More detailed post on "Superpoints"!!!

So after realizing that my last post didn't give out a ton of information on Superpoints, I decided to make a more detailed post on the subject.

Here is what I commented with on my last post which is a better explaination of what Superpoints are.

"It's a legit money making service where you earn points in which you can redeem for items like gift cards, or if you like cash, paypal cash. It's invite only so it is a little more legit than other websites.
How you earn points is by doing to surveys or tasks which are on the website along with watch the occasional video. Also, everyday you get to use the superbutton thing which randomly can give you more points. You can also get points in your email and redeem them without doing really anything. From what it seems, it's about 100 superpoints to $1 American. Another thing is by inviting friends to superpoints makes you their sponsor which has some benefits of its own."

Here are the links to the invites for anyone interested. If you all have anymore questions just leave a comment.
Good luck with making money!!!

*EDIT*


So instead of leaving tokens up here with expiration dates, just send me an email at killjoykatz@gmail.com asking for an invite to SuperPoints. It's just a better idea...

An update and Superpoints!

So I have been busy with school these last 2 weeks and decided to give you all a little update on what's going on. School is going well and im getting to all of my classes and taking copius amounts of notes. I'm also in a intro to fiction class which is pretty cool and I get to write and read some interesting short stories. Also Skype is a wonderful, wonderful thing and I only learned how great it is last night. Oh, also I turned 21 and bought alcohol for the first time legally! I got some Svedka which was a great purchase. Also I got money, but that's another thing...

Also I wanted to let you all in on a invite only service which allows you to make money off the internet pretty easily. If you're interested, sign up and start making money! I have a few invites to give out so take them while they're hot!!

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/4wzx8e


http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/eu582x


http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/h2kfpy


http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/jir05z

A break for a bit.

With the start of this week school began again for us University students and because of this fact I will not be able to update as often as I want. I'm still writing random things here and there, but now I'm actually planning out how these stories will proceed. Also, rather than doing chapters of whatever future stories I write, I'm just going to do short fiction rather than what I have been doing thus far. I need to get better at writing and to do that I need to write a lot, and in many different ways. If anyone has a suggestion on a topic I should write about, please do leave your suggestion. I'm looking to write about anything and everything, nothing is off limits. If it sounds like it'll make a good story, leave it in the comments. Anything helps.

Aside from this, I'm also starting to read more fiction to help with my writing ability. Last Friday I went to a discount bookstore on a whim and bought a few: "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin, "The Last Wish" by Andpzej Sapkowski, and finally "Contact" by Carl Sagan. I finished "Ender's Game" the day after I bought it and really enjoyed the story but at times it was like I was reading a story about teenagers, not children like it was supposed to be. Either way, it was enjoyable and I'm thinking about buying the next few books in the "Ender" saga. After I finished "Ender's Game" I started reading "A Game of Thrones" and have been enjoying it since the beginning. I also watched the first episode of the television series "Game of Thrones" which is essentially the TV adaptation of the book. It was incredibly faithful to the book and will be looking forward to actually watch the rest of it after I finish the book.

As a little preview of whats to come I'll tell you all a little about the next short story I'm going to write. It's set in a modern day city and has a mid-twenties protagonist named Henry Anders. One day while walking on the street he gets bumped into and gets his glasses broken. With him being the poor, freshly out of college guy he is he decides to wait a bit before getting a new pair since his eye sight wasn't even that bad. A few days later he begins noticing strange sights which makes him think he was seeing things. Not long after that he comes into contact with something that shouldn't be there and shouldn't exist but does. Creatures not visible to other people with strange other-worldly bodies now populate Henry's vision and his fascination. What are these creatures and why can Henry see them? The answers will come when I finally get around to writing the damn thing.

Till then, here is something you all may enjoy.

A new story! "The Floating Island"

On New Years, just before I went out and had an awesome time, I decided to right a little because of how awake I was. This ended up being something that seems like it's really interesting if I do all the right things while writing it. A floating Island? Knights with power armor and magic weapons?! What kind of craziness is this?! The only way to find out is to read, so get on it!

