kuunowriting

[kuunowriting]

AAAAAAA

Hey, it’s Kuuma, and sometimes I hate being a plotter. This is my third attempt to try to get a plot in order. Send help.

Inconsistent posts much? I’ve been quite busy and the only stuff I’ll probably be posting for a while is probably not going to be great. See you around!

[kuunowriting]

The House of the Scorpion: The Characterization of Tom Alacrán

Hey, it’s Kuuma! I tried analyzing Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn and now I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of analyzing literature I like. Plus it’s 11:44 PM and almost New Year, so I might as well stay up to celebrate it. 

Anyway, the story I will analyze today is “The House of the Scorpion” by Nancy Farmer, a 2002 science fiction novel featuring cloning as a prominent theme. Even if it’s rather old, I liked the book a lot and decided to write about it. This is my blog, so haha, I’ll do what I want.

However, we will focus on Tom Alacrán for now, an antagonist to the main character, Matt. He is shown to be a rather unpleasant and unlikable person. I’ll put my essay under the cut for your accessibility!

Tom is first introduced early on, albeit through hearsay, in Chapter 2: The Little House in the Poppy Fields, page 13 when the caretaker of the narrator, Celia describes him to Matt, our narrator. She exclaims, “He gave María a bottle of lemon soda today… Do you know what was in it?... Pee! Can you believe it?”

By showing Tom’s impact on another character and his actions, Farmer gives a clear image that Tom isn’t the greatest person. No one would be if they gave an innocent girl pee in a bottle. This is only the beginning of Tom’s less than stellar character.

A few chapters later, Matt finally meets Tom through the prison bars on page 44 in Chapter 5: Prison. There is a good physical description of what Tom looks like, “a boy somewhat older than himself [Matt was around 6], with bristly red hair and freckles”. It’s a straightforward description without any kindness or flowery language, which mirrors lack of fascination Matt has toward this new boy.

Paragraphs later, Tom tells Matt “You’re ugly [and] you look like a pig in a sty.” When Matt doesn’t respond, he continues, “I forgot. You’re too dumb to talk. You’re a stupid clone who wets his pants and barfs all over his feet. Maybe if I spoke your language, you’d understand.” He then “put his face against the bars and grunted.”

You should feel glad that Matt threw a rotten orange filled with worms at Tom’s face because this speech only furthers the idea that Tom is a nasty kid. In fact, just two pages later, “Tom returned with a peashooter” and began to shoot Matt with it. I would like to mention that besides characterizing Tom, Farmer also sets up a prickly relationship between Matt and Tom and makes it easy to hate the boy.

There is more than plenty of characterization about Tom in the entirety of this book, but let’s finish up with page 96 in Chapter 10: A Cat with Nine Lives. 

I quote: “[Tom] went out but not before Matt saw a flash of real anger on his face. Tom had wanted something and hadn’t got it. Matt was sure Tom had dumped Furball in the toilet, although he’d never shown dislike for the dog before. That was like Tom, though. He could be courteous and helpful on the surface, but you never knew what was going on underneath.”

Yes, Tom tried to drown an innocent dog. In fact, Furball was María’s dog, someone who he seems to like or at least hangs out a lot with. That is another level of scum, going as far as to attempt kill an innocent dog that belongs to a friend/acquaintance who he know would be hurt a lot of his because he wanted something. 

Tl;dr: Nancy Farmer paints a very vivid image of a malicious boy through other characters describing him, his dialogue, and his actions. I always admire how skilled writers can say so much with so little words. 

Oh! It’s New Years where I am. Happy 2021, and see you around!

[kuunowriting]

Akatsuki no Yona: A study on beginnings - Part 1

Hey, it’s Kuuma! This post is rather unusual since it’s not relating to my art/writing, but this is my blog so I’m going to post whatever I want (lol). I’ll try not to take up too much of your time. 

Anyway, let’s talk about Akatsuki no Yona. AnY (or Yona of the Dawn) is an on-going historical romance manga series by Mizuho Kusanagi. It’s one of my absolute top favorite mangas, and one of the reasons why I love it so much is its stellar writing. 

Let’s talk about how Kusanagi begins the series and why I think she did a good job setting up the series. I’m not a professional writer, so take this post with some salt. Additionally, spoilers... for the first chapter and some bits of foreshadowing to the rest of the series, wink wink. 

This will be split into a few parts because I just realized how much I have to say. I’ll be putting the rest of this very long post under the cut:

(Direct quotes of the manga will be from from Titania Scanalations’ translation: http://www.titaniascans.com/reader/Akatsuki+no+Yona/) 

The first few panels show our main character Yona in the mountains. It seems to be showing what happens later in the book and it seamlessly transitions back in time. 

With a few words, Kusanagi reveals the setting: “This is Kouka Kingdom... and what once was my castle, Hiryuu Castle.”

And in the next setting, she tells about our protagonist: “At the time, the Emperor did not have an heir to the throne, nor an empress to give birth to an heir. Just a 15 year old princess he raised with great care.”

