Last month involved me getting sucked into a Chaos Vortex, but I was able to escape (assuming you don’t view Life Itself as a Chaos Vortex). I’m hoping this month will be calmer and more focused.
This Month
In addition to the usual schedule of writing, on May 3rd I have a little something planned to celebrate the start of Dracula. That’s the date when the novel begins and by extension Dracula Daily (and What Manner of Man) reruns as well so it feels like the ideal if crowded time.
Last month felt like a bit of a ‘dry’ season for writing. I spent most of it lacking energy for no obvious reason leading to the conclusion it was burnout, but being in the Chaos Vortex might have been the refresh I needed to get reenergized. I’m still considering a month long hiatus at some point to avoid draining myself, but not this month.
Also I watched a rather long video on fake video games, which is what Battles Beneath the Stars is, and it was interesting to see how many other people have explored the idea in different ways. Part of the trouble of doing odd things is not being able to easily find others doing something similar, so I’m thankful that now I have a list of things to use as points of comparison. Makes me eager to do more fake game projects.
Recap of Last Month
This one has been in the works for some time, so it was good to let it out. Thankfully the reception has been positive so far. As a behind the scenes look, one argument was cut from the article a few days before due to the sudden realization I couldn’t find the source to back it up.
I had written in an earlier draft that part of the Toxcatl sacrifice involved eating the flesh of the dead Tezcatlipoca ixiptla, making a comparison between that and Communion. When searching for a mention of that practice for a social media post, I realized I couldn’t track any direct statement of it that wasn’t on Wikipedia.
Checking the source Wikipedia cited for said claim did not provide evidence to back it. But to mock me it did describe instances of cannibalism in Aztec sacrifice rituals as being like Communion, while not giving a link between it and Toxcatl or other Tezcatlipoca rituals. Shows the importance of double checking your information.
Part of me was worried about this post and if it might draw unwanted attention to Smash Remix considering Nintendo’s history with fan games and mods. Of course I’m not popular enough for that to feel like a probable outcome, people with larger audiences than me have talked about Smash Remix without making trouble for it. There are benefits to being niche.
Hyperion’s story has continued in Battles Beneath the Stars. How the presence of an audience for the tournament effects people isn’t something I’ve focused on much, so exploring it a bit with Hyperion is nice. And I got to introduce a side character who will become much more important later on.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading.