Random Ramblings CCLXXXVI · 8:59pm Jun 28th, 2018
IN WHICH I WORK THROUGH THE ITIS
I had a big ol' Southern style lunch, so I'm gonna try not to fall asleep. No promises. Enjoy this insanity:
I think many of my readers are too young to remember Saint Ronald of Reagan and/or Genesis. Oh well…
Actually, I barely remember Reagan myself. I just know everyone in my family who lived in the DC area hated his guts. But as terrible a president as he was in hindsight (and actually he wasn't very popular most of his time in office either, though you'd never know it to listen to most people in the USA and especially the media these days), I'd still take the Gipper over that fat orange fuckstain we have now. It's a damn shame he has an even bigger paranoid streak than I do, because I would love for the real thing to be taken out the same way Aria did it in my story from two years ago.
Reading the ramblings of far-left Black Nationalists and a Filipino who grew up under Marcos this morning didn't help my mood. They may make some good points, but I don't enjoy being called out for stuff I have no control over. I've voted in every general election since I was legally able. Only in local races does it feel like my vote means a damn thing.
It's ironic -- I utterly disdain Christianity (growing up and living in the Ozarks, I think I can make a good case for why; evangelicalism and fundamentalism are the norm here, and you get tired of people badgering you and telling you you'll go to hell -- if it exists, then I'll take my chances, because I don't want to be in a heaven full of judgemental hypocrites), yet I purposely introduced religion into my take on the EQG-verse. Granted, the Kirk of Ra is essentially a mishmash of Mainline Protestantism, Catholicism, and non-Orthodox Judaism. Nothing threatening. I haven't thought up the details and I don't really care to. I can say, however, that fundamentalism exists and Applejack's family are adherents. Yes this will become very important down the line when/if I get to the Apple Bloom saga I've been working up to for the past nearly three years.
Speaking of working, I've got two unfinished stories on my plate right now. One is a Burritoverse fic and the other is an SRA spinoff. I've mentioned both in previous blogs, but I have no idea which one will be completed first. Probably the Burrito one. No promises
I've been using a lot of horizontal rules lately in hopes that you -- that's right, you three people who will look at this blog -- will find the reading experience easier and thus more enjoyable and want to come back for more of my word-barf.
Anyway, my mother's been pestering me to go to the new gym that recently opened down the street from me. It's more for her than for me, because she hates being outside in the Southern Summer (so do I). Normally I would be all for this, but she wants us to go together, while I see exercise as a solitary thing. Yes, I would go with my ex to the gym… when she was willing to go, and she eventually stopped because she thought people were mocking her obesity (I wasn't present and she wouldn't allow me to talk to the gym staff); after that, I kept going alone until about a month before my membership expired. Still, we did our own things and had our own routines there.
It's obvious that my mother wants to go but not alone. Problem is she's being naggy about it and I hate that. It feels like I'm being criticized, and I don't often respond well to criticism as you know. I'd thought about going to this gym but I like to operate on my own schedule of "whenever I feel like it". When I decide to go to one of the parks and walk a mile-plus circuit, it's alone on my own time. It's ME time. When I'd be using the elliptical or whatever machines, that's ME time. I'm admittedly not much of a WE type of fellow, especially not since being dumped. Having no siblings naturally breeds that. I get lonely, sure, but I still, for my psychological health, require more ME time than others.
Speaking of criticism, in the past day I've gotten two critical comments from two different people on two different older stories of mine. One guy had already bitched on one of my burrito stories, but he just came back nearly three months later to dump on the story again. What the fuck. If you didn't like it the first time, why come back and complain again? The other was a comment on the very first story I ever posted on this site -- January 20th 2015 -- a story that hadn't had any comments in nearly two years… and this kid complains because Filthy Rich is an antagonist in the story, thus is acting not according to The Canon™. (I thought I handled him fairly well actually)
DO YOU THINK I GIVE A FUCK ABOUT CANON?! I haven't even watched the show since Season 5 ended and have not seen any EQG after Friendship Games. Mostly due to lack of time and willpower.
