#of course she's got another character arc ahead of her once the war stuff hits her

[shadowsong26fic]

Writing meme question: 2, 7, and 9. (If it isn't too much) :D

Nope, not at all too much :D

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

...hmmmmmmmmmm...that is a good question, lol. Uh, I’m not necessarily coming up with anything specific? Although I guess there is some stuff that I mostly do in either RP contexts or very private self-indulgent nonsense that it might be nice to treat Properly, so to speak. Things like self-indulgent crossovers and/or AU concepts, random things like wingfic/bonded creatures/etc. (though only in certain contexts and usually fitting those into an otherwise-canon universe), certain H/C tropes...also, not really tropes, but there’s a couple of rarepairs that I’d love to see more of (for which I’d pretty much have to write it myself lol) but either because I’m not sure I have a handle on the character voices involved or just because...pairing-focused stuff is not really where my fic brain lives for the most part, lol.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Oooooh, this is a hard one. Uh. Let’s go with this, from a short story set in one of my original worlds, The Farglass Cycle (previously known as Feredar):

The Audience Hall, at least, seemed to be mirrored rather than clear, other than the dais ahead of her. It gave the impression that Queen Kesshare was floating, rather than sitting, when the light hit her right. As if chairs and floors were for mere mortals, like her consort beside her, not for the iron-hard desert Queen with her dark hawk's eyes and deceptively simple and soft-looking silver gown. She looked like a bronze-gilt statue of a harsh Goddess of the Dead, and Sheminne didn't have to be a performer to know that every aspect of the Queen's clothing, posture, Hall, down to her husband slightly behind her, in shadow, on a more-solid throne, the fact that the cavernous room, with its graceful columns and shimmering floor was entirely empty save for the three of them and a handful of silent bodyguards... It was calculated for exactly that impression of ultimate power and doom.

There are some things I would edit here--I know that my Main Writing Flaw is run-on sentences/overuse and abuse of commas, semicolons, emdashes, ellipses...you name it, I love it. [Hi, we’re the Neverending Sentences, and we’ll be here all night]

...anyway, I’m aware of that weakness of mine, and I think I’d do some more editing here (I wrote this...yeesh, nearly ten years ago; and it sticks out as particularly run-on).

But what I like about this is that...I’m also not super good at description? (Like, for example, the fact that I have yet to describe Dr. Naar in Precipice is not only because I still haven’t made up my mind as to whether he’s Human or Besalisk; it’s also at least partly because fitting in descriptions like that is Awkward and I Don’t Like Doing It, lol).

This is, I think, one of my better efforts at description. It tells you pretty much everything you need to know about Kesshare (who, fun fact, is Not actually the villain in this story; but if other events abroad hadn’t upstaged her, she would absolutely be the villain of another story). And it gives you at least a little bit about the nation she rules (the Kingdom of the City of Glass; usually just referred to as Glass or the City of Glass), and something of its wealth/power/relationship with other nations.

Also, see here for a picture I commissioned of Kesshare awhile ago, mostly using the above passage as a reference, lol. (Kesshare is the top picture; the bottom is Taz, another character from the same story).

((Honorable mention, because they’ve been in my head lately either because characters or topic: a bunch of stuff from our faces like a mirror; both in terms of a few key moments that made Bo-Katan into who and what she became when we the audience meet her in TCW, as well as some things about her relationship with Satine and their respective philosophies; a couple snippets of miscellaneous AU bits (like this one, lol)...but I like this one, and it’s nice to draw attention to some of my original stuff sometimes, y’know?))

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Oooooh, good question. Uh. Different things are hard for different reasons? I don’t think any fic has ever been Super Easy (except actually maybe The Devoted; that one flowed pretty smooth once I really got going). So, I guess...I’ll cycle through some of my other SW longfic projects and quick answer because Why Not:

