AndronicusVII

So it’s not exactly a secret I have been having trouble in the writing and art department. There are have been a lot of reasons for it, but I did have an epiphany. People often ask me why I split the narrative into different branches (Ranma of Mars, Sisters of Mars, Gladiatrix of Mars, Akane of Mars). At the time I thought it might be a good way to cover more ground.

That was not the case, it turns out. No, the answer was much more important.

One tactic I use when writing, is that when I hit any kind of writer’s block or RL obstacle, I usually just jump over to the other story line. I have been reducing the number of Ranma projects lately, which led to a bottle neck.

This was complicated by me pressuring myself to make something wholly new and creative. I wanted something that was 100% mine. No fan fiction as it were.

So what is the solution? I am starting up a second project. It will be radically different from Ranma of Mars, so there is no confusing the two. My early work on the new comic Lighthouse Tales, has paid dividends already. I am cranking out pages for Ranma of Mars at a vastly improved pace!

Now Lighthouse Tales is based off of an RPG property called “THEY CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA!” It’s an omage to 1950s and 60s B movies, with a special aquatic theme. Yes, you can argue it’s a fanfic, not entirely mine etc. However, I am having fun with it. I’ll get you more details on that soon.

To keep my Patreon and DA alive, I will need to make some pin ups, rather than pages. The pages will be coming back never fear! Besides, I know you folks love some pin ups now and again.

I need to surface once in a while, just to remind folks that I am not dead. Reply to comments. Block the spam in my Notes section. Heck, even let you guys take a quick photo no one will ever believe.

https://images.app.goo.gl/xVn2pTwtbLbcpSAG9

Seeing as how I am in a mystery/conspiracy mood, how do you guys and gals scratch that itch when you get it? When I was a kid, I believed in and loved all of it. Growing older, smarter and wiser I believe in basically none of it. Not to say I don’t ENJOY it however. Be it popular culture, a genuine (if mundane) mystery, how this came about, how interesting the debunking is or even if it’s just a good story, the stuff is a lot of fun for me.

• Is it Real? A television show that was all about debunking these myths. You can legitimately say that they were running out of good material by the third season, but many of the episodes are priceless. Unleash the Joe Nickles!

• Bedtime Stories- Youtube channel, podcast, etc. This channel is all about the creepy spooky stories. They often lean too heavily on the “witnesses are credible and really believed what they saw,” excuse and there are times were their scholarship falls through. I feel like saying “I don’t need to believe the story to enjoy it.” Their telling of the Kentucky goblins and its sequel is thrilling.

• Why Files- This channel can be damn funny when it wants, but knows how and when to take things seriously, and never talk down to its audience. Even when I think it’s warranted. This channel is more about conspiracies than cryptids. While I like this channel, testimonials from ex-military people about aliens gets ridiculous and I can’t take them seriously. To go by this channel, science fiction writing is how retired military folks earn their keep.

For me, I tend towards skepticism. If you expect me to believe you I have some golden rules.

1. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. If you expect me to believe Sasquatch is running around in my backyard, plaster casts and brown fur on my branches won’t convince me.

1. It’s not my job to disprove anything. You need to prove your point.

1. Witness testimony is near worthless. Do not waste my time talking about it.

Sounds harsh, but it’s never led me wrong before. Course knowing my luck, every single one of my followers are UFO fanatics who burn Joe Nickels in effigy every Christmas. And then aliens will land on the White House lawn. Probably because Biden wandered away from his rest home on Mars and they need to gently take him back.

Let me know your feelings folks! Agree? Disagree?

Journal

Won’t lie to you folks, it’s been one hell of a week. Hard to tell how I feel really. Exhausted, frustrated, pissed off, restless.

If it helps just pretend I live in a Dilbert-ian workplace like environment. I am trying very hard to do my job, but the very systems and policies of the company itself make it a serious challenge. Extreme frustration. This week, my vacation, I am spending a serious amount of time making sure I wasn’t fired. Because the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing.

And I work for a drunken octopus.

Enough griping… for now.

Robert E. Howard

Hard to underestimate the impact this writer had upon my life. No seriously, Conan the barbarian was a part of my life as long as I can remember.

Critics generally regard REH as one of the greatest writers of action and one of the foundational members of fantasy. For the sake of brevity I will mention my biggest influences from his body of work. Bear in mind, these are not his BEST (though some are) but just the ones that happened to shape me the most.

• Red Nails, Jewels of Gwahlur, Shadows in Zamboula, Rogues in the House

• By this Axe I Rule

• Wings in the Night

• Worms of the Earth

• People of the Black Coast

Roy Thomas

I would be remiss in not discussing the enormous impact Roy Thomas had in this regard. Lots of great Conan adaptations came through his comics, to say nothing of original stories. He is a big part of how I got into REH at such a very young age. His run on Tarzan was epic as well.

Okay, first a Ranma of Mars update-

Sisters of Mars- Almost done. Wrapping up the last few pages. Written, sketched etc. Some still need pencils and coloring, but making process. When that completes, the narrative will rejoin the main story line.

Akane of Mars- hit a major stumbling block. Still I am confident the wait will be worth it! It should not delay any of the other projects either. Ten pages planned in total.

Ranma of Mars- Funneling everything back in one narrative. Splitting it up was a mistake. Getting to the final chapters.

What is next?

I am presently thinking about what I will do next. I am taking in lessons from my current efforts, looking into what others have done (why re-invent the wheel?), and taking my own influences into account. I will break these down in detail as I go on. This is partly because I want to see what my followers and readers want to see.

Plus, it’s a dang good idea to check with others, and see what spin or influence they have on what I’ve got.

Philip Jose Farmer

Dark is the Sun- A far distant post-apocalypse world. Sentient plants, humanoid animals, weird monsters, robots, cavemen. It's all there. Good fun for the majority of it. I think the ending gets unnecessarily glum, but that is just me. It does help that is that it is a stand alone book. When PJF goes for long series, they tend to fall apart.

River World- Speaking of which, this series starts off great. The first book is killer. Which books after that there is some argument about which are best. I would also nominate PART of the last book. Now the books have a great premise, thoroughly explored. Historical characters rubbing shoulders, weird looks at human nature, and lots of violence and nudity. However, this is a prime example of PJF loosing quality narrative and the later books start incorporating more suck.

Dungeon World- I loooOOOOOooove these books as a kid. Helps there were illustrations in the back of the book. The main character wanders into dungeon world, where alternate worlds/realities are literally stacked on top of each other. Endless monsters. Bizarre worlds and situations. A truly eclectic adventuring party. Giant telepathic spider? Sure. Your own grand daughter... when you didn't even know your girlfriend was pregnant? Why not. Shapeshifting cyborg angry at being stuck in a humanoid form? Yes please.

The ending few books turn to total garbage and make no sense. Me am sad.

You folks got any opinions on these works? Philip Jose Farmer good? Great? Bad? How so?