State of the Author: Boldly Going Back to Normal? · 5:29pm Jun 3rd, 2021
Heya! I'm sure you all have been wondering what I've been up to as of late! Well, it's been an interesting beginning to summer thus far, so allow me to briefly regale you with my many tales of interest. Firstly, I am to go to CSU by not going to CSU, taking an online course on the appreciation of dance. I mostly did this because in order to keep my health insurance I am required to take at least a credit a semester, and after having taken a string of history courses that had much to do with hot button issues like race and gender, I wanted to take something a little less contentious. Anyhow, on the creative front the last few months have gone into planning and GM-ing an awesome Star Trek RPG for my friends. It follows the adventures of a group of cadets on their first deep space assignment, the Excelsior class USS. Hood NCC-2541. It's set during TNG, since that's the period my friends are most familiar with, in fact it's set pretty firmly in the first season of TNG, as the Hood appears in the first episode Encounter at Farpoint, and my friends characters join the Hood immediately after that (mainly so I could have a McCoy cameo in there). The system I'm using is a free 3d6 based one, called Far Trek, which I wrote a brief supplement to in order to reflavor it for TNG, as the system is actually designed for adventures in TOS.
Since I'm fully vaccinated now, I'm also able to get out and do more things. I've gotten back into Civil War reenacting (hooray!), and had a lot of fun the last two weeks messing around with cannons again. The Saturday of the week before Memorial Day was my home unit, the 1st Ohio Battery A's drill weekend, so I brushed up on my skills as an artillery man. At the moment I'm learning the No 1 and No 2 positions on the gun, the positions in front of the muzzle that ram, sponge, worm, and load. It's a little nerve wracking, to be honest, but I'm getting better with it, and I was glad for the drill. I am probably the only person in the hobby who is like "more drill please", but I'm trying to learn everything and the repetition helps. Memorial Day weekend was super fun, if a bit hectic. Originally I was going to attend a reenactment in Burton, Ohio. But a massive rain and windstorm hit the area on Friday, knocking out my power for a bit and also causing the event to cancel. Fortunately, I had been planning to "fall in" with the folks from the 19th Ohio Battery for that event, and the contact I made there invited me to join them for a ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery on Monday, which naturally I accepted. I'd seen the 19th before at that event, so I knew it was going to be a good time out. Meanwhile, my old boss from my time at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was retiring on traditional Memorial\Decoration Day, on Sunday. So I attended that event in my civilian get-up, wearing a mourning badge for out late President Lincoln. It was great to see Tim again, I really enjoyed working with him and I'm a bit sad to see him go. On the other hand, my old boss from the local historical society, Greg, is now the new executive director replacing Tim! So it was a reunion of sorts for us all, and I still have an in with the monument's administration! Whilst I was there I also touched base with the 103rd OVI, a descendent group of the veterans of that unit who still own a campground in the area, and got invited to preform at their flag lowering ceremony in August again. I was most excited by that, it's the first gig I've had since the beginning of the pandemic! I also wound up talking with some ladies who are part of the Sons & Daughters of the GAR (iirc), a group I may join now that I actually know which one of my ancestors was in the Civil War (he was a cavalryman from Michigan who survived Andersonville). After all that, mother and I also went out to eat in a restaurant for the first time in a long while. Not going to lie, things that were normal pre pandemic now seem insanely risky and slightly nerve-wracking. That being said, it was nice to get close to what was once normal.
On Monday, I of course went to the Woodlawn Cemetery with the 19th Ohio. They were a friendly group of people, and I was very much impressed with their hospitality. I've been considering joining more than one reenactment group, because although I love the 1st Ohio, drills are difficult for me to get to on a regular basis. I'm planning on joining the 19th now, because not only are they a great bunch of people to hang around with, but they are based closer to me, which for a non-driver like myself is a decided plus. Moreover, I am always up for getting more practice on the guns in! Anyhow, I was glad that I'd drilled the previous weekend because I was assigned to be the No 2 on the 19th Ohio's 3in Ordinance Rifled Gun. Worming a rifled gun is hard! I'm used to working with smoothbores, and I realize now that's kind of an advantage to a inexperienced wormer, because the tinfoil blanks we use seem to get stuck in the rifling if you don't have good technique. Afterwords, I learned that their gun is actually and original cannon! That explained why the bore was kinda rusty... it was very cool to get to actually get to work on a real Civil War gun, though. The 1st Ohio also has access to original guns, but unfortunately they haven't been seeing much use whilst I've been a member, as since they technically belong to the State they require filling out alot of paperwork to use, and they have been undergoing carriage replacements over the last several years (the guns actually have two carriages, aluminum ones for when they are on display outside the statehouse and proper wood carriages for when we take then out on the field). After the Ceremony, the battery decamped for one of the members houses for a picnic, and we also fired off a golf ball- tennis ball mortar in their backyard, which was oodles of fun.
Now, I'm sure you're asking, what about all that writing stuff I'm meant to be doing? You know, about ponies and stuff? Well, I have been contemplating that lately, since it's pride month again and I really ought to go write that Sunlight ship fic I've been promising my readers would round off the Weekend Wondercolts anthology. I've just finished reading Wondercolts Forever: The Diary of Celestia and Luna and Canterlot High: Tell All, which I am hoping will get my gears turning and help me come up with new ideas in that regard. Whilst there's no way I can write a story in a month, hopefully I can at least get started. I also have some decent ideas for that Saw Horse story idea I've been wanting to write in the Admiral Biscuit genre, as a follow on to Team Boat. I finally have a decent conflict for it, based on the exciting happenings aboard a lumber tug one day in the 1880s I happened to learn about whilst researching an old photograph of boats tied up in the river a few months back. I am also nervously anticipating the launch of G5, which is imminent. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, there just isn't enough out and I've been avoiding most of the press around it. Partly because I'm afraid I may not like it, and partly because just the fact we have a G5 now makes me feel a bit old. I was surprised that Hasbro has added a sheriff character to the new show, considering how we collectively feel about lawn enforcement nowadays. But then I suppose his tropes are all historical, and in defense of sheriffs they are elected by their communities and accountable to them, so I suppose in a way they are just OG "community policing". That said, since I love the 19th century, a Sheriff character to write fanfic for excites me. I can already see the story potential there!
Anyways, as things inch closer to normal, at least in the short term, I hope everyone is well and more importantly vaccinated! It's been a long year, which almost felt like four, but we survived it and hopefully we'll be able to start moving forward soon. Live Long and Prosper y'all, until we meet again!
Glad it sounds like things are going pretty well for you. :)
"in the Admiral Biscuit genre"
I'm not sure which is funnier, that he's apparently a genre now or that I basically just nodded and said "Yep, that makes sense". :D
If Super Trampoline can have a genre, why not Admiral Biscuit?
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(I assume that was meant to be in reply to mine?)
Huh. I don't think I knew Super Trampoline did.
Present Perfect gets credit for discovering that Super Trampoline was a genre. I figured it was my turn!