#the outline is mostly to help me write a fleshed out tale using my own notes

[osunism]

So part of the issue I'm running into with The Godslayer Project is that it is a post-canon story, and therefore wholly original. It takes place a year after Daughter of Disgrace, but most of the characters this time are OCs.

Save for the canonical plot thread that inspired this entire story, I'm essentially expanding the world of JJK, including introducing a sinister new villain I'm excited to unveil. I think my two or three readers will love them, actually. I think this is the longest I've spent on an outline for any story I've written, including my first novel [I don't even think I outlined that really god...but I was 17 it's whatever].

I even have a section specifically highlighting the major conflicts in the story and how to puzzle it all out. I've been inspired by a lot of other talented writers in the JJK fandom [see my fic rec tag] with regards to building tension [both sexual and non-sexual]. So in a way this fic is me sort of testing some new writing abilities, trying some new things, etc.

I'm excited.

[sunder-soul]

you make most of it up? That's amazing. Could you maybe share your method/thinking/resources for someone who also wants to write believable class stuff in the hp fandom? Thank u very much

Yayaya sure!

Short answer:

So I'll pull details from the HP wiki, and if I need a random plant name or potion ingredient and can't be fucked making one up (or I don't need it to be something symbolic etc) I often use this random generator and either use those names straight out, or tweak them a bit before using them.

Long answer:

Well I'm a huge fan of soft worldbuilding (where you don't outline all the rules and details and instead have a sort of immersive description that leaves a lot unsaid) because I feel it makes things more realistic, like you're glimpsing little parts of things that are utterly normal and therefore don't need explaining ya kno. So when I write classroom scenes or any kind of 'lore' I try not to explain it and rely instead on characters reacting to things to convey its importance, normalcy, or strangeness.

I do this alllll the time but I did it HEAPS in white dove. When Tom is in trial and he gets a 'tier nine' cell (which I made up) I don't bother writing something like "oh my gosh tier nine is the worst and most intense type of cell you can get and it has these rules and these horrifying conditions" bc I don't need to. The whole room reacts with gasps and horror and even Tom looks freaked out (tho that's mostly bc he was expecting a sentence of a specific amount of years and was confident he could just outlive it bc immortal and that's the moment that he's like oh fuck, but the point still stands).

So the emotions/reactions of the people tell you everything you need to know without me having to outright describe it. You don't need to know what a tier 9 cell is, you get that it's fucking baddddd. In fact, it's sort of even better than explaining it bc our imaginations find the unknown even scarier than something horrifying described in detail.

In the same chap a bit further down, I make reference to a 'peeping charm' which I made up on the spot. Same deal but different context, it makes sense that magic users have a spell that'll act like a peephole in their doors, there's no reason to say 'this spell will let me look through the door without the person on the other side noticing so I can see who it is before opening it' because this would be a totally normal thing. So I just wrote it like it wasn't a big deal bc to this character in this context, this wouldn't be a big deal.

On the other hand you can also totally introduce something new that DOES need some detail/exposition. At the beginning of this same chap I say that Tom's lips and cheeks are flushed, that this a tell-tale sign of veritaserum poisoning, and that they've obviously given him heaps of the stuff. I made this up just bc I wanted there to be something the MC could visually and easily see from across the room that would establish that Tom's been given a SHIT TON of truth potion so that for the rest of the scene, the audience in the room with him AND the audience reading the chapter knows he's being forced to tell the truth. It just added to the tension of the moment and made sense for the context (a trial lol). It also gives the scene some layers - Tom was fairly brief and controlled when he actually speaks in that scene, and I wanted it to be unclear if this is because he's being super self controlled by choice as he's normally prone to being, if he knows that he'll be unable to lie and doesn't want to let on any more of his secrets, or if he knows honesty will destroy the picture perfect tragic image the newspapers have made for him if he's TOO much of a monster.

I'm rambling but the point is, if you're going to introduce details or concepts it's really important to have an understanding of who would know that stuff already, who would find it commonplace and who might be totally unaware of it. Sometimes everyone in the scene would know about it already but the AUDIENCE doesn't, and that's when you can use like casual conversation/questions between characters to give more info whilst also showing that this is all very normal.

Having a character not know something is an easy way to have another character explain something to them but there has to be a solid reason as to WHY one would know it and the other doesn't.

An example of a time I've used this is in Mimicry when the MC knows troll blood will ruin Tom's potion but Tom doesn't. Normally we'd be like 'wait what, why would a nerd-ass know it all like Tom not know this,' but it makes sense to my understanding of the character that he's the sort of person who got a recommendation that 'Zoological Potions Ingredients' was the BEST textbook on ingredients and went off and fucking memorised the whole thing and didn't think that anything could have changed in the 70 years after it was published (Tom strikes me as the sort of person who chases 'the best' and doesn't think much past that is worth considering). Hence why he didn't know that the classification for trolls changed and that further research was done, since he also strikes me as the sort of person who would consider reading up on the social status of trolls to be a little pointless lol, but surprise bitch it wasn't.

So I made up most of that except for the existence of Bundimuns and trolls - I went hunting on the wiki for some obscure substance I could reference in passing for a potions ingredient (and found Bundimuns), and honestly I can't remember how much about them I made up and how much is canon (I think they're mentioned to be used in cleaning products canonically...?)

But the point is more that this scene doesn't just flesh out the world, it tells u stuff about the two characters and how they interact. It tells you that Tom is very studious but doesn't like to revise his opinions, it tells you that the MC knows their shit, it tells you that Tom is suspicious (he instantly challenges them by referencing the textbook not saying what they're telling him), and it tells you that MC is a good bitch who would help out a dick like Tom just bc it's the right thing to do. It also shows Tom's flaws - his disregard of learning about other creatures/beings/people and the way they're treated in society tracks with what we know of his character, and I always think it's important to demonstrate (either directly to him within a scene or to the readers) that this is a stupid thing to do. In this case, his lack of interest in the struggles of others nearly fucked his own potion, he's only saved because MC 1) cares enough to read up about it, 2) sees the importance of revising formally formed opinions/understandings, 3) steps in to help him even though he probably wouldn't have done the same.

So that's soft world building, ya know, using these things to tell you about the characters, using knowledge and lack of knowledge, reactions, etc etc. Most of the details I make up are there to serve a purpose for the plot, but honestly that's just bc I'm writing short super condensed stories that don't have a lot of space for proper world building. In Seven Devils (and Mimicry to a lesser extent) I have a lot more of these details there to create an emotion/sense of the scene just for the sake of setting that scene, but that's for bigger works with more room to breathe.

Hmu if you want to know more but damn I DID write an essay huh 😅

[reachexceedinggrasp]

Would love to hear about your beefs with Lucas because I have beefs with Lucas

(Sorry it took me three thousand years to answer this, anon.)

They mainly fall under a few headings, with the third being the most serious and the thing that I am genuinely irl furious about at least biannually (and feeling unable to adequately sum up The Problem with it after yelling about it so often is a huge part of why this post has been in my drafts for such a long time):

1. His self-mythologising and the subsequent uncritical repetition of his bullshit in the fandom. Obvious lies like that he had some master plan for 10 films when it’s clear he did not have anything like a plot outline at any point. We all know the thing was written at the seat of various people’s pants, it’s blatantly self-evident that’s the case. There’s also plenty of public record about how the OT was written. Even dumber, more obvious lies, like that Anakin was ‘always the protagonist’ and the entire 6 films were his story from the beginning. This is preposterous and every time someone brings it up (usually with palpable smugness) as fanboys ‘not understanding star wars’ because they don't get that ‘the OT is not Luke's story’... Yeah, I just... I cannot.

Vader wasn’t Anakin Skywalker until ESB, it’s a retcon. It’s a brilliant retcon and it works perfectly, it elevated SW into something timeless and special it otherwise would not have been, but you can tell it wasn’t the original plan and there’s proof it wasn’t the original plan. Let’s not pretend. And Luke is the protagonist. No amount of waffling about such esoteric flights of theory as ‘ring structure’ is going to get away from the rigidly orthodox narrative and the indisputable fact that it is Luke’s hero’s journey. Vader’s redemption isn’t about his character development (he has almost none) and has no basis in any kind of convincing psychological reality for his character, but it doesn’t need to be because it’s part of Luke’s arc, because Vader is entirely a foil in Luke’s story. It’s a coming-of-age myth about confronting and growing beyond the father.

All attempts to de-centre Luke in RotJ just break the OT’s narrative logic. It’s a character-driven story and the character driving is Luke. Trying to read it as Anakin’s victory, the moral culmination of his choices rather than Luke’s and putting all the agency into Anakin’s hands just destroys the trilogy’s coherence and ignores most of its content in favour of appropriating a handful of scenes into an arc existing only in the prequels. The dilemma of RotJ is how Luke will define ethical adulthood after learning and growing through two previous films worth of challenge, education, failure, and triumph; it’s his choice to love his father and throw down his sword which answers the question the entire story has been asking. Vader’s redemption and the restoration of the galaxy are the consequences of that choice which tell us what kind of world we’re in, but the major dramatic conflict was resolved by Luke’s decision not the response to it.

And, just all over, the idea of Lucas as an infallible auteur is inaccurate and annoying to me. Obviously he’s a tremendous creative force and we wouldn’t have sw without him, but he didn’t create it alone or out of whole cloth. The OT was a very collaborative effort and that’s why it’s what it is and the prequels are what they are. Speaking of which.

