July 2025 in Review

Hello Funny People,

The heat has at last broken in STL. Here's hoping the rest of the summer is a bit cooler than it has been.

A Brief Recapitulation

So, the hunt for a new full-time day job continued. Thankfully, I was able to somewhat land on my feet thanks to a small opportunity provided by a family friend. 

I started working as a caretaker for her brother (sadly, living with dementia), while she prepped for them to make a big move to a one-story house ideal for his new situation. In the meantime, I started going over to his home to make sure someone was with him during the day. During the cooler days (of which there were precious few this month), we'd go on walks around his neighborhood or to lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. During the warmer days (of which there were an ungodly number), we'd stick around the house, watch a movie or baseball on TV and chat about the things he can still recall through the haze of his condition. 

Being a caretaker isn't honestly something I ever thought I'd do. I'm not a touchy-feely person. I don't like people putting their hands on me out of nowhere without asking (and even if they ask, I still don't like it). And I try my best to respect people's boundaries in turn. But at times, when you're directly responsible for someone's care, especially someone unable to look after themselves in the most basic ways us in the land of the relatively healthy take for granted, you have to get up close and personal. Like when you're helping them put on a shirt because they no longer have the physical coordination to do it alone. Or when you're sticking one step behind them as they ascend a staircase, or half a step besides them as they tread down an uneven sidewalk, making sure they don't stumble because you know they suffer from balance issues. Or literally popping their morning pills, one by one, into their mouths because they've lost the ability to lift their hand to their mouth so they can take their daily medication. It's an adjustment that I still haven't quite made enough to feel one hundred percent comfortable. But I'm managing.

During the times when he slept (and he slept often during the day), I took the opportunity to work on my writing. An hour here. An hour there. That made the less comfortable parts easier.

I also got the chance to attend a job fair up at my old alma mater, UMSL. I have a few leads on potential full-time positions. All I can do is beef up the old resume and apply.

On the last night of the month though, I got the chance to do something I haven't done in a few years: see a show at The Muny. 

For those unaware, the Muny is one of the prides of STL. It's an outdoor theater nestled in Forest Park and every year, it puts on a selection of musicals. This year marked the first time the Muny performed one of my favorite recent shows: Dear Evan Hansen.

It was just as compelling a production as the national tour performance I saw a few years back at the Fox Theater was. I still found myself weeping at the same musical numbers throughout. Though, I was disappointed by the turnout. It's not a joyful uplifting musical by any means, but it's definitely an important one, considering how relevant it's themes are. I hope they do another production of it in future.

The Writing Life

My primary goals this month, writing-wise, had been to finalize my revision for the fantasy novel to prepare for its resubmission to the small press and to submit a story for an open call. Within the first full week of the month, I accomplished both those goals. Since then, between stints of polishing the book after finalizing the revision, I've pivoted to doing something totally new.

I made my first attempt at writing a comicbook script.

The last year or so, I've gotten more and more into comics as a storytelling medium. Most of this has involved getting issues and collections to read and study. However, it wasn't until I got my hands on the above book by Denny O'Neil (who I've written about on this blog before), and read it that I finally felt confident enough to make my first effort to write a 22-page full script. So, I did the only sensible thing: I took the basic idea from a flash piece I never managed to sell and used it as a jumping-off point for the story. Once I'd gained a grasp of the form, I proceeded. In three days, I had a completed first draft.

Naturally, I still haven't a clue if the story or the script is any good. Within a few days of completing a draft, following a few days after of polishing it up, I began to reach out through social media to my writing friends to ask if anyone would be willing to offer feedback (in exchange for a critique on a work in progress, of course). Thankfully, my friend and fellow student of Sam Weller, A.A. Rubin, who has some experience writing comics himself (not for Marvel or DC Comics, but for smaller publications), offered to have a look. So, for now, that's the plan.

In the meantime, in keeping with the spirit of this year's writing mostly focusing on revision, I've chosen to turn my attention to completing the revisions on the two stories I had critiqued last year at Repeat Offenders workshop.

The revisions on the short story I drafted early last year that I thought would be my last are very nearly complete. Originally, I'd invisioned it as a seven-scene long story, on the longish side of the form. Now, with five new scenes added, four added based on received feedback and one resulting from breaking a single long scene into two scenes, the story has expanded into a short (for now), novelette. I'm doubtful that this story will sell anywhere, mostly because of the length it will likely reach by the time I'm finished, but I'll still be proud of it, nevertheless. Once I finalize things with it, I'll probably send it to my old friend, Diane Callahan, to see what feedback she can offer. She read the first scene a few years ago when I was still preparing to draft this piece. She above everyone else not only deserves to read the final story but to offer critique on it 

The other story will take longer to revise, as the feedback I received will likely involve a page-one rewrite. In addition, because of the feedback I received, it too will likely balloon to novelette length. Again, I'm doubtful if it's subsequent selling potential as a result, but what I have in mind for it will definitely make it among the best things I've written.

