#ahit catching icarus
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Oh my god can you believe it's over?
Fun fact, I wrote the last 6 chapters all entirely within the month of June.
Please let me know how you liked it!
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The lore in this is probably pretty confusing, but the friendship is very strong so equivalent exchange or whatever
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Post-story meta ramble: Catching Icarus
Okay, with another long story finished, time to do the inevitable Director's Cut with my long-time pal Bullet Points. Spoilers ahead!
I originally had no intention of taking this past an outline. It started off as just loose brainstorming of the aftermath of Tevane leaving Earth (he didn't have a name yet either lol). Trying to imagine how he would deal with the fallout of that confrontation and playing around with an initially small atonement arc. Lol. Lmao.
Second step in the descent to insanity: "Haha I still have that pseudo-sona oc Lemel who's hanging out on Earth. What if I made them meet somehow."
Yeah, Lemel was originally just gonna be a part-sona, part run-of-the-mill ahit oc. They were always a time stream wizard from the start, but only in H&Sverse were they a fugitive by virtue of the particular laws H&S established about Time and who got to mess with it. They evolved considerably from there into their own very distinct character and in the sona-vacuum they left, my Jam-assigned sona has become a smiling lemon with stick legs.
Some names I struggle with, and others come to me like a bolt of inspiration lightning. These two...man. Their names are so good. Lemel I named almost instantly upon their creation, and Tevane, I just visualized in my brain, tested some sounds, and that name popped out. I especially like that one. It has a nice sound to me and suits his character to an honestly absurd degree.
Tevane being autistic wasn't something I had explicitly planned, but it quickly became obvious from his patterns of thinking and behavior, so I leaned hard into it.
Of the two, Lemel was harder for me to write because they walk a lot of fine lines. They're good at being Vulnerable But Not. The sort of person who seems like they wear their heart on their sleeve, but it's just a smokescreen to cover the really squishy parts they can't talk about. Tevane had to almost fall off a cliff before they finally decided, "Okay, I can't keep doing this."
Chapters 13 and 14 took me about 3 months to finish because they were each so difficult to actually write. Ch13 because I had to figure out where Subcon Fam's arc was going at that point, and Ch14 because of the very touchy emotions that I had to express in it in order to really sell the entire remainder of the fic.
On the flip side, I wrote chapters 21-26 in one month, amounting to approximately half of a Nanowrimo in total word count. At that point, I knew exactly what was happening and how it would happen so I went into Maximum Overdrive.
The Storm and the Seamont afterimage arcs were the main climactic ones that I had in my head from very early on. Lemel getting stuck in the time stream was actually not in the original plan though! But I realized I needed an actual culmination of Tevane's story where he goes after someone despite the risks because I love parallels as much as I love using bullet points.
This works well for Lemel's story too, because at this point, no one should be questioning whether they're a badass, so it's more fulfilling for their narrative to have someone come rescue them for once.
One reason I love chapter 20 so much is because it has my absolute favorite Tevane line, which is "I'm not heartless...despite the evidence." I think that line captures the heart of his character the best.
"Tev" as a nickname from Lemel came up naturally as I was pinging dialogue around in my head. Funnily enough, the original line they were supposed to say where that nickname first arose didn't make it into final, so I had to figure out how to stick it in somewhere else. Originally, their heartfelt post-Seamont conversation was going to be in the living room of Cooking Cat's house where, after Tevane fusses about them being on their feet so soon after the Incident, Lemel retorts "well, Tev, seeing as it's my hands that aren't working, not my legs-"
Lemel was a lot more flippant in the outline than they turned out in the story. As I wrote the actual story, certain moments just required their authenticity far more, especially since the gravity of the situation turned out way heavier than in the outline (e.g. the post-storm conversation). It resulted in a lot more tender friendship moments where they're actively trying to take care of him because they've decided that they don't want to be someone who hurts others to avoid feeling pain themself.