2. The hubris of the prequels in general and all the damage their many terrible, protected-from-editors choices do to the symbolic fabric of the sw universe. Midicholrians, Yoda fighting with a lightsabre, Obi-wan as Anakin's surrogate father instead of his peer, incoherent and unmotivated character arcs, the laundry list of serious and meaningful continuity errors, the bad storytelling, the bad direction, the bad characterisation, the shallowness of the parallels which undermine the OT’s imagery, the very clumsy and contradictory way the A/P romance was handled, the weird attitude to romance in general, it goeth on. I don’t want to re-litigate the entire PT here and I’m not going to, but they are both bad as films and bad as prequels. The main idea of them, to add Anakin’s pov and create an actual arc for him as well as to flesh out the themes of compassion and redemption, was totally appropriate. The concept works as a narrative unit, there are lots of powerful thematic elements they introduce, they have a lot of cool building blocks, it’s only in execution and detail that they do a bunch of irreparable harm.

But the constant refrain that only ageing fanboys don’t like them and they only don’t like them because of their themes or because they humanise Anakin... can we not. The shoddy film making in the prequels is an objective fact. If you want to overlook the bad parts for the good or prioritise ideas over technique, that’s fine, but don’t sit here and tell me they’re masterworks of cinema there can be no valid reason to criticise. I was the exact right age for them when I saw them, I am fully on board with the fairy tale nature of sw, I am fully on board with humanising Anakin- the prequels just have a lot of very big problems with a) their scripts and b) their direction, especially of dialogue scenes. If Lucas had acknowledged his limitations like he did back in the day instead of believing his own press, he could have again had the help he obviously needed instead of embarrassing himself.

3. Killing and suppressing the original original trilogy. I consider the fact that the actual original films are not currently available in any form, have never been available in an archival format, and have not been presented in acceptable quality since the VHS release a very troubling case study in the problems of corporate-owned art. LF seizing prints of the films whenever they are shown, destroying the in-camera negatives to make the special editions with no plans to restore them, and doing all in the company’s considerable power to suppress the original versions is something I consider an act of cultural vandalism. The OT defined a whole generation of Hollywood. It had a global impact on popular entertainment. ANH is considered so historically significant it was one of the first films added to the US Library of Congress (Lucas refused to provide even them with a print of the theatrical release, so they made their own viewable scan from the 70s copyright submission).

The fact that the films which made that impact cannot be legally accessed by the public is offensive to me. The fact that Lucas has seen fit to dub over or composite out entire performances (deleting certain actors from the films), to dramatically alter the composition of shots chosen by the original directors, to radically change the entire stylistic tone by completely reinventing the films’ colour timing in attempt to make them match the plasticy palate of the prequels, to shoot new scenes for movies he DID NOT DIRECT, add entire sequences or re-edit existing sequences to the point of being unrecognisable etc. etc. is NOT OKAY WITH ME when he insists that his versions be the ONLY ones available.

I’m okay with the Special Editions existing, though I think they’re mostly... not good... but I’m not okay with them replacing the original films. And all people can say is ‘well, they’re his movies’.

Lucas may have clear legal ownership in the capitalistic sense, but in no way does he have clear artistic ownership. Forget the fans, I’m not one of those people who argue the fans are owed something: A film is always a collaborative exercise and almost never can it be said that the end product is the ultimate responsibility and possession of one person. Even the auteur directors aren't the sole creative vision, even a triple threat like Orson Welles still had cinematographers and production designers, etc. Hundreds of artists work on films. Neither a writer nor a director (nor one person who is both) is The Artist behind a film the way a novelist is The Artist behind a novel. And Lucas did NOT write the screenplays for or direct ESB or RotJ. So in what sense does he have a moral right to alter those films from what the people primarily involved in making them deemed the final product? In what sense would he have the right to make a years-later revision the ONLY version even if he WERE the director?

Then you get into the issue of the immeasurable cultural impact those films had in their original form and the imperative to preserve something that is defining to the history of film and the state of the zeitgeist. I don't think there is any ‘fan entitlement’ involved in saying the originals belonged to the world after being part of its consciousness for decades and it is doing violence to the artistic record to try to erase the films which actually occupied that space. It's exactly like trying to replace every copy of It's a Wonderful Life with a colourised version (well, it's worse but still), and that was something Lucas himself railed against. It’s like if Michaelangelo were miraculously resuscitated and he decided to repaint the Sistine Ceiling to add a gunfight and change his style to something contemporary.

I get genuinely very upset at the cold reality that generations of people are watching sw for the first time and it’s the fucking SE-except-worse they’re seeing. And as fewer people keep physical media and the US corporate oligarchy continues to perform censorship and rewrite history on its streaming services unchecked by any kind of public welfare concerns, you’ll see more and more ‘real Mandela effect’ type shit where the cultural record has suddenly ‘always’ been in line with whatever they want it to be just now. And US media continues to infect us all with its insidious ubiquity. I think misrepresenting and censoring the past is an objectively bad thing and we can’t learn from things we pretend never happened, but apparently not many people are worried about handing the keys to our collective experience to Disney and Amazon.

4. The ‘Jedi don’t marry’ thing and how he wanted this to continue with Luke post-RotJ, so it’s obviously not meant to be part of what was wrong with the order in the prequels. I find this... incoherent on a storytelling level. The moral of the anidala story then indeed becomes just plain ‘romantic love is bad and will make you crazy’, rather than the charitable reading of the prequels which I ascribe to, which is that the problem isn’t Anakin’s love for Padmé, it’s that he ceased to love her and began to covet her. And I can’t help but feel this attitude is maybe an expression of GL’s issues with women following his divorce. I don’t remember if there’s evidence to contradict that take, since it’s been some time since I read about this but yeah. ANH absolutely does sow seeds for possible Luke/Leia development and GL was still married while working on that film. Subsequently he was dead set against Luke ever having a relationship and decided Jedi could not marry. Coincidence?

There’s a lot of blinking red ‘issues with women’ warning signs all over Lucas’s work, but the prequels are really... egregious.

[kuriquinn]

Recovery & Patreon & Other Stuff

Hey everyone!

So, I’ve been having a good day today (much better than yesterday!) and thought I’d catch up with you guys.

I’m still dealing with the anxiety stuff. When I get into potentially stressful situations I still burst into tears and get shaky and a lump in my stomach, but I don’t get too bad left to my own devices anymore. I’m going to start going back to live on my own as opposed to bunking with family soon, which is nice. I’ve always been very independent and I loved living on my own, so getting back to that will be nice. 

Anything work-related still triggers me, so I’ve had to completely disassociate from that (no work alerts, no answering emails, no lesson planning). That’s been hard, because I’m so used to doing something constructive that not doing it stresses me out. While I hate being stressed, I like to be buysy. More on that below. 

I’m productive and almost functional between 10am and 12pm, and if it’s a really good day I get to 1:30. After that there’s no point to even trying because I just get a brain full of fuzz and can’t think through it. 

Therapy has been helping A LOT, but I don’t know how long I can keep going to this therapist as it’s rather expensive. Again, big thanks to all of you who have been using my ko-fi jar this past year, you’re the reason I could pay for yesterday’s session. 

Slowly, I’m working through all of this, and I couldn’t do it without you guys. Special shout out to those of you who have been checking in with my almost daily. If I didn’t have you, I don’t know how I’d be coping, to be honest... 

I love you guys!

PATREON

I have been considering launching a patreon page for months now, and there’s never been the time to really work on it. And since everything in my life started to get really complicated, so many of you have reached out wanting to know how you can help support me so I can get back on my feet, back to my best self and back to writing stories!

Since I’ve been put off work for a few weeks to recover, I thought an interesting creative project for myself would be to start setting up my patreon in earnest (and my therapist says I need a non-workplace related, non-stressful activity that I can work on at my own pace).

After much thought, I decided not to offer fanfiction on patreon, because I’m really uncertain and uncomfortable with the legalities of it all. And added stress and anxiety is probably not a good idea right now. I may set up a different page later offering my own original fiction and short stories for a small fee, but I’m not yet at that point. That’s an entirely different project, but I’ll keep you in the know about it (especially those of you who said you wanted to read my original work!)

My patreon page that I’m constructing now will be dedicated to offering writing tips & tricks, video tutorials, writing prompts, personalised critiques and editing of patron creative writing content (this could be something as simple as cursory proof-reading to in-depth content editing, depending on the reward tier chosen). Original creative content and transformative works will be welcome, but I will not be looking at academic writing because honestly, I’m sick of correcting academic work.

I’m hoping this will give me the ability to build my resume to transition from the field of education into something more writing/editing/journalistic based. Or, possibly even start my own proofreading/editing/content creation service. 

At the moment, I don’t have any major rewards up as I’m in the process of creating them - at my own pace and when I have the energy to do so. But for anyone who would like to start supporting me now while I get things up and running, I have enabled the general support incentive of $1 per month on the site. And I’m trying to come up with better goals, but as mentioned, this whole thing is a work in progress. ^_^

ORIGINAL FICTION

A little while back I mentioned waking up utterly inspired for an original story/novel and I’ve mostly been working on that when I’m in the writing mood and not feeling too stressed.

As mentioned, it’s a romance/mystery/comedy novel, kind of in the style of Naruto Gaiden, Tanya Huff’s Vicki Nelson series (go read it now if you haven’t!) and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum mysteries, but in my own style. I’m basing the main characters heavily on our favourite SSS family, so hopefully that’s of interest to you guys. 

