A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Arnam

by on May 30, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Arnam are of course optimized for cool and wet environments. The corollary to that is that they are supremely unsuited for desert environments. Their skin may be dark, but the pigment is for camouflage, not protecting from the sun. A fierce, desert noonday sun can kill an Arnam if it does not find shade. And the dry environment will quickly sap needed moisture out of their body. Arnam visiting such environments must cover themselves from head to toe, and use misters constantly to keep them from dehydrating. It is unsurprising that they consider such environments to be hostile, and they avoid such places whenever possible.

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In Flanders Fields

by on May 29, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

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Manticon Day 3

by on May 28, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

And here we are on the last day of Manticon. Soon it will be time to return to the normal world that most people live in all the time.

But first I’ll get a few more hours with David Weber and Marko Kloos and a few others. One last chance to see people I haven’t seen in a year. One last chance to enjoy spending time with people almost as crazy as me.

I do love spending time with fellow fans of science fiction and fantasy stories. Where the villains are all make believe, and almost everybody loves the same good guys.

So once more into the breech, and may we all have fun in the imaginary suns of the Star Kingdom of Manticore.

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Manticon Day 2

by on May 27, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

My first day waking up at Manticon. It’s like a different world here, you know. Surrounded by people who love science fiction as much as I do. Which by the way is a lot. And I’m very rarely around an entire group of people who love it as much as I do, so this is real refreshing. 😉

You can watch a person walk by with a Treecat perched on their should, followed by a Klingon in full regalia. The Klingons we know and love from TNG, not the weird ones we saw in that preview to STD. You might see a fantasy wizard walking next to a future soldier here and nobody bats an eye. Because we’re all here to celebrate the books we’ve read and loved.

And speaking of those, David Weber, Marko Kloos, and other authors are here today with plans to regal us with stories of how they made their stories. And I just happen to be in the middle of a marathon Honor Harrington book reading assignment. I’m about two thirds of the way through after several months. Yeah…It’s been a while since I’ve read some of them. Hehehe.

So…off to enjoy the con and do some book pimping.

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Manticon Day 1

by on May 26, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Today I’m arriving at Manticon for the first time in one whole year. Not that I’m counting or anything. 😉

I’ll be going to the opening ceremonies, which they do with aplomb. Men and women in full uniforms carrying flags onto the stage and everything. And not just the imaginary flags of the Honorverse, but the American flag as well. This is Memorial Weekend after all, and the Manties remember that well.

I’ll also be doing some gaming in the game room to start off the weekend. BattleTech Pods, maybe some Artemis bridge simulator, and stuff like that. The people here throw some seriously good games at us. And I’m going to be checking out Ingress with people who play it to see just what all the hubbub is about there.

Finally, I’m bringing real Dead Tree Format copies of my first book, Forge of War, with me. Yes, this is officially a business trip for me. 🙂

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