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oh-phineas · 5 months

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Your Name: Emma

Characters: Phineas Flynn, Tiana Truitt, Aquata Triton, Anna Sommers (Closed) Bruce White, Anastasia Tremaine, Tanya Tiwari, Mirabel Madrigal, Lightning McQueen, Samuel Smiegel, Roz Peterson-Boggs

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth (we recommend choosing an older character, but it’s up to you!) What about their story has surprised you? What are you proud of? How have they changed from their original inception to now?

Let's talk about Annie! She can be kind of a volatile muse for me— sometimes I am exploding with muse and I am just obsessed with her and other times I really struggle. But I love her and I've gotten to do some really fun things with her.

One thing that has really surprised me about Annie is her writing career. I did not plan that at all when I first got her, and I think I mostly took her in that direction because there were fun plot opportunities with Toby (shoutout to that man for getting her a job she absolutely was unqualified for) and only then did I realize this actually made so much sense for her. She loves gossip, she loves creating narratives around people, and she has a ruthless side that comes out in these harebrained plots with Toby. This was a 2022 plot, but I absolutely loved when they teamed up to "expose" Elena and Dian's relationship, and that little plot has snowballed to some fun ones that followed: investigating Hatter, and now this new attempt to expose the merperson they are writing to!

The thing that's fun to me about Annie's growth is that she is absolutely not becoming a better person, but I think she's becoming a more confident one. Which is... well, it's not a good thing, but in some ways, it still is? Part of the reason Annie is so heinous is that she basically had her whole sense of identity destroyed when she went through her divorce, she'd based her whole sense of self around this man and this life that ultimately betrayed her and she came to Swynlake basically floundering and taking that lack of self out on other people. Now, she is starting to build a career that she's proud of and she has something that's all her own. And it is um kind of destroying lives in the process but I DO think idk there's a way this could still lead to her being less horrible (or maybe it won't and you know that's okay we need villains!) I think a lot about this text post that's like "they make each other worse but in the same way they connect and feel less alone and discover they have the same complexes and as a result and grow as people and then somehow loop around to making each other better" and like I could see that for Annie. Maybe. We'll see. That crazy girl surprises me all the time!!!

I'm also really excited to have Drizella in town, and they've only interacted a little, but I just love them so far. You know me. Sucker for complicated sibling relationships.

Okay okay one more thing it was an AU so it doesn't really count toward her arc but her plot during the Happily Ever After AU was some of the most fun I've had in AUs. Such a blast. I loved her fucked up little situation with Gaston. More of that please.

Pick another character (or the same character if you only have one) and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

I have some big plans for Lightning McQueen, still figuring out exactly how to put them into action. He's trying to get his shit together, to prove to Cruz that he wants to be there for her and he does care about her, even if he's historically been really bad at showing it in any meaningful way. So I want to continue with his journey to learning how to do that. His friends are going to be a big part of that, namely Doc and Agustin. So I want to do more things with them. I've found something I really enjoy is having my character ask for advice from another character and then have that influence their actions, I just find it so fun and a good way to involve a bunch of different characters in a plot.

I think the thing that's a little daunting to me is figuring out how I'm going to handle his career and such. The difficult thing about Lightning is that his life is really defined by Racing Season and the Off Season, and if I don't get my plotting shit together by Racing Season I have to scramble. So I want to be really intentional about that this year and have a solid plan going in. That doesn't necessarily mean Lightning is going back to racing, but... it could. I just want to be intentional about it, basically.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

So last year I talked about closing Henry and I hope it's not boring for me to talk about closing Anna this year. I think closing is just such a big production for me and even though it can be difficult I end up taking the opportunity to coordinate some of my biggest and favorite plots around closes and that's why they're fun to talk about.

I'm proud of my Anna close because I feel like I did some creative things with it! I'd been setting this up since before Peri was even closed, laying the groundwork for them to stay in touch and then for Anna to put together that fundraiser in December of 2022. Then I organized the spring break trip to Norway, which was really fun to get other characters involved in, and there was also the Ashleigh and Evy stuff going on in the background. And we got to send her off with Olaf, which was just the perfect ending and I'm so happy Laur wanted to do it that way. Even if this close wasn't as crazy and dramatic as Henry's, I feel like I wrapped up the major beats of Anna's arc in a satisfying way and I got to do some unique things along the way. Hate to see her go but love to write her off <3

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 things you love to write about (metaphors? Sibling relationships? Physical description?) and talk about why you enjoy it!

Complicated family and friendship dynamics. I think I'm at a place in my life where this is really one of the most important things to me, especially being from a big family and being at kind of a crossroads with a lot of relationships in my life as we all get older and have to navigate new weird dynamics. So I really love relationships where things are a little strained sometimes, where people love each other but don't always know how to express it, where people hold onto deep resentments or misunderstand each other, where people know they want to be in someone's life forever but that doesn't mean their relationship is perfect or even great, they just know they love them. I feel like I could go on and on but yeah to me I enjoy writing romantic relationships but the platonic and the familial are really taking center stage I think.

Situational comedy, silliness, and irony. I love a wacky plot, especially when it's satirizing something or or poking fun at the weirdness of our world and the people in it. And I think there's a lot of opportunity to do it in a low-fantasy setting like Swynlake. I think SSHIIT is a good example of this, or all the jokes about being dead that Tanya makes, and I feel like I do this a lot with Smee. Bruce's fish-out-of-water antics fit in here too, like I know all the people he bit was pretty bad but in a way it was also kind of funny to me lmfao. I think it's why I play a lot of villains who are total clowns. Idk I just always love a plot that starts with an incredibly wild concept but it's actually getting at something real and true. If that makes any sense lol.

