End of NaNoWriMo

Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait between posts. November, as per usual, was pretty much utter hell. (And now I'm ankle-deep in finals week! Blah, college.) I did finish my 50k word count (hoorah!), but I didn't finish The Ram because I am an utter derp. I'm close, though. So close I could taste it. ...Well not quite that close, but I'm close! I think it's down to what, two plot points? Yeah, that sounds right. And one of them is fight-related! I can go through fight scenes in ten seconds flat, y'all.

I also got a new story idea! ...Which is a bad thing, actually, since I'm already struggling and failing to balance four fucking stories (The Ram, WHIPLASH!, Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey, and Engel der Wache). Engel der Wache is very much a background thing, and WHIPLASH! has been shoved waaaay back onto the backburner, but it's still not easy. I don't think very many authors can balance that many successfully. I sure can't. Advice: don't do that!

I've also decided to reopen my writer advice blog, but there's nothing there yet. I'm not sure what to make the first post about just yet, but I'll probably write it over winter break. Since, y'know, I'll have that silly thing called "free time" again. And I'll finish that marketing thing soon! Promise!

What Time Is It? NaNo Time!

Hey guys! I updated the site. In shades of red! JUST IN TIME FOR NANOWRIMO. (y'know, 'cause it's like blood and what better way to get a boosted wordcount than by killing characters)

You may also notice that I reworked the page layouts. All of the stories still have their own pages! They're just not on that top bar anymore. Otherwise, I would rapidly run out of room up there, and this way, people can easily ignore my fanfiction or original works (why would you do that) and pick and choose. No more luring in with fancy or intriguing titles.

So guys, who's excited for NaNoWriMo? I'm chillin' right over here and I'm using the month to finish The Ram and start on The Owl. Fun times! Right now, though, I'm struggling just to get one last chapter of RMWJ done before november, especially since I missed last week's update. Sigh. I'd also love to get a chapter of The Ram done before november, just so I can start a new document (I'm neurotic when it comes to such things) with the new chapter and wouldn't have to count like, half the words. Because that would just be silly. Good news is that it'll be a longer chapter, and we'll get past two very important plot points. Bad news is that Tuesday is misbehaving again. She knows what awaits her. Sigh again.

Though for all the uninformed, it's a good thing when your characters misbehave, trust me. It means they have enough life to know what they want, and those are the types of characters that are generally believable and not necessarily liked, but respected.

I'm not sure how much I'll really post during november, but if I do, it'll likely be little progress things. Nothing special. Come december/the new year, however, I'd like to start posting here more often again! And I'd like to do some actual, you know, blog posts. Not all just narcissistic stuff about me. I've been writing for a good many years now, despite my age, so I know a thing or two. Also, I'm getting a unique sort of degree and education that's quite suited for story writing! So I can offer some different perspectives. I know for sure I'd like to write up a couple posts on gender, main characters, tragic backstory, and psychological themes. Oh, and on worldbuilding and languages! Because I have made mistakes there, that's for sure. Learn from mine, young skittens, and do not repeat them.

So I'll see you guys whenever! Have a fun nanowrimo, all! ;3

NaNoWriMo Post The First + Mock Book Trailers

Hey guys! Well, less than half a month to go to NaNoWriMo. Fun times!

I've pretty much given up on getting The Ram completely finished by then, so I'm basically gonna get as much done as I can beforehand, and use some of my words to completely finish it up. And then I'll start the last in the trilogy with the rest of my words!

Since it was a couple years ago now, I bet y'all didn't know that I made a mock book trailer for The Rook! You can view it here. I'm not a master movie maker, but I'm rather proud of it, haha. Mock book trailers were very in that year.

I tried making one for The Ram, but it fell short. Just didn't happen. This year, however, I managed to scrape together one for the last in the trilogy! I'm not sure anyone's noticed, but I haven't actually said the last title in the trilogy yet. But since it's nanowrimo season, since it's coming closer, and since I have a trailer for it, may as well toss it out to the internet.

The last title in The Rook series is "The Owl"! And you can view its trailer here. I used the same song as The Rook's trailer, but with different parts, and sort of the same overall theme. Because it's what I do and I like matching things.

I'll still throw up an actual preparations post closer to november, but I thought I'd share those little things first. :> Though please, be aware of some minor spoilers, mostly by implication (and don't you dare pause that trailer during the words part! :c). That's also the reason why I kept the title under wraps. Because title characters are important.

Non-Marketing Ploy

I know I said I'd have the next post be a "part two" of sorts in the marketing thing, but I'm sorry! I haven't even started it and yeah.

I've finished Pedestal! It's been an incredibly long-running - well, okay, shush, two and a half years is a long time for someone my age - and well-loved fanfiction, and I'll miss it terribly. Except not yet, because I'm simply glad to be done with that beast of an epilogue. I like epilogues. They're neat. But not when they take a month to write.

On a hilarious and random note, fanfiction of a fanfiction - no, wait, fanfiction of two fanfictions! That's even better. There is a Pedestal (mine) / Regret (Crukix) crossover being written by another person. It has both of our blessings, and what I know of the plot, it's gonna be a fun ride. It's called Memento if you'd like to check it out.

I'm also working on finishing up The Ram. Don't you look at me with those judging eyes, I'm working as fast and as hard as I can!It's just slow. Not only do I have to get used to third person again, but an entirely different tone and cast. But on the upside, not a lot left of the story! Thank god.

I also started a short story fanfiction titled Engel der Wache. It's Adventure Time fanfiction detailing the Great Mushroom War, but mostly is set around how the Guardian Angel character came to be. Also, now with 20% more Lich and candy. You know you want to read it. (It's a short enough story that I'm not going to put a page for it on this site. That's donated to my bigger projects.)

Anyway, yeah. I'll do that other marketing post eventually! Probably once The Ram is finished, then I'll be all hyped to up do some marketin'! (read: not)

On a semi-related note: WHO'S READY FOR NANOWRIMO? :D Closer to november, I'll probably throw out a short post detailing my project for it. Last in The Rook series, woohoo!

Why You Ought To Own The Rook

 Or: A Tale of How Not To Market Your Book

I'm giving this marketing thing a try, because the most I ever do to advertise any of my writing is leave a link here or there. That and tell my friends to tell their friends. Not sure how well that's working out, actually (but it is a sound method! just don't let it be your only method).

To get your book, your name, your title, what have you, to get your thing out there, you have to have a certain amount of confidence and aggression about it. Don't be afraid of being annoying. Post in forums if you wanna maintain some anonymity or reach a ton of strangers. It's not a great technique, but who knows? You could snag a couple readers here and there. (I think that's one of the important things. Getting readers where you can. They may come from unexpected sources - trust me, I don't want my grandma to read The Rook but she liked it anyway - but always encourage them.) Everyone else is trolling forums with links and pictures and posts, anyway, so why not add to all the noise?

