MSPA Fanfiction V: We're Going to Need More Wands

[scintillatingMoniker]

I just read all of these. Crossdressing Karkat is now my headcanon. Forever. :3

inorite

I wouldn't have written this silly thing if not for people messing around on the MC forums, but thanks.

I hate to ask for criticism but I'm going to have to since I haven't gotten any for the entire "khronicle" so far. I know my Gamzee is shit, but that's all I can point out as being bad while I know I've made a million more mistakes.

[Kerensky287]

So I want to know, form all your forum folks, how do crank out your first draft? How do you get started? What is your process?

I never take notes and I rarely edit past fixing my tense (I always default back to first person present). I never have any ideas at all until the first line of the fic pops into my head. The way I write, the first sentence always has some key to the whole fic, some way of explaining or understanding the character and what they're going through. If I can get a good first sentence, I never have to think about the rest of it. It just flows from there.

tl;dr- put in as little work as possible and bullshit the rest

Yeah, I pretty much do the same as this. I mean, I totally recommend the lucidSeraph method, but in my experience it mostly just takes the situation's inception for the story to take hold. Admittedly, I haven't done anything except crossovers and one Davefanboys fic, so I don't have any research to do for the most part, but if you DO use the characters heavily (especially the trolls) then research is pretty essential. Read pesterlogs to get a feel for each character's personality, and maybe clear yourself up on some past events that you may have forgotten about.

One problem I always have is that there are a couple of scenes I want in my story and I just can't figure out how to connect them properly, but in short stories and fanfics you can always cheat a little and just start in the middle of the action - in fact, sometimes it helps to open with a bang and then explain how you got there.

EDIT:

So I want to know, form all your forum folks, how do crank out your first draft? How do you get started? What is your process?

Tons and tons of bullshit ideas enter my mind, and then I bullshit out a story. Which are bullshit in themselves.

Basically I am a terrible role model and you dont ever want my writing advice

Hey Metaflare. Where's the next chapter of Courtstuck, huh?

...seriously though did you stop or something, I kind of missed like 50 pages of fanfic threads and I don't want to have to read through them

[Red Pen]

So I want to know, form all your forum folks, how do crank out your first draft? How do you get started? What is your process?

Generally I'll come up with some completely ridiculous crackfic idea, something that I know will be really fun to write about, and then ramp it up to eleven and write as if it's taking itself seriously. A good story starts with an interesting idea!

As far as conquering the soul-crushing blank screen goes, it helps to just get something written, it doesn't really matter what. Start with a pesterlog, a conversation, a description of the scene, and once you've started you'll usually gain momentum and get a good rhythm going. You can always go back and delete or rewrite things later (I've got huge files all over the place full of snippets and descriptions and entire conversations worth of dialogue I edited out of my fanfics), but getting something typed out makes the whole thing seem a little less intimidating.

[Sporkaganza]

MY WRITING PROCESS (in all its glory)

1. Suddenly get a spark of inspiration from somewhere.

2. Start writing blind without planning anything.

3. Realize that my lack of planning has written me into a corner, and/or just get lazy.

4. Don't finish the story. Feel like a douchebag.

Lol yeah. I am clearly not being serious.

I do have a bit of advice on step one, though. Although you may wish you could force inspiration, this is not something you can make yourself do, sorry! Unless you intentionally read/watch/do lots of different things, which will help you gain access to more ideas which might inspire you more often, which I recommend. But you still can't force inspiration. You just gotta wait for it.

That is pretty much the end of any actual advice I can give!

[JudgeDeadd]

Is this the right thread to be posting in if I want to ask for help on a fic? If not, could some one direct me to the right thread?

Ok. So.

Besides a few school assignments, my writing experience with fiction is little to none. Seriously, I don't even RP on the regular basis because of my ridiculous shyness, and even when I do it's usually just the occasional dickery of posting in dear_mun on LiveJournal. I always take notes on my ideas for fic, have them all in order to the smallest details- but when it's time to write the damn thing I'm like "lol hi there blank screen."

So I want to know, form all your forum folks, how do crank out your first draft? How do you get started? What is your process?

Well first I get an idea. Once it's there, the first grain of sand around which the pearl shall grow, I begin thinking about the plot (the hardest part, I'm terrible at coming up with plots and it shows...) while simultaneously writing the entire fic in my head, repeating it over and over, thinking up some cute sentences and adorable lines. Finally when I decide it has percolated in my cranium enough, I sit down and actually type it into the computer over the course of a few days. It changes as I type, usually ending up about 50% different from the text I had in mind before I began typing.

