There also isn't an A/C adaptor for the power supply, but you can just use any that has a USB port (like most phone chargers now).

Anyway, technical details aside, I was eventually able to set it up and play some Super Mario World. Then a day later I had to stop because I'd finished it. Well, not 100% but I beat Bowser (on my last life too). It feels great to be able to play the old games with the original controller, rather than downloading emulators and plugging in and coding an Xbox 360 controller. I've also forgotten how challenging these old games used to be.

At the time of writing, I've managed to beat Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (for the first time). At the moment, I'm playing through Super Metroid. I actually missed this one as a kid, but it's so immersive with a massive world to explore and a lot of back-tracking involved. I'm actually trying to resist the temptation to keep playing it even as I'm sitting here writing this post.

Well, that's about it. Now I can say that I've got some writing done this Bank Holiday weekend.

Happy writing.

Nodwick

Credit to Do Gooder Press

One of the things which originally got me into writing was Dungeons & Dragons and similar role-playing games, from creating characters to writing campaigns. And because I'm always in search of new ways to procrastinate, I ended up looking at the Nodwick comics of Aaron Williams.

Nodwick follows the title character who is employed as a "henchman" by a typical Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party: Yeagar, an overconfident fighter with more brawn than brains; Artax, an intelligent but power-hungry wizard; and Piffany, an honest and kind-hearted but gullible cleric.

Nodwick's job is to accompany the party on their adventures and carry all their loot, but is frequently used by Yeagar to trigger traps and bait monsters, or by Artax to test new spells or potions. This frequently results in him getting killed, requiring Piffany to resurrect him by literally putting him back together with duct tape. As such, the henchman has a rather cynical sense of humour and no fear of death (but it's nice if he doesn't get killed), and holds the group together as a voice of reason.

Most of the humour in the strips derives from the tropes and conventions frequently used in fantasy role-playing games. The comic makes fun of the classes, the monsters, the settings, and anything else associated with the games. However, there's also an element of office humour, with Nodwick being depicted as a clock-punching every-man.

One of my favourite stories in the series is one called Hail to the Thief, which features Bezzler, the party's thief. Hired to disarm traps and pick locks, Bezzler had a clause in his contract in which any loot he stole he could keep, as long as he wasn't caught. Unfortunately, he was so good at what he did that he would end up cleaning out whole temples before the rest of the team could. After a magical helm incapacitated him, he was sent to a sanitarium, and upon his unexpected release, Artax and Nodwick devise a scheme to ensnare him.

The comics themselves can be found here. There is also an archived page featuring character sheets for Nodwick, Yeagar, Piffany, and Artax. They're a bit of an acquired taste, requiring some knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons, but I find Nodwick very relate-able, and some of the comics are absolutely hilarious.

Snow Days - A Retrospective

Hats off to whoever designed these socks.

So, this week the UK has been assaulted by two cold-fronts: Storm Emma pushing from the Atlantic and the so-called "Beast from the East" that's swept across Europe. And for the first time in my life, I decided to call it a "snow day".

Let's be honest; British people are not used to snow. Even if there's a bit of it, everything shuts down. Being somewhat work-shy, I used to hate listening to school closures on a snowy morning and finding mine wasn't on there. I think I once poured tea over the radio because of it. My secondary school was notorious for that. they never closed once in the seven years I went there (OK, there was one time they closed early, but never a full closure in that time). Now they're closing all the time, after I left, and after I started making bets with work colleagues about whether or not our old schools would be closed due to snow.

So, if there was was snow on a day I wasn't at school, then oh goody: a chance to go sledging, build a snowman, and have a snowball fight. I miss those days. There used to be some really good sledging in the Lancashire village where I used to live. Then I had to relocate on account of somebody's midlife crisis, and move to a flatter village. OK, there are hills, but they've all got roads on them, so no sledging there.

As for snowball fights? Maybe that's a school playtime activity. Except it wasn't. My first primary school wouldn't let us outside if it snowed. After moving, the other primary school was OK with it, then a bunch of Puritans took over and said we weren't allowed to have snowball fights. The secondary school, Waffle House Index aside, actually allowed snowball fights on the field but not the playground.

I've got that bloody song stuck in my head now.

OK, so now that my school days are finished and I've become a gear in a corporate machine, what do snow days mean to me? Unfortunately, this snow day simply involved working from home and keeping in touch with the office. The plus-side of that is that I don't have to deal with as many people, I don't get anxious about driving in the snow, and I have access to better coffee. However, I don't get to use it as an excuse for writing. I find it difficult to write when I'm expecting a call.

