#I’ve been ‘working’ on this super long multi-arc series for 3 or so years now

[floral-hex]

this is just like in the 9th book of my series. “oh cool, can I read it?” i haven’t written it yet. “well, can I read the first one, then?” i haven’t written that one, either 😐

[call-2-arms]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm. 

tagged by: stolen from my other blog :)  tagging: @snowbrn​ @threads-of-destiny​ (Fenris) @thedasonfire​ (Solas) @serbrienneoftarth​ @scndor​

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated 

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO. Hard to answer, and I wouldn’t say he’s UNPOPULAR, he’s just... not as popular as say... Dany or Jon are? Or even Cersei, tbh. If there were a more middle ground option, I’d definitely he’s more middle. Sometimes I feel like he’s a forgotten character despite the massive role he’s played in the series. 

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. Not only is Jaime known to be attractive and look the part of a king in the entire series, but Nikolaj is honestly just a super attractive male with a smile that could kill. I haven’t heard many people say that he’s an unattractive person, so this is definitely a yes. He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s enough of a looker that his reputation proceeds him. 

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. Okay so... this is complicated. Because many would see Jaime as weak because of his flaws, which is fair... And then they would also say he’s weak because he doesn’t have his sword hand any longer. But overall, Jaime is a strong character throughout the series, especially as a swordsman. He is one of the best swordsmen in Westeros, and I think there are MANY people who forget that little fact about him because in the series he was softening by the end of it. I think that’s where the fandom can really misinterpret Jaime. He definitely has his flaws, but he’s still an exceptionally strong individual. 

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK. I think so. I think it’s mainly because I feel like he’s misunderstood by a lot of the fandom. I’m not excusing any of his shitty behaviour, but when you’ve got heroes like Jon Snow and Dany, and even Sansa, and strong villains like Cersei, Joff and Ramsay, I think they are all the face of the series. Those characters are the main characters that people think of when they see Game of Thrones. So Jaime is seen more of a support character, even with his ties. Most people think Lannister, they think Cersei and Tyrion (because they have so much more screen/book time than Jaime does). That’s the thing about GoT though, I feel like there’s no real “main” character. I feel like no matter who it is, there’s always a little love for them in the fandom, and I love that about the fandom. But overall, yes, I would say he’s definitely the third Lannister when thinking of the siblings.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO. He’s kind of the entire reason why there’s a war in the first place tbh... He pushed a kid out a window and all hell broke loose :’D 

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. He’s a member of one of the great Houses of Westeros. He plays a big part. 

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO. Oh yes, greatly known, and for many reasons. Mostly he’s known for being a king slayer, though. 

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. It depends on who you ask, but throughout most of Westeros and during the series, he does not have a good reputation. Well known for his fighting skills and handsome features are about the only good reasons, everything else comes down to his relationship with his sister (sexual included) and the fact that he is a man without honour. Only by the end of the series does his reputation change, and even then, it is small. Jaime will never recover from what he has done.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — I’m fairly strict with what I go with. I stick to a strong, canon foundation because it’s a part of Jaime that is essentially who he IS as a character. It’s why I enjoy writing him, and I’m not going to take that away from him. The only divergencies are the fact that I prefer he not die in season 8 and I also write my Jaime as demisexual/romantic. 

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  Jaime is complicated. There is no saying he is a simple character, he has layer upon layer, and discovering that is a joy. Or at least it is for me, lol. I, personally, think Jaime is such a UNIQUE character because he actually isn’t a liar compared to his siblings. Between the bickering, Jaime is actually exceptionally forward, but because people don’t expect any Lannister to be honest, it’s a joy seeing how he can use that to his advantage. He often says cryptic, sarcastic comments that people think are him being sly and dishonest, but he’s actually being completely blunt that it’s hard to tell if Jaime is actually telling the truth or playing a game. I think that’s just a really fun trait to explore when getting to write and interact with him. Also, who doesn’t like interacting with a sarcastic arsehole? X’D Deep down, Jaime has a lot of complicated issues, however, especially when it comes to family and how he is supposed to be seen. He says he doesn’t care, but he cares deeply, he brushes everything off like it’s nothing, but he’s crippled on the inside. Jaime is just one of those really strong on the outside but weak on the inside characters, and I love getting to explore that. 

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  — I think the fact that Jaime has been in an incest relationship for his entire life, that would definitely push people away from really caring or interacting with him. And if that’s a trigger for someone, then I totally understand why they’d want to stay away. That’s fair. Jaime can also come off as selfish and cruel, with a bad temper. People might not have the PATIENCE for him, when that’s really what he needs. He needs someone to help guide him to be a better person, to remove himself from the toxicity of ... well, his entire life, lol. He can also, like mentioned in the last questions, be cryptic as fuck. He is handicapped, he can be emotionally unstable, has PTSD and honestly just has a LOT going on, and trying to push past that to make him grow as a person and a character could be too much for folks to deal with (I think that’s a plus, but I can understand why he might not be popular lol).

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  Jaime has been one of my favourite characters ever since I got interested in the series. I was nervous as hell to join the GoTRP community because I’d never read the books before (and still haven’t finished them lol), but I adored his character from the start, especially when a redemption arc began to happen. Look, I’m a sucker for redemption arcs and character growth, learning about his past and his secret about why he killed the Mad King. Those things are things that draw me to characters, villain characters who try to be better, who learn, who become softer. I LOVE that growth, and that’s definitely what kept me interested in Jaime. His in depth character only made my drive for wanting to delve into his head stronger. I love complicated characters, I love grey characters, I love characters that have layers I can pick through and analyse. I have also always been highly interested in sexual mental health and health in general (and have been interested in psychology for ever since I was little lol), so he was right up my ally. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  Definitely rewatching the series (which I desperately need to do lol), and reading the novels (which I’m VERY slow with but absolutely love them!). What really keeps me interested is definitely my RP partners though, and keeping active within the writing community. I love getting to interact with everyone. 

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? I have severe duplicate insecurities like most people do, but I’m pretty happy with the grasp I have on Jaime’s character overall. It’s hard to write post season 8 Jaime without a book to go to and compare against the series, so I try and keep them pretty level with each other and find a happy place in the middle. I also know I most likely write Jaime a little more emotionally traumatised, but I try to keep what happened to him real, and that has repercussions. 

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF? I need to move them over to this blog, but NOT ENOUGH. I really need to rewatch and continue the book series to get my head around more headcanons. Also I just haven’t had ANY time this year for much at all when it comes to headcanons, because I am so exhausted after work  

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO. For Jaime, unfortunately, no. I keep most of my drabbles to my Dragon Age protags. I would love to though... if I had time, lol. 

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO. Absolutely. Hyperfocus like a champ over here, lol. 

