Every so often I get "The Three Caballeros" stuck in my head and I really mean STUCK. :P Actually I think I'm going to go watch it if I can find it on YouTube. Just 'cause. I have such a mad crush on Jose Carioca and was sort of shocked to find out that so does half of deviantART, but I digress...
So! Anyway, moving on, and getting back to the point of my single-minded blog; if you've been following TWC3 you know I've recently posted the 8th chapter out of 9. I'm working on the 9th chapter and I already have a deleted scene :P It's a scene I like, but it makes the chapter too long and it's not necessary for the fic as a whole to make sense. So I'm removing it and putting it up here, but I will note that I consider it canon (it was in ALL my earlier outlines, sigh, I hated taking it out but eh. It's genuinely expendable, just something I wanted but isn't needed).
I'm not spoiling anything when I give the context, because - assuming you've read the second-to-last chapter of the fic, you already know how the action plot wraps up. Therefore, this doesn't really give anything away. However, it's really just fluff for the sake of fluff... a bit of schmoopy LP/Beth stuff, yet again. So I guess this is the right place for it. ^_~
***
He picked up the phone, dialed, and then hung up before it rang. What was the best way to do this? Should he be straightforward and get right to it, or make small talk for a while to play it down? Small talk, he decided. That way she'd feel like it wasn't the *only* reason he was calling her. Which it wasn't, he amended to himself hastily. He'd have called her anyway - or, well, he *should* get into the habit of calling her. He'd call her tomorrow to let her know that she should come in, and then keep talking to her after telling her. Perfect.
He dialed again and let it ring.
"Bindler's Hardware, how can I help you." She picked up midway through the second ring, and he thought she sounded tired or maybe just unhappy. He remembered the five-minute rule just before he spoke.
"Uh, hey Beth, it's Launchpad." Maybe he *should* get right to the point, though he really didn't want to.
"Oh, hi!" she said, infinitely more enthusiastic, but he thought he could still detect an edge of flatness to her voice. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, sure, yeah, fine," he said; so much for getting right to the point. "How're things goin' there?"
There was a brief hesitation, and then she said, "Yeah, just fine too... Fine... Henny just got in, actually, so just a few more hours and my shift's done for the day."
"I thought you closed on Thursdays?"
"Yeah, I - I usually do," she said, then with amusement in her voice added, "and I can't believe you remember that."
"Oh yeah, well... just stuck with me, I guess," he said. He felt a little embarrassed now that she'd made a thing out of it, but it wasn't anything, really... It was just easier to know when Beth was in the store and when she wasn't, so that he didn't get stuck dealing only with Henny if he needed to drop by for something.
"Okay - well no problem, just... anyway she's had me close a few times already this week so I asked her to let me have this evening off. That way I can get over there a little earlier, have some time to unwind before I take on Gos, things like that." She laughed.
"Uh, yeah," he said, forcing a laugh as well. "So she letcha switch? Well that's good! After what you were sayin' yesterday it seemed like she might not do stuff like that... So I guess things aren't all that bad!" He wasn't stalling, he was focusing on the positive.
Unfortunately Beth gave a sigh. "Actually now that you mention it..." She lowered her voice. "You'd think I'd asked for an extra week of paid vacation or something. I mean - she has me switch shifts with her *all the time*, something like four times just this month, but heaven forbid *I* ask for something. And I'd *better* not refuse when she needs an evening or a morning free, because if I do, of *course* it's not because I have plans or it's the last minute, it's obviously because I just want to be a jerk. You know-" She cut herself off and sighed again. "I'm sorry, Launchpad, you don't want to hear this. I shouldn't even be saying these things. I just - I'm kind of stressed out right now, and -"
"Hey, you can *always* tell me stuff. I'm here to listen! Even if you just need to vent for, like, a half an hour straight."
There was a sound in the background of her end of the line then, something kind of like a foghorn. Launchpad listened closely but couldn't figure out what it was. "Uh - did somethin' just happen...?"
In a strained voice, Beth said, "That was Henny. I have two minutes left."
"Ah. Yeah, right. Sorry, well... uh... I guess I'll get to the point, then..." He went over a few options of how to lead into the statement quickly in his head, and began, "Well, see, here's the thing-"
"You don't want me to come babysit tonight, do you," she said flatly.
He felt incredibly guilty. "Uh, how'd ya guess?" he asked, hoping if he stayed cheerful he could make it seem unimportant.
She didn't buy it. "Your voice - you obviously had bad news, and you know, that's just the kind of week it's been." She caught herself. "It's not a big deal actually, I'm just being dramatic... You know how it is, one little thing just to validate feeling bad about the big things. Really, I can use another evening off to get some rest."
"Yeah! Get to bed early or - y'know, go out to a movie or somethin'!" Should he offer to take her out to a movie? Nah, she probably wouldn't know how to take that. He had another idea, and this one made more sense. "Y'know, you should come over sometime, but *not* to babysit. Just come on by an' hang out-"
"Hang on." She turned her head away from the phone or something, just enough so that she wasn't shouting directly into the receiver when she said, "Just a *minute*, okay?! I'm ALMOST DONE!"
"Uh, sorry -"
"Don't worry, it's not you... I'm sorry, I probably made you go deaf. She's been like this all *week*." Beth sounded slightly desperate at the end of the last sentence. "What were you saying?"
"Oh, you should just come over and we can hang out-"
Henny yelled in the background again, and this time Launchpad could hear her clearly. Beth yelled back almost immediately, and he was so surprised by the whole thing that he just kept on talking, which resulted in the three of them going all together at once:
"*Store rules are in place for a reason, Beth, an' five minutes means five minutes!*"
"I am NEARLY DONE, Henny, and I still have thirty-five seconds left!"
"-it's been a while, and I miss you!"
He fell silent. Beth and Henny did not, and he got to hear Henny sniping about the exact time by her watch since the phone had started ringing, and Beth started saying into the phone "So anyway *Dad*, thanks for letting me know about Mom, I hope she's out of the hospital soon! Yes, I'll call as soon as I can get home, unfortunately my *manager* feels I spend too much time on the phone!"
Wow. This was crazy.
Henny's voice faded away and Beth took a moment to recover before saying, in a shaky voice, "I am *so sorry.*"
"No, don't be. That sounds *awful*."
"You have no idea," she said; her voice sounded small.
He was at a loss; words weren't his strong suit in moments like these, but she wasn't there in the room with him, so words were all he had to offer. "Your mom's not really in the hospital, is she?"
Beth laughed sharply. "No, of course not. God, wouldn't that just be the topper? No, I just - was being stupid. I wanted her to leave me alone."
"Don't get real upset, okay? You're gettin' out soon, maybe spend the afternoon lookin' at the want ads and see if you can find another place that's hiring."
"Yeah, right." She took a long breath and let it out. "Okay, I should go now or she'll nail me for being over by 47 seconds. Thanks for calling me."
"No problemo. I'll call tomorrow too, okay?"
She paused, just for the briefest second. "Do - do you want to cancel tomorrow night too?"
"Huh? NO! No, I'll just call to check in! We'll DEFINITELy see you tomorrow night!"
"Oh good... okay. Thanks." She sounded deeply relieved. "Um, geez, I should've asked this before now, but is Drake OK?"
"Oh yeah - fine, no, he just... doctor said, to be on the safe side, y'know. Stomach bugs can spread real quick."
"Stomach..." She mused slightly, but didn't finish. Instead she said, "I - I'm not going to ask if you've had a chance to... talk to him yet, about what I was saying... I mean... if you have, well, tell me tomorrow, okay?"
"Oh yeah. You bet. Actually with him bein' sick and all-"
"Right. Well, tomorrow. Thanks again for calling."
When they'd both hung up, he wondered where exactly "I miss you" had come from.
Showing posts with label twc3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twc3. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
On-Schedule
So! I actually managed to update TWC3 a second time this month! If I can get the last two chapters done on-schedule then we'll be done around the end of August/beginning of September :)
It's not up yet on AO3, but here's the FF.net link.
Since this is winding down, and I haven't done any chapter notes or much talking about the fic itself, I thought I'd make a post about... well, about the fic itself. :) I've whined a lot about how no one really seems to like this one - which is inaccurate, as I have had multiple people contact me via DA and so forth to say that they've started reading with this one, and they find it quite enjoyable. So what I'm really whining about is the lack of reviews on FF.net, when I think about it. Aaaand, whatever. I'll keep whining about that ON FF.net, because I can see how many hits the story gets so I know people are looking at it and I'm just choosing to be all guilt-pushy there, but I'll skip the whining elsewhere. I know you guys. We cool. :D
Oh, wow, that was a digression!
So to get back to what I was talking about, I haven't really posted much about this particular fic and what's gone into the rewrite. With TWC2 I did at least some partial listings of the things I'd changed from the original version, and now that TWC3 is winding down some, I thought it'd be fun to do the same with this one. I can be almost complete, too, since it's nearly over!
In a lot of ways this one is actually very similar to its progenitor: more than either of the others, I really used the original as an outline and just filled the details in more strongly. With TWC2, for instance, I had to change a number of the plot details to make them less hokey, or the order of the events to make them more understandable, etc. With this one, it's largely the same: the outline for both is:
I: Beth gets yelled at/humiliated by Drake and LP comes to her defense, and then she finds out about Drake being Darkwing;
II: Darkwing encounters Quackerjack, who uses his ray gun to minimize him (haha, I like that term), at which point DW gets away but LP and Gosalyn are struck by the change being more than just cosmetic;
III: Darkwing and Gos ditch Launchpad to fight Quackerjack, which they do and they win, and then at the end Beth... Well I can't say yet 'cause it's a spoiler. DUN-DUN-DUN!!! Okay, okay, you got me, I'll spill. She runs away with Negaduck and has his nega-babies. YEAH YOU HEARD ME!
Okay, so, aside from that minor point at the end which may possibly not be true, that's pretty straightforward. I ended up just doing each as 3-chapter acts instead of one chapter each. And I STILL could barely fit all the Beth stuff into the first act, man, even with three chapters :P I do go on and on! So now for the differences:
1. There NEEDED to be a lot more detail in the Beth section at the beginning, because initially Drake just was fed up with her babbling and snapped at her. I mean, it's simple and not fully OOC, but it did make him look like a gigantic jerk. And while Drake can be a gigantic jerk, there's a right way and a wrong way; and he needed to have a reason within his head that made him certain he was NOT being a gigantic jerk. At least not for no reason at all. :D I actually came up with the idea for the whole "nobody can be that BORING" etc while walking to work one day, about a year ago - it just clicked. I'd been sweating over rewriting the scene for MONTHS, not sure if I could make it actually work IC, and then it just fell together. This was also when I decided to really go and just *run* with the idea that DW would think Beth was a superhero, and this was his (flimsy, I admit) reason for letting her stick around and babysit when it wasn't really strictly necessary. So, all this actually took a lot of thought and in the original was way quicker and weaker.