I mean, everyone knows the basics. Tell your friends. Tell your classmates. Tell your family. Tell your in-laws. Tell your pets. Tell your study buddies, babysitter, children, teachers, bosses, coworkers, underlings, facebook creepers, and twitter followers. Throw yourself and your book out there! You may get criticized for it, and you may get ignored. But you may also get praised and drum up some readership. ...Actually, maybe not the facebook creepers. They probably already know about your book, anyway.

Tell all those aforementioned people to tell their friends and family and coworkers and who knows who else! Six degrees of separation, my skittens. Foist your book upon enough people and it may just sit in J.K. Rowling's library one day. Or Suzanne Collins'. Or Stephen King's. Or Stephanie Meyer's. (By the by, how do you think they got famous? Besides having known names and really kickass agents, I'm guessing. They get their books out there! With help, granted, but who's to say you can't get help, too?)

It also depends on how your book is put forth, too. A book that is only available online would have to be marketed a bit different than a book that you could go down to a bookstore (not borders! /cry) and pick up off the shelf. And yes, it is slightly embarrassing to tell people that no, you can't buy your book at a bookstore. Don't you know what self-publishing is? Only online, grandma. Just have mom buy it for you.

I am far from a marketing, writing, publishing, anything guru. Far from it. But perhaps, that lets me be a little more helpful. I've stumbled through this, just like I bet a lot of you have or will. I'm not making beaucoup bucks off my writing. I'm still doing this not as a career. So I could probably help people with what little I know, right? At the very least, it can be a place to start. So, skitty, where do we start? You start BEFORE the book is done. (Or even written.)

But - wait - why then? I'm still busy writing the damned thing! I don't have time to tell people to buy it when it's not even done yet!

Good points! But it doesn't mean you can't drum up interest and anticipation. If you're using NaNoWriMo as a kickstart to your novel, for example, utilize the forums there! Fill out your author profile and fill in tons about your book. If nothing else, random strangers trolling around the site would be able to see a snippet and/or a quick synopsis. On the internet, you can't really control who can and can't see your public information, so why not just let it be? Throw it out there and get it to as many anons as possible! Link people to your NaNoWriMo profile. I've found that a LOT of people misunderstand what it's actually about, but they can see a summary, an excerpt, and that handy little progress bar. What more do they need? They don't have to understand it to cheerlead for you.

The internet age is a grand one, but it does have its downfalls. Then again, use it, too! Use all the world to your advantage! Facebook and Twitter (or google+, or myspace, or tumblr, or livejournal, whatever your cup of tea is!) are great ways to get your book out to a lot of people with not a whole lot of effort. Sure, you lose the ability to individually tailor your sell to each person, but it's all about snagging a couple readers wherever you can get them. Post links to your facebook profile! Pimp it out in your twitter! Don't ignore these easy marketing ploys. Really. Don't be like me and be embarrassed about your writing; you will get nowhere with that attitude. (And don't be like me and resist posting on facebook because of that one person who you don't want to read your writing.)

Where else do you frequent on the internet? What other big forums that are fairly creativity-friendly do you check in on daily? It doesn't have to be a writing site, although those are generally more sympathetic to your plans. (But remember, they're also out there to promote their own writing too, half the time. Sometimes, it's a good idea to trade - you read mine, I'll read yours - but not for everyone.) FictionPress.com, FanFiction.net, LiveJournal, TvTropes (although be VERY careful in perusing that site. or not. I'll see you in a week.), and even more art-centric sites like deviantArt and tumblr are also pretty easy ways to drum up some interest. Post a link to your book as your 'homepage'. Put links in your journals, profiles, whatever is available and freely available to the public. The internet is a vast series of tubes, and those tubes are full of cats, but they could also be full of your story. Just so long as you don't push out the cats. I like them.

Now, onto non-internet-related ways to market your new book. Friends and family are invaluable here. Personally, my mom has been a huge help. She's been helping to sell books to just about anyone she knows, and she does it with no small amount of massively embarrassing pride. Relatives are also good targets! Remember, they're your kin. Guilt them into it if you have to. But use them! Tell them to recommend it to friends and coworkers.

Want to know a surprising gift from getting relatives to read it? New audiences. My aunt read my book, and she happens to be a teacher. Now it seems like several german classes in Douglas, Wyoming are quite enamored with my book. Use that sort of thing! Teachers, nurses, students, accountants - there are lots of careers these days that connect you to a lot of people. Use that! You don't have to thrust the book in their face, but just a mention. "Oh, my cousin wrote a book... I just got done reading it..." They don't even have to like it to help you, really.

There are perks to where you live, of course. And people you know, or people your close friends and family members know. Don't waste these, either. I come from a pretty unpopulated neck of the woods, and it seems as if my family has been around here since the dark ages. There are two small towns in this state I can't go to without tripping over distant relatives or neighbors. This is a great way to get the word out there, too! Yes, these are miniscule towns that you will never find on any map, probably. But they're people. They're potential readers. And they have friends and family outside that little town, too, I'm betting. It's like a spider web.

Speaking of local politics and how you can work them to your advantage, if you come from a smaller town, use this to your advantage as well! After all, it's not every day they get a brand new author in their midst. Contact the local newspaper, see if you can get an article. Donate a copy or two to the local library. (That's another thing - you may not always make money off of your books. But getting your name out there is just as important. ESPECIALLY if you plan on continuing writing.) If you can get an interview on the local news, all the more power to you! (Note: I did not do any of these things except donations to several libraries. I am shy, and it sucks, especially since a couple of these were offered. Do NOT let your shyness get hold of you! You are amazing and talented and you just wrote a book! Let the world know!)

So now that I've offered some pretty common sense and basic advice, I'll just end Part One here. The second part will mostly be me trying (and failing, most likely! :D) to write a good "sell" for The Rook. Think of it more as an example than anything else. ...Unless, you know, you'd want to buy it. Because that would totally be cool, too.

holy shit what are these numbers

Oh my god.

2600 reviews and 510000 hits.

Why is this a thing.

Explanation: Pedestal, my nearly completed wildly popular Pokemon fanfiction, recently hit the 2.6k review mark. And 510k views over all of its chapters. And that is only on fanfiction.net.

Now what I'm wondering is what the hell why can't my original fiction be this popular.

These are my white skitty, first world problems. Internet famous problems? Fanfiction writer problems? Me being stupid and ungrateful? (I am grateful. I'm just shocked. Very, very shocked, and very much in disbelief.)

