#what does it take to plunge me out of novel writing into full on overly complex fic hell?

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

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...i never thought abt it but

he rly do got fangs, dont he

but also I'm kinda worried abt him... we've seen Bobby go through SO MUCH SHIT and he's NEVER gotten stressed enough to drop his human form. I think losing Dean & Jack again last month is rly weighing on him. he always did have a tendency to blame himself & take too much responsibility for "failing" to protect ppl. Especially re: all the shit set to go down august-october, this is a really, REALLY bad time for him to have his guard down.

I've seen some threads leading to President Robert Singer dying before this Harvest Moon*. I assumed he'd accomplish whatever he meant to with the whole "Running For President" thing, then fake his death and bail like always.

but now....

please no. not Bobby. please not Bobby.

*the September full moon. this year's Harvest Moon will likely be the center/average date that a LOT of crazy shit goes down re:all this stuff

[fab-wolf-in-the-gloom]

8, 10, 12, 29

Okay so I started answering this and then I paused to take my chem quiz (6/10 because my fear of having to take this class a third time does not in anyway keep me from forgetting it exists online) and when I was done I came back to this and everything I wrote before was gone so let’s see if I can answer with the same amount of emotion.

8.you were going to write a non-fiction book on any topic, what would it be?

There are too many answers to this question. Every idea I’ve ever had about a nonfiction book is something I hold dear, even the ones I’ve come to hate.I’m really interested in the idea of a book about female drag queens, but don’t see myself deciding I should be the one to write it unless I go to OSU for grad school (the reasoning is a bit wordy but if you wanna hear it I do love to speak). I’d love a cookbook of cooking equations (like a cookbook of super easily modifiable recipes, think a full book of things like “Ritu’s Overly Generalized Guide to Making the Indian Food in This Book” from the cookbook Indian-ish), but again I’m definitely not the person for that book, at least not yet. Definitely something biology in there because it’s my love, Practical Ecology for the Uninitiated or something. Something you can learn from and apply however loosely without a degree in the field and the ability to understand the stuff in all the mycology books I check out and give up on.

Apparently I’m gonna be published in a whole ass peer reviewed journal before I graduate and while that’s not a book I’m still not adjusted to that idea yet (I’m like actually a scientist!!!!!!!).

Also, I wanna write one of those nonfiction-style books about cryptids (think Spiderwick’s Field Guide or Drake's Comprehensive Compendium of Dragonology). It doesn’t quite count as nonfiction, but oh well.

10. something you’ve created in the last year that you’re proud of (a playlist, a piece of art, some writing, a craft hobby, a social media account, etc)

My capstone wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever made, but it was the best presentation I’ve ever given even if I cried during it. I think I did a good job summing up 5 years of my life in 20 minutes.

I’ve learned a bit of book binding in the last few months and while I haven’t done anything I adore yet I do get a spark of pride when I look at a little bound notebook and think to myself “I made that”. I hope I keep going with it.

Meg taught me how to crochet and before we get to my stuff shout tf out to them for their patience and also that mushroom they made me, their mushroommate. I made a bag that took forever but I genuinely think is good and will work for grocery shopping and I made my friend a bee crop top that is utterly ridiculous and exactly what I hoped it would be. I think I did pretty good,

I’m halfway through a novel right now. I’m at the point where I’m reluctant to plunge headfirst into the next part, and I think that’s because I’m low on conflict. I just want to be done writing so I can raise the stakes and make it better. I’m aware that there are plenty of problems with it (stakes too low, not getting the characters across how I want them to be seen, etc) but I am so proud of myself for writing this much. I love it and I wouldn’t want to tear it apart as much if I didn’t love it and wasn’t proud of it.

12.if you could make a candle that smelt like anything, what would you pick?

I’ve written this twice but changed my mind. Decaying leaves. Autumn with its sweet air and sweet cider and beautiful colors feels so good to me, I’d love to capture the scent well.

29.a favourite easy recipe: 5 ingredients or less, or takes less than 30 min to make

Answer 1: Depression Nachos. Horrific concept, shameful to acknowledge, exactly what I feel like I need when I feel like the world is falling apart. You take potato chips. You put them on a plate. You liberally sprinkle shredded cheese on them. Throw on some bacon bits. Microwave until the cheese is fully melted. Enjoy with a side of please go to bed, sleep makes things better.

Answer 2: Baked potato: microwave edition. You take a potato. Rinse your potato thoroughly, you will be eating the skin because Professor Annie said so. Stab it with a fork, repeatedly. The more stabs the quicker it cooks and I think the less likely to explode. Microwave in 1-2 minute increments, stabbing with a fork to check for done-ness. Your potato is done when you can stab the fork into the middle with little resistance. Mash it with that fork you’ve been using. Add some cheddar cheese or some goat cheese and herbs. 