The Floating Island

          I was running. Running as fast as my shoeless feet could take me from what would surely be my death if I was ever caught. The forest tried to stop me with all the trees and bushes which impeded my retreat. The fact that it was raining and night time didn’t help my situation either. Cuts and scrapes appeared everywhere as I tore more and more of the clothes they put on me. I had no idea how I ended up here, the only thing I did know is that I didn’t want to stay and no one would stand in my way of escaping.

Suddenly the earth was taken out from underneath me and I found myself tumbling into the darkness of a valley which seemed to appear out of nowhere. After cursing a few times I shut my mouth and listened as they went by. Apparently my run of bad luck was over with this impromptu hiding place and so I watched as the strange people in suites of armor walked right on by. I hadn’t really looked too closely at the people who were chasing me since, well, they were chasing me. Now that I was well hidden I could see what they were wearing. It looked like a combination of fantasy and futuristic armor with what looked like the same kind of combination weapon. Long, skinny rifles with a blade running along the length of the barrel with a tip coming out right below the muzzle. Even though they looked like they were wearing around 50 pounds of armor, they were still moving pretty damn quickly through the under-growth in their attempts to locate me. Eventually they gave up and went on to some other place when they heard some movement behind them. Luckily, that wasn’t me so I was home free to escape and end this annoying nightmare.

I made my way towards what looked like a clearing after walking for the rest of the night. I was exhausted and hungry, and just wanted to be home in bed eating some delicious home cooked food. My clothes were even more torn up than they were before and my feet were bloody and bruised from not having any shoes on. I didn’t know what happened to my clothes since I ran at the first chance I got. This seemed like one of those bad horror movies where some people take you from your home and drug you to be a sex slave or something. I don’t even remember how I got here. The last thing I remember was being at home, and… I think I had just made myself some dinner when… lights. That’s all I remember. Lights… Next thing I know I’m in what looks like was a set for some monster movie and me being in a completely new set of clothes with weird knights chasing me with strange weapons and armor… and…

What I saw as I exited those dark woods into the clearing was something I would never forget for as long as I get to live. Just something about it was so amazing that I would have never been able to believe it existed unless I saw it for myself. That was my first night in this crazy land filled with things I could never have guessed were real until I saw them first hand. That was the day I found myself on a land which was not on any map and didn’t belong in the natural world. The view I was presented with when I exited those dark woods was that of a ledge, a ledge which led into the clouds, which lead into the horizon. I found myself on a floating continent, one which was lost to the world but never left its side. I had somehow woken up in what I would have to say the strangest place I have ever woken up in, and trust me; I have woken up in some strange places. I blame tequila for that.

Overcome with the sight before me, I failed to notice the figures exit the tree line just as I did. They noticed me and began to run in my direction. Not only were these people running towards me, but others began to appear from the tree line into the clearing, blocking my only possible escape. I didn’t know what I should do at this moment. I had been running all night long and could barely think straight, let alone stay awake. Resigned to whatever fate they may have for me, I collapsed onto the ground with a thud and slowly lost consciousness as the men in the strange armor finally got to me.

I woke up in the same room which I had escaped from earlier, only this time with me being restrained to the bed. I had been dressed yet again in the strange clothes and most of my scratches and bruises from the night of running seemed to be gone. Not understanding what was going on, I began to struggle against the restraints without them yielding at all. I decided that I would just listen for a bit and maybe find a little more about this place since I seemed to be stuck here for the time being. I closed my eyes and began to focus on any little sound which found its way to my ears. It wasn’t long till I heard movement from outside the door moving towards it. I guess they finally were going to see me and maybe tell me what was going on.

Sure enough, the door opened and a person with what looks like a doctor’s coat walked in along with 2 guards. He looked a bit aged and seemed that way too by the way he was holding up the clip-board he had close enough to his face to kiss it. After examining it for a minute he set it down and looked directly at me.

“That was not the most intelligent thing to do last night, but I’m sure you understand that perfectly well now.”

“Well, waking up in an unfamiliar place after not remembering how I got here kinda makes me want to run away.”

