#but i do a lot of refining as a part of my writing process (my normal process at least)

[dualmessiahs]

First week of actually tracking again (I tried again last year-ish and tracked a few weeks, but I ended up just deleting that data). I wrote over 6,600 words this week, all on my current sm/tiv project. That's almost twice the weekly goal I set, so definitely a good start.

I'm hoping to continue this strength and focus, at least until I get through the SM/TIV ideas I have. I have five current premises, and I want to get four of them completed. The fifth one would be a bit too long, so I just want to get it rolling.

[netflix]

Spotlight: Adam Stockhausen

Production Designer, The Wonderful Story Henry Sugar

Oscar winning production designer Adam Stockhausen (not pictured above, that’s Benedict Cumberbatch), whose work you may know from Wes Anderson films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Asteroid City, The French Dispatch, Isle of Dogs, and Moonrise Kingdom, as well as titles like Bridge of Spies, and West Side Story (2021), took the time to answer some questions.

Which details from or aspects of The Wonderful Story Henry Sugar did you focus the most on while adapting it to the screen? How did you meld Roald Dahl and Wes’s worlds?

The details on this one started with Dahl’s writing hut! We matched the details pretty carefully and exactly. As soon as we step outside of the hut though we start to move through the world of the story and the world of the stage at the same time. Wes had the idea of how he wanted to do this from the very beginning. My main challenge was trying to figure out how to pull it off—making the parts move and getting each to have the right detail.

What’s a small change you made on a project that ended up having an unexpectedly significant impact? 

Lots of times this happens—where what seems like a small thing at the time becomes a very significant turning point. I’m in Berlin now writing this and remembering being here scouting for East Berlin for Bridge of Spies. We were struggling to find a section of town that still felt old enough to show the early 60s, and decided to take a chance on a quick search in Poland. That quick search changed the whole production plan and ultimately gave us the look of our East Berlin.

How has technology changed the way you approach your work? 

Technology has definitely changed the way we plan the work. We used to model everything in cardboard or sometimes just plan in two dimensions with pencil and paper. We can now plan in 3-dimensional space using modeling programs and see what real lenses will do.  This allows for more accurate planning and makes scenery moves like the casino set in Henry Sugar possible.

Do you have any signature easter eggs you like to leave? Any small details that you are particularly fond of? 

I wouldn’t say there are easter eggs in this one. But there are loads of special details! I think my favorite might be the levitation boxes where we painted a perspective view of the background onto a prop box. The actor sitting on the box appears to be floating in a very special and theatrical way.

Did you talk about reflecting the iconic Quentin Blake illustrations in production design? How would you go about doing that? 

Not really. They are such incredible drawings and I’d say they’ve been inspiring me since I saw them as a child! But for this the starting point was really the machine Wes devised to move us through the story—and pairing that to specific references scene by scene.

There is such an intentionality to the aesthetics of a Wes world. Is there a set or frame that took you a long time to get perfectly right? 

All of them! It’s a very labor-intensive process getting these frames right. Occasionally one will click right away, but usually it’s a process of refining and refining. The jungle for instance went from sketches to models to samples and back again several times before the final look settled.

If you had to present one frame that showcases the best of your work, what would it be? 

Oh my. Maybe the jungle? I really enjoyed making the jungle!

With all the moving sets in the trailer for The Wonderful Story Henry Sugar, it feels reminiscent of a theatre production. Are there distinct differences in approach between film and theatre and how much do you blur the lines between them in your work? 

I think the lines are blurred completely! Or maybe they aren’t even there. I love that Henry Sugar is so incredibly theatrical in its storytelling.  It allows us to show the artifice of the sets all the time which somehow makes them even more satisfying when they finally do line up and create a complete picture. I think the casino set is a perfect example—the pauses where it all lines up for a second are even more enjoyable because we get to see it broken apart and sliding away.

Thanks, Adam!

[onlycosmere]

Brandon Sanderson on the length of Wind and Truth

PumkinFunk:  I appreciate Brandon being self-aware about the fact that he will struggle immensely to keep the word counts down for this series.

KiwiKajitsu: If only he had a better editor

PumkinFunk:  I know this has become a common criticism since Rhythm of War after Moshe Feder retired, but I don't think it's true. One of his editors for his books is Devi Pillai, the head of Tor Publishing Group. The Secret Projects were edited in-house and generally were good. He has a lot of people giving him feedback, both in-house and outside.

jmcgit:  If Brandon wanted to work on revisions for an extra 6 months to refine and streamline the book, he could do it. This is a Brandon thing, not an editor thing. What was Brandon working on up until the last minute before he had to turn the book in? He was working on making the book bigger, squeezing in more content that he wanted to add. Brandon will tell anyone who asks that he likes to write, and dislikes revising.

When an author gets big enough, the publishers and editors lose their ability to rein in the author or make certain demands. Brandon will do what he wants, and if Tor doesn't like it, they can cancel his contract and Brandon can self-publish.

Brandon Sanderson: I realize it's difficult to see behind the veil of publishing, and much is opaque, but this isn't what I was doing during the last few months--I was cutting the book significantly. However, rough draft didn't include Interludes or Epigraphs, which is why it got longer after I cut it down. This draft lost over 60k words, but then I added in the interludes and epigraphs (along with a few key scenes I decided were needed.)

So, let's be clear about a few things. No editor has ever--in my life--cut my books down. It's not what they do. They largely haven't suggested it. Every editor, Moshe included, has always suggested things to change or add--they don't do much trimming. That's all my job, and always has been. Yes, there is a line edit, which does help trim--but I haven't stopped taking those suggestions, and usually go much, much further on a page-by-page case than they suggest.

I dislike revision, which is important for me to explain because I want people to understand that even for someone who loves their job, there are parts I don't like. But I DO it. I do A LOT of it. It's the part I have to force myself to do, but I am very good at it--and if you follow my stories about learning revision, you'll find that I very clearly explain that I didn't get published until I mastered the thing that was hardest for me. I consider my it, perhaps, my greatest strength as a writer--my ability to look at feed back and apply it to improve books.

If they get long, it's not because I've lost an editor. Moshe's strong suit was always diction, not trimming--and Gillian (who does that job now) is quite accomplished at both. She's Joe Abercrombie's editor.

I realize it's odd, because "to edit" means to trim, but an editor doesn't usually trim books--they offer suggestions for changes on the larger scope, and sometimes do a line edit pass to clarify.

Stormlight books are not big because I can't stop writing. You can pick any number of my shorter novels and see I'm quite capable of doing something at a normal book length. Stormlight books are big because that's the art I want to make--and they are not, and never have been, out of control. I am perfectly willing to accept that the story I want to tell has not appealed to some in the last installments! But don't blame my editors. This is an artistic choice of mine, and their job has never been to change the art. I get the same amount of editing now as I ever have--and I take largely the same amount of their feedback.

Note: don't take this as a direct condemnation of you or some of the things /u/KiwiKajitsu said above. It's more that I want to be very clear about my goals, and the process. My stance is one of explaining, not arguing against your opinions, as those are valid and perfectly reasonable ones to hold.

I realize that a long comment reply isn't the best way to prove I can be brief, but I sincerely think the trope of "He got big so he lost the ability to be edited" is not one that I fall into--I am, if anything, the most edited person at the industry, and see more criticism and feedback of my books prepublication than any other author. Editors and beta readers collectively wrote some 800k words of feedback for me over the last two years, which I incorporate. Not just the, "Add this" but also the "this sequence feels slow or unengaging." I am extremely passionate about listening to, and incorporating, editorial feedback.

It's fine to not like what I do. But don't blindly make the argument that I write it, kick it out the door, and don't pay attention to the revision process while ignoring editors.

jmcgit: Hey Brandon, I appreciate the insight! I regret that my post may have come off as if you carelessly "write and kick it out the door", as I know how hard you and your team have been working on the book over the past months and years, and how passionate you are about getting it right.

