Well!  It's been quite a while, hasn't it?  Longer than I had intended, in fact, and for that you all have my apologies.  Even the loneliest river wends its weary way at last to the sea, though, and the thinnest crescent Moon will wax to fullness in time (full Moon tonight, by the by.  I think, odd as it sounds, I'll be trying to tie future story updates to the lunar cycle; the Moon makes a very obvious, regular timekeeper, and unlike the arbitrary days of the week it offers a clear, tangible sense of the passage of time).  Before another twenty-four hours have passed, I'll be posting the first chapter of my next story.  The promised epilogue to Mendacity will be arriving not long afterwards, by the time the Moon is new, and chapter 2 of this new story will be coming either then or at the next full Moon.  As to the story itself...well, I feel I owe y'all something of an apology.  I asked, after posting the final chapter of Mendacity, whether you'd prefer me to write a sort-of sequel or a new story with Lovecraftian elements, and most voted sequel.  I tried to get something satisfactory down for that, but for now at least the ideas aren't quite flowing as they like, and I'm not sure how to tell the stories I have in mind.  So, instead, we'll be exploring the lives of a different set of characters, some time before the beginning of Mendacity--before, in fact, Discord's return to Equestria, though not long before.  There won't be any romance this time, but there may be shoggoths, ghouls, and mi-go, and while they're not quite the same thing as True Love I hope they'll prove to be an acceptable substitute.

Righty then.  About two weeks ago I was tagged by Blue Print, and discovered that this involved the following injunctions:

Rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Each person must post 5 things about themselves in their journal

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create eleven new questions for the people you tag to answer.

4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and post their icons on your journal.

5. Go to their page and tell them you have tagged them.

6. No tag backs

7. No stuff in the tagging section about "you're tagged if you're reading this". You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Now...Hrm.  Problems arise, unfortunately.  I've read very few fics on this site, and am familiar with very few authors--and, moreover, I'd feel extremely awkward about tossing a questionnaire at a largish number of folks out of the blue.  Unfortunately, the growth in tagging throughout FiMfiction won't quite follow a perfect exponential growth pattern and instead of a perfect 121 taggees there will only be 110, as I'm afraid I'll have to opt out of passing this on.  That said, I'm still perfectly happy to answer the questions, so...onward!

Five things about me:

1.  I've been crafting worlds and stories for as long as I can remember, and in fact I'm still working on the very earliest world I created, some eighteen-odd years ago (I was five at the time.  As might be expected, certain details of that particular world and the characters that inhabit it have changed just a little bit over the course of the intervening years).  I'm planning to eventually wrangle some of the stories from that oldest of my worlds into a novel, and although writing the story properly poses some challenges (for example, none of my characters have human-like minds, and their wants, desires, and thought patterns are all extremely alien.  Getting the reader to empathize with them will be...tricky), I am at least comforted by the fact that, thanks to Mendacity, I now know I can write a vaguely coherent story of novel length.

2.  I commonly wear a wool cloak in winter to keep me warm, and also have several small folding magnifying lenses clipped to my glasses (a temporary state of affairs, as I hope to soon replace one of them with a diffraction grating and the other with a polarization filter.  Human senses are too limited as they are, and I want to augment mine to see just a bit more of the universe).  Overall I end up looking more or less like a shabby refugee from some strange steampunkish land.  It's a miracle I haven't been mugged yet.

3.  My fondness for writing notwithstanding, I plan to actually earn my living as a physicist, ideally working in a research lab somewhere northerly and cold.  As my only degree is in chemistry, I've been taking classes to boost up my physics background sufficiently that I'll stand a chance of being accepted into a suitable program.  For those wondering about the Doppler shifting of Luna's mane in Mendacity...well, there's your explanation.

10.  I have a strong dislike for the base ten counting system.  To be honest, I favor base twelve rather than base four, and base phi more than base twelve (Base phi is really spiffy, and a little difficult to explain quickly.  For those curious, I recommend googling "Phinary" or "Phigits."), but there were only five questions, so...