2. In the same vein, I had to *really* punch up the confrontation between Drake and LP. I won't go into the details on it since that's not needed, but I did struggle to make it something that made sense for LP at this point, and it was a challenge. I'm still worried as to whether I pulled it off, though no one to date has told me I didn't. And, again, the discussion between Beth and LP afterwards was very much extended past the original. The idea of LP trying to "talk Beth up" to Drake started as my idea of a way to get him thinking of her more often and - since he ultimately falls for her himself - this might be the impetus to get him to look at her that way or that might just be the excuse he gives himself when he realizes he's doing that.
3. Beth's discovery of DW's secret identity was largely the same but I had to change some details, including why Gosalyn wasn't present (and it's an excuse to bring Honker into the series earlier! I wish I'd had a part for him in the rest of the fic) and just precisely how Beth stumbles onto it. I absolutely wanted her to stumble onto it, too, because as smart as she is, she doesn't think of unexpected things very often so although she probably would put two and two together EVENTUALLY, it wouldn't happen for quite some time. :)
4. I needed more for Launchpad to do in this fic (this is a theme in nearly all my rewrites; he needs more REAL screen time) and thus came the "Harv" sequence. In the original, Quackerjack dealt largely with just DW, though Launchpad did ultimately still rescue Darkwing after getting zapped by the ray. One thing missing in the rewrites: I have to admit that I loved all the Quackerjack and Mr. Banana Brain interactions that were in the original. I can't shoehorn them in unless they feel right, so there arent' nearly as many, and I kinda miss them. :)
5. Almost everything after Darkwing gets child-ized is pretty close to the original, just fleshed out; the phone conversation with Beth ended up a little longer than I intended it, but I think it was needed, because I wanted to show the ease that Beth and Launchpad have between themselves even if she's kind of resistant to it/doesn't realize it's there. I needed some kind of positive interaction between them that didn't involve angsting over Drake. ;) I also had to stick in some mounting tension with Henny, and LP really ought to encourage her to get a backbone, don't you think? In the nice, non-accusatory Launchpad style.
6. Played up the loneliness Launchpad feels when Gos and Darkwing only want to hang out with each other. I hadn't intended it to dovetail like that when I started out having him thinking about how he was kind of lonely in general (back in Act I), but it fit like a glove and was actually already in the original fic. Like I said, I just played it up.
7. The Darkwing and Gos caper is at once directly following the original fic (I'm even referencing it as I go, for the general structure and for content ideas to flesh out) and also incredibly different. Action is NOT MY THING. I'm not good at it. If this reads well, I'm lucky, because I really struggle with it. Things I want to address in the next chapter or two include why DW is acting like such a complete brat (there's a reason, it's not JUST that he actually is one :D), and of course how Gos is going to get free/how the good guys will win.
Finally, upcoming in the last chapter: How will Darkwing return to his normal age? Will Beth find out that Drake thinks she's a supervillain? Will she BECOME one??? What will Launchpad think when Darkwing gives his latest opinion on Beth? Will all of this actually be addressed? NO. :D Some of it will. There's a plot climax coming in Act III chapter 2, and then in the "aftermath" of chapter 3, we'll see the Beth and the Launchpad stuff come to a point. (Not the Beth/Launchpad stuff. Beth stuff and Launchpad stuff, and in some ways the two will meet.)
So in a sense I've always felt like it's not fair to have so much Beth in a story that doesn't really involve her, but in another sense, this is one of the most important stories in the first five so a lot HAS to happen. I hope you'll read on, good friends. :)
It's not up yet on AO3, but here's the FF.net link.
Since this is winding down, and I haven't done any chapter notes or much talking about the fic itself, I thought I'd make a post about... well, about the fic itself. :) I've whined a lot about how no one really seems to like this one - which is inaccurate, as I have had multiple people contact me via DA and so forth to say that they've started reading with this one, and they find it quite enjoyable. So what I'm really whining about is the lack of reviews on FF.net, when I think about it. Aaaand, whatever. I'll keep whining about that ON FF.net, because I can see how many hits the story gets so I know people are looking at it and I'm just choosing to be all guilt-pushy there, but I'll skip the whining elsewhere. I know you guys. We cool. :D
Oh, wow, that was a digression!
So to get back to what I was talking about, I haven't really posted much about this particular fic and what's gone into the rewrite. With TWC2 I did at least some partial listings of the things I'd changed from the original version, and now that TWC3 is winding down some, I thought it'd be fun to do the same with this one. I can be almost complete, too, since it's nearly over!
In a lot of ways this one is actually very similar to its progenitor: more than either of the others, I really used the original as an outline and just filled the details in more strongly. With TWC2, for instance, I had to change a number of the plot details to make them less hokey, or the order of the events to make them more understandable, etc. With this one, it's largely the same: the outline for both is:
I: Beth gets yelled at/humiliated by Drake and LP comes to her defense, and then she finds out about Drake being Darkwing;
II: Darkwing encounters Quackerjack, who uses his ray gun to minimize him (haha, I like that term), at which point DW gets away but LP and Gosalyn are struck by the change being more than just cosmetic;
III: Darkwing and Gos ditch Launchpad to fight Quackerjack, which they do and they win, and then at the end Beth... Well I can't say yet 'cause it's a spoiler. DUN-DUN-DUN!!! Okay, okay, you got me, I'll spill. She runs away with Negaduck and has his nega-babies. YEAH YOU HEARD ME!
Okay, so, aside from that minor point at the end which may possibly not be true, that's pretty straightforward. I ended up just doing each as 3-chapter acts instead of one chapter each. And I STILL could barely fit all the Beth stuff into the first act, man, even with three chapters :P I do go on and on! So now for the differences:
1. There NEEDED to be a lot more detail in the Beth section at the beginning, because initially Drake just was fed up with her babbling and snapped at her. I mean, it's simple and not fully OOC, but it did make him look like a gigantic jerk. And while Drake can be a gigantic jerk, there's a right way and a wrong way; and he needed to have a reason within his head that made him certain he was NOT being a gigantic jerk. At least not for no reason at all. :D I actually came up with the idea for the whole "nobody can be that BORING" etc while walking to work one day, about a year ago - it just clicked. I'd been sweating over rewriting the scene for MONTHS, not sure if I could make it actually work IC, and then it just fell together. This was also when I decided to really go and just *run* with the idea that DW would think Beth was a superhero, and this was his (flimsy, I admit) reason for letting her stick around and babysit when it wasn't really strictly necessary. So, all this actually took a lot of thought and in the original was way quicker and weaker.
2. In the same vein, I had to *really* punch up the confrontation between Drake and LP. I won't go into the details on it since that's not needed, but I did struggle to make it something that made sense for LP at this point, and it was a challenge. I'm still worried as to whether I pulled it off, though no one to date has told me I didn't. And, again, the discussion between Beth and LP afterwards was very much extended past the original. The idea of LP trying to "talk Beth up" to Drake started as my idea of a way to get him thinking of her more often and - since he ultimately falls for her himself - this might be the impetus to get him to look at her that way or that might just be the excuse he gives himself when he realizes he's doing that.
3. Beth's discovery of DW's secret identity was largely the same but I had to change some details, including why Gosalyn wasn't present (and it's an excuse to bring Honker into the series earlier! I wish I'd had a part for him in the rest of the fic) and just precisely how Beth stumbles onto it. I absolutely wanted her to stumble onto it, too, because as smart as she is, she doesn't think of unexpected things very often so although she probably would put two and two together EVENTUALLY, it wouldn't happen for quite some time. :)
4. I needed more for Launchpad to do in this fic (this is a theme in nearly all my rewrites; he needs more REAL screen time) and thus came the "Harv" sequence. In the original, Quackerjack dealt largely with just DW, though Launchpad did ultimately still rescue Darkwing after getting zapped by the ray. One thing missing in the rewrites: I have to admit that I loved all the Quackerjack and Mr. Banana Brain interactions that were in the original. I can't shoehorn them in unless they feel right, so there arent' nearly as many, and I kinda miss them. :)
5. Almost everything after Darkwing gets child-ized is pretty close to the original, just fleshed out; the phone conversation with Beth ended up a little longer than I intended it, but I think it was needed, because I wanted to show the ease that Beth and Launchpad have between themselves even if she's kind of resistant to it/doesn't realize it's there. I needed some kind of positive interaction between them that didn't involve angsting over Drake. ;) I also had to stick in some mounting tension with Henny, and LP really ought to encourage her to get a backbone, don't you think? In the nice, non-accusatory Launchpad style.
6. Played up the loneliness Launchpad feels when Gos and Darkwing only want to hang out with each other. I hadn't intended it to dovetail like that when I started out having him thinking about how he was kind of lonely in general (back in Act I), but it fit like a glove and was actually already in the original fic. Like I said, I just played it up.
7. The Darkwing and Gos caper is at once directly following the original fic (I'm even referencing it as I go, for the general structure and for content ideas to flesh out) and also incredibly different. Action is NOT MY THING. I'm not good at it. If this reads well, I'm lucky, because I really struggle with it. Things I want to address in the next chapter or two include why DW is acting like such a complete brat (there's a reason, it's not JUST that he actually is one :D), and of course how Gos is going to get free/how the good guys will win.
Finally, upcoming in the last chapter: How will Darkwing return to his normal age? Will Beth find out that Drake thinks she's a supervillain? Will she BECOME one??? What will Launchpad think when Darkwing gives his latest opinion on Beth? Will all of this actually be addressed? NO. :D Some of it will. There's a plot climax coming in Act III chapter 2, and then in the "aftermath" of chapter 3, we'll see the Beth and the Launchpad stuff come to a point. (Not the Beth/Launchpad stuff. Beth stuff and Launchpad stuff, and in some ways the two will meet.)
So in a sense I've always felt like it's not fair to have so much Beth in a story that doesn't really involve her, but in another sense, this is one of the most important stories in the first five so a lot HAS to happen. I hope you'll read on, good friends. :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
News and Updates
1: I am sticky and gross. Our air conditioning is broken and appears to have been for most of the day but we did not notice until bedtime when we realized it was hotter than usual and tried turning the thermostat down to no avail. The fan is blowing outside but no cold air inside. STICKY AND GROSS!