I’m currently in research mode for it, which is always a really cathartic part of the writing process for me. It involves a lot of reading of books/novels that I draw inspiration from and fact-checking (I know, I’m weird, but looking up/researching information is calming to me. I don’t know why...)

I’ve also been fleshing out the characters. Some of them even have names already *gasp*. Once I’m more sure of them, I’m going to exercise my creative muscles and try to create some concept art of the characters. I may make these available for you guys to look at here or on a different platform. Again, this will probably be for a small fee as it is original content.

We’ll see how all of this goes. It’s longterm goals right now, nothing concrete, but I feel like you guys have been so involved with me for so long you should know my plans.

FANFICTION

I work a little on my stories every day according to my energy and inspiration. 

I’m currently editing Samsara as it’s been a while since I looked at it and it could use some improvement. Also, I’m thinking of using it as a means of showcasing my editing/proofreading skills, so it’s both a labour of love and serves a greater purpose. 

Mostly I’ve been jotting down a few paragraphs here and there on some upcoming Indra/Shachi companion pieces and working on outlining my Tales of the Uchiha stories. Occasionally I’ll take a look at Never Tell Me The Odds and try to get back to it, as I know there’s a lot of interest in me finishing it, as well as You Are Cordially Invited. 

I hope I can come back to fanfiction soon, but of course, I’m not going to rush anything unless I’m feeling particularly inspired.

Anyhow, I just wanted to catch up with you guys and let you know what’s going on in my life right now. And I’m getting kind of tired now so I’m going to sign off for today.

I’ll check in with you guys again soon.

Lots of love!

Kriss

[scarletjedi]

My wife, gentlepersons

Brig was already aboard the boat when Gimli and Legolas arrived, attending the rigging for the simple sail and making ready to depart.@brydylcai​: All of the writing asks because I worry you don't have enough to do

so. 

all the ones I haven’t answered yet. Behind the cut because long

1. Tell us about your WIP!

Heh, which one? I’ve started writing chapter three of We Are Made Wise because I’m finally getting over my block (I think there was a little burnout). I’ve just updated Old Man Luke, and Pineapple 2 is next. I’m almost finished with my next original short, I’ve figured out where to go next in my novel, and...yeah. :)

2. Where is your favorite place to write?

Where it’s quiet and I can focus. Sometimes that’s the living room. Sometimes it’s my office. Sometimes it’s the Starbucks on the corner. 

4. Do you have any writing habits/rituals?

Depends on where I am. I have to have some sort of ritual to get focused. In my office, I light candles. In the living room, I put on music. At the coffee shop, I have a snack. 

6. Favorite character you’ve written?

My original character, Jamie, from my book is a HOOT. He’s a gay Jewish teen whose convinced that *he* will be the one to capture definitive proof of the Jersey Devil. He’s the non-magical pov in the fic, and his voice is fun. 

7. Favorite/most inspirational book?

Well, on the one hand, I re-wrote the Hobbit, so that’ book is clearly an inspiration. 

8. Do you have any writing buddies or critique partners?

@brydylcai is my in-house sounding board, the same way I am for her. I don’t have a regular beta, but I’ve worked with several depending on the project/story, and they’re all lovely people. 

9. Favorite/least favorite tropes?

I love revelations/coming out stories. I hate deliberate misunderstandings. 

10. Pick an author (or writing friend) to co-write a book with

@brydylcai and I have discussed writing a book together already, so Imma go with her :)

11. What are you planning to work on next?

I have the doc with We Are Made Wise open, so either that or my next short, depending on if I write more tonight or wait until tomorrow. 

12. Which story of yours do you like best? why?

Comes Around Again is the one that earned me what little notoriety I have, and Old Man Luke is doing the same in Star Wars, but I’m most proud of Drowned in Moonlight. That fic was written to excise some grief over Carrie Fisher, and I think I did her proud. 

13. Describe your writing process

I’m tempted to say “Incoherent screaming into the void” but that’s a joke that’s been made before. My process. Hmm. 

I tend to write by the seat of my pants. I like to see what develops and grows naturally. Once I get to a certain point, I’ll stop and make a plot sheet/note page, but I usually have the rough shape figured out before I start to write. 

Once I have a draft, I’ll edit. Sometimes I’ll print and edit on paper. Sometimes I edit online. My original works tend to get more editing than my fanworks. 

14. What does it take for you to be ready to write a book? (i.e. do you research? outline? make a playlist or pinterest board? wing it?)

ha ha ha ha - My original novel has been 15 years in the works, and has gone through many drafts. It’s working now, but I need familiarity. So, I think what I need is research for context and an outline for plot, and a good enough knowledge to feel like I’m winging it. 

15. How do you deal with self-doubt when writing?

I put it down. If I’m not confident on one project, I’ll put it down and turn to another. (This usually means putting down my original work in favor of fanfic, because I’m more confident with that overall, but...). I know what sounds right to my ear, and if I’m not hearing it, there’s usually a reason. Distance/time often lets me see it. 

17. What things (scenes/topics/character types) are you most comfortable writing?

I’m a Jersey Girl, so I tend to set things in Jersey. I love dramatic conversations, so I’m comfortable there. Queer characters. 

18. Tell us about that one book you’ll never let anyone read

That I wrote? Or that I read? Twilight/50 Shades. 

19. How do you cope with writer’s block?

I beat it with a hammer unitl it’s writer’s pebbles. 

20. Any advice for young writers/advice you wish someone would have given you early on?

Write what you love. Write the truths that you know, and research to write the things you don’t know. Don’t be afraid to break your characters; you can put them back together in new and interesting ways. You’ll be given a lot of advice over the years--read enough to recognize what you like. Develop your taste. Take the advice that helps taylor your work to your taste. Reject the advice that changes it away. 

21. What aspect of your writing are you most proud of?

Subtle meanings and implications. 

22. Tell us about the books on your “to write” list

Here are 3:

a) The Lesbian Werewolf Romance Novel. 

b) The Teenage Zombie Novel. 

c) The American-Teenager-Falls-Into-Fantasy-Realm-and-there-are-also-dragons novel

23. Most anticipated upcoming books?

Jer Keene’s next book. I read the first as fic, and then read the novelization, and now I REALLY want to know what comes next. 

The Kingkiller Chronicles book 3

25. What’s your worldbuilding process like?

Seat. Of. My. Pants and flailing. Seriously, I write something because it sounds right, and then figure out how it works after. 

26. What’s the most research you’ve ever put into a book?

I wrote parts of CAA with the hobbit, the lotr, the unfinished tales, and the moves on and open in front of me. 

I became a pagan, and my research for that has influenced my writing of my book. 

27. Every writer's least favorite question - where does your inspiration come from? Do you do certain things to make yourself more inspired? Is it easy for you to come up with story ideas?

I mentioned I was pagan? My patron, Brigid, is among other things, a muse. She pokes, and I start thinking (or I think, and she eggs me on. I’m not sure of the order. could be either or both). But, most of my ideas come from things I read. When I want inspiration, I read. 

Ideas don’t come as easily as I would like, but the fact that I have several projects at once means that it comes easily enough. 

28. How do you stay focused on your own work and how do you deal with comparison?

I have a hard time focusing period, so that’s a challenge. I have put effort into being less jealous because it’s ultimately a useless exercise. 

29. Is writing more of a hobby or do you write with the intention of getting published?

I want to be published like JK Rowling or Stephen King - one thing that gives my financial security, or with enough frequency to do the same. 

30. Do you like to read books similar to your project while you’re drafting or do you stick to non-fiction/un-similar works?

tbh, i read mostly fanfic these days. Most Genre fic makes me angry because there’s something missing from the text. it’s usually women/gay people. 

31. Top five favorite books in your genre?

scifi/fantasy

a) American Gods - Gaiman

b) Foundation/Elijah Bailey mysteries - Assimov

c) The Hobbit

d) Guards!Guards!

e) Years of Rice and Salt

32. On average how much do you write in a day? do you have trouble staying focused/getting the word count in?

Depends. There are days i can’t get a word out. There are days I’ve written about 10k. It depends on if I’m having a good focus day. 

33. What’s your revision/rewriting process like?

long. 

34. Unpopular writing thoughts/opinions?

....like what?

35. Post the last sentence you wrote

““The things I do for the greater good,” Gimli grumbled, his frown softening as Legolas’s laugh rang out to echo through the cavern. “

36. Post a snippet

from Old Man Luke, chapter 11 (probably):

Obi-Wan stood just to the left of the closed door, hand stroking his beard ad the sight of those assembled. It took all of his focus to keep his eyes from growing wide, or let his hands tremble the way they wished to.

Before him, sitting at a conference table, was Asajj Ventress (scowling at the table like a chastised Padawan, though she had submitted to the indignity of the locking cuffs easily enough), and the adult twinned children of Anakin Skywalker.

Luke sat much as he had before, calmly and with no outward signs of concern, reminding Obi-Wan uncomfortably of his own master. Leia sat back from the table, her arms crossed and her expression sardonic. She, too, was apparently unconcerned, if outwardly exasperated, and Obi-Wan knew that if hadn’t already been told, he would be able to see the resemblance between father and daughter in a heartbeat.

Still, Obi-Wan had the distinct and uncomfortable sensation of not quite living up to her expectations.

The bulk of her resentment, however, was aimed directly at the only other occupant of the room—Anakin.

Their father.

Obi-Wan needed a drink.

37. Do you ever write long handed or do you prefer to type everything?

I write long-handed when I’m having focus issues. It’s slow enough to make me focus. 