Brandon Sanderson: No problem and no offense taken! I just see a lot of confusion about these things.

I am edited far, far more now than when I was when I started and nobody cared. Though, admittedly, I think the most editorial scrutiny I ever got was on A Memory of Light a decade ago. I probably get less now, but I also have way more extensive beta reads.

It's just a complex process. And, you also ARE right in your initial post that I could go over it again and again, and some authors do. I'm middle of the road on the number of revisions I do, by my experience. Not as many as someone like Pat R. does. More than a lot of authors. I do not subscribe to the Heinline philosophy of only editing when required by contract that is very popular these days. (This philosophy believes that your initial artistic instinct will be right, and you shouldn't undermine it later on. I am not a fan, even if some people I respect follow this philosophy.)

Anyway, your initial post wasn't far off; I just wanted to offer some more context for this thread.

[freesia-writes]

Behind the Scenes of a Writer's Mind

I noticed something tonight that I thought might be helpful to share. You [hopefully] often hear fanfic writers urging interaction and support. It may seem selfish or prideful at first glance, but there's a lot more to it. Have a seat. 😉

The best metaphor I've heard is someone who loves cooking for others. Yes, they do it because they like it, but there's a deep gratification in sharing that work and talent with others and getting to hear how much it was loved and enjoyed. Same with writing.

I asked my favorite author @dystopicjumpsuit about her works -- which had the most emotional impact, which was the tastiest smut, which is her best piece, etc -- and was delighted to hear her answers because there were elements that I hadn't known or noticed, and it made me so excited to read them again (and a few for the first time, haha). It gave a new appreciation, a neat back story, and a richer experience to the fics. (READ THE ASK/ANSWER HERE)

She turned the ask back on me, and while I hadn't expected that, I was surprised at the process as I tried to answer. I had taken a good half a year off from writing after finishing the Hunter longfic. I had poured my heart and soul into it, and when it was done posting, it was kinda... empty. Life also was fairly crazy, so this side of me kinda went away for a while. I still wanted to write. I missed being here. But there was just no inspiration or motivation, and you can't force that.

But something neat happened when DJ gave me the chance to consider my own work. I reread some oldies. I smiled at things I'd forgotten about. The questions forced me to look at the good parts, my favorite parts, the best parts that I'm most proud of.

As a writer, it's easy to forget that. You get used to writing, you get used to your style and approach and voice, and sometimes it just gets to a point of "why bother"? ESPECIALLY if there's no feedback from readers. But it was awesome to be reminded of how my writing brings me joy, and that it's a particular area of gifting but also something that's honed and developed and refined over the years.

Considering the beautiful elements of what I've been able to create breathed fresh life into me. It brought confidence where there had been indifference. It reminded me of the fun of writing and the unpredictable nature of how it all goes down. It rekindled some of that joy of bringing delight to others with my time and effort. It rejuvenated the creative part of me that loves the process as well as the product.

So WRITERS -- if you're in a pit, perhaps read some of your own stuff. Enjoy it. Read works by other authors you love and ask them about it -- it'll likely remind you of some experiences of your own. But also, if the motivation isn't there, don't sweat it. Enjoy what you can and, if the fickle mistress of inspiration returns, bang that thang til fics fall out. (I'll see myself out, thank you.)

And READERS -- you enjoy what we create, yeah? Do you know that you'd likely enjoy it wayyy more if you had a lil behind-the-scenes knowledge? It truly enriches the experience all around, AND it's so encouraging to authors to be able to share not only the finished product but some of the joy of the process. So don't be afraid -- drop some asks, leave questions in reblogs, engage!!

If you've read this far (without skipping, you weasels), please consider this a free ticket for a fic request. ;) Drop one in my inbox and we shall see if the gods smile upon my mushy brain and clumsy fingers. But also, thank you for reading, and I hope that both writers and readers are encouraged to enjoy this space more fully!

FREESIA OUT 😘

[writingquestionsanswered]

Outlining has always been a major issue for me. I don't have any idea how to do it properly. It bores me and most of the time I quit halfway. I also don't find any of the outlining methods on the Internet enjoyable. Any tips?

Outlining Isn't Enjoyable

Here are a bunch of things to consider...

1 - "Outlining" Just Means "Planning" - I'm not sure what outlining methods you've seen on the internet, but the truth is, as far as writing goes, outlining really just means "planning." And if you want to plan your story in advance, you can do that via whatever means works for you. Beginning to end written summary, verbal summary in audio notes app, mind map, timeline, scene cards, scene list, chapter summaries, scene summaries, mood boards, academic outline, story structure map, method template, playlist... you could outline your story through interpretive dance if that's what works for you.

2 - Outlining Isn't a Requirement - Like pretty much anything related to process, outlining isn't a requirement. Outlines are mostly done by so-called "planners" who prefer to flesh things out before they start writing. Many writers consider themselves "pantsers" in that they like to "write by the seat of their pants" or "wing it." These writers like to let the story develop organically, as they write. They understand their first draft might be extra messy, but they know it can be cleaned up and refined in the second draft.

3 - Outlining Isn't Really Meant to be "Fun" - If you're a writer who needs to plan your story in advance, and so you need an outline of some sort before you start writing, please know that for the most part, the majority of us aren't always approaching the outlining process with glee in our hearts and ticker tape falling from the sky. I mean, outlining can be fun, but a lot of the time it's just work. It's just something that some of us have to do before we start writing, and it's not particularly grueling or mind numbing work, it's just not the most fun thing we could be doing in that moment.

4 - Is the Problem with Your Story? - If you're a writer who needs to outline your story, but you find yourself bored to ears when you outline--to the extent that you can't even finish your outline--it is worth taking a step back to consider whether the problem isn't with outlining but your story. No matter how excited you might be about elements of your story, if you're boring yourself to tears while planning it or writing it, that may be a sign that something's not working. In other words, if you're bored planning the story, there's a good chance the reader will be bored reading it.

5 - Is the Problem Something Else? - If you're a writer who needs to outline your story, and you're really excited about your story and feel that it all works very well, but you're still getting bored and frustrated with the outlining process, then something else is going on. Things to consider: are you well rested and feeling well when you sit down to outline? Are you nourished and hydrated? Do you feel like you're in a pretty good headspace? Are you in a reasonably comfortable space that's relatively free from distraction? Are there other things competing for your attention? (Social media, texts, friends hanging out in the other room, someplace else you'd rather be, something else you'd rather be doing?) Are there other important tasks you're putting off that need to be done? Is there anything about the story that is difficult for you emotionally right now? Sometimes it's just a matter of trouble-shooting what's going on in your life, your space, and your body/mind before you start working on your outline.

I hope something here clicks with you!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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[skullduggeryandfilibuster]

Casual Writing Advice: How to take a Writing Idea and turn it into a Written Idea.

I've seen a lot of advice on how to write an outline, and how to write your first draft. But how do you even come up with the concept for your story? To some that's the easy part, for me, it's kinda tricky. But I wrote down some advice to help out. If this works for you, great. If it doesn't, also great, I hope you found it interesting!

1. Start With One Thing

C.S. Lewis said the idea for his most well known series came from a very specific image that popped into his head: a fawn standing next to a lamppost in a snowy forest. And from there he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. Indeed, many writers have spoken of the use of a single image being used as a starting place for their story, and I'm here to say it doesn't even have to be an image! Start with a character, a bit of worldbuilding, an object, a monster, a conflict, a scene, a dynamic, a setting, or yes, an image. Anything, so long as you're drawn to it. Just one thing; just one cool thing.

2. Ask Questions

Then ask questions, specifically one: "What would be a cool/interesting thing to add?" And keep asking that question.

Go hog wild.

Based on your starting place, write down every cool idea you have; every idea that interests you. Don't bother making it cohesive, that'll come later.

