Good morning, Readers!

Image by freestocks-photos from Pixabay

I can tell that I've been away from martial arts far too long. Tuesday night my computer did what it does best these days and bricked, making me very late for my Zoom kung fu class. I almost lost my mind while I was rebooting the thing. While I had quite the temper in my younger years, it's been quite a while since I've been quite that stroppy.

I very nearly defenestrated my computer.

You see, it was once the case that I could take out my frustrations by punching and kicking things for an hour, and losing myself in learning cool new techniques to apply for another hour twice weekly at least. Governmental incompetence and selfish fuckers have ensured that I haven't been able to attend my martial arts classes for months on end.

It's been months too long. My shoulders are hovering around my ears these days, and I have no constructive way to deal with all the energy and vexation.

I'm trying to save up for a heavy bag and stand that I can have outside so that when it warms up, I'll at least be able to punch and kick for a little bit. That should help.

In the meantime, the Zoom classes are everything to me. I need them. And it was a sign just how badly I do on Tuesday, when the prospect of not being able to attend made me lose my damned mind.

I'm dreaming of returning to class. And I'm also dreaming of having my own house, so I can set up a room to be a martial arts haven for me for when I can't go to class. That last one feels like it will only ever be a dream, but I'm dreaming all the same.

Anyway, there is no real point to this blog post except for maybe this - WEAR YOUR FUCKING MASKS AND (if it's safe for you) GET THE FUCKING VACCINE. I NEED TO GO BACK TO TRAINING OR I WILL LOSE MY DAMNED MIND!

Ahem...

Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

I'm over at my art blog today, talking about the first painting of 2021. It's done.

Good morning, Readers!

Time for my weekly accountability check-in.

It was another brilliant week for writing. Even with the addition of martial arts (ish) training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday nights (thank heavens for my Kung Fu fam, who are helping keep me sane), I managed to again double my weekly goal. I didn't have to use my weekend to play catch-up, which is why in my little planner I don't have any daily word count goals there.

This story is pretty much writing itself.

I'm not sure how well I'm doing at the writing of the story, if it carries any of the impact for the reader as it does for me (because I know every little detail the reader isn't privy to), or even if any of the things I'm describing make any sort of sense outside of my own weird brain.

That's what beta readers are for, I guess.

For now, I'm just trusting the process, and letting my fingers do all the thinking for me as they tap out the words onto the page. I'm also really enjoying it. This is a good story to get my writing muscles back in order.

I am still worried that it's outside of my lane, but again, I'll just have to trust for now. Even if it's terrible, at least the story will be out of my head and onto the page. It's alright if I'm the only one who gets to read it, I guess.

Anywho, that's my writing check-in. As of last week, it's still going great. Maybe this week will be when the struggle starts. Who knows?

Pray that the muses continue to be kind to me.

Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

I'm not doing a story so far for this one. All you need to know is that we are in a flashback, and the action is happening mostly in the Cloud Recesses, home of Lan Clan, where all the young cultivators are in attendance for lectures.

Right, Episode Four. So, nothing major happens this episode. It's all just introducing and establishing characters, really. Much of it is adorable. Some is... well.. dramatic.

First day of class and we open with WWX sleeping in because he was transcribing the Lan Clan principles late into the night, it looks like. It's the saluting ceremony today, so really, not a lecture but a ceremony. I guess this is their version of beginning of year assembly. Honestly, the ceremony looks very pretty - a bit like a dance - but I'd hate to have to sit through it.

DEAR GOD SOMEONE IS RECITING THE 3000 LAN CLAN PRINCIPLES. Imagine having to sit through that. I'd be yawning and fidgeting, too, much like WWX is.

Also, DEAR GOD SOMEONE SNUCK A WHOLE-ASS BIRD IN A CAGE INTO THE CEREMONY BY HIDING IT UP HIS SLEEVE! Naturally, he and WWX are going to be friends. Always make friends with the dude who hides random forest creatures up his sleeve. We find out that the young bird-man is named Nie Huaisang. He's a cute, rather mindless young man, who seems kind, if not intelligent. On second viewing, it makes me chuckle deviously.

