#ALSO it makes me thing of Laudna and her crafting and how much I love and adore her and relate to her (creaking joints and all)
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Obligatory but no less meaningful honesty hour ask: what is one pretty cool thing that's happened today in your life?
I managed to remember the magic-circle start for the new crochet project (a dice bag for my cousin who has turned out to be a DnD nerd to my absolute delight) and figure out the amount of stitches I need to increase by in each new round.
which.. is all stuff I've known before, and done a bunch of times, it's just been over a year since I last seriously worked on anything crochet related, so getting back into it and figuring out some vague idea of a pattern that might work for a two-layer bag with scale stitches on the outside layer.
crochet in the round requires a forever-surprisingly high and tiring amount of math to figure out how many stitches you need for those and where to place them etc etc etc, so getting this right on my first attempt in a long while has been a real good feeling
#ask meme thingie#(kinda)#the thing with the two layers is - I want the scale stitch bc it's cute but the back side has huge holes so the tiny dice would fall throug#therefore I need to have an inside part that has smaller gaps for which single crochet stitches work really well#I originally thought I might make two pieces and sew them together but then it occured to me that I could just do it as one piece#so now I'm motivated. plus it's a good distraction from all the frustration and the stupidity at work as well as the anxiety#ALSO it makes me thing of Laudna and her crafting and how much I love and adore her and relate to her (creaking joints and all)#ANYWAY it has been far too long since I've been able to take the time to MAKE something with my hands and I am thriving#(..in before I lose count and have to redo the entire row ten times bc I'm shit at keeping track of repeating numbers in my head)#THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!! <3
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top 5 fics?
1) high speed connection by hoodieheda ( @wvearp)
listen. listen to me. im a sucker for a good modern au and this is the holy grail of modern fics for critical role as a whole for me. i reread it once a month just because i love barista laudna with an army of grandmas
2) intertwined by picturesofthegoneworld ( @picturesofthegoneworlds)
the way the girls are in this is just!!! the way their relationship is still new but just as volatile as running away with the witch in the woods would really be. always in love with how goopy and weird laudna is, i love her so much in this (this is a theme in my favorite fics. laudna is my babygirl i love her)
3) Lives Like A Haunted House by AstoriaColumnStaircase ( @astoriacolumnstaircase)
this fic has it All. ghost laudna, morally ambiguous imogen history, crafts, just. i want to live in it so bad i want to be ghost besties with laudna so so so bad
4) Shit, Let’s Raid Area 51 by Caubool ( @caubool)
obligatory homestuck fic. this was writren, if you cant tell, during the area 51 raid meme craze, and while it does focus very heavy on that it takes the idea and Runs With It so well. one of my favorite fics of all time, i love the formatting (and rose) so much
5) Time of (un)Death by Antlered (meeeee)
is it cheating to list my own fic? who cares, i still think this is the funniest thing ive written, the idea of laudna being a world record holder still makes me laugh just from the sheer hilarity of the idea that a world record rep would find this deeply traumatized woman to give her a certificate and medal for her Literal Death. also laudna and chet being woodworkers together is still a great idea and im just patting my own back for that lmao
#antlered talks#also. apologies for the random tags i just think people should see their work getting complimented
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Imdona headcanons just cause
based on this post
💐 Who tends to worry the most? - my guess is it would be Laudna. I feel like out of the two she is the most insecure out of the two and would often worry.
💋 Who is the most physically affectionate? - i feel like Laudna again. However, i don't think either are super being into pda but when alone I think Laudna is the most affectionate and the initiator
⛈ Do they enjoy dancing? - absolutely! this makes me think of when they were traveling just the two of them and them dancing together. Like maybe Imogen teach Laudna some dances she knows and both stumbling and giggling together
🌹⛈Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them? - well obvious Imogen. We've seen this all over the campaign
🌺 Do they go to sleep at the same time as each other? - i get the feeling Imogen stays up the latest cause she has a fear of her nightmares. So she worries about going to sleep. I can see Laudna tryin to stay up and no succeeding.
