Richard Raley's Blog, page 20

Quick Notes May 2021

 1.  Hit 60k words last night working on a very fun Pocket and Jesus scene.  That is generally the point where I consider a work to be a "novel" so...we got us a book, boys, girls, and blood tentacle monsters!

2.  How accurate is the estimate?  Are we really 2/5ths of the way finished?  Probably not.  This isn't one of those books (like FM6 or FM7...*cough*) where I know exactly what I want to do scene to scene and have been picturing it in my head for over a decade now, replaying conversations over and over in all the myriad of paths they can take and it just explodes out of me in an unstoppable torrent.  Even ignoring how sick I've been and how that's made things difficult, WtEaW has been much more nebulous.  I've had to wander and I've already cut out quite a bit of that wandering and expect more to follow.  Also the path ahead could be quite long and twisty or short and straight...there's just no telling!

3.  That said, I have more of a feel for the book than I ever had before and have come to some key revelations in the last few weeks.  Despite my first idea of the novel being that Class 2015 and the Winter War matches they take part in being at the forefront, I've realized I'm more interested in King Henry and his classmates and their last moments at the Asylum.  These were always the key elements of the story, but I think they've shifted in importance as I've worked.  Maybe part of me even always knew it should be that way since instead of starting the novel exactly when Class 2015 showed up, I delayed it until the third session (more on this later btw).

I suppose some of you will "no shit sherlock" this one.  It's not that Class 2015 isn't important or doesn't play big parts in this novel and they will VERY MUCH show up in the mainline, especially as we get to the later books.  As I've said, some are even in the Vicky novel!  But...generally you either show the planning for an event or the event itself (unless the event goes very wrong!) and I think how King Henry helps and the chaos he spreads around the Winter War is a lot more interesting than the matches themselves.  He's also a passive observer, so...does that really work?  I'm learning towards NO. So...more hijinks, less sporting spectacle, more Class 2009, less Class 2015 is probably where we are headed.

Always be adaptable as a writer, it's very important!

4.  One truly miserable situation in this novel is that because I decided I was just going to be so so smart and have the series have a session count that doesn't reset novel to novel, we only have 8 sessions to work with in this book despite the fact it's probably going to be at least 500 pages long, so...this one I'm working on is closing in on 100 manuscript pages and the two that preceded it weren't slim either.  Why is this one so big?  Well...I'm having to introduce 30 new characters in one shot!  It might be the most challenging thing I've ever done, but I'm have lots of fun with it.  Even if Class 2015 won't be so overwhelming as before, they still have tons of pages devoted to them and there's some great characters in there I'm sure you will love, many of them related to characters you already love!

5.  A couple weeks ago I saw an aunt and cousin I haven't seen since before the pandemic.  They live in North Carolina these days and couldn't even fly in for my grandfather's funeral (which obviously greatly upset my aunt), so since things are better and my cousin's kid decided that a not-quite-post pandemic wedding was a great idea (and lapped me and two of my other cousins on the whole marriage thingy in the process) they drove up from LA and visited for a couple days before the wedding, including a trip to the gravesite.  Graves are just...weird, humanity, so fucking weird.  Ignoring that, it was wonderful to visit and hug family, since ya know...vaccines rule!

6.  Good news on my father's battle with his heart.  After huge doses of some meds and a second attempt at the procedure, he's finally out of AFIB.  Still very rough and can very quickly be problematic again, and he's still on some rather dangerous meds, but for now, we'll take it.

7.  It's hot.  Fresno is already headed into summer, ignoring the occasion couple days in the 80s, so...my writing output is always depressed in May/Jun/July/August/Sept...we'll still be battling for 10k words a month, but we will be battling!  Maybe I'll even do some writing with a pen and paper to escape hot laptops?  Some post-midnight writing?  We shall see!

8.  Jury Duty in June 😭😭😭

9.  Oh!  Check out "Invincible" on Amazon Prime if you haven't already!  Foul Mouth Baby Seal of Approval!

April 2021 Quick Notes

 1.  It finally happened!!!  I got two cherry twin sugar free popsicles in a pack!!!

2.  Am writing, progress is being made--if not insane levels--but even satisfactory levels are a wonderful improvement!

3.  Some of the scenes in WTEAW are just choice.  Maybe my favorite Welf/KH back and forth ever.

4.  Past me is an asshole.  Or maybe better to say it is a sign of how much pain I was in through 2019-20 that there is basically no outline work done beyond the chapter I'm now finishing.  Just like "Chapter X: Winter War round one and post match hijinks."  Thanks dude, real helpful.