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO / SORT OF? I think there’s always room for improvement, but I’m pretty happy with my portrayal so far. I try my hardest to keep him pretty canon, and the feedback I’ve had from my partners has always been so kind and reassuring <3

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO / SOMETIMES. I’ve been writing Dragon Age for so long... I feel like I don’t know a lot of the lore when it comes to GoT. I sometimes have to Wiki things I forget, names I don’t remember, and alliances and plots because I’m BAD with politics okay? I’m terrible with it all. Writing helps me learn those things, but if I’m not interested, I find it tedious to go and research (ASD/ADHD).

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO / SORTA. It depends. Some things I really don’t care about, others I do. It entirely depends on my mood and the day, and how the stars align lol. Or... how tired I am, haha. It really just depends. I will be more sensitive if I’m hurt from someone that means something to me, or someone I look up to. Other days I just can’t be fucked because I’m too old and tired to deal with it. 

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  —  I’m going to have to say “no” on this. It’s purely because i’m not ASKING for criticism. If I was, then that’s fair because I’m actively SEEKING to be better. Right now, Jaime is a hobby and not a muse that I am constantly working on. He’s a tertiary muse that I’m here to just have a good time with and research when I feel the need to. Outside of that, if you don’t like my portrayal then you don’t have to interact with me and that’s fine. If you think my Jaime is too emotional, I’m working off mostly season 8 things which we have no book to look back on, so it’s mostly me basing everything off his past reactions and character development. If you have issues on the way I see his and Cersei’s relationship and it being toxic despite his love for her, that’s a whole diff convo lol. At the end of the day... I’m writing him the way he comes to me, and if you don’t enjoy it then that’s all good, just don’t get in my face about it. 

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  —  Absolutely, they help with getting to know little things about him that I may never have thought about before. I love those kinds of character development questions. 

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  I guess it depends on what type of headcanon it is. I generally try and base my headcanons off solid evidence within his character background and events within the series. If someone doesn’t agree with me, it’s literally not the end of the world and it’s not worth arguing over--we all have out different portrayals and I’m not the original writer lol. If you’re going to get cranky at me because my Jaime enjoys the company of men as well once he’s able to explore himself sexually, then I really couldn’t give a fuck. As a gay man, it helps me enjoy the character a little bit more and identify with him, and I write Jaime as demi anyway. Plus, I also don’t write it in a sense that it’s not something he doesn’t struggle with considering Westeros is not open to such things. 

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  —  same as the above.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  —  I don’t actively go looking through Jaime hate tags, so I’ve never run into this? If someone follows me and hates Jaime, then I just think it’s stupid that they followed me in the first place? Obviously now that he’s on a multi, that’s a little bit more complicated, but everyone is free to not interact with him and still interact with my other characters here lol. If I follow someone and then see them actively posting hate about him, I would simply unfollow. That’s it. I’m not here to fight and argue, I’m here to have a good time, and I’m not going to force anyone to enjoy a character they don’t. 

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  Mistakes happen, I don’t always look over my reply before posting, and more often then not, I’m tired as hell when I’m writing anyway so there might be errors from time to time. I can guarantee there’s probably some in this meme lol. If a little red squiggle doesn’t come up beneath the word, then I’ve probably not fixed it. In saying that, if you’re coming to me every time I make a typo... I will begin to get annoyed. It’s a small thing, get over it and move on. If you can’t, then maybe I’m not the right person to be writing with if it’s causing you that much stress. If I’ve completely butchered a sentence (which has happened!), then just give me a polite nudge and go “hey did you mean to write this instead?” and I’ll probably feel embarrassed and laugh about it and be like yeah sorry, I meant that :’D 

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   —  When there’s not a pandemic going on in the world, I’m certainly very easy going, lol. It takes a fair bit to piss me off, and it’s got to be pretty repetitive for me to start going... mmm, there’s a pattern here and I don’t like it. But generally speaking, if you’re nice to me, I’m nice back. I don’t go looking for fights and arguments, and my nature has certainly meant people have abused me in the past. I’m often too empathetic and because I avoid trying to make a fuss and cause confrontation, I often let people do whatever. I’ve... somewhat learned from past experiences to NOT do this to myself, which I guess has made me a little bit less easy going. That and just generally getting older and not having the time to care about petty things might make me come off as a hard arse at times. But look... I’m not going to be a dickhead to anyone who doesn’t deserve it, okay? I get we’re all anxious, I get we’re all curious, I get that we all have opinions. Don’t be a dick and you don’t have anything to worry about. I can sometimes be blunt, but most people learn that that’s just me. Maybe it’s an Aussie thing, maybe it’s a me thing. Probably a combination of the two... my mother always did say I was very blunt. >.> Sometimes that’s a good thing when people want or need advice, but if it’s not what you want to hear, then don’t come asking, because I can be very honest. 

[urbanguerilla]

I’m intensely disliking She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Here’s why.

I really don’t like this show! Not because of the animation or the LGBTQ or any of that. I actually think the design is cute and I'm totally into the Moebius (Jean Giraud) homage. And I think it's great that LGBTQ stuff is being mainstreamed and normalized through various mediums. I also never watched the original, so I'm not in any way emotionally invested in the show. My childhood is not ruined. 

No, it's the writing! My God! The characters are one-dimensional. Their motivations are absurdly dumb, the heroes are incompetent and the villains are annoyingly smug.

First of all, take She-Ra. She's supposedly a super being, a First One, but gets her pathetic ass handed to her in just about every single episode. A multi-handicapped squirrel could beat her up with one paw tied behind its back. I've now watched her get kicked around and outwitted by Catra for 3 seasons straight, but she also gets herself pummeled by every other minor side character in the show. In the episode "Roll With It" (SE2:EP4) she gets completely walloped by Scorpia, who owned her butt in 10 seconds using just one claw. In "Huntara" (SE3:EP2) she's taken down by Huntara like it's nothing. I’ve lost count of how many times one of the villains (mostly Catra) effortlessly took The Sword of Protection away from her. Any episode now she'll get thrashed by Kyle. 

This is the heroine? Seriously? What the hell is the point of her magic sword and She-Ra transformation when she can't do shit? She's the absolute most incompetent and useless character on the show. And it's named after her!!! 🙄 

As for Catra, everyone, including the feeble-minded Adora/She-Ra, is constantly outsmarted by this smugly superior and insufferable cat chick, who somehow always knows everything and is always 10 steps ahead of everyone and never let's anything rattle her or surprise her or outfox her. Take one example (of which there are MANY) in SE3:EP3 "Once Upon a Time in the Waste"; In the previous episode we followed Adora, Glimmer and Bow in the Crimson Waste. Here they narrowly escape all the dangers of the environment. Sand snakes, lethal plants, quicksand and the natives. The Crimson Waste is a dangerous place and our heroes almost die there several times. In the next episode Catra waltzes into the Waste, arrogantly laughs at everything they throw at her, spends about 5 minutes there and then becomes queen of the whole place. This is just about the dumbest goddamn writing I have ever seen in my life. And of course, Adora is yet again again again again outwitted and defeated by this Mary Sue-ish antagonist for whom no opponent is too strong to defeat and/or trick in a matter of seconds. 