2: Updated TWC3 yesterday; trying to make a schedule of finishing a chapter every two weeks here on out so I can be done at the start of September. (I'd hoped to be done in July but whatever) So I have three more chapters. So I thought I'd start tonight and didn't.
3: Good news though: I DID get the rough outline of the act done so at least I know what'll have to happen in each chapter. As usual I'm cramming way too much in at the end. Necessary for the pacing of the chapter breaks, maddening for the readers. :P Especially because, spoiler alert, the climax of the actual PLOT happens in the penultimate chapter. BOOOOOO! BAD STORYTELLING! *hides*
And that is all! Good night everyone!
2: Updated TWC3 yesterday; trying to make a schedule of finishing a chapter every two weeks here on out so I can be done at the start of September. (I'd hoped to be done in July but whatever) So I have three more chapters. So I thought I'd start tonight and didn't.
3: Good news though: I DID get the rough outline of the act done so at least I know what'll have to happen in each chapter. As usual I'm cramming way too much in at the end. Necessary for the pacing of the chapter breaks, maddening for the readers. :P Especially because, spoiler alert, the climax of the actual PLOT happens in the penultimate chapter. BOOOOOO! BAD STORYTELLING! *hides*
And that is all! Good night everyone!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Allow me a strange interlude
Okay, I need to take just one second to whine.
NOBODY likes TWC3. Man alive. Nobody's commenting, nobody's *reading*, I guess my best bet is to get this one over and done with and move on, and hope I can do a better job on TWC4. I wish someone would at least mention what I'm doing *wrong*, but... well, I guess if they're not reading it, there's not much they can say. ^_^;
I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a bit, but you know, I'd also be untruthful if I said it was making me consider not writing anymore or anything. I just do wish I knew what was stinking up the room about it. Maybe the fact that it's a Quackerjack story with barely any Quackerjack? I dunno. :P
NOBODY likes TWC3. Man alive. Nobody's commenting, nobody's *reading*, I guess my best bet is to get this one over and done with and move on, and hope I can do a better job on TWC4. I wish someone would at least mention what I'm doing *wrong*, but... well, I guess if they're not reading it, there's not much they can say. ^_^;
I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a bit, but you know, I'd also be untruthful if I said it was making me consider not writing anymore or anything. I just do wish I knew what was stinking up the room about it. Maybe the fact that it's a Quackerjack story with barely any Quackerjack? I dunno. :P
Saturday, July 2, 2011
In a broken stone age dawn
Just to prove that I was slightly productive this evening:
***
By the time Launchpad had made it home and put the kids to bed, it was after nine pm. He slumped onto the couch, feeling more exhausted than he normally did after a much longer night out on patrol with DW. Why would this be so much more tiring than crimefighting?!
...Then again, crimefighting didn't involve trying to keep up with the mood swings of two high-energy kids with sugar buzzes. Although Megavolt sometimes - nah, even *he* wasn't as taxing as *two* of 'em.
He sighed and leaned his head onto the back cushions of the couch, then rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. The day had been more stressful than he'd thought; he'd been really good at keeping up with the kids back in Duckburg, so what had changed? Was he just getting old? Although the fact that Gosalyn alone had more energy and stubbornness than all three of Mr. McDee's nephews might have been a factor too...
But mostly, it was just the dynamic. The whole feel of them all together was just ... weird. Gos, he could handle; once you got to know her, you could tell when to push and when to just give in and go along with her 'cause you just weren't going to win no matter what you tried. But DW, that was a different matter. It wasn't just that Launchpad didn't know what kind of kid he was, it was that he didn't know how to treat Darkwing Duck like a kid. Darkwing was his friend, his boss, and his idol; you just didn't take on a parenting role with your idol.
And then there was the part that he didn't really want to own up to having noticed, because if it was true, it meant he really was an outsider in the Mallard family no matter what he did. But it sure seemed like... well, like Gos and DW had been avoiding him. Like they'd rather hang out with each other than him.
Maybe it was just because he wasn't really comfortable shifting entirely into the "adult" role, and it was hard for him to accept that both the kids saw hiim as the grown up and were responding to him that way. But, well, why should they think of him that way? They *knew* him! They were all friends, he wasn't ANYone's dad, so...
He sighed again; the whole thing was kind of knotting up in his head, and he wasn't sure anymore if he'd imagined it, or if DW and Gos really had been trying on purpose to keep him out of their business. He was *probably* imagining it, since it had been such a long day and he was really stressed out... he still didn't even know how he was going to get them in to beat Quackerjack and get DW back to being a grown up... He didn't even know how he was going to get Gos to school the next morning. Heck, he hadn't even *realized* she was supposed to be at school that day until about 2 pm when she'd mentioned that it would've been even better if Honker was there too.
Just the thought made him even more tired. And lurking at the back of his mind, another thought popped in: And lonely, too. Gos and DW were best friends now, and neither one seemed much interested in talking to him; and all at once he realized he really wanted nothing more at that moment than another adult to talk to. Even for five minutes, that would do. He thought about Beth; she'd be perfect.
He lifted his head and looked at the easy chairs, picturing her sitting there, and smiled sleepily. Normally she probably would be here, babysitting Gos; it would be neat if he could take a night off one time and help her, and once Gos went to sleep, they could just stay up and talk. Not have to worry about how much time she spent on the phone, or whether a customer came in, or DW accusing her of being a supervillain... just take a couple of hours to hang out. That'd be nice.
Of course, he realized as he rubbed his eyes, if he *was* there then she'd have no reason to come in to babysit. She'd probably think it was pretty weird. Oh well... maybe he could come up with a reason anyway... He stretched out on the couch to give it more thought, and fell asleep within thirty seconds of going prone.
***
***
By the time Launchpad had made it home and put the kids to bed, it was after nine pm. He slumped onto the couch, feeling more exhausted than he normally did after a much longer night out on patrol with DW. Why would this be so much more tiring than crimefighting?!
...Then again, crimefighting didn't involve trying to keep up with the mood swings of two high-energy kids with sugar buzzes. Although Megavolt sometimes - nah, even *he* wasn't as taxing as *two* of 'em.
He sighed and leaned his head onto the back cushions of the couch, then rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. The day had been more stressful than he'd thought; he'd been really good at keeping up with the kids back in Duckburg, so what had changed? Was he just getting old? Although the fact that Gosalyn alone had more energy and stubbornness than all three of Mr. McDee's nephews might have been a factor too...
But mostly, it was just the dynamic. The whole feel of them all together was just ... weird. Gos, he could handle; once you got to know her, you could tell when to push and when to just give in and go along with her 'cause you just weren't going to win no matter what you tried. But DW, that was a different matter. It wasn't just that Launchpad didn't know what kind of kid he was, it was that he didn't know how to treat Darkwing Duck like a kid. Darkwing was his friend, his boss, and his idol; you just didn't take on a parenting role with your idol.
And then there was the part that he didn't really want to own up to having noticed, because if it was true, it meant he really was an outsider in the Mallard family no matter what he did. But it sure seemed like... well, like Gos and DW had been avoiding him. Like they'd rather hang out with each other than him.
Maybe it was just because he wasn't really comfortable shifting entirely into the "adult" role, and it was hard for him to accept that both the kids saw hiim as the grown up and were responding to him that way. But, well, why should they think of him that way? They *knew* him! They were all friends, he wasn't ANYone's dad, so...
He sighed again; the whole thing was kind of knotting up in his head, and he wasn't sure anymore if he'd imagined it, or if DW and Gos really had been trying on purpose to keep him out of their business. He was *probably* imagining it, since it had been such a long day and he was really stressed out... he still didn't even know how he was going to get them in to beat Quackerjack and get DW back to being a grown up... He didn't even know how he was going to get Gos to school the next morning. Heck, he hadn't even *realized* she was supposed to be at school that day until about 2 pm when she'd mentioned that it would've been even better if Honker was there too.
Just the thought made him even more tired. And lurking at the back of his mind, another thought popped in: And lonely, too. Gos and DW were best friends now, and neither one seemed much interested in talking to him; and all at once he realized he really wanted nothing more at that moment than another adult to talk to. Even for five minutes, that would do. He thought about Beth; she'd be perfect.
He lifted his head and looked at the easy chairs, picturing her sitting there, and smiled sleepily. Normally she probably would be here, babysitting Gos; it would be neat if he could take a night off one time and help her, and once Gos went to sleep, they could just stay up and talk. Not have to worry about how much time she spent on the phone, or whether a customer came in, or DW accusing her of being a supervillain... just take a couple of hours to hang out. That'd be nice.
Of course, he realized as he rubbed his eyes, if he *was* there then she'd have no reason to come in to babysit. She'd probably think it was pretty weird. Oh well... maybe he could come up with a reason anyway... He stretched out on the couch to give it more thought, and fell asleep within thirty seconds of going prone.
***
It's OK. Really.
I need someone to tell me that it's OK for me to not reply to everything in my inbox, and just concentrate on my fanfic for a night. Seriously.
I also need someone to openly point out the irony that I *only* start to think about replying to emails or DA comments when I have decided that I need to spend a night working on my fanfic.
And as a third point, I will now take bets as to whether or not I will actually get any fic writing done before I call it a night, or if I'll just procrastinate it out. Bah!
Ever notice I'm much more likely to update here when I am procrastinating, too? Double-bah!
I also need someone to openly point out the irony that I *only* start to think about replying to emails or DA comments when I have decided that I need to spend a night working on my fanfic.
And as a third point, I will now take bets as to whether or not I will actually get any fic writing done before I call it a night, or if I'll just procrastinate it out. Bah!
Ever notice I'm much more likely to update here when I am procrastinating, too? Double-bah!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fluorescent lights, they hum like angels
The thing about sunburn is, once it stops hurting, it starts ITCHING. Take it from me on this one.
So! It's been HOW long now since my last entry? Funny part is on some level I thought it had been even longer. :P But still, I was surprised to see that I didn't update at all up until now for the month of June! Yeesh.
So here's my first thing to mention:
I updated TWC3 with another new chapter! Yay for me! I did mention this on DeviantArt and I am pretty sure most everyone who occasionally pops in here does follow me over there, so they probably already knew it. But ya know, I like to mention it here. :) Is it worth my putting a link up here? If you need one let me know and I'll link it.
