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ask-the-prose · 10 months

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Conducting a War

So, your story takes place during a war. Maybe your characters are experiencing war or maybe they're waging war against other characters or groups. Likely, you are not a general or expert in warfare. How do you write a story that is set during a war?

Who's fighting who?

The first, most obvious, step is to know who is fighting whom and why. Wars are between groups of people. They can be a small clan, a massive nation, or even an entire planet or galaxy. Two characters fighting it out are not considered "at war" because they are representing themselves and settling an individual dispute, even if it is a high-stakes dispute.

Why are the parties in your story fighting? There are a lot of different reasons why two groups of people would go to war against each other, but most wars are over resources at their center. Disputes over land and borders, over who gets what crops and for what price, and even religious wars are usually about the resources available and scarcity. So when you're talking about war, you need to know what either side wants. Just like a character, your war parties need to have desires and stakes.

"Resources" can mean just about anything that society needs. Food, fresh water, opportunities for trade, minerals, metals, building materials, and wealth are all examples of resources your war parties can fight over.

What does it take to wage war?

Wars require resources too. It's not just about getting resources but spending resources as well. When nations go to war in the real world, there are opportunities for people to make exorbitant amounts of money and wealth by taking advantage of a wartime economy.

The parties waging war need people to fight their battles. They need to pay those people, arm them, feed and clothe them, and transport them to where they need to be. Where does the government or person in charge get the food, armor, weapons, and transportation? Where do they allocate those scarce resources? Oftentimes in war, those in charge must make sacrifices. Is there a portion of land that the person in charge gives up to protect another portion with their limited resources?

There are unlimited stories hidden in these questions, and a large base of world-building will help to answer these questions in depth. There are many opportunities for tension and rising stakes for your war parties in the event that the opposing side makes acquiring war resources difficult or impossible.

Types of Armies

Your armies tell you a lot about the resources available to your characters and how you can build your story and plot line around the war. So I'll discuss the differences between four types of armies that exist in the real world and throughout history. These are examples; you can change or twist these examples however best suits your story.

The first is a professional army. These guys are paid and trained by the state; being in the army is their entire job. The army can fill a number of different roles other than fighting, but their purpose is to provide martial protection to the people of their nation and carry out martial orders from the government or sovereign entity in charge. Important aspects of a professional army to consider: these soldiers are paid for their work, they are trained by professionals, and oftentimes they follow a hierarchy or chain of command. Most governments provide medical care to their professional armies, but this isn't required. The soldiers can be conscripted or voluntary.

Next up is a mercenary army. This army is also paid for their services, but they are not trained by the state, and they ultimately take their orders from the organization, not the government. The government commissions the mercenary army for their services. The government does not provide most of the resources required to maintain an army. They pay for the army but don't necessarily feed, arm, or clothe them.

A fyrd is a historical term that refers specifically to the Anglo-Saxon armies raised by different Lords and Thegns to protect their lands and shires. These armies consisted of civilians and able-bodied free men from the local settlements and farms gathered by the ealdorman. They were conscripted into the service, and they lacked formal martial training. Also, importantly, their provisions and weapons were provided by the soldiers themselves. Meaning you will see fewer long swords and forged weapons for the purposes of fighting and more axes and improvised weaponry. The purposes of the improvised weaponry are primarily as other tools, such as axes for chopping wood and knives for butchery. Any horses or mules brought along for work or fighting are the property of the lords or farm owners who provided them.

A militia is very similar to a fyrd; this army consists of civilians who are paid or conscripted into service by the government but are not professional soldiers. These militias may sometimes have training from professional soldiers among their ranks, but mostly they are civilians training themselves. The soldiers provide their provisions, weaponry, and armor, meaning that the wealth has to come from the soldiers and their professional jobs and not from their martial services. The militia is a more modern term, but it is marginally different in that most militias we think of today are voluntary and not conscripted.

Battle Strategy

This is where a little research may help you. Battles behave differently depending on different factors. What technology and weaponry is available to your war parties? Are we talking about bladed weapons or guns or lasers? Is your army a professional or mercenary army, or is it more like a fyrd or militia?

