#JellyMelly Answers

[jellymellydraws]

Haaayyyyyyyyy Taaaaaavvvvv haaaaaaayyyyyyyyy

Where do you start in writing? Do you have a process that you go through? Do you do a point a to point b or do you just spitball things out and stitch them together?

I have so many ideas that I wanna put into words but I can't get em out. Send help.

Ooooo okay sooooo-- sorry I don't have a formal process but I can breakdown a few things that I do!

Generally: I do the spitball and stitch strategy. If I have an idea, regardless of where it might sit in a story or timeline, I write it down. I can figure out what I want to do with it AFTER I get the idea onto the page somehow. (Personally I give each idea its own doc, because I never know when/if I'm going to include it, and it also helps me add to them as more ideas come).

Writing each Chapter/Scene For a chapter, I write out the things I want to have happen. Sometimes this will include things that are better off in the NEXT chapter, but knowing my general journey will help me know what I want to build up.

After that, I'll do a quick outline. Usually dialogue and actions just so I have a basic idea of what I want to happen (much like a chatroom RP format or script). If I get carried away and want to write paragraphs then I just start doing that. No point in forcing myself to do things a certain way if my brain isn't about that.

Longfic Process Still the same as what I do generally, but for the longfic I'll consider things like timeline of events and how different actions could affect other future events or characters. This could mean ideas I had before become irrelevant, but that's fine!

In Conclusion/Summary

If you have an idea, write it down. Doesn't matter how or what format, put it on the page.

I don't know what to do with most of my ideas, but I'm happier to have it written down SOMEWHERE so I can figure that out later.

There's no formal way to plan or prep. Just the way that works for your brain. Try a bunch of different things and see what sticks. For me, it's writing and rewriting the same scene until I'm happy with it.

When I get stuck, I start over. Sometimes the beginning of my idea was great but loses steam and I can't make sense of how to get to the ending I want.

For my longfic, I have a timeline of events where I can move scenes around depending on what I think makes sense for the pacing I want.

[jellymellydraws]

TO DA RESCUE!

First off, lemme tell you that seeing new things popping up on my dashboard of yours makes me all fuzzy and happy inside. So cheer up buttercup.

SECONDLY!

What do you think RosexAsyarion would be like in a modern setting? Where would they live? Do they have a go-to Starbucks/local coffee shop order? Does Astarion never wear the same thing twice? Does Rose steal his clothes because of that?

GIMME DEETZ YO

this is so very sweet thank youuuuuu

Modern AU RoseStarion has a few routes they can go and all are just as fun for me to consider

High Class Crime Duo

The two of them steal expensive shit and sell on the black market. Heists where they can infiltrate high society using Astarion's skills as a high-in-demand musician to provide entertainment. Rose is, of course, the brains of the operations. She's got the blueprints, the security codes, and everything needed to pull off a successful heist. They enjoy living in a penthouse within the city, and Astarion's profits as a performer for the upper class is their official way of paying and sustaining that lifestyle. Despite the crime, they're still, in their own way, GOOD people. No they don't donate to charity....no they don't put those funds to GOOD things...but they got some kind of moral code and standards that they abide by. Despite the fact that they both want to live the high life, they're also very aware that high society is a club of assholes, so they don't have any qualms about stealing from them.

Musician and his Muse Manager

In this AU, the two of them travel across Faerun, so they don't really have a place that they live. Astarion is a classical musician who already had a positive reputation and was in demand. Early on there are issues with this. It was a bit of a scandal when word got out that he broke his partnership with Szarr Agency and hired an independent agent. That was the public scandal, at least. The private scandal involved Rose refusing invitations from "fans" who offered high sums to see one of his "exclusive" performances, as they were used to while he worked for Szarr Agency. The relationship is kept secret, due to the professional nature of their public appearances. But behind closed doors, they can't keep their hands off each other.