In other news, I'm working on an actual blog post that isn't a silly short update-y one like this! I'm trying to be a little more helpful to my fellow writerlings, especially in a facet of writing that most writerlings don't think about: marketing and advertising! (Note: I'm writing it from the view of it being a published or soon-to-be published or eventually published piece, but most of the tips also work for works that are only on the internet! Such as fanfiction.)

Skitty, away~!

Never Cross The Writing/Fan Streams

snohshine 11:20 pm
    Okay...
    I'm working on The Ram! It makes me happy to write Tuesday.

 snohshine 11:20 pm
    Though she's rebelling against me with everything she has. She knows what's coming next.

 WillyW2010 11:21 pm
    LA LA LA LA LA

 snohshine 11:21 pm
    What?

 WillyW2010 11:23 pm
    dont want to hear

 snohshine 11:24 pm
    I wasn't going to tell you.
    Although apparently, Claire taught one of her dogs to pee on Stephen.
    Claire = Stephen's girlfriend.
    I like her already.

 WillyW2010 11:24 pm
    You're mind is scary.

 snohshine 11:25 pm
    *your

 WillyW2010 11:25 pm
    YOUR MIND IS SCARY!

 snohshine 11:25 pm
    8D
    Dog pee = scary?

 WillyW2010 11:26 pm
    No, how your characters have lives in your head.

 snohshine 11:27 pm
    Oh.
    That's normal for a writer, really.

 WillyW2010 11:27 pm
    I assumed such.

 snohshine 11:30 pm
    I am awesome in the fact that I have a mental map of Tuesday's apartment, though. Usually I don't do that for buildings.

 WillyW2010 11:32 pm
    I'll get you help.

 snohshine 11:34 pm
    I just imagined the Hamtaro themesong with 'persona' substituted. It fits.
    IT'S PERSONA TIME!
    PER SON A
    WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER IT'S MUCH BETTER
    MY BEST FRIEND
    ...Now you may get me help.

This is why you don't mesh 'writer' mode and 'fan' mode, kiddies. It's painful to watch. While entertaining at the time, it's liable to leak over into both sides, and then it just gets into a mess of references and characters. (snohshine is me, obviously, and willyw2010 is a friend of mine who has read The Rook).

Working on The Ram, Pedestal's epilogue, and finished the second chapter of RMWJ. I've been slightly productive lately, just spread thin over a range of things. Which is fine, but I usually don't recommend it. Especially if you are working with deadlines.

More Site Updates

Redid the site layout! A little cleaner, and lots brighter now. :D Sorta miss the red, but blue is pretty too! I also went through the pages and tweaked them some more, taking out those old drawings, and I separated out The Rook as its own page and revamped the series page to be more general, as well as linking to the two pages themselves.

So for all those who don't follow my fanfiction (I don't blame you, but it can be hilariously cathartic to write at times, so no judging), I recently posted the last chapter of my longest running story ever. It still has an epilogue to go, but the last chapter. It was a long, LONG story, and definitely a crazy one at that. I definitely enjoyed writing it, and I'll miss it terribly. But all stories have to have an ending! It makes them better.

Anyway, onto the writing challenge of the day! (I think I'm gonna throw these out there whenever I can think of a decent one. They're silly and I doubt many people, if any, do them, but still! If I can get one or two more people out there and practicing writing, I'll squee.)

What organization, if any, would your character volunteer for? Red Cross? Humane Society? Doctors Without Borders? What does this say about them, and do you think they would be able to stick with it for long? Why would they quit? Would they EVER quit? Maybe you'll like this little quirk enough to make it an actual facet of your character's personality - or, on the reverse side, are they not the volunteering type? Too greedy, too busy, too indecisive? Write a drabble or oneshot about it and find out!

Site Updates and a Writing Challenge!

Quick note - I've shuffled around the site and updated some things, most notably the pages for the stories, updating them. Added cast info for The Ram, personality info for WHIPLASH!, small tweaks on Pedestal and RMWJ.

I've hit (another) block on The Ram, and last night, I ended up with a very creative, if failed, way at getting around that. My plot buddy and I were discussing it, and casually, I tossed you "YOU BE TUESDAY, I'LL BE STEPHEN". I had no idea what I was actually planning past that... but...

Basically, it culminated in us both getting dolled up like the characters as best we could. The catch? My plot buddy is male. He wore make-up, stuffed his shirt for boobage, and got prettyful. I only put on a sweater with a collar and tucked my hair back, but that's beside the point. We didn't actually get anything discussed or written with The Ram, and instead got sidetracked designing a Persona 4-themed dungeon and Shadow for me, which was also fun and productive. Just on a more personal level.

Challenge to all the writerlings out there: If you're aware of the Persona series, make a Shadow and a Persona for your character! This means you have to know them on a deep, psychological level, and prey viciously on their insecurities, flaws, and repressed feelings.

For all of those unaware of the series, here's a quick dictionary for you:

Shadow - Shadows are monster that, while initially looking like your character (only with golden eyes and a very mean expression, in addition to a voice from HELL), transform into a highly symbolic monster. Shadows are repressed feelings, almost always negative, and have to be accepted by the character in order to gain a Persona. If they are not accepted, they will attack again and again until they kill their host. Common themes amongst Shadows are: nakedness because of the desire to show it off, when in reality, they just want to be accepted and accepting of their bodies ; flamboyantly gay because of confused sexuality and the desire to be accepted by someone, ANYONE, and it just so happens that the same sex is a little easier ; dark and empty, lost, nihilistic and fatalistic, hating the world around them because everyone else is happy and they're not ; professing to using a friend because it makes you feel better, etc etc. Shadows aren't always humanoid in shape or appearance, and usually work off of one theme, such as "caged bird" or "fallen savior".
Protip: The Shadow always says, at some point or another, "I am a Shadow, the true self." Shadows are capable of thinking on their own. When their host denies them, almost always with a panicked "You're not me!", the Shadow can act on its own and that's when it chooses to attack.

Persona - Persona is the creature/power you gain from defeating and accepting the Shadow. It is more or less the magical weapon in the games, but it's also highly symbolic and much more positive than the Shadow is. It does follow along the same themes, usually, or other character themes, but almost always has some sort of callback to the Shadow design. Color tends to be easiest with that. A lot of Personas are also based on mythology from around the world. Most Personas have an elemental affinity - fire, ice, lightning, wind - and are usually on the physical/attacking side, or healing/support side. What kind of character do you have? What would your character's soul (basically) look like and attack like?
Protip: "I AM THOU THOU ART I" but no really. Personas are the lighter, evolved version of the Shadow. There are strong "soul" ties in, too; this could very well be your character's soul manifested. What would it look like? Or, at the very least, it is the facade used to overcome life's hardships or something like that.

