Please stop, I want to get off 2018 now · 1:00am Jan 5th, 2018
What an interesting first few days of the New Year. Guy films a dead body for internet fame, a SWAT "prank" goes horribly wrong, and a certain politician is playing "my dad can deck your dad" on an international scale. After watching the latest season of Black Mirror, I'm convinced that this is some sort of weird alternate reality where I'm going to wake up after being some random character in SIMCITY. I've had enough now, can I have 2017 back please?
Nevertheless, we must soldier on to brighter days and bigger things. Like fiction about pastel ponies.
Yes, first chapter of a new fic has gone up. Gumdrop will be updated as different ideas for one shots come up, while Waking the Dead has up to chapter 3 drafted already. Compared to other FOE fics, I'm aiming to keep this one short(er) and sweet. I figured giving a set amount of plot and things to work with will help keep me focused, if I want to add to it I can through extras. It also reminds me of how dividing FOE side fics can be. Case in point, after the first day of posting I had around 6 views with 2 thumbs down, 9 watching and god knows how many bookshelves. It feels a little weird to know a lot of people are keen to read it, just not right now.
It does open up the question of the "thumbs down" button. A thumbs down doesn't help with improving writing. Why didn't you like it? What don't you like about it? People can't improve without actual feedback, they can't get better if you never tell them what's wrong with it in the first place. It's the perfect example of instant gratification - I don't like this and I want people to know that it isn't liked. On the flip side, a thumbs up is a standard "I like this". It's the little button that makes you feel fuzzy inside, a chufty badge, a pat on the back. I'd still love to know what was liked about the first chapter, what aspects were well done.
But all this is preaching to the choir. I've seen people grumble about this a billion and one times, across the entire net. Up/downvotes, thumb systems, any kind of voting has its flaws. Just the way we go.
Beyond all this, not much to report. Can confirm that Fire Emblem Warriors is a great "Warriors" game, and that I should have started listening to AWOLNATION years ago. I've recently caught myself listening to a lot of older tracks from artists going back, both in recent memory and in distant (Frankie Valli, anyone?). Guess I'll keep running to the past.
So today, we have learned an important lesson - think before we hit that button. Please, for the love of God, THINK.
