Rainy of the Dark (Rainy Kaye) - Latest Comments

Re: Othala Witch Collection – Origin

Beverly Keeton Wood — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 21:42:51 -0000

When will yours be published??

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

ambaryerno — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 20:37:18 -0000

One of the game modding communities I've been a part of (off and on) for a LONG time had a saying, which unfortunately I think fits the bill:

If you don't like it, do it yourself.

I think making that happen is going to rely on more on bringing flesh blood into the industry and establishing new studios, than it would be to get the old guard to make changes themselves.

Of course there should still be room for cheesecake and beefcake alongside it. And I supposed that weird-ass shit Japan gets up to, as well...

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

ambaryerno — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 20:27:04 -0000

I'd love to be able to make a game out of my Elsabeth Soesten books to do just that. I even have a couple ideas of genre that would fit; 3rd person action/adventure a'la the Tomb Raider reboot, a true adventure game like the old Quest for Glory series by Sierra (I think it'd be fun to see a 2D adventure game done entirely with traditional animated sprites. At 4K resolution >:-) ), or my favorite would be a sort of open world action/RPG like a hybrid of Witcher 3 and Mount and Blade, but without the kingdom conquering or world-threatening stakes. Lots of minor quests and jobs to do, fighting duels, etc., but then to occasionally release "story packs" that introduce a major quest/story that would take several hours (something like 10 or so) to complete.

Unfortunately, about the only part of the game making process I'm really good for is a bit of model work, and conceptual stuff, and lack the resources, knowledge, or connections to make it happen. Which is a shame because I think the character has potential for it.

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

Jenifyr Kaiser — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 01:11:04 -0000

Right! Definitely not saying they should take men out of games or anything like that. Just that we give women a more realistic treatment. Maybe Elle King should make games ;)

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

Jenifyr Kaiser — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 01:06:36 -0000

I agree with you here as well. There are companies making a real effort. I just wish there were more of them.

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

ambaryerno — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 16:12:54 -0000

Speaking as a guy, I found the redesign of Lara Croft in the reboot -- where she looks like an ACTUAL human being -- far sexier than Archaeologist Barbie from the classic games. Not just because of the character modeling, but because she's far more realized as a person as well.

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

Erin Bedford — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 13:38:23 -0000

As a fellow gamer and a IT specialist I completely agree with this. The majority of female characters are side characters, but when we do get a female character they are usually dressed as skimpy as possible. Lara Croft for instance had a kickass job and can kick some serious ass but she has to have huge knockers and tiny shorts to do it. While the gaming industry is trying to change for female gamers, I have yet to see a lot of this stereotype go away. Which would be totally cool if only they would sexify the guys as much as the girls. Where's my shirtless hunky dude to drool over as he does a 180 flip? Just saying.

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

Jenifyr Kaiser — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 11:46:52 -0000

Thank you for your comment. I absolutely agree that games with a specific protagonist have better potential for deeper and more engaging story lines. I'm not suggesting we add a female option to every game. I just want the women that are in games to have more substance and less nipple pasties.

Re: Guest Post: Gamer Girls Unite #gamers #gaming @JenifyrKaiser

ambaryerno — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 00:44:13 -0000

RE Assassin's Creed and Zelda:

The problem with having multiple gender options in games is that the more variety you provide for your character's identity, the more generalized the storytelling and character development becomes. The requirements of tailoring the story to a character becomes exponentially more demanding the more options you give the player. This is why games such as DragonAge, Mass Effect, and even the Elder Scrolls series end up leaving your main character largely an empty shell; a blank slate with little personality. They HAVE to be in order for the game to work with as many possible character permutations as possible. It's one thing in a PnP RPG (DnD, Pathfinder, whatever) where the game is flexible, and can organically adapt to your character's personality and quirks because it's all guided by another human being. But in those games, the story is set, and the NPCs have a limited number of ways with which you can interact with them.

By contrast, look at games like Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider. The storytelling involved in those two games has FAR more depth than what you can get out of the Bioware RPGs despite their much shorter play times, specifically because you're following one character's journey. These games would NOT be the same if you were to play as Larry Croft instead of Lara, because the story is so deeply tied into her identity as a person (and gender really does make a big difference in the identity of one's self).

This is why the Assassin's Creed and (core) Zelda games center around a fixed protagonist. These games are the stories of a specific individual, not a blank canvas. I'm not saying there's no place for more diversity in playable characters, but that needs to happen under circumstances where it works for the type of story you want to tell. For a Bioware-style RPG, with a sprawling story focused more on the events? That's great. But once you make the decision to make the story more personal you HAVE to build that around a specific protagonist.

The solution here is more games built specifically around a female protagonist, NOT to insert a character select into a game where it doesn't work.

Re: New Cover for THE DEEPEST BLACK #amreading #coverlove

Strange — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 21:42:43 -0000

Oh man, what happened to the old book cover? It was one of the best book covers I've ever seen in my life. It really made me want to read the book.

Re: The GoFundMe Nonsense

GetInside — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 16:18:02 -0000

This sounds cool. I can see where you're coming from in choosing not to go with gofundme. I would agree with it as I wouldn't consider doing something like that if someone asked me to. I just blog about books and comment on things that are important to my writing and reading passions. If I want someone to give me feedback on a particular subject I express interest in or I am talking about on the internet I would ask them to follow me on my social media pages, which is the best place to give me comments, and to share my content, as I wouldn't ask for money in relation to things I post.

Re: Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Donald Blackschleger — Wed, 11 May 2016 05:08:54 -0000

*plants a flag* I now own the comment thread.

