It's Autumn, and my job loves me (though I am rather repulsed by it's clingy, cloying, sweaty, mauling love). Also, my gaming group loves me. They baught me a new D&D book for my birthday. And this after I nearly assassinated them Saturday... 
Mmmmm, Magic of Incarnum. So much new vocabulary it's annoying. Though you guys don't pay me for my nerd insight like others may, so if you want the details, feel free to ask.
This does bring up what I actually do for a living. Partially a question raised by my boy-crush Liante. And it's complicated. You can probably accurately say at the moment that I'm nothing that impressive -- a smarmy salesmook at a local place for the drug dealers and hill folk. I'm damn good at what I do (a feature which I'd like to say I honor in all aspects of my life: if I do something, I don't slack off on it), but I don't consider it my true job. It's what I do on the side to pay for gas and class while I pursue my dreams of quirky creativity. I write a lot. This includes fiction of the usual sort, what with the short stories and the narratives and the involving of Vanilla Ice and a T-Rex as cops from the future. It also includes <nerd-confession>writing for D&D</nerd confession>. I'm proud of it, but it's not the kind of thing that usually starts of conversations well.
"So, Ascendant Fenix, what do you do?"
"I write for D&D."
This is inevitably followed by the same series of questions:
** The Confusion: "D&D? What's That?" Oh, where to start? Dead Alewives are a good place. But how do I explain the pleasure of creating a story with four other people in which plot points are determined by random chance? God, I don't know. My answers to this often come off as me trying to just repeat what the PHB says.
** The Zealot: 'Oh dear, D&D? I heard that was Satanic." Well, yeah, like Harry Potter is Satanic. Really, this shows a big lack of understanding not just about D&D, but about what it means to be Satanic, too. I mean, criminey, there are people who proudly call themselves Satanic and don't have a whit of evil about 'em. Though the Chick Tract is good for a laugh, there's a surprising number of people who buy into it just because this is the only thing they've heard about it.
** The Condescending Asshole. "I grew out of that," or "Oh, so you're a nerd!" Look, Monterey, if I wanted your little running commentary, I'd chiv it out of you. No, no, D&D definately isn't for everyone. It takes a special kind of crazy to sit in a room and pretend to be an elf prince for four hours a week. It also takes a special kind of crazy to memorize baseball stats or know how a car engine works inside and out, or to be able to exhaustively quote The Simpsons, or your favorite unlistenable indie-music screechfest (newsflash: we're not impressed). Look, all that is really neat in it's own way. I like baseball, I wish I knew more about cars, the Simpsons are hilarious, and some indie music is really great stuff. So just realize I think my little hobby is a whole lot of fun in it's own way for me. And maybe if you give it half a chance you'd see what I see in it (even if you're not as into it as I am).
Yeah, so I got unexpectedly defensive there. But it's hard to rant about this stuff with some of the people I work with on it, so it all got dumped here.
Well, getting back on track, the job love is mostly being funneled into KATAMARI. Because We Heart Katamari. We really do. They are delicious and filled with candy and also sometimes people. If I could roll up both Katamari games onto some sort of Meta-Katamari, I'm sure the quantum rolling about and such would make something beautiful.
I'm a big fan of this season. Last year at this time there was some serious dramatic ass shit going down, so I was all BLARGH, but this year, it's sailing along pretty well, so far. Not that the dramatic ass shit is totally out of my system yet, but it's, you know, not causing me death and the like. Which is bonus.
I'm snarked out for now, and I've got a fresh new book waiting for me, so I'ma go nerd it up for the rest of the night. As soon as I switch from my form-hugging clothes to something a little more comfy. Perhaps I will be reading D&D in my silk heart boxers? Hell, why not. check you folks later.
Mmmmm, Magic of Incarnum. So much new vocabulary it's annoying. Though you guys don't pay me for my nerd insight like others may, so if you want the details, feel free to ask.