Querying also continued for the space opera. Still haven't received any reply from the full request I received several months back. Thus far, haven't received any other requests for it either, only polite rejections. Not surprised. There doesn't seem to be a high demand for space opera at the moment, but I won't give up. 

Adjacent to this, there was some interesting and frightening news in the writing world, courtesy of Victoria Strauss and SFWA's WRITER BEWARE.

Apparently, the new corporate business daddy of the Big Three SF/Fantasy magazines, F&SF, ASIMOV'S, and ANALOG, along with the mystery magazines Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen, decided that they needed to attempt grabbing rights with their new boilerplate contracts. Short story contracts have usually been for only first publication right and first world publication rights, with the potential for an exclusivity period lasting between a few months to a year. Now, they're trying to grab everything. At the moment, the word's spread through the community to either submit stories elsewhere or stockpile them until theae issues resolved in favor of writers.

Miscellaneous

Like most people with a sense of humor, I was disappointed, but unsurprisied, by the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

I can still recall the evening in 2015 when I sat to watch the first episode of this iteration of the CBS show. My mother had no clue who Colbert was, but I, comedy connoisseur that I am, knew exactly who he was. Clips of the Colbert Report were in regular circulation on YouTube through the early 2000s and 2010s, so I stayed aware of him and his humor even though I didn't have cable. My real question: how would this show go? Sure enough, he came out, did his monologue, which was quite funny, and then introduced us to his format. As he was telling his jokes though, my mother had this perplexed look on her face; I could see the wheels turning in her head, like a dog titling it's head as its owner made a fart noise with their mouth. So, fool that I was, I asked her a simple question: "What?"

To which she replied with the inimitable: "He has a funny ear." (Referring, of course, to Colbert's one ear where he suffered inner ear damage following a surgery years ago.)

The man helped the nation cope with the 🍊 🫏 🤡's first term, saw us through the uncertain years of the pandemic lockdown, and was poised to lead the pack by helping us stay sane through 🍊 🫏 🤡 2.0. Sadly, that will only be until May. I also wasn't surprised by the blatant BS excuse CBS made for cancelling the show and discontinuing the franchise, citing a "financial decision." Because of course they're not going to admit it's because the man who could interfere with their continued concentration of media didn't like being made fun of on a nightly basis.

While I will be sad to see him go—though, there's no doubt he'll land in his feet—I am looking forward to the next ten months of pure IDGAF I expect Colbert and his writers to put on display as they head towards the end of his tenure. And so far, he hasn't disappointed. If this is to end in fire, drag any many of them as you can into the inferno with you.

Despite the ups and downs of this month, I still managed to find time to keep reading and watching my shows. Because, like all of you, I need joy in my life. Let's start with the anime.

I basically binged The Apothecary Diaries in 72 hours at the start of this month. Why? A) I love mysteries, and every episode of this series is like a Sherlock Holmes story, with a tiny mystery Maomao has to solve at its heart. B) Not since the days of Naruto and DBZ have I found many animes with multiple seasons that's had 24 episodes apiece, so being able to watch a show with so much material was a real throwback. And C) I had to wait one day for the last episode to drop before I could finish it. And honestly, now, I just want season 3 (which they've announced), to get here already. Of course, it won't be for a while, but I'm absolutely so eager for it and cannot wait.

After rewatching the first season last month during my rom-com binge, the second season of My Dress-Up Darling has so far not missed. The animation quality has taken a big step up since the last season finished airing, and it's clear the showrunners are eager to keep fans who made this show an internet darling (no pun intended), during the anxious days of the pandemic happy. So far, I have not complaints on that score. Each new episode is just an excuse to revisit everything that's come before it.

That said, I'm pleased to see that the animators especially have clearly grown in confidence and aplomb. The images flow so much more fluidly now, and there's so many more eye catching sequences. It's clear they're flexing and have all the right to do so given how beautiful the result is. Either that or the freedom that their popularity has bought them has caused them all to adopt an attitude of unhinged let's go for it! If it's the latter, I'm totally here for it.

On a storytelling level, seeing Wakana's deepening empathy for others in the cosplay community is also moving. The events of episode three show how much being part of this community has allowed him to grow as a person, something I'm sure will only continue as the season progresses. One thing is certain: he's not the shy doll-making boy anymore, and it's all thanks to Marin.