What major updates have your characters gone through this year? (For example: beginning/ending a relationship, moving, starting a new job, adopting a pet, etc). Think if it as anything you would have put in the #character-updates channel. If you have a pinned post, consider adding these updates so everyone is aware of them in the future.

Phineas: Started his newest business venture, Build a Brand. Also built an app with Kim despite some setbacks and weirdness between the two of them. Played Kenickie in Grease. Started dating Fawn! Tore his ACL and underwent surgery to repair it. Worked on creating a new version of SSIC called SPF with Pip. Soon will be saying goodbye to his big sis who's going off to grad school.

Tiana: Helped bring Aurora back to the waking world! Said goodbye to Ella and Willa when they had to move away :( Started seeing Cora, first more casually and then slightly more seriously, though it is an open relationship.

Aquata: Moved in with Boo after Lana moved in with Jake. Graduated from Pride U with her master's degree in sport management and left Swynlake Secondary. Got rejected from the Pride U coaching job she thought she had in the bag. Began studying to do personal training at Olympus Gym. In an undefined situationship with James.

Bruce: Was broken up with by Snow, and ultimately became friends with her again. Played Vince Fontaine in Grease. Started his merperson support group with the help of Gil. Opened up to Herc about being a merman and even told him some things about life in the ocean. Began taking on more responsibility at Whosits and Whatsits.

Anastasia: Went to court with Tom over custody of Levi and got custody for one day/night per week. Played Patty Simcox in Grease. Investigated the disappearance of the Unbirthday Blend with Toby, only to have it return to the menu before they could publish. Launched a new investigation over the existence of mermaids in Swynlake. "Fired" Herc as head of the neighborhood watch, "hired" Kim only to have her quit, and is recruiting again. Had her sister show up in town.

Tanya: Crashed Pip's birthday party, sparking feuds with Pip, Milo, and Mim. Apologized and made up with Mim! Volunteered for tech on the summer play and began an online situationship with "Charlotte," aka Penny's online alter ego who looked like Jenny. Had a massive blowout with Penny when the truth was revealed. Began working at the Inn's dining room. Got back in touch with her sister, decided that she will eventually move on, and told Zero about this plan. Told Mim the truth about being a revenant.

Mirabel: Started dating Alice, and then they broke up when Alice left to be queen of the fae realm. Kissed Candace at a party and then started crying about Alice and ruined the mood. Stage Managed Grease. Bridesmaid in her sister's wedding. Started playing DnD with Eilonwy, Ian, Tony, and Dipper.

Lightning: Had a weird one-sided love affair with a fictional ghost named Thea that Jessie impersonated. Began volunteering with the kids' summer Magick Grand Prix camp, only to quit/be fired when Cruz overheard him talking shit about the program Rust-Eze. Officially decided to go on hiatus and take a step back from the racing world. Went on a disastrous date with Cass.

Smee: Decided, along with Hook, to leave Swynlake and go after the infamous crocodile monster. Injured his knee in July and it hasn't been quite the same since. Got involved in an art forgery project with James.

Roz: Made her debut! Karen moved back in and things have been tense ever since. Advised on the mission to go after Clayton and brought Leo in. Started to befriend Elinor.

Talk about your dash reply style and your Discord reply style! (And if applicable, also your doc reply style). What do you like about each type of interaction? What is something you feel is difficult? Do you have preferences regarding how many times you’re tagged per day, or do you prefer for your replies to be queued for a certain amount of time?

I'll do all three! I tend to suggest dash as the default, Discord when I want to do something quickly (or if I'm away from my laptop but want to do something) and docs for something that needs to post on a certain date or again if I want to do something quickly. I basically like all three the same, but the latter two are more likely to cause me to lose something so I just might need to be poked. I don't have any preferences on tagging per day, but I do tend to reply the next day (unless IRL stuff sets me behind schedule) so I just ask that people let me know if they want stuff queued! I also try to keep track of people who only want to be tagged once or twice, but as a general rule I will reply to everything unless otherwise told.

And now, a wishlist! Jot down a few themes or stories or genres etc that you want to maybe pursue in the upcoming year! (i.e. a good ol’ fashion forbidden romance, maybe you want to dig deep into racial identity etc) This doesn’t have to necessarily be attached to any characters or stories you have now– it’s just meant to help you see for yourself what kind of stories call to your heart.

I don't know how to make this happen but I would love to do an exes plot where they can't let it go and keep crawling back to each other. Basically I just want an excuse to pull this shit lmaooooo.

More messy breakups in general

MORE ORGANIZED CRIME

A road trip

Being Tempted By The Forces Of Darkness

More sports???

I always want to do more stupid uni shenanigans like idk remember when we taped someone to the wall

Get into more backstory stuff for my older characters, like Smee and Roz

The idea of this intimidates me weirdly but an absolutely hopeless crush. Like extremely down bad territory. UNREQUITED. With lots of ooc communication ofc

Rivals and sabotage

Weird wacky magic shenanigans, like random curses and stuff. I'm always forgetting we live in a magic town and we can just do that!

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

Because it's fun, because I love storytelling, because writing doesn't HAVE to be a solitary activity it can be a fun group project. Because I can experiment and try out new things and explore things that idk how to express in any other creative form. Because I love when I can do something I love and not feel like I'm competing with everyone, we're just all working together. Because I think having free hobbies is rlly important. And because even after all these years I still love playing pretend!