“True, so let me say this first of all; Welcome to Avalon. Now I’m sure you have a lot of questions regarding how you got here and more importantly why, but those will have to be asked and answered at another time. For now, please enjoy your stay and get some rest. Someone will come and talk with you tomorrow once you’re more acclimated to the higher altitude.”

With that the old man turned around and walked through the door with the two guards following closely after him. Finally someone had spoken to me, which was great, but he really didn’t say anything really important. I suppose by “getting acclimated to the higher altitude” means that I really am on a floating island somewhere in the sky. Deciding that struggling was probably not the best course of action, I spent the rest of the day in bed trying to remember what had happened to me before I woke up here. Other than the light everywhere, nothing new came to mind. Still feeling exhausted, I feel asleep soon after I got tired of counting the clouds.

My dreams were nothing but fragmented imagery, some of it I recognized, some of it I didn’t. I woke up feeling refreshed and more alive than I had ever been in my previous life down on the ground. It was a strange, yet wonderful feeling like I could go run a marathon if I wanted to. However remembering my previous experience with running I pushed my thoughts away from that subject. Soon after I woke up I was greeted by a nice lady in what seems to be a nurses uniform. She had with her a variety of food which made my mouth water and my stomach growl. Noticing this, she laughed a bit and set the food down on the bedside table. With her task completed, she turned around walked away with the guards following suit.

The restraints they had me in were long enough so that I could reach over to the food without getting much further than that. I had been so preoccupied with everything that has been going on that I didn’t even notice the emptiness in my stomach until I saw some food. With almost animal-like ferocity, I tore into whatever edible thing they brought me and almost felt like crying because it tasted so good. Everything about the food just blows my mind when it comes to taste. The way the foods were cooked made it so that the flavors complimented each other in such a way that I didn’t think possible. This was truly something the gods would make and eat if they had their way.

While I was busy stuffing as much of the food down my throat a man dressed in military garb with medals and all walked in and sat down and began to watch me. I finally took notice when I thought I was choking. With the realization that I had a mouth full of food and a new person to talk to (and maybe figure something out) I finished swallowing and turned to him. The man had a smile on his face like he had just seen something funny and I was just going to guess that that was me.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your meal since you looked like you were enjoying it so much.”

He said that in a way where it almost sounded “cheerful” which, coming from the very militaristic man in front of me, was kinda awkward.

“Well thanks I guess…”

Not really knowing what to say, I let the man lead the conversation.

“Now that you are more used to this place I suppose I’ll tell you a little history about it. Centuries ago, using the powers that I’m not even sure about, a group of people created this island in the sky and with it they hoped to watch over the world as it grew, but never have any part in it. They wanted the rest of us to grow on our own, without the use of magic, so that they could watch how people developed. As time went by, technology began to make its appearance everywhere in the world. Science was more accepted than magic and people began to even forget that magic once was a powerful force which existed all around the world. The people here were looking for exactly that. They had realized that they were at a dead end, that they could only go so far with magic and were placing their hopes on the rest of mankind to create and innovate.”

“Today, we have an entire civilization up here which has access to magic and technology. Amazing things have happened over the course of the last 100 years, and with all the advancements made here, we can finally move onto the next phase of our plan. This involves you, but as to what you’ll be doing we’ll be keeping that secrete for the time being. As to how you got here… Well that’s also a secret that goes along with why you’re here. So until we feel like you’re ready, I suggest you do whatever anyone tells you to do. Know this, we are not your enemies, we are your friends. I know it’s difficult to ask such a thing when you don’t even know why or how you’re here, but just know that we don’t mean for any harm to fall on you.”

“There are things in this world we need to protect you from, so please let us do just that. What you’re about to go through will be tough, but needed for what lies ahead. In a bit a few people will come and take you for a tour around the city and island. They’re good people so they’ll treat you right. After that… just follow what they say and that will be good enough.”

As he finishes his sentence, the man stands up and begins to walk out the door.

“Oh! One more thing, don’t make your guides angry. Just trust me on this one.”

With that and a small chill through my spine, the man left. With all of this new information to digest, I almost don’t think my brain can take it. After hearing all of this and eating earlier my eyes begin to get heavy and soon enough I fall asleep. This almost feels like a dream, but I know that when I wake up I’ll be back in the strange, yet interesting world for whatever reason they are not telling me. Till then, sleep is nice.