When setting up a battle in your story, focus on the differences between the two armies and how that may affect their strategy toward fighting or engaging the enemy. If your fyrd faces a professional army, they may encounter some problems regarding weaponry and armor. Your fyrd will struggle to match a professional army in defending against well-made weapons and professional training. How do they work to compensate for those weaknesses?

When looking at two equally armed and trained armies, a general or battle strategist will look to the terrain to plan a battle. Generally, controlling the high ground helps in battles. If one army has a heavy cavalry presence, your opposing army may want anti-cavalry measures in place. Do they have the space to do so? Urban areas will lend themselves well to guerilla-style and urban warfare tactics. Jungles and forests will look different to hills and plains, and deserts bring unique problems to a battle that a mountainous terrain might not.

What is the battle for? Battles have a purpose; otherwise, there would be no value to the loss of troops. What is worth the risk of losing lives? Does the battle have stakes? Some stakes that might be worth conducting a battle over include taking control of a river pass, allowing naval trade and travel, cutting off control of a trade route to the enemy, or invading an important town or city to process and refine necessary materials.

Ending the War

The war will eventually end if your characters are lucky. But what ends a war? Wars usually end with agreements between the two opposing parties following surrender or extension of peaceful negotiations. Negotiating what each party needs or wants is an art in and of itself. Each party must come to the agreement that waging war further is more expensive and less rewarding than ending violent opposition with concessions made by either side.

Conclusion

Wars and battles are like characters; they have needs, desires, and stakes. Writing your characters in a war or battle will hinge on the needs and stakes of the greater war and story. Important questions to ask are: what are we fighting for? Who are we fighting? And what happens if we don't fight?

–Indy

#writing advice #writing tips #writing resources #writeblr #amwriting #writblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writing help #writing guide #on writing #creative writing #writing #writers #writing about war #writing war #writing warfare #writing battle strategy #writing battle planning

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thewriteblrlibrary · 4 months

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A Step-by-Step Marketing Guide so we can spite traditional publishers (and make people cry).

~ This is a guide specific for fiction/writeblr. All of this is for free and there is little social media posting/ads involved (unless you want to venture into that). ~

Within the writeblr spheres, there's this underlying hope that our stories will find their audience. Perhaps we'll have a fandom full of fanart and video essays, or maybe we'll be an instant classic and sit on collectors' beloved bookshelves. Our stories could sit within the deepest corners of someone's heart and maybe they never tell a soul about what's so special to them. Maybe our stories become those 'underrated masterpieces'.

Or we just want to see people ugly cry over our writing.

Whatever your hope may be, marketing is an important path to venture on (especially because traditional publishers are rejecting diverse books in favor of ones that are already famous + the whole sub-par machine thing they seem obsessed with.)

And thus, my childhood marketing obsession will hopefully be of use to you. This is all for free (unless you want to spend money) and you don't need to figure out social media platforms (unless you want to, and this guide works if you decide to take that route too.)

Step One: Characters

Marketing spheres will define these fictious people as 'avatars' or 'the target audience'. You could also call them characters. Because that's what they are: fictional people.

For this step, you shall create characters that would love your story.

And here's some great news: You've already done this.

Perhaps you wrote your story to comfort a prior version of yourself. Perhaps each character in your story holds an aspect of your personality. Perhaps you were ridiculously self-indulgent and made the story you would've loved to read. These are all possible characters you can reuse for marketing.

Write down 2-4 quick archetypes for these characters. You'll chose an aspect of your story (characters, themes, or the younger-self that you wrote it for) and write a thumbnail sketch. (Main issue, fears, wants, personality traits if they relate to the main issue.)

I'll do it for my story (the Land of the Fallen Fairies) down below:

Anuli-like (my MC): Overthinking and aloof. Wants a happy ending but thinks their current personality/character isn't good enough for one. The present stales in comparison to the past/the childhood they lost. The 'gifted theater kids'. Kamari-like (side character): Postpones happiness in favor of creating a perfect schedule/getting accomplishments. Heavy masking. Creative but doesn't create anymore. Promises themself they'll enjoy themselves later, when they've earned it. Workaholics. My younger self: Wanting a fantasy escapism to embody the traits they wish they had in real life. Dissatisfied and worried about reality. Perfectionists. Self-indulgent: People who love plants and forests and fantasy worlds far away from reality/humanity.

