In which I ramble · 1:46am Dec 15th, 2020
Per usual I stole this writing meme from Ice Star because I don't follow nearly enough people here.
1. Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?
Current active project is a Jinglemas entry I can say nothing about. But of course I'm sure we mean the likes of my chaptered stories.
In that case, Shadow of a Doubt is a story about Starlight Glimmer reforming Sombra, fueled from my own disdain of seeing Sombra getting killed again and therefore retconning a comic that is incredibly special to me. Though even before season 9 it was a loose concept in my head because Starlight and Sombra just felt like characters that should meet. Progress is slow, because I am easily distracted and can't focus on one thing for more than a span of 10 minutes. I've only been working on it for under two years now, but it's my longest written story yet and so I consider that a great accomplishment, and it also just makes me feel good to make the shadow horse happy.
No Second Chances also applies here, though it's a considerably smaller project (hopefully). I think it's a bit too soon to talk about the details behind it though, and it's going at an even slower pace than SoaD. This one's just special to me because it's a sequel the Days of the Dead, which won 3rd place in the May Pairing Contest. I used the prize money to commission my little Sombra plush too.
2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project
I'm looking forward to actually getting Sombra and Starlight to fall in love, but right now they're just bickering friendly room mates. Also a certain scene that's probably gonna get a lot of people mad at me. And maybe a SoaD sequel because I've been developing ideas for that too...
A lot of stuff really.
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
Chances are if I have to drop a scene for some reason or another, I just put it into a future chapter where it's applicable. For example, there was a dropped interaction between Sombra and Discord in chapter 15 where Discord takes Sombra's horn and threatens him with it, but it really didn't fit in so I'm saving it for later. If you read the spoiler, you will now know what it is when it happens.
There's also a lot of scenes I have to rewrite because, believe it or not, almost any scene where there are injuries involved were more detailed than what I end up publishing.
But I guess it's less scenes and more stories because I have many of those I'm not entirely sure I'll get to. Mostly stuff that'd be one shots but I have a really hard time with keeping things short, and just don't know how to start them.
4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)
I'm sure there's a good bit somewhere and I saved this until last to think of one but failed.
5. What character you’re writing do you most identify with?
I'm not sure if this will surprise anyone, but both Sombra and Radiant Hope. The reason Siege & Fiendship is so important to me was because Hope's loneliness and Sombra's self loathing just hit close to home, and seeing them actually get their happy ending just felt really important to me. Which made it all the more heartbreaking when that comic was retconned in such a way that felt like a kick to the gut.
Hope might actually apply a bit more because she feels like a character who could be autistic. And I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but I try to write her in such a way as well. It's something I can relate to because I am also that, and it's a trait I absolutely hate about myself that I try to keep hidden, though it's hard to hide when I'm in a constant special interest hell. Writing Hope with ponies actually willing to be her friend makes me feel somewhat better, though I still try to hide this in every day life.
People always rag on Hope for betraying Equestria, but I think they just don't care to understand her.
6. What character do you have the most fun writing?
100% Sombra, especially when he's not a feral, raging ball of shadow. I don't think you know how long I was waiting for him to mellow out.
Most of my story ideas also involve him in some way.
7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?
I don't know. If you ask me, I almost feel like my writing is kinda stale in places. I'm bad at scenery, my fight scenes need work, and I feel like there's some inconsistencies in dialogue style between chapters. People are free to object to this and give me suggestions though, because I'm too hard on myself.
8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?
I'd say yes but I don't see that as being all that true. There are practically no Sombra/Starlight stories other than mine, and I have a really awful time focusing on long stories.
9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?
Longfics are hard but drabbles are even harder. I'm not good with really short stuff, it's hard to develop characters that way. Also I had no idea what a 'pantser' so I had to look it up and well I guess I have a definition for my writing style. I mean yeah I usually have the bare minimum of a plot planned out but things are always prone to change and chapters ae frequently redone last second.
Heck, I might have mentioned it in the comics somewhere, Ch.16 of SoaD had Spike take a role that originally belonged to Twilight. This changed the chapter significantly but had little impact on the whole plot.
10. How would you describe your writing process?
Slow & painful.
11. What do you envy in other writers?
I'm a bit envious over the fact that most of the writers here got their start while MLP was still an active thing, meanwhile I got started in the final season so everything seems considerably more 'dead'. So I feel like I'm too late to actually accomplish much.
I also envy anyone that can write quickly. It's been a month since I last updated SoaD, and nearly three since updating No Second Chances. Neither chapter has made it to 2000 words yet, which is too short for me. I'm so easily distracted and no matter how hard I try I can not write if someone else is in the room with me. Seeing as I still live with my family this is a major issue and prevents me from doing things as quickly as I'd like.
12. Do you want your writing to be famous?
Don't we all...
13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?
I mean if you find me on AO3 you'll find dead fics of mine I didn't upload here. Because they weren't pony. Most of what I don't post is either not pony related, or scraps that don't really apply to anything or are unfinished.
14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?
It's random, really. Sometimes I don't have a title until after the story is written, sometimes I come up with it on the spot. Shadow of a Doubt went through a name change early in development Originally Cold as Crystal), while End of an Aurora and Days of the Dead were decided from the get go. No Second Chances was also a last second name decision.
