Honored samurai, ruthless ronin, wayward vagabonds, shadowy ninja and helpless villagers... welcome.
Opening Volley
I sit here with an expired Japanese coffee jelly (“jello” for my fellow Americans) that my wife has placed in my hand to “get rid of” on this Saturday morning, ready to share with you a bit of nostalgia from the past and a peek into the future.
Main Event
Thanks to all of you, “Castle Oblivion”, is getting all the hot reads it deserves. TRUTH! My mom created 15 different accounts just to say how much she liked it. So that in mind, I’d like to pimp it this week as the contest doesn’t end until next. While I don’t need “outside reads” to win the contest, it’s always nice to get as many eyeballs on a piece as possible. (There’s no voting either, so don’t worry, there’s nothing to click, just read and enjoy.)
What I’m offering this week are some images that not only inspired the original teaser chapter, but are inspiring the novel version, of which I have already begun planning.
This first image is Doctor Luna Domeki, the human protagonist of “Castle Oblivion”. It is chiefly through her eyes that the story will progress. (Clickthru to Twitter for larger size.) I imagine the light shining up from the “collar” about her neck is like a “spacesuit” helmet, allowing her to spacewalk as-is.
These next two images are the kinds of mutants and monsters the protagonists will encounter in Castle Ryutsue. There are awful things afoot and they have been wandering the megastructure void-fortress for countless millennia. MUWAHAHHAA!
Finally, completely unrelated to the WIP, is this gem of a video from Catsuka (“a website about animation (since 2000) run by one guy.”). But not just ANY video, an upscale of the original 1997 Playstation opening for Ghost in the Shell. Using AI tools on the original Laserdisc “Making of” release, it is a work of art to behold!
For more information, check Catsuka’s webpage. For you non-French speaking folks, copy and page the (short) page into DeepL.
We never meet without parting
Next issue... Interview with London-based Cyborg iconoclast Hallidonto!
Until then!
Made in DNA
For MOAR free fiction and a little bit of craziness: http://vocal.media/authors/made-in