Or let's talk about Entrapta, who is converted from good to evil in a matter of seconds because she's a moron without any moral compass or critical thinking. Her story arc is pretty much the dumbest thing I have ever seen. It make's zero sense. She joins an evil army because she was "abandoned" during a raid in which she flails around like some ultra-ADHD basket case and then hides in a vent, waiting to be found? COME ON! And of course the all-knowing, all-powerful Catra figures out - in mere moments - exactly what buttons to push on this person who she has never met before, because… well because she's Catra and she can do anything the writers of this nonsense need her to do for the sake of plot convenience. 

Yeah. Plot convenience! There's a lot of internal rule breaking on this show. A lot of inconsistencies. Like that episode (I don't remember which one exactly) where Hordak threatens Shadow Weaver, telling her that he gave her her magical powers and that he can take them away anytime he likes. Then later in the same season, we get Shadow Weaver’s backstory in which she's a powerful sorceress who wants to fight the Horde. So no, Hordak did not give her her magical powers, but I guess the writers conveniently forgot that for the sake of the plot. Yes he gave her access to the Black Garnet, but long before that happened, she was one of the most powerful sorceresses in Etheria. She single-handedly defeated the Council in Mystacor without Hordak’s help. 

Or when Huntara says she knew Adora was a Horde soldier because of her training. Adora is WEARING A HORDE UNIFORM! She's been wearing a Horde uniform since the first episode!!! It's literally been used as a vehicle for conflict, like when she gets attacked and chased out by a mob in Bright Moon in the third episode of the show (on a side-note to that, isn't it odd she hasn't changed her outfit? Are there no tailors or clothing stores on Etheria?) 

Or how the Sword of Protection comes and goes. Like you see Adora walking around without the sword all the time and then suddenly she pulls it out of nowhere. That's a minor nuisance, but still it adds to the general sloppiness of the show. 

All that said, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power does have a few redeeming qualities when it pokes fun at its own characters (except Catra who, along with Hordak and Shadow Weaver, is rarely funny, if ever) and throws around various pop culture references (which sadly happens less and less as the show drags on). There's admittedly some genuinely funny moments and jokes and a lot could be redeemed if it focused more on the fun and less on everything that sucks. 

The show utterly fails whenever She-Ra faces off with Catra & Co. It makes zero sense that Catra can take out Adora in her She-Ra form, using just her goddamn claws! It wouldn't even make sense for her to be able to take out Adora in her Adora form, since Adora was the Horde Force Captain and superior in fighting skills to all the rest. But for dramatic purposes, all that is forgotten. She's weak as Adora and hella weak as She-Ra. And that's why this show fails in general, because the conflict between She-Ra and Catra is the nexus of the whole thing. If that doesn't work, the rest doesn't either. 

People will argue that IT'S A SHOW FOR 10 YEAR OLDS as if that's an excuse. There's a lot of good stuff made for 10 year olds that doesn't come with all the sloppy plot holes and lazy writing of this series.

[zee-cupcakes-personal-blog]

Cupcake Writes: Making Good Super Humans

((Particularly for BNHA, but other places are included))

Ooh Boy. Thiiiis is going to get involved.

After unveiling the Refrain Saga and my BNHA oc Curse- several people have come to me for some advice regarding how to develop powers and backstories for their super-powered ocs... And I am incredibly flattered; first of all- but also a little scared to offer my advice because it all boils down to a lot... And a lot of thinking. Moreover; although I know a good deal about the Marvel and DC comic multi-verse this is primarily written from the perspective of someone wanting to make a Boku No Hero Academia or My hero Academia OC.

Let me start off by saying; I have a few routines.

Routine A: The Character Arc route

1. Make a person (humanity not necessary)

2. Make a super power

3. How does #2 affect #1, and vice-versa?

4. You got a super human

5. Now break them-- But break them good.

Routine B: Ooh Cool, A Motif

1. Stereotypes?

2. Okay, but how can I make this different?

3. BADASS F*CKIN’ POWERS (or not. That’s cool too.)

4. Re-balancing more often than a narcoleptic ballerina.

5. Has super human???

6. What is character growth?????

As you can see both routes handle going about things in slightly different manners. Routine A is typically the route I make when I want to make a long-lasting and changing character-- I give them character arcs. Routine B; although can be applied to long lasting character as well, is geared further to making a fun character. In fact, Routine B I used to make my OC’s rival and people seem to like him even better than my Hero OC just because of his skill set and animosity. That being said; it’s time to take things from the top.

Routine A: The Character Arc Route

1. Make A Person--

Super humans are humans first and foremost. They have personalities, interests, hobbies, shortcomings, highlights, varying senses of humor... But even more than that they came from somewhere. What is their social-standing like? Where did they grow up? If they’re in the process of growing up how mature are they? What sort of clothes do they wear? How well do they care for themselves, others? Any lasting medical conditions to be noted (do your research on this)? What events in their life-time have shaped their personalities, goals or motivations? DO they have goals, motivations or personalities (if not this could be a thing they strive to achieve)? The list of questions goes on and on- and making sure these answers do not contradict each other is key to developing the base of a personality.

Non-human characters will have these questions- but they can also have VARYING questions. In Super-Man’s case you need to answer where he came from, why he’s there, what was life like growing up in Kansas being different from everyone else? In a case like Thor’s where he was an adult when he fell to Midgard questions about how he approaches social norms arise (remember the coffee mug scene?).

Having any background information on the world itself will help. If you’re making a character based from established canon (DC, Marvel, My Hero Academia) it’ll help for you to be VERY familiar with the background and lore. If you’re making a new universe it’s good to focus a bit on your world while you’re making this character.

2. Make A Super Power--

Next is the point of this entire post. I’m guessing if you’ve gone down this route you already have some sort of power in mind- but this is really where you get to make it your own. I’d like to stress to get familiar with whatever your source material is; because powers have different implications in different canon.

In DC powers are rare and only are possessed by a few handful of people or beings at a time and there’s no clear set of rules that they follow- in certain cases powers have weaknesses in others they don’t and in many cases we have non-powered humans able to stand toe-to-toe with literal gods and goddesses (Justice League)...

In Marvel: Super-powers are often a hereditary thing and it’s a pretty good chance that these powers could lead to your character being oppressed (as a mutant).

But in Boku No Hero or My Hero Academia super-powers are normal, and bordernline a rite of passage. Powers are often extensions of a personality in some way, and are considered as a sort of auxiliary muscle- most powers in turn have their limits and it’s up to super-heroes to discover how to use theirs most effectively.

