Takka Takka Takka: February 2018 - Overwhelmed · 8:17pm Mar 1st, 2018
First and foremost, thank you.
A couple days ago, I did something extremely difficult. I came forward and asked for help. Not only help, but financial help in repairing my car and getting Painted’s car replaced.
And then you folks decided to completely overwhelm me.
As of today, the GoFundMe fundraiser is over $2,200. And that’s not including the extremely kind donations through PayPal or the new Patreons.
I don’t know what to say, folks. This level of generosity is completely beyond me. I have trouble comprehending it. I have trouble believing it. Then I think about what I’ve seen from this fandom… well, I’m intensely grateful to be part of this.
We all know Bronies and the MLP Fandom get a lot of grief, even eight years later. This is the reason I love this fandom. I’ve seen people donate thousands to help save a child they’ll never meet. I’ve seen people help build orphanages. I’ve seen all sorts of miracles. I never thought I’d be in a position to receive such a miracle.
This fandom is the kindest and most generous fandom I’ve ever seen. Even I sometimes have wondered about the fandom and the direction it’s going, but you guys set me straight. You have good hearts. Every one of you.
I cannot express my gratitude enough. Or the gratitude of my family. This was a miracle, and you were the ones who delivered it. While we still have a long way to go, this is going to ease our burden greatly.
I’ll be sending out individual thank yous later, but know that I am amazed by you and humbled that you’re willing to give to help my family through this hard time.
February 28 Update
We just got a rather shocking offer from my brother in Nebraska, who's willing to part with his 2005 Toyota Camry (162,000 miles, but in excellent condition).
We're still working on hammering out details, such as price, getting it out to California (it's over 1,500 miles), registration and details like that. I don’t know what that’s all going to cost (it’s easily going to take up the money raised). We’re all dealing with the repairs to my own car so we don't run into a problem again where my wife needs to drive it We're not done by a long shot (though I’m happy to report my car’s repairs should be finished by Friday).
I just found out about this yesterday, but I wanted to make sure you all knew. So, we may very well have our solution and you guys have just made it possible for us to get a replacement vehicle and repair our existing car (which does have 265K miles on it, though it had a rebuilt engine at 200K).
Thank you from all of us! Without your amazing generosity, this would have been far, far worse.
With all of this, it feels strange to talk about stories… but hey, that’s what you’re here for, right?
February Word Count: 21,504
This was not a good month, writing-wise. I had to spend far too much time dealing with personal stuff, making sure my wife had an awesome birthday and then dealing with the huge fiasco of the dead car. Not only that, but I did a ton of editing work, to the point of rewriting almost all of Chapter 2 of A Study on Chaos Theory. Plus I was handling a Resume/Cover Letter for a very important job application.
A lot of this went into Codename: Serenade. Some of it went into my attempt at turning A Cycle of Flame into an original fiction story (I’ve never had a story fight me as badly as that).
But I’ve actually found myself with somewhat of a Writer’s Block. This is caused by a couple different things. First of all, I have a ton of stories I should edit and I feel guilty for not working on them. Second of all, I have a massive opportunity to apply to a professional full-time writing gig and that’s freaking me out, since it’s hard to sell pony stories as good samples. So I’m fighting myself for if I should do an original fiction piece or something new.
Frankly, I’m overwhelmed. I’ve got several issues at work, including some critical job applications about positions I really want, (and some leftover fallout from my concussion three years ago that’s just now coming to light), figuring out the logistics of having a single car to share between me, my wife and the kids and tons of other things.
Honestly, I’ve had more breakdowns this month than I’ve had since August. Stuff beyond panic attacks. It’s bad… and I know it. I’m trying to deal with it, but a lot of it is stuff I can’t just decide “I’m going to handle and finish this today.” A lot of it is stuff I have to wait for, so it’s hovering over my head, lurking on me and reminding me at the worst possible times.
