Hi guys.

I'm posting a blog to let everyone know I'm still alive, so... yeah.  I haven't seen the first episode of Season 3 just yet, but I have seen the spoilers that were leaked.  If Twilight Sparkle really does go Alicorn like a bunch of people seem to think she will, that means that StDoT will have been jossed.  If that happens, I will slap an Alternate Universe tag onto StDoT and diverge after the events of Season 2.  I've thought about this.  A lot.  Probably more than I should.  I really do want to keep writing the story, but... yeah.

Christmas/Hearth's Warming Break will start after the first week of December for me, so when I'm not working at my job, hopefully I can find some time to work on my story.  I've been taking a Fiction Writing class this term, and my instructor has liked what I've done so far, although (as of this writing) I've only done one story.  My second (short) story (not pony related, although I was tempted) will get critiqued by the class to my face Monday.  I have the jitters.  Critique over the internet is one thing, but to my face?  From people I have to deal with for a few more weeks?  That's... unnerving.  We'll see how this goes.  I've still learned a lot from this class, though, so maybe I put it into practice here.  No, I did NOT take that class just for fanfic writing.  Writing is my minor and the creative stuff appeals to me.

I also hope I can get a good chunk of StDoT done over Christmas because my active imagination is coming up with ideas faster than I can write them.  Already I have an idea for an intrigue story starring Pinkie Pie.  Crazy, I know!  I can't do intrigue.  Yet.  But my brain wouldn't let it go until I made a note, so I made a note.  Not to mention the other two full stories my brain came up with for follow ups to StDoT.  Yeah, you heard me.  Trilogy.  But only if I can write the first one!  Agh!

Oh, wait, you say that intrigue starring Pinkie Pie is crazy?  Maybe.  But it's Pinkie.  What else needs to be said?

On a non-writing related note, for my Databases class, our final project is to make a web-based database.  Huh.  We could choose to do pretty much anything, so I went for a pony related database.  I don't know what my instructor will think, but it'll keep me happy, so there.  

Have some cute.

...when I realized that YOU CAN HOVER THE MOUSE ON THE SIDES OF THE SCREEN UP NEAR THE TOP AND SCROLL THROUGH THE DIFFERENT BANNERS OF ADORABLENESS!!!

[squees]

Thank you, mods!!!  I love it!

Heh... that's a good generic title.  Ahem.

I have my adorable organizer lamp that reminds me of a modernized version of the Pixar Lamp on, I have my flameless candles on the rainbow setting, and I might turn the wind chimes on later.  Or not.  Maybe I'll stick my Zelda soundtrack CD in.  Or just the flute music.  Who knows?

I digress.  The important thing here is that I'm finally doing some work on StDoT.

It's not writing, though.  It's drawing.

That's right.  I'm trying my hand at some cover art.  I'm encouraged by the results so far; I've got a somewhat decent Nightmare outlined on the page...

Easy does it.  Slow, steady, and light-handed for easy erasing.  Luckily, I have several erasers.

When I get the outlining done, I'll color the image(s) with my colored pencils (they're what I have), do some scanning onto the computer, compile if necessary, then post.  I can't say how long this will take thanks to life offline, but sometime... yeah.

So I heard there is a canon map now.  I will probably be using this in the story.  It will be part of a larger map that I will create myself if I have to... I noticed the canon map didn't have a Stalliongrad.  I was going to have a Stalliongrad somewhere... aaaaaand I'm rambling.  Have a nice day!

-SF

I love summer!  Well... except for excessive heat.  Fortunately for me, we haven't had a lot of that where I live... and I usually have access to air-conditioning anyway, so even when it does get hot out, I'm usually fine.

To the point.  The bad news is that I still haven't made any progress on getting StDoT from "On Hiatus" stage to "Back to Being in Progress" stage.  The good news is, it's on my checklist.  My epic, twelve page (8 1/2" x 11", one sided per paper because the other side was used for something that is no longer important, hand-written) checklist that is on my Clipboard of Accomplishing.  (I've taken an old, beaten-up clipboard. duct-taped the entire board part, and placed an index card on the back that says "Clipboard of Accomplishing" in red and Old-English style calligraphy, so that is what it's actually called.)

Are you proud of me, Twilight Sparkle???

(I'll take that as a yes.  Awesome.)

The bad news? The story is located somewhere around page four, and the list is (somewhat) prioritized by importance, so it'll be awhile yet.  The good news?  I've had some more time to plan stuff in my head... and I have managed to check some stuff off...

More good news: My desk is essentially cleared off and definitely ready to work from.  I'm typing this from my computer at my desk.  This is good news because if I want to include illustrations (I'd like to at least try), I'll be able to draw them more easily.  I've already got an idea for some cover art bouncing around in my head.  I just hope it looks as good on paper as it does in my mind.  Sigh.

More bad news:  I still need to get one more program on my computer (kind of a mapping/tree diagram tool) before I can really get going on things.  Fortunately, it's free.  I just have to sit down and get it.  Don't worry, it's on the checklist.  Perhaps I should start capitalizing that.  The Checklist.  Yeah.  That's better.

Unrelated but still pony news: Did you guys see the sneak peek preview of Season Three?  Spike's singing!!!  YouTube it!

Completely unrelated news: I finally got a bow!  (Archery, not hair stuff.)

No, that's not a hammer you hear.  It's more like... the keys on my keyboard.  Although... I don't know, I suppose keyboards can sound like many mini-hammers under the right context...

Ahem. Since the Dawn of Time is going on hiatus until further notice.  In truth, I almost don't have the heart to write this blog post because there are so few folks who are actually giving me feedback of any sort, but the important thing is that some of you have given me feedback, so you deserve to know the reasons for the hiatus.

This is week 9 of 10 for Spring Term (I'm a college student).  After week 10 come finals.  After finals comes summer, but reality will be calling me.  I can hear its voice already.  I'm considering filing a noise complaint against it.  I digress.

Starlight Fire's Summer 2012 Checklist v1.0

Ongoing Tasks (cannot feasibly be checked off):

- eat, sleep, breathe, etc.

- work at job

- learn/solidify Linux, Java, C (review/prep)

To Do (can be checked off)

- deep clean/organize residence and stuff

- business involving planning and spreadsheets

- ?????

- PONIES!!! (What, you thought I was going to say profit?  Think about this carefully; I kind of did.)

* * * * *

Even when I do get back to the ponies, StDoT won't update immediately.  I think I'm going to put it through some (quite possibly heavy) reworking now that I have a solid idea of where I want the story to go and what I want to have happen in the story.  If I want it to be good and stay good, I need to do some mapping.  You deserve my very best and I'm going to make sure you get it.  For you!  For FiMFiction!  FOR EQUESTRIA!

Exactly.

Furthermore, I may try my hand at some illustration.  I'm had some ideas and no time to execute them.  For that matter, I haven't had space to execute them.  This will be resolved after the cleaning/organization stuff.  If I somehow meet with success while drawing, I'll be able to use my very own cover image that is obviously related to my story.  If I meet with a ridiculous amount of success AND am further inspired, that might not be the only art I attempt for the story.  We'll see.  On that note... DA accounts are free, right?

Pony On.

~SF~

Oh, hey, I have a blog section.  Cool.

...Not that I have anything to blog about right now.  But at least it's here.  Maybe I'll put some actual content here in the blog someday.  Maybe.

Eh...

-SF