But write down LITERALLY EVERYTHING--the name of the thing and a brief blurb of what that thing is. Stuff like characters, arcs, villains, events, lore, big dragons, cities, love interests, fight scenes, spicy scenes, dialogue, literally anything and everything.

3. Ask More Questions

This time instead of asking what, you're gonna be asking why.

You've got your neat list of cool ideas, now it's time to connect them. It's time to ask yourself, "Why are these things related?"

Why are the protagonist and antagonist at odds? Why would the characters go to this location? What is the relationship between these two characters? Why does this artifact exist? Why would this event happen; why would this character be there?

This sounds like the boring "got to have justifications for the cool stuff," portion of the process, but it's not. It's the "making these cool things even cooler," portion of the process.

You know what's cooler than two cool characters in a vacuum? Two cool characters that have a direct connection to each other. Even cooler, having those characters have a some kind of conflict.

And because of that conflict they'll probably have to go to a certain location... why not that cool setting you had on your list? That's probably where they'll have that conversation, and fight that monster, and find that object.

Woah! Did you see what you just did?

You just wrote a list of characters with specific relationships and conflicts, going to locations to do things.

That's a story! You've written the first notes of a story!

And now that you got words on a page, you can refine that. You can refine it into an outline, and build off it. You can't improve a blank page. The sculptor can't chisel away at empty air.

So that's my advice's, and it's just mine. If you have your own for this kind of thing, let me know, I'd love to hear about it.

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

Sometimes I see those posts from art accounts that have like really put together, only art posts and I feel tempted to delete all personal posts off my blog

And this thought today led me down a long thought path. Which was primarily, I don't....particularly like my personal vent posts on here. I mean they're not there to be liked, they're there to help me process things but... I also don't like to look back on them.

I mean writing on here is meant to be like a journal right? Journals are there to help through the act of writing, not the end result, though the end result can be helpful in a self reflective sense occasionally but for the most part it's about the process.

And then I realised... I've had one of the worst times of my life lately, and not once did venting or the thought of venting do anything to help it. For a lot of reasons, because I... couldn't voice it, because it would be another thing to obsess over, because I can't be as honest and true and personal as I would be in a literal journal because... I'm still posting things on the internet. And yeah it's Tumblr, it's a black hole, but it's still strangers on the internet reading my thoughts so.... I can't go too deep.

I've hit this point where I was trying to... go halfway, like keep it as this fun cutesy blog but then have some halfway personal venting posts. In the end, I just feel kind of dissatisfied because I'm not being fully honest, or if I am it feels so out of place with everything else.

And yeah it's a Tumblr blog it's not meant to be that serious, that helps, I like thinking of Tumblr like a commonplace notebook I keep just online. But.... the halfway personal/vent things, they feel disingenuous and out of place because they're... so unfinished, so calculated. Forced sometimes. There's this pressure I feel on myself, that I'm putting on myself. That pressure gets stronger to do the cute or fun posts if I've done a vent post, or to make the vent post.... I don't know, good, palatable, refined. I can't think of the right word but... something not spontaneous and genuine.

I think a lot about why I started this blog... it was ages ago around 2020 and because I had this idea in my head of, I don't know, being this spectacular writer and journalist writing really cool think pieces and changing the world, or at least the people who interact with my blog. Then it just, became like a commonplace notebook and that was fun, some curated posts to sort of fit the vibe I wanted, but personal.

Messy, messy is how it's gotten, and messy is fine in a journal, I might cringe looking back at old journals but there's a little fondness too, it's like meeting my past selves and being able to hold all the memories and emotions. But online is messy because... personal, and I need to be a little guarded, I can't be free, and I guess it sort of messes with when I want to have more light, cheery things on my blog. Or rather, it takes me away from spending time reading, or sewing or drawing and painting or any of the other hobbies I love that I can make cute and fun posts about. It takes me away from the time I want to spend on religion too, on reading Qur'aan and learning and memorising it, listening to and learning from lectures.

This leads into another thought which is... if the venting itself is not free, and it doesn't quite help my mental state, then it's just time wasted on something empty instead of another coping mechanism, one of the hobbies mentioned above, which could help me a lot. I'm realising that it's just an added pressure, and a really unnecessary one that often makes my head spin.

I think overstimulation probably adds to it too, social media scrolling is easy to do in bad moments because you're frozen, so you may as well scroll. It kind of feeds into the worst of it. I've been meaning to take a bit more of a step away from social media anyway, I wouldn't say I'm addicted but I definitely don't like the feeling I get when I'm in a freeze state or I'm tired and I scroll instead of spending time on a hobby.

Honestly I've been thinking a lot about the time I spend on things I enjoy, and it's not that Tumblr isn't a hobby but I preferred how I used it before; a record of all my interests. I liked it when I spent most of my time on my hobbies, and I just realised that it's been a while since I've done that, because poor mental health and extra work and studies... I feel like social media is the equivalent of eating a bag of crisps for dinner instead of a proper meal. Like sometimes you really don't have the energy and capability to do it, to cook something nice for yourself.

But I've learnt I gotta got that extra mile to cook a nice meal for myself ^_^ It gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day, or the beginning, it actually feels fun to do even if it feels like a big task to start, and it is good for me.

So, I wanna cook the meals again. I say I don't have time for things but I think if I added up the five minutes here and there on Tumblr and Instagram, I'd at least get an extra hour to have fun reading or painting or baking or sewing or something.

I guess it's a new mindset shift for me, I'm used to fitting work and studies in into every spare moment I can, that's how I operated for a lot of my life to make sure my academics were prioritised. Now I realise the importance of play and downtime, and I hadn't yet figured out that I need to prioritise it the same way. I'm going to try to now.

And going off of my earlier point, about how Tumblr isn't the same as journalling, well... something I really do miss about journalling is the physicality of it. The sitting with a cup of tea or coffee and writing in cursive in a pretty notebook ^_^ It feels so much more natural, and it's a keepsake, and most of all, private. Obviously I've... always had issues with privacy growing up, a warning my aunt used to give me was hah don't keep a journal in that house, it's probably not private.

That's a fear I still feel, but also... I have sketchbooks and journals and loads of things already and I mean, quite honestly you get to a certain age where no one cares. Not to say I am going to be careless in any way, Insha'Allah, I keep my phone very private anyway, same for my sketchbooks and personal collection boxes, but... I think I should.... give a little. I can give a little, I can give myself outlets. It's true that my current journal/sketchbook is mostly just out anyway and no one bats an eye.

So this brings me a little to the question; well, what is Tumblr for if you have a journal and sketchbook? I think I'll still use it, just not in the same capacity. Tumblr is for art posts, or odd or amusing one liners that pass through my mind everyday XD I actually save funny thoughts just for Tumblr or relatable thoughts. I also kinda want to return to my original thing, or what it was a couple of years ago; making fun cute posts about my interests, essays definitely, fanfic obviously, it doesn't need to be put together it can still be my eclectic digital commonplace notebook, but just... not a faux journal either.

Something I love to see are those moodboards on Tumblr and I've done a few myself but not as an actual.... board. I know there's some apps I can use on the iPad to make collages stuff and that makes me excited, so maybe I could start making posts like that (a la Polyvore, my first social media site, always missed :'))

I guess this might be my last journal-esque post in a while? Okay writing that made my anxiety do a thing (*shushes anxiety creature clinging to my brain*) IT IS NOT A LAST POST OF ANY KIND

But yeah I miss the artsy, literary vibes of curling up with my notebook on a cold day, so that'll be my new habit Insha'Allah. New, old habit. I feel like one thing Tumblr did do is train me to be okay with imperfect and messy, I feel like the reason my journal writing dropped off last time was because I was trying to force it so much. Over the past few years I've gotten so creative and loosened up a lot, so I'm hoping it'll show in my journal. Furthermore, the last time I was writing a journal, I really didn't have much to talk about because I was so 1. closed off and 2. limited in my hobbies and creative practices, I didn't have things to write about, I had just lost horse riding and I was consumed with studies only... I'm hoping there'll be a bigger difference now.