*devious cackle*

The bird naturally sparks conversation and, before long, Nie Huaisang and WWX are bonding. LWJ does not approve. He looks over and...

This whole scene made me giggle. But that cheeky smile and wave... I'd not be able to not smile back. Kudos to LWJ for being stone cold, because I'd have trouble.

Can I also just say that LWJ paying attention in class and getting annoyed at the the whispering, giggling and other shenanigans that WWX and Co. are responsible for was my whole high school mood. There's a reason I relate to him so hard.

Yes, I was overly studious and utterly humourless, why do you ask?

Alright, we're still in the ceremony, and now each of the students are offering their teacher, LWJ's uncle Lan Qiren, gifts from their clans. I guess this counts as tuition. Unsurprisingly, the Jin clan (remember the peacock from the last episode?) gift a book bound with gold thread. It cracks me up how both of the disciples of the Jiang Clan (Jiang Chen and his adopted brother WWX) take the time to sneer at the ostentatiousness of the gift. It's a nice sibling moment.

Here we're introduced to Meng Yao, a guest of Clan Nie (the bird-boy's clan), who presents the gift to Lan Qiren. We learn from gossiping Lan clansfolk that Meng Yao is, in fact, the love child of the leader of the Jin Clan - an illegitimate son who has not been acknowledged by his father. Meng Yao, incidentally, has THE CUTEST DIMPLES OMG!

After the uncomfortable gossip, Lan Xi Chen (you know, the Lan Clan Leader and LWJ's brother. I'm just going to call him LXC from here on out because he actually plays a fairly decent role in this series, and my poor fingers just aren't up for fifty blog posts of spelling his name out), shows his giant heart by receiving the gift from Meng Yao himself, and noting how well Meng Yao has presented. Listen, say what you want, but I really love the softness in LXC. I love that he is incredibly kind, and very gentle. You see it again a bit later when Meng Yao is giving his farewells. He bows like an inferior, but LXC stops him and tells him that they are peers, and he needn't, and my heart just melts.  Anyway, the ceremony.

Oh look, the Fire Nation... I mean, the Wens... have arrived. They're denied entry without an invitation. At which Wen Chao decides to fire bend one of the guards' throat. Like, really, other guard, WTF are you doing? Cut the fucker down! At the very least, attempt to arrest him. Okay... so he has a lot of guardsmen, but heavens do something!

Oh... Wen Qing (she's the young lady Wen Ruohan instructed to go to the Cloud Recesses to search for the Yin Iron fragment) is the one who steps in and puts out the throat fire. The guards now just let them all pass... because rules are for suckers, ammirite? For serious. Send a magical summons or warning. DO SOMETHING. The world's most incompetent guards here, I swear.

And we're back at the ceremony and it's Jiang Cheng's turn to present a gift. But NO. The Wens arrive and ruin it all. WWX is the only one in the room who dares to speak up, though LWJ looks like he's about to draw his sword (after checking in with LXC, who shakes his head, he does not). Unafraid of the bullies, WWX insults Wen Chao, and ho boy, everyone draws their swords.

It's a cultivator stand off.

But no! LXC whips out a magical flute and with the magic song he plays, snatches everyones swords up into the air and plants them all tip down at their owner's feet. That's a nifty trick.

Wen Qing steps in and apologizes to the Lans, and her brother, Wen Ning offers the Wen Clan's gift to Lan Qiren. After a ponderous pause, Lan Qiren accepts it and welcomes Wen Qing to the lectures. I guess Wen Chao decides he doesn't much like the Cloud Recesses and takes off with his mass of guards, leaving Wen Qing and her brother to their devious spying.

As it turns out LXC isn't just another pretty face. He's got brains. He's concerned about the motives for the Wen Clan sending a disciple to the lectures, when they've never done so before. And, well, the cracked skin on the puppet sure looked like it was something the Wen Clan would be responsible for. Lan Qiren says that as long as they are guests, they will be treated with dignity and respect... and caution. Prudent. He also admits that Wen Ruohan is probably behind the disappearing cultivators and the puppet.