⚡ What are their nicknames for each other? - I don't really think that have many nicknames. Laudna would call Imogen darling and dear. Imogen might say Babe
🍃 What do they do when the other is stressed? - Laudna is very caring and always willing to listen. Imogen is much the same but much more feisty about it. Imogen will offer to help and do something about it. Laudna is more trying to be present
🌻 How do they spend time if the other is gone? - Laudna crafts haha! No doubt! Imogen might read or go on walks.
💍 Would they ever get married? - YES... this is kinda just my desire lol
✨ Who proposes? - Imogen for sure
📚 Who likes to read? - both do but Imogen does the most
🎩 Who bothers the other person while the other person reads? - Laudna can bother Imogen just a little. But it's more endearing than anything else.
🌼 How do their personalities complement each other? - they are both very relaxed and caring. But i think Imogen is very much an action taker and Laudna is the one who is more deep in thought about things.
🔥 Who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner? - IMOGEN. Cause Laudna could just fireball them
🌈 What are their favourite colours? - Imogen's is yellow and purple, Laudna's is red
🌹 Who is the hopeless romantic? - Laudna for sure!
🎭 Who is the dramatic one? - kinda neither. But if i had to pick one with bigger emotions i'd pick Imogen
🎈 Who makes jokes during inappropriate times? - Laudna all the way
💝 What do they love about each other the most? - Laudna loves EVERYTHING about Imogen. But if she had to pick on thing she'd pick her heart. And I think Imogen thinks the same about Laudna. But Imogen might also say her kindness and softness despite everything she's been through
🎵 What's a song (or songs) that remind you of your OTP? - NFWMB by Hozier
#imodna#critical role#cr#laudna#imogen temult#imogen x laudna#laudna x imogen#cr3#bells hells#imodna headcanons#cr headcanons#critical role headcanon#cr3 headcanons#headcanons
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Consider also, 75 from physical I Love Yous with Laudna and Imogen
75. Painting their fingernails because their hands are too shaky.
I know you said Laudna and Imogen, but Ashton just kinda snuck his way in here and I couldn't get them to leave lmao <3 Unsteady hands crowd, make some noise! Also whoops this was sent in literal months ago ~Martin
P.S. Apologies if tumblr nuked the formatting on this, I couldn't figure out how to fix it in the 10 minutes before I leave for work.
Word count: 1,770
Content warnings: mild internalized ableism
Send me these? (different prompt list but still)
*
Laudna had just about the steadiest hands that Imogen had ever seen. Maybe it was something about her heart rate being so low, or so many years of experience with detail work crafting and mending things, or maybe it was just a trait she had always possessed, but she could tend to the smallest tasks with exact precision.
Right now, that task was painting Imogen’s nails. Laudna had been so excited by the shimmery black nail polish they'd found in a shop they wandered into that morning, and Imogen had suggested that Laudna paint hers as well. Laudna had beamed. But Imogen didn't really want the same black paint, so she had bought a few other colors as well.
One of Laudna's cool hands was supporting Imogen's, and her delicate fingers held the small brush that was coating Imogen's nails in sky blue polish. Laudna was humming happily. Smiling, Imogen leaned her head against the wall and let her mind relax.
The rest of the group were in the room as well, resting in the heat of the afternoon. Chetney was sanding something in the corner, his thoughts focused and bent on a stubborn gnarl in the wood. Fearne was taking a nap on one of the beds, dreaming about swimming by a waterfall, and Orym was sitting next to her and stretching, the rhythm of the Zephra'atam flowing through his mind. FCG was by the window, peeking out through the crack in the curtains, watching for birds a little nervously. Ashton, who was sitting in the chair near where Imogen and Laudna were on the floor, was drowsy as well, and not thinking about much, but Imogen did pick up something a little strange. Jealousy, maybe?
She looked over at him. They were staring down at the hole in their vest that he was trying to patch, having turned down Laudna's offer to fix it with magic. But as she watched, Ashton glanced over at her and Laudna. His eyes widened briefly, and a spark of embarrassment flooded through his mind as they saw Imogen looking back. Quickly, he turned back to his work.