#swyntask #swynquestionnaire

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moon-yeongtae · 1 year

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Your Name: Han

Characters: Tae Moon, Emira Blight, Robbie Ryeo, Haru Yoshioka, Sindri Dyrsson

Tae has grown a lot and I’m actually really proud of him. He started out as a very angry teenager. When I first got him he had just been kicked out of school for fighting, he hated his brother who had just come back into his life, and he resented his whole family basically. I remember writing him in those early days and he was always just so full of anger. (He met Louie by punching him in the face I’m pretty sure.)

As he grew up and spent more time around Jun, their relationship got a little bit better. It’s still not perfect and I love that about it, but Tae doesn’t resent him for leaving like he did at the beginning. He understands that Jun was just living his life and couldn’t stay with him forever, especially when he had plans to be a doctor. Like I said, they don’t get along perfectly, but Tae loves his brother a lot.

The biggest change, though, is Tae’s relationship with himself.

Before, he was refusing to even think about why he felt so angry all the time. He refused to wonder why he thought the world was out to get him and why he felt like lashing out was the only way to deal with it. And then, when he realized he was gay and thought about how angry it made him that he couldn’t just be himself, he started to hide even more! He hid his feelings for Nemo and his sexuality from his family for such a long time and never got to tell his dad about himself.

When Tae came out to his mother I was very emotional. I honestly wasn’t sure it would even happen while he was still living with her because he was so scared to do it. It didn’t go perfectly, which I also love, but it was just so brave of him and he’s grown up so much! He even stood up to Jun when it came to University and made his own choices and he likes his life right now. He’s very happy and I’m very happy for him and I’m just so proud of all the progress he’s made.

Pick another character (or the same character if you only have one) and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

I’m going to talk about Emira for a second because I have plans for her. Firstly I plan to dig a little deeper into her illusion magic. I haven’t done too much with it yet, probably because I always sort of felt kind of out of my depth when it came to sorcery. Our sorcery lore is so expansive and wonderful and amazing and I never really felt like I’d be able to do it justice, but I’m starting to get over that particular mental block. I think working on the illusion sorcery lore really helped with this and made me feel more confident in exploring it.

An interesting thing I’ve noticed about Emira is that her motivations for her illusions are very complex. I want to explore more of this side of her. Right now she is in the process of trying to unlearn all the toxic things her parents ingrained in her and I think that’s wonderful and I’m curious to see if the way she presents herself changes. I think it will. I’m looking forward to really working on her interpersonal relationships and her relationship with herself.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

All of the Nihon stuff is top notch for me. I really love that I created this other world that mirrors our own, but with cats! And I love everything that came out of it. Huge shout out to Lauryl who contributed a lot to this plot and helped me bring it to fruition (and also provided me with a reluctant cat king for my cat queen). Writing a cat character is really just a blast. Every time I get on Haru and have to deal with the politics of a cat kingdom and it’s catizens I’m living my best life.

And the plot really just keeps on giving! Anyone around Swynlake want a suspiciously intelligent cat? Have a Nihon cat! Does anyone want to complain about cats digging through their garbage or or trying to enter their businesses? Nihon cat! Right now I’m in the middle of trying to organize a winter ball for cats in the forest and I just think that’s neat.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

I think I’ve said this on a previous questionnaire, but one of my strengths in writing is definitely dialogue. I like to believe that I’m able to craft believable responses to what people say to my characters and I try to give each of my characters a voice and their own way of speaking--like the words they use and whether or not they ramble and things like that.

I also think I’m pretty good at the small stuff--like the inner workings of the day to day and all that. I have a pretty decent handle on how to write a “normal” person with a job and a dog or whatever, you know? Even my Magicks sort of end up living their very best mundane lives which I suppose is a talent of mine, but it does lead me into one of my weaknesses lmfao.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

B I G P I C T UR E PLOTS! I am absolutely terrible at these and if I ever tried to do one by myself I feel like I would be flying by the seat of my pants and making everything up as I went. It is, for some reason, so difficult for me to plot out something that takes more than a couple months to accomplish. I’m a garbage planner when it comes to my writing. I make it all up as I go.

Sticking to my guns! I attribute this one to my absolutely atrocious memory and also my complete lack of writing down my ideas, but when I come up with headcanons for characters, I usually have trouble sticking to them. I need to come up with a system where I actually write that stuff down and keep it in a document. I need to make a doc for all my characters (one for each) and just dump stuff onto it that I make up as I go that way it actually becomes a real, concrete fact about them. Man, my characterization would be so much better if I did this. You are witnessing in real time my solution to this problem that I’ve literally always had. Wow.

Being intimidated. I need to stop this immediately! I get intimidated pretty easily when I write things and then get inside my head and tell myself I can’t do it. For instance if I wanted to do like, a werewolf plot, I would definitely not because I would tell myself that there was no way I’d ever get the werewolf lore right and everyone would be critiquing me and I just need to stop thinking like that!

Pick one of your plots, or even just a character, and come up with a list of 3-5 “mentor texts” where you can look for inspiration or research, then write a short (2-4 sentences) why you picked those texts. (They don’t have to be books, either!)

I’m going to do Haru for this!

A Whisker Away is a very important one, even though it came out AFTER Haru was born into existence, because it is literally so similar to her entrance into Swynlake. It’s the same thing! And I just remember watching it and feeling so much joy and it just gives me happy Haru vibes and I love it. If anyone wants to like, idk feel joy and pain and the full spectrum of human/cat emotions, they can watch this cute little show.