Generic/Regular Modern AU type of shit:

They live in an apartment in the city, hoping to someday, hoping to work their way up to a luxury townhome. Their professions can be a whole different assortment of things. Astarion can be a judge, lawyer, fashion designer, perfumer. Rose can be a private investigator, hired hitwoman, or generic business woman (probably management of some kind). I like thinking about this one in terms of sweet domestic life between them in a modern AU. Nothing dramatic, just that point where they can enjoy life with their several cats (and maybe a few exotic pets), see their friends in the city, and build a sappy sweet life together.

Now the OTHER detailssssssss Rose likes her coffee with a bit of sweetness, nothing too fancy. Usually vanilla syrup in her coffee for the most part and light on the creamer. Astarion doesn't have a regular order. He's the one who comes in and asks for something different just when the barista thinks they got it down. The only thing consistent is that Astarion gets a pastry with his coffee. Which pastry? Fuck, that one is ALSO changed up (because the pastry needs to pair with the coffee, darling. I can't have a lemon loaf with a caramel mocha-- I mean, I COULD, but it just doesn't do either of those things justice, now does it?)

Astarion loves the IDEA of never wearing the same thing twice. But he actually does get a bit attached to some of his outfits. Rose learned this early on, she keeps the clothes he INSISTS on getting rid of (because he WILL regret it later when he has JUST THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY for an outfit he dismissed MONTHS ago), and he's usually pleased when she pulls them out for him to have again. Rose stealing Astarion's clothes can be a bit tricky, mainly because she's got a large chest which don't fit in his slimmer shirts. If it weren't for that, she could probably wear most of his outfits but as it stands now, they're all a bit tight on her. BUT THE TWO OF THEM WILL COORDINATE THE FUCK OUTTA THEIR OUTFITS WHEN THEY GO OUT TOGETHER. They also go to the spa and get manipedis together. People watching too! Their favorite people watching thing to do is make up backstories about the strangers they're watching.

This was great actually, I really do feel better-- like, IMMENSELY BETTER

[jellymellydraws]

12 + 10 for the fic ask meme?

Fic Author Ask Game Here

12. First Fic Ever Written? First fic I ever written has been lost to the 1s and 0s of internet history. It was a Naruto Fanfiction with my first OC (a self-insert "somehow weak but also OP at the same time" character). It was a love triangle between Sasuke, Sakura, and my OC! That was back in 2007 and I hadn't written anything until BG3 came around since then.

10. Best/Funniest comment you've ever gotten on a fic? BEST COMMENT IS THE HARDEST TO PICK-- I get so many really great comments

But I DO have some funny comments! This one was shared on my last smut oneshot

This one is from my main fic, and I won't stop thinking about it

THIS ONE I read in my head like the "Uh-oh Spaghettio!" jingle

and I HAVE TO mention this consistent comment I get on EVERY. CHAPTER.-- I love them.

Shoutout to @spooky-donut-ghost-house @asstariontrash and @thegalaxysedge22 for being regular commenters on my main fic. I do a little giddy dance every time I get that email from AO3. I also read back through those comments when I need to fight the brain gremlins that tell me bad things about my writing.

[jellymellydraws]

1, 9, &20 for the fic ask game? 👀💚 Sorry, Tumblr mobile doesn't want to let me send asks from ye ol' sideblog

Ahhhh Mouseeee hiiii!!!

Fanfic Writer Ask Game Here

1. What is your favorite trope to write? There are SO MANYYYYYYY and I don't think I know the name of most tropes. But I love writing whatever trope it is where someone deliberately goes by a different name (or adopts a different identity) as a way of reclaiming/taking control of their own personhood. Also in "I've Got You" I'm a sucker for the 'suddenly being comforted' trope. Just-- NNNGGGG the good shit. Character is suffering and struggling and then someone puts a hand on their shoulder, or a cold hand on their overheated face, or pulls them for a hug? GOOD SHIT. Honorable Mentions: Chosen/Found Family is another big one for me. Mind forgets but Body remembers Characters armed to the teeth but have to relinquish their full portable armory of weapons. Redemption for evil characters

9. Biggest Pet Peeve while writing? When I have a word on the tips of my fingers but cannot for the fucking life of me remember what it is.

