Melts In Your Monitor, Not In Your Subconscious · 9:14am Jun 26th, 2016
So... about a month or so ago... I came to a realization. The last really good thing to come out of SS&E was Things Tavi Says. Hell... it's probably the only thing to come out of SS&E, all things considered.
But while I might suck at a lot of stuff... the one thing I seem to do decently... or used to do decently... is consistent *tiny* updates. Yes, it gave me heartache, and sometimes I felt like smashing my skull through a wall, but it still produced half-snazzy content. And back in the second half of 2015, while doing TTTS, I was writing three chapters of three separate stories a day, and I was getting shiet done.
So, I thought I might try it again. This time, I'd use an idea that was over two years old. I've wanted to write "Shellstrings" for a very long time... but the one thing keeping me from doing it was the consistently aching realization: "It would be too dayum long." Well, little did I know that the best thing to apply to this is the Jontron Philosophy:
So... enjoy your Shellstrings. Seriously, it was either this or a super trippy Trixie story... and we all know what happens when I attempt Trixie stories.
What's the matter, little human? Scared that I won't have what it takes to do another daily fic? Well, I don't rightly blame you, especially considering how horribly dry Utaan has been and how... uhm... unequally yoked Appledashery has been carrying on.
But in regarding Austraeoh--and I'll likely ramble more about this in this month's State of the Lemur--I'm planning to take the Jontron approach (as listed above) to Book Nine... more specifically the "200 hundred chapter format." I've allowed the 200 limit and the necessity of huge-ass chapters to feck over the update process of Utaan. However, I'm still determined to keep Utaan at 200 chapters. But with Book Nine? I'm deciding to go with the flow. That is to say, the story may have more chapters than 200... or less chapters than 200. Whatever it takes. (But let's be serious. It's gonna be waaaaaaaaaay over 200 chapters). This will ultimately allow Austraeoh to serve its original purpose... which is to be friggin' consistent, regardless of length.
I hope that getting Shellstrings started will get me invigorated... not to mention exercise the lemur gland for writing consistently. Then, when Book 9 of Austraeoh happens, I should be back to the super simple 1-chapter-per-book-per-day thing... which should let me relax to the rhythm and tackle the commissions in between. And I will be PMing you guys back about that. Things are just getting... distracting. Both in the creative sense and the place where I work. If you don't believe that excuse, it's fine, but I'll be communicating with each and every one of you soon anyways. Really digging the story prompts so far.
As for the new daily bug story... expect nothing but pure pulp. Yes, it's technically a superhero story... in which I'm kinda sorta in my paleo-Skirtsian element... but it goes far beyond that, involving a large and complicated cast of both heroes and villains. I'm pretty jazzed about it, and I think it'll show up in my writing.
The beginning is gonna be slow, though, folks. This is a superhero story, after all. What I've uploaded so far is just the initial Prologue. Act One is gonna be about setting up the protagonist and supporting characters. Act Two will begin the first major story arc. And then Act Three is likely when the magic happens. Sooooooooooooo... just a bit faster than Appledashery. Just a bit.
Overall, don't expect much depth. Expect pulp for pulpiness' sake. Expect lots of explosions, sound effects, creative cuss words, and fight scenes. Ohhhhhhhhh the fight scenes. If that's not your cup of tea, then I don't blame you. I'm sure a canon episode of the show will roll around and inspire me to write a grimdark oneshot to assault the feature bar. F'naaaaaaaa.
Here, have some Cinderella because I friggin' feel like it:
Where's your Cinderella?
-SS&E
Most of your best (or at least most enjoyable? Meh, what's the difference) writing comes out of stuff that you're excited about. And it sounds like you're pretty darn excited about this, so now I'm excited. The like 4 chapters I've read so far have been intriguing, to say the least.
Also, Rare Shies. Gimme more rare shies. Pl0x
Well it is good to hear you are excited about this one, can't wait to read it myself. I'm also glad that you are letting go of the 200 chapter limit you shouldn't let that get in the way of Austraeoh series be what it was meant to be.
God, you're amazing, Skirts. We ever tell you that?
The departure from a fixed number of chapters for each story would represent the chaotic influence of the Darkside.
Welp, your enthusiasm is infectious. Will check it out soon.
Beginnings always take time, but that just makes them worth it in the end!
I mean, look at the start of Austraeoh. That was major "wtf where are we going this doesn't make sense" but it kept drawing in until it hit story and just sucked out our souls and our free time. You've done it successfully before, I see no reason why we (or you) should doubt what's to come.
Shellstrings is off to a fantastically solid start. We've got backstory, character motivations, and a set up to a conflict. Awesome, intense, and interesting. I can't wait to see where this goes.
4049498 There is no dark side of Urohringr really. Matter of fact, it's all dark.
Yaaaasssssss!!! No limits!!!!
Another daily? Heck yes!
Have I ever mentioned how much I like reading your blogs? 'Cause I do. Haven't started on Shellstrings yet, but I'll throw up some comments when I get the chance.
"Slightly faster than Appledashery".
...
Yeah, sure. I've needed a daily addiction.
Allow me to make the case for sticking with 200 chapter Austraeoh books.
First is consistency with the earlier books; it's part of the experience. Us readers know shiet will go down in a specific number of chapters, which ramps up the anticipation.
But the real reason is that dropping the hard 200 chapter count is addressing the symptom, not the cause, and you should work on that cause: lack of adequate planning and pacing. You shouldn't be waking up one day, only to discover to your horror that you need to start writing 10-15K word chapters.