38. How do you nail voice in your books?

I talk to myself. Out loud. Constantly. 

39. Do you spend a lot of time analyzing and studying the work of authors you admire?

When I read, I’m known to stop and think “that was a perfectly crafted sentence!” or “How did they do that?” 

40. Do you look up to any of your writer buddies?

all of them. They’re all awesome, though in different ways. 

41. Are there any books you feel have shaped you as a writer?

Harry Potter. I’m not sure how, but I’m sure it has. 

42. How many drafts do you usually write before you feel satisfied?

Depends on how fully formed the story was in my head before I started. Fanfic gets 2 - rough and beta. Original fic gets rough, first, second, etc

43. How do you deal with rejection?

Badly at first. Then it evolved into a desire to prove them wrong. 

45. First or third person?

Third. 

46. Past or present tense?

Past. 

47. Single or dual/multi POV?

Depends on the needs of the plot. 

48. Do you prefer to write skimpy drafts and flesh them out later, or write too much and cut it back?

the first is what I do. The second is what I’d like to do. 

49. Favorite fictional world?

A Galaxy Far, Far away. (Then Middle Earth). 

50. Do you share your rough drafts or do you wait until everything is all polished?

depends on the fic. I like to show things to @brydylcai, but only in the fandom’s she’s in. I have been known to invite friends into docs as I’m writing, so...

51. Are you a secretive writer or do you talk with your friends about your books?

I’m more open than I used to be about fanfic. I’m less talkative about my original works. 

52. Who do you write for?

She knows who. 

53. What is the first line of your WIP?

Of this chapter: “Brig was already aboard the boat when Gimli and Legolas arrived, attending the rigging for the simple sail and making ready to depart.”

54. Favorite first line/opening you’ve written?

my book begins with a ghost hunt. that’s fun?

55. How do you manage your time/make time for writing? (do you set aside time to write every day or do you only write when you have a lot of free time?)

I try to set aside time while not working, but i also tend to write in whatever little moments I have. Between classes, standing in line, etc. 

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #170

“Return to Kore, Collecting the Faithful”

[Testificate fem] Miss, you can use the shower in the temple if you want. The clergy's living quarters are to the left of the entrance.

[Lie] - Ah, thank you- Looks at the pod and considers it size and the use the testificates have made for it.  She places her hands on it, getting even more nectar on her as she concentrates.  She is completely silent for a few moments before the pod ripples.  It does it's rattling hiss before suddenly shifting and becoming many smaller pods of the size Lie usually creates

[TLOT] Has gathered some Testificates who seem to still have some energy and is setting up a Touchie hive for them and teaching them how to tend it.

[Doc] Oh, that's perfect Lie, can you make it so they'll defend the city?

[Gk] Nk, Mix, whatever you do, don't get even a speck of that stuff on you...

[Lie] - Yeah- She whispers to them and the thorny vines spread out, a few stay near the fountain while others go and hang from the walls around the city

[Steve] Has gathered another group and is giving a safe sex talk-

[Mix] I wouldn't let that stuff get on me even if you offered to pay me.. Eww...

[Lie] Looks over at her mate- CP...

[Gk] Skitters back- Please clean off first Lie.

[CP] Huffs at GK before jumping off of him and trotting over to his mate who heads for the temple- Don't worry GK, I plan on it

[Gk] Is there anything to drink in this town?

[Various Testificates] Mostly dressed - Water? Milk?

[Gk] Sticks his tongue out, - blech.

[Lie] She and CP enter the mentioned showers and Lie changes her husband back before jumping on him in the shower.  As the water hits them the entire temple fills with steam-

[Doc] Should we make a quick trip to check on Croca?

[TLOT] Feels the power surge of the two brines making love on hallowed ground and adds a wave of pleasant vibrations that flow out like water. The people around him sigh in bliss as it passes.

[Doc] That's nice. - Slightly stupid grin

[TLOT] That's a decent thought. We'll come back for Cp and Lie. Give them some time alone.

[Gk] Okay people, looks like we have another stop to make. Mix, Nk?

[Doc] removes the gloves and puts them away. Xe weaves through the crowd to lift them up.

[TLOT] waves and there's a decent amount of cheering.

[Gk] Ham....

[Doc] Mounts up in a spiral and there's an ooh from the crowd.

[Gk] Makes a bit of a leap and joins them in the air.

[TLOT] Points the way and the terrain rushes along beneath them.

-They fly over a strech of water and there's the clear outline of a water temple beneath the waves. The center is a crater and there's no signs of guardians.

[Mix] What happened there?

[TLOT] The guardians kidnapped our brother Violet! We destroyed their temple!

[Steve] And won the loyalty of the other people they'd been harassing in the meantime!

[Mix] Oh. Exciting.

[NK] ... What's a guardian?

[Gk] A huge, spiky, cyclopean fish that hates squids and fires high pressure jets of scalding water.

[NK] Sounds dangerous as fuck. Never seen one before though.

[Doc] There's one in a fishtank in my lab! Remind me when we get back!

[Doc] I want to show you something. - Xe flies low and slow and they take in the sight of the devastated village that was once home to TLOT and Steve's people.

[TLOT] Hisses in recognition.

[Steve] Good gods.... and to think we barely escaped that....

[TLOT] We owe you a lot Doc, not just for that, but for helping us to return here victorious.

[Doc] Blushes- That's not what I wanted you to see. Look what they left you.

[Gk] There's a summoner down there...

[Doc] They didn't forget you.

[TLOT] Looks like he might cry some more-

[Steve] Those look like Lies flowers...?

[Doc] They are, she left them as a present for their faith. Looks like they took it literally. - Xe runs on and soon a tiny village comes into view -

-There's some panicked shouting from the ground and a few Testificates obviously running to get someone.

-As they land a witch approaches them with a wolf at their feet.

[TLOT] leaps down and meets them halfway. - Croca...

[Steve] See the wolf and swallows a little lump in his throat.

[Croca] We'd always hoped you'd come back.

[TLOT] I made new allies. I couldn't have returned without them.

[Steve] Croca. All of Kore was celebrating, it's was glorious.

[Croca] Gives the two dragons and thier mounted brines a calculating look. - Interesting friends you have there. So many shining eyes.

[TLOT] We found so many new worlds to explore. Croca... I promised your people my protection. Would you like to come back with us?

[Croca] What are you offering us, our Lord of Tears?

[TLOT] Reunion with the others. Everyone you remember is alive, on another world. It is much like this one, but more free. No cults of Notch or Jeb, just the world and what you would make of it.

[Croca] I... I need to speak with my villagers first.... this is all very sudden...

-There's already some murmuring behind them, notes of curiousity, hope and fear.

[Mix] It's nice on Doc's server, you'd like it there

[Doc] Looks around, there's not much to see. It's just a normal small village next to a river that flows into the sea. A few boats are tied up and there are probably less then thirty villagers in total.

[Croca] Is in a heated discussion and turns back briefly- We will take it under advisment.

-There's some general nodding and the Testificates disperse.

[Croca] Very well Herobrine. We will trust in you as we did of old. Please take us with you.

[Gk] Uh, how you planning on taking these guys TLOT? I can only carry so many.

[Testificates] Are gathered in a hopeful huddle and Croca went to quickly stuff their things in a half chest before rejoining them.

[TLOT] I will carry my people. They are my responsibility. - He takes a few steps back and dissolves into fog that spreads and billows from beneath his cloak. The fabric lifts up and up into wings as he remerges as a trully titanic enderdragon. He's far bigger then Endrea and has to hunker flat against the ground so the Testificates can nervously climb aboard. Steve Sits atop his head holding his ears in each hand, and the villagers cling to his spines.

[Doc] Notices Croca hesitating and scoops up the witch and the dog gently.

[Gk] Good gods you're a fucking showoff TLOT-

[TLOT] Gives a trumpeting roar that shakes the seed and a single downsweep of wings carries him up into the sky, nearly knocking the other two dragons over.

[Mix] Holy fuck... But I mean.. It.. gets the job done

[Doc] Hey wait for us!

[Gk] Yeah, friggin shapeshifter. He loves to show that shit off. He can be anything living that he's gotten a good look at.

[CP] Holds Lie in the now very flora filled temple, his mate satisfied and washed free of nectar. CP was simply glad that a majority of the flowers which bloomed were her love flowers.  He nudged her and got a mumble in response- Hey come on, we can rest in our own bed at home, but we need to get up first

[Lie] Groans but does disentangle herself from her mate.  She hands him his clothes before pulling on her own and letting him lead her out of the temple-

[CP] Looks around once outside and realizes none of the other brines are there- Fucking Nether...

[Lie] - CP?  What's wrong?

[CP] - The others aren't here...

[Lie] - They'll be back, we know they wouldn't leave me...  You on the other hand...

[CP] - Hey now, not funny

[Lie] - I know, I'm sorry- She leans up and kisses his cheek

-A pair of Testificates who were smootching on a bench by the entrance get up and give them polite bows before introducing themselves. Each are wearing the same wide gold bangle as their hands are exposed. -

[Sprlhm] Greetings esteemed ones. I am Sprlhm and this is my wife Cherie, we thought it proper for a mated pair to greet such mystical lovers. The Herobrine has gone to visit his remaining village with a promise to return.

[Cherie] Is looking at Cp's hair- It is the same! You made a man of a cat? You must be very powerful Miss. Your companions wished to give you space to enjoy the bounty of love you were showered with. Some of us went to join you but heard the sounds of flesh on flesh already happening and suspected even more magick was afoot.