As lS said, research helps, though in my case it's mostly reading canon pesterlogs over and over to get an idea of the characters' voices. Good thing my mind is malleable like that so that their specific speech patterns pretty much become my second nature after just a little exposing of myself to them.

Then I leave it alone for a while and re-read it once or twice to fix mistakes and straighten out awkward sentences.

Then I post it to the fora AND (usually) to AO3 and obsessively await any response.

[Kerensky287]

Oh yeah, my idea-forming process:

OPTION 1:
-Ask someone. Actually, just asking for ideas here seems to get responses fairly often.

OPTION 2:
-Just think about your favourite aspect of MSPA and let your brain go from one point to the next until you have a hypothetical situation you want to look into. For me that's super-easy because my favourite part of Homestuck is just the Sburb Game in and of itself, so I just go, okay, what would THESE characters from my other favourite series' do in a Sburb situation? How would they get there? What would make the session unique? If you're more into Trollmance though (just as an example... those obviously aren't the only two options), you could just throw a dart at your shipping wall and write a scene about the pairing it lands on, or maybe write about why you think they'd make a good couple/triad in that spot.

EDIT: Oh, speaking of which, I'm trying to branch out in my writing a little bit. Anybody have ideas for a sadfic or other seriousfic they want to see? All I've written so far is comedy crap and I want to see if I can get by without abusing that kind of DISTACTION.

[Decay]

The scribbles I did in here the last few days are actually the first creative writing I've done in... six years, I guess? On the other hand, I do huge amounts of technical writing for my job and was very briefly a professional columnist in a past life. Basically, everything everyone else has said, especially lucidSeraph's advice. I also find it worthwhile, if I'm stuck on something but have a rough idea what I want to put there, to just drop a placeholder in and move on, then come back when I have a better idea what I want to write in the skipped spot. I have so many draft documents that have sections that consist of something like "BLAH BLAH WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT TEST METHODOLOGY HERE," and back when I was doing more creative writing I had unfinished stories that had sections replaced with the equivalent of "AND THEN THEY ALL FILLED A PAIL AND FLEW OFF IN A SPACESHIP."

[Metaflare]

Hey Metaflare. Where's the next chapter of Courtstuck, huh?

...seriously though did you stop or something, I kind of missed like 50 pages of fanfic threads and I don't want to have to read through them

THIS IS WHY I DONT LIKE STARTING THINGS. People actually like my shit and I end up dissapointing them because I lose interest so fucking fast

[SeptimusMagistos]

Hey Metaflare. Where's the next chapter of Courtstuck, huh?

...seriously though did you stop or something, I kind of missed like 50 pages of fanfic threads and I don't want to have to read through them

THIS IS WHY I DONT LIKE STARTING THINGS. People actually like my shit and I end up dissapointing them because I lose interest so fucking fast

I can sympathize with this problem a lot more than with not being able to start something. With me it's more like I'll start something and then a couple pages later - or a couple dozen - I will not so much lose interest as get sidetracked by other things. I'm hoping my current project will be the one I actually stick with to the end.

[Rimbaum]

Is this the right thread to be posting in if I want to ask for help on a fic? If not, could some one direct me to the right thread?

Ok. So.

Besides a few school assignments, my writing experience with fiction is little to none. Seriously, I don't even RP on the regular basis because of my ridiculous shyness, and even when I do it's usually just the occasional dickery of posting in dear_mun on LiveJournal. I always take notes on my ideas for fic, have them all in order to the smallest details- but when it's time to write the damn thing I'm like "lol hi there blank screen."

So I want to know, form all your forum folks, how do crank out your first draft? How do you get started? What is your process?

Something I will repeat that has already been said: WRITE SOMETHING EVERY DAY. Seriously. Try to at least write 200 words a day, just to get in the mood, just to keep things going. 200 words is nothing, man, so it'll be easy to get that out, right? Right.

As for ideas: I am probably unlike most other people here in that I have a BORING AS SHIT JOB that also allows my mind to wander for most of the day. I might get an idea, and just let it roll around for a day or two. Gather details. Work out little inconsistencies before you ever put anything down on the screen/on paper.

