#edit: i just realised too that i think the way i characterise my versions of usnavi's parents

[thisstableground]

Hi, I'm curious about something and you're like the one person I know who knows both characters so what would a meeting between Usnavi and Bruno be like? Just wondering

(this is broadway usnavi btw, i haven’t seen the movie)

okay! so, i actually think that bruno and usnavi have way more in common than you’d think just from a quck glance.

usnavi is clearly deeply loved by his community, whereas bruno is shunned by his, but (at least before usnavi’s character arc in the show) both of them feel on the outside of things. it’s probably not a coincidence that usnavi’s the only one breaking the fourth wall in ITH. he’s really no more the main character than, say, nina, but he is the one who chats with the audience directly, and i think that reflects the fact that he feels, like the audience, that he’s watching everyone else’s lives rather than participating himself. the world spins around while i'm frozen to my seat. and isn’t that so similar to bruno, sitting isolated in his room, watching visions of everyone else’s lives but never getting out himself, or putting on his rat plays in his space behind the wall? they both view themselves more in the role of narrator or observer, not a character with their own arc.

it’s obviously got a different vibe. i don’t think usnavi realises quite to what extent he’s loved by the people around him (he seems absolutely baffled by sonny and vanessa being upset about him leaving) but he definitely does not feel unloved. i think bruno also doesn’t realise how loved he is, but in his case he also has very good reasons to feel unloved, and is much less welcomed by the wider community (though perhaps when he was younger, this was different). and i definitely get the impression that usnavi’s relationship with his parents was an affectionate one, not a fraught one like bruno’s.

but there is that sense, for both of them, of having lost the thread of their individual identity under all the pressure of legacy and lost parents and their role and duty to their community. and both of them are stuck. they're living a life that isn't where they want it to be, there are things they want and relationships they crave but they can't move out of the place they're trapped in. there is also the sense that some part of is their own subconscious doing.

i always interpret usnavi’s as a result of anxiety that largely comes from losing his parents, a past that he can't change but wishes he could: what if he makes a wrong choice and something else bad happens, what if he loses someone else or loses his memory of his parents? better keep things exactly the same, to be safe. and bruno's as a result of seeing futures that he can't change but wishes he could, and what if he is cursed? what if he is the reason things go wrong? better knock on wood, hold your breath, spin in a circle, to be safe. when your life throws you a pain that you can't control, you create a routine that you can control, even if it eventually takes over and controls you.

usnavi's goal for a long time is to go back to the dominican republic, apparently, but until abuela claudia wins the lotto it really doesn’t look like he’s got any intention of taking steps towards that. and bruno is very similar - doesn’t actually manage to run away, because he’s too connected to his home and his family, but he doesn’t know how to change things so he just hides, stays the same, watches everything else grow and change without him. i’d bet that usnavi and bruno have had similar thoughts so many times of like “oh i’ll ask vanessa out, i'll sell the store, i'll move to DR. one day. probably. not yet.” and “i’ll talk to my sisters, i'll leave the encanto properly, i'll go outside. at some point. probably. not yet.”

and part of that pressure is external circumstances, but part of it is self-imposed, as a defense mechanism. if you lose yourself in your work or your duty to that extent, if you hide behind the things that are honest about it, then you always have an excuse to tell yourself for the rest. someone does always need coffee or a vision or a stable job or to be protected, that's true, so you can pretend that you're putting that big plan off because you're just too busy with all that other stuff, not because you're scared to do it. stay in the store. stay behind the walls. part of it is kindness, or duty, or practicality, yes. part of it is fear.

oh and speaking of abuelas! (though, again with a very different vibe depending who we're talking abut) i think both of them are very led by their love and respect for the respective maternal figures in their lives, but that this clouds their own desires/goals. claudia says to her own mama, "i spent my life inheriting dreams from you", and i think that without meaning to, the same happens with her and usnavi about moving to the dominican republic. as soon as it was him making the choice alone, he realised that it wasn’t what he wanted. i think there’s always some part of him that does want that a little, i doubt claudia picked that up from nothing, but it’s possible that she read usnavi's vague ideas of going to DR more strongly through her own experience of missing where her family came from, the part of her that regrets not going back to cuba, and didn’t recognise that the indecision probably meant part of usnavi felt it wasn't right for him.

and that’s so similar for alma, though it's much more harsh and hurtful in this instance: she parents her children and grandchildren based on her own history and regret and fear and wishes. she wants a safe place to hide, she wants outsiders not to find them or cause them harm: bruno lives up to that and then some when he goes into the walls. and he convinces himself it's the best choice for himself and for the family, but it isn’t. they probably don’t even realise that it’s something he learned from her example.

neither claudia nor alma mean any harm by this, they try their best, and they sacrifice for it: alma locks away her own grief and her trauma to build a whole community from the ground. claudia could use her lotto money to go back to la vibora after days into weeks into years away from home, but it’s puerto plata that they’re getting a plane ticket for, usnavi's island, not hers. they’re both misguided, their own pasts biasing their perception, but they do love their kids.

anyway!! you asked what it'd be like if they met, not for a list of things they have in common or for an extensive meta about abuelas. tough shit i guess you got that too.

so. i think that usnavi may see the similarities between himself and bruno, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who dislikes people who he can see his own flaws/insecurities in. if anything it just makes him reach out to them more. i think he would want to help. he’s been scared and lonely and saddled with too much responsibility from too young an age and felt like he lost everything before, too, but he’s doing so much better now, and he'd want to extend that hope to anyone else who is struggling similarly. and what bruno needs more than anything is to be shown kindness and acceptance, both things that usnavi can very easily give. i also think usnavi has absolutely no concept of people being weird, he’s extroverted and makes friends easily but he’s not exactly Mr Social Cues himself. bruno could say the most absolute batshit thing you’ve ever heard and usnavi would just be like “lmao yeah i get u :)))"

bruno, on the other hand, probably would struggle to like someone who he felt was too much like himself, but i don’t think he’d see usnavi that way. someone who has struggles, fears, insecurities that bruno does relate to, but who unlike bruno is also bubbly and bouncy and chatty, and who is trying so, so hard all the time to be positive (even when it would be healthier to let themselves feel angry, or sad, or hurt, even when it's blatantly obvious that they are feeling those things), someone who helps other people when they're in the middle of their own crisis and who thinks of themselves as just a totally unremarkable, ordinary, nothing-special person because they don’t see the way that everyone gravitates towards their warmth and kindness. he’s not going to see himself in usnavi. he’s going to see mirabel.

they’d get along great.

#character: usnavi #character: bruno #fandom: in the heights #fandom: encanto #ended up just character analysis instead of what a meeting would be like sorry #the meeting would be a lot of coffee and conversations with 20 different tangents that neither of them are quite following #but theyre having a nice time. neurodivergent solidarity #usnavi would love the rat telenovelas #mirabel and usnavi would also get on so well #this does however increase the risk of sonny and camilo meeting and i think that would be hell for everyone else #edit: i just realised too that i think the way i characterise my versions of usnavi's parents #have kind of a julieta and agustín vibe #usnavi should hang out with the madrigals i think he'd have a lovely time

[coffeewithcutcaffeine]

I need to know more about Voievod! How long have you been working on it? How do you find the balance between storytelling and providing historical information? I'm about to start reading it, and I'm so interested in the process! Bonus question: do you have any playlist or type of music you associate with it?

Oh my God, thank you so much for dropping this into my in box, loveliest! This really makes my entire day. 🥹❤️ Please, excuse my ramblings if this gets too long sksksk.

First of all, thank you so much for giving my fictional monolith a chance! I appreciate it more than words can say and hope you will find it enjoyable! ❤️ I also do think that it is important to mention that it tackles a lot of dark and gory themes so, please, always check the trigger warnings first — some works are not that heavy, but others might be more explicit and graphic in nature, so never hesitate to skip some of them if you find them uncomfortable.

Now on to your questions!

How long have you been working on it?

Voievod in its current form is actually my third attempt, but I have been playing around with Vlad’s story for nine years now. I started working on my first story in 2015, but that was a blend of Vlad the Voivode and Dracula the Vampire — basically, it focused on how he became a vampire. I eventually abandoned that project because I did not really have patience with it and kept rewriting and re-editing many parts of it, and maybe it was a good thing I did because I gradually came to realisation that his character as a mortal man is so much more interesting than the vampire thing.

I tried to give it another shot in early 2020, this time focusing fully on Vlad as the historical figure. The first wave of COVID granted me a lot of free time, so I tried to use that opportunity to work on the story, as well as catch up on any new information from historical research. I wrote a few drafts but abandoned it again after a few months because I sincerely felt like I did not have enough writing experience to pull it off in a way I would be satisfied with.

I started working on the third and current version in February 2023 — I randomly revisited the old drafts from 2020 and started playing around with them a little, expanding the ideas until I managed to write two pieces I was quite proud of. I approached this with a great deal of respect and fear, then realised that I felt confident enough in my writing to perhaps try again. I think it was a good decision to wait and get enough writing experience before getting back to it because, looking back at my previous attempts, my world-building and characterisation have improved. Still, I am taking this as an opportunity to push myself and let myself grow — and every new piece is quite the lesson as I am often plunging into places I thought I would never dare before.

How do you find the balance between storytelling and providing historical information?

I think the hardest part of working on such a project is the research itself. To depict the historical events as accurately as possible, you have to read anything you can get your hands on and absorb as much as possible. I have loads and loads of files filled with notes on figures, events, culture, etc. not only for one but four separate countries as all of them are crucial for the work. Vlad’s story is even more specific because you really have to separate facts from all the debris and junk of propaganda against him that shaped what was known about him for a long time.

Once you become intimately familiar with the research topic and can swim easily through that sea of information, it is not that hard to find that perfect blend. In fact, having that historical information at your disposal really speeds up the process because you do not have to agonise over the plot — all those events are already there, you just follow them. When it comes to many characters from Voievod, we know what their life was like and what their personalities were, so I follow their lead in that regard. And it is fascinating because real life sometimes writes the most compelling stories.

What balances this out is the freedom other aspects give me. We usually come to know historical figures as legends and larger-than-life beings, and they were undoubtedly extraordinary, but they were people first. I get to breathe that humanity into them by depicting what they think, feel, desire, and fear. I make them make mistakes and laugh. There are also people in their lives that we know little or nothing about, so that gives me a lot of space to create characters from scratch — Cătălina is a perfect example of that, and I love having the opportunity to create such a rich and wonderful character. Ultimately, personal relationships give a lot of space to create dynamics as I please, because we know so very little about the private lives of these people.

Do you have any playlist or type of music you associate with it?