[Lie] Blushes bright red as CP sighs before gently ruffling the hair on the top of her head-

[CP] - For starters, it was wise of you not to interrupt, for the air would have been too hot from the steam and you could have put yourselves in great danger.  As for my being a cat, it s not my mates power, but your Herobrines, she simply holds the key he gave her for the transformations

[Lie] Glances at her mate, a bit surprised by his decorum at the moment, he catches her look and responds to her mentally-

[CP] - What?  This is essentially a political situation, and that is an area I have a fair amount of experience in

[Cherie] We know of his power to make beasts of men. The tale of the crying creature in the temple of Notch reached us long ago. A wanderer came through with a scarf as violet as Herobrine's cloak and shared the story, as well as his pilgrimage to find and follow  his new master.

[Lie] Glances at CP- That's...  Zile...  Right?

[CP] - How the fuck should I know?

[Sprlhm] Some of your number are missing as well... Did the tall shadow, the strange wither and the pale coated brine perish in the battle?

[Cherie] Yes! That was his name!

[CP] - The pale coated one came with us, they have a second form.  The wither is under my command and resting and the "Tall shadow" as you put it is resting and feeding on happy emotions

[Cherie] Grand warriors all, and each with the bright eyes! Where do you hail from?

[Lie] - Different servers...  Different worlds...

[Cherie] is clearly impressed, - when Herobrine first came here, he requested to see the holy Patchbook. It has ceased it's writing for longer then we have ever seen before, but it is still an important artifact. If you wish to view it.

[Lie] - I don't think it's really necessary

[CP] - For us that book is information recounting things many of us lived through, except our own version of it

[Sprlhm] We would be honored to show you- he holds the door and gestures to a room on the right of the entrance.

[CP] With a small nearly silent groan CP follows them in and makes sure Lie stays with him-

[Cherie] is smelling the random flowers that bloomed around the doorway they used earlier

[Lie] Reaches up and brushes one of her love blooms-

[Cherie] They're so beautiful, like nothing I've ever seen.

[Lie] - They're my creations, my specialty is flowers

- The room beyond is full of pews and bathed in colored light, the massive book is open to the last page and ironically the last bug it's showing is a minor lighting issue-

[CP] Looks down at the book, it's mostly things he's seen before-

[Sprlhm] turns to the first page to reorient the book on its stand and steps sideways to adjust his grip, exposing the page to Cp

[CP] Tenses as he see's the dash '-removed Herobrine'-

[Sprlhm] fusses with the book and opens it to where it was when TLOT last spoke to Jeb

[CP] His eyes narrow as he see's the script-

{Lie] - CP?  Is everything okay?

[Cherie] This was what Herobrine revived for his impassioned pleas. Only one with a heart of stone would have been unmoved by them.

-Pixelbind.exe restored for player H

-Lifespark.exe restored for player H

-Critical hit fatal cyclic error patched for player H

-Flight.exe fatal error unfixable/Abort/Retry/Fail? F

-Corrupted H.jar file restored with memory errors

-Herobrine was added to the game

[Cherie] We don't understand it, but his joy was plain for all to see

[CP] Takes a step back from the book, to see such generosity given towards one of hi own when it's been so rare in his own life makes him feel unsure and a bit ill-

[Lie] Picks up on her mates distress and so intervenes- TLOT, had most of his powers taken from him, this was when several of them were returned to him

[Sprlhm] 'Twas the evil Notch that broke him, and he was a thing of nightmares for a long time afterwards. But we saw his great love for his mate and most of us came to believe his punishment had been too cruel and that he had changed his ways.

[Lie] - Which was exactly the case, he's been somewhat... Of a father figure to me since we met.  Especially since he was the one who helped me finish my change into a brine

[Cherie] So he can give powers as well as change forms?

[Lie] - He can give brine hood, but the powers are my own

[CP] Glances at the book- Fucking asshole

[Sprlhm] Gives Cp a curious look. - Who?

[CP] - Jeb

[Sprlhm] He has not been an unkind god to us.

[CP] - He blackmailed my mate into a fight with your NOTCH, threatened to delete all of you if we were not to help.  My mate is not a fighter, but very sympathetic...

[Sprlhm] He must have been quite confident that you'd help to make such a bet. Though his hatred for Notch was quite consuming.

[CP] - From the way he was talking we could tell.  We had figured on eventually taking the NOTCH out, but not this soon, we weren't as prepared as we could be, we didn't know the full extent of it's abilities, and we had no strategy going into the fight.  We're lucky none of us were seriously injured

[Cherie] But from what we observed you beat him handily! Though we were too afraid to leave the safety of the city walls because of the multitudes of mobs that came with him. There are already artists working to commerorate your valiant battle!

[CP] Scoffs- History is written by the winners, if it makes them feel better, let them believe what they want...  If we had more of a plan I probably would have kept my mate far away and brought my army instead...

[Lie] - CP...

[Sprlhm] Ah, do you also encourage and gather the mal/mal keeshan pairs?

[Cherie] We know that what Herobrine preaches is dangerous, but it seems his rule will be unapposed if we are treated as he treated those under his care in the past. There will be no need for war-making.

[CP] - My army is made of mobs, why would I need testificates?

[Sprlhm] You... do not know?

[Cherie] The little village Herobrine sheltered could have easily sacked this city, perhaps a place even larger.

[CP] Cocks a brow in interest-

[Lie] - What do you mean?

[Sprlhm] Ah, if your world is peaceful then I suppose it is unlikely you have ever seen them fight...

[Cherie] They move as one being. It can be done with other pairings of the same type but the fem pairs would usually chose gentler methods of conflict resolution, and the herm pairs are often neutral in conflicts.

[CP] - I mostly ignore your kind on my server...  But...

[Lie] - CP no

[Cherie] I suppose there are far worse fates then being ignored.

[Lie] - Besides, I doubt you want the paperwork, especially since you currently still have so much to do

[CP] Shudders a little- Please stop reminding me

[Lie] - Either way, do you think all of you will be alright here?  I realize there will still probably be some NOTCH worshippers left who may cause you trouble...

[Cherie] I think that's more of a philosohy then a religion. From what Zile told us he rarely speaks to them directly, and we believe he destroyed his last pawn for failing him. But they tend to live high in the mountains and it make take some time for the news to even reach them all.

[Lie] - Well if they do give you trouble, do not hesitate to call for TLOT

[Sprlhm] Will a traditional summoner suffice? We can arrange for people to sing his poem if need be.

[CP] - Poem?  Fuck no... Any summoner will get the attention of all brines in the area as Doc has proven before...

[Cherie] All brines?

[Lie] - Brine refers to anyone who is glitched and has powers.  The most common glitch is the eyes, like ours and TLOT's.  In other words we are the same type of being as TLOT

[Sprlhm] Does that mean... there are more of the others too!?

[CP] - You mean Steve's?  Alex's?  NOTCH's?  Yes, many

[Sprlhm] Catches Cherie who clings to him in fright - There are more Notches?!

[CP] - Yup

[Lie] - But not all of them are like yours!  We have an entire server of very peaceful ones near ours!  And brines are the same way!  Some are very peaceful like yours, or more aggressive like my husband here

[Cherie] Will we.. be protected from the others... ?

[Lie] - Absolutely, we are putting this server within our own, and ours can only be accessed if the person entering has permission

[Sprlhm] Thank goodness... it's bad enough that the mobs stalk us. It will certainly  be a relief not having our entire town smashed periodically by Notch.

[Lie] Looks at CP-

[CP] - No, I am not going to take command of mobs here

[Cherie] It's okay, the walls keep them out for the most part. Will your pods bite them miss?

[Lie] - I could instruct them to if you wanted...

[Sprlhm] That would be most appreciated.

[Lie] She brushes her hand against CP's- I'll be right back- She walks off towards the wall

[CP] Watches her leave with a slightly worried expression-

[CP] - So what the Nether possessed you to touch my wife's creations?

[Cherie] Laughs merrily- How do unusual things normally get touched? The more adventurous among us were daring eachother to do so. There were puddles of the stuff everywhere too. It didn't take long before a wandering pig stepped in one and began humping everything in sight.

[CP] Groans- Oh for fucks sake...  I'm a little ashamed to have been partially responsible for creating a part of that damn thing...

[Sprlhm] There is no shame, it's marvelous. And it's just and right to help your lover in an act of creation.

[Cherie] Your powers together must be a force of nature.

[CP] - Those pods are not it's first form...  It started as a dark purple flower and it was made while we were fucking...

[Cherie] Will she make us some of those as well? That sounds lovely.

[CP] Growls a little-

[Sprlhm and Cherie both shrink back a bit]

[Cherie] I am sorry, I don't mean to overstep our bounds. We are merely excited to have your kin in our midst. May we fetch you anything for your comfort?

[CP] - I'm fine- He perks a little as Lie returns

[Lie] Gives CP a curious glance- You did something...

[Sprlhm] May we fetch anything for you miss?

[Lie] - I'm fine, but thank you.  However, is there anything I can help you with?

[Cherie] We were wondering if.. - shoots a look at Cp to see if he looks mad- maybe we could have some... of your... uh...

[Lie] - What is it?  And don't worry so much about him, it's part of his personality to scare people

[Cherie] small voice- Can we... have some of your purple flowers too?

[Lie] - Which purple ones?  I have a few...

[Cherie] The one that's... like the pods?

[Lie] Looks a bit apprehensive- My lust blossoms?  Are you sure?

[Cherie] The effect is the same, isn't it?