This does bring up what I actually do for a living. Partially a question raised by my boy-crush Liante. And it's complicated. You can probably accurately say at the moment that I'm nothing that impressive -- a smarmy salesmook at a local place for the drug dealers and hill folk. I'm damn good at what I do (a feature which I'd like to say I honor in all aspects of my life: if I do something, I don't slack off on it), but I don't consider it my true job. It's what I do on the side to pay for gas and class while I pursue my dreams of quirky creativity. I write a lot. This includes fiction of the usual sort, what with the short stories and the narratives and the involving of Vanilla Ice and a T-Rex as cops from the future. It also includes <nerd-confession>writing for D&D</nerd confession>. I'm proud of it, but it's not the kind of thing that usually starts of conversations well.
"So, Ascendant Fenix, what do you do?"
"I write for D&D."
This is inevitably followed by the same series of questions:
** The Confusion: "D&D? What's That?" Oh, where to start? Dead Alewives are a good place. But how do I explain the pleasure of creating a story with four other people in which plot points are determined by random chance? God, I don't know. My answers to this often come off as me trying to just repeat what the PHB says.
** The Zealot: 'Oh dear, D&D? I heard that was Satanic." Well, yeah, like Harry Potter is Satanic. Really, this shows a big lack of understanding not just about D&D, but about what it means to be Satanic, too. I mean, criminey, there are people who proudly call themselves Satanic and don't have a whit of evil about 'em. Though the Chick Tract is good for a laugh, there's a surprising number of people who buy into it just because this is the only thing they've heard about it.
** The Condescending Asshole. "I grew out of that," or "Oh, so you're a nerd!" Look, Monterey, if I wanted your little running commentary, I'd chiv it out of you. No, no, D&D definately isn't for everyone. It takes a special kind of crazy to sit in a room and pretend to be an elf prince for four hours a week. It also takes a special kind of crazy to memorize baseball stats or know how a car engine works inside and out, or to be able to exhaustively quote The Simpsons, or your favorite unlistenable indie-music screechfest (newsflash: we're not impressed). Look, all that is really neat in it's own way. I like baseball, I wish I knew more about cars, the Simpsons are hilarious, and some indie music is really great stuff. So just realize I think my little hobby is a whole lot of fun in it's own way for me. And maybe if you give it half a chance you'd see what I see in it (even if you're not as into it as I am).
Yeah, so I got unexpectedly defensive there. But it's hard to rant about this stuff with some of the people I work with on it, so it all got dumped here.
Well, getting back on track, the job love is mostly being funneled into KATAMARI. Because We Heart Katamari. We really do. They are delicious and filled with candy and also sometimes people. If I could roll up both Katamari games onto some sort of Meta-Katamari, I'm sure the quantum rolling about and such would make something beautiful.
I'm a big fan of this season. Last year at this time there was some serious dramatic ass shit going down, so I was all BLARGH, but this year, it's sailing along pretty well, so far. Not that the dramatic ass shit is totally out of my system yet, but it's, you know, not causing me death and the like. Which is bonus.
I'm snarked out for now, and I've got a fresh new book waiting for me, so I'ma go nerd it up for the rest of the night. As soon as I switch from my form-hugging clothes to something a little more comfy. Perhaps I will be reading D&D in my silk heart boxers? Hell, why not. check you folks later.
Do you write for D&D professionally (i.e., do they ever give you money for it) or more as a hobby?
Last question for today: How's Magic of Incarnum? When I stop being broke I need to pick up some more gaming materials, although the d20 Call of Cthulhu is looking kind of tempting right now.
I'll definitely look into d20 CoC. I've been wanting to pick that up -- it's just a matter of finding it on the cheap at eBay, since I'm avoiding my FLGS until this one creepy dude stops magically showing up every time I pass through the doors (seriously, it's bizarre. I don't think he works there, so he must live in a back room or something).
Lastly: psh, no extravagant compliments. They make me blush.