Ahhh, I love this question so much! Here is my opportunity to share my beloved baby lmao. 🤭

I have a “soundtrack” playlist on Spotify, which you can find here. I love visualising scenes and playing them in my head like little video tapes, and the right music helps me grasp the mood and emotion of those moments when writing them. Almost all the tracks are actually tied to specific scenes or works. (One is already published and bears the same name. *wink wink*)

Also, as a bonus (let me brag there for a second), here is a Pinterest board for some of the characters from Voievod. ❤️

#ask reply #work: voievod #thank you so much for the ask! ❤️

[dashielldeveron]

anon from mid december here! god i love winning. ANYWAY much to observe. i love the through lines of government assigned chapstick flavours and the defining moment that makes the soulmate connection work in every chapter. i love that immediately after posting you cited your sources on tenkos characterisation. very funny very charming and you are very right. i adore the mcs vibes she knows so much about so many things with a 50/50 chance of it being useful and she’s MESSY and she’s FIGURING IT OUT and her relationship with tenko teaches her to give herself grace. they’re just so sweet on each other it brings me endless delight as does touyas lil cameos. he’s a dirtbag and he’s a comedian and hes warmed up to the ducks and i want to put him and his fucking HOOVES in my pocket. i’m sure i will return with more thoughts at some point but for now. very delicious to me. WAIT NEW THOUGHT THE FUCKING INVENTORY KEY THING WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THE SOULMATE CONNECTION GOD YOURE GOOD. AND THE GOGGLES sorry i’m re reading the chapter as i type this

ASLDKJFA;SDFJKL;A YOU GET IT!!!!!

oh my god the DUCKS. i needed someone to notice the ducks oh my GOD. he BUILT them a HOUSE in his little art project garden he has a duck for SOME reason in dnd what a LOSER. like he's bonded so hard with them he wanted a fictional one, too!!! like. imagine touya just carrying a duck around in a purse like a small dog. both of them v v v judgy. enemies to lovers duck edition

lololololol "government assigned chapstick flavours" you canNOT tell me that these very kissable boys are only using, if any at all, generic unflavoured chapstick lol. it is STUPID how long i've had "post-canon tomura wears burt's bees tropical pineapple chapstick bc he specifically wants something that Tastes Good" stuck in my head; i'm so glad it's finally in fic and that you've been keeping track asdjfkl;

and yeah i wanted to reblog the shigaraki meta that i'd been considering!!!! bc while i was rereading the manga for this route, i realised that everyone, from police to heroes to villains to students, just make Large Assumptions about shigaraki, and they just Say Things about him. and everyone around them just takes it as fact??? it's like. we the audience are being told things about shigaraki, but they don't match up at all with how we see him act. i am hoping that this is intentional on hori's part, esp. with how heavy-handed shig commentary has been by other characters in the last few chapters, to make the point of "midoriya is the only one who's ever Looked and shigaraki and Perceived." bc, like, AFO and the pro heroes objectify/dehumanise tomura but in different ways. i worry. but so much of what we're shown of shig just doesn't match up with what characters say about him!!! it's odd. i really like him, despite being Told That He Is an Object, specifically one of destruction.

goddddd reader in this route is messy and i have a lot of compassion for her. i think she should allow herself to get angry more often. but i think that gifted kid burnout and basically moving back into your parents' house and people judging your "bad" life decisions even though they can't Know what you're going through--it's a touchy subject, tinged with shame and confusion and insecurity of identity, and tomura, i think, is experiencing his own flavour of that, since he doesn't get to be the Greatest Evil VIllain version of himself that he had in his head for so long and now is Just Some Guy. i didn't want reader to have a saviour complex but i wanted her to Care So Hard, and i hope that came across, esp. since her caring so hard also works with her own insecurities.

also yessssssssss YESSSSSS the KEY the GOGGLES it was there in front of them the whole time!!!!! but they weren't looking for it!!!! bc when soulmate bonds are words and marks, who the fuck is gonna be looking for a soulmate bond in just some weird triviality????? lolololol i talk about wanting to handle tomura with care but gave him the silliest soulmate bond thing. i like how useless it is, because it's, like, tomura doesn't need to be useful rn, either.

godddddd i'm so glad you sent me an ask so i could talk about thissssssss. i'm SO fucking glad that you're noticing details like this and having fun with them!!!!! i am, too!!!!! i love tomura and you and i hope you are having a good 2024 so far!!!! xx.

#dash it all

[froizetta]

hi :D 21 and 23 for the writer asks! love ur work! <3

21) Share your favorite piece of dialogue!

I thought this was a tough question until I realised: no, my favourite moments of dialogue are always gonna be Alfred being snarky. He's the most fun to write for me, because being British I can actually capture the nuances of his dialect in a way that doesn't generally come easily with American characters. And his very dry, very sarcastic, very English sense of humour is the most fun to reread in edits. In particular, I'm very pleased with this exchange from chapter 2 of (Love) Triangles, especially the last paragraph:

“No,” Bruce snapped, a little more harshly than he’d intended. “I can’t just…ask him. Don’t be ridiculous, Alfred.” “Ah, yes. I suppose it would be ridiculous to simply ask someone to be your friend, rather than stalking their potential acquaintances under the guise of your secret identity. Really, you’re quite right, sir. Whatever was I thinking?” Bruce sent him a half-hearted glare. “That is not what I am trying to do. This is nothing so juvenile as a bid for friendship.” Delicately, Alfred raised an eyebrow. “Good lord. I hadn’t realized that having friends one’s own age was considered ‘juvenile’. Please forgive your aging butler for being so out of touch with the younger generation.” He sighed. “Alfred…” “No, that’s quite alright, Master Bruce. Things were somewhat different when I was your age, you see,” Alfred continued placidly. “We tended to consider friendship a healthy form of adult social interaction. I sometimes forget that nowadays the done thing is to spend hours of one’s time alone underground, and to associate honestly only with one’s young ward, butler and local bat colony.”

23) Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

Now this one actually IS tricky. Mostly what I struggle with is the overall flow of scenes rather than individual sentences or paragraphs; furthermore, it's sort of difficult to remember what one struggled with after the fact! Here's an example from chapter 4 of (Love) Triangles, chosen more because of recency bias than because it's a particularly striking example, but I think it's still illustrative:

Unfortunately, just as he was opening his mouth to try his luck again, Kent perked up as if he’d heard something unexpected. By instinct, Bruce felt himself tense as well. A split-second later, he heard it too: the gentle thudding of bare feet on thick carpet. A sound that was getting closer. Immediately and inconspicuously, Bruce braced himself for the worst. He was a civilian right now, as was Kent; he didn’t have his equipment but so long as he got Kent out of the way he could figure something out with hand-to-hand, perhaps talk them down— It wasn’t needed, he realized. Because only seconds later, it wasn’t a madman or Mercy Graves or any kind of villain, but Lois Lane herself who came careening around the corner.

I'm counting this as one paragraph because it started out as one. It got reworked a few times before I was mostly happy with it. Within the context, Bruce is transitioning from an internal monologue in which he's considering Clark as a romantic/sexual prospect, but is interrupted from acting on his thoughts because of the sudden appearance of Lois. In its final form, it's doing several things: linking scenes, planting the seed of Clark's superhearing (Bruce might notice it later), providing characterisation for Bruce (paranoid and hypervigilant, even as a civilian), and most of all creating tension for the reveal of Lois' identity. It was slightly challenging for several reasons, chiefly:

I find that transitioning from internal monologue to action can feel clunky sometimes if I don't properly connect the thought to the action. The easiest way to do it is the interruption of a natural train of thought with dialogue (like another character trying to get the POV character's attention, for example) but that didn't fit here. The first sentence of this excerpt is my attempt at bridging the gap.

The original version did not include Bruce's reaction to the sound. I realised during editing that Bruce would 100% react with caution to the sound of approaching running footsteps, so I needed to reflect that in his internal monologue; however, the addition of that detail made the paragraph feel a little long-winded, so I had to play around with it (e.g. changing the amount of detail, the sentence/clause structure, where to put the line break) until it flowed okay.

Balancing the surprise factor of Lois' appearance at the end was a little tricky. It's a slight surprise to the reader, but not a super dramatic one (say, in comparison to the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter). Building it up too much would make Lois' reveal anticlimactic; too little would undersell the moment and feel flat. Fixing it again involved playing around with the flow of the sentences leading up to it. Originally, the excerpt was all one paragraph, but I found separating it into two (with the em dash signifying Bruce's interrupted train of thought), and then padding out the new second paragraph to make the reveal less abrupt ("it wasn't x, y or even z, but Lois Lane!") drew about the right balance for me.

Am I happy with it? Enough to publish it! Most parts I struggle with end up being 'good enough' rather than 'amazing'. I don't have a beta-reader, so I'm only evaluating it from my limited perspective. And in the end, the reason I struggled with those bits is probably because I don't know the right tools to fix the issue; fresh eyes might see things more clearly and/or have a different perspective.

#my fic #ask game #asks #sorry this one took a while #and also ended up very technical and long-winded #I wasn't sure how else to answer the second question #hopefully this is more or less what you were after! #or if not hopefully it's still interesting

[steamberrystudio]

10/07/2022 Devlog

Hallo!

I just wanted to write a quick update to let you all know where I am with progress on the next route. It's been a week and I'm pretty tired so I am trying to type this out quickly before my brain dissolves to mush.

So of course Tumblr at the first version because I dared to cut a portion and paste it in a different place. And we cannot have something like EDITS occurring in post text.

Summary:

Finished initial revision of Quill's route

Started second revision (up to Ch 4)

The Ramble:

I have finished drafting it (I think I mentioned that in the last update) and moved into the revision stage.

The first revision involved a lot of structural changes, relocating huge chunks of writing, deleting, changing, rewriting, and creating a lot more new content.

I realised about halfway through that I was definitely going to need to do a round 2 revision to smooth all the changes and new content from the first round. And that's basically what I'm doing now.

I finished up the first revision with the route around 120,000 words (way too long).

One of my goals (I have several) for round 2 is to cut that back to 116,000 words or less. I know 4000 words may not seem like much in the grand scheme of the game, but I am trying to keep all the routes within 10,000 words or so of each other. I also know Quill's route has a lot of lore-oriented exposition because it's exploring a place that is not set up in the common route (like other locations) and isn't set up in any of the other routes either. That means I have to address all the Nysa lore in Quill's route itself. 

Balancing out explaining this weird place with not dumping tons of exposition in is a bit hard. But I'm smoothing out all of that in this round of edits and adding in some banter and funny dialogue.

I think the early chapters probably need the most cleaning up still. Because later chapters are very action oriented, I was able to clean them up pretty well already and will probably just continue to make small polishing improvements through that section. But the early chapters need the most fixing in terms of improving dialogue, motivations, trimming superfluous things, nailing down voice and characterisation, etc.

So yeah, that's where we are.

Sneak Peeks and Previews:

None. Just writing. ;o;

Upcoming Weeks:

Again, I will be focused on getting this revision done this week.

I do expect this revision to go pretty fast since it's not the first pass, but I'm not sure how fast. Once this revision is done, I....have more revisions.

Ha ha. Well, after this it's actually checking for typos and grammar. So I guess upcoming weeks are just editing and polishing. 

#gilded shadows #updates #indie visual novel #amare game #english otome games

[toisiit]

throne and paradise endings, answering questions from inbox, my goodbye :)

it's been a year since i stopped writing throne and paradise, and all copies (save for ao3 which has been orphaned) have been taken down, so i've come alive here just to give you lovelies one last thing:

throne: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23801650?view_full_work=true

paradise: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23802184?view_full_work=true

final chapters: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qVmqPV7zzQUNFTCzM9-AeA_hpRVex0CwxDKyFhAD2C0/edit?usp=drivesdk

these are the links to the unfinished ao3 versions of throne and paradise, and the doc is to the final chapters :)) whilst it's obviously not up to my standards and i didn't want to even write the endings because i wanted to leave it all behind, i felt bad since i was two chapters away from the end and didn't leave you guys with any closure from the ending that i'd been building up towards the whole way through. the endings were announced on wattpad (where i offered to give them to anyone who wanted them through dms) but i figured i'd drop it here since a lot of my ao3 fans were tumblr hoes too. i probably should've shown it to you guys earlier but i'm a bit of a coward :)) i literally deleted tumblr and logged out of my account because i was so scared to be back here after what happened LOL well anyways, i hope you enjoy the shitty endings. there's a side stories doc linked in the final chapters one so if you feel like sitting down and reading like 17k of paraathy post-paradise or claudiana, go for it :))

just saying, thanks to everyone who left so many sweet messages in my inbox :)) there were a bunch of questions asking about the deleted/unfinished works, and there were a lot of encouraging comments that honestly, definitely helped for me to gain some kind of confidence to come on here again as toisiit.

i don't mind talking about throne/paradise/whatever if you want to scream about the endings to me and how y'all knew where i was going with it, so feel free to spam me in my dms slash wherever you can find me lol

just a quick little q&a session here since i'm too lazy to respond to each question from my anon inbox individually:

will you ever repost "cripple"?

nope, i've got no intentions to since in the end, i didn't have an actual structure planned out. if you want a brief

Why can't I see any of your ao3 stories from your profile?