11.  Despite the fact that my first fanfiction was a shipfic (or at least involved a close, loving relationship as a central part of the story), I'm not romantic at all by nature, have never had a girlfriend or crush, and have no plans to ever marry.  And no, guys aren't my thing, either.  

Moving on to the questions assigned to me by Blue Prints:

1. What possessed you to start writing fanfics?

Lyra's appearance in A Canterlot Wedding, pure and simple.  I've always found the Lyra/Bon Bon pairing to be rather interesting, mostly because many of the comics and artwork dealing with their relationship (I've never actually read any fanfiction about the two of them, strange to say) focus more on their lives together than the story of how they got together in the first place--and that quirky domesticity of theirs appealed to me.  When I saw Lyra as one of Chrysalis' enchanted bridesmaids, I found myself wondering what Bon Bon was doing--and the answer was obviously that she was somewhere out there in the background, struggling desperately to get back to Lyra.  How did she know that anything was wrong, though?  And for that matter, who was it who told Celestia/Luna/Shining Armor that there was a threat in the first place?  And why was her voice always changi--

Oh.

It was pretty much all downhill from there.

2. What was the moment that you realized that you were a brony?

The spring of 2011, right around mid-April.  Owl's Well That Ends Well was the first episode that I actually had to wait for, so yes, it would have been sometime between April 15th and April 22.  I had come across some pony avatars on the Brawl in the Family forums (I've been a longtime lurker there, but have never posted--I should probably make an account one of these days), and, curious about where they had come from, did a little bit of googling.  Out of curiosity, I looked up Friendship is Magic:  Part 1 on youtube, and although I wasn't all that impressed by it (Nightmare Moon, particularly, seemed a bit too cliché as a villain), I figured I might as well see the second part of the two-parter.  My initial verdict after watching both was something along the lines of "Better than expected, but nothing to write home about," but despite that rather lukewarm response I moved on to Ticket Master--and then to Applebuck Season--and then to Griffon the Brush-Off--and before I knew it it was 4 AM and I was cheering along with the pegasi crowd as Rainbow Dash performed the second sonic rainboom of her life at the Best Young Fliers competition.  Fairly typical story, I imagine.

3. How often do you write? This includes both pony and non-pony.

Not nearly often enough, really.  I write short story fragments often--not quite daily, but I usually put out two or three lost snippets of larger stories every week or so.  I'm much more inconsistent when it comes to longer stories; when they do get attention from me, it's usually in fits and starts, with one week seeing a good 4,000-5,000 words being churned out and the week afterwards seeing absolutely nothing.

4. Wat is love, and how do I shot web?

Ah cain't rightly say.

5. Is there a story that you wish you could write, but feel unequal to? What is it?

The stories of the world I've been working on for the past eighteen years, mostly.  I'm a bit more confident in my ability to do justice to those characters and that world than I have been in the past, but even so...it's not going to be easy.

6. Who do you most admire on Fimfiction? Pick three.

I can't really answer this for the same reason that I didn't tag eleven more folks; I don't really know enough folks on FiMfiction well enough to be able to say.

7. What works of literature, fiction or non-fiction, most inspire you and your work?

Hm.  Well, I love Jane Austen's stories in general, and her mastery of comic characters and interpersonal relationships is something I hope to be able to approach.  P.G. Wodehouse is also absolutely marvelous, and the Oz stories of L. Frank Baum* have a wonderfully quirky, matter-of-fact sense of humor to them.  Watership Down is simply beautiful, and although I wouldn't say he's an inspiration, exactly, Tolkien's legendarium boasts a depth and complexity that I hope my own world will one day possess.  Finally, when it comes to writing nonhuman protagonists, I have to give a shout out to Raptor Red, a novel written from the point of view of a female Utahraptor, and Nor Crystal Tears, with an insect-like protagonist.

*No, not just the Wizard of Oz; that's actually one of the worst Oz stories that he wrote.  Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, Rinkitink in Oz, The Lost Princess of Oz, and Glinda of Oz are all masterpieces of children's literature, and it's a crying shame that no one's ever heard of them.