Imogen fought a smile. Ashton, she said softly into his mind.
For a second, they ignored her. What? he replied eventually.
She wiggled the fingers of the hand Laudna had already finished so he could see them. I bet she'd do yours next if you asked.
I don't-- An incoherent jumble of thoughts followed as Ashton put the mending down and rubbed their forehead. Imogen waited patiently as he gathered themself. Oh, you're awful, you know that?
I know, Imogen said, amused. Don't be embarrassed. You want her to paint your nails?
Ashton shifted. They were looking down at their hands now with a weird expression. Imogen felt nostalgia that was closer to sadness from them, and she frowned. I used to like having them painted, he said. I'd do it myself. Hands are too fucking shaky to do that anymore, though. Paint would get fucking everywhere.
Imogen had noticed the shakiness in his hands before, of course. Hers often trembled as well. Is that why you make a point of fixing your clothes by hand, even though it takes a while? she asked.
Just to prove I still fucking can? Yeah, pretty much.
You know, Laudna's doing mine 'cause my hands shake, too, Imogen said gently. She saw a little tension leave their shoulders. It's that part that you're embarrassed about, not that you want them painted, huh?
Ashton shrugged tightly. I don't like needing help for something that simple, they admitted, and Imogen got the feeling that it wasn't something he would ever say out loud.
I'm not gonna make you, Imogen told him. But I do think it would make Laudna happy if you asked her to.
"There, we'll let that dry and then do another coat," Laudna announced. "How does it look?"
Imogen held her hands up to the light. Several nails were a little wet, but it still looked lovely. The blue stood out against the lines of purple electricity that crackled under the skin of her hands. "I love it," she said sincerely. "We got a little time to wait, then?"
"Mm-hmm, we'll give it five minutes or so," Laudna said.
She's got tiiiiime, Imogen said, teasing a little.
Ashton didn't answer her in her mind. A few seconds passed, and she was about to drop it, but then he cleared his throat and said, "Laudna, want to do mine too?"
Laudna, Orym, and Chetney all looked towards him. Imogen felt a radiating defensiveness from Ashton, but she knew nobody was going to prove that wariness right.
"I would love to!" Laudna said enthusiastically. "What color would you like? Imogen bought several!"
Ashton squinted at the collection of paint. "I mean, I've got a whole thing going on," he said, gesturing at themself. "So, same color as you, I think."
"The black? Alright! Come sit with us down here?” Laudna invited.
They nodded and got off the chair, tossing the mending onto the seat and sat down on the floor in the corner next to Imogen, who scooted over to give him space to face Laudna. “Sorry if I move too much,” they mumbled. “Hands kind of do their own thing sometimes.”
“If the brush slips, we can just wipe it off,” Laudna replied easily. “Bring your knee up and put your hand down on it, maybe? Would that help it be steadier?”
Imogen smiled at how gentle the suggestion was–Laudna had said the same thing to her the first time they’d done this. She sent a wave of pure affection in Laudna’s direction and saw the corner of her mouth turn up.
Ashton pulled one knee up close to their chest, wincing, then rested their right hand down on top of it. When Laudna carefully slipped her fingers under his, lifting them up one at a time to apply the first coat of black paint, Imogen saw his forehead crease, and his hands twitched a few times, smearing the paint occasionally, but they were watching her work intently and didn’t pull away.
“There, done with that hand,” Laudna said.
Imogen reached her hand out. “I can clean up the edges,” she said, and when Ashton didn’t even hesitate to give her his hand, she felt a little twinge of pride. It had taken so long to get them to be okay with being touched, and it was a special kind of honor to be allowed to do so when she knew that it could cause a lot of pain. She prestidigitated the smudges around his cuticles while Laudna started painting the nails on their left hand.
That one seemed to be a lot worse in terms of the twitching and shaking. Which made sense, most of the injuries were on the left side of his body. Still, Imogen couldn’t help but wince when their wrist kind of jerked involuntarily away from Laudna.
“Are you alright?” Laudna said softly.
“Fine,” Ashton almost snapped.