That's not always the case, though, and I get an idea I have to put down RIGHT NOW. Try not to ignore those ideas, if it's at all practical. Seriously, they can churn out some pretty solid one-shots.

The drafting process... ah, my least favorite part. Why? I love writing, and yet there is always going to be that one thing that I start, and then the words stop coming for me. My way around this: Don't work out TOO many details. I've learned this the hard way. If I try to plot out every last little thing, the story doesn't feel like it grows organically. And so, blockage. I can't think of the right phrasing, or I might just feel like I'm forcing myself to keep going. If I leave myself some wiggle room, rather than saying "X MUST HAPPEN IN Y CHAPTER", I'm able to say "oh, hey, what if (character) did this?" It can open up an entire subplot I hadn't even thought of before then.


I do not write multiple drafts. The only time I write multiple drafts is when I'm making stuff for publishing. But that's different.

[revri]

Holy shit balls you guys. If I knew that I'd be getting feedback of this quality over such a short period of time, I would have stopped lurking FOREVER AGO.

@draconicAlgorithm and Domoz: Hm. I've been told a lot that this work, but the problem for me about having this "Bullshit catharsis" is that I delete passages as soon as I write them if I don't like them. Maybe instead of throwing away what I've worked on to start some thing new, I'll keep keeps the bad stuff and roll with it. As much as it'll hurt.

@lucidSeraph: Oh hey thanks! After this post, I'll be sure to stop clogging this thread and get my help there! I'll take it all to heart, because reading over that, I've only gone through step one and two, and I'll try to make good on the rest. Especially research. The idea I have in mind is very speculative, and I didn't think of doing research other than like... Character dissection to get some voices and motives right. Also, lol goals. I have none. Guess I ned to. Fix that.

And is the Jade Eridan you're referring to have an account name forevveralone? Because. Uh. I play him.

@lantadyme: This. Really helps. :]

I think the biggest problem for me is how much I DON'T put down words, and even if I do I'll usually read it over too soon, not like it, delete the entire passage, and I'm back to the blank page. I think I'll just stop editing as I go so that doesn't happen any more.

I'll be taking my questions to the critique thread from now on, but thank you everyone for the help!

[DizzySpecibus]

Well, I succumbed to the urge to write a fanfic on Valentine's day. But, since I suck at the sappy stuff, and the even somewhat romantic stuff, I made a sadfic. Here, I give you.

Liar

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Nepeta watched from the air ducts as an arrow pierced Equius' leg, a look of utter horror on her face as the strong Blue blood fell to a single knee. As she watched her eyes widened with surprise. Even if she had refused to believe it, Gamzee had really gone insane, he approached Equius with a broken bow, string hanging limply between. Equius simply looked up at him, he didn't move to attack, just watched.

Swirling emotions of fear and anger covering her mind, Nepeta continued to watch as, in the greatest sense of irony she had ever seen, Gamzee used the broken bow's string to choke the strong troll. Intense sorrow filled her as Equius slowly died, losing air before simply falling backwards. The grin on his face disturbed her, but she was able to easily ignore it as anger shrouded her mind. She had to get him back, Gamzee would pay for what he did to her precious Morail!

With a ferocious snarl she leaped from the ducts, attacking Gamzee from above. Her face a mask of surprise and the utmost terror as Gamzee stopped her in midair, broke her arm, then threw her back. Her small frame bounced on the concrete as she hit the ground. Pain shot up her broken arm and bruised back. Green tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, but still, she kept that determined look on her face. Even as Gamzee closed in with his JokerKind and struck her over the head with it. This possibly fatal blow pleased the highblood, as he calmly turned and left as Nepeta temporarily played dead.

With Gamzee gone Nepeta struggled to sit up, blood loss and the sudden concussion making it hard. She crawled over to Equius, sitting infront of him, and heavily slumping forward, too tired to sit erect. With fresh tears rolling down her eyes she pawed at her friend, who she knew was dead. But she refused to believe it. In a quivering voice she spoke.

:((> *ac paws at ct playfully, trying to get him to look at her.
:((> *ac mews, "wake up sleepyhead, you're okay, really you are." but ct won't get up.
:((> *ac's now a bit upset, she scratches at him and cries, "you said you'd be cautious 100% remember! you can't be gone!"
see, I'm not even roleplaying anymore. please Equius, get up. C'mon.
c'mon, I know you wouldn't lie to me, get up!
I don't believe that you would let Gamzee do that, even if he is a highblood.
you wouldn't break a promise to me would you?