A part of me feels sort of nervous, I... only ever kept a journal during dark periods of my life too. I don't have the best associations to it, and even if I'm going through some rough times now, I don't really consider it a dark time... my anxiety brain is kind of overheating and going "but bad things!" and I know that's not rational. We should always think the best of what Allah has written for us, having good thoughts of Allah and having a more hopeful outlook on life is the best thing to do so I'll try to hold that in my heart more. If I find it's a bit too scary at first, that's fine I can just stick to prioritising my religion and health and hobbies, it'll follow naturally Insha'Allah i just need to not put pressure on myself.

I think I'll probably spend a lot less time online overall, just because I want to spend that time on all my other interests, not to mention I want to actually put time into making a proper online presence for myself as an artist.

Right now I wanna lie down and read for a chunk of time :D so I'll do that

[louroth]

Hello everyone :> 

It's been a month! it's incredible how much my life has changed- while I'm still adjusting I'm just...still walking on clouds. it feels unreal. the patreon took off and I can almost make a living wage on it which is frankly fucking insane, and the discord is so vibrant it scared me for a moment (not anymore- shooting the shit with the people there is the favorite part of my day, even if I sometimes just leave a trail of emotes lskjdhajksdhkjasd.) I couldn't have asked for a better community. YES I am crying about it. Thank you, so, so much. I am cradling your face in my hands. crying.

But as always, enough of my bleeding heart. Let's get to it!

The first two weeks after posting the update, I took a sort of quasi vacation and only wrote a handful of story-words each day, and spent some time fooling around in the discord + brushed off my smut archive to refine for Patreon. There are already 4 stories up, and a new one coming tomorrow- though I haven't decided yet whether it will be possessive/jealous L sfw short or one very nasty short where you come across a particularly insistent species of vines while trekking the forest. hehe. we'll see. >:3

But, even though I had to rest not to combust after work, I am very pleased to say that the next chapter is coming along great, with the skeleton finished for its entirety, and about 45% and some change already written (it's very hard to gauge because I jump around a lot when I write.) This is the final chapter before the forest, filled with action and the heart wrenching drama of offering tenderness to a certain someone, and deciding for your hunter when enough is truly enough. I have teared up writing certain scenes and I genuinely cannot wait for you to experience this next part yourselves. 

It is so funny reading things I wrote for this chapter six months ago, or longer, because I knew exactly what emotions I wanted to bake in and couldn't really nail it, but now it is coming together beautifully! Sure, it will still be wonky first draft writing, but the core is there and that is all that matters for now. I'm saying soon™ for the update for now, because I am allowing myself to adapt to writing full time- I didn't quit my job to become my own nightmare boss, and I truly want to enjoy this process. I think, in the long run, it will result in a better story. Patience is my mantra. All in due time- I cannot force quality creative work. But by everything wretched and sinful, I cannot wait to share this next part with you!!! I'm frothing at the mouth!!!

In other news, y'all. I need to get organized. I get heartburn thinking about all the different variations of files and notes and notebooks and scraps of paper and variables and branches of plot and just generally, the things to keep track of is getting to the point of a dragon hoard of scary 'oh no I forgot about that part'. I'm gritting my teeth through it until this chapter is out, but after it, I am going to spend some time to

 1) get my shit together in gorgeous, beautiful spreadsheets

2) get serious about finding beta- and proofreaders. (me @ u: 🥺)

But that's it, my friends! I scrapped an entire progress report because I started sounded corporate and listing points which was just... sad. I really hope I evolve into writing these in a more fun way, which would make them more fun for you to read too! But for now, I think this will do. I hope you have a beautiful day/night, and if you would like to see more in depth dev-logs of my writing life, or random sneak peeks, I post those weekly on patreon!

Or join our discord, which. It's just the nicest place, I can't even come up with words that do it justice. It's my favorite daily newspaper.

Until next time! x

[northwindow]

hey julia !! hope ur doing well... am asking u [instead of messaging!] this bc i imagine u might say some rly cool stuff that other ppl would love to see also lol... but i just wondered if u had any basic tips or resources about like developing a (short-term) writing routine? the context is not fiction writing but like academic but i feel like my academic writing is a creative practice so yeah, hope that makes sense! hope its okay to ask ! have a lovely day <3

hi anna marie! you ask the very question i need answered for myself… i am in a very slow place creatively so i feel silly to be giving advice! but i’ve been thinking about how to get things flowing again. very basic but helpful to me:

getting feedback from other people at a regular interval - i am very shy and this can feel like pulling teeth but it’s so worth it, i am always amazed how much it pushes me to finish things i would have otherwise languished on forever

reading a lot (of course) - it helps me to read a bit directly before starting to write. but also being intentional about it and having a defined list of inspiring works… i recently listened to david naimon interview joanna hedva and he asked them which writers were “squatting over” their latest book which i thought was a good way of putting it! i would like to curate a "squatters shelf" to dip into for inspiration on whatever project i'm working on

distinguishing between writing vs. editing time - this is hard for me because i am a very "edit as you go" type person but sometimes it's stifling! in another interview with tommy pico i heard him talk about his writing routine as very everything-goes, yes-and, accumulation-focused style on monday-thursday and then friday is reserved for finding what was good and refining it. i have always wanted to try this!

incorporating a degree of controlled randomness into the routine - whether it be randomizing where you physically work, what part of the project you work on, or brainstorming new ideas, i really enjoy drawing an option "out of a hat" (i hope that makes sense) at some stage of the writing process. i know i am going to be surprised and challenged by a guiding force even in a small way and want to see what’s going to happen.

something that has helped me a lot with routine in general is “habit stacking” i.e. trying to bundle a new task into something you already do regularly - i have not thought about how to do this with writing, but i have successfully bundled reading into drinking my morning coffee every day and it has changed my life significantly

also: i really like that you specified a short-term routine! i think temporary routines keep things interesting, help mark time, and more fully immerse me in things, so academia might be onto something with semesters etc… i am curious about trying to have a self-imposed writing “season” followed by an “off season” where i chill and eat peaches and watch the sopranos every night or whatever without guilt. (one might say i am chilling right now lol… but it’s definitely guilty chilling!) i also love that you see your academic project as a creative pursuit, i hope you are having a really fruitful time so far! ❤️

[mockingjaysnakes]

Olivia Rodrigo in interviews about writing "Can't Catch Me Now", from Lucy Gray Baird's perspective:

"It was a wonderful experience to try to write something from the character of Lucy Gray".

Lucy Gray is a character she feels very connected to.

"So while it was very much about Lucy Gray, i think i injected parts of myself into it too. I saw bits of myself in her; i admired her resilience, so i tried to embody all that and put it into the song".

With the song, Lucy Gray became the muse.

Francis Lawrence talking to Olivia about the song: "I remember I sort of talked at her for 45 minutes". “About the movie and about the themes and about the ending, and the mystery at the end, and how I thought the song should feel in terms of being a little haunting, and what it could do for us narratively with lyrics. She took a bunch of notes."

"Can't Catch Me Now" is just as haunting and mesmerizing as Lawrence wished: a crooned epilogue for Lucy Gray's story.

His inspiration: "one of the last scenes was very inspiring to me. It's an overhead shot of a bunch of birds in the trees, and something very important just happened, that was playing in a loop in my head over and over, and I was like, i want to write a song that captures what that feeling is".

(Producer) Dan Nigro and Olivia wrote the Hunger Games theme song in a beautiful studio overlooking the ocean, something they actually rarely do. "But I like to think that any of the interesting qualities of that song come from where it was written."