Answer 3: Bread. Here is a recipe I have never tried that is no-knead and 4 ingredients if you count the water. I promise that bread is easier than it sounds. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

[bloodbaptisedarchive-blog]

REALLY  LONG  CHARACTER  SURVEY. RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog !    tag 10 ! good  luck !       TAGGED. @judgmentcast​, holy SHIT.       TAGGING. literally ANYONE who’s up for a bit of a challenge.

BASICS.  FULL  NAME :  Harmon Mallory James.  NICKNAME :  James, Mr. James, Senior Advisor Harmon James.  AGE : Forty-two.  BIRTHDAY :   October 17th, 1998.  ETHNIC  GROUP : Caucasian.  NATIONALITY :  American.  LANGUAGE / S : English.  SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :   Homosexual.            ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION :  Homoromantic.  RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :  In a secret, long-term relationship with Minister Edwidge Owens.  CLASS : Upper class.  HOME  TOWN / AREA :   He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  CURRENT  HOME : Washington, DC.  PROFESSION : Senior Advisor to the Leader of the New Founding Fathers.

PHYSICAL.  HAIR : Red. Much lighter when he was younger. Wavy.  EYES : Bright blue, sunken.  NOSE : Long with a slight downward hook.  FACE :  Defined smile lines, and other various lines and freckles.  LIPS :   Thin, small, and chapped.  COMPLEXION :  Pale, sickly, with light freckles peppered along his face.  BLEMISHES :  Nothing noticeable.  SCARS : A few on his face, a couple from various other incidents. Burn scars on his hands.  TATTOOS : None.  HEIGHT : 6'6".  WEIGHT : 185 lbs.  BUILD :    Slender, defined muscles in his arms, chest and legs. Sharp shoulders.  FEATURES :  Wide, sunken eyes. Large, gentle hands, folded at his chest. Painted fingernails. Intimidating stature.  ALLERGIES :  N/A.  USUAL  HAIR  STYLE :  Straightens his waves and slicks the whole thing back, parting it to the left.  USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  Expressionless. Ivory makeup still shows the freckles on his face. Though expressionless, he always tends to look alert, on his guard.   USUAL  CLOTHING : A suit, including a vest, ironed to crispness the day before. Suitable colours are grey, black, or beige. Ties, usually blue or red. A silver cross around his neck. Edwidge's promise ring on his middle left finger. Nails painted usually nude shades. Black or brown shoes shined until you can see your face in them.

PSYCHOLOGY.

 FEAR / S :  Fear of imperfection. A slight fear of disappointment. Fear of being outed.  ASPIRATION / S : To purge and purify: to rid the country of those that depend on them, them being the NFFA, the government, the healthcare system, housing, welfare. To make his superiors see that he can one day be as good as any of them. To lead the New Founding Fathers of America.  POSITIVE  TRAITS : Loyal, peaceful, spiritual, efficent, disciplined, aware, calm, intelligent, self-confident.  NEGATIVE  TRAITS :  Hypocritical, overzealous, judgemental, blindly obidient, sadistic, insensitive, remorseless, blunt, withdrawn.  MBTI : ISTJ, the Logistician.  ZODIAC :  Libra.  TEMPERAMENT :  Melancholic.  SOUL  TYPE / S :  Thinker.  ANIMALS :  A wide-eyed owl, constantly observing.  VICE  HABIT / S :   Vanity, a bit more concern about his appearance than most men his age. Overly critical of those in a lower position than him, even though he was once one of them.    FAITH : What the NFFA deems to be Christian.  GHOSTS ? : Yes.  AFTERLIFE ? : Absolutely. He needs to go home sometime.  REINCARNATION ? :  Possibly.  ALIENS ? : No.  POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT :  Right-wing.  ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE :  He has more than he knows what to do with.  SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION : One of the 1%.  EDUCATION  LEVEL : University.

FAMILY.  FATHER :   Richard Allen James, the chief communications officer of ARCON and the first press secretary of the New Founding Fathers. Deceased.  MOTHER :  Caroline Ann James, a talented pianist and violinist, with dreams of playing with a famous orchestra. Still living.  SIBLINGS : Seven. Sarah, Mary, Caleb, Lucas, Joanna, Michael & Hannah. Harmon is sixth.  EXTENDED  FAMILY : Aunts, uncles, several cousins, and a total of twenty-seven nieces & nephews.  NAME  MEANING / S : Harmon, "man of the army." Mallory, "ill fated."  HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? :   Unknown. There is a place named Harmon mentioned in the Bible, but this place name is debatable. It's been thought of that Harmon James is a pun on "harming James," James being a leader of the early Church.