again, that's explained up above but i ended up orphaning them to get rid of all traces and links back to me lol i was sick and tired of it. now, i regret it and wish i'd just gone anon instead of ORPHANING THE FUCKING WORKS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO RELEASE AN ACTUAL ENDING but whatever, i kind of tried to make up for it lol

Did claude in intoxicating lose his memories of Diana. Though the characterisation was absolutely brilliant. But i wonder that did he completely stop hating the thing that killed his lover and made his lyf painful(from his pov). Or because he forgot about diana or partially remembered her that he started "loving" athy.

fun fact! i remember when this was sent in and i actually wrote half a mini-essay before i accidentally did that macbook side swipe thing and it took me to my previous page and basically got rid of 2000+ words :D uhmmmm to be honest i don't actually remember what i wrote, but going off the vibes i was probably going for, i think he would have tried to forget about diana (after the ruby palace massacre) and then when he became grossly infatuated with athy, he would have focused on her instead whilst still associating her with diana (without realising it, of course. he just notices how athy's golden hair feels a little familiar, notices how her high cheekbones feel a little similar, the same creamy skin).

he definitely would have forgotten how she killed his lover/made his life painful as he became obsessive over athanasia, and instead wanted to have a claim over her (rather than kill her since she killed diana inadvertently). i'm glad you liked his characterisation as fucking WILD AND GENUINELY PSYCHO TOT that he is lol i was rereading intoxicating to try and gain closure and was like 🧍🏼‍♂️🧍🏼‍♂️why is this man so fucking creepy like the way that he talks and acts around athanasia is genuinely gross but in that weird like lolita way... and rereading how athanasia tried to convince herself that he was purely in love with her rather than off doing god knows what genuinely made me pity her before i realised that i was the one who wrote that 🧍🏼‍♂️🧍🏼‍♂️

Was intoxicating AU's athy more like diana? Like im just asking because here claude says that he tried to ignore diana's features in athy but couldn't. Which is a foil to what manhwa claude says and how manhwa's LP Athy is portrayed. Btw apart from the claude and felix digression i found the depiction of incest abuse outstanding and very loyal to real cases. Your story was the first that got me studying this crime and its effects and i realised this is the worst form of pedophilia. So kudos.

when i write, i really try to separate what goes on in the manhwa to how i portray the characters as a) i feel like if they're too similar then i can't get away with differences e.g. in paradise, athy being portrayed a total cold-blooded bitch instead of a mature, nice girl meant that when she did cruel things, people didn't find it as weird as she'd been characterised as something else and b) sometimes i find their characters boring so i add spice in other ways LOL it just isn't convenient to write about them in ways that don't fit the storyline i want. i kind of ignore the manhwa now 🧍🏼‍♂️🧍🏼‍♂️BUT ANYWAYS, i'd say that she physically resembled diana (pretty sure that was established in the manhwa so i did take that concept and apply it to intoxicating since it did kind of support the reason why claude even got involved with athy in the first place ??) and i suppose they could have been emotionally as well.

i tried to maintain athanasia's childish side to really hone in on the fact that claude was doing those things to a child, let alone his daughter. when she is thirteen, she is naïve enough to believe that if she can convince herself that he loves her as a romantic partner, then she will ignore the scorn that they will face if they're found out. she comes to terms with the fact that he doesn't love her that way and so she withdraws, realising that he shouldn't love her as a partner anyway (which is why when they argue later, it is because claude has realised that he wants her as a romantic partner and wants to make her his empress, whereas athanasia wants a father).

when jennette is introduced, she definitely has a grown in the sense that she knows to withdraw, knows to be quiet about what her father did to her, but she also is jealous when his attention is taken away from her. i didn't really think about diana's characterisation since she only appears in claude's single hallucination, but i'd say she was more demure in that scene which does kind of tie into how athanasia changes to become more lady-like, reserved etc after she withdraws from claude? i didn't really think about it lol sorry 🧍🏼‍♂️🧍🏼‍♂️

also the claude felix thing was NOT MEANT TO HAPPEN I GOT CARRIED AWAY OKAY it started off as a joke in my server and then i was like lol sure why not and now... 🧍🏼‍♂️🧍🏼‍♂️sorry felix you deserved so much better than what claude did to you TOT but regarding what you said about how it was loyal to real cases, i'm glad that i could at least somewhat portray it in that way (of course not glad that it happens, but i'm glad i could at least try to shed some light on these things) !! it would have been better if i highlighted the relationship more and really pointed out that athanasia's view of it was intentionally rose tinted so that she could try to make it seem 'okay', especially as there were some miscommunications about if i was glorifying and romanticising it or not, but all in all, i'm glad you enjoyed it :))

Did anastasius groom claude in intoxicatong AU. Like how did claude revolt and attempt to murder Ana if he was also groomed and was following the same path. Is groomed Athy of the same mindset as groomed claude. Or is she stronger or weaker. And did claude try to vent these same things onto Diana when he first met her,but later he tried changing his mind???

i think i had plans for anastasius to have groomed/sexually assault claude? i just realised how bad that sounds OH MY GOD i swear i don't go around writing about these things anymore oh my god... okay but i think i definitely was going to go down that path, and have that as the excuse as to why claude revolted against anastasius and killed him. in this case, claude would have killed him as a type of revenge (and if you're really going down the cruel, gruesome, dead dove please don't eat trail, he may have topped him as an attempt to gain back his power), and all of his abuse in his childhood could potentially explain why he followed the same path and went after athanasia. in intoxicating, i don't remember if i ever had plans to 'explain' why claude did what he did (as in what actually pushed him to the edge to even consider doing what he did, even if it was initially a test to see if he could push athanasia away) as i was concerned that it may be seen as an excuse, not an explanation.

however, i did have a mini-series called cripple that was meant to be claude's childhood to the ruby palace massacre, which definitely would have entailed all of the above (anastasius sexually assaulting and grooming claude, the revolt etc). using that as a support for the contents of intoxicating, in this case, it could have definitely been a reason for why he went after athanasia. they would have had similar mindsets as children (both wanting attention and love from an older male figure, being innocent and naïve and thus easy to be taken advantage of, not understanding the weight of the situation), but as they got older, they definitely went different ways.

claude would have been furious, murderous, craving vengeance and to destroy his brother in the cruellest way possible because his pride had been tarnished (i see claude as a very prideful man, so having this kind of thing done to him would have driven him to the edge). he would have loathed anastasius, wanting to torture him and leave him to rot. once he withdrew, he would find himself giving in - he would be forced upon whether he liked it or not. he'd be an example of victims who emerge loathing their abusers, vengeful, and full of hatred and distrust towards the world. athanasia, on the other hand, withdrew in an attempt to protect herself but would find herself giving in regardless. i think she would be an example of victims who go back to their abusers anyways, as they find it as a better thing than being on their own. i don't really like to say that athanasia is weaker as it has negative connotations, but you could definitely take it that her resolve was weaker.

again, i didn't think too much about diana's characterisation in intoxicating, but claude could very well have attempted to mimic these behaviours onto her. however, i don't really see it as that. if i briefly imagine the situation, i think that claude would have tried to better himself in a way after killing anastasius and attempting to salvage his pride and regain his sense of control. he knows that what was done to him was bad, was horrible, was something that no other person should go through, and as such, i like to think that claude wouldn't have done any of those things to diana because he wanted to be a better man for himself, and for her as he loved her. however, after her death, he probably would have been pushed to the edge and found himself in a downward spiral, which would explain why when he met athanasia, he would have lost all moral control and would think that it was okay to do something like that to her.

thank you so much to everyone who has supported me since april 2020 when i first started writing throne and paradise, and for everyone who continued to encourage me to keep on writing even when i wanted to stop and give up. i know it sounds a little bad, but you guys really helped me to keep going (in life too), and i really appreciate all of your kind words !! i hope you enjoy the ending as shoddy as it is <3333333

love,

toisiit

#toisiit #toi #wmmap #ao3 #who made me a princess #uhh wow this was just off my recommendations #lmfao this was much longer than it was supposed to be #anyways love y'all #<3

[the-al-chemist]

Happy FFWF 💛

Wanted to get your opinion on which Artemis is the hardest to write or has been the hardest to write?

With moving through different AUs and stories how did you manage to keep everything in check?

One of these days I promise to be able to ask only one question lol

Happy FFWF! Ooh, there’s been harder parts and easier parts to all of the reincarnations of Artemis.

Most of the time these days, I know Artemis well enough that her actions and reactions to things come instinctively to me. Often, I’ll find that I’ve typed out a line or two of her dialogue without meaning to, and after I’m like “huh, where did that come from?” Basically, there are times when Artemis writes herself. That’s when I know I’m doing it right.

Getting to know her in Rockstar was actually easier than I thought, because she’s basically an adult version of her in the first year of canon. All the softer parts of her are buried beneath this thick outer shell. These days, we don’t see that in canon very much, though that might change when Rakepick arrives on the scene (spoiler alert: it will). I think it was in the second or third scene I wrote (which is her third chapter in the story, but I haven’t actually been writing in chronological order) that she first “spoke” for me. I was shocked by what she said. I had to send a text to @lifeofkaze to ask if that was too rude to put in the fic. Luckily, she said it was fine. It’s the funniest and sassiest clapback I’ve ever written. Definitely came from her and not me.

The most challenging way of writing Artemis that I’ve experienced recently is writing the Charlie story, Learning to Fly. This fic is designed to be read alongside When Stars Ignite, although it occurs in Artemis’ canon timeline. Artemis isn’t in it much herself, other than through a handful of written notes and two short scenes near the start of the fic. There are two reasons why this was tricky:

Artemis has just turned 19. She’s been through a lot over the course of her teenage years, and has come out the other side of it. She’s not the same little girl she was in the opening chapters of Mystery at Hogwarts, or even the angsty teenager she is where I’m writing now. She’s matured and she’s… not mellowed. Mellowed isn’t the right word. She’s as fiery as ever, but there’s an underlying sense of loss of childhood innocence there, and she’s perhaps not as blasé about everything as she used to be. It’s hard to explain, and it’s hard to write, especially as I haven’t yet written all of the journey it has taken her to get to this point.

I’ve never written Artemis through the eyes of another person before, other than in the prologue of The Hexley Saga. Like I said, she’s not that kid anymore. Although I write my fics in 3rd person, it’s always Artemis’ perspective dictating the narration. Having Charlie take the lead was very strange indeed, but it’s shown me a few things that I never realised, because Charlie notices different things about Artemis compared to what she or even I notice about her. For example, I always knew that Artemis was a bad liar, but until writing from Charlie’s side of things, I didn’t realise that she has a specific and obvious “tell”: her nose twitches when she lies. She has no idea, of course, and therefore, neither did I. Now I know about it, this fact has even made it into the Rockstar draft.

As for switching between WIPs, yeah, that’s raised some issues. What I’ve written for Year 5 needs editing. I went from redrafting Year 4 to proof-reading Year 3 to writing for Rockstar and then back to start writing Year 5. I’ve realised that in jumping backwards again, I’ve down-aged her. Her dialogue has felt off at times, and I’ve realised why: my most recent work in her timeline was set when she was 13. She’s now 15. I’ve skipped a whole year of her growing up, and it shows.

So, to remedy this, I’ve gone back and made some final edits on Year 4. Now, I feel more comfortable with her characterisation again. And, it means that Year 4 will be published sooner than I anticipated. Sorry, what was that?

#artemis hexley #al speaks #writer friends #happy ffwf!

[whatudottu]

Okay, final part now. Links didn't work when I edited on phone for some reason so I'll just quickly finish this off on my computer.

The Autobots

The Decepticons Part 1

The Decepticons Part 2 (you are here)

Right after Dreadwing from the last post is Airachnid. A lot of people don’t like her, some don’t like her because she’s a victim of bad writing. Now, I hope that this shattered version is enough to get you not to hate her, because despite what she did and represents, I don’t have any bad blood for her.