Soooo... Consider the important questions for your canon. How does the world in general react to super-powers? Their super-power in particular? Are there any limits to their powers? Do they even HAVE super powers, or are they just really really good at one thing? Do these powers have effects on this character’s personal appearance? How long have they had these powers?... But most importantly; what are the potential draw-backs of using said powers?

At this point I’d really like to give props to Hero Aca because I’ve never seen collateral damage taken into such consideration as they have- and most every quirk (or power) has a draw- back. For instance- the main villain has the ability to dissolve anything he touches with all five of his fingers.... The drawback being that he dissolves things he touches with all five of his fingers-- this has been hinted at to be a huge part of his backstory and we know it likely affects his day-to-day life.... So get creative!

3. How does #2 effect #1 and vice-versa?

At this point you have your two main components-- now comes the hard part. Putting them together. It’s at this point you may want to adjust, change, or even ditch parts of the personality/power portion to make a character more balanced and get into detail into other parts.

A big theory of mine regarding the afformentioned Main Bad from Hero Aca is that he can destroy carbon-atoms, carbon-bonds, and anything connected to them with all five of his fingers. Since carbon is in most things now-a-days it would certainly give off the impression he can dissolve everything with just a touch-- but he’d be unable to dissolve a block of solid aluminium.

Though normally a soft-spoken and mild-mannered man, Bruce Banner’s ability to “Hulk Out” leaves him emotionally compromised and constantly seeking out ways to remain calm and not angry since “Hulking Out” is triggered by his now nuclear-mutated rage.

Bruce Wayne likely has a lot of personal expense explaining to do when it comes to the sheer amount of money it must take to develop all of Batman’s gadgets come tax season.... This isn’t even a joke. How the heck does he do that???

4. You have a Super Human--

Have fun! Go nuts!

It’s normally at this point I start rping and fleshing them out. The truth of the matter is putting your character into practice is the best way to develop them, and you can’t have everything prepared. Maybe there are some questions to be answered more clearly? Maybe change an aspect of the character because you don’t like where it’s going? 

5. Now Break Them-- But Break Them Good--

Now we get to the part you will take the longest to work on, by far. Establishing character arcs. You’ve changed a lot in the many years you’ve been around. Probably been through phases maybe a few phases stuck... Your character is no different. As I said before; your super human is a human being. They will change over time and react to the world around them.

Character arcs often have four main plots- Man vs. Man, Man vs. Society, Man vs Nature, and Man vs. Himself.

Man vs Man is the simplest in it’s origin. It’s a character vs another character(s). A protagonist vs an antagonist (but not necessarily a villain). See Batman vs. Joker in the Dark Knight.

Man vs Society is often used to exhibit the protagonist challenging a societal norm. It’s more symbolic than literal-- if you thought it was about a man fighting society all Agent Smith vs. Neo style- See Man vs. Man.

Man vs. Nature tends to be reserved for survival stories... Which I feel wouldn’t have a place on this list if it wasn’t for the sheer amount of superheroes having survival stories written into their background.

Finally we have Man vs. Himself-- the introspective one. This is the method by which a character is actively fighting to overcome what they perceive as a flaw within themselves.

Character arcs are often set up by the goals or motivations of a person. Whether it be working to deck someone in the face, checking into rehab and staying there because of a drug-problem, or really really REALLY needing to light a fire and get off this island; a character is greatly affected by their character arc.

THE THING ABOUT CHARACTER ARCS-- is that your character can fail them. They can fail their goals and have to re-adjust. They will probably need external help... Success or fail; character arcs establish timelines in a character’s canon.  Are you Pre-Avengers Tony Stark, or post? Are you Robin or the Red Hood? The choice is yours-- but never throw something at your character they can’t overcome unless they’re not supposed to. If they can’t- they’ll change.

Routine B: OH HEY A MOTIF

1. Stereotypes?--

Ah yes. Stereotypes and tropes.... The world of literary wonders has left us a whole slew of archetypes and cliches for us to pick from. Whether it be a simple trope such as “the boy/girl next door”, or the “Cheerleader”.... Or a more complex one such as the “Crouching moron; Hidden Badass” there are a slew of archetypes to chose from. You don’t even have to stop at TROPES.

The persona series consistently make characters with personalities based off of what the Major Tarot Arcana represent! Rpgs often have a stock selection of characters such as; “The Knight”, “The Prince or Princess”, “The Evil Sorcerer”... What-have you. Even character classes such as “The rogue” “The Bard” and “The Paladin” are all tropes to monkey with... Pick a trope or two you enjoy and see what combinations you can make.

Tropes, cliches, and stereotypes are not all that original, but certain combinations may be- but they are a good starting point to help establish a good sense of how your character should feel! This is when you ask... 

2. Okay, But How Can I Make This Different? (Obhcimtd)--

As mentioned above; tropes, cliches, and stereotypes are not all that original. People are more than just tropes and your characters should be more than that as well. The only people you could possibly describe by tropes would be people you don’t KNOW yet-- and you’re the writer. You should know your character.

Look at various ways to subvert or expand from where the tropes first brought you. For instance; Wolverine is someone I would say qualifies as the Papa Wolf trope... But why he qualifies for that is based both from his motivation and his backstory- literally being old as dirt he has a tendency to gravitate to a leadership role and takes on the responsibility of being in charge because generally he can just regenerate.... He’s... Also an emotional mess because of it.... Sooooo yeah. He’s not just adopting teenagers left and right- and there are REASONS why that trope applies to him- but doesn’t define him. He’s still the angry short stack of beef we all know and love.

3. BADASS F*CKIN’ POWERS-- 

The same rules from Routine A apply here. Powers have consequences, collateral, limits and draw-backs-- only in routine b I allow myself a little more lee-way to find something that is more cool than something that’s strictly effective for story-telling. It’s easier in a routine like this to give someone a power too great or with no real weaknesses; so watch out for that.

4. Rebalancing more often than a narcoleptic ballerina--

After I’ve had my fun giving near god-like powers to my OC I think of the practicalities more realistically. I do this multiple times and often seek outside help or references from other forms of media with similar powers. This often comes out to having a (still) really cool power, but maybe not one that’d just trump every other character’s power first.

5. Has Super Human???--

Yup. Potentially. This is the shakey- “Your character is ready, but not done yet” stage where you put their personality, and powers on display to practice and solidify. Just like a cake; If poking holes into your character causes the tooth-pick to come out wet then leave them in the oven for an extra few character speculations.

6. What is character growth?????--

As I keep pressing again and again; your character is a human... And they- whether they like it or not- will be subject to change over time. Events may cause them to change in personal beliefs. Perhaps even different scenarios entirely would have them acting VERY different from where they were. That My friend is the power of AU’s.

And now for the Final step to both Routes

ASK PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS.