Speaking of second seasons, DanDaDan also returned with a bang. Continuing the "Haunted House Arc" that the show runners so rudely began last season in the final two episodes—the teasing bastards—the second season takes off running. And the first several episodes genuinely leave you on the edge of your seat with tension. Of course, anyone aware of the manga's story is aware of how things will turn out, but it doesn't make things any less thrilling.

It does make me wonder though how many arcs this season will manage to cover. Last season covered three in total while beginning a fourth with its final two episodes. If that holds true for this season of DanDaDan, then we the audience may be in for another big cliffhanger at the end of this run. Considering that would basically act as the set up for one of the biggest, longest arcs of the manga (which from what I've seen is double the chapter count of the current arc), that wouldn't surprise me that arc alone could be it's own season. Still, it's up in the air if that will be the case. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride.

With this slu of second seasons coming out, I did manage to start following one truly brand new show: a new secondary world dark fantasy shōnen anime title GACHIAKUTA. Like most of this particular action genre, its premise is bonkers. Rudo is a young, socially inept tribefolk from the cleanliness-obsessed society of The Sphere, with a special interest that runs counter to his society's aversion to filth: trash recclimation. Sadly, following a miscarriage of justice, Rudo ends up banished to "The Pit," which, in fact, is the true surface of this world. Not only does it serve as the Sphere's default dumping ground, it's also dangerous due to the presence of Kaiju-like Trash Beasts, monsters made of refuse brought to life by the malice of its disposal. However, Rudo, driven to return to the Sphere to intact vengeance against the society that threw him away, discovers his own true inner strength in this new world—and in time, he may also find a new goal and purpose. So far, I'm hooked and eager to see both where this story goes and how many episodes we might end up getting (probably 12 or 24, but who knows?).

On the live-action side of things, I finally started watching Murderbot on Apple. And good God, is this show great. It manages to find all the potential for funny puddy amid the sci-fi drama and play it so well. Also, on a personal note, I love that a sci-fi show has so many actors of color. Obviously, if you've read the books, Martha Wells makes it clear from the choice of names among her human characters that most of them are not white. So, the producers would've had to be total idiots to cast characters any differently. I also like Skarsgard's take on Murderbot itself. I have to admit, he wouldn't have been my first choice. I'd have tried to find a nonbinary or gender fluid actor to play the roll given that Murderbot is a Murderbot and therefore has no gender...but he's doing a good job. This is also one of the rare times where I actually enjoy voice over in a TV show. Skarsgard plays Murderbot the way I believe fans of the books picture the character: so deadpan, introverted, and ND-coded that socializing looks like torture. Yet, the voice over not on serves as a source of excellent humor to counterbalance the overarching drama, it also serves as a way of conveying Murderbot's rich inner life. Whoever's idea it was, also, to actually show episodes of the show Murderbot loved by the way, was a genius. Season 2, presumably, will adapt Artificial Condition, which I am absolutely looking forward to. I only hope that the showrunners and writers don't make the mistakes of diverting too far from the source material any time soon. It's hard to imagine anything that could improve Martha Wells's stories, beyond using the new medium to flesh out side characters. So, hopefully, they don't jump the shark and keep giving us more of what's working.

Along with everything else, I've also been keeping up with the latest season of The Gilded Age. Many people claim the series has finally found its feet after with this season, but I think what's happened is the show has, at last, broken into the run for which the first two seasons primed us. For the first time since the issue with Bertha's maid, we're seeing true tension in the Russell household over the issues of Galdys's position and marriage and Mr. Russell's financial and business ambitions. We're also seeing Marian's experience the understandable emotional whiplash from her two previous broken relationships interfere with her relationship with Larry. The question is: where will it all end when this season concludes?

My reading continues it's eclectic streak, though fiction remains the dominant work, especially sci-fi and fantasy.

Bottle Demon by Stephen Blackmoore 

The previous Eric Carter novel left our favorite necromancer/PI lying in the gutter, bleeding out as his consciousness faded. Yet, somehow, you cannot keep a necromancer down. Picking up five years after the previous book, Carter finds himself resurrected thanks to an unexpected friend from his past. And it just so happens that it plays right into the plans of his old friend-turned-foe, Darius the Djinn, who remains just as eager as he has the last several books to escape his bottle imprisonment. Now, in a new body that looks close to a decade younger than Carter actually is, he has to find a way to both avoid landing in the grave a second time, getting even with the demon who put him there, and stopping a troublesome jazz-loving Djinn from escaping and causing a thousand kinds of hell the second he's free. But this is Eric Carter we're talking about; he'll find a way to do by the skin of his teeth, but there's going to be one hell of a price-tag at the end.