In the scene that was inspired when she wrote the lyrics: "There's Blood on the Side of the Mountain": —"There's a scene in the movie where it's kind of a breaking point for Lucy's character and something changes dramatically. There's a touch headshot of all these trees and birds coming in and out. It was my favorite part of the movie because it shows her resilience and her fight against her defense. I love that feeling, so when I wrote the song I had that image in my head the whole time and I tried to capture it".

"I really wanted the song to be super dynamic, especially when it's for a movie like The Hunger Games, there's a lot of space for some drama. So I think the vocals added this lush soundscape that swells, pulls back and gives it these dynamics I was really into. Watching the movie, there's a lot of Appalachian folk songs that Lucy sings and I was really inspired by those songs; I think they're really incredible. So I think the second I watched it, I knew I wanted to make a song in that vein".

She started the writing process for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from scratch after watching the movie and collecting her thoughts.

She listened to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King and Joni Mitchell while writing her album Guts and The Hunger Games Song.

"Especially with the Hunger Games song, it was very insular in the way I wrote it. Though I guess I went back and edited it a bunch; it was one of those songs where I worked on it, set it down for like a month, picked it back up. We definitely refined it for a while".

[merrinla]

BioWare comments on Dragon Age II

Source: Dragon Age II Collector's Edition: The Complete Official Guide

In this section, members of the writing, cinematic design, QA and editing teams at BioWare offer illuminating insights into the creative processes behind Dragon Age II.

WRITING AS A CORNERSTONE

Jennifer Hepler, Writer: At BioWare, we have a rather unique structure that involves a lot of back and forth between the various departments of the team. The writers begin by designing a story, with space for combat and interesting challenges. This is refined by our technical designers to suit the gameplay needs. Once they approve, the writers begin work on the dialogue. When this is complete, the tech designers implement the plot, and it is tested and reviewed by a wide range of disciplines on the project.

Because many departments are dependent on having finished writing before work can begin - technical designers can't implement unwritten plots, cinematic designers can't stage unwritten dialogue, voice-over and audio can't work on unwritten, unrecorded dialogue, and so forth - the writing often takes place before much of the combat or systems are working in the game. So, while we know there will be tactical combat and we always aim to implement bos fights and fun gameplay, we often don't get to see it in action untill well after the writing has been locked down and recorded.

Though Dragon Age II is a sequel, nothing from this project was known or planned when we were working on Dragon Age: Origins. While we always hoped the game would be successful enough to launch a franchise, that's never a guarantee until it happens. Developing Origins was such a long process and went through so many changes of leadership that we were able to start DAII with a pretty fresh slate. We'd already told our "ancient evil rising" story, so by the end of the Origins project we were able to discuss what the most intersting parts of the world had turned out to be and how to turn those into more central game elements. For example, it was rather confinig to have all mages locked in the Circle tower, so in DAII mage freedom became a central part of the conflict to make their unique situation a broader part of the game.

There are no "big secrets" among the writers as to where the main story is going, and nothing is set in stone. So, while we have general ideas of which stories we want to tell - we'd definitely like to do more with Tevinter, the Qunari, Orlais and the Fade, for instance - exactly what will happen in each game isn't set until it goes into production.

At the beginig of a project, we usually have a list of main character concepts (like "human male rebel mage") that are put together by the lead writer and lead designer. Then all writers het to say who the're interested in. We've generally been very lucky in that our different personal interests have led all of us to focus in on defferent profiles, so there wasn't much competition who has custody of which characters. After that, those basic character concepts get fleshed out by the individual writer and the team. If someone feels strongly about an idea, they're usually allowed to run with it. For example, for Anders in DAII, I really wanted to try doing a cursed Angel-Buffy-style romance, which we hadn't done at BioWare before. We settled on using Anders and Justice from Awekening for this purpose.

It is each writer's responsibility to make sure that their characters have a consistent voice by reading all related lines in all other writers' conversation files, attending their voice-over sessions to work with the actor/actress and writing any non-plot dialogue for that character. One of my custody characters in DAII was Hawke's mother, so I made sure that I reviewed her dialogue and character development from her first appearance in the Prologue through to her final voice-over session. We also discuss communally how major game characters, like companions, feel about each other. This allows our banter to demonstrate a consistent relationship between NPCs and makes them feel like real people.

As writers, we're involved in changing systems that affect character relationships, such as companion approval. Were always looking for ways to use in-game systems to increase the verisimilitude of our protagonists, so something like lessening the impact of gifts compared to Origins was an obvious low-hanging fruit for us. It just didn't feel right that these people who were otherwise defined by the strength of their convictions could be convinced to like you if you gave them enough bottles of cheap wine. We attempted to correct that with the Friendship/Rivalry system in Dragon Age II.

I'd say that the relationships between characters is precisely what makes our series so roleplaying-friendly. In Dragon Age, we made characters who got under people's skins. For example, many players felt sincerely bad when ending a romance with Leliana in Origins, not because it had any effect on their own character's advancement in the game, but because they had come to care about her as a real person and hated making her cry. To me, that's the ultimate achievement as a game writer - to make a player willing to make a disadvantageous decision in a game just to keep a fictional character from suffering.

THE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE

Frank Gordon, Cinematic Designer: A camera in a videogame has incredible freedom of movement and can be placed anywhere. This is actually a bit of a double-edged sword for us - it allows the creation of some truly spectacular moments, but it is very easy to create an unnatural looking shot. We study film techniques extensively and employ many of the same principles, but we have just as much fun breaking the rules as following them when it comes to composition and movement choices.

Every camera that we place is sending a subtle message to the player, and little things like the angle of a shot can convey a lot of information without the character having to say a word. These types of techniques generally go hand-in-hand with the narrative as they have to support one another or it will feel weird to watch. Ultimately, we conform to the tenets of cinematography in the same way as film, and that is one of the ways that we contribute to furthering our medium as an art as much as entertainment.

John Epler, Cinematic Designer: Technical limitations meant that early videogame cinematics had to be more skilled in the delivery of visual storytelling. Now that voice-over is expected, we have to find a new balance between image and dialogue. For writers, I think there's a bit of a tendency to "play it safe" and write whatever they think might be needed. And that's completely understandable - we don't always manage to hit every line, and so what you thought might be carried by cinematic design could be missed due to time constraints. While the writers sometimes give us a little more than we need, they're extremely accommodating when we ask them to rewrite or remove something, because they believe in the saying "show, don't tell" every bit as much as we do. So if a line (or even a series of lines) can be replaced with a meaningful look or a well-placed gesture, theyre always on board.

Frank Gordon: Cool scenes, especially ones with dragons, are the best parts of our job. They are just as fun to build as they are to watch. We are very open to suggestions and feedback from the whole development team, and when we get a great idea for a scene, we don't mind crunching a little extra to get it done. Having said that, our use of resources is a constant concern and we don't always have time to do everything that we would like to do.

Kaelin Lavallee, Technical Designer: Assessing the value versus cost is important. Good value for reasonable time and effort means the asset will probably make it into the game. Lots of work for a minor detail is not usually worth it. Sometimes, ideas are good on paper but aren't realistic or don't translate well to gameplay. If we don't think that a certain encounter or experience would be enjoyable - or if we do, and it doesn't test well - we discard it and focus on the things that are fun.

For instance, the "gang" quests are a great addition. They provide some relatively inexpensive, yet fun gameplay to the somewhat spacious night-time areas. This gives the player exploration, combat, XP, items and coin and fills out the world at the same time. The letter system works well for quest delivery or reactivity and saves a lot of unnecessary dialogue and cinematics, which made room to work on other areas of the game. These are two examples of win-win situations for developers and players.

John Epler: We'd rather the other departments in the team ask too much than too little, though. When someone says, "I want this awesome thing to happen," there's usually a scramble as everyone tries to claim it for their own. The big scenes are almost always the most fun to do, even if they're the most work, and you end up learning a lot more about both the toolset and your own abilities when you push out of your comfort zone.

