Moe Lane's Blog, page 154
September 24, 2024
09/24/2024 Snippet, THE LAST DAYS OF UNHOLY TOLEDO.
Getting there!
Patreon!Nat discovered the reason for those hose-mouths soon enough. “Damn!” he shouted as a stream of gray filth splattered across his shield, befouling it with a quickly-hardening slime. He smashed the shield in the foul attacker’s face, wincing at the fresh screeching. “Don’t let it get on your skin, right?”
“As little as possible!” yelled the Monsignor, his face a snarl of hate as the tip of his staff glittered an evil green. It trailed a brief green mist, too; but when the mist met flesh, the flesh bubbled. “They overwhelm their victims, trapping them in… their spray…”
He stopped in surprise, and perhaps mild dismay. Maddox and Nat had paired up, back to back, and around them was now piled a heap of stinking spider-things. Even as he watched, one monster spouted at Maddox’s head, only to have it intercepted by Nat’s now-encrusted shield. One quick stab later, and it was shuddering in death on the floor.
Nat fumbled with his shield. “Disgusting!” he rasped, and looked wildly for the doors. “We must move. Do these things ‘know their place,’ too?” he asked the Monsignor.
“They do,” the Monsignor admitted. “And they are deadlier than this. I wonder if the spells are failing.”“Maybe they are, maybe they’re not,” Maddox spit. His face and beard had streaks of the spider-thing’s spew smeared across it; but if they hurt, he showed no sign of it. “Either way, run!”
TRAIL OF CTHULHU Second Edition Backerkit starts October 15th.
Welp. This could prove expensive. Worth it, but expensive. On the gripping hand, TRAIL OF CTHULHU is a great game and a second edition is justifiable. GUMSHOE as a system has adapted a bit since the game came out and some updating seems reasonable. Can’t wait!
Link here, to sign up for the campaign notifications, and to get the Quickstart ruleshttps://t.co/44ii2MJaY3
— Kenneth Hite (@kennethhite) September 24, 2024
The THE IRON GIANT Honest Trailers.
Honest Trailers decided to play with fire. THE IRON GIANT is one of those movies. You are not required to like it, but by God and His Four Archangels you will not belittle it. Brawls have started over less grievous insults.
Fortunately, Honest Trailers loves this film, too. All the jokes are acceptably good-natured. Which is for the best, really.
…Brawls.
Moe Lane
#commissionearned
Tweet of the Day, Whoa edition.
I hope this isn’t faked somehow, because it’s pretty dang cool.
Nice! pic.twitter.com/kGnFEknZTL
— Daddy Warpig (@DaddyWarpig) September 24, 2024
ACX will let audiobook narrators scrape their own voice for AI narration.
ACX/Audible is also going to be continuing to mainstream their AI narration ‘services’ generally, but this is what caught my eye: “ACX’s new AI tool will allow voice narrators to replicate their own voice.” Translating some of the PR-speak on the fly, ACX will take a maybe-representative sample of the narrators’ voices, recreate it in hopefully an accurate fashion, and presumably pay a smaller royalty to the narrators to “reflect the work involved in creating and managing voice replica productions.”
That last is kind of harsh. Why? Because while I might not be inherently upset if somebody cloned their own voice for one of my audiobooks (since Audible didn’t steal it from somebody else), I am absolutely not going to pay full price for something like that. I might not even pay ten cents on the dollar. And why should I? When I got a narrator for FROZEN DREAMS, I was happily paying for the time and effort as well as the voice. If neither is as much of a factor, then my initial offer is going to reflect that.
Sorry if this seems hardnosed. But self-publishing is a business. I won’t pay boutique prices for mass-produced product.
September 23, 2024
‘Cape Cod Girls.’
Cape Cod Girls, The Revels Chorus
#commissionearned
Semi-regular reminder: review the independent authors you read.
Don’t forget to review the books you read! Not just my books: do it for all the independent authors you read. They are desperate for reviews. Even more desperate than me, if that’s at all possible. I am more fortunate than most, really.
It helps if I remind myself of that, from time to time.
#commissionearned
‘Adieu Alban Ladies.’
A bit of folk song I’m working on, set in SM Stirling’s Island trilogy (time travel, alternate history). It still needs some scansioning.
#commissionearned
Adieu Alban Ladies
Farewell and adieu to you Alban ladies
Farewell and adieu to you ladies so gay
For on the next tide we strike for the Island
So this night’s the last in your arms that we’ll stay.
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
We filled our sails full, winter wind on the sou’west,
We measured at noon, our bearings to find
Twas four weeks to voyage, if the winds stayed a-steady
So we squared our main yard and paid the weather no mind.
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
Now let every gal drink off her full bumper
And let every tar drink off his full glass
We’ll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy
Here’s to the health of my swan-favored lass.
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
We watched like a hawk when passing Tartessos
In case we might spy a privateer’s sails;
But then we hove west, Canaries behind us
And then made our Passage in spite of the gales.
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
The signal is made for our good ship to anchor
All safe at the docks, that night for to lie;
So comb out your hair, tars; take your back pay
Haul out your best dainties
To the tavern we’ll fly.
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
Now let every gal drink off her full bumper
And let every tar drink off his full glass
We’ll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy
Here’s to the health of my swan-favored lass
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like Nantucket whalers
We’ll rant and we’ll roar above and below
Until we take sight of the Sankaty Light
Then straight round the Island and homeward we’ll go.
Check out this week’s “Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.”
Partially because my own book is in there, but also because I picked up Mary Catelli’s Journeys and Wizardry fantasy collection, and I quite like it. It’s a collection of short stories where magic needs to be taken seriously, and that appeals to me. You might find other books you like there, too.
The ‘Yeah, World Leaders Would Probably Act Like This’ RUMOURS trailer.
After about thirteen years in The Life you lose some illusions, you know what I mean? I’m curious about if RUMOURS is as cynical about it as I am. Hopefully even more. I miss that old wide-eyed innocence of mine.