Laudna paused, and Imogen tensed slightly, but then she just went back to painting. “You know, the black looks really good, but I bet purple would as well. Matching your hair.”
Ashton let out a little laugh even as their hand shuddered again, and Imogen relaxed. “Sure, maybe next time.”
Fearne had woken up from her nap, and was peering down at them from over the edge of the bed. “Oh, that looks like fun,” she sighed. “Laudna, will you do mine?”
“Of course!”
“Maybe you can do everyone’s!” Fearne added. “Fresh Cut Grass doesn’t have nails, but–”
“You could paint something on my hands anyway,” Letters remarked. “That could be pretty.”
“Orym, Chetney?” Fearne said hopefully.
“Nah, it’d chip off too fast on me. But I might borrow those paints and the tiny brushes,” Chetney said. “You got red?”
“Kind of a dark maroon?” Imogen said, looking at the little glass paint bottles. “Nothing bright.”
“Dark maroon works.”
Imogen sent the bottle floating over to the windowsill. Chetney gave her a nod as he snatched it out of the air.
Laudna had finished Ashton’s left hand as well, and as Imogen was cleaning it up, she grabbed the paints and climbed up onto the bed with Fearne. “I’ll come back for a second coat for both you and Imogen in a little while,” she told him.
Ashton nodded awkwardly, looking at his nails. “Thanks,” he said.
“Oryyym,” wheedled Fearne.
Imogen felt a spike of fond amusement from Orym. “What?” he said.
“Will you let Laudna paint your nails?” Fearne said.
There was a pause. “If you promise not to ever tell Opal, because if she finds out that I let somebody paint my nails and it wasn’t her, I think she’d probably murder me,” Orym said lightly.
Ashton was still examining their nails. Imogen couldn’t read his expression, so she reached out in his mind.
You alright? she checked.
Mm-hmm.
I think we’ve started a trend, Imogen said with a giggle. Just you wait, even Chet’s gonna give in eventually.
Ashton smiled slightly. Think the paint would stay on his claws as a wolf?
Imogen laughed out loud, covering her mouth. Oh, gods, that’s an image.
I bet that’s really why he doesn’t want to, Ashton continued. But I really want to know now. Think Laudna could paint them in his sleep?
Oh, Ashton, that’s mean if he doesn’t want it, Imogen giggled.
Just one, even! Fearne could do it, Chetney wouldn’t mind.
That’s probably true. Imogen got distracted by an increasingly heated conversation between Laudna and Fearne about whether Orym should go with the dark green or try to break out of his usual color scheme. Fearne was very insistent that he should try the purple, and Orym was just leaning back against the wall and wasn’t offering an opinion, but seemed to be enjoying the discussion.
Ashton looked like they were watching, too, but they spoke to her again in her mind a minute later. Thanks, he said.
What for?
Getting me out of my fucking head about it.
Imogen reached out for his hand. He let her take it. Careful of their nails, though they were probably dry by now, and she laced their fingers together. Both of their hands were a little shaky, and no less so for being together, but it was still nice. Side by side, the similarities of the gold scars and the electric purple veins were striking. I get it, she said simply.
Ashton squeezed her hand and said nothing. It was obvious anyway that he understood.
Send me these? (different prompt list)
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the anatomy of an ending
(because I love fanfiction and talking about craft)
If you’ll permit me a self-indulgent post (& given that this is tumblr I very much hope you will), I’m going to monologue about writing for a little bit, using the lens of my last couple of Imogen/Laudna fanfics. I’m hardly an expert author, but I am a professional editor, and when I do write, I find it interesting to examine why it is that I’m doing what I’m doing.
Above all, I love a narrative callback. They make a story feel thoughtful and deliberate, and they can help stick a powerful emotional landing. When I’m trying to write the ending of a fic, I like to lean on as many as I can without it becoming unwieldy or feeling forced.