Precipice has its ups and downs, depending on topic and focus. Arc Six was I think the hardest (despite the fact that Arc Seven has taken For Ever to get out, lol), between I’m not good at Sustained Fluff and Saw is a pain in the butt even if I wasn’t using his POV. (I swear, the next/final chapter Will Be Out Soon; I have...like...3-4 hours of work left on it which I swear I’m not using this meme to procrastinate <.< ...of course, then I have all the sequel/interquel stuff planned lol I’m sure I’ll have more Ups And Downs to complain about in the future)

our faces like a mirror, which I mentioned in the last answer, I’ve been working on on and off for, like, three years; it’s hard to balance Bo and Satine’s points of view without vilifying either; also because there is like zero canon definition of the period I’m writing about, there’s a lot of whitespace to fill in. It’s almost closer to writing original fiction in that way--I mean, I don’t have to do the heavy lifting of worldbuilding, and I am focusing on fleshing out something we have a hint of in canon that drew my attention (i.e., how did these two end up where they were/with such diametrically opposite beliefs/what is/was their relationship as sisters; how did bo-katan survive the mandalorian civil war since she pretty clearly was not with satine and the jedi; how much do their separate experiences during that time affect them/inform their future behavior (spoiler: A LOT)); but a lot of the specific events/storyline and even some of the characterization of these two women is pretty much built from scratch.

Distaff, I got stuck on ‘cause I borked my timeline and also haven’t 100% figured out how I wanted it to end.

The Phoenix; getting into Luke’s head was kind of hard; also the ending feels kind of rushed.

for we are a woven thread; find the strand; figuring out what to do with Obi-Wan’s thread was a little hard, also just...getting through the super downer beginning, lol.

SW2021 big bang: finding the actual Story buried in how the three focal characters connect and what that means for them/the rest of the galaxy. AKA lol what is the Plot.

...I’m not sure that actually answers the question, but it’s something in the neighborhood, at least?

Ask me a fic writer question! (Or, frankly, any question, I like to babble about writing to/at people. My writing discord is pretty quiet but I do that there sometimes XD)

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

Endgame of Thrones (April Picks)

Does it even matter what else I watched earlier this month because THIS WEEKEND! If every weekend was like this one I don’t know how I could function. Thankfully Game of Thrones’ Battle of Winterfell and Avengers Endgame were on two different days so my body had some time to process it all. But even preparation couldn’t get me ready for all of the action that occurred. Here come the spoilers!

Spoilers.....

Spoilers....

Spoilers...

I’m serious here they come!

GAME OF THRONES 8x03

After last week’s episode I was FEARFUL for what would come at the Battle of Winterfell. The impending battle that was foreshadowed since the beginning was inevitable and with several (if not all) of the characters reaching a full character development I grew even more worried for their safety. 8x02 had to be one of my favorite episodes of GOT so far because we had some many characters reuniting and under the same roof with these full circles being made. The top moment for me had to be when Brienne of Tarth became Ser Brienne. Then I immediately started hoping she would survive the next episode. (Thanks writers for making us not be able to just enjoy anything anymore.) 

So, last night as 8x03 began I got ready for the worst, unsure if anyone would survive and after watching I have to say that I am shocked at how many people lived through it. (Which once again makes me very fearful for what lies ahead in the rest of the show. There’s no way all of them will make it, right?) Our main focus has been on the Night King and his oncoming dark night that I was SHOCKED when Arya killed him! I thought we would have to fight him for multiple episodes. Okay, I actually thought he wouldn’t have even been at Winterfell. I believed the theory he was going straight for Kings Landing which actually would have probably been the smarter move. After he was killed I sat there for a moment like: What are the next 3 episodes going to be about? Completely forgetting that Cersei exists. 

But that kill! WOW ARYA! I did not see that coming. I thought Jon would have been more of a contributing factor in the Night King’s death due to him being the product of Fire and Ice, but other than getting lost on his dragon Jon basically spent the episode on the sidelines. I was so happy that Arya got to kill the Night King with one of her oldest tricks. Which of course now makes me upset for her safety. Another full character arc? 

I just wish Bran looked more thankful. But then again he only wears one face now-a-days. As I’ve heard several people mention, I really do hope we learn why the Night King was so obsessed with Bran (who btw I was expecting to have more of a role in the fighting).