On that note, it took a lot of my willpower to not PM that SOB and tear him a new one. Such things are unbecoming of a writer who has tried his best to foster a reputation of being friendly and welcoming and occasionally even thanking people for constructive criticism. THESE comments were not constructive; they were just bitchy whining.
If you don't like my work, you don't have to read it. If you think there's something technical I missed that could be improved, let me know -- chances are I might agree with you. It's due to reader feedback that I decided to add the flashback to "Exes Meet" and change up the final epilogue of "Recovery" to make certain things less ambiguous. Moth's Christmas Day slamming of H&L hurt and I fumed about it for days, but he was right, and I've tried ever since to keep a better handle on characters' characters. It's precisely because of that that I've been having such trouble with Sonata. It's been so long since I've seen Rainbow Rocks that I have to dive into my memories to remember what she's supposed to be like. I hope that my efforts pay off in the end.
I care deeply about the quality of my work on this site, and I hope that shows in the finished pieces. Even if they get almost no readers, I want to be proud of what I've created. Anyway, it's time for me to get back to work. Or not. Y'know whatever.
Peace out!
What works for me when writing an unfamiliar character is I’ll go to YouTube and search something like: ‘best of [insert character’s name]’
I’ll watch it a few times and get a feel for how they talk, stand, what expressions they use, etc etc etc. and then go from there.
I prefer this version m'self:
As to the whole canon thing, I generally don't get it. I suppose if you tossed out a half-assed story where Twilight forgot how to magic, I'm complain, but that's about it. If it's decently written exploration of what she'd be like and what her life is like, I'd see no reason to complain. It all comes down to the writing, is the concept delivered with a basic level of skill? And is there an underlying logic to the concept? Then I'm good with it and see no reason to complain.
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I actually did that for Sonata the last time I wrote her nearly two years ago, and figured I'd do it again. Aside from cameos, it's been a long time since I've written her. Adagio and Aria are easier for me.
Even though no one read it, I still love my story with all three of them where Adagio and Sonata keep quoting song lyrics until Aria finally snaps and leaves the fic.
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I do enjoy Disturbed's cover, the MV's animation is excellent, but figured I'd link the Genesis original because the Spitting Image puppets are awesome. Also I casually like Genesis.
As to your comment, I've no idea where I'd fall on your scale. I attempt quality at least. I've tried twice to write a deliberately bad story, but failed because I had to put internal logic in the damn things which made them full-on surreal comedies.
I'd take Reagan over Trump too despite how much I've learned about how shit he is.
I hate being out in heat just in general. But I got a nice little sun hat that I like to wear if I really have to go for a walk. Which I sometimes do because the fresh air is pleasant and has been helping my mood lately. I occasionally go for walks with my Mom when her hip's not bothering her.
I don't care about canon too awful much anyway. I prefer my headcanon about changelings over the actual canon anyway. I just have to adapt my headcanon to sort of fit show canon. Also changelings are the best other species. Diamond dogs became no more than a villain of the week and that bothers me. And zebras are way underused given we have a FUCKING ZEBRA IN PONYVILLE. THERE ARE NO ZEBRAS IN TWILIGHT'S SCHOOL WHAT THE FUCK EVEN.
Also I'm gonna send you a message about my thoughts on Christianity. I don't often make them public. It's nothing bad, but I do kind of agree with you I'm tired of people constantly spouting how people are going to hell as if they're somehow okay with that.
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You're doing good, i only follow a few authors, and you're one of them. I wasn't real taken with Recovery, but outside of that I've been enjoying the arc as well as a few of your other stories.
Reagen had one purpose. To beat the Russians in the Cold War but unlike previous presidents he didnt just use talk. He used money and literally outspent them. And because if that many of the things we now enjoy exist. Military tech always trickles down to the civvie world. And yes, I do remember him. I prefer him to Trump, but more as a matter of how he comported himself.