Good morning, Readers!

If you follow my page on Facebook, you probably already know what I'm about to say.

Daughters of Britain was handed over to Beta Reader Three for the final reading before the final edit before I start shopping it around.

Beta Reader Two was very good for my ego this time around.  Like, seriously good.  In between his corrections on grammar, spelling and punctuation, and drawing attention to problematic aspects of the story's timeline, he stopped every so often to remark on the things he think I got right.  That's always nice.

​I'm bragging a little bit, but I really wanted to share some of the nicer things said about the manuscript.  Here we go:

Heh heh heh... I included that one solely because it made me snort my coffee when I read it.  It is also generally accurate.

That one made me audibly "D'awww!"

:)

Okay, I'm done bragging.

I'm really glad that the story came across so well.  It is something of a pet love of mine, being a Celtic thing and all.  I'm now really excited about this one, and I'm looking forward to Beta Reader Three's comments, who is generally the toughest of the beta readers.  I should be getting those comments back relatively quickly (I've been promised) and so should be ready to submit in September.

​I promise to keep you posted on that one!

So, since I've bragged so much, I want to give you the opportunity to brag as well.  Leave the thing you are most proud of in the comments.  I want to hear you dance in your glory!

​Ciao!

Vote on the new section of Skara Braens and help create a story for charity!

Good morning, Readers!

So, on the weekend at San Diego ComicCon, this trailer dropped:

I've sat on it for a couple of days now, and I'm really not sure how I feel about it.  Intrigued, certainly, but also hesitant.  At least, I used to be really hesitant. That's changed.

​Here's why:

The real reason I'm hesitating is I'm a little precious about Celtic myth and legend, and King Arthur is very much a Celtic myth/legend... closer to legend actually as there seems to be enough circumstantial evidence to support a leader rising out of the mess that was Rome's exit from Britain and the invasion of the Saxons, Jutes and Angles.  If a King Arthur figure did exist it is likely that Arthur was his warrior epithet rather than his actual name (it translates to something like 'Bear Man' with Arth being the Brythonic Celtic word for 'bear' (it still is in Welsh) and 'ur' being derived from (g)wr, meaning man.  There is also an argument for 'Bear King' with 'ur' being derived from Rigos, meaning king or chief (it makes sense if you keep in mind that the pronunciation of 'u' in welsh is closer to a short 'i', as in 'tip').  I personally like the idea of Bear Man myself, as it seems more in line with other recorded epithets in the Celtic world (Cú Chulaind, for example, means 'hound of the the smith').  It is also more than likely that he was a high born of some kind, which for the time period means he likely had Roman blood, and probably served in the Roman military before or during the Roman withdrawal from Britain.  Some have posited that the name Arthur comes from the Roman family name Artorius.

Sorry for the Celtic Studies lesson.  I just get so excited about it all!  I told you, I'm a little precious about it.

Anyway... But I have been watching this trailer an awful lot.  Mostly because of the music.  I adore the music in this.  The song is an old folk song called The Wild Wild Berry and it is sung by Sam Lee.  But it is the juxtaposition of this hauntingly sung folk song and the super intense percussion and OH MY GLOB I NEED THIS IN MY IPOD NOW!  Seriously, though.  This song is my life right now.

I have been listening to this trailer more than I've watched it, to be honest (it was on repeat yesterday while I was editing, appropriately enough, Daughters of Britain), but I've watched it a lot.  And there are things I quite like about it.

Other than the music, I mean.

For example, when Arthur grabs the sword hilt and has what is essentially a bad trip, you get a flash of a tower, which looks to be under construction.  This may be a reference to Vortigern's Tower, the myth of the British king who tried to build a tower, only to find the work mysteriously undone at the end of each night.  He was advised to sacrifice a child with no father.  That child was Emrys, who is Merlin.  Instead of sacrificing him, Vortigern heeded the boy's advice and had his men tear up the foundations of the tower.  Two sleeping dragons, one white and one red, awoke and began to battle in the space beneath the foundations.  In the end, the red dragon bested the white dragon.  Emrys then prophecised that the red dragon symbolised the British and the white the invading Saxon forces.  There will be a great battle, but the British will be victorious. The Saxons will lose. This, incidentally, is why the Welsh flag is the red dragon.

Confusingly, Emrys is the Brythonic form of the Roman name Ambrosius, who was mentioned by Gildas as the last of the Romans and the man the Britons rallied behind in their fight against the invaders (which is to say, the Arthur figure).

So... was Emrys of Vortigern's Tower Merlin or Arthur?

I mean in the myth, Arthur is an orphan too, so...

But I've gotten away with myself again.  Sorry.  I just love it so much I get terribly carried away.

Now, this version of the legend of Arthur is very clearly a fantasy.  There's magic, an elephant the size of the biggest of titanosaurs, and a London that looks larger than the London of the time.

I do, however like the nods to the Roman connection, as London is called by it's Iron Age name of Londinium.

​Having watched the trailer as much as I have, I'm much less hesitant now.  For one, my preciousness aside, this looks like a flipping good film.  It has everything I love; magic, fighting, epic scope...