I'm not sure I'll be able to do this. XD; This would require GREAT THOUGHT about your character. It'd be easier for stories with one obvious Main Character, rather than large casts with several main characters. Still, if anyone wants to tackle it, go for it! I'd love to hear about Shadow and Persona ideas. :D Maybe I will get around to making some, one day...

This Is How You Don't Approach Deadlines

You know how I said I'd be totally mortified if I couldn't get The Ram done by the end of summer?

WELL BOY AM I EMBARRASSED. :D;;;;

Getting dragged across the country (in more ways than one) didn't help the writing front, and neither did Pedestal drawing to a close. (Whoo boy, that ain't even done yet. Boy, do I have egg on my face.) But those are excuses! Basically, I've just been failtastic this summer. Kidlings, don't do this. This is bad. This makes people angry and impatient.

New deadline: I'm just gonna throw it down to the last possible minute and say by NaNoWriMo, The Ram will be completed. (Since I'm three chapters away from the end of Pedestal, I know for a fact that'll be out of the way...) It will ABSOLUTELY be done by the end of october. Otherwise I'm just gonna have to hit something, probably my face.

So good news - Pedestal's almost over, and that'll free up a lot of time. I do already have RMWJ in the works, but those'll have longer chapters, so I have an excuse to have a slower updating schedule. :D Then november will be for the last one in the trilogy! <3 I'm excited, even if I don't have all of the plot 100% worked out. But that's the fun part!

Anyway, skitty out! (I'm moving back to college next week, so yay! Routine again! And probably a job... I hope that doesn't impact the writing or homework too bad, damnit. Wish me luck guys!)

The Ram Work

So I've been sort of busy lately being an unemployed bum! Ah, getting into the writer lifestyle early, I know.

Pedestal is coming to a close, at last and finally. I have less than ten chapters to go, no matter how much I stall. I'm slowly working on that just to get it out of the way.

But mostly, I'm trying to work on The Ram. I say trying because it's been exceedingly difficult. (Kids, this is why you don't leave a story alone for half a year without looking at it. Even if it's just a sentence, write every day on a story you love!) I formatted what I do have for publishing and I'll just update that as I go along, just so I don't have to do it all later at once, but I still have to write the damn thing first. Then editing. THEN publishing.

Soon, though, I should have it done with. I've been telling people "by the end of the summer", so boy, will I be embarrassed if I don't get it done by then. (Then again, the original plan was to have it done by the end of june. lol nope.) So now I'm putting on my deadline on the internet again so I can be even more mortified if I fail! (This works, I swear. Or at least it works more than self-imposed deadlines. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO USE THIS TRICK, ALL YOU WRITERLINGS OUT THERE.)

Anyway, that's about it on my writing end. Except my friends keep giving me good ideas (most recently, the Bat) so I'm stuck in idea mode and not writing mode. Le sigh.

Here's to another book in a month and a half!

Well well well.

Well. This isn't going well.

I have 1.3k words to show for this time in June so far. Granted, I've been busy, but still.

What I did today? Watch Princess Mononoke and download Iris Online. I'M SO PRODUCTIVE VIDEO GAMES RULE MY WORLD.

Oddly enough, I'm more inspired than ever with future ideas for writing. It's just... They're future. Not the part I'm writing now. u_u I hate that about writing.

I'MA GO TO BED NOW AND FAIL SOME MORE. PROBABLY TOMORROW, TOO.

June NaNoWriMo

Well, awhile ago, I decided to have an out-of-season nanowrimo! TWO, in fact. (Why yes, I am borderline suicidal at points.) One for June, one for July. June is for finishing up last year's nanowrimo, The Ram, and July will be for a rewrite of WHIPLASH!.

AND GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS TODAY. THE BEGINNING OF THE END OH SNAP.

Basically, I'm very ill-prepared, and to make matters worse, my mind gave me a really awesome potential story as a dream last night. CURSE YOU, MIND. I've recorded it in my story ideas document (number nineteen!), and I'll try not to dwell. >A> Back to my demon bbs!

I'll probably update this every so often with my word count and whatnot, but basically, I'm gonna be neck-deep in demons for this month. |D

Things I'd Some Day Like To Write

So far, all of my non-fanfiction (well, and one fanfiction...) stories have had some basis in a dream.

+I was originally Michael and Silvermin had kidnapped me, and I was forced to make him chocolate ice cream almost constantly. I was eventually rescued when I killed him with the Rook.

+I was Sonya and Nathan and I went out into this ruined, wasted city and fought bad guys. Nivedidus was even included! We rescued a bunch of small child-like things, putting some sort of not-nivedidus on their heads to put them into a sort of stasis, and then put them on a hover-cart to transport them. We fought the bad guys over these carts.

+I was Alter, and I was a little street urchin. I wanted to become a hero, though. Apparently they were special. I managed to get taken in for training by one, and we fought stuff! There was a talking fox, and this huge monster, and I couldn't step in the water otherwise the water snakes would smell me...

I feel as if I should put a quick disclaimer in here: I'm all for getting story ideas from dreams! BUT FOR GODS' SAKES. Edit them. Add to them. Create basic logic in them. Use 5% dream content and 95% (conscious) imagination, coherent plot, new characters, and tweaking. So much tweaking. As you can see above, the stories have changed drastically. Some of the characters are the same, even the plot could be similar.

I also actually have a document that's just for story ideas. I think I'm in the twenties right now. Some of them are completely ridiculous, and some of them have already been borrowed from (heavily) to go into other stories (Emil, for example!), but they're nice to write down and remember. Protip: Write down your dreams! Even if they're ridiculously crazy, and even if I'm the only one who has weird dreams like this, do it anyway! You'd be surprised by what inspires you and what you can use later.

Anyway, I digress.

Current projects and casts aside (whom I love dearly), there are some things that I would love to write at some abstract point in the future. Some of these ideas are more fleshed out than others; a couple have already been "started".

+"Crystal Rain". Crystals with "magical" abilities suddenly fall from the sky one day, and the world falls into chaos because of it. Governments scramble for these powerful gems, the black market and underground flourishes, and the population is reduced because of casualties of the initial fall as well as increased crime. The story itself follows one Annabelle Lee, a relatively innocent ranch girl who, after the murder of her cousin in front of her, resolves to kill the woman responsible. This entails joining a rival gang - think twenties gangsters. And all of the characters are named after obscure literary references! (Annabel Lee = Edgar Allen Poe poem.)