Warrior Cats because honestly who would I be if this was not on this list. I also read a few of these after Haru was created so they didn’t really contribute to the process of her coming into being, but they really helped me feel more comfortable writing in a cat world. They also informed most of the body guards and warriors that exist now that the Kingdom of Nihon is more present in Swynlake and I love that so much. Plus these books are just rad and reading them is an excellent idea. I just bought the first one for one of my friends as a Christmas present lol

I don’t know if this counts, but I’m going to say it anyway: The Royal Who Can’t Do Anything For Themselves But is Really Going to Try Anyway and Learn How to Adult trope is a huge one for Haru obviously. When she came to Swynlake she knew basically nothing. She was literally not even human. She was a cat that Jun had sort of adopted and was looking after, but then, when she became human, she was determined to fit in and learn how to function. She’s still learning, obviously, although now she’s also learning how to be a queen again for her cats, but writing Haru is always a joy for me and I hope I get to do it for a long time.

Wow, what stories call to my heart? Man, you know what I want to do? I want to write like a sort of big gesture love story with someone. Like a maybe people aren’t perfect for each other--that doesn’t exist--but I really want to give it a try with you sort of story. That sounds really cool!

I also am really into friendships and want to keep writing all different sorts of those. My big goal I think is to make more friends. I want to branch out and get all sorts of friendships for my characters. I think that would be really fulfilling and nice.

Another one is get into magic and really explore the fantasy setting we have here tbh because like i said above, even my magicks end up living their mundane lives (which is not bad!!!) but really having a magick who loves their magic and uses it and embraces that would be really fun!

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

I RP because I love it. I really do. There have been some times where my real life has gotten in the way and I’ve felt burnt out or like I didn’t have enough time, but really I love doing this and I’m glad I do it and I don’t want to stop. It’s my hobby and I love it here. Everyone here is also great and you guys are like my best friends and I’m so glad I have you my little SwynRP family!

#swynquestionnaire #swyntask #man love this hobby i really do

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sonotthedrama · 1 year

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Your Name: Tammy

Characters: Kim Possible & Grace Tilly

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth.

Kim:

I had this idea of where I wanted to take Kim when I first started, but I can't even remember it now, which is great in a way because I don't think I'd be any prouder of her journey so far than I am now. She can be so fierce and confident but also can be insecure which I feel makes her more human as we can't be happy all the time and have to experience moments of sadness in order to appreciate everything we have. She has surprised me in a lot of ways but one thing I was most surprised was her kissing her best friend’s brother, now I am loving every plot / thread that came from that storyline (and still might, we’ll see). I can’t wait to see what 2023 will bring Kim.

Pick another character (or the same character if you only have one) and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

Grace:

I want to see Grace pick up friendships from school and try to navigate them as an adult. I’m looking forward to the awkwardness of all that but also hoping at the end of it all, she’ll have friends that she can confide in and trust. I’m hoping to keep building on these friendships and make new connections in Swynlake for Grace. I also want to start her journey into researching her non-gift as she likes to call it - she wants to figure out why she is immune to all spells and curses - which might mean a trip to Pride U or Chapter Three to see if she can find any books to help with her research.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

We Meet Again. This was the first ever thread I wrote with Kim and I loved every moment of it. It was just a nice way to bring her into Swynlake (even though she’d been living there for two years) and it just showed a completely different side to her that she only acts like when she is around Drakken. It was just a fun thread and I can’t wait to write more with Vicky as Drakken and Kim have to learn to live in the same town.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

I’m going to politely decline answering this as I feel very anxious about these kinds of questions :D

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

Again, for the same reasons as above. (Maybe next year.)

Kim:

Kim Possible (TV series) - There is the obvious reasons I chose this but sometimes when I’m struggling for muse for Kim (which doesn’t happen often) then I stick this on and watch a couple of episodes. It just gives me such good material for background history for Kim and I love writing about all the Possibles, not just Kim. Plus, it also makes me wish there were more Kim Possible characters in Swynlake, but don’t get me wrong I do love writing with Ash (Sarina) and Vicky (Drakken).

Criminology textbooks. Okay, so this is different. I know! I did a criminology course about two years ago with Open University so I still have the textbooks. Which means that whenever I need something criminology / criminal justice related for Kim, well I just dig the textbook out and use the information. It’s actually quite interesting to read and if I can’t use it then I find a way to make it relevant for Swynlake.

Any YA Crime Books such as One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson and That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger. These books are great and I love how they’re all different. If I’m ever needing any crime related muse then I’ll read a couple chapters of either book. I specifically like the element of finding clues and solving a mystery in each story.

And now, a wishlist! Jot down a few themes or stories or genres etc that you want to maybe pursue in the upcoming year!

Kim:

Crime Fighting. I’d really like to delve more into her career related goals, maybe start talking to people who can actually help her to achieve these goals such as Clayton or Errol or even members of the Board. I also want to see her go off and be rogue trying to find out if Drakken is up to no good or anyone really (could be any of the new villains in town who get on her radar).

Friends to lovers. I want Kim to experience the proper feelings that come with a crush, yes she did have a slight crush on Phineas, but I want her to go through the stages, step by step and realise - oh I want to be with this person and not in a friend way.

New Year’s Kiss. I want Kim to have a kiss at Midnight on New Year’s so any volunteers would be appreciated ;)

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

I remember rping for the first time in a Harry Potter RPG on Facebook. It was an escape from the real world for me and still is to this day. That feels like forever ago.

It is still an escape but it’s more than that now. I love the fact that I can meet people from all over the world and don’t have to leave my house. I love writing with other people because they help me hone my writing skills and make me want to write better. I still write for the love of it, but I have noticed over the years that my writing has improved and I thinking rping has a lot to do with that. I do still make mistakes and that’s okay, just let me know if something is not right and I’ll fix it.

I didn’t answer the strengths and weaknesses question because it does make me anxious then makes me think of work. Every year I have to reflect on the year before and talk about my strengths and my ‘improvements’, I just really don’t want to do that here. Also, I don’t want to think of my writing as work because it’s not. As I’ve said before I write because I love it and the day it becomes work, well it won’t be enjoyable for me.