On that note, have some potential titles for future stories because it's fun to tease:
Hearts Are Made for Breaking
When My Time Comes
Moon Blind
15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
Despite the mentioned title issues, summaries are infinitely harder because I'm awful at summarizing stuff and making it look good. Genre tags are pretty easy, but warning tags are weird. I'm always debating whether I need a gore tag for SoaD even if none of the injuries are really detailed, and though I see no need for an AU tag I have been suggested to use one before. In my mind the AU tag makes sense for actual whole Alternate Universes and not just 'Sombra survives defeat and Grogar isn't Discord'.
16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)
Days of the Dead was my first go at a first person narrative and it was way more fun than I could ever imagine. No Second Chances continues in the same way, but now with the added difficulty of writing a ghost. There's not exactly a 'correct' way to go about that, but it's still got its challenges because there's a lot of things a ghost pony wouldn't do or feel vs a regular pony. For exaple, Luster Dawn will breath and may feel her heart rate elevate when stressed or excited, meanwhile Sombra has none of that, but has his own weird 'ghost sense' that will play out at some point.
17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?
I imagine so, but I don't know how. I'm not sure how to go about this one.
18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterizations?) Tell us about them.
Shadow of a Doubt was very different story when first envisioned as Cold as Crystal. I talked about that here.
At the earliest point in development, Dotd & SoaD Sombra were going to be one and the same, but that was scrapped in favor of making DotD completely attached to canon. With that being said, DotD Sombra is a full blooded pony while SoaD Sombra is an Umbrum.
The above mentioned Spoiler stories Hearts Are Made for Breaking & Moon Blind would also be DotD Sombra, but taking place in the Crystal War and Nightmare Moon alternate universes respectively. He's obviously still alive in both.
19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favorite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)
I feel like I repeat motions too much. Head shaking, eye rolling, nodding, stuff like that. I don't know if it bothers anyone else but it bothers me and I'm trying to get out of that habit but sometimes it's the only motion that feels like it fits.
There's also an overall theme with each of my (currently published) stories that I'm not sure if anyone's noticed yet. I'm still waiting for someone to say something about that.
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
As if I'd tell you all the clues for future scenes. I will say that something in a recent chapter is a hint toward SoaD's sequel though, but I won't tell you what.
Future chapters may also contain reference to Pokémon movies, similar to how DotD's chapters were all named after a certain video game soundtrack. It sounds lame, but I can assure you it fits what's coming. Especially so if you know enough about Pokémon to figure out just which movie is my favorite.
21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)
DotD was originally envisioned as a short comic and I still want to draw that out someday. As much as I'd love to see something of mine as a movie, I'd have to say a comic of some sort because I envision a lot of scenes in a comic-esque way. Mostly because I really want to be a comic artist but don't have the skill for it.
22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?
Obviously I have to reread through parts of SoaD and DotD so I can refresh my memory on certain scenes. I also reread SoaD because dang it why aren't there more Sombra/Starlight stories out there? But I also don't really consider any of these stories old because none of them are over two years old, the oldest of which is still in progress.
I do occasionally go skim my old not-pony fics on AO3 though, specifically my chaptered one. Though I can say I had some good ideas, the earliest chapters are almost embarrassing to look at... They're just written so awkwardly.
23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?
Once again, not pony, though I'm sure I had some really bad ideas swirling around in my head during my first dive into the franchise back in 2012. But no, the oldest story idea I have swimming in my head reaches back to 2013 and the Kirby (video game) franchise. It added the events of my favorite game, Amazing Mirror, into the anime and it was actually really well thought out for back then? But I never ended up starting it.
I probably won't ever now, but that's okay. Pony keeps me busy in the fanfic business.
24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?
Yeah, I got way better at it. It's a big accomplishment because I genuinely hated writing in high school, and yet now it's my main hobby after art.
25. What part of writing is the most fun?
Finishing it. Seeing other people's reactions, watching them get attached to the story, all that good stuff. I'm always happy to know someone likes my stories, and there's a certain joy to knowing that the words I write can even cause pain. If it weren't for all the people who like my stories, I'd probably be even slower at updating them, or would have abandoned them altogether. I mean, yeah, I'm writing Sombra/Starlight for myself, but it's discouraging to put work into something and have it not get noticed.
But you all notice it, and many of you like or even love it. And I appreciate that more than I could ever put into words.
I for one welcome the new Moth-word overlord.
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I go by Moth yet with how much I've slowed to a crawl with writing, I might as well call myself a caterpillar.
Ponies did this to me.5415677
Better Moth-up, then.
.... Hey. Heeeeeey.... poke... Pokepoke. You should be following more people! C'moooooon... Follow someone! Dooo iiiiiit. Not me though, seriously, I post NOTHING on this site.
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I'm so picky about it though... Too much activity in my feed gets me overwhelmed and I just have no idea who else to follow.
I guess I'm open to suggestions?
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Lesse... There's Jake the Army Guy, Georg, Admiral Biscuit... That's three just off the top of my head...
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And I think I've read and/or saved a few of their stories for read later... Well, it makes sense to follow at least