   

A short story titled "The Dream City"

So after a while of not writing and just generally having writers block, I decided to write something that might give me some inspiration down the road. "The Dream City" is what I ended up with and it's pretty short, just over a thousand words long but kind of interesting to write. Dreams have always interested me, and the prospect of having a lucid one was something I'd love to have. Anyways, for my other stories I'll have the next chapters up  probably by the end of the week, but more likely early next.


Enough of that, here is "The Dream City"

Bored with what he was doing in life a young man stumbles onto the subject of lucid dreaming and decides to try it out. He sets himself up one night and uses a technique others have used to successfully enter a lucid state.

He fails the first night.

Craving the possibilities of a lucid dream, the man tries again the next night with mixed results. At one point in his dream he almost became self-aware before the dream imploding. It was this, the fact that it was becoming easier to lucid dream after more than one night that drove him to try one last time.

This time it works. He becomes self-aware in his dream and decides to go crazy with anything and everything he wanted to do. Running through the city-scape which his sub-conscious generated, he begins to try everything in which he always wanted to do in the real world but never had the courage to do so. He tried imagining fantastic cars and other vehicles which drove him through the city at break-neck speed; he also tried his hand at creating buildings in the sky, only to have them plummet to the ground. The world was his oyster and he was having the time of his life and nothing could get him down. After playfully running away from some of the dream women he had imagined up, he found himself at a dead-end in an alley-way. Puzzled, he turned around to go look for those lovely women which he had been running away from.

When he exited the alley, he noticed the large buildings had become much darker than they were before. So much so that he felt an unnaturalness about the way they were presented. Something was wrong and he started to notice it. The once bright, vibrant city had changed into a dark, gloomy city which held no happiness what so ever.

As he walked onto the street a sudden feeling of despair and terror rain through his entire being, he had stumbled onto something that for some reason had taken up residence in his mind. This was no longer a dream in which he could control, but a nightmare which he was painfully aware of. He began to run in the direction of where he first entered the city but found the maze-like layout confusing and found himself helplessly lost.

For what seemed like a few hours, the man ran and ran through the city, hoping to find "something". He didn't know what he was searching for, he just knew that if he found it then everything would be okay. He first thought that it was a way out he was looking for, but ended up realizing that if he really wanted to leave the city then his mind would allow that to happen. It was evident that this was not the case so he ran through the streets looking into the store windows.

As he ran the city became more and more dark and distorted, spiraling and curving at unnatural angles, the city was becoming something that could never have been designed by a mortal. Never the less, he continued his search until he found a street which had a dead-end. Considering this was the first street which finally had an ending, he concluded that it was time to find what he was looking for and began to search the surroundings.

He looked into the shop which blocked his way to find a dust covered store which looked like it had not been touched in years. Nothing decorated the shelves nor were there any pictures of what must have been sold there at one point, just the dust which covered every surface. Just as he started looking around he noticed a slight disturbance in the dust on the ground. It looked like something had dragged a dry mop or something from the front door to one of the back rooms. He felt like this was what he was looking for and ran to the room that led to the back room and tried the handle. It was unlocked and opened easily when requested.

Inside he saw a small glimmer on a counter and went over to it to inspect it, what it looked like was a small set of keys which had many different shapes and colors. It had been placed there only recently from the lack of dust on it, by what the man did not know. All he did know is that whatever had overtaken his dream was about to be ejected. He took hold of the keys and was now in a room with innumerable doors which stretched endlessly down a hallway.

Realizing that the keys in his had been for the doors he began to look at the keys, one by one, to try and find the right one. After looking through a few of them, he noticed his gaze gravitating towards an ornate looking one which looked like something his grandparents might have used back in the old days. Taking the key in hand, he went over to the closest door and put it in and turned it. With a click, the door became unlocked and he found himself in his dream which he began in.