Great! Now it's time to find these characters.

Step Two: Setting.

(Let's assume you're using the internet for your marketing. But a similar method works for real life too.)

Where do the characters live?

In order to figure that out, we need to discover the characters' interests, what they watch to solve their problems, and who they find #relatable.

(You can do this for each character or for all the characters at once.)

For example:

Anuli-like -

interests: Stories. Analysis videos. Fantasy escapism. Things that remind them of their childhood. (so nature, warmth, comfort, play, imagination and the times they would actually enjoy learning.)

Places to look: Nature quotes, ambience videos, children's shows and fairytales (comfort shows). Fandom culture - fanfic video essays, fan art.

Solving problems (the problem being wanting a 'happy ending' but feeling that their personality/lifestyle/characteristics aren't right for one): Mindfulness things. Self-healing. Quotes and meditations and candles galore. Slow living. Nature vlogs. Self care. All that 'live in the moment' culture.

Places to look: Slow living. Nature vlogs. The 'softer self-help' (spirituality stuff. Magic/ overnight answers). Witchcraft. 'aesthetic nature' places. Guided meditations.

#relatable: Burnt out gifted kids. People who think so much that their life passes them by. Storytellers and creative who create to make sense of the world. People who like dark, gory things in spite of who they want to be. People who don't like reality.

Places to look: Those 'learn better and remember everything' places. (The 'burnt-out gifted kid' recovery places.) Stop overthinking spots. Those quotes on Pinterest from poetic people who think too much /aff. Storyteller places. Dark academia. Classical music. One off quotes/ poetry.

Okie dokie. Once you have this, find channels, social media accounts, blogs, songs, books, etc. that fit with the categories you wrote down. (They should appeal to the characters) You can search up some of the terms you listed into searches and see who pops up. Bonus points if you find people that overlap with multiple sections.

I know I didn't include booktube or booktok in here. You can if you want too. But those can be a bit... 'consume these 500 books'. You also want to find other places where people who would like you story live, even if they don't follow booktube or booktok.

Congrats! Now you know where your characters live!

Step Three: the scary part

Take everyone you found on your search for the settings and write them down a list. Make sure you get an email/contact info. (they usually list them somewhere under 'for business inquires') Also feel free to watch their content and get to know what attributes these settings have.

And now... we talk to them. about our stories. You can do it. I believe in you.

This called 'pitching your product' in marketing spheres. But you can be informal about it.

I know it can be difficult to talk about your work, so here's a tone to have:

'I made this thing I like and I think you'll like it too'.

What you'll do is send an email (or dm) that goes like this (inspired by Creative Hive on youtube):

Hi [name],

[Genuine compliment]

[Quick sentence or two about your story. Include the themes and who it appeals to. If you have a logline/sentence summary, include that. But I find that the underlying themes and 'who's it's for' is more engaging.

For my story, I might say something like.

I've written a story you might enjoy, since you like [interest]. It's called the Land of the Fallen Fairies. It's a nature-themed commentary on the pursuit of happiness and fixing yourself to deserve that happiness, told by an overthinking, unreliable, houseplant narrator. It was supposed to comfort me when I got frustrated with myself and my happiness chasing, and I hope it can comfort others too.

(That's probably a bit long and I can trim it down a bit.)

You can phrase it like a gift if you want too.]

[Call to action.

'If you like it, I'd appreciate a mention on your [platform].

I know this part may be difficult to mention (imposter syndrome is not fun.) But I promise that if they do like it, they'll be happy to mention it.]

If they don't respond within... four-ish days? (A week at most). then you can include a follow up. For this you can include a template with info about your story. This way it's easy for them to talk about your story.

The template:

title

genre

blurb

Author

where to find the book

Bonus points if you have an additional, physical thing to send them.

Congrats! Now do this pitching process a few times until you've covered most of your bases. (Pitch to as many people as you can. It will get more comfortable as you do it. Play your favorite song and don't let yourself think too hard about it.)

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The benefits of this process are that you find people that are already interested in the themes and vibes of your story (in comparison to to ads, which get shoved in everyone's faces.). Someone your audience already trusts will talk about it, which means you don't need to do all this trial and error to find your audience and make content for them.

It's basically a bunch of people talking about something they like!