Incidentally, what happened to that puppet? It is just wandering around Cloud Recesses now?

During the afternoon break after the ceremony, WWX and his new friend Nie Huaisang head to a stream near the back of the Cloud Recesses to try and catch fish. It's a cute bonding scene. But, while there, WWX hears Wen Qing testing the wards that are present at the back of the Cloud Recesses. He goes to investigate, finding her walking, and they have a brief, if terse, exchange. WWX's usual charms do not appear to work on her, just as they do not work on LWJ.

Meanwhile, back at the compound proper, Jiang Cheng practices his swordplay as a way to manage his vexation with his adopted brother, while their sister prepares lotus root soup. Jiang Cheng revealing he is both concerned for and jealous of WWX is such a sibling mood, I don't even know where to begin. It just... rings true for me, you know?

WWX shows up with a couple of cooked, freshly caught fish and, after a bit of bickering, the family sits down to a lovely dinner. Cute.

What follows is more or less a montage of everyone in the lectures. Wen Qing is notably absent in class. But Nice Huaisang is falling asleep at his desk, as is WWX. At one point, WWX goes out of his way to antagonize Jin Zixuan (the peacock). That made me laugh. Jiang Cheng is trying to keep his brother in line. Bored, WWX starts acting up. He even sticks a drawing of a turtle on Lan Qiren's back as the teacher passes, prompting many giggles from the other students. LWJ takes care of that, real quick, so WWX sets about annoying him with a paper doll he animates.

Unable to ignore WWX's irritations any longer, Lan Qiren loses his temper a bit and gets WWX to stand. Then he grills him on things they've been learning, which WWX can recite perfectly. You know that smartarse in class that knows all the answers, goofs off and then annoys the teacher by knowing all the answers. That's WWX right now. Until, that is, Lan Qiren manages to stump him. LWJ knows the answer, though, and recites it perfectly when asked.

I still relate to LWJ here, guys.

Anyway, WWX starts asking uncomfortable questions that explore tampering with forbidden things, and Lan Qiren loses his temper for real and starts throwing things at WWX. Eventually, WWX is banished from the lecture, and told to go to the library where LWJ will oversee his punishment.

Of course WWX doesn't go to the bloody library. Instead, he talks a walk and stumbles across Wen Ning, who is practicing his archery while his sister tries to get past the wards she was testing the other day. Impressed by Wen Ning's skill, WWX approaches and agrees to help him with his form, if Wen Ning promises to help him fill in the archery skills he has that WWX is missing.

The beginnings of a friendship form, interrupted by Wen Qing, who distracts her brother and almost gets herself killed by a wayward arrow in the process. Luckily, WWX knows how to deflect an arrow with a magical talisman paper, and Wen Qing is safe after all.

But a suspicion is growing in WWX's mind about why she's always back there, so he goes to investigate for himself.

He's interrupted. LWJ has arrived. Startled, WWX fights him until he realizes who it is. Smiling, he sheaths his sword and greets LWJ as if nothing's wrong.

And, weirdly, that's where the episode ends.

What I Liked

Once again, it's all the small things I liked very much. The character moments. WWX acting up, that cheeky wave to LWJ... it all shows character traits that will become very important later on - particularly how WWX was the only one of the young cultivators to stand up to Wen Chao's bullying (except for lWJ, who started to but ended up restraining himself). That's an important foreshadowing, even if it isn't immediately obvious. His cheek, by contrast, is just dressing. What's important is that core of righteousness and courage.

I also like how it shows Wen Ning and Wen Qing. The siblings obviously care for each other, and Wen Qing is very protective of her younger brother. I also like that she's immune to WWX's charms.

Also, as I said, I loved LXC's softness and warmth. It contrasts so beautifully with other characters, and in part presents a fuller version of masculinity that we don't often get to see. Often masculinity is presented as brave, yes, but boorish and hard. Not so here. At least, not for all of them. This breadth of personality gives depth where a number of other stories lack. It's nice to see.