Second thing to mention:
Apparently TWC3 is just about my least popular fic so far. Seriously, I don't remember the last time I've had this few reviews on an ongoing fic (not counting the old ones I put up all at once). For the record, I'm not saying specific people or friends of mine - I usually get more random pop-in reviews, that's all. I had a few people following the TWC1 rewrite that I didn't even know; I guess they lost interest. Then I met some new people with TWC2, and that was cool, but only one of them has reviewed a chapter of TWC3 this time and it was to say she wasn't sure about Quackerjack's motivations. (Fair enough, btw; I'm not confident writing him. I think it's totally fair criticism, I just am worried that it was enough to put her off reading the fic. :( I don't want to drive readers away!) I'm kind of hoping I'll pick up some end-of-fic reviews once I finish it, but I'm worried I won't, and that'll be a little bit depressing; I have to admit, I'm not that inspired on this one so it's not my best, but some - in fact nearly all - of hte background plot developments in this one are *pivotal* to the series. They all happen in this one. So I sorta hope that's enough that, by the end, I'll have a few more people who feel it's worth saying something. :)
I guess it couldnt' hurt if I interacted more on FF.net, which I find really difficult, because I can't sort through fanfics to find good ones. I just don't have the time. It's very easy for me to go through a ton of art on DA and leave comments, but I can't invest the time in fanfic unless I know in advance that it's worth reading. I'm sure if I read more fics and interacted with people more they'd reciprocally read mine more, or at least comment to make it look like they were reading. ;)
Oh well, the good news (depending on your perspective) is that I intend to finish this fic regardless. :D And I think TWC4 will be a fun one. I hope anyway. :)
Other weird things: All day on Formspring the number of followers has been distracting me. I don't like having it so clearly marked. It has been fluxing between 53 and 55 followers ALL DAY. It's gone up and down at least 6 times by now. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this happen and is it a bug, or do I just have a couple of people who can't make up their minds about me?
So! It's been HOW long now since my last entry? Funny part is on some level I thought it had been even longer. :P But still, I was surprised to see that I didn't update at all up until now for the month of June! Yeesh.
So here's my first thing to mention:
I updated TWC3 with another new chapter! Yay for me! I did mention this on DeviantArt and I am pretty sure most everyone who occasionally pops in here does follow me over there, so they probably already knew it. But ya know, I like to mention it here. :) Is it worth my putting a link up here? If you need one let me know and I'll link it.
Second thing to mention:
Apparently TWC3 is just about my least popular fic so far. Seriously, I don't remember the last time I've had this few reviews on an ongoing fic (not counting the old ones I put up all at once). For the record, I'm not saying specific people or friends of mine - I usually get more random pop-in reviews, that's all. I had a few people following the TWC1 rewrite that I didn't even know; I guess they lost interest. Then I met some new people with TWC2, and that was cool, but only one of them has reviewed a chapter of TWC3 this time and it was to say she wasn't sure about Quackerjack's motivations. (Fair enough, btw; I'm not confident writing him. I think it's totally fair criticism, I just am worried that it was enough to put her off reading the fic. :( I don't want to drive readers away!) I'm kind of hoping I'll pick up some end-of-fic reviews once I finish it, but I'm worried I won't, and that'll be a little bit depressing; I have to admit, I'm not that inspired on this one so it's not my best, but some - in fact nearly all - of hte background plot developments in this one are *pivotal* to the series. They all happen in this one. So I sorta hope that's enough that, by the end, I'll have a few more people who feel it's worth saying something. :)
I guess it couldnt' hurt if I interacted more on FF.net, which I find really difficult, because I can't sort through fanfics to find good ones. I just don't have the time. It's very easy for me to go through a ton of art on DA and leave comments, but I can't invest the time in fanfic unless I know in advance that it's worth reading. I'm sure if I read more fics and interacted with people more they'd reciprocally read mine more, or at least comment to make it look like they were reading. ;)
Oh well, the good news (depending on your perspective) is that I intend to finish this fic regardless. :D And I think TWC4 will be a fun one. I hope anyway. :)
Other weird things: All day on Formspring the number of followers has been distracting me. I don't like having it so clearly marked. It has been fluxing between 53 and 55 followers ALL DAY. It's gone up and down at least 6 times by now. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this happen and is it a bug, or do I just have a couple of people who can't make up their minds about me?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Double Post
Wow, I did it. I kinda didn't think I'd make it. But it's nearly midnight so #$&)$. Was it worth it, I don't know. I only got one review on the last chapter so I don't expect to get much on this one either (though what's keeping me going on this is that I want to make it at least to TWC4 since that's where things get "juicy" as it were; anyway point being reviews are gravy but I have an internal push, for now anyway, might burn out we'll see. Damn i'm tired)
Anyway, here is link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
I'll update AO3 tomorrow, right now too lazy/tired/screwyouguys,I'mgoinghome type stuff. BED and I mean it. (As if I won't probably waste another ten-fifteen minutes rechecking my email JUST IN CASE someone reviewed).
I'll just add that I'm at that stage of being tired/annoyed by the fact that I'm not in bed yet where everything angers me. Make a typo, and I'm like "I HATE YOU FINGERS! RAAHR! WHAT IF I THREW YOU IN THE TRASHCAN THEN WOULD YOU BE SORRY?!" ;)
Anyway, here is link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
I'll update AO3 tomorrow, right now too lazy/tired/screwyouguys,I'mgoinghome type stuff. BED and I mean it. (As if I won't probably waste another ten-fifteen minutes rechecking my email JUST IN CASE someone reviewed).
I'll just add that I'm at that stage of being tired/annoyed by the fact that I'm not in bed yet where everything angers me. Make a typo, and I'm like "I HATE YOU FINGERS! RAAHR! WHAT IF I THREW YOU IN THE TRASHCAN THEN WOULD YOU BE SORRY?!" ;)
I listen to the Bee Gees while I write.
True confessions. I don't really like the Bee Gees but they are condusive to writing, for some reason. It's usually "How Deep Is Your Love" which actually has comparitively little falsetto - it's the falsetto that usually kills these things for me. Okay, that and the fact that all three of the Gibbs brothers are just really hard on the eyes, and yet you know they were getting more action...
Annnnnyway. Trying to finish up this chapter of TWC3 tonight. So of course I have to procrastinate and somehow I choose to procrastinate by writing about how much I wnat to finish up the chapter? Huh?
I will admit that I am frustrated by the pacing of this. I can't *quite* figure out how to end this scene (second to last in this chapter) and it's going on too long. Then I'm not fully sure where the next scene is going to go, I just know a couple of htings that will happen in it. Meanwhile it's nearly 11 pm, again, and I'm tired, and oh, RASPBERRIES. At least this evening I got to spend a little time with my hubby before cloistering myself to try to finish fanfiction. :P
There may or may not be a Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever-inspired picture that will surface someday. I'm making no promises. It could be a thing of beauty or, perhaps, the exact opposite... time will tell.
Annnnnyway. Trying to finish up this chapter of TWC3 tonight. So of course I have to procrastinate and somehow I choose to procrastinate by writing about how much I wnat to finish up the chapter? Huh?
I will admit that I am frustrated by the pacing of this. I can't *quite* figure out how to end this scene (second to last in this chapter) and it's going on too long. Then I'm not fully sure where the next scene is going to go, I just know a couple of htings that will happen in it. Meanwhile it's nearly 11 pm, again, and I'm tired, and oh, RASPBERRIES. At least this evening I got to spend a little time with my hubby before cloistering myself to try to finish fanfiction. :P
There may or may not be a Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever-inspired picture that will surface someday. I'm making no promises. It could be a thing of beauty or, perhaps, the exact opposite... time will tell.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
BED
I wish I went to bed earlier than 11pm most nights, instead of after it. It's just that I want to get things done! And I have no time except from about 9-11 pm!
I'm trying to finish up the first chapter of Act II of TWC3 (wow... anyway). I should have it finished by the end of the week - actually I'm hoping by tomorrow. That's pretty good considering it took me a month to get started on it! The chapter has ended up just sort of coming, since this weekend. Nice. I wish they all flowed like that. :P
I haven't mentioned this but this particular fic is about two things. One of them is obvious: Quackerjack. That's the plot. That's totally and definitely the plot.
But there is another plot that, to me, is the "real" one and I'm embarrassed to admit it but I think I probably should. But it's a spoiler so I won't say it here. I'll leave a comment. Then if you want to know, you can read the comments. *nodnod* Secret-like. Did you get the impression that we are whispering while reading this? Haha, that's what it seemed like to me.
Anyway... comments have spoilers. Avoid if you want to wait for the fic to be finished. My realistic (not optimistic but not very pessimistic either) estimate is that it'll be finished around August or September this year, if I can post two chapters per month between now and then. Since I also want to work on "Those Daring McQuacks in Their Flying Machines" i might not keep that pace, but I'll try!
Btw, should I post a preview of "Flying Machines" here? I mean, the stuff that I haven't posted yet on FF.net? Or should I just let that go?
I'm trying to finish up the first chapter of Act II of TWC3 (wow... anyway). I should have it finished by the end of the week - actually I'm hoping by tomorrow. That's pretty good considering it took me a month to get started on it! The chapter has ended up just sort of coming, since this weekend. Nice. I wish they all flowed like that. :P
I haven't mentioned this but this particular fic is about two things. One of them is obvious: Quackerjack. That's the plot. That's totally and definitely the plot.
But there is another plot that, to me, is the "real" one and I'm embarrassed to admit it but I think I probably should. But it's a spoiler so I won't say it here. I'll leave a comment. Then if you want to know, you can read the comments. *nodnod* Secret-like. Did you get the impression that we are whispering while reading this? Haha, that's what it seemed like to me.
Anyway... comments have spoilers. Avoid if you want to wait for the fic to be finished. My realistic (not optimistic but not very pessimistic either) estimate is that it'll be finished around August or September this year, if I can post two chapters per month between now and then. Since I also want to work on "Those Daring McQuacks in Their Flying Machines" i might not keep that pace, but I'll try!
Btw, should I post a preview of "Flying Machines" here? I mean, the stuff that I haven't posted yet on FF.net? Or should I just let that go?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sheesh, well, bye-bye April
Man, I didn't get a lot done fic-wise this month. :)
This evening I decided I'd try to do some writing. I have done none, and I do'nt know if I will get any done after this. :P So hard to FOCUS. I need some inspiration.