Checking out the tfwiki (before I realised fanwiki’s didn’t have vehicles listed for alts) I believe in search for backstory, I found that canon Airachnid transformed into a stylised RAH-66 Comanche instead of Fowler’s actual vehicle and I thought; ‘no wait, this is great’. I’ve already gone into some detail about how this Shattered Glass Airachnid works, a pessimistic mentally scarred arachnicon with PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt, but with this new alt it wraps her story up in a neat little bow.

Her new alt, based on the scan she should have taken, is based on a Bell 212 helicopter, and though I have initially used a cameo pattern to reference a daddy longlegs spider, this specific model is also used as a rescue vehicle. Why does that work? MEDIC TEAM, BABY! She probably has some lime green optics? Like more yellow than green but still with green.

And after all these characters, all the way in the third post, we finally get to our doctor duo. Our CMO Knock Out and his assistant Breakdown. Seeing as I mentioned Breakdown a little bit just before (though really vaguely so I mean...) I’ll talk about what’s going on with him.

I want to make this mech afraid of the quiet. Not to say he has paranoia like his canon version, but when there isn’t any noise he begins to think, and though not much of a thinker in a literal sense, Breakdown does not like to think about all the ways things can go wrong. So to compensate, he is also a loud mech, talkative and explicitly sociable. You think canon Breakdown’s chummy with the Vehicons? Check this guy out! Teaming up with Skyquake, he helps bring up the mood of the remaining Decepticon forces. Heck, just his presence encourages mechs to ACTUALLY get check ups instead of trying to soldier on. Best boy is also best nurse.

Not that this was an intentional comparison, but like Airachnid, Breaky’s got an alt to match his personality. The nerd boys came back to me with a Roshel Senator APC, and I mean, if you ignore the who Senator part, I’m sure you see the ‘Armoured Protected Carrier’ in the title. So yes, it’s perfect for this big tiddy nurse husbando (oh god that was horrid). Maybe also his optic colour is purple.

Getting to Knock Out now, he may not seem like he’s related to the original at all from initial appearance and characterisation. Instead of running his mouth like the suave flirt that canon Doc Knock is, SG!Doctor KO is rather silent, and far more in the brooding sense.

Decorated in scars; the ones I’ve settled on in a chassis gouge, a soldering scar on the faceplate, a scrape on his door and a mark on the back reminiscent of missing wing struts (oh yes I’m going down this route), Knock Out celebrates his appearance unlike other shattered alternates by caring about his appearance in a more... battletorn way. He has a name and face for every scar (but I don’t aside from definitely Ratchet and a debated between Wheeljack and Breakdown for some funky angst) and the only real time he speaks more than a few words is when he retells the tales of how he got his injuries... but he’s a little morbid to sorta reference his canon sadism so no little kids are allowed to listen in.

Despite still being an automobile enthusiast, he’s has too many looks when ‘disguised’ as an Aston Martin, so to compensate, he’s now a 1999 Honda Civic. Also, that’s what I mean by chassis gouge, just visualise the other scars haha.

imagine being such a dunce you delete what you wrote for knock out just as you were about to copy and paste it in haha

Because I don’t have an image for the Vehicons, I’m focusing on the Insecticons here instead. I’ve mentioned it once before but Airachnid isn’t the queen of the Insecticons, which happens because idk funky processor stuff I have the big fear of external content.

So, I needed to look for a horned beetle, and a beetle I found in the Hercules Beetle. Though still containing some of that Insecticon brown, I think the white-ish... elytron? The wing covers I guess.

Before I move onto Vehicons (‘Vehicon lives matter!’ You cry) I’ll talk a bit about the Predacons. Predaking, if given love and affection, is total baby. Predaking, if given the command to defend against the Autobots, would defend with dentae and claws.

With a mix? You get Merry Madness. Yes I am using Dead Sound to reference these ancient boys. Yes I am using this as an excuse to share my love of Dead Sound animations. So as a neat little twist, to show that Predacons are both the spark of hope and dangerous beasts, I wanna keep the browns and yellows and mix it with the purple. Hey! I think it’s a cool idea!

Vehicon time! There’s a little less colour variety in the Decepticons than the Autobots, but the Vehicons have turned themselves into a rainbow of a force. Sure, they might have originally been one colour scheme (red and black for general forces, white and gold for specialists) but now they have a myriad of different choices.

Some are one colour, some have two, others three. Some focus on patterns, others on flats and quite a few on lustre. Though they don’t have an unlimited amount of paint, the dwindling forces has allowed Vehicons to become whoever they want and Megatron can’t recommend it enough.

In contrast, Makeshift did his best to be the least stand-offish colour in the group. Before his untimely demise on his infiltration mission, the brief moments he was in his base form, he was adorned with the goldish finish of the Autotroopers.

May his spark rest in peace.

may my hands rest in peace jeez!

#shattered glass #tfp shattered glass #airachnid #tfp airachnid #breakdown #tfp breakdown #knock out #tfp knock out #insecticons #tfp insecticons #predaking #tfp predaking #predacons #tfp predacons #vehicons #tfp vehicons #makeshift #tfp makeshift #oh my lord my hands are so terribly sore #this is what happens when you procrastinate kiddies #did you notice the struggle to open each character with a different word and phrase? #because i hope so #transformers #tfp #headcanon #ramblings #Youtube

[phantomchick]

Challenge: list the WIPs you promised you’d update, and why you haven’t yet

I was tagged by my darling mutual and friend @frownyalfred!

This one seems fun so I'll tag a bunch of people:

@whetstonefires @mikkeneko @lurkinglurkerwholurks @audreycritter @boostergoldsmissingarm @medusaceratops @unpretty @audreycritter @sohotthateveryonedied @oh-mother-of-darkness @huilian @yuzukimist

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I tell myself I don't need anybody (But the truth is nobody needs me)

The reason for this one is actually justifiable! Because of my gameplan for the plot of the fic in order to continue it I need to finish my readthrough of ALL of the modern captain atom comics, a bunch of the crisis event chemo Bludhaven comics and maybe a couple of other ancillary comics of that era too, before I even get to writing the nitty gritty of the fic!

Unfortunately my online readthrough stalled for a while because of IRL difficulties and I've yet to get back into my swing there. Nonetheless I'm still very hyped for this fic once I have everything ready for it.

The second chapter of this is actually all but ready to publish!

Due to the fact it's plot relevant but not connected to either the Captain Atom/Chemo Drop canon which I'm still in the process of untangling for the sake of the plot.

The only things left to worry about for the second chapter before I publish is if it A. breaks up the mood of the fic that was set up in chapter 1 too much, it's a bit of an interlude so the mood is drastically different from the gritty feel of the first chapter and B. some minor characterisation details in the dialogue of one of the characters towards the end of the second chapter. Basically it just needs a little more editing on a paragraph or two and then we're set to post.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maelstrom

I actually told people I was unlikely to update it until I got some inspiration so this maybe doesn't quite fit the bill of the challenge.

Nonetheless, the major reason I haven't updated this one is I thought of a way to start off the second chapter after waking up one day but didn't write it down so I forgot and now every time I attempt to start it there's a vague but strong sense of subconscious dis-satisfaction.

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Call Me

I actually came to several conclusions recently about just why it is I've struggled to update this when I said I would!

_

I wrote the first chapter of this wip like 3 years ago and haven't updated it since (god that feels really terrible to say! I'm sorry you guys) but anyway I wrote it three years ago and have been poking at it forlornly ever since as the comments pile up unanswered (Again I'm so sorry haha).

Suddenly! Hope shone! And I wrote 2k of the second chapter out of nowhere just last week!

Now I really don't wanna lose that momentum and, well, hope to ride it enough to actually get the fic's second part done!

But at the same time it's hard to write when you don't really have any desires for scenes you can't wait to include or get to. At least that's what I've found about myself. Like I mostly just want to resolve the fic which I didn't in the first chapter but that's not very concrete as writing motivation goes y'know? Or not concrete enough to INSPIRE apparently.

So it occurred to me oh shit wait I suddenly know why writing this is such a struggle!

Originally when I wrote that first chapter of Call Me it was because I was inspired by @firefrightfic and @skalidra's co written fic Raw Nerve

Which is an abo fic wherein Jason Todd (robin of my heart) gets assaulted by Black Mask and calls Roy for help from the safety of one of his safehouses and then Roy comes in and like helps Jason recover and then helps him kill black mask - which, great fic just super well written and fun

But I was like, Craving the batdad hardcore at the time because the combined excellence @audreycritter, @medusaceratops, @fuyunoakegata and @cerusee were spoiling me with that!

So I wanted to write a version with the same premise but if Jason had called Bruce instead of Roy? And where it wasn't ABO though I only really changed that bit because I have no idea how to write that especially (or how to write in general) so I decided to make things easier on myself at least a little bit

AND THUS!

In the first chapter I already had Jason call Bruce and got to have Bruce have that major moment of r e a l i s a t i o n that was so fun in the fic I was originally drawing inspiration from, y'know?

So now it's like gah, I got the realisation whump and the hurt/comfort already what else do I want here?

Because honestly Bruce ain't gonna kill black mask this we know and writing someone beat the shit out of a rapist while fun in theory isn't actually something that gets my muse to perk up?

So right now the way I'm approaching the wip is just, thinking up potentially fun scenarios to include in the second chapter and seeing where they take me. At the very least it's melted from the cryofreeze my writer's block placed it in and instead of just chipping at it futilely I feel like I'm writing/making more progress with it again finally.

I know many of the people who love the fic think I left it in a good spot and don't think it necessarily needs a sequel chapter but to me it's unfinished, so I want to complete it no matter what!

#long post #i ramble #my fics #my wips #challenge game #tag game #I only list 3 wips here if you're wondering I just put a read me break because of the way I rambled about Call Me #I'm a polite phantomchick you guys

[mjmnorwood]

[I.D. A header image of two pencils on a yellow background, with title reading ‘Redrafting’. End I.D.]

I think redrafting can sometimes be a bit of an elusive topic. I see loads of posts with advice for finishing the first draft (which is fantastic!) but advice for what comes after you’ve finished that mammoth task is less common. Here I’ll be outlining my redrafting process, and you can pick and grab whatever bits are useful for you!

1. Let the manuscript rest.

I love to fixate on my projects (what can I say? It’s a serotonin mine!). This focus is great for finishing stuff, but it can get in the way of redrafting, because you get too close to your work to be able to spot things that need changing. When you finish a manuscript, put it aside for however long it takes for you to be able to look at it with fresh eyes. I find this is usually a month or more for novels. This is a great time to work on other projects!

2. Re-read the manuscript, then outline (or re-outline).

When it comes to re-reading your manuscript, try to look at it with a critical eye (note: this doesn’t mean you have to be negative about it! Just have your editor hat on). Don’t make edits as you read, instead, jot down anything you think needs changing. At this stage, it’s going to be big picture stuff, structure, characterisation, plotting, novel pacing etc. Small details like phrasing come much later.

After this, take your list of changes and think about how they’re going to alter your book, then make an outline based on this new structure. I think this step is incredibly helpful regardless of whether you plotted or pantsed your first draft (I’ve done both). It makes the next stage so much easier.

3. Take your outline, and write the book again.

This is a lot of work, and believe me, if I thought I could get away without it, I would, but I haven’t found anything else that improves my books as much as a rewrite. If you start over from scratch, you’re less tied to what you wrote in your first draft, so it’s much easier to make the big changes that you need to make. This doesn’t mean you have to throw your first draft out, though! You worked hard on that, there’ll be a lot of good stuff there. I like to keep it open in another window while I write the second draft, so I can copy and paste scenes I want to put in the new version (with a bit of an edit).