[Lie] - Well, yes, I just want to make sure that your certain

[Sprlhm] I know just the place! Wait here a moment! - He rushes farther into the building-

[Lie] Makes a curious expression-

[Cherie] Smiles- I think I know. And it's a good plan, it will keep people from wandering into them accidently.

[Lie] - I see

[Sprlhm] fusses around for a few minutes, before returning and he beckons them towards the back of the building.

[Lie] Makes her way back there with CP following-

-He leads them down a bit of hallway with a other shut doors and back out into the sun. The center of the building is open to the sky and the area is full of flowing water and garden beds. He's ripped out a bed of carrots with a small water flow pouring into the corner.

[Sprlhm] Children aren't allowed in here, it should be safe. Take the whole bed, please, for whatever you wish to make.

[Lie] Nods in understanding before concentrating.  In one spot lust blossoms spring up while in another a small grouping of honesty blossoms crop up.  She also springs up a few calming and dream flower as well.  In a small spot left she spawns her healing flowers- These should be of use to you

[CP] Backs away from the honesty blossoms-

[Cherie] They are each lovlier then the last- The two bow to her - Thank you.

[Lie] - It is no problem, they shouldn't need to be picked to be used, so long as the one who needs them is near.  The lust blossom does need to be drunk in order to be of use, but with the fountain, I don't think it will be used much

[Sprlhm] chuckles-  We may need to put a regular water one next to it just so people don't get dehydrated. And maybe a hotel.

[Lie] - That may be for the best

[Cherie] Also laughs- We've always been the biggest settlement, but I think we may become a tourist destination as well.

[Lie] - Then you may want to extend the borders of the city as well

[Cherie] Of course, there's much to be done.

-There are a few testificates peeking around, they're obiously trying to get a good look at the brines.

[CP] Takes a more protective position behind Lie- We're being watched...

[Lie] - Which is to be expected

[Sprlhm] Addresses the peepers- Are any of them done yet?

[Testificate] Well Herobrine and Father Steve are done, and these two nearly so. Is there a place for them yet?

[Lie] Is very confused-

[Cherie] We talked about this. At the back opposite the door.

[Testificate] Yes! On it now! - scurries away.

[Lie] - Ummmm...

[Cherie] It's okay, they're harmless.

[Lie] - Okay then...

[Testificate] Returns- the finished one is ready if you wish to see, but the frieze still needs work, we didn't get a good look at the ones that didn't come back

[CP] - What are you talking about?

[Lie] Takes CP's hand- Come on CP

-They walk down a little hill and past some neatly trimmed trees and the garden opens into a clearing at the back wall. Several Testificates are putting final touches on a twice life size statue of TLOT holding Steve as if dipping him in a dance. Both have beatific expressions. All along the wall on either side of the statue artists are chiseling a scene several blocks high. Notch is large and menacing in the center and the fighters are swiftly taking shape around him. But it's obvious they're saving Splender until last because they didn't get a good look at him. The wither looks a little off for the same reason.

[CP] Grumbles and face palms-

[Lie] - Aw, this is sweet of you to do

[Cherie] We wanted to immortalize your glorious battle. If you or your kin ever need sanctaury, we will shelter you gladly.

[Honedge] Vibrates at seeing itself in the image-

[Sprlhm] Leans over to look at Cp's weapon [because it's wiggling] and is extra suprised when it looks back at him. - What a fabulous sword!

[CP] - It's irritating

[Lie] - CP be nice

[Honedge] Removes itself from CP and floats closer to the mural-

[Cherise] More magick!

-The chiseling Testificates stop to stare at the sword and the one closest to it's place in the freize makes a few tiny tweaks so the image is more accurate.

[Honedge] After a moment it returns to CP and reattaches itself-

[CP] Narrows his eyes at the image of the wither before forcing a mental image of it's correct visage into the mind of the testificate working on it-

-The Testificate freezes in fear at the image in their mind and swallows hard before going at the picture on the wall with a renewed vigor, trying to make it more terrifyingly accurate.

[Lie] Approaches the one working on Splender's image- Those things coming from his back are tendrils, not arms

[Testificate] Really? Like squids have?

[Lie] - Er, not really, CP?  A little help here?

[CP] Groans but does another mental burst-

[Testificate] Blurts out- He's enourmous! And a bit scary!

[Lie] - He's actually rather harmless unless angered, and it's rather hard to do that.  He's loyal to his friends and likes people to be happy

[Testificate] But he was scary when he battled, this is going to be our best work ever! - The other workers are nodding eagarly

[CP] - Yeah, because he was pissed that something wanted to harm his friends.  Normally he'll jst happily sit around

[Cherie] whispers- It's okay, they just want to make it look dramatic. They are artists after all.

[Lie] - I understand

[Testificate] Bursts in and runs down the path towards them - ENDERDRAGON!

[CP] - My bet is TLOT

[Lie] - Of course it probably is, who else can turn into one?- She and CP start heading outside

-There's a huge whoosh of air as a ridiculiously huge enderdragon does a fly by overhead. It's back is studded with Testificates whooping like someone put them on a rollercoaster.

[CP] Sighs and picks Lie up, looking for GK to tp onto his back-

[Doc] Is not far behind them and is carrying a witch who's trying to cling both to Doc's mane and the dog in her hands.

[TLOT] Does a pass over the crowd and lands just outside the cities front gate to let everyone off to catch their breaths. Steve stays standing on his head, holding his ears.

[CP] - Really?  Why do you have a bunch of villagers on your back!

[TLOT] BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO MY PEOPLE!  

-The city Testificates run towards where he is as he leaps over the wall, twisting and shifting in the air to land on his feet with Steve cradled lovingly in his arms. They cheer wildly at the display-

[CP] Groans and starts to walk away with Lie-

[Doc] Lands and lets Croca down, she looks a bit dizzy and the dog makes a small barfing noise. -Damn he moves fast when he's excited... Oh, hey guys, did you have fun while we were out?

[CP] - Fuck you Doc

[Doc] I know free love is the special here today, but no thank you.

[CP] Would flip Doc off if he wasn't holding Lie-

[Croca] Is she injured?

[CP] - Nope

[Lie] - He's being possessive again

[Croca] Okay.. just offering. Potions are my specialty.

[Doc] He's always posessive. It's his way of showing he'd wither up and die without your love.

[Lie] Speaking of, the temple is kinda filled with flowers now, including both love and lust blossoms...

[GK] Is huffing because his wings are going so fast to keep up and lands heavily with Mix and Nk.

[CP] - There you are

[Doc] Sounds perfect to me.

[Gk] Is panting with his tongue out. - Do you fuckers get this much exercise every time you leave the server?

[CP] - Hey, you could have stayed here

[Gk] Nah, I'm a curious motherfucker. No regrets. Just wish I hadn't had to chase TLOT back. I've never seen him shift into such a big-ass dragon. One wing sweep at that size is like ten of mine!

[CP] Scoffs-

[TLOT] Is literally soaking up the elation of the crowd and reflecting it back out in massive psychic waves. He's never been wanted and beloved by this many people at once and he's bursting with power as a result.

[CP] - Can someone put a damper on him?

[Lie] - TLOT, this was brought up while you were gone, but do you think with all this energy you could help them expand the city?

[TLOT] is literally vibrating-  How much bigger do you need it?

[Lie] - Ask them

[TLOT] HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU NEED?

[Mix] I doubt it'll take him long.

-There's some chatter amongst them, the general consensus is twice as big as it is now. -

[TLOT] Gathers his power and spreads his stance like he's about to punch someone, the villlagers around him back off a little to give him some space.  He draws back both fists tightly and thrusts them forward with all the power at his disposal. At the other end of the city there's a tremendous groan of stone against stone as the existing wall lifts away from the ground, humping up like a gray rainbow and streching like rubber as it bounds away from his blow. The wall slaps back down against the sand much farther back and there's a second rumble as all the sand blocks now encircled by the wall flip like a wave and change into dirt blocks, already lush with grass. The testificates on the rooftops who can see better take up a cheer as the word is passed to those in the streets below.

[Doc] Damn...

[Lie] Pushes a bit of her power out, extending the vines of her offensive plants to help guard the wall-

[Doc] Is standing on hir hind legs like a gopher to see better. - Good thinking Lie.

[Steve] Is bascially swooning at the part of his husbands energy that he can feel directly. His brain is just full of comfortable fuzz, and he can't stop grinning like an idiot.

[Lie] - I think that it's going to be busy in their room tonight...

[Doc] Me too... but we should get these guys home with us and start getting them set up first. I still need to hook the pc to a power source other then me.

[Lie] - Lead the way Doc

[CP] Climbs onto GK-

[TLOT] Turns to face his friends, he seems grander somehow. He's still the same but his posture has straightened and his eyes are star bright amidst the adoring crowd. With the tiniest exertion of his abilities he pours out a measure of power on each of them, as if he would make them all Herobrines for the first time as he did Lie. His voice is like being wrapped in soft fur and for a moment it's all the brines can hear- This is for you, my friends. Feel what I feel, the power that flows from a thousand hearts calling out to you with love.

[TLOT] Touches hands and heads, murmuring his gratitude to his people. But in his mind he focuses on Cp alone, slipping into his consciousness as strongly as Cp would someone's nightmare, overwhelming him completely and drowning him in a sea of pure power. His voice is laced with steel as he whispers to Cp- I am indebted to you Cp. And now; with all of this at my fingertips, I can help you kill your NOTCH in return.