Geordie Moffatt, Technical Artist: On Dragon Age II, we tried not to draw any creative lines. We know we can achieve outstanding animation and effects in-house. Several scenes required the creation of custom tools and a lot of R&D across multiple departments, but it was worth it to get that extra "Wow!" factor. For example, the Chantry explosion cutscene was challenging and went through many iterations, but the final version really makkes you sit back in your seat with your jaw open.

Frank Gordon: The capacity for cutscenes completely rendered in real-time by the game engine has really changed the way cinematics are incorporated in games. It's one of the reasons why dialogue looks so different from last-gen titles. The ability to incorporate cutscenes into gameplay and dialogue leads to a more homogeneous, cinematic experience, and I think were just scratching the surface.

John Epler: Clearly, the job of cinematic designer is one that is still in its infancy. We have a role that's more akin to that of a director on a film set than anything else, and this is only possible given the improved visual fidelity of games in the past five years. Currently, there's a bit of a divide - dialogue feels connected but very separate. Eventually, conversations will happen parallel to the gameplay, allowing for a more integrated experience. I see cinematic design playing a huge part in making this happen.

BUILDING ON FEEDBACK

Mike Laidlaw, Lead Designer: We are certainly very aware of both player and critical feedback for Origins. We analyzed and compiled every magazine and internet review. We also highly value what fans think, so we try to take as much feedback as possible into consideration when we move forward with future projects. It's impossible to please everyone, but I think we've managed to hit a "sweet spot" with DAII. It stays true to its roots while improving on many existing systems. For instance, the art of Origins was gorgeous, but it didn't particularly stand out on its own. So our team "hot-rodded" the art. Now we have a bold, easily-identifiable style - a visual signature that is grim, bloody and sexy.

Combat is another example. People loved the action and combat in Origins, but the pace was a bit slow and the mages were highly overpowered. So in Dragon Age II, we kept the tactical elements, big boss battles and the plethora of ability and specializations while revamping gameplay. Now controls are more responsive, each class has a unique and powerful style of play and combat is actively engaging and faster-paced. We also built a strategic, offensive cross-class combo system.

The same applies to narration. In Origins, everyone enjoyed the tough choices and the memorable characters with their own agendas, but the narrative and story took a long time to see the results of your actions. DAII is still filled with interesting conflict and in-depth, realistic characters, but we improved the system by having a framed narrative with a tighter story that responds to your decisions throughout the game.

Gary Conrad, QA: The feedback from QA is also an important part of the design process. This is one of the things that sets BioWare apart from a lot of other developers: QA is there right at the start of a project, working to ensure that all systems are being tested for possible bugs and end-user experience. Being involved from the beginning also means that it is much easier for QA experts to keep up to date with their knowledge of the game. Instead of being thrown into the deep end near the final stage of a project, the testers expand their knowledge of the game in lockstep with its development. This ensures that QA is always up to speed on all the intricacies of a game's mechanics and allows for that extra level of polish.

Chad De Wolfe, QA: Being involved in the creative side of the project also means that we know who to talk to, and we can make suggestions to solve problems or bugs, which helps the other teams with their workload.

On first contact with the early versions of the game, testers didn't necessarily feel challenged. It's only when they got to the end, where they saw how many choices and checks the game made, that they got a sense of the size of their task.

Gary Conrad: There are tons of variables and dependencies in a game as large as Dragon Age II. Methodical testing for such a massive amount of parameters requires legions of spreadsheets detailing all the various combinations of events that have to be tested. These are the times when the testers sit down and work out the most absurd ways possible to break the game. When a title sells millions of copies, this is essential as you just know someone out there will be trying those very same crazy sequences of events.

THE EDITING MARATHON

Chris Corfe, Editor: Editors are an excellent point of contact and liaison between departments because we see so much of the game. We work with writing, technical design, localization, voice-over and cinematic design, and we must view the game through all of these lenses while editing.

Such multitasking has its risks as well as its benefits. This is not too complicated early on as we are focused mostly on story feedback, brainstorming and editing, For DAII, however, we sent the game for translation and voice-over while we were still writing it, so when localization started, we really had to step up. We went through dialogue editing, voice-over and non-voice-over lockdown, bug-fixing and finally the finishing touches: the manual, credits, last-minute text and dialogue tweaks and, of course, the guide!

It took a high-performance machine to pull off a complicated game of this scale that was in constant flux until the last day. This made the project demanding for the Dragon Age team and for external partners like Piggyback, but it was a rewarding experience. We were very fortunate to work with the most talented and dedicated people in the business.

[bleachbleachbleach]

five comfort characters, five tags

Thank you for the tag, @fractoluminescence! I made a new post because this got long, but the original meme is at this link, and @fractoluminescence's cool responses are at this one, if you'd like to read everyone's (I recommend!).

I had a difficult time developing an answer because I got too in the weeds about what the definition of “comfort character” was, rip. It turns out there are a lot of definitions, ranging from characters you find cozy, to characters you find relatable, to characters you look up to, to more elaborate definitions that attempt to articulate those distinctions between a character you love and a character that you would sink to the bottom of the Marianas Trench with.

I’ll define “comfort character” as that thing that begins by delineating, say, a show you love so so much (Haikyuu!!—my soul for a volleyball) vs. a show you want to be fannish about (Bleach. BleachBleachBleach, even. BLEACHBLEACHBLEACH, even), and then refines further into characters you love (my eternal Soi Fon era) vs. the characters you’re in the Trench about. Because while I probably think an above average amount about Soi Fon, and love seeing her on my dash, and do want to write for her once I alight upon some idea that sufficiently connects my headcanons about her to 1) actual canon and 2) a Story, she is not who I:

think about every single ding dong day;

regularly revel in in daydreams;

both consciously and unconsciously filter my lived experiences or relationships through, such that they become doubled; they find translation, in an act of both processing (growing distance from, or increasing intimacy with) the experience and in tugging at the character themselves, growing them into something that proceeds from their canon or offers an opportunity to entertain new and additional dimensions.

I think the key elements here are:

the alwaysness of this—the readiness to be in the soup at all times;

how personal the engagements are, which I think is sometimes to do with the relatability of a character (proximity to oneself) and is sometimes personal to… the character? Like, the intimacy of wanting to both crystallize one’s understanding of a beloved character by stress-testing their concept, and to spin them out, break them from what is canonically known just to see how much depth they have beyond that and in how many ways they might be known.

…Which, now that I’ve written that, is... just my definition of “blorbo” and not “comfort character,” but maybe the terms are synonymous??? who knows—AS THOUGH BLORBO HAS A DEFINITION AND ISN’T WHOLLY MEME-DERIVED TO BEGIN WITH. AS THOUGH ANY OF THESE THINGS HAVE PRESCRIPTIVE DEFINITIONS.

Anyway, all of that is the appeal of writing fanfic, to me, so it technically extends to anyone I’ve had occasion to write. But that’s within the specific action of writing a story, or preparing to write a story, or thinking about writing a story.

If we’re talking “always” and unconsciously, readily, blorbo-ily, whether there’s a story or not, then #1-3 are and have been for the last four years:

Hitsugaya

Hinamori

Matsumoto

They are who I am most inclined to give things to, or translate things through, and am most interested in defining/destroying. <333

There are probably use-cases/concrete examples that should go here, in addition to the somewhat woowoo definition above, but part of me is shy, and another part is like, those are what the stories are, and another part is “those two parts are the same part...” and yet another is “those two parts are the exact opposite of each other..."

So instead I'll no-pressure tag @confluencechimera, @recurring-polynya, @afinepiece, @bendingwind, and @unohanadaydreams!