So yeah. I’m overwhelmed. Both in good ways and in bad. It’s a fitting description for this month.
Anyway, let’s get to it. No quote this month, folks. I’ve got too much going on and nothing really good enough to show you.
Well, SunLight Sliders II has definitely gone in an interesting direction. Apparently, the authors decided they really liked the Universal Constants concept first developed in SLS1 (I believe it was Oroboro’s chapter), because now we’ve got at least three or four SunLight Couples running around.
And a Discord. And a Midnight Sparkle. And a Sunset calling herself Daybreaker. And… well, it gets pretty wild. You’ve been warned!
February’s Writing Bookshelf:
A Study on Chaos Theory - Chapter 2
Originally, Chapter 2 of Chaos Theory was quite different. Version 1 (which was originally supposed to be the opener of the story), had Sunset constantly forgetting that Moon Dancer was even there. But Twi and Sunny kept having tiny little blushing moments (or the occasional big one) while playing visual tag, until Moon Dancer finally had enough and took them to task for it.
Version 2 had Moon Dancer ticked off at the start of things. She storms off and then the chapter goes on much like it had in Version 1, with Moon Dancer returning in the middle of Twi’s speech (to Sunset’s surprise, since she didn’t see her sit down).
...you can already see how much has changed. I didn’t have any of the banter. I didn’t have any of the friendly ribbing between the three of them. All of that is new material. Sadly, it did change the tone of the characters a little, so I’ll have to make some changes in Chapter 3+ to reflect the new events in Chapter 2.
The Cycle of Flame Original Fiction Rewrite - Ongoing
This… fell apart. It was supposed to be my entry to the Clarion West workshop application, but in the end, with the car issue, and two major job opportunities I need to work my tail off for, I simply couldn’t handle it. The other thing is, while I can easily do dragons and phoenixes (as they aren’t exactly owned by Hasbro or anything), I wasn’t really sure what to do with the Celestia reveal at the end of the story. I was going to replace her with a similar character, but in the end, my heart wasn’t in it.
That being said, I’ll probably come back to this. I think this is the easiest story to turn into an original fiction short story. Maybe one I can actually publish. I just don’t have the mental bandwidth right now.
Codename: Serenade - Ongoing
Yup. Still a thing.
March Writing Bookshelf:
A Study on Chaos Theory - Ongoing
Chapter 3 is coming soon. I’m going to try for this coming Monday, but since I’ve got more car stuff to deal with this weekend, it’s going to be a major push to make that happen. It may end up being pushed back a week. However, as we get farther from the massive changes to Chapter 1 and 2, I should have progressively less I need to rewrite and more I just need to polish/tighten.
You’ll get at least one chapter of Chaos Theory this month. Hopefully two or more.
My Little Pony: Unity - New Series!
If you’ve been hanging around the Nook, you know I’ve been playing a MLP D&D 5E game for a year or so now. My friend, Sankam, who designed the original Novel Idea OC, even started an in-character Tumblr about his character! Well, this month, I plan to publish 1-2 stories set in that universe. The time period is 500 years after the current era of MLP:FiM and will closely follow the backstories and missions of our group of heroes trying to keep a fracturing Equestria from completely coming apart.
There will also be an adorable version of my character right up there, Blue “Bee” Venture. You’ll get her cutie mark story and it’s like heart-meltingly cute. Plus get some major shipping fuel for her love interest, the Earthbound Batpony, Shadow Blossom. (She’s got batpony features, just no wings.)
The one thing to note is that while the stories are mine, the universe isn’t. The universe was created and developed by LiamNeighson. There are a few parts of the world that I would have written differently, but it’s a good challenge where you’re working in a world where you’re not totally thrilled with the way everything is going. Makes you think outside the box.
I have 2-3 stories already complete and ready to go (they just need cover art, which I’m waiting for) and then you’ll get to experience a whole new world! The best part is, I’ve had some new pre-readers check it out and it reads as an OC-only story that doesn’t require you to know the universe. So you should be able to jump right in!
