#1esk19

[illusivesoul]

First Stories Tag

Was tagged by @quietborderline Thank you, friend :) I'll tag @jellydishes @alyssalenko @mxkelsifer @starlightwrites @1esk19 @rawliverandcigarettes @judithmactir @ziskandra and @starsandskies . Only if you feel like doing this, of course.

What’s the first thing you ever remember writing.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you could give yourself for writing. 1. Back when I was in school, I remember I started doing a recap of the Resident Evil series along with some drawings, but I abandoned it pretty quickly. The first thing I seriously wrote was in 2017, shortly after finishing Mass Effect for the first time. It was a short story I never posted about the humans who were activating the 314 Relay and then got attacked by the turians. I dropped that and then proceeded to start writing my Shiara longfic, which was the first proper fanfic I ever wrote. 2. Stop overworrying so much about describing every little thing the characters are doing while they're talking with each other, and write the stories that you want to see without caring about what people may think.

[pigeontheoneandonly]

For the WIP game: how about Never Marry a Soldier (which I know is your Femshep/Traynor miniseries)?

Ooo thank you!

One of the bigger things that’s happening in this fic is Jane’s struggle to adapt after the loss of her leg.  Her combat life is functionally over, and she hasn’t quite gotten to the point of realizing being a spectre is about more than fighting literal battles, and the galaxy still has plenty of problems that could really use Commander Shepard’s attention. 

Where I left off, they are en route to Ranoch at Tali’s request.  In ME:A, it’s stated that the geth built an “FTL telescope” by roping together three relays-- implying an impressive understanding of relay technology.  And the geth, of course, are now partnering with the quarians.  They felt it could be very helpful to have a more direct route for supplies... and re-tuned the Tikkun relay to directly connect to every single other active relay in the galaxy.

Or, to frame it as the Council inevitably will, giving direct, undetectable access to every species’ homeworld to a species with an enormous fleet and a willingness to conduct no-holds-barred warfare (evidenced by how they went about fighting the geth in ME3, poor timing included). 

The geth don’t see a problem with this.  The quarians are scared to death of retaliation when someone finds out, and are smart enough to realize that even if they convince the geth to put it back the way it was, the cat won’t go back in the bag.  Tali is praying Shepard can find them a way out.

Oh, and the FTL telescope is causing some problems of its own...

[ferociousqueak]

HEYO! Happy birthday! Hope your day is awesome!!

THANK YOU, DEAR FRIEND <3 It’s been a good one so far! That gif of Pooh will be me all day until it’s cake o’ clock!

[rackofages]

Tann with a goatee because, uh, reasons.

h/t @inquartata30 @1esk19

[autodiscothings]

For the WIP game: Rooftop on Zakera?

This is just old file name for part of Acts of Repetition, which handily @lesquatrechevrons has also asked for:

Excerpt after cut:

As soon as the crate was opened, she gasped.

“What?” I asked, to the taut line of her mouth. Ori held herself so tightly, bent over the case at the sight of it.

I edged closer, hand on her back. Nothing gruesome, but an odd-shaped case in purple. “Ori?”

“It’s a violin. Yamaha.”

The lines of her mouth thinned. Ori pulled a datapad pulled from the depths, closing the crate to sit on it. The purple case lay by her feet, unopened.

Well. Of course it was purple. “You didn’t order it?”

“No, it’s from my sister. Who else?” Ori read from the datapad, scowling at what she found. “She says that during the excavation of Bekenstein, a storage unit survived. This is part of the stock they salvaged.” Ori paused, the letter tossed to one side. “Right, of course.”

The gift was finally revealed to the clicking of clasps. A brown violin gleamed under the low lights of her apartment; the day after we met, I looked the instrument up on the extranet, since she said she played it. They were smaller than I thought in person, but the lid was closed before I could see it up close.

“Looks brand new,” I said.

Ori rested her head on her knees, hair covering one eye. “It is, mine is gone. Randa said nothing could be done about my old dorm room, the area was levelled by construction teams rebuilding the college.”  

“You know that already.”

Her mouth pursed together before spoke. “I know what she did this. Nothing is ever lost forever, I can still play my music, blah blah.”