5.  So I had to do a bunch of outlining to figure things out.  Plus research on a few things, like the Winter War set up I came up with in FM3.  Also what I've said about Welf and Constructs before.  Probably going to have to make a minor continuity edit in FM5 so everything works, but nothing major.  Oh happy days that this is the last of the timeline craziness!

6.  With that done I'm now working on new material finally, and this will be quite the send off for the school timeline it looks like!

7.  Funny to be introducing characters here that I've already written whole scenes with in the Vicky novel.

8.  Living next to a field with cats is a pain, the sticker season is upon Burt!

I...have...nothing on my schedule...for almost 3 months...

Guys, I...knock on wood, but...I think...I can maybe...like...write?
Like I used to write too, not this "few minutes here and there" bullshit.

So, love you all, but tomorrow I am officially cutting myself off from the net and civilization and we will see what happens, won't we?  Going to start with continuing the "War to End All Wars" reread edit and we'll see how long before I inevitably get bored with it and switch over to the Vicky novel, but...there's hope for progress of some sort!
I'm even giving up my hunt for a PS5!  Oh, the great sacrifices I make for you people!
I might finally play Assassin Creed Valhalla and I'll have to play it in 720p and sub 30fps, the horror!

Extremely Important Observation

 Why is it that every time you get double same flavor in a sugar free Popsicle pack it's always fucking grape?!?!

Where's my fucking double cherry?  Huh?  Where?!?!

Rather Horrid Medical Update

My father finally got in for his heart procedure yesterday, driving through Fresno at 5am in a rain storm being quite an adventure in itself, and...well they pretty much treated him like an electric appliance and switched him off and back on.

Normally this resets your rhythm but they tried 3 times and it did nothing.  So...not good all around.  It's only the first step, but usually it's a first step that works, at least for a number of months, so...very bad mojo.

Next week I have to take my mother in for her second vaccine shot and then get mine a couple days later, so that's good, if another distraction.  Second shot is supposed to hit harder than the first, so we'll see what happens there.

I also have my six month from my first post surgery appointment the week after that.  That side of things has been awesome.  I'm down 85 pounds since surgery, 140 since I set off on this path.  Back nerve weirdness is minimal now, throat thing is in remission and looking back I cant believe how much pain I was in day to day that now is just gone.  Wrists can still be a little funky, but I live with my braces on at this point and even they've gotten better without all that extra weight around.

I also think...well, if I wrote that well feeling like shit, what can I do going forward?

I'm hopeful for the long future again, but it doesn't look like my father will be there to see it.

More good news is that April and May are clear so far and, maybe I can finally go Mad Scientist?  We'll see...we'll see.

Writer's Brain

Having just spent the day helping my mother grocery shop for hours and hours and hours, I finally boot up the laptop to check in on a Lego set I bought (Medieval Blacksmith so cool!!!) and see if it was shipped yet.

Me:  Supposed to be here by Friday but currently in Texas...well, God be with it.

Brain:  Isabel can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  ...what?

Brain:  Isabel can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  First of all, we aren't even writing that novel yet because we're an idiot who wanted to show off and came up with two fucking timelines and also thought why not write a Vicky novel--

Brain:  You kind of wrote some of it.

Me:  Like fifty pages and--

Brain:  Isabel can't be Anima Mad.  The problem isn't what you are writing, the problem is what you already wrote.

Me:  When did I say--

Brain:  Maximus can't be Anima Mad.  Isabel is a Maximus.  Thus, Isabel can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  So we know that yes there's more going on with dragons but that doesn't mean anima can't--

Brain:  She can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  When did I fucking write that then?

Brain:  Glassbreaker Goes Home.  When King Henry is talking to Old Man Price.  It's just one line.

Me:  *dawning realization*  Son of a Bitch!

Brain:  Better look it up, because I'm always right.

Me:  You are not.  Half the time you're just spouting stupid anxiety shit in the middle of the night about fucking typos.

Brain:  We hate the typos!!!

Me:  *look it up* Holy fuckballs!

Brain:  Isabel can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  Fine...Isabel can't be Anima Mad.  Sort of.  I don't quite have it all worked out, but it's complicated and we'll--

Brain:  Well whatever it is, she can't be Anima Mad now.