A bit upset about all that just happened Nepeta slammed her eyes shut and yelled at Equius' body.

you big liar!

Sobs racked Nepeta's body as she shook Equius and cried out. Rivers of tears escaped her eyes as she sniffled and curled up, head laying on her friend's now still chest.

well, i didn't lie, we'll see eachother again. and i hope you believed it.

With no more tears, and not a single sniffle, Nepeta closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. She was so tired after fighting Gamzee. This rest would be good, she'd be able to catnap for a nice long time, and when she woke up she'd be with Equius. Yep, everything would be just fine, it would all turn out just fine.

Well, I hope that didn't suck. Feedback is always wonderful :3 Thank You for Reading.

EDIT: Colored Nepeta's text and disabled Smileys as recommended.

[Embargo]

I'm just agreeing with everyone else. I guess.

Also, I'd start small when writing. Short stories/ficlets/every other damn name for a short story are real good ways to cultivate vast amounts of plots and, with deft hands and perhaps a green thumb, you can grow yourself a nice little flower to show off to people.

[X15lm204]

For me, the hardest part is always finding a place to start. For short form stories, I often have trouble coming up with an idea at all; for long form stories, I often spend so much time coming up with ideas that I lose track of how I wanted to start it and nothing ever gets written down at all (here's looking at you, Penrose, which would be a huge dozens of chapters story if I could figure out how to tie it all together, instead of being one little CD character study).

However, I'm much better at taking the beginning of an idea and turning it into a larger work. Optimally, I work by looking at what I know about canon, focusing on something that stands out, and wondering "How did that happen?" or "What might the consequences be?" This is how I wrote 0Kay With This, Just Like Alw8ys, and Rainbow Paints - just meditating on cause and effect can find you some great ideas, and if that isn't enough, make up one wacky, crazy event and think about what would need to be true for it to happen - see Ashen, which started just as "CD gets a ring or scepter" and expanded outwards in all directions from there.

If just thinking about canon doesn't suffice, there's always the hundreds and hundreds of fantastic fanfics on these threads and elsewhere to look at. Sure, it's kind of lame when everyone's writing what basically boils down to the same fic with countless minor variations, but there's no reason you can't use other people's work as a source of inspiration. Look at a particularly good or interesting fic, focus on one idea from it, and think "How would I do this differently?" or "What if this happened this way instead?" Take that, give it your own flavor, and take it in whatever direction it naturally progresses - whether or not it's the same direction as the original doesn't matter. Even recursive fanfiction - writing fics that are explicitly continuations of other peoples' fics - while awkward, is generally fine. After all, if people minded the idea of taking someone else's work and continuing it, what would they be doing writing fanfiction? Still, it's best to stick with finished works, and if someone does object it's best to back down. Of my own works, The Island of Misfit Trolls, Identical, Shit, Let's Be Parents, and Ringmaster of the Hive were all written based off of other peoples' fics or ideas.

If even this doesn't spark your inspiration and you really need a more complete concept to start with, the livejournal request thread is a great place to look. There's dozens of unfilled requests at any given time, which can not only make for a great jumping-off point but is also practically guaranteed to make someone's day if you use there ideas. Nazarasprite, Identical, and Kcutsemoh are all based on ideas I found there or in similar threads, and are in my opinion some of my best work.

As for the actual writing process, I find that too much planning only slows me down, so I often find myself sitting down to write with just an idea and a few scattered sentences I know I want to include, then let my stream of consciousness flow as it will. I know this doesn't work for everybody, but it's a great way of writing without worrying about living up to your own expectations or forcing yourself to go in a specific direction if you find another one feels more natural. Once I've got something that feels complete, the next most important thing to do is to read it. I just pretend I'm someone other than myself and see if I find it entertaining. Then read it again a few more times to see if it holds up on rereads. Some people find this dangerous, but since I am a hugely arrogant asshole have a good amount of confidence in my work and am a borderline MPD case have an easy time stepping out of my writing, this comes easily to me. The idea of laughing at your own jokes might seem lame, but you need to be able to entertain yourself before anyone else - especially considering that the only reason to write fanfiction in the first place is for fun. If you find this really doesn't work for you, and reading your own work just convinces you more and more that it's awful, find a good beta-reader you trust and ask them if you're full of shit or not.