Ori had nothing, not really. Everything in this apartment was new and in boxes, a forced reset at living. Her family home on Illium, her college dorm on Bekenstein- everything gone, and buried under rebuilding.

She nudged the violin case with a bare foot, a secret buried in velvet. Ori was still quiet at the reveal, a frown still etched on her forehead.

“What’s Miranda Lawson doing in Bekenstein?” I asked.

***

[natsora]

For the WIP game (if you're still doing these): what do you have in store for The Lost Daughter series?

Thank you for the ask!

Well... Though I am entertaining the thought of writing the Battle of Elysium, the plan is to go straight into ME1 next. I’m considering doing every chapter from a different characters’ POV. So like Eden Prime from POV of Ashley, the chaos of battle and then seeing Shepard and gang and fighting alongside them. Picking it up from Kaidan’s POV after Shepard gets taken by the beacon, being worried, first impression of working with Shepard and such. I’m trying to keep it fresh and if I have to rehash canon missions, I want it from another person’s POV. Well, at least that’s the plan. Let’s see how well it goes. xD

Of course with the Earthborn Shepard focused mission, we’d get Shepard’s POV, picking up the seeds from The Lost Childhood and then planting more seeds to pick up come ME2. 

In the broader plan, I want to cover ME2, ME2.5 (house arrest time), ME3 and then going beyond. Beyond bits are the parts I’m the most excited. There were unanswered questions at the end of ME3 and well, you know my plans for the beyond parts. :D

Send me WIP asks

[ilikalite]

8 and 9 for the cozy questions? :D

Thank you for the ask!

8. Late night reading or late night movies? Late night reading. It lulls me. Movies, no matter what I watch, are kinda too energetic for me

9. Preferred hot drink? Coffee with milk and tea equally

[dollyllama108]

@1esk19 is tryna sleep; post Sim!Pshep wearing very special socks

[cactuarkitty]

Happy birthday!

Thanks so much! 🤗

[anunquenchableflame]

Petra Shepard | A ko-fi donation reward for @1esk19!

[continuous-spec]

16 and 25?

Thank you!

Do you draw more today than you did in the past, or do you draw less

I draw more now as it’s required of me for a grade. But I’m also starting to be happy with what I make, so that’s fueling me to draw more. 

Do you like to draw in silence, or with music?

I can’t really be productive in silence. I need music or chatting or something. Critical Role has been great for that, I think they just hit over 500 of game time? Plus all their supplementary stuff.  

On the topic of Critical Role, I’m starting to do CR fanart.  The fan art community is a little intimating but inspiring. 

Artist Asks

[ferociousqueak]

F, H, and P for the fanfic ask game? :D

FanFic Ask Game

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

I actually think dialogue is one of my strong points in writing, so at the risk of sounding like I think too much of myself, I have quite a few scenes I like quite a bit. This scene is from Hawks and Doves, and I hurt myself writing it:

Hannah set her jaw and locked her gaze with the major. “If my choice is between never seeing my daughter again and seeing her be ashamed of me for the rest of my life, I know damn well which one is worse, Odessus.”

She looked as if Hannah had struck her, but she nodded. She started to respond twice but stopped each time. She took a deep breath and tried again for a third time, “The reality of the situation is that this conflict won’t end well for humanity. It can’t. Not unless there’s an entire galactic community supporting the Alliance that we’re not aware of?” Another poor attempt at levity. She continued despite Hannah’s icy glare. “The turian military is the strongest, best equipped, and most disciplined in the galaxy. Your cooperation with the Hierarchy would ultimately mitigate humanity’s losses, Lieutenant Commander. As distasteful as it sounds, you’re in the unique position of being able to help both yourself and your people.”

Hannah wanted to slam down her fist to punctuate her fury. Her restraints burned at her wrists, and it only stoked her anger further. Despite the slight waver in her voice, she remained calm as she spoke, “I suppose that’s what you would do? If our roles were reversed? You’d sell out your people? Ensure a quick defeat to minimize losses? Who cares what happens after it’s finished, as long as it’s done and over with quickly?”

The major took a step back. Her mandibles wavered and her shoulders fell. After a moment, she sat heavily into the chair beside Hannah’s bed. She’d stopped twisting her hands, but she didn’t seem to be any more at ease. If a turian could look sick, she was currently the picture of it to Hannah. “No,” she said at last. “No, I don’t supposed I would. I just . . . I don’t want . . .”