For bittersweet, sly, uncontrollable, here are the three that I landed on and where they came from:
1. This bit near the beginning, when the musicality of Laudna’s thoughts first makes an appearance:
2. This part a little further on, where Laudna is mulling over the difference between love and in love:
3. And this bit from closer to the end, where Laudna gets all fluttery but doesn’t realize why:
Beyond this, though, an ending is a chance to tie up a narrative arc—and most fic is character-driven, so I’m aiming to tie up character arcs. Where do they begin, so where should they end?
My previous Imogen/Laudna fic, and we’ll share my all, was animated by Laudna’s fear of being a puppet—if Delilah could control her once, create the impulse to make her hold Imogen’s rock and then lock her hand to it, could she do it again? Heartbeats play a particularly significant role:
Playing off that, here’s a moment in the fic when Delilah takes control:
There’s also, of course, the romantic thread of Laudna trying to untangle what it is that she feels for Imogen. Here’s Pâté calling her on it:
And, later on, Dusk doing the same:
So where does that leave us at the end of the fic? Well, here, with Laudna untangling her feelings in a way that plays off of autonomy and heartbeats:
So, to return to bittersweet, sly, uncontrollable—what (beyond the romance) was Laudna’s narrative arc? I was having some trouble nailing this down. Obviously it has to do with her learning to access the romantic part of her brain, but more specifically? I was finding this especially tricky because I wanted to avoid implying that any kind of love is superior to any other (this is an aro/ace positive blog), and I couldn’t quite figure out how to do it.
I handled this as any rational person might, by bombarding my beta @thunderburning with stream-of-consciousness thoughts:
thunderburning: [. . .] so the theme of this fic is—Laud realizing she can love? Realizing she isn't broken? Realizing there's a whole way of being in the world she didn't know about before?
me: I am still sort of flailing my way mentally around HOW exactly to do that—emotions wise not story beat wise, the story beats will come after
me: Gonna try to talk it out to puzzle it out I guess? So like. She has just realized that she's been in love with imogen this whole time and therefore that her understanding of herself as someone who was like. Distorted by her circumstances? is mistaken
me: Sooo the idea is she's been giving this big big love the whole time? Even if she hasn't realized it enough to then make it romantic until right this moment?
me: So maybeeeeeeeee imogen says something about how Laudna's love has already been saving her for two and a half years?
me: Hmm idk idk
me: But segueing into that is tricky because if Laudna is like "I thought I was broken bc I couldn't love romantically" it is a little weird for Imogen to then be like, well actually your love has been perfect this whole time anyway, bc Imogen clearly DID want DESPERATELY for it to be romantic
me: You’re getting stream of consciousness brainstorming sorry
me: Hm hm hm but imogen has just observed that Laudna DID love her romantically this whole time
thunderburning: Hmmmmm
me: So maybe Lauda's like, how does this change things now? If we are together as a couple? I'm afraid I don't know how to be a couple? And imogen is just like you dumbass (affectionate) nothing is going to change at all because we've been acting like a couple for years even before we realized it. Just because we didn't recognize what kind of love it was didn't mean it wasn't there
me: ?????? Is that anything ???????
thunderburning: THAT LAST ONE ROCKS
me: And then Laudna is like [emotionally] that sounds perfect and then is like but also maybe one thing can change and we can keep kissing? And then they do
me: I feel like this is on the right track is that anything????????
(It was.)
So, that brings us back to the end of the fic. Laudna has gone from unable to “access that part of her brain” and afraid she doesn’t know how to date someone to the realization that she’s been in love with Imogen this whole time, and that what she and Imogen have is intuitive to her after all. Because all it is is being together, just in a slightly different way now.
And being together with Imogen is the easiest thing in the world.
#imodna#southerngothic#cr3#critical role fanfiction#writing#I don’t know if anyone will read this but it was fun to write so I don’t really care#also whatever way you write is valid! this is just my own style#my fic
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i love reading your meta so much! any thoughts on laudna's playlist?
Thank you! :D
WHELP sorry for the delay on this, life is hectic and the braincell is rarely cooperative. Took me a while to get the time to actually sit down and listen properly to the playlist, but OOH BOY do I have thoughts now. This playlist is FULL of Symbolism and Vibes and I am Thinking. and vibing.