Well, I hope that bit of rambling helps somebody.

TL,DR: "What if? What if then? How did we get here?" and "Entertain yourself, then seek to entertain others."

[Kerensky287]

I realized shortly after writing Mythstuckers 1 that I had just finished an RPF, and I kind of attacked my own brain for a while as a result. But now I've made peace with that because I'm more writing about characters based on the Mythbusters than about the people themselves, which frees me up to do some improvisation, as seen below.

SBURB FICS THAT NEVER WERE

V: Mythstuckers Reloaded

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LAND OF NEON AND ATMOSPHERE

ADAM SAVAGE
-Knight of Heart-

"Well, we already proved one thing by accident - prototyping does, in fact, take metaphorical or philosophical meanings into account. We tried prototyping the Mythbusters logo just so all of our imps would be branded - heh - but as it turns out, while there ARE a few Mythbusters brand imps that I can see from here, I'm actually seeing a lot more Jamie and Grant and so on, and I think that one over there has a blast shield on his arm. So, that might make this a little weird for everybody. But it's still hilarious - all the imps look kind of like LEGO people because of the white block prototyping, so it's more like hey, I'm going to go blow up Minecraft Tory, rather than oh god, I just killed one of my friends and coworkers.

"I admit the kernelsprite itself is a little annoying, though. I mean, I like the guy who narrates the show, but this is just so weird. It's like it breaks the fourth wall or something. Most of the time I have no idea what it's talking about though, so it's just sprouting non-sequiturs, but EVERYTHING IT'S SAID has been accurate so far, one way or another."

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NARRATORSPRITE: Meanwhile, Grant finds himself in a bit of a sticky situation!

ADAM: See?! That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about! I'd better get Grant on the line, this sounds like it might be dangerous.

*radio crackle*

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ADAM: Grant? Anything going on? My sprite just said something about you.
GRANT: Well, I just discovered that I have a leak in my Flammenwerfer's fuel tank. What did he say?
ADAM: Something about a sticky situation.
GRANT: Oh. Well, that's nothing big. See, the Flammenwerfer, back when it was in common use, propelled a mixture of tar and gasoline at its target - that way, you light them on fire, but the fuel sticks to them, causing more damage.
ADAM: So you're just covered in gooey, flammable liquid?
GRANT: Pretty much, yeah.
ADAM: Oh, and like that isn't concerning at all.
GRANT: To be honest, it isn't, really. The tank wasn't full, I was just loading it in preparation for when Jamie finishes putting everything in place at my base over here. But the hole means I'll be weaponless for a little while, at least until I can find a solution that doesn't involve me being in just as much dangers as the guys I'm fighting.
ADAM: That's a bit of a relief, I guess. Oh, funny story - entering the game seems to give me all these weird... game powers, I guess.
GRANT: Game powers? Seriously?
ADAM: Well, I have an inventory, for one. It works a little oddly, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. And I've also got some kind of equipment setup thing that means I don't actually have to hold my sword anymore. I can just get it out of thin air whenever I need it.
GRANT: Wow, umm, okay. This myth is looking a little close to confirmation already. You've just proven that SBURB does, indeed, have reality-altering capabilities.
ADAM: Just wait until you get in, man. This is gonna be so awesome. I'm gonna go play around with this stuff for a while. Good luck with your side of the deal.
GRANT: Thanks, you too. Be careful out there!

NARRATORSPRITE: While Adam goes off on a virtual killing spree, Jamie remains as professional as ever.

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AMERICAN NAVAL BASE, LOCATION CLASSIFIED

JAMIE HYNEMAN
- ??? of ??? -

"Grant's having some issues with his weapon, but I'm pretty sure that if worst comes to worst I can actually provide some defense once he gets in the game. Grant's been able to pick up and drop stuff all around Adam's army base, so I figure that I might be able to throw one of those aircraft he's got lying around at the Air Force Base he's sitting in. Hopefully the Air Force won't mind, of course."

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*radio crackle*

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JAMIE: Hey Tory, Grant's having some issues with his flamethrower's fuel tank. Do you have any suggestions for him? Maybe something he can do just as a quick fix?
TORY: ...
JAMIE: Tory? Do you read?
TORY: ...
TORY: ...zzz...
JAMIE: ...Seriously?

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NARRATORSPRITE: Of course, while all team members try to maintain a professional atmosphere at all times, not everyone can be a paragon of tenacity quite like Jamie. Tory has fallen asleep while waiting for his turn at the game!