Originally, Hat Kid wasn't going to be there for the Seamont afterimage. Her arc was going to conclude when Tevane and Lemel finally entered Subcon of their own volition to resolve the loose ends there. Dissatisfied with the lack of active role she would get to play in the story (this is why ch13 was a pain, as I was trying to figure it out, and Rose helped me out a lot with this) I stuck her in there along with Mu for the climactic sequence, which in hindsight makes a lot more sense and created more immediate conflict for Tevane.
Lemel and Tev weren't intended to hold hands until after the Seamont Afterimage rescue, when they have that short argument in the middle of the night. Chapter 16 said no, they're gonna hold hands NEOW. Once again, I think this ended up being a better choice in hindsight. It created a nice build up of affection, so that when they did it with complete intention later on, it felt like a natural culmination and not too abrupt.
My favorite Lemel line isn't dialogue. It's from ch 21: "They would lose eventually, even if it doomed the world. It was why they left home without calling Ma to say goodbye. They would have shuttered their freedom and killed their spirit if she’d asked them to. //They might do it for Tevane too." Lemel does what they believe in, but part of the reason they can be so cutthroat about cutting ties is because they know they can be convinced to trap themself for someone they love, so it's cleaner to run and never look back. One thing I love about them is that they're not a characteristic selfless hero, honestly. In the choice between saving the world and someone they love, they would rather live out the apocalypse with that person than sacrifice them for the greater good, even if they know that's a selfish choice. This is why they desperately need Tevane to choose to trust them in that moment, because if he kept arguing with them, they believed they would lose.
I had a hard time coming up with the title for this one. At least, it took longer than Hide and Seek did. It was actually inspired by the opening song quote for the first chapter (much like the first quote in Hide and Seek is the explanation for that title). The reference to burning wings is of course evocative of the Icarus story, which got me thinking about the overall narrative. H&S was about a child finding safety in love and family. The idea that someone is always reaching out, looking for you when you're not there. The idea of being able to fall and be caught or helped back onto your feet again. So that's where the "Catching" element came in. Who is "Icarus" in this story? Well, hopefully I could convey effectively: everyone.
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One of the shorter updates but probably The most important one. Honestly they've done the work. Now some things just need to be said and done.
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Sorry
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2, 4, 5, 13, 17, 19 30 33 37, 73
(‘jackdaw)
(Feel free to just choose a few of the questions if you don’t want to do all of them)
Ooh nice, lots! I did most of them (some I didn't have an interesting answer for, eg. playlists question, so i left those out)
2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”
in Catching Icarus 21, Lemel and Tev had a fight, but in the outline, Lemel says something really hurtful to Tevane, whereas in the final, they instead become upset and overwhelmed when he hits a vulnerable emotion for them and just runs away, so it's a much more intimate and emotional conflict that resolves within the same chapter in final vs the stinging one it would have been in outline version.
4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?
ghosts of altimera. elaborate on that? no.
13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.
getting a comment from bany on ao3 unexpectedly, having not known who they were at the time, that said something like "great to see you again in the ahit archive!" and i was like "hmmm??? (<<perceived)"
[long post]
17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?
i've written a lot of lines, it's pretty hard to sift through them to think of what i like. in terms of just straight prose, one contender: "Sleepless nights folded into one, flipping through her mind like a film shutter until red embers burned out the edges of her vision, leaving behind nothing but volcanic midnight beneath a vast smoke plume."
In terms of like emotional impact, another: "Maybe love is learning and relearning, again and again. And maybe home is not a place but a feeling. There was never a going back, not really. You’re never the same for loving something--someone. You’re never the same for them loving you. Gravity pulls both ways." << those are lines plural, but they work in tandem.
19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?
N.K. Jemisin tends to influence my prose a lot, especially when I'm actively reading her books. Usually I'm an unintentional style sponge though, which is sometimes unfortunate.
33. do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?
in fanfic, the characters. i think that's pretty typical.