I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for me, writing wise and everything else.

Thanks for the most amazing seven months and here’s to many more!!

#swyntask #swynquestionnaire

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labellerose-acheron · 1 year

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Your Name: Queen Clementine

Characters: Belle Rose Acheron, Onyango “Simba” Bonfamille-Lyons, Toulouse Henri Bonfamille, Thomas Richard Edward Harrington III, Candace Gertrude Flynn, Vishaka Chakraborty, Daniel Edward Daisuke Darling, Prince Thistle of the Fenlands (Theodore Barrie), Elinor Aisling DunBroch, Gem Morey, Ines Isabela Valera Madrigal, and Evangeline Davies

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth.

This is a fun year for me because my line up actually stayed really consistent. Isabela and Evangeline are my only two new additions. (RIP to Gail, Tarzan, and Sally, y’all were good bitches.) This meant everyone I have I am pretty settled with at this point and lots of people had room for growth. So I’m going to talk about three, because this is my questionnaire and I can. :)

Candace: My darling! I beat her up this past year. She flubbed her starring role in the school showcase, dropped her major, pissed off literally all of her friends and had to rebuild those relationships, got a girlfriend, went to an internship at NASA, and lost one of her very best friends in a really horrible way! She got closer with Lawrence and Ferb, faced trials and tribulations as an RA who lost a member of her cohort. It was a big year for her! I am now teasing out the fall out of all of those things. The Henry stuff is still unresolved. She still feels extremely insecure about her new major. And she will be going through the growing pains of a first love. I am really proud of what I have done with her. She is the definition of failing upwards!

Vixey: Honestly, Vixey has surprised me. She is such a quiet muse, but I really love her. Everytime I’m in her headspace it is warm and cozy vibes. She’s gone through a lot this year too. Started dating again, first with Hercules (shout out to him for being the perfect stepping stone for her, so important <3) and then, finally, with Drakken. She also opened her shoppe!...and realized that she actually doesn’t like it at all. Which I love! I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out with her when she got her shoppe, but I can tell it is being forced and she is bored and doesn’t want to do it. I think that’s so great, because it’s a failure! And really interesting, especially considering the parallel to Tiana and even Jun. I am excited to see how it plays out in the future.

Toulouse: I wanted to talk about Toulouse because he has completely backslid. Which I always find really fun and interesting. Maybe it annoys people, or they find it irritating, but it makes me so affectionate for Toulouse, because he really struggles so much. And I (and everyone in the RP, I think? Well, his fans anyway) really want what is best for him and for him to be happy. However, I also am really committed to talking about the very real issues that come with being bipolar, including frequent backsliding when relationships crumble or life changes happen. Negative growth is still growth and I am always such a fan of teasing out his story. He will get there one day and I will love him through it.

Pick another character and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

Talking about two for this one. I could talk about literally all of them, because I have things I want for all of them, but I am refraining. <3

Evangeline: Honestly, I am really excited to do stuff with Evy. She is one of my characters I probably have the least planned but--I want to develop her relationships more. Have her make more friends. And then, I want to start playing with her magic. I think it’d be really fun to do some wacky adventures where she tries to help people with their wishes. Or poachers, anyone? A star is probably worth a lot on the black market lol. Evil sorcerers? That too. (We really need an evil sorcerer up in here.) Anyway, I just think she has a ton of potential and I want to explore what that means for her in the new year. Especially since she is probably one of my only characters that doesn’t have a Plot.

Elinor: Truly, Elinor is my darling. I love writing her. Older characters have always been difficult for me because they have so much backstory and I really like to know my characters in and out. I think the Order helped with that, because it gave me a very specific blueprint to work with. It helps that I wrote a 20,000 novella about her backstory, which made me fall in love with her even more. I just love getting my hands in the viscera of her. She is so deep and complex. The kind of feminine character I wanna write into my novel, so she’s giving me great practice. I have a LOT set up for her in the coming months/years/however long it takes: her relationship with Merida, her relationship with her sons, dealing with Fergus’ death, her curse, a potential Board run?, getting her museum off the ground, and a special plot with Harris that is [redacted] for spoilers lol. Elinor is actually extremely lonely and a force of great good for a community--she craves community, but feels outside of Swynlake’s. She is desperate for connection, which can lead to a lot of fun stories and potential relationships down the line. (Looking at you…poachers, for multiple reasons.)

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

Loud Bell Break Up: I talked about this up top a bit, but I wanted to touch on it again because it was really so juicy, especially because…it wasn’t dramatic. You would think with a relationship like Loud Bell and the people involved, that something would happen. Someone would be kidnapped! Someone would be magicked into something! But no…it was so mundane. Lou didn’t feel like he was getting enough attention, that he was just a spare, and didn’t communicate that with Hades and Belle, who let things fall to the wayside until it was too late. The fall out has been super fun and I am very excited to continue it…

Tonnie: Literally anything with Tom and Annie is so rewarding to me. They are both so intricate as characters and I love the relationship they have where they just fucking hate each other. I think it is really unique in the RP, and I am thankful to Emma who is always such a joy and I always have a good time writing these very tense and ugly threads with! I just really love that there is nothing redeeming about this relationship and think there should be more messy relationships like it, because it is so dynamic.

Gem’s Hot Boy Summer: This series of threads was so important to me. The magic leaving Swynlake was such a fun opportunity for all my characters, but I knew immediately that I could have it make a really big impact on Gem. A character who has always wished his magic away. Who wanted it gone. And was happier for it! He didn’t miss it. He didn’t have a single moment where he thought it would be nice to have. That was fun in and of itself, but also the freedom for him that came with it. To explore his sexuality. To explore his deep need to connect emotionally and physically with people. And then--have it all ripped away from him so that he reverts even deeper in himself and pushes people away even more. :) (Thank you to Kit, McKala, Anya, and Lauren!)

