The Holiday Holding Pattern! · 10:32pm Dec 19th, 2020
So!
Presents have been purchased, wrapped, and distributed to their recipients. Uh, mostly. There may be one or two more things I might get at the last moment. And, uh, some of the stuff I've mailed might not make it 'til after the holiday, but there are worse things. And, after being stupid busy for the last week or so, my 'Holiday Vacaction' (such as it is) has begun! Not that I'm really, uh doing all that much, for fairly obvious reasons.
Even still, I'm hoping to use the next week or two of limbo-time to kinda-sorta accomplish things? Like, just today, I wrote 1500 words for my Jinglemas entry. Which is almost enough for an 'average' day of NaNoWriMo. Of course, I made it a point not to sign up for NaNoWriMo this year, since I knew the election would leave me a nervous wreck for a week or so. Which it did. But I'm okay now! Ehem.
I'm having fun with this Jinglemas story, though. It features an odd combination of characters I've never written before, so I kind of had to jump through some hoops to set things up. And hopefully you guys will enjoy it too! It's not done yet, but my impatient self kind of wants to start posting chapters early for that instant gratification. Which, uh, I won't. But I'm tempted. Still, if you're in the mood for something that combines my particular brand of fanfic hijinks with holiday stuff, I suggest For The Pony Who Has Everything. It's a fun little holiday fic (that I didn't even write for Jinglemas!) that seems to to not get much attention.
And once I finish that story before the 23rd (yay deadlines?) I'll be able to move onto the non-pony stuff that nobody wants to read I've been working on. I'm kind of eager to get back to chipping away at Yet Another Fantasy Novel Attempt, but I may get self-indulgent and write a silly thing about a tabletop RPG character of mine instead. If I do that second option it'll probably get posted up on my offprint.net account, so that's something to look forward to, I guess?
I've also been catching up on my reading, so whee. I've almost finished Lois McMaster Bujold's The Warrior's Apprentice, which is actually a rather interesting read despite the utterly generic title. It's one of those almost-classics of 80's/90's sci-fi, kind of like the Honor Harrington books. Though unlike Harrington, the protagonist, Miles Vorkosigan, is defined more by his flaws and frailty than his general awesomeness. Which, uh, doesn't stop me from vaguely thinking about shipping Miles & Honor in some kind of whacked out crossover shenanigans.
I may have been on this website too long.
Anyway, looks like it's time for me to, y'know, eat something. Highlight of my Saturday, right there. Hope you guys are having a safe and enjoyable weekend, at least!
Nonsense. You make it sound like shipping all the things is limited to only one corner of the Internet.
Looking forward to everything you're working on!
The entire Vorkosigan saga, including the prequel(s) about how his parents meet and get together, are among my favorite stories of all time. I am hard pressed to think of any of the books that I don't classify as at lease "good' and many of them I would classify as "great".
Now I want to reread them, starting from the beginning. I wonder if the local library has them on audio?
Happy holidays and good luck in all your writing and personal endeavors!
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Incidentally, I happen to be listening to the audiobook of The Warrior's Apprentice, courtesy of my local library via the Overdrive app. It's a pretty solid audiobook-- not too hammy or gimmicky or anything. Though the internet has ruined me because it's odd to hear the word "Vor" spoken aloud in a ... not weird context.
On the one hand, I'm kind of bummed I didn't get into the series sooner. I'm a short dude myself (though thankfully without Miles' brittle bones or penchant for depression) so I can kind of identify with the main character (even if I'm taller). This said, I'm also kind of glad I didn't start this series as a kid as I fear identifying too much with Miles might make me insufferable. I vaguely remember reading one of them (The Vor Game, maybe?) literal decades ago, but I had no idea WTF was going on since it was well along in the series. Something about Miles reclaiming his merc fleet, maybe?
Though I have to give Bujold credit for not pairing Miles & Elena off, as things might get a bit too "Nice Guy" otherwise.
Given that Miles has a known Thing for tall brunettes, amazon types especially, and given that Honor fits that description exactly...
Also - harmonious Hearth's Warming, joyful Jinglemas, splendid Solstice, merry Christmas, and happy holidays to you and yours, Tumbleweed!