(Spotify link and CR link for anyone who hasn't had a chance to listen to it yet)
Bigger, overarching thoughts: I think "cheerfully haunted" sums up Laudna- and her playlist, in the best way, because I don't just mean haunted in a "sad victorian doll standing in a corner" or a "years of death behind a gaze", but in a "viscera and guts and rage and fear and love" kind of way. All tempered with a positivity that is both hard fought, genuine, and mildly to moderately unhinged. Laudna has been through some shit, and is clearly still grappling with the aftereffects- and maybe even just the event itself, with all of its casual cruelty. And yet, and yet.
There is a sort of happiness in there that is 70% determination, that borders on slightly terrifying, but that is genuine. Laudna knows she's a weirdo. Laudna is strolling out past midnight. Laudna is crafting new things out of dead things. Laudna is doing it with a cheerful tone and an upbeat, and it is genuine, to a point but she knows why it's creepy, why its terrifying. Why it's sad.
Laudna is also, I think, pretty goddamn angry, and like, deservedly so, but getting that reflected in the playlist is. So good. Get fucked, Delilah.
okay, more specific notes now, I'll throw em under a read more. If I don't include a song its because I'm tired and compiling this from random notes I made while listening, not because I didn't have Thoughts or the song was Bad. Playlist good! Nice.
- I think the entire thing can kind of be read as a progression over time, sans the first song. But I especially like that idea for the progression of "Man Who Sold The World" "Walking After Midnight" and "Best Friend". Like the sheer confusion and tragedy and loss in the first, Laudna stumbling about, afraid and terrified and lonely and sad. To the upbeat, but still wistful tones of "Walkin' after Midnight", someone who is more used to their lot in life, who is keeping a bright tone, but is still searching. To "Best Friend", something irreverent and fierce and joyful and full of life, because she found Imogen, and Imogen is so fucking good, and she loves her, and Imogen loves her, and she's the coolest, and she will murder anyone who looks at her funny, goddammit!!!!! like. oh. its good.
That said:
- Man Who Sold The World is equal parts lonely and tragic and haunting, and makes me think all over again about how upsetting the first few years must have been. How deeply, fundamentally /lonely/. How do you wrap your mind around this kind of cruelty? How do you reason it?
Does it matter, if you do?
You’re already dead. It wasn’t even about you. Someone sold the world and you were a casualty, and now you are wandering, and lost.
- My god, Skinned. Laudna maybe having a sense that- this is all bound to come crashing in on her, this second life, all this. Laudna knows she is cheating death, with an emphasis on cheating. Specifically listening to "Skinned" it just felt so much like. Having a good time, turning your bad into good, doing something awful and knowing it, but knowing it's all going to catch up to you, sooner or later.
- uhhhhhh folks these lyrics from Krigsgaldr
What am I supposed to do If I want to talk about peace and understanding But you only understand the language of the sword What if I want to make you understand that the path you chose leads to downfall But you only understand the language of the sword What if I want to tell you to leave me and my beloved ones in peace But you only understand the language of the sword I let the blade do the talking... So my tongue shall become iron And my words the mighty roar of war Revealing my divine anger´s arrow shall strike
FOLKS???? Anyway Delilah get FUCKED but also literally ANYONE who threatens Laudna's loved ones... literally anyone.....
- Green Light is just. Laudna must be terrified, of Delilah. Idk Im just thinking about Laudna and Imogen both looking to something that promises ease and power and control over so many things they haven't gotten to control. Knowing its bad. And yet. and yet. and yet.
- Hanging Tree is Good. Good for Laudna and also Good. and terrible. but good.
- I already said it above but: Weirdo? The fierce level of self acceptance, but there is still some confusion, some sadness there. Self acceptance as self defense. Intentionality in that. Hmm. I do think that "You're Dead" is good for Laudna's vibe, but I feel. like Weirdo says something.
- on a lighter note: Best Friend askdhflajsdhflajsdhfalsdjf Laudna as ultimate hypewoman for imogen. the vibes off this song in the context for imogen and laudna is exquisite. also. IMAGINING IMOGEN IN THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT OF THE SONGS LYRICS is hilarious (imogen twerking..... imogen and laudna absolutely raging on a dance floor...) but my biggest takeaway is that: man laudna loves imogen so much. love that for them.