I don't know. I may not have made the most of it. I just want some warmer weather now, so I can complain about being too hot.

Let's Get Writing

I’m going to write a book today. I don’t know what it’s going to be about, but I’m going to write one. I like the idea of an old-fashioned pulp adventure. Maybe a western. Or a swashbuckler. That will be fun to write. I’d better start with a protagonist. How about two? A pair of wandering rogues who are always getting into trouble. That could form the basis for a really good series.

Hold on, the phone’s ringing. It’s the boss. They want me in for a stock take, even though it’s my day off. The car won’t start. I’m not feeling very well. I’m already at work. I hang up. This is my valuable writing time and I don’t live to work. They can sack me later. I’ll save a fortune on petrol.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, now I remember. I’ve got two characters, now I need a story. But I might check Twitter first. I also need some music to get me in the right mood. Bloody hell, the phone’s ringing again. Whatever they’re selling, I don’t want it. I put my headphones back on and turn the music up. It’s time to start the first chapter. Blast! My coffee’s gone cold. Time to brew a fresh one.

I can give the heroes a good introductory scene, but now I’m hungry. Maybe a stroll to the deli will help me focus my mind. I can get back to work while I’m eating. I can see it coming together now. They meet a lady and get roped into an adventure. A search for a missing parent with the promise of a hidden treasure. That sounds good. I might watch a film to get some inspiration. Maybe there’s something good on Netflix.

Where’s the time gone? One film later, combined with another visit to Twitter, and then it’s back to work. Wait, I think I heard a noise downstairs. It sounds like a wine bottle being uncorked. Drink!

Now it’s morning, and I’m hungover. But I’m looking at a decent night’s work: a couple of chapters, filled with action, adventure, wit…and typos. I’ll edit those when I’ve finished.

I might spend an hour or two on the PlayStation, but today I will get some writing done.

Meet the Author: Val Penny

Today I'm delighted to be joined by author and fellow Swanwicker Val Penny, who has recently launched her debut novel, Hunter's Chase, and has come to the Writer's Block to answer some questions.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your writing
I am an American author living in SW Scotland. I have a Law degree from Edinburgh University and  an MSc in Business from Napier University. Although I have had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer, I have not yet achieved either of my childhood dreams of becoming a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, I have decided to turn my hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. My debut crime novel, Hunter's Chase set in Edinburgh, Scotland was published by Crooked Cat Books on 02.02.2018.

2. Tell us about your new book
The main protagonist of Hunter's Chase is DI Hunter Wilson. He knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding Edinburgh and he needs to find the source but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a local golf course. Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman's life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable. Hunter's perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this taught crime thriller.  He is a Hunter by name – and a  Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.

3. What first inspires you when writing – The setting, the plot, or the character?
My writing is usually character driven. I always make full biographies and back stories for my characters. Although most of these do not hit the page, I know them. So I know how my characters would react in any given circumstance.

I also think that setting is important. I debated creating an imaginary town for Hunter's Chase. However, Finally I decided that my books featuring Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson should be set in Edinburgh. This is a city I know well and the Scottish Presbyterian work ethic sits well in a police procedural crime novel.

Edinburgh is a beautiful backdrop for a story. It has the wide, elegant streets of its new town the tight, historical closes of the old town. The ancient castle towering above the city centre sitting on an extinct volcano contrasts with the ugly modern Parliament building near the Royal palace at the other end of the Royal Mile. There are also many open spaces including several golf courses, four universities and a selection of residential suburbs. The myriad of pubs and restaurants form great settings too. Even so, I do not rule out Hunter having a trip out of the city sometime!

4. Who would you consider to be your favourite author?
My favourite author varies according to my mood and the time of day! My favourite genres are thrillers, crime fiction and murder mysteries, although I do read all sorts of titles. I also enjoy discovering authors who are new to me and recently read An Evil Mind by Chris Carter, Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle, and Kindred Spirits: The Royal Mile Jennifer C Wilson, all of which I enjoyed. I also have Heart of Stone by John Jackson and Lasting Damage by Sophie Hannah in my TBR pile, so you can see I do read a wide variety of books. However, one of my favourite ever novels is The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly. I read that book at one sitting, it is so good that I could not put it down. It is amazing that it was a debut novel. I tease Erin that she owes me a night's sleep!