Already the readers know the setting and the protagonist, Yona, which already fullfills the purpose of the first chapter; that is, exposition. With a simple few words, we already have an image, albeit small, of the protagonist--a 15 year old young princess who probably doesn’t know how to rule, if she’s not the heir. 

The next few pages establish and characterize Yona even further. She complains about her red hair and her looks to her father, the King. It’s solid characterization, that she’s bratty and only cares about her looks. Yona may not be likable here, but this dialogue quickly characterizes her. 

This transitions into the introduction to the deuteragonist, Hak who happens to be Yona’s childhood friend. Some banter tells that he’s got a bit of a sarcastic streak. Kusanagi drops a lot of information about Hak in a single statement from Yona’s father: “Besides, Hak is already the general commander of the castle at age 18. It’s only natural that he’s your bodyguard.” 

Back at it again with a smooth transition, Soo-won, Yona’s cousin three years her senior is introduced. By showing that Yona was worrying about her hair (and even wore “top of the line clothing... [and used] highest quality cosmetics and makeup” as stated a few pages later) before meeting her cousin, Kusanagi implies that there’s something more to their relationship than just family. 

There’s some talk about how Soo-won’s been by her side since they were children and Yona bumps into Soo-won. Yona’s shown to be shy and nervous around him while Soo-won treats her like a child. 

Kusanagi transitions to a flashback of a younger Yona and Soo-won, displaying their close relationship, characterizing Soo-won as extremely kind and even dropping some extra information, like how Yona’s mother is dead.

The rest of the chapter is similar, as Kusanagi weaves together so much information without using huge infodumps or slowing the plot down. It’s not super noticeable, in my opinion. So I’ll list off what else Kusanagi manages to achieve in a fluid manner. 

Yona shyly offers sweets to Soowon only to see that he’s not in his room (again, shows their relationship) which cleanly transitions to Hak and Soo-won hunting. Eventually, Yona wants to shoot with them but her father refuses because “I could never let you hold a weapon...” (some characterization about Yona’s father--he seems to be cowardly)

Soo-won calls over for Yona to ride on the horse. The King gets nervous (further showing his overprotectiveness/cowardliness). 

Yona gets on the horse anxiously (characterization of her shelteredness). There’s a funny exchange between her and Hak that’s a contrast to her relationship with Soo-won--she’s looser, less nervous, more sarcastic.

Yona gets on the horse next to Soo-won and gets even more nervous because of his close proximity. The cousins have an exchange about engagement when Yona accidentally blurts out that she’s engaged to Hak (which she wasn’t), which leads to extreme awkwardness. (just here for humor purposes, it seems, or to show that Yona loses control of her tongue around Soo-won)

Later, her father tells Yona that she might be engaged. She balks at the idea, saying she doesn’t want to be engaged to anyone but Soo-won. Her father counters by saying “Up until now I have given you everything you have desired...” (furthers her spoiled image) but that she cannot have Soo-won. (this is a plot thread that later gets expanded on)

Skipping the next page except for one tidbit of information (”Your mother was murdered by rebels”) Yona wonders about her own happiness (almost feels like foreshadowing). Suddenly Yona spots a mysterious figure that begins to chase her through the castle. Someone grabs her and pulls her into a room and she struggles. 

That someone turns out to be Soo-won. Soo-won comforts the terrified girl as Yona realizes the threats of being part of the royal family. Already some development, but only a tiny, tiny bit. Yona tries to confess to Soo-won, but he shuts her down. Soo-won does lift her spirits by telling her that “You suddenly look like a woman to me...” Yona smiles, concluding that she’s happy as long as he’s by her side, which furthers their relationship. (a cruel irony to what happens next)

It’s simply amazing how Kusanagi can reveal so much about a character, their relationships, and even drop in some plot threads and background information without having us blink. 

And that’s part 1! Part 2 will come out... sometime. i have no idea. Remember that I’m not super qualified since I’m only an amateur writer who loves this series and might have slipped some of my opinions in here. Constructive criticism is appreciated for this. Happy (almost New Year, and see you around!

[kuunowriting]

Dyno: 1 and 8-10 for the OC headcanon thing :P

Haha, looks like it’s just gonna be us two talking to each other.

Dyno

1. Light sleeper

The deuteragonist Leo and a less significant character Liz both have insomnia, so neither of them are very heavy sleepers. The MC Tianlai also isn’t a heavy sleeper, which leads to a lot of bizarre dreams (dreams occur in REM sleep, the stage before deep sleep).

8. Can kill you with a pencil

This is definitely Dawn, a tertiary character. She could kill you with just about anything if she wanted to; she’s very used to creating trouble.

9. Looks sweet but will murder you in cold blood

Sounds like my side characters, Isabel and Stephanie. Isabel is really outgoing and friendly and Stephanie is kind to everyone, which creates the illusion that they’re actually nice. They’re not. They could turn on you anytime.

10. Looks like they will murder you but is a sweetheart

It’s Leo again. He hardly ever smiles and has a signature “I will kill you” look, but he actually cares very deeply for the people he loves and act like a completely different person around them.

[kuunowriting]

For the headcanons thing... 11 and 30 (:

“FYI I asked this because I was sad no one talked to us” - Dyno

“Lol I was going to do that too, but Imma answer them anyway” - Kuuma

Original post with Headcanons here!