Assuming this is for RP purposes you don’t have to wait until everything is done before you can ask for feedback. In fact; I find that asking outside sources about character abilities or personalities is a good way to keep me humble. Getting caught up in making characters with cool powers can make anyone over-look some really glaring flaws they may have... Or on the reverse; someone could have given their characters too many flaws and made a misery porn backstory.

At any rate- these people you rp with will interact with your character through you and will have different opinions or ideas possibly for how your character is changing/doing-- not saying you should follow all advice they throw at you (an annoying character is meant to be annoying, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise); but it’s a good basis to go off of from the start and further propel your character into greatness!

[authorcatherinenogle]

Author Question Tag

Decided to procrastinate today for NaNoWriMo as this tag caught my eye. Decided to fill it out, just for fun. 1. Favorite place to write. My favorite place to write is on my couch. It has tables nearby, it’s hella comfy, I have all the pillows I need to nest in, and is close to the kitchen for coffee.

2. Favorite part of writing.For Original Fiction: Outlining. It’s quick, dirty, and I can find out what happens next super fast. For FanFiction: Playing through/re-reading source material to check facts.

3. Least favorite part of writing.For Original Fiction: Editing. I suck at it. For FanFiction: Editing--so I don’t do it. My chapters I post are somewhat edited as I go, but I don’t re-draft my fanfiction.

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals? Cup of coffee, and a cup of water, always. Coffee for fuel, water because otherwise I won’t hydrate myself.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most. Honestly, I can’t answer this. I genuinely don’t have a favorite author, or a favorite book. I enjoy books plenty when I read them, but they just don’t stick with me that way. What influences my writing is characters that my friends and I have created while playing RPGS, or campaigns I’ve played in or run in the past.

6. Favorite character you ever created. Always and forever will be Abby Arana from a Scion RPG campaign I played in a few years back. She was the child of a war God, (Huitzilopochtli for those of you that are interested) and was all sarcasm, pranks, and badassery. She killed many a villain in the campaign and grew so much as a character that I will always hold her near and dear.

7. Favorite author. Shit. If I have to pick one, Anthony Burgess, simply for A Clockwork Orange. (Viddy well, droogs!)

8. Favorite trope to write. The ‘will they, won’t they’ trope. Mostly for fanfiction.

9. Least favorite trope to write. ‘True love at first kiss’. Because, really, there is a negligible amount of people that will ever experience that (if any), and if your story isn’t believable or relatable, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. My husband and I have spent time spit balling an idea of his this past week. He wants to do a dystopian war novel, and has some amazing ideas. (Now if I could only get him to write them down….-_-)I know this answer seems like a cop-out, but he is truly the only person I get on well enough with, and are so on the same page that I feel we could actually accomplish finishing a book without murdering each other.

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish. The only process I have that is tried and true (for me) is for fanfiction. I’m still figuring out this novel thing.

Come up with your twist on the cannon.

Agonize for days over how to make it new and interesting.

Give up and start writing, and self-edit as you go.

Chapters take forever, but it’s better than going back through later.

Laugh at your own dialogue at random and scare your husband.

Finish the chapter, read through for consistency. If that checks out…

IMMEDIATELY post to ff.net and A03.

Wait impatiently for feedback

12. How do you deal with self-doubts? Xanax.

13. How do you deal with writer's block? I do something else creative. I do character sketches, or work my outline, or try writing from another character’s perspective for a while.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book? The one I’m writing now will be a hefty amount, but so far, fanfiction wise, probably Abduction. I got the itch to write for MassEffect, but didn’t want to go through the games again for a refresher, so I perused the wiki for a long, long time.

15. Where does your inspiration come from? Mostly, RPGs I’ve played in, and conversations I have with my chosen family. My boys are hilarious and some of their zingers end up giving me dialogue, or some story from their past will create a scene for me.

16. Where do you take your motivation from? From the need to start acting like the adult I’m supposed to be. I’m 27, I’m a homemaker, and deal daily with major depression and anxiety issues. I am currently using my need to help provide for my family to get me through this novel and get published. (Either self, or possibly an agent--not sure yet.) My husband is a great provider, but I want to help and make our lives more comfy. ...and pay back debt.

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day? Fanfiction wise: I will write all day. Like, maybe a get a coffee, and take the random smoke break, but other than that, ass to cushion until it’s done. I can pound out a thirteen page chapter in an evening if I have a good enough surge of creativity. Original: Before NaNo? I got a good 6k done in two days as I fleshed out the first arc. Now that NaNo has hit, I’m getting maybe 2k a day? It’s only day three, so we’ll see what happens, but I spend a good amount of time building my author platform, doing sketches for the world, world building, and taking care of the house.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like? Sporadic at best. When I do my first draft, (or only draft for fanfiction), I self edit as I go for continuity and plot holes, so it's hard sometimes to work in details that should be there, or add in new scenes as it makes major restructuring necessary.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.

The ticking of the old hand-me-down cat clock on the wall drilled into my brain with every mechanical swish of its tail. -from Whispers in His Ears

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

As my eyes traveled up it's naked form, I noticed a distended gut, and a hollowed chest. Every bone was visible, and every time it moved, the space around it seemed to shudder, as if the air itself was disturbed by this thing's presence. -from Whispers in His Ears

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.

Not able to spot anything out of the ordinary in the woods, Ray turned back to Samuel and I and just shrugged. -from Whispers in His Ears

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you? On fanfiction: One usually does it for me. I just want to get content out, and it’s usually edited well enough that I haven’t gotten any real complaints about grammar/spelling. Original fiction: We’ll see. My first chapter is on draft 6. The second is still on one.

23. Single or multi POV, and why? Both have their uses. I have a multi POV I’m working on and it helps me with moving the story forward, and gives good insight into my MC’s.

24. Poetry or prose, and why? Prose. I am shit at poetry.

25. Linear or non-linear, and why? For my WIP, it’s linear, and for most of my back burner projects, they’re linear…nothing against non-linear, but I haven’t felt that the non-linear format would benefit a story I’m telling thus far.

26. Standalone or series, and why? My fanfictions thus far are all standalone stories. None of them connect to any of the others. Different AU’s and all that. My WIP novel for NaNoWriMo, is plotted out for three books, because there was so much more to tell.

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? I always share with my husband. He beta read Alone Together for me (poor guy), and is always willing to hear a snippet from whatever I’m working on. Anyone else, though...it’s going to be somewhat polished before you read anything.

