Tag: demi-humans

New Short Story in the works

With “Regent” shortly off to my copyeditor and cover designer, I have two more projects. First, the completion of “New Russia,” what I abandoned about 13k words in back in spring. Second it to put together at least two more short stories for a second collection. To the latter end… Monday at 0630, letting the dogs out, I saw about the first half of what’s below. The second half came after six hours of nothing in my head. And, per usual, I’m about 500 words ahead as I don’t know how the politics of this will shake out.

So here we have a sick little boy. The trick for me, the writer, is that there are three people in this story, the Doctors Hartmann, and Dorina of tribe Tohsaka, who are vastly smarter than I am. It is tricky to write when you have people like that looking over your shoulder. And I don’t even have a working title yet.

And with open tabs about Batten Disease and the EAST reactor in China, my Feeb file likely was just reactivated

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Champlain Colours

This is a little “exposition-y,” but a reader will need to know a bit more about Robert and his relations. I suspect that, being a “normie,” Robert takes things a bit more seriously than his gifted brothers and sisters. And as a brand-new imperial family who are, as Aurie admitted, “making things up as they go,” and in a hard neighborhood, it would take a certain hardness of mind and spirit to stay sane and effective.

Having written the next, Ticonderoga, scene last night, I realized this morning I’m going to have to re-write it. Things such as that come with the job. Much easier on a laptop than with pen on paper, though.

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Colourful Language

Okay, worked my way around the address. Not exactly “head-hopping” but I admit to fudging it a little. Remember: being a fiction write means you tell stories; you are a liar. Sometime you have to lie to yourself and your readers.

After being shamed by Colour, is looks as if Aurie is going all in and now willing to provoke a war with Canada. They outnumber the imperium by at least 3:1 if not more. Then again, the imperium is the only nation in history to use a fusion weapon in anger. It might be easier for them to pretend Jimmy Burns never existed and have him pushed across the border into Maine.

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Empty Colours

We confirm something I’ve long suspected about Henge. I mentioned in my writing exercise, Cadets (pts 1-4), but until published in meatspace I don’t really consider some idea I play with to be canonical. As this MS also isn’t published, Henge’s condition is not technically set but I’m proceeding as if it is. I do wonder: if she could ever find another functioning fusion reactor or engine, and put herself into the equipotential flux point, could she reassemble her body? Pull nanomaterials from some other point of herself to fashion eggs? She’d certainly need help from the Thinking Machines to do that.

And, shedding? A regenerative effect? That was completely new to me, as well.

I like how Aurie is so unassuming: a bar of soap to wash a Regent’s hair? No fancy shampoos and conditioners for her!

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Traitor’s Colours?

Similar to the short battle through Burns’ eyes, here two we simply hear his internal reflection on what Aurelia and the doctor are saying to one another. That prevents the “wall of text” of exposition which I hate so much.

Missed an update yesterday as I had guest over after work. Given the four Manhattans I had, anything coherent like posting was out of the question. After today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, I’ll be at the end of the Nova Scotia arc. I’m going to pause as I’ve written 38,000 words with no plot. That needs fixing.

In the meantime, I’ll be working on a plastic model of U-292. If anything interesting happens, I’ll toss it onto the blog.

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A Colour of Love

While it for this week, what I thought yesterday was correct: there are about two more segments before we’re back to Aurie’s POV and she’s on her way back to her army and the situation in the Northern Federation. As she does seem truly fond of Jimmy, I’m pretty sure she gives him a present before saying goodbye.

Might take a few days off after that. My wife got me a model kit for my birthday and I should put it together. Used to make hundreds as a boy; that was over 40 years ago.

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One Mask of Colour Drops

No WP likes for the combat sequence. Interesting passive feedback. Anyway, today’s and tomorrow’s long-ish segments will take care of some of the post-pirate action. At some point, soon, I will be returning to Aurie’s POV, likely for the rest of this work. Not that Jimmy is getting tossed but that I need the lens to focus so maybe a plot will show up. I think I’ll wait until she leaves the tiny hospital before I do; so, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, maybe?

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Berserk Colours

As I mentioned yesterday, quick, deadly, confusing. Just like any real fight. I again thank God that I switched what will be these few chapters to Jimmy’s perspective; that made this simpler.

A special mention and thanks to the two pharmacists who tolerate me at my DayJob. Curious about what Aurie jabbed into herself, I asked their opinions. All productive work for the hospital was suspended while the merits of different meds were discussed. It came down to PCP v epinephrine, with the latter taking the win (although I think we’ll find it was mostly epinephrine). Thank y’all!

Looking ahead, I think I’d best see Aurie to a hospital for that shoulder wound. Her last line here will prove pivotal.

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White Colour

Wrist is still hurting and likely will for at least another week. Lovely. At least I can type with the brace off.

Here we get a glimpse into the imperium’s ethnic policies after Colour makes the mistake of thinking the world before the Change still exists. Diversity is no one’s strength. And then Aurie says yet another startling thing.

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