FAVOURITES.  BOOK :  Other than the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, he enjoys a good true crime novel now and again. Also, political biographies.  MOVIE : Dramas, documentaries and psychological thrillers.  5  SONGS :  (these remind me of him, not his own favourites.) The Sisters of Mercy - Driven Like The Snow. Frank Tovey - New Jerusalem. Cloudeater - Hollow. Fad Gadget - Under The Flag II. Nathan Whitehead - The Sacrifice.  DEITY :  A God who encourages a yearly slaughter of His creation.  HOLIDAY :    That blessed night, the one night the country does their bidding.  MONTH :  March.  SEASON :  Winter.  PLACE :  His home, Our Lady of Sorrows, or the NFFA's headquarters.  WEATHER :  Cloudy, foggy; a brisk morning that beckons snowfall.  SOUND : The echo of footsteps walking across a marble floor. A choir of unintelligeble words. Wind whistling through telephone wires. Silence. The scream of a man, strapped down, a knife plunging into his heart. A siren.  SCENT / S :  The smoke from an extinguished flame. Stale. Eau de cologne. Hair gel.  TASTE / S :  Blood. Luxurious foods. Tea. Ice.    FEEL / S :  A shiver running down your spine. The touch of a hand when no one's around. The feeling someone's watching you when you're alone. Blood on your lips. A cold wind. Emptiness.  ANIMAL / S : An owl seems to be the only thing I think of. Maybe an eagle. Harmon seems like a bird.  NUMBER : Six. He's the sixth in his family, he stands at six feet and six inches tall...  COLOUR : Blue, to show his loyalty to the NFFA. Red, the colour staining his hands. White, for the supposed purity of his soul.

EXTRA.  TALENTS :  His intelligence. His written communication skills. Most of his oral communication skills, his stutter stands in his way. Good with weapons. His knowledge of the human anatomy. He's fairly good at ice skating. Singing.  BAD  AT : Having a social life. Drawing. Being an enjoyable person. Smiling.  TURN  ONS :  Men in positions of power. Voices that draw you in. Strong hands. Blood. Twisting a knife inside of a martyr.  TURN  OFFS :   Anyone lower than his class.  HOBBIES :    Choir. Anything that involves assisting the NFFA.  TROPES :   Badass Long Robe. Dissonant Serenity. Giggling Villain.  AESTHETIC  TAGS :  Blurry images. Graveyards. Blood covering hands, covering the Cross. Knives. Pale, trembling hands. Waves of blue.  GPOY  QUOTES :  "You are never here. You are always almost there."

FC INFO.  MAIN  FC / S :  Christopher James Baker.  ALT  FC / S : Mark Strickson (possibly.)  OLDER  FC / S :   Not sure, but Robert Redford currently is a possibility.  YOUNGER  FC / S : Freddie Fox.  VOICE  CLAIM / S : CJB in "True Detective."  GENDERBENT  FC / S :  Lisa Pelikan.

MUN QUESTIONS.  Q1 :   if  you  could  write  your  character  your  way  in  their  own  movie ,   what  would  it  be  called ,  what  style  would  it  be  filmed  in ,  and  what  would  it  be  about ?            A1 : He has a movie, but he's not the focal point. He has his big moments though! I'd like to see more of Harmon in The Purge 4, since that will be more focused around the NFFA. The story of how a man becomes the way he is today, desensitised to death, wanting destruction, yearning for violence. What made him be this way? What would it be called? No idea.  Q2 :   what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like ?            A2 :  Ambient. Echoes where none of the words can be understood. A soft organ playing in the background. Suddenly, the music becomes a bit more intense...  Q3 :   why  did  you  start  writing  this  character ?            A3 :  I watched The Purge: Election Year, and immediately fell in love with him. I knew I had to do something, and this is what I chose to do.  Q4 :   what  first  attracted  you  to  this  character ?            A4: June 30th, 2016. Around 9:00pm. I'm sitting front and centre watching the newest Purge film, a sequel in a franchise I've loved for three years. Charlie Roan is delivered to Our Lady of Sorrows. All of a sudden, this tall, thin, creepy fucker in a long blue robe makes his debut. Just the kind of character I love. I walked home that night, wrote "Harmon James can own my ass, what the fuck" into my phone, and knew this was the beginning of something beautiful.  Q5 :   describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse.            A5 : He's everything I hate in a person. He dislikes everyone who isn't like him. He's almost every -phobic or -ist in the damn book.  Q6 :   what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse ?            A6 : We have blue eyes, and we laugh similarly. That's it.  Q7 :   how  does  your  muse  feel  about  you ?            A7 : Harmon James would want me sacrificed.  Q8 :   what  characters  does  your  muse  have  interesting  interactions  with ?    A8 :  Edwidge Owens. Thomas Roseland. Caleb Warrens. Harlan Coy. Claude Frollo. Richard Miller. Curtis Stafford. Leo Barnes. Charlie Roan. Ambrosia Reynolds. If I could ever actually get to plotting with other people, them as well.  Q9 :   what  gives  you  inspiration  to  write  your  muse ?          A9 :  Watching Harmon's scenes! Listening to songs that remind me of him, like the Election Year soundtrack. Scrolling through the archive on his aesthetic blog. Being outside in the cold.  Q10 :   how  long  did  this  take  you  to  complete ?            A10 : I forgot about this for a good month. So a long time. Thanks, Ocelot. xo