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PROSPIT

TORY BELLECI
-??? of ???-

"Huh? Wow, uh, very gold around here. Like, eye-stunningly gold. Can't say I'm a fan of the attire, either. Ahem... kinda breezy."

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NARRATORSPRITE: Tory has just discovered the dreamworld portion of the game! Hopefully, he'll be able to realize what's going on before he accidentally causes even more trouble for the rest of the team! Not that they need any help causing trouble - the game's been on for a whole five minutes, and the team's already starting to get a little bit of Game Lobby Fever!

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*radio crackle*

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GRANT: Hey, Adam? Your sprite's acting up again.
ADAM: Can you tell what he's saying? As far as I know he just sort of rambles about whatever's going on at the time. Hyaaaaah!
GRANT: There's no sound, and even if I could read lips -
ADAM: Take that, scoundrel!
GRANT: - even if I could read lips, he's a floating logo. He just seems to bob around when he's saying something.
ADAM: Yeah, he's probably talking about my over-enthusiasm or something. But geez, Grant! This is just like... Neo Tokyo, or something! I feel like I'm fighting the Yakuza in the Japanese Underworld! There's fog everywhere, and...
GRANT: Why Japan, specifically?
ADAM: Well, I dunno, the sword?
GRANT: And you probably fought some Grant imps, too, didn't you?
ADAM: No, it's just... I feel all Samurai-like.
GRANT: You know the Claymore is a scottish weapon, right? Not all swords are Japanese.
ADAM: Well, I'm holding it like a katana, okay? I'm playing samurai.
GRANT: I'm just saying -
ADAM: You don't need to assume everything I do is racist, okay? For your information, I just beheaded a LEGO version of myself. And before that it was Jamie. So no, I'm just in a samurai mood right now.
GRANT: Alright, just sayin'.
ADAM: Good.
GRANT: ...
ADAM: ...
GRANT: ...
ADAM: But seriously, bug Jamie to get you in. I can't wait to find out what crazy world you end up in. THIS IS SO COOL, WHACHAAAA

COMMENTS:

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I have no idea how you fill a Flammenwerfer 35's fuel tank, so if it's compressed or something else that would prevent the scenario from making sense then I apologize.

And ugh, this is probably the worst case I've ever had of letting a chapter extend beyond its original capacity. It was supposed to be Grant having flamer issues, Tory falling asleep, then Jamie getting Grant ingame and Grant doing some more prototype experiments, but the samurai warrior exchange felt long enough that I could get away with ending the chapter right there.

I've been on a MASSIVE Golden Sun kick recently (like, by massive I mean I spent the weekend on minecraft making a scale replica, inside and out, of Venus Lighthouse) and I actually have two possible ideas for how a GS crossover would work, so I might do that. It's not the best idea I've ever had though, so I might abandon it, and I do feel like taking a short break from crossovers anyway.

[draconicAlgorithm]

Just to sort of add on to X15's talk about getting ideas, another good source of inspiration can be fanart. Taking a look at the fanart thread or perusing some of Homestuck groups on DeviantArt can be a good way to brainstorm. A couple of my more recent fics, Killer and Coulrophobia, were inspired by fanart, even though the picture that did the inspiring had little or nothing to do with the actual plot of the fic. It's not bad to pull things out of life either. You can always look at something that's happening to you or around you and think, "How would so and so react to something like this?" You can really get ideas from the weirdest places. :3

EDIT: Yay, more Mythstuckers! I really like that crossover. :3

[SkaianRedeemer]

@SeptimusMagistos: Wow, you really went all-out with this one, didn't you? Nepeta as Tavros was just golden. And who could forget this bit of solid advice?

If Tavros really wanted to keep files private, he should have just done what she did and marked the folder ‘Equius’s Art.’

Poor Equius.


@DizzySpecibus: The best feedback I can give is formatting: flip off emoticons at the bottom of the advanced editing and actually colour Nepeta's lines, since she's not in quotes. She's... um... COLOR=#416600.


@Kerensky: I love how Grant goes into the technical details of his tar incident, but what I really love is the mental picture of Adam hearing constant narration for stuff he just doesn't get to see. It'd make a great single take.

[Cas]

-WEIRD ROMART MISPOST WHOOPS-

Edit Well fuck ,wrong thread. GDI and I checked it like. Four times to make sure I wouldn't do exactly this.
>< D'don't mind me.