Shellstrings sounds so -- to borrow your term -- kaizo that I can't help but be excited about it. :D
Nice reference.
i find pretty much all your stuff (except appledashery cause i just cant ship that) to be quite enjoyable
4049704 Neither can Skirts, apparently.
4049620 It's more like accepting the changing reality of the situation and adapting.
It's pretty clear this decision was premeditated. He did sit down to do some planning, and this is the result. He's looked at how much content he wants to write for this next book, and realized that a chapter limit is going to inevitably cause each individual chapter to be way over how much he can realistically write in a single day.
Planning for a decent pace/structure while writing at a breakneck speed is an extremely tall order. He can't plan a perfect structure for something that evolves daily. He can't have his cake and eat it too. At some point, he has to step back and figure out where his priorities lie. Austraeoh has always emphasized the experience over the pacing. Why should that have to change?
Creativity often can't be planned. It's spontaneous and occasionally arbitrary. Nowhere is this more obvious than his dailies. Forcing a structure onto something that is meant to spring forth like a fount is like attempting to plug a fire hose; it's exhausting, painful, you just get blasted in the face, and nothing gets done. Why force oneself through something like that if you don't have to?
This is something Skirts does for fun rather than out of any kind of obligation to anything other than an ideal. It's better he be able to just write and enjoy himself than get trapped in an endless spiral of planning hell that ultimately burns him out and turns him off from writing just because he's committed to some ultimately-trivial hard limit that is no longer working in service to his story.
And if he burns himself out, well, we run the risk of not getting any more Austraeoh at all.
Besides, it's far more important to Austraeoh's identity that it be a daily rather than exactly 200 chapters. This fic has always emphasized the journey over the destination, and this holds true for both characters and the readers. It doesn't matter what state a book is in at the end (which is why so many grammar/spelling errors go unaddressed, and why pre-release editing is a thing that he just doesn't do); what matters is that every single day for the last four years has been waking to another step in this journey, and that it continue to be so until the book is closed shut.
Also, unpredictability is fun and suspenseful, and it'll be neat not being clued into the approach of a story arc's conclusion.
Way I see it, there's far more going for this decision than not. Shedding the dead weight of a rigidly-enforced limit can only serve to improve the experience for everybody, most importantly Skirts himself.
4049713 long essay is long.
4049710 That was fuckin brilliant.
4049713 Thematically, it would actually make sense for Austraeoh to change format now. After all, the next book ostensibly will be taking place on the dark side!
Well I didn't really have any plans for the next few years anyways.
It's vital to learn when to apply the Fuck It Adjustment in life. Do what ya gotta do oh great lemur.
From what I have seen of your writing you are right. You are by far at your BEST when you Do short quick simple updates and just have roll with things, and constricting yourself to the 200 chapter limit has impacted that. I genuinely look forwards to you getting things back on track and I think this new story will help that. Best of luck skirts. I love your work and love you for writing it.
-No homo, Seraphimus.
... Aww who am I kidding, All the homo.
4049713 I want to note that I love your intelligent and well thought out opinions and arguments whenever I stumble across you feeling the need to make them. it is refreshing to see someone make genuine points and intelligent statements as opposed to slinging insults.
I also find I readily agree with just about everything you have to say in most cases. bravo.
4051434 I hate all the bands you like.
+1 for the excellent philosopher reference.
4051705 so do I!
sorry couldn't resist
Thus far, utterly confounded by the decisions you've made with Shellstrings. Uploading a lengthy prologue all at once, and then making plans to dedicate the entire first act to more setup?
Honestly, I would have expected you to gradually reveal all of this piecemeal through flashbacks along the way, and making the audience marvel at how well thought-out the lore is. Instead, we get what feels like the conclusion of a very long, very involved story, and then a story about Bon Bon. Meanwhile, the story's actual description has basically nothing to do with SMILE, and yet Lyra appears to be a tertiary character in her own story. No, worse than tertiary. She seems like a basically featureless plot device designed to give Bon Bon a reason to be happy not working with SMILE anymore.
At this point, I'm honestly under the impression that you've accidentally stuck the wrong title and description on some kind of epic tale about SMILE. And I'm also worried that everyone who likes the story as it is will feel cheated if the focus ever shifts to Lyra, while everyone drawn in by the story's actual description will have just stopped reading by the time you deliver on the promise.
Uh.
Well.
pre00.deviantart.net/5b0d/th/pre/i/2014/085/5/1/ella_of_cinders_by_apple_tank-d7brin9.jpg
Never thought I would ever have a reason to repost.
You're gonna do daily updates on Shellstrings? I'm not gonna lie that Micheal Bay LotR League of Extraordinary Ponies story where Superman's dad dies, well I figured it was going to be one of those really neat Act by Act stories.
I loved the whole Chancelor thing and how you used and explained what Tartarus was, the whole thing with Clover. It got hardcore with more sound effect actions and "The onlyu rhino in Equestria" (big girls need love too but sometimes they don't hold back much to the dude's dismay I guess? Ouch... even joking about that mentally stings...) started pretty cook but I still have no idea what a corcivics honda dude was supposed to be, is it a lion? A batpony? I admit it was like 1am or something when I was reading it all so maybe I missed his bodily descriptions and it was just a griffon or something. Need fanart of these LoEM (M for Mammals I guess) so I can better visualize certain character species.
I'm high on black coffee so don't mind me. I super liked the Madoka gun scene with the bear though. Shame his head wasn't beaten or swatted off though, would have probably ruined later stuff anyhow but what a shoutout albeit likely unintentional to Madoka it would have been. Maybe unintentional idk.
But yeah, first half was my favorite. Liking where it's going for sure.
Still, I'd totally vote on releasing a full act like you did, the non-stop flow of words made it feel like a prologue to a three hour movie or something. Lyra is stupid cute though, poor thing that shower scene...
oh, right. I should probably fav it for updates. derp!