On a similar, but technical, note-- when I have to change where I'm writing from (desktop to table to phone) and the settings in google docs don't transfer over SO SOMETIMES I GET THE RIGHT TYPE OF QUOTATION MARKS AND OTHER TIMES I DON'T AND IT'S JUST ARRGGGHHHHHHH

20. Hardest character to write/get the characterization correct for? Mentally stable characters and characters without trauma. This was a tough question to answer. Usually I just WING IT with any characterization (or I pull inspiration from things I've seen elsewhere like movies or shows).

I think writing for or getting into the headspace of a truly vile and heinous character is tough (like bigots and hateful characters). If I write a bad guy, I want to know them as a person and this usually leads to something redeemable about them. But if I want to write an irredeemable bad guy, then I feel like I'm missing out on an actual character cuz I don't know their core beliefs or characterizations other than "whatever is the BAD thing to do."

[jellymellydraws]

What's your favorite Rose fun fact?

Oooo I think all facts are fun facts but these are def some of my favorite:

-She's left-handed!

-when she was younger, she used to follow the constellations like your typical horoscope girlie would.

-she would very much love playing puzzles like Sudoku if they existed in Faerun.

[jellymellydraws]

No pressure to do all of these, but can I request 15, 16, 17, 18 for your Dark Urge questionnaire?

Hope you're having a nice day! 💚

Greymouse!!!! I love that you continue to send me asks when I post questionnaires! I love these!

15) What is your Dark Urge's Greatest Fear? Being a monster. Losing herself. The worst part about losing her memories is not knowing who she IS, or not knowing that the person she is without the memories was the REAL her or-- it's all a mess. She's afraid of never knowing who she is because of the fact that she doesn't know who she used to be. The whole nautiloid fiasco is her picking up pieces and learning things about herself but then stopping to wonder if that's REALLY her...what does it even mean to BE someone?

16) What is your Dark Urge's Greatest Desire? Control. She doesn't like surprises. Doesn't like unexpected outcomes. She plans things to the smallest detail if she can. She desperately needs something to have control over that is her own. Because she sure as shit doesn't have a handle on her Urges. One could argue that if her desire for control is only about the urges then maybe her desire is freedom-- but no. She doesn't see the urges being something she can get rid of, so the notion of being free from them is mostly a lofty fantasy. But controlling them sounds far more practical, and being able to control herself is actionable.

17) What is your Dark Urge's Greatest Regret? Keeping her urges secret from all of her companions for as long as she does. Rose gets stubborn about it and there are major consequences to her NOT telling the rest of camp that they are sleeping alongside someone with random murder-blackouts. There are times where her Urge is going to act up that she'll think about and wonder if the outcomes would've been different if all of her traveling companions were AWARE that she was dealing with this.

18) How does your Dark Urge feel about love? Love scares Rose. It's the most vulnerable a person can be about/towards/with another. It's a weakness that can be exploited in the most devastating of ways. She doesn't think others are weak for having it, but she thinks it's a danger for herself. Love has a whole lot of shit involved that she isn't ready to face. Like how it can be tested against the worst parts of herself, or how it can lead to her doing absolutely foolish shit that she wouldn't do for anyone when in the right state of mind. It can be worth it, but the path to love leaves a lot of uncertainty and surprises-- two things that Rose does everything in her power to avoid/be prepared for. Now, this might feel contradictory to what her greatest desire is, but consider this: There's a difference between BEING loved, and LOVING someone else. It's the latter that scares her.

[jellymellydraws]

If Rose had a love confession scene with Astarion, what would she say to him?

"I might not ever know, fully, who I used to be. But that doesn't seem to matter anymore. I want to fill up on new memories, of this person I am now. And I'd like you to be a part of them."

[jellymellydraws]

May I request questions 5, 6, and 9 from the fanfiction author ask game?

Fanfic author ask game

5. The fic you're most proud of writing? My current ongoing fic "I've Got You" is my proudest. It's my first fanfic since I stopped writing in '07, and I already wrote so much. It's the first Longfic which I also have a solid trajectory for in terms of major plot points and how I want it to end.