Special shout out to my future children, because I love them and this plot is one of my favorite tropes.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

Character Relationships: This is kind of a weird one but--I think I really prioritize all kinds of relationships for my characters. I like coming up with dramatic-tense-emotional plots not just for my romantic relationships but also my friendships and family. From the Bonfamilles to the Darlings to the Moreys and the Madrigals--as well as F.R.I.E.N.D.S., CHiRP, Brunch Babes, Evannaleigh and Michael, and Snow/Tanya/Gem (who still don’t have a name), they all have very unique and dynamic relationships and I really like to think that is in part because I try to prioritize them and come up with good plots for them that center both characters/their relationship. (Obviously, my partners do this too, but I like to think it is a strength, let me have this.)

Complicated Characters: I like my characters complex. Sometimes, I go overboard and have to walk parts of their characters back, lol. (I just switched up part of Gem’s plot because of this.) Gem is a good example actually. I really love him because he’s like…asshole with a heart of gold, of course, but I try to do a good job actually balancing that. I make him an asshole! He’s done some shitty things to people. Even when he does (re: the Alana situation), he also has a reason for it (Tanya.) It may not excuse it and it may not make it okay, but it does give it a reason. And idk. I like to think all my characters are like that. They all have their flaws. Belle is a know-it-all who talks down to people; Simba gets too caught up in people’s drama and also can never be on time for anything; Toulouse is Toulouse (in all his glory); Tom fumbles the bag in personal relationships all the time; Candace is an anxious mess whose anxiety turns her mean; Vixey is too level-headed that making decisions is hard for her (actually Vixey is my perfect angel tbh); Danny is selfish and too shy, so he doesn’t stick up for himself which can get him in trouble; Thistle is…also perfect but in an evil way <3; Isabela is self-centered and has a temper, she can be selfish and judgemental and her perfectionism can be a real flaw; and Evangeline is bad at everything because she’s not human!

Details: It’s about the details, baby! I remember how other character’s take their tea and the color of their carpet. I like to include details that have meaning. For example, not to toot my own horn and I doubt anyone even noticed this, but when Simba was talking to Doc and he was starting to reveal that he understood where Doc was coming from, I wrote the line: “...then shifted in his seat, putting his forearms on the table, holding his sugary confection between his hands. His dad’s watch clunked on the table.” I mentioned his dad’s watch because Mufasa had an omnipresent presence in that conversation because Simba related to Doc bc of what he did after his dad’s death. I just like doing little things like that, that if this was a novel you could pick up on the second or third read through. I have no idea if I do it well or if anyone ever realizes any of them lol but I do them!!

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

Going with the Flow: This is something I have been working on a lot but…I don’t like being spontaneous. Spontaneity makes me anxious. In my real life, also in my writing. It can put me in conflict with my partners, because I have to pause everything and check in, which I think can ruin the flow and stop other people’s fun. And I know that’s bad!! I try really hard but my brain is constantly playing like 5D chess thinking 1000 moves ahead and I need to just turn it off sometimes! It’s not that serious!! Just have fun lmao.

Taking My Time: Because I have so many characters, I often pump out replies each night, making sure I hit my quota and don’t stress myself out. I don’t think my replies lack quality (I hope not, lol) but sometimes, I think if I really sat with and paid attention to my replies, I could connect dots, I could include more details, more metaphors, make things flow better. Maybe even just doing one read through before I post instead of just firing them off would help with this. I want to be aware! I want to be delivering with each post!! They are all important to me and I love all my threads. I am just tired.

Being More Intentional (with new characters): I want to sit with new characters more. Getting Sally and Tarzan and then dropping them both was a lesson! It was kind of embarrassing, lmao. I felt extremely manic doing that. But, I also think it was so valid of me to realize I had bit off more than I could chew and that I wasn’t really as in love with those characters. Dropping them was good! But I don’t want that to happen. Especially because there were relationships I was excited about and that is disappointing to me and my partners. I want to be intentional. I don’t NEED a full roster. If people aren’t speaking to me, that’s okay. I can just chill with my crew I currently have. (Daily affirmations to myself, lol.)

I am cheating because these are all for different characters, love me.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: I picked this book up because it had a rabbit with fungus on the front cover and I was like “ooh Thistle vibes” and then I read what it was and was like OH THISTLE VIBES. It is sooo good I read like one page and I’m hooked. It’s very visceral. Dark. And is a retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, which I feel like gives big vibes for the upcoming Darlings/Elfhame plot that I will not spoil but--I’m right.

Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu: A book about a boy who is born with blue skin and is considered a god. I picked up this book originally because of my novel I’m writing that involves gods quite heavily, but then I was reading about it and realized it would be good inspo for Vixey--since I tend to shy away from that part of her heritage because I don’t know much about it, but I want to learn!! Also, this book is supposed to be very queer, I’m excited.

The Milky Way by Dr. Moiya McTier: This book is about the creation of the Milky Way told fROM the PErsePEctive of the MILKy waY. It is written by an astrophysicist and it just sounds so charming. Of course, this is mainly for Candace (from a science perspective) but I am sure I can also glean some inspo for Evangeline, since it is a personification of stars. Honestly, I am getting this book for Christmas and I am SO excited to read it.