AND you diversify your audience across niches, but with an underlying theme/interests. Booktok/booktube must appeal to everyone, so it's a hit or miss for recommendations. (Unless there is someone that specifically does one genre/type of story.)

From here you can do fun little things to build up hype and make the book launch feel like this fun event. (I love it when that happens so here's my thoughts about trying to create an event with your story... although that may require another post entirely.)

preorder goals

charity goals

Arg's and puzzles

fund with side plushies and trinkets

Book blog tour

book boxes

as many memes as you can make

rewards (like bookmarks or posters or smth) that people can get for supporting

Talk about the process of creating your story. I know this one channel called 'Dead Sound' that creates 'making of' videos for his short films and they are some of the best videos on youtube.

Okay dear storyteller! Now go forth and share your story with the world!

Additional resources:

Creative Hive <-- a youtube channel that goes through the pitching process.

This video is also very good <-- Haven't watched the rest of the channel but I assume it's also good.

One of the best marketing channels on the internet (the videos are actually entertianing to watch.

Seth Goldin <-- I read his book and took the parts I liked and modified for storytelling marketing.

Dead Sound <-- propaganda to watch the short film series he has (he did the whole 2-d 3-d style wayyyy before spiderverse did... and he's one person making these. One person. It's amazing.

Glitch <--- If someone can figure out how The Amazing Digital Circus was marketed then I will pay you money. It seems to be a lot of memes and funny things.

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resident-rats · 21 days

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Very back and forth on if it’s even worth making a post about lol. But basically long story short, I’m unsure when I’ll next post a fic. I’ve started one and I’m a good bit into it, just very uncertain as to when I’ll have it finished at the moment

#without getting too personal on main #basically a few weeks ago someone who I was very close with in my childhood died suddenly #and his funeral was a few days ago #and idk rn im not doing so good #so not feeling very creative™️ at the moment #but who knows maybe I’ll be back on my bullshit and post a fic in a few weeks #or it might be longer than that idk #can’t really put a time scale on these things I guess #but I tried writing yesterday and it was like pulling teeth rip #anyway not that I feel like I owe anyone an explanation but if I don’t post any fics for a while that’s why #grief speedrun strategies Google search #personal

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spicyicymeloncat · 11 months

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Yknow I think Lloyd should be good at devising plans. He went to evil school he should be good at scheming. The reason why he’s leader of the ninja is because he’s the one that makes the plans and comes up with ideas.

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beanghostprincess · 7 months

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morgans has to be one of the most relatable one piece characters because every time i say something it has to be at least 90% more exaggerated than what it actually is and contain at least 60% of bullshit

#DUDE HAD FUN WRITING THE NEWS ABOUT LUFFY HUH #CREATIVE FREEDOM OR WHATEVER #ASEKJDFBNDJSKDBFJKSDFAJKSBD #sorry this is just too funny wdym he's a master of strategy help he just went to wci to save his boyfriend and beat the shit out of katakur #morgans and stussy really be a power gossiping couple #one piece

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mypaidforarticles · 4 months

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sonikaizhere-blog · 8 months

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#creative writing #writers on tumblr #spilled words #content creation #content writing #content strategy #sign language #deafawareness #asl #pensitively yours #quotes #american sign language #language of love #sign language love #humanity #people being people #communicate with love

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enchantingepics · 2 months

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Story Prompt 58

There lived a clever prince. Tasked with a mission, an agent of the crown set out to end the prince's schemes once and for all.

The agent's footsteps echoed softly in the grand halls of the palace as they made their way to the prince's chambers. Sword at the ready, they steeled themselves for the confrontation ahead. Bursting into the room, they found the prince lounging lazily upon a velvet chaise, a book of poetry in hand.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" the prince drawled, his gaze flicking up to meet the agent's with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"I am here to put an end to your devious schemes, once and for all," the agent declared, brandishing their sword with a flourish.

The prince merely chuckled, setting aside his book with a graceful motion. "Ah, another misguided soul sent to do the bidding of those who fear my intellect," he mused, rising to his feet and circling the agent like a predator assessing its prey.

"You underestimate me," the agent retorted, their grip tightening on the hilt of their sword. "I have seen through your facade, and I will not allow you to continue your machinations unchecked."