4. Third draft time!

After letting the manuscript rest again, come back for some editing. Don’t worry, it’s not another rewrite (unless you want to do that again...). This is where more ‘medium-picture’ changes come in, things like deleting unnecessary parts, editing the pacing of scenes, making sure character details are consistent and the like. This isn’t an exact science, you can do small-picture edits to get your prose how you want it (I’d probs advise not to go hog wild on these though, since there’ll be more changes later), or you can do more big edits (I ended up deleting a whole subplot when I was doing the third draft of my most recent book). Basically, the idea of this draft is to make it the best you can make it with only your perspective to go on.

5. Let other people to take a look.

This is where I bring in beta-readers. It’s the scariest part, in my opinion, but so worth it. Other people will spot things about your book you’d never in a million years be able to spot yourself. I like to give my books to about 3-5 people, get their feedback, then make changes based on whatever they’ve said that I think is useful.

6. Rinse and repeat.

Keep getting feedback and making changes until you’re happy with your book! This can be from beta-readers and critique partners, also sensitivity-readers and editors if you can afford those services. The idea is that with each round of revision, your manuscript should become more refined, and the changes gradually get more and more small-scale (though sometimes a reader will throw a curveball that makes you realise more big edits are needed). This is a long process, and it can be a bit of a slog, but you can work on other projects at the same time, and actually, I think the editing process itself can be fun! It's the satisfaction of polishing a rough-cut gem.

And that’s it! I hope you find these steps helpful in developing your own revision processes. Happy editing!

Like this post? Follow for more writerly content! It’ll be lovely to have you along :D

#writing advice #writing tips #writeblr #writing help #editing #redrafting #writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #writers #original

[klutzymaiden123]

Some Tips on How I Keep Motivating Myself to Write

This post was inspired by a response I recently got from @pastelnightgale and obviously, I’m not an expert (I’m literally on year 6 of a fanfic rip), but I still wanted to type something up about this. 

I find that the hardest part about writing is finding the motivation to actually start it . . . and then keep it. You can have all of these intricate fantasies in your head, with twists and turns and even a playlist you made on spotify, but actually getting up and writing it is ridiculously hard. 

Especially if, like me, you suffer from perfectionism. 

I kinda wanted to write a post about how I personally motivate myself to write, both fanfiction and my own things. Obviously, what I write is flawed and needs a lot of improvement, but I’ve come really far and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. 

So, here’s some tips I’ve picked up over the years. Feel free to apply this to whatever art you personally create, but this is primarily for writers.

1) Listening to Music

This is my number one. Easily. I’m someone who has a lot of attachment with the music I listen to (as most people do, I’d assume). Though I’m picky with the overall sound, I prefer music or artists who really put a lot of thought into their lyrics specifically. Or even when they use certain effects to carry across emotions or add more emphasis to specific lines. It’s why I’m such a fan of Taylor Swift; her songs are basically poetry packaged as pop music. 

It personally helps me to listen to music not just because it’s enjoyable, but it helps create scenarios in my head. We all shoot music videos in our head, why not try doing it with your characters? Plus, if the artist you’re listening to plays with words through metaphors or similies or imagery, it’s a massive bonus. I seriously recommend turning to music, whatever genre you listen to, and letting that sometimes paint the picture for you.

2) watching Movies. 

This is a massive one for me. I don’t know how high this would be on anyone else’s lists since films are obviously a completely different medium to books, but I find there’s a lot of things that can be useful about movies. For one thing, movies just have better fight sequences. Kinda obvious statement, but I don’t mean in a ‘well you can see it so therefore film is better’ no, I mean, film literally has better action sequences. 

Obviously, as a writer, you’re never going to be able to properly adapt the quick pace of fights in movies. But you can adapt the details in how they move. Fight scenes in movies are better then books because they’re choreographed. Now granted, I’m still beginning my journey in reading, but so far, I haven’t been impressed with what I’ve seen. Either the author writes a scene that describes the action, but with no focus on the strain it has on the character’s bodies, or they gloss over the fight completely. It makes me feel like I’m reading fanfiction, but written from the younger side. 

It’s just super dissapointing, so I try to challenge myself by studying how the characters moves, the impact of their movements on each other, and then how tired that can leave them. 

But also, movies can have other things that I think writers should learn to adapt. Like a character’s mannerisms. Now, I don’t just mean mannerisms as in what they do in their day to day lives, I mean facial ticks. Like, the minute sequences their features will go through as they’re processing news. Or their stances. Or what they do with their hands. Actors are very detailed about how they’re protraying their characters, and I just find myself aching to carry that over in my own portrayal of my characters.

It’s obviously important to realise that film and novels have both their benefits and disadvantages in what they can and can’t portray. But it’s even more important to realise that different mediums can also teach us things about our sense of portrayals.

3) Reading books

This may be surprising that it’s not number one, but honestly, I didn’t start reading actual books until late last year. I kinda used to read some in high school, but those were few and far between. This year I’ve actively been trying to emerge myself in more professional writing, as I do find it a little strange to want to write so badly without taking any infleunce from any other writers. 

Previously, I used to take inspiration from fanfiction and fictionpress, which I guess I still do. There’s definitely benefits in exclusively reading them (for instance, I prefer characterisation, romance and comedy in fanfiction) but I personally find books to be better in overall world building. I mean, obviously.

World building and setting are my weak spots, and I find that reading literal books actually helps me easier improve on these areas. Oh, and length. I’m a pretty detailed writer, but it’s sometimes hard to navigate what should and shouldn’t be getting so much focus. Fanfiction is pretty short (typically only a few pages), but books can be a whole lot longer, and how they use that space and length helps me translate it into my own pages. Granted, I tend to write way too much, but it’s still really helpful in navigating what should and shouldn’t be getting focus.

Oh, and bonus points for booktubers. They review a variety of different books, and for me personally, whenever they critique books, it motivates me to write something brilliant so they could maybe read it and smile. My favourites are WithCindy and Dominic Noble.

4) Tumblr—Specifically writing blogs. 

When I tell you that I did nothing in my last years of high school but secretly read fanfiction and writing blogs on tumblr in class, I--

Obviously, I’m biased, cause I’ve been reading tips on here since I was a kid, but I really recommend following some good blogs on here. They give such good advice, specifically on how to research, or portray certain emotions and, most of all, representation. Tumblr was actually where I learnt to write my fight scenes—about how to portray the feeling of a quick sequence of events, while balancing it out with your character’s limited view. They write things I haven’t even seen professionals talk about (and honestly, I think they could benefit from reading a tumblr blog). 

My personal favourite blogs are: Nimble’s Notebook, and Clevergirlhelps

5) Re-writes.

Okay, this is a massive one I should’ve mentioned in the beginning. Never compare what you have on your word doc to what others have published. Why? Because I can tell you that they did not start off like that. They went through massive amounts of editing and drafting and re-reads before coming out like this clean cut version. Trust me. No one’s that quick. And even if they are, who cares? It could take you two drafts, it could take you four, it could take you nine--we all work at our own pace.

It’s something I have to keep reminding myself when I’m on my first and second draft. Because they are shit. I always feel untalented when writing my first draft--oh, and that’s not a purposeful dig at myself to get compliments, I genuinely mean that. I will never let someone read one of my early drafts because they are literally so bad, and not only that, but those drafts are for me. They’re not there for anyone else yet. Early drafts are just so you can start to build your empire, they’re your foundation. You can reach for the sky the more you keep building. 

Don’t get on your own case if you don’t like your first draft. It’s fine. It gets so much easier the more you rewrite it. Trust me.

6) Write Things for You.

This is one of my favourite tips. Oh, and I don’t mean it in a ‘you’re not writing for an audience, you are the audience’ kinda way. No, I mean literally write things for you. And only for you.

If you have a story in your head that you don’t want to write because you know it’s just a phase, it won’t last long enough for you to make something out of, or you’re not confident in it, or whatever, fuck it—just write it. 

Open your word doc and type it out. Then don’t post it. Or share it. Keep it on your computer, stored away in a folder you won’t ever share. You might be asking, why would you waste your time on a project no one will ever see? Simple. 

It takes away the pressure.

A major hindrance to a writer actually writing is sometimes . . . not feeling good enough. You’re worried that an audience will laugh or mock what you’ve written, or that it won’t turn out just the way you planned it too, or even that the plot is too corny. Well, what I’ve found is that writing for myself stops me from judging myself so badly. I have so many documents on this computer of corny borderline wattpad stories that will never see the life of day. And it feels great. Cause I’m still actively writing and improving myself while eliminating that huge amount of anxiety that plagues me. 

This is such a massive tip, please consider it. Obviously, if the story turns out really well, go ahead and post it if you’re super proud of it. But otherwise, just write something with the intention of not sharing it. Keep it to yourself, so you can look back on it with fond memories. 

#writing #woc writers #books #authors #woc authors #feminism #woc writing #poc writing #poc authors

[sweet-sixteen-kraang-birthday]

2, 3, 5, 11, 17, 18, 20, 22!

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

answered this one already, but i do have other stuff im looking forward do!

I’m really intrested in the witch!rebekol storyline, have one that im nearly finished writing. Just minor parts that are killing me. I wrote this without really going back on the episodes...and now they don’t fit and im trying to work around canon so they do. I could easily make it an AU, but i don’t want. 

(but. i’m so TEMPTED to save kol somehow. oh gosh. rebekah is making it so hard.)

This one is like....a basis for more fics that I want to write about Rebekah being a witch. And The mikaelsons and their relationship with magic. !!!

LIKE OH i have in mind that Finn and Kol learned togather from their mother and i just want to write these to?? Explore what sort of dynamic they might have?? And then, perhaps link it back to his death BECAUSE i love that stuff. 

AND ELIJAH. There’s so many many things I want to explore. Esther?? MIKAEL and what he thinks and oh theres so MUCH. 

AND IM ONLY ONE PERSON *cries in writer*

AND!! Also, Rebekah and Freya. For this one that I’m writing on, I don’t think I could slip them in - it’s more on Rebekah and Kol’s relationship - but i do wish to write about them BECAUSE I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

oh boy DONT I HAVE MANY

There is this scene but I don’t want to spill that one so - I’ll chose another. Jack saving his mom  AND GETTING OUT HIS WINGS AND EVERYTHING. From glowing eyes to him just protecting his mom?? I love that trope to death. GOT SO MANY FOR HOPE AND HER PARENTS TOO. 

I know it says only one but I don’t care. ALL THE SOCEROUS (i forgot how to spell and cba to look up so ignore pls) GOING ON THEIR KNEES TO MERLIN AND MERLIN RASING HIS OWN ARMY AND SAVING BASICALLY ARTHUR AND CAMELOT ARTHUR WATCHNG ALL OF THIS. 

Magic reveal fics are my fave. And just. I want merlin being BAMF and having army?? dragons and stuff bowing down to him, okay. And Him being like “i chose arthur as my king” or something. Like I follow Arthur so you will be following him too, along those lines AND ARTHUR BEING GOBSMACKED AWED AND JUST. 

yeah, that. I have been wanting to write that particular one for ages, but errr. I don’t still even know where TO START??

(I kind of written something on the Merlin but I don’t like it. At all. I mean it has its good stuff in there but... has a whole. NEEDS SO MUCH EDITING it makes my head hurts. Also: It’s just not what I was looking for. The scene I had in mind)

(Ahhhh, fudge I really want to write this TT)

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

mmh. this hard to chose...I haven’t really thought about that. I guess, Kol? I get his feels about being outside of a group. 

11. What do you envy in other writers?

HOW LONG THEY CAN WRITE

i wish i too could write that long TT

THE ACTION. i suck at writing fighting scenes BUT I WISH I COULD. so much. Like the body language and everything HOW

The way people can write plots?? That are so good??? I just. I’m like Can I pls borrow your mind because oh wow, this is amazing. 17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

oh this is a really interesting one...

i think so! probably. I mean people all have different ways of thinking and life experiences that make them take in information different to how I do, so. I definitely think that people do. Might be wrong, who knows!

What would surprise...? I’m not sure. 

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Let’s, let’s seee.....