8. What is your favorite piece of headcanon?

Hm.  Well, I am fond of most of the common bits of fanon (Derpy is a mailmare and mother of two who occasionally goes on grand adventures through time and space with the Doctor, Lyra and Bon Bon are a loving couple, Vinyl and Octavia share a flat in Canterlot and get on each other's nerves constantly, etc.), but in terms of unusual headcanon, I like to think that Pinkie Pie is 1/8th jotun, being the great-grandaughter of Loki (via Sleipnir).  It explains an awful lot about Ms. Pinkamena.

9. Which pony or ponies do you love least?

If we stretch the definition of "pony," then I I would just like to say that I hate Gilda with the flaming passion of ten thousand salarymen interrupted at their dinner tables by ten thousand telemarketers.  If I'm restricted to ponies, though, then I'm probably least fond of Snips and Snails.  

10. Which ponies have the most character depth in your opinion?

In fanon, Derpy.  I would be very, very leery about writing a story concerning Derpy, because there's just so much already there; I'd doubt my ability to explore her character more than it's already been explored.  Amongst the named ponies in the show, though, I think I'd probably have to go with Applejack.

11. What common life philosophy bugs you the most?

Anthropocentricity.

So, sadly I don't have the next chapter of Mendacity quite ready yet (it should be finished before another week has passed, though), but be of good cheer; I do have one goody prepared for y'all.  My mother, may her vocal chords be ever melodious, has composed a melody for the complete version of the song sung by Lyra and Bon Bon in the latest chapter of Mendacity, and just tonight she finished recording a copy of it.  The audio quality isn't what it ought to be (proper recording equipment was a bit hard to come by), but hopefully y'all will enjoy it.  Here's the download link, and while I'm at it, here's a link to some other music that my mother and some of her friends have played--haven't the foggiest whether any of y'all would be interested, but...well, I'm very grateful to her for recording this for me, and I figure the least I can do is provide a link to some of the other work she's done.

Oh, and one other note; some of the lyrics of the song have been altered a bit, as apparently my mother found them a tad difficult to sing as they originally were, so here's the revised lyrics, complete with a new title:

The Wind and the Wanderer

O, have you heard the wild winds howl

When the air is wet and warm?

And have you feared for life and love

In the face of a mighty storm?

If ever, O, ever a pony cursed

The wrath of flood and blaze

It was I when I lost my green-eyed love

With her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths no ponies know

I wandered East to far away,

Where teak and ginkgo grow

I met a noble qilin there

Whose mane swirled in the breeze

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever in bamboo grove

Or mirrored in lacquered glaze

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

Outside the garden walls

I’ve watched koi swim in moonlit lakes

Beneath the moonlit falls

But never, O, never she said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths no ponies know

I wandered West to far away,

Where sage and mesquite grow

I met a lonesome phoenix there

Who I thought ill at ease

I told him of my long-lost love

And begged him tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever near boiling spring

Or glimpsed through sulfur haze

Had he seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

He said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

While I searched for a friend

Gliding beneath the fire-red leaves,

Or tossed upon the wind

But never, O, never he said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths no ponies know

I wandered North to far away,

Where fir and hemlock grow

I met a fierce-eyed griffon there

Free of laws and decrees

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever on mountain crag

Or on snow-skimming sleighs

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

I’ve danced with wendigos

I’ve flown above the drifting clouds

And dived beneath ice floes

But never, O, never she said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths no ponies know

I wandered South to far away,

Where fig and upas grow

I met an ahuitzotl there

Who swam by sunken trees

I told him of my long-lost love

And begged him tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever in jungle thick

Or on branch that bends and sways

Had he seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

He said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

I’ve fished in stream and mere

Mapinguari has hunted me

And I have hunted fear

But never, O, never he said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths no ponies know

I wandered Home from far away

Where oak and maple grow

I met a hooded pony there

Who’d wandered overseas

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever on distant shore

Or in the sunlit bays

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve ventured West to fire

And East I’ve sallied forth

I’ve braved the heat of the sultry South

And the snows of the freezing North

But never, O, never she said to me

As her hood she withdrew

And looked at me with eyes of green

Did I stop looking for you.