And in case you’re wondering, Garnet Dawn’s magical phoenix (from Bards of the Badlands) is Bee’s mechanical servant.
My Kind of Crazy - Editing Phase!
While this was slated for editing in February, I never got to it. I still have a ton of work to do on a dozen other things, but I’m going to try and get to this. I want to release this in April, maybe.
Gardens of Equestria: This Coming Storm - In Development
With the nightmare of this month, this got shoved back. It might get shoved back a little more. I haven’t decided yet.
The "Currently Reading" Bookshelf
Yup. It’s Sanderson again. And this time, it’s evil librarians. I strongly recommend this entire series. Young Adult, but the best part is how the story is actually partially a satire on the entire concept of heroes, but more importantly, it reveals just how evil most authors are.
Let me just give you some quotes. If that won’t sell you, I don’t know what will.
It is called the Law of Inevitable Occurrence.
In layman’s terms, this law states that some things simply have to happen. If there’s a red button on a console with the words don’t push taped above it, someone will push it. If there’s a gun hanging conspicuously above Chekhov’s fireplace, someone is going to end up shooting it (probably at Nietzsche).
Narrative causality, Sanderson-style.
I’m sorry. You’ll simply have to forget that I wrote it. There are several convenient ways to do that. I hear hitting yourself on the head with a blunt object can be very effective. You should try using one of Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy novels. They’re big enough, and goodness knows that’s really the only useful thing to do with them.
Only Sanderson could get away with bashing himself in his own story under a “pen name.”
Think about it. Why does someone become a writer? Is it because they like people? Of course not. Why else would we seek out a job where we get to spend all day, every day, cooped up in our basement with no company besides paper, a pencil, and our imaginary friends?
Writers hate people. If you’ve ever met a writer, you know that they’re generally awkward, slovenly individuals who live beneath stairwells, hiss at those who pass, and forget to bathe for weeklong periods. And those are the socially competent ones.
Two words: Summarizing sucks.
Summarizing is when you take a story that is complicated and interesting, then stick it in a microwave until it shrivels up into a tiny piece of black crunchy tarlike stuff. A wise man once said, “Any story, no matter how good, will sound really, really dumb when you shorten it to a few sentences.”
For example, take this story: “Once there was a furry-footed British guy who had to go throw his uncle’s ring into a hole in the ground.” Sounds dumb, doesn’t it?
Synopses are evil. Proof. Right here.
Go read it!
P.S. The series isn’t done. Check it out.
Monthly Story Recommendation
You know, I’ve had this story on my RiL list forever. But I’ll be honest, the cover, the title and the synopsis never really grabbed me. All-OC casts aren’t usually my cup of tea. However, after re-reading How To Train Your Pegasus last month for Seattle’s Angels, I think I was a bit more open to it.
It helped that I asked my Discord for something cute and adorable and loving after getting sorta betrayed by a story. This helped. A lot. I think JayMan155 recommended it to me? Or maybe it was Arcshod. Sorry, I can’t remember right now. Either way, thank you.
Go read this story if you haven’t already. It’s just adorable and fun. And there are cute seaponies in it, and they are nothing like the seaponies we saw in MLP: The Movie (though I love those just as much).
By the way, I’m going to need to do a followup to Forgotten Friendship, which is probably the best Equestria Girls since Rainbow Rocks. It might even be better. It was glorious. In fact, find a ton of best scenes, including THE LONG AWAITED SUNSET AND CELESTIA REUNION and enough shipping fuel for BOTH SUNLIGHTS!
Until next time, have fun out there!
I'm glad things have turned out so well! Sorry I couldn't help financially myself, my own expenses limit how much i can spend :|
Very happy to hear about the car opportunity. Here's hoping the logistics go smoothly.
I am glad that introducing Midnight in SSII went so well. Even if I'm disappointed by the overall number of Aria suplexes.
