Random Ramblings CLXXV

IN WHICH I WAIT FOR THE NOTHING
You might have noticed I unexpectedly uploaded an epilogue to Sunset Shimmer: Spider Queen. However, it seems to have gone by with little to no notice and, just like when I added a new chapter to Reconciliations, its dislike percentage went UP. Go figure. On the other hand, the OCD nut in me is very pleased that the whole story turned out to be exactly 4000 words (by FimFic reckoning; by Word's reckoning it's 3,925).

I'm not sorry for writing the epilogue, as I believe it needed to happen. It may only be 880 words, but there was one thing I put in there that is important for the next entry in the arc -- that's me, managing to give the most development to a character who has no spoken lines. But what am I disappointed about? Well, I love throwing music and cartoon references into my work, and I love it when people notice them and enjoy them and let me know. The epilogue has two big ones that no one seems to have gotten, or haven't told me if they did. I also (usually) enjoy responding with readers in the comments. Very few for RPFB or SSSQ. Maybe the arc is running out of steam? Or maybe I am?

This is my 175th blogpost, and as is tradition, I'd like to share something with you. Nothing as big as #100 or #150, but a little gift nonetheless, a thank you for following me. See it past the jump!

Today's milestone gift is something simple. Some outline notes for a story that I planned to write last year, to the point that I mentioned it in several mid-2016 blogposts -- some of my earlier followers may remember it. It's called The Hotel, and is based on something that actually happened to me and my friends(?) last July when we were set to work a convention in Tulsa (if you don't know America, just wiki it). The logistics were, like I said after getting back home, an absolute nightmare, not helped at all by my stress-induced panic attacks.

Part of me still wants to write this story as an EQG fic out of continuity with anything else I'm doing, but my heart just isn't in it, due in large part to the fact that Applejack's part in the story is the one filled IRL by my ex-girlfriend (no, she doesn't have a Southern accent; I, however, do). Before you even ask: Yes, my role in the whole shebang is given to Sunset Shimmer. In my defense, it made the most sense from a characterization standpoint since she's the only main EQG girl shown in canon to know how to drive (at least a motorcycle), and she can get very irritable when pushed, like we saw in FG. I really did tell a guy threatening us to go fuck himself and trash-talked the receptionist. The others physically pulled me away from the desk and sat me down on a couch to cool off.

Here's the very little I actually wrote before moving on to doing a bunch of Recovery Arc stories.

THE HOTEL

"Are we there yet? I'm pooped!" Rainbow Dash whined from the back seat.

"No," replied Sunset Shimmer, trying to avoid any distraction from driving. "We'll get there when we get there, which is… uh… AJ? How far?"

"About five minutes, give or take, if this jee-pee-ess thingamabob is right," Applejack, riding shotgun, informed her. "Just stay on the highway 'til ya see the Exit for Buckskin Boulevard."

"/Lovely/ name," Rarity said with a roll of her eyes.

And here is the outline for it, with names changed to protect the guilty. The real trip involved two SUV's and a sedan, not a giant van. It is unfortunate that FimFic doesn't really allow bullet point formatting.

• Begin in medias res; the girls are just coming off of wherever the hell they dropped their shit at and are trying to check into a hotel
• It's one of those extended stay places
• Sunset's boss booked it because it was cheap
• Lady at front desk refuses to honor reservation
• Sunset forgot the printout confirmation
• Lady agrees to let them have a room anyway
• The girls go to check it out
• On way up, lots of people smoking; dogs, Spanish, etc.
• Room is filthy
• Two lights don't work
• TV doesn't work
• Mattress has burn hole in it
• Room smells like smoking despite no smoking sign
• A/C doesn't work (it's still 90º outside at night)
• Fridge is rusty
• They go down and ask to see a different room
• Second room (on 3rd floor) is better
• Although there is a giant dead cockroach on floor
• And giant spider in bathtub
• And the hide-a-bed mattress is so soiled it looks like someone died on it
• Rarity takes photos of these things to send to Sweetie, because no one would believe it otherwise
• As they prepare to accept this room, they're greeted by an LED flashlight in their faces, like a cop would have
• It's a bald green man who chews them out for "stripping" the room
• Sunset responds badly (as in tells him to fuck off), but the others are more diplomatic
• Man sees Fluttershy's badge, which she'd removed so it wouldn't get in the way of inspection, and grabs it from her
• He then beelines to the front office
• Fluttershy follows; Sunset, AJ, and Rarity follow her
• At the front desk, Fluttershy asks for her badge back, the bald man insists she not give it to her
• The lady asks why the girls had "stripped the rooms"
• The girls explain themselves, or at least attempt to
• Lady says they have to pick one room or the other
• Sunset says "neither", but AJ shushes her
• As they detail their complaints, the lady replies with "Well this ain't the Ritz"
• Sunset is escorted out by Fluttershy, who tries to calm her down on the way back to their car
• They are joined by AJ and Rarity, who have agreed with Sunset to refuse to stay there
• Dashie is already annoyed because she thought she would have more to do, and Ponk is only there because Dashie is; both are by the van car thingy
• They all pile into the van and try to find a new place to stay
THE END(?)

And that's it. Let me reiterate: This Really Happened. Oh, I'd also like to point out that Fluttershy's part was held IRL by an Army reservist friend of my ex's (we were able to use her military ID to get a nice discount at the place we eventually stayed at), but even her military training wasn't enough to prepare her for that bald redneck stealing something right out of her hands and running off. Or my panic attacks for that matter. Also, Pinkie and Dashie were actually two gay men -- yes they were a couple and I think still are, and I would have hinted at such a relationship in the story. The only one of the group I still talk to on a regular basis is the girl symbolized by Rarity, although I communicate with the IRL people symbolized by Dash and (reluctantly) AJ from time to time.

Why on earth would a writer release notes like this to the public? Simple. I've got too much on my plate now and there's too much baggage for me to give this story the care it deserves, so I'm releasing what I have and more or less washing my hands of it. This isn't like my Pinkamena story, which I do plan to release one of these years -- that fic is basically entirely written except for the end; beyond that, it needs some cleanup in a few critical areas before it's post-worthy.

Well, that's it. I hope you aren't too disappointed. Once again, as always, thank you for your following, upvotes, kind words, and general support over the last 2+ years. I hope I never let you down.

Peace out!

PS -- Next entry in the Recovery Arc is ready to go at any time, but I'm going to wait to post it because I want to TRY to do a Burritoverse story and/or a Spike chapter first. My next chapter of Mayor's Break Time might be my last. Being unable to drink alcohol due to medication has made it even more difficult to write stories in that vein. I will ALWAYS post a Mayor Mare story on January 20th, no matter how half-baked, for as long as I write here, but MBT feels increasingly finite.

PPS -- Did you notice in SSSQ that Rarity's note had a word crossed out? That was intentional and important.