Me:  I fucking see that.

Brain:  I bet you just wrote that because you thought it sounded cool, didn't you?

Me:  *seething at past self*

Brain:  It is cool...it's a cool paragraph and a cool moment.  But...Isabel can't be Anima Mad.

Me:  It's 4PM, I've been out all day, I'm probably covered in Rona except for the mask shaped hole around my mouth, my Lego still isn't here yet and I just want to watch some YouTube, leave me alone!

Brain:  ...

Me:  *staring at the paragraph* Stupid ass.

Brain:  ...you should make a note.

Me:  New writer chair so comfy...

Brain:  You've already got it half figured out, but if you don't make a note you'll forget that you have to figure out the second half.  Then you'll have a continuity error.  All because you were too lazy to make a note.  Actually, you should open up your writing laptop and find the correct file and then make a note on the file in the chapter where it will probably come up since--

Me:  Paper note in my writer folder is all you get.

Brain:  ...what if you forget it?

Me:  You'll remember at some odd fucking hour out of the middle of nowhere, you weird fucking creature, won't you?!?!?

Brain:  ...I do it because I love you!

Me:  *make note*  Happy?

Brain:  You could make this into a funny blog post!

Fantastic Mini Health Update

Got my first shot Thursday.  Just took my mom for hers.  The relief!  All that worry finally starting to fade away as those antibodies build up day by day!  5 stars, would recommend!  Does however need more stickers and lollipops...

Now if I could just find a PS5...

So I Cut This

Been working more.  Actually switched off of the Vicky book to work on the last school story (War to End All Wars) since I felt like I needed some King Henry in my life.  As usual when I do this I began with an edit of the material already written and these 5ish pages were hilarious but also one King Henry diversion too many I suppose, so I yanked it out and...well, thought you might enjoy it even if it's non-canon and unfinished and so forth!

Copyrighted by me, Richard Raley, all rights reserved, do not copy and paste but instead link back here please, etc.

***

The teacher housing was only slightly less abandoned than the rest of the school.  Lot of them took this time to go on vacation too.  Plutarch’s house being to the north and east of it all, the oldest part that hung nearest to the Ultra classrooms, it was the most abandoned.  Down south with the newer development you might catch small flashes of activity, like a sight of kids playing or an adult working in the yard.

Ya know, typical Nice, Quiet One Would You Be My Neighbor shit.

The Gullick brood used to be the go-to source for that type of scene, only they’d all aged with the rest of us and the summer sports extravaganza had fallen by the wayside these last couple years.  Naomi—hallowed be her motorboated ta-tas—had two siblings already attending the school and three more soon to join the others.  You could still catch her mom, Natalie, out and about in the garden or their greenhouse out back, but…I wasn’t about to risk Mr. Gullick's ire by being anywhere near the place.

After all, had it on good authority that he’d just finally stopped planning my murder by anima-modified exploding daffodil assassination.

Not that King Henry Price is known for his perfect timing, but…seemed like a bad time to be asking after Naomi.

Although…

Glorious ta-tas…

Maybe she was back from Japan already?

Nah, not happening.  Not like Naomi’s as free with her charms as she used to be anyway…turned downright prudish, that girl!  Like half the school year didn’t know about that mole on her right nipple!  Or the way she squeaked like a chipmunk when you…hey, kiddies, none of you would ever betray me and give these tapes to Mr. Gullick, right?

Their house wouldn’t be on my way as it was…would need an excuse for heading down there.  Checking to see if Ceinwyn was home?  Yeah…no one would buy that.  Trading baking tips with Jethro Smith?  Hey, Mr. Gullick, just…heading to taste some white chocolate truffle balls!  You know me, I love my balls!  Just can’t get enough of them!

Snap out of it, King Henry.  Hardly worth the detour and even you ain’t that horny.  Only been a month, man!  Yeah, you and Eva went at it like rabbits for the better part of a year, but keep it fucking together!  Don’t you embarrass me by getting all moppy and pathetically pussy wiped, I won’t fucking stand for it this time.  And none of that emo shit like when you break up with Val, promise me!

Nah, Eva ain’t Val.  But…I liked what I had with her plenty fine.  Was just…

Other fish in the sea, hombre!

Suppose there were.

If you had a whole sea to fish at.