I am quite optimistic also because of the talent associated with this film.  It's a Guy Ritchie film, and his movies are consistently entertaining.  It has a laundry list of incredible actors, including a personal favourite (Eric Bana), as well as a whole bunch of people that made me smile when they showed up (Little Finger? Is that you?).

Sure, it looks to deviate from both the myth and the history substantially.  I think, however, if I manage to divorce the academic side of my brain for this, I'm going to love this film.

What do you think?

Vote on the new section of Skara Braens and help create a story for charity!

Good morning, Readers!

So, on the weekend at San Diego ComicCon, this trailer dropped:

At first, I was like, 

asklfhaoirjha;lkhfdoip;awhklfh;

​Then I got my head together, and here's what I think:

HOLY SHIT I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Okay, when I first heard that they were making a Wonder Woman film at all, I got a little excited.  My thought immediately after that was, "Please don't make this a shit movie like you do with every other female driven superhero film. Please."

Well...  Looks like I got my wish.

This trailer looks amazing, from the weird gender-swapped Little Mermaid bit at the beginning, to the WW1 setting, to the action scenes (HOLY SHOOTING DOUBLE ARROWS WHILE JUMPING THROUGH THE AIR! and also the scenes where Wonder Woman is fighting by herself), to the great lines ("What I do is not up to you") and GAH!

I'm really excited about this one guys!

I had my doubts about the casting.  I was unsure of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.  She was a fashion model.  Hearing she had served time with the Israeli Defence Forces, however, assuaged me a little bit.  I strongly believe now that I had no reason to fear whatsoever.  Sure, she's not as muscular as I envisioned Wonder Woman to be, but there is certainly strength enough there to make it believable that she'd a a sword-wielding, whip-cracking, bullet-dodging badass.

AT LAST, GUYS!  At last there is a female-led superhero movie that looks like the writers and director took seriously.  It looks really, really, really good and I'm so excited for this movie.

What about you?  Did this trailer get you excited for Wonder Woman?  Let me know!

Good morning, Readers!

This weekend was a busy one for me, but unlike previous weekends, I seemed to at least get enough sleep to be able to handle it all.  I'm feeling refreshed and ready today.

Friday during the day and in the evening was spent reading for filming Saturday.  Silver Stag Studios YouTube show Nights at the Round Table was scheduled for filming, and I needed to get the book done.  It was a fun read.  I had to finish it Friday night, as I wouldn't have time Saturday.

Saturday, I went hiking with a friend in the Gatineau hills.  It's a beautiful spot, and it was a great hike.  I really miss hiking out there.  I've been meaning to go more often, but haven't been able to find the time.

Saturday night saw me doing more homework for Nights at the Round Table... Watching a movie.  It's a hard life, I know.

I watched the movie, which I also enjoyed, actually, I enjoyed that movie with some wine and the company of my kitties.  They're good company.

Sunday, I woke early enough to make the two hour walk to the filming location.  Now that my laptop is busted to hell, I have much less to carry... Silver linings?  The filming location happens to be my friends' house, so that's nice and easy.  As an added bonus, they feed me, and are helping me record my first audiobook.  It's slow going, but it's going!

So, I got in a long walk, recorded part of my audiobook, filmed the required episodes of Nights at the Round Table, went home, edited two episodes (on should be going live today at midday, so go subscribe to the channel, damn it!), and then did a whole bunch of editing for SMC Awkwardly Plays :Skyrim.  There's a lot more to go through and do, but I did a lot yesterday, and I'm pleased.

So, the weekend was busy for me.  This week isn't going to be any less busy.  I have a lot of editing and fixing up to do still, I have a new person's bio to add to the Silver Stag Studios website.  And I have to sit and thing about the two really interesting movie trailers that dropped at San Diego ComicCon  I will discuss them at length individually this week, I think, when I've had time to process them.

How was the weekend for you?

Good morning, Readers.

Today I am sad.  I'm really fucking sad.  Yesterday, I posted this video (which everyone should watch) on my Facebook Page:

I will state for the record that I adore Waleed Aly as a person.  I love the way he thinks.  I happen to think he has the kind of critical thinking, empathy and clear, logical voice we so desperately need in the world today.

​Others, well, they disagree.

There is so much here that makes me sad.  Like thinking that choosing to not hurt innocent people is the same as inaction.  It's not.  In fact, it's a very decisive action against terrorists and terrorism.  It's called terrorism because its goal is terror.  The minute we succumb to that terror, the minute we start hurting good people for no real reason, the terrorists get what they want.  A divided country is a weak country.  Divide and Conquer.  This tactic is as old as the hills.  It dates back at least to the Iron Age.  In all those thousands of years, you would think people would be able to recognise what's going on.  We should be able to waggle our fingers at the terrorists and say, "I see what you're trying to do.  It's not going to work, because we're not monsters, but I see you."

It is more important now that ever that people of all creeds and colours come together, to find mutual understanding and respect.  Because if we do that, we'll form a wall of humanity that will be nigh impossible to breach.

That's not saying we must agree on all things.  You worship one way, they worship another, and them not at all.  We can be different and still be united.  In fact, I would argue we must.

Or they win.