+Alter story! Alter, a beggar boy with no home or family to speak of, resolves to become a hero and help save the world. Or something. You know how kids are. The difference between him and every other ragamuffin on the street is that he actually does. He gets taken in by an old hero and mentored, learning magic and swordsmanship and all sorts of heroic things! This one is less planned out than Crystal Rain.

+A random fantasy story. Inspired a bit by Pan's Labyrinth in the fact that there's fantasy stuff all over but none of it's explained. It's just there. Our hero is going through a massive labyrinth, questing for... something! Monsters, heroes, villains, all sorts of shit will appear. No world explaining required! (I tend to explain too much. I just want to do something in which I can say "here's a monster. don't question what it is or how it came to be. it's just going to be here, kay?".)

+"Emerald". This one's fairly fleshed out (and was originally going to be titled "Emma", until I realized that there's kinda sorta a classic by that name. derp.) and stands a chance of actually being written if my imagination stops vomiting at me in my sleep. The story follows a relatively young girl, originally from the eighteenth century or so. Father dead, mother poor, she's become a thief and a beggar to help out at home. With the "Hundred Year's Party" going on in the mysterious manor that only opens every century, she figures that there HAS to be some treasure in there. Plus, rich people. Can't go wrong there. The problem is that it DOES. Long story short, she gets trapped in the mansion and becomes the new guardian of the emerald. If it ever leaves the mansion by foreign hands, she dies. Pretty good initiative for guarding it. Centuries and parties pass, and she keeps protecting it. In the future, however, things are harder. Eventually, someone manages to break in and leads her on a merry chase. It is only by virtue of bursting out into tears that allows her to exploit the loophole - he escorts her out of the mansion, and SHE is the one carrying the emerald. (It's huge. Like, the size of someone's head.) The man who commissioned the thief to steal it instead finds interest in the girl. After some tests, they discover that she can ONLY die by parting with the emerald - at least not through a lot of normal means. An emerald necklace later, the crime lord has a new mercenary. The bulk of the story would follow that.

+"those without souls". I would just really, really like to write this at some point. It started out as a failed autobiographical webcomic, but the story is still near and dear to my heart. (Double fail for the fact that "I" didn't even appear in it yet and would be a fairly minor character.) The story follows a teenager named Rhona, who, after a run in with a somewhat questionable blonde in a park while she was angsting, ends up with her soul nearly torn away. Souls, you see, are actual things. Only those without souls can see them, though, and they're constantly craving them. The problem is that those without souls cannot simply steal someone else's - but if someone's soul is picked up and carried away by someone else, then that person loses their soul as well. Rhona manages to stop the girl, but since her soul had been picked up and held by a stranger, she is never quite the same. She can see and interact with her own soul, and she becomes aware of other peoples - those closest to her, anyway. She also starts noticing... trends. Some people act different, look different, and they don't have souls. They want them, though. So badly. Soon enough, all but a war springs up. Possibly the most stylistic of my story ideas, since I have IDEAS. Like the fact that the soulless ones don't capitalize anything and almost always have light eyes and yeah. In some ways, it would have been better as some sort of graphic novel.

+"Naive"! OMG YAY. I love this idea. It stars this girl, Penelope, and this alien, Baxter. Basically, every year, they must race. If Penelope wins, then the earth becomes trading partners with his race. If he wins, then he just comes back next year for another try - although, of course, there ARE only so many chances they get. The catch is that Penelope wasn't supposed to be the racer for earth. (She's only nine when it starts.) Unfortunately, Baxter is very insistent on the fact that she cannot back out. Basically, an alien love story!

I'm not sure when my schedule will ever free up, haha. I have two more books to go for The Rook series, and WHIPLASH!. I'm not sure what's in store after that! But one day...

On Ree's Story And DeviantArt's Continued Vendetta Against Writers

HAY SUP GUYS.

School's been out for about a week now, but past that, I decide to upload the first chapter of Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey to the internet as a celebration! Only on deviantArt, though; the fanfiction.net version will go up as planned (after Pedestal officially ends).

The problem is that deviantArt apparently has a text limit. This, in itself, is not surprising and is expected. The problem is that it was smaller than the chapter. Granted, the first chapter is fairly large - just over 12k words - but still. It was annoying as fuck to have to split up the chapter into two parts. At least ff.net has no such problems...

Anyway, here we go!

First half of Chapter One: Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey Of Failed Tests:
here
Second half of Chapter One: Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey Of Failed Tests:
here

(Each chapter will start with a similar title. Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey Of _____. Each chapter will also have a preview, of sorts, for the next chapter at the end. Each chapter will also not be nearly as long as 12k words...)

WOO I'M EXCITED. DON'T JUDGE ME.

On a couple other notes: I hope for Pedestal to be done by the end of May, even if that's a little crazy and highly unlikely. June will be devoted to finishing up The Ram, and July will be donated to the rewrite of WHIPLASH!, which will stay as one (long) novel instead of becoming a series. I'm not good with subplots and overarching plots. After that, who knows?

Completed: Chapter 1 of RMWJ

Woo! I finally got done with the first chapter of Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey. I'm not completely happy with it, but it's the best I got and it's done. -w-

Now back to my psych papers... (This is why I've been quiet on the writing front. Too many papers due before school ends.)

Things You Didn't Know About My Story

Here are some random facts about some of the stories I've written! Or am working on. Please be aware of spoilers, or implications of spoilers, however. >: Don't want to ruin anything for anyone!

+The semi-famous nameless narrator in Pedestal started out completely by accident. The same with the mystery gender.
+Tuesday's Rook is very different from my Rook in the ending and a couple other key features. It'll be like a guessing game for the rest of the series.
+If WHIPLASH! evolves into a series, I'm completely lost for what the other names should be, overall series name should be, or anything involving names.
+The Rook series is the only series that I'll ever self-publish. I'm aware of the view of the literate world on self-publishing, ha.
+I pick character names either very, very carefully for their sound and meaning, or completely at random because it seems right.
+Apparently, I like culture building. I never realized this until I began developing the Lannish culture.

And that's all for now, since I have two horribly long psych papers to write! Keep your pens to the paper, ladies and gents!

Story Page Updates!

I finally got around to updating some of the story pages on this site, and made the RMWJ page public! Naturally, there's not a lot on this page, although I did put in information about Ree and Scott.

I also got around to adding characters to The Rook page, a plot summary to The Ram page (the link is located on The Rook series page!), and tweaking a couple small things on the WHIPLASH! and Pedestal pages. Damn it feels good to be productive.

I've also made it so comments can be left on story pages! Up next: possibly an 'about the author' page, or perhaps a page with links to drabbles/oneshots? Any ideas?