37. when creating characters, what comes first: appearance, backstory, motivation, personality, something else?
a mix of personality and motivation. personality is itself derived from their role in the narrative, especially with supporting characters. lemel and tevane were both personality-first, for example. backstory is almost always last.
73. how do you visualize scenes? do you see it like a movie in your head, or do the words just flow?
like a movie! it's very clear to me, and i think it shows in how i lay out scenes and describe them. probably also why i've gotten comments on the consistency of motion and relative position of the characters within the scene. i'm literally watching them move through the space in my head and documenting it. i also pay attention to timing/pacing of the scene this way, though it's sometimes hard to convey in practice.
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Wheeee metro time!
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Summary: In the months following the confrontation with Hat Kid and her newly-forged family on Earth, the Captain has had a lot of time to reflect…and to regret. After impulsively resigning from his position with the Hyperspace Enterprise, he embarks on a soul-searching journey that leads him back to the planet he never expected to return to.
Notes: Hey, it's those two guys I wouldn't shut up about since last April. For those who have no idea what's going on, elevated a one-off oc from Hide and Seek, gave him character development, ended up with a lot of complicated worldbuilding and featuring of background ahit npcs, settings, and maybe a little friend oc cameo :). Keep in mind it's a slow burn oc centric, so if you're looking for the Subcon fam, they'll be around and they have a thematically important role to play, but won't be there a whole lot. I wrote this because it was fun, and also my friends kept enabling me, thanks y'all
Questions:
Is the story finished? No
Has it been revised/polished? Also no
Am I inflicting it on you anyway? Yes
Updates 2-3 chapters every two Saturdays unless it doesn't, I don't know.
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More random ass worldbuilding/character tidbits ready set go
The villages of Alpine are connected by a gondola and bridge system with numerous clusters. They can all be accessed by a central "base camp" town called Resting, named because that was where climbers most frequently stopped to catch their breath for a night before branching off to the higher peaks.
Twilight Bell is the highest location where anyone appears to have ever settled in Alpine. All of the purple flower groves exist at or above this altitude.
Do not ask me for exact altitudes. If they're inconsistent in the story, no they aren't <3
Precipitation is LOW at altitudes higher than Resting which has the main body of agriculture that supplies to the villages. It's the most populated zone by far. Despite this, the upper villages still have some farming using a lot of upcliff trellis techniques and also by growing gardens amid the thatching of the roofs. Thatch maintenance is a big project that takes place each year before winter, with smaller maintenance happening in between. Moisture is collected from fog and clouds as well as pumped up from subterranean wells deep in the mountains.
Most meals in the villages are plant-based! The cat clans primarily hunt for their food though. They aren't a super large population.
Different peaks have different predominant demographics, but are generally a diverse mix of many species. Goats can be found everywhere, being the oldest population in the mountains and the main lorekeepers of the ways of life up there.
The Twilight Bell seems to be the first bell in the Alpine civilization, from which the modern day bell motif was inspired and derived, not the other way around, as if it was already there before. No one knows what the hell this is supposed to imply about the thing.
Semi-related: Dweller bells are also ancient as fuck and no one knows why they seem to be the locus of spiritual energy.
If you want to know what Lemel's gloves feel like, it's like petting a smooth snake. Ever touched a corn snake? Kind of like that
In a modern AU, Lemel generally lives like your weird bachelor professor, building odd hobby shit in their apartment and having questionable eating habits. Having a roommate is better for their health since they are less likely to go timeblind between important household tasks.
This is pretty well established by now, but Tevane is the one who cooks, of the two of them. Lemel learns from him and Sembe, but they prefer to be an assistant than the one in charge of the meal.
Lemel cannot keep house plants alive. Generally they're too impatient and lose interest in nurturing the things.
Lemel is more likely to sing randomly to themself but Tevane actually has the better voice for it. He has no idea this is the case bc he almost never uses it.
However, he is known to occasionally hum when very content. Maybe 4 people including Lemel have learned this.