Picks & Shovels by Cory Doctorow 

Spreadsheet Travis McGee, Martin Hench, returns for a third and final novel by Cory Doctorow. But this time, he's come back to where it all began. As a young MIT-dropout, existing at the dawn of the Personal Computer Age, Marty, in the wake of his failure discovers the innovation that will shape the rest of his life: the wonders of the cyber spreadsheet. However, concurrently, this new discovery will also lead Marty to discover an unfortunate truth. Once a new technology enters the world, bad actors will seek to deploy it for nefarious purposes. It is the adventures he has here that eventually will lead him to become the man and the professional he is by the time of Red Team Blues, and honestly, with this book now out, I really want to reread the entire series in chronological order. Maybe next year...

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

I have been meaning to pick up and read Novik's iconic series for years, especially once the final of the nine books appeared almost a decade ago. One of the main reasons I hadn't was due mainly to the style, which is anything but modern. In keeping with the period in which the tale of Temeraire take place, England during the Nepoleonic Wars, Novik adopts the tone and style of Jane Austen to keep the series and POV of her hero, William Laurence, recognizably of its time. And it doesn't disappoint. Laurence and Temeraire have a bond of closeness that, within a few chapters of their first meeting, is the epitome of "buddy dynamic." I absolutely plan to continue the series, and I'm grateful to be able to do so. Given that I'm fast running out of Eric Carter novels and the next Joe Ledger novel isn't out until next March, I need a new series to dig into, and Novik's Temeraire appears poised to be that series.

The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton

In his latest standalone SF novel, Edward Ashton breathes new life into the much beloved first contact plot. Dalton Greeves, a former soldier turned diplomat, has a mission: to bring the native species of a planet into his (supposed) political faction's fold by establishing good relations with them. However, following an incident that leaves both him and a counterpart from a rival faction called Unity stranded, he has no choice but to carryout his mission or risk his own death.

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi

"Sometimes, when we think we've lost the world, the only thing for it, for us, is the closeness of another person to let us know we're not alone in our suffering. Pain is hard, but it is infinitely more the burden alone. But loneliness has a cure, and the kindness of a hug can be that save."

I have been plugging away at this monster-sized tome for the past two months in the background between other titles. But it was worth it.

Ari the Storyteller arrives at a small pub in a town along the fabled Golden Road. There, he plies his trade to earn his coin by enchanting his audience with a genuine repertoire of stories from the myths and legends he's collected from his many travels and adventures. However it isn't until he meets a beautiful young woman that he begins to recount what might be his most impressive story of all: the story of his life. 

Starting from when he was a small sullied caste boy, living in the understage of a great theater, to when he first began learning of the world's magic called "the bindings" under his first great teacher's tutelage, to the night where his life ended in flames when fire-wielding demons out of myth burned his home to the ground. His years on the streets of his hometown, plying the acting skills as a professional begger to ascending to leadership of a cadre of thieves. His journey across the world to the temple where he hopes to continue his studies into the bindings and the resistance and resentment he encounters upon arrival. To the moment when he performs his first great feat: killing an old God.

But, of course, while every story contains a grain of truth, every story contains their fair share of exaggeration, and no one knows it better than a storyteller. Virdi has created something special with this book. He's begun an epic I can only hope he gets a chance to finish.

The Hunger and the Dusk: Book Two, Issue 4

Naturally, when the latest installment of book 2 of The Hunger and the Dusk arrived, I read it almost immediately. The reunion I, and I'm sure, many others between Tara and Callum has finally happened. But how long will it last? Will they even get a proper chance to enjoy it, or will more threats, both from the Vangol and from with the forces of the fragile alliance, threaten to shatter the renewed bond for good? Wilson and Wildgoose's story is beautiful--well-written and well-realized, visually--and I cannot wait for the next installment. 

I'll wind things up with a couple of shoutouts. 

First, I'd like to wish a big congratulations to my colleague Pedro Iniguez.

Not only did he (rightly) win a Bram Stoker Award for his collection, Mexicans on the Moon, he also got the chance to celebrate the release of his latest collection from Stars and Sabers publishing, Embers and Echos.

Money's tight right now, but if you can, please support both him and the press.

Second, I'd like to offer my praises short fiction writer extraordinare, PA Cornell.

Not only has she been releasing banger after banger for the last several months, but one of them has been getting a good amount of attention too, matching that of her story from a few years ago, "Once Upon a Time at the Oakmont." The piece's title is "Through the Machine," and you can read it for free on the Lightspeed website now. I smell another Nebula nomination for her soon.

— IMC 🙃