RMWJ Opening Teaser

“Fuck you!”
Enter Ree Adelaide Majors, trainer of exactly forty-seven minutes, brand new owner of a snivy, lover of foul language, possessor of delusions of grandeur, and general ass.
“Sni!”
Enter Mister Snivy Whiplash, her somewhat imaginatively named starter. She would swear up and down she thought he looked like the villain from her favorite old cartoon. He simply went with it because it made him feel fanciful.
These are the creations of a twisted world, fighting against time and fate and that very same world to achieve eight shiny, senseless little gems. Their goal is not unique, and is in fact shared by most of the training population of Unova—those bright-eyed, idealistic young children, the future of the region. What sets these characters apart is their journey, their strenuous, teary, joyful, heavy, lighthearted, and fantastic journey. It will have ups, it will have downs, it will shed blood, it will shed tears, and very possibly, it will touch your heart.
So, submitted for your consideration, this is

Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey

Why yes, I do want to have Rod Serling's children, why do you ask?

A Tale Of Excitement

I sometimes forget what people tell me to do or not do because my mouth, salivating and unruly, thinks for me. So I did what I was not supposed to do. I ate the last bit of food. And when I finished the little morsels left on my hands and mouth burned into my skin to render me shamed forever.

"Why do the birds obey you while they only answer stupidly to my calls?" he asked.

"Sugar and spice," the old woman beckoned as she held out palms filled with cinnamon falling between her fingers like sand. As she sprinkled it across the floor my head swum up in a dizzy spell of hunger. I could no longer control my feet moving towards the cheap gimmicks of an old woman.

The girl knelt down at my feet, pressing her furry costume against my skin. "Please help me," she said, and kissed one foot. She kissed the other. And when I looked down I found both the leather-bottomed shoes gone and bare toes remaining. They froze in the mountain wind. At my feet a white wolf with childlike eyes stared up at me, grinned, and ran off with two shoes in her jaws.

After I took the needle from its place, I pryed my father's bones from the floor and put them in my satchel.

As I approached the top of the mountain a white spectacle blinded me for an instant. When I blinked again I saw a white dragon shifting over the mountain like a layer of foam riding ocean waves. I could tell by its movement that it was a territorial creature; I could tell that it would fight me before allowing me to press further.

I watched as the folds of his skin began to swallow him alive under the sadness of defeat.

My feet, wearing their newfound bottomed shoes, pressed gently across the soils as not to wake the men clamoring upwards. But I still felt a shadow trail at my footsteps that did not feel like my own. As I walked faster the shadow moved behind me as well, sometimes touching my bare skin with sodden ground.

"As a child, my son could dance along the soil so quickly that the men who died and live in the ground could not catch him. Prove this to me now,"

Mother licked her fingers and placed them to my face, wiping the thick layer of dirt away. Then I truly began to look like my father's son, in form, face, and color.

(take from here~)

Idea?

So I've been entertaining the idea of doing a sort of Mark Reads thing, but with fanfiction. (There's nothing like that of repute on the internet, is there? IF SO WHERE.)

I mean, the tricky thing would be finding quality finished fanfiction. Would I skip around in genres or just go with one? (I would probably stick with pokemon, then, it being my first and most knowledgeable.) How would I pick stories? Would anyone bother reading it? (it wouldn't go on this site, probably would make another. i like my writing angst too much to let it die.)

Oh well, just a thought. (lol all the 'great ones' of fanfiction! I actually haven't read that many pkmn ones lately (and completely missed out on ones like "The Sun Soul" and "Clouded Sky" due to general laziness and busy-ness), so I'd be new to most of them! The only one I WOULD want to do, though, that I've already read part of is "Regret", but I left reviews so I could use those for some of my initial reactions while rereading...)

Also I think I'll start using actual post titles! Too lazy to go back and change the others, though. Ha.

i can't help but say that i love you that i love you

Ree's story is so hard to start! I'm having problems adjusting back to third-person writing. I'm never writing first-person again. ;A; Pedestal, you've ruined me forever.

The idea I'm currently fighting with (instead of studying for my big test tomorrow, but hey, at least I got my homework done) is a bit of an homage to Rod Serling. I love that man. Why no, Pedestal doesn't have enough references to him my other stories need more.

(For the uninformed, Rod Serling is the genius behind The Twilight Zone. The original.)

Edit: Also, updated my fish! Blue is for the nameless narrator of Pedestal, orange is for Nathan Loar of WHIPLASH!, purple for Ree of RWMJ stuff, red for all of the blood spilt (or my possible infatuation with redheads), and white for all of the dead. Because really guys, I go through characters like they're going out of style. And blood is ALWAYS fun.

I'm also - slowly - working on the pages and stuff for the stories. RMWJ has a page, too (just hidden for now), and it'll go up when the story itself has its first chapter released. I have a separate page for The Ram, too, but I'm still working on that one... Pedestal's pretty much done, though! :D AT LEAST I HAVE SOMETHING OKAY.

and even though she's dreaming she's unlocked the meaning

Here's some random and generally useless information! :D But fun.

RMWJ:
Predicted Favorite Character To Write: Tyron or Ree (hopefully)
Actual Favorite Character To Write: n/a
Predicted Least Favorite To Write: Scott or Ororin
Actual Least Favorite To Write: n/a

Pedestal:
Predicted Favorite Character To Write: NamNar, I think?
Actual Favorite Character To Write: it varies between NamNar, Kostya, Nick, Harlan...
Predicted Least Favorite To Write: I can't remember. Hanna?
Actual Least Favorite To Write: Benjamin, you little shit.

WHIPLASH!:
Predicted Favorite Character To Write: Sonya
Actual Favorite Character To Write: Sonya, Nathan, Maria, Lenore when she's angsty
Predicted Least Favorite To Write: Allen
Actual Least Favorite To Write: Lenore when she's pissy

The Rook series:
Predicted Favorite Character To Write: the Rook
Actual Favorite Character To Write: the Ram
Predicted Least Favorite To Write: I can't remember...
Actual Least Favorite To Write: Tuesday, the Rabbit, it varies

I'm mostly just still on a RMWJ hype, haha. Trying to push through the first chapter while knowing nothing about geography and few official names.