28. And who do you share them with? The husband. Sometimes my little sister when she has the time.

29. Who do you write for? For me. My depression makes it hard for me to stick with things during the day. I always need to be moving around and am jumping from project to project...but writing? I am wearing so many hats as a writer, and my passion is so great that I just chill. I sit there, and I do my mental gymnastics and get shit done.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written. Well.. series of lines:

"You drugged your foster mom?" Kerrie raised one of her slender hands and combed her long dirty blond locks from her view.  "It's not a habit," Ray spoke from around my middle where he had begun to lightly tickle my hipbone, causing me to squirm in his firm grip. "This is only the what...third time?" -from Whispers in His Ears

31. Hardest character to write. I’m going to go with Ray from my WIP. He’s a genuinely good kid. He was raised right. He shows respect, and cares for others...trying to have him not come off as a cut out character has been driving me insane. He has flaws for sure, but I’m not sure if they’re substantial enough to offset how good he is.

32. Easiest character to write. Frank, from my WIP. Frank is a family man who served in Desert Storm. He’s Ray’s dad, and is also a genuinely good guy--but he’s seen some shit, and he wouldn’t recommend it. He also swears very creatively, which has been fun. My husband is a vet, and so I just ask him how Frank would say something in ‘drill speak’ and husband translates. He just makes me want to create for him.

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing? Nope. Can’t--too distracting. I do make playlists of what my characters would listen to and play those while doing character sketches/outlines, though.

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes? Handwritten. I have 2 notebooks dedicated to my WIP and NaNo.

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story Whispers in His Ears. Okay, a little bit about Samuel Peppard:

Samuel wanted for nothing as a child, and was very much loved by his mother. However, his mother, Sharyl was only able to give him so much because she had taken out credit cards and a mortgage in her mother’s name and then proceeded to not pay. When Hattie, Samuel’s grandmother sued the shit out of Sharyl and took custody of Samuel when he was 10 years old. He has special permission to live in the 55+ active living community where Hattie lives.

36. A spoiler for story Whispers in His Ears. One of the major characters gets partially decapitated.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you. “The First Draft of Anything is Shit.” Wait...didn’t I just admit to posing first drafts?.....shiiiiit...

38. Have you shared your outline of your story Whispers in His Ears with someone? If so, what did they think of it? Shared it with the husband, and he’s real with me. He doesn’t blow rainbows up my ass, so when he told me it was a good, tight, sound plot--and then asked about a sequel, I knew I had something good.

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one. Yes. I do base some aspects of my characters on real people. Example: Kerrie’s moral compass is based off my little Sister’s, as well as her body type.

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why? Both! I got my start writing in fanfiction, so I have a soft spot for it. Really, though, I think it’s beautiful that artists can create something people love so much that they feel the need to expand on the world, and the characters and make it new, fresh, and exercise their own creative muscle.

41. How many stories do you work on at one time? Fanfiction wise: I alternate writing chapters between four separate stories I have going on.Now that I’m delving into original fiction, however, I’m putting my fanfiction on hold to put my full attentions on WIHE and make it the best it can be.

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

Step 1: I pick a name that I like (or surname) and start there. Step 2: I write in Bibisco (freeware, it’s amazing) and it has a really great character section. There are different sections with interview style questions so you can thoroughly plan your character, AND there’s a space for images. Seriously, it’s amazing. Step 2.5: I sit and think long and hard (lol) about what my story needs, and how this character can fulfill that need in full or part. They need a purpose to be in my story. Once they have their purpose, I think of quirks to individualize them and make them more real. Step 3: Google models/actors for a GENERAL idea of your character, or in some cases, roll through your facebook for someone you feel fits the character--I do this to help with general descriptions.

43. Are you an avid reader? Sadly, no. I have issues sticking with things...so I try to read, but after maybe ten minutes or so, I’m bouncing off to go do something else. I am hoping to change that, though.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

“Okay so it's 3000% bullshit that this doesn't have any other comments, so because of that I'm gonna comment the fuck out of this fic because it's phenomenal.You're writing is so good, like the figurative language alone is amazing. Even tho I'm a writer and I want everyone to read every word I've written I'm also shitty person and I like to skim fics when I only wanna read smut. But not this fic. I started skimming and was like oh no wait, this is like actually legit good writing and I went back to start it over, and then stayed after the smut was over.” -a review on my fanfiction Between Love and Hate (Stardew Valley)

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten .It sounds stupid, and like I’m low key patting myself on the back, but I looked through reviews on work I’ve posted and I didn’t really find anything negative other than comments about minor grammar and spelling issues. I’ll get some negative feedback soon, it’s bound to happen.

46. What would your story Whispers in His Ears look like as a tv show or movie? It would do better as a TV show, I think, due to length and depth of the mythos. It would probably be compared to Stranger Things due to the age of the MC and her friends.

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story? Plot. Always plot.

48. Favorite genre to write in. The spoopy ones!

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end? The beginning. I put so much pressure on myself to set the story up right so the  reader will continue on.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had. For the life of me, I have no idea. I’m primarily into fanfiction, so that's easy. WIHE is my first foray into original fiction. 

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: OK KO, Let’s Be Heroes

WARNING: If I ramble, say nothing about it on Pinterest. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

SIGN ME THE FUDGE UP!

Man, I’ve been up for two whole days with about an hour of actual sleep, I have not eaten well, I watched what they gave me, and now I’m here to say that this is one of the greatest cartoons I might ever see in my entire life. I’m not kidding, this isn’t a joke, I’m not just saying it, I mean it. I’ve waited FOUR long years for this and Little Witch Academia, and now I have both under the same year and I’m enjoying every moment.

You made it, little buddy

Now before I rant about how I’m all over this show, I’ll give a little history of how this came to be. Long ago, this was a short called Lakewood Plaza Turbo that was the same premise as this. A buff kid works at a supply store for superheroes of all kinds and is friends with Chun Li superstar Enid and slacker alien Radicles. It was 80s sweets mixed with Street Fighter mixed with Dragon Ball before Dragon Ball Z hid that gem in the dirt. It was a one of a kind thing to me and I was a little bummed since a pilot short was all I might get. However, last year, in addition to presenting us a new mobile game based on this, they greenlit this as a full series for Cartoon Network and I was like “No way” and CN smacked me with a belt buckle and said “YES WAY!” They gave us shorts to show off their new designs, we had an intro and eventually we have a show. I don’t know how to describe this beyond this is The Amazing World of Dragon Street Fighter Kung Fury: the Animated Series. What is Kung Fury? Look below for more.

It’s like this, except without guns...or Nazis in it

Like Little Witch Academia, this started from the bottom and the wait made this all the more worth it. The amount of imagination this has with good writing, interesting characters, interesting set pieces, and it’s a multi faceted project with plenty of people on board. I mean this show has good, differing animation, Heroism, good voicework, Family Drama, Danger, Love, Ashley Burch, Suspense, Kung Fu, Horror, Tragedy, Muscles, Bananas, Ghosts, Donuts, Robots, Giants, GIRLS,

Need I say more?! Will you not be entertained?!