I'm sorry, I thought I had more to write about. :)
EDIT: So I did get some writing done, though nothing substantial... DURNIT. I got a small portion of the start of chapter 2 of TWC3's second act, and somewhere close to the beginning of TWC4 (the music I was listening to demanded that I work on that scene). I guess there's really only so much you can do during an hour's worth of time. But I need a kick in ze pants to get me workin' on real plot content. :P
Someone inspire me! Pweeeeeease?
This evening I decided I'd try to do some writing. I have done none, and I do'nt know if I will get any done after this. :P So hard to FOCUS. I need some inspiration.
I'm sorry, I thought I had more to write about. :)
EDIT: So I did get some writing done, though nothing substantial... DURNIT. I got a small portion of the start of chapter 2 of TWC3's second act, and somewhere close to the beginning of TWC4 (the music I was listening to demanded that I work on that scene). I guess there's really only so much you can do during an hour's worth of time. But I need a kick in ze pants to get me workin' on real plot content. :P
Someone inspire me! Pweeeeeease?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
MAN it's cold here
My office is always FREEZING, especially after 5pm.
Sorry no content updates here for the past few weeks, but I have just updated "Forever Young" at Fanfiction.net and AO3! You want the links? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE LINKS! Oh okay what the heck.
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/165643
FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
I just put up chapter 3, which officially closes out Act I. That's great! Except I have barely anything written for Act II. That's less great :P I like to have at least a chapter in advance written, because if I don't, I dno't have any "backup" material to post when I'm stuck. Eh well. I'll try to get two chapters done during April. :)
A quick question for anyone inclined to answer: What do you think I should focus on for now: the rewrites, or the rewrites AND new stuff? Is it worth working on new fics at the same time or should I just get the rewrites done and out there first? I'm afraid I'll lose my drive on the new stuff :(
I've asked this before but no one has really answered, so I thought I'd try again. And I'll try again in a few months, I'm sure, if no one answers this time! ;D
Sorry no content updates here for the past few weeks, but I have just updated "Forever Young" at Fanfiction.net and AO3! You want the links? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE LINKS! Oh okay what the heck.
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/165643
FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
I just put up chapter 3, which officially closes out Act I. That's great! Except I have barely anything written for Act II. That's less great :P I like to have at least a chapter in advance written, because if I don't, I dno't have any "backup" material to post when I'm stuck. Eh well. I'll try to get two chapters done during April. :)
A quick question for anyone inclined to answer: What do you think I should focus on for now: the rewrites, or the rewrites AND new stuff? Is it worth working on new fics at the same time or should I just get the rewrites done and out there first? I'm afraid I'll lose my drive on the new stuff :(
I've asked this before but no one has really answered, so I thought I'd try again. And I'll try again in a few months, I'm sure, if no one answers this time! ;D
Friday, March 4, 2011
Double-Post With the Most
I dunno why it is but it's like, if I actually post here, a lot of times I end up DOUBLE-posting. Haha.
So who's up for some over-PG-rated talk? No? You may leave, sir!
To clarify though I'm not about to get smutty. Just some musing on the kind of fic I usually write, and the fact that I don't generally go above a PG rating... even though occasionally I am tempted. *G*
So to be honest, when it comes to sex/adult situations, my rating is kept low due to my own... squidginess with the subject matter. I have never really felt comfortable writing sexy duck stuff, or reading it, to be perfectly honest. I won't turn it down when it's a friend that has written it but I have to put myself into another mindset to do it, and I won't ever seek it out from someone I don't know. It's just not my bag (slash, het, crack pairing, whatever - it doesn't matter, I just don't go beyond PG, a little innuendo. I'll do a "fade to black" and that's about as far as I actively am interested in).
However, I'll admit that I do occasionally find that as i'm writing a scene I have to really, really struggle to keep it... well, "clean". I'm not talking about characters stripping or anything like that but just the undertones. There's a scene in TWC1, when Beth finds out that Drake and LP live in the same house, and there just was no way that I couldn't write it as if she thinks she's discovered that they're a gay couple. She's like, subtly disappointed, right? Yeah. I couldn't bring myself to *say* it but neither could I not write it. To me it was REALLY obvious she'd jump to that conclusion. :D
Likewise, in the chapter of TWC3 that I just posted this evening, LP and Beth have this super-awkward conversation about how she really wants a family but she's never even had a boyfriend; I was trying very hard as I wrote it to not make it obvious that she was really confessing to him that she was a virgin. I mean, if she's never had a boyfriend, DUH, but you know, in a cartoon universe that's not an issue. *G* But that just became the subtext of the scene, and made it about ten times more awkward. These are things that I would assume will likely be more obvious than I thought they were as I wrote them, which means ... they're probably pretty bad. ^^;
The last subject is the topic of actual sexuality, which - well, if I shy away from general innuendo, you'd have to guess that I avoid sexuality like the plague. And I do, but honestly, it's not like it never crosses my mind. One thing about Beth is that she isn't exactly physically demonstrative, but when she hugs someone, they STAY hugged if you know what I mean. You probably don't. :D She's generally never aware of how her actions or things she says come across, and especially not at first, so when Beth hugs someone she gives it her all. She like really, REALLY hugs them. Not in a crushing way but in this way where she presses her entire upper body against them and kind of nestles her head into their shoulder. Drake finds it really uncomfortable but LP finds it really intimate and it gets to him immediately.
From there I end up finding myself writing him just... thinking about touching her, wanting to be in contact with her, putting his hand on her back while he hugs her and just considering the shape of her; these are all actually very sensual and to a certain degree sexual things.
The farthest I'd ever be willing to go in terms of writing a DWD fic would be PG-13. I don't think I could ever write much more than some heavy smooching scenes and then the definite implication of the characters staying the night together... and even that... well it'll never happen in the "official" universe of my fics. (Especially 'cause I'd be selling out; I think Beth is the wait-until-marriage type for certain.)
And I have a lot of trouble writing kissing scenes and the like because I either under-describe or over-describe it; and because I'm genuinely afraid of making it too sexy, or possibly laughably too sexy. ;) Every so often I get it into my head to write one of these and I never do, but today's been one of those days where the whole idea won't stop floating around in there. So, there's the inspiration for this post. *G*
How do the people reading feel about "adult-oriented" material? I know how a couple of people following this blog feel, but offer anyone who'd like the opportunity to reply or weigh in. :)
So who's up for some over-PG-rated talk? No? You may leave, sir!
To clarify though I'm not about to get smutty. Just some musing on the kind of fic I usually write, and the fact that I don't generally go above a PG rating... even though occasionally I am tempted. *G*
So to be honest, when it comes to sex/adult situations, my rating is kept low due to my own... squidginess with the subject matter. I have never really felt comfortable writing sexy duck stuff, or reading it, to be perfectly honest. I won't turn it down when it's a friend that has written it but I have to put myself into another mindset to do it, and I won't ever seek it out from someone I don't know. It's just not my bag (slash, het, crack pairing, whatever - it doesn't matter, I just don't go beyond PG, a little innuendo. I'll do a "fade to black" and that's about as far as I actively am interested in).
However, I'll admit that I do occasionally find that as i'm writing a scene I have to really, really struggle to keep it... well, "clean". I'm not talking about characters stripping or anything like that but just the undertones. There's a scene in TWC1, when Beth finds out that Drake and LP live in the same house, and there just was no way that I couldn't write it as if she thinks she's discovered that they're a gay couple. She's like, subtly disappointed, right? Yeah. I couldn't bring myself to *say* it but neither could I not write it. To me it was REALLY obvious she'd jump to that conclusion. :D
Likewise, in the chapter of TWC3 that I just posted this evening, LP and Beth have this super-awkward conversation about how she really wants a family but she's never even had a boyfriend; I was trying very hard as I wrote it to not make it obvious that she was really confessing to him that she was a virgin. I mean, if she's never had a boyfriend, DUH, but you know, in a cartoon universe that's not an issue. *G* But that just became the subtext of the scene, and made it about ten times more awkward. These are things that I would assume will likely be more obvious than I thought they were as I wrote them, which means ... they're probably pretty bad. ^^;
The last subject is the topic of actual sexuality, which - well, if I shy away from general innuendo, you'd have to guess that I avoid sexuality like the plague. And I do, but honestly, it's not like it never crosses my mind. One thing about Beth is that she isn't exactly physically demonstrative, but when she hugs someone, they STAY hugged if you know what I mean. You probably don't. :D She's generally never aware of how her actions or things she says come across, and especially not at first, so when Beth hugs someone she gives it her all. She like really, REALLY hugs them. Not in a crushing way but in this way where she presses her entire upper body against them and kind of nestles her head into their shoulder. Drake finds it really uncomfortable but LP finds it really intimate and it gets to him immediately.
From there I end up finding myself writing him just... thinking about touching her, wanting to be in contact with her, putting his hand on her back while he hugs her and just considering the shape of her; these are all actually very sensual and to a certain degree sexual things.
The farthest I'd ever be willing to go in terms of writing a DWD fic would be PG-13. I don't think I could ever write much more than some heavy smooching scenes and then the definite implication of the characters staying the night together... and even that... well it'll never happen in the "official" universe of my fics. (Especially 'cause I'd be selling out; I think Beth is the wait-until-marriage type for certain.)
And I have a lot of trouble writing kissing scenes and the like because I either under-describe or over-describe it; and because I'm genuinely afraid of making it too sexy, or possibly laughably too sexy. ;) Every so often I get it into my head to write one of these and I never do, but today's been one of those days where the whole idea won't stop floating around in there. So, there's the inspiration for this post. *G*
How do the people reading feel about "adult-oriented" material? I know how a couple of people following this blog feel, but offer anyone who'd like the opportunity to reply or weigh in. :)
Bonjour, Good Day, How is your family?
1st: New chapter of TWC3 is up on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/165643/chapters/244215
And at FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/2/
2nd: The authors notes promise a deleted scene. You might possibly even wonder about that scene before you get to the end, where the author's notes are. What happened is that I wrote the scene where Drake apologizes to Beth, and wasn't really happy with it. It wasn't bad, but I felt like the whole chapter was running long, and I needed to trim it desperately. So I tried the chapter without the scene, just alluding to it, and it worked, IMO. But the scene has been written (and y'all readers might be curious), so I'm going to post it here with my handy-dandy Deleted Scene capabilities! Don't you love Fanfic Blog Extras? ;)
With this scene, there's a bit of duplicated information that shows up at the end of what I actually posted; that's because a small handful of information was important, and so I had to add it back into the chapter another way. I didn't bother to edit it out of here. So just in case you wonder why Beth and DW are having a conversation that they sort of have later on and neither seems to remember that they already talked about it... that's why. XD
Damn, I just realized that I forgot to put the "call me Beth" conversation in the version I posted. Meh. I can fix, though. Oh well! Enjoy!
