#wow she has a design now~! ✨ not the most fun one out of all of us. but if we actually had skill points... well...

[silent-sentinels]

> 1 NEW MESSAGE FROM THE ASTRONOMER ON THE HILLTOP: i hope you know what you're doing.

[merakiui]

Oh, um, wow. Thank you for replying to my ask before. This will feel more like I'm asking for writing advice and I did say I have lots of questions, so in case you don't feel like answering it, feel free to ignore it ^^

I'm mostly interested in the dual narrative (is that the correct term) because both of the narrative/writing style is so different from one another. Where did you get the inspiration to do so? And what goes on in your mind when you design this?

And may I just say, woah you're so cool and the way you're able to pull the tale and mixing it with the actual events ✨✨✨ It added to the characterisation and the atmosphere you're building and the way that you do it without making it feel repetitive. The tale complements well to the actual story that's being told ✨✨✨ How do you craft a narrative that tells us all we need to know in 4 paragraphs only? What's your consideration in the process? And how do you makes it different than the actual story that's being told?

I hope I'm not burdening you too much. I'm so excited to hear your answer (if you do ^^) Thank you so much, Mera! 💗

- the anon with questions on Winter's Bride :)

I'm happy to answer your questions, even if it's about writing advice! I don't mind it at all! :D I'll put my answer under the cut just because it got somewhat long. I hope you won't mind!

1. Dual narrative is the correct term! The story itself is told from reader's POV, both past and present. The four paragraph fairytale is written in the POV of an individual known as Sir Winter (and at one point it gives some focus to another character known as Lady Snowflake). These two are meant to be parallels of Childe and the reader along with their situation.

When it comes to inspiration, the idea first came to me when the weather started getting really cold and it became apparent that winter was coming. I thought it would be really horrible to find yourself trapped in a forest during the frigid winter months with no way out. Babuchan's Frozen Girl also has the vibe of a very desolate, helpless place with snow and ice. Listening to it gave me some inspiration for the overall feelings I wanted to convey in the story.

Once I had the basic premise in mind, it didn't take that long to start writing it out. I think I wrote the entire first draft within a few hours before I went back in to subtract or add scenes. I put myself in the shoes of the reader and tried to imagine how she might feel and what she’d do after having fought with her father and then leaving her house in a frustrated rush. Her being out in the cold for three days mirrors Childe's three months in the Abyss and how when he emerged only three days had passed. 

Lots goes on inside my head when I’m making these sorts of additions to the story. Sometimes I won’t write anything substantial and will instead write out various ideas and connections to use within the story before I start it. Luckily, I had most of the plot crafted so I could write it with ease! But some stories aren’t so easily created, which often has me back at the drawing board to look at new angles. 

2. Ooh, the four paragraph fairytale!! Some of the lines went through various changes before I settled on what you see now. I wanted it to feel like a mystical rhyme with dark undertones. What’s fun about short narratives is that your brain often fills in the empty spaces for you, which allows you to create your own interpretations based on the little information you were given. You’re free to associate Sir Winter’s character with Childe’s because of their similarities, but you can also separate the two based on their differences. I considered using one sentence per part, but I scrapped that idea when I realized it would be better to use four paragraphs to tell the story.

My main consideration for the fairytale was that I wanted to write a tale that’s as cruel and cold as Snezhnaya is often described as, yet it still holds that whimsical feeling of a fairytale. I was going to take inspiration from the story of Snegurochka for the tale, but I thought it would be an interesting challenge to create something entirely different. I think what makes it stand out from the actual story is the gothic nature of everything and that in the end Lady Snowflake has always admired her groom, even if she’s just beginning to see the monstrous qualities he has. As for the reader, she can’t love Childe because she doesn’t know him well enough and she can only view him as a monster because that’s the side of him he chose to show her.

Thank you for your nice words, anon!! I’m very happy you like Winter’s Bride and that you were curious about my thought process. 💕 I hope my reply makes sense and is helpful advice!