6. The fic you're least proud of writing? My very first fic, which was a Naruto fic love triangle between Sasuke, Sakura, and my very first OC. This OC was OP, but super damsel in distressed, and a self insert-- basically everything you can expect from a first time writer/creator who crammed all their fantasies into ONE character-- reasonability be damned.

I take psychic damage whenever I think about it.

9. Biggest pet peeve while writing? When I think about adding a detail to a later part of a scene, then I forget by the time I get to that very spot!!! Happened in my last chapter, so now I'm sorting out where else I can put it cuz I'm not gonna go back and edit the posted chapter. It would've triggered a few more paragraphs of writing and that's too big an edit for me to sneakily make.

[jellymellydraws]

can I request 12 and ,,18 for the fic writer ask?

Fanfic Author Ask Game

18. Most words/chapters ever written for a one fic or oneshot? My main fic is going to win this spot because it's still going and my oneshot is only 650 words by comparison. HOWEVER! I wrote a backstory for a dnd character that feels like a onefic worthy story. THAT one is 11.5k words (6 chapters, according to how i broke it down)

12. First ever fic written? First fic I ever written has been lost to the 1s and 0s of internet history. It was a Naruto Fanfiction with my first OC (a self-insert "somehow weak but also OP at the same time" character). It was a love triangle between Sasuke, Sakura, and my OC! That was back in 2007 and I hadn't written anything until BG3 came around since then.

[jellymellydraws]

📚🔪🦷 for the writer ask meme? Hope you're having a good day!

Been a rough week at work but I am happy to have this to answer ❤️❤️❤️

���� What's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?

I don't use a notes app 🤣 but here is something I jotted down in a random space for idea keeping:

Astarion and tav visit a place with stained glass windows. It was built in the upper city and supposedly a glamorous venue. But he never saw it, it was built while he was enslaved.

🔪 what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

This is a tough one cuz like...idk what I would consider a weird topic??? Oh I guess I could say that I researched what a C-section felt like in the case of intestine removal and how it would feel to the body after putting them back. Did that for a vivisection scene in my fic. Did you know the intestines will just MOVE BACK INTO PLACE???? And you could feel it???? Yeh, fun stuff.

🦷 share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on.

Make the thing. If you don't like it, you don't gotta share it-- but make it. You don't get better if you don't ever do it. So make the thing.

[jellymellydraws]

12 + 18 for the fic ask!!!

Fic Ask Here

12) Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in? I wanted to put in a scene where Lae'zel and Shadowheart were at each other's throats (with daggers) regarding the artifact. That REALLY early-game tension was something I wanted to capture between the two and how Rose would resolve it. I kept it out because the beginning chapters already had so much going on and I didn't think "parenting adult children" really fit what I wanted to focus on. I found other ways for Lae'zel and Shadowheart to be irked with each other and Rose telling both of them to calm tf down without the "I'm about to kill you" drama of it.

18) How would you describe your writing style for this fic, if you can? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION-- I am not so good at describing writing styles but I'll give it a shot. During certain Dark Urge moments, I kind of want to give the vibes from The Giver when the protag starts discovering other sensations. That feeling of describing something that you cannot quite place, even if it's a thin everyone knows about or knows of. I also like pulling inspiration from poetry to create certain story flows. Most importantly for this fic: I want Rose's voice to come through. The narrator is her as long as I remain in her POV, and I want to not just observe things through her eyes but make sure my writing reflects the things she notices with the same amount of emphasis that she would give them. The balancing act is finding that sweet spot between "She's really observant by nature" and "I don't need to write everything down to the cubic foot of spatial distance."

[jellymellydraws]

May I ask 2, 11, and 16/17 for the fic ask meme? Hope you're having a nice day!

YES! YES YOU MAY! YOU ABSOLUTELY MAY! My day is going well and I cannot express how happy I was that someone sent an ask about my fic! (You're my first!) Fic Ask Meme Here

2) What program did you use to write this fic (Word, Google Docs, etc)? Is that the program you use for all your fics? I primarily write within Google Docs. As such, it's the one I use for all my writing (fic or otherwise). I WILL say that I also use traditional paper/pen/pencil when I need to jot down notes more freely. Sometimes typing line-by-line doesn't help me get my tangle of thoughts out.