***
"Ahem. Well," he said hesitantly.
After a moment, she said roughly, "Well..."
"So, uh... I think there may have been a slight misunderstanding just now, Ms. Webfoot," he began carefully. She shifted in a way that he couldn't read. He cleared his throat and said, "I, ah, I had it pointed out to me that you - *ahem* - overheard me say something that was just *ripe* for misinterpretation. And that you may have thought, mistakenly of *course*, that I was talking about *you* just now."
Beth lifted her head in a sort of sideways move, and he saw her eyes blink up towards his. "Re-really..?"
She looked miserable, to the point where he was embarrassed *for* her; it was like she wasn’t able to hide it, and it really wasn’t flattering. And for a moment, he had an awful, gut feeling that anyone who was acting out a deliberate plan wouldn’t be able to pull off so perfect a picture of misery. For just a moment, he was sure that she wasn't a supervillain, she wasn't a criminal mastermind, she was just a regular person. A generally somewhat annoying person, sure, but still a regular one. And he was a jerk.
Drake swallowed. No, that couldn’t be right. There was too much evidence to the contrary, too many coincidences to be real. He shook himself out of it, reminded himself why he was doing this, and then lied as hard as he could. "Oh yes. See, I had a conversation with a coworker this afternoon, and well, I'll spare you the details, but I was just telling Launchpad about it and it would seem that you walked in on the end of it. And from the look of things you jumped to conclusions here..."
She lifted her head slightly. "I... I did?"
He chuckled. "Yep, yep, looks like it." In lieu of anything else to say, he added, "I guess there's a lesson here about walking in on conversations-"
"Mr. Mallard?" She cut him off, and the look she was giving him was both hopeful and desperate. Speaking quickly and stiltedly, she said, "Do - I mean - do you want me - to leave?"
He hesitated. "P-pardon?"
"Just... just tell me." She sighed and put a hand up towards her forehead, shielding herself from him. "Just tell me right now, please, and... and that'll be that."
Oh, now this was too much. This catapulted him right back into his certainty that she was more than she said she was; no one could possibly do this without intending to twist the knife. He almost read her the riot act then and there, but then remembered that Launchpad would probably come to her rescue and tie him up, or something. Without the first idea of what to say or how this should go, he took a breath and lied again. "Nooooo, no no… Whatever could make you think *that*?"
There was a pause - he still couldn't see her face - and she said in a wobbly voice, "S-so you don't want me to leave?"
*Well-played, Beth Webfoot,* he thought. She was crafty. “Who, me? *Perish* the thought,” he said through gritted teeth.
With a slight sniffle she said, "Oh... Okay..." They paused and neither of them looked at each other, and then she said more loudly, "Boy, I sure feel silly over all this. Gosh. I'm - I'm really sorry."
"Oh, no, no no. Think nothing of it." Inwardly Drake was cringing, and wondering if he was really doing the right thing. Well, he was stuck with her now, so he’d *have* to be the one to take down her criminal empire – or whatever it was she was leading up to. "I mean, things... happen. No matter how much we might wish otherwise, am I right?"
"Sure," she said, and nodded. "Oh, Mr. Mallard ... I'm really sorry, also, about - about butting into your conversation."
Unexpectedly, he felt another flash of guilt when she said that, and he squirmed a little under her gaze. "Look, Ms. Webfoot-"
"Call me Beth!" she said instantly; it almost made him think she'd been waiting all this time for a chance to say that. "Um, please."
He winced. "Okay... Beth. Look, let's not even think about it again, huh?" She nodded, looking a little peppier than she had, and he was reminded of a puppy. "Okay, great, so we're settled. Look, I've got to get ready to go, so - so I'll just see you next time, right? We're paid up for the week?"
"Oh yes!" she said, nodding, and then looked thoughtful for a moment. He tried to escape before she spoke again, but she caught him halfway out the door. "Oh! Oh Mr. Mallard!"
He wondered if he could get away with not returning the first-name favour. With a sigh, he decided he probably couldn't. "Drake," he said wearily, turning back to face her. Her entire face brightened.
"I totally forgot what it was I was coming in to say to you! See, Gosalyn had asked me if she could have a friend over tonight and I wasn't sure what you'd think about that so I said I would ask you, I mean, it's pretty much okay with *me* but I don't know YOUR policy on the matter so I figured it was better to ask and be sure so that you didn't-"
"Okay okay, I get it. Are we talking about Honker?"
She looked a little blank, but said, "Is he the next-door neighbour?"
"Yep."
"Then yes, that must be right. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure, sure. Honker comes over all the time. Just make sure Gos doesn't force him to do her homework and there won't be any problems." He started out through the door again, and again she stopped him.
"Dr-Drake? One more thing. Um... is Honker... is he very much like - well, what I mean is-"
He knew what she was trying to ask, as she searched for a tactful way of asking without possibly insulting his daughter. "He's nothing like Gos. He's quiet and studious - you'll like him."
"Oh." She smiled, appearing to relax, and gave him a little wave. He returned it half-heartedly, and did his best to make sure she didn't see him roll his eyes on the way out. The last thing he needed now was to go through the whole darn thing over again.
***
The door to the kitchen opened slowly, almost carefully, and then Drake stepped out. Launchpad watched him, and when he didn’t say anything, Launchpad prompted him a little. “So..?”
Drake turned a look on him that Launchpad couldn’t exactly identify. It was sort of accusatory and annoyed, but also underneath it seemed like it was kind of fumbling and remorseful. It was definitely a glare, though, and Launchpad felt more sheepish every second it was turned on him. After a moment, Drake said, “So I apologized.”
...etc...
And at FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/2/
2nd: The authors notes promise a deleted scene. You might possibly even wonder about that scene before you get to the end, where the author's notes are. What happened is that I wrote the scene where Drake apologizes to Beth, and wasn't really happy with it. It wasn't bad, but I felt like the whole chapter was running long, and I needed to trim it desperately. So I tried the chapter without the scene, just alluding to it, and it worked, IMO. But the scene has been written (and y'all readers might be curious), so I'm going to post it here with my handy-dandy Deleted Scene capabilities! Don't you love Fanfic Blog Extras? ;)
With this scene, there's a bit of duplicated information that shows up at the end of what I actually posted; that's because a small handful of information was important, and so I had to add it back into the chapter another way. I didn't bother to edit it out of here. So just in case you wonder why Beth and DW are having a conversation that they sort of have later on and neither seems to remember that they already talked about it... that's why. XD
Damn, I just realized that I forgot to put the "call me Beth" conversation in the version I posted. Meh. I can fix, though. Oh well! Enjoy!
***
"Ahem. Well," he said hesitantly.
After a moment, she said roughly, "Well..."
"So, uh... I think there may have been a slight misunderstanding just now, Ms. Webfoot," he began carefully. She shifted in a way that he couldn't read. He cleared his throat and said, "I, ah, I had it pointed out to me that you - *ahem* - overheard me say something that was just *ripe* for misinterpretation. And that you may have thought, mistakenly of *course*, that I was talking about *you* just now."
Beth lifted her head in a sort of sideways move, and he saw her eyes blink up towards his. "Re-really..?"
She looked miserable, to the point where he was embarrassed *for* her; it was like she wasn’t able to hide it, and it really wasn’t flattering. And for a moment, he had an awful, gut feeling that anyone who was acting out a deliberate plan wouldn’t be able to pull off so perfect a picture of misery. For just a moment, he was sure that she wasn't a supervillain, she wasn't a criminal mastermind, she was just a regular person. A generally somewhat annoying person, sure, but still a regular one. And he was a jerk.
Drake swallowed. No, that couldn’t be right. There was too much evidence to the contrary, too many coincidences to be real. He shook himself out of it, reminded himself why he was doing this, and then lied as hard as he could. "Oh yes. See, I had a conversation with a coworker this afternoon, and well, I'll spare you the details, but I was just telling Launchpad about it and it would seem that you walked in on the end of it. And from the look of things you jumped to conclusions here..."
She lifted her head slightly. "I... I did?"
He chuckled. "Yep, yep, looks like it." In lieu of anything else to say, he added, "I guess there's a lesson here about walking in on conversations-"
"Mr. Mallard?" She cut him off, and the look she was giving him was both hopeful and desperate. Speaking quickly and stiltedly, she said, "Do - I mean - do you want me - to leave?"
He hesitated. "P-pardon?"
"Just... just tell me." She sighed and put a hand up towards her forehead, shielding herself from him. "Just tell me right now, please, and... and that'll be that."
Oh, now this was too much. This catapulted him right back into his certainty that she was more than she said she was; no one could possibly do this without intending to twist the knife. He almost read her the riot act then and there, but then remembered that Launchpad would probably come to her rescue and tie him up, or something. Without the first idea of what to say or how this should go, he took a breath and lied again. "Nooooo, no no… Whatever could make you think *that*?"
There was a pause - he still couldn't see her face - and she said in a wobbly voice, "S-so you don't want me to leave?"
*Well-played, Beth Webfoot,* he thought. She was crafty. “Who, me? *Perish* the thought,” he said through gritted teeth.
With a slight sniffle she said, "Oh... Okay..." They paused and neither of them looked at each other, and then she said more loudly, "Boy, I sure feel silly over all this. Gosh. I'm - I'm really sorry."
"Oh, no, no no. Think nothing of it." Inwardly Drake was cringing, and wondering if he was really doing the right thing. Well, he was stuck with her now, so he’d *have* to be the one to take down her criminal empire – or whatever it was she was leading up to. "I mean, things... happen. No matter how much we might wish otherwise, am I right?"
"Sure," she said, and nodded. "Oh, Mr. Mallard ... I'm really sorry, also, about - about butting into your conversation."
Unexpectedly, he felt another flash of guilt when she said that, and he squirmed a little under her gaze. "Look, Ms. Webfoot-"
"Call me Beth!" she said instantly; it almost made him think she'd been waiting all this time for a chance to say that. "Um, please."
He winced. "Okay... Beth. Look, let's not even think about it again, huh?" She nodded, looking a little peppier than she had, and he was reminded of a puppy. "Okay, great, so we're settled. Look, I've got to get ready to go, so - so I'll just see you next time, right? We're paid up for the week?"