Lemel's family and some friends used to call them 'Mel' as a nickname. Their mom particularly sometimes calls them "Mel-mel"
Lemel's family names: Mother: Mayena, Older sister (+2 years): Ledra, Younger brother (-5 years): Leka, Maternal grandmother: Yenya
Tevane's family names: Mother: Kialta, Father: Orson, Younger brother (-3 years): Rayner
#ahit catching icarus#ahit hide and seek#worldbuilding#lemel#tevane#oc posting for my health and stuff#i could honestly keep tacking onto this but i think its got enough stuff#some of these ive been sitting on for a long time
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Chapters 7-8! I like these :)
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Chapters 3 and 4 up! Time to go to Alpine! Also an update on the Subcon fam
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Early posting bc I'll be busy tomorrow. Ah, it's Saturday for most people anyway.
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Linden got me thinking really hard about Alpine worldbuilding again so here's another ramble post (if there's repeats of previous stuff, welp *shrug*)
Water is drawn up from subterranean pipe systems. Each village center has a boiler that heats the water and transmits hot water to the homes that require it (not every house has running hot water!)
In Perilee, the boilermaster is Odaya, a nomad like Sembe. His work is kind of like Kamaji in Spirited Away! Each village also has its own boilermaster to maintain the plumbing system.
As mentioned before, rain is scarce at the higher altitudes. The chapters of Icarus occasionally make mention of a "sea of clouds" below the peaks, indicating a temperature inversion that prevents condensation above a certain altitude and restricting rain at villages like Perilee. Predominant water sources are from irrigation from the underground wells and humidity catchment from the air, like in the desert.
The majority of agriculture in the Alpine community cluster happens below the inversion in Resting, the previously-mentioned "base camp" town center. Smaller localized community farms/gardens are grown in the villages to augment the provisions from Resting, primarily using vertical gardening techniques and terracing.
The Alpine cluster is not the only set of settlements in the entire mountain range which is Long and runs many miles south down to the coast and connects with the island on which Mafia Town sits.
Gondola system is highly maintained, like on a daily basis. Obviously the transport of goods and labor is critical for maintaining normal lifestyle.
Fortnightly meetings happen between the village heads, typically to discuss inventory of provisions and the necessary amount of planting that needs to be done to replenish. Meals in all the settlements are produced using a mixture of preserved food and fresh food, the ratio between the two being determined by the current success of the crop and rate of consumption of the constantly shifting populations.
It's incredibly important culturally that everyone, traveler or resident, have their basic needs provided, so food consumption and production is very carefully tracked across all of the villages. Many nomads settled here because they vibed well with the fundamental values of the Alpine settlement.
Store caches are dug into the rock, often repurposed from preexisting ancient ones from the forerunner goat settlements who originally populated the mountains. There are several for each village and a larger centralized one in Resting.
Though the mountain range is not immediately coastal, it is close enough and large enough to the ocean to create a rain shadow. Hence, east of the range is the desert, and east of that are the bird nations where that arc of the story takes place and where the city with Dead Bird Studios is. In this story, it is called Twin Beaks City, because I like how it sounds, and multiple friends thought it was very funny.
This also implies that the prevailing winds are from the west at this latitude.
Subcon is a hearty trek southwest of the Alpine cluster, but loops around a curving coast line. I need to draw a shitty map some day. Anyways, there's no straight shot by foot!
The Nyakuza Metro city is called Nekodate, a pun on the port city of Hakodate in Hokkaido, Japan. As such, Nekodate is also a port city lying to the south of the Alpine cluster but still northeast of Subcon forest. The Metro is just the casual name of the city center as well as the transit system.
To the almost immediate west of Alpine is a small lake called the Star Fountain. Lemel lives here in an abandoned shack!
Okay this is long i will stop here
#life with Lemon#idk what to tag this tbh#worldbuilding#ahit hide and seek#ahit catching icarus#oc posting for my health and stuff#even though i only mention them once
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Chapters 9 and 10. Bird city!
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hi i love them
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