I won’t say much else. I gave credit where credit is due. However, I have my fears; hiatus, overshadowed by more “popular” shows, network disagreements, and [shivers] terrible scheduling. Look, I just want this show to succeed as long as the creators are able to keep it up. If it only lasts a season, I will enjoy every moment of that season. Any early dismissal of this, by the network or whatever, and I will be mad. Seething rage. No mercy. Everyone will see my true colors. I will be pissed. I might actually die of blind rage. No jokes. I’m dead serial. You might think I’m overreacting, and the truth is there is a bit paranoia under all this love. This year has admittedly not been the greatest, for me especially, and when I get down to it, beside the Captain Underpants movie, Jojo part 5, One Punch Man 2, BNHA2, LWA, Samurai Jack 5, Baman Piderman, Cars 3 being a disappointment, playing as Coocoo Bandicoot, Super Mario Possessor, getting my freak on, and my friends and family, my hope for anything hasn’t been that spectacular until now and after waiting so long for something, you can have a tendency to wish nothing but the best for a rising star like this. If I wrong, please speak up.

It just oozes enthusiasm

Let’s Be Heroes is one of those where ya gotta see the beginning to get the full jist of it, afterwards everything will come to an understanding. So do watch the first 6 episodes that are out now to grasp the concept on how this world works and things might go. It’s a little coming of age, but it mostly has fun with anything that comes to mind. Now if you excuse me, I’m gonna lie down cause this review took the breath out of me. Oh yeah, one more thing. This does have some My Hero Academia vibes in it. I just wanted to say that because that season HAS A MOTHERFREAKING TOURNAMENT ARC! TOOOOUURRRRNAAAAMEEEENNT AAAAARRRRRRC!

This year has been nothing but HYPE, and I’M LOVING IT!

[azuregold]

(struggling to figure out how to ask all of them... also obv no spoilers ;u;) okay for character specific questions: 13 I don't think I've questioned any character's actions so ┐( シ)┌ 14 I guess Zoro?? maybe Travis 21 tell me about the human experiences of Luffy! 22 Zoro 30 eh just ramble about the Straw Hats living human lives? 42, 43, 49 & 50 all of the crew when they were in Earthverse !

These were fun! Well, most of them. For questions 21, 30, 42, 43, 49, and 50…they aren't things I've thought too much about before. I'm not in the right frame of mind to try at the moment and I didn't want to let the ask sit there unanswered until I did manage to think of something, so I'm just going to go ahead and skip them for now, sorry! ^^;

1: what inspires you?

Having a good idea I can be excited about? IDK. X'D

2: one of your favorite comments/reviews on this chapter/verse?

I love all my comments. ;u; I love the comments that go into detail about what they thought, the comments that are just a mess of flailing, the comments that tell me they stayed up all night reading, the comments that are just a line or two to say they liked it, and everything in between. Even if I could decide on one to use as an example, I wouldn't want to make anyone feel like I didn't appreciate their comment because it didn't look like that one.

3: what motivates you?

Being excited about an idea, getting to write a part I've been looking forward to, getting a nice comment on a fic, having the house to myself.

4: what time of the day/night do you like to write?

Either afternoon or at night once my mom's gone to bed.

5: do you write scenes in a linear fashion or do you write future scenes/dialogues sometimes?

I'll write snippets of future scenes if I think of something I don't want to lose, but otherwise I write pretty much linearly (aside from going back to rewrite previous scenes/chapters).

6: hardest/easiest character to write for?

I don't know if any of them are easy, exactly. It also depends on the scene and what they're going to be doing. Sometimes I know exactly how they'll behave, and sometimes I just can't picture how a character would react to a particular event or line of dialogue.

But generally Zoro isn't too bad. (Also Travis, because he's my character, though that still doesn't mean I know how he'll respond to things all the time, unfortunately.) Hardest is probably Flirty!Sanji and Franky. I've never tried writing from Franky's point of view, but he's hard enough from someone else's that I'm not eager to try. Chopper and Robin aren't too bad from someone else's POV, but I think I might have trouble writing from theirs. And Luffy can be difficult occasionally, depending on the situation. (Also Sven is hard, even though he’s my character.)

7: hardest/easiest verse to write for?

Well, I only have one at the moment, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Though once I actually start writing some of my other ideas, I have a feeling Mistyverse will still be the easiest, just because I've been working in it for so long.

8: (if you have either or both) how do you manage time with writing, work, school etc.?

Very badly. ^^;; I'm terrible at time management.

9: what tv shows, books, or movies inspire for this verse, if any?

Story-wise, I can't think of anything specific (there may have been and I've just forgotten, but). Character-wise, Archer from Fate/Stay Night and Furuya Rei/Amuro Tōru/Bourbon from Detective Conan were a big influence when I was developing Travis.

10: any writing advice?

I don't feel confident enough to give advice to other people, haha.

11: (if you use) what do you like about archiveofourown?

The tag system. It can be very helpful in finding a certain subject or giving me a better idea of what the fic is about. Also the "mark for later" option. And the ability to have a series. It makes it much easier not to miss things when there are multiple fics in a story. And I like that the author isn't sent a notice when someone subscribes/can’t see the names of people who have subscribed. I feel much less awkward about subscribing to fics that are years old or about a very guilty pleasure. :P

12: anything you would do to make archiveofourown different/change it?

I…kind of have a list…

– Add a way to sort subscriptions by fandom! Sometimes I want to reread fic for a particular series and if I don't remember the title(s), going through multiple pages of fics and opening them one by one is such a pain.

– Give us a way to mark main vs. minor characters and relationships in fics. It's really annoying searching for fics about a certain character or pairing and getting dozens of fics that focus on someone/thing else entirely, with whatever you were looking for getting maybe a couple of scenes in the background. I've seen authors try to tag things to indicate this themselves, but most (including me ^^; ) don't do it, and in any case, I'd like an actual option I can mark in a search.

– It'd be cool to be able to put spoiler warnings on tags. Click to view, highlight, something.

– Filter IDs are very helpful, but it would be so much easier if we could just click a button to exclude things like explicit fics, “multi” fics (I’m so tired of being overrun with smutty “multi” fics when I search for ��gen” without a filter), NOTPs, fandoms I don’t like…and so on.

– Being able to choose whether or not crossovers are included in the search results. I like a good crossover, but sometimes I just want fics for the one series.

– Don’t have author replies count under total number of comments. Also a PM system would be nice.

(If any of this is possible and it’s just that I don’t know about it, someone please tell me. X’D)

14: what is the arc for this character (redemption, etc.)?

I find it hard to put things like this into words (and I don't want to give spoilers), so…I'm going to pass on this as well. ^^;

15: ask me any spoilers you’re curious about for a verse, and i’ll post the answer in the tags

I'm glad you didn't ask for any because usually I love giving spoilers but we're far enough into the story now that most things I could say are Big Spoilers for the climax/ending that I really don't want to give away ahead of time. So thanks for not tempting me. XD

16: do you ever hand write? why or why not?