And fuck them.

The other thing that made me really, really sad was the reference to old television shows, as if there is such a thing as absolute dichotomy in the real world.  In truth, there isn't.  There really isn't an us and them.  There is only us.  We.  Humanity.  It makes me so, so sad that people cannot see another's humanity.  It makes me so, so sad that people think the world is so black and white, when it is only various shades of grey.

It makes me sadder to think that people think the good guys are the white ones running around killing brown folk like it used to be on television.  They're not the good guys.  And neither are you.

If you watched the video, you'll note that internment camps were suggested for Muslim Australians.  They have also been suggested for Muslim Americans.

​This makes me so, so sad.

We've forgotten them, all those brave young soldiers who fought for a better world; a world without prejudice and without suffering, a world without joy, a world without internment camps.

Now, we have so many voice clamouring to instate everything that these soldiers fought so hard against.  How can you not see the irony in celebrating their sacrifice year after year, while calling for all that they fought against?

Shall their deaths be in vain after all?

Did they win the war, only to lose it after the fighting is done?

It does not matter that you are calling for the internment of Muslims instead of Jews this time.  The evil is the same.  And it is evil.  I know that evil is seductive right now, when you are scared and lost, when your leaders spew hatred like volcanoes spewing ash.  The bravest, strongest, noblest thing you can do is fight that evil.  And to do that, you must first see it, and see the humanity in others; Even if their skin is different, even if their god is different, even if their language is different.

Lest we forget

Please don't forget.  Please.

I'm sad that people cannot see their hypocrisy.  Almost every single perpetrator of mass shootings in America was white, male and Christian.  Should we throw every white male into a camp? Deny them their freedoms?  How about every Christian?  We should stop the immigration of Christians.  They've proven dangerous, especially in movie theatres, schools, and around women.  White men?  They're banned from the country until we can figure out what to do with them.

Does this all sound preposterous to you?  Good!  It should!  Now replace the words 'white', 'male' and 'Christian' with Muslim.

What is being proposed we do with and to Muslims is no less ridiculous.  It only sounds less ridiculous because of the othering, the dehumanisation of Muslims.  It's awful.  And it's wrong.

It's evil.

Killing, hating, shunning, hurting is not the way to fight evil.  The way to fight evil is with goodness, with kindness, with generosity.

It is not inaction we're calling for.  It's action, but in the right direction.  Hurting innocent people just because they are brown, or a Muslim, or speak Arabic is still hurting innocent people.  Hurting innocent people is evil.  And it's a damned good way of turning innocent people against us, or creating for ourselves new enemies.

Today I am sad.

Good morning, Readers!

So writing about how good it felt to be creative again yesterday reminded me that my good friends Jen and Eric (of JenEric Designs) had asked me to paint them a tardigrade   They think this tiny little bug is the cutest thing ever... and it is!

I looked it up on the spot, 'cause I couldn't remember what they looked like.  Holy crap are they chubbiest most adorable little bugs ever.  And they're tough as balls.  These little extremophiles have been in existence for 530 million years or so, and can live for about ten odd years without food or water, they can endure toughly 1000 times the gamma radiation that humans can, and have even survived in space for ten days!  How long could we survive in space?  54 seconds?

What tough little buggers they are!

Anyway, yesterday's post reminded me that I hadn't painted anything for ages.  I decided to get started on their commission rather than on the painting I abandoned during my creative dry spell.  Well, it took over the day, and in one sitting I finished the painting.  Granted, it took about seven hours... probably less because I was fighting with the programme too much.

Still, once I got started, it was impossible for me to stop.  And I'm quite pleased with the final product.  What do you think?

I was nervous that Jen and Eric wouldn't like it enough, but they do.  So, this painting will be hanging in their baby's nursery.  That makes me happy.

Of course, that did mean that I got no writing done yesterday.  I shall have to try and catch up today.

On that note, I'm off to work.

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

Yesterday was a good day.

I started writing again, for one.

This has been a very touch and go story, with weeks of solid writing followed by longer periods of no writing.  It's all my fault, of course.  Writing takes discipline, and I have had so little of it of late.

Regardless, I wrote yesterday, and it was glorious!  I have missed writing.

There's a weird thing about writing, where it makes me the happiest person ever.  I finished writing yesterday afternoon feeling calmer and better emotionally than I have in a long, long time.  It's both calming and satisfying.  There's something about it that makes the world right.  Or, at least, it makes my head right, which makes it seem like the world is right.

That's  not to say that anything I wrote was good at all, just that it made me feel good, and happy and so much calmer.

Everyone has that thing that makes them feel better.  It's writing for me.  Painting also does that, too.  Gaming helps improve my mood (killing pixels is fun), but it doesn't feel nearly as good as writing and painting.  The two, but writing especially, are meditative in nature.  It think all creation is, really.  That's why colouring books for adults has become such a huge thing.  It's meditative.

Everyone has their meditation.  For some, it's hiking.  For others, it dancing.  For others, it's macromé.  Whatever that thing is that calms the mind and soothes the soul, we should be doing more of it.

So go out, and soothe your souls.  I have a painting for a friend to start!

​Ciao!