Tempest

A Bit About Myself

Well, I haven't really organized my thoughts on this, so it's kinda written on the fly... but I thought I should express a bit about myself, since this page is largely about my writings, and it might help to understand them a bit better if you know something about me.

People are fond of labels, and when we aren't labelling other people, we tend to label ourselves. I'm going to try to shy away from that here... I'd rather describe myself and my attitudes than to try to categorize myself in ways that people may or may not understand.

I'm a lot of things, really. Professionally, I work in computer networking, largely dealing in routers and switches and wireless LAN equipment. I like to think I'm good at what I do, and I enjoy the technical challenges involved in keeping a nationwide network running smoothly. I've been dealing with computers since I was given my first one (a TRS-80 Model 1, Level II BASIC) when I was five years old, and I've never looked back. It's what I do, you know?

In terms of temperament... I'm sort of a paradox. Sometimes I'm really quiet, sometimes I'm not. Sometimes I'm shy, other times I can be very open. Likewise, there are times when I might come across as brooding or antisocial, and other times when I'm outgoing and you couldn't shut me up if you tried. I'm a very passionate person with regards to people I care about and things I believe in, and I hold on to both of those dearly. I'm creative, sometimes wildly so, but at the same time I often lack the focus to bring those creative visions to fruition. That's why there's not more of my writings on this page. But I'm getting better about it, I think.

I place a lot of value on honesty and loyalty. I can't claim I've always been honest or always been loyal... I dearly wish I could, because if there's anything I truly and deeply regret, it's times when I've been less than those things. But I am also human, and not perfect, and as much as I might try to be so, I'll never attain it in this life. So I try to do the best I can and leave it at that.

I have, at most times, more nervous energy than I could possibly know what to do with. In some cases, that's an asset, but more often than not I have a hard time finding the traction to keep from spinning my wheels uselessly when I could be accomplishing something. Still, it's who I am, and it's who I'll always be. I've learned to deal with it enough to get the important things taken care of, and everything else I hope will fall into line.

I have a lot of interests... really, I'm into a little of everything, from computers to anime, fantasy, and sci-fi, from video games to working on old cars, from sports (I'm interested in almost all sports, with a particular preference for hockey and football) to history. Movies, music, and theater all have a particular interest to me as well, and perhaps my greatest passion is for the written word, be it in my own writings or in reading someone else's.

The most important thing, though, is the one I've saved for last. I'm a Christian. Southern Baptist to be specific. Yeah, that's a label, isn't it? So I guess I should break it down.

I believe that the Bible is the holy, inspired Word of God, and everything within its pages is truth. I believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all things in it. I believe that God so loved his creation that even when mankind rebelled against Him, even when His holy nature demanded punishment for man's defiance, that he willingly sent His own Son, Jesus, into the world to take that punishment in our place, and to redeem us at the price of his own precious blood. I believe that Jesus died on a cross about two thousand years ago, and because he did, I can know today that when I die, I'll go to be with God rather than be separated from Him for eternity.

And I believe that same option is open to you today.

I'm not be the best example of one of God's people. The more I study, the more I learn just how far from it I've been, and just how much there is in my life that needs to change... and I'm working on those things. There's a lot of darkness and a lot of stubborn will in my heart which is only slowly giving way to light, and it's going to be a long time before I'm the man I hope to be.

I've got a lot to learn, and a lot to change. But I don't have to do it alone, and that makes all the difference.

Anyway... I'm sure a lot of this doesn't make sense to you. And I'm sure some of it seems incongruous, especially for those of you who've known me over the years. To that I can only say... try to see the person I'm becoming, not the one I've been. He's not done with His work. And I'm sorry if I've given you wrong ideas, because I know to some I have. And I regret that. Deeply.

On the other hand, if you're interested in knowing more about what I believe, here's someplace you can go to hear more from someone who's better at putting it into words than me.

At any rate... that's who I am.

On Writing:

Another question I get from time to time is that of why I write... and why I write fanfiction. I've told people before that I'm a compulsive writer... I write because a story idea gets in my head and I feel compelled to tell it. That's only part of it, though, and to list all the reasons would take up more space and more time than I have to work with.

I started writing when I was in high school, when one of my friends took a creative writing class, and their major assignment for the class for the year was to produce a novel. My reaction was something akin to, "I can do that..." and being the competitive person that I am, well... I did. It wasn't very good, at least not by my current standards, but it was an experience that got me hooked. When I went off to college, where I spent several semesters sharing a dorm room with notable fanfiction writer Nicholas Leifker, I too found myself bitten by the fanfiction bug. I've never looked back since.

Suffice to say, though, that the real joy in writing for me is in seeing the characters in my mind grow and develop as their lives unfold. I love creating new character concepts, and I also love seeing existing ones develop. As for why fanfiction? Usually it's because the characters of a given original work appeal to me in a certain way. In Bubblegum Crisis, for example, I find myself drawn to the thread of hope that runs through that series, even amidst a darkened world. With each story I write, though, the motivations are a little different. I hope to eventually add some notes to each of the story pages on this site which will give some insight to what motivated me and drove me to write each story... but until then, I'll just have to leave it at this.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, do let me know. My email address is stormwalker@stormwalker.org, feel free to contact me anytime.