[CP] Stiffens- Fucker get out of my head!

[TLOT] Chuckles mentally - you'd spit in Slenders eye if you could get away with it. It's one of the things I respect you for. - His form is curled hugely around Cp, floating him in the center.

[CP] Does not know what to do with all the strange power he's feeling-

[TLOT] Doesn't it feel good at least? Being wanted, needed, believed in? It's intoxicating.

[CP] - It's fucking weird!

[TLOT] You can be their hero too, you know? There's room for more in their hearts. You fought for them. Just don't brag about kicking Jeb in the nuts to anyone.

[CP] - Then that's all I'm going to do asshole!

[TLOT] Sighs- why do you want to be disliked? It's okay to be accepted.

[CP] - SHUT UP!  My mate is all I need...

[TLOT] Shhh, -he runs a hand gently above Cp's head and down his back, making a warm crackle of energy as if petting, and bathing him with power. - Mine is special too. I understand. Just be nice for now, it's all I ask. Give yourself some time to think it over.

[CP] - But I've already played diplomat so much today!

[TLOT] We're done for today. I just wanted to talk to you here for a moment before we go home. I supect that something quite interesting will happen when they open this seed inside of the server. - He withdraws gently from Cp's mind and the crowd noises resume as his vision goes back to normal.

[CP] Wobbles a little-

[Lie] - CP?

[CP] - I'm fine

[TLOT] Is just hugging people and talking to them happily. He's been watching the people from the fishing village interact with the city Testificates and giving them a chance to tell their stories before taking the smaller group home.

[Doc] Shall I just make a direct portal like I did last time?

[TLOT] That would probably be for the best.

[Doc] Does a quick hop over the wall and starts setting up the big portal outside.

[CP] - GK, should we head to the bar when we get back?

[Gk] Sounds good to me. This place is bone dry in more ways then one.

[Lie] - Count me out

[Doc] Finishes the loop of obsidian and opens it, the outflow portal forms near the fountain by Sweet Alex's house.

[Gk] ducks his head and trots through.

[TLOT and Steve are making sure no one is left behind and leads Croca and their people through as well.

[Stevenson] -is watching them come back-

[ryan] -makes little roars as they come in-

[alexine] well look whos back.

[Doc] Stops to address the crowd, - this isn't fully set up yet, it will only activate from the other end. We'll come around to check on you again soon, for now, just be good to eachother. - Xe waits to hear the little responses and then is the last one through before shutting it off on the opposite side.

[Croca] Hey! - Her dog runs over to try and play with Ryan.

[ryan] -sniffs the dog-

[Ashe] Comes running from Lie's house- Uncle GG!  Uncle GG!

[Tiber] Sniffs the dragon right back - Woof!

[Gk] Hmm? Hey kid! Check it out, we brought back a whole village this time.

[ryan] -makes a small roar-

[Testificates] Stop to stare in wonder at both Ashe and Ryan both. They're kind of staying in a small group.

[Ashe] Shifts into his dragon form and ducks behind GK cautiously- They smell funny

[ryan] -runs around Stevenson-

[TLOT] They're Testificates Ashe. They're from a fishing village though, so they smell a little differently then the ones you're used to.

*Mix and NK get off GK and move away to give them space

[Ashe] Spreads his wings and flaps them a little- I don't like fish

[Doc] If you guys will excuse me I'm going to go set up the PC in the cage, Lie do you want a ride? Or walk with me?

[TLOT] To each their own. You might like them more when you're bigger and water doesn't hurt you.

[Lie] - Which ever you prefer

[ryan] -run towards the testifcates playfully-

[Ashe] Suddenly gets very energetic and jumps around GK a bit- Uncle GG!  Uncle GG!  Look!  Look!  Look at my wings!  They're getting big!  And Mama grew again!

[Doc] Eh, walk - I should probably change anyway, this is delicate work.

[Testificates] Are a little unsure but some have pulled out bits of food and are trying to tempt the dragon

[ryan] -is sniffing at the food-

[Gk] Looks at Ashe- Hey you're right kiddo! Gonna be time for lessons soon - He wipes a speck of tear from one eye with his hoof. Hoping no one saw.- And your mom grew again too?

[Doc] Shifts down to hir human form and starts walking-

[Stevenson] -walks over to the testificates- he is pretty cute isn't he.

[Ashe] - Uh-huh!  And she says that you could start teaching me when I have more musculature!

[Lie] Wiggles out of CP's arms and follows her friend-

[Croca] Gets a hold of the dog and joins them. -it's an amazing little creature.

[Gk] Just practice flapping for now, how about your siblings?

[ryan] -looks at croca confused because they are a mob but have a friendly dog-

[Ashe] - Willow is gumming mama and Oak is sleeping

[Gk] I meant are they gonna be ready for lessons soon as well?

[Doc] Reaches the cage and starts laying wires and redstone everywhere-

[Ashe] - No, they're still small

[Stevenson] -notices ryan's confusion- I am going to assume your a friendly witch since you came with the others.

[Lie] Checks on the offensive plant in the cage while Doc is working-

[Testificates] Several voices- Croca is the wise head of our village. Our witch.

[Doc] Pulls out the Pc and puts it in the center of the web, the wires light up as it connects to a cluster of command blocks.

[Stevenson] well I am Stevenson -gestures to the ryan- this is ryan.

[Ash] Starts trying to climb on GK-

[Croca] Charmed- It's obvious she's watching TLOT even while listening. They're all just looking around at everything.

[Doc] Now I'll just pause the server annnnd... time to move it in-

[ryan] -is trying to nom on the dogs tail playfully-

[Lie] Watches intrepidly-

[Tiber] Leaps away from the little dragon with a whimper-

[Doc] Talks over the chat - Okay I'm hooking up the second seed now, it'll be accessable only with admin permission, but technically inside this seed-

[TLOT] Is obviously bracing for something and he's watching Cp from the corner of his eyes.

[CP] Yawns and lays on GK's back-

[Doc] Hits the button and theres a thrum from the underlying server engines as the two pieces integrate.

- It was one thing to load a fresh seed inside, but this one is so very old and brings a lot of developed areas with it. The map loads slowly and the change is felt through the brine server. The hope and love of the people of Kore and even the Testificates farther abroad flows over  both the brines who battled NOTCH and Splender as well, filling them with new power and vigor.

[TLOT] Seems to pulse as the power of the native is fully returned to him.

[Deer] Yelps and jumps catching Flux's attention who also felt the new connection.  Deer quickly talks in chat- Love?  What the Nether did you just do?

[Doc] Oh Lie.... can you feel that..?

[CP] Jolts in surprise and falls off GK-

[Lie] Nods- Yeah, it feels so good

[Doc] Is breathless and just types to Deerheart. - I brought Jeb's Pc inside the server and connected it up with TLOT and Steve's seed loaded inside. His brine powers are enhanced by the love of his Testificates, so everyone they like just got a boost as well. Including Splender, he must be rather confused!

[Deer] - Oh that's wonderful!

[Steve] Heck, even I can feel that... Cp? You okay?

[CP] - Fuck off!  I'm fine!

[Gk] Looks down and laughs- The man of the hour is fine! Nobody panic!

[CP] Flips GK off-

[[Doc] We did it Lie... I can't believe it...

[ryan] -goes over to cp and grabs one of his pants legs with his mouths-

[Lie] Pat's Doc's arm- You did really well Doc

[CP] Growls at the dragon-

[Doc] You too Lie! Your pod did some serious NOTCH thrashing. And certainly enhanced the after-party.

[Lie] Blushes-

[ryan] -lets go and tries to climb gk-

[EJ] Leans away from Splender as the being simply starts vibrating very hard-

[Gk] Rolls sideways so Ryan is on top of him - Oh no! A big dragon is attacking me! Help! Help!

[Ashe] Squeaks in surprise and scrambles to climb back up-

[Gk] Shit, sorry Ashe! Just trying to give the littler one a boost of confidence.

[Ashe] Scrambles up and sniffs at Ryan-

[Doc] in Chat- Everyone okay?

[ryan] -sniffs back then starts flapping his wings and hovers a few inches-

[Ashe] Flaps his own wings in response-

[ryan] -roars as loud as he can which isn't very loud-

[Ashe] Playfully roars back-

[Stevenson] -is watching ryan to make sure he doesn't get hurt-

[CP] - Fuck you Doc

[Doc] Out loud to Lie- One fuck you from Cp. I guess that's as good as I'm gonna get.

[ryan] -hovers to the top of gk's head-

[Lie] - You know it's done in the most loving way he can manage

[TLOT] Come on guys. I want to show you around the village, we'll get you fed and find beds for the night and we'll start working on some new houses tomorrow.

[Testificates] Assorted happy replies and the group follows TLOT and Steve back towards the spawn.

[Ashe] Clambers after Ryan-

[ryan] -roars playfully at ashe from the top of gk's head-

[Ashe] Tries to pounce Ryan-

[ryan] -flies up enough to dodge-

[Ashe] Lands on GK's head- Sorry Uncle GG!

[Gk] konks his chin on the ground and is dazed for a second- s-okay kid...

[CP] Snickers-

[ginnyzero]

Sons of Anarchy: Word of the Day, Conflicted

This isn’t necessarily a review. It’s more of, I watched this, this is on my mind. I want to get it out of my mind, so I write about it.