[Metaflare]

As amazing as that is, shouldnt that go in the romart thread?

[Wigmund]

My writing procedure is the following:

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1) I poo in my hands.
2) I throw it as hard as possible into the quick reply box
3) If I'm feeling kind, I hit 'go advanced' to check things over (tags and whatnot)
4) Post

Everything I've posted is half-planned and brews up as I write it.

But I just wanted to say that I love everything that's been posted here. I feel terrible because except for that silly thing I posted here for MayorSillyBiscuits, I haven't posted anything here in weeks.

[DJ-P0N3]

Just gonna drop this BS off.

Legend of Zelda: Sburbian Showdown

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Show musicalog

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- contradictiveChatterbox [CC] began playing a duet with angelicAssistor [AA] -
CC: …!
CC: ... :)
AA: oh~!
AA: hey there~!
CC: ….
AA: i wish you would be more specific~!
AA: but i understand thank goodness~.
CC: …!
AA: no i have not contacted him, do you think i should~?
CC: … :(
AA: he isn’t answering you~?
AA: oh dear~!
CC: …?
AA: oh sure~.
AA: see you later then~.
CC: … :)
AA: :)~
- angelicAssistor [AA] ceased playing in a duet with contradictiveChatterbox [CC] -

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- angelicAssistor [AA] began playing in a duet with travelingTrader [TT] -
AA: hey TT~!
AA: is there a reason you aren’t answering CC~?
AA: hello~?
TT: Oh ho ho!
TT: Forgive me child, but I have been reminiscing with an old friend!
AA: old friend~?
TT: Why yes!
TT: He is always so excited to hear of my travels, he is also one of my first customers!
TT: I just can’t ignore him, its far too rude!
TT: Oh ho ho!
AA: oh alright~.
AA: but if CC messages you again please do answer him, he is still nervous about all this~!
TT: As he should be, children are often afraid of change.
AA: you have a point, but still~
AA: are you sure this is a safe thing for us to do~?
TT: I assure it is as safe as our two homes are!
AA: are you sure~?
AA: in my visions i have seen facts that say otherwise~.
TT: Do you doubt me?
TT: Why would I lie to you?
AA: i know, but they have yet to lie to me before~.
AA: i saw it~!
TT: Oh ho ho!
TT: Remember when you saw that vision of the hero coming to the rescue?
AA: yes i do, but that is different~!
TT: How is it so?
AA: that was a vision that was different~.
AA: i don't know, but it was just under different circumstances that it didn't come true~.
TT: Say what you will little one.
TT: I promise you this is safe.
AA: oh alright~.
AA: thanks~!
- angelicAssistor [AA] ceased playing in a duet with travelingTrader [TT] -
TT: Oh ho ho!
TT: She is so naïve it is almost too cute.

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- angelicAssistor [AA] began playing in a duet with contradictiveChatterbox [CC] -
AA: he said he will talk to you again~!
AA: he was just busy~!
AA: hello~?
AA: CC….~?
AA: hello…..~?
- contradictiveChatterbox [CC] is now taking a breather –
AA: oh god what~.

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If anyone can tell what this is, I will continue it.

[KarneWarrior]

KARNEWARRIORS WRITING PROCESS: AKA WHY KARNE IS A HORRIBLE ROLE MODEL FOR ANY ASPIRING AUTHOR.

1: Collect idea from Garden of Eden. Try to focus on that big tree in the center that Logic said not to touch.

In case you were wondering this is an analogy.

2: Eat apple. Digest plot for 1 hour to 3 weeks. Make sure it's sustainable for long enough to write.

3: Write fic. Pay no attention to spelling or grammar. Emulate other authors.

4: ???

5: Magma critics.

[Cas]

As amazing as that is, shouldnt that go in the romart thread?

Yes, that's where I thought I had posted it >///<;
Fixed

[lucidSeraph]

Holy shit balls you guys. If I knew that I'd be getting feedback of this quality over such a short period of time, I would have stopped lurking FOREVER AGO.

@draconicAlgorithm and Domoz: Hm. I've been told a lot that this work, but the problem for me about having this "Bullshit catharsis" is that I delete passages as soon as I write them if I don't like them. Maybe instead of throwing away what I've worked on to start some thing new, I'll keep keeps the bad stuff and roll with it. As much as it'll hurt.

