Hearth's Warming Come Early! (At Least Release Schedule-wise)

Only in My Memories
Sometimes, you just gotta write a holiday thing that hits the feels you wanna share.

So, as I said last week, I am not wasting Luna content. She was eating Chapter 14 in a very distracting way, but I really felt connected with what she was saying, so I decided to write it in its own spin-off story. I'm tagging Electro Swing in this blog post since I didn't mark it as a sequel, so I hope you can excuse the notification.

I've got a little bit of holiday blues considering not only is this the first holiday season I will have spent without seeing my family at all, but also the first of many--barring deportation--that will be that way since a ticket back to the states is so expensive both in terms of money and in terms of infection risk factors. Sorry, COVID is still very real y'all, and I don't see the point in risking health for a Christmas feast with the family. Thank God for Internet communication.

So, if you're caught up with Electo Swing, you should feel right at home with this spin-off. If not, I wrote it in a way that you can still enjoy it, but it does spoil the events of Chapter 6 and 7 and references one thing in Chapter 14. I don't think those are critically important though since they aren't meant to be payoffs, but set-ups themselves. For what, you'll just have to see.

As far as the story is concerned. It was honestly emotionally exhausting to write and rewrite. Mostly because I listened to the theme music for it a thousand times this week. I had it on repeat for several hours for the past few days. Still not sick of it. Even listened to it again today. It's the only Christmas song that I don't get tired of, even if I tried really hard this last week. You can probably guess by the title, but it's "Somewhere in My Memory" by John Williams, a song that is far too good for the property it is in. Apologies to Home Alone lovers out there. I think the first two are fine, but I pray that the song outlives the movie's relevance. Honestly, it's a really big risk to use it as my inspiration for the story, so I really hope it lives up to the expectations that song sets in some way.

To all of you out there who are going to be lonely this season, for whatever reason, my hope is that you will find something this winter to bring some light into the potentially darker world around you. At least in the northern hemisphere, the days are shorter and colder, so please remember to be kind to those you meet, not because it's the holidays, but because it's the right thing to do. I'm not shy about being Christian around here, but even if you're agnostic of an atheist, kindness is an overlooked foundation of a healthy social contract. Niceness isn't enough. You can be nice to someone you hate, but you can only show kindness in love, patience, and understanding.

As for me? I get Christmas off this year since it happens to fall on a weekend. I don't know what I plan on doing. Probably nothing significant. But, I really wish I could hug someone close to me. If your the kind who enjoys hugging and it's appropriate to do so, give someone a hug for me, would you? I'd appreciate it. I hope this story can be my warm, holiday hug to you. Be kind to each other, please. The world needs more of it so badly.

See you in the next blog,
- Rego

P.S.
Thanks a lot for pushing it into Featured y'all!