"Oh yes!" she said, nodding, and then looked thoughtful for a moment. He tried to escape before she spoke again, but she caught him halfway out the door. "Oh! Oh Mr. Mallard!"
He wondered if he could get away with not returning the first-name favour. With a sigh, he decided he probably couldn't. "Drake," he said wearily, turning back to face her. Her entire face brightened.
"I totally forgot what it was I was coming in to say to you! See, Gosalyn had asked me if she could have a friend over tonight and I wasn't sure what you'd think about that so I said I would ask you, I mean, it's pretty much okay with *me* but I don't know YOUR policy on the matter so I figured it was better to ask and be sure so that you didn't-"
"Okay okay, I get it. Are we talking about Honker?"
She looked a little blank, but said, "Is he the next-door neighbour?"
"Yep."
"Then yes, that must be right. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure, sure. Honker comes over all the time. Just make sure Gos doesn't force him to do her homework and there won't be any problems." He started out through the door again, and again she stopped him.
"Dr-Drake? One more thing. Um... is Honker... is he very much like - well, what I mean is-"
He knew what she was trying to ask, as she searched for a tactful way of asking without possibly insulting his daughter. "He's nothing like Gos. He's quiet and studious - you'll like him."
"Oh." She smiled, appearing to relax, and gave him a little wave. He returned it half-heartedly, and did his best to make sure she didn't see him roll his eyes on the way out. The last thing he needed now was to go through the whole darn thing over again.
***
The door to the kitchen opened slowly, almost carefully, and then Drake stepped out. Launchpad watched him, and when he didn’t say anything, Launchpad prompted him a little. “So..?”
Drake turned a look on him that Launchpad couldn’t exactly identify. It was sort of accusatory and annoyed, but also underneath it seemed like it was kind of fumbling and remorseful. It was definitely a glare, though, and Launchpad felt more sheepish every second it was turned on him. After a moment, Drake said, “So I apologized.”
...etc...
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Character Post: Launchpad, Take 2
I'm busy workin' away on chapter 2 of TWC3 and there's been a lot of introspection on Launchpad's part. (I'd go into why but it's all spoilery and since this fic is coming out in the NEAR future, instead of the DISTANT kind, I figured I'd just let folks wait; I will say though that, y'know, I'm going somewhere with him in this fic.) Anyway, that got me thinking again about how I write him and how that's evolved. I actually have started writing him a bit differently since I wrote my last characterization post - back in 2007 now, I think that was. (GOD that's just sick and wrong. I'M OLD.)
Digression: I am seriously freezing right now and I have no idea why. Stupid office! Okay, digression over, now to the meat of the post.
In my last post I mentioned how I thought I was weakest at writing Launchpad, out of the three main characters of the show. I guess that might've changed by now; I've been putting a real effort into developing his character, some of which shows up in the rewrites and some of which in the "New" fics. (We won't talk about the stuff in between.) But the character is not a precise reflection of who he is in the show. It's not a huge departure either, it's just that - in my opinion - Launchpad on the show is not prone to introspection.
Well, ya can't write that way in fanfic, kids! Or well I guess you can, 'cause I used to, but it's not easy to read. :P
I've been trying to find a "blend" on LP... someone who is familiar and appealing to fans of the show, who doesn't seem blatantly smarter/angrier/darker/cooler/whatever than he was, but who is still deeper than DWD series often portrayed him and who is a bit more prone to action than "just the sidekick".
The action part is something i want to do within the realms of the series, actually. LP was often just in the background but not always; he had his moments. I want to do that, have him be supporting action without overtaking Darkwing, but have them more frequently.
The added depth is something I'm maybe trying to explain a little in this way: in my take on the series, Launchpad has kind of been in a bit of a holding pattern for a while without realizing it. He's been happy doing what he's doing, ie, sidekicking and helping out with Gos, etc. It's been fun, he hasn't thought much about anything else, and he's now starting to think about things and realize that he's been neglecting his own life a bit. Hence, the introspection; I thought maybe it could play as just something he was avoiding for a while.
In terms of characterization - the "blend" - I dont' want him to be more serious. I love goofy LP! I like to write him as a generally easy-to-please guy who doesn't overthink anything, often thinks about his stomach first, and likes to see people happy. He's prone to saying things that are slightly off-the-wall, and can be easily confused or overwhelmed at times. I hope it comes across as LAUNCHPAD, just maybe in a little more detail than a half-hour cartoon series, and not as me trying to beef up my fave character and make him the way *I* think he should be. Well, everyone does that, I guess (though LP's not actually my favourite character, but he used to be); like I siad though, I hope he's familiar to fans of the show and I certainly hope he's appealing. ^_^
Digression: I am seriously freezing right now and I have no idea why. Stupid office! Okay, digression over, now to the meat of the post.
In my last post I mentioned how I thought I was weakest at writing Launchpad, out of the three main characters of the show. I guess that might've changed by now; I've been putting a real effort into developing his character, some of which shows up in the rewrites and some of which in the "New" fics. (We won't talk about the stuff in between.) But the character is not a precise reflection of who he is in the show. It's not a huge departure either, it's just that - in my opinion - Launchpad on the show is not prone to introspection.
Well, ya can't write that way in fanfic, kids! Or well I guess you can, 'cause I used to, but it's not easy to read. :P
I've been trying to find a "blend" on LP... someone who is familiar and appealing to fans of the show, who doesn't seem blatantly smarter/angrier/darker/cooler/whatever than he was, but who is still deeper than DWD series often portrayed him and who is a bit more prone to action than "just the sidekick".
The action part is something i want to do within the realms of the series, actually. LP was often just in the background but not always; he had his moments. I want to do that, have him be supporting action without overtaking Darkwing, but have them more frequently.
The added depth is something I'm maybe trying to explain a little in this way: in my take on the series, Launchpad has kind of been in a bit of a holding pattern for a while without realizing it. He's been happy doing what he's doing, ie, sidekicking and helping out with Gos, etc. It's been fun, he hasn't thought much about anything else, and he's now starting to think about things and realize that he's been neglecting his own life a bit. Hence, the introspection; I thought maybe it could play as just something he was avoiding for a while.
In terms of characterization - the "blend" - I dont' want him to be more serious. I love goofy LP! I like to write him as a generally easy-to-please guy who doesn't overthink anything, often thinks about his stomach first, and likes to see people happy. He's prone to saying things that are slightly off-the-wall, and can be easily confused or overwhelmed at times. I hope it comes across as LAUNCHPAD, just maybe in a little more detail than a half-hour cartoon series, and not as me trying to beef up my fave character and make him the way *I* think he should be. Well, everyone does that, I guess (though LP's not actually my favourite character, but he used to be); like I siad though, I hope he's familiar to fans of the show and I certainly hope he's appealing. ^_^
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Don't you just love it when you make a typo in your subject line?
Seriously. I just noticed a major one in that last entry. ("Throw up your ahnds" I think it was.)
I blame MS Word's autocorrect features, especially the ones in Outlook. They're making me lazy as hell about my typing. :P Me - and AMERICA IN GENERAL!
So, not a lot to mention; I have been getting some lovely gift art lately ^_^ I am embarking on a quest to do more gift art myself for the month of March, and this is probably going to inevitably slow down my efforts at regular updates to my fics (I technically am working on two at the moment). I'd like to get at least one chapter done on each per month, but with the art thingie, that might not happen.
The good part is that I have a lot already written and it just needs betaing, so there will be SOME updates this month. :)
So, also got some very nice reviews on the first chapter of TWC3, thank you so much guys! :D I'm going to go back to an idea I had with TWC1, and start putting "deleted" scenes up here. I didn't have any for TWC2, since that one was shorter, but I need to do some trimming on 3. I am longwinded. :P I don't really think that's a major flaw, but I do like to keep my chapters down to 4,000 words or less - especially if they're not action-heavy. If it's just a bunch of character exposition I want them shorter. 4,000 words is actually a buttload of lot, but it's my ceiling. I hope anyway. :)
Well, this is a long entry considering I have very little or nothing to say! See you guys later, maybe later this week I hope!
I blame MS Word's autocorrect features, especially the ones in Outlook. They're making me lazy as hell about my typing. :P Me - and AMERICA IN GENERAL!
So, not a lot to mention; I have been getting some lovely gift art lately ^_^ I am embarking on a quest to do more gift art myself for the month of March, and this is probably going to inevitably slow down my efforts at regular updates to my fics (I technically am working on two at the moment). I'd like to get at least one chapter done on each per month, but with the art thingie, that might not happen.
The good part is that I have a lot already written and it just needs betaing, so there will be SOME updates this month. :)
So, also got some very nice reviews on the first chapter of TWC3, thank you so much guys! :D I'm going to go back to an idea I had with TWC1, and start putting "deleted" scenes up here. I didn't have any for TWC2, since that one was shorter, but I need to do some trimming on 3. I am longwinded. :P I don't really think that's a major flaw, but I do like to keep my chapters down to 4,000 words or less - especially if they're not action-heavy. If it's just a bunch of character exposition I want them shorter. 4,000 words is actually a buttload of lot, but it's my ceiling. I hope anyway. :)
Well, this is a long entry considering I have very little or nothing to say! See you guys later, maybe later this week I hope!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
I swear it's Springfield's only choice! Throw up your ahnds and raise your voice!
Hiiii everyone!
In case you don't watch me on deviantART, I have put up the first chapter of "Forever Young" (third in TWC rewrites). http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
Please review! If you've never reviewed before this is where to start, and perhaps even end! This chapter has a scene I'm all shaky about and need some love. :)
Um, yes, I did indeed put most of this up here already if you go back far enough in the archives. So you might've read it. But it's OFFICIALLY DONE NOW! :D
In case you don't watch me on deviantART, I have put up the first chapter of "Forever Young" (third in TWC rewrites). http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2460903/1/TWC_3_Forever_Young
Please review! If you've never reviewed before this is where to start, and perhaps even end! This chapter has a scene I'm all shaky about and need some love. :)
Um, yes, I did indeed put most of this up here already if you go back far enough in the archives. So you might've read it. But it's OFFICIALLY DONE NOW! :D
Monday, January 24, 2011
WOOT!
Wow. So I'm a few more sentences away from being finished with TWC2. *sigh*
I'm going to edit it over the next couple of days and going to try to have the very earliest beginnings of TWC3 ready to post before I put up the final chapter, so that anyone who is curious about the next fic won't read the start of the old version and go "Huh? Why does this not match up at all?"
Looks like it won't make *quite* 6,000 words, but it's over 5,000 and as I said I have a few more sentences to go.