Problem was—and being I was a twenty-year-old man it was a problem I put a lot more thought about it than I did Plutarch’s fairy bleeping and blooping—I didn’t have any sea no more to fish at.  Didn’t even have a lake.  Maybe, just maybe, I barely had a pond.  Being I was no longer a teenager and 95% of the Asylum student body was…  Way it all worked out, there were now only about forty-five girls at the school I coulddate, romance, or just plain do the grunting and humping with.  I mean, some of the Quads would turn eighteen this year, but they weren’t yet…and even then…  Just saying, that’s the one conversation with the Lady I’d actually dodged so far!

Why’d I break up with Eva again?  She was…so there.  All year long, we looked at each other and suddenly we’d be spontaneously naked.  Then we’d do the stuff you did when you were naked and well…how did something that was so easy and simple for so long just go bust like that?

Stopped being simple.  She made you feel, remember?  You made her feel.  Got…complicated for the both of you.  Can’t have that.  Look what Val does, you want another one, really?  Don’t be stupid.

Yup, made me feel.  Felt her va-jay-jay like twice a day, sometimes on the weekends you couldn’t even count it on one hand…mostly cuz the hand would be really busy touching some body part needed attention, be it one of mine or one of hers…

Worse than just feelings.  Started thinking about that word.  Word you know saying would only ruin your life.  Word that’s too good for the likes of you, King Henry Price.  Other.  Fucking.  Fish.  Sea or no sea, you can fucking do it.

Forty-five contenders and most were already chosen by more worthy hunters.  The majority of those who leftover despised me.  Suppose with some of them I deserve it, but not all of them.  Got to be at least a couple women I haven’t pissed off at this school…

Last year my romantic life was perfect.  Last year was perfect, period.

Across the board.

Eva.

Plutarch.

Cold Cuffs.

Perfect!

Okay, except the Raj-Miranda thing.

Which wasn’t my fault!

They both wanted it.

They were also the only ones in the room when whatever went wrong went really fucking wrong.

Whatever happened.

Even peer pressure couldn’t get Raj to talk and Miranda started hissing like a teapot every time I asked.

Still…not my fault!

Okay, sometimes it’s my fault.  Okay…usually it’s my fault.  Just not taking the blame for that one.  Or for the Mound burning down.  Damn Val sure slipped all the blame, didn’t she?

Root had to have video proof of it somewhere, right?

If she hadn’t found it and destroyed it already.

I missed her most of all.  So removed from our last breakup and with me and Eva together, well…Val and me got to be friends again.  Like, all the time.  Day I called it quits with Eva the look on Val’s face was…what?  I didn’t know.  Fear that our barrier was ripped away?  Anticipation that maybe I’d…

That’s a bad idea, dude.  Like the worst idea you’ve ever had.  You need to stop, now.

Subconscious, why you sound like Pocket all of a sudden?

Bad idea, dude!

Suppose it was.

They’d all be back at the school soon enough and then I’d actually have someone to talk to, wouldn’t I?  Stop this ruminating trudge bullshit.  Two more days.  Two!  You survived summer break again!  Ultra Vires Victorious!  Val, Welf, Miranda, Raj, Pocket, Jesus….back!

Two days.  All back for the last time at this rodeo, bring your best bronco cuz it’s gonna be a wild ride!  Not just Ultra ’09 either.  Ultra ’09 were the top dogs now, but we had us six classes of Ultras strung out beneath us like a little of pups seeking guidance.  Plus all them Intras in their thousand plus multitude…

Everyone.

Be a damn busy day.

Especially if they were actually insane enough to name me a student-advisor.  Probably sacrifice the worst class of Intras at the school to me and call it tradition maintained.  Not fair really, since I’m surprisingly good with kids.  I mean…I teach them tons of new words.  Some of the kids in the Languages class I taught didn’t even know what ‘going airtight’ meant.  That’s important shit to know.  What if you’re in the middle of an orgy and some chick asks for it and then you hesitate?  You gonna ask her to explain it?  No!  She’s gonna point at some other guy got more game than you and you’ll be standing there with a limp dick and some blue balls waiting for the really ugly chicks to take pity on you.

Think of the possible embarrassment I saved those kids!

Yeah, maybe that one got me called into the Lady’s office…

I know!  Not like I even used chalk art that time around either.  Yes, there might have been some geo-anima controlled paperclip stickmen, but really…okay maybe the little paperclip penises were a bit too much…

Just saying:  if she never banned my chalk art then I never would have had to improvise, would I?