- im realizing this is getting increasingly incoherent so I'm cutting it off here. its a good playlist. lots of meaning. I might write a proper meta later. we'll see.
#laudna#critical role#character meta#laudna meta#???#spar speaks#ask away!#speculation#character song reccs#sorry its been a long week I started losing any grasp on coherency towards the end there. songs Good#I wanted to write about *when I grow up* but its like. the exact kind of vibe that just glides off my brain like butter. good for listening#bad for actually processing#mostly it makes me think about how laudna was like 20 when she died#she was babie#:(#ok im done im done#sORRY THIS WAS VERY LATE its been a busy busy time and audio-only is hard for my brain to focus on. ... yes I watch 4 hrs of CR. I know#I plan to do this for chetney too but listen. brains are hard.
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If you're still doing the fic writing asks, 50 x 4! (caus I'd like to hear you talk about what you want and I also can't keep track of the og post and what you've answered)
You can multiply questions?! (you can, brows. Thank you.)
question #2 got me looking at my works page, and wow I do not reuse tags! So my top three came in at three uses each: Angst, Fluff, Body Horror. And yes, that is a very accurate representation of my writing habits. It's very difficult to send original works to magazines because I feel like my particular brand of cozy horror is not one trad publishing really calls for, but I write it because it's what I want to read. I love horror that just lives here. The human ability to adapt to anything can be so funny at a certain point. And really heartening! There's some anguish over how we're all dying, but hey we're all in this together, can I get you a cup of coffee while we talk about teeth?
question #21; a story with no dialogue or only dialogue is an interesting one because I'd go no dialogue in a heartbeat. Even though I love writing dialogue, and most of my notes are just dialogue beats for stories, it's a lot easier to cheat dialogue than it is to cheat everything else. You can't really give setting through dialogue alone without getting into cheesy exposition, but the way a person interacts with their place, their clothes, all that can give a much broader story than dialogue on its own. That's not to say it's an easy challenge. I'd have to really work at a story to keep it interesting if nobody's talking to each other. But it'd be slightly less work than a story with no place.
Question 39: my writing process is inspired by so many people at this point that I think it's safely my own, but there are some things that still stick out as distinctly taken from others. One of my favorite craft books is What It Is by Lynda Barry, which is both a book on writing exercises and an intense collage of comics and cut out images pasted onto a legal pad. The first half is a lot of her history with writing, and the second is all lesson plans that she does with her students. One that really stuck with me is a lesson to describe a dress, and sometimes if I feel like I can't write anything I'll fall back on "describe an object. It doesn't have to do anything, and in fact it probably shouldn't. Just let it be." I can't reccomend this book highly enough (though it might be difficult to get into with how chaotic the pages are.) Another person I think of often when I'm considering structure is Milan Kundera's The Art of the Novel, where he talks about the act structure as being somewhat meaningless to his work, and its easier to think of things in orchestral movements. It's not usually relevant when I'm writing shorter things, but sometimes knowing what type of movement I'm trying to write will make things easier.
And Question 49: I'm still working on the last chapter of Flowers! Relevant to feeling stuck and describing a dress, here's a passage from the beginning
Imogen smooths her dress in the mirror and frowns at her exposed shoulders. While it’s warm inside the skyship, the party’s supposed to be on deck, out in the cool night air high above the jungle. The dress seemed so perfect when she bought it last week. All cream and lace and layers that twirl around her ankles when she spins. Fearne and Laudna were insistent she buy it. Said it was made for her. But the scars have climbed all the way to her neck, and they’re always faintly glowing. She didn’t want to be a spectacle, all glittering against the night sky in the middle of Laudna’s party.
Not that anyone would call her a spectacle. Laudna says they’re pretty. Hell, even Chetney won’t give her shit about them, knowing she’s a little sensitive there. But they've invited just about everyone they know, and it’s hard to kick the habits that helped her survive Gelvaan.
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