Below the cut because it's not Bleach-related enough: I promise I’m not trying to be evasive/coquettish on purpose, but I don’t think I can get myself to put my thoughts about my lifetime character for this on Tumblr, because according to me, organizationally, that’s not where they go. So I’ll skip him. I’m also one of those people where my idea of comfort is to lean into the negative and feel comforted by the experience of being joined in misery by others, rather than go the cozy route. In that usage my comfort “character” is Law and Order: SVU because it’s like 800 episodes of people having the worst day of their lives and/or people on absolutely depraved sprees, depending on which side of the story you focus on. But also that show is deeply unserious, pleasingly formulaic, and has infinite rewatchability. So let's say those are responses #4 and #5!!

[maxwell-grant]

Thoughts on Lupin: Part 3

Covered my thoughts on seasons 1 and 2 already and I just finished season 3 so I'm gonna write about it here. Bottom line: HahahahaHA this show rules so much man.

Everything that was strong about the prior seasons is still there if not better, and they patched up several things I otherwise disliked about it. Also god I missed the mark big time by watching the prior seasons with the English dub for some reason, no wonder I didn't like most of the characters when they all sounded like they were sleepwalking. Just, watch with the French audio, don't be an idiot like me.

I actually like Assane's family now? Maybe that's because of the dub thing letting me see the actual performances, but there seemed to be a lot more effort this season to make us care about Claire and Raoul's own struggles and the really bad things they have to deal with because of Assane and how they deal with them. There's an extent to which these characters exist because otherwise Assane would suffer no consequences and no caveats to just doing whatever he wants, a.k.a the cool Lupin stuff we signed up for but can't be too over-indulged in, and that made them feel more like roadblocks than people, but to me this time they actually feel more like people, and people who can have their own things going on or even get involved in the good stuff without compromising their importance, and those consequences thus actually matter more.

God I can't believe how great the disguises were this season and how many there were. Again, definitely feels like they had to refine the process in the first two seasons so we can have this one with Assane actually going the nine yards with multiple overlapping fake personas and disguises per episode. Omar is masterful in all of them and the show seems so confident that it even lets Ben, Guedira and Claire dip their toes in the action a bit. I was actually really impressed by Coach Alex, even though he does look a bit uncanny and a little A.I-ish. I could still buy that as a real person.

It's doing this thing I really like that The Shadow does, where the character has a lot of different methods by which he achieves his disguises ranging from high-tech/borderline fantasy to very simple DIY tools, but the process featured is obscured enough that you can never fully tell which is being used, and so the character can have this borderline superpower still grounded enough to not look like one.

I actually didn't mind the villain this time around. There's a nice progression of putting Assane against an invisible and seemingly invincible shadowy gang forcing him to do their bidding (which lets them do the heist-of-the-week format without compromising the larger plot), that turns out to be just one horrible man from his past armed with henchmen and a grudge, which means he gets to be developed and taken out within the season without much delay and without Assane having to make stupid out-of-character blunders to let him escape to menace another day (which was a problem I had with Pelligrini). I like that Keller gets to be legitimately scary as a threat to Assane's loved ones, but is also undone by being a stupid piece of shit who only knows how to abuse and manipulate children until they all turn on him, and once he and Assane are on even ground he goes out like a chump.

Putting Pellegrini completely out of sight and saving him for the final twist where he's been pulling a Kingpin in prison with god knows what consequences even warmed me up to him as a villain, if nothing else because, okay, a Lupin worth his name needs a Cagliostro menace, and the ending twist isn't even about him so much as it's about the betrayal of someone Assane confided in.

And unfortunately that ending twist is good enough that it would be awful if any of those three turned out to be the backstabbers and there's equal arguments for being any of them (I don't think it's going to be Pellegrini's daughter precisely because she's the most predictable, I don't think they'd do the Countess of Cagliostro that 1-to-1)

(Art is from the cover of Lupin: Échec à la reine, which is a prequel novel focused on Benjamin. I don't think it's been translated to English but it got published in Brazil.)

Look, it's good drama, yes, we need stakes to keep this going, yes, but BEN NOOOOO, GODDAMNIT ASSANE

Unfortunately I can't fault Assane that much despite the fact that he barely knew his mom. There was no good option there, Ben would have fumbled it if he was even a little on the plan, and I'm not sure if he later realized why Assane did it or if he didn't realize at all, I mean the ending twist sets him up as one of the potential backstabbers and it's gonna be really fucking heartbreaking if so, but...man, I don't fault the way everyone reacted to that episode, but I can't get that mad at Assane for what he did.

The heist he did with his mom at the prime minister's mansion complete with jetski escape added another 10 years to our lifespan. Utterly delightful. I love this show so much.

I was a bit iffy on how the prior seasons approached the existence of Arsene Lupin books in-text and I'm still a little mixed on it. However, the sheer reverence and omnipresent popularity of Arsene Lupin the character actually isn't even that unrealistic to the character's real life popularity in France or elsewhere, or how much the show has done to refuel said popularity. I mean, hell, I and others got to see it firsthand Lupin being the talk of the town non-stop. It still takes me a little out of the show, but it's far from a dealbreaker.

Major major leg that this thing has above so many other contemporary reboots/adaptations is that this is FUN, Lupin in general should always get to be fun and more than a little stupid sometimes, and this gets it. This thing delights in carrying us through every step of the process by which the main character does his impressive things, laying out all the components in plain sight and putting them together and even letting you feel smart for realizing how it's coming together and still being surprised when it does.

This is the show that Sherlock wishes it was, because of course Lupin can't make a comeback without putting one over his good old rival Sholmes.

The show was always strong, I think, but every season so far's just been refining things and making all of it's strengths better. It's so so good and I hope it keeps going, this thing does crazy numbers every season, I just never see it talked about much in English circles. I'm glad it's been going strong the way it has. Assane has become one of my favorite protagonists in anything and I might even watch the show again soon.

Still unbelievably good and has only gotten better from what was already a very strong start.

[lipstickchainsaw]

Krouse/Noelle

This one has been languishing in my inbox for a while, but I do want to get to it.

I think these two are fundamentally teenagers, and this is the core part of their tragedy. If they'd been two years older when they got together, this would've gone so much better.

Krouse is a very talented guy. He is mostly talented at video games, but he is really very good. He is very good without even having to work that hard at it, and this is a fact that has gone a little bit to his head. It leads to him being something of an arrogant prick, which can irritate his friends, and especially irritates his not-friends, but the frustrating part is that he often is good enough to back up the arrogance.

He becomes the Travellers' leader by virtue of being decisive. By this I mean that he makes decisions, he cuts the knot, he makes the call. These decisions are very rarely good, but when everyone else is still reeling and too stunned to come up with anything, doing something is better than doing nothing, and Krouse is always there, making decisions.

The problem is that Krouse was only ever good at making decisions for himself. Even in their pro-gamer days, Krouse excelled in going off on his own to make key plays, rather than working directly with the team. He's, uh, not that good at keeping them in mind, let's say.

For her part, Noelle is the star. She is the strategist, the leader, the one who puts their plans together and adjusts them on the fly. Krouse may be talented, but Noelle is good. She's good because she gets it, and then works to refine that understanding into excellence. She does know how to work with a team, not just in the game, but also to manage the team outside of it.

She also has an eating disorder, but this notably doesn't lead to an insecurity that affects her abilities here, and she does a pretty good job of establishing her boundaries, at least initially. She is not looking for a relationship, and that's fine. She does not feel the need to talk about her eating disorder with anyone other than her closest friend, and she's good at sticking to that, too.

You can almost see her going by a checklist of how to set boundaries, in a very teenager kind of way, because it doesn't come with the skills to respond when someone ignores them.

And Krouse sure does love ignoring boundaries. I don't even think he does it on purpose, but a part of him takes 'you can't do that' as a challenge, and when Noelle rejects Cody, he sees that as a way to prove himself better than him.