But as the prince spoke, weaving words like a master craftsman spinning gold from straw, doubt began to creep into the agent's mind. Was this truly a villain they faced, or merely a man misunderstood?

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amaiguri · 8 months

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I think I'm gonna make a Visual Novel...

For a while now, I have begun to feel like I want my world letters (that's the serialized fantasy political drama I post on my website about finding identity and meaning in the after-effects of war, both literally and metaphorically, and also it has hot bisexuals and demons in it) to have some sort of more marketable and cohesive final form. Like, I know I'm THE BIGGEST proponent of doing whatever you want and bucking the trends... but this body of work is really important to me and I just want it to be more accessible to others.

At first, I was thinking "Maybe, I'll turn these things into an anthology collection -- but instead of time between the chapters, it's worldbuilding!" After all, with the understanding that my original target audience (my friends) was going to TALK TO ME in between the chapters where I could explain my worldbuilding, there is almost TOO LITTLE exposition. So, I was thinking I could make it like a discount- Ology book (like Dragonology or Wizardology) with stories interspersed with lore and maps and illustrations. It would be EXTREMELY UNORTHODOX still... but... I think the online book community (or the side of it that I have seen) could get onboard.

But then, I started spending more time on booktok and on booktube... and I kinda just don't think the average thing that sells well would align with this at all. This is ENTIRELY a personal thing, no offense meant to anyone who feels at home in those communities! But a lot of bookish adjacent people scare me a little, tbh >_< Like. Did you SEE what happened with the Seattle Krakens? Those people are UNHINGED. I am CERTAIN there are lots of great people there and also, the silent majority, etc. etc. but like... if I were to try to sell a novel, these are some of the people with whom I woulda interacted. And I just wasn't there for that.

On the other hand, I already know and get gamers. And I've compared my writing to a visual novel script before. It's still a leap to make it into a visual novel but, stylistically, less so.

The tower held. Tsevovan, arms folded behind his back, took a step in an attempt to intimidate me — as if he was more threatening than having half a monument slipping over your head in a plaza full of abominations. A thrall to naivete.

- Ts: Your insolence will be noted. - Za: My insolence is far outweighed by the sins of your incompetence. - Ts: Things in Telethens are nothing like Zavlakya— - Za: You’re right — evidently, Inquisitors in Zavlakya know how to contain Demons, whereas your leadership only vitiates the Inquisitors of Telethens.

See? That's already the start of visual novel format right there. (Yes, I know how punctuation works in prose, I don't care, didn't ask :P) All I need to do is make some art and mini-games to spice it up and it'll be done! EZ! /j, obviously, I'm a gamedev, I know everything in gamedev is death.

So, after I finish my videos for 2023... I think I'm going to start working on my now-visual novel script as my "main thing" again. Take it a little slower on my YouTube... downgrade from "glorified powerpoint presentations" to "actual powerpoint presentations with a Vtuber" Hahaha!

I really do think, though, finishing and editing all this could be the biggest project I've ever tried to undertake. I guess this whole worldbuilding project is the biggest thing I've even undertook and Idk if I'll make it. Will this end up like all my other big dreams -- started and unfinished? I certainly hope not. Hopefully, I have learned how to take care of myself good enough to see this through to the end.

Thanks for "listening" to me do art therapy in public! If you find this relatable at all, don't forget to LIKE COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE :PPPPP See y'all on the flippity flop lololol I should delete this

#visual novel #kinetic novel #wip #writing wip #creative writing #fantasy writing #writing #writeblr #writerslife #behind the scenes #writing struggles #creative process #writing process #marketing strategy #marketing #Amaiguri

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dfmapa · 1 year

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Unlocking Your Writing Mojo: Defeating Writer's Block and Staying Motivated

Writer’s block is the bane of every writer’s existence. It’s that frustrating moment when your creativity decides to take an extended vacation, leaving you staring at a blank page, desperately searching for inspiration. But fear not! In this article, we’ll explore some lighthearted and effective strategies to overcome writer’s block and reignite your writing motivation. So, grab your favorite…

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#comfort zone #community #creativity #freewriting #inspiration #lighthearted #motivation #overcome #strategies #writer #writer&039;s block #writing

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system-of-a-feather · 2 years

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Today I was invited to the table of the game of life. Everyone here is playing their cards, some are playing Magic, others Pokemon, some Yugioh, some playing cards, and even one guy over there has been playing Baseball cards I think, but as absurd as this game looks, they all appear to be building to a greater image.