11. Will eat everything if they could

30. Will send meme(s) in the group chat.

Kuuma:

11 fits a lot of my OCs since two of them grew up on the streets where there wasn’t food and another grew up in a prison eating nothing but sad lumpy porridge. I’ll list them:

Min, protagonist of Passionless: she grew up on the streets at a young age and literally will eat anything. Has eaten dirt before.

Kimi, tritagonist of Passionless: he also grew up with Min on the streets and would also literally eat anything as long there’s a single speck of sugar in it. The boy’s a total sweet tooth, for better or for worse, probably for worse.

Kaydence, protagonist of Catharsis: she grew up imprisoned with nothing but porridge. Also would eat anything and flip you off while doing it. “nO KAYDENCE DON’T EAT THAT BUTTERFLY--”

30 also fits a lot of my OCs (sounds like they have some similar personalities, is that a yikes because they aren’t unique?).

Kimi: the boy is literally nicknamed sarcastic prick by Min, you can bet he’s hiding some memes down his pockets and sleeves. He’s the chaotic one in the group chat with memes that either make Min break out in hysterical laughter or facepalm.

Klyris, deuteragonist of Catharsis: he’s a chaotic boy, similar to Kimi, actually. His humor is a lot darker than Kimi’s and he’s always going wink wink nudge nudge with Kaydence. The two have a ton of inside jokes.

[kuunowriting]

Please send us some of these!

Send Me a Headcanon and I’ll Tell What OC I Associate It With

Light sleeper

Has non stop puns

Will cut you if you hurt their loved ones

Has a dysfunctional family

Likes rock music

Will give you the middle finger

Is a sweet angel

Can kill you with a pencil

Looks sweet but will murder you in cold blood

Looks like they will murder you but is a sweetheart

Will eat everything if they could

Wants to run away from everything

Knows random facts about everything

Owns a motorcycle

Is book smart

Is naïve

Would steal a penguin from the zoo

Has very exaggerated facial expressions

Likes Harry Potter

To solve other peoples problems, they say to murder the problem

Is a nervous wreck

Likes dragons

Will laugh as they kill you

Would bake a cake for a friend who is sad

Is the comforting one

Acts like they don’t care, but do

Loves children

Gets lost easily

Likes to work out

Will sends meme in the group chat

Knows every song ever

Likes socks

Can’t sleep without something special

Has a sweet tooth

Has amazing hair

[kuunowriting]

Kuuma: 

google docs (I love you even if you can’t load documents longer than 90 pages)

character moodboards (rarely create either option, but I like moodboards better)

writing with music (silence just makes me nervous oop--)

lots of half finished wips (...sigh...)

plotter (I pantstered my way through my first serious story and it was a disaster)

more dialogue (half and half on here, but dialogue is fun)

plot-driven (wish my stories were more character driven, so that's something I'm working toward)

enemies to lovers (both tropes are great when done right)

Dyno:

google docs

character moodboards

writing in silence

lots of (less than) half finished wips

pantser for the first 5 drafts then i actually plot

more description

character-driven

enemies to lovers

writing style game!

put ur answers in the tags!

google docs or microsoft word? character moodboards or character playlists? writing with music or writing in silence? lots of half finished wips or one project at a time? plotter or pantser? more dialogue or more description? character-driven books or plot-driven books? enemies to lovers or friends to lovers?

[kuunowriting]

Writeblr Intro

Hey, here’s to a new writing blog! 

kuunowriting is the mashup of the usernames of the two writers behind the blog. (Kuuma + Dyno = Kuuno--yes we’re absolute geniuses)

I’m Kuuma, one half of kuunowriting, but you can call me any shortened version of that (Kuu, Uma, Kma, etc.). I use she/her pronouns.

I’ve been writing most of my life but have been plagued with the woeful lack of motivation to actually get some of my big projects down (WIPs galore, sigh). 

My favorite genres to write in are fantasy and contemporary fiction while I like reading anything as long as I enjoy it--romance, action, historical fiction, anything.

I’ll be posting mostly writing memes, ramblings/headcanons about my OCs, perhaps some actual writing, and some occasional character art sprinkled within. 

If you ever want to talk or ramble to me, my main blog is @iswearimnotanaestheticgirl. Nice to meet you, and see you around!

Hi, I’m Dyno, and I make up like 25% of kuunowriting (Kuuma takes up the other 75%). I use she/her pronouns. (This may change in the future.)

Unlike Kuuma, I haven't been writing most of my life. I mostly work as an editor for Kuuma's works, but that doesn't stop me from creating way too many OCs that I know I'm never going to write about. I try to write as much as I can with my busy(?) schedule.

My favorite genre to write is probably fantasy, due to the freedom it gives me. I like reading almost anything but my favorite is sci-fi. (The actually cool kind, not the kind that tries to explain everything with "quantum mechanics.")

I'll try to post as much as writing as I can, but I'll probably be ranting about my characters most of the time.

If you have somehow found this blog, please please talk to me on my main: @socially-awkward-dynosaur. I am bored.