You show Thomas Jefferson fucking one slave…

I can’t help it if I’m a stickler for historical accuracy, can I?

Okay, maybe the Amazon Position was a little bit much…

Also not very historically accurate…one would assume.  Or…I mean, what do we really know?  Could’ve been one-hundred percent boring ‘ol missionary, or maybe TJ loved him some time dangling from the [Monticello] rafters, gagged, with a peg inserted, ribbed for his pleasure.  Maybe he even ended his hard day slaving away with a quality ball-milking session.

.

.

.

Speaking of people alive when the Declaration of Independence got signed, in the middle of all that ruminating and trudging and my overactive imagination running amuck, I happened to catch sight of the Lady just then.

Nope, we’re moving on, kiddies.

Never go full ball-milking!

That’s how a thermos of your sperm ends up on Craig’s List!

The Lady.  Maudette Lynch.  The Dean of the Institution of Elements.  Princeps Scholae Elementa?  World’s Pot Brownie Champion Seventy-Two Years Running, not that any of judges were in any state to vote after they gave hers a taste test.  Ol’ Saggy Tits.  Maybe Isaac Newton did watch an apple fall from a tree or maybe he took one look at them knee knockers and thought:  yeah, got to be something to explain that shit other than just screaming ‘demon.’  I mean…she was probably alive back then too, so…seems why not? 

More accurate than TJ with his Amazon Position fetish.  Third president of the United States with his legs spread up into a ‘V’, his balls hanging in the void, his slave-lover with her hands wrapped around hisankles.  For the next few minutes that white devil dick is hers and she’s punishing the privilege right out of it until he screams for momma!

.

.

.

[CLICK]

Watching, Playing, Reading: Winter 2020-2021

Minor Not-So-Update:  Still scattershot!  Still waiting on the doctors, still being there for my mom.  I will be locking this internet connected laptop up in the closet as soon as I hit "publish" on this post however and I did buy a new writing chair since the old one died months ago and...writing on the edge of my bed wasn't helping matters.  So...those should both help with the focus.  But, onto the meaningless faffing about!

==WATCHING==

MANDO SEASON 2:  As mentioned in the WW1984 snark-a-thon, this was more of a religious experience than a television show for someone who wore out multiple Star Wars VHS growing up as a child.  Not to say it's perfect, and stormtroopers have never been more hilariously pathetic, but they did so many things right and the last episode did make me cry like a three-year-old boy with his stuffed Snoopy.  Going on YouTube and watching all the other fans weeping in their own reaction vids made it even better.

As a writer, it's a reminder of our end goal and that our deepest desires should be to create moments like that for our fanbase.  Also a reminder that no matter how cool you think you are and how many expectations you subvert, that will NEVER EVER match up against actually sticking the fucking landing of giving people what they want and need and hope for.

And if you can do BOTH...you're a real BAMF.

TENET:  Finally rented Nolan's newest.  No doubt from me than this movie is genius.  It is also so far up its own ass it will never need a colonoscopy.  Amazing but soulless, I guess I would say?  Probably my least favorite of his movies.  There's a lot of "wouldn't it be cool if" here and sometimes that urge doesn't earn the moment and that creates serious problems.  Why was there a whole bit revolving around racing catamarans btw?  It got lost in everything else, but...did someone want to build some boats and get a tax break or something and they got Nolan to screw WB out of the money and...holy fuckballs, have I cracked the case?

As for the rest...thank god I been reading fantasy novels since I was ten so I picked up on all the terminology drops quick enough.  Also--not bragging and never felt more humble than I have in the last couple years--but I consider myself pretty fucking High IQ and even I was so happy that I could pause this and watch it over the course of a whole day in smaller chunks while thinking about it in-between, cuz...so far up the butt it found the Wizard of Oz!

Like...my mother thinks British/PBS mystery shows are the end all and be all of intellectual pursuits and I'm pretty sure if she accidentally watches this movie her brain will just implode.

You named the main character the Protagonist, really?!?!?

That's the kind of shit my snotty ass would've done in high school trying to be a brilliant special snowflake while actually being an extra pretentious douchebag, just saying...