Sons of Anarchy is the antithesis of the types of shows I usually watch. It’s a drama centered around mostly male characters that requires a lot of time and emotional investment. It can be brutally violent and dark, but has real heartwarming, emotional and even really funny moments. A co-worker recommended it to me. He knew I liked Expendables and motorcycles. There aren’t a lot of stories about motorcycle clubs because they are so secretive. For a show to be set in a Club interested me right off the bat. I picked up the first season since I had the money to do so. Then I got sucked in due to the story about the baby, Abel. By the end Season 4, I was heavily invested in the characters and the Club. But Season 5 is where my type of storytelling and Kurt Sutter’s type of storytelling diverge like those proverbial roads in the woods. The basic contrast between character driven stories and plot driven.

Sons of Anarchy is the tragic tale of violence and sins of the fathers being repaid even unto the fourth generation of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. Jax Teller is the son and stepson of two of the First Nine members of the Redwood Original charter and heir apparent when his stepfather steps down as President. However, Clay Morrow’s vision and Jax’s vision of the Club are completely opposite and Jax ends up making compromises that pull him deeper into the criminal warfare and away from the legitimate future he wishes the Club could have. As it spirals deeper out of control, it tears apart his family, destroys his relationships and sparks a brutal gang war in the streets of Stockton and Oakland that eventually comes home to roost in Charming and on Jax himself.

Kurt Sutter knows how to write when he focusses on his characters and shines the light on their flaws and stays away from overt symbolism and brutal nonsensical violence. When he focusses on the characters the writing is tense and tight and keeps the audience coming back for more. That was the first four seasons and the last four episodes of season 7. Seasons 5, 6 and most of season 7 were major stumbling blocks as instead of focusing on the characters, the show focused on plot elements of how they were to set up the last four episodes of season 7. They took what they felt needed to happen, the double crosses, the deaths and plugged it into a sequence that focused on the events rather than the characters. It was a drastic departure from the previous writing and it didn’t work in my opinion.

The story worked for me when the characters were trying to stand up for what was right even if they were going about it in the only way they knew how, through violence. Or, when the characters were being pulled in several different directions. Jax in Season 2 and 3 with trying to decide on whether or not to keep Abel. Juice in Season 4 was agonizing as his own heritage and rules off the club were being used against him. They were adults trying to solve adult problems. How to pay the mortgage when there weren’t enough jobs in town to get a second job? Have a baby now or get an abortion and have another one later? What is the definition of family and how do families help each other? With motorcycles and leather… and guns, and big explosions because crime. It was a lot more appealing than shows about vampires who can’t decide who to date.

Season 4 was so tense and engaging for me, that I had a hard time picking up Season 5 to continue. It was just so emotionally exhausting. Then, Seasons 5 through 7, I sat through with gritted teeth of frustration and worked on puzzles on my floor. I had to force myself to watch them. That’s how big a 180 the writing was.

I want to emphasize that I am coming at the show as a writer. Sons of Anarchy was an extremely popular show with the average viewer left wanting more. And as a writer, I can see the reasons why the viewers wanted more and were pissed that Kurt ended it at Season 7, despite Kurt having told the story he wanted to tell and ended said story where he wanted to. (As a writer, I respect him for this as I’ve done it myself.) And I can see why, in the moment of writing it season by season, why they made the choices they made with the story. When you step back away from it and look at it from a distance, these choices may have been the wrong choices. (Which is why outlines are important.)

The story is a tragedy. It was developed as a tragedy. It was pitched as a tragedy. It was pitched as Hamlet on motorcycles. And by the end of the story, J.T. is set up as God and Jax has become this Christ like figure complete with communion symbolism. And honestly, I have no problem with tragic stories. They are not my cup of tea. I know there is a place for them in the overall scheme of things. They can teach valuable messages. I’m just not sure if the message got across appropriately in Sons. (Hatred, violence and retaliation is bad. But the hatred, violence and retaliation had been glorified too so, don’t know if the message got across. Especially when it had to be blatantly stated in the last episode which is a little too late.) And I know to me, after watching the final episode (and predicting the events of the last four episodes) the entire story felt like an exercise in futility. There was no point. If there was to be some sort of hope in the tragedy, it wasn’t shown enough for me to feel it. There wasn’t even a surety that the cycle Kurt had set up with J.T. and Jax had been broken. Maybe it wasn’t enough of a tragedy. Kurt spent too much time trying to save something that shouldn’t have been saved. A true dissolution of the Club might have been more satisfying.

In Sons, we’re rooting for the criminals. The criminals have been set up to be the ‘heroes’ of the story. And in doing so, the villains, law enforcement, the traditional heroes of other shows, are shown to be venal, corrupt and at times down right socio and psychopathic. The villains mostly started off big, as in, law enforcement of the federal level. There were other villains present in the form of rival gangs or even criminal enterprises that were supposedly in league with our ‘heroes.’ But law enforcement was the largest and most common thread throughout the seasons. I think what Kurt and the writers were trying to do were start the villains as big threats on the horizon, federal agents and threats of RICO shut downs with mass arrests. Then, they tried to narrow the focus of how the Club’s activities were threatening them close to home by bringing in a local District Attorney for the County. This was supposed to make the threats feel more personal and more dangerous.

It didn’t work. Partly because as they did that, the supporting villains became more caricatures than characters. Partly because this is backwards to how these stories normally work, you start with the small threat, the close to home and personal and that brings bigger measures of crime which brings the bigger threats. And lastly, because the writing was much more intimate and character driven with the bigger threats than it was with the smaller threats, the smaller threats didn’t feel personal or intimate. This is why they audience wanted more of the story. The threats had been building and building becoming bigger and bigger and suddenly, they all collapsed. There wasn’t a threat anymore. If the Sons could handle a Federal RICO case and juggle CIA double agents, then a local DA just wasn’t going to be a problem. It wasn’t realistic. It was taking smart characters and making them stupid. It felt like two completely different stories. And as they tried to push and push the envelope of violence and shock value, it became numbing and downright boring.

Boring wasn’t helped by the same two characters making the same mistakes again and again over the entire seven seasons until they both ended up dead in the same episode. (It was long overdue and I was thoroughly sick of the two of them and their inability to pick a side, stop poking their noses in things they shouldn’t and keep their mouths shut.) That was just bad writing. In writing, characters need to grow and change and learn. Or other characters need to make the mistakes just for the sake of variety.

Motorcycle Clubs are primarily men’s worlds and the show reflected that by usually having only two female characters as protagonists at one time. There were more female villains at times than there were fully fleshed out heroes. There ended up being only three of note, Gemma, Tara and Wendy. Gemma was the matriarch, her defining role was to be the mother. She was also manipulative and a narcissist. Her pride and possessiveness both made and broke the Club.

She is contrasted with Tara, who is the Madonna figure, the angel come to redeem Jax. However, Tara’s story is one where the angel falls and becomes exactly what she hates. We watch her sacrifice her ideals and what she wants bit by bit to help Jax until she’s lost everything that is dear to her.

And Wendy, Jax’s first wife, was supposed to be the true redemption story, the story of second chances. When we meet her at first, she is a drug addict who almost kills Abel with her drug use. And then we don’t see her for several seasons until she returns, drug free and wanting to be part of Abel’s life again.

Gemma’s story, Tara’s story are strong stories. We care about them. We have an investment in what happens to them. We want Tara to succeed and redeem Jax, getting the boys out of Charming. We want Gemma to get what is coming to her, the fruits of every ill deed and choice she has sown. Their stories take place right in front of us, are played out on the screen. I couldn’t care about Wendy when she returned. I couldn’t see her as the true second chance redeeming angel. Her story hadn’t been shown to us. We saw the results, not the work. It didn’t work story wise. More bad writing.

The same could be said of Gemma’s relationship with Nero. Supposedly they loved each other, but that was a result, there wasn’t any work or effort put into their relationship other than sex. It was if they felt they needed another father figure for Jax and lumped him in with several other positions they needed for their story to work. The relationship never was shown. It just happened and we were supposed to accept that Gemma and Jax had accepted this new guy as part of their family without emotional turmoil. Jax was more worried about business than this guy trying to set himself up as a mentor to him. It didn’t feel real. (That and by the end there was no chemistry between most of the actors so the sex scenes felt forced and unnecessary outside of Tig and Venus.)

It didn’t feel like there was a concrete plan once Clay was deposed and Jax was President. Only when they were winding the story down and focusing on the personal results of two seasons worth of senseless violence did the story come alive again. And then, it was over. In order to make it feel finished, there probably would have needed another season. But by this point there was no one left to feel connected to. No one from the original cast to care about enough to continue and no actor with a big enough name to hold viewers’ attention.

I’m not even going to touch the overtly symbolic and jarring final scene. It was an insult to viewers. I should have been able to predict it, but I was holding out a smidgen of hope that they wouldn’t make Jax that stupid. My bad.

Maybe this is my bias towards character driven writing showing through. Sons stands as this very interesting example of the difference between character driven writing and plot driven writing in just one show. I find plot driven writing boring. It’s why Leverage, as fascinating as the cons were, couldn’t hold my attention and by contrast, the Librarians with the focus on the characters, does. Because Sons started out as a character driven show, is why the reversal to being plot driven in the second half frustrates me so. The characters were no longer conflicted within themselves. The conflict was all external and you need a lot more than a few explosions to make that type of story interesting or even inventive. We don’t need to turn to fiction for senseless violence. There is plenty of that in the world already.

So, like the writing, I find myself conflicted about the show. I liked the setting, the motorcycle club, to a degree the characters. I liked a good half of the writing. And then, I didn’t because characters became forgotten and there was too much mindless violence. Conflicted is the word of the day.