The call me to the table to add to the game.

I walk up and pull out my deck of one, singular Skip Uno card. I sit down and shout Uno and play my Skip Uno card. I have won.

The table looks at me - paused in bafflement; a silent stare of bewilderment

They tell me that is not how this game of life works. We each create combos, chains, strategies and skills and build this massive play to form a much greater game.

They tell me that there isn't any winning in this game of life; they tell me that I need to bring more cards to the table, draw some more and join in on creating chained webs and supportive suggestions.

I tell them this is all that I have, there is nothing more to how my plays work other than this singular Skip Uno Card. I play Uno, the only function of Uno is to remove your cards. There is a limited amount of chain and skillful strategy that can be played in the traditional game of Uno; even less when your entire deck is empty and all you have is a singular card.

We have an issue. My game doesn't work at this table. We are incompatible, my deck simply doesn't work with the nature of this collaborative game.

I turn to the ref, solutions my good man. I can't fix my deck, I can't generate new cards. I can't make a play other than Skip Uno, what can anyone ask of me.

The ref checks the book, he checks the rules; he looks up and with a quizzical suggestion, asks if I could ask for someone else's cards

I say no, I don't have a card for that, all I have is a single Skip Uno Card. I do not have a Draw 4 or Draw 2. I only have Skip Uno.

He looks at me. He turns to the other players. He whispers in their ears as they chatter among one another. They each pull from their decks, donating one card each and collecting them into a stack.

They hand me the deck. In it, a Preordain, a holographic Charizard, a single piece of Exodia, a four of spades, and Babe Ruth. These cards now sit around my single Skip Uno card.

I turn to the ref, raising an eyebrow at this strange deck built before me; uncertain if this solution would work, if these cards could even possibly be played at this table.

Even so, new options have been placed in my hand. The bizarre game resumes. I play the four of spades.

The turn roles by.

#alter: data #you are free to reblog and comment and all that #writing #creative writing #recovery #actuallydid #this is an allegory for some system shit going on #allegory #allegory writing #data's writing #for myself or other parts that might not understand / remember the context #I have near to 0 foresight and ability to see the future and as a result do not have much ability to make strategies and solutions #and as the ocd ocpd fuck i am #I have one option my brain gives me and I functionably can not think of doing anything else #not even to the point of getting anxiety #i just straight up am structurally dissociated from the ability to think about any other 'plays'#which is even more apparent with how far ahead most parts in our system see #i dont consider myself to have a foreshortened future in the sense I dont think I will die soon or anything #but i do in the sense I literally cant think past the very instant moment #ptsd #c-ptsd #foreshortened future #also yes #this is supposed to be a bit comedic in nature #you can laugh

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peony-pearl · 2 years

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Clay in the Kiln - chapter 1

In an attempt to return to writing and fanfiction please take my humble A:TLA fanfic. The first half will take place during the siege of Ba Sing Se and is Iroh-centric and will have a good amount of ocs as main characters. The second half will take place during the series (mostly from chapter 2 and onward)

___________________________

As another dusk began to weigh the land down with the darkness of night, another confrontation that had lasted since the sun was high was waning.

Red and black uniforms, with their eerie masked visages, began to retreat; but the fight was far from over. The soldiers at the base of the great wall remained on guard until the notice was given for them to fall back as well.

The night was now young, and while the Fire Nation was stronger during the day, both sides now had the advantage of the shroud of night.

Atop the wall, the high-ranking men overseeing the army watched as their soldiers quickly scaled the wall, many of them carrying the wounded with them. As the warriors finally dispersed and rested, being offered food and items of comfort, their commanders walked through the crowds of men, hoping to raise their morale, telling them they'd done well to protect Ba Sing Se.

One of them, Captain Seung, offered some water to a breathless soldier. He looked at the swathe of weary men, wondering how they were going to manage another day of this. It had been a hundred days already; how much more could they take?