5. Do you listen to music while you write?
I rarely listen to anything when I write, and if there is something in the background I don't hear it. I see and hear the scenes of my writing like a movie. The characters act it out and speak their lines, all I do is write down what they say and describe what they do. I wouldn't hear any music that was playing in the middle of the action.

6. Do you prefer to plan your stories or do you chance them?
I have often written short stories and started novels without any real story-line planning. I certainly never knew how my stories ended. However, last year I attended a course on novel writing at Swanwick Writers' Summer School run by Sue Moorcroft. Sue also said she had started writing without planning, but that she now plans her books meticulously. Since taking that course, I have been planning my stories.

I am now writing the sequel to Hunter's Chase which will be entitled Hunter's Revenge. This novel is being planned according to the tips I learned from Sue. It is quite a different feeling writing this book, knowing how the story ends.

7. What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
My mother told me not to place too much importance on things because they are easily lost. Value what you have inside you: love, learning, experience and instinct. They will serve you well. She was right.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Andy. I hope you will enjoy reading Hunter's Chase.

Thank you for joining me. I wish you every success with Hunter's Chase, and Hunter's Revenge.

Meet the Author - Misha M. Herwin

Writing is, by and large, a community. And the best way to develop in the writing world is to network with other writers. With this in mind, I would to welcome Misha M. Herwin, who has recently launched her latest book, Shadows on the Grass, and has agreed to visit the Writer's Block to answer a few questions.

1. First of all, tell us a little about yourself and your writing. 
I am Misha Herwin and I write books for adults and for children. I’ve also written plays which have been performed both by a professional theatre company and in schools. My short stories have been published in various anthologies in the UK and US; including The Way to my Heart, Voices of Angels, The Darkest Midnight in December, The Yellow Room, and Bitch Lit, among others.

2. Tell us about your new book. 
Shadows on the Grass slips between past and present and tells the story of a Polish immigrant family who find themselves in Bristol after the Second World War. The Poland they knew has gone. It has become part of the USSR and they have to start a new life in a new country. It also goes back into their past which helps to explain the family dynamics. To sum it up: In 1960s Bristol, seventeen-year-old Kate is torn between the new sexual freedom and her rigid Catholic upbringing. Her parents have high expectations of her, but she is determined to lead her own life. Her grandmother Mimi is dying. In her final hours, her cousin The Princess keeps watch at her bedside.  Born in the same month in the same year, the two women are bound by their past and a terrible betrayal. Meanwhile, caught between the generations, Mimi’s daughter Hannah struggles to come to terms with her relationship with her mother and to keep the peace between her daughter and her husband.

3. What is your favourite place to write? 
I like to write in my office, which is crowded and messy but full of books and photos and pictures that are special to me. That, however, is not always possible and I often work on the train when I go down to Bristol to see family. I like to plug in the laptop, buy a cup of coffee, and get immersed in my latest WIP.

4. Are there any authors you would like to meet and why? 
I’d like to meet JK Rowling and ask her how many times Harry Potter was turned down. There is such a mythology about this book that I’d be curious to learn the truth.

5. Have you ever based a character on someone you know? And if so, did they ever find out? 
I did once write a play for a youth group and the characters were tailored to the kids who would play them. I didn’t mean anyone to know but the mother of one of the main characters came up to me afterwards and said “You really got our Clare.” Luckily she was pleased because the character Clare was playing whinged and moaned throughout the whole piece. It taught me to me much more careful the next time.

6. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research? 
Sorry, not done anything really crazy. (Well not in the name of research for a book)

7. What’s the best advice anyone gave you? 
Best writing advice is a) read, read and read some more. Which is easy for me because I’ve always loved reading. b) Try to write every day. When I do the WIP comes more easily and I feel happier, because I’ve done something creative even if I’ve only had 20 minutes to do it.

Thanks for hosting me on your blog. If you want to buy a copy of Shadows on the Grass  HERE is the link.

Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you every success with Shadows on the Grass.

Happy writing.

Western Weekends - Lonesome Dove (The Miniseries)

It's been a while since I've done a Western Weekend. One of my favourite reads of last year was Larry McMurtry's 1985 western novel, Lonesome Dove. It's a hefty read, but it's nonetheless gripping and poignant. So, I figured I'd take a look at the 1989 miniseries.

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as Augustus McRae and Woodrow Call, former Texas Rangers and the proprietors of the Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium of Lonesome Dove, Texas. Things take off when fellow Ranger Jake Spoon, played by Robert Urich, unexpectedly arrives in Lonesome Dove after a ten-year absence. Jake is wanted for murder in Arkansas, but the stories of travels inspire Woodrow to gather a herd and set up a ranch in Montana.