Hellbent by Leigh Bardugo: Can’t wait to read this book. The first one was good. Creepy and weird and I loved the worldbuilding that we got to see. The second one should be even more interesting in this regard because they are doing a katabasis!! They are going to the Underworld!! And I can’t wait to get inspiration for our own Underworld. Been a while since I visited…I want to go back.

The Spare by Prince Harry: Prince Harry’s autobiography?? I’m funny for this. But listen: I WILL draw parallels between Harry leaving the monarchy and Tom leaving the Order. And I am CORRECT for this. Also, I just really want to read this book.

And now, a wishlist! Jot down a few themes or stories or genres etc that you want to maybe pursue in the upcoming year!

EVIIIIIIIIIIIIL: I want villain plots. I have a few ideas. I cannot wait to start poking people for them.

Love Triangle: stealing this from lauryl but I put it on my wishlist every year and i’ve never done a proper one. I am talking like -- two people get together but then there is a third person that one of them also loves and now they have to CHOOSE. And not end it in polyamory lmao sorry loud bell but you were so valid for that.

Powerful Magic: We are messing with it in a silly way with the back to the future arc, but I wanna do some Big stuff. Explore past lives. Bring someone back from the dead. Create something powerful. Destroy something important. Open up hell again lmao. I just think big magic is so fun to play with and I feel like I’ve been very mundane recently. Which is so great and honestly I am glad I’ve pared back but bring it ON.

Older People: We now have a substantial middle aged population and I want to connect them all and start some drama! People in their forties and fifties deserve to have friend drama and romance drama and stuff just like everyone else!

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

RPing keeps my writing active. That’s what I tell everyone when I talk to them about my roleplay stuff. “It is how I keep writing every day” which is TRUE but it is also because of this group itself. The people here. The characters. The world. Gosh, this world. It is home! It really is. I feel like I reside there. I love it so much, I tend to it like it is my little garden. And I know I’m not perfect, that I can be difficult or emotional, but I really do just love this corner of the world so much, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And the relationships I’ve made here are so important to me. Real friendships! Spanning years and countries and continents! I just think it’s really beautiful and unique and I feel bad for other people because they don’t have what we have here. <3

#swyntask #swynquestionnaire

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oh-phineas · 1 year

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Your Name: Emma

Characters: Phineas Flynn, Tiana Truitt, Aquata Triton, Anna Sommers, Bruce White, Anastasia Tremaine, Tanya Tiwari, Mirabel Madrigal, Lightning McQueen

I’m going to talk about Tanya because I am so thrilled with where her growth has gone since I picked her up! She has gone from one of the characters I’ve struggled with the most to quite possibly my favorite. I always hit a muse crisis about 2 months in (I call it the two month slump) and I think I was at that point with Tanya when I did my questionnaire last year because I didn’t talk about her at all! But thanks to some fun plots, some really wonderful relationships (especially thank you to Snow, Gem, Zero, Mim, Su, and Jessie), and I think just me learning the virtue of patience, I’ve really grown fond of her and I’ve written my way into the meat of what I want to do with her.

She’s finally starting to connect with people, and at first when that started happening I was worried I was like chickening out of making her an antagonist but I don’t think that’s really what’s happening. I think she’s still a terror, but I think we’re reaching the payoff phase from all of the struggles that were set up at the beginning of her arc and that is really exciting to me. I think I tend to play a lot of extroverts and outgoing people because it is just easier to form relationships when you have a character who wants to form relationships. But Tanya’s isolation is such a core part of her that I had to find another way to get to those relationships and I’m really proud of how I managed to do that. I have some fun ideas for next year and I’m really excited to get into them <3

Pick another character (or the same character if you only have one) and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

Let’s talk about Bruce because he has a lot happening right now that I am going to want to address the fallout of in the new year! He had another shark attack (and this time it was someone he was friends with, and that person now knows who he is), and he’s also struggling in some new ways in his relationship with Snow. And I definitely have some fallout plotted for both of those things, but I also have a lot that I still need to figure out.

One idea I really want to explore with Bruce is the idea that self care and community care are like really intertwined and taking care of urself helps the people around you but also that community support is really important to your own healing and basically that you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself to do it all on your own (this is an idea I also want to explore with Mirabel... idk man I’m just really into this stuff lately I guess). ANYWAY that’s all to say I want to finally do the thing I’ve been saying I want to do for like over a year which is a merm support group as a reference to the support group scene in Finding Nemo.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

Gotta be closing Henry. That was my first time closing a character ever and it was HARD but it was really worth it in the end and I feel really good about how his story ended. There were a lot of moving parts to coordinate and I am so appreciative of everyone who helped me check off each of my goals with him.

I tried to be really intentional about giving Henry the sendoff he deserved without biting off more than I could chew, and for the most part, I think I got there (I do think at times I got a little stressed but overall it was more fun than overwhelming). And I think the experience helped me practice at evaluating my own limits and focusing on what I’m really interested in writing.

I am also really happy that Henry’s story has still had repercussions even after he’s gone (haunting the narrative or whatev). Having Anna write that op-ed was more of a way for me to establish some canon details, but it ended up putting her at odds with a lot of people in a way that is really exciting to me!

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

Yeah okay I say this every year but I love cringe and I think I’m good at it! I am proud of my ability to make a character do something that you are screaming at them not to do. Sometimes it is very hard to write but ultimately it is very cathartic, and often it is necessary to create conflict and drive a plot.

I think something I’ve gotten better at is like... crafting narratives? Does that even make sense is that just a fancy way of saying plotting? What I mean is that I think I’ve gotten better at utility, at recognizing okay this character needs to do this thing to set this thing up, and then down the line it will come back in this way. I mean that I think I’ve gotten better at moving my characters around like little chess pieces, and also recognizing the roles that are needed to make a plot happen (like oh you need a sidekick to confide in?? you need an antagonist?? you need a stranger to point something out that you didn’t realize??) and slotting characters in. does that make sense??