For: we smiled, not knowing of the storm that would take everything (the storm that was us)

I was going to add, at the end, the part where Merlin stabs Morgana and how “easy” it was for him to, but I abandoned that plot line. Couldn’t make it fit and so I left it with “Merlin looks at her and all that's left is nothing. ” — I feel like it packs to the punch needed. And that adding to it would disrupt that BOOM at the end here. But I’m still so temptated to write that scene in every time I re-read this one. Just don’t know how to though. So you could say it’s an abandoned plot line but I feel like it could make its use in other fics I want to eventually write on these two.

Also for this fic, it was not supposed to be about Morgana and Merlin... she kind of just slipped in. I forget my initial ideas for it... but it definitely wasn’t Morgana. Somewhere along the lines of Merlin exploring his magic as a kid or his mom finding out, Will maybe.

For: the sun will shine again (let the clouds clear first)

I was going to add at the end, a scene where Sam fails Jack. I forget what it was about and what I wanted to connect but it was initially going to be angsty end but I changed my mind, thought these two need a moment to breathe. Especially Sam, lol.

Also: SAM WAS SUPPOSED TO EVENTUALLY TELL JACK BUT HE DOESN’T. 

For that klelijah fic.... it wasn’t supposed to go like that. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MORE HAPPY but angst just dropped lol. I got those words saved actuallly, let me go and grab them.

It was a night without no clouds or stars. Bare and dark. They were laying beneath it, on the grass. And Niklaus was laughing, his paint-stained hands stretched out in front of him. “Look, Elijah!” He shouted. “Look!”

I didn’t know how to continue it so I scratched it off but I do adore it so much.

And also an alternative:

Elijah ran his fingers, slow and with intent down Niklaus’ cheek, taking away his tears. Pointless tears. There was no grief to shed here.

Where Elijah gets angry initially but goes like wtf? why would you ever think that? dude I made a pact to you. DONT YOU REMEMBER THAT. 

And then a kind of au:

Dizzy and numb, Elijah asked, quiet:

“Do you really think that of me?”

Niklaus did not respond. He pressed his lips tight and shifted his eyes away but it was all Elijah needed.

Different reaction from Klaus. I was going to write this in...but I realised that Klaus was already looking away from Elijah and made my head hurt with trying to fix it in so i left it out. but! i do love it.  

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

WIP. From that time travel fic I keep talking about:

Goes up to the attic and slumps down against Elijah’s coffin. Hayley doesn’t open it. Not tonight. Tonight, she runs her fingers down the metal of it. Rests her cheek on the cold and closes her eyes. 

Hayley doesn’t mean to sleep, not really, but—before she knows, Hayley is opening her eyes and it’s morning. 

The birds are singing; Hayley can hear Mary downstairs in the kitchen.

I really love this little moment. Hayley had a tired, exhausting week and comes back, empty hand. Again. And just. This time, it’s hitting a little harder. 

(It’s the fourth year anversary since they were all put to *sleep*. Four years since Klaus were taken prisoner and imprisoned. She heard news about the mighty klaus mikaelson putting down.)

(First news she heard since a long time.)

And I have this headcanon, that Hayley always goes up the attic and open the coffins—mostly Elijah’s, then Freya’s, Kol’s almost never—and she talks a little, clasps her hand to their cold hands, runs her hands down their grey skin, but. Today, she doesn’t. She can’t. Hayley can’t face that reminder. Looking at these coffins is already too much. Coming from the shower where she watched water drain out the blood is already enough. 

(When did she slip so easily into her old life)

If she opens it now, if she sees their emotionless face and their so, so still body —

So, Hayley settles to a brief touch on the coffin itself, and stays there. Couldn’t bring herself to move again to her bedroom. She closes her eyes and gives herself a moment to sink in the quiet and the cold on her cheek, gives into the exhaustion she can feel.

And before Hayley knows — time has passed, it’s morning. She lost time and by the she wakes up. It’s morning, the world is awake. Birds signing and Mary down in the kitchen. Silence filled so suddenly. 

Ehhh, I was going somewhere with this but I forget. 

oh gosh IM HAVING FEELS ABOUT THIS NOW. HAYLEY. 

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

how old are we talking about? I always come back to re-read my fics. The old ones, the ones dusting in my docs for a long, long time — and I cringe a lot, but...there’s a lot of good stuff in them as well. 

I can look back and see how far I gotten (how I’ve fallen at some parts too lol)

and just. the difference? it’s crazy.

#asks #the one and only kyler #thanks dear! #you always choose the ones that make me think #<3

[coppercrane2]

Every 5th question on the author asks :3

Author Asks Meme

5. How do you know when a story is “done”?

Usually I have run out of time and I just have to post it up… but I rarely meet my deadlines, anyway, so that’s not the best indicator. 

The truth is I feel a story’s done when I can read through it and not want to change a mountain of things.

I’ve also - believe it or not - realised that plotting things in advance of writing them helps me understand where the end point is going to be (as opposed to plunging in with a half-cocked story). That normally helps me establish at what point enough is enough.

10. Does your narrator move from character to character?

It can. Sometimes it has to for effect, but I try to be careful and stay with one character - especially when you can have up to ten characters in a scene. Most of the time a scene can move from one character to the omnipotent narrator, or sometimes switch perspective to another character for contrast, but I find the more POVs you get in a scene, the more confusing it becomes. I don’t have the talent to juggle more, so I avoid it if I can. 

15. How do you write a really good metaphor?

Most of the time they just pop into my head, and if it sounds cool enough, I throw it in, play with it and see if it is, indeed, cool, or if I’m just being a giant dork who’s overcooking it (usually it’s the latter and I cut it out).

20. What is your best piece of advice for writing smut scenes?

There needs to be a balance between describing anatomical features with analogies and crudeness - and that’s basically down to authors forgetting that characterisation is just as important in the bedroom scenes as it is everywhere else in the fic. 

Both ‘flowery’ and ‘crude’ terminology can be appropriate but it depends on so many factors: the context, which character’s POV we’re reading from, how heated the situation is and the mood you’re trying to create. I have read fics which have used the c-word for lady-parts and it’s flowed perfectly well (and I usually hate that word), but its use has made sense, it was sexy and in some ways quite beautiful/poetic. Other times it’s just the worst (this also applies when the euphemisms are too flowery). Smut is just like any other aspect of a fic. Yes, it’s a very personal thing to write, but with so many fics, I’ve found that all the beautiful characterisation they’ve been working on suddenly goes out the window in favour of writing what the author - not the characters - think is good sex. Once - although this was a particularly bad example - I read a fic where each of the senshi x shitennou couples had a sex scene and each one of those scenes were a carbon copy of the first - even down to the very reactions the Senshi had. 

A highly sexually-charged stolen moment between Rei and Jadeite should, ideally, be written differently to a highly sexually-charged stolen moment between Makoto and Nephrite. Maybe Nephrite’s always been a boob guy while Jadeite’s more keen to hear Rei moan. Makoto might get off on the taboo-ness of what their doing while Rei finds the physicality of the kiss more intimate. Jadeite might have a more ‘romantic’ mindset than Jupiter, so the language which is being used to describe what is going on will be different. 

Hopefully, if I’ve done right by my characters (and in all honesty, there are those who do this so much better than I), I should be able to put my couples in exactly the same situation yet write the scenes in completely different ways. 

25. How do you create an original character?

Out of necessity only. If I can, I always try to include characters the reader’s already familiar with - it’s fanfiction, afterall - but if there is need, I create that character to suit the situation. Their personality is also born out of necessity. If Endymion needs a messenger who he trusts, I’ll allow them to trade a little banter, to illustrate that relationship. If I want to show Endymion as kind, I’ll have that messenger be loyal and appreciative. 

30. How do you edit your stories?

I reread obsessively. If there’s something I don’t like, I change it. And then I go back to the beginning of that chapter or section and I reread the whole thing to see if the change flows with the rest of the story. And if it doesn’t I change it again, or I change it back. I basically read until I arrive at something I don’t like, fix it, go back to the beginning and then stop at the next point that needs fixing. And even if I’m happy with it, I’ll reread it again, later, just in case.

When I finally reread so much that I get sick of my own work, I either move onto the next chapter or I take a break. Then, when there’s been a long enough break, I go back to the work with fresh eyes. It usually makes things I don’t like much easier to spot. It also helps unblock parts I was stuck in. Then I start the whole process again. 

To be honest, though, I rarely have the luxury of time, so I rush the work, post it, and then a few days later I reread the published work, hate myself for not having spotted the millions of mistakes I’ve made and try to subtly change it in the published version. So I basically do the process above, but post-publishing, which is not good. 

Also, I do a lot of thinking in the shower. And just before bed. So it’s usually a race to put all the new ideas down before I get ready for work/fall asleep (to then later be fixed properly later on). 

Thanks for the asks @antivanruffles this was fun!

#author asks #author asks meme

[live-and-in-living-colour]

And so the final episode is finally here, and I sit here wondering... why on earth did I watch this entire show? Originally I think it was because I was interested to see a more accurate adaptation, because as much as I love the musical, no way can they get everything into 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Then I think it was because I was hoping Les Amis would save me. Now... now I think it’s just because I am this close to finishing it and I am stubborn.

To be fair with how much is left, they do cover the same amount of story, in roughly the same amount of time in the musical. So this might not be a disaster

I would like to appreciate the fact that the nearest big theatre just emailed saying that the Les Mis UK and Ireland tour tickets are available Tuesday

This got very long because a lot happened and I am still annoyed about the characterisations. Though to be fair, if the previous episodes had been better, the pay offs this episode would have been so great, but because of butchered charters it just... wasn’t enough

Announcer lady I found the whole show upsetting

Ah yes, we left off with Valjean going to murder Marius because that is totally a thing Valjean would do

Is this going to open with Gavroche dying because I swear

I have to say, the cinematography on this show is amazing

Why did Cosette go to sleep like that? It doesn’t even make sense, she’s still in the big dress, she isn’t face down so wasn’t crying herself to sleep

My history might be wrong, I thought Comrade was Russian, and Citizen was French 

That is a very small amount of people on the barricade. Which I get is kinda the point, but I feel that they ran out of budget

Why is Marius saying that? Courfeyrac would have been better surely

I do actually like this scene, but I feel it would have been better if we knew Les Amis better

Javert’s spider senses are tingling

So they basically just changed the whole barricade scene to have Valjean not be there?

Cosette... I am so sorry you were written in this way

Oh ok... that happened

Can Valjean just save Courfeyrac instead

And Valjean is threatening Marius again

How are they missing? Also why is Gavroche dancing?

THE HELL IS THE SOLDIER SMILING FOR?

I am actually disappointed the dog from shoujo Cosette didn’t show up to save him

So Valjean changes his mind over Marius because he runs out to get Gavroche? 

They lay Eponine and Gavroche together... now I’m sad

But Enjolras had no reason to let Valjean kill Javert

The way Valjean has been written this show, just doesn’t fit with him saving Javert

Just editing the lines from the musical slightly, doesn’t stop them being from the musical

Marius has been shot and stabbed a lot, I feel he should die like right now

NNNNNNNNNOOOOOO COURFEYRAC

Oh he is alive?

Also he and Enjolras have a lot of chemistry

STOP KILLING COURFEYRAC

I miss Hadley, he actually made the guard human not happy by all this

Least they got that bit right, even if Enjolras has been so wrong the entire show. Which is absolutely nothing against the actor, because I think he could have been fantastic if he had a better script. But that scene was very well done

Ok I swear this was legit stolen from the musical, just they haven’t all been lined up yet

Why flashbacks? What is the point of this?

Why do other police care about Valjean? And why is Javert telling him this?

I can hear that they’re in the sewers but it’s so dark I can’t actually see what’s happening

You’re only now just realising that’s Marius? I am so confused, because he knew that was who Cosette loved right? Did he just save him because he went to get Gavroche, or did he just remember some dude he saw once in the park?

Literally, the scene is so dark I couldn’t tell you what was happening

Right, there is 30 minutes left and still a lot to get through here, I swear the pacing of this show makes no sense

Oh look, symbolism

Is Valjean just pretending to be a murderer now?

