Highmoon's Ponderings

The chariot rolled down the meadow at breakneck speed, threatening to fall apart in pieces with every rock, hole and bump it hit, yet never straying from the imaginary path it was following toward the fort. The charioteer’s arms, thick tree-trunks covered in sinews and swirling blue tattoos, held the reins deftly, guiding the two wild horses as they gave their all at his behest. His face was deep set in concentration, scanning the ground ahead for obstacles to avoid, oblivious to all but the single act of driving the chariot to its destination. Next to him, strapped to his right leg, was the leather-wrapped bundle that absolutely had to be delivered, no matter the cost.

On and on did Cormac ride, pushing the horses to their very limits, ready to jump off and run should the beasts falter and fall. But they did not falter, nor did they fall, and at last, with the last rays of the setting sun shinning behind him, the walls of the dun appeared in the horizon. With no recollection of how he made it into the dun, aware only of the bundle now in his hand, Cormac the Swift (as he was called by those that saw his approach), stumbled into the the thick of people, one word on his parched, dry, cracked lips: Amergin.

The name spread like flames on dry twigs: Amergin, Amergin, Amergin, until it reached the ears of he to whom the name belonged. He jumped to his feet and briskly made his way to the panting charioteer. People moved out of the way as he walked; hushed murmurs followed, marking where he’d been. Trepidation increased as the leather-wrapped bundle was placed on Amergin’s hand by Cormac. “I have done my part,” the charioteer said and then collapsed.

Amergin opened the bundle; took a look inside; closed it – it was all one motion. His heart sank, for he knew what it meant.

“I am Amergin O’Mill, Ard Fili of Ierne, and the same mouth that once calmed the fury of the nature’s wrath when the Milesians arrived at these shores now tells you to summon your fury and courage, to call up your friends and brothers, to take spear and sword and be ready to follow me.” He lifted the bundle high and let it unroll so all could see the severed grotesque finger the size of a grown man’s arm within.

“The Fomori are coming.”

I’ve been in the process of writing this for about three days. It first sprung into my mind on Sunday, and while I wanted to sit down and write it yesterday, it wasn’t until today that the final shape emerged, the words falling into place, the scene becoming clear enough to be more than just a frozen snapshot, a tease.

Don’t ask me what it is beyond what you see before you: a short narrative establishing a situation set in a Celtic/Irish-like place called Ierne.

No, I lie. Don’t ask me what it is beyond what you see before you, because I have an idea of what it could also be but it isn’t the time to reveal it yet. There are Aspects of it that need to solidify more in my head.

The tale of Ierne will continue.

Photo CC Licensed by Joe Forjette.

I applied to, and was accepted into, the RPG Bloggers Network, a group of RPG bloggers who have banded together to help promote each others’ blogs, as well as exchange ideas and tips on being a better gamer and blogger. One of my other sites, The Gamer Traveler, is already part of the network, but I wanted to join with my personal blog because this is where I give free reign to general gaming thoughts (The Gamer Traveler is, as the name suggests, very focused). By joining the network, these posts (only those tagged RPG) will now be exposed to a bigger readership, and that hopefully will help to stimulate more conversations in response to whatever I post as well as promote the games I talk about (not necessarily always D&D) to a wider audience.

Frankly, I am also hoping that other non-D&D bloggers, especially those in the indie scene, will follow suit and consider joining as well. The network can only benefit from a wider influx of ideas about gaming, and there are some very stimulating posts going on in the indie blogging scene that would be of worth to many more gamers than are currently seeing them.

Drop by the RPG Bloggers Network and check out all the great blogs out there.

I wrote a quick guide for the kosher traveler to Seattle, Washington for Yeah, That’s Kosher!, a kosher travel blog. The article is now up and you can go read it.

Seattle, WA

“Seattle seduces,” our friend Patricia said no more than three hours after we had landed at Sea/Tac Airport and had driven through the city on our way to a coffee shop in Queen Anne Hill. From this high vantage point, Seattle spread out in organized chaos, contained only by the shores of Elliot Bay and Lake Washington to the east and west respectively. The Space Needle pierced the sky, an unmoving sentinel guarding the northern end of the city, while to the south, snow-capped Mt. Rainier played peek-a-boo with its ward 70 miles away. “I could certainly get used to this,” was what I said, taking in this view, that prompted Patricia to speak her prophetic words.

[...] we found [in Seattle] a remarkable city with an abundance of personality, a multitude of activities for all kinds of visitors, and a very appealing destination for the kosher traveler.

Read the article.

Elation over my article aside, I love this website because it is dedicated to helping the kosher-observing Jew travel to more places beyond the New York/Miami worn-out route. I have a couple more ideas for articles, including Orlando, FL and even Miami (with a different twist), so expect to see more announcements like this from me.

Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions has a special Election Day promotion running on his LiveJournal:

Spirit of the Election

A special offer in celebration of election day!           

Write one paragraph in the comments, here, detailing your fictional or real election-day adventures (whether you’re choosing to vote or not!) in the style of a pulp adventure and I’ll work it so you get a special code to either:

- Buy Spirit of the Century in PDF for only $5 (normally $15), or
- Buy Spirit of the Season in PDF for only $1 (normally $5), or
- Both!