I also like to think I am, like everyone else in this group, pretty creative! I think I’m pretty good at brainstorming, throwing out a bunch of different ideas to see what sticks, and it’s such a fun part of the process. And I think I am pretty good at helping people develop their ideas if they’re not sure where to go idk I hope so at least I like the collaborative part of this and I really hope I am doing my part!!!

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

I’ve mentioned that I think that this has improved, but I really do want to focus on knowing my limits and not overwhelming myself. Sometimes if I don’t have any replies on a character (even if they already have threads) I get freaked out and then I plot like 700 things and then once the replies actually start rolling in I have waaay too much on my plate. Which isn’t to say that I don’t love all the things! If someone comes to me with an idea, I always want to find a way to make it work. But I also want to get better at telling myself hey you don’t need to plot 700 more threads just because on one given day you don’t have replies lol.

I swear I say this every year but I still would like to improve my spatial writing, physical movement, and connecting inner monologue with outer action. I have noticed I have a tendency to go on long tangents at the beginning of writing something (especially a long-form project) but when it’s time to get the plot moving I feel like I’m lost at sea lol. I like the way some authors/writers are able to start off with an action or something physical and connect it to the character’s inner journey in a really seamless way. Does that make sense?

Finally, I want to get better at varying my dialogue based on who’s speaking. I don’t necessarily plan on writing out dialects or accents, but I do think that cadence, speed, pitch, etc can vary based on who you are as a person and I think I tend to default to my own natural voice. For example, Annie slips into a Southern accent when she’s upset, Tiana’s voice gets high when she’s about to cry, Bruce has a tendency to speak in short statements and questions and long silences. I would love to develop more of these and really be more conscious about what my characters sound like, and the idea that you could pick them out just based on a line of dialogue!

Mirabel!!!

1. A League of Their Own (the Hulu Series, but maybe I should also watch the movie): I only watched the first episode of this and I REALLY LIKED IT but for some reason I haven’t gone back to it lol. I recently signed her up for rugby and I’ve really been enjoying doing some threads with her teammates, but I’d love to get into this show for inspo for that. Plus it is, like Mirabel, very queer!

2. One Last Stop (speaking of queer!): Something I love about Casey McQuiston’s novels is that they always have a big chaotic found-family-type queer friend group. In this book, August’s roommates and coworkers draw her into a really beautiful big queer community and I want that for Mirabel too. I want her to have her New Orleans Birthday On The Subway moment :’)

3. The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO Series): One of the big storylines of this new season is (spoiler alert!!!) one of the main characters, Leighton, recently came out as gay and now she is exploring her sexuality and contending with how comfortable she is with whom she is out to and what people know about her relationships and what she wants dating to look like for her and I think it is all really interesting (and also quirky and funny at the same time, because it’s Mindy Kaling’s writing and of course it is). Similarly, I want Mirabel to explore how she relates to her queer identity and what that means for her personally, in a relationship, and in a community.

4. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: I’ve been on a Jhumpa Lahiri kick lately if you couldn’t tell. I love how subtle her writing is; she’s able to explore really complicated emotions and relationships even in the most quiet and gentle of stories. Sometimes her stories can be high drama, but her writing really shines in the low-key moments and it makes me want to write like her. Her books tend to explore difficult family relationships, identity in relation to where you live and where you’re from, and the ups and downs of trying to get better (and how hard that is). I’ve read two of Lahiri’s short story collections and one of her novels, and I’d really like to reread her novel The Namesake. It’s a multigenerational story focused on family and heritage and history and I just think it will help me a lot with inspiration for Madrigal dynamics as well as Mirabel’s relationship to Avalor.

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

So as some of you may have seen me mention in the main— I watched a YouTube documentary today that made me cry. It was about who wrote the Disney Channel theme song, and it was very fun and intriguing but the end was a gut punch. It talked about how the filmmaker always imagined himself, as a kid, as a serious filmmaker who would make serious films that would go to festivals and win awards and be seen as “high culture.” But somehow he ended up making YouTube videos about forgotten theme park rides and other culture that was once beloved but somehow disappeared, and he really loves what he does, but part of him feels insecure that what he’s doing isn’t seen as “high art.”

When I was a kid, like many of us I imagine, I always wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write books and go back to my English teachers and show them all they did to make me a star. I wanted to go into bookstores and find my name on the books on the shelf. I went into publishing because I wanted to be in the orbit of those people, and it made me realize just how hard it is to write a freaking book. And I still think it’s something I want to do eventually, and I don’t just want to give up on that dream because it’s difficult, but I want to do it for the right reason— the love of the craft.

RP is purely for the love of the craft. We can’t make money or publish this stuff and find our names on the spines of books because of it. I’m proud of the things I write, but I’m certainly not going to my English teachers and showing them the epic thread I just wrote. I do this because it’s fun and I love to write and I love to be in a community of people who write. And maybe someday I’ll prioritize writing a book, but right now, when the majority of my day is taken up by my 9-5 that is definitely creative at times but can also feel dull at other times, I just feel really lucky that I have a hobby that is a fun release where I can take risks and write what appeals to me and deal with complicated things I have buzzing around my brain and maybe produce something I’m proud of. Even if only a small group of people ever read it. Because it means something to me, and it means something to all of us, and I think that’s enough.

Anyway love you all. Gonna go cry about TV commercial breaks now :’)

#i'm sorry that this graphic is always chaotic at best and a complete eyesore at worst <3 #this last question always makes me emo #swyntask #swynquestionnaire

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