Last week’s story:

Um. Okay. So, my short story involving Sir Reynold and the warbringer harp (“Sir Reynold Steals his Heart’s Desire”) isn’t done yet. I mean, I started yesterday and have a couple of paragraphs written so far. But the story isn’t finished. And I was doing so well last week.

Part of the reason I haven’t finished the story yet is that I’ve gotten caught up in Archive 81, a limited series on Netflix from 2018. It’s a show that involves mysticism, time travel, different dimensions, cults, and mental health issues (content warning for all of that if you’re inclined to track it down). I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I plan on watching the final episode tonight after dinner.

The other part for not finishing the story is simply that I’ve not yet made my way out of my current depressive funk. I’d like to say that when I am in such a funk I do something at least somewhat productive by reading or writing or something, but no, I tend to doomscroll… which, of course, only adds to the funk. I promise to cut it out, because it does me no good. I’ll be writing or reading instead. I hope.

I’m currently on furlough from my government job, so while I am searching for new employment, I have taken on some new projects that will hopefully strengthen my programming skills; for one, I’ve joined SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Association, as a volunteer, and will be helping out with their new website backend. For another, I’ve decided I’m going to learn Python in addition to my current knowledge of PHP, and that will expand my skillset. Always a good thing.

This week’s prompt:

As you can see below, I’ve once again rolled… science fiction romance: a 6 on the d8 and a 2 on the d6. I’ll probably go back to the romantic relationship I’ve been building between William and Sheila, my two POV characters. But here’s the prompt:

A rich revolutionary wants to topple a government with a blaster, but the blowback will fall on their closest friend.

This calls for action, of course. Action romances are all over the place, from Romancing the Stone to The Lost City, another movie I very highly recommend, especially because Daniel Radcliffe is so good at chewing up the scenery as the villain. So… I can do this. Definitely.

After this story, I will have ten stories to go before I finish this project for the end of the year.

This week’s recommendation:

It may seem a bit maudlin, but spend time with friends.

Yesterday I had lunch with an old friend (we’ve been friends for nigh on to thirty years, but we agreed it was really “just ten” because who wants to be that old?) who’s moving across the country in a couple of weeks. This, by the way, is the same friend I went and saw Superman with a couple of months ago, a film which I very strongly recommend.

Anyway, we went to Hinoka Sushi in Sacramento, which features LOTS of sushi and a decent selection of sake. I had a dragon roll (yummy, delicious, etc.) and the above-pictured Mount Fuji Roll. There’s a cup of dry ice in the center of the plate, and as the server pours water over it, it, of course, steams and makes a lovely fog that not only spreads over the plate, but eventually the whole table. I thought it was delightful, and the flavor was good as well.

So, yeah. Spend some time with your friends and loved ones. It’s important; good for your mental health. Good for your soul.

And as always…

…Stay kind, stay safe, stay punk af, and hang out with your buds.