Similarly, he doesn't accept when Noelle tries to break up with him, because it doesn't make sense to him. He, too, is following a very teenager script for doing a relationship, because when your partner is obviously distressed, you shouldn't abandon them! But he lacks the understanding, or the respect, for what his partner is saying, and so tries to force her into being stronger than she is to break up with him.

And so she doesn't. Even though it's bad for her, and a lot of Krouse's interest and attention is making her spiral and messing with her process of dealing with her eating disorder, because she hasn't told him about that. And she does like him, and wants him as her boyfriend, but she doesn't quite grasp that him not respecting her boundaries is a red flag.

And then their world goes to shit, Noelle becomes her own worst nightmare, spitting out twisted and hateful versions of themselves after they come into contact with her, and Krouse gets the ability to always be somewhere he shouldn't be, but never quite able to be where he needs to be to help the one person he cares about.

Wildbow has said that he didn't really know how to write romances at the time of writing Worm, and I understand what he means. Krouse and Noelle aren't a teenage romance that would show up in a romance novel.

But they are a very strong example of a teenage romance as a tragedy, because if either of these people had had just a bit more experience in relationships, they would've been able to navigate their problems so much better, and Krouse might not have ruined everything.

D: I’m neutral on it

[painted-bees]

Hey, I've been obsessing over Hi-Note for the past two days, and I was reading meet cute part two and I noticed your tag. "I'm not a very good writer I don't paint very well with words."

I want to establish credibility for the praise I am about to heap on you: I've written a fair more than most people. There's over a million words in my Ao3, and yet more hundreds of thousands that never saw the light of day. I've friends in the editing trade who tell me I write at a publishable level. I like to think I know the craft very well.

So here's the praise: while you do have some of the marks of inexperienced writers I will absolutely contradict your self-deprecation. You are a good writer, and you have the makings of a great one.

Telling compelling stories are about so much more than mere mastery of prose. Your characters and your stories have real heart. Refined prose is far easier to learn than verisimilitude (there's a ten dollar word) in portraying the human condition.

I adore what I've read so far of Raf and Magritte, they are a charmingly tragic little duo, partially because I relate to them and partially because I am the biggest sap about that kind of dynamic of broken people initially hiding their cracks, gradually turning one another into kintsugi through affection, devotion, (and optionally, hot sex.)

If at any point you want some pointers, gently given, about how to improve your prose quality, absolutely hit me up, I am on this hellsite way too much.

Thanks for drawing and writing. You've given me much joy.

this is a lot to process haha thank you so much Q vQ♡♡♡

With all the kindness I have received about my writing, I will take care not to pre-empt future prose-y posts with apologetic sentiments regarding the quality. Self-deprecation doesn't contribute to anyone's enjoyment of the writing--and with all compliments I have received thus far, I feel it would be an insult to you guys if I were to continue insisting that the quality of my work requires tempering reader expectations upfront in order for it to be well received. I feel wholly encouraged and unstoppabley emboldened, haha!

That said, yes! I am very shiny and new to the whole writing thing! I would be very pleased to get an occasional DM or private message with any observations or tips regarding consistent/recourring mistakes or apparent gaps in knowledge that my work would benefit from having pointed out. I'll probably never revist old works to edit them, but I am keen on absorbing your wisdoms and applying the new things I learn to my future writing doodles!

Thank you so much for your kindly enthusiasm!! and for enjoying Hi-Note with me while I wallow gleefully in my self-dug little obsession pit haha♡♡♡!! Genuinely, it means a ton to me!!

[nights-at-crystarium]

January 9 is Vivi’s birthday \;w;/ The date’s cheeky, it’s when I reached ShB on him ingame. A year ago. JUST A YEAR. No other oc of mine had such an intense development process. I wanted to try writing a disaster, and, well....

Lemme have today as an excuse to ramble about his influences. Of course I didn’t merely lump these together, I kept realizing the likeness as time went on.

The concentration of unhinged blondies and literal idols is past the critical level, take cover, it’s gonna blow.

Spoiler warning for everything.

Anarchy Panty

Because his full name’s Vivien Fucksalot Rell x’D A good number of their tropes match perfectly.

This speech could as well be copypasted into his final battle with Emet:

Panty: You're right, I'm just a little bitch and I'm proud of it. But guess what, douchebag? That's not the point. News flash, I don't need special fucking powers to beat the shit out of you. You know why? Because I'm a bitch who doesn't give a fuck. You and your half-dead face can preach about hymens and demons and other weird words that supposedly mean shit, but that doesn't change the fact that if any of you fuckers get in my way, I'm gonna kick some twisted-ass ass. You hear me dick? I'm a hot bitch angel named Panty. And no matter what anyone says, I DO WHAT I FUCKING WANT!

Princess Ai

An edgy fashion icon that I'm still in love with. Brainstorming the visual styles for Vivi, I simply decided to indulge as hard as I can.

Howl

Howl gets his redemption arc, Vivi, uh.... Surprise, the entire ShB part of Fragments is his redemption arc of sorts. But he exists outside ShB as well. He’s not meant to be a goody two shoes. But hey, his drama queen moments are entertaining to watch.

Raha has a lot of Howl in his character too. With Vivi, he’s basically this, except he doesn’t swallow him.. Okay he does but in a different way *kicked*

Arataka Reigen

Because I’m physically incapable of writing a classic hero.

Vivi has a complicated relationship with his career and a pragmatic approach to most things in life. He also prefers words to violence, will fight only if that fails.

When confidence and persuasion carry so hard you don’t really need anything else. Vivi firmly believes in everything he says and does. He doesn’t derive any fucked up joy from being right, but he knows as a fact that he IS right.

Sakuma Ryuichi

Duality my beloved \o/ And dorkiness. Other than that, Ryuichi doesn’t have as much influence on his character, but the visuals?

I mean I literally use this shirt and necklace as an easter egg/homage. Gravitation triggered my queer awakening in the faraway 2006, might as well give it the acknowledgement it deserves.

And, lastly, the he.

What else do you expect from a character tailored for a ship \o/

Short. Sassy. Dorky. Gremlin. All of their direct likeness stems from ARR, while the more subtle parallels and extreme opposite values form later.

If Raha’s eccentric, Vivi takes that just a tad bit further, simply because he’s always been allowed to.

What Raha keeps repressed, buried deep down, Vivi embraces in full. He’s an unruly, effervescent spark of life, he’s meant to be Raha’s “manic pixie dream boy” according to tvtropes, to slowly lure him out of his shell and teach him confidence, the joy of living, and find a way to stop him from killing himself over and over again.

Words of praise and affirmation have no effect on them. Both are competent in some field, but never brag about it. While Raha has a severe imposter syndrome, Vivi knows he’s cool as a fact, which still doesn't mean he loves or values himself as he should. He just acknowledges and uses his status for his own benefit as openly as the world keeps using himself.

Destiny (affectionate) and destiny (derogatory).

Raha’s The Adult (tm) Vivi needs to stay somewhat stable. This’s the reason they don’t quite get along in ARR yet, Raha must go through that century of suffering that, despite all common sense, refines him into something delightful, Vivi must go through HW-SB to realize his priorities in life and frankly get fucked up enough to form a perfect chemistry with Exarch.

Raha has a moral compass that he may adjust at will, Vivi has none at all. How much more questionable would they be if they weren’t cute and charismatic :’D

They’re feisty and competitive towards each other, Raha especially so. Vivi has a red cloth effect on him. Forever wrestling for that imaginary control (yep, in bed too). On the emotional side, it’s forever “you matter, I don’t”. They’re mirrors of each other, reflecting some parts as they are, twisting others in most peculiar ways.

Vivi literally wouldn’t exist without Raha, both ic and ooc. So I daresay Raha has the most influence on his character, at the same time he’s his own guy enough to stay interesting. I’m so proud of him. I’m holding him by the scruff and helplessly shaking him in the air.