So here's some fun facts about RMWJ and its cast so far:
+I think the story starts in August, which means that Ree's birthday is in September.
+I will not be capitalizing 'pokemon' or the species names in this story.
+Maya is two years younger than Ree.
+I have entertained the thought that Mister Snivy Whiplash will be mute, but haven't decided either way.
+I'm not sure whether to rate this as T or M on fanfiction.net.
+Ree owns metallic purple lingerie.
+Scott likes singing and will call her to sing several times throughout the story.
+I haven't worked out a precise timeline yet, only faint concepts of who arrives when.
+Each chapter title will match; they will all be "Of _______". Some ideas that will probably be used: "Of Failed Tests", "Of Silver And Gold".
+Ree is my second tallest female character, behind Lenore (naturally).
+References to Pedestal - mostly through references to the state Sinnoh is in - will be made.
+Other characters so far include: Ty (Tyron), Perdido (alias), Maya, Scott, Unika, Marcella, Andy, Harry, Ororin, and probably more as I come up with them.
+This story will be written on a time limit, which I am not comfortable in it. Not in a time limit in real life, but in-story (which makes it worse); Ree decides to get all eight badges in under a year.
+Ree, unlike most trainers, will probably end up being very rich. She starts off fairly rich due to working in various ways since she was ten (mostly babysitting at first), and wins a lot of her battles through sheer ferocity.

i'm so lucky lucky i'm so lucky lucky i'm so lovely lovely

Woah, hey guys! Long time no post, I know. College does that sometimes (but only sometimes).

So I have a new fanfiction in the works - brb loling at myself - and I'm excited for it. It's still very much in the planning phase, but hey, why not? Pedestal's coming to an end very quickly and I'll need something else to neglect The Ram with.

On that note: June will be a nanowrimo for it, and July will be a nanowrimo for my WHIPLASH! rewrite (aka REWRITE!). Anyone wanna join in either of these things with me? Or become a cheerleader? More details here!

Anyway, let me pause to gush an itty bitty bit about RMWJ - the new fanfiction I mentioned. I'm keeping what the title actually is under wraps for now, but it follows a relatively small and definitely crazy little cast. We have Ree Majors, main character, possibly psychotic, and resident badass. Scott Felton, her boyfriend, ex-trainer, and owner of a very odd team. Maya Majors, sister, apologetic, possibly neurotic, and only sane man girl. Of course, we don't have a proper story without the famous skitty twist or two! But I'll keep those to myself, too.

my oh my do you wanna say goodbye

Okay, so it should be semi-common knowledge now, but WHIPLASH! is actually the name of a fiction song by a fictional band in the story. It's all very meta but there's a reason for it. (Not mind control. Probably.) If there's a series, this trend will continue, with other song names by the same band.

The problem is that I'm not a songwriter. And I sort of need any and all of these title songs written out, at least partially. (Hey, even better if they could be actual songs, holy crap lol. I have a general sense of what WHIPLASH!-the-song sounds like, but I'm pretty bad with music in all things but listening.)

So, any songwriters (or even pro poets) out there, oh internet? Anyone wanna join such a project? Obviously, credit would go completely to the writer and whatnot, and any and all pricing or monetary deals could be figured out later-ish when I know exactly what's going down.

(Sonya coming next for the character thing, btw. Something to look forward to!)

A Study In Ash: Nathan Loar

Here is a link to Nathan's character forms. Both are pulled more or less directly from The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman, and I strongly recommend picking up a copy of that book for all writers out there, aspiring or otherwise.

Physical and personal life: here

Personality traits: here

Nathan is a pretty mellow guy. His loves in life include his gun, his cigarettes, pickles, and winning arguments. He's a little elitist and controlling, but he's incredibly good at what he does. He's not conceited and doesn't let pride or emotions get in the way of his work (well, unless Sonya is directly involved), just so long as his training or instincts tell him what to do. Otherwise, he's a little lost.

Nathan is fiercely loyal to anyone on his good side, but even that is a little warped; basically, if he knows you, and you haven't held a gun to his head before, he'll save you. Even if he hates you. That said, he will not hesitate to throw anyone else under the bus if it means saving someone more important. He has a habit of rationalizing after the fact, especially if it involves a mistake.

He cares deeply for his country and would go to any lengths to protect it. Unfortunately, many of his friends don't share his ideals, especially as the storyline wears on. He probably cares for Sonya more, though, so that's pretty redeeming.

you're living in america at the end of the millenium you're living in america leave your conscience at the tone

So I've decided, officially or unofficially, to work on rewriting the beginning of WHIPLASH!. I knew it would have to go under some serious revamping if I were to be serious about publishing it already. But I want to rewrite the first chapters before "starting over", I guess. Especially since its arrival in my life was years ago and there's so much time between the chapters.

Obviously, this would not happen overnight. Or soon. I'm definitely going to finish Pedestal first, and The Ram if I think I still stand a chance at making the summer deadline for the free proof copy.

But after that, in between the proofing things of The Ram and next year's NaNoWriMo, I'll have time. (Even more since my boyfriend will be deployed overseas... /cry) So I could start then.

Another thing I'm now wondering (although admittedly this is far more recent and far more unofficial) is if I should turn WHIPLASH! into a series. The overarching plot can handle it, although I'd have to work on some subplots and single-book-plots. I'm a long writer, so I'm quite familiar with going on and on. The only dangers are if I get bored of it (/cry again)...

On the upside, it means I could expand the universe a lot more. Which is always fun and I've poured a lot of effort into that already. (I'm currently working on nailing a culture for Bauk. It's going better than expected!) I could work on character relations and development (which I will not lie; these are my strengths). I wouldn't have to sprint through missions (which I've sort of been doing) and I could slow down the pace overall. (Not of the first few chapters, but yeah. Regardless.)

I don't know. Thoughts, anyone?

sometimes the feeling is right you fall in love for the first time heart beat and kisses so sweet so much in love in the moonlight

I always feel icky with love and pregnancy while writing. (Warning! Science Content Personal views and opinions and facts ahead!)

Well first let me say: Not love. Love is a wonderful driving force in fiction and no matter WHAT you do, it's nigh impossible to write without some semblance or cameo. There can be background couples, a onesided crush, a drunken night, even accidental kisses for comedic relief. It can be one of the most violent, powerful, insane emotions and of course writing (really, all of the arts) and I love love in literature.

That said, I am by and large not a regular human being. I can pass as one in public most of the time. But I fail even harder as a girl. This puts me at a severe disadvantage in the world of romance and it's why I'll never manage to write a non-action thing, because it's the only thing I can fall back on. I don't look forward to marriage. I will never have children because I find the entire process of pregnancy revolting and can't stand smallthings under seven or so disgusting. I'm socially and romantically awkward, emotionally distant, and have adverse reactions to most things that others would consider 'cute'. I don't want flowers, I only want chocolate because I'm a pig, I will hold your hand on MY TERMS and MY TERMS ONLY, don't you dare kiss me if I don't want it, etc. I'm very much a cat in the fact that I only want affection when it suits me.

