Christmas

The State of the Writer: 12/27/20

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<–The State of the Writer: 12/13/20         The State of the Writer: 1/10/21–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 2

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Status: Preparation
Progress: Setting up notes in Scrivener

Whew…creating a language is time consuming lol.  My plan was always to expand on what I’d initially started in The Serpent’s Tale, my first (and still unpublished) novel that this one borrows heavily from.  The male MC is a polyglot and fully fluent in the language of his background, and I’m kind of a doer when it comes to writing aka show vs. tell I suppose.  You can’t just say someone speaks a different language and not have them speak said language (it’s the same way how I had to literally show he’s an assassin by, uh, having him kill some people lol).  I made up more words in that language, which is called Rava, than any others, and it’s the only one where I even attempted grammar and syntax.

Continue reading →

Merry Christmas and a Partridge in Despair Tree

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“Santa Claus” is coming to kill you!

Santa Sephiroth by vusionary

I know I’ve already used that pun, but it’s just too appropriate for this.  The angry Cloud snowmen though 😀

I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases, if you celebrate, or a relaxing day off if you don’t!  I hope you’ve all been good, because I think coal in your stocking would be the least of your worries in this situation, though I personally wouldn’t say, “No,” if the Black Materia found its way into mine.  Hey, it’s the same color and size!

Merry Merry and Happy Happy ♥

Question of the Week: 12/25/16

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<–Question of the Week: 12/18/16          Question of the Week: 12/31/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

What’s your favorite Christmas movie or TV special?

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is probably my favorite Christmas special, yet I always cry a bit at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas when they decorate Charlie Brown’s sad, tired Christmas tree, it perks up, and they sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”  I don’t know why.  I’m not religious, but I am sentimental, and (admission time) I cry over something at least once a day.  A beautiful passage of music will move me or I’ll see/read something poignant.  It’s really not hard for the Shameful Narcissist to bring the waterworks.

The Grinch gets me because I love the Heel Face Turn (shock…) and redemption stories (double shock).  Side note: If you go to the TV Tropes link, you’ll see the Grinch is the poster child FOR the Heel Face Turn.

heel-face-turn_htgsc2_3933

It always amused me how his eyes went from red irises surrounded by yellow to the “more wholesome” blue, because of course that’s what happens when you turn from evil to good in children’s stories.  Either way, the message of the Grinch is one we still sorely need.  It’s ubiquitous and eternal since, despite the fact it centers around Christmas, it’s not really religious.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie or TV special?  Is it something you’ve loved for a long time or is it new to your heart?

I suppose I should say my obligatory Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays since it is the big day for the first and continues for the second.  While Christmas morning was always the most exciting time of my youth, I find in my old age, I enjoy Christmas night much more.  I can relax, play with my toys, and recuperate from the day’s festivities.  I also still have a ton of dough left to make so I’ll probably bake that and eat a ton of cookies.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

<–Question of the Week: 12/18/16          Question of the Week: 12/31/16–>

Question of the Week: 12/18/16

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<–Question of the Week: 12/11/16          Question of the Week: 12/25/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

What’s your favorite Christmas/Holiday episode?

As luck would have it, I’m currently watching one of my favorite Christmas episodes right now: Family Guy “Road to the North Pole,” where Brian and Stewie travel to Santa’s workshop so the megalomaniac baby can kill the jolly old man due to a mall Santa slighting him.  Of course once they reach the pole, things aren’t quite what they expect.  It has one of the best songs in the series, “Christmas Time Is Killing Us.”

I’m also fond of the Futurama Xmas episodes where the Santa robot tries to kill everyone out too late on Christmas Eve,

My favorite Christmas episode though is from American Dad.  Season 8 Ep. 7 “Season’s Beatings.”  Stan is thwarted in his dream to play Christ at the Crucifixion, because he doesn’t have the abs for it per Father Donovan.  The minister gives him the job of playing Santa Claus, but Stan’s disappointment is compounded with rage when he finds out Roger’s gotten the role since the drunken alien has absolutely no respect for Christianity and only did it because it sounded fun.  Stan proceeds to beat the shit out of Roger on national TV, which gets him thrown out of the church.  The only way to reverse the excommunication is to either donate $10 million, find the Holy Grail, or kill the antichrist, and as luck would have it, Hayley and Jeff recently adopted a toddler who would up being said antichrist!  What else can be said at this point besides shenanigans ensue.