Sanderson channeling Prachett? I'll definitely need to check that out.
And the funny thing about The One Who Got Away's seaponies is that they actually do have several points of similarity with the movie's. They may not be transmuted hippogriffs, but they are reclusive refugees of the losing side of a war. Be sure to check out the sequel; it's downright adorable.
Oh, I'm glad that's working out! :D
4807968
No need to apologize. I've seen plenty of these sorts of things I haven't been able to contribute to.
4807975
Honestly, The Narrative Cascade's style is more based on Sanderson's work in Alcatraz than Pratchett. I only just now realized this.
About 1/3 of the way through it.
4807981
Thank you!
I'm glad to hear things are looking up, and sincerely hope they continue to do so
If you need someone to drive the car from Nebraska to Cali, I’m a former Lyft driver who likes road trips...
4808016
Me too! Thank you!
4808020
If anyone's going to do that roadtrip, it's going to be me. Three days of nothing but audiobooks and driving? That sounds like HEAVEN right now. That being said, we'll probably ship it. Less wear and tear, and less money overall.
Yeah I have the same general rule, but I learned years ago to add the caveat 'unless written by Georg.' I add the same caveat to my rule about 'Rando OC hooks up with main cast member' stories.
4808039
Eakin taught me exceptions to that rule in Hard Reset (seriously, I shipped Twi and Azalea SO HARD... pun semi-intended)
4807975 4808039 I love Sanderson too. In a strictly platonic fashion. And you guys are spoiling me something fierce.
Ah, jeez. Sorry to hear you had such a crummy month. But it does look like things are turning around for you a bit, so I hope that trend continues.
As always, I look forward to what you publish this month. But don't push yourself to put things out when you have other things that need doing! Your readers are patient and understanding. They can wait for you to sort out your problems, so don't feel guilty.
I'm glad things are turning around for you Novel! And I'm glad you enjoyed "The One Who Got Away"!
Now, to get you to read the sequel...
It's awesome to hear that you have such a fantastic opportunity! I can imagine, though, that it's taking quite a bit out of you emotionally. I'm not sure I'm the best person to give advice about this, but just remember that you will get through it, and things should eventually calm down. That thought keeps me going through my most overwhelming times. Try to remember to breathe.
Also, remember that we're all supporting you--even those of us who can't help financially are here emotionally. I came here because you're a good writer, but also because your stories revealed a wonderful, wise, empathetic person writing them.
4808180
Is it spoiling if it's true?
4808186
If I didn't push myself to constantly be generating content, I wouldn't be me. Still, thank you. I know what you mean.
4808273
What this "Get me" thing? I'm already 1/3 through it! Maybe 1/2 now...
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Thank you. Words like these help me keep going. Really, they do.
4808556
You're already reading it? Awesome! Gosh, I couldn't get enough of either one of those, read 'em both about six times before I could tear myself away.
Even though I couldn't help donate myself, I managed to send some people scrambling to donate to your campaign, and I'm glad it seems to be successful. One person who didn't even know you donated $100 because as he put it, "I've got way more than enough money and I like to help people out."
This is also one of my favourite parts of the brony fandom, our unbelievable capacity for generosity and willingness to support one another in times of need. I have honestly lost count of the sheer number of times I've seen donation campaigns to save a brony in trouble, regardless of circumstance
I hope you and your brother manage to sort out the car. A Camry is good car, and being a Toyota it's not going to give you the grief a Peugeot or an Alfa Romeo would of breaking every 10 miles. Though, getting it to California I can't imagine is going to be easy. But, there's light at the end of the tunnel, and the Bronies have made it possible for you
4808843
That's... astounding. I'm struck speechless again. Can't even imagine what that's like. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Well, I'm late to this party but I threw a couple bucks in the hat. Good luck and God bless.
4813040
Thank you. I had hoped to close this, but new stuff came up. It is much appreciated.