Once in a long while, if I think of a line I don't want to forget after I've turned my computer off, I'll jot it down on a notepad so I'll remember it the next day. Otherwise, no. My handwriting is slow as molasses and makes my hand tired. ^^;

17: do you listen to music while you write?

Almost always. 8D Just instrumentals, though.

18: any fanmixes you’ve made for this fic/verse?

Not really, no. I have a playlist I use when I'm writing scenes with Travis, and I'm working on one for fight scenes in general, but that's the closest I've got.

19: any edits or art you’ve made for this fic/verse/any edits readers have made? if not, what visuals would you use for one?

All the art I've posted for Mistyverse is here (If I get any fanart in the future, that's where it will be, too). I have quite a bit of art I haven't posted, mostly of Travis or unfinished attempts to draw specific scenes (I have an attempted map of the island in OtMS that I'm too embarrassed to look at again X'D).

20: what songs were you listening to during this scene/chapter?Mostly I just shuffle my giant instrumental playlist. Or if I'm in the mood for something new, I go looking on YouTube or similar places for writing playlists. As far as music for specific scenes/chapters, I think I pretty much covered that in question 13 here.

22: favorite line/quote/inner monologue from this character?

Zoro… At the moment, probably:

Zoro's heart had nearly stopped when he'd seen those hands. Or it would have, if he'd still had one.

Damn it, when did I start stealing Brook's lines?

23: feelings on epistolary fic?

It can be interesting. c: I like it best when letters/diary entries/whatever are mixed with more traditional narrative, but they can make for a fun story.

24: do you outline?

Yep! Not super-detailed outlines, usually, but I prefer having some sense of where things are going.

25: if you outline, do you edit it frequently?

Not that often, no. I don't think I've even looked at the outline for FMaA in a while, actually, because things got very vague toward the end, outside of a few specifics, and I have most of the necessary info in my head at this point.

26: anything you’re planning to write in your fic that you’re worried readers might like?

I think this is supposed to be "that you're worried readers might not like". Because otherwise…why would someone liking my stuff make me worried? Barring creepy stalkers and the like. Assuming it's "not"…

Ohhh yeah. I might hide under the covers for about a week when I post those parts… X’D

27: when you read fic, how often do you comment?

Not…very often. ;;OTL I know how much comments mean to writers, especially now that I've had firsthand experience, but I still find it a difficult thing to do. And lately, when I do comment, more often than not I do it anonymously, even if all I have to say is praise. It's just more comfortable for me that way. If I leave a signed in comment, it usually means I really liked the fic.

28: any scene/line you wrote that you didn’t expect to write/that surprised you once it was written?

Uhh…first thing that comes to mind is when they were at the museum and got roped into playing themselves. I had planned for their disguises to be seen through and for it to be assumed that they were cosplaying, but the rest of it just sort of happened. Including Maya; I knew she was going to be in the story, but I didn’t know she was going to be on that island or working at the museum until she showed up in the fruit room. X’D I don’t even remember how I was originally going to introduce her, except that it was going to be a lot closer to the end.

29: do you eat or drink anything while you write?

Not while I'm writing, but I like to have a drink and sometimes a snack before I start. Most often chai. It helps me get in the mood.

32: what are your stats for this story/verse?

Is…this supposed to mean, like…number of kudos/comments/hits. etc? If it means something else, someone tell me and I'll adjust my answer. :P

Just doing the two main fics (and on FFN the shorts are part of OtMS anyway, so):

On the Misty Shore

AO3 – Kudos: 75, Comments: 11, Bookmarks: 10, Hits: 1350

FFN – Reviews: 86, Favorites: 165, Followers: 63, Communities: 1, Views: 21,005

From Mist and Ashes

AO3 – Kudos: 117, Comments: 37, Bookmarks: 17, Hits: 1739

FFN – Reviews: 94, Favorites: 101, Followers: 129, Views: 11.433

33: favorite one-shot you’ve written?

Ah…hmm. I haven't actually written any one-shots as in "self-contained, stand-alone story" yet (I have plans!). Out of the one-shot extras that I wrote for Mistyverse…maybe Proof? It was the most self-indulgent of the three and the most fun to write.

34: a scene/paragraph you wrote that you’re proud of

I'm pretty happy with most of the stuff in chapters 18 and 19…and the scene in 16 where Zoro reveals himself…and Zoro and Travis’s fight in the museum in 15…and probably more that I’m not thinking of, but I’m not going to reread the whole thing again right now. :P

35: any foreshadowing/symbolism you wrote that you hope readers didn’t miss?

Yes, but at the same time I hope most people don't put the pieces together until things get revealed later.

36: any scenes you wrote that parallel the canon verse?

I guess maybe the stuff with Zoro and Chidori in 17? Kind of?

37: do you use quotes in the beginning notes/intro to your chapters? if so, what are some of your favorites/what are their significance?

Nope, I don't.

38: do you title your chapters? what’s your favorite chapter title? what’s its significance/why did you choose it?

Yes, I love titling chapters. Even when I can't think of anything good. Favorite chapter title is definitely Law and Order. Because it has a double meaning/pun (the structure and rules of Whitestone + Law showing up at the end).

39: any alternate fic titles you were considering for this verse?

I had a couple others I was playing with, at least for FMaA, but who knows what they were? Not me. XD

40: chapter you’re most proud of in this verse?

At the moment, I'd say it's a tossup between 15, 16, 18, and 19.

41: chapter that was the most fun to write in this verse?

Hmm. 12 was the easiest, and it's always fun when I'm not struggling with a chapter. The whole arc on Crinia (chapters 13 – 15) was pretty fun, even when it got difficult. 18 – 19, too. And I felt like chapter 20 was crap while I was writing it, but it was silly fun, and it doesn't seem as terrible when I reread it now.

44: have you shared your outline with anyone? if so, what did they think of it?

The outline itself, no. Parts of it are pretty different from what I actually ended up writing; it might be fun to share some of it sometime. c:

45: anyone you share excerpts with?

*pokes you​* And I've posted a few here before, too. They're usually pretty short, though. Just a line or two.

46: story with the most kudos (AO3)?

From Mist and Ashes.

47: story with the most comments?

From Mist and Ashes again. :P

48: a happy future moment you’ve written/have planned for this ship? (will post under read more for spoilers)

*ignores the "ship" part* Hmm…I have no idea if I'll ever actually write it, but in my list of ideas for FMaA bonus scenes I have one where Zoro cooks for everyone (just because he can't eat anymore doesn't mean he can't cook—he lived on that island by himself for a long time before he died, after all). Also (for the benefit of anyone else reading this), sircerenade and I have discussed Brook and Zoro bonding over stuff before (being "grandpa figures", sharing skull/ghost jokes, etc.). Some of it may be more bittersweet than happy, but it’s a cute bittersweet, so.