What’s your favorite Christmas episode?  This question is more geared towards specific television shows.  I’ll have one about Christmas specials next week 🙂

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 12/11/16          Question of the Week: 12/25/16–>

Question of the Week: 12/11/16

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<–Question of the Week: 12/4/16          Question of the Week: 12/18/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

What’s your favorite Christmas/Holiday song?

It’s only fair to have a favorite question after I have a most hated one, and last week’s question caused some pretty awesome conversations.  “Christmas Shoes” is either universally hated or unknown…the way it should be.

My favorite song is contingent on a number of factors, but it mostly comes down to how it’s performed.  I tend to drift towards darker sounding music (especially the minor key), nor do I shy from this position around the holidays.

When I was younger, my favorite song was “We Three Kings,” and while I still love that melody, Pentatonix’s “Mary, Did You Know” is currently in first place.

Just for a bonus, if you want to hear a Christmas song so over the top, disgustingly cheery, you’ll want to vomit candy canes, look no further than the below.

You’re welcome.

What’s your favorite holiday song?  Has it changed over the years or remained the same?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 12/4/16          Question of the Week: 12/18/16–>

Question of the Week: 12/4/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 52 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 11/27/16          Question of the Week: 12/11/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

What Christmas/holiday song do you hate?

“Christmas” fucking “Shoes.”  That is the WORST goddamn song ever written.  Seriously??  Who the hell writes a song about someone’s mom dying on Christmas Day?!  What the hell is wrong with people?  Ughhhhh!  I won’t even post a link to that horrible thing here.  I absolutely refuse to listen to it, and I’m so happy I don’t work in retail where it could potentially come on the radio.  I’m also a Christmas music snob.  I’m not a fan of what plays on the airwaves this time of the year, and instead I opt for my own song list consisting of classical and (surprising to some) religious favorites.  I’m aware “Christmas Shoes” has a religious tone, but it still disgusts me that someone would foist that off as a holiday tune.

grumpy-cat-christmas-no

What holiday song is on your Nope List?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 11/27/16          Question of the Week: 12/11/16–>

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Question of the Week: 11/27/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 21 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 11/20/16          Question of the Week: 12/4/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

What’s your favorite holiday?

The brunt of them are coming up (or have recently passed) so I feel the timing of this question is appropriate.  I also feel the answer to this is difficult.  I am torn between Halloween and Christmas.  I love Halloween because it makes my dark, little Goth heart happy, also be what you want, bitches!  Plus, it’s the one holiday that doesn’t require you to deal with wayward family, and eating candy and drinking too much are like a requirement.

But Christmas…ah Christmas has the memories.  I even love the music.  So much sehnsucht.  So I guess I have to call it a tie between Christmas and Halloween.

What’s your favorite holiday?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 11/20/16          Question of the Week: 12/4/16–>

The 26 Days of Advent: 12/25/15

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Christmas is the end of Advent and the beginning of Christmastide, though some believe that sunset on Christmas Eve is the end of Advent and the start of it.  The general consensus puts the Eve still in Advent, though I suppose a decent conclusion would have the day balanced between.

Christmastide is 12 days, which is where the 12 Days of Christmas comes from.  I wish there actually were 12 days of Christmas.  It would make all the build it so much more satisfactory.

Though this is the end of Advent and my postings are called The 26 Days of Advent, I thought that Christmas was too important to not give it a song.  I believe you will find it appropriate.

Thank you all who followed along with this for the duration.  I hope you have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year 🙂

The 26 Days of Advent: 12/24/15

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Merry Christmas Eve!  Tis the night before the big show.  For those of your who are believers, this would be the evening before the joyous occasion (though you should really do some research since he was more than likely not born in December, but I digress).  To celebrate that is one of my favorite Loreena McKennitt songs “Let Us the Infant Greet.”

I had to look up the lyrics to the final verse of this.  The language is a bit old fashioned, and I couldn’t quite decipher it.  Thank God for the Google.  See I can be religious 😉

The 26 Days of Advent: 12/23/15

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Not nearly enough Trans-Siberian Orchestra was used in this Advent extravaganza, and I absolutely adore this song though it was not always so.  “Good King Joy” is one of those tunes that doesn’t hit its peek until around the middle.  The beginning is a passably fair version of “Joy to the World,” but then around 3:00, the melody changes and we hear a very famous guitar played by the exquisitely talented BB King (RIP) who sings, and that’s why this is one of my favorite TSO songs.