DC ANIMATED UNIVERSE MOVIES:  So this is a thing.  After the WW1984 disaster I wanted some superheroes and HBO Max has all these to watch now.  And guess what, class?  Somehow, the animated DC universe is better than the billion dollar movie version by miles!  For one, none of them are completely horrible.  So...win.  And two, some of them are actually really great.  All the John Constantine stuff is especially fun.  Flashpoint Paradox, amazing.  They made a great Suicide Squad movie...somehow.  Apokolis War was super fucked up AND crazypants entertaining.

So if you're feeling superhero withdrawals these dark Rona days, give these a look-see.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI:  Was a play, now a movie, felt like a movie made from a play.  Four guys in a room talking about a bunch of different shit, so...kind of my thing.  Kingsly Ben-Adir and Leslie Odom Jr. battled back and forth for the top stop and everyone else did a good job too.

ENOLA HOLMES:  This was fine.  It got very stupid in the last half hour and plenty is handwaved.  Nice bit of style though.  Millie Bobby Brown is obviously a star and I expect she'll be on our screens for decades to come.

WANDAVISION FIRST HALF:  THIS SHOW IS AVERAGE AT BEST, STOP TRYING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE IT IS OMG AMAZING, MARVEL FANS.  Okay?  Got it?

Even Richard FUCKING Raley, the guy that LOVES slow buildups far, far too much for his own good, even THAT guy, thinks the first three episodes of this show are complete bullshit!  Painful bullshit!  Painful bullshit you can't skip because there's like 30 seconds of something weird that might happen that you want to see!

Even people that watch MeTV 24/7 were bored!

You made us cheer Darcy from Thor showing up!  That's how boring it was!

Paul Bettany has to dress up as a robot for this shit!

Shame!

==PLAYING==

CYBERPUNK 2077:  Well, I tried.  I don't have a super PC battlestation these days.  1)  I'm at a keyboard writing for most of the day (or should be at least when things are going well) and I just don't want to be at a computer for even longer once I decide to chill out.  2)  I've found compartmentalization increases output.  You write on the computer, you game on the console.  My writing laptop is actually a decade old and doesn't even have a modem in it.  3) I'm an old, old weak ass Boomer man of 37 and my wrists and fingers can't handle twitch shit these days, especially if I'm doing the writing + keyboard and mouse gameplay.

So...don't have the PC and who can find a PS5?  And even then, this one is still a colossal disaster on Next Gen consoles from what I've seen.  Surely was for the couple hours I punished myself with on the PS4 before collecting a refund.  Unbelievable disappointment from CDPR and a nice shit cherry on top of a super shit 2020.

CIVILIZATION VI:  There was an argument to be made that this was finally better than CIV 5 with the Gathering Storm expansion, now with all the Frontier Pass modes and added civs, there is no argument.  This is...almost perfect?  Still tons of barbarian and diety bullshit to put up with to actual get a successful run going, but it's just a great game at this point.

So...now they'll release Civ 7 and it will be shit until a couple of expansion are out...the cycle continues! 

NI NO KUNI:  WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH REMASTERED:  JRPG fairytale with pokemon-ish minions fighting beside you.  On hold at the moment, but plan to go back.  The art style, so great!  Just makes me happy seeing every new character or city...

But its a JRPG so it will be about 100 hours long no doubt...  

FENYX, IMMORTALS RISING:  If I'd written this a couple weeks ago, I would be massively effusive in my praise of this game.  It's basically Ubisoft's version of Zelda Breath of the Wild.  Except with Greek Gods.  Is it better than Breath of the Wild?  No.  I had problems with the newest Link adventure, but those first 20 hours of exploration were incredible and I've never felt anything like it before.

But this game also LEARNED from Breath of the Wild.  Much like the Tomb Raider reboots made themselves in some ways better Uncharted games, this is the same.  Not having to fucking worry about your weapon breaking and going through five of them in one boss fight?  Fucking awesome!  Not having to farm stupid arrows because you ran out?  Fucking awesome!

Also the story is more present and the some of the jokes actually made me laugh out loud.  Zelda has less of a story and more of an environment most of the time.  Granted, its a memorable environment...but not so much on the dialogue and Zeus and Prometheus narrating you through your journey was fantastic.

Is it a rip off?  Yeah.  But...knockoff awesomesauce is still part awesomesauce, ain't it?