It's amazing how such a big book could be transferred to the screen. In fact, that was the original intention. Larry McMurtry wrote Lonesome Dove as a screenplay back in 1972, under the title Streets of Laredo. The film was due to be directed by Peter Bogdanovich (whom McMurtry had previously worked with on The Last Picture Show), and was going to feature John Wayne as Woodrow Call, Jimmy Stewart as Augustus McRae, and Henry Fonda as Jake Spoon. However, John Wayne turned the role down, prompting the others to back out, and McMurtry eventually bought back the rights to the story and made it into a novel.

Watching this, I agree with John Wayne; I really cannot see him in the role. However, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones share some great chemistry. The expansive scenery looks stunning, and I am invested in the journey all the characters go through. The first part starts out with the promise of an adventure, but then it takes dark turns at every corner. OK, not quite to a Game of Thrones level of killing off main characters, but they still try and keep things a little gruesome if toned down.

I do have to reserve some criticism for one particular scenes: The first river crossing at the end of the first episode. One of the ranch hands gets killed after his horse disturbs a nest of water mocassins. It's not exactly a pleasant end, but the slow motion and extreme close-ups ended up looking silly. They show it again at the beginning of the next episode, but the aftermath is still poignant.

There are a couple of other changes from the book that I didn't entirely agree with, but that's expected and often required, so I can't really fault that. They still kept the emotional feel of the book, and that's all that really matters.

The miniseries is four parts, all of which are about an hour and a half. I've not seen it on any streaming services in the UK, but the DVD is available online and I do recommend you buy it. I do recommend subtitles though, as the accents are quite thick.

An Unexpected Visit - A Flash Fiction for #WIPTruthOrDare

It’s not often you get fancy dress nights at my local. That’s what I thought when I saw the two newcomers. Granted, the pub was virtually empty since they weren’t serving food while the kitchens were being redone.

I was sat at the corner table, pint in my hand when the doors swung open and two men from a previous century strode in. The first man was no taller than 5’6”, but with an athletic build. With a rakish grin shining behind his Van Dyke style moustaches and goatee, and the rapier swinging between his legs like a monkey’s tail, he seemed to fill more space than he actually took up. That’s no small feat, considering his companion. The second man was a large black man, almost 7’ tall and with a muscular build. His face bore a grave expression, beneath the three parallel scars which ran from above his right ear to his left cheek. Hanging from his belt were two cutlasses and a brace of old flintlock pistols.

“This place looks pretty dead, Scar.” The first man looked around. I almost chocked on my pint when he mentioned the name.

“As long as there’s some food and ale, I don’t care.”

I took a deep breath. “Sorry mate, kitchen’s closed.”

They both stared at me. “Mr Scar, is it? Then I take it that your friend is Mr Kestrel.”

I saw the other man’s grin become wider. “Hear that, Scar? Our reputation precedes us. Seafaring men have taken our exploits as far as…where are we exactly?”

“You’re in Stoke. And there aren’t many seafaring men around here. We’re too far inland for that. How’d you get here from the Caribbean?”

They gave each other a quizzical look. “You seem to know a lot about us for a respectable man.” Scar leaned over me. “Who are you?”

“I’m a writer.” I stammered.

“Then who are we?”

“I guess, the characters.” I stood up. “This is surreal, and kind of terrifying. I’m going to get another drink. I’ll buy a round if you want.”

Their expressions immediately softened at the promise of free booze.

Laughter filled the room while empty glasses filled the table.

“I remember the incident with the Andalusian in Havana!” Scar punched Kestrel’s arm with enough force to knock him off his chair. “That mare got the better of Kestrel. You need to write about that one.”

“It’s in the works.” I raised my glass in a toast. “As is your smuggling run in Charlestown.”

“Anything of ours made it to print?” Kestrel struggled back up.

“Not yet. Your adventure with Rosanna Barclay’s is being beta-read by a friend. But you have to sell your soul to have a steady income. I ain’t cut out for this full-time work malarkey.”

“I know the feeling.” Kestrel slurred, “That’s why I became a gentleman of fortune.”

The sound of the bell at the bar signalled our revelry had to end. Outside, I watched them stagger off into the night.

“I wish you good fortune, Mr Roberts.” Kestrel waved, “Here’s to hoping you can share our many adventures.”