Re: 20 novellas and 20 novels boxed set – 99 cents! Limited time! #amreading

Rainy Kaye — Tue, 10 May 2016 11:54:29 -0000

I have lots of subscribers so I know it does for some people. Not sure why it wouldn't for you :( Just email me through the contact form, and I'll add you to the list manually :)

Re: 20 novellas and 20 novels boxed set – 99 cents! Limited time! #amreading

bismarckfairy — Tue, 10 May 2016 10:47:00 -0000

The link in Magick After Midnight to sign up for your newsletter doesn't work. :(

Re: Concerning French Fries and Why You Need to Shut Your Mouth #homeschooling #homeschooled #education

natashalarry — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 18:18:54 -0000

People are so ignorant. I don't understand why the decide to make their ignorant opinions public. What a ridiculous thing to say.

Re: I won a giveaway. 18+

BoogerofRagnarok — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:55:57 -0000

😂😂😂

Re: Win a $25 Amazon Gift card – Easy Entry!

Heather Hand — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 05:01:23 -0000

Thanks Ninga! More books is always the goal :-)

Re: Win a $25 Amazon Gift card – Easy Entry!

Yolanda Renee — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:29:55 -0000

Thanks, who wouldn't want a gift card from Amazon. I spend many, many dollars there! LOL

Re: Concerning French Fries and Why You Need to Shut Your Mouth #homeschooling #homeschooled #education

Lydia Sherrer — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:28:38 -0000

Speaking as someone who home-schooled K-12, I went on to DOUBLE MAJOR in Chinese and Arabic...oh yeah, and I graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University. Homeschooling isn't necessarily the best schooling out there by the most qualified people. I'm sure great private and public schools exist. What it IS, however, is an environment that teaches YOU to learn for yourself, to explore, to drink in all the knowledge the world has to offer completely on your own so that your thirst for learning and excellence doesn't stop as you leave the classroom door. It is a fire inside you that follows you for the rest of your life. Homeschooling lets you shine for who you are, and empowers you to achieve in whatever arena your interests lie. Of course homeschooling doesn't have a monopoly on this, but the structure that it uses is better adapted to nurturing such qualities than public or private school.

According to research data, homeschoolers consistently score higher on tests, just fyi. http://www.nheri.org/resear...

Re: The GoFundMe Nonsense

Lydia Sherrer — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:06:21 -0000

This is a very interesting discussion, and I feel both sides. On the one hand, I will admit I've felt a grain of contempt or maybe just pity to those who are using gofundme for normal expenses instead of emergencies. Because there are no rewards involved, gofundme is literally just charity, and charity should be reserved for those who can not survive without it. Seeing someone asking for their bills to be paid so they can pursue their dreams is a far cry from someone who just broke their back and lost their job (and have no disability coverage), or whose home and livelihood were just destroyed in a natural disaster. That is what gofundme is for, in my opinion.

On the other hand, I can completely sympathize with someone who is working full time, maybe raising a family, and wants to follow their dreams SO BAD but just feels trapped by their circumstances. I'm not saying that is an easy situation, or that that person doesn't deserve sympathy, but I do think there are better ways of achieving your dreams than gofundme (As you said above Rainy Kaye, if they can get support on gofundme, they already have a platform and therefore should be working on giving that platform a product for them to buy, not asking for charity).

My personal experience with crowdfunding has been very positive, I believe, because I went about it the right way. I've worked full-time in "corporate" America my whole adult life up until recently, while taking care of my family AND writing my first two novels. I got both novels written, made a plan to self-publish, THEN I quit my corporate job (after making careful budgeting plans and getting a flexible part time job to fill in the gaps). During my self-publishing journey I ran a successful Kickstarter to fund the publishing expenses. My goal was $2750, and we raised over $4300. You know why? Because I put my heart and soul into writing a high-quality product, hiring a professional cover artist and editor, and studying my butt off learning the BUSINESS of self-publishing (what kind of marketing works, what do customers want, what social media strategies work, what free technology can I leverage to up visibility and sales, etc). I think my Kickstarter did so well because everybody could see that I had already done the work, and done it WELL, and they were getting an excellent return for their investment in not only my dream, but the product I brought to the table. (check out the link if you want to see what I did https://www.kickstarter.com...

THAT is when crowdfunding works for artistic endeavors specifically. It IS hard, and you WILL cry sometimes from the frustration and unending misery of it. But if you never give up, and always give it your best, there are tools out there to help you succeed that don't involve begging for charity.

I think a better response than criticism to people unsuccessfully using gofundme for non-emergency expenses is to reach out and offer to help them find a better path to their dreams. Maybe point them toward resources for improving their writing, their planning, or their platform reach. Just a thought. Keep the discussion flowing!

Re: The GoFundMe Nonsense

Rainy Kaye — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 13:22:46 -0000

I like when they say it's because they don't want indie authors on the whole to look bad...Um, the drama that ensues is far worse than a GFM that would have largely gone unnoticed. lol

Re: “Fairies want her dead…” THE DEEPEST BLACK is up for Preorder! #amreading

Rainy Kaye — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 13:20:12 -0000

Re: The GoFundMe Nonsense

natashalarry — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 09:16:52 -0000

Yeah, I wouldn't care if someone created a GoFundMe for wanting to stay home and push back their cuticles. I don't see why other people care. It's not like you have to donate to it.

Re: “Fairies want her dead…” THE DEEPEST BLACK is up for Preorder! #amreading

natashalarry — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 09:13:29 -0000

Great book!

Re: The GoFundMe Nonsense

Rainy Kaye — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 22:41:18 -0000

While I agree with you, I still don't *care* if people set up GFM for their art. I probably won't support it, but I won't go out of my way to be mean to them about it, which is what was happening publicly to people (not ones I personally know, though) when I wrote this. Just seems odd to me that people spend so much time being hateful over things that will resolve themselves.