On the Net 3: What I've Been Working On, Fall 2019 Edition

I got laid off in October, so most of my energy these days has been spent looking for work. But that doesn't mean I don't occasionally have the energy to write something. Here's what I've been doing since October.

Ars Technica

The most exciting thing I've managed to do is get a freelance contract writing weekend culture pieces for Ars Technica. I've done three so far, on Homestuck, the wonderful pop linguistics book Because Internet (and its associated podcast Lingthusiasm), and longtime favorite podcast Reasonably Sound. Right now I'm excited and honored to be working on a year-end list of podcasts, which you should watch for if you've stuck with my blog for this long.

Magic marketing

I've been writing a couple articles a month for Card Kingdom's blog, most recently today's piece about what to do with cards from a powerful Standard deck now that its centerpiece, Oko, Thief of Crowns, has been banned from the format. I've also done a strategy guide for the best lands in the game, and I've just submitted a bio of once-and-future main character Elspeth Tirel.

I've also been writing a weekly-ish deckbuilding column for MtG Nexus, the latest installment of which is here. The site is still getting its feet under it, but keep an eye out for more columns soon.

Fanfiction

Sometimes, very occasionally, I have enough energy left at the end of the day that I can spend it writing fiction. Specifically Magic fanfiction, and especially in response to the disastrously anti-queer (and disastrously clumsily written) official Magic novel War of the Spark: Forsaken. My ongoing Ravnica series features planeswalking therapist Esther, head of a Guildpact-funded medical clinic, and her wife Zofia, a master clockmaker from the Izzet League, trying to save the world one patient at a time.

Stories so far:

• "The Guildpact's Clinic": Esther's ex, a famous main character, appears on her doorstep out of nowhere, requiring her to figure out how he fits into her new life. (Technically finished in August, but it's the first one in the series, so it belongs on the list.)
• "Suburban Angst": Esther and Zofia meet the cast of the D&D campaign Bylaw in Order. Comedy interlude in progress.
• "Coffee Date:" A oneshot set during War of the Spark. Esther's clinic may be the busiest it's ever been, but it's still somehow the only place on Gateway Plaza with coffee.
• "Gatherings": The war is over; now how do we make it not happen again? Ongoing story featuring Esther, Zofia, and various members of the Gatewatch.

I hope you enjoy reading more things that I have written. I also hope I have more time to write soon.