Why is Thenardier acting like Ben Gunn from Treasure Island? But, you know, evil

Ah yes, Valjean, the man to blame for everyone’s problems. Because that is how the show is presenting it by getting everyone’s personalities so wrong

The thing with this, the musical, and probably other versions, it must have been so awkward to film for the actor playing Marius. Be carried around in shit, playing dead

Aren’t they going to tell him that he’s alive? Or just let them figure it out

David Bradly is such a good actor and I feel bad for him despite what he’s done in this

The problem is, I just don’t believe this version of Javert would agree to that

It just feels like Javert is doing this because the plot demands it, not because of his character

I feel like I have been insulting Javert a lot, and just wanted to say that this has nothing to do with the acting, that has been incredible. It is the bad writing

You know, if only there was another way for Javert to let his emotions out rather then saying to some random police office. I don’t know... a song maybe

But you didn’t live your life by the law is good, and criminals are bad. You were just spending your life getting Valjean and nothing else

Maybe this is where Shoujo Cosette influences it and he doesn’t jump

Well, least there was no horrific body snap

I am as confused by Thenardier by that, he seemed to have changed his mind

There is 10 minutes left, and still so much left

By why did they let Cosette up to see him, they didn’t know who she was

Oh he was hallucinating, that makes more sense now

“All my friends” you didn’t have any others because they were cut

Ok, the reunion between Marius and his grandfather was sweet, I’ll give them that much

And it’s the ugly blue dress again

She isn’t a dove, she’s a lark

Valjean sure knows how to tell people things, just blurting them out like that

Just... what is this version of Valjean? I miss Hugh Jackman, and I never thought I’d say that

Like... there’s 3 minutes left, how are they going to do this?

Wait he’s going to the wedding now?

OH, ok apparently this goes on until quarter past

Why is Cosette a part of this conversation?

So Cosette is just... in a room with her abuser? Ok, great, glad they did that

I feel the scene with Marius and Cosette was one we needed

Are they actually going to ever address what happened to Madame Thenardier, or Azelma?

Wait, what?

Oh sure, now his hair is grey, YOU’RE 4 EPISODES LATE

Valjean being too blunt again

You know, I normally cry when Valjean dies, I’m just waiting for them to get on with it. And once again, nothing against the actor at all, just a bad script

I love that shot of the candlesticks 

Oh god, it’s the two little boys starving. That’s not ok. Although I do kind of get what the message there was, and it is clever, but it hurts

So Azelma just vanished? Ok great

#les mis #Les Miserables #les miserables bbc

[theinquisitivej]

SteamHeart Episodes 9 & 10 Reactions

It’s been a while, but we’re here – this is SteamHeart.

Whether you’re a newcomer or a long-time fan of the alternate history fictional series New Century, there’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to this new entry. SteamHeart is a grand road trip narrative that follows a group of charming and capable characters embarking on a mission of utmost importance. It’s set in the late 19th Century in the Reunified States of America, a country that has just barely come back from the brink of total disintegration after being confronted with the Wendigo, a devastating and savage new species of uncertain origin.

         That’s the set-up, and while there’s a few extra details from the preceding New Century stories that will doubtless come up in SteamHeart as it progresses, that’s all anyone really needs to know before jumping into this new story. It may be the instalment that closes out the first phase of this overarching narrative, but SteamHeart is very considerate towards newcomers. Relistening to the first eight chapters of the audiobook through the podcast, I found that everything you need to know about the setup of this world and the pasts of all the key characters is given to you in a way you can easily digest if it’s all new. Not too much is thrown at you all at once, and the personality of the different characters narrating all of this always comes across, meaning that you not only know who they are straight away, but you also have a compelling way to find out all this information. You will not be at a disadvantage if you’ve never heard of New Century and start listening to SteamHeart.

         But, if you are curious to know more about what this story is, and what the first eight episodes are about, then I have a list of writeups you can check out if you want to take a deep dive into one of the best alternate history fantasy series out there. If appealing characters, the steampunk aesthetic, Westerns, huge anthropomorphic badass purple tigers, nail-biting human drama, survival horror/action against savage and fascinating beasts, or decent writing in general is up your alley, start listening to SteamHeart here, and then read the following articles to get you all caught up on where we were when we last left off on this story.

Since these chapters were originally published in a slightly different order before the definitive edition of Secret Rooms was a thing, the titles of these articles may not reflect how they are currently ordered or titled in SteamHeart.

‘Chapter One: The Fall’, ‘Chapter Two: Sharpshooters’, and ‘Chapter Three: Last Survivor’

‘Chapter Four: The Subtle Engineer’, ‘Chapter Five: The Starlit Eyes’, and ‘Chapter Six: The Shadow in the South’ 

‘Chapter Seven: Return of the Hunter’ and ‘Chapter Eight: Armor’ 

         So, after finishing Let Them Go, reexperiencing Secret Rooms in its best form, we have returned to SteamHeart. We’re back in – Let’s ride.

 Chapter Nine: Eight Dresses

You can listen to the episode here. 

Preparations are underway for the ball that will introduce Team Steam, the new name for the group going on this expedition, to the general public. We get a brief discussion on the stifling world of formal women’s fashion of the time period. Despite the Reunified States being an even harsher place to live than the America of our world in the 19th Century, keeping up appearances is evidently still a necessary duty for anyone dealing in politics or public engagement. There may only be one dress maker left in Washington, but their services are nevertheless still required, so society hasn’t entirely moved past unnecessary decadence. The whole thing seems ridiculous and uncomfortable to Abigail. She reflects on the excessive and dangerous lengths people go to in order to put together a finished ballroom dress, and when she’s pushed into the pink monstrosity and the suffocatingly tight orange dress, this insane world of fashion and Abigail seem incompatible with one another. It’s cathartic to see her rip the orange dress and talk about buying and burning the shop down once she returns from the mission a rich and famous hero. Still, Abigail is aware that the mood has changed after she vents her frustrations, noting that whatever playful levity had been there had been sapped away by her behaviour. There’s no dramatic altercation, but the development of the scene does echo those moments in life where spirits flare up and all of a sudden the easy-going atmosphere of the situation has dissipated without our meaning it to.

         We move on to a scene with some really solid characterisation of Annie and a wonderful moment shared between her and her husband Frank Butler. Annie is still turning over in her head the weight of responsibility that has been put on her by Director Arlington. She has been given a direct order to execute her charge if the situation calls for it, and the possibility of that scenario coming to pass is messing her sense of surety in her own judgement. She has no idea what tiny decision might set off a chain of events that means she has to make that call, and that much anxiety would make anyone susceptible to indecision. It could explain why Annie seemed particularly upset in the previous scene when Abigail was being deliberately difficult with Truth; Annie doesn’t want Abigail to be butting heads, because one day that could reach a point where the two of them will fall out to such an extent that Annie will either not be able to make a clearly thought out decision, not be able to properly protect Abigail, or even be forced to follow her orders and execute her. Annie made a promise to Katherine Holloway to look after James and Abigail, and she must be feeling torn up inside to know that she may one day have to break her promise in the worst possible way.

         But bless Frank, he lifts the situation up in just the right way. Giving Annie the dress and the means for her to make all the changes she actually wants for her very own dress shows just how well he knows her. Frank knows that Annie can sew, he knows what kind of dress she would want, and he knows that having something she can work on and control right now will do her the world of good when so many things feel out of control. The performances of Laureta Sela and Spencer Leeb do hit just the right tone of tenderness and genuine joy that their respective characters feel when they’re in each other’s company. Seeing this perfect moment that these two people who love each other get to enjoy is profoundly touching. Don’t you dare harm them Alex, I know you’re thinking about it. AH- DON’T.

         We transition to another tender moment of a husband and wife enjoying a secluded minute to themselves as Sarah and Thomas Arlington get ready for the ball. Sarah recalls the effort that she, Truth, and Harry had gone through to reconvince Thomas that it makes the most sense for Harry to go on the mission with the others, even if his paternal protectiveness and general wariness of danger on all sides makes this a difficult decision for him. We see Thomas exhibit his characteristic mistrust of the world when he lays Sarah’s bullet proof jacket on the bed, asking her to wear it as a precaution and a favour to him. If Thomas had it his way, he would enclose himself and the people that matter to him in the most airtight, perfect suit of armour he could find. The events of Arlington make it easy to see why he feels this way.

         But Sarah isn’t Thomas, and his gesture presents her with a dilemma that she has to seriously consider. Wearing the armour is a statement, and even if its disguise as a civilian jacket means that very few people will realise she’s making it, she has to decide if she’s comfortable knowing that she chose to make that statement. Sarah wants to trust people – it’s an elemental part of who she is, as represented by Sarah’s remark after her mind goes to the many outfits in her wardrobe, as she says “not all of which went with this jacket of mine”. This jacket is a part of her wardrobe, but it’s not compatible with every outfit she would normally wear, and I would argue it’s not entirely compatible with who she wants to be. This time, she resigns herself to wearing the armour, but she resolves with a strong determination that she will step outside without armour another day. It’s a small decision that provokes an introspective moment that explores meaningful questions of trust and our unspoken interactions with the rest of the world. And yes, it does have a profound resonance for those who have a strong attachment to Arlington.

         The epilogue of this episode tells us that Truth fantasised as a child that she would grow up to be Queen of America. It’s a cute fact about Truth’s childhood that provides a small glimpse into a more playful side of her character. It also provides context as to why she has such a head for politics and public engagement. She’s played with the idea of leading a nation her whole life, and the fact that the childhood version of her wanted to be Queen of a monarch-less country is indicative of a romanticised vision of what a leader could and should be. It’s a surprising thing to learn about the pragmatic, more calculating version of her that we know.

 Chapter Ten: The April Ball

You can listen to the episode here.

I love those episodes or chapters of ongoing fiction where we get to see the main characters go to a party. Cutting between different individuals or pairings to see how the different personalities are handling themselves in an environment we don’t usually get to see them in can be a source of memorable humour and especially enjoyable character moments. It can also lead to some meaningful moments of introspection that can come out in a unique way; sometimes there are those strange, lucid moments that sneak up on you when you’re at a party where you suddenly become very reflective or melancholy. It doesn’t always have to be a party either. ‘The Ember Island Players’ is one of my favourite episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender because it’s a respite for the main group right before things are going to get more intense than they ever have before, so it’s a chance for both the characters and the writers of the show to have a little bit of fun before they close out their journey. I bring this up because I get a little bit of a sense of that with ‘Chapter Ten: The April Ball’, especially due to its name which suggests the ball is a spring-time event, a season of vitality and optimism when things are on the up and up. Team Steam is going to be heading out on a grand journey that will be full of perils, so it makes sense both within the context of the story and from a structural point of view to have this ball where we get to see our characters at a party.

         Having said that, it’s not a fun filled jubilant occasion for everyone. Raven’s opening narration catches new readers up on the current state of class divisions in the Reunified States, going over how, when the Wendigo was at the doors of the people of America, high social standings didn’t do much to help you out, and they certainly didn’t give you a lot of skills to fall back on when you were part of little pockets of survivors and had to find a way to contribute to the group. A large percentage of the upper class didn’t make it. Even so, this ball has brought out the last remnants of that world, along with those who have risen up and established themselves at the top of the ladder in this new society. The atmosphere is hardly convivial, and several members of the main cast don’t appear to be at ease in this setting. Abigail feels out of place and sees James, who looks completely right for the occasion, as her lifeline, but is denied this when they’re separated. Harry finds that there’s a little too much information to take in, managing to stay afloat when James, sympathetic to her feelings in this situation, walks her through the steps (both for the dance and how to get by when surrounded by this many people). Most heart-breaking of all, Jeremy and Donald have been partnered with other people and, for all-intents-and-purposes, have been forbidden by Truth to dance together or show any signs that they’re a couple. It’s painful to hear about Jeremy putting on a smile while barely keeping back his tears. The injustice of society working against people being with who they love if it doesn’t fit their standards is eloquently summarised by Harry’s remark “it’s such a shame they won’t let us dance with who we really want to”. A perfect summation of denied love. Even Truth, who has an eye for navigating her way through these parties, addresses the fact that this is not a place for our characters to relax. She briefs the other female members of the group on their approach, telling them that they’re here to make connections and work on making the best impression of the group and the mission they can – “There’s a time for fun and games, and it’s not at parties”. The mood of this episode is playful at times, and there are moments where you’re happy for this chance to rest before things get dangerous. But it also shows why these settings can be a source of anxiety, and why putting on a show for the world can be soul crushing.