There’s so much I want to discuss about this episode but let’s take a moment to remember the fallen: Edd, I knew someone would die protecting Sam and it made sense to be him. Your watch has ended. Lyanna Mormont, I was so worried about her and this crushed me, but she went out like she lived: a badass. Beric Dondarrion, so many times I was like how is he still alive? But it was all for a reason as Melisandre predicted he would help Arya survive. Theon Greyjoy, the complete character arc worried me, but I didn’t think we would lose him this soon. He went out protecting Bran, in the place that was his true home and Bran said he was a good man. What is dead may never die. Jorah Mormont, earlier in the episode as he was one of the first ones on the front lines to charge I didn’t feel confident and was all the more impressed as he made it back time after time. But it all made sense as he had to protect Dany one last time. [Man, as I’m writing all of these out they are starting to become realer and I don’t think I can handle it.] And last but not least, Melisandre, who I was pretty shocked to see at the start of this episode. She came in clutch and the living would not have been able to win without her. Valar Morghulis. 

As everyone predicted the crypts were not the “safest place in Winterfell” as once the Night King emerged the dead started to rise. Once again, I was pretty shocked that we didn’t have more major character deaths down here. I loved the touching scene between Tryion and Sansa as we transitioned between the battlefield and the crypt with no audio except for the music track. Very impactful. 

There is so much more I can say, but these were definitely my first thoughts on the episode. I can’t believe the battle has come and gone and now we have to venture back to Kings Landing. Be safe my friends!

AVENGERS ENDGAME

Over 10 years in the making and 22 films later Avengers Endgame closed a chapter in Marvel history. Walking into the theater I was not emotionally, mentally or physically (3 hours/no bathroom break) prepared. The night before I had re-watched Infinity Wars (and just like with Game of Thrones) prayed for the safety of these heroes. 

I know it was said before but SPOILERS ARE COMING!

My first thought for defeating Thanos seemed to rely on time travel, but I was surprised to see that it took 5 years in the world after the snap before traveling back to get the infinity stones. I LOVED how much of a role Antman aka Scott Lang played in this role. (Thanks to that rat for hitting the right buttons after 5 years.) This character gave us some more insight into what had been going on for that amount of time and of course brought more humor to the film. (I mean he does deliver one of the best lines that gets repeated by Cap later: “That’s America’s butt.”

Opening with the Hawkeye flashback as he has a typical afternoon with his family and then the snap happens where he loses everyone was so tragic. I was not expecting the movie to start that soon as we usually see the classic Marvel opening. The transformation in his character made so much sense and was really interesting to explore. I liked how we got to see both Hawkeye and Antman included where they were missing for the previous film. 

This movie reminded me why I enjoy the MCU so much with all the references to previous films. The site of the first Avengers film: New York City 2012, brought back so many great memories and made me want to rewatch all of them. I loved how we got some exact flashbacks from the movies and then some added scenes showing more of a transition from one movie to the other. (Example: The Avengers to Winter Soldier and Captain America’s “Hail Hydra” moment in the elevator. Of course, I also enjoyed seeing Loki again as it seems that we did truly lose him.) Also seeing clips of old movies from a different angle was cool, like with Starlord singing at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy. Other time events we had never actually been to before, but were still a great trip with Steve seeing Peggy again and Tony his dad. I personally loved seeing Jarvis. 

One of the biggest moments for me was when Captain America held Thor’s hammer during the final battle. It had been predicted in earlier films (particularly Age of Ultron) that he would be worthy enough to wield Mjölnir and they were right. There’s times where he’s using the hammer and the shield and then he alternates with Thor. So good! 

Just as with the Night King in GOT, Thanos is defeated in this film, but it is not without loss on our side. It starts with Black Widow sacrificing herself for the soul stone. I was really hoping there was some sort of loop hole that would bring her back because of all the time travel stuff and was really shocked when Bruce Banner/Hulk said he tried but wasn’t able to get her back. I had heard rumors of Scarlett Johanssen getting her own Black Widow movie so I am a bit confused unless it is a prequel story. Either way I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this hero. Tony Stark’s death was one that I thought might happen going into the movie, but it did not prepare me for it actually happening. As I was talking about before with the full circle character development, Tony experienced this. He was also the kick off to the MCU, so it made even more sense for this ending. His final sentence: “I am Ironman” still gives me chills. While Captain America didn’t technically “die” and lived out his life with Peggy as he always wanted, it was also a goodbye to his character. It was great to see him pass the shield over to Sam but it will still feel a bit strange to not see Steve next film. 

There’s so much more that I can continue to talk about and I know as soon as I publish this article I will probably think of something else to say, but as you can see I definitely enjoyed this movie and can’t wait to see it again in theaters.

So, I survived the weekend! I hope you did too. Let me know how you feel about all of this!