Random Ramblings CLX · 4:00am Apr 9th, 2017
IN WHICH I MUST APOLOGIZE
As I begin this 160th blogpost, it is Saturday, April 8th 2017, 10pm Central Daylight Time. Last night I went with some older friends, one of whom is a professional freelance writer, to see the live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. Despite having read the original manga and seen the first Oshii film multiple times, I still liked the new film for what it was. Critics may have a point about the changes made to the source material but… so what? The director, cinematographer, and production designer clearly loved the 1995 movie (so many homages to Oshii-sensei). Adaptations necessarily have to make changes for a new medium, so I took GitS-2017 on its own terms and, while acknowledging its story faults, I enjoyed myself, which is all I ask from a movie.
Also, I regret to inform my two loyal readers that my upcoming "Recovery" story is simply not finished yet. Going back through my old blogposts, I've been talking about the story for over a month. No one feels worse about this than I do. Those who have followed me for awhile have probably become used to my molasses-like pace, but newer followers – especially if you were lured in by Comma Comma, a fic far outside my usual milieu and written quickly – may be expecting me to crank out stories the way most other authors here do. I offer no excuses; instead follow me past the jump for an explanation.
I've reached an impasse on my latest story, mostly because I have to do something far outside my comfort zone -- describe women's clothes and a glamour shoot. I meant to ask my lady friend (who is beautiful and has done modeling… and is way out of my league) for some pointers when I saw her today since I'm an ugly dude who knows nothing about it, but I forgot. I'll try to remember to ask her about the process and details next time I see her.
Now, I've been stuck at this point for awhile, so why am I only mentioning it now? Well, that's because I've had to spend the past week dealing with serious family issues. On March 30th, my Grandma (dad's mother, last living grandparent) died from complications of being 97. Ultimately it was a relief, as she'd not had any real quality of life for the last two years or more. Still, she accomplished her dream of staying in her house until the day she died… and was then rushed to the hospital where she actually passed. I was at her bedside and watched her die. I wonder if that means I can see Thestrals now? Her funeral was yesterday; I was one of the pallbearers. I had to throw my usual anxiety out the window to deal with dozens of people -- some I hadn't seen in 15 years or more and was glad to see again, some I'd never met or had forgotten, and my dad's current wife's son whom I increasingly dislike (but that's a story for another blogpost).
I didn't have the heart to tell anyone that I'm an unemployed basket-case who writes My Little Pony fanfiction. So I stretched the truth of my conventioning last year.
Yes I did go see a movie nine hours after putting Grandma in the ground. I figured after a harsh week, a little levity would do me good, so I gladly accepted the invitation.
But all of that means I haven't been doing much writing, to say nothing of actually finishing anything, and for that I'm truly sorry. 
I've got two stories in progress, a new burrito fic bubbling in my mind -- thanks a lot, CoffeeMinion (meant both genuinely and sarcastically) -- and I still want to finish transposing parts of "Happy Holidays" into prose so I can more easily copy-paste bits into my Anon-A-Miss fic where needed. I don't want to keep the parts of the real comic where Sunset talks with Twilight via magic journal (a.k.a. the massive continuity error Ted Anderson was told to throw in) so I need to find a viable substitute for that.
Well, thanks for reading this far. I hope that soon I will be able to give you all something more than just a blogpost. Peace out!
Very sorry to hear about the recent passing (and preceding quality of life decrease). My own grandma has been trending in that direction recently. She's the sort of person who always believed in living life to its fullest, and she's made it to a ripe old age, so it's not quite as sad as it could be. Still, I'm probably looking at the start of the kind of process that you just saw the end of, and I know it's not easy.
Ah, I'm glad to see my burrito-corruption continues to spread, though.
May you find much satisfaction in any resulting burritofic!
As for The Photoshoot: I'm hardly an expert in related matters, but I could give it a look if you'd find value in another opinion. I think the main thing I still want to understand is why Rarity wants to do this (unless you already said and I forgot).
It's not the direction that I'd expect Recovery to go in, much less to end on, so I'm intrigued about the why. And I'm sure there's a good answer; I just want to get to it!
4494554 - Thank you for the condolences. I'm very sorry you're fixing to go through the same thing. It'll be difficult, but if she's seriously going downhill, the sadness will be mixed with relief. My own grandma was incredibly active until her health deteriorated to the point she couldn't leave her house – macular degeneration, severe arthritis, and dementia are a toxic combination. I had the misfortune of often showing up on her bad days, particularly towards the end.
As to everything else… You gave me the idea to put Maud into a Burritoverse story, and for that you have my gratitude. I haven't started it, so I have no idea where it's going to go, but I hope it'll be interesting.
You read and commented on Blogpost #100, where I wrote (on-the-spot) an insane love quadrangle where three girls are all fighting, literally, for the love of Sunset Shimmer, who in my mind is probably asexual (even in canon she made it pretty clear she was leading Flash on… though I still haven't seen LOE and I know they have an exchange there). In my universes, 95% of love is unrequited – and yes, this was all planned before I got dumped back in October.
I have no intention of ending "Recovery" on a one-shot Sunsarity fluff-tease – I only add stories to THE GUIDE when I come up with them. I just wanted to do the fluff because (1) I enjoyed writing that "100" snippet, (2) I've been teasing this for over a year, and (3) it may become important down the line. I planned to end the arc on Reconciliations, but then the opportunity for post-ending stories like Rarity:Burrito came up and I decided to run with it. I suppose if I were to end the arc for good, it would be exactly what a reader…
No. I just figured out exactly how I'm going to end the arc. It'll involve the magic diary.
Thematically, "Recovery" will blend into the Anon-A-Miss story, where I'll finally get to showcase Apple Bloom, my favourite of the Crusaders. Her importance in my planned works cannot be overstated.
4494688 I'd sort of forgotten about the blogpost 100 snippet until I went back and re-read it just now. Still good stuff! And I'm fuzzy on the chronology, but I think that may have ended up influencing Sunset's portrayal in Heavy Rock. If not that specifically, then other things you were putting out around that time that were similar. (Incidentally if you still haven't seen LOE I'd say go for it; it's not quite at Rainbow Rocks' level but it's a solid second-place entry for the series.)
Well if you know where it ends and The Photoshoot ain't it, then I guess we've got a couple more stories to look forward to!