What Could Have Been Better

I'm legitimately struggling to come up with any story elements that could be better. The only thing stuck in my brain is the weird sudden ending of the episode. I think it was because it was cut for a precise time, but narratively, ending the story with WWX realizing there might be more to Wen Qing's wandering than her talking a walk. Then the next episode could have started with the sword fight between LWJ and WWX. That makes more sense to me. But hell, the episode was just grand even with the weird, sudden ending.

​Anyway, all the fun and games of this episode are bittersweet on second viewing. But more on that later. First, episode five!

Good morning, Readers!

Image by max_gloin from Pixabay

Thursday! Yay!

Tomorrow night I stream (on Twitch), and I'm really looking forward to it. It's a fun game (Assassin's Creed Odyssey) and the gang that gathers weekly is a very fun group. It generally is the social highlight of my week... and has been since before the pandemic, actually.

This week has been great for writing so far, but I'll talk more on that during my check-in next Tuesday.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a Nintendo Switch, primarily because I've been made aware of an awesome puzzle game series (The Room​), for which the first few in the series are available on the Switch ​and the most recent instalment is available on PS VR, which I have, and which I would absolutely love to play.

​It's money I don't need to be spending, especially since I'm saving up for a new Mac. But... 

I am having that weird feeling of extreme hope currently. Perhaps it's because I'm writing this on the evening of the 20th, with Joe Biden having been officially inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, and things might just start to be turned around. It might be because writing has been going so damned well, and I'm riding that high. For the record, that high can be incredibly high. There's nothing like the feeling of writing going well for me.

It might also be because I had a second cup of coffee after lunch... so...

Still, I'm getting the weird bubbly feeling in my chest and a weird sense that something awesome is just around the corner. That feeling, incidentally, has rarely ever resulted in anything wonderful happening, so I'm side-eying this feeling pretty hard. But I was also grinning like an idiot the whole way home and felt very much like skipping.

Does anyone else get that feeling? Am I alone here?

And that's it. That's all the random stuff I have to talk about today. Life is falling into its usual pattern - and so other than my writing, my very odd dreams, and random good feelings, I don't have all that much to talk about.

Good thing today is the last blogging day, and I've got the weekend to create something to discuss.

For now, though, I'm off to do more writing. Gotta ride that wave while it lasts!

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

I'm over at Black Gate Magazine today, talking about a pretty cool thing my local SFF community has managed to do for us.

Good morning, Readers!

I think I'm going to dedicate my Tuesday posts to keeping myself accountable with my project by posting about it here. Things are going so well, I'm worried that it'll sound like I'm showing off. I promise I'm not, I'm just really excited about how well things are going at the moment, and I will share when things aren't going well. So far, though, things are going stupidly well.

I blew through last week's word count goal again, though not nearly by as large a margin as the week before. It's still well above what I had set for myself, and I am stoked.

This story is a lot slower than my other ones - there aren't as many action pieces. But I'm loving it all the same. It's letting me explore new things, and I find it refreshing and exciting, even though it isn't very action-y. My new little planner is perfect for keeping count, keeping me accountable, and organizing my days/to-dos. It was a good purchase, I think. 10/10. Will be doing that again.

The inspiration hasn't died. I'm finding myself eager to get writing. The story is constantly in my mind, still. Writing this one is not a slog. It's been that way with other books. And other books were breezier. This is towards the breezier end of the writing for me, which I'm very much enjoying. A good way to get back into writing again.

My monthly goal was 20 000 words. As of the end of last week, the second week of January, I've just edged past it. With two weeks to go, I'm wondering if I might be able to double it. It's unlikely, but I'm pretty sure I can come close. If I can, I'll have crossed the halfway mark of the novel (more or less. Actual final word count is really up to the story itself), and may, if I do nothing more than my goal counts for the rest of the book, have a completed novel an entire month before my self-imposed deadline.

Then the problem becomes editing the damned thing.

That done, the problem will become finding an agent to represent it, or a publishing house willing to publish it.

And there's the rub. I've not had any luck with any of the other novels in trying to secure an agent. This is the stage that I always seem to fall down at.

But I'm not going to think about that. What I am going to do is celebrate a bonza writing week with a well deserved pizza and some wine (I’m writing this on Sunday evening, by the by).

Ciao!