Vacation Post - No Guide Today! · 6:22pm Jul 7th, 2014
Hey everyone! I'm still in Alaska, and I'll be here for a few more days, so there won't be a guide this week. Instead I've got a little thought I had on the Fourth, two recommendations that are totally worth your time, and some news.
So, this is how that thought went. Friday afternoon, I'm sitting under a cover as rain comes down all around me, watching a huge crowd of people do an egg-toss, while chatting with some friends I haven't seen in six months, and I take a bite of a Vanilla-Brownie Sundae. Now, one week before this, I'd gone to a Cold Stone and made myself a chocolate-fudge-peanut-butter-brownie ice-cream. Cold Stone makes pretty delicious (and unhealthy) stuff, surprise surprise. Anyway, I know what good, even decent quality ice-cream tastes like.
This sundae I had on the Fourth tasted a hundred times better. It wasn't because it was made of superior ingredients, because it wasn't. It was bargain bin ice-cream, generic store brand cherries, box mix brownies. I was sitting there thinking about why this cheap sundae tasted better, and it hit me. It was because it was home. Not where I live anymore, but I grew up there, and there's always a small part of me that's going to have a connection to everyone and everything there. So even though it wasn't the best sundae in the world, it totally tasted like it. Home has a way of doing that.
Of course, that'll be my last 4th of July in my hometown for a while, I think. Next year I'm already planning on hitting EFNW instead and helping on some panels. It's on my calender now so that nothing, not even other conventions, knocks it off.
Now, since you guys are getting robbed a guide by my home indulgences this week, I figured I'd help us both out and drop a few fic recs for stories I've been following and enjoying on here lately. The first is "The Last Link," which is a sort of suspense-disaster story that revolves around pony bush pilots, of all things. Basically it's a fic that takes place in the great north of what amounts to "Equestrian Alaska," which grabs my interest right away. And as far as I'm concerned, it nails the personalities and lifestyle of the rural north. It's not done yet, but it's well written, and definitely worth giving a look to see if it grabs you. Its portrayal of the ponies and rugged atmosphere is great, and there's a lot of character there--it's definitely character driven, no qualms there.
The other one is a little more rough around the edges, and won't appeal to everyone, but for those who've read the Silo series or have ever wondered about what life would be like in a truly massive Vault-tec vault, H'ven Sent could be just what you're looking for. "H'ven" follows the life of one Aneki, an earth-pony maintenance worker who lives in H'ven, a massive, twenty-mile dome that is the whole of the know world. Outside there is nothing. Inside, there is life. And lots and lots of maintenance to do, because H'ven is ancient, incredibly so.
It's rough around the edges, like I said, but the idea is fairly interesting, the world-building shows signs of a lot of forethought as to how everything's gotten to it's current state. Give it a look if you're looking for some Silo-like action.
And lastly, news. Nothing much you don't know here. I'm working on four fanfics while I'm on vacation--two one-shots, two side stories. Of the two one-shots is DG related, and the other--as a shocking first--isn't. Yeah, so there's that. I got an idea on a brainstorming thread during some discussion, and it wouldn't leave.
Anyway, there's going to be a small, slow barrage of stories over the next few months as a result, hopefully buying me enough time to get "Borderlands" at least partially done.
So that's the news, come back next week, and (hopefully) I'll have a guide ready. I might still be on vacation, so we'll see.
But muh writing guides! How will I ever learn to write good without them?
I jest. I do agree that many a mediocre things are much more enjoyed with friends and family. Most recent for me is watching family play Octodad: The Dadliest Catch which I got during the Steam Summer Sales. By itself, it is a game that relies on cluncky controls as its gimmick. However, watching family (try and) coordinate each limb in coop mode makes it much more hilarious, especially if one family member is actively trying to ruin things.
Enjoy the rest of your vacation.
Sweet, I plan to hit up EFNW next year as well, and I know what you mean about home.
I just had my first 4th of July outside So Cali and it was quite the homesickfeelsy day.
By the way, what other cons are you planning to hit in the foreseeable future?
h'ven sent i started reading before you mentioned, and its a neat gem, the thought process into it is fun and enjoyable. And the nature of it reminds me of an old sci-fi/fantasy story mixup i cant recall the name of.
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I don't know. I need to make solid decisions by this fall exactly which ones I'll hit (and how I'll afford to do so), so I need to start putting some lists together. I've already locked in EFNW, as I'll either be able to fly or drive there one way or another (unless I'm somehow out of the country, but I don't see a reason or a chance for that one). Maybe LTUE depending on where I am. I've seen mention of Crystal Mountain PonyCon (or Crystal Fair, I'm either confusing names or they've changed their names or something) near where I reside at the moment, as well as others out there, both pony and otherwise I need to start looking at.
2265583 Holy fragg!
I uh... really, really think you should go yo Crystal Mountain Pony Con.
Sorry, I accidentally liked the website here.
(they're pretty low key about their events so to my knowledge their still accepting panel submissions. But probably not for long)
I'm going and it would be pretty awesome if you ended up going.
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This latest chapter really has me wondering where it's going to go. Things seem to have settled a little, but that just means I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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All right, I've looked. Now I'm thinking about it. It looks like they already have one panel on Fanfiction 101, so I might just ask to jump in on that so it's more of a hosted affair (a solo panel doesn't leave much room for author variance in presentation). In all honesty, I shouldn't miss this, since it's so close.
2272224 The story, it was this odd vr and not vr aspect of the kids being taken into a fantasy realm from a deep colony ship. with the one realm bleeding over into the ship as they progressed. I can't recall the name of it. But h'ven sent reminded me of that, in a way, you have two sides, that each need the other to progress and continued existence. This takes more a science focus to that. With what amounts to a more active phage grouping.
I just cant recall the name of the book.
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Was that the one by the same people that did Animorphs?
2272340 Not animorphs, this was an old story. I read this one, oh heck, about 20 years ago, so 94, 93, around there. Singular author, not applegate, that much im sure of.