Feeling entirely too exhausted from the little adventure he had, he decided it was about time to wake up. As the world around him began to slowly dissolve away he saw a shadow appear on the horizon. This shadow was running towards him with all its might for reasons unknown. Just as the shadow was about to attack the young man woke up in his bed, with the feeling of cold sweat on his skin. He had seen what the shadow looked like up close, and decided from then on not to try and lucid dream. Some things from the unknown are better left undisturbed, lest he finds himself in the dream once more, only this time to have the shadow which looked of death and made of nightmares to finally catch him.

"Key to the Void" Chapter 2: The Underground City

Okay, so I haven't updated in a while, sorry. I was totally busy doing stuff that was important and I was totally not playing Tribes: Ascend at all. Anyways, I finally sat down and wrote the second chapter to KV and introduced the setting in which a lot of the future chapters are going to take place.

Chapter 2: The Underground City

          When she said “base camp” she meant a small, hidden entrance to an abandoned bomb shelter. It looked like it was well supplied and could make do with what it has for a long while if ever someone drops a nuclear bomb on our heads. Along with the random assortment of supplies that were lying around in some unknown order, there were also a wide variety of weapons set up on a wall. From guns to swords, this collection had everything. It was almost disconcerting considering I just followed this girl on a whim and don’t even know who she is. I mean, she could be one of those would be assassins who want me dead because of this key thingy lodged inside my soul. All this thinking is reminding me of my friend’s apartment and the large creature from who-knows attacked me. What the hell did he even get himself caught up in anyways? Not only that, where the hell was he? Was he dead, on the run, or being held captive in some otherworldly prison? I haven’t a clue, and trying to think about it is gonna get me nowhere real fast. I have to somehow take control of the situation and find out what’s going on from this girl, or at least just get some basic knowledge about the things that are now after me since Dave was a little sparse on the information regarding that. All I know is that they are not from this dimension and that they want me, or my soul, gone.

          While I was busy being deep in thought about what I was going to do, a sharp prod to my side reminded me that I really don’t have a choice in what I do right now. I’ll follow Miss Aice and figure some things out along the way. “Ummm… so when you said “base camp” you meant this well supplied and armed fallout shelter in the middle of nowhere?” I asked this just to avoid the awkward silence which I could feel creeping up on us. “Yes, this is where we will live and train for until I can feel safe that you can take care of yourself. Till then, this is your new home.” She sounded almost cheerful when she said that last part, but I’m pretty sure I was just imagining it. “Follow me and I’ll show you around the place.” I thought for a second about what she just said… “Show me around? Isn’t this it? I mean I don’t see any doors that lead anywhere except for outside…” With my sentence finishing, she pulled on a concealed leaver located somewhere behind some pipes. Mechanical sounds filled the small area as a previously sealed part of the wall suddenly came out a bit further from the wall and revealed a small, hidden passage. Alex motioned for me to enter before her so I proceeded through the small entrance. This small passage way went on for about 100 feet before opening up into what looks like a waiting area. Confused, I went to ask Alex what this place was when the large, multi-layer doors began to unlock themselves and pulled away revealing what looked like an underground city.

          This place was huge, massive, and sprawling. I couldn’t believe a place like this existed somewhere underground. It looks like we entered from a side entrance which was located near the top of the cavern which the city was built in so I could see almost all of the way across the city towards the other side, but my vision is obstructed by one of the massive columns which are supporting the roof. The buildings themselves look like a combination of modern and gothic architecture so they looked like they were almost too odd and strange for them to exist, but in here they looked like they just belonged. I guess I had been staring at the underground city for a little too long when Alex decided to begin pulling me towards what looked like an elevator. After a few presses of some buttons we were off, slowly descending into the splendor of the city. “The city of Helgat, or as some others call it “Hell Gate”. This city was built to manage and maintain a sort of balance between here and the void. There are about 23,000 residents who all work for the people who run this place. It was initially built in the 1300’s as a last resort against the end times which people back then thought were coming at any moment. Over time it began to serve a new purpose, which is the training and educating the Paladins who fight against the Void and the chaos it brings. In fact, I’m a Paladin and you are gonna be my first student!” While I was being taken for a crash course down the history of the city I guess I’ll be living in from now on, Alex slipped that little bit at the end before the gates to the elevator finally opened up revealing a bustling city street with all manners of people walking around doing whatever they needed to. Alex set off and with me in tow, we began to make our way through the massive city towards who knows what. I was just about to have my brain explode with all the information which had been thrown my way since earlier today and I don’t think I could take much more craziness.

