Well, hey there! There's not much to see here, except the fact that I'm Feuerstoss, and this is my FF.Net profile. I only have one story on here so far, which is "Zero Point." It's a Starfox piece, set during Adventures, and a rewrite of my previous story(kept here for old times' sake). I decided I'd explore something a bit different with this one.

There are a couple of what-ifs in this story, some done to death, and some not exactly explored. The gist of the plot is in the summary: What if Krystal wasn't trapped in that crystal at the beginning of the game? What if she was let loose to recover the Spellstones and Krazoa Spirits for herself? What if she had no idea what was going on on Sauria and had to figure out what was going on on her own?

Then... what if she had someone to help? a knight in shining Kevlar, of sorts? A disillusioned marine who would rather enjoy being away from the battlefield than fight for the freedom of others? That's where these fractured fairy tales come into play. Peer into the world that is in desperate need of saviors... and the only two fit for the job have no clue how to go about it...

Writing Platforms:

Well, to skip a lengthy introduction and not revealing too much about myself, I am a certified computer/network technician(CompTIA A+/Net+ if you really wanted to know), even though I haven't really held a job in the IT field... at least yet. I am also a major laptop geek; having pretty much using them exclusively for the past five years. What follows are mini-reviews of the various notebooks I use and have used as writing platforms over the years, and some note on how suitable they are for various tasks. All prices I discuss are in USD.

1. Dell XPS M1730

The Dell XPS M1730 is a 17" notebook in the far end of the desktop replacement category. It is massive, weighing in at eleven pounds or so and sporting a power brick that is about the size of an Xbox 360's. Mobility really isn't an option with this unit, considering the size, weight, and battery life of only about one hour. However, the M1730 makes up for it in its ridiculously potent hardware. Higher-end versions of this machine are stuffed with dual Nvidia 8800M GTX graphics cards... that's right, SLi in a laptop... and some come with an overclockable Core 2 Extreme processor. While older than the new Alienware M17x that has recently come out, the M1730 is still quite a potent system. However, unfortunately these machines have proven to be somewhat unreliable, especially in the graphics card department. If you are looking for one make sure it has the Core 2 Extreme processor and remaining warranty... keeping it overclocked past 3.2Ghz greatly increases its reliability as all the system fans work full-blast.

The writing experience on this system isn't the best I've had. The keyboard is a little 'mushy' but otherwise adequate, but the backlit keys allow you to work in the dark fairly easily. The high-resolution, huge screen is great for letting you view two or three Word/OOo documents side by side... great for reference material.

The bottom line? It's not a bad machine if you want to play Crysis on high settings between churning out pages, but is more of a portable desktop than a true notebook. The reliability forces me to recommend something else, though. Get the M17x if you have copious amounts of cash. If you really want a used M1730, look at spending about 1500-2000 for one.

2. Lenovo ThinkPad T60p

The ThinkPad T60p is either a 14.1 or 15" standard-screen notebook(there is a widescreen variant if you really need 16:10), and is designed for professional CAD and 3D modeling work. The main difference between the p model and a standard T60 is the graphics card; the p variants use an ATi FireGL V5200 or V5250. While these cards are older they can still run some more modern games; I can play Far Cry 2 comfortably on this machine. Crysis might even be possible at lower settings. Processor selections are Core Solo(very rare), Core Duo, and Core 2 Duo(somewhat rare). They will accept up to a Core 2 Duo T7600 Merom processor... while this is older technology it is more than adequate for any tasks I can think of.

ThinkPads might be a little expensive in comparison for their hardware and aren't flashy at all, but they more than make up for the drawbacks in sheer durability. The internals are encased in a magnesium alloy rollcage which protects the internal components in case of a drop. The hard drive is protected by a device known as the Active Protection System which parks the hard drive heads if it senses the notebook being jostled or dropped, and there are even drains built into the keyboard to protect from small spills. Overall reliability of this model is great, but cleaning out the processor fan is something that must be done on a regular basis to keep the temperatures within reason. The T60p runs somewhat hot, but still within acceptable specs.

Those that do quite a bit of writing grow to appreciate a great keyboard, and ThinkPads have some of the best notebook keyboards in the business. If you really need a great typing experience, look no further. If you need a great screen to go along with your notebook and don't mind the added size/weight, get the 15" non-wide models. These all come with Flexview displays which provide incredible color accuracy and almost unlimited viewing angles. They're amazing displays, but unfortunately you can't find them on newer notebooks any more. Another great feature common to ThinkPads is what they call a ThinkLight; an LED in the top of the display that you can illuminate the keyboard with in dark areas. This is actually better than a backlit keyboard as you can actually see the area around you when it is turned on.

The bottom line is that this is a great, albeit older, notebook. If you need a lighter one that's better on battery, get the 14.1". If you don't mind sacrificing some portability and runtime to get one of the best notebook displays ever made, get the 15". You can look at spending 400-600 on a standard T60 depending on specs, and up to 800 for a fully loaded p model... prices do vary, and you can find a bargain if you look hard enough.

Lenovo ThinkPad X60s:

The X60s is very much the T60p's little brother. This model is a 12.1" ultraportable notebook, weighing in at 3.5 pounds with 8-cell battery. While not the lightest guy on the block anymore, I have been using mine for a week and a half and find it to be a great blend of mobility and power. The build quality is identical to the T60p and it sports all of its same features. The standard X60 sports a Core Duo processor, while the X60s has a low-voltage variant that allows it to be slightly thinner, slightly lighter, and gives it better battery life. All the great ThinkPad hardware is there, including the ThinkLight and a nearly full-sized keyboard.

The main advantage to the X60s is its mobility and battery life. I am able to get up to seven hours of real usage(Net surfing, listening to music, and writing) on battery... not bad at all. It is small enough that you don't really notice it too much in your pack, and potent enough for just about anything but gaming. For those of you that want to run Vista, its integrated Intel GMA 950 is enough to run Aero Glass effects fairly well. This is definitely not a gaming card at all, but if you're hard-pressed for some entertainment you can play older titles as long as you don't mind lower settings. I have gotten Sims 2 to run okay, as well as Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War.

There are caveats to this system, however. Please note that the X60s does not come with an optical drive. One solution is to get an external USB optical drive, or another is to get the proprietary Ultrabase docking station. Unlike most notebook docks, the Ultrabase can be left attached to the X60s, and comes with an optical drive bay as well as many ports. With it attached you have seven(yes, seven) USB ports at your disposal. However, this greatly increases the thickness as well as weight; my X60s with the Ultrabase and an optical drive weighs over six pounds. The Ultrabase also houses stereo speakers versus the notebook's small mono speaker... the sound quality isn't the best I've heard, but the stereo speakers sound fairly decent. If you're on a budget I would recommend just getting an external optical drive. Another caveat is that the only pointing device included is a Trackpoint 'nipple' mouse; some people don't like them, but I greatly prefer them to a touchpad.

The bottom line: The X60s is a great notebook if you're on the go quite a bit. What it lacks in gaming performance it more than makes up for in small size and a great battery life. If you're looking for a netbook and plan to use it to write stories, I highly urge you to take a look at one of these. You can pick one up for about 300-400, although I'll admit you may or may not be getting a good battery with one. Even then they're firmly priced in netbook territory, and I think they're a far superior machine for the money. You'll be getting a slightly larger and easier to read screen, a simply awesome keyboard, great battery life and more durability for about the same price. These were 2000+ machines when new a few years ago, and you can immediately tell the difference in quality. You can't find a better notebook for the price.