But I digress. A lot. It's this unfamiliarity and half-rejection that makes romance so awkward to write. I will probably never be able to write a sex scene - hell, probably not even a strong kiss scene. I find it awkward to write and can't connect to the emotion behind it. I'm an advocate of plot-relevant sex scenes and how it's not just fanservice, and even though there will have to be one in WHIPLASH!, I am not looking forward to that. Ugh.

(For example as to how I am very bad at human-human relationships, here's how I just answered the phone when my boyfriend called:
"Hello?"
"I heart you."
"...What."
"You're cute."
"Kittens are, and you're tired. Go to bed."
I am terrible and I fully realize this. Oh well.)

Pregnancy is also awkward in my writing, but not completely because of my total unfamiliarity with it. It's also because I am a feminist when it suits me and I all but HATE it in literature. It's very rarely done in a way that I can stand, much less like. I appreciate the happy family view, I do. I like that kind, just so long as it's... backstory-ish. It's not meant for endings. Pregnancy is a beginning; I don't want a book to end with it. Don't you dare.

There's also the fact that I very rarely would ever write it because I am a soulless bitch who hates babies. Because you know what? Having to decide literally EVERYTHING about that child, literally from birth, sucks. It sucks hard. Most of my characters come to me damn near fully-formed. A lot of them in dreams. I rarely have to consciously CREATE a character, and even when I do, I have a vague semblance of whether the plot needs a male or female. Or maybe I have so many females in this scene I want a male. Or the reverse. Whatever the reason, I don't just pick a gender. But babies? They're potentially characters before they actually exist. They can been introduced and even named without having a gender. There's emotional attachment without a gender. And you have two roads in front of you. Do you want the little boy, climbing trees, riding a bike, sucking his thumb? Do you want a little girl with a doting father, cute dresses, and skinned knees? One will exist and the other will immediately die.

So, in review and because I am currently having to debate the merits between a male and female child:
+Love in literature ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF.
+I hate writing physical love.
+I love writing emotional love.
+Sex scenes are very awkward when not in smut novels or settings.
+Pregnancy in literature sucks.
+I am a bad specimen of the female homo sapiens.

Skitty out! (to decide on an eventual gender)

she won't ever get enough once she gets a little touch

More drabbles! 8D

One Week - Sara Grace & Maria, character study, canon past

Anything You Like - Allen, character study, mild canon spoilers (but nothing that I haven't already given away on my blog/dA, haha)

Won't Ever Get Enough - Nathan & Emil & Sonya, fluff, lulz, sort of 'what if' ish

Sweet Sugar Candyman - Nathan & Allen, continuation of the above, a little lulz, sort of 'what if' ish, a little character study ish

to add color to your boring today to put magic into your melancholic tomorrow

So I've been writing some drabbles/flash fiction/vignettes, what have you. So far, all WHIPLASH! themed and based on songs because no one can give me some good prompts. XD

The Only Difference Between Suicide And Martyrdom Is Press Coverage - Sonya, 'what if' AU

Blame It On The Girls - Sara Grace & Maria, past canon, character study ish

Because There's Beauty In The Breakdown - Lenore, introspective, character study

Help Me Leave Behind Some Reasons To Be Missed - Nathan, character study, 'what if' ish

Lullaby - Sonya, character study, fluff ish

a wolf with an apple in one hand "are you what's fallen down?" he asks

So I'm still gonna do the character stuffs for WHIPLASH!, rest assured, but I just wanted to drop in to say that I haven't actually really started on writing such things. XD; If any of you have read that book, you know that there's a TON of character exercises in it. It's sort of a project to take on and I haven't had the time yet to sit down and go through it...

Anyway, I am working on The Ram again! Rejoice! So far, too, it's been fun and a half. Here's an excerpt because I love this sort of thing.

And then there was that niggling little voice in the back of his mind that reminded him too strongly of the Owl, telling him not to do that, that he'd regret it in the future.
The Ram selected a dagger and pulled it out of its leather sheath, examining it in the half-light. He caught the Rook looking at it, too, and smiled for the first time. He held it up by the blade between two fingers. “Like it?” he asked politely. As if they were discussing the weather or a fresh kill. The Rook snorted in response and dropped his scowl.
The dagger was suddenly buried in his eye.
The Rook screamed and flapped his wings in vain, arms struggling against his bindings, leaping to his feet and knocking over his chair in the process. The Ram watched him in amusement. He walked over and ignored the screeching, delicately pinning the Rook against the wall as if he weren't fighting with all his strength.
He pulled the knife out and wiped it on the Rook's leg. The Rook snarled something garbled and tried to turn against him, but the Ram kept him pinned with one hand. “You'll regret this!” he said hoarsely, chest heaving, wings still struggling in vain.
The Ram chuckled. “My dear Rook, I've regretted the day I met you for some time now.”
“Yeah, well—fuck you.”
“You'd like that, wouldn't you,” he replied thinly, letting the other go. The Rook sagged to the floor, wings immediately curling tightly around him. “If you want to play defensive, I could simply break through those precious little feathery twigs—” He hadn't finished the threat before the Rook was shielding his wings with his body, keeping them folded protectively behind him, glaring up at the Ram with his one good eye. The other was a mess of blood and flesh and who knew what else. The Ram couldn't help but laugh at the sight of it.

EDITEDITEDIT:

Apparently this is my 100th post! /joy and happiness abound

so let's not get carried away with the process of elimination i don't wanna waste your time

So I'm rereading Noah Lukeman's The Plot Thickens and I'm gonna go though my WHIPLASH! cast with them. A post for each character. Be excited for this! (I am.) :D

(I'm not doing The Ram because it's too late for it, and Pedestal's almost done and arguably has some of the best characterization I've created. Stupid fanfiction...)

And I'll do this later when the cramps aren't killing me. D|

with a thousand lies and a good disguise hit 'em right between the eyes

So completely and shamelessly stolen (but probably not unique to) from The Meek, but I doodled up some new year's resolutions for some of my characters.

NamNar: I resolve to make up my mind about Nick. (Um, maybe...)
Nick: I resolve to keep up the good work.
Tuesday: I resolve to... survive.
Luca: I resolve to be properly fuckin' introduced. (Thomas in the background: Me too!)

My favorite thus far are the rebels of the group.

I plan on drawing Nathan and Sara Grace simply having a catfight/pulling on each other's hair. And I already have Maria and Emil drawn up with the following:

Maria: Jero shanai toa esimer, mies surdan parvite.
Emil: S-Silenco, tou ors nordin!

Which translates to "I shall (it sounds more formal translated, but isn't when spoken in Lannish) eat you, my little southerner." and "Sh-Shut up, you northern bear!".

Basically this is just fun and a great way to torture play with my characters.