          We walked for what seemed like an hour until we came to a stop in front of a well decorated church looking building. I’m guessing it was some sort of an official place of business judging by the people walking in and out. We headed up the steps towards the entrance where we then walked right in and through the main lobby area. We stopped in front of another elevator and boarded it along with a few others. “Can you press B32 please?” Alex asked the man in front of the display showing the current floor and the many, many others. It looked like this elevator headed all the way down at least 100 or so stories. It didn’t take long before the door opened to the 32^nd basement floor of the building and I was greeted with a few people standing by the door. Alex showed them some papers and then took me to a room somewhere on the floor. I walked in and was told to sit down at a small desk, which I did without question. At this point the excitement of seeing this underground city all but disappeared and was replaced by a creeping sense of danger. Alex then left, along with the two guards and closed the door behind them. I was all alone in this room with no windows or other furniture except for the chair and desk I was sitting in. What seemed like an hour passed before I noticed I wasn’t alone in the room any longer.

          “So I see Miss Alexandria got you here in one piece. You gotta hand it to the kid considering she is the same age as you.” In one of the 4 dark corners of the room I see a long, slender woman appear out of what appears to be nothing casually walking towards me. She was dressed in a professional, businessy way that made me think of a person in power, which I guess she is. “My name is Natalie Davis and I’m… well… just know that I’m in a pretty high place of power here. If Alexandria didn’t already tell you, we are going to begin training you to become a full-fledged Paladin in order for you to protect yourself from the many dangers which are on their way. I’m going to say this as bluntly as possible; We cannot have you die, under any circumstances. You now hold the only thing which will keep the Void from consuming our world. The training is going to be harsh, and you’re going to wish you were never born. You will start training tomorrow morning at 5 AM. Till then, I’m going to have Alexandria show you around the city a bit just so that you can get familiar with the layout. And…. That just about does it! You can go now, your keeper is waiting out in the hallway for you and you shouldn’t keep a girl waiting too long.” With that, she faded back into the shadows and I was left alone in the room, by myself once again. So much information was just given to me, and I have almost no idea how to handle it. Yesterday I was sitting in my apartment watching some TV, today I’m located hundreds of feet below ground in some sort of soldier training program which will make it so I’m not so killable as I am right now.

          Sighing, I get up and head towards the door which will lead me to some really, really unknown future with a girl who is now going to be my instructor? I open the door and find Alex leaning against the wall looking rather bored. When she notices that I left the room her face brightens up a bit before changing back to her usual look of annoyance. “Took you long enough, I was just about to leave without you.” “Yeah, I guess you are gonna show me around tonight?” “That’s right, just the basic places since we had a long journey and I’m beat.” “Sounds good.”

          With that last note we made our way towards the elevator and then to the street level once again. She dragged me around from place to place for about an hour before she led me to the place where I’ll be living in for the foreseeable future. It was a smaller building on the outskirts of the city and seemed a little worn down. We entered and I followed her up to the third floor before stopping at room 332. “This is it, your room. Now, I suggest you get some sleep since I’ll be training you early in the morning tomorrow. I expect you up by 4:45 and ready by 5:00. If not, well… just make sure you’re up.” With that she gave me a somewhat sinister smile which told me that I better make sure I got up when she wanted me to. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of. Good night.” With that she turned around and left, heading down the stairs which brought us up to the 3^rd floor. I look at my key and fit it in the lock hole and turned it till I heard a satisfying click telling me the door is now unlocked. I enter the room and find it very plain, with everything just about the same color and nothing interesting anywhere. I noticed a package on my bed along with a few boxes of random stuff which I might need. I removed my new uniform from the bed and fell onto the hard mattress. If I wasn’t so tired, I probably would have never been able to get to sleep on such a terrible bed, but after everything that has happened to me today, my eyes started to get heavy and not before long, I was asleep on this strange bed, in an even stranger city.