This offer ends at midnight, so get your comment in soon!

Read more.

To join the celebrations, I decided to add my own short tale, featuring some of the characters from Spirit of the Season:

It was a nice November morning, cool but not cold; the kind of temperature you can get away with just wearing a nice jacket or duster. Absentmindedly, when leaving the house, Judah Hammerstein had grabbed his mystic duster instead of his regular one. “Expecting a fight at the polls, are you?” Matthew D’Israeli teased him when they met downstairs. “Hey, winter’s just around the corner, and you know what the snow tends to bring.” They both laughed it off as they walked to the polling location. 

Judah stood in the long line waiting for his turn to cast his vote. Sitting on a nearby bench, still visible from Judah’s current place in the line, Matthew happily gulped down the stash of roast beef-on-rye sandwiches he’d brought. Not yet a citizen, Ben had to sit this election out, though he certainly hoped to remedy that for the next one. About twenty feet ahead, he was pretty sure he saw Codenames Dancer and Prancer in their civilian guises also waiting for their turn at the polls, and he briefly wondered where Nick Saint and the rest of the Reindeer Men voted. Uptown? Brooklyn? Queens, maybe?  

Nodding in agreement, as one, the quarter pounced forth to deliver two-fisted justice.

I saw Mira Nair’s film adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake on Saturday night and I thought it was a fantastic film. The story, centering on this Bengali family that moves to America, and the trials and tribulations of the search and struggle for identity–from the Bengali parents looking to fit into American society, and from the first-generation Indian-American children looking to find where exactly they belong–was powerful in its realistic simplicity and extremely resonant with me, even though I am not Indian. Any immigrant, or child of an immigrant, can empathize with the Gangulis, for their struggle is our own.

Yesterday, Mother’s Day, I woke up in a pensive mood. I missed my mom, as she is in Puerto Rico, but more than that, the film had left me thinking about identity, my identity, and there were heavy toughts coursing through the back of my mind, unseen if I had wanted to share them with others, but certainly present in the weight they cast over my mood that morning. I stopped reading The Incredible Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon, bumping it down to #2, and started to read The Namesake, at my wife’s behest (she did read the novel before seeing the film, so though in her opinion it was indeed a great adaptation, inevitably the novel offers a lot more nuance and depth that makes the story so much more enjoyable, as I am already finding out). The topic has been ignited in my mind, and there is no other recourse for me but to explore it and follow it to its conclusion; I just know myself.

This isn’t new for me. I have discussed issues of identity before, though perhaps not as well as I should have. My entire life has been defined by a battle between clashing identities: I am Puerto Rican, I am American, and I am Jewish as well, but I am a convert, so that brings in a whole other host of issues. To that add being 33, already too old for being “a kid,” but not exactly middle aged either (at least not chronologically speaking, as I hope to live to 120!). In short, I am an identity mess.

I have no idea what I’m gonna do with all this information, all these thoughts and self-reflections, except that lately I have had the yearning to go back to writing stories, something I haven’t done in years at this point. I’ve had some ideas of short vignettes I could write to explore various aspects of what I have been thinking about, so perhaps that’s where I’ll start. I don’t know if they solve my mess or at least be publishable, but perhaps simply the act of writing will help me sort some things out in my head.

Meanwhile I keep reading The Namesake, and greatly enjoying Jhumpa Lahiri’s subdued writing style.

What about you? Even white-bred Americans came from somewhere. Where are you caught? What sides are pulling at you?

My name is Daniel M. Perez, owner of Highmoon Media Productions, and producer/host of The Gamer Traveler and The Digital Front podcasts. I have been a freelance author since 2001 and an e-publisher since 2004, and I am offering all the various skills I have gained during this time on a freelance basis to fellow gamers, authors and publishers.

Services I can provide include:

• Proofreading and Copyediting – I have a BA in English and previous editorial work during my academic years, as well as being the editor for all material published through HMP.
• Translating – I am fully bilingual English/Spanish and have college-level writing training in both languages.
• Development – I have experience developing gaming products and/or lines, taking them from concept to final form, handling freelance contracting and art direction, helping authors get the most out of their work.
• Graphic Design – I can do graphic design for web and print, including logos, banners, business cards, postcards, electronic and print layout, image correction and other graphic solutions. I will always tell you if a particular job is within or beyond my skill.
• Web Design – I can create basic websites that highlight elegant simplicity over flash, whether in HTML or via a CMS. I can also manage existing sites as well as social network sites and/or help you make the most of your current web presence.
• Podcasting – I have two years of experience producing podcasts and I can help you with information or with the creation of a show suited to your needs.
• Consulting: Judaism for the Game Designer – I can provide assistance in getting the details right whenever you include Judaism (in any facet) in your project. I specialize in Orthodox Practices and in Jewish History, but I can help out with other areas of Jewish knowledge as well.

With any of these services, please feel free to ask for references and/or samples. You may view my recommendations at LinkedIn, and you may see some of my work online already at www.highmoonmedia.com, www.thegamertraveler.com, www.thedigitalfront.com, or www.chabadnorthbayvillage.org.

Rates are negotiable on a client-by-client basis and decrease when combining multiple services.

Please feel free to email me at daniel@highmoonmedia.com for more information. I’m looking forward to helping you make the product you want.