@lucidSeraph: Oh hey thanks! After this post, I'll be sure to stop clogging this thread and get my help there! I'll take it all to heart, because reading over that, I've only gone through step one and two, and I'll try to make good on the rest. Especially research. The idea I have in mind is very speculative, and I didn't think of doing research other than like... Character dissection to get some voices and motives right. Also, lol goals. I have none. Guess I ned to. Fix that.

And is the Jade Eridan you're referring to have an account name forevveralone? Because. Uh. I play him.

Actually, er, no, it was the other Jade Eridan (cinema_augur); though I've played with you before (I'm fpoke_of_ftairs) and I remember you being pretty awesome too

Also you don't need to do that much research, I am just obsessive and weird

HEY REST OF THREAD, WAY TO BE CLASSY WRITER DUDES AND GIVE ADVICES

[Domoz]

Yes so. This thing here-

The Pirate and the Empress
(1/ a whole lot)

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In the olden days of Alternia, there was a capital city. In the city, years bygone, stood a tall wooden pillory, stained with the blood of the convicts and outlaws unfortunate enough to have been caught breaking the law. On the day we look back to, one such outlaw, a pirate in fact, is in chains.

The man dragged through the streets by a blue blood, one of the highest shades, in fact, and through ever street there is booing and hissing. The pirate just grins, if only they knew what he was up to, than there would be a riot as opposed to this rabble.

Agonizingly slowly the criminal is dragged to the square and up onto the pillory. The crowd surges and the yelling gets louder as an indigo blood steps onto the stage opposite, then quiets to nothing as the Empress Herself pushes by him.

“Ahab Dualscar, you have been a scourge on this Empire and a terror that has plagued the common folk of Alternia for sweeps now, would you be so kind as to confirm this for all of the poor abused trolls here today to watch you die?”
Dualscar shrugs and casually replies “Certainly”

The crowd erupts in a roar of approval, but are quickly silenced by the Empress' hand. She continues her tirade, something along the lines of “a menace to be put down and bluh bluh bluh”. Ahab isn't listening, quite opposed to that he's searching out faces in the multitude. There's one girl, deep red blood and and curled horns, and another standing tall above the rest, already reaching for a knife.

Ahab only tunes into the last bit of the speech, “...and you get the supreme honor of being executed by the Empress herself”. A gasp comes up from the crowd, genuine from most, and faked from the minority of those in the government (She'd been planning this for ages, after all). The pirate himself just raised an eyebrow. This called for a change in plans, but he had always been good at improvising.

Someone from the crowd below handed the Empress her trident,don's Entente, she took it and approached the chained man. Raising the culling fork to neck level, she asked with a wry smile, “Any last words, Dualscar?”
He shrugs, “Plenty, but now really isn't the time”

With that bold statement, several things coincide at once. The blue blood holding the chain is brought to her knees by some mysterious force, and a thick black smog begins radiating out from several points in the crowd. Dualscar ducks down under the oncoming trident and kicks out the legs from under the Empress. The smog curls its way up to the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Someone from the now raging crowd takes the keys from the disabled blue blood and unlocks the chains holding Dualscar's hands. He uses is new found freedom to grab the Empress and heave her, struggling mightily, over his shoulder.

Every pirate in the place runs off towards the docks, eager as any other to get out of the tar black smoke. The Empress, suddenly realizing what's going on, struggles all the harder. She increases her efforts tenfold once she's carried out of the smog, yet for some reason she can't pry herself free. The pounding does slow Dualscar down considerably. The Empress can see other trolls stumbling out of the dark cloud, one of them will surely be able to get to her in time, she thinks.

But things change, and when Ahab yells out, “Ariel, if you don't mind” the Empress doesn't feel so much like fighting anymore. Her head is pounding and all she wants is to pass out, and she fights it, but eventually she succumbs the the pressure building up in her head and collapses on the back of a kidnapping pirate.

As Dualscar sprinted away from the square, listening to the deafening shouts behind him, he allowed the smallest of triumphant grins to reveal his deadly fangs.

A/N

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I wrote this thing going off of two sentences I hate in an outline. This fic is probably going the be the longest I've ever attemted (although I guess that's not saying terribly much <<)

Also not relevant but Ahab has a beard and also a purple streak in that beard.

Thanks to Author for betaing this and ceruleanTresses for that last sentence