My biggest complaint is pretty much the last whole section of the game.  It's completely open world for 75% of the way through it, letting you do pretty much whatever you want and then suddenly you're on rails and if you step off the path then the bitter cold will kill you and yada yada.  Big disappointment of an end, basically...but a fun journey.  Play Breath of the Wild if you haven't yet...but if you HAVE...give this a go.

==READING==

CURSE OF CHALION BY LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD (Re-Read):  Been fifteen years since I read it, still wonderous and thoughtful.

PENRIC AND DESDEMONA NOVELLA #8 AND #9 BY LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD:  So, Bujold has won about a billion Hugo and Nebula awards and she's old lady writing badass these days and has semi-retired, but being a writing badass she still keeps pumping out a fantastic novella 3 or 4 times a year and the best of them make up the Penric and Desdemona series about a man possessed by a temple demon that's had 12 previous masters that have "imprinted" on the demon, all of them female.  Also wonderous and thoughtful.

Each novel is about 100 pages, sometimes a little more, so you're looking at some good reading if you take the jump at this point.  Same world as Chalion, but 300-ish years prior, which is why I'm re-reading it.  All of Bujold's work is highly recommended.

BAGMAN, SPIRO AGNEW BY RACHEL MADDOW:  Because somehow Nixon wasn't the biggest political asshole of the 70s.

RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS BY STEVE BRUSATTE:  I just started it, but...fucking dinosaurs go rawr!!!

==OVER TO YOU!==

Thoughts?  Opinions?  What media have you been digesting like a good capitalistic cog in the machine?  Hmm?

Sort Of Back At It

Just writing when I can, which isn't much and I'm quite frustrated by it all.  Almost at 200 manuscript pages for the Vicky book (these are much shorter than what you think of as an actual page) and about at the halfway point I feel, which is matching up with my estimates finally.

Story-wise, I'm happy with how everything is shaping up and excited for the back half especially, it's just...it's hard to give my 100% to something I care so much about like the MancyVerse when my father is...not good.  It's a real pain in the ass and a problem I've always had with my writing.  I want to produce the best piece of fiction I can, so...I can only work on it when my mind is focused on the task and not all the bullshit floating about.  I've often thought jealously on the other writers that can pump out a 300 page book every 2 months like clockwork...

So I've also been trying to stay busy while distracted.  Entering old edits into the upcoming 2021 editions (typo fixes mostly, few continuity errors, Dread Fortress got some work done trimming a pointless paragraph here or there but probably not nearly as much as the people that bitch about it want), doing background world-building, etc.  Know the names of all the other Maximi you haven't met yet, that's something, right?  Came up with about a billion Welfs...only another billion to go to fill out the whole family tree!

I've even been faffing about with another standalone novel that I don't really care about at all so I can just write whatever and it's kind of therapeutic to not obsess over a book like I usually do.  It's called "Immersion:  A Techno-Zombie Fairytale of True Love Triumphant".   Heh.  Wouldn't be a Raley title if you could say it in under five seconds!  So...yeah, no idea if I'll ever publish it, but keeping busy! 

As for my father...I don't know for sure, but I know whatever is for sure, it's not good.  He's still extremely sick, I don't doubt that, but he's also the type of person that enjoys being sick and the sympathy it can bring, so you're never quite sure if he's as bad as he plays it sometimes.  Sure, he can't breathe and he looks horrible, but when he got up from the couch and grabbed his chest for a second, was that real or just him being a jackass?

Maybe both.

He either has trouble understanding what the doctor tells him, puts up the reality distortion field, or just plain lies about what they've told him.  Lying is kind of his go-to move for his whole life.  Lying and grabbing a bottle.  Whatever they did tell him though, he spent a couple days last week pricing cremation rates, so...under all the theater, I do think he's on the way out and he knows it.  Some days.  Other days he convinces himself he's fine and works in the yard for eight hours.  Then he's in bed for the next three almost choking the death...rinse and repeat for the last month.  

The symptoms don't lie I suppose, neither do the drugs they're treating him with, and they all point towards late stage heart failure.  Still waiting on a procedure room to see if shocking his heart out of Afib might help some, but even then...I don't think they fix this one, we're just talking months or years until it's over.

Again.

That's what I keep thinking:  my poor mother having to go through this again.  

Hasn't even been a year yet since my grandfather.

Of course, having now been through this macabre situation before, I do have practice and I do know what to expect and I am handling it much better than the first run.

So...writing is getting done, just slower and more scattershot than I hoped.  Thank you for understanding...again.