Well, no spoilers in this entry!
Meanwhile, I'm in the process of starting to put my fics up at An Archive of Our Own, because the ads at fanfic.net are killing me. Seriously, I keep having to force a shut down of my browser because these ads trying to get me to download a virus/spyware are all over.
Ew, speaking of which, i'd better run my spyware cleaner just to be safe. :( If I find anything I'm going to need to go change all my passwords. :P
Now here's what's really frustrating. I had an idea of something to post about here this evening, and now I don't knwo what it was, at all. RRGH. I hate that. I will say that I replied to the comment that was left in my last post, so that's there as a second comment...
Oh yeah, well, one other thing I was wondering about, though I don't think I'm going to get my answer here since this isn't really a discussionable forum. But I'll put it here for now anyway. *G* I am hoping, with TWC2 out of the way, to keep my momentum going and spend the next 6 or so months working on two fics at the same time (as i've mentioned before), one a rewrite of TWC3 and the other a new fic in teh continuity. But I'm starting to wonder if it would be worth my time to work on new stuff right now, or if I should focus on just getting the rewrites done first. I know my motto is to work on whatever I'm inspired on, but right now I feel like I could push myself to do either one (or try for both); the last time I tried to do a rewrite and a current fic at the same time I got writer's block for, quite literally, a year. To be fair I think the fact that I was pregnant for most of that time period had something to do with it, but still. I worry. ;)
If I'm going to only focus on one, I should focus on the rewrite, right? That'll benefit more people. I just wonder how much of an audience I have for new fics right now, which is too bad, b/c things are about to start happening in those new fics. Oh well... someone will get there eventually. ;)
I'm going to edit it over the next couple of days and going to try to have the very earliest beginnings of TWC3 ready to post before I put up the final chapter, so that anyone who is curious about the next fic won't read the start of the old version and go "Huh? Why does this not match up at all?"
Looks like it won't make *quite* 6,000 words, but it's over 5,000 and as I said I have a few more sentences to go.
Well, no spoilers in this entry!
Meanwhile, I'm in the process of starting to put my fics up at An Archive of Our Own, because the ads at fanfic.net are killing me. Seriously, I keep having to force a shut down of my browser because these ads trying to get me to download a virus/spyware are all over.
Ew, speaking of which, i'd better run my spyware cleaner just to be safe. :( If I find anything I'm going to need to go change all my passwords. :P
Now here's what's really frustrating. I had an idea of something to post about here this evening, and now I don't knwo what it was, at all. RRGH. I hate that. I will say that I replied to the comment that was left in my last post, so that's there as a second comment...
Oh yeah, well, one other thing I was wondering about, though I don't think I'm going to get my answer here since this isn't really a discussionable forum. But I'll put it here for now anyway. *G* I am hoping, with TWC2 out of the way, to keep my momentum going and spend the next 6 or so months working on two fics at the same time (as i've mentioned before), one a rewrite of TWC3 and the other a new fic in teh continuity. But I'm starting to wonder if it would be worth my time to work on new stuff right now, or if I should focus on just getting the rewrites done first. I know my motto is to work on whatever I'm inspired on, but right now I feel like I could push myself to do either one (or try for both); the last time I tried to do a rewrite and a current fic at the same time I got writer's block for, quite literally, a year. To be fair I think the fact that I was pregnant for most of that time period had something to do with it, but still. I worry. ;)
If I'm going to only focus on one, I should focus on the rewrite, right? That'll benefit more people. I just wonder how much of an audience I have for new fics right now, which is too bad, b/c things are about to start happening in those new fics. Oh well... someone will get there eventually. ;)
Friday, January 14, 2011
I love it when this happens
So I went out on a walk today during my afternoon break and I love nature. Even when it's freaking freezing outside if I have the time to clear my head I can make progress on my fics that surprises me.
I'm working on structuring the rewrite of TWC3, and there are a number of things that happen in the course of this fic which... well, I need a new way to get there. (I'll go into these after I start posting the fic, I guess.) I hadn't been stressing over them, precisely, but I was getting to a point where I was wondering just how i'd be dealing with them and if I would manage to pull them off a bit better than I did when I was a kid. Anyway I don't knwo if it's the fresh air or what, but I had a big breakthrough a few months ago and started rewriting chapter one (back at hte start of September), and the breakthrough came when I was walking to my office from a faroff bus stop; then today in the gawdawful cold I had *two*!
One of them I wasn't even precisely looking for! That was the fun part. It was one of those things that came out of my making up a discussion in my head between DW and Launchpad, something semi-plot related; most of the time when I do this, a lot of it doesn't make into the fic because by the time I sit down to write I end up just restarting the conversation. But even so, every so often just letting the dialogue flow in my head gives me an idea on how to do something. In this case, I wasn't sure how to fit an initial confrontation between DW and Quackerjack into the end of the act until I had Darkwing musing about doing a sting operation and using someone as bait. It was initially a throwaway line until I realized, oh WAIT, that would actually work perfectly!
And oops, I spoiled who the bad guy is in this one. Oh well, anyone can find out by reading the first scene of the fic once I post it so it's not going to be a secret. ;)
*sigh* I feel happy now, because that means I basically have the first act all smoothed out. :) This one might take me a little longer, I think, than TWC2 has been; it's funny, things are coming a little more slowly but when they do I feel like they're really *good* ideas. (We'll see about the execution but they feel right in my head.) Whereas with TWC2, the story since i started writing it has come quickly but it's felt a little bit canned and uninspired to me all along. It's not a bad story, I just don't feel like it's sparkling.
Oh my god I have ad agency descriptions going. Shoot me. :P
I'm working on structuring the rewrite of TWC3, and there are a number of things that happen in the course of this fic which... well, I need a new way to get there. (I'll go into these after I start posting the fic, I guess.) I hadn't been stressing over them, precisely, but I was getting to a point where I was wondering just how i'd be dealing with them and if I would manage to pull them off a bit better than I did when I was a kid. Anyway I don't knwo if it's the fresh air or what, but I had a big breakthrough a few months ago and started rewriting chapter one (back at hte start of September), and the breakthrough came when I was walking to my office from a faroff bus stop; then today in the gawdawful cold I had *two*!
One of them I wasn't even precisely looking for! That was the fun part. It was one of those things that came out of my making up a discussion in my head between DW and Launchpad, something semi-plot related; most of the time when I do this, a lot of it doesn't make into the fic because by the time I sit down to write I end up just restarting the conversation. But even so, every so often just letting the dialogue flow in my head gives me an idea on how to do something. In this case, I wasn't sure how to fit an initial confrontation between DW and Quackerjack into the end of the act until I had Darkwing musing about doing a sting operation and using someone as bait. It was initially a throwaway line until I realized, oh WAIT, that would actually work perfectly!
And oops, I spoiled who the bad guy is in this one. Oh well, anyone can find out by reading the first scene of the fic once I post it so it's not going to be a secret. ;)
*sigh* I feel happy now, because that means I basically have the first act all smoothed out. :) This one might take me a little longer, I think, than TWC2 has been; it's funny, things are coming a little more slowly but when they do I feel like they're really *good* ideas. (We'll see about the execution but they feel right in my head.) Whereas with TWC2, the story since i started writing it has come quickly but it's felt a little bit canned and uninspired to me all along. It's not a bad story, I just don't feel like it's sparkling.
Oh my god I have ad agency descriptions going. Shoot me. :P
Friday, December 31, 2010
Final update of 2010!
Definitely the final fic update anyway. I say that because on the surface I'm like "but maybe I'll update this blog before the year is over!"
Deep down inside though I know I won't. ;)
Anyway, I had made myself a promise that I was going to finish "Sea of Green" before the end of the year. I planned it out and was pretty sure I could finish the whole thing in 8 chapters and so I paced it and vowed to have the 8th chapter finished by this evening, if not before.
And guys, I finished the 8th chapter. :)
Unfortunately I realized with my last update that this is a 9-chapter fic. Ah, well. :P This gives me time also to polish up the first chapter of the third installment, "Forever Young". I have about maybe 2/3 or so of it written; the problem is that I don't know how long the chapter should be. I'm not sure of the pacing of the first act of that fic - or of any of it, really. I know how I want the first act to end. I'm NOT sure how much needs to get crammed into the first chapter though. Oh well, gettin' there.
I also plan on working on the next NEW, non-rewritey fic. Sadly I believe that my readership for the non-rewritey fics is down right now because everyone who was following them is in a major time crunch, especially as regards El Interneto. So I guess that's code for "I should focus on the rewrites instead." My goal for 2011 is to get at least two fics done, which I suppose means "Forever Young" (rewrite) and "Those Daring McQuacks in Their Flying Machines" (non-rewrite), but it might actually end up meaning FY and its sequel. Just focus on getting the rewrites done. I dunno.
I hope to write more in here next year. At least I've been sorta consistent this second half of the year... it's not frequent but it's steady, and that's something! But I want to get more content up. Good luck, huh? :D
I think that is all... Best wishes, happy New Year, and lalala all of that. :)
Deep down inside though I know I won't. ;)
Anyway, I had made myself a promise that I was going to finish "Sea of Green" before the end of the year. I planned it out and was pretty sure I could finish the whole thing in 8 chapters and so I paced it and vowed to have the 8th chapter finished by this evening, if not before.
And guys, I finished the 8th chapter. :)
Unfortunately I realized with my last update that this is a 9-chapter fic. Ah, well. :P This gives me time also to polish up the first chapter of the third installment, "Forever Young". I have about maybe 2/3 or so of it written; the problem is that I don't know how long the chapter should be. I'm not sure of the pacing of the first act of that fic - or of any of it, really. I know how I want the first act to end. I'm NOT sure how much needs to get crammed into the first chapter though. Oh well, gettin' there.
I also plan on working on the next NEW, non-rewritey fic. Sadly I believe that my readership for the non-rewritey fics is down right now because everyone who was following them is in a major time crunch, especially as regards El Interneto. So I guess that's code for "I should focus on the rewrites instead." My goal for 2011 is to get at least two fics done, which I suppose means "Forever Young" (rewrite) and "Those Daring McQuacks in Their Flying Machines" (non-rewrite), but it might actually end up meaning FY and its sequel. Just focus on getting the rewrites done. I dunno.
I hope to write more in here next year. At least I've been sorta consistent this second half of the year... it's not frequent but it's steady, and that's something! But I want to get more content up. Good luck, huh? :D
I think that is all... Best wishes, happy New Year, and lalala all of that. :)
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