"We're one fight closer to being rid of them," said another captain; Jae, an older man who stood just a head taller than Seung. Seung turned to him, cynicism painted in his expression.

"Just how much closer?" He asked as they turned towards the edge of the wall, able to see the Fire Nation camp bustling in the distance.

"... I don't know. I just know we can only do this one day at a time," Jae said, looking at Seung, who rubbed his hands across his head, attempting some kind of stress relief. "You're due for a visit home."

Seung sighed, shaking his head. "You just got back from your leave; I can't drop all of this on you."

"How long has it been since you saw your fiancee? Haruka? It's been a month now, hasn't it?"

Seung smiled. "Yeah. I miss her."

Jae looked back out to the camp. "I'm not alone. Katsue will return tomorrow, and we have the general. Go get some rest and pack up."

Knowing he couldn't argue with Jae once his mind was made up, Seung regarded him warmly before saluting to him and turning towards the barracks, greeting and speaking gentle words to the soldiers he came across.

In the distance, at the Fire Nation camp, torches burned as brightly as the spirits of the men and women returning from another day of combat. The wounded were carried on backs, or assisted as they limped back to the series of tents they began to congregate at.

Leading them was their young captain, who walked proudly towards the largest tent at the base of the camp, and towards the man who stood in front of it.

Captain, and Prince, Lu Ten greeted his father; the crown prince of the Fire Nation. Lu Ten walked forward, stopping as the soldiers immediately bowed.

"General Iroh," Lu Ten pressed a closed fist to his palm.

Iroh's golden eyes sparkled as he looked proudly upon his only child, and he returned the salute before quickly laughing and pulling his son close. He looked out to his army, the lines in his face creased in a way that looked jovial and celebratory.

"Each day, every one of you makes your country proud! Soon, we'll breach that wall!"

A cheer erupted from the soldiers.

"And Ba Sing Se will learn the glory of the Fire Nation!"

Another, louder cheer. Iroh's gleaming eyes didn't stop sparkling; in fact they dazzled as his arm draped over Lu Ten's shoulders.

"And your names will be forever etched in the history of our new world! We will prevail!"

One final round of joyous cries broke through the stillness of the night, and the soldiers were dispersed to rest and recuperate. Iroh and Lu Ten made their rounds through the tents, seeing to the warriors and their needs.

Retreating to his personal tent, Iroh held the tarp open for Lu Ten as they both carried a bowl of porridge. Right behind Lu Ten followed two more commanders as they all approached a large table covered in a map of their current location. Each men set their bowls down as they stood like vultures over the table, but just before anyone could speak, the whistle of a tea kettle began sputtering.

"Really, your highness?" One of the captains groaned as Iroh grinned. Lu Ten simply smiled.

"You expect otherwise?" He asked. "Chamomile, dad. Please."

One commander requested the same; the next had Iroh's agreement of Jasmine.

"Jasmine is so underappreciated," Iroh hummed, carrying the tray of tea to the map. As he set the tray aside, he eyed the map; he tried his best to not peer impishly upon the commander next to him as he sipped on his tea, only to burn his tongue audibly.

"Do you suppose we should send a small group to another side of the wall?" The second commander asked. "Keep some of the Earth soldiers busy while we use our more powerful soldiers in a concentrated effort?"

Iroh hummed. "I've thought of that myself. However, they have a whole city of Earthbenders to call upon; we don't have the luxury of waiting for more troops from all the way back home. I don't want to split up our army more than it needs to be."

"Understood."

Lu Ten looked towards Iroh. "But I think there's merit to the idea of a distraction."

"Oh, there is," Iroh said, taking a sip of tea. "We just need to know what it is before we act too quickly. Slow and steady, after all. For now, it's worth it to simply chip away, bit by bit. Earth is strong, but it erodes over time. Even the slightest current can, over time, change the riverbed."

Iroh looked up at his son and the commanders surrounding him. That glimmer in his calm, determined eyes remained as he smiled.

"So help me, we will be that current.”

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Chapter 2

#A:TLA #Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction #Iroh #Uncle Iroh #Lu Ten #my writing #I also take creative liberties in my brain #and imagine how Iroh looks in that piece of art of him younger and sitting at that strategy table and I put that appearance into these scene #and I can and I want to #and he's a snack in that picture

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