She never said what it was she just or what she didn’t want, and the ensuing silence stretched between them, thick and disquieting.

Hannah’s gut twisted, but the grip was no longer one of anger. “Listen,” Hannah said at last, “we kept each other alive on Shanxi. It’s reasonable for people who rely on each other like that to feel a certain amount of fondness for one another. But we’re not down there anymore. We both have our duties, which will always be at odds as long as the Alliance and the Hierarchy are in conflict. I think it would be easier for both of us if we didn’t . . . I mean, we’re not really . . .”

She stopped, not knowing how to continue.

The major, however, seemed to have a knack for bluntness and nodded. “We’re not friends.”

Hannah bit the inside of her lip and shook her head once. “We’re not friends.”

“You’re right, Lieutenant Commander. You wouldn’t make such a bad turian, you know.” Odessus stood and pulled a datapad from her tunic, handing it to Hannah. “Take this. You’ll need to brush up on how the galaxy works. This should be a good introduction. I ran the translation program on it, so you should be able to read it without any trouble.”

Hannah looked at the bright blue lettering scrawled across the interface: An Introduction to the Galactic Community: A Primer for New Client Races of the Turian Hierarchy. She would’ve found the blatant bias of the title amusing if a sudden onset of nausea weren’t making her head spin. She’d have to talk to Sana about that. Maybe the lavalla hadn’t settled as well as she’d thought.

She looked up to thank Odessus, but the major was already walking toward the door.

“Don’t underestimate Vyrnnus,” she said without turning around.

The door closed behind her before Hannah could say anything.

Up until this point, both Hannah and Dess (here referred to as Stripes—long story) have been sort of ignoring a lot what’s going on outside of the med bay where Hannah’s being held while she recovers from her injuries before she’s transferred to the brig. They’ve been friendly toward and genuinely like each other, but it’s kind of hard to be friends with an enemy combatant. And this is when they remember that reality. “We’re not friends” hurt me deeply ☹

H: How would you describe your style?

Already answered!

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I am the type of architect who will never build anything if I don’t dig into the landscaping. I could never just jump onto the page without having a target to aim for, but I can get and have gotten too stuck on planning and outlining and end up not writing anything at all. So what I do now is figure out a loose outline with some detail of scenes I’d like to work toward/earn emotionally. I never go more than two levels deep in that first outline, and when I start to feel the urge to, that’s my cue to start writing. As I write, I put a brief one- to two-sentence description at the top of every chapter to direct the action and emotional goal. When I get stuck, I go back to the original outline, review where I’ve been and where I intend to go, and I make adjustments either to the plot trajectory or to details that no longer make sense. I like to think that the prep work is the skeleton, but what the story actually looks like reveals itself over time as the flesh attaches itself.

Thank you for the ask!

[theheroofoakvale]

Petra Shepard @1esk19

[autodiscothings]

8 and 17 for the fic writer questions?

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

I try not to, as I zone out and listen to the music instead. I do however have several inspiration playlists I put on and daydream dialogue and story ideas- if I go for a walk, even better. Useful for coming up with art ideas, too.

My latest is this:

(The Lower Wards of the Citadel. but less neons.)

17. What fic are you most proud of?

Acts of Repetition has my most sharpest writing, but I might think this as it’s the current WIP. An unpublished Ori story has some of my favourite shippy things I’ve written- I should probably just publish it, even if it’s another WIP. 

Thank you for your ask! Taken from [ Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors.]

[dollyllama108]

IT’S! KENNY!!!!

Kendra Jeong-Espinosa from @dollyllama108’s Catastrophe Theory

[illusivesoul]

Six Sentence Sunday

Was tagged by @mxkelsifer Thank you :) I'll tag @celemee @mclavellan @1esk19 @flaine1996 @commander-krios @cactihazard @venatohru and @bogunicorn . Only if you feel like doing this, of course.

.

"Still… I know a handsome man when I see one” Blackwall smiled against his glass “Is there anything you don’t find attractive? You would sleep with the table if given a chance” “Been thinking about that a lot, have you? Me and the table, moving back and forth in the heat of…” “Maker’s breath, Bull! You sound like Sera”