         One of the most intense scenes at the ball is when Abigail dances with Arlington. Hearing her thoughts as she struggles to get a read on him shows how striking the effect he has on people is. He has a quiet fire that is frightening and magnetic all at once. Abigail even confesses that she sees many of the qualities in him that attracts her to James. The two men do share a calculating disposition that values logic which seems cold at first, but it hides a passionate resolve that flares to the surface when it counts. Arlington moves with a stoic surety that compels Abigail to follow his steps as they dance, which acts as a poetic metaphor of his approach to politics and his efforts to lead this country. For the time being, Arlington is leading this dance, and the country, in a way which seems correct and will likely get them through to the end of all this. But he and Abigail talk of the desire to deliberately put a foot wrong, just to see what will happen. Arlington is conducting himself exactly as he knows he should, but there is a part of him that wants so badly to kick the table over and meet the people he sees as enemies on his terms. When Abigail asks how long they can continue this dance, he answers “as long as we can” with sad, tired resignation. I find Arlington to be one of the most fascinating characters in all of New Century.

         There are so many pieces of great writing and enjoyable character moments peppered throughout this chapter, so to finish off I’ll quickly go through some of my favourite bits. Abigail noticing Thomas and Sarah Arlington’s armoured jackets and wondering what they expect to happen and feeling worried is a decent payoff to the end of the previous episode when Sarah deliberated over whether to wear the jacket or not, showing us that she was right to think about the message such an action conveys. The footman announcing each of the main characters and his occasional embarrassment and frustration at being interrupted is a fun to watch, and Abigail’s commentary on how each person is received and how they conduct themselves speaks volumes of their different characters. When James and Abigail share a mischievous laugh together afterwards, it’s absolutely adorable. I ship it. Later, Abigail meets the blusterous buffoon Dutch Van Tassel, and she describes him as having “a great big bushy beard”. Now, this might just be a result of having watched this film a dozen or so too many times, but hearing that statement makes me wonder if that’s intended to be a reference to Hot Fuzz. Abigail gets bailed out from her conversation with Dutch by- oh sweet, it’s Li! She was a cool addition to the cast in Arlington, and I’m definitely glad to have her quiet, steely temperament back. Annie and Frank have the good fortune to be able to dance with the person they love and openly display that connection to the world, but they’re also compassionate enough to help those who aren’t having as great a time. I’m glad that Annie helps Jeremy get close to Donald, and when Frank speculates that Harry has feelings for James it did make sense, as I had similar suspicions. I continue to enjoy Frank and Harry’s relationship, as he’s a good friend to her and knows just how to word things. I’m pleased that Abigail gets to meet Nathanial Curtis and that she gets along with him. He’s an accomplished and immensely respectable man who nevertheless has the humble nobility of an old friendly soldier, so it’s no wonder that Abigail likes him immediately, especially with her father being a soldier as well. The episode and the party conclude with Abigail stepping outside for some air and meeting Raven, and his honesty is refreshing, even if his attitude means he isn’t the smoothest conversationalist. The instruments finish playing their music, and the applause signals the end of the episode.

I do love a party.

         Chapter Ten’s epilogue tells us that Thomas and Sarah have twelve days left, referring to the closing events of Arlington. But I have to wonder whether the wording means that the significance of the statement is that they each have twelve days left, or that they have twelve days left of being together. Either way, it’s an immensely sad thought.

#The Inquisitive J #review #critic #narrative #narrative analysis #fiction #audiobook #audio drama #fictional podcast #books #alternate universe #alternate history #alternate history fiction #new century #new century multiverse #the new century multiverse #steamheart #the inquisitive j reviews

[thementalattic]

I’ve been critical in the past of the reboot Tomb Raider franchise and at least once, the series proved me wrong. So, despite my criticisms at the ridiculous notion that Shadow of the Tomb Raider was still part of the origin story for Lara Croft, I was hopeful for this new entry in the series.

I shouldn’t have bothered. It’s trash. It’s beautiful, but trash.

The Good

Look at the Shiny Shiny: Shadow of The Tomb Raider is visually stunning. Gorgeous really. The jungles, landscapes, temples and vistas can often be breath-taking. My favourite thing though is the water, from the smallest pond to the largest lake it’s all clear and gorgeous, even if it’s full of sunken temples and vicious piranha swarms—even though most piranha species aren’t really dangerous to humans, but that’s something for another time.

The Bad

Boring Plot: Shadow of the Tomb Raider fails to raise the stakes, even with a world-ending plot, particularly because aside from four extremely localised natural disasters—localised around Lara specifically and failing to kill any important character—it doesn’t really feel like the world is ending. There are no lasting effects on the game’s world and those big events happen so far apart from one another that all tension evaporates. Doesn’t help that the villains are painfully dull and Lara’s characterisation makes her incredibly boring. It’s been three games and she still doesn’t have a personality. What she does have and is still an annoying major factor, are her daddy issues. Oh, and she’s now officially a vicious murderer.

Bland Re-tread: If the boring and short plot wasn’t bad enough, it’s even worse when you realise, quite early on, that the entire game is just a formulaic re-tread of the previous one without any of the charm that Rise of the Tomb Raider had. It’s once again a search for a MacGuffin while fighting Trinity, in an exotic locale and you meet a village of people seemingly lost to time which guard or are directly related to the MacGuffin in question. And of course, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has its own version of the Deathless and Oni, because this game was made with a checklist.

Dull Exploration: You know, I miss the days when Tomb Raider games had fun exploration and platforming. Rise had some of it and with its climbable arrows there were some fun moments in the end game. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider all exploration consists primarily of these three activities: swimming, climbing and rappelling—there is so much damn rappelling. Neither of those is really fun. Also, if I never have to see Lara squeeze through a narrow wall or barrier I’ll be delighted. It happens in every single damn place you visit. Everyone built their temples with tight walls to make passage uncomfortable.

Wasted Skills: The skill interface in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is beautiful, just another shiny shiny to distract you from the shallowness. The skills themselves range from combat and movement stuff, to even having merchants sell new inventory, which I thought was weird as hell. But the strangest and worst thing is the sheer number of combat and stealth takedown skills for a game with barely any combat. I spent about 70% of the game just swimming and rappelling and fought a handful of soldiers that were too few and too far in between. Only the last hour of the game ramps it up and it’s nowhere near enough, so why have so many fun ways to kill people when there’s barely anyone to kill?

Shallow Apocalypse: Why would you bother with an end of the world plot with natural disasters when those disasters are going to matter so little? The flood at the start of the game is just that, one town flooded. No further consequences. Lara’s plane gets caught in the apocalyptic storm and she violently crashes. But everyone survives without a scratch. Earthquake happens and only destroys a tiny village once more. But the locales you visit, where you do your exploration? Oh that remains untouched, which completely kills the tension. Every character makes it sound like the world is ending but it’s a lie, the areas you explore remain as pretty and idyllic as ever. So why bother? They should have made every disaster have lasting consequences, have them affect the regions, change the landscape, you know make it matter!

Simple Puzzles: I praised the puzzles in the tombs on Rise of the Tomb Raider and instead of doubling up and making the new ones even more complex, we get single-room puzzles with very little challenge. The most complex one involves shining light rays to jade bits to raise or turn platforms and it’s incredibly simple. In fact there isn’t a single complex puzzle in the entire game, or many puzzles for that matter. I did more stealth encounters than puzzling and I completed all challenge tombs. And as I’ve said, there isn’t that much combat either, stealth or otherwise.

Slow Chase: You know those big action moments where you’re escaping something and everything else is being destroyed? Those big set pieces where Lara inherits the Drake reverse Midas Touch and every ledge breaks at the slightest touch? In Shadow of the Tomb Raider those are astoundingly boring, mostly because the developers and designers tip their hands and make it clear in how little danger you are. That platform that looks about to crack? It won’t until you jump off it. All that destruction from the flood? Oh that’s just creating new walkways for you to move on. But by far the worst happens in the Hidden Village, where you’re being chased by guards in the stupidest chase scene I’ve ever seen. It’s incredibly slow (Lara’s not even jogging), short and fails to deliver in any conceivable metric especially when you realise the guards don’t make any hostile movements towards you. Doesn’t help that they all boil down to sequences where you only press forward and occasionally jump or climb.

Surface-level Immersion: There is an option to set your level of immersion when it comes to in-game language. If you turn it on, then the native characters will speak in their own tongues and the major ones in English. Though it’s a step in the right direction it ends up actually destroying all immersion. Nothing takes you out of the game more than listening to Lara talk in British English to a child from a hidden Mayan village. He’s talking in his native tongue and she’s responding in English and he’s fine with it, when that makes no sense whatsoever. Was it too much to have Lara’s actor do some more lines in those languages? That would’ve been truly immersive. But nope, pointless half-measure it is.

Inventory Woes: Aside from the ridiculous bit of using skills to unlock new merchandise, an issue I ran into while playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider was my resource bags maxing out constantly, to the point where I started selling off everything I had. Part of it is that everything you can buy is ridiculously expensive, so you’re not getting new weapons or outfits—top & boots or full body, crafted and with special bonuses—to sink your resources into that often. And even if you do, or find a handful in crypts and from quests, you can max them out incredibly easy and most of them aren’t really big upgrades. In fact, the best weapons and armour you can get are of course included in the super-duper game editions, because greed is a big thing for developers these days. I had those, but I decided to use the ones I unlocked or bought in-game only, to see just how much they locked behind a pay-gate.

Pointless Upgrade Requirements: In the two other Tomb Raider titles, you came across barrier requiring different tools and weapons to open and it was instantly clear why you needed them, such as a grenade launcher for the bolted metal barriers. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider you have the classic fire-arrow obstacle and the rope ascender barrier from earlier games; but there’s also a shotgun barrier and a sturdy knife barrier with no visual difference between these and the regular bits you can clear with your other tools. Same for the boxes you can pry open with your climbing axes and the new ones you need lock-picks for. You’re already using the axes as a crowbar, why lock-picks? Also, who decided that most of these tools should only be available from a merchant later in the game? So much stuff got dumped on merchants, like it was the easiest way to include items they couldn’t place in the very short story. In fact, considering Lara’s had them on two games already, why not give her the ascender from the start?

Army of Clones: Shadow of the Tomb Raider is indeed visually beautiful, at least in terms of landscapes. Where it’s not is with its characters, particularly the secondary ones. I think they had two models for children, women and men and just swapped them around incessantly. I spoke to the same guy with different names and too many of the same kid. No variety whatsoever. The phrase “all these people look alike” applies perfectly to the people you meet in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gallery

I got #ShadowOfTheTombRaider on preorder and the superduper edition for early access. I shouldn’t have wasted that money…here’s the review!

I’ve been critical in the past of the reboot Tomb Raider franchise and at least once, the series proved me wrong.

I got #ShadowOfTheTombRaider on preorder and the superduper edition for early access. I shouldn't have wasted that money...here's the review! I’ve been critical in the past of the reboot Tomb Raider franchise and at least once, the series proved me wrong.

#Action #Adventure #Apocalypse #Featured #Gaming #Hidden Village #Lara Croft #Maya #PC #Review #Rise of the Tomb Raider #Shadow of the Tomb Raider #Tomb Raider #Trilogy #Video game