Well, there's no music associated with it yet, but here are the full lyrics to the song sun by Lyra and Bon Bon in chapter VIII of Mendacity.  I did patch together something vaguely resembling a tune, but I have very little talent for composing music, so I've passed on that burden to my mother, who is (A.) Surprisingly pleased by the fact that I'm writing pony fanfiction and (B.) More importantly, is very familiar with the kind of folk songs and lullabies on which I based this song.  Hopefully, this'll tide y'all over until that's finished:

The Wild Winds

O, have you heard the wild winds howl

When the air is wet and warm?

And have you feared for life and love

When faced with a mighty storm?

If ever, O, ever a pony cursed

The wrath of flood and blaze

It was I when I lost my green-eyed love

With her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths nopony knows

I wandered East to far away,

Where teak and ginkgo grows

I met a noble qilin there

Whose mane swirled in the breeze

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever in bamboo grove

Or mirrored in lacquered glaze

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

Outside the garden walls

I’ve watched koi swim in moonlit lakes

Beneath the moonlit falls

But never, O, never she said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths nopony knows

I wandered West to far away,

Where sage and mesquite grows

I met a lonesome phoenix there

Who I thought ill at ease

I told him of my long-lost love

And begged him tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever near boiling spring

Or glimpsed through sulfur haze

Had he seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

He said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

While I searched for a friend

Gliding beneath the fire-red leaves,

Or tossed upon the wind

But never, O, never he said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths nopony knows

I wandered North to far away,

Where fir and hemlock grows

I met a fierce-eyed griffon there

Free of laws and decrees

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever on mountain crag

Or on snow-skimming sleighs

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

I’ve danced with wendigos

I’ve flown above the drifting clouds

And dived beneath ice floes

But never, O, never she said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths nopony knows

I wandered South to far away,

Where fig and upas grows

I met an ahuitzotl there

Who swam by sunken trees

I told him of my long-lost love

And begged him tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever in jungle thick

Or on branch that bends and sways

Had he seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

He said, I’ve heard the wild winds howl

I’ve fished in stream and mere

Mapinguari has hunted me

And I have hunted fear

But never, O, never he said to me

Never in all my days

Have I seen your love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

I walked alone for many a day

On paths nopony knows

I wandered Home from far away

Where oak and maple grows.

I met a hooded pony there

Who’d wandered overseas

I told her of my long-lost love

And begged her tell me, please,

If ever, O, ever on distant shore

Or in the sunlit bays

Had she seen my love with her eyes of green

And her mark of shining rays

She said, I’ve ventured West to fire

And East I’ve sallied forth

I’ve braved the heat of the sultry South

And the snows of the freezing North

But never, O, never she said to me

As her hood she withdrew

And looked at me with eyes of green

Did I stop looking for you.

This isn't anything terribly momentous, but I spent rather too much time working on this last night and I figured that I might as well toss it up for the world to see.  The following is a portrait of Bon Bon as she appears as a changeling.

If you look at the changelings that show up in A Canterlot Wedding, you should notice that the pattern in which their tails are corroded is rather odd.  Ribs or struts are visible in the membranous tails, but they don't protrude from the edges of the tails any further than the membrane in between them, which is what you'd expect if their shortened, pocked tails naturally fell apart as they grew.  My headcanon explanation for this is that the shortened manes and tails are a military marking of sorts, similar to how soldiers in human armies often have their hair cut short.  Bon Bon, though, has been away from other changelings for a long time, and consequently the parts of her body that are able to grow back have, giving her a long, flowing mane and tail.  As with insects, though, her wings aren't capable of growing back if damaged, and the same applies to her legs.  I'm not sure whether or not I'll mention all this in-story; I'm still not certain yet whether any normal changelings will ever see her completely un-transformed (Chrysalis, of course, only saw her as an Earth pony with changeling eyes, and so her nonstandard mane and tail weren't apparent), so if the issue does come up it'll probably just be in the form of Aldrovanda making a snarky remark about Bon Bon's looks, or tucked into a throwaway description of her appearance.