11) Was there a scene that you hadn't originally planned to include? Why did you decide to fit it in? The nightmare scene that starts in Chapter 12. I originally intended on just jumping to Rose waking up and implying it was from another nightmare. I decided to fit it in because I wanted to show different kinds of nightmares that Rose would be having on this journey. Prior to this nightmare, the only other one we had was towards the start of the fic which were more directed by her urges as opposed to her memories. I also felt compelled by the idea of Alfira recognizing someone struggling with nightmares (or a type of PTSD symptom) and wanted to give her more reason to connect to Rose one on one.

16) What was the easiest scene to write? The dark urge moments are the easiest for me to write so far. I feel like they take on a whole different narration style than the rest of the fic that enables me to write them more fluidly. They're kind of like writing poetry in that way, and I don't have to worry strictly about specific actions.

17) What was the hardest scene to write? The spider fight in Chapter 13, that one was a struggle for me. I wanted to convey action, tension, and SO MUCH from a very limited perspective.

Thanks again for asking!!

[jellymellydraws]

How long have you been writing/drawing for?

For as long as I can remember, but the important part is about how long I've been honing in on my craft.

So for writing, I've been writing and actively improving as a writer for decades. It was one of my earliest hobbies and one of the ones I could more easily practice. Outside of fanfiction, I wrote short stories, poems, and other creative drabbles that had nothing to do with fandom. A lot of my writing also went towards lit roleplaying.

Drawing was something I started in 2008, but didn't take any classes or serious attempts to learn it until about 2014, so really I feel like I've been actively drawing for 10 years. It's still more of a hobby, so my progress is nothing like what it would've been if I committed to it as a career.

[jellymellydraws]

Are we going to get Karlach in I've Got You? No pressure, I was just curious since we haven't seen her yet!

Karlach's arrival is something I've been planning for!

No worries, we'll get her!

[jellymellydraws]

I wanna hear about your Penance wip!!

It's a WIP for my main fanfiction: I've Got You. I don't usually name my scenes (most of the ones I named in my WIP post because their real titles are things like "Character does XYZ" or "Game Spoiler"

But Penance? Penance is special.

Penance came to me while I was driving one day and refused to let me go. It demanded to be put to the page in any way shape or form.

We're almost there in the fic, so I'm happy to share a bit about what's in store!

Penance surrounds the events of Abdirak (the Loviatar Priest) and what he promises to Rose & Friends when they meet him in the goblin camp. While the game makes it kinda jokey, consider for a moment....what this means for Rose, who has already suffered through slips in her Urges.

There is heavy guilt for the deaths she unwillingly caused in the grove. There is potential for further guilt IF she continues to slip with her urges.

Even if she tried to make them right, it isn't enough. And Abdirak offers her something she's been looking for.

A more direct way to acknowledge the harm she's done, one that is personal but still tangible.

Penance.

[jellymellydraws]

How much of I've Got You do you have planned out? Any idea how long it's going to go for?

I don't know how many chapters this thing is going to go for. I just know I want to go through the full 3 acts to tell the story but also keep it relatively contained. The game is MASSIVE, so I'm being cognizant of which parts of the game could actually be used for a proper story. A lot of events I want to include might be rewritten to work with what I have down.

I've planned major plot points in Act 01, so the challenge is connecting them together. I have an ongoing timeline to track events so I can pace things in a way that makes more sense and rearrange certain events.

I also have kept in mind how skipping certain regions in the early acts could change/affect the story in the future. Game-mode mindset will have me going to ALL THE PLACES, but that might not be possible.

Based on what I have-- I can foresee Act 01 covering more than I initially anticipated. Part of that is because I'm thinking about the days between events and asking if it's been a sufficient amount of time for certain relationships or events to transpire.

That was long and rambly. SHORT ANSWER: I have bits and pieces in each act planned out